Washington has all the answers for Auburn in top-10 showdown

The wrong team is favored in Saturday’s top-10 matchup between Washington and Auburn, a 2-point favorite.

There are three reasons to favor Auburn: Southeastern Conference athletes, a not-so-neutral Atlanta crowd and perhaps the nation’s best defensive line outside of Clemson.

But I made Washington a 2½-point favorite. The Huskies have personnel answers in all the right spots.

That gifted Auburn defensive line? Washington’s offensive tackles include a first-round NFL draft prospect (Trey Adams) and a first-team All-Pac-12 candidate (Kaleb McGary). Auburn’s passing game with quarterback Jarrett Stidham? Washington’s secondary might be the best in the country.

The Huskies also should handle the Tigers’ running game, which will produce at below-average program levels this season. Auburn’s one-dimensional offense will allow Washington to unleash its pass rush against unsteady offensive tackles.

Tigers coach Gus Malzahn is 1-5 against the spread in neutral-site games since 2013. The Huskies’ Chris Petersen is the superior coach. Washington will be favored in the remaining 11 games, and this is the chance for the Huskies to get some national love.

Take Washington plus the points and don’t be surprised if it pulls off the outright upset.

Four more plays (home team in CAPS):

West Virginia (-9½) over Tennessee: Quarterback Will Grier was on pace for a staggering 4,472 passing yards last season when he broke a finger. Tennessee must replace both starting cornerbacks from an average 2017 pass defense. A first-time head coach installing a new base defense should make Grier’s eyes wide. Tennessee averaged 14.1 points in the SEC last season and won’t be able to take advantage of a mediocre Mountaineers defense.

Massachusetts (+18) over BOSTON COLLEGE: Teams that win by at least 35 points before Week 5 and are underdogs of at least 17 points the following week are 22-6 ATS (79 percent) since 2014. UMass fits the bill. The Minutemen lost by a combined 14 points at Mississippi State and at Tennessee last season and are 9-2 ATS in their past 11 games as underdogs. Senior quarterback Andrew Ford threw for 22 touchdowns against four interceptions last season. UMass returns nine starters on offense, including one of the nation’s most explosive rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver. Boston College running back AJ Dillon will run wild. But UMass should play enough keep-away to stay competitive, and a back-door cover is also possible.

Marshall (-2) over MIAMI (OHIO): The Bobcats are 1-27 straight up under Chuck Martin when allowing more than 27 points in a game. That’s scary here. The Thundering Herd must replace their starting quarterback and both coordinators. But new offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey ran 77.1 plays per game last season at Sam Houston State with a quarterback who threw for more than 5,000 yards. Marshall will play fast and throw deep, and the roster is stacked with big-play receivers. The Bobcats averaged 24.4 points last season but are not suited to match Marshall score for score.

FLORIDA STATE (-7) over Virginia Tech: The Hokies did well to reach nine wins last season, and the Seminoles almost had their 36-year bowl streak snapped. Florida State has since hired a new coach, and Virginia Tech has lost a lot of talent, including Cam Phillips, the school’s career receiving leader. But poor defensive coordinator Bud Foster. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, defensive back Terrell Edmunds and defensive tackle Tim Settle declared for the NFL draft with eligibility remaining. Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois won back his job and should make the difference.

Christopher Smith of AL.com, NOLA.com and MyBookie is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Follow @cfblocksmith on Twitter.