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NCAA Football

Oregon vs. Washington State Free Gambling Prediction & Week 5 Preview

Ducks vs Cougars NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The Oregon Ducks are traveling away from Autzen Stadium for the first time this season, but with the game against the Washington State Cougars being played in Seattle—not Pullman—the crowd should look far more neutral than Mike Leach would like.

No. 2 Oregon Ducks (4-0) vs WSU Cougars (2-2)
Saturday September 29, 2012
Century Link Field, Seattle, WA
10:30 PM ET
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: Oregon -29 from GTBets.eu
O/U: 70.5

Matchup | Preview

The Ducks are coming off a game where they didn’t allow a single score the entire contest, while the Cougars are still thinking about the three fourth-quarter touchdowns they allowed in their one-point loss last week.

Oregon Ducks

In what was expected to be a shootout last weekend between the Oregon Ducks and the Arizona Wildcats, Oregon walked away with their heads held high following a 49-0 trouncing at Autzen Stadium.

The team’s offense was solid, but it was the defense that gave them room to breathe with the dominant performance they put on at home. The Ducks forced five turnovers, including four interceptions, against one of the nation’s best passing teams. As a result, Oregon leapfrogged the No. 2 LSU Tigers and is now right behind the Alabama Crimson Tide for the No. 1 spot in the country.

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The problem for the Ducks is that they struggled early with their ball control, and if it hadn’t have been for poor offensive execution by the Wildcats, the game would have been much closer heading into the half.

The Ducks first away game of the season is this week, but with the matchup taking place in Seattle—not Pullman—the Oregon crowd is expected to follow, making the transition a nice one for a team that still has things to work on.

Washington State Cougars

The Washington State Cougars are coming off a hard-fought, down-to-the-wire loss against the Colorado Buffaloes in their Pac-12 opener last week. The Cougars gave up three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a short run in the final seconds of the game, to allow the comeback.

The team’s passing game has been on the money all season, but it really showed when Connor Halliday broke loose last week. Halliday threw for 401 yards and four touchdowns on 32 of 60 attempts. The team is averaging 313.8 yards per game through the air, which is good enough for 18th in the nation. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

However, no passing attack can remain dangerous without a threat on the ground, which is a problem the Cougars have faced up to this point. They’re averaging just 59 yards per contest in the rushing game, and the team has just two scores on the ground all season.

Washington State has lost their last five matchups against the Ducks by an average of 35.2 points. They’re averaging just 24.8 points per game this year to Oregon’s 52.8, and they’re allowing 28.0 to the Ducks’ 18.3.

Oregon may show a few more jitters than they have early in the season being away from home for the first time, but as long as they’re simply nerves at not dire mistakes, they should be just fine. Don’t be surprised if the Cougars throw the ball even more than the Wildcats did last week, giving Oregon’s defense another prime opportunity to step up.

The numbers scream Oregon in this one, and there’s no reason to go against them until the Cougars can prove they’re worthy adversaries against top-quality programs.

Trends

Ducks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games.
Over is 4-0 in Ducks last 4 games following a ATS win.
Over is 5-1 in Ducks last 6 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous matchup.
Over is 4-0 in Cougars last 7 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Over is 6-1 in Cougars last 7 games on fieldturf.

O/U Pick: Over 70.5
Score Prediction: Oregon 48 – Washington St. 24

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"