Week 10 Mountain West Conference Football Predictions

A sleep deprived edition of picks of every Mountain West Football game...

Scott was perfect last week with his picks. Yet, just like Penn State, and Texas(the two games that put him over the top last week) it literally came down to two Hail-Marys at the end of the game. This week should be interesting as the top three teams in the conference will have tough opponents that traditionally play them well. Utah and TCU are trying to avoid any slip ups before their showdown next Thursday. Here are the results from last week:

Mark[Last Week 7-2(.778) Overall 56-27(.674) Head-To-Head 3-3-2]
Scott[Last Week 9-0(1.000) Overall 57-26(.686) Head-To-Head 3-3-2]

This week should be interesting I am making my picks on about two hours of sleep, thanks to trying to help Madsen win a trip to the Dominican Republic(more detail will come on the podcast). No excuses as I look to rebound like BYU this week and take back the lead from Scott. Here are the week 10 picks:

Air Force @ Army 10AM MT ESPNU

Army won't give Air Force problems.

Air Force 31 Army 17

Air Force is rolling right now. Army has put together a decent 4 game stretch against the likes of Tulane, Easter Michigan, Buffalo, and La Tech. Air Force just might be the toughest team on Army’s schedule. There have only been 85 pass attempts between the two starting QBs. Houston’s Case Keenum has attempted 374 passes alone. Run, run, run, run, and run. Air Force’s defense is much better than Army’s.

Air Force 27 Army 14

San Diego State @ Wyoming 12PM MT The Mtn.

WOW! Set your TIVO for this barn burner. This might be the worst match-up in all of college football this season. San Diego State seems to have shown more in the past weeks than the Wyoming. The better question than who is going to win this game, is when will the Pokes fire Joe Glenn?

San Diego State 28 Wyoming 14 (Glenn fired Nov 23rd)

Poor SDSU, poor Wyoming. Does anyone else get sick to their stomachs thinking about this game? Actually I think that SDSU is going to have a breakout game. Their offense seems to be playing at their highest level this season. Wyoming moved the ball pretty effectively in the first half against TCU last week. When looking at each team, SDSU seems to be improving, while Wyoming is…well…terrible is putting it lightly.

San Diego State 24 Wyoming 10

#20 BYU @ Colorado State 4PM MT The Mtn.

This looks to be a tough game for BYU on the road. BYU stepped up at home with their backs against the wall and got a big win. BYU is ready to explode on offense if Anae will call the right plays, and he should do it this week against Colorado State.

BYU 42 Colorado State 13

Everyone is expecting this game to be close. CSU always plays BYU tough in Fort Collins. We know BYU’s offense can score points, we also know that BYU’s defense can stop the local high school powder puff team. At the end of the day, I think BYU can outscore CSU. I am really impressed at how CSU is playing right now. They have a very good chance at becoming bowl eligible, which would be huge. It is tough winning games against better teams when your defense gives up 31 points a game. When it comes down to it, Colorado State’s defense won’t be able to stop BYU when they need to.

BYU 24 Colorado State 21

#10 Utah @ New Mexico 7:30PM MT The Mtn.

New Mexico could be trouble for Utah, if they had a passing game, but they don't. Utah will struggle to move the ball against the Lobos defense, but will have great field position and will wear down the Lobos as the game progresses.

Utah 38 New Mexico 7

If there is one team on Utah’s schedule that consistently gives Utah problems, it is New Mexico. Utah is 2-4 against the Lobos over the past 6 years. Rocky Long will have his team ready for the Utes and I am sure the Whittingham will have his team ready to play too. Utah has a knack of winning very close games. This game should go down to the wire.

Utah 31 New Mexico 27

#13 TCU @ UNLV 6PM MT Versus

UNLV has been in every conference game they played this season. This should be a good shot for the Rebels to pull of an upset as TCU will be looking ahead to Utah. The problem for UNLV is they are a poor man's Utah. They run basically the same scheme on offense, and TCU will be ready to defend it.

TCU 21 UNLV 13

I expect UNLV to have a huge letdown this week. It is no secret that teams get up to play against BYU. UNLV definitely has talent, but their defense has some major holes. And to say the TCU’s defense is better than BYU’s is a huge understatement. UNLV is going to struggle with the speed and athleticism of TCU. If this game is close, I would suspect that TCU is looking forward to their game against Utah next Thursday.

TCU 35 UNLV 13

Hawaii @ Utah State 1PM MT ESPN360

Aggies don't play well after close losses. Utah State has the talent to compete, but won't have the leadership to recover from a heart-breaking loss.

Hawaii 31 Utah State 16

How is Utah State going to respond to last week’s heart wrenching loss to Fresno State? After a loss like that, Brent Guy has to get his team to believe that they can win, which is going to be pretty tough. Everything seems to going against the Aggies. Unfortunately I think they lose another close game this weekend.

Hawaii 24 Utah State 21

#8 Florida @ #6 Georgia 1:30 PM MT CBS

Those Dawgs will run! Georgia has quietly played themselves back into the top team in the country, and will be ready for Florida. Don't expect Florida to surprise Georgia at home.

Georgia 31 Florida 24

Last year’s Florida vs. Georgia game was one of my favorites all year. Nothing like two teams that hate each other doing battle. This is one game that I don’t think Tim Tebow can carry the Gators. Although it is tough picking against a team that is scoring 50+ points/game and only allowing 11/game since losing to Mississippi. Both teams are solid, but I think Georgia will be able to establish a ground attack and control the clock, keeping Florida’s offense off the field.

Georgia 27 Florida 24

The Big Podcast: GAME OF THE WEEK
#1 Texas @ #7 Texas Tech 6PM MT ABCHD

Texas is ready for this game, and Texas Tech has holes in their team. Texas will win this game big.

Texas 42 Texas Tech 21

Will it ever stop for Texas? Four straight weeks playing a top ten team! Up until now the Longhorns have proven that they deserve the top spot in the polls. I think this is the week it catches up to them. As usual Texas Tech played a cupcake schedule (two teams from D-II) and they put up a ton of points against everyone they play. The Red Raiders always seem to be overrated and untested but you can throw all that out in a game like this (I don’t want to call it a rivalry game because Texas’ rivals are Oklahoma and A&M). I like this upset because it is very hard to beat very good teams week after week, and Texas is going to come up just a little short in this one.

Texas Tech 49 Texas 44

#18 Tulsa @ Arkansas 12PM MT ESPN360

Who has Tulsa played this season? NOBODY! This Tulsa team hasn't faced a top defense the entire season. Arkansas isn't very good, but they are good enough to expose Tulsa at home.

Arkansas 28 Tulsa 17

There are two teams that no one is talking about…Ball State and Tulsa, two teams that could potentially play in a BCS game (not going to happen). Tulsa boasts the top offense in the country. They score 55 and gain over 600 yards of offense each week (important to note that the best team they have faced so far has been New Mexico). Arkansas is rebuilding and is not a very good football team right now. The BCS is praying that Arkansas somehow pulls off the upset, but Tulsa’s offensive scheme will be too much for the Razorbacks. Arkansas won’t be able to score enough points to make this game interesting.

Tulsa 35 Arkansas 17