Arizona vs Washington Odds, Picks and Predictions: Wildcats QB Throws Huskies for a Loop

Two Pac-12 programs are entering a new era when they renew their rivalry as the Arizona Wildcats travel to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies on Saturday afternoon.

The Wildcats are 3-3 under second-year head coach Jedd Fisch, which is already two more victories than they had all last season. Washington is 4-2 under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, but has lost consecutive conference games. Will Washington end the losing skid now that it’s returning home?

Find out in our free college football picks and predictions for Arizona vs. Washington on Saturday, October 15. 

Arizona vs Washington best odds

Arizona vs Washington picks and predictions

Arizona has done well to bounce back from a dreadful 1-11 season to start 2022 with a 3-3 record. A big reason is the number of transfers brought in to immediately change the culture. Quarterback Jayden De Laura transferred in from. Washington State and has 1,868 passing yards with 15 touchdowns to seven interceptions to go along with a rushing TD.

Jacob Towing, a transfer wideout from UTEP, leads the team with 46 catches for 643 yards and seven touchdowns. On the defensive side, transfer linebacker from USC Hunter Echols has 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. However, that’s about the end of the positives for Arizona’s defense. 

The Wildcats rank 115th in the country in points allowed per game at 34.2 points. They also rank 101st in total defense, allowing 228.8 rushing yards per game. Meanwhile, Washington has a prolific offense that includes Indiana transfer quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has 2,044 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions. 

Washington averages 41.0 points per game, which ranks 12th in the country. They also have the 16th-best offense in terms of total yards per game. There’s no doubt that the Huskies will be able to put points on the board, but the total of 73 is a bit high to make that our best bet of the game. So, let’s look at another matchup with great success. 

Arizona has the sixth-best passing offense in the country, while Washington has the 104th-ranked passing defense in the country. De Laura’s passing yardage total is set at 281.5, which seems a little low given the likely script of this game. De Laura has gone Over this total in three of his six games this season, including throwing for 401 yards against a very similar passing defense in Cal. 

Washington has allowed opposing quarterbacks to reach this number in three of their six games, including Michigan State and Stanford, which have much less of a passing attack than Arizona has. De Laura should be able to hit this number easily, needing to keep up with the Washington offense in what should be a shootout. 

My best bet: Jayden De Laura Over 281.5 passing yards (-115 at DraftKings)

Arizona vs Washington spread analysis

This spread may seem a little low at first glance, but given how poor Washington’s defense has played, it starts to make more sense. The Huskies covered their first four games of the season, only allowing 19.0 points per game. However, they have failed to cover each of the last two games, allowing 42.5 per.

Arizona is going to be able to score on Washington and that makes a 14-point spread awfully difficult to cover. Washington is going to need to force some turnovers to get the cover. The Huskies are just ok at this, as they average 1.6 takeaways per game. However, Arizona is not great at holding onto possession, as they average 2.2 giveaways per game.

Defensive back Asa Turner leads the team with two interceptions and was able to see De Laura last season in the regular-season finale with Washington State. He and the Huskies defense were unable to force any turnovers in that game, so they will be watching plenty of film this week to prepare for the rematch.

Since so much of this spread seems like it will depend on turnovers, I must go with Arizona. The 14 points will feel nice as Arizona lights up the Washington secondary despite not being able to stop the Huskies offense.

Arizona vs Washington Over/Under analysis

This game is going to be a shootout, but 73 points is a ton. Despite Washington games going Over the total in all six games this season, only its most recent game against Arizona State went Over this 73-point total. 

Meanwhile, the Over has hit in four of the six games Arizona has played this season. Although, only the game against Cal went over this 73-point threshold. The trends will certainly back lots of scoring though. 

The Over is 4-0-1 in the last five road games for Arizona, and 6-0 in the last six home games for Washington. Finally, the Over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these two in Washington. 

Both teams are going to move the ball and put points on the board, however, the total is just so high it’s hard to take the Over with much confidence. This O/U is a complete toss-up for me, but if I was forced to choose, I go Over based on trends and game script. 

Arizona vs Washington betting trend to know

The home team is 10-2 against the spread in their last 12 meetings. Find more NCAA betting trends for Arizona vs. Washington.

Arizona vs Washington game info

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