Washington State Cougars vs Colorado State Rams Prediction, 9/2/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington State Cougars vs Colorado State Rams

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023

Location: Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, CO

TV: CBSSN

Odds/Point Spread: Rams (+15)

Total/Over-Under: 54.5

The Washington State Cougars (7-6 last season) are en route to Canvas Stadium on Saturday, September 2, 2023 where they will try to defeat the Colorado State Rams (3-9 last year). Colorado State opens as 15-point dogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 54.5.

The Washington State Cougars ended the season having earned a 7-6 mark. In their last contest, the Cougars played against the Fresno State Bulldogs and ended up losing by a score of 29-6. Cameron Ward went 22/32 with 138 yds passing. He had a quarterback rating of 98.7 and walked away from the game with 1 interception. Nakia Watson was the leader on the ground for the Cougars with 14 totes for 33 yds (2.4 yards per attempt). The Washington State Cougars ran the football 28 times and accounted for 45 yds, earning them an average of 1.6 yards per attempt. At the end of the game, they tallied 60 plays which totaled 183 yards. Washington State conceded 24 completions on 36 tries for 280 yards, and a completion rate of 66.7%. Against the run, the Cougars gave up 221 yds on 32 attempts, which calculates to 6.9 yds per rush surrendered.

Regarding getting in the endzone, the Washington State Cougars held an average of 26.1 points per game. Offensively they averaged 106.8 yards on the ground, ranking them 118th in D-1. The Cougars racked up 4,689 total yards for last year. Washington State compiled 23 touchdowns via the pass and 17 rushing touchdowns. Washington State accumulated 257 1st downs as an offense, and they committed 70 penalties for 589 yards. They turned the ball over 18 times.

Regarding yards via the pass, the Cougars conceded 3,480 yards which put them in 116th in the nation. Over the course of their 13 games played last year, they allowed 267.7 yards per game via the pass in addition to surrendering a completion percentage of 62.1%. They allowed 402.3 yards per outing which put them 87th in college football. They conceded 20 touchdowns through the air and 17 rushing touchdowns. Opposing teams ran for an average of 4.0 yards per rushing attempt and 134.6 yards on the ground per game throughout last year. For the season, they gave up 1,750 yards via the ground game in 13 games. The Cougars ranked 38th in D-1 when it comes to team defense, conceding 22.9 points per contest.

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The Rams wrapped up their season having earned a 3-9 record. The last time they took the gridiron, the Rams got the victory with a final of 17-0 against the New Mexico Lobos. Clay Millen (2 touchdowns) finished the game with 214 yards on 19/24 through the air while his QB rating was 181.6. He didn't throw any interceptions and his Y/A was 8.9. Avery Morrow ran the ball 22 times for 62 yds, finishing the game with 2.8 yards per carry for Colorado State. The Rams finished with a total of 305 yds while they ran 60 plays (5.1 yards per play). Colorado State ran the ball for 2.2 yds per carry, finishing the game with 75 yards on 34 carries. Colorado State conceded 35 run attempts for 71 yards (2.0 yds per carry). The Rams passing defense allowed a completion rate of 44.4%, surrendering 62 yards on 12 for 27 through the air.

The Colorado State Rams averaged 285.8 yards per outing, which had them sitting 126th in the country. The Colorado State offense accrued 740 penalty yards on 84 violations, which ranked 44th in college football in terms of giving up free yards. For the previous season, the Rams had a total of 2,362 passing yards together with averaging 196.8 passing yards per game, putting them at 106th in Division 1. When looking at this team's ability to score points, the Rams earned a ranking of 129th in Division 1 maintaining an average of 13.2 points per game.

Colorado State allowed a total of 1,963 yards rushing (163.6 yards per game) in addition to 24 touchdowns via the rush throughout last year. They gave up 16 touchdowns through the air in addition to 191.4 yards per game, which had them in 19th in D-1. The Rams defense took the field for 828 plays, which ranked them 33rd in D-1. The Rams relinquished 26.9 PPG, which had them in 71st in college football. In total, they relinquished 323 points in total.

Who will win tonight's Cougars/Rams college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Rams +15

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