Huskies Laying 7.5 vs Cougars; Washington Has Won 6 Straight Apple Cups

• Washington is a 7.5-point favorite against Washington State in the 2019 Apple Cup
•  The Huskies have won six straight against the Cougars by an average margin of 21.8 points
•  Washington (6-5 ATS) has been a more reliable team for bettors than Washington State (4-7 ATS)

The 2019 Apple Cup (Friday, Nov. 28, 4:00 PM ET) doesn’t quite have the stakes the game has held in recent years, but make no mistake, this is still a massive game for each school. The Washington Huskies (6-5, 3-5 Pac 12) have won six straight against their in-state rival, and the Washington Cougars (6-5, 3-5 Pac 12) want nothing more than to finally end a streak that has seen Mike Leach’s team suffer brutal loss after brutal loss.

Rivalry weekend is one of the best weekends in all of sports, and the Washington State vs Washington odds set the stage for one of many exciting Black Friday matchups.

Washington State Cougars vs Washington Huskies Odds

Odds taken November 26th

Huskies Have Owned the Apple Cup

This rivalry has been owned by Washington in recent years, and it hasn’t even been particularly close. Chris Petersen’s team has won six straight against the Cougars, and they’ve done it by an average margin of 21.8 points per game. Since the last Washington State victory in 2012, the Cougars have not scored more than 17 points.

On two occasions recently, this game has served as a de facto Pac-12 North Championship Game, and it was ugly even on those days. Just a season ago, the #16 Huskies nearly doubled up #8 Washington State, winning by a score of 28-15. In 2016, it was even worse, with #6 Washington winning 45-17 against a #23-ranked Cougars team.

The salt in the wound for the Cougars is that both of those games took place at home in Pullman.

Will Huskies’ Dominance Continue?

After a run of matchups that featured Pac-12 Championship, and even at times College Football Playoff, implications, this year’s matchup is all about the rivalry. Both teams are bowl eligible at 6-5, but both programs will consider those records disappointments. Beating their hated rival would be a silver lining on a dark season.

For Washington, the biggest question is quarterback Jacob Eason. It has been an up and down season for the Georgia transfer. Per CBS Sports, he started the year with 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions through the first four games. Since then, he’s thrown 11 touchdowns and six picks in his last six games. He’s also completed less than 60% of his passes in two of the Huskies’ last three contests.

Eason will go head to head with another quarterback that has had an inconsistent year: Washington State’s Anthony Gordon. He’s averaging 447.3 yards per game and has racked up 45 touchdowns, but has also had his problems with turnovers. He’s thrown 14 picks this season, and has only had two interception-free games this year. In the last four games alone, he has thrown seven INTs.

What’s the Best Bet?

There are several reasons to like Washington in this spot. With a defense that is averaging just 21.1 points per game, and only 217.5 passing yards per game, the Husky defense has remained in strong form this year, and should frustrate the turnover-prone Gordon.

There is also the performance against the spread this season. At 6-5, Washington hasn’t been fantastic, but they are still a much more reliable bet than Washington State at 4-7 ATS in 2019.

There is also the fact that, quite frankly, Washington owns this rivalry physically, mentally, and emotionally. The Cougars have fielded some very good teams in recent years that, on paper, were more than capable of beating the Husky teams they lined up against. However, no matter the spread, the records, or the postseason implications, it is Washington that has consistently won big.

Those aforementioned numbers, both the 21.8 average margin and the failure of the Cougars to crack 20 points for the better part of the decade, tell the story of a rivalry that is firmly controlled by the Huskies.

Pick: Washington -7.5 (-110)