WAC
Boise State
| Fresno
State | Hawaii
| Idaho
| Louisiana Tech
Nevada
| New
Mexico St |
San Jose
State | Utah State
- Past WAC Predictions:
Week One |
Week Two
WAC Week
Three Fearless Predictions, Part
2
WAC Game of
the Week
Fresno
State
(1-1) at
Washington
(1-1), 6:30 EST, Saturday, September
16th
Why to Watch:
The battle between the Dogs is another
tussle for bragging rights between the
Pac-10 and the WAC. San Jose State and
Boise State represented the WAC well
with big wins over Stanford and Oregon
State respectively, while Washington and
Oregon picked up victories over San Jose
State and Fresno State. After the win
over San Jose State, Washington ran into
an Oklahoma buzz saw in the second half
of their loss in Norman, while Fresno
State battled Oregon throughout the
game, but got beat by a fake field goal
in the fourth quarter. This conference
rubber match, so to speak, is a huge for
both teams. Fresno State wants to
reestablish that it belongs among the
BCS conference teams, while Washington
desperately needs a good win under head
coach Ty Willingham.
Why Fresno State Might Win:
Fresno State should be able to pound it
with RB Dwayne Wright, the number three
rusher in the nation who’s averaging 156
yards per game. It might sound
simplistic to just turn and hand him the
ball, but the senior power back has been
nothing short of sensational early in
the season. One week after running
over, around and through Nevada, Wright
ran for 154 yards on 29 carries to help
the Bulldogs maintain a nine-minute time
of possession advantage against Oregon.
Washington hasn’t been able to slow down
the run yet, and it won’t this week.
Why Washington Might Win: The
Huskies can also run the ball ranking
ninth in the country in rushing
registering 252 yards per game. Against
San Jose State’s porous D, that’s easy
to understand, but the Huskies ran for
204 yards against Oklahoma with a few
big dashes to make it interesting. QB
Isaiah Stanback has to get involved as a
threat early on to utilize his blazing
speed and decent arm. By scrambling, he
keeps backside defenders from closing
too quickly on running backs Louis
Rankin and Kenny James.
Who to Watch: Containing a
versatile quarterback like Stanback
isn’t ever easy for opposing
linebackers, which makes the play of
Fresno State linebackers Dwayne Andrews
and Alan Goodwin incredibly important.
These two have to stay disciplined and
not be over-aggressive every time
Stanback is on the move.
What Will Happen: Fresno State
had the best audition it could possibly
have had facing Oregon’s dynamic Dennis
Dixon last week. However, Stanback
isn’t throwing the ball nearly as well
as Dixon, or as often. Once the Bulldog
defense slows the Washington offensive
unit, FSU QB Tom Brandstater should find
play action to his liking while the
Huskies chase the bruising Wright. If
Brandstater completes 60% of his throws
and doesn’t turn the ball over (he threw
two picks last week), the Bulldogs will
win.
CFN Prediction:
Fresno State 34 ... Washington 28
... Line: Fresno State -3.5
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
2.5
Boise
State (2-0) at
Wyoming
(1-1) 3:30 PM EST Saturday September 16th
Why to
Watch: This will be the first game
off the Smurf Turf for Boise State since
November of last year. When the Broncos
come off of the blue turf, it can be
interesting to say the least without
much of the same magic it's able to
produce at home. However, this is a
different, more complete team than in
recent years, and the other ones were
very good. The talk has already started
about Boise State going to the BCS and
Wyoming would like nothing better than
to dispel that discussion with a huge W
at home on Saturday to generate a buzz
about the program. However, Wyoming is
coming off of a long trip to the East
coast coming off a loss to Virginia
thanks to a missed extra point in
overtime.
Why Boise State Might Win: Yes,
Boise State scored 42 unanswered points
against a BCS conference opponent last
week, but what was more impressive was
how it did it. The Broncos ran basic
power and isolation plays after Oregon
State took a 14 – 0 lead and pounded OSU
into submission with RB Ian Johnson.
However, it’s the ease with which the
offensive line took over the game up
front that should have Wyoming fans
concerned. There were a number of
occasions where Johnson wasn’t even
touched before he got into the
secondary, and he should have room to
move on the Cowboy front.
Why Wyoming Might Win: Whether
it’s a myth or not, the Broncos do often
play like a different team on the road.
Will that translate into Wyoming being
able to slow down the run? The Cowboys
have given up a total of 87 rushing
yards in two games, ranking tenth in the
nation, meaning the pressure will likely
be on Boise State QB Jared Zabransky to
not turn the ball over in the passing
game. The Boise State signal caller has
been better this year, but has a history
of giving it away when faced with
unyielding pressure in his face.
Who to Watch: The Wyoming
offensive line must do a better job than
Oregon State did of getting a hat on BSU
LB Korey Hall. OSU’s Yvenson Bernard is
a solid back who couldn’t escape Hall,
who should be the key to slowing down
anything Wyoming wants to do
offensively. If he's free to roam, the
Bronco defense could dominate. Boise
State’s offense hasn’t struggled one bit
this year, even after losing
All-American Daryn Colledge thanks to
the play of tackle, Ryan Clady who's
playing like a future All-American. His
ability to lock down the edge of the
Wyoming defense cuts off inside pursuit
and gives Johnson his choice of where to
run.
What Will Happen: Wyoming will
tackle better than Oregon State did so
Johnson isn’t going to be able to run
like this was flag football. However,
Wyoming may have to bring safety John
Wendling into the box to help stop him,
opening a lot of room for the passing
game in the deep middle of the field.
Zabransky has grown and matured this
year and his decision making has
improved tremendously, and this will be
the game that he has to rely on his
perimeter weapons at wide receiver. As
proven in last week’s game, Wyoming head
ball coach Joe Glenn will be aggressive
and even pull a few tricks out of his
bag to keep the Cowboys in this one.
Now, if they can just make an extra
point. Unfortunately, it won’t matter
much this week.
CFN Prediction:
Boise
State 33 ... Wyoming 27
... Line: Boise State -8
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
2.5
Idaho State
(1-1) at Idaho
(0-2) 5:05 PM EST Saturday September 16th
Why to
Watch: Dennis Erickson’s Vandals
finally get a chance to play at home
against a team its own size. The two
road trips they took in games one and
two were like night and day for the
Vandals – competitive at East Lansing in
a close battle with Michigan State, out
of it from jump in Pullman against
Washington State. So, a home game
against D-IAA Idaho State could smooth
the rough spots. However, the Bengals
aren’t willing to be Idaho’s patsy in an
in-state semi-rivalry game. The Bengals
destroyed Fort Lewis 48–12, a wee after
getting pasted by UNLV.
Why Idaho State Might Win: D-IAA
teams have shown throughout the 2006
non-conference season that they’re not
willing to roll over and just take a
check home in the process. With former
Michigan QB Matt Gutierrez at the helm,
the Bengals have a bona fide QB/leader
who won’t fear the Vandals or their
secondary. The Vandal back four was
shredded by Washington State’s Alex
Brink, who completed 12 of 15 for 231
yards and 3 touchdowns in the 56–17
Cougar win. Gutierrez should have few
problems coming up with some big plays.
Why Idaho Might Win: The drop
off from Michigan State and Washington
State, two BCS conference bowl
contenders, to Idaho State, at best the
fourth ranked team in the Big Sky,
should be the perfect remedy for an 0-2
start. After playing Brink last week,
the Vandals should be prepared to face a
pocket passer like Gutierrez and should
be able to generate a little bit of
pressure. On the other side of the
ball, the Vandal running game should be
physically dominant against Idaho
State’s front seven.
Who to Watch: Idaho State LB
Pago Togafau is charged with the
responsibility of stopping Idaho RB
Jayson Bird, who should be able to play
despite his injured knee. Togafau, the
pre-season All-American, is tied for the
team lead in tackles with 18 and should
add to that total after locking horns
with Bird throughout the game. The
Vandals have to pressure Gutierrez
throughout this game, which puts the
spotlight squarely on the Idaho
defensive line. The Vandals have only
one sack on the season, and they must
start to generate more pressure out of
their base schemes.
What Will Happen: Predictably,
the Idaho offensive line should get more
run game work against the undermanned
Bengal front seven, but Erickson is
promising to open things up for QB
Stephen Wichman to help him get back on
track. Last week, Wichman completed
only 11 of 31 passes in Pullman, so
getting something to happen early with a
big play out of the passing game is
crucial to his continued development in
Erickson’s offense.
CFN Prediction:
Idaho 38 ... Idaho State 13
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ... 1
Nicholls State
(1-1) at Louisiana
Tech (0-1) 7:00 PM
EST ESPN Gameplan Saturday September 16th
Why to
Watch: The state of Louisiana
lights up when two of their own take the
field to do battle, as these two teams
will do in Shreveport on Saturday
night. The Bulldogs are coming off of a
bye week which followed a 49-10 pasting
by Nebraska. Well, what do you know?
Nicholls State visits Louisiana Tech one
week after suffering the same fate in
Lincoln losing 56-7. Louisiana Tech
needed this to tune up for a brutal
three game stretch against Texas A&M,
Clemson and Boise State.
Why Nicholls State Might Win:
Playing Nebraska isn’t the best way to
build confidence, but what it gave NSU
the experience of playing the game at a
much faster pace than normal. That
experience, combined with the fact that
the players that take the field have
played against each other throughout
high school, shouldn’t intimidate the
D-IAA Colonels, who were the Southland
Conference champs in 2005. Tech wasn't
able to do much of anything outside of
throwing the ball on Nebraska and is
still not going to be fully sharp.
Why Louisiana Tech Might Win:
The bye week let the Bulldogs heal some
physical and mental wounds they suffered
in Lincoln and prepare for the pesky
Colonels. The Bulldog defense won’t be
facing a facing an offensive line like
Nebraska’s, so it should be able to get
penetration in the backfield, which
should force Nicholls State’s option
attack into turnovers. When the
Bulldogs do get the ball back, the
offense has two of the best receivers in
the WAC – Johnathan Holland, he of the
highlight reel one-hand grab against
Nebraska and Eric Newman.
Who to Watch: The Tech running
game still hasn’t taken hold for the
Bulldogs rushing for only 67 yards total
against Nebraska. If the Bulldog backs,
Patrick Jackson and Freddie Franklin,
can’t put up 175+ yards on Nicholls
State, QB Zac Champion will have to
carry the offense through the air, which
isn’t a good option at this point. The
Colonels have two stars at safety, Toney
Edison and Kareem Moore, who combined
for 31 tackles against Nebraska last
week.
What Will Happen: Champion and
the passing game should set the tone
early by attacking downfield on Edison,
Moore and company. But, the Tech QB has
to be more accurate throwing the ball,
as he was only 12 of 27 in the opener,
however, with a better running
performance from his backs, his accuracy
should improve. On the other side of
the ball, Nicholls State’s triple option
attack will control the clock, but an
aggressive and opportunistic Tech
defense should create at least 3
turnovers. NSU will complete a pass
after going 0-for-3 against the Huskers.
CFN Prediction:
Louisiana Tech 28 ... Nicholls State 13
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
1
WAC Week
Three Fearless Predictions, Part
2