The Washington State Cougars host the No. 14 ranked Utah Utes in a Pac-12 battle this Thursday night! It's time to continue our college football odds series with a Utah-Washington State prediction and pick.

Utah is (5-2) entering Week 9 and is the fourth Pac-12 team in the top 15. They trail No. 8 Oregon, No. 10 USC, and No. 12 UCLA in what turned out to be a tougher conference than many expected. Last week was huge for the Utes, they took down No. 7 USC 43-42 in what was a huge comeback win. Trailing 21-7, Utah stormed back to tie it early in the 3rd quarter and battled all the way for the win. Utah proved that they still belong in the conversation as the top Pac-12 team after winning the conference last season.

Washington State is a different story. It's been a good year so far for the Cougars as they are (4-3) on the season. Their biggest win came in Week 2 when they took down No. 19 Wisconsin and later started the year (3-0). They have won just one game since but almost took down No. 15 Oregon back in late September. If things stand, this will be the final ranked opponent the Cougars face so an upset win here could give them a lot of momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.

Here are the Utah-Washington State college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Utah-Washington State Odds

Utah: -7 (-110)

Washington State: +7 (-110)

Over: 54.5 (-115)

Under: 54.5 (-105)

Why Utah Could Cover The Spread

Cameron Rising is having a successful season as the Utes' starting QB. The junior is 4th in the nation with an 89.3 QBR and is tied for 23rd with only three interceptions on the season. He is a smart quarterback who protects the ball. His 1,855 passing yards and 15 passing TDs are both 33rd in the nation. He also has six rushing touchdowns off of 308 yards. If Rising is on his game, then the Utes will cover this spread on the road.

Rising has a huge weapon in tight end, Dalton Kincaid. Kincaid is a transfer from the University of San Diego, where he finished with 19 touchdowns and over 1,000 receiving yards in two seasons. The fifth-year senior is now arguably the top tight end in the nation as he continues to shine. He has 39 receptions for 558 yards (1st) and six touchdowns (1st) on the season. Kincaid is averaging 14.3 yards per catch (1st) and was a huge factor in the win over USC last weekend. He had 16 catches for 234 yards and a TD. That Rising/Kincaid connection might still be on fire.

Why Washington State Could Cover The Spread

Cameron Ward is the starting QB for the Cougars and he is off to a good start to the season. The transfer from Incarnate Word, Ward is a sophomore that really likes to air it out. He ended with 47 passing TDs last season and 4,648 passing yards for the Cardinals. This year, he has just 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. It's clearly a much tougher conference than the Southland Conference, but Ward is doing his best to adjust. The Cougars will need Ward to keep them in this game for as long as possible.

The receiving core is well-balanced as three wideouts have at least 330 receiving yards, while two others have over 100 yards. That is five wideouts who can be useful at any moment of the game. De'Zhaun Stribling leads the team with 359 yards and four tubs while Donovan Ollie and Robert Ferrel are right behind him. The Cougars will win this game if they can air it out.

The defense has a tough test as Rising was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week in Week 7. Kincaid could have easily won that also so they must do their best to shut down that dynamic duo.

Final Utah-Washington State Prediction & Pick

Utah impressed a lot of people with that win over USC last week. They have momentum even though they are on the road at a tough atmosphere. Take the Utes to cover this spread as they look to improve to (6-2).

Final Utah-Washington State Prediction & Pick: Utah Utes -7 (-110)