After defeating bitter rival Washington in a 26-16 victory last weekend, No. 3 Oregon (8-1) heads back home to Autzen Stadium to face the lackluster Washington State Cougars.

Despite its record being 5-4 overall, Wazzu sits second in the Pac-12 North with a four-game winning streak in Pac-12 play after a notable win over Arizona State (6-3) during Halloween weekend. The Cougars will be well rested against the Ducks as they come off a bye week.

The 2021 season has been quite a whirlwind for the Cougars. As they were preparing for their week 8 matchup with BYU, five members of their coaching staff –– including head coach Nick Rolovich –– were fired for not meeting compliance with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandates. With a midseason coaching turnover, and Jack Dickert as their acting head coach. The Cougars’ chances of a playoff berth and even a shot at the Pac-12 North title were looking very slim.

Regardless of the setback, Washington State is roaring on offense this season with their sophomore quarterback Jayden De Laura. In nine games, De Laura leads the Pac-12 in passing touchdowns with 17, has 1,967 passing yards and has completed 63.7% of his passes.
On the other side of the ball, the Cougars defense is sure to shake things up for the Ducks. They had two interceptions and three fumbles in their game against ASU. They currently lead the Pac-12 with 20 takeaways this season.

Washington State looks to knock down Oregon this Saturday. A win for the Cougars would give them the first place in the Pac-12 North, and a loss for the Ducks would ultimately lose them their spot in the College Football Playoff.

This game will be a test for both teams.

Looking back on previous matchups, Washington State has beaten Oregon four out of their last six matches with their most notable going back to 2018 when ESPN’s College Gameday came to Pullman for the first time, and WSU’s Gardner Minshew threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns. Since then, however, Oregon has beaten Washington State back-to-back times. They hope to make it a three-peat after this weekend.
The Ducks open as two-touchdown favorites against this Cougar team, yet are 3-5-1 when against the spread. While on the other side, Washington State is 6-3 against the spread this season.

With eerily similar stats to De Laura, Oregon’s Anthony Brown has thrown for 1,895 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and has completed 63.5% of his passes. Washington State will also have to face off against Travis Dye who is second in the whole conference with 820 rushing yards and is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. A fiery offense that will surely test the Cougar’s secondary.

With the Pac-12 North lead at stake, this Saturday night match is bound to be a nail-biter here in Eugene.