The WAC Landmine Games
The traps to watch out for
By
Pete Fiutak
Landmine Games For Every Team
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It's
next to impossible for a team to get
up for every game over the course of
the long season. It's easy to be
jazzed for the big rival or the top
five team, but college kids can't
remain focused enough to play razor
sharp for one game and then
maintain the same high level again the next week for the also-ran.
Below are
the very dangerous letdown games for
each team. These might be sandwich games, games a team and
the fans won't take seriously, the game after a big
rivalry, the game before a big game, or just a game that the
team just won't be stoked for and could turn into a painful
loss against a weaker opponent. If you find yourself
arguing that these games will be easy, you're jumping into the
same trap these teams might fall into. At the very least,
these could be tougher tests than your favorite team might
think. Sure, the team might win the game, but it might
be pushed very, very hard.
Boise State
- Nov. 6 at Louisiana Tech
This is a landmine because ... This is where the dream
season has the potential to die. Even if the Broncos
beat Oregon to start the season, and come up with
good road wins at Fresno State and Tulsa, they could
start to feel the effects of so much time away from
the blue turf in a deadly WAC battle in Ruston.
Boise State will have played three road games in
four weeks at this point and will have logged a ton
of frequent flier miles going to Tulsa, and back to
Boise, and then to Honolulu, and back to Boise to
face a nasty San Jose State team, and then it's off
to Ruston.
Fresno State
- Oct. 24 at New Mexico State
This is a landmine because ... Where's the clunker
going to come. When the lights are on, like they
will be against Wisconsin, Boise State, and
Illinois, Fresno State comes up with its A game and
tries for the splashy win. But can the program get
up for the lesser games? There was a home loss to
Hawaii last year, there was the close call against
NMSU two years ago, and there was the loss to Utah
State in 2006. Even though the Aggies have struggled
over the years, they lost the last three games
against Fresno by less than a touchdown.
Hawaii
- Oct. 17 at Idaho
This is a landmine because ... At home, Hawaii can play
with almost anyone. On the road, the Warriors are
completely different and it's always a roll of the
dice on which team will show up. Not only is the
trip to Moscow, Idaho a long one, but this is the
ultimate WAC sandwich game with Fresno State before
it and Boise State and at Nevada to follow.
Idaho
- Sept. 5 at New Mexico State
This is a landmine because ... The Aggies, with their
new coaching staff, are going to come out jacked up
for the season opener. There isn't a game on the
schedule that Idaho will be the favorite, at least
until the season finale against Utah State, after
getting a week off, and there's a chance this might
be a winless campaign without a victory on opening
day. New Mexico State has problems, but it's at
home. Idaho really needed this game under its dome.
Louisiana Tech
- Oct. 31 at Idaho
This is a landmine because ... It's at the end of a
long section of road games. Stuck on the other side
of the country from the WAC, Louisiana Tech will be
on the plane a long time over the first half of the
season with road games at Auburn, Navy, Nevada, and
Utah State before having to travel to Idaho for a
Halloween day game. The Bulldogs won't just be
playing their third road game in four, but they'll
have Boise State, at LSU, and at Fresno State to
follow.
Nevada
- Nov. 21 at New Mexico State
This is a landmine because ... It's the biggest
sandwich game on the slate. Nevada should be deep in
the hunt for the WAC title all season long, but it
has a brutal November to deal with starting with a
trip to San Jose State, followed up by a home game
against Fresno State, and then a date at New Mexico
State. Not only is the game in Las Cruces the second
road game in a stretch of three road games in four
weeks, but it comes six days before the WAC game of
the year at Boise State.
New Mexico
State - Sept. 5 vs. Idaho
This is a landmine because ... Yes, this is a dual
landmine game. Considering Idaho and New Mexico
State are among the two worst teams in the country,
and are expected to finish in the bottom of the WAC,
this is the trap game for each. The Aggies have
seven road games in the final ten, and they're not
going to be favored at home against Fresno State or
Nevada. The Utah State game might be dead even. The
Idaho game at home to kick things off is a must win,
or NMSU will be hard pressed to finish out of the
WAC basement.
San Jose
State - Sept. 26 vs. Cal Poly
This is a landmine because ... This is a different year
and a different Cal Poly team, head coach Rich
Ellerson is off to be the head man at Army, but
it'll still be dangerous. The Mustangs led the FCS
in total offense, scoring offense, and was second in
sacks. The multi-faceted option attack will be tough
for San Jose State to prepare for with USC, Utah,
and Stanford to start out the season.
Utah State
- Oct. 10 at New Mexico State
This is a landmine because ... Not only is this a
dead-even WAC game that Utah State needs to win to
have a shot of getting out of the conference cellar,
but it's the last part of a long road trip to kick
off the season. The Aggies play at Utah, at Texas
A&M, and at BYU before going to New Mexico State
(with a home opener against Southern Utah thrown
into the mix). Even if Utah State is the better
team, it could be cashed by the time it gets to Las
Cruces.