The Washington Huskies would love to capture the Pac-12 title against the Colorado Buffaloes, but their aspirations are bigger than that. In order to have a shot at the College Football Playoff, Washington will need to win this matchup against a tough opponent.
Washington has only lost once this season to put itself in the national championship conversation, and is the favorite to claim the conference hardware. Colorado likely isn’t high enough in the rankings to make a case for the playoffs with a win, but can pick up conference bragging rights and then await a very prestigious bowl game with the win.
Watch this regular season Week 14 matchup live on Friday, December 2, 2016, at 9 p.m. ET at Levi’s Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Colorado +7
Washington -7
Over/Under 58
Odds Analysis
Washington is a touchdown favorite at the neutral site and the betting public is jumping on that spread, choosing the Huskies to cover at a clip of more than 71 percent. The scoring total may be a little high considering the talent on these defenses, and more than 81 percent of the money is taking the “under” early on.
The Huskies are 11-1 straight up and 6-5-1 against the spread this season. Washington has been the favorite in 10 games and has covered half of those.
Colorado has really exceeded expectations in 2016, going 10-2 straight up with losses to only Michigan and USC. The Buffaloes are an impressive 9-1-2 against the spread and they have covered three times and pushed once in four matchups as the underdog.
Player To Watch
Jake Browning -- The Washington quarterback has been one of the most prolific signal-callers in the country this year and has been the catalyst for an offense which is averaging 44.8 points per game. Browning is 214-of-329 passing for 3,162 yards with 40 touchdowns and only seven interceptions on the season.
Browning has been in the Heisman Trophy talk, and while he’s not seen as the favorite, he’s still been one of the best quarterbacks in college football in 2016.
Browning threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout win over Washington State in the regular season finale to clinch Washington’s spot in the conference title game and keep alive its hopes to make the College Football Playoff.
Key Stat
1 - That’s the number of losses Washington has this season as well as the number of wins needed to likely pick up a spot in the national semifinals.
Alabama and Clemson seem to be shoo-ins for the College Football Playoff provided they win their conference title games, with the other two spots more up for grabs. There is talk about Ohio State or the Big Ten champion to snag one, but it’s unknown exactly how it will shake out.
Washington seems to have a strong case as it has knocked off several quality opponents and has a lone loss to a talented USC team. The Huskies would like to win this one in style to alleviate any doubts about their worthiness.
Free ATS Pick
While all eyes will be on Washington in its big for the playoff, Colorado is certainly capable of making this a tough game. The Buffaloes are averaging 34.8 points per game while allowing only 18.8 and enter this one winners of six straight contests.
Colorado knocked off a tough Utah team to win the Pac-12 South and claim the spot in the title game. Washington will need to work hard to score points, but it has the talent to do so. The Buffaloes aren’t quite as explosive offensively and may not be able to keep up.
While Colorado should be able to hang around for awhile, Washington is too talented and has too much on the line to drop this one. Take the Huskies to win and cover the spread.
College Football Odds: Washington 35, Colorado 24
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