This didn't have the look of a particularly significant game a few weeks ago.
Three straight wins by Washington State have left Saturday night's game against No. 8 Stanford as arguably the Cougars' biggest home game in more than a decade.
Stanford (6-1, 5-0 Pac-12) is the only undefeated team in league play, but it's Washington State (5-2, 3-1) that's right on the heels of the Cardinal. Not Oregon. Not California. It's Washington State that could take control of its destiny in the Pac-12 North race should it manage to knock off the Cardinal.
The last time Washington State was in contention for the conference lead this late in the season was 2003.