Arizona vs Washington State NCAA Football Lines Report

Posted by Alex Murphy on Saturday,October 24, 2015 6:45, EDT in

It’s going to be offense-vs-offense on showcase this weekend when the Arizona Wildcats and Washington State Cougars usher us into Week 8’s college football lines. The Cougars lay third in the Pac-12 Northern Division, sporting a 2-1 conference mark and 4-2 overall record, while the Wildcats are 2-2 in the conference and 5-2 overall. Below are a few insights on this clash, including free college football betting odds picks.

How To Bet the Wildcats vs Cougars NCAA Fotball Odds & Game Info

Venue: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2015
Time: 4:00 PM ET
TV: Pac-12 Network

Betting on the Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats enter this game with a high morale after securing a hard-earned 38-31 win over Colorado last week. Heading into the final quarter, the Buffaloes were leading 24-17, but  Jerrard Randall came into the game and sparked a come-from-behind win through two scoring drives that gave Arizona a 31-24 lead. The final stretch saw the Buffaloes score a touchdown to scare the Wildcats, but Randall and Jared Baker ensured the Wildcats stood firm for the win. More of the same resilience will be needed against the Cougars this week.

In the offense, Arizona is averaging 41.7 points per game with 542.4 yards per game. It is led by Quarterback Anu Solomon, who has tallied 1404 yards and 13 touchdowns despite missing some game time due to injury. Solomon is supported by Nick Wilson, who is carrying the rushing game on his shoulders with 683 yards and 8 touchdowns. If Nick, who is listed as questionable, is not available over the weekend, his place will be covered by backup Jared Baker, who has decently collected 470 yards and 3 touchdowns through his legs this season. Cayleb Jones commands the receiving end with 364 yards and 1 touchdown, as David Richards stands out with 364 yards and 1 touchdown. Up against a Cougar defense that has allowed 29.2 points and 416.8 yards per game, the hosts could easily run a riot if they can keep up their solid show on the season.

Defensively, the Wildcats have racked up 13 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 6 interceptions. However, star linebacker Scooby Wright III is likely to be out; meaning Cam Denson is expected to step in in the struggling Arizona defense, ranked ninth in the conference in pass defense and is allowing 7.4 yards per attempt.

Betting on the Washington State Cougars

In their last game, the Cougars showed some real character, rising from the ashes to in their first Pacific-12 home game in two years, a 52-31 win over Oregon State. Quarterback Luke Falk inspired the memorable performance by throwing for 505 yards and five touchdowns. They torched Oregon State by scoring in all their seven first half possessions, which allowed them to ease to a big win for Coach Mike Leach, his 100th career victory.

To bet on the Cougars for a win, you must consider that their offense is averaging 35 points per game with 485.3 yards per game. Falk is amongst the leading passers in the nation, leading the Cougars with 2371 yards and 21 touchdowns against just 4 interceptions. On a national scale, Falk is fifth in the country in passing yards (2,371) and second in completion percentage (72.3).

Making life easy for Falk and his cannon arms in the passing game is Gabe Marks, who stands out with 620 yards and 6 touchdowns. As every quarterback hugely depends on the talent of his receivers, Luke Falk will heavily depend on Gabe Marks who is Pac- 12’s leading receiver with 49 catches, including 33 for first downs. RB Gerard Wicks, who leads the rushing attack with 288 yards and 1 touchdown, will be the other weapon to watch out for, though with Falk tearing apart defenses with his strong arms, it doesn’t look like the Cougars will want to run the ball that often.  Against a Wildcats’ shaky defense that is allowing 30.6 points with 426 yards per game, the stage looks well set for Faulk to go on beast mode, especially with Wright III not available in the defense.

And speaking of the defense, the Cougars are almost as bad as their hosts, especially after allowing Oregon State tons of spaces and scoring opportunities in the second half of their last game. In essence, that’s the reason they have only racked up just 6 interceptions, 5 fumble recoveries. Just about the only hope in this defense is that the team has collected 15 sacks, which guarantees that Solomon and his offensive company will be greatly tested.

Main Game Time Injury Concerns

Arizona: Scooby Wright III, Scooby Wright III, Trevor Wood, Trevor Wood, Nick Wilson (Doubtful), and Jeff Worthy (Doubtful)

Arizona vs Washington State Key Betting Trends

•    Washington State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
•    Arizona is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
•    Washington State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
•    Arizona is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games
•    Washington State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
•    Arizona is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games at home
•    Washington State is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games on the road
•    The underdog is 10-3 ATS in these two teams’ last 13 meetings.
•    The total has gone OVER in 7 of Arizona’s last 8 games
•    The OVER is 7-1 in Arizona’s last 8 games overall.

Cougars at Wildcats Week 7 Predictions

The Washington State Cougars are definitely going to try and run riot over the Wildcats defense especially early in the game. The Arizona defense looks weak to stand against the Cougars offense, but they should have some breathing space, especially when their offense has the ball since W-State’s defense is almost as bad as Arizona’s. The difference in this game is thus likely to come down to who uses their offensive strength to the best.

If I am to make a pick, I’d say that the Cougars have a chance to pull a mega upset in this game, but the win looks most likely to go to the home-favored Arizona, mainly because of the home-ground support and Solomon’s dual-threat abilities.  A high-scoring affair should be expected, as both teams probably score 35-plus points apiece. Simply put, go with Arizona for the SU and ATS, along with an OVER in the game total NCAAF lines.