Washington Huskies (3-6) vs. Oregon State Beavers (6-3)
Saturday, November 14, 12:30 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Oregon State -13.0

Sam’s Take (43 – 16):

Anyone surprised to see Oregon State getting better every week? With all due respect to Washington State, OSU is essentially one win away from another high stakes Civil War showdown. The Beavers are playing lights out in all three phases of the game, and a conference title is still possible if a few things go their way.

Meanwhile, the Huskies are desperately trying to fight their way into the postseason. UW must win out (and that still might not be enough), and the first step will be finding a way to end an 11 game road-losing streak.

The recipe for stopping Mike Riley’s club used to be simple; contain the Rodgers brothers. But in recent weeks, QB Sean Canfield has forced defensive coordinators to completely re-write their game plans. The senior signal caller is completing 70% of his passes this season, and he is coming off of a season-high 342 yard game against Cal.

Suddenly the Beavers are full of playmakers, as Adeniji, Halahuni, Kjos, Bishop, and Nichols are all contributing. I expect more of the same from the OSU offense this week, as the unit will be facing a UW D that ranks 102nd nationally in total defense and 111th against the pass.

I can only see one path to victory for the Dawgs this week, and it requires a huge effort from QB Jake Locker. As bad as UW has been defending the pass, OSU is even worse (113th nationally in pass defense). If Locker can regain his early season form, the Huskies may have a punchers chance.

Ultimately, I think the Beavers will overwhelm Washington with a balanced offensive attack.

Prediction: Oregon State 37 – Washington 23

Washington Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Devin Aguilar – Every week I tend to spotlight a UW receiver, as this really is a talented group. The wideouts will have to be particularly productive Saturday against a vulnerable secondary, and I feel like Aguilar will rise to the occasion.

Oregon State Player to Keep an Eye On: TE Joe Halahuni – Halahuni looks like the best tight end in the conference right now, and I expect him to have another big game this week.

Dave’s Take (46 – 13):

Washington has played some very competitive football this season, but they’ve also reminded us that the rebuilding of a program doesn’t happen overnight.

Oregon State, meanwhile, has taken to their yearly trend of getting better as the season goes on, and with the way they are playing right now they have a shot against anyone in the conference.

One of the biggest stories this season has been the emergence of Sean Canfield into a star quarterback. It’s hard to believe there was actually supposed to be a QB battle with Lyle Moevao this fall. No quarterback in the Pac-10 has been much better than Canfield, and his season has helped other Beavers like Joe Halahuni and Damola Adeniji take their game to the next level as well.

The Washington defense has a good mentor in Nick Holt, but they don’t quite have the talent level yet to slow down a high-powered offense like this one. The Huskies will put some points up as well, but I expect a comfortable Beavers victory.

Prediction: Oregon State 38 – Washington 20