No. 16 Stanford (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) vs. Washington (4-0, 0-0 Pac-12)

Michael Peterson: Stanford 27, Washington 13

Washington may be undefeated, but it’s been anything but impressive in scraping out a narrow win over an FCS foe, beating Hawaii by one point on the road and taking two home games over lackluster competition. Although the arrival of head coach Chris Petersen may have signaled the start of a better era for Washington football, it will take time before his impact on the program can be really felt. The Card will quiet the raucous crowd early in the first half by taking a double-digit lead, and the defense will shut down any Husky hopes for a comeback with yet another stellar performance. Look for an improved offensive line to power a renewed rushing attack that creates long scoring drives throughout the game for Stanford.

George Chen: Stanford 31, Washington 17

At the beginning of the season, I said that the play of quarterback Kevin Hogan would be the deciding factor in determining whether Stanford makes it back to the Pac-12 Championship Game or not. For Saturday’s game, Stanford could still win if Hogan doesn’t play well, but it would send every Cardinal fan into cardiac arrest. I am not sure if Stanford can run the ball against the talented Huskies front seven. Yes, I know Washington’s impressive sack and tackles-for-loss numbers have come against inferior opponents (Eastern Washington is a pretty darn good team, though), but it is not like Stanford has been running the ball well against subpar or mediocre defenses. The Huskies are starting two freshmen in their secondary, and that needs to be the point of attack for the Cardinal. Washington may be able to key in on Ty Montgomery, but having Montgomery, Devon Cajuste, Michael Rector and Austin Hooper all on the field on the same play could spell trouble for the Huskies. I think Hogan will have a decent game, helping Stanford pull away early in the fourth quarter.

Ashley Westhem: Stanford 27, Washington 24

I am not as optimistic as the rest of the sports writers with regards to the Card’s margin of victory against the Huskies, but I think that Stanford will edge out Washington in the end. Jordan Williamson is going to need to be on par because the Cardinal running game will have a hard time getting into the red zone. Furthermore, the defense will need to continue its dominant play to keep the Husky offense in check, which was able to put up 59 points on Eastern Washington. Obviously, playing in a hostile environment is tough, but this one will have the added challenge of being the Card’s first away game after a bye week. In addition, the Huskies are finishing up a 4-game home series, so they will likely be very comfortable in their home stadium. UW definitely has the ability to make it a tough Saturday afternoon for the Cardinal, thanks to a capable coach and backed by a powerful crowd.

Do-Hyoung Park: Stanford 24, Washington 6

I am going to say it: Washington has been the least impressive undefeated team in the country this season. Yes, that includes Marshall. The hype for Chris Petersen’s arrival has been quickly silenced by an inconsistent offense that struggled against the likes of Hawaii and Georgia State. Against a stout Stanford defense that has looked absurdly impressive in the early goings of this season, I do not think that Cyler Miles and the Washington offense can do much damage at all, and I have them being kept out of the end zone altogether. On the other side of the ball, although Washington has some monstrous linemen, Stanford should be able to take advantage of a young secondary, thanks to its continually improving intermediate passing game; Austin Hooper, Ty Montgomery and Devon Cajuste all figure to be huge mismatches for the Husky defense to contend with. I think Kevin Hogan won’t necessarily have the cleanest of days, but the Stanford defense will hold, and Hogan will still have a solid day in the air to push the Cardinal to an easy victory.

Jordan Wallach: Stanford 27, Washington 13

After putting up over 40 points in each of their last three games (against Eastern Washington, Illinois, and Georgia State), Washington’s offense is due for a clunker, and the Cardinal defense is just the right squad to bring them back to earth. Stanford’s defense ranks first nationally in scoring defense and yardage allowed, and the Huskies, whose rush attempts outnumber their pass attempts two-to-one, will not find a respite on the ground. Stanford has allowed just 3.5 yards per rush so far this season, and that’s facing over 40 attempts per game. It’ll be hard for Washington to get anything going, and Kevin Hogan will be able to take advantage of the Huskies’ secondary with continued inclusion of his tight ends in his intermediate passing game. The Cardinal will come out on top in the trap game and will be in control throughout.