Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Washington Huskies Prediction and Picks – Friday, October 10
Use Code SSWC The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will visit the Washington Huskies this Friday night for an early Big Ten matchup, and we'll preview the lines and odds in our Rutgers vs. Washington prediction. Rutgers is 0-2 since starting conference play weeks ago, while Washington is 1-1 after rebounding from a loss to No. 1 Ohio State with a road win over Maryland last week. Kickoff is set for 9:00 PM ET on Friday, October 10.
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Rutgers coming off a bye after a rough loss to Minnesota
After a Week 6 bye, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are tied for 14th in the Big Ten standings at 3-2 overall and 0-2 in conference play. They entered each of their last two games as narrow underdogs, but led in the fourth quarter before letting their losses to Iowa (38-28) and Minnesota (31-28) get away by narrow margins. A concerning common denominator: the Scarlet Knights gave up a turnover in both games while not forcing any of their own, and they committed more penalties for a greater loss of yardage than their opponents.
Rutgers was up 14-0 early in the second quarter at Minnesota, in a game they entered as 3.5-point underdogs, after quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis found sophomore receiver K.J. Duff to complete his second touchdown pass of the day. The team regressed on the scoreboard from there–the Scarlet Knights went up 21-14 just ahead of halftime after a touchdown run from Antwan Raymond, and Raymond scored the Knights' only touchdown of the second half while the Gophers scored 17 points to take the lead. Minnesota scored the go-ahead touchdown with fewer than four minutes to play, and Rutgers burned the remaining clock on a 13-play drive that only advanced 37 yards before ending in a missed 56-yard field goal.
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The Scarlet Knights still rank 19th among FBS teams in passing yards per game (293.6), but Kaliakmanis took seven sacks against the Gophers after taking only eight total against the Knights' first four opponents. He completed 21 of 34 passes for a season-low 249 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. It was a rough day against a Minnesota defense that made several drive-killing plays, finishing with 11 tackles for loss and five pass defenses in addition to the seven sacks and the interception. If Rutgers doesn't get better play from their offense, the game against Washington won't look nearly as close.
Huskies coming off big road win after slow start
At 4-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play, the Washington Huskies are good enough to rank 7th in the Big Ten standings and have received ten votes for the AP Top 25 heading into Week 7. They have several hallmarks of a good college football team and played the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes relatively well in their 24-6 loss weeks ago, but they didn't make things look easy at Maryland last week.
The Terrapins went up 20-0 over the Huskies several minutes into the third quarter, moving the ball 75 yards on nine plays to open the second half with a touchdown drive. Everything went the Huskies' way from that point on–four straight scoring drives for the offense, three of which ended in touchdowns, while their defense allowed a total of 52 yards over the Terrapins' last four scoreless drives. The result was a 24-20 win, on a cross-country road trip, against a Maryland team that was 4-0 heading into the contest.
Sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. finished the game having completed 28 of 41 passes for 275 yards, averaging a 68.3 completion percentage and 6.7 yards per attempt. It was, by far, his heaviest workload in the passing game this season–he'd attempted no more than 25 passes against any of the Huskies' first four opponents. Williams also maintained his heavy workload in the ground game, finishing with 54 rushing yards to help the team on a day when lead back Jonah Coleman struggled mightily, gaining only 57 yards on 18 attempts for a season-low 3.2 yards per carry. Beyond the bump in the standings, the win proved that Williams, who's in his first year as a starter for the Huskies, is capable of throwing the team to victory if that's what the game script requires. We'll see if he's required to again in Week 7, against a Rutgers team that Washington is projected to beat comfortably at home.
Rutgers vs. Washington Pick
Spread Pick for Rutgers vs. Washington
- Rutgers +10.5 (-110) (4 Units)
The Scarlet Knights have played two close games against Big Ten opponents since opening the season 3-0, leading both games at points in the fourth quarter. They've had a bye week ahead of this road trip to play Washington, who needed a dramatic comeback to beat Maryland 24-20 last Saturday. These teams played to a 21-18 home win for Rutgers when they met in 2024–I suspect they're still closer than the 10.5-point line here would indicate.
Over/Under Pick for Rutgers vs. Washington
- Over 59.5 (-110) (4 Units)
The Team Total Over is 5-0 in Rutgers games this season, and has hit by a comfortable margin in each of their two games against Big Ten opponents this season. It was 3-0 in Washington games before a couple of weeks ago, falling short in the team's loss to Ohio State and their win at Maryland. If the Huskies' offense carries over anything from last week and plays more than a half of competent offensive football, the 59.5 total for this game won't look so high by the end.
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