Pac-12 Football 2017: 5 teams on upset alert in Week 6

Washington State moved up to No. 11 in the country after taking down then-No. 5 USC on Friday night in Week 5. They now turn from the hunter into the hunted as the Cougars head south to Eugene to face Oregon at Autzen Stadium on Saturday evening. Mike Leach’s squad will be on upset alert in what figures to be a relative push.

Oregon will be forced to play without starting quarterback Justin Herbert, who broke his collarbone in the win over California. Taylor Alie was also forced to leave that game, leaving true freshman Braxton Burmeister at the top of the depth chart. Alie looks to be back this week, but the coaches have given both quarterbacks a chance to win the starting role.

Whichever takes the field on Saturday at Autzen, they will face a defense that has given up less than 150 yards per game through the air. Washington State has kept opponents under 300 total yards per game, and is holding teams to 20 points per game. Oregon will need to lean on its multitalented backfield to win the game on the ground against the Cougars.

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Washington State might be on the cusp of the top 10 in the AP Top 25, but they must still be vigilant against a Ducks team that was ranked just a few weeks ago. If the Cougars let down their guard even just a bit, they could go from pulling off the biggest upset in conference play to being the biggest upset victim this week.