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STANFORD, Calif. -- Fighting to become bowl eligible this late in the season isnt something that Stanford coach David Shaw is accustomed to, which might explain his reluctance to talk about the subject.The Cardinal have won three of the last four Pac-12 championships and entered the season heavily favored to keep the trend going. Instead, Stanford (3-3, 5-3) has been a middle-of-the-pack team slowed by injuries and an inconsistent offense.A win Saturday against Oregon State (1-4, 2-6) would ease some of the sting and make Stanford bowl eligible for the sixth time since Shaw replaced Jim Harbaugh in 2011, though Shaw prefers that not be the focus.Thats for everybody outside of our small world to think about, which bowl game to think about, where you might finish, Shaw said. All we can do is try to play our best football. To look any further past the horizon is unnecessary.Stanford won the Pac-12 title in 2012, 2013 and 2015, playing in the Rose Bowl each time. The Cardinal also played in the Fiesta Bowl in Shaws first season and in the Foster Farms Bowl last year.The Rose Bowl is no longer a possibility this year, so Stanford will have to settle for playing elsewhere in the postseason.The Cardinal have history on their side against Oregon State, having won the last six games between the two conference rivals.The Beavers have lost three straight and five of six overall. They are coming off a 35-31 loss to Washington State, which is tied for the North Division lead.Well have to answer the toughness bell in this week, Oregon State coach Gary Andersen said. I think weve done a good job with that this year when weve matched up against people that want to stand up and throw some heavy, big-boy punches.Here are a few other things to look for when Stanford hosts Oregon State on Saturday afternoon:DUAL THREAT: Stanfords backfield is no longer the sole territory of 2015 Heisman Trophy candidate Christian McCaffrey. Bryce Love, who filled in when McCaffrey sat out the Oct. 22 loss to Colorado with an undisclosed injury, has continued to be a key part of the Cardinals running game now that McCaffrey is healthy. The duo combined for 247 rushing yards during last weeks win at Arizona and Shaw said he intends to continue to use both backs moving forward.UGWOEGBU BENCHED: Oregon State outside linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu will spend the first half on the bench after being flagged for targeting following a hit on Washington State quarterback Luke Falk last week. Ugwoegbu has 5 + sacks and is tied for second in the Pac-12 with 11 tackles for loss.CHRYSTS SECOND START: Junior quarterback Keller Chryst will make his second straight start after replacing inconsistent Ryan Burns against the Wildcats. Chryst, whose father Geep served as offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015, passed for 104 yards and one touchdown in his debut.NALL OR NOTHING: Sophomore running back Ryan Nall has had two big games for the Beavers this season, including last weeks loss to Washington State when he ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Nall rushed for a career-high 221 yards and three touchdowns against California on Oct. 8 but has only 243 yards total in his other five games this season. Chris Paul Jersey . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Detlef Schrempf Thunder Jersey . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. https://www.thunderrookiesshop.com/Danilo-Gallinari-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Nerlens Noel Jersey . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Darius Bazley Jersey . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. INDYCAR kicked off the week in which its 2016 champion will be crowned by revealing important changes to its future car specifications.The series announced Wednesday that development on body parts produced by Chevrolet and Honda for the central Dallara chassis (front and rear wings, sidepods, engine cover) will be frozen for 2017. In 2018, INDYCAR will roll out a single standardized set of body parts for Chevrolet- and Honda-powered cars, and it hopes to attract a third engine manufacturer to the series.Todays announcement follows an extended dialogue with Chevrolet, Honda, our teams and stakeholders, said INDYCAR president of competition and operations Jay Frye. This decision focused on what is best for the future of the Verizon IndyCar Series and is an integral component to INDYCARs long-term plan to continue to produce the highest quality of on-track competition while also positioning ourselves to add additional engine manufacturers.Aero kits have been a hot-button topic in the IndyCar Series since their introduction at the start of the 2015 season. Despite attempts to create parity between Chevrolet and Honda, Chevrolet has dominated the past two years, winning 23 of 31 races. However, Hondas package has been more competitive on superspeedways, with Alexander Rossi winning this years Indianapolis 500 and Honda teams faring strongly on other ovals.The kits were implemented at the request of the engine manufacturers to create visual differences between the Honda and Chevy cars. In that regard, the project was somewhat successful. But teams balked at the high cost of equipping their fleet of chassis with the array of different components required for the IndyCar Series mix of short ovals, speedways, and road and street courses.INDYCAR attempted to adjust the performance difference between the twwo manufacturers by allowing Honda to make additional changes to its 2016 kit outside of what was mandated by the rulebook.dddddddddddd But Chevrolet still dominated, with its drivers holding the top six places in the championship standings heading into this weekends season finale at Sonoma Raceway.With aerodynamic development halted for 2017, Honda is expected to use its budget surplus to try to lure at least one Chevrolet team into its camp, with perennial championship contender Chip Ganassi Racing top on its list. The Ganassi team won 10 CART and IndyCar-sanctioned championships as a Honda partner between 1996 and 2013, but it switched to Chevrolet in 2014.Honda still may be struggling in 2016, but some of its issues the past two years can be pinned on having a generally weaker lineup of drivers and teams than Chevrolet. A move by Ganassi from Chevrolet to Honda could go a long way toward improving the competitive balance between manufacturers.Insiders say the changes to the appearance of the 2018 car will be radical and could include relocating the turbo air intake from behind the roll hoop and shedding the controversial bumpers that shroud the rear wheels.The 2018 car also is expected to have a redesigned floor in an effort to shift downforce production away from the front and rear wings. Some form of increased cockpit protection also likely will be part of the 2018 package.The 2018 car is a tremendous opportunity for INDYCAR, and the design collaboration is already underway, Frye said. The goal of the universal car is to be great looking, less aero dependent, have more potential for mechanical grip/downforce and to incorporate all the latest safety enhancements. ' ' '