The Washington State Cougars take on the Colorado State Rams in Fort Collins, CO. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Colorado State is favored by -5.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -210. The total is set at 50.5 points.
Here’s my Washington State vs Colorado State predictions and college football picks for Saturday, September 27, 2025.
Washington State vs Colorado State Prediction
- Washington State vs. Colorado State Pick: Colorado State -5.5
My Washington State vs Colorado State best bet is on the Rams to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Washington State vs Colorado State Odds
| Washington State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -110 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | +175 |
| Colorado State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -110 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | -210 |
- Washington State vs Colorado State point spread: Colorado State -5.5
- Washington State vs Colorado State over/under: 50.5 points
- Washington State vs Colorado State moneyline: Washington State +175, Colorado State -210
Washington State vs Colorado State Preview
Washington State Cougars Betting Preview: Defense Starting to Slip
We might be starting to see the slide for Washington State, as the Cougars have been blown out in back-to-back weeks by a combined score of 118-34 and now hit the road for a trip to Fort Collins.
I haven’t had a lot of confidence in Washington State, given the mass exodus of talent after the departure of former head coach Jake Dickert.
Jimmy Rogers brought in a plethora of talent from the FCS level to help bridge the gap, and we're starting to see the nucleus of this team be void of real talent, specifically on defense.
Over the past two weeks, Washington State has given up 881 total yards and 7.67 yards per play, and the red zone performance has been particularly bad — 12 trips inside the 20-yard line for this defense with 12 scores given up.
Additionally, 11 of those scores were touchdowns. I think we're starting to see this defense wear down a bit, and that's something Colorado State should be able to take advantage of this week.
Colorado State Rams Betting Preview: Much Needed QB Switch
Colorado State comes in off a disappointing home loss against UTSA, but there could be some positive takeaways.
Head coach Jay Norvell hung on with quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi for way too long, but the results confirm that he had no choice but to make a move.
Fowler-Nicolosi was completing just 53% of his passes and had thrown one touchdown on the season, as the offense was never able to consistently move the football or generate explosives.
Last week, against UTSA, backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau was inserted in the fourth quarter and led two scoring drives in the final 10 minutes after the offense only mustered a field goal up to that point.
The offense looked much more complete, and there was a clear adjustment in attitude and intensity with Brousseau in the game.
He's been named the starter this week.
Washington State vs Colorado State Pick, Betting Analysis
I'm laying it this week with Colorado State -5.5.
Colorado State's offensive metrics have been so handcuffed by Fowler-Nicolosi and his inability to improve year-over-year. I think we will see the Rams lean on their ground game — which has improved over the past couple of weeks — and really test the Wazzu front seven.
Washington State ranks just 120th in Rush Play Success Rate Allowed, and the Cougars have given up seven rushing touchdowns over the past couple of weeks.
Look for Jalen Dupree and Lloyd Avant to explode in this game for Colorado State. Avant averaged nine yards per carry last week against UTSA, and Dupree was efficient in short-yardage situations.
I think the Colorado State defense can really pin down what Washington State wants to do offensively. We have seen the Cougars regress substantially since their influx of points at home against San Diego State in Week 2.
The ground game has become virtually nonexistent, as the Cougars have just 89 yards combined over the past two weeks while averaging 1.5 yards per attempt.
Wazzu has one of the least explosive offenses in the country, ranking 128th nationally in Offensive Explosiveness and 134th in Pass Play Explosiveness. We haven’t seen a lot of downfield passing from Jaxon Potter or Zevi Eckhaus this season, and we won’t see it here.
Colorado State has a solid coverage unit that did a tremendous job bottling up the UTSA receivers while limiting Owen McCown to just 173 pass yards (two interceptions, too).
Colorado State outplayed UTSA last week for much of that game and had several chances to take control and win against a good Roadrunners team.
Brousseau really unlocked a lot of the offensive potential for Colorado State, and I think we'll finally start to see this team play to its talent level, something this fan base is desperate to see.
Washington State is starting to descend and is now playing at elevation. It needs the bye week to regroup and get healthy before getting back on the road, and I can see that this team is gassed.
Lay it with the Rams here.
Pick: Colorado State -5.5
