The Washington Huskies have ascended to the top of the Pac-12 and are making a case for their spot in the College Football Playoff. After a pair of back-to-back statement wins over Stanford and Oregon, the Huskies get a reprieve in Week 8 with a matchup against the Oregon State Beavers.
The Huskies have considerably more talent and Oregon State has serious quarterback issues, which results in a huge spread for host Washington. The Huskies should remain undefeated, but the question is if they will cover the spread in this contest.
Watch this regular season Week 8 matchup live on Saturday, October 22, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Husky Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Oregon State +32.5
Washington -32.5
Odds Analysis
The spread is extremely high for a conference matchup, but it’s not unexpected. The Beavers are among the worst teams in the Pac-12 and Washington is riding high.
Despite the large point difference needed to cover, Washington is getting nearly 71 percent of the early action. The Huskies must get off to a hot start in order to do so, as it will take some big plays to get ahead by so much.
Injury Report
Oregon State would have been a heavy underdog regardless, but its quarterback situation has made matters worse. Starting quarterback Darell Garretson struggled badly in last week’s loss to Utah, completing just 4-of-20 passes for 24 yards with an interception in tough weather conditions.
Injury was added to insult when he suffered an ankle injury and had to leave the game. Conor Blount stepped in to lead the offense in Garretson’s absence, but soon injured his knee and also had to leave the game.
That left it up to third-stringer Marcus McMaryion, who was 5-of-9 for 76 yards and a touchdown. It’s unknown how serious the injuries are to the top two signal-callers, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.
Player to Watch
Jake Browning - The Washington quarterback has been phenomenal this season. He has completed 104-of-144 passes for 1,418 yards with 23 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
Browning is starting to get some Heisman Trophy buzz as he has really fared well against tough competition. He has thrown for 514 yards with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in wins the past two times out against Stanford and Oregon.
The Washington passing offense is averaging 252.2 yards per game and the team is putting up an impressive 49.5 points per contest, which is third in the country. Oregon State is only allowing 179.5 yards per game but will have a tough time slowing down Browning and the Huskies’ offensive attack.
Free ATS Pick
Washington is the more talented team, has better health at the quarterback position and is playing at home. It should have no problem rolling to the win, with the only possible thing slowing the Huskies down is a look-ahead mentality.
Washington has a huge road game next week against Utah, which is one of its final big tests going down the stretch of the regular season. If the Huskies don’t pay this one enough attention, Oregon State could cover the spread.
That’s the most likely scenario. There is no reason why Oregon State should be able to hang around in this one, but this one could be sloppy from Washington. It is coming off a pair of huge wins and has another big game next. The Beavers will be overlooked, which will give them the opportunity to cover this spread, even with the questions at quarterback.
Washington should remain undefeated and in the top five nationally but the spread is too high for this contest. Keep an eye on where the scoring total lands as well, as the “under” could be a good play depending on where it comes in.
College Football Odds: Washington 38, Oregon State 10
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