Chris Peterson and the Washington Huskies are a team on a mission. Washington is looking to return to the College Football Playoff, and has mowed over its competition so far this season. The Huskies have defeated each of their opponents by at least 16 points, and have only allowed a total of 24 points in three PAC 12 games thus far. This week, they will face the Arizona State Sun Devils and look to extend that streak. Now…if they can only get a kickoff time before 10 PM Eastern.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 7 game is set for Saturday, October 14, 2017, at 10:45 p.m. ET at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. This game will be broadcast on ESPN.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Washington -16.5
Arizona State +16.5
Odds Analysis
All five of Arizona State’s games so far this season have been decided by 10 points or less. The Sun Devils have been able to stick around thanks to a decent offense, but the defense still isn’t there. The Sun Devils defense is ranked 118th in the nation, and has allowed 484.2 yards per game this year.
Washington has been fantastic in all phases of the game this season. The defense is once against phenomenal, and the offense is very efficient under Jake Browning. The hiring of Chris Petersen has paid off tremendously for this school as Washington has become the team to beat in the PAC 12. The Huskies have covered all three of their PAC 12 games so far this season after getting a little bit of luck against Cal last week.
Matchup to Watch
Arizona State has been unable to run the ball all season long and will have a hard time doing so against Washington. The Sun Devils are averaging just a shade over three yards per carry on the ground, but have only played two decent defenses so far this year. The lack of explosive plays in particular has killed this team’s averages. Arizona State’s two longest runs of the year have both been by wide receivers, and the third-longest run was a scramble from quarterback Manny Wilkins.
The Sun Devils will likely abandon the run early against a Washington run defense that is allowing fewer yards per carry than any other team in the country. This defense is allowing just 2.3 YPC and quickly forces teams to become one-dimensional. To be fair, they have yet to play a good running team outside of Colorado, but this unit has been very impressive.
Player to Watch
Myles Gaskin doesn’t run the ball often, but he doesn’t have to with how the Huskies have been playing. He has been devastatingly efficient and is quietly having his best season yet after topping 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground in each of the last two seasons.
Through six games, he is averaging 6.2 yards per carry and already has eight touchdowns this year. He is also becoming more of a threat in the passing game, and already has more receiving touchdowns this season than in the last two years combined.
Free ATS Pick
The feud between Petersen and ESPN this past week has been fascinating. Petersen has been critical of the network for consistently slotting them for late night games, and ESPN has responded in some petty ways. Now, the Huskies are playing at 10:45 in this one, their latest time slot of the year.
As for the game, this Sun Devils team is confusing. Looking at their stats, this team shouldn’t be able to keep it close against most of their opponents, but somehow they have been. Manny Wilkins has been sacked 21 times this season, and Washington is great at getting after the quarterback. That will give the Huskies the edge.
College Football Odds: Washington 41, Arizona State 24
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