The pick: Why Washington State will beat Arizona

PULLMAN – Here’s an interesting, hard-to-fathom stat about Washington State and Arizona. In 10 games this season, the Cougars have received three rushing touchdowns from their quarterback, Gardner Minshew. And the Wildcats? Well, Khalil Tate has zoomed in for two. The explosive, dynamic Tate, hampered most of the year by a bum ankle, has rushed for just 153 yards and it’s been eight games since he’s carried the ball into the end zone. The Wildcats are still scoring at a high clip – 37.6 points per game – but they’re more predictable without the threat of Tate’s legs. While the Cougars’ game plan may be obvious, Minshew has options aplenty and few teams have demonstrated the ability to account for all of them. Minshew should have plenty of chances to boost his Heisman Trophy resume against a mediocre Arizona pass defense and the Cougars should cruise into the Apple Cup on a seven-game win streak.

The pick: Washington State 38, Arizona 17.