WSU football looks to extend their six-game winning streak Saturday afternoon as they take on the University of Arizona Wildcats in a Dad’s Weekend showdown.

WSU (6-2, 5-0) moved up to No. 25 in the country for the first time this season in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday. The Cougs are off to their best conference start since 2003.

Even though the Cougs are riding a winning streak, WSU has now played three straight games against teams at the bottom of the conference, and all three have finished with a one score margin.

Redshirt junior quarterback Luke Falk explained at a news conference on Monday that the team needs to start strong in order to avoid situations similar to the past couple of weeks, and said the start of the game would have major emphasis in practice.

Despite the consistently slow starts from the Cougs, they enter the game as a consensus 17-point favorite.

The Wildcats (2-6, 0-5) have the ninth ranked defense in the Pac-12, allowing over 200 rushing yards per game and struggling to hold opponents below the 30-point mark.

The Arizona offense sits at 11th in the Pac-12, only mustering 24 points per game on average.

While Arizona may be considered a bad team, it is not the sole reason the Cougars are heavily favored.

WSU’s air raid offense is led by Falk, the nation’s second leading passer, and a corps of talented receivers including redshirt senior Gabe Marks, the Cougars all-time leader in touchdown receptions.

The passing game may be a bigger part of the game than it usually is for the Cougars, as they will take on an Arizona team that allows nearly 250 passing yards a game and ranks ninth in the conference.

A successful game for WSU usually starts with the offense, but over the course of the season the defense has made its own impact. Over the past three games there have been instances where the offense stalled out in late game situations and depended on big stops from the defense.

“We’re always excited to get on the field,” redshirt junior linebacker Isaac Dotson said. “There is a feeling around football that your defense being on the field is bad, but that’s what we want to do. We want to get out there and control the game from a defensive standpoint.”

A specific moment from last week’s game against Oregon State University that highlights the Cougars defensive play was the first Beaver drive of the second half.

After a failed fake punt, Oregon State had the ball in WSU territory, and the defense was put in a tight spot. Between two incompletions and an eight-yard sack the Beavers were forced out of field goal range and the Cougar Defense did not allow any points.

That series was a major turning point in the game, as it allowed WSU to begin the climb out of the hole it had dug itself and eventually complete the comeback.

Arizona’s leading passer is also their leading rusher, so come Saturday the stout WSU rush defense could play a major role in the outcome of the game.

For the Cougar’s Pac-12 success to continue, WSU cannot let opponents jump out to early leads and expect to keep winning. Especially with tough teams like No. 15 Colorado and No. 5 University of Washington left on the schedule. Head Coach Mike Leach seems to realize this.

“We’re definitely searching for consistency,” Leach said.

A consistent Cougars team will match up well against the Wildcats, but the same belief was prevalent before last week’s matchup against Oregon State.

The Cougars kick off against Arizona at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Martin Stadium. The game will also be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network.