Oregon State Opens Week As 27-Point Underdogs To #6 Washington

According to the most recent college football odds from the Bovada-Las Vegas, Oregon State has opened the week as 27-point underdogs to #6 ranked Washington for Saturday’s clash in Corvallis.

The Beavers, who are coming off a 52-23 loss on the road at Washington State, are currently in the midst of what could be considered the toughest stretch on their 2017 slate. After a meeting with Washington, Oregon State will travel to play #5 ranked USC on October 7th in Southern California, in another battle against one of the nation’s best overall teams. It’ll also be the team’s third straight game of squaring off against one of the country’s best quarterbacks, which includes the likes of Luke Falk (Washington State), Jake Browning (Washington) and Sam Darnold (USC).

As for the currently undefeated Huskies, head coach Chris Petersen’s squad has started the season with four straight victories over the likes of Rutgers, Montana, Fresno State and Colorado. Washington’s most recent road test came at the Buffs in Boulder, where a much-hyped Pac-12 clash became a largely one-sided affair. The Huskies overcame a slow start en route to a 37-10 win, which featured a stunning performance from running back Myles Gaskin, who tallied 202 yards and 2 touchdowns on 27 carries.

Considered the favorites to win the Pac-12 North, Washington has been a dominant force through the first third of the campaign, outscoring opponents by an impressive 178-47 margin. They current rank 45th in the country in passing yards per game (266.3) and 72nd in the land in rushing yards per game (160.8). Statistically, Washington has a top ten defense as well, allowing just 11.8 points per contest to opposing squads.

While a match-up with the Huskies is obviously the last thing a struggling Beavers group needs to see at the moment, through the years, Oregon State has been known to envelop a “giant killer” mentality heading into games like these. And while the 2017 version of Oregon State has yet to show much of any signs of optimism, it’s important to remember that anything can happen between the lines in college football.

For the Beavers to pull off a miraculous upset, Oregon State will need much improved play from their defense, which has allowed a combined 100 points in back-to-back losses to the Cougars and Big Ten foe Minnesota. The Beavers will also need to make some headway offensively, where they’ll return quarterback Darell Garretson to the starting position, after gunslinger Jake Luton left the game against Washington State with an injury.

The Beavers and Huskies are scheduled for a 5:00 PM PT kick-off on Saturday (September 30th) at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. Oregon State currently has a 1-1 home record on the season, with a 35-32 win over Portland State and a blowout loss to Minnesota on their resume. According to ESPN's Football Power Index, Washington has a 97.1% chance to win the contest.