Friday night Mountain West Conference action continues this week when the Utah State Aggies travel to Laramie to take on the Wyoming Cowboys. Both teams have been through a lot of transition this season. The Aggies are onto their fourth quarterback of the season and the Cowboys are in their first season under new head coach Craig Bohl and consistency has been an issue so far. The Aggies are a sizable road favorite this week despite a tough travel spot.
Utah State vs. Wyoming College Football Preview
Date/Time: Friday November 7, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
College Football Betting Odds from WagerWeb
College Football Betting Favorite: Utah State -6.5
Total: 46.5
Matt Wells has done a great job at Utah State. He took over when Gary Andersen went to Wisconsin following the 2012 season and it’s disingenuous to say that Wells is just riding the coattails of Andersen recruits. He’s 15-8 straight up and 13-10 against the number. Wells is 10-3 in conference play and 9-4 ATS. Craig Bohl is 4-5 straight up and ATS with Wyoming. Bohl was 104-32 at North Dakota State, including 33-2 in the last three seasons.
Utah State Aggies:
The Utah State Aggies were hoping to have Chuckie Keeton back at 100 percent this season, but that was not the case. Darell Garretson wound up getting the bulk of the starting work, especially after Keeton was injured again. Craig Harrison filled in at times, but the Aggies seem ready to roll with freshman Kent Myers at quarterback. Myers was 14-of-15 for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the Aggies’ win over Hawaii. Finding some stability at the quarterback position is critical because the Aggies are on pace for their worst rushing season since 2008. The defense is playing very well and they have not allowed more than 21 points in six straight games. This is a very difficult travel spot for the Aggies, coming back from Hawaii and playing their third road game in four weeks.
Wyoming Cowboys:
Craig Bohl may have finally found something with his team. The Cowboys have played a lot of inconsistent football, but they have scored 76 points over the last two weeks, including a 45-17 beatdown of Fresno State last weekend. The Cowboys were averaging just 20 points per game over their first eight games, but the 45 they scored last week was a season high. Freshman running back Brian Hill shredded the Bulldogs defense for 283 yards on just 23 carries. Colby Kirkegaard has had back-to-back 300-yard passing games. Wyoming’s defense has also improved, though their overall numbers don’t really show it. The defense gave up 104 points to Oregon and Michigan State and have held their seven other opponents to an average of 24 points per game. Wyoming will probably fall short of this goal, but they can be bowl eligible with two wins in their final three games. Even with a 6-6 season, it’s hard to see Wyoming making a bowl, but a .500 season would be an upgrade.
Free Pick: Wyoming Cowboys
The Cowboys are catching the Aggies in a good spot here given the travel and the long trip to Hawaii that effectively eliminated a day of practice on a short week. The Cowboys offense is starting to come together and Kent Myers is still an inexperienced quarterback for the Aggies. If this number is able to hit 7, Wyoming becomes a much better play than at 6.5 because Utah State is definitely the better team.
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