Oregon State Beavers (7-3) vs. Washington State Cougars (1-9)
Saturday, November 21, 2:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Oregon State -31.0

Sam’s Take (46 – 18):

Oregon State could be one win away from a Civil War for the roses… a Ducks win that is. With all due respect to Washington State, Beaver fans should pay more attention to the game in Tucson than the massacre that will surely take place in Pullman. OSU is playing their absolute best football of the 209 season right now, while the Cougars are getting worse by the week. Even if an expected snowstorm rolls through Martin Stadium, I just don’t see WSU staying within five touchdowns of OSU.

I am most interested to see how long Mike Riley keeps the first team in on Saturday (particularly the offensive unit). I would really hate to see ‘Quizz miss another Civil War with Rose Bowl implications because of an unnecessary injury, but I know that Beaver fans want to see him pile up enough yards against the Cougs to keep him in the Pac-10 Player of the Year race.

I expect to see OSU pounce on the Cougars from the opening kickoff, and QB Sean Canfield should have a field day against the nation’s 3rd worst pass defense. In the running game, I think this is the perfect time to increase the roles of RB Ryan McCants and Jovan Stevenson. It really wont matter who is in the backfield for OSU, as the Cougs D-line has been decimated by injuries and an offensive lineman (Michael Pfeiff) will now man one of the defensive tackle spots for the game.

Bottom line; Oregon State can choose its score in this one, and I can only hope that both teams come out of the game injury free (as Wazzu still has an Apple Cup to defend).

Prediction: Oregon State 48 – Washington State 10

Oregon State Player to Keep an Eye On: DE Gabe Miller – Miller and fellow defensive end Matt LaGrone have really emerged in the last few weeks, and the sacks are finally coming for this OSU defense.

Washington State Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Jeffrey Solomon – Solomon played well against UCLA, and will have a chance to build on that performance this week..

Dave’s Take (49 – 15):

Plenty of fans around the Pac-10 will be rooting for the Washington State Cougars to pull off the upset of the year in college football; it sure would open up a whole lot of Rose Bowl scenarios.

Sadly, it is difficult to even entertain the the notion of this one being competitive. With the way these two teams are playing right now, you could argue that Oregon State could compete with just about any team in the country; and you’d be hard-pressed to find a dozen teams that Washington State would have a great chance of beating.

Unless Oregon State inexplicably sleepwalks through the entire game and Washington State plays the game of their life, the Beavers should have this one locked up well before the second quarter comes to a close.

Full speed ahead to the end of the season. Oregon State has a Civil War for the ages coming up, and Washington State will get one last chance at a second win (and oh what a win it would be) in the Apple Cup. If this were a video game, both sides would likely just “SIM” this one to get to the good stuff; but alas, let’s get it over with.

Prediction: Oregon State 41 – Washington State 9