Both teams are trying to bounce back from a loss and earn their first Pac-12 win of the season as the Washington State Cougars visit the no. 19 Utah Utes. Game time is at 10:00 EST on Saturday, September 28 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fans can watch the game on FS1.
Based on our Week 5 college football odds, the Utes are 5-point favorites at home. The over/under for the game is set at 56.5 points.
The Cougars are coming off a wild week in which they scored 63 points but still lost. Washington State led UCLA 49-17 midway through the third quarter but allowed the Bruins to come all the way back and win 67-63. Obviously, the defense will get most of the blame, but the Cougars also turned it over six times, which also contributed to the blown lead.
The loss was a cruel setback for the Cougars, who had their sights set on the Pac-12 Championship Game this year. That vision is blurry after losing what should have been one of their easiest conference games on the schedule. Washington State still has to play four ranked teams in their final eight games, so their path to the Pac-12 title game is narrow and they need to bounce back immediately to give themselves a chance.
Meanwhile, Utah is in a similar position. The Utes were favorites to win the Pac-12 South heading into the season. But things look a lot different after last week’s loss to USC. The defense that had looked so good early in the year let the Utes down, getting burned by USC’s third-string quarterback.
The Utes will now be playing catch up against USC the rest of the season. To ensure themselves a spot in the conference title game, Utah will have to win out and get a little help. Plus, any chance of putting themselves in the College Football Playoff conversation is likely over. Their conference title hopes will be all but dashed as well if they lose again this week.
Utah will also be looking for their first win over Washington State since 2012. To be fair, the teams have only met four times in the last six years. But Mike Leach’s team has gotten the better of Kyle Whittingham and company all four times, including a 28-24 win in Pullman last year.
It’s tough to figure out where these teams stand after both lost their conference opener last week. These are also two drastically different teams, as one relies on its defense while the other is all about offense. Wazzou managed 28 points against a tough Utah defense last year, so I think the Cougars will find a way to score points in this game. That should keep them close enough to beat the 5-point spread, even if they don’t win.
Utah’s biggest problem right now is the status of quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss. Both suffered injuries during the USC game and Whittingham hasn’t been forthcoming about their status during the week. Moss apparently suffered a shoulder injury, and so I have serious doubts about him being available. Huntley, meanwhile, played through a foot injury late in the USC game. He might be able to play, but if he has a foot problem, he might not be much of a factor running the ball.
The good news is that backup quarterback Jason Shelley saw plenty of action late last season when Huntley was hurt. Shelley even played in the Pac-12 Championship Game. However, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns last season and is undoubtedly a step down from Huntley. Moss will be even more difficult to replace. He’s averaging six yards per carry on the season and the Utes have little experience at running back behind him.
Needless to say, the Utes will have to lean on their defense in this game. But that won’t be easy against the Washington State offense. Despite the loss and the six turnovers last week, the Cougars scored 63 points. It’s all about the system with Leach’s offense, and Anthony Gordon has stepped into Gardner Minshew’s shoes without any drop-off. The Cougars spread the ball around as well as any team in the country. They were also effective on the ground last week, which made them even more dangerous.
Even for one of the best defenses in the Pac-12, keeping Washington State out of the end zone will be difficult. Remember, the Utah secondary was gashed last week by USC’s third-string quarterback. The Utes had some missed tackles and gave up some big plays, which is a bad sign heading into a game against Washington State.
In the end, the Cougars are going to score points in this game. It’s rare that any team can keep the WSU offense under wraps, and I’m not exactly high on the Utah defense after last week. Meanwhile, the injuries to Huntley and Moss cast doubt over how the Utes will score points, even against a team that gave up 67 points last week. To me, things are pointing in Washington State’s direction, so I’ll lean toward the Cougars to at least beat the spread.