Stanford is 5-3 and having a disappointing season according to its own standards, as the Cardinal is the defending Pac-12 champion and was picked in the preseason to win the conference again. Oregon State, meanwhile, is 2-6 in Year 2 of Gary Andersen's rebuilding project and sustained two tough home losses to Utah and Washington State in October.
That doesn't create the most scintillating matchup when the Beavers and Cardinal meet Saturday afternoon in Palo Alto. But keep this in mind -- these teams' roads so far have not exactly been easy, as both rank in the top 10 nationally in strength of schedule, according to Sagarin.