The Mountain West Conference champions Fresno St. Bulldogs (9-4) will play the Washington St. Cougars (7-5) out of the Pac-12 in the LA Bowl Saturday afternoon. Both teams feature balanced offenses, solid quarterbacks, and defenses that won’t be pushed around easily.
In the season’s final game, the Cougars were torched by their in-state rivals, No 12 Washington, 51-33, in the annual Apple Cup. Only down by one point (28-27) at the half, before surrendering four touchdowns after intermission.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs exacted some revenge against Boise St. to win the Mountain West title. The score was 28-16, with two Fresno St. touchdowns in the fourth quarter. In beating a team which had whipped them during the season, Fresno St. now has eight wins in a row.
Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports, and college football lines for Washington St. vs Fresno St.. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.
Apple Cup Aberration?
Before surrendering 51 points and a ghastly 703 yards to Washington, Washington St. had one of the better defenses in the Pac-12. It finished with decent stats. The last game did not help.
The Cougars were third in the Pac-12 in fewest points allowed per game (22.4) but struggled defending the passing game They surrendered 266.7 yards through the air per game, the third-highest figure in the Pac-12. However, They’ve forced six turnovers over the last three games, having finished the season with a +5 turnover ratio.
Quarterback Cameron Ward has 3,094 passing yards (23 touchdowns, eight interceptions). He has three receivers with over 40 catches. De’Zhaun Stribling the leading in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Nakia Watson leads the backs (736 yards, eight touchdowns).
Scoop on Free Play from the Locker Room
Bulldogs’ Balanced Offense
Fresno St. offers a three-headed monster in quarterback Jake Haener, running back Jordan Mims, and wideout Jalen Cropper. It averaged 30.7 points per game during the season, leading the Mountain West Conference.
Heaner only started nine games due to injury but ended with 2,616 pass yards (18 touchdowns, three interceptions). Cropper was his target of choice (1,044 yards, five touchdowns).
Cropper wasn’t the only receiver making an impact. Nikko Remigio had 69 catches (778 yards, five touchdowns). The Bulldogs had the best passing game in the MWC.
Mims finished the season with 1,163 rushing yards (16 touchdowns). He had a pair of scores in the conference title game.
Washington St. vs Fresno St. Game Injuries
Washington St. vs Fresno St. Head-to-Head
They haven’t met since 1994.
Washington St. vs Fresno St. Game Information
- Game: Fresno St, (9-4) vs Washington St. (5-5)
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 17th, 3:30 p.m. EST
- Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
- Washington St. vs Fresno St. Live Stream: ESPN
Washington St. vs Fresno St. Betting Lines
Washington St. vs Fresno St. Picks & Prediction
Predicted score: Fresno St. 27, Washington St. 21
- Worth the Moneyline?
Teams haven’t met nearly 30 yards, thus difficult to predict a winner. However, Fresno St. has lost to two Pac-12 teams this season. Washington St. also lost to Oregon St. and USC during the season, as did Fresno St.
- Worth the ATS?
This is a solid bet, since the Bulldogs have a good team that could some school of larger conferences, though not regularly. Offense is well-balanced and facing a Cougar defense that struggled in the last game. That was especially true against the pass. Avoiding turnovers is crucial with the Bulldogs, as the WSU offense won’t oblige.
- Worth the Totals?
Both have solid offenses, making a totals bet quite enticing, but we’re going with the Bulldogs.
Fresno St. is listed at -165 in our Vegas lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Fresno State, you have a chance to win $61. Washington St. is +145, offering a chance to win $145 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Fresno St. a 62.26% chance to win, with Washington St. at 40.82%.