Pac-12 week 5 games to watch: Oregon State vs. Arizona the big Saturday game

Stanford vs. Washington has already passed, but get a sense for the other games to watch out for this Saturday regarding week 5 of the Pac-12 football season.

Avinash Kunnath, Pacific Takes & California Golden Blogs: Stanford vs. Washington is on the top of my list. The Cardinal have to show me that their USC win isn't a fluke. Josh Nunes has to deal with a hostile road environment. Washington has to show their defense is not a pushover and won't get bullied by the Stanford offensive line. The Pac-12 North race probably becomes a lot clearer with regards to who can challenge Oregon.

Jon Woods, Ralphie Report: For as bad as the national slate is this coming weekend, the Pac-12 games should all (with the exception of Oregon-Washington State) be some pretty fun match-ups. The conference race should become a bit clearer on Sunday, but I think the game with the most at stake is Oregon State at Arizona. A 0-2 start for the Wildcats would give them a huge hole to dig out of in the South, but the Beavers could prove to be real players in the North race with a road victory.

Trevor Wong, Conquest Chronicles: Stanford at Washington on Thursday night. The Huskies have the Cardinal, then head to Oregon and come back home for a clash with USC. That's just brutal scheduling. This will be Stanford's first road game, too. How will Josh Nunes deal with the road environment and can the Cardinal prove they are for real? I figure Sarkisian has to win one of the next three games or else he'll be under a lot of fire.

Jack Follman, Pacific Takes: Oregon State at Arizona - Can the Beavers keep it up? and on the road? Can Arizona bounce back? And is their offense actually good? Or was Oklahoma State a fluke? I think one of these teams will end up being a contender in the Pac-12, and I think one has been smoke and mirrors so far and I think we will find out who is who on Saturday.

JazzyUte, Block U: Stanford @ Washington. I think the Cardinal have proven legit, but this will be a huge test. If they’re going to compete with Oregon for the top of the North, this is a game they probably need to win.

Ryan Rosenblatt, Bruins Nation: Stanford at Washington. I am not a believer in Washington. I was ambivalent about Sark from the start and thought that they would struggle to be anything more than respectable under him, but if they beat Stanford I'll give them another look. Washington doesn't have a ton that says they are any better than average this year, or as a program. This could change that, or at least start working in that direction.

David Piper, Addicted to Quack: Oregon State at Arizona. The Beavers have certainly looked the real deal, but they've had two weeks to prepare for both of their opponents. Lets see how they do with one week on the road against a pissed off Arizona team.

Scott Allen, Rule of Tree: Stanford vs. Washington. I'm especially interested to see how Josh Nunes fares in his first road start, in front of what figures to be a very loud Thursday night crowd at Century Link Field.

AndyPanda, Building the Dam: It has to be Stanford at Washington. Can the Huskies' beat up line possibly man up against the imposing Cardinal with the nation watching? If Washington wins, it could be the next break-through in Steve Sarkisian's career, on par with the first upset of USC. But if the Huskies get trampled by the Cardinal again, and embarrassed again in front of a national audience, like happened against Oregon last year, will Washington fans patience run out?

UteCentral, Ute Football Central & Pacific Takes: Everyone is saying Stanford at Washington, but I think ASU at Cal will be more interesting. For me, I want to see if ASU can have a solid performance on the road especially against a desperate team like Cal who has lost two in a row and looking to get their first win at home. You know the Bears will be hungry for a win as they fight for respect in the Pac-12 and ASU will be looking to prove that they are not just a great team in Tempe. This combination should provide for a great game and proof of how bad or good these teams really are.

awbutler, Pac Hoops & Pacific Takes: Stanford’s trip to Washington tickles my fancy. I feel like we still don’t know enough about the Huskies to make any true judgments and this is Stanford’s first action since their big win. To me, Thursday night games unfortunately still have a small time feel but I suppose I’ve got to get over that. This is a very big time game with some very real north division ramifications. I’ll be tuning in.

Justin Karp, Pacific Takes & Bold Saguaros: Oregon State at Arizona has all the makings of one of the better games of the year in the Pac-12. It's going to be a game in which both teams, both of whom are on the fringes of really challenging for a solid bowl bid in the conference, really want to come out and prove they're for real. That goes double-time for Arizona, who really needs to get back on the horse after their evisceration in Eugene.