Dawgman.com Predictions – 111th Apple Cup



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It all boils down to this. A victory and you are in it. A defeat and yes, you go to a bowl game and it will probably be a decent match – but it will not be quite the same. Everything is in place Friday night in Pullman, while Washington's visiting Huskies (16-3, 6-2) hope to win their sixth consecutive Apple Cup, while the Cougars (7: 1) 7-1) to extend their Cinderella run by an extra week.

The winner of Saturday night's game goes to the Pac-12 championship, where he will face Utah. The winner of this game will go to Rose Bowl.

With so much at stake, what will be the reaction of each team? Will the Huskies arrive in the Palouse and take care of business as they have had seven of the last ten at Martin Stadium? Or will the Cougars find a way to break the losing streak and take another step towards a possible playoff spot?

Our catches are below. Who will win according to you?

John Anderson – Legend of Uk Placekicking (8-3)

It seems like it will be a cold and wet night at Pullman for this Apple Cup. The Cougs played well in football this year, but they had the chance to play smoothly and outside the conference program and were healthy all year long.

On the other hand, this Washington team is in great shape and has played very well the last two times. Being able to be at home for a month is a big advantage for a team and I think the best football on this team could be ahead.

Whoever starts fast will win this match. The Cougs have been great against players all year round and until the last two games, Washington has started slowly.

The defense belongs to the WSU since coach Pete arrived on campus. If we make a few stops earlier and get on, I can see us win easily. If they get up, we will have problems.

It's a huge game for both teams. Washington has plays that have played in a bunch of these great games over the past three years. The cougs, not so much. I will take the experience as it will matter Friday night.

Forecast: Washington 33-30

Pat Thrapp / Dawgman.com

Patrick Thrapp – Guru of Numbers (9-2)

This Apple Cup is probably the most important match between these two teams in a long time. Both teams are ranked. That said, I think it will be a very tight match. For DAWGs to win, they will have to do several things. First in attack, the Huskies must move the chains. It means a big dose of Myles Gaskin. On the defensive side, UW must put pressure. If they allow Minshew to sit in the pocket with time. I'm afraid the day is long for the Huskies.

PREDICTION: Washington 31-30

Jay Torrell / Dawgman.com

Jay Torrell – Sports Washington / Dawgman Alum (8-3)

Guess me that. If Wazzu played the Huskies program, what would be his record? Would they have won at Auburn? In Utah? In Cal? In Oregon? Utah and Cal both had the Cougs on the ropes at home. They got Oregon at home after the OT UW match. And if the Dawgs played the Cougs calendar, where are the losses? At Stanford? At USC? What I mean is that what the Cougs did is obviously more impressive than what the Dawgs did. Grow a mustache? This is the sixth road game and the fifth UW conference game! They are much more ready for this moment than the Cougs. Browning and Gaskin are ready for their Opus.

PREDICTION: Washington 38-34

Luke Mounger / Dawgman.com

Luke Mounger – Extraordinary Trainee (8-3)

Buckle your belt, guys. Here is my unfiltered catch. I am quite in the mode "I will believe it when I see it" with the Cougars. What does that mean exactly? I have watched them play several times this year, but that does not mean that I have seen them, because "it is" Mike Leach beat Chris Petersen. As long as I do not see it, I do not think it will always be possible.

Looking at the Cougs ransacking Arizona, I noticed that the average size of a beginner defensive lineman at the WSU is 6 feet 3 inches and 252 pounds. In the 2017 Apple Cup, the average starting WSU defensive lineman was 6-foot-3, 265. I am supposed to believe that this year the Cougs will be able to stop. Myles Gaskin, who ran seven touchdowns against the Cougs during his career, with a smaller defensive line? I will believe it when I see it.

The offense of Washington State Air Raid under the direction of Gardner Minshew was excellent, scoring more than 40 points per game. Minshew is good at taking what the defense gives him, which is often like checking behind the line of scrimmage. As history suggests, the Huskies have thrived against this type of offense. He plays in their forces as a defense, Jimmy Lake wants to force the mistakes to embark on long and painful impulses, making the opposite mistakes really worth it. Even after moving the sticks a few times, the Cougs will need to take some shots to create explosives and try to find the end zones. Even with Gardner Minshew under the center, Leach's air raid can put a big figure on a Husky defense that has not allowed the Cougs to score 20 points in the last five Apple Cups.

I will believe it when I see it.

PREDICTION: Washington 34-20

Chris Fetters / Dawgman.com

Chris Fetters – Publisher (9-2)

I was 50/50 until Wednesday night late, but then I settled on my last criteria: Washington State had not been there for a very long time. They had chances three years running in 2001, 2002 and 2003 – twice when Washington was not ranked – and lost all three. If WSU can not beat an unrated Washington when it was ranked # 3 in the country, how will they beat a ranked UW No. 16 team? I think the conditions are going to be very difficult, not necessarily good for a lot of throws. Turnovers are going to be the key, and the ball will certainly go out if the weather forecasts are correct. Do I think that Cougars could win this game? Absolutely. But I'm in Show Me mode. And if they manage to beat UW on Friday, I think they have a definite chance of qualifying for the Final Four. But Coug is a verb for a reason. They will find a way to do what they always do.

PREDICTION: Washington 28-24

Scott Eklund / Dawgman.com

Scott Eklund – Recruitment Editor (8-3)

Honestly, I was ready to choose Washington state in this state, but lately I've been in trouble and, as the week goes by, I feel more and more that the Huskies are the most concentrated of the season . Will it give a victory? Let's see … Washington has Trey Adams back, this should help solidify the offensive line, while Myles Gaskin continues to fight and focuses on his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season. The defense started looking for a bit of haste, although it was not the rush of four years ago with Hauoli Kikaha and Danny Sheltonbut it's better than it has been all season, and high school has had the Cougar game pass for years. As long as they do not allow Gardner Minshew to get comfortable in the pocket and separate them, what he can certainly do, I think this one ends up in the column 'W'. Huskies. I'm going to go with the Dawgs, but I think it could go both ways.

PREDICTION: Washington 31-24

Kim Grinolds / Dawgman.com

Kim Grinolds – CEO (8-3)

Budda said everything that needs to be said.

PREDICTION: Washington 41-13

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