Washington vs Rutgers Prediction, Pick & Odds – Friday Night College Football
By Chris Amberley in College Football
Updated: September 27, 2024 at 2:35 pm EDTPublished:
- Rutgers is now a 1.5-point favorite over Washington in Week 5 College Football action on Friday, September 27
- The under has hit in all four of the Huskies’ contests
- Check out the Washington vs Rutgers odds, lines and predictions below
The Friday night football spotlight shines on the Big Ten in Week 5, as Rutgers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) hosts Washington (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten). The Scarlet Knights are off to a perfect start, and are searching for back-to-back victories over Power 4 opponents after knocking off Virginia Tech.
Online sportsbooks appear to like Rutgers’ chances, as they’ve listed the Scarlet Knights as favorites in the College Football odds.
Washington vs Rutgers Odds
| Teams | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Huskies | +1.5 (-110) | +105 | O 45.0 (-110) |
| Rutgers Scarlet Knights | -1.5 (-110) | -125 | U 45.0 (-110) |
Rutgers opened up as 1.5-point favorites, and the line has held steady. In terms of public betting, it’s all Scarlet Knights in the betting market. Rutgers is currently drawing 81% of the spread handle, off 75% of the tickets.
Kickoff is slated for 5:00 pm ET at SHI Stadium, in Piscataway, NJ, with Fox providing the broadcast coverage.
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Odds as of September 27 at 12:00 PM ET. Be sure to check out the best Caesars Sportsbook promos before placing a bet on any Week 5 College Football matchup.
Rutgers Will Lean Run Heavy
If the Scarlet Knights are going to cover this spread, they’ll need to solve a very strong Washington defense. The Huskies got to the National Championship game last year on the strength of their offense, but this season the other side of the ball has been the difference maker.
Washington is allowing just 10.3 points per game and 237 yards of total offense. They are the 11th-best scoring defense in the FBS, and haven’t allowed a touchdown in three of four outings. The Huskies have been incredibly strong defending the pass and the run, and it’s on the ground where Rutgers will most likely focus its attack.
The Scarlet Knights enter play averaging 256 rushing yards per game. Kyle Monangai is ripping off 6.3 yards per attempt, and has already hit pay dirt five times. Only four teams rush more frequently than Rutgers, and only eight average more yards on the ground.
Kyle Monangai for Heisman 🏆 pic.twitter.com/7ykXB9uVLA
— RutgersSportsTalk (@RutgersFBTalk) September 7, 2024
Washington is playing for a fifth straight week, and is travelling across the country. We should expect the Scarlet Knights to try and wear them down with the run, controlling the clock and keeping the Huskies offense off the field.
Washington Yet to Fully Click on Offense
A decline in production for the Washington offense was expected given the talent they lost to the NFL. The Huskies starting QB, as well as their top three receivers and number one offensive lineman are all now playing on Sundays, while their head coach bolted for Alabama.
Will Rogers, a fifth-year senior, is now the starting QB and brings a pretty impressive resume. Rogers is the FBS active leader in career attempts and completion percentage, and number two in yards and touchdowns. His 1,048 passing yards and an 8-to-0 TD-to-INT rate through four weeks is impressive, but a closer look reveals the Huskies are leaving plenty of meat on the bone.
Will Rogers goes DEEP to Denzel Boston 🚀@UW_Football strikes first 💥#B1GFootball on @FS1 📺 pic.twitter.com/hUmugTaonX
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 21, 2024
Washington ranks outside the top-100 in red zone efficiency, which is a position a true National Championship odds contender would never find themselves in. They’re averaging only 27 points per outing, and couldn’t get to 20 points two weeks ago against rival Washington State. The run game has been largely ineffective, putting most of the onus on Rogers’ shoulders to produce.
That spells trouble in this matchup, as Rutgers is also stout defensively. The Scarlet Knights have the second-best red zone defense in the country, and are yielding just over 15 points per contest. Opponents are averaging only 4.7 yards per pass, while the defense is generating multiple turnovers per outing.
Washington vs Rutgers Prediction
This shapes up as a hard-nosed, low-scoring football game. Both teams feature strong defenses, and Rutgers’ commitment to the run will bleed the clock. Unless Washington fixes its red zone issues, they’ll likely be settling for too many field goals, which will help keep this game under the total.
Washington 2024 Over/Under Results
| Opponent | Total | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 43 | Won 24-9 (under) |
| Washington State | 54 | Lost 24-19 (under) |
| Eastern Michigan | 49.5 | Won 30-9 (under) |
| Weber State | 50.5 | Won 35-3 (under) |
The Huskies are 4-0 to the under this season, with each of those outings falling at least 10 points short of the number. Another reason to be bullish on a low-scoring affair, is the pros versus joe’s divide in the betting market. Right now, under 45 is drawing 70% of the money bet on the total, off just 57% of the best. That means those who bet biggest, which are typically sharps, also believe this game is going to fall short of offensive expectations.
- Under 45 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
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Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
