UW loss puts rival Cougars in Pac-12 North driver’s seat

There is just one Pac-12 North team left that controls its own destiny after unranked Stanford upset No. 9 Washington Friday night.

Stanford’s 30-22 win, means Washington State University enters their 2:30 p.m. game Saturday against Utah in the driver’s seat in the Pac-12 North.

The Cougars (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) can clinch their first division title by beating Utah then winning the Nov. 25 Apple Cup. Both games are on the road.

Stanford (7-3, 6-2) needs to beat California on Nov. 18 and hope for a WSU loss. UW (8-2, 5-2) needs to win its final two games — home games against Utah and WSU — and hope Cal upsets Stanford if it is going to repeat as Pac-12 North champs.

The Cougars find themselves in strong title contention for the third year in a row. Last season, an Apple Cup loss cost the Cougars the title. In 2015, WSU missed a 43-yard field goal against Stanford that proved to be the determining factor in crowning the Pac-12 North champ.

The North Division champ plays the winner of the South in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Dec. 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. USC (8-2, 6-1) leads the Pac-12 South.

The North has won the championship each year since the game debuted in 2011.

This story was originally published November 11, 2017 at 11:37 AM with the headline "UW loss puts rival Cougars in Pac-12 North driver’s seat."