It’s been a really long week at school this week; thus the lack of posts. But it’s Friday… which means I get to procrastinate for the next 36 hours. Blog on!
So here’s what’s going on here in Pullman: the Cougs’ season is not living up to the expectations. Given the fact that Alex Brink is a senior QB breaking all the school records I think that a bowl game was an expectation here. Now, after three straight losses in Pac 10 play its starting to look like a pipe dream.
It looks even worse when you consider the fact that they play Oregon… in Oregon this weekend. Oregon, who has had two weeks to prepare for this game. Oregon who has averaged 43.6 points per game. Oregon who is one of three Pac 10 teams in the top 10 right now. Really, the only plus side to this weekend’s game is that there are no expectations for the Cougs; they can play the role of the underdog so well that any resemblance to a balanced football game could be considered a “moral” victory for WSU. The problem with that of course is that at 2-4, the Cougs have run out of time for “moral” victories.
So the Vegas line right now is at 19 in favor of Oregon, which considering the stats and Oregon’s performance to date, looks to me a little like Vegas is begging people to bet on Oregon to beat the spread here. With an over/ under of 69, that pretty much means that the Vegas line is predicting a score of 25-44 in favor of the Ducks.
I’m going to stick with my mantra from last week, that the Cougs have a chance to win as long as they hold Oregon to more field goals than TDs… and that only holds if they can hold the Ducks to five or fewer scoring drives… which means 23 points. I think that if the D allows more than 23 it’s going to be a long day in Eugene.
So, the betting lines have set a prediction of 25-44, Cougar Lew at WSU Athletics predicts a 28-27 upset, and Rivals.com has the Cougs down for a 28-43 loss this weekend. What does that mean for my prediction? To be honest, I’m typing this still with no idea what score I’m going to key in a few seconds from now. Right now I’m carrying a 4-2 record against the spread on WSU games… and I’ve done that largely by predicting the Cougs to beat the spread… so why not stick with a winning strategy:
Oregon 38
WSU 24
Sorry Coug fans, but I’ve got to stay grounded somewhat, and you’ve got to remember that what I think will happen is not what I think can happen, or hope will happen. I think that the Cougs can pull the upset against Oregon… but not necessarily so easy in Eugene.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Cougar Lew // Oct 12, 2007 at 4:58 pm
We certainly can agree on the comfort level of the Cougs playing in the role of an underdog. The main reason I’m expecting a better outcome is that WSU hasn’t sustained a rash of injuries to front line players. They are beginning to play as a unit. That’s been their downfall the past two seasons, shuffling players in and out. I’m predicting that the defense can stall two Duck drives and force field goals. As if that isn’t enough, try three turnovers - a fumble and two INT’s. The Cougar secondary is starting to play together and clearly has the athletic talent to come up with two picks. Beyond that, Brink will pass to establish the run and get back to a more balanced attack.
As always the case, you present a brilliant preview/prediction. GO COUGS!!!
2 WSU / Oregon Preview | WSU Athletics // Oct 12, 2007 at 5:02 pm
[…] Prediction: Oregon 38 - WSU 24 Click here to read that […]
3 Games » The Cougar Is A Brave And Noble Creature // Oct 12, 2007 at 5:11 pm
[…] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptReally, the only plus side to this weekend’s game is that there are no expectations for the Cougs; they can play the role of the underdog so well that any resemblance to a balanced football game could be considered a “moral” victory for … […]
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