Apple Cup 2016: Washington State Vs. Washington For Pac-12 Division Title

Apple Cup 2016 will now decide which team wins the Pac-12 North title. The Washington State vs. Washington battle will take place in Pullman on Friday, November 25. Fox is presenting the live broadcast for college football fans, with this year’s Apple Cup deciding which team will move on to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game. A report on the game by the Football Power Index at ESPN predicts that UW will beat WSU, with a probability factor of 60.7 percent attached to it.

The 2016 Apple Cup odds currently favor Washington, as the team comes into the matchup as six-point favorites. The Huskies are ranked No. 6 in the nation and still have the best overall record in the updated Pac-12 standings. The Huskies are also expected to move up in the latest College Football Playoff poll when it gets released on Tuesday (Nov. 22). A loss by Louisville will benefit Washington and give the team a boost in all the polls.

The Washington Huskies have only lost one game in the 2016 college football season, and that loss came against the USC Trojans. UW followed that up by easily beating the Arizona State Sun Devils in Week 12 to move to 10-1 on the year. In just Pac-12 conference games, the Huskies are 7-1 to this point.

The Washington State Cougars come into the 2016 Apple Cup having just lost their first conference game of the season. WSU lost to the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 12, giving up lone possession of first place in the Pac-12 North as a result. Now the team looks to bounce back in a big way on the day after Thanksgiving.

WSU also lost its first two games of the season, falling short against Eastern Washington and Boise State due to sub-par performances by the offense. The Cougars would then win eight straight games and receive placement in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll. WSU even found a spot in the Week 12 College Football Playoff Poll. After losing to Colorado and falling to 8-3 on the season, the Cougars are expected to fall in the poll a bit.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, there are a number of extremely positive WSU bowl predictions for the postseason. WSU can make it to the Rose Bowl by beating Washington and then by winning the Pac-12 Championship Game. College football experts have also linked the Cougars to the Holiday Bowl, the Alamo Bowl, and the Foster Farms Bowl in recent weeks. Winning the 2016 Apple Cup would certainly guarantee a good bowl game invite.

There may be more on the line for the Washington Huskies than simply winning the Apple Cup on Friday. If the Huskies can beat WSU and then win the Pac-12 Championship Game, there is a very high likelihood that the team would get invited to the College Football Playoff. It would give the Huskies a 12-1 overall record that would rank among the best in college football. Going 12-1 while winning the Pac-12 title should be good enough to earn the Washington Huskies a spot in the four-team playoff and a shot at another national title.

While the 2016 Apple Cup odds may favor the Huskies by six points, the rivalry never seems to go according to what the oddsmakers predict. WSU went to Seattle with the much better record during the 2015 college football season, but ended up getting beaten badly by UW. This year, both teams have more on the line than in past years, especially after easily dispatching the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinals in divisional games. Now the stage is set for a very cold game in Pullman, where the results of the Apple Cup will dictate which school represents the division for a Pac-12 title.

[Featured Image by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images]