Montana Grizzlies (0-0) vs. Washington Huskies (0-0)
September 4, 2021 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Washington Huskies -23.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Washington Huskies meet the Montana Grizzlies Saturday in week 1 college football action from Husky Stadium. This will be the first game of the 2021 season for both teams. Montana managed to play a couple of games in the spring, winning both. As for the Huskies, they got out there for four games, winning three of them. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Montana came off a pretty solid 10-4 season in 2019 to high expectations, but they weren’t able to get out on the field much. It wasn’t a completely wasted season in 2020 however, as the Grizzlies beat Central Washington 59-3 and Portland State 48-7.
This year marks the 11th season of Montana head coach bobby Hauck. He’ll be joined by offensive coordinator Time Rosenbach in his fourth year and defensive coordinator Kent Baer in his third season with the team.
Over on the Washington side, head coach Jimmy Lake’s first season got off to a weird start in 2020 as the Pac-12 had to delay the season. The Huskies suffered through four cancellations in their campaign, and were only able to play four games. Washington went 3-1 when they did play.
The Huskies kicked things off with three straight wins over Oregon State, Arizona and Utah before a tough 31-26 loss to Stanford on December 5. Washington finished atop the North Division of the Pac-12, but were unable to play in the championship game or a bowl game due to virus issues.
Check back for the current trends in this matchup once they’re released.
PICK: I’m taking a shot on Washington, but probably staying away like most of the other first week games—just until we can see some of these teams on the field. In any case, the Huskies were a meticulous and careful offense last year, averaging 403 yards and 30 points per game. It was all about clock control, and the squad should look similar this year. All five starters are back on a really good offensive line, and the top four running backs will return as well. Look for Sean McGrew to have a nice season. If there’s a potential weakness, it’s receiving corps depth. That said, I still think the Huskies can control the tempo well enough to bag a cover in this opener. Should be a fun game.
