Folsom Field – Boulder, CO
Kickoff: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: Colorado -4.5, Total: 60.0

Two red-hot teams meet Saturday when #12 Colorado hosts #20 Washington State in a huge Pac-12 showdown.

Washington State is one of the hottest teams in the nation, as the Cougars have won eight straight games and covered in five of those. Washington State is currently undefeated in Pac-12 play, and that gives them the top spot in the North division. This game won’t be easy, though, and Colorado is actually sitting atop the South division. The Buffaloes are 6-1 in conference play, but they need to win this game. If they were to lose and then USC defeated UCLA then the Trojans would have the tiebreaker for the top spot in the South division. When Washington State faced Colorado last season, the Cougars won 27-3 as 14-point home favorites. The teams have, however, split victories SU in their past six meetings. Washington State is 4-2 ATS in those games and has this remarkable Super Situation working in its favor: Road teams that allow 330 to 390 yards per game are 36-9 ATS when facing a team that allows just 280 to 330 yards per game, which also happens to have outgained its previous opponent by 125 or more total yards. The Buffaloes are, however, 8-0 ATS when playing on Saturday this season.

Washington State just might be talking about a trip to the College Football Playoff had it not been for two disappointing losses to start the season. This team has been dominant since then and it’ll now look to pick up another quality win on Saturday. The guy that must play well for this team to win is QB Luke Falk (3,610 yards, 33 TD, 6 INT). Falk has been on a tear lately, as he has thrown for 17 touchdowns and just one interception over the past four games. He’ll need to have another big day through the air in this one, as the Cougars get into trouble when Falk underperforms. WR Gabe Marks (68 rec, 709 yards, 12 TD) is his favorite target, and he’ll be an even bigger part of this offense moving forward. WR River Cracraft (53 rec, 701 yards, 5 TD) was one of Falk’s favorite receivers, but he is out for the season after tearing his ACL last week. Marks should be in for a huge night on Saturday, as he is excellent at creating separation. The Cougars will, however, need some help from the running game. That means that RBs Jamal Williams (515 yards, 6 TD), Jamal Morrow (456 yards, 4 TD) and Gerard Wicks (403 yards, 11 TD) are all going to need to be ready to go on Saturday. All three of them will have their numbers called in this game, and whoever gets hot will see the ball the most. Defensively, if the Cougars can get a few big stops then they will have done their job. Washington State is going to put up enough points offensively to win with some mediocre play on the other side of the ball. They just can’t afford to let Lindsay run wild or this thing will be over fast.

If Colorado is going to win on Saturday then RB Phillip Lindsay (937 yards, 13 TD) will need to be heavily involved in the offense. Washington State has a solid rushing defense, but it has not faced somebody as good as Lindsay this season. Lindsay has rushed for over 100 yards in three of the past four games, and he just has a knack for getting into the endzone. He should be able to find it at least once in this game, as he has racked up seven scores over the past four games. Lindsay could also be a factor in the passing game. He has had four games with four or more receptions over the past five contests, and the Buffaloes see it as an easy way to get him the ball in open space. QB Sefo Liufau (1,535 yards, 10 TD, 3 INT) is also a dangerous runner for this team. Liufau has run for 57.0 yards per game over the past two contests and Colorado will utilize his legs often in this game. When he does throw, WR Shay Fields (40 rec, 710 yards, 8 TD) is usually his favorite target. Fields had six receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona last week. A similar performance isn’t out of the question on Saturday, as the Cougars have a very beatable secondary.