Categories
NCAA Football

Cougars vs. Ducks Betting Preview & Free Pick

Washington State vs. Oregon Preview

Oregon, coming off of a huge win in Colorado, are looking to do the same thing as they did a week ago back at home against the Cougars of Washington State.

Annihilate their opponent.

Cougars v Ducks
When: Saturday, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon
TV: N/A
LINE: -35 (Oregon), O/U 69

Washington State are coming off a game in which they were throttled by the lowly Oregon State Beavers. Granted they did lose their starting quarterback shortly after they tied the game at 14, so that probably had a little bit to do with the final score.

But there is more bad news coming their way. Jeff Tuel is not coming back for this week’s game. As everyone saw, this just isn’t the same team when he isn’t on the field.

The Cougars do not have much of a running game, and they basically solely relied on the arm of Tuel, and now that he’s out, no one is quite sure where their points are going to come from.

Remember, this was a team that boasted a top ten passing attack. Outside of that one, single, silver lining. They fall near the bottom of the NCAA in most other categories.

They rank 91st in rushing yards per game, and are giving up around 30 points per game. The latter number is good for 87th in the country but will probably drop after their meeting with the Ducks.

Even if Oregon decides to hold out their number one backfield tandem in quarterback Darren Thomas and running back LaMichael James, they will likely field a team more than capable of putting up at least 30 points on the scoreboard. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

The only thing holding this one up from being a complete laugher is the fact that Washington State actually has a solid run defense. As we all know, running the ball is what this Oregon team excels at.

Even with that being said, it is going to be hard to keep this offense down for too long. As they are a pretty efficient passing team, even though they do not turn to the air all that often. Why would you when you average well over 300 yards per game on the ground?

They are also putting up over 48 points a game total, which is just ridiculous given the strength of their schedule thus far. Their season low came against LSU in their first game of the 2011 campaign, but they still managed 27 points in that one. Oh by the way, LSU boasts the 4th best run defense in the country, so it doesn’t look good for Wazzou this weekend.

Matt’s Prediction: Oregon 52, Washington State 3-Washington State didn’t really have a chance in this one if they were 100 percent healthy. Now they are without the man that makes their offense go in Tuel. I think everyone can add 2+2 here. This is going to be a blowout with or without Oregon’s Thomas or James. There is just no way around it.

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!"