Late in tonight’s Week 2’s college football slate, a West Coast showdown sees the Washington State Cougars (1-0) take on the San Diego State Aztecs (1-0) in a meeting between one of the Pac-12’s survivors and a future member of the conference. This game seems like it should be a close one, so get those betting cards ready and settle in for some college football after dark.
Here’s a Washington State Cougars vs. San Diego State Aztecs prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Washington State Cougars vs. San Diego State Aztecs preview, prediction
Washington State Cougars
As we all know by now, the Pac-12 was decimated after numerous members departed for other pastures. Well, Washington State remained as one of just two schools in the conference and will see seven new competitors join next year, including this week’s opponent. The Cougars went 8-5 in 2024 and now return key members of last year’s offense, though the defense did dip into the transfer portal for eight starters on that side.
In their Week 1 opener against an FCS power, the Idaho Vandals, the Cougars won 13-10 with just 211 yards of offense on the day. It was a bit of an ugly showing on that side of the ball as Washington State trailed significantly in time of possession and failed to get anything going on the ground with just three rushing yards on 22 attempts. However, quarterback Jaxon Potter tossed an efficient outing, completing 23-of-30 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. Tony Freeman caught seven passes for 64 yards, while Jeremiah Noga hauled in five for 54. It’s hard to see the run game struggling as badly as in Week 1 again, but the Cougs love to throw the ball in the air raid offense and will certainly air it out again on Saturday.
San Diego State Aztecs
On the opposite sideline are the San Diego State Aztecs, who went just 3-9 with a 2-5 record in the Mountain West last season. Sean Lewis enters his second season at the helm of this program looking to turn things around. While his team replaced most of the offense through the transfer portal with with six newcomers starting on that side, the defense sees plenty of returning talent with just two transfers in the starting 11.
Judging who the Aztecs will be this season feels a little difficult after only playing an FCS school thus far in 2025. However, San Diego State dominated Stony Brook in a 42-0 blowout victory to open the season, a game which saw SDSU rack up 453 yards of offense while allowing just 95 yards on defense. A repeat of that contest likely won’t be in the cards here against a higher-quality team, but it seems like this team will compete tonight. Jayden Denegal completed 13-of-25 attempts for 208 yards and a score, spreading the ball out plenty as Jacob Bostick paced receivers with just three catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. The ground game saw 226 yards on the day with Lucky Sutton racking up 100 yards and two TDs on 22 carries, and he’s sure to play a massive role again tonight.
Washington State Cougars vs. San Diego State Aztecs pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists Washington State as a 1.5-point favorite tonight with -120 odds to win on the Moneyline. On the other side, San Diego State holds +100 odds to win outright with a game total of 46.5 points.
This feels like a difficult game to pick, to say the least. On one hand, SDSU looked dominant in their first game of the year against a (barely) ranked FCS program. After lighting up the scoreboard and holding that opponent under 100 yards on the day, it’s tough to avoid comparing that performance to how Washington State fared. Idaho runs one of the best programs at the FCS level, so they’re no slouch, but the fact the Cougars were outgained on the day and scored just 13 points is tough to ignore.
The run game for each team will prove crucial in today’s meeting. After Washington State gave up 188 yards on the ground last week, San Diego State should be looking at this matchup with anticipation. Sutton should again operate as a workhorse and could very well run wild against the Cougars — plus Washington State’s own run game put forth an abysmally bad effort to start their own season. I think this game will end up close, and I’m actually somewhat comfortable taking SDSU to win outright if they’re half as good as what they showed last week.
