Washington is 6-1 in its last seven rivalry meetings with Washington State, going 5-2 against the spread in the process. In the most important Apple Cup in many a moon the Huskies battle the Cougars for a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday in Pullman.
Point spread: The Huskies opened as six-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. Line updates and matchup report.
College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 48.6-34.8 Huskies (College football picks on every game)
Why the Washington Huskies can cover the spread
UW bounced back from that disappointing loss to USC to beat Arizona State last week 44-18. The Huskies started a bit slowly, only leading 3-0 after one quarter, but they scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 24-0 advantage into halftime. They pushed that to 30-0 in the third quarter, temporarily covering the 27-point spread but took their foot off the gas and gave up a back-door cover.
On the evening Washington outgained the Sun Devils 539-245 and outrushed them 201-15, as running back Myles Gaskin, now a two-time 1,000-yard rusher, gained 127 yards on just 16 carries. He’s now averaging 6.2 yards per carry on the season. Meanwhile, the Washington defense held Arizona State to less than 100 yards through the first three quarters.
The Huskies have now outgained seven of their eight Pac-12 opponents this season, outrushing six of them.
Why the Washington State Cougars can cover the spread
WSU is looking to bounce back after taking a 38-24 defeat at Colorado last week. The Cougars led the Buffaloes at the half 17-14, and 24-21 late into the third quarter, but they then gave up the last 17 points of the game to lose for the first time since September.
Washington State had a chance to retake the lead midway through the fourth quarter but came up a yard short on a 4th-and-4 from the Colorado 18-yard line. From there, playing catch-up, quarterback Luke Falk turned the ball over twice, as the Cougars came up one score short of a push as six-point ‘dogs.
Before that, though, Washington State had won eight games in a row, with five covers, hitting the 40-point mark five times.
Smart pick
These teams are both 7-1 in conference play, so this game will decide the Pac-12 North title. Washington State owns the edge on offense, but Washington owns the edge on defense. And when the ‘dog owns the better defense, that’s where the betting value lies. Take the Huskies, plus the points at online betting sites.
Betting trends
Washington is 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS in its last seven games against Washington State.
Washington State is 6-0 ATS in its last six games after a loss.
The total has gone under in 10 of Washington State’s last 14 games at home.
All college football betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.
