Washington State vs Oregon Prediction - College Football Picks 10/21/23
The Washington State Cougars will head down to Eugene to the Oregon Ducks in Pac-12 play this weekend from Auzten Stadium on ABC. This will mark the final time Oregon and Washington State face off as conference rivals, and they’ve faced off in every season since 1936. The Ducks lead the all-time series, 53-42-7, after winning the last four matchups.
Washington State Cougars Preview
Washington State dropped to 4-2 after a bad loss to Arizona in Pullman, 44-6. The Cougars were dominated on both sides of the ball by the Wildcats, and they’ll look to avoid a third straight loss here in Eugene. The Wazzu offense is scoring 34.3 ppg, while passing for 338.5 ypg, rushing for 92.2 ypg, and converting 50% of their third downs.
Wazzu Player Notes
• Cam Ward had an outing to forget, as he went for a season-low 192 yards and an interception. The junior quarterback hasn’t looked like himself thru two starts after the bye week, and there’s a chance things continue here at the Zoo. Ward has thrown for 1,783 yards, with 14 touchdowns to three interceptions over sox games.
• Wazzu defers to the run game, but Nakia Watson has scored in three of the last five games, and he leads the team with 153 rushing yards.
• UNLV transfer Kyle Williams scored in all four of their wins to open the season, and he leads the Cougs in receptions (33) and receiving yards (448).
• The Washington St. defense allows 28.5 points per game.
Oregon Ducks Preview
Oregon enters at 5-1 after losing to Washington in Seattle by three, 36-33. A questionable late-game decision from Dan Lanning ultimately robbed the Ducks of another signature victory, and they’ll look to bounce back here against Wazzu at home. The Oregon offense is scoring 48.5 ppg, while passing for 331.7 ypg, rushing for 223.3 ypg, and converting 53.5% of their third downs.
Oregon Player Notes
• Bo Nix wasn’t able to outshine Michael Penix last weekend, but he performed well by going 33/44 for 337 yards and two scores. The longtime college QB is putting together the best campaign of his run at the NCAA level, and he’ll look to turn the tide here in a return to the Zoo. Nix has thrown for 1,796 yards, with 17 touchdowns to one interception thru six games.
• Junior back Bucky Irving went for a season-high 127 yards and a score in the loss to UW, and he leads UO in rushing yards (520).
• Sophomore RB Jordan James has scored in four straight games, and he’s posting solid splits of 45/360/8 out of the backfield.
• Third-year wideout Troy Franklin also went for a season-best 154 yards on the loss to Washington, and he leads the Ducks in receptions (40), receiving yards (689), and touchdown catches (8).
• The Oregon defense has allowed 15.8 points per game.
Washington State vs Oregon Trends
• Wazzu is 4-2 against the spread, with a 3-3 O/U record.
• Oregon is 5-0-1ATS, with a 4-2 over/under record.
Corey’s Free Pick
The way Washington State lost at home to Arizona was unseen, and it may have served as the calm before the storm, because they might be in for a long night at the Zoo this weekend. Oregon is a few decisions away from being undefeated, and if they’d like to remain in the CFB Playoff picture, they can’t slip up anymore. Similar to how they beat Colorado, look for Dan Lanning to have these guys fired up, and let’s back a strong response from Oregon this weekend.
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
