With college football season on the horizon, ESPN Chalk's college football experts -- Phil Steele, "Stanford Steve" Coughlin and Chris Fallica -- combine to give you betting previews of the top 25 teams, according to the ESPN College Football Rankings. They break down each team's strengths and weaknesses, along with season win total bets and national title odds.
Odds from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Aug. 14.
Washington State Cougars
National title odds: 100-1 (opened 60-1)
Season win total: 7.5
FPI win total projection: 8.1
Phil Steele
Strengths: Luke Falk turned down the NFL and returns for his fifth year in Mike Leach's system (back-to-back seasons of at least 4,400 passing yards and 38 touchdowns). The Cougars have three veteran running backs who combined for 1,634 yards rushing and another 1,014 yards receiving last year. Oh, and Washington State is the 16th most experienced team in the country. There is a lot to like about this team.
Weaknesses: They do have seven of their top eight defensive backs returning, but even so, they were just No. 77 in my pass defense rankings last year. The special teams return almost everyone, but that unit has been No. 123, 110 and 103 in my special teams rankings over the last three years.
Over/under (7.5): The Cougars won eight games last year, have 16 returning starters and have a lot of experience coming back, but I am going to go against that support and side with the under. Washington State has to face Stanford and USC at home and has road trips to Oregon, Utah and Washington, so I am projecting seven wins.
National title odds (100-1): I think it will be tough for any team not named Washington or Stanford to come out of the North. Even if Washington State did, it would likely have to beat USC in the Pac 12 title game. If you are a Cougar fan who looks through crimson and cream glasses, then there is value with a quarterback like Falk running the offense, but I will pass.
"Stanford Steve" Coughlin
Over/under (7.5): No one was higher on the Cougs toward the end of last year than I was, and they took me down with their sinking ship, ending the season with losses to Colorado and Washington before suffering the most indescribable loss of the bowl season, a 17-12 fall to Minnesota. So what do we make of the boys from Pullman? They should be undefeated when the Trojans stroll in for a Sept. 29 Friday night game, and they then head to Oregon the following week. The schedule is backloaded with road games against Arizona, Utah and Washington. I am going to say the Cougars don't reach eight wins, even though they do have nine returning starters on defense -- though, I will admit that I am still a little wounded after putting all my eggs in the Washington State basket last fall. I'll take the under.
Chris Fallica
Over/under (7.5): The Cougars should definitely start the season 4-0, and I would think they beat Colorado in Pullman, putting them at five wins. Road games at Arizona and Cal are winnable, and the Cougs put a beating on both of those teams at home last year. Assume two wins there, and that would be seven. Can they find one more win from a slate including USC, at Oregon, Stanford, at Utah and at Washington? Eight wins is doable, despite how this team floundered down the stretch and was a no-show in the bowl game. While Falk gets a good deal of the headlines, the Cougars have a good running game, and I like what Alex Grinch has done with this defense which returns nine starters. I'll call for 8-4.
National title odds (100-1): Go play black or red on the roulette wheel. You have a better chance at winning.