Oregon State vs. Washington Odds

The must-have app for sports bettors

Custom scoreboard for your bets

Free picks from experts

Live odds for every game

Download Now

After dropping their opening game of the season, the Oregon State Beavers will try to rebound in Seattle as they take on the Washington Huskies.

Coming off its best season since 2013, Oregon State is in the third year of the Jonathan Smith era. Jake Luton and the offense carried the Beavers to five wins in 2019, and after giving up 38 points in the opener to Washington State, issues still seem to exist on the defensive side of the ball.

Washington begins its season Saturday after having its first matchup against California canceled due to a COVID-19 situation. The Huskies are in a period of transition, with Chris Petersen stepping down as head coach and quarterback Jacob Eason moving onto the NFL. It'll be up Petersen's protege — Jimmy Lake — to rebuild the Huskies back into one of the Pac-12's top teams.

Oregon State Beavers

Offense

It's going to take a lot to replicate the offensive numbers Oregon State put up last season. Luton led the Beavers to a top-40 ranking in both Passing and Rushing Success.

However, Luton hasleft for the NFL, meaning Tristan Gebbia takes the reins. Gebbia had a fairly efficient performance in his first start, throwing for 6.9 yards per attempt and no interceptions. The Beavers have a solid group of receivers, including redshirt senior Trevon Bradford, who caught seven balls for 78 yards and a touchdown in their opener.

However, the Beavers' offense is going to revolve around star running back Jermar Jefferson. The junior was hampered by injuries last year but ran for 1,380 yards as a freshman and is a legitimate dual-threat weapon. Jefferson showed his star power in the opener against Washington State, running for 120 yards on 21 carries.

The issue for Oregon State this season is going to be its offensive line. The Beavers lost three starters from last season and will need to gel quickly if they're going to repeat their offensive numbers a year ago.

Defense

In 2019, Oregon State boasted one of the worst defenses in the Pac-12. The Beavers were in the bottom-30 of college football in Defensive Passing Success, Rushing Success and Havoc. However, the good news is Oregon State returns 82% of its defensive production from last season.

The defense is led by outside linebacker Hamilcar Rashed Jr., who broke the school record for sacks (14) and tackles for loss (22.5) last season. Oregon State also has every starter back in its linebacking contingent, which is poised for a breakout year.

The defensive line is lacking the talent needed to compete with the elite teams in the Pac-12, but it does bring back a lot of experience in Jordan Whittley and Isaac Hodgins.

The secondary could be the area in which Oregon State shows its biggest improvement. The Beavers have all four starters back and added a couple of transfers to increase their depth.

Oregon State held Washington State's run and shoot offense to only 227 yards in the opener, so it's definitely showing signs of improvement from allowing 7.9 yards per pass attempt in 2019.

Washington Huskies

Offense

Moving the ball efficiently could be an issue for the Huskies this season, as they return only four starters on the offensive side of the ball. As of now, Washington hasn't named its starting quarterback for Saturday's tilt, but all signs point to it being graduate transfer Kevin Thompson.

Thompson spent the last three seasons at Sacramento State and lit up the Big Sky Conference. He was an FCS All-American and Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year last season, throwing for 3,216 yards and 27 touchdowns. Thompson added 12 touchdowns on the ground.

Suffice it to say, Thompson can get it down with his arm and legs. However, he struggled mightily in Sacramento State's matchup against Arizona State, as the Hornets put up only seven points on the scoreboard.

The Huskies are also inexperienced at the running back and wide receiver positions. They don't have a go-to receiver at the moment, which is going to be an issue for Thompson as he makes his first start at the FBS level.

Defense

In 2019, the Huskies had 10 new starters on the defensive side of the ball, and it showed at times. However, they return 74% of their defensive production from last season and seem poised to improve this time around.

Washington also returns its two best defenders in cornerback Elijah Molden and defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike. Molden led the Huskies in tackles (79) last year and is one of the best players in the conference.

Onwuzurike is a run-stopping machine up front and is joined by two seniors and a junior on the defensive line.

In the secondary, the Huskies return all four starters, including Molden, from last season. They allowed just 6.4 yards per attempt, which was third-best in the Pac-12 and ranked 17th nationally last season. The bottom line is that Gebbia is going to have his work cut out for him trying to move ball through the air.

The linebacker group is going to be the weakness of the Huskies' defense this season. Walk-on defender Edefuan Ulofoshio starred in the final three games of the season last year, which earned him a scholarship. Other than Ulofoshio, Washington has a lot of holes to fill in the middle of its defense.

Betting Analysis & Pick

With inexperienced quarterbacks facing defenses with a lot of experience, I think we are going to see a defensive slugfest. The weather also isn't going to be great in Seattle, with the temperature forecasted to be in the 40s and some drizzling rain expected.

I have the total projected at 46.44 for this game, so I think there is some major value on the under in this spot.

Pick: Under 52.5 (down to 50.5)