Rece Davis picks Washington to win, cover against Washington State

It’s almost time for the Apple Cup as Washington and Washington State battle it out in their annual rivalry game. The Huskies will look to add to their case for the College Football Playoff and enter the game as a heavy 16.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel, meaning it might not be easy for the Cougars to clinch a spot in a bowl game.

Despite that big number, ESPN’s Rece Davis is taking UW to cover the spread and get a big blowout victory to bring momentum into the Pac-12 Championship. There are plenty of storylines entering the game, although it won’t be the last time the two teams square off in their storied rivalry.

How to watch Washington vs. Washington State

Time: Nov. 25, 4 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Seattle, Wash.

Washington State is coming off a much-needed victory over Colorado last week to snap a six-game losing streak and stay in the mix for a bowl game. It was just the Cougars’ second Pac-12 victory of the year.

To Davis, though, the victory wasn’t about a strong showing from Wazzu. Instead, he argued Colorado’s struggles played a key part in that game, which is why he doesn’t have much confidence in WSU’s ability to keep pace with Washington’s high-powered offense.

“The fact that Colorado seems to have cashed it in or just been worn down and can’t put up a fight anymore really skews that Washington State got their rhythm back last week,” Davis said on the College GameDay podcast. “I think that was more a product of Colorado than anything else. I agree with Bill, the defensive front’s going to be a problem. They don’t get any negative plays in terms of stopping runs at the line of scrimmage or behind. But that’s not what Washington State really does.

“I’m gonna say Washington wins and covers. They won last year by 18 on the Palouse, now they’re at home. I know there’ll be a lot of emotion for Wazzu trying to win this — last one in the Pac-12 era. They did do the right thing by continuing to play in the future, one in Seattle and the next four will be home-and-home situations. But I’m gonna take Washington to win, to go in to the Pac-12 championship game undefeated.”

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Washington has dominated the all-time series in the Apple Cup with a 77-33-6 record and an 11-2 record dating back to 2009. This year will be the last time the two teams square off before the Huskies leave for the Big Ten. However, they announced a five-year renewal of the series last week to keep it going.