ASU Sun Devils vs WSU Cougars NCAA Football Odds
Arizona State comes into this one losing two of their last three games. Their opponents have had a much tougher time as of late however, as the Washington State Cougars have lost five games in a row, and they have shown no signs of being able to break that streak.
When: Saturday, 10:30 PM EST
Where: Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
TV: Versus
LINE: +11.5(Washington State), O/U 62
This is a match-up between two teams that are very similar on the offensive side of the ball. Their main parallel is that both of these teams rely heavily on the passing game.
The Arizona State Sun Devils come into play with a 6-3 record, and a 4-2 record in Pac 12 play.
ASU live and die with the right arm of quarterback Brock Osweiler. The junior is having a very nice season so far, but one area he would like to improve upon is his interceptions. For the Sun Devils to overtake USC in the southern division, he is going to have to improve his 2 to 1 touchdown to pick ratio.
While Arizona State’s running game isn’t in the upper half of the NCAA in terms of yards. They do have one man back there who is quietly having a nice campaign.
Cameron Marshall has compiled 800 yards so far on the season through nine games. That is a pretty impressive number in its own right, but not the reason he is being highlighted here. The reason for that is , he has amassed 13 touchdowns on the ground this year. That is good for 8th in the country.
Conversely, the Arizona State defensive unit hasn’t been very good in terms of yards allowed, but have been surprisingly good at keeping people out of the end zone.
They rank 61st in run defense, and just 72nd in passing defense. On the other hand, they rank number 34 in points allowed. Mainly employing the bend, but don’t break philosophy.
That shouldn’t hurt them to bad against the Washington State Cougars, who have once again just had an awful go of it so far this season. They are 3-6 overall, and just 1-5 in the conference, which is good for last place in the southern division. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Despite their woes, Washington State has managed a top 15 passing offense in terms of yards per game with their current quarterback Marshall Lobbestael. But you can’t help to wonder what the season could have been with junior Jeff Tuel. Nevertheless, Lobbestael has had a solid season numbers wise, but he just hasn’t been able to get the Cougs over the top.
But Lobbestael can’t be solely to blame, as Wazzou’s defense has been absolutely woeful all season long. They rank in the bottom half of the country in most of the major categories.
They come in at number 87 in overall yards per game allowed, including 72nd against the run, and 88th against the pass. They also allow 32 points a game, which is good for 94th in the country.
Matt’s Prediction: Arizona State 38, Washington State 14 —
This one is pretty cut and dry. Washington State is just flat out bad and Arizona State is an above average team fighting for a chance to play in the first Pac 12 championship game. I expect a blowout here.
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