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Justin Blackmon's athletic ability falls somewhere between brilliant and baffling. You know it. I know it. Stanford head coach David Shaw knows it. The Cardinal secondary knows it. Every NFL scout knows it.

So how do you stop Oklahoma State's prolific wide receiver? Ah ... a simple question with a nearly impossible answer.

That's the challenge facing the Stanford secondary when the Cowboys and Cardinal clash on Jan. 2 in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Consider Blackmon's résumé this season:

• Six times he went over 100 yards in a game.
• Six times he had double-digit receptions in a game (113 on the year).
• Five times he went for more than 120 yards -- including a 205-yard performance against then-No. 14 Kansas State.
• Five times he had multi-touchdown games.
• He scored at least one touchdown in 10 of 12 games.

Pretty daunting stuff.

Stanford's secondary gives up a lot of yards, about 241 per game. Blackmon gets a lot of yards, about 111 per game. He also finds the end zone, with 15 touchdown receptions this year. However, this is where Stanford's pass defense takes a significant turn for the better. The Cardinal have only allowed 15 passing touchdowns all year. Break that down even further and you'll see that of those 15, only eight touchdowns were caught by wide receivers.

Still, Stanford's secondary gets a bad rap for the yards it yields (the most overblown stat in football, by the way) and its lack of interceptions. Safety Michael Thomas said he and his teammates don't deserve the reputation of being the weak link in Stanford's defense.

"We're not OK with that at all," Thomas said. "At the same time, besides going out and playing, what more can you do? You can't change anybody's opinion unless you go out and play. We get one last shot going against a talented group of receivers -- especially Justin Blackmon -- and we're going to try to make a statement this game to show we can play with the best receivers out there."

If you were paying attention this season, they've already shown it. Stanford has already faced six of the top 20 statistical wide receivers in the country this year: Robert Woods (USC), Michael Floyd (Notre Dame), Keenan Allen (Cal), Marquess Wilson (Washington State), Juron Criner (Arizona) and Noel Grigsby (San Jose State). Against the Cardinal, five of those six performed below their season average. Only Floyd matched (but did not exceed) his season average. Wilson and Grigsby failed to score and Woods, Floyd, Allen and Criner were held to one touchdown each.

Stanford's secondary is also yet to allow a 100-yard receiver this season. That's a major accomplishment the Cardinal defenders are hoping to complete.

"If we stop No. 81, we wouldn't have allowed a 100-yard receiver this season, and I don't know how many other secondaries can say that," Thomas said.

"What's different about him is while he plays physical, he plays bigger than his size and he plays faster than his speed. We've played some very dynamic athletes. This cat brings a whole new dimension. We feel like he plays as fast as he needs to play. There is no flaw in his game whereas other guys we could find something. This guy doesn't have any flaws. But all we can do is prepare for him like we did the rest of them."

Preparation, therein lies another problem. The Cardinal have no one on their roster who can simulate the way Blackmon plays.

"We’ve got about four guys wearing the No. 81 jersey," Shaw said. "It’s hard because we’re trying to practice at game tempo for our team, but there are not many guys in college football that can run full speed eight plays in a row, deep routes, and still come back and not even be out of breath. We’ve been rotating guys in and out because that’s so hard to emulate."

The closest offense Stanford has seen this season to Oklahoma State is Arizona. That's the game the players are going back and watching.

"That's really the only thing we can compare it to," Thomas said. "It's high-tempo, but not like Oregon. But they are like Arizona in terms of depth at the wide receiver position, one stud quarterback who can sit in the pocket and make throws. We're treating them like we did Arizona, but making some tweaks."

Just as Stanford's offense isn't all about Andrew Luck, OSU's receiving game isn't all about Blackmon. Quarterback Brandon Weeden commands the spread offense with precision and efficiency. Tracy Moore has a pair of 100-yard receiving games and four touchdowns. Josh Cooper has gone for more than 100 yards three times.

"They have a bunch of guys who can make plays," Thomas said. "And we'll have packages in place for all of them. But no matter what, you always have to keep your eye on No. 81."

First thoughts ...

The 2012 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, aka the January NFL Combine, could have as many as five first-round draft picks on the field when the Stanford Cardinal and Oklahoma State Cowboys meet on Jan. 2.

Four of them come from Stanford: quarterback Andrew Luck, offensive linemen Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro and possibly tight end Coby Fleener.

Oklahoma State boasts – hands down -- the nation's best wide receiver in Justin Blackmon. He has 113 catches, 1,336 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Cardinal have seen Blackmon-esque wide receivers this season -- Juron Criner, Michael Floyd, Robert Woods, etc. Big, fast, physical wide receivers who can use their bodies to create separation. But seeing players like Blackmon isn't the same as seeing Blackmon.

“The first time I saw him getting ready for Arizona, I put on the Oklahoma State game,” Stanford head coach David Shaw explained. “I’m trying to watch Arizona’s defense but I kept watching Justin. I had to go back to the sheet that had all of the heights and weight on it. Is he really that big? Can he be that big and that fast and that quick? A guy that will catch a 50-yard post and then come back again on the next play and it doesn't look like he's out of breath. He's a phenomenal athlete and an outstanding football player.”

The Cardinal have seen Weeden-esque quarterbacks before -- Nick Foles, Matt Barkley, etc.; quarterbacks with arms who can deliver with pinpoint accuracy. But seeing quarterbacks like Brandon Weeden isn't the same as seeing Weeden.

Oh yeah … did I mention they have Blackmon?

“That guy wearing No. 81 is something special,” Shaw said. “And the combination of those two guys is formidable. It has been. They have other guys. They have good running backs and other wide receivers that make big plays also. But Justin Blackmon I think is a special, special player. Being who I am, that's where my eye gravitates towards when I watch a team like this. I studied receivers for so long in the NFL. This guy is ideal. He's what you're looking for.”

We have a month to pore over statistics, scrutinize every position and every individual battle. But my first thought is that this is an incredibly even matchup.

• Both teams have marquee quarterbacks.
• Both teams have strong passing games – a clear edge to Oklahoma State’s receivers and a clear edge to Stanford’s tight ends.
• Both teams have strong running games, though the Cardinal are a little more balanced and methodical.
• Both have defenses that have taken their share of criticism, but ultimately make plays when they need to.

Of all of the BCS bowl games, this is the headliner. It might not be for the national championship -- both teams had a shot at it, though Oklahoma State has the bigger gripe -- but at first glance this looks to be the most entertaining game on the docket. If my DVR has space for only one of the BCS bowl games, this is the one I'd record.

“I think this game is going to be great for college football,” Shaw said. “I think it's going to be exciting. It has a lot of what you're looking for ... You've got one of the best teams in the nation, won their conference. Have an outstanding quarterback, outstanding receiver and an outstanding system; an opportunistic defense that gets turnovers and plays at a fast tempo with a lot of speed.

“Then you have this little team from the West Coast that runs the football with a prototypical quarterback with a balanced offensive attack and attacking style defense. I think it's going to be exciting. I think it's going to be one of the best bowl games this year.”

Question from reporter: Do you think it will be better than the national championship?

Shaw, with a laugh: “I didn't say that.”

Question from reporter: Will it be higher scoring?

Shaw, with a bigger laugh: “I didn't say that, either.”

Shaw doesn’t have to say it. We’re all thinking it.

Stanford and Notre Dame are both moving on to bowl games -- but first they square off in the regular season finale for both teams. Notre Dame blogger Matt Fortuna and Stanford blogger Kevin Gemmell do their best to shake off turkey hangovers and bring insight into Saturday's matchup.

Kevin Gemmell: Happy post-Thanksgiving to you and yours, Matt. Seeing as Stanford and Notre Dame cross paths this week, it would stand to reason that the Stanford and Notre Dame blogs also come together the day before the game.

There are major bowl implications in this game for Stanford. What's the most important thing the Cardinal need to be on the lookout for when scouting the Irish?

Matt Fortuna: Kevin, same to you and your family as well. I think I'm still in a turkey coma from last night. Obviously, this is the biggest test Notre Dame will have faced all season long. Looking at the numbers throughout this season, I think the Irish's best bet for success is to move the ball through the air and take full advantage of Michael Floyd.

Jonas Gray's knee injury severely hampers Notre Dame's ground attack. The cast is largely unproven behind the smaller Cierre Wood, and Stanford's rushing defense is good enough to have seriously challenged the Irish backfield even if Gray took the field. The Cardinal's weakness, if they have any, would appear to be its pass defense. Tommy Rees will have to improve on his sub-par performance from last week and look more like the Rees from the Maryland game two weeks ago, when he completed 30 of 38 passes and sped up the tempo of the Notre Dame offense. If he can establish a rhythm early, I think we can brace ourselves for a pretty competitive contest.

I'd be remiss to not ask the Stanford blogger about Andrew Luck, so here we go: Should everyone in the Midwest believe the hype? I currently have him atop my ESPN.com Heisman ballot, but I'm wondering if things look as crisp up-close as they do from other parts of the country. What will Notre Dame's secondary need to do to contain Luck?

Kevin Gemmell: Well, if each player on the secondary can add four or five inches, that would be a good start. Luck is going to seek out his tight ends -- Coby Fleener (6-foot-6), Levine Toilolo (6-8) and possibly Zach Ertz (6-6) who hasn't played since the USC game because of a knee injury. Luck doesn't have the receiving corps to stretch the field, but he exploits his mismatches and if one of the Notre Dame defensive backs has one-on-one coverage with a tight end, look out, because Luck will find it.

As for believing the hype? Stanford head coach David Shaw believes it. He went on a pro-Luck tirade Tuesday, saying Luck is doing things no other college player has ever done. In that regard, then yes, believe the hype. Luck is the most intelligent and evolved college quarterback I have ever seen. He sets the formations and then calls the play. And he's good at it. The Cardinal are almost always running the optimal play against the optimal defense because Luck is calling it on the spot. It's pretty amazing to watch him orchestrate the offense.

I was just going over Stanford's record against marquee wide receivers and it's pretty good. They've slowed down Keenan Allen (Cal), Robert Woods (USC) and Juron Criner (Arizona). Since we're talking secondaries, tell me about Michael Floyd and what he brings.

Matt Fortuna: Allen had six catches for 97 yards. Woods had nine for 89. And USC's Marqise Lee added seven catches for 95 yards. I'm not sure if we have the same definition of "slowed down," Kevin. Michael Floyd is big (6-3, 224 pounds), fast and versatile. He has improved his downfield blocking this season, and he is lined up virtually anywhere on the field. Notre Dame likes to find him in the flat often and let him create. Look no further than early in the fourth quarter Saturday, when Floyd took a pass on the right side, did not get a proper block, reversed field completely and ended up with an 18-yard gain on the other end of the field. He is a first-round talent who may fall to the second round only because of his off-the-field history.

Looking at the offensive lines earlier in this week, I was surprised to see the combined weight of Stanford's starters (305 pounds) were only one pound more than Notre Dame's (304). The Cardinal obviously have a pair of first-rounders up front, but what is it about the unit that allows it to impose its will on opposing defenses?

Kevin Gemmell: Come on, Matt. You know better than to fall into the trap of looking at just final statistics. Allen had all six catches in the first quarter and then was blanked the next 45 minutes. Woods was kept out of the end zone until overtime. Pretty sure if Shaw had his choice, he'd prefer Floyd to do all of his damage in the first quarter and then be a non-factor for the rest of the game -- or to hold him without a touchdown for 60 minutes.

But I think we can both agree that getting the ball to Floyd is a priority for Notre Dame and stopping that is a priority for Stanford.

Stanford's offensive line likes to grind. They'll run the power to either side with Stepfan Taylor (who just went over 1,000 yards for the second consecutive year) and they'll rotate fresh backs in regularly -- Tyler Gaffney, Anthony Wilkerson, Jeremy Stewart -- and just pound away. What makes it fun to watch is they'll run essentially the same play out of a bunch of different looks. Sometimes they'll have a jumbo package with six or seven offensive linemen. Other times they'll have two fullbacks and three tight ends. They get funky with their formations and that allows them to lean on teams over the course of the game.

Speaking of offensive lines, Notre Dame is pretty good at keeping Rees' jersey clean. The protection seems solid. Is that a product of them, Rees getting rid of the ball quickly or a little bit of both?

Matt Fortuna: Both Rees and the offensive line have made strides throughout the season. The unit gave up five sacks in the month of September, two of which resulted in Rees fumbles, but the Irish did not allow a single sack from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, when they gave up three to Maryland. Even that seemed more like something that was bound to happen rather than a big breakdown in protection. Mike Golic Jr. has done a great job filling in for the injured Braxston Cave at center, and Rees has done a much better job of releasing the ball more quickly.

OK, Kevin, I don't know how much more talking I can do while still in this turkey-induced coma. Let's get right to it: Who do you got Saturday?

Kevin Gemmell: Well, because of the Thanksgiving week, we both posted our predictions on Wednesday, making this portion of our little chat a bit anti-climatic. And I am sure you got a laugh, as I did, that there was a (spoiler alert) one-point differential in our predictions. I have Stanford winning 31-21. I just don't see Andrew Luck losing (probably) his final home game at Stanford Stadium. I think the Cardinal are motivated to make an impression on voters -- in light of David Shaw's BCS comments on Tuesday -- and I think when you get right down to it, Stanford does a better job taking care of the ball and has more mismatches on offense. Notre Dame gets some points, but Stanford gets the win.

Before you attack the leftovers and fall back asleep, what's your take on why Stanford wins?

Matt Fortuna: Impossible to fall asleep with so many good games on today and tomorrow. The leftovers are only complementary pieces. Anyway, as you mentioned, I like Stanford as well, 31-20. I like the Cardinal for many of the reasons you do — Andrew Luck's last home game, David Shaw's edgier tone this week. But ultimately I think the Irish's young defensive line just won't have enough gas in the tank to hang with Stanford's offense for four quarters, at least not this early in most of their careers. Notre Dame's offense would have had a tough time keeping Stanford off the field as it was, but take big running back Jonas Gray out of the picture, and the situation becomes even less favorable for the road team.

Taking stock of the 12th week of games in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: USC ended Oregon's 21-game home winning streak as well as the Ducks' 19-game conference winning streak with a 38-35 victory, giving coach Lane Kiffin and QB Matt Barkley a signature victory.

Best game: Unlike most weeks this season, four Pac-12 games came down to the waning moments, but the Trojans' win in Autzen Stadium was thrilling and meaningful, featuring a pair of ranked teams. The Trojans jumped ahead 38-14 but the Ducks stormed back with 21 unanswered points. The game would have gone to overtime if Ducks kicker Alejandro Maldonado hadn't missed from 37 yards on the game's final play.

Biggest play: Hey, Cougs, did Marquess Wilson score?

Washington State was inches short from beating Utah in regulation, and more than a few folks in Pullman -- including coach Paul Wulff -- believe the 6-yard pass Wilson caught in the waning moments from QB Connor Halliday was actually a 7-yard TD pass. As it was, Mo Lee's tackle stopped Wilson from getting the go-ahead TD and, after two incompletions, the Cougars settled for a tying field goal that sent the game into overtime. Utah prevailed 30-27.

This from Howie Stalwick explains the situation:

The Cougars were out of time-outs, so Wulff could not call for a review. The upstairs review official had the option to review the play. A touchdown would have given WSU the win, but Wulff wound up going for a field goal.

NCAA rules permit the reversal of on-field rulings only if evidence is abundantly clear that an error was made. Television replays were inconclusive regarding whether Wilson broke the plane of the goal line. Snow on the field complicated matters.

Wulff said a photo he observed, combined with video he watched, convinced him that Wilson scored.

Offensive standout: Barkley completed 26 of 34 passes for 323 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the Trojans' 38-35 win at Oregon.

Defensive standout: Oregon State defensive end -- and Washington native -- Scott Crichton had two sacks, three total tackles for a loss and forced a key fourth-quarter fumble in the Beavers' 38-21 win over Washington.

Special-teams standout: Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against USC. He also caught a 29-yard TD pass.

Smiley face: Little has gone right for Arizona this year. Heck, it fired its head coach, Mike Stoops, before the season was over. But things are a little brighter in Tucson after a 31-27 upset win at Arizona State. QB Nick Foles and WR Juron Criner -- the Wildcats' two biggest stars -- turned in strong performances and the defense did just enough to win. In a tough situation, interim head coach Tim Kish has done a good job keeping things together and giving his seniors a great memory.

Frowny face: Arizona State. The Sun Devils have lost four of five, and their three-game losing streak came against teams that have less talent and less reason to play hard. Not much to say, but I'm guessing Sun Devils fans can think of plenty.

Thought of the week: Utah plays Colorado on Friday. The Utes should beat the woeful Buffaloes and finish the regular season with a five-game winning streak and an 8-4 record. Then the Utes will watch Arizona State play host to California that night and UCLA visit USC on Saturday. If the Sun Devils and Bruins both lose, the Utes will win the South Division in their first year in the conference. And they'd deserve it more than UCLA or Arizona State, which have meandered through a year that might get both head coaches fired.

Questions for the week: Are there any upsets left? Will Stanford beat Notre Dame and earn an at-large BCS bowl berth? Or will Oregon fall to Oregon State at home and allow the Cardinal to slip into the Rose Bowl -- win or lose versus the Fighting Irish? Will UCLA whip suddenly hot USC and save Rick Neuheisel's job? What about the Apple Cup: If Washington State beats rival Washington, will that be enough to save Wulff's job? Or might Colorado rise up and end its 24-game losing streak outside its home state at Utah? Lots of intrigue for the final weekend of the regular season.

Who gets a helmet sticker for a job well done?

Scott Crichton, Oregon State: The true freshman defensive end -- and Washington native -- had two sacks and forced a key fourth-quarter fumble in the Beavers' 38-21 win over Washington.

John White, Utah: The Utes running back rushed for 186 yards on 42 carries with two touchdowns in the 30-27 overtime win over Washington State.

Kevin Prince, UCLA: The Bruins quarterback completed 15-of-19 for 225 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in a 45-6 win over Colorado. He also rushed 10 times for 84 yards.

Matt Barkley, USC: The Trojans quarterback completed 26 of 34 passes for 323 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the Trojans 38-35 win at Oregon.

Foles & Criner: Arizona quarterback Nick Foles and wide receiver Juron Criner were supposed to be the Pac-12's best pass-catch combination. Things didn't got their -- or the Wildcats' -- way this season. But Foles completed 35-of-51 for 370 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and Criner caught nine passes for 134 yards with a touchdown in the 31-27 upset win at Arizona State.

Whatever you want to say about the Arizona Wildcats' 1-3 start -- and plenty has been said -- one thing you can't say is it's Nick Foles' fault.

The Arizona quarterback ranks sixth in the nation with 361.8 yards passing per game. He's thrown 10 touchdown passes with zero interceptions. He's completed 70.5 percent of his passes.

Heck, the righty even completed a 12-yard pass left-handed against Oregon.

"He's playing at a very high level right now," coach Mike Stoops said.

The problem for Arizona -- and Stoops and Foles -- is the Wildcats have Foles and the passing game and little else.

The defense ranks among the worst in the nation in nearly every statistical category. The running game ranks 119th in the nation. There are 120 FBS teams.

And, with no running game to make a defense honest, defenders line up like Usain Bolt, eagerly anticipating opportunities to get sacks against an offensive line with five new starters. The Wildcats have yielded 12 sacks -- including five in the blowout loss to Oregon -- most in the Pac-12.

After seeing Foles lead an impressive, but ultimately failed, second-half comeback against Oregon, and getting repeatedly pounded, Ducks coach Chip Kelly called Foles "a warrior."

Still, the Wildcats head to USC on Saturday facing the possibility -- probability? -- of a 1-4 start and a ninth consecutive loss to an FBS team. Again, it's worth noting that the three losses this year were to top-10 teams. The five losses last season were to two top-five teams, a No. 13 Oklahoma State squad, as well as losses to USC and Arizona State by a combined four points.

Stoops is trying to change the focus from winning to getting better, which will come in handy when the schedule eases up after Saturday.

"These games will make us better later on down the road," he said.

Of course, Foles and the passing offense haven't been perfect. Foles has missed some passes that could have become big plays and he's seen his touted crew of receivers drop a few, too. Both sorts of miscues were on display against Oregon. Stoops noted both, but that's certainly not his primary concern.

"You have to help him," he said. "I'm disappointed we're not helping him enough."

Where is that help going to come from? The best bet is the passing game being enough to overwhelm less talented teams. So while the slow start isn't Foles' fault, a lot is on him to lead a second-half renewal.

"He's got to be the glue that holds our offense together," Stoops said. "With a quarterback like that, I believe you have a chance to win any game you play."

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Weird game. Weird team.

With an armory on offense and blockade-inducing defense, the Stanford Cardinal once again waited for the final 30 minutes to play their best football.

It’s becoming an unsettling trend for coach David Shaw and his cast of players. For three straight weeks, the theme has been this:

“I like what we did in the second half,” said Shaw.

That’s all well and good because it was a win -- on the road -- against a much tougher opponent than the previous two weeks. The Cardinal blanked Arizona 21-0 in the second half en route to a 37-10 win in the Pac-12 opener for both schools.

But what about those first 30 minutes, when the offense looked disheveled, the defense seemed splotchy and any sense of rhythm was non-existent?

“I don’t know how to explain it,” said quarterback Andrew Luck. “I don’t think we want to do that. It’s definitely something we’re going to try to improve on. I can’t explain it.”

Luck’s stats were fairly typical, 20-of-31 for 325 yards and two touchdowns. But his overall performance was very atypical. He made bad throws -- and that’s something we don’t say often about Luck. Twice he was almost intercepted in the red zone, where he’s usually at his most cautious and surgical. Another time he threw a flat ball on a fade out of the end zone -- a pass we’ve seen him make dozens of times.

“We have a lot of things to improve on, obviously,” Luck said.

Just like last week, the stats don’t tell the whole story. The No. 6 Cardinal (3-0, 1-0) totaled a season-high 567 yards of offense, grabbing 8.1 yards per play. And just like last week, they had more yards in the first half than in the second. But they were yards that resulted in three field goals, one touchdown and a punt. In the second half, the result was three touchdowns to one punt.

“We just need to establish a rhythm,” Shaw said. “We’re better once we establish a run rhythm. It started to happen kinda early. We had a couple of nice drives in the first half. But in the second half we came out in rhythm. We need to start the first half like we start the second half.”

Two Cardinal who didn’t look out of rhythm were running back Stepfan Taylor and tight end Levine Toilolo, who both put up career numbers. Taylor carried the ball 22 times for 153 yards -- including a long run of 49 yards and an average of 7 yards per carry.

“He’s special,” Shaw said of Taylor. “... He was outstanding, patient, quick and he’s got a low center of gravity. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he’ll drag some tacklers.”

Toilolo led all players with 102 yards on four catches and his first career touchdown.

“We knew that the defense was going to over-run some things and then we’d go for the big plays,” Taylor said. “I sensed that in the second half. Everything started clicking in the second half.”

Which brings us back to the original question. What’s going on in the first half?

“I wish I knew the answer,” he said. “I wish we could start faster. We’ll watch film and see what we need to fix.”

For Toilolo, who worked his way back from a knee injury last year, it was a coming out party. With tight end Coby Fleener sitting most of the game after exhibiting concussion symptoms, Toilolo and tight end Zach Ertz carried the flag for the tight ends.

“Me and Zach did whatever the coaches asked of us and we executed,” Toilolo said. “This is stuff we work on all week in practice and when the coaches called my number, I was happy to be able to contribute. I think the rest of the offense played well, which opened up some of those passes.”

Defensively, the Cardinal stiffened in the second half as well. After the starting 11 allowed its first touchdown of the season in the second quarter -- a 6-yard pass from Nick Foles to Juron Criner -- the defense settled in during the second half and blanked the Wildcats. Foles completed 24 of 33 passes for 239 yards and the lone score. But he was pestered by Stanford’s front seven and sacked five times.

“We left a lot of plays out there in the first half,” said safety Michael Thomas. “We always talk about starting fast and it’s something we haven’t done yet. We do pride ourselves on finding a way to finish and finish faster. That’s what we do in the second half. We keep making plays.”

Even though those plays have resulted in three wins this season, Shaw said his team has to find ways to play the first 30 minutes better.

“We challenged our guys at halftime to take the fight to them,” Shaw said. “To be physical. To see if we could wear them down. That’s the philosophy we believe in. Our second half has got to be better than our first and that’s what we did tonight.

“But we have to start faster.”

That’s starting to sound all-too familiar.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Would he? Or wouldn't he?

The question of whether Arizona wide receiver Juron Criner would play appears to be answered. He came out in full gear and ran (term used loosely) with the first-team offense during the pregame warm ups.

The Cardinal secondary is already expected to be challenged by the talented and accurate Arizona quarterback Nick Foles. Even without his full arsenal of receivers, he's one of the most accurate passers in the country. If Criner is even at 80 percent, the 6-4, 215-pound receiver can be a difference-maker for the Wildcats.

Don't be surprised if the Cardinal start quick. They have scored on their opening drive in 11 of their last 15 games.

Stanford enters the game having won four of the last five meetings in Tucson.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The team with the nation's longest active FBS win streak -- yeah, that's Stanford -- is an hour away from kicking off here at Arizona Stadium.

With Auburn's loss 38-24 loss to Clemson, there is an official changing of the guard. Stanford, which enters tonight's game having won 10 straight, now carries the torch for the rest of college football. Auburn had won 17 in a row until the loss.

Ohio State is next in line with eight wins coming into today, though they are losing to Miami. That could be two of the top three win streaks going down. Is this a bad omen for Stanford?

There hasn't been any official word yet on Arizona wide receiver Juron Criner (appendectomy), though he was briefly on the field and was wearing warm-up gear. Should know more before kickoff. Best guess is that the 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver is going to try to go. Even his presence on the field will be enough to draw some extra attention from Stanford's safeties. Coach David Shaw said earlier this week that the actual game-planning doesn't change whether Criner plays, but the dynamics of how they'll cover receivers changes when he's on the field.

The night game is going to favor the Cardinal in terms of heat. The thermometer hit 95 degrees around mid-day, but started to cool into the low 90s and is floating right now between high 80s and low 90s.

No. 6 Stanford faces its first significant test of the season Saturday at Arizona, where the spirited 'Zona Zoo can be a challenge for opposing offenses.

The game has the potential to be highly entertaining, at least if you like A-list quarterbacks. Stanford's Andrew Luck is a leading Heisman Trophy candidate and likely will be the top over all pick in next spring's NFL draft, while Arizona's Nick Foles has put up huge numbers so far and could join Luck in the draft's first round.

Stanford blogger Kevin Gemmell and Pac-12 blogger Ted Miller decided there was plenty to discuss.

Kevin Gemmell: Ted, I think it's commonly accepted that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is the Heisman front-runner and will be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. But I couldn't help notice Arizona quarterback Nick Foles getting some love in last week's Heisman poll. Stanford's secondary has been its weakest cog through two weeks of the season. Foles will be, by far, the most accurate quarterback they have faced this season when they roll into Tucson on Saturday. That has me wondering. Do we have this all wrong? Is Foles the Pac-12 quarterback we should be focusing on and not Luck?

Ted Miller: Well, Luck is Luck, considered by many to be the best quarterback prospect in a decade. He’s the total package and almost certain top pick in the NFL draft this spring. More than a few folks believe, however, that Foles, if he turns in a good season, also could find his way into the first round of the NFL draft. He’s a big guy with a good arm and is very accurate. Further, as a third-year starter, he’s experienced. He’s not going to get surprised. And he will tax the Stanford pass defense, particularly if he gets receiver Juron Criner back. My guess is Luck will look longingly at Foles’ receivers.

The problem for Foles and Arizona, though, is five new offensive line starters. They’ve done OK pass blocking, but the Wildcats run game has been mostly nonexistent. Seems like the Stanford front seven has been stout thus far. We knew the linebackers would be good. Tell me about the defensive line.

Kevin Gemmell: You're right about the linebackers. They are good. And a significant reason they are good is because of that defensive line. As you know, linebackers rule in the 3-4 scheme, and the boys up front are there to occupy the blockers. But here's the catch. They are doing more than that. Matt Masifilo, Terrence Stephens and Ben Gardner have also been making tackles and getting to the quarterback. Those three have combined for 13 tackles, five tackles for losses of 25 yards, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup in the first two games. First they occupy the block, then they shed it just as quickly. Where the Stanford defense has had some problems through the first couple of weeks has been in the secondary. It hasn't really been "burned" by any big plays, but the defenders have missed tackles which have led to a few big plays. They have created the big play on their own. Never a good thing. San Jose State and Duke completed 62 percent of their passes against the Cardinal. Not great numbers, but better than you'd expect from a couple of lower-tier teams. What's going to happen when an accurate passer like Foles gets in there?

Ted Miller: Well, the Stanford secondary then is going to need to buckle up because while there’s talk of trying for some balance in Tucson, it’s really going to be about Foles and the passing game. Of course, as good as Foles is and as deep as the Wildcats receivers are, the offense is not the same without Criner, who it’s fair to say is questionable after having an appendectomy last week. With Criner, Foles has a big target who’s a deep threat and has a knack for making big plays. Without him, the passing attack lacks that obvious go-to target. That Cardinal secondary, which only lost cornerback Richard Sherman from 2010, did a good job against Foles last year, holding him to 248 yards passing -- 5.2 yards per completion -- with a touchdown and an interception from Sherman. Foles has to win that battle, though, for the Wildcats to have a chance for the upset. He’ll need another 400-yard passing game.

What about the other side of the ball? While Luck is back and looking good, despite losing his top-two receivers from 2010, how has the personality of the offense changed after the departure of coach Jim Harbaugh and some key players? Arizona coach Mike Stoops said the Cardinal had been “vanilla” in the first two games. Are we going to see some new things this weekend?

Kevin Gemmell: The personality is a lot like David Shaw. Balanced. You haven't seen "Heisman-esque" numbers out of Luck, because he doesn't play in a five-wide spread offense. They want to establish the run, be physical, and then pick their moments to take the shots down the field. The running game has been hit-and-miss to this point. But that's to be expected with three new starters on the offensive line. Some readers have commented to me that they think Stanford has lost its "swagger" sans Harbaugh. I couldn't disagree more. There is plenty of swagger to go around, and 101 points in two games to back that up.

Shaw heard the "vanilla" comment, and he called it a fair assessment. But so far we've seen a flea-flicker and a nifty little shovel pass. Not entirely vanilla. There's nothing wrong with showing other teams on film that you have those clubs in your bag. And they've also shown a lot of their three tight-end formations. Talk about mismatch issues! Stanford has three tight ends -- two of them 6-foot-6 and another at 6-8 -- who would create matchup problems for any defense in this country. Those tight ends have more than made up for the missing wide receivers from last season. And speaking of the receivers, even though Chris Owusu hasn't had that "big play," he is coming off a 100-yard receiving game against Duke, and Griff Whalen has proven to be a nice presence underneath.

Let's call it vanilla with sprinkles, cookie dough and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

OK, Ted. Prediction time. You're the Pac-12 veteran. How do you see this one playing out?

Ted Miller: It would be a lot easier, Kevin, if we knew if Criner was going to play. My hunch is no. But I still wouldn’t pick the Wildcats in this one because they lack a running game to help Foles, and the young offensive line is going to struggle with the Cardinal front seven. Still, Arizona plays better in front of the ‘Zona Zoo, one of the best home crowds in the Pac-12. My pick is a competitive 35-24 victory for Stanford, with the Cardinal asserting itself in the fourth quarter.

What’s your take?

Kevin Gemmell: Truly, great minds think alike. I had Stanford pegged at 35-24 in my Thursday prediction. I'm looking for a lot more running out the of the Cardinal than people are probably expecting in a game with two marquee quarterbacks. I think the Cardinal are a little tired of hearing the folks say they haven't played anyone yet. Not that Arizona is Alabama or Oklahoma -- but a win against an above average Pac-12 team on the road would go a long way toward silencing some of their critics. Foles is going to get his stats, but Stanford will get the win.

Went 8-2 last week as my upset predictions for Utah and Colorado went splat in the waning moments.

Season record stands at 17-5.

Some of you might not like these picks. In advance, sorry. I won't mind being wrong.

All games are Saturday.

Stanford 35, Arizona 24: Two great QBs going at it, but the Cardinal also have a running game and a defense. The Wildcats' chances will be a lot -- A LOT -- better if receiver Juron Criner plays.

Arizona State 40, Illinois 28: In the past, we'd circle this as a game the Sun Devils might blow. But we're leaning toward believing these Sun Devils are different. And we like QB Brock Osweiler's play and leadership.

Nebraska 30, Washington 24: Lincoln is a tough place to play for a new starting quarterback, but the Huskies will give the Cornhuskers all they can handle in what will be the best-played game in the three-game series.

BYU 28, Utah 27: Both teams are coming off tough losses, but BYU is at home, and that's the difference after the Utes won by a single point at home in 2010.

Texas 27, UCLA 14: Texas has positive momentum after a comeback victory over BYU and it's highly motivated after getting embarrassed by the Bruins in Austin in 2010. That San Jose State effort by UCLA was hard to stomach.

USC 35, Syracuse 20: With just five starters back on defense, Syracuse will have a hard time stopping Matt Barkley, Robert Woods & company. And the Orange have zero running game, which will make things easy for the Trojans' D.

San Diego State 33, Washington State 30: The Cougars are 2-0, but they've yet to play a quality foe. The Aztecs are a quality foe and they are playing at home. Seems like there will be just a little too much Ryan Lindley and Ronnie Hillman for the Cougs' defense.

Colorado 30, Colorado State 21: The Buffaloes will get the win because they'll finally get running back Rodney Stewart going, even with a beaten-up offensive line.

Oregon 80, Missouri State 2: Chip Kelly will be unhappy with the shotgun snap from the backup center that costs the Ducks a shutout.

California 742, Presbyterian 5: We won't be taking this game seriously.

Not much good happened for the Arizona Wildcats at Oklahoma State.

It's possible that the Oklahoma State Cowboys are very good -- they dominated on both sides of the ball -- but the Wildcats seemed to take a step back, even compared to the poor performance in the Alamo Bowl, which they lost 36-10.

The end result of a 37-14 defeat is Arizona lost its sixth in a row with a schedule that doesn't let up ahead.

The Wildcats, with a rebuilt offensive line, produced no running game against the Cowboys. And the defense, which yielded 594 yards, was completely at the mercy of quarterback Brandon Weeden.

Sure, it might have helped if wide receiver Juron Criner were healthy. But that wouldn't have helped the defense.

Good news? Well, Texas transfer Dan Buckner caught 10 passes for 142 yards. He showed that he can be a weapon. Same with freshman Austin Hill, who caught 8 passes for 128 yards.

But what became clear is preseason concerns were true: The Wildcats are going to have to score a lot of points to make up for a limited defense. And they are going to have to pass, pass, pass to make that happen.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Time to offer a little analysis of what we just saw.

If your usual stop is the Pac-12 blog, look away. It's about to get ugly.

Turning point: Brandon Weeden stepping onto the field. The Cowboys' 27-year-old passer (older than another QB in action tonight, the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers) is on fire and Arizona can't slow him down. He's completed 28-of-32 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown and shows no signs of slowing against a weak Arizona defense.

Turning point II: Daytawion Lowe broke up a fourth-down pass from inside the 5-yard line in the second quarter to preserve the shutout. The Wildcats marched into Oklahoma State territory on their next drive, but fumbled on a reception. Arizona might have felt a lot better with a 21-7 halftime deficit. Instead, it remained three touchdowns.

Stat of the half: Weeden and his Pac-12 counterpart, Nick Foles, have combined to complete 46-of-55 passes. The QBs have been as advertised, but Foles is playing without top target Juron Criner, who is out after undergoing an appendectomy on Monday.

Best player in the half: Weeden. By far. Justin Blackmon has been good. Joseph Randle has, too. But Weeden's effort is driving this offense.

What Oklahoma State needs to do: It's tested downfield a bit with varied success. Weeden's only two incompletions were deep passes over the top of the defense trying to work the seam between the safeties. He overthrew Tracy Moore and Blackmon dropped one. The Cowboys may want to reel it in a bit and keep feeding Randle and Jeremy Smith, who have both been effective. They've combined for 85 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.

Here are two images from last year's Alamo Bowl, in which Oklahoma State trounced Arizona 36-10.

Image No. 1: Cowboys All-American receiver Justin Blackmon deciding not just to score a 71-yard touchdown against blown coverage but taking a really, really long route to the end zone in order to get some good showboating time.

What it communicates: A bush-league play, not a great moment for a great player.

Image No. 2: Wildcats 220-pound safety Adam Hall blowing up Blackmon away from the ball a few plays later.

What it communicates: A cheap shot, but one taken for an obvious reason.

What does it all mean for Arizona's visit to No. 9 Oklahoma State on Thursday night? Maybe nothing. The Cowboys are a top-10 team, while the Wildcats are rebuilding and injury riddled, the latest being the doubtful status of All-Pac-10 receiver Juron Criner.

But it does hint that both teams might have some extra salt for this one. Don't be surprised if things get a bit chippy out there.

Yes, the Wildcats remember the Alamo.

"He disrespected us," safety Robert Golden said of Blackmon. "[Hall] got payback a little bit. But it's really going to be payback when we step on the field Thursday and compete."

While the final score suggests Cowboys dominance, it was more about Wildcats horribleness. The last of five consecutive defeats to end the season, Arizona lost the turnover battle 4-0 and made major gaffes on offense, defense and special teams. The Wildcats had six possessions in Cowboys territory in the first half but scored only one touchdown. They outgained Oklahoma State 370-312 and had 25 first downs to 17 but couldn't score. Quarterback Nick Foles, who tossed three interceptions, including one returned 62 yards for a touchdown, turned in perhaps the worst performance of his career.

"We made some horrific mistakes against a top-10 team that you can't make and win, no matter how motivated and ready you are," Arizona coach Mike Stoops said.

Stoops mentioned top-10 teams, which leads into an unhappy factoid for the Wildcats, courtesy of the Tucson Citizen: In his tenure at Arizona, Stoops is 0-7 on the road against top-10 teams, and none of those defeats came by fewer than 18 points. The Wildcats have been outscored 291-119 in those games. Not good.

Further, the odds don't look great this time. While Oklahoma State lost former offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen to West Virginia, and free safety Johnny Thomas was declared ineligible this week, the Cowboys welcome back a lot of talent and are among the favorites in a top-heavy Big 12. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are missing a lot of key pieces, and not just due to graduation. Hall, for one, is out with a knee injury, as are two other defensive starters, LB Jake Fischer and CB Jonathan McKnight.

And Criner's apparent absence is a big blow for the passing game. Last week, he caught six passes for 151 yards.

The Wildcats have five new starters on their offensive line, but the defense will be particularly tested on the road against a skilled, veteran offense led by Blackmon and QB Brandon Weeden. Being down two starters in the secondary isn't a good thing against an offense with nine starters back. Last week, Northern Arizona was fairly successful throwing the ball against the Wildcats, most particularly picking on McKnight's replacement, Shaquille Richardson.

"Shaquille didn't have one of his better days, but I know what he can do," Stoops said.

While the conventional wisdom is stacked against the Wildcats -- a team with a lot of questions on the road against a ranked team -- they should be plenty motivated. An upset victory would get the season off to a good start, particularly important during a brutal early schedule that includes three top-10 teams, and it would help remove the bad aftertaste of last year's terrible finish.

And, of course, there's just a little bit of bad feelings from the Alamo Bowl, which the Wildcats certainly remember.

Said Golden, "We usually say we're going on business trips. But we're taking this trip as a street fight."