The Washington State Cougars (7-5) face off with the Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3) at SoFi Stadium in the LA Bowl.
Named the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, the game is the first-ever bowl game named in honor of a living person, in this case, Kimmel, a late-night television host.
The contest is in its second year of existence and one of 6 games on the NCAAF schedule for this Saturday.
Teams’ Performance Recap
The Cougars are making their 17th bowl appearance bringing an 8-8 SU record in the postseason. Fresno State has gone bowling 29 times, winning 15 and dropping 14.
Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford, who returned to his alma mater in the offseason for his second stint at the helm of the Bulldogs, has coached in 10 bowl games between his time at Fresno and at Cal.
He is 7-3 overall in the postseason and 2-0 at the helm of the Bulldogs in bowl games.
In this piece, we will give you all you need to know when it comes to making a winning Washington State vs Fresno State prediction, including a look at Washington State Cougars stats, a check of the NCAAF standings as well as seeing if any players on either the Bulldogs or Cougars are included in the college football injury report.
Last Game Records
Wazzu enters the game after winning 3 of its last four to qualify for the postseason. The Cougars downed Stanford, Arizona State, and Arizona in consecutive weeks before falling to Washington in the Apple Cup.
Fresno arrives in LA on an 8-game winning streak, including a road triumph in the Mountain West title game at Boise in which they beat the Broncos 28-16, avenging a loss early in the year.
In fact, things looked bleak early on in Tedford’s return as Fresno State opened the year 1- 4 with its lone win coming at the expense of FCS squad Cal Poly.
A look at the Fresno State Bulldogs odds shows that FSU was a favorite in 6 of its last 7, only getting points in the MWC title game at Boise.
Matchup Information
Washington State vs. Fresno State Betting Analysis
Fresno State enters the game at 6-7 ATS, while Jake Dickert’s Cougars are 8-4 against the number, including 4-1 ATS in their last 4.
As mentioned, Tedford is 7-3 all-time in bowl games, while Dickert is 0-1 SU and ATS. Interesting nugget: in games where a team’s coach has more bowl experience (which is the case with Fresno), those teams have gone 144-99 SU and 142-99-2 ATS in those spots.
Tedford’s experience AND success could play a major part in our Washington State vs Fresno State prediction.
A Look at the Cougars
Wazzu goes bowling for the sixth time in seven years. Cougars run an average of 70.8 offensive snaps per game and throw it 58 pct. of the time.
Cougars’ Offense
Offensively, WSU has had much more success through the air than on the ground, while defensively, the team has been better at stopping the run and has been more susceptible to the pass.
In this matchup, with Fresno relying on the passing game heavily, this shouldn’t be a huge concern.
Sophomore quarterback Cameron Ward has thrown 23 touchdowns and just eight interceptions thus far, completing 64.1 percent of his throws.
Three different Cougars have hauled in at least 40 balls, with De’Zhaun Stribling, who has since entered the portal, leading the way with 51 grabs for 602 yards and five scores.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Fresno runs an average of 70.8 offensive snaps per contest and is heavily reliant on the passing game, throwing it 69 percent of the time.
Jake Haener’s Comeback
The Bulldogs’ return to form coincided with the return of senior signal caller Jake Haener who missed five games early in the year due to an ankle injury after going down in Week 3 against USC.
Once he returned, the offense began clicking, and despite appearing in just nine games, he threw 18 touchdown passes against just three picks and completed 72.6 percent of his throws.
His two main targets are junior Jalen Cropper, who has caught 79 balls for 1,044 yards, and Nikko Remigio, more of a slot receiver, credited with 69 catches for 768 yards.
Updates
Fresno State has been fortunate and is relatively healthy and ready to go. Washington State, on the other hand, has been decimated by players defecting to the transfer portal.
Top receiver Stribling along with fellow receiver Donovan Ollie are leaving Pullman. In addition, Renard Bell, a slot receiver, is missing due to injury.
The Cougars’ defense, which will be without its coordinator Brian Ward who left to go to Arizona State, is also thin in its linebacking corps. Three players, including first-team All-Pac 12 selection Daiyan Henley will not play.
Washington State vs. Fresno State Betting Preview
Bowl games, at least those of the non-playoff variety, often come down to motivation and simply how similar a team looks in the postseason compared to the regular season.
Washington State is missing a ton of key players, along with its defensive coordinator, while Fresno State and its coach have experienced a great deal of success in previous bowl games.
Thus far, in looking at NCAAF odds, there has been very little movement in both the spread (FSU – 3) and the total (54.5).
Washington State vs. Fresno State Betting Prediction
We feel that given Tedford’s bowl success and experience edge over Dickert, which, as we’ve discussed, historically gives teams a significant edge, are just two factors we cannot ignore.
Plus, WSU is a team that depends on the passing game, and three of their top guys are on their way out of Pullman.
Considering all of these factors when making our Washington State vs Fresno State predictions, we strongly recommend that you take the Bulldogs of Fresno State.
NCAAF Pick: Fresno State -3.5 (-110)
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