The schedule overlap tells you plenty. Both teams have played Oregon State, Utah State, Boise State and San Diego State in the last 5 weeks. Colorado State beat San Diego State, which beat Washington State. Utah State handled the Rams 31-14 and needed everything to get past the Cougars 17-16. Boise State hung 64 on CSU and 31 on WSU. Neither team comes out of those results looking clearly better than the other.
The CSU defense is what decides this one. Boise State piled up 669 total yards, the 8th-most in Broncos program history, scored touchdowns on its first 4 drives and punted once. That came 3 weeks after Texas State put 66 on the Rams. A Washington State offense that managed 6 points against Fresno State and 10 against Boise State at home is about to see the softest defense on its schedule. Whether the Cougars can finally turn that into a full game is the whole story.
Pullman should be cloudy and around 49 degrees, with almost no wind and a 32% chance of rain, so the weather shouldn't decide anything. Both teams are out of the Pac-12 race and well below .500, which makes this a pride game for one team and a chance for the other to stop the bleeding. Washington State has the week of rest and the home crowd. Colorado State has the quarterback who's been doing something lately.
