Arizona vs Washington State | Predictions

NCAA Football Free Pick – Saturday, October 16, 2010

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No. 17 Arizona (4-1, 1-1) at Washington State (1-5, 0-3) Versus, 7:30 P.M. ET

Cougars did look better on Saturday despite the 43-23 second half pummeling they received by No. 3 Oregon in Week 6.

QB Jeff Tuel, who’s thrown nine TD passes and averages 246 yards passing per game, tossed for 245 yards and a touchdown in his tilt with the Ducks. Could this be a sign of improvement, or was Oregon just complacent?

Running back James Montgomery had a good outing as well adding a 26-yard TD run in the first half while Jared Karstetter had 10 catches for 106 yards as the Cougars rolled up 336 yard of offense against one of the PAC-10’s better defenses.

However, Wazzou fans don’t need to get prematurely excited because the defense coughed up a colossal 558 yards to the Ducks, and remain second worst in the NCAA in points allowed with 42.8 PPG.

This will bode well for an Arizona offense that is averaging just over 34 points and is going to be looking to quickly get back on the rails after losing its first game of the season to a rejuvenated Oregon State Beavers that upset the Wildcats 29-27 in Tucson last weekend.

The Arizona secondary did not have a good game last weekend as Oregon State QB Ryan Katz dismantled the nation’s No. 2 defense. The offense equally had its worst outing of the season but did make a failed attempt with a fourth quarter rally when junior QB Nick Foles rifled a 12-yard touchdown pass to Keola Antolin that cut the lead to just two with under two minutes to play.

The ‘Cats will now get a present and a chance to regain their momentum, but must be wary as the Cougars have displayed that they can play with the big boys, so they won’t want to get caught napping.

Prediction: Arizona – Bet Now

Odds: Arizona: -23.5 – Washington State: +23.5 – Over/Under: 62

Team records:

• Arizona: 4-1 SU, 2-2 ATS
• Washington State: 1-5 SU, 3-2 ATS

Arizona Wildcats most recently:

• When playing in October are 5-5
• When playing on turf are 5-5
• After outgaining opponent are 6-4
• When playing within the conference are 6-4

Washington State Cougars most recently:

• When playing in October are 1-9
• When playing on turf are 1-9
• After being outgained are 1-9
• When playing within the conference are 0-10

A few betting trends to consider:

• Arizona is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona’s last 5 games on the road
• Arizona is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington State
• Arizona is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
• Washington State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Arizona
• Washington State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
• Washington State is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Arizona
• Washington State is 1-14 SU in its last 15 games

Next up:

• Arizona home to Washington, Saturday, October 23
• Washington State at Stanford, Saturday, October 23