Pac-12 picks, Week 13: Predicting the Apple Cup and other rivalries
The 2021 game, Jack Westover said, changed everything.
Washington tight end Jack Westover said something interesting this week.
He was asked about the Huskies’ 40-13 loss to Washington State in the 2021 Apple Cup, the Cougars’ first victory in the series since 2012. It was a rock-bottom evening for UW, which capped a 4-8 season with its most lopsided Apple Cup loss ever. An interim coaching staff oversaw the beatdown.
The school announced Kalen DeBoer as its new head coach three days later.
Westover, a sixth-year senior, points to that Apple Cup blowout as the moment everything changed.
“I think it’s just kind of the motivation in the whole program, from the athletic department to the players,” he said. “Alumni, donors, whatever it was. I think it just kind of lit a fire under everybody. That’s not to say — I think we would still have the same success. From that moment, you just saw something switch, not even on the football team, but just the whole athletic department, all of Washington.”
The Huskies took back the Apple Cup with a 51-33 win in Pullman last season, and are 16.5-point favorites to repeat on Saturday. It’s rivalry week across the Pac-12. Also, Utah and Colorado are playing each other.
There is one Friday game this week. All lines courtesy of BetMGM. All rankings courtesy of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Let’s pick some games.
(One quick note: no free story this week, due to the holiday.)
Last week: 5-1 ATS (5-1 straight up)
Season: 37-38-1 (69-15)