Chris Boline
As expected, the return of the football season has people buzzing all over the country. When it comes to people who love Washington sports betting, the expectation was that things would be rocking from the start of September. Well, college football betting off to a strong start in Washington is a surprise to no one, as people have been waiting for a while for both the Washington State University Cougars and Washington Huskies to get things going in the Pac-12.
Last weekend, both the Huskies and Cougars were in action and people were understandably checking the best NCAAF odds for their respective matchups. With the Huskies, things got off to a great start with the team going up against Kent State. In that matchup, all eyes were on new starting quarterback Michael Penix, a left-handed signal-caller who made his way over via the transfer portal from the University of Indiana.
Things really could not have gone much better for the stud quarterback. In the win over Kent State, Penix tossed for 345 yards and four touchdowns. That’s exactly what new head coach Kalen DeBoer was hoping to see. While the expectation isn’t that Penix will power the Huskies to the College Football Playoff this season, this team feels like it really could be in the hunt to win the Pac-12 title.
The same can be said for the Cougars, though they didn’t look as dominant as UW did in Week 1. WSU took on Idaho at Martin Stadium, but they only recorded a 24-17 win. In that victory, new starting quarterback Cameron Ward was quite inconsistent, but he finished with 215 yards and three touchdowns. With Ward and Penix being the new starters for their respective teams, there’s going to be bragging rights on the line later this year.
⚠️ proceed with caution ⚠️#GoCougs | #WAZZU pic.twitter.com/V4IBGlB9JH
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) September 7, 2022
Apple Cup bets are going to be hot this season
A big topic of conversation is how Apple Cup bets are going to be hot this season. The annual showdown between the Cougars and Huskies is easily one of the biggest football games of the year in the state. Historically, UW has dominated play, but WSU was able to record a huge win last year. It ended the long winning streak the Huskies had over the Cougars, but WSU was able to get back on top.
In that win, former quarterback Jayden De Laura was electric, as was running back Max Borghi. Now, though, there’s a completely different feel for the team from Pullman and the pressure is going to be on Ward to live up to the hype. He had his ups and down against Idaho, but things are really going to get tough for him this weekend going up against Wisconsin. If he has a strong game, fans are going to be hyped up.
As for the Seattle side, the Huskies were in a rebuild last year, but things are looking much more promising this season. DeBoer brought in new staff members and people are excited about the future of this squad. The fact that Penix looked so brilliant in Week 1 also calmed plenty of nerves. You never know how a new QB is going to do with a new team, but Penix looked nothing short of brilliant.
If the two teams continue to play well throughout the season, it’s only going to make the Apple Cup even more interesting. It’s been a while since the rivalry game has actually meant something from a postseason standpoint, but that should be changing this year. Bragging rights are always going to be on the line in this one and that won’t change in 2022. The bets will be flowing and people are counting down the days for the monster battle to arrive.
Call of the Game 🗣️🎧
Gotta give it up for @asaspades808 & the first play of the season‼️👏#NoLimits #PurpleReign @Nextiva pic.twitter.com/reALqrzmWB
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) September 7, 2022
Alabama remains the favorite to win the National Championship
While there’s plenty of excitement about WSU and UW, it’s important to remember for college football fans that Alabama remains the favorite to win the National Championship. While other teams like Georgia, Ohio State, USC, and others have strong NCAAF National Championship odds to potentially win it all, the Crimson Tide are the top squad right now and people in Washington will continue to bet on them with consistency this fall and winter.
Alabama is deadly on both sides of the ball, with the offense being led by the strong play of Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. Young is a lock to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft once he declares. Before he goes pro, though, he’s hoping to help Alabama win the National Championship.
This could be the season where Young gets things done. He was close to winning it all with Alabama last season, but the team fell to Georgia with the title on the line. Young admitted it was a tough loss for him, but it has definitely motivated him to be at his best this year. Young is an amazing talent and people can’t wait to see what he’ll be able to get done this campaign for Nick Saban and Co.
