How are the picks so far? SU:
53-14 ... ATS:
29-31-2
Mountain
West
Game of
the Week
Utah (8-3) at BYU (8-2)
2:00 PM CSTV Why to
Watch:
Even if this weren’t for the MWC title –
or at least a chance for BYU to clinch
it – you’d want to tune in to see one of
the more underrated rivalries around.
The two teams are only separated by
about an hour, and they have a true
dislike for each other, as it’s supposed
to be. A Cougar victory means the
Mountain West crown, no matter what
happens next week against San Diego
State. A Utah win gives the Utes some
hope of a tie (and edge in the
tiebreaker), provided the Cougs stumble
against the Aztecs next week. There is
also a personal angle here, since Utah
coach Kyle Whittingham played at BYU and
is viewed by some as a traitor. Last
year, these two played one of the best
games of the year with now-Miami Dolphin
John Beck beating the Utes on a last
second pass. If this year’s showdown is
half as good, it’ll be one of the
must-see games of the weekend. Why Utah Might Win: The Utes have
won seven in a row and are playing some
great defense, especially in the
secondary. And while the Cougars like to
run the ball, they are primarily trying
to move it through the air. That should
help out the Utes, who will bring
pressure on BYU QB Max Hall with Martail
Burnett, who has seven sacks this year.
Darrell Mack, who has run for 1,072
yards and scored nine times, has been a
godsend for the Utes as he’s been taking
always work and pressure from
multi-talented QB Brian Johnson. Who has
come back from injury to be
ultra-efficient. Give the special teams
edge to the Utes, thanks to
punter/kicker Louie Sakoda, one of the
nation’s best. Why BYU
Might Win:
The Utes are doing it primarily with
defense, but BYU is winning with a bit
of everything. Even though its run
offense is ranked 78th
nationally, Harvey Unga rushed for 110
yards and two scores last week against
Wyoming and has been effective whenever
he gets the ball ins his hands. That was
his fifth 100-yard game of the year; he
has 909 yards and nine scores to his
credit. QB Max Hall is providing the
balance with 21 TD passes and 3,121
passing yards providing plenty of
balance. The BYU defense, tenth in the
nation against the run, will force the
Utes to throw the ball more than they’re
used to. Who to
Watch:
The Cougars are loaded with young,
talented players, and one is sophomore
lineman Jan Jorgensen with 61 tackles,
and 8.5 sacks including 14 for loss. One
of the nation’s steadier pass rushers,
it’ll be up to him to force Johnson to
hurry. What Will Happen: The Cougars are
too strong throughout for the Utes and
clinch the league title a week early.
CFN Prediction:
BYU 27 …
Utah 17...
Line: BYU -4.5 Must See Rating: (5 The
inside of your eyelids after eating two
pounds of turkey
- 1 The
inside of a gym with every 120 calories
equaling a mile on the treadmill) ...4
Mountain West Friday, November
23rd
Wyoming (5-6) at Colorado State
(2-9)
2:00 PM Why
to Watch:
This could well be Sonny
Lubick’s final game at Colorado
State. Although the veteran
coach has had a proud and
esteemed career in Fort Collins,
the Rams have sagged a bit, and
though they won last week over
Georgia Southern, this year’s
2-9 campaign has done little to
soothe some angry alums. Look
for the home crowd to fete
Lubick while also graciously
holding the door open for him.
Wyoming, meanwhile, looks to put
a stop to a three-game skid and
close what began so
encouragingly in fine fashion.
After last week’s loss to BYU,
the Cowboys have lost five of
six and are surrendering a lot
of points. Why
Wyoming Might Win:
Even though the Cowboy defense
has become more generous of
late, it faces a particularly
vulnerable CSU D, which
surrendered 34 to I-AA Georgia
Southern last week. Expect backs
Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon to
snap out of recent funks and
hope QB Karsten Sween avoids the
interceptions that have plagued
him throughout the season.
Colorado State is known more for
its ground attack than anything
else, something that plays right
into the hands of the stout
Cowboy run defense. Why
Colorado State Might Win:
The Rams will no doubt have some
extra incentive to perform well
for Lubick, who is a beloved
figure around campus. They’ll
also have Gartrell Johnson, who
had 136 yards and two scores
last week and continues to be
one of the big stories of the
second half of this MWC season.
The Rams are giving up a lot of
points, but their pass defense
is solid and is 28th
nationally in yards surrendered.
Expect them to pick off at least
one Sween pass, who has given
away 17 on the year. Who
to Watch:
Colorado State QB Caleb Hanie
had no problems completing
passes; it just so happened that
several went to the other side.
Against Air Force he had four
interceptions – in the first
half. But his performance the
past two games has been
especially impressive going
26-of-35 (74.3%) for 465 yards,
with five touchdown throws and
zero interceptions. Over the
past five games, Hanie has
tossed just two picks, quite an
improvement over the 12 he threw
in the first six contests.
What Will Happen: If this is
indeed Lubick’s last game at CSU,
he goes out in style as the
newly-balanced Ram attack
prevails.
CFN Prediction:
Colorado
State 23 … Wyoming 17
...
Line: Colorado State -3 Must See Rating: (5
The inside of your
eyelids after eating two pounds
of turkey
- 1
The inside of a gym with every
120 calories equaling a mile on
the treadmill) ...2
Mountain West Saturday, November
24th
UNLV (2-9) at New Mexico (7-4) 5:30 PM Why
to Watch:
The Lobos get a chance to close
their regular season out with
eight wins and make their
argument for a bowl game much
stronger, especially with a 5-3
conference record. Unable to
play in its home bowl, the New
Mexico Bowl, it’s all about
positioning. UNLV, meanwhile,
gets a chance to snap its
seven-game losing streak, while
continuing the development of
redshirt freshman QB Travis
Dixon. The Rebels desperately
need something to build off of,
while the Lobos can’t afford to
lose at home to the league’s
worst team. Why
UNLV Might Win:
Dixon has been strong since
coming back to the starting
position two games ago
completing 26-of-43 passes for
368 yards, four scores and only
one interception. He isn’t going
to shred defenses with his arm,
but he’s a strong run-pass
threat to keep the Lobos on
their heels. He has a good
complement in 880-yard rusher
Frank Summers, who’s eager to
put last week’s tough game
against TCU (15 yards) behind
him. Although the Rebel offense
struggled last week, it has been
solid the past few campaigns and
should put up some points
against a New Mexico attack
which is somewhat vulnerable to
the pass. Why
New Mexico Might Win:
The Lobos have an even better
run-pass punch than the Rebels,
thanks to Rodney Ferguson, who
has 1,062 yards on the ground,
and QB Donovan Porterie, who has
thrown for 2,437 yards and has
been intercepted only six times
this year. He’ll make liberal
use of wideout Marcus Smith,
while the Lobos will rely on
John Sullivan, who has made
24-of-27 field goal attempts
this year, to help close the
deal if the offense can’t get
into the end zone. And even if
Summers is determined to
improve, the strength of the
Lobo defense is against the run,
which should allow it to
concentrate on putting pressure
on Dixon. Who
to Watch:
Dixon lost his job for a couple
games to surprising walk-on Omar
Clayton, but now that Clayton is
out for the year, Dixon is back
and performing well. Dixon
doesn’t have Clayton’s
explosiveness, but he is
steadier, makes better decisions
and understands the offense
better. His accuracy in the past
two weeks through the air proves
that, along with his lack of
turnovers. Dixon will have a
fight next year for the starting
job, but he has the tools to
win.
What Will Happen: New Mexico may have stumbled last week against Utah, but it has too
much offensive balance to lose
to the Rebels.
CFN Prediction:
New
Mexico 30 … UNLV 17
...
Line: New Mexico -10.5 Must See Rating: (5
The inside of your
eyelids after eating two pounds
of turkey
- 1
The inside of a gym with every
120 calories equaling a mile on
the treadmill) ...2.5
TCU (6-5) at San Diego State
(4-6)
8:00 PM Why
to Watch:
The Horned Frogs get a chance to
salvage a disappointing season
with a seventh win and probably
a bowl berth with what would be
their third win in four games as
they try to continue the
momentum generated on offense in
last week’s 34-10 win over UNLV.
The Aztecs, meanwhile, are
stinging from a big loss to Air
Force last week and are hoping
to climb closer to .500 with a
win this week and then a victory
next week against BYU. Why
TCU Might Win:
The Frogs rushed for 251 yards
against UNLV and should have
similar success against the
nation’s 103rd ranked
run defense. QB Andy Dalton ran
for two TDs against the Rebels,
but top back Aaron Brown injured
his ankle last week and may not
be available. That’s not good
news, but TCU gets its real work
done on defense, particularly
against the run, with the
defensive front that should be
able to keep SDSU QB Kevin
O’Connell under wraps. Last
week, the Frogs held UNLV to
just 22 yards on the ground and
have the nation’s 15th
best overall D. TCU averages 3.2
sacks a game and 7.3 tackles for
loss, both top-20 stats. Why
San Diego State Might Win:
The Aztecs are going to rely
heavily on O’Connell, who has
thrown for 2,409 yards this
season, including 384 last week
against the Air Force. The
Aztecs get their business done
through the air and need a big
game from O’Connell. Even though
TCU had a good ground game last
week, the Frogs have just the
nation’s 85th-best
offense and are not exactly
known for piling up the points.
Yes, SDSU has struggled
defensively, but if it can keep
turnovers to a minimum and keep
Dalton under control on the
ground, they should stay in the
game. Who
to Watch:
TCU defensive end Chase Ortiz
was named last week’s Mountain
West top defensive player with
one of the best performances in
his terrific career. He had
three tackles for loss,
including two sacks, seven
overall stops, two forced
fumbles and a recovery. For the
year, the two-time MWC first
team all-league selection has
14.5 tackles behind the line and
eight sacks. O’Connell had
better account for him on every
play, or Ortiz will make his
life miserable.
What Will Happen: The Frog defense will keep O’Connell under control, especially since
SDSU’s ground attack is shaky,
and use its revitalized ground
game to claim a methodical
victory.
CFN Prediction:
TCU
24 … San Diego State 10
...
Line: TCU -10.5 Must See Rating: (5
The inside of your
eyelids after eating two pounds
of turkey
- 1
The inside of a gym with every
120 calories equaling a mile on
the treadmill) ...2
