Oregon vs Washington State point spread: Picking Ducks vs Cougars

The college football action continues in Week 8 of the season. There are programs across the country jockeying for position, to have a crack at their conference championship. And in the Pac-12, Saturday’s matchup between Washington State and Oregon will most certainly help clear up the picture out West.

This week on the Andy Staple On3 podcasts, the college football expert brought in Sports Illustrated Richard Johnson to discuss the lines of some of the top matchups and week 8. One of the games the two broke down was the Cougars versus the Ducks, where the home team, Oregon, is favored by 18.5 points.

What I can’t figure out is how they react to the loss. I don’t think they’re going to let it beat them twice,” said Staples. “I think they’re gonna win this game. I’m just trying to figure out how they’re gonna win this game. Like, do they come out and just obliterate Washington state because they’re mad, because they wanna prove a point? Or is it a little more complex than that? Does Washington state put up a fight?

“I lean toward Washington State puts up a fight here. And Oregon wins it, but Washington State covers because Washington State has played so poorly. They played so poorly last week and really got shut down before that; they’re due for a good game, too. This team has been good, has pride, (and) is playing for, ‘hey, we’re still here, you know.’ And this is a chance for everybody to see them again. And they seem to do well when everybody’s watching.”

How Oregon responds to their narrow loss on the road against Washington is an intriguing storyline for Staples. Despite the close loss, the Ducks are still firmly in the Pac-12 title picture and the College Football Playoff picture as well, as they are currently ranked No. 9 in the AP poll. Should the Ducks come out flat on Saturday against Washington State, it could spell disaster for Oregon’s national championship aspirations.

Staples is aware of Washington State’s offensive capabilities, which is why he is a tad cautious of the 18.5 line. And when it was Johnson’s turn to break down the game, he highlighted why Oregon should not buy too much stock into the Cougars’ last outing, which was a surprise drubbing on the road courtesy of the Arizona Wildcats.

“Some of what Arizona was able to do to Washington State: first of all, Noah Perfida, who is Arizona’s backup quarterback, may be better than Jayden Delora,” said Johnson. “The other thing is Washington State runs a double pass with a running back who is actually a backup quarterback, and the backup quarterback yeets it into triple coverage. That’s an interception. The other turnover that Washington State had, Cam Ward literally was trying to throw the ball on third down, and it slipped out of his hand. So, like you had some wonkiness.

“Now, 44-6, what happened to Washington State last weekend is not a fluke. But there are some reasons why that game got out of hand. And I do lean Washington State in this game. -18.5 is a big number for a Washington state offense that I still think can put up some points.”

In the end, both Johnson and Staples are rolling, with Oregon picking up a bounce-back victory over Washington State. But when it comes to the line of 18.5, neither one is willing to sign off on the ducks routing the Cougars.

Yeah, I’ll take the Cougs against the number,” said Johnson.

Yeah, I will too,” closed Staples.