Washington State has gotten off to a 2-0 start and has looked dominant in a small sample size.
Coming off a National Championship appearance, new-look Washington is also 2-0 but has yet to be tested by anything more than a bottom-half MAC team.
We don’t have a ton of reliable data points for this one, but let’s dive in and get to my Washington State vs. Washington prediction for the 116th Apple Cup.
Washington State vs Washington Pick
- Prediction: Washington -4.5
My Washington-Washington State best bet is on the Huskies spread with the best line currently available at Caesars, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Washington State vs. Washington Odds, Spread, Lines
| Washington State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -116 | 54 -105o / -115u | +180 |
| Washington Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -105 | 54 -105o / -115u | -220 |
- Point Spread: Washington State +5.5 · Washington -5.5
- Total: Over/Under 54 Total Points
- Moneyline: Washington State ML +180 · Washington ML -220
How to Watch & Start Time for Washington State-Washington
| Location: | Lumen Field, Seattle, WA |
| Date: | Saturday, Sept. 14 |
| Kickoff Time: | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | Peacock |
Washington State Football vs. Washington Football
Washington State Cougars Betting Preview: Defense Struggling Early
Washington State quarterback Cam Ward transferred to Miami, leaving sophomore John Mateer as the next man up.
Mateer has looked fine, throwing six touchdowns passes and one interception, but five of those touchdowns came against Portland State. He went just 9-for-19 for 115 yards with a touchdowns and an interception against a bad Texas Tech defense last week.
Mateer is much more of a run-first option. He's averaging 126 yards per game rushing this season.
Lead back Wayshawn Parker has also been effective early this season, but nobody in this backfield is an upperclassman. Washington State's four leading rushers are either freshmen or sophomores.
A defense that wasn't great last season was gutted in the offseason. The Cougars return just three starters from a unit that really struggled at preventing Finishing Drives. That likely won’t get much better with their entire secondary needing to be replaced.
Portland State was able to put up 30 points and 449 yards of offense against the Cougars. Additionally, Texas Tech put up 491 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per play without its star running back. The Cougars already rank 124th in total defense.
Washington Huskies Betting Preview: Rogers Settling in
I don’t have time to name every player Washington lost from last year’s squad. The list of starters who return is much shorter, especially on offense. It’s zero.
That doesn't mean the Huskies are completely starting over with nobodies, though.
Quarterback Will Rogers transferred to Washington after four years starting in the SEC for Mississippi State. He's thrown for over 12,800 yards and 99 touchdowns in his career. Rogers set single-season SEC records.
In two games with the Huskies, Rogers has five touchdowns, no interceptions and is completing 79% of his passes. He's developed quick chemistry with receivers Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston, and tight end Decker DeGraaf appears to be his favorite red zone target.
The star of this offense just might be running back Jonah Coleman, though. Coleman followed coach Jedd Fisch from Arizona after averaging 6.8 yards per carry with the Wildcats last season, and he already has 231 yards and three touchdowns through the first two games.
New defensive coordinator Steve Belichick only has one returning starter in linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala, but fellow linebacker Carson Bruener and safety Kamren Fabiculanan have both seen plenty of playing time. A few Arizona transfers also joined this defense.
So far, so good for the Huskies' defense, even if it's played against subpar competition. Washington has allowed just an average of 228.5 yards and 3.4 yards per play in its first two games and has yet to allow a touchdown this season.
How to Bet My Washington State vs. Washington Prediction
While the Apple Cup is undoubtedly a great rivalry, it's been rather lopsided throughout its history. Washington has gone 76-33-6 in the series and has won nine of the past 10 meetings. Last year’s game was actually the first Huskies win within single digits since 2010.
While this might be an entirely new team on paper, it's still very talented and has plenty of guys with experience, especially the veteran Rogers at quarterback, who's looked very comfortable running this pro-style offense.
Coleman looks dominant at running back and made a great choice to follow Fisch from Arizona. Fisch did a tremendous job with the Wildcats last season, winning 10 games and finishing the season ranked No. 11 in the country.
That was also an Arizona team that beat Washington State 44-6 in Pullman. Fisch’s team held the Cougars to just 234 yards of offense in the game and Coleman had three touchdowns and averaged 6.5 yards per carry against Washington State's defense.
I still don’t fully trust Washington State's offense. Mateer is much more dangerous with his legs than his arm, and as great as the Cougars looked like week, Texas Tech is littered with injuries.
Washington is the better team and has historically loved to run it up against the Cougars. I expect Fisch will want to make a statement in his first Apple Cup in Seattle.
Pick: Washington -4.5 (Play to -6)
College Football Betting Trends: Washington vs. Washington State
- 76% of the bets are on Washington to cover the spread while 61% of the money is on the same side.
Washington State-Washington Weather
