Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy, she'll beat you if she's able;
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet.
Leading off
At this point in the season, any injury to a starter can be crippling. And in the ridiculously competitive Pac-12 South, it can be downright devastating. Earlier in the week we learned that USC would be without left tackle Chad Wheeler for the rest of the season. Wednesday, another impact player was lost for the year when Utah announced that wide receiver Dres Anderson would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
“We feel bad for Dres. It’s heartbreaking for that kid. He’s a fifth-year senior. He’s poured everything he had into this program for five years,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham told reporters after practice on Wednesday. “Nobody’s outworked him. Nobody’s done more for us than Dres during that period of time. He’s taken care of business on and off the field. He’s got his degree already in hand.”
Here are some reactions:
From The Associated Press.
Matthew Piper of the Salt Lake Tribune has some player reactions.
And for some pod reaction, our own Ted Miller was on ESPN Radio 700 in Salt Lake City.
The Utes, very much in the thick of things in the Pac-12 South -- and even the playoff conversation -- enter one of the toughest stretches in the country. After this week's trip to ASU, they are home to Oregon, at Stanford, home to Arizona and at Colorado to close out the season. According to FPI, the Utes have the second-toughest remaining schedule of the 25 ranked teams and the eighth toughest in the nation.
Heisman update
Catching you up on the Heisman race, which could take a turn this weekend with Stanford heading to Oregon, Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota is nearly neck-and-neck with Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott. In the latest ESPN.com poll, Prescott leads Mariota by a single point.
Here’s how it shakes out (followed by total points):
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State (45)
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon (44)
Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin (18)
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (13)
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska (11)
No other Pac-12 players are receiving votes. Here’s guessing that if Mariota can finally get over his Stanford hump, he’ll enjoy a nice bump.
News/notes/team reports
The Wildcats don't mind some of the negativity they hear on the road.
Todd Graham is confident heading into the Utah game.
Cal's football team is getting all brainy.
Mike MacIntyre still has confidence in Sefo Liufau.
An Oregon practice report.
Some Oregon State news and notes.
Stanford will have to face Oregon with a defense that isn't full strength.
Eddie Vanderdoes says it's do or die for the Bruins.
Despite the wear and tear, Leonard Williams is living up to the hype.
Lots of potential bowl landings for Utah.
A couple of Washington post-practice videos.
The Cougs got a little inspiration from a former coach.
Just for fun
I guess yesterday was National Cat Day? To which my beagle says, meh. The tweet is still funny, though.
D.J. Foster bringing his media skills to practice.