Pac-12 Preview: Arizona Wildcats at #19 Washington State Cougars
Five of the Wildcats' six games have cashed under tickets, 30-26 since 2018
The Arizona Wildcats (3-3 / 1-2) head to Pullman, Washington, to take on the 19th-ranked Washington State Cougars (4-1 / 1-1), their third straight ranked opponent (0-2). The Wildcats trail the Cougars by a ½ game in the Pac-12 College Football standings, although a win for either team would still keep them in the middle of the pack in the conference.
The Cougars opened as an 8.5-point favorite, but the betting public has bet that down to 7.5. The under has been pounded down to 58 after opening at 60.5. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET / 4:00 pm PT and can be seen on the Pac-12 Network. Let’s start our Arizona vs Washington State odds preview with a deeper look at the Wildcats from a betting perspective.
Wildcats Have Nothing To Show For Their Efforts
Last week, Arizona hung 506 yards on the 9th-ranked USC Trojans only to walk away with a triple overtime loss (43-41) as a 21.5-point underdog. That completed two straight weeks where the Cats dropped close games against two of the top teams in the nation as a massive underdog. The question is, how do we take what we’ve witnessed over the last few weeks and apply it to handicapping this week’s game?
The problem for bettors is we’ve seen Arizona put up 65 points against USC and Washington, but we still remember how Jedd Fisch’s team managed just 21 points against Stanford in week four. The Wildcats are still unsure if quarterback Jayden de Laura will be able to go after missing the last two weeks with an ankle injury.
If Arizona are to pull an upset, history tells us they’ll have to be sharp on offense to stay close. In their last three meetings at Martin Stadium, the Cats have allowed WSU to score at least 40 points a game without forcing a turnover, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to blindly bet the over because the total seems like a trap. We continue our Arizona vs Washington odds preview with a deeper dive into the Cougars.
Washington State Offensive Depth On Display
The Cougars have 19 players with at least one play from scrimmage that went for 15 yards or more, making game-planning a difficult task for Arizona. The only other team to match that feat is the Georgia Bulldogs. We know WSU will rely on the arm of quarterback Cameron Ward, who is sixth in the nation with with 317.2 yards passing per game.
If Arizona is able to hold Ward in check, we still don’t know if the Cougars running game will be a reliable part of the offense after running for just 12 yards on 19 attempts in last week’s loss to UCLA. Head Coach Jake Dickert talked about a toughness that he thinks his team lacks, we’ll see if they respond to that comment this week.
Toughness usually means a better effort on defense. We conclude our Arizona vs Washington odds preview with our official selection.
Bettors Have This Sniffed Out
The total on this game opened as high as 62.5 at some spots around the globe, but bettors are not taking the bait, with the consensus number falling as much as 4.5 points. Much of that has nothing to do with actual wagering, it’s more to do with books realizing the send-out number was ridiculous and then making a quick adjustment.
As much as bettors associate the Cougars with high-scoring NCAAF scores and odds, the under is 16-10 in the Cougars’ last 26 games since 2021. This will undoubtedly be one of the most entertaining games on this week’s NCAA Football schedule, we just happen to agree with bettors.
Take the under 58, but shop around because there are better numbers hanging by a thread. That does it for our Arizona vs Washington State odds preview, we wish you nothing but the best with your wagers this weekend.
For NCAAF betting news and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
