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The Washington State Cougars will look to build on last year's progress and make some noise in the Pac-12. It's time to share our college football odds series, making a Washington State win total prediction and pick while predicting their season.
Washington State will look to make an impact as the Pac-12 this season and show that their little burst in 2022 was no fluke. Amazingly, they started 3-0 to start the season and looked to be on their way to some success. But the Cougars endured a 44-41 home loss to the Oregon Ducks to fall to 3-1. Regardless, they bounced back by destroying Cal 28-9 at home. But things took a turn for the worst soon after. First, they fell to USC 30-14 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. They then fell 24-10 to Oregon State at Corvallis and then 21-17 to Utah.
The Cougars made a turnaround over the next two games by destroying Stanford 52-14 in Northern California and Arizona at home. However, they fell 51-33 to the Washington Huskies in the annual Apple Cup. The Cougars lost 29-6 to Fresno State in the LA Bowl to put a sad ending on their season.
The Cougars had some mild success across statistics in the Pac-12. However, they are still searching for their first Pac-12 title sinc3 2002. The Cougars also have struggled in Bowl games since 2003, going 2-6. Moreover, they are the only team aside from Cal and Oregon State to not even make an appearance in the Pac-12 title game. The Cougars will welcome two new coordinators, and it will also be the last time they share a conference with the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans.
‘Here are the College Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Over/Under Win Total Odds
Over 6.5 wins: +100
Under 6.5 wins: -122
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Why Washington State Can Win 6.5 Games
The offense was not terrible. However, it was not great, either. The offense needed a boost, and Washington State hopes Ben Arbuckle can deliver. Ultimately, he is the new offensive coordinator in town and is only 27 years old. Arbuckle spent one season at Western Kentucky in the same role. Significantly, WKU ranked second in passing yards per game and also had the most overall yards. WKU finished with 4,929 yards and 43 touchdowns as a unit.
Arbuckle will look to improve on a passing game that averaged 254 yards per game. Significantly, he will have the services of Lincoln Victor, who returns to lead the receiving core. The Cougars also added Kyle Williams from UNLV. Additionally, Josh Kelly joins from Fresno State, and Isiah Hamitlon comes from San Jose State. The Cougars also have a great running game, with Nakia Watson looking to replicate his performance from 2022, where he rushed for 769 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Cougars have two great defenders on the defensive line. Ultimately, Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. are great at getting around the edges. The Cougars need them to lead a pass rush that has potential but has not hit its stride yet.
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Washington State will win seven games if they can get the offense rolling to elite status. Then, the defense must play efficiently.
Why Washington State Can Not Win 6.5 Games
The issue in Washington State is not just an inconsistent offense but a middling defense. Significantly, the defensive unit allowed over 400 yards per game. But they were fifth in the conference overall and third in scoring. Substantially, they can stop the run but have struggled to stop the passing game.
New defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding hopes to implement some schemes that might help improve the team in some of those categories. However, his team from Auburn were last in takeaways and had basically no pass rush.
The Cougars will also have to replace some of the offensive production they lost. Moreover, they will no longer have the services of De'Zhaun Stribling, who caught 95 passes for 1,073 yards and 10 touchdowns across two seasons.
The schedule does not do the Cougars any favors, either. First, they must host Oregon State on September 23. They travel to Pasadena for a clash with UCLA on October 7. Then, they have a battle against the Ducks in Oregon State. The Cougars will also once again have to endure a showdown with the Huskies, this time at Husky Stadium.
Washington State will not win seven games because there are too many question marks on both sides. Likewise, they have a tough schedule.
Final Washington State Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick
This team might make some moves in 2024. However, do not expect much from them while UCLA and USC still reside in the conference.
Final Washington State Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick: Under 6.5 wins: -122
