ACC, Pac-12 Updates: Stanford Looks to Buck Odds vs Miami and summing up weekly football status of the Bears, Beavers, Cardinal and Cougars

Oregon State made the best of its fresh start under interim coach Robb Akey, blasting Lafayette 45-13.

Cal outlasted North Carolina in Berkeley, and Stanford defeated Florida State on a dramatic final-play goal-line stand.

Washington State had great chance to upset No. 18 Virginia, but couldn’t quite get it done after giving up a late safety.

Here’s my take on all four teams heading into Week Nine.

The Bears remain in the ACC title chase with Virginia Tech up next

It wasn’t pretty, but California got a clutch victory against North Carolina last week. The win keeps them in the ACC race as they enter the final five games of the regular season.

If either Duke or Georgia Tech loses a contest, the Golden Bears control their own destiny to the conference title.

Cal’s season has proven predictably unpredictable, but they should be able to handle Virginia Tech. The Hokies have looked better since the firing of Brent Pry, posting a 2-2 record.

These are the type of matchups the Bears need to win if they want to be reputable.

VT is favored by four and a half points. One area where Cal should be about to take advantage of Virginia Tech is on defense.

Outside of quarterback Kyron Drones, the Hokies don’t have much firepower on offense.

They also have a formidable duo at halfback in Marcellous Hawkins and Terion Stewart. They’re 98th nationally, scoring 23 points per game.

VT ranks 105th in points allowed per game on defense.

Berkeley doesn’t accept mediocre students, and they shouldn’t accept mediocre football.

It’s time for Justin Wilcox to keep winning.

Notes

• Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has thrown for 1,696 yards, ten touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
• Kendrick Raphael leads the team with 495 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
• Jacob De Jesus leads the team with 47 receptions and 406 receiving yards; he’s also tied for the team lead with three touchdown receptions.
• Luke Ferrelli has 54 tackles, 3.5 TFL’s, and one interception at linebacker. He’s also added a sack.

The Cardinal hopes to shock the world with a sweep of the Florida schools

Stanford’s victory over Florida State was pretty shocking, but not unexpected. It’s a pivotal win ushering in the Andrew Luck era of Cardinal football.

Even though the Seminoles are 0-4 in the ACC, they’re still a nationally recognized brand. The win was important considering the Tree’s schedule the remainder of the season.

The Cardinal still face two Top 15 teams in Miami and Notre Dame, and host Pittsburgh in the middle.

Stanford’s been all over the place this year, but one notable from their victory against FSU was their defense. Florida State averages 39 points per game, 10th nationally, but the Tree held them to 13.

If they can perform at a similar clip against the Hurricanes, it’ll give them a chance to compete. UM’s offense isn’t quite as good as the Noles, but they feature the 13th-ranked scoring defense.

If the Cardinal want to pull the upset, they’ll need Ben Gulbranson to play better. He’s proven inconsistent in their last two outings.

If Stanford could steal one matchup against a tougher opponent, and knock off Cal and North Carolina, they could find themselves in a bowl game.

Notes

• Ben Gulbranson has thrown for 1,535 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions.
• Cole Tabb is the team’s second leader rusher with 312 yards; he’s also added two touchdowns.
• CJ Williams is the team’s leading receiver in receptions and receiving yards, with 39 and 465, respectively. He also has two touchdowns receptions.
• Jaivion Green has 28 tackles, one TFL, and five pass deflections at cornerback. He also has one fumble recovery.

The Cougs have a favorable schedule after their heartbreaking loss to Virginia

As an alumni of Washington State, I can say it: We Coug’d it against Virginia. We Coug’d it bad.

The Cougars outplayed the Cavaliers for the first three quarters, before turning into a high school team the final 15.

A lot of WSU fans are probably upset right now, but it’s important to remember what happened last season.

The Cougs were 8-1 before losing their final four contests. This year could go the opposite way. Washington State has an easy schedule the remainder of the year.

Toledo should be a test this week, but WSU’s slightly favored. The key to defeating the Rockets is controlling the game on offense.

UT’s historically good at scoring points, but Jason Candle has built them into a respectable defense since 2020.

They have the seventh-ranked scoring defense nationally this season. If the Cougars can control the game on the ground, it could disrupt their flow.

The Cougs rank 130th in rush yards per game, but this number’s deceiving. They’re committed to it.

This version of Washington State could still win more games than last year, but it all starts with the Rockets.

Notes

• Zevi Eckhaus has thrown for 941 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions. He’s also added three touchdowns on the ground.
• Angel Johnson and Leo Pulalasi have combined for 248 rushing yards.
• Josh Meredith leads the team with 391 receiving yards. He’s tied for the team lead in receptions and touchdown catches with 31, and two, respectively.
• Caleb Francl has 43 tackles, four TFL’s, and one sack at linebacker. He also has one fumble recovery.

The Beavers have a bye week to build on their first win of the season

Oregon State finally got a win, and even though it was against Lafayette, it was much needed.

The victory ensures that the Beavers won’t be remembered as a zero-win team, which is not a good place to be.

OSU started off slow, but dominated in the second half, outscoring the Leopards 35-0. While this win doesn’t do much for prestige, it’s the exact thing Beavs needed before the bye week.

The main agenda during the off-week for OSU is beginning the search for their next head coach. On Monday, the members of the search committee started the process of finding the future leader of Oregon State football.

There have been a wide variety of names mentioned as potential candidates, but we’re all really just guessing at this point.

Interim Head Coach Robb Akey likely won’t be the candidate due to his struggles as the head man at Idaho.

Akey, however, does have a heck of a chance to make an argument for himself.

The Beavers final four contests are all winnable. They host Sam Houston State, travel to Tulsa, and have a home and away with Washington State.

Even with the rough start, the Beavs could still finish 5-7.

Notes

• Maalik Murphy has thrown for 1,722 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
• Anthony Hankerson leads the team with 671 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns.
• Trent Walker leads the team with 48 receptions and 609 receiving yards.
• Dexter Foster has 52 tackles and three TFL’s at linebacker.