Arizona vs Washington Odds, Picks, Predictions (10/15/22)

Arizona visits Washington after getting blown out against Oregon last week, while Washington is also coming off a shocking loss to Arizona State. Both these teams find themselves needing a win to rebound from the past week’s loss, which sets up an interesting matchup. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Arizona vs. Washington Odds

Washington is a 14-point favorite over Arizona while being -600 on the money line. The over/under is also set at 73. Washington being that big of a favorite makes sense because Arizona got beat so badly last week. Washington did not look good either last week, but the fact they are the home team here also influences why the spread is that high. The over/under makes a lot of sense here too. Both offenses are averaging at least 30 points a game, and each defense has been struggling recently. Expect a lot of points here even though the total seems high. This spread could also move down here a bit in favor of Arizona throughout the week.

Arizona vs. Washington Prediction & Pick

The Pick: Arizona +14

Washington has had its fair share of struggles the last two weeks and mainly they’ve been on defense. Specifically against the pass. UCLA had 499 total yards against the Huskies and then were a little better against Arizona State, but still gave up 397 total yards in that game. Washington is giving up an average of 27 points and 351 total yards on defense, and it’s shown the most these last two weeks. UCLA and Arizona State both hit 40 points a piece against the Huskies. The offense on the other side for the Huskies, by contrast, has been very good, with it averaging 41 points and 499 total yards a game.

Arizona also has a very bad defense with them giving up an average of 34 points and 431 points a game. However, the Arizona offense is why this game will be close. They average 31 points and 456 total yards a game, and in particular get most of their yards through the air with 324. This is going to be a great quarterback battle between Michael Penix Jr. and Jayden de Laura, that could come down to who has the ball last. This game is going to be full of points, so take Arizona to cover, and potentially think about taking the over here too.

Arizona vs. Washington Key Matchups

How will Arizona do against Wayne Taulapapa and the Washington run game? How will Washington’s secondary do against Jayden de Laura?

Wayne Taulapapa vs the Arizona Front Seven

The story for the Huskies has revolved around Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback and his great season up to this point, but the key in this game will be the running game. Wayne Taulapapa has 70 carries, 406 rushing yards, and four rushing touchdowns on the year up to this point. He’s been a decent compliment for Michael Penix Jr. this year and had his best game against Stanford where he had 120 rushing yards and one touchdown on just 13 carries. The Arizona rushing defense has been very bad up to this point in the year. They are allowing 229 rushing yards a game, with the most being 354 yards on the ground to Cal. Washington’s offense is more based around the pass, but if Taulapapa has a good game, Arizona could be in for a long game.

Jayden de Laura vs the Washington Secondary

Jayden de Laura is a difference-maker for the Arizona Wildcats. This offense has been rejuvenated thanks in large part to him playing quarterback. He has 1,874 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions, so far this year. He also has a 62% completion percentage. His best game was against Colorado where he threw for 484 yards and six touchdowns. Washington’s passing defense has not been great and they are allowing 235 yards through the air on average, with the most coming against Michigan State where the Spartans had 323 yards through the air. The key for Arizona is for de Laura to have a good game, so if Washington can contain him then it’ll be a long game for the Wildcats.