Oregon Ducks vs. Washington State Cougars Betting Odds: Analysis and Prediction

The Oregon Ducks have been the moneymaking road warriors of the Pac-12 recently, going 11-2 against the spread over their last 13 conference road contests.

But they're also 0-4 ATS in their last four meetings with Washington State. The Ducks kick off their Pac-12 campaign when they take on the Cougars on Saturday night in Pullman.

Point spread: The Ducks opened as 19.5-point favorites at Martin Stadium, but it was 23.5 points by Wednesday with a sky-high total of 75 points, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

Odds Shark computer prediction: 57.8-35.0 Ducks

Why the Oregon Ducks can cover the spread

The Ducks are off to a 3-0 start, beating South Dakota, Michigan State and Wyoming, scoring at least 46 points each time out. Oregon failed to, or declined to, cover big spreads against the Coyotes and Cowboys.

But in their toughest game, against the Spartans, the Ducks exploded from a nine-point third-quarter deficit to score the last 28 points of the game, covering as 14-point favorites.

Oregon racked up 491 yards of offense against the vaunted MSU defense, led by 318 yards through the air from QB Marcus Mariota. Last week, the Ducks spotted Wyoming the first TD of the game, then scored the next 41 points before taking their foot off the gas.

They tend to cover spreads on the road, as their 11-3 ATS mark indicates.

Why the Washington State Cougars can cover the spread

Wazzu is 1-2 both SU and ATS as it begins its third season under Coach Leach. The Cougars posted 538 yards and 38 points against Rutgers but gave up a late score to lose by a field goal. They then put up 427 yards against Nevada but couldn't turn that into enough points in a 24-13 loss.

Last week, though, WSU produced 706 yards in a 59-21 victory over Portland State, covering as 23-point favorites. The Cougars have 14 starters back from a team that went 6-7 last year, so improvement is expected. And they hung with the Ducks for a good part of last year's meeting, eventually coming away with the cover as 40-point road dogs.

Smart Pick

Oregon has beaten Washington State seven times in a row, by an average of 32 points per game; it's only because the Ducks have been favored by so much that they've had recent troubles covering spreads against the Cougars.

Oregon may well put up 45-50 points again Saturday night, but Washington State has enough on offense to keep this one within the spread. So the pick goes with the offensive-minded home dog, plus the points.

Trends

• Oregon is 11-3 ATS in its last 14 games on the road.
• The total has gone over in seven of Washington State's last 10 games.

Note: All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered first-hand unless otherwise noted—check out Twitter for injury updates and line move updates and get the free odds tracker app.