Can Lowly Rutgers Pull Off Road Upset Over Washington?

Posted by Eric Williams on Thursday,September 1, 2016 6:03, EDT in

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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will look to pull off the rod upset as huge underdogs against the 14th-ranked Washington Huskies when the two teams square off in their regular season opener on Saturday at Husky Stadium.

Now, let’s find out which team is offering the most value for their respecrtive college football spreads in this mismatch of a matchup.

Can Lowly Scarlet Knights Pull Off Road Upset Over Huskies?

When: Saturday, September 3, 2016 at 2:00 pm
Where: Husky Stadium
NCAAF Odds: Washington Huskies -27 / Over/Under: 54

Bet The Rutgers Scarlet Knights at +27 Because…

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are getting almost four touchdowns! The Rutgers Scarlet Knights hope that new head coach Chris Ash can turn things around after they recorded a dismal 4-8 mark in 2015.

The good news is that there is stability at quarterback as Chris Laviano returns after throwing for 2,200 yards and 16 touchdowns a year ago. Wide receivers Andre Patton and Janarion Grant are also back after combining for more than 700 yards and two touchdowns and running back Robert Martin returns after racking up 763 yards and six touchdowns.

Defensively, Rutgers gave up an insane 462 yards and 34.9 points per game a year ago, so improvement is needed in a big way on this side of the ball. Linebacker Isaiah Wharton returns after racking up 57 tackles last season and defensive end Quanzell Lambert is back after getting 2.5 sacks a year ago. Last but not least, Rutgers’ best defensive player is also back as defensive back and Anthony Cioffi returns after picking off four passes last season.

Bet The Washington Huskies at -27 Because…

The Washington Huskies are superior in all three phases of the game. Washington is expecting big things in head coach Chris Petersen’s third season at the Pac-12 playoff hopeful. Jake Browning returns at quarterback after throwing for 2,900 yards and 16 touchdowns and wide receivers Dante Pettis and Brayden Lenius are also back after combining for more than 700 yards and four touchdowns in 2015.

Washington’s best offensive player also returns in the form of running back Myles Gaskin after racking up 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns. Defensively, Washington was stupendous in 2015, limiting the opposition to just 18.8 points and 351 yards per game. Linebacker Azeem Victor returns to lead the defense after recording an impressive 95 tackles in 2015.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

While the Washington Huskies have gone 4-0 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams from the Pac-12.

More importantly, I believe the point spread for this regular season opener is just a bit too high for Washington to cover, even against a Rutgers team they’re better than in every way possible. I like Rutgers to narrowly cover the spread despite suffering a humbling loss.