The Washington State Cougars and Utah State Aggies meet Monday in the college football Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium. Here’s a Utah State vs Washington State Prediction. This article will include a Utah State vs Washington State Pick.
Washington State Cougars Betting Preview
The Washington State Cougars lost to James Madison and beat Oregon State. The Washington State Cougars have split their last 12 games. Zevi Eckhaus is completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,760 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Joshua Meredith and Tony Freeman have combined for 1,196 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, while Jeremiah Noga has 18 receptions.
The Washington State Cougars ground game is averaging 129 yards per contest, and Kirby Vorhees leads the way with 576 yards and 5 touchdowns. Defensively, Washington State is allowing 22 points and 330.9 yards per game. Parker McKenna leads Washington State with 83 tackles, Isaac Terrell has 7 sacks and Caleb Fracl has 2 interceptions.
Utah State Aggies Betting Preview
The Utah State Aggies beat Fresno State and lost to Boise State. Utah State has split its last 12 games. Bryson Barnes is completing 60.3 percent of his passes for 2,687 yards, 18 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Braden Pegan and Brady Boyd have combined for 1,570 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, while Anthony Garcia has 19 receptions.
The Utah State Aggies ground game is averaging 171.1 yards per contest, and Bryson Barnes leads the way with 733 yards and 9 touchdowns. Defensively, Utah State is allowing 28.3 points and 424.4 yards per game. John Miller leads the Utah State Aggies with 109 tackles, Tyree Morris has 4 sacks and Noah Avinger has 3 interceptions.
Why the Utah State Aggies will win
- Washington State has lost each of its last six games in December.
- Washington State has failed to cover the spread in eight of its last nine games in December.
- Utah State has covered the spread in each of its last four games.
- Washington State has lost the first half in five of its last six games against non-conference opponents at neutral venues.
Why the Washington State Cougars will win
- Utah State has lost each of its last eight games at Albertsons Stadium.
- The underdog has won three of Utah State’s last four Bowl games.
- Washington State has covered the spread in each of its last six games against non-conference opponents.
- Utah State has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight games at Albertsons Stadium.
- Washington State has won the first quarter in six of its last eight games against opponents from the Mountain West Conference.
- Washington State has won the first half in each of its last eight games against opponents from the Mountain West Conference.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Washington State’s last eight games have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of Utah State’s last four games at Albertsons Stadium have gone OVER the total points line.
Utah State Aggies Player Prop Facts
- Heading into the bowl games, Miles Davis ranks 2nd amongst qualified players for catch rate (92.6%) this season.
Washington State Cougars Player Prop Facts
- Heading into the bowl games, Isaac Terrell ranks 1st in the Pac-12 Conference for sacks (7.0) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Utah State ranks 126th among FBS teams for time of possession per game this season (27:35).
- Utah State ranks 121st among FBS teams for yards allowed per game this season (424.4).
- Washington State has suffered the equal-most road losses by a margin of 10 points or less of any FBS team this season (4).
- Washington State has suffered the most road losses by a margin of five points or less of any FBS team this season (4).
Utah State vs Washington State Prediction
Washington State is the better team, as the Cougars nearly outright beat Ole Miss and James Madison, two playoff teams. However, Washington State’s coaching staff is a mess, and we’ve seen previous teams that tried to adjust on the fly, and it didn’t go well.
Utah State finished well down the stretch with wins over Nevada and Fresno State, and it nearly beat UNLV and Boise State in this middle of those games as well. Utah State could easily be riding a four-game winning streak. There are fewer questions with Utah State around the coaching staff, and that seems to be a big thing this bowl season. Give me the Aggies in this toss-up bowl game.