Stanford @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 8, 2011 ) Colorado 7, Stanford 48

Stanford gets one more chance to fine-tune its sputtering offense before a season-defining stretch against the Oregon teams when it visits struggling Colorado on Saturday. The No. 15 Cardinal can still claim the Pac-12 North Division title but will likely have to win out. Colorado has been outscored 213-51 during a four-game losing streak - 120-20 in the last two weeks after a 70-14 loss at No. 2 Oregon - and has allowed the most points in the country among FBS teams (46 per game). Stanford struggled to defeat Washington State 24-17 last week, a performance which likely won't get it done against the No. 13 Beavers and the Ducks - their next two opponents.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, FX. LINE: Stanford -27.5

ABOUT STANFORD (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12): As quarterback Josh Nunes struggles (52.6 completion rate, 10 touchdowns, seven interceptions), he will share the load with redshirt freshman Kevin Hogan, who is expected to play up to 20 snaps. The Cardinal, though, will always have running back Stepfan Taylor to pick them up. While the senior was held to a season-low 58 yards last week, he averaged 144.3 yards - including a career-high 189 against California - in his previous three games. Defensively, the Cardinal are second against the run (65.4 yards per game) and sophomore safety Ed Reynolds has four interceptions - two of which he returned for touchdowns, including a 25-yarder last week.

ABOUT COLORADO (1-7, 1-4): The Buffaloes, who will face their third straight ranked opponent (USC, Oregon), have allowed the third-most sacks in the country (33) and will face a team which registered a school-record 10 last week and is tied for third in the country with 32. Quarterback Jordan Webb has taken a beating this season and coach Jon Embree may switch to sophomore Nick Hirschman, who guided Colorado to its points last week. Freshman running back Christian Powell, a 6-foot, 235-pound bruiser who scored both touchdowns against Oregon, has 471 yards and averages 4.6 per carry, but could find the going tougher against the Cardinal.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Taylor needs 96 yards for his third straight 1,000-yard season, which would be a first in Stanford history. He has 3,674 yards, second all-time in school annals (Darrin Nelson, 4,033).

2. Colorado trailed 56-0 at halftime last week, matching the largest halftime deficit in school history (56-0 to UCLA in 1980), although the halftime score of the 103-0 loss to Colorado School of Mines in 1890 is not known.

3. Stanford leads the series 4-3, including a 48-7 victory last season. This is the Cardinal's first trip to Boulder since 1990.

PREDICTION: Stanford 31, Colorado 14