It’s been 15 years since the Washington State flag was first flown during a taping of ESPN’s College Gameday. For the 226 broadcasts since, it’s been a presence in the background as Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard wince and grin their way through terrible picks from celebrities both borderline and legitimate. And now, for the first time ever, that flag will fly on its home turf.
Oregon vs. Washington State 2018 pick: Prediction, start time, and TV/live stream info
Take the over, there’s gonna be points.
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
No. 25 Washington State will host No. 12 Oregon and the iconic pregame show in a battle that will create some vital separation in a muddled Pac-12 North race. The Cougars and Ducks are two of four teams (Stanford, Washington) with a lone conference loss staining their resume, but only one of those teams can represent the division in front of a crowd of hundreds at the conference title game. By defending his home turf Saturday, Mike Leach can pave the path to his first-ever division title — but can he dispatch the Ducks?
Oregon vs. Washington State prediction:
Numbers cannot quantify the mind of Mike Leach, but the S&P+ index ranks Washington State as the nation’s No. 29 team. Oregon clocks in at No. 34, because the Pac-12 may be a tad overrated this fall, for what is surely the first time ever. The preseason predictor saw this as a three-point win for the Ducks ...but betting against Leach is like betting against chaos, and that didn’t factor in the added instability of bringing Gameday to town. Cougs by 6.
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: FoxSportsGo, fuboTV
- Odds: Washington State is favored by 2.5 points.
Oregon vs. Washington State news:
- Gameday at Washington State is a big deal. Kinda.
Way back on October 4, 2003, the WSU flag was flown at the GameDay broadcast in Austin, Texas by alumnus Tom Pounds to display some school spirit. Soon, it turned into a campaign to entice the show’s producers to make the trip to Pullman. The Cougs were coming off a Rose Bowlappearance and were in the midst of their third consecutive 10-win season. In fact, appearance No. 1 came on the heels of WSU’s 55-14 beatdown of Oregon in Eugene that propelled the Cougs to No. 14 in the polls.
Since then, Ol’ Crimson — as the flag came to be known — has flown from each and every location at which the broadcast has originated. That’s 216 consecutive appearances across 15 years, during which time WSU football has seen plenty of ups, but mostly downs, which meant the show never made it’s way to God’s Country in southeast Washington.
Until now.
- Can Oregon still carve a path to the College Football Playoff? (probably not.)
- What was the best thing about Washington State’s romp over Oregon State? The offense. It’s always the offense.
- The Ducks are flying high after last week’s upset win over Washington in overtime.
Is Gardner Minshew more than just a system QB?
Washington State is 2-1 against Power 5 opponents this fall, losing to a decent-but-disappointing USC team and beating Utah (who is good) and Oregon State (who is not). Oregon will give the Cougars another chance to prove themselves, and they’ll have the benefit of a rabid home crowd. Any win starts with quarterback Gardner Minshew, the big-armed passer with a name plucked from NCAA Football ‘08’s random recruit generator. He’s averaging more than 400 passing yards and three touchdowns per game this season, so expect some fireworks in prime time.
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