Apple Cup 2016 Odds: Start Time Set For Washington State Vs. Washington, Pac-12 Championship Game On The Line

Apple Cup 2016 odds still favor the Washington Huskies to beat the Washington State Cougars. WSU hosts UW on Friday afternoon (November 25) in a game that will decide which school wins the Pac-12 North. The significance is that the winner advances to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game, with a slot in the Rose Bowl on the line. The updated Pac-12 standings have the Cougars and Huskies tied for first place in the North Division with identical 7-1 records. The winner on Friday will clinch the division and advance to the Pac-12 title game against either Colorado or USC.

In the latest 2016 Apple Cup odds, UW is favored by six points over WSU. The teams also have an over/under of 65 points, which would actually be less than the teams have averaged on the season. The oddsmakers feel that defense is going to play a bigger part in this game than it has in the past, with possessions expected to be at a premium. In other words, the team that is better at taking care of the ball could emerge as the winner this year.

The Washington Huskies have only lost one game in the 2016 college football season, and that loss came against the USC Trojans. UW easily beat 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 at this point. The Huskies are holding out hopes of getting invited to the College Football Playoff, but in order to do that, they must first beat WSU and then take care of either Colorado or USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

The Washington State Cougars come into the 2016 Apple Cup having lost their first conference game of the season just last week. WSU lost to the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 12, giving up lone possession of first place in the Pac-12 North as a result. Unfortunately for WSU, the team also lost its first two games of the season, falling short against Eastern Washington and Boise State in non-conference games that the team was favored to win. The Cougars would then win eight straight games and receive placement in the AP Top 25, USA Today Coaches Poll, and College Football Playoff rankings.

Game time is 12:30 p.m. PT on Friday, November 25. Pullman will play host to the visiting Huskies, with the weather expected to be on the cold side. At start time, it should be about 45 degrees in Pullman, with the expectation that it should drop a few degrees over the course of the game. It is also predicted to rain for most of the day, suggesting the field could be very wet for the players.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the WSU bowl predictions for the postseason are still very good, despite coming up short against Colorado last week. 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, putting the team in prime position to get another bowl invite.

As for the Washington Huskies, fans of the team and the players all have their eyes set on making the College Football Playoff. That would mean passing over the Rose Bowl for a chance to add another championship trophy to the case back in Seattle. To have a chance to impress the voters, though, the Huskies have to beat the Cougars in the 2016 Apple Cup Friday afternoon. WSU and its rabid fans may have something to say about those goals, which is why the Apple Cup odds have the game predicted to be extremely close.

[Featured Image by William Mancebo/Getty Images]