Week 1: Washington vs Kent State 9/3/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Washington Huskies and Kent State Golden Flashes clash Saturday in week 1 college football action from Husky Stadium. Kent State managed to go 7-7 overall last year, taking tough losses in the conference championship game and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. As for Washington, they finished 4-8 overall in 2021 with a 3-6 mark in the Pac-12. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Kent State had quite the up-and-down campaign in 2021. The Golden Flashes ultimately posted a 7-7 record overall and a 6-2 mark in the MAC. That record gave Kent State the top spot in the East Division, but they lost the conference championship game to Northern Illinois 41-23. 

Kent State had a fairly tough schedule overall and struggled stringing wins together. The Flashes weren’t able to win more than two consecutive games all year. After the loss to Northern Illinois, the Flashes took a 52-38 defeat versus Wyoming in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. 

Over on the Washington side, 2021 was a forgettable year. The Huskies went 4-8 overall and 3-6 in Pac-12 play. That result put Washington just one spot out of the basement in the North Division standings, one spot ahead of Stanford at 2-7. 

Washington started out the year on a 4-4 clip, taking wins over Arkansas State, California, Arizona and Stanford. That’s all the momentum the Huskies could muster, however. They lost their last four outings to Oregon, Arizona State, Colorado and Washington State. 

Kent State is 1-4 ATS in their last five non-conference games and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games. The Flashes are 2-6 ATS in the last eight in September. 

Meanwhile, the Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last seven non-conference games and 3-11 ATS in their last 14 overall. Washington is 1-4 ATS in their last five at home. 

PICK: I’m going to stay with Kent State. The bad news for the Flashes is that they’ve got a significant amount of turnover this season. The good news is that they’ve got a solid offensive system in place and should be competing for another division championship and bowl game appearance if all goes well. Kent State should have a great rushing game once again this year, even after losing just about everybody on the offensive line. With the departure of Dustin Crum, the Flashes also get a new QB in Collin Schlee who will try to fill the void. He’ll have a nice set of receivers to choose from, though. All things considered, Kent State will be one of the more intriguing teams in the conference this season. I think they can get in on a cover in the opener.