Scott Hood (6-1)

This Pac-12 North elimination game features an intriguing battle of backup quarterbacks and two of the best rushing defenses in the conference. Cody Vaz holds an experience edge over his counterpart, Stanford QB Kevin Hogan, who is making his first career start. Hogan will find out quickly the OSU defense is a heckuva lot better than the Colorado defense Hogan enjoyed enormous success against last weekend. Hogan has attempted 24 passes in his career, 23 against the Buffaloes. Count on the OSU defense rattling Hogan into multiple key mistakes. By now, Vaz is a proven commodity, However, the Beavers must find a way to run the football, keep Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor contained and not turn the ball over. Success in those areas should lead to victory in a close, hard fought game in front of a tepid crowd in Palo Alto. Except, of course, for the fans dressed in Orange and Black.

Oregon State 24 Stanford 20

Oregon State matches up well against Stanford, but Stanford is a tough team.  This game will come down to who makes the big plays and I think that will be OSU.

Oregon State 31 Stanford 21