Some more bad injury news for the Utes ahead of their Saturday afternoon home game against Oregon (2:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. MT, Pac-12 Networks) – Utah running back Zack Moss suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice on Wednesday, per multiple reports (ESPN on the link). So now Utah will be without their starting QB and star running back… tough hill ahead in a stacked Pac-12 South race.

James Crepea of the Oregonian/OregonLive scouts the Utah football team with the help of The Salt Lake Tribune’s Kurt Kragthorpe in this little Q&A for Oregon football fans to peruse.

The Pac-12 South is wide, wide open, so UCLA at Arizona State is a big one (11 a.m. PT/12 p.m. MT, Pac-12 Networks). Jeff Metcalfe writes about how allowing fewer sacks has led to an improved Arizona State offense.

Washington State will look to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive when it visits Colorado on Saturday afternoon (12:30 p.m. PT/ 1:30 p.m. MT ESPN), and Theo Lawson tells us about Washington State running back Max Borghi’s Colorado roots.

On the other sideline, Brian Howell features Colorado defensive end Mustafa Johnson, who leads the Pac-12 with 6.5 sacks.

Heading into a Saturday night affair at Stanford (6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT Pac-12 Networks), John Canzano writes that Oregon State football faces another “moment of truth” in its first season under Jonathan Smith (he also says the same for Oregon in this link, but we’ll focus on the Beavers’ part here).

USC hosts Cal in our Pac-12 Saturday nightcap (7:30 p.m. PT, ESPN), and J. Brady McCullough writes that it has been a challenge for USC quarterback JT Daniels to make adjustments from week to week in his freshman season. It’s not from a lack of effort, though – USC quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis said Daniels is the “hardest-working quarterback in the film room I’ve ever been around.” Keep in mind, the kid is just 18 years old. Expecting a 10- or 11-win season with a QB who should be a senior in high school was always unrealistic.

Stanford women’s volleyball clinched a share of the Pac-12 title Thursday night after defeating Oregon in four sets. The second-ranked Cardinal improved to a spotless 15-0 in league action and will wrap up an outright title Friday night if it beats Oregon State.

The NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament begins Friday, and second-seeded UCLA plays San Jose State in the first round Friday night at 6 p.m. (UCLABruins.com match notes).

In other NCAA Tournament action, Arizona women’s soccer will be “up for a fight” against Denver in the first round Friday night in Tucson, writes Haille Saal for the Arizona Daily Star.

It’s Big Splash time, baby – Cal men’s water polo hosts Stanford Saturday at noon Pac-12 Networks in the regular season finale. Stanford, USC, UCLA and Cal are all tied for first in conference play heading into Saturday’s finales (we also have USC-UCLA on our airwaves later in the afternoon), so this’ll be a big one.

Huge game for 25th-ranked Washington men’s basketball Friday night at No. 11 Auburn (Washington-Auburn in a big opening-week non-conference game… sound familiar?), and Percy Allen gives us this Washington-Auburn game preview.