Few teams have turned their seasons around like Fresno State, left for dead after a 1-4 start to the year only to rattle off eight straight wins heading into Saturday afternoon’s LA Bowl. It seemed unfathomable that these Bulldogs (9-4) could be a 10-win team back in early October, but they’re a win away from doing just that. Of course Washington State (7-5) will have something to say about that, winners of three of four down the stretch themselves.
Before Betting on the LA Bowl
Washington State coach Jake Dickert took over the team midway through last season but couldn’t guide this Cougars squad to a bowl game, losing 24-21 to Central Michigan in the Sun Bowl even though CMU was a late addition for Miami. This is the 8th straight season that WSU has gone to a bowl (aside from the 2020 COVID year) but they only have two wins to show for it.
The degree of difficulty goes up a bit for WSU here with 1st team All PAC 12 LB Daiyan Henley opting out of playing and defensive coordinator leaving to take the same position at Arizona State. Despite having a worse record, Washington State could still be the better team in the LA Bowl considering they played in the PAC 12 and also had a non-conference win in Wisconsin this season.
Fresno State has won 8 in a row, but they’ve also been favored by at least 8 points in six of the last seven. Make no mistake the Bulldogs’ 28-16 win at Boise State in the Mountain West championship game, but you still have to wonder just how much this Fresno State squad is a product of their schedule?
Washington State vs Fresno State NCAAF Offshore Betting Odds
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | WSU (2.73) | Fresno State (1.50) | 53.5 | WSU +5 (1.88) | Fresno State -5 (1.93) |
| Bovada | WSU (2.70) | Fresno State (1.50) | 53 | WSU +4.5 (1.91) | Fresno State -4.5 (1.91) |
| BetUS | WSU (2.63) | Fresno State (1.53) | 53 | WSU +4.5 (1.91) | Fresno State -4.5 (1.91) |
| SportsBetting.ag | WSU (2.73) | Fresno State (1.50) | 53.5 | WSU +5 (1.88) | Fresno State -5 (1.93) |
| Pinnacle | WSU (2.69) | Fresno State (1.51) | 53 | WSU +4.5 (1.96) | Fresno State -4.5 (1.93) |
| MyBookie | WSU (2.78) | Fresno State (1.45) | 53 | WSU +5 (1.91) | Fresno State -5 (1.91) |
LA Bowl Prediction & Pick
There may be a slight home field advantage with the Fresno State campus being just 3 hours from SoFi Stadium, but this one all goes back to quality of opponents that these teams have played this season. The Bulldogs played two PAC 12 teams this year, and lost both games albeit against quality teams in Oregon State in USC. That makes the +5 just a bit too many.
Pick: Washington State +5
