Another weekend, another big matchup of Pac-12 heavyweights. As is usual of late, we’ll get another game that will have significant implications for the College Football Playoff standings as well as the conference title race on Saturday when No. 5 Washington takes its 10-0 record to the Road brings out against No. 11 Oregon State.
The Huskies remained outside the top four this week, even after back-to-back wins over ranked opponents. The Beavers offer another chance to add to their already impressive record, but don’t expect the home team to be too accommodating to their visitors. Oregon State is very active in the Pac-12 title race, facing the Huskies this week and Oregon next week. By winning both games, the Beavers advance to the conference title game.
There is also additional motivation at play. Expect Oregon State to want to send Washington and Oregon out of the Big Ten with a loss. However, it wasn’t easy for Oregon State to get wins in this series. Washington won last year’s meeting 24-21 and has won 10 of the last 11 games in the series. However, the Beavers won the two teams’ last game in Corvallis, defeating the Huskies 27-24 in 2021.
Washington vs. Oregon State: What you need to know
Washington’s games are getting closer and closer: Looking at Washington’s overall record this season, there is a strong argument that the Huskies should be ahead of Florida State in the top four. Their wins against Oregon, USC and Utah should be more important than Florida State’s win over LSU. Even a matchup against Arizona, which caused a stir at the time, seems much more understandable now that the Wildcats have cracked the top 25 themselves. The problem is that Washington plays too many close games. After winning the first four games of the season by an average of 32.8 points, the last six wins combined for 44 points. And while a close win over Arizona looks better, close decisions against Stanford and Arizona State don’t. If Washington wins, none of that will matter, but when five undefeated teams are fighting for four playoff spots, style points matter.
Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk are a dynamic duo for the Huskies: Michael Penix seems destined for New York City and the Heisman Trophy ceremony, but as great as he was, he is far from a one-man band. Washington receivers Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk are one of only two receiver duos in the country with at least 900 yards each. The other is LSU’s Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. Odunze’s 1,100 yards receiving is the third-most in the country behind Nabers and Virginia’s Malik Washington.
Reser Stadium is an impenetrable Beaver Dam: The Beavers weren’t a bad team on the road (they’re 3-2 and the two losses were by a total of six points), but they were much better at home. Oregon State is 5-0 in Reser Stadium exhibition games this year, winning all five games by at least 12 points. They have rattled off nine straight home wins dating back to a loss to USC last September. Oregon State’s longest home winning streak in program history spanned 13 games during the 1962–64 seasons.
How to watch Washington vs. Oregon State live
Date: Saturday, November 18th | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Reser Stadium – Corvallis, Oregon
TV: ABC | Live broadcast: Fubo (Try for free)
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Washington vs. Oregon State prediction, tips
SportsLine consensus odds
Are you surprised that the Beavers are favored at this spot? You probably shouldn’t do that. Oregon State has been a good team all year and is stronger at home. Meanwhile, Washington’s defense was a problem. I view this game as a coin toss and therefore don’t care about the spread. The better play is on the downside, as Oregon State runs the ball extremely effectively and will look to rush a Washington defense that has difficulty stopping it. Meanwhile, Washington has played a lot more in the last two weeks and has had great results. Oregon State’s defense was also vulnerable to the run. I don’t know how many times the clock stops in this match. Selection: Under 64
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