WAC Fearless Predictions, Sept. 1

Previews and Predictions for the Week 1 WAC Games.

WAC  
Boise State | Fresno State | Hawaii | Idaho | Louisiana Tech
Nevada | New Mexico St | San Jose State | Utah State

WAC Week One Fearless Predictions, Part 2

WAC Fearless Predictions Sept. 8 | Sept. 15 | Sept. 22 | Sept. 29 
 Oct. 6 | Oct. 13 | Oct. 20 | Oct. 27 | Nov. 3 | Nov. 10 | Nov. 17 | Nov. 24 | Dec. 1   

WAC Game of the Week

San Jose State at Arizona State 10:00 PM
Why to watch: Arizona State will begin the Dennis Erickson era with a sneaky-tough visit from a San Jose State program led by head coach Dick Tomey, the former Arizona head coach who produced one of 2006’s most stunning turnarounds.  Erickson has a track record of impatience when rebuilding, and enough key returners on both sides of the ball to be the next best thing to USC in the Pac-10.  How quickly the Sun Devils can escape mediocrity will depend heavily on the maturation of QB Rudy Carpenter, who struggled last year, appearing to try to do too much, after leading the nation in passing efficiency as a freshman.  He’ll have the luxury of being surrounded by all-league RB Ryan Torain, a slew of veteran linemen, and an improving receiving corps that should make the offense explode. On the other side, the Spartans are looking to build on a nine-win season and come up with a huge win that could define the Tomey program.  Many of the key pieces are back; this could be a lot better than it might appear.
Why San Jose State might win: Balanced offenses will move the ball on the Arizona State defense during stretches.  The Spartans have a balanced offense.  The combination of Adam Tafralis’ passes and the running of Yonus Davis and Patrick Perry will be a handful for a Sun Devil defense that’s a tad soft on the inside and potentially vulnerable through the air.  The Spartans, particularly CBs Dwight Lowery and Christopher Owens, have become thieves under Tomey, so Carpenter needs to be extra careful with his reads.  The SJSU defense will be ultra-aggressive trying to screw things up.
Why Arizona State might win: While the Spartans are a feisty bunch on defense, they lack the size and strength to hold up against a very physical and savvy Sun Devil line.  Led by all-leaguers Mike Pollak and Brandon Rodd, ASU has six linemen with starting experience, who’ll keep Carpenter from having to leave the pocket and give lots of room for Torain to rumble for first downs.  The skill guys get the headlines, but this game will be won at the line of scrimmage. By the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils should have the Spartan defensive front worn down.
Who to watch: Carpenter’s sophomore slump wasn’t all his fault.  He got help from a young group of receivers that dropped too many passes and didn’t make enough big plays.  That’ll change in 2007 with the development of Michael Jones on the outside and Kyle Williams in the slot, both of whom flash game-breaking skills.  At 6-4 and 208 pounds, Jones has the size and ups to create a fascinating duel with Lowery. It would be extremely good for Carpenter to be sharp right away considering Colorado and its nasty defense is up next week.                    
What will happen: Alright, it was Stanford, but San Jose State bagged a Pac-10 opponent in 2006, so don’t expect it to be intimidated by the trip to the desert.  This will be a competitive game past halftime, when Torain will take over, play keep away with the Spartans, and finish with a couple of scores and 150 yards of total offense.
CFN Prediction: Arizona State 31 … San Jose State 17... Line: Arizona State -14.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef wants you to take his place on The Girls Next Door, but you can’t because you have to watch this game - 1 Cavemen) ... 2.5
Final Score:
 

WAC Thursday, August 30

SE Louisiana at New Mexico State 8:00 PM
Why to watch: The New Mexico State offensive onslaught gets a nice tune-up game before taking the show on the road against New Mexico in what could be the first really big win in the Hal Mumme era. Mumme is facing his former team which he made respectable after years of doing a whole bunch of nothing. Since leaving, SELA has sunk back into the abyss, going 2-9 last year with a 30-15 opening day loss to the Aggies. This will be worth paying attention to just to see what the Aggie offense can do out of the gate.
Why SE Louisiana might win: NMSU will be trying some different things under defensive coordinator Woody Widenhofer to generate more big plays and come up with some turnovers, and it all might come at the expense of giving up some big plays. The Lions' balanced attack might be able to move a little bit as long as it's not giving the ball away, and it has to take advantage of the deep plays that'll be there for the taking.
Why New Mexico State might win: The Lions couldn't stop the pass last year despite doing a great job of generating pressure, and although the defensive front seven should be able to get into the backfield, it won't do enough to throw Chase Holbrook off his game. SELA just doesn't have the secondary to slow things down.
Who to watch: The Lions have a good receiving corps, and it got a lot better with the addition of former UAB Blazer Courtney Smith. The sophomore is big, fast, and potentially the team's number one target as the season goes on. For the Aggies, all eyes will be on the defense. The offense will put up its numbers and its points, but if the defense isn't far better than it's been over the last two seasons, this won't be the breakthrough season expected. Shutting down, or at least slowing down, the Bears would be a good start.
What will happen: The Aggies will get their 400 passing yards, but the defense will have its lousy moments to keep the Bears in the game for a little while. The astronomical numbers will come by the fourth quarter.
CFN Prediction: New Mexico State 52 ... SE Louisiana 20 ... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5 Hef wants you to take his place on The Girls Next Door, but you can’t because you have to watch this game - 1 Cavemen) ... 1.5
Final Score:  

UNLV at Utah State 8:00 PM
Why to watch: O.K. UNLV, here's your chance to get off to a good start and finally, finally start to turn things around in the Mike Sanford era. The schedule gets way nasty over the next month, so a loss, or a bad performance, against Utah State could be a big problem early on. For the Aggies, just getting a win of any sort is vital to finally, finally turning around the program under head coach Brent Guy. They have to take advantage of everyone home opportunity they can get, and after a year of being among the worst teams in college football, they have to show right away that this is a new team and a new year.
Why UNLV might win: Does Utah State have any offense to keep up if UNLV gets any points on the board? The experience is there, but the playmakers aren't, as the Aggies lack the difference makers who can take a game by the horns. The offensive backfield is mediocre at best, and it won't have the consistency to give the average defense a break if UNLV's offense starts to click. The Aggie secondary shouldn't be able to handle the Rebel receivers.
Why Utah State might win: It's not like the Rebel offense has blown up under Sanford, and it'll likely take a few games before it gets going this year thanks to all the issues at quarterback. Utah State is loaded with veteran players who've been through all the lean times. Talent might be an issue, but all 11 starters are back on defense with a ton of depth waiting in the wings. This isn't a big defense, but it's just quick enough to potentially be disruptive if the Rebels aren't sharp.
Who to watch: UNLV QB Rocky Hinds gutted it out on a gimpy knee throughout last season, and unfortunately, it still seems to be giving him problems. While Hinds is still the team's best quarterback, it'll be up to redshirt freshman Travis Dixon to lead the way after a good off-season. Not the passer Hinds is, Dixon is a good runner who fits the spread offense a little bit better. He was an ultra-efficient high school passer who should grow into the face of the program over the next few years if Hinds isn't able to come back healthy this season.
What will happen: Dixon will be impressive, the Rebel offense will move like it wasn't able to throughout last year, and Utah State will start the season with a rough loss after a good first half.
CFN Prediction: UNLV 31 ... Utah State 16 ... Line: UNLV -7.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef wants you to take his place on The Girls Next Door, but you can’t because you have to watch this game - 1 Cavemen) ... 1.5

Weber State at Boise State 9:05 PM
Why to watch: When we last saw Boise State, it was stopping hearts and getting everyone out of their seats with some of the most inventive playcalling and execution in college football history in the win over Oklahoma. Now the spotlight is on more than ever with everyone expecting miracles out of Chris Petersen's team every year, and he just might have the team to do it. Before going to Washington next week, the Broncos will have a chance to get their ya-yas out against an overmatched Weber State team that could be a bit more dangerous than expected.
Why Weber State might win: Jimmy Barnes. The best quarterback in the game will likely be playing for the Wildcats, as former Alabama slinger Jimmy Barnes has the size, arm, and talent to quickly become a difference maker after transferring this summer. The offense has light years to go before it can keep up in shootouts, but if Boise State gets up early and mentally lets down, Barnes, behind a strong offensive line, might be able to bomb the Wildcats back into it.
Why Boise State might win: While Weber State should be decent defensively, it doesn't have the defensive line to hold up for a full sixty minutes against the nasty Bronco offensive line. It doesn't take much for RB Ian Johnson to produce, and he'll get plenty of running room on the outside. The BSU defensive back seven should dominate when the outcome is still in question. Weber State's offense simply won't be up to snuff, even with Barnes winging it.
Who to watch: After a long battle to replace Jared Zabransky as the starting Boise State quarterback, senior Taylor Tharp won, but barely, and will get the starting nod after a decent off-season. He has the most experience and is the best passer of the bunch, but he's not a runner and doesn't have a huge arm. Junior Bush Hamdan has the arm and is a runner, but he's not accurate, while sophomore Nick Lomax is a bomber. If the game gets out of hand, it'll be interesting to see how much time the backups get and how they respond.
What will happen: Weber State's defense will keep this from getting out of hand early, but it won't have the offense to make this a game in the second half.
CFN Prediction: Boise State 38 ... Weber State 10 ... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5 Hef wants you to take his place on The Girls Next Door, but you can’t because you have to watch this game - 1 Cavemen) ... 1
 

WAC Saturday, September 1

Nevada at Nebraska  3:30 PM ABC
Why to watch: Don't look ahead ... don't look ahead ... don't look ahead. You'll have to forgive Nebraska fans if they're just a wee bit excited for the coming weeks with a trip to face defending ACC champion Wake Forest coming next week followed up with the showdown that's basically been five years in the making for the Husker program when USC comes to town. In the meantime, there's still a lot to cover, with Sam Keller taking over the quarterback reins and needing to get his feet wet in what could be the most dynamic passing attack in school history. Nevada is in a true transition phase, with a good team that should be far, far better after a few games under its belt. The Wolf Pack won't be a pushover and should keep it competitive for at least a half.
Why Nevada might win: The Wolf Pack should be able to keep the Nebraska ground game in relative check. The Husker offensive line is good, but not a killer, while Nevada's strength early on should be in the defensive front, more importantly, in the linebacking corps. This is a tougher team than Husker fans might realize, and it has the strength to force Keller to be the one to keep the offense moving.
Why Nebraska might win: It's never, ever a good thing when a team is still uncertain about its starting quarterback situation this late in the summer. Nevada's average offensive line should have big problems early on if the Huskers can generate any semblance of a pass rush, while the Pack secondary will have a hard time with the Nebraska receivers if they get on a roll. This might be a good Nevada team that should be in the WAC title race, but it's not quite as strong as its been in previous years, and it's not the same team that gave Miami such a hard time in the MPC Computers Bowl.
Who to watch: Nevada's starting quarterback won't be under the microscope like Keller, but he'll still need to be efficient to keep this from being ugly. Trying to replace long-time starter Jeff Rowe will be either Nick Graziano or Colin Kaepernick, who can both run and who can each lead the offense. Graziano has a little bit of experience with great skills, while the rail-thin 6-6 Kaepernick has to throw like a tall player and has to be consistent. Also not throwing up to his size is Keller, who'll be overanalyzed by the pro scouts as well as the more demanding Husker fans. Keller tends to drop down on his throws, but that won't matter if he's making plays. He has to show that this is his offense and his team from the first drive.
What will happen: Nevada will be plucky, and should be good enough defensively to hang around for a little while, but the Huskers will have too much pop on both sides of the ball. After about 20 minutes, this will start to look like a special Nebraska team.
CFN Prediction: Nebraska 38 ... Nevada 14 ... Line: Nebraska -19.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef wants you to take his place on The Girls Next Door, but you can’t because you have to watch this game - 1 Cavemen) ... 2.5

WAC Week One Fearless Predictions, Part 2