Well, last week turned out to be a dud, unless you were a USC fan waiting to be rid of Lane Kiffin or an agent waiting to earn a percentage off of contract extensions that can be negotiated after floating your clients for the USC job. This week's slate of games looks very promising, with Utah and Washington each offered opportunities to prove they can truly contend for a division title against opponents aiming for the BCS title.
5. Washington State at California, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1
Rating: 1 star
The skinny: It is an Air Raid reunion, as Washington State head coach Mike Leach takes on his former assistant Sonny Dykes in a game the Cougars need to maintain a realistic path to bowl eligibility. California's defense has been a disaster, but cornerback Stefan McClure has been a bright spot with 28 tackles, five pass breakups and 1.5 tackles for loss in his return from a knee injury that cost him last season. McClure will have to lock down sensational sophomore Gabe Marks, who leads the Cougars with 37 receptions for 423 yards and four touchdowns.
4. Oregon at Colorado, Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Rating: 1.5 stars
The skinny: The Buffaloes took a major step back in their 44-17 loss at Oregon State and will have an even harder time with the Ducks' prolific pace and proficient offense. Once in catch-up mode, Colorado will be forced to throw the ball, leading to plenty of one-on-one matchups between wide receiver Paul Richardson and Ducks corner Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. Ekpre-Olomu will want to be physical with Richardson (three receptions of 55 yards or longer this season) at the snap to keep him from building up speed and getting vertical.
3. UCLA at Utah, Thursday, at 10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1
Rating: 3 stars
The skinny: NFL scouts will be waiting to see how UCLA outside linebacker Anthony Barr fares in containing Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota at the end of the month, but Barr's battle with Utah signal-caller Travis Wilson could give a pretty good indication of how that might play out. Wilson is 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds but has rare mobility, as evidenced by his 251 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 7.8 yards per carry. Barr will have to be a sound tackler to bring down the lanky sophomore. If Wilson and the Utes have success early running the ball, it could freeze Barr and the Bruin linebackers to create play-action opportunities.
2. Arizona State vs. Notre Dame (at Arlington, Texas), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Rating: 3.5 stars
The skinny: The Fighting Irish defense ranks in the middle of the pack nationally in points and passing yards allowed, with the run defense only marginally better. If they don't make significant strides this week against a balanced Arizona State attack, Notre Dame's BCS bowl hopes will be extinguished halfway through the season. Defensive linemen Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt will need to recapture the dominant form that set the stage for an undefeated regular season in 2012, or else Sun Devils running back Marion Grice (161.2 all-purpose yards per game, 12 total touchdowns) and wide receiver Jaelen Strong (108.2 receiving yards per game) will shred a suspect group of Notre Dame linebackers and defensive backs.
1. Washington at Stanford, Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Rating: 4 stars
The skinny: Are the Huskies really back? This two-week stretch against the Cardinal and Ducks will provide the answer, testing the Washington offensive and defensive lines most specifically. Running back Bishop Sankey leads the FBS with 151.8 rushing yards per game, but he can't get going if Stanford defensive linemen Ben Gardner, David Parry and Josh Mauro aren't blocked effectively. On defense, UW defensive tackle Danny Shelton faces a difficult assignment against Stanford guard David Yankey, who returns after missing last week's game to attend to a family emergency.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
