The Beehive State comes into focus on Friday as the Aggies of Utah State travel to Provo to square-off with their rival, BYU. There’s even a piece of flair to go along with this rivalry, awarded to the winner each year. Betcha can’t even name the item up for grabs every match-up, don’t worry I couldn’t name it either. The “Old Wagon Wheel” will go to the winner, and is currently being housed with Utah State, after winning last year 40-24. Vegas has instilled BYU as a small favorite, but many are saying Utah State is looking like they should be favorites here. So, what gives? Let’s take a look inside the numbers and see if we can bounce back and get our record to 13-4 ATS.
Utah State vs. BYU College Football Preview
Date/Time: Friday, October 5th at 9:00pm EST
TV: ESPN2
College Football Betting Odds from 5Dimes
College Football Betting Favorite: BYU -2.5
Total: 54.5
Utah State Aggies
This is being billed as a rivalry game (according to Wikipedia) and it’s a nice in-state manufactured rivalry, but the fact is Utah State has only won 3 out of their last 18 games vs. BYU. Utah State does bring in an extremely high-powered offense into Provo on Friday, averaging 58.3 points per game in their last three games. They put up 31 points against Michigan State, which in and of itself is an impressive stat. Utah State is also coming off a bye week, and gets an extra week to prepare for the Cougars, and Head Coach Matt Wells is 6-0 coming off a bye week. Jordan Love leads the offense for the Aggies, and the 6’4” Sophomore from Bakersfield has put up 5 TDs to 3 INT thus far this season. Outside of the Michigan State game, he’s got a 5/1 TD to INT ratio, however. They’ve ran through their last three opponents, and are currently tied for first place with Boise State in the Mountain West – Mountain Division. Gerold Bright is their main running back, he’s a 5’9” Junior from Pensacola, and he’s got 4 TDs on the year with a total of 288 yards. They’re 4th in total scoring in the nation, with 51.5 ppg. They’re definitely not having trouble putting up points against any opponent this season.
BYU Cougars
To say the Cougars have been battle-tested would be an understatement. They’ve faced Washington, Wisconsin and California. Everyone knows they beat Wisconsin this season. BYU’s strength of schedule this season is #29. Tanner Mangum is their QB as we all know, the Senior from Eagle, ID has gone for 3 TD and 2 INT this season, with 772 total yards. Squally Canada (great name!) is their workhorse back, the 5’11” Senior from Milpitas, CA has run for 5 TD thus far on the season, with 335 yards on the ground. The Cougars have already played four teams from power-5 conferences, so they’ve been battle-tested. Some would say BYU will be overlooking Utah State here, since the Cougars have owned this rivalry over the past 30 years. BYU has always gotten Utah’s best players, while Utah State is mostly made up of players that feel slighted by the coaching staff in Provo. With Utah State’s effort this season to date, we feel that BYU won’t be overlooking their opponent this week.
Sin City Sharp (@SinCitySharp on Twitter) Free Pick:
If BYU is to win, it’s going to be with them pounding the run game. In their three wins, they’re averaging 178 rush yards per game and 4.73 yards per carry. In their two losses, they’re averaging only 62 yards per game and just over 2 yards per carry. We look for BYU to pound it in the trenches on Friday, eating up plenty of clock time. Both teams have stout defenses, and suffice to say BYU’s 42nd ranked defense won’t get the Aggies sky it out like they want to. Utah State also ranks #2 nationally with 7 forced turnovers this season. We see a battle in the trenches, with enough turnovers and clock-eating drives to keep this under the posted total. We’re not touching the side, but we will solidly take the under here in this Beehive State battle.
Pick: Under 54.5
Kyle Hunter is 23-12 in his last 35 college football plays. Follow Kyle on Twitter or buy a guaranteed package of Kyle’s from the top menu here at Hunter Sports Picks.
