College Football ATS Picks - Washington at Rutgers Game Preview

The Washington Huskies were a trendy pick to make some noise in 2016 and they surpassed everyone’s expectations with a season that ended with a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Huskies couldn’t overcome Alabama in the national semifinal, but it was still a successful season and proof that head coach Chris Petersen was the right man for the job. Washington will start this season just like it did last season, with a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Kickoff for this college football Week 1 game is set for Friday, September 1, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The game will be broadcast on FS1.

College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu

Washington -30.5
Rutgers +30.5
Over/Under 52

Odds Analysis

The Huskies ran over most Pac-12 opponents last season, but had trouble covering the larger spreads as the season went on. Washington ended the year with a 7-7 ATS mark, but only three foes stayed within single digits of the Huskies during the regular season.

Rutgers was dreadful last season. The Scarlet Knights got shut out four times and were blasted by a combined score of 136-0 in back-to-back games against Ohio State and Michigan. They went 4-8 ATS last year despite being an underdog of 10 or more points nine times.

Last Meeting

Washington blasted Rutgers when these teams met last season, with the Scarlet Knights making the score a little more respectable in garbage time. Although the stat sheet looks somewhat even given the score, don’t be fooled by the total numbers as Rutgers was listless on offense until the game was well in hand.

John Ross’ speed was just too much for Rutgers as the first-round draft pick caught two touchdowns and ran a kick back for a touchdown too. He was quarterback Jake Browning’s primary target on the day and helped take the top off of a Rutgers defense that couldn’t slow him down.

Rutgers did do a decent job of stopping the run. The Huskies could only muster 91 rushing yards on 30 carries in the game.

Coaching Angle

Things have to get better in Chris Ash’s second season in Piscataway, because they can’t get much worse. Ash was a defensive coordinator at Ohio State prior to taking the job at Rutgers, but was unable to get any sort of traction going on either side of the ball.

Despite having nine starters back last year, Rutgers could only muster 15.7 points per game and averaged just over five yards per pass attempt. It’s hard to win in this day and age with numbers like that. However, there is hope. The Scarlet Knights were competitive in three of their conference losses and now have a new offensive coordinator in former Minnesota coach Jerry Kill. Kill will get the offense going.

Petersen is establishing himself as one of the premier coaches in college football. He answered the question of what he would do at a school with more resources than Boise State last season and is now starting to get recruits to come his way.

Free ATS Pick

Washington has some holes to fill on defense. Although this should still be one of the top units in the country, not having Budda Baker, Sidney Jones, and Kevin King is going to hurt. The safeties are very talented, but the cornerbacks are very raw and that’s a potential issue in a 3-3-5 look.

This feels like too many points. Washington covered with ease last year, but Rutgers is bound to better and is playing at home this time. The Huskies know they can win this one without showing much of their playbook and Petersen isn’t the type to run up the score. Take Rutgers as a big home underdog to get the cover at home.

College Football Odds: Huskies 38, Scarlet Knights 17

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