College Football Pick – Washington Looks To Rebound After Difficult Opening Weekend

The University of Washington football team thought it had turned the corner as a program. It was wrong. Now the Huskies will try to take out their frustrations on Syracuse.  Here’s a preview and an expert college football pick.

Syracuse Orange @ Washington Huskies

Saturday, September 11th – 7:00 PM ET 
Husky Stadium, Seattle  
Broadcast: None 

College Football Odds: Syracuse +13.5, Washington -13.5 
Total: 48

It’s a simple fact: The Washington Huskies didn’t score a single point in the second half during their season-opening loss at BYU this past weekend. The Huskies moved the ball between the 30s but couldn’t finish drives. BYU’s defensive line got hands into passing lanes, and a number of quarterback Jake Locker’s second-half passes were thrown both prematurely and tentatively.

Washington exploited the middle of the field at times, but on out routes beyond the numbers, the Cougars blanketed Husky pass catchers and shut down Locker’s options. Locker – being the physical specimen he is – needed to shake things up with a bold scramble or two, but because he got rid of the ball so quickly on so many occasions, he robbed himself of that dimension and thereby sabotaged his own arsenal. 

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Here’s what’s even more discouraging for Washington coming out of the BYU game, which it fully expected to win: A defense that figured to be the Huskies’ true Achilles heel was actually not that bad. Allowing 21 points from BYU’s offense (plus a safety) represents a decent effort by UW’s defense. Locker – being projected by many as the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft – should have been expected to manufacture a total in the mid-20s, given the Huskies’ skill-position talent. He couldn’t. 

Washington just hasn’t hit the big-time yet, and that’s a sour reality to contemplate as this team tries to shrug off the BYU loss. 

College Football Pick: What Syracuse Has To Do To Win 

The good news for Syracuse coming out of its opener was that its quarterback can hit big plays down the field. Ryan Nassib threw two touchdown passes and racked up 229 yards on 17-for-27 passing in last Saturday’s 29-3 win for Syracuse at Akron. Nassib connected with Aaron Weaver for a 23-yard score on the game’s first series and found teammate Van Chew for a 26-yard touchdown five seconds before halftime for a 17-3 lead.  

The bad news for Syracuse is that it committed three turnovers against Akron and scored only 23 points – six of the Orange’s other points came on a blocked field goal return. Syracuse does not possess a lot of power or dynamic athleticism, so coach Doug Marrone needs his team to weed out mistakes and give away no cheap points whatsoever. That’s a starting point for a competitive game in one of college football’s tougher road environments. 

College Football Pick: What Washington Has To Do To Win 

Locker was okay against BYU, which is another way of saying that he played far below his advance billing for this, his much-hyped senior season. Locker was supposed to have a breakout year, but he was kept in a box by BYU’s defense. Locker needs to be a flat-out stud for Washington in 2010. Starting with this Syracuse game, it’s time for this gifted athlete to answer the bell. Period. 

NCAA Handicapping: Outlook & College Football Pick 

The Huskies are far from a complete team, but Syracuse is bad – really bad. (Akron, whom Syracuse dusted off by 26 points, is one of the many horrible teams in the Mid-American Conference.) Washington will get healthy at home with a lopsided win. This game won’t be close at all.  

College Football Spread Pick: Washington -13.5