Kicking off at 7:30 p.m. ET across today’s loaded Saturday college football slate, the Arizona Wildcats will take on the Washington State Cougars. Arizona will be looking to add to their 2-1 start to the seas, while Washington State is hoping to get back to .500 following their 1-2 start.
Looking at the odds, Arizona enters as a 10.5-point favorite with -410 Moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Washington State is +320 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 48.5 points.
This article previews both teams and offers a pick for the Week 4 matchup.
Arizona Wildcats vs. Washington State Cougars
Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats enter with a 2-1 record on the season and have gone 0-3 against the spread. They kicked off the season with a 35-7 victory over Northern Arizona, in which they outgained them 520-193, but could not cover the 33.5-point spread. Arizona dropped their second game in a competitive 28-17 loss to BYU. The Wildcats opened the game by jumping out to a 7-0 advantage and held a 17-14 lead going into halftime, but were held scoreless in the second half and were unable to cover the 6.4-point spread. Most recently, Arizona defeated Northern Illinois 42-17. The Wildcats initially fell behind 10-0 in the matchup, but stormed back to score 42 unanswered points before allowing a late touchdown. Arizona was unable to cover the 34.5-point spread.
Noah Fifita stands in at quarterback in his fifth season with the Wildcats. Fifita has completed a Big 12-leading 81.1% of his pass attempts for 834 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and an interception. He has also added 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Kedrick Reescano leads the rushing attack with 127 yards on the ground and two scores, while Quincy Craig is also involved in the attack. Gio Richardson is the team’s leading receiver with 161 yards through the air this season, while Tre Spivey has a team-high two receiving scores and 149 yards through the air. Through their first three games, Arizona is scoring 31.1 points per game, which ranks 71st out of the 138 qualifying D1 teams, and allowing 17.3 points per contest, which ranks 40th.
Washington State Cougars
Washington State enters with a 1-2 record on the season, but has covered the spread in two of their three games. The Cougars kicked off the season with a 24-10 loss to cross-state rival Washington University, but kept within the 24-point spread. The three turnovers and just 242 yards of total offense proved costly for Washington State. In their second matchup, the Cougars fell 34-7 to Kansas State, failing to cover the 17.5-point spread and never looking competitive in the matchup. They were out-gained 487-166 with just 65 yards through the air. Washington State finally got in the win column for their previous game, defeating Duquesne 48-7 and covering the 38.5-point spread. This was a necessary get-right spot, and Washington State finally found some offensive rhythm, generating 512 total yards of offense.
Caden Pinnick stands in at quarterback for the Cougars. The UC Davis transfer has completed 62.7% of his pass attempts for 403 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 166 rushing yards and a pair of scores with his legs. Washington State leans on their running game at a high rate, with Kirby Vorhees leading the charge with 171 rushing yards and two scores. Maxwell Woods adds 153 rushing yards of his own, while Leo Pulalasi also plays a role. Daniel Blood and Darrius Celmons have each pulled in 10 receptions for over 100 yards in the passing game. Through their opening three matchups. Washington State is scoring 21.7 points per game, which ranks 117th out of the 138 qualifying D1 teams, and allowing 21.7 points, which ranks 67th.
Arizona vs. Washington State Pick
While Washington State will have the home field advantage, I am all over Arizona in this spot. The Wildcats have battled some lofty spreads and failed to cover them thus far, but have overall played solid football. Noah Fifita brings as much experience as seems logistically possible in the modern college football ecosystem. He does a nice job limiting mistakes, and he has continued to evolve as a rusher as his career has progressed.
But my driving belief here is that I just do not buy what Washington State is selling offensively. They are 0-2 against FBS opponents and have been outscored 58-17 in these opportunities. The Cougars’ passing game is nearly nonexistent, and they were limited to just 142 passing yards against Washington and just 65 yards through the air when facing Kansas State. Washington State is tied for 131st in the country in red zone percentage and tied for 129th in first half points. They have not even looked dangerous in the bulk of these underwhelming performances. Arizona has a respectable defense that will not make this easy, and the Wildcats are tied for ninth among FBS teams in sacks this season, which should further complicate this outlook.
Arizona has covered the spread in five of the last six games against Washington State, and has won each of its last six games against Pac-12 opponents. Expect the lack of offensive production from Washington State to be too much to overcome, and for Arizona to gradually extend their lead well beyond the 10.5-point spread for a comfortable win tonight.
