Stanford-UCLA Preview Capsule

Series Record: UCLA leads 45-37-3.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

After a short week of preparation, UCLA could win the Pac-12 South and move one huge step closer to the College Football Playoff with its sixth straight victory in a late-season surge. But after six straight wins over the Bruins, Stanford can play spoiler while salvaging some satisfaction from 2014, which began on New Year’s Day with a loss to Michigan State on this same Rose Bowl turf.

KEY MATCHUP

Stanford LT Andrus Peat vs. UCLA DLs Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Eddie Vanderdoes. The Cardinal’s decorated left tackle is likely playing his final regular-season game before heading to the NFL, but UCLA’s defense has grown in confidence with each big win. The Bruins will test Peat with run-stopping and pass-rushing led by Odighizuwa and Vanderdoes.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Stanford: TE Austin Hooper. With top receiver, returner and Wildcat back Ty Montgomery sidelined by a shoulder injury, the Cardinal could use a big game from their 6-foot-4 tight end, whose 32 catches are second-most on the team — albeit nearly half of Montgomery’s contribution.

UCLA: QB Brett Hundley. Unless the Bruins return to Pasadena for the four-team playoff, this game is almost certainly the Rose Bowl farewell for Hundley, who intends to leave after setting several remarkable career records in three seasons as UCLA’s starter.

FACTS & FIGURES

Stanford is yielding just 289.7 yards per game, ranking sixth in the nation in total defense. UCLA boasts the nation’s most accurate passer and Paul Perkins, the Pac-12’s leading rusher. ... Stanford’s six straight wins over UCLA are tied for the longest streak in this series’ history, set by UCLA in the 1960s. ... Oregon is the only team to score at least 30 points in Stanford’s last 34 games. UCLA has scored at least 28 points in nine of its 11 games. ... LB Eric Kendricks, the Bruins’ leading tackler is among 12 seniors who will be honored before their final home game. He needs eight tackles to tie Jerry Robinson’s UCLA career record of 468 tackles. ... Stanford is 0-5 against Top 20 teams this season.