The Washington State Cougars and the Oregon Ducks meet in week 8 college football action from Autzen Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Washington State Drops Back-To-Back Games

The Washington State Cougars come into this game off of a surprising 44-6 blowout loss to Arizona last time out. Cameron Ward has thrown for 1,779 yards, 14 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on 69.7% passing while Nakia Watson leads Wazzu’s ground attack with 153 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. Kyle Williams leads Washington State’s receiving group with 33 grabs for 447 yards and 4 touchdowns while Josh Kelly has 385 receiving yards with a team-high 5 receiving touchdowns and Lincoln Victor has 361 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns. Three more Cougars have 100+ receiving yards as well on the year. On defense, Kyle Thornton has a team-high 45 total tackles while Brennan Jackson has a team-high 3.5 sacks while Ron Stone Jr. has 3 sacks this season. As a unit, Washington State’s defense has combined for 13 sacks and 5 interceptions this season.

Washington State Cougars Team Facts

• Washington State has lost each of its last five games in October.
• Washington State has covered the spread in six of its last seven October games as an underdog against AP-ranked teams.
• Washington State has won the first half in each of its last three road games against conference opponents.
• Washington State has won the first quarter in six of its last seven games against conference opponents.
• Each of Washington State’s last eight games in October have gone UNDER the total points line.

Oregon Falls To Washington

The Oregon Ducks come into this game on the heels of a 36-33 loss to Washington in their last game, the first loss of the season to fall to 5-1 on the year. Bo Nix has thrown for 1,796 yards, 17 touchdowns and an interception on 79.2% passing while Bucky Irving has a team-high 520 rushing yards with 6 touchdowns and Jordan James has 360 rushing yards with 8 touchdowns this season. Troy Franklin leads Oregon’s receiving group with 40 grabs for 689 yards and 8 touchdowns while three more Ducks have 200+ receiving yards and another pair have 150+ receiving yards. On defense, Tysheem Johnson has a team-high 34 total tackles while Jordan Burch and Brandon Dorlus each have a team-high 3 sacks.

Oregon Ducks Team Facts

• Oregon has won each of its last 31 games against non-AP-ranked teams at Autzen Stadium.
• Oregon has covered the spread in each of its last six games.
• Oregon has won the first quarter in 20 of its last 26 games against conference opponents at Autzen Stadium.
• Oregon has won the first half in 12 of its last 14 games against conference opponents at Autzen Stadium.
• Each of Oregon’s last six games as a favorite against Washington State have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Oregon rank 2nd among FBS teams for points per game this season (51.6).
• Oregon rank T5th among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (11.8).
• Washington State rank 12th among FBS teams for points per game this season (40.0).

Chris’ Pick

This is a massive number, but I have to side with Oregon here. Oregon at home is a different animal first off, and this is an Oregon team that I think comes out with a point to prove. This could be the year, where if Washington and Oregon both run the table from here on out, both could have a case to the playoff committee if they win the Pac-12 championship, but this is where you need style points. Washington State’s offense is solid, but they just got their teeth kicked in at home by an average, maybe slightly above average, Arizona team with their backup QB, and we’re talking about the 120th-ranked pass defense of Washington State trying to slow down a top-10 passing unit in Oregon at Autzen. Yikes. Like I said, it’s a huge number, but I have to side with Oregon at home here.