The Washington State Cougars shocked the college football world with one of the biggest wins in the program’s history on Friday night at Martin Stadium. Washington State took down USC 30-27 in what was arguably its most impressive regular-season win since 2002. Ironically, 15 years after beating the Trojans 30-27 on their way to a Rose Bowl appearance, the Cougars took down USC by the exact same score in Week 5. Now Washington State will turn its attention to the Oregon Ducks for another important Pac-12 showdown. The Ducks have underachieved out of the gate this season but the Cougars still can’t afford to take their foot off the gas heading in to this weekend.
Details:
Odds: Oregon -2.5
Date & Time: Saturday October 7th, 2017
Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon
Broadcast: Pac-12 Channel
Reasons To Bet On The Washington State Cougars
Washington State was one of the most overlooked teams in the Pac-12 heading in to the season. Now they are 5-0 and suddenly the experts are talking about them as a legitimate playoff contender. The Cougars still have a long way to go but a signature win over USC and a perfect record through five games certainly has them on the right track. Quarterback Luke Falk has been absolutely lights out so far this season, including outshining top prospect Sam Darnold in last week’s win over the Trojans. Falk will have every opportunity to build on his strong start to the year versus an Oregon side that has allowed an average of 30.5 points against over its last two games. Meanwhile, the Washington State defense has made several big plays this season. If they can deliver again this week then the Cougars will be in an excellent position to improve to 6-0 on the season.
Reasons To Bet On The Oregon Ducks
Despite being plagued by injuries, the Ducks showed signs of life in last week’s 45-24 win over Cal. Kani Benoit ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns including a career-high 68 yard rushing score and should get plenty of work again this week versus Washington State. The biggest issue for Oregon will be at quarterback where they won’t have Justin Hebert. There have been reports that Hebert broke his collarbone and could miss an extended period of time. The Ducks chances against Washington State will take a huge hit if Hebert is in fact out. Oregon will have to rely even more on its ground game in order to move the football. Meanwhile, the Ducks defense will face a tough test against the Cougars explosive offense. Falk has made some good defenses look bad already this season so if they can’t keep him in check then it could be a long day for Ducks fans.
Outlook
A lot of people have been puzzled by this betting line this week. At 5-0, the Cougars are the better team. They have won their last two matchups with Oregon. On top of that, the Ducks have lost their starting quarterback for – what looks to be – the season. How are the Ducks favored here?
Well, this is still a road game for Wazzu and under Mike Leach, they can sometimes be inconsistent. They have often pulled off big wins only to stumble with a surprising loss not long after. Case and point would be the fact that the Cougars nearly lost at home to a mediocre Boise State team a few weeks ago. They needed to go deep into overtime to survive.
So what happens in this spot? It looks to be a classic letdown situation for the Cougars after they shocked USC last week. Even so, it’s hard to bet against them. Yes, road trips to Eugene are never easy. But the Ducks have been good, not great this year, and now are forced to adjust to a new quarterback. That seems like to much to ask of them – especially when you consider that Wazzu played last Thursday. That means they’ve had nine days to prepare for this contest. Take the Cougars with the points in this spot.
Prediction: Oregon -2.5
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