It is not hard to find numbers that suggest Arizona State and host Washington State are evenly matched, especially on offense, going into their Pac-12 game Saturday at Pullman, Wash.

Both teams are 2-4 in conference play and are seventh and eighth in points scored and yards gained, with both categories slightly favoring Arizona State.

Yet Washington State (5-4 overall) has allowed only 20 points per game, vs. 31.1 for the Sun Devils (3-6), who couldn’t stop UCLA in a 50-36 loss at Tempe, Ariz., last weekend. In particular, the Bruins rushed for 402 of their 571 total yards.

Not that Washington State coach Jake Dickert expects it to be so easy for his team.

“I think Arizona State is a talented defense,” Dickert said. “I think it’s rare for them to give up that type of yardage, but I think there are some opportunities that we need to take advantage of in the run game, but more importantly, do it with our style and our way.”

The Cougars’ way starts with running back Nakia Watson, who has 491 yards rushing among his 668 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns.

In Washington State’s 52-14 blowout of host Stanford over the weekend, Watson ran for 166 yards and a score. Quarterback Cameron Ward threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns, part of his 2,360 yards passing this season.

“They’ll be in four wides a lot, spread you out, throw the ball around,” Sun Devils defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson said.

Henderson is aware the Sun Devils need “to make sure we don’t give the same looks in the secondary and making sure we disguise a little bit more.”

Arizona State has its own weapon in running back Xazavian Valladay, who piled up 92 yards rushing and two scores while making 10 catches for 89 yards against UCLA. Not that Dickert needed any convincing about Valladay, who has 1,061 yards from scrimmage 14 touchdowns (852 and 12 on the ground) this season.

“I’m very familiar with X,” Dickert said. “My three years at Wyoming (as assistant coach), X was one of the best tailbacks in the country. … He’s been phenomenal. He’s perfect for the (Sun Devils’) zone scheme running attack, and just like Nakia for us, always knew he could be a great pass threat.”

In his fifth collegiate season, Valladay has 4,926 yards from scrimmage (4,133 rushing) and 35 touchdowns (31 on the ground).

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and West Virginia coach Neal Brown are trying to keep their teams in a positive mindset entering Saturday’s game between the Sooners and the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W.Va.

The Sooners enter the matchup following a 38-35 loss to Baylor that was Oklahoma’s fourth loss in six games.

“Sometimes it’s easy to sit outside and judge and say, ‘Well, the season, you lose your fourth game and the season’s over,'” Venables said. “That’s one way to look at it. To me, if you judge it that way, then when bad things happen in life, you just kind of pack it in. That doesn’t happen when you invest in it, invest in the game of football or any sport.”

Brown’s Mountaineers have dropped three consecutive games and four of their last five.

“The way I look at it is this — football problems, those are better than 99.9 percent of other people’s problems,” Brown said. “I’m not going to get too hung up on them. I hate it because the investment level’s high … and when things don’t go like you want them to go, that’s disappointing, but you always have next.”

West Virginia has never beaten the Sooners in Morgantown, and Oklahoma has won all nine meetings between the programs since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12.

Brown said it will be important for his team to handle Oklahoma’s offensive tempo.

“They’re going to play really fast,” Brown said. “Obviously we had struggles with that against Texas Tech so we’ve got to be better there.”

Texas Tech blew out West Virginia, 48-10, on Oct. 22.

For Oklahoma, running the football figures to be a key.

The Sooners have the top rushing offense in the Big 12 at nearly 220 yards per game, while West Virginia is No. 4 in the league in rush defense, holding opponents to 137.3 yards per game.

Eric Gray is closing in on his first 1,000-yard season, having rushed for 902 yards and eight touchdowns on 140 carries.

“He’s been a stud,” Sooners offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. “He’s been so consistent on and off the field. … Eric’s been a pro.”

–Field Level Media

Asked how he would employ his talented cadre of running backs Saturday at Virginia, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi joked that he was waiting for media advice.

Narduzzi was in a jocular mood coming off a 19-9 upset of then-No. 20 Syracuse as Rodney Hammond Jr., subbing for the nation’s all-purpose yardage leader Israel Abanikanda, carried 28 times for 124 yards and a touchdown against the top defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Not only did Hammond excel, Notre Dame grad transfer C’Bo Flemister emerged for Pitt. During a show-of-force, 11-play drive, Flemister was called on for 10 carries that produced 42 yards and a touchdown.

“If Izzy feels good, we want to give him his touches,” Narduzzi said. “Rodney, C’Bo — it’s a good problem to have.”

It was a much-needed win for defending ACC champion Pitt (5-4, 2-3), which lost three of its first four league games but can clinch a bowl trip with a victory over Virginia (3-6, 1-5).

The Cavaliers also had a chance for a big win on Saturday before falling to then-No. 17 North Carolina 31-28.

Minus his top three receivers, who were sidelined by injuries, Brennan Armstrong threw for 232 yards and rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Sackett Wood, who entered the game with five career catches, had six receptions for 94 yards.

Virginia also was missing its top rusher Perris Jones, giving Mike Hollins (16 carries, 75 yards) and Ronnie Walker Jr. (six carries, 30 yards, touchdown) a chance to thrive.

On Tuesday, Virginia coach Tony Elliott called all three of his sidelined receivers day-to-day but sounded optimistic about the return of top wideout Keytaon Thompson (53 catches, 579 yards), who is “probably the closest.”

Deep threat Lavel Davis Jr. (16 catches, 371 yards) is out of concussion protocol, Elliott said. And Dontayvion Wicks (30 catches, 430 yards) is nursing a bone bruise.

Elliott said he is preparing his team for a physical test against the mauling lines of the Panthers.

“They’re gonna play Steel City football,” Elliott said.

Pitt gained a 48-38 shootout victory vs. Virginia last year despite 487 passing yards and three touchdown throws from Virginia’s Armstrong.

–Field Level Media

If attaining bowl eligibility with last weekend’s win over Missouri wasn’t enough to keep complacency from becoming an issue with Kentucky, the Wildcats got another boost with Tuesday night’s release of the latest College Football Playoff rankings.

The Wildcats (6-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) will take a No. 24 CFP ranking into Saturday afternoon’s matchup with Vanderbilt in Lexington, Ky.

It is the second consecutive season the Wildcats have earned a spot in the CFP’s Top 25. They finished No. 22 in last season’s final pre-bowl poll.

At his weekly media conference earlier in the day, coach Mark Stoops talked about the importance of a strong finish for his team.

“With three games left in November, we still have to be relentless in our improvement,” Stoops said. “We’ve got to finish strong. That old saying ‘remember November’ is no joke. You want to remember how you finish.”

The Wildcats will be going for their 40th win in the last five seasons when they open a three-game homestand against the Commodores (3-6, 0-5). Matchups against Georgia and Louisville will follow. An improbable sweep of all three would put the Wildcats in position for a second consecutive 10-win season, including a bowl game.

Their chances of that might come down to the health of quarterback Will Levis, who passed for three touchdowns last week in a 21-17 win at Missouri while playing through foot and shoulder issues that led to five sacks.

Stoops said Levis’ lack of mobility was “unfortunate for himself and for us because we’ve seen what he’s done in the past with his mobility. But Will will continue to work extremely hard to get treatment and be as ready as he can be to help his team.”

A senior who transferred from Penn State in time for the 2021 season, Levis has rushed for 11 career touchdowns, sixth on the school’s all-time list for quarterbacks and just one behind fifth-place Jared Lorenzen’s 12.

Mistakes were costly for the Commodores last week in their 38-27 loss to South Carolina. They rushed for 226 yards, but four turnovers were too much to overcome as they dropped their 26th consecutive conference game. Vanderbilt hasn’t won an SEC contest since a 21-14 victory over Missouri on Oct. 19, 2019.

The Commodores on Saturday will be without starting quarterback AJ Swann, who came away with an undisclosed injury against South Carolina.

“He’ll be OK, just not available this weekend,” Vandy coach Clark Lea said. “So we’ll keep tabs on him and, hopefully, get him back for the Florida game. But time will tell.”

Vandy is host to the Gators on Nov. 19.

Mike Wright, who started at quarterback for the first three games this season, will start against Kentucky while being backed up by junior Ken Seals.

Wright has completed 58.3 percent of his 96 passes for 654 yards and eight touchdowns in seven games and has rushed for 328 yards with an average of 7.5 yards per carry.

Swann has passed for 1,195 yards and rushed for a net of minus-55.

–Field Level Media

Georgia Tech, which is 3-2 since Geoff Collins was fired as coach, will host Miami on Saturday in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Atlanta.

The Yellow Jackets (4-5, 3-3 ACC) are favored against the disappointing Hurricanes (4-5, 2-3), who are coming off a 45-3 home loss to Florida State.

While the Hurricanes no doubt are feeling embarrassed by the lopsided score against their rivals, the Yellow Jackets have some momentum.

Zach Pyron, the team’s true freshman quarterback, made his first career start last week and led the Jackets to a 28-27 win at Virginia Tech.

The Hokies led 27-16 in the fourth quarter, but Pyron engineered two late touchdown drives.

“(Pyron) has ice in his veins for a young kid, whether it’s making a throw or lowering his shoulder to get a first down,” said Jackets interim coach Brent Key, who replaced Collins in September.

Georgia Tech starting QB Jeff Sims, who is out with a foot injury, could be ready for the Miami game. But that doesn’t mean Key will use Sims, who has completed 58.5 percent of his passes this season. Sims hasn’t improved much as a passer in his three years with the Jackets, completing 57.5 percent in 25 games.

Pyron, who has completed 61.7 percent of his throws, has a better QB rating than Sims. Pyron has thrown for 451 yards, and his average yards per attempt is 7.5, which is superior to Sims’ figure of 5.9 this season.

Meanwhile, Miami has had problems at quarterback. Starter Tyler Van Dyke left the Florida State game in the second quarter after he appeared to injure his passing shoulder again, and backup Jake Garcia has averaged one interception per every 20.5 throws (compared with Van Dyke’s 61.3 number).

Third-string QB Jacurri Brown is strong as a runner but has struggled at times as a passer, bouncing or sailing throws.

In addition, Miami’s offensive line is without left tackle Zion Nelson, an NFL prospect who has yet to play this season because of injury, while left guard Jalen Rivers was injured Saturday.

“There’s no sugar-coating it,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

–Field Level Media

A report came out Sunday that linked Oregon coach Dan Lanning to the vacant job at Auburn. On Monday night, Lanning unlinked himself from the Southeastern Conference job he might otherwise be suitably prepped to take.

Lanning is nine games into his tenure at Oregon, sitting at 8-1 overall, and 6-0 in the Pac-12, good for first place. His Ducks are primed to move up from last week’s No. 8 slot when the latest College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled Tuesday night.

Still, Lanning was forced to address rumors from an Auburn-produced fan site that there’s mutual interest between the school and the former Nick Saban assistant.

“The grass is not always greener,” Lanning, 36, said about the report. “The grass is damn green in Eugene. I want to be here in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me.

“… Oregon checks every box for me,” he added. “Hopefully that’s the last time I have to address it, but the reality is this is a destination, not just for me but for elite players.”

Auburn fired football coach Bryan Harsin last week after one-plus seasons and a 9-12 overall record. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, a former All-American at the school, is the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Lanning was a graduate assistant to Saban in 2015 and eventually made his way to being Kirby Smart’s defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2018-21. Lanning coached the Georgia defense that went on to win the national championship last season.

Oregon’s only loss this season was a 49-3 thumping at the hands of Smart’s Bulldogs on Sept. 3 in the opening week.

The Ducks face Pac-12 foe Washington (7-2, 4-2) on Saturday in Eugene.

–Field Level Media