The Oregon Ducks take on the Washington State Cougars. Check out our college football odds series for our Oregon Washington State prediction and pick.

The Oregon Ducks were never likely to beat Georgia in Week 1 of this 2022 college football season, but few expected them to get drilled by 46 points and not be remotely competitive. The loss was an embarrassment — not the fact that Oregon lost to the defending national champions, but the way they did: 49-3. It was a public humiliation for a team and coaching staff which expected a lot more of themselves. Oregon had to go back to the drawing board and start fresh. It cruised past Eastern Washington in Week 2, but the game against Oregon in Week 3 was going to tell a lot about the Ducks. They aced the test with flying colors. The Ducks glided past BYU in a 41-20 romp. They led 38-7 midway through the third quarter and could have won by a lot more points, but they called off the dogs, put in their backups, and started to think about this game against Washington State, wisely saving their starters for the road ahead. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was sensational against BYU. The whole Oregon offense flowed well. The Ducks had a plan and executed it to perfection. They didn't make a single misstep in a convincing performance which has restored high expectations for first-year head coach Dan Lanning.

The Washington State Cougars are one of three Pacific Northwest Pac-12 teams without a loss, Washington and Oregon State being the other two. Washington State won a huge game at Wisconsin in Week 2. The Cougars' defense stood on its head and bailed out a wobbly offense. Washington State shut out Wisconsin in the second half of this game. WSU head coach Jake Dickert was the team's defensive coordinator last season. He knows how to coach defense. Washington State was able to handle Wisconsin's beefy offensive line throughout the game. The Badgers were never able to overpower the Cougars up front, which should give WSU ample confidence that it can physically match up with Oregon. The real question is if Washington State can handle Oregon's speed on the perimeter.

Here are the Oregon-Washington State College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Football Odds: Oregon-Washington State Odds

Oregon Ducks: -6.5 (-115)

Washington State Cougars: +6.5 (-105)

Over: 57.5 (-106)

Under: 57.5 (-114)

Why Oregon Could Cover the Spread

The Ducks were authoritative in dismissing BYU, and BYU beat Baylor, a team which was in the preseason top 10 and was expected to contend for the Big 12 championship this year. Bo Nix looks a lot better at quarterback than he did in Week 1, and guess what? He won't play Georgia or any other SEC team in this game or in the rest of the regular season, so his performance is going to be better than what some people expected. The Oregon defense was also very strong against BYU. Instead of thinking that Oregon was not a good team because it got pounded so decisively by Georgia, the actual reality is that Oregon learned a lot by playing Georgia and now has a lot more tools to use against other opponents. The Ducks have become a better team as a result of getting that thumping in Week 1 from Dan Lanning's former boss, Kirby Smart.

Why Washington State Could Cover the Spread

After beating Wisconsin on the road, the Cougars should think they have all the resources they need to win this game. Oregon is coming off the emotional BYU win. Washington State had an easy game last week versus Colorado State. The Cougars should be physically and emotionally fresh for this game. They have historically played Oregon tight and close in Pullman, which has not been an easy place to play for the Ducks. If Washington State quarterback Cam Ward has a good game, it's really hard to see Oregon covering the spread.

Final Oregon-Washington State Prediction & Pick

Oregon wins outright, but Washington State is going to keep this game close throughout, and it will go down to the final two minutes.

Final Oregon-Washington State Prediction & Pick: Washington State +6.5