Wash State vs. Arizona Spread Pick
The Washington State Cougars will need to beat the Arizona Wildcats tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET to keep their college football playoff hopes alive. Will they also cover the spread as a double-digit home favorite?
Game Snapshot
377 Arizona Wildcats at 378 Washington State Cougars
10:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, November 17, 2018
Martin Stadium, Pullman, Washington
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Cougars are 10.5-point favorites to beat the Wildcats. The total, meanwhile, sits at 62.5 points. As of this writing, 70% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Cougars.
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona junior QB Khalil Tate threw for 350 yards and five touchdowns on 17-of-22 passes with an interception in a 42-34 victory over Colorado on Friday. One of the best passing games we’ve seen from Tate (6’2/215), who looked as healthy as we’ve seen him in a while, as well. Probably a direct correlation there, we think. Tate spread the ball around, and outside of one interception that ended up acting like a punt, he avoided mistakes and made plenty of big plays with his arm. He’s still not running like we saw last year, but at this point, that’s just not going to happen. Tate is getting hot, and he gives the Wildcats a chance to beat anyone in the Pac-12. They won’t play again until a showdown with Washington State on November 17; a team he destroyed last season.
Washington State Cougars
Washington State senior QB Gardner Minshew completed 35-of-58 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s 31-7 win over Coloardo. The Cougars’ offense started out slow — they were shut out in the first quarter — before getting things revved up as the game progressed. Minshew connected on touchdown touches in the second and third quarters to help the effort and additionally managed a 10-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter. A sign of how prolific he has been this season, this was just the third time all season that the former ECU gunslinger has thrown for fewer than three touchdown passes. He is up to 29 touchdown passes through 10 games played. Wazzu will take on Arizona next weekend, with the Apple Cup to follow.
Betting Trends
Arizona
The Wildcats are 3-13 against the spread in their last 16 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
Washington State
The Cougars are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Prediction
The Cougars are 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 home games, are 16-5 against the number in their last 21 games overall and are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games coming off a win. Washington State has been too good this season, both on the field and at the betting window, to fade. I will buy the hook but there’s too much on the line for this Wazzu team to slip, especially against an Arizona defense that doesn’t have a pass defense.
College Football Prediction: Washington State Cougars -10 (buy the hook)