Washington State vs Oregon NCAA Football Odds
The Washington State Cougars are coming off of a game against the Oregon State Beavers that saw them blunder late and fall big to their southern-state rivals. Now they have to forget about what happened quickly, as they have an even tougher offensive opponent in Week 8—the No. 2 Oregon Ducks.
Washington State (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12) @ No. 2 Oregon (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12)
Saturday, Oct. 19 10:00 PM ET @ Autzen Stadium
Moneyline: N/A
Spread: Oregon -38
O/U: 73
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Washington State
If you ignore the fourth quarter of the Cougars’ most recent outing against the Oregon State Beavers, it was a highly entertaining, ultra-competitive contest. The two teams entered the final period all tied up, and yet OSU managed to walk away with a four-touchdown victory.
Unfortunately for WSU, you can’t ignore the fourth quarter, but another good start is going to be crucial against the Oregon Ducks.
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At Autzen Stadium this season, the Ducks are averaging more than 20 points per contest in the first quarter alone. Washington State’s defense has been middle-of-the-pack at best, meaning that the offense must be on top of its game from the opening kickoff.
The good news for WSU is that it is doing some serious damage through the air. Through seven weeks, the Cougars have thrown for 346.9 yards per game, which is good enough for eighth in the country. Often times the mentality heading into a big game is to mix up the play calling and balance out the offensive scheme (WSU is just 123rd in rushing this season), but against the Ducks, doing what you do best (with a few trick plays here and there) must be the approach. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Oregon
Oregon enters this game as huge favorites for a reason. Week after week we hear about how their first big challenge is right around the corner. Last week the University of Washington was supposed to be that challenge, and while it was certainly competitive throughout, a 45-24 victory proved that the Ducks are simply on another level.
So long as the Ducks can avoid mental mistakes, this game should be in the bag. Star tailback De’Anthony Thomas is still questionable after missing the last two contests (three if you include California) with an ankle injury, but the team has rolled along quite nicely without him. Quarterback Marcus Mariota is the favorite to win the Heisman in many people’s books, and the tandem of backup tailbacks (Byron Marshall and Thomas Tyner) have done their share of work in the backfield.
Where Oregon has to be focused is defending the pass. We know that the Ducks are going to score points, but a defensive meltdown could cause an expected blowout to become an unexpected close contest. The other thing it must do is avoid turnovers. A bad play here and there won’t matter against this team, but a bad quarter or half could be what gives the Cougars confidence.
Luckily for Oregon, we haven’t seen them be too sloppy with the ball this season. Penalties are another story, as they’ve shot themselves in the foot multiple times throughout the year, but against Washington State, expect things to go pretty much as planned.
Score Prediction: Oregon 58 – Washington State 17
