Washington State vs. Washington Prediction, Preview, and Odds

In-state rivals prepare for their final matchup as conference foes when the Washington State Cougars (5-6, 5-6 ATS, 2-6 Pac-12) take on the #4 Washington Huskies (11-0, 5-5-1 ATS, 8-0 Pac-12) on Saturday night. The Cougars are playing for bowl eligibility, while Washington hopes to remain perfect and reach the College Football Playoff. Washington State just blew out Colorado, winning 56-14 as only 4.5-point favorites. Washington is coming off a big road win over #11 Oregon State in the pouring rain, winning 22-20 as 1.5-point dogs. The Huskies are currently listed as 16.5-point favorites in this matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 EST from Husky Stadium in Seattle and can be found on FOX.

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Cougars Dominate Coach Prime

The Colorado hype train seems to really have died down lately, and it lost all momentum when Washington State destroyed them last week. The Cougars were only favored by 4.5, but won by 42 points in the game. Washington State scored all 56 points in the first three quarters, then took their foot off the gas in the fourth while coasting to victory. Quarterback Cameron Ward threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the big win.

Cameron Ward is a 6'2 junior averaging 310.5 passing yards per game with a strong 22-5 TD-INT ratio. Ward has put up some huge passing numbers lately, including throwin for 354 against Cal, and 438 yards against Oregon, though both came in losses. Ward shares the ball well amongst three receivers who are all putting up numbers this season. Josh Kelly has the most yards per game at 72.3 YPG and the most TDs with seven as a 6'1 wideout. 5'9 Lincoln Victor (70.2 YPG, 4 TDs), and 6'0 Kyle Williams (68.8 YPG, 5 TDs) are not far behind in production. The Cougars do most of their work through the air, as their top back, Nakia Watson, only averages 23.4 yards per game.

Washington State ranks 5th in scoring in the Pac-12 with 32.6 points per game, and their defense ranks 7th by allowing 28.5 points per. Linebacker Kyle Thornton leads the team in tackles with 80, while defensive end Brennen Jackson leads the team with seven sacks. Defensive back Sam Lockett III is the only Cougar with two interceptions. The defense has generated 14 takeaways over 11 games.

Injury Report:

Questionable: DB Chau Smith-Wade (36 tackles), RB Leo Pulalasi (105 yards), OL Esa Pole

Huskies Jump to Four

The Washington Huskies took a very important step on their path toward the College Football Playoff last week. They jumped Florida State in the standings after defeating #11 Oregon State in a game during torrential rain. The committee may not be able to overlook the injury to Florida State's quarterback Jordan Travis, but Washington knows if they run the table they will virtually be guaranteed a spot.

Michael Penix Jr. is currently sitting at +650 to win the Heisman, he is no longer the favorite, but two more big games could change that. He leads the nation in passing yards with 3,695 on the year, working out to 335.9 yards per game. He also has a 30-7 TD-INT ratio. Rome Odunze has been the top weapon this season, he can be seen grabbing a deep touchdown in the video above from last week. Odunze averages 109.6 yards per game with 11 touchdowns. Receiver Ja'Lynn Polk is not far behind, he averages 85.7 YPG with eight touchdowns. Running back Dillon Johnson has been having a strong season, he averages 79.9 YPG out of the backfield with 11 touchdowns.

Washington ranks 3rd in the Pac-12 in scoring with 39.3 points per game, and their defense ranks 6th by allowing 23.2 points per game. Cornerback Domonique Hampton leads the team with 80 tackles, and also has two picks on the year. Defensive end Bralen Trice leads the team with four sacks. The defense has 15 takeaways on the season.

Injury Report: No new injuries reported that will affect the depth chart

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Best Bets for this Game

Full-Game Side Bet

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Washington State just has a massive win over Colorado, but lets not forget that this team was on a six-game losing streak going into that game. In three of those losses the Cougars were actually favored, as Arizona, Arizona State and Stanford all upset Washington State. This team has not been living up to their expectations, and Washington has been meeting theirs. The Huskies know they are two wins away from the College Football Playoff, but optics are important in college football, they do not want to simply squeak by with a win here. The weather looks sunny and clear in Seattle for Saturday, no more downpour rainstorms to slow down this offense. Washington has the top passing attack in the conference based on yards per game, and the Cougars only rank 6th in pass defense by giving up 241.6 yards per game. Penix Jr. will go far above that total, as Washington runs up the score to impress the committee one more time.

Take Washington to win and cover.

Prediction: Washington -16.5

Full-Game Total Pick

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Washington wants to impress the committee and put up big numbers in this game. They were halted by weather last week, but conditions look clear for Saturday and the Huskies will put up huge numbers. Before the Oregon State game in the rain, Washington put up 35 on Utah and 52 on USC, those are two of the better teams in the Pac-12, so the Huskies will have no trouble scoring big here. Washington has gone over the total in three of their last four, and WSU has gone over in four of their last five. The Cougars showed they can score recently, they put up 56 on Colorado and 39 on Cal the week before. Both offenses have been scoring, put the Huskies have extra motivation to make this win look good.

Take the over.

Prediction: Over 68

Paul has been a sports fan his entire life, and was an All-Conference basketball player at The University of Scranton. He is currently a high school basketball coach and a mathematics teacher with a Master’s in Business Administration. This unique combination gives Paul the ability to find mismatches from a coach’s perspective while having the ability to analyze statistical data to spot advantages. Paul will provide you with an array of statistics, trends, and analytics to prepare for any match-up. Follow Paul for up-to-date analysis and all your betting needs. We are thrilled to have Paul on our team.