Week 6 Mountain West Football Predictions

Utah has a chance to make some national noise that will help their BCS hopes this week...

In a week of upsets I was able to squeak out a close win over Scott. Here are the standings and results from last week:

Mark [Last Week 8-3 (.727) Overall 37-19 (.660) Head-to-Head 2-1-2]
Scott [Last Week 7-4 (.636) Overall 36-20 (.642) Head-to-Head 1-2-2]

This week Utah will try and make a statement against Oregon State. The Beavers will have national attention after beating USC, and that works well for the Utes who have played second fiddle to BYU this team as the "other" Mountain West BCS contender. The Aggies and Cougars continue their rivalry this week, and Utah State looks to pull a monumental upset over #8 BYU. Both teams are coming off a bye, and it will be interesting to see if there will be rust showing from either team. Here are this week's predictions:

Oregon State @ # 15 Utah 7PM MT Versus

The Beavers shocked the Trojan's last week. Why? They are a young team at key positions, and those young players are very talented. The problem though with young players is consistency. Playing on a Thursday, on the road, and against a very good Utah team will be more than the Beavers can handle.

Utah 31 Oregon State 13

Oregon State played out of their heads last week against USC. OSU wasn’t a very good team before the USC game (losing to Stanford and getting blown out at Penn State), and I don’t think they will be a very good team after the USC game. Utah on the other hand has a chance to make some noise, and with a little help, move into the top 10 along with BYU (not this week, but sometime in the future). Once again, Utah only plays one half and allows OSU to hang around.

Utah 31 Oregon State 27

#8 BYU @ Utah State 6PM MT KJZZ

This game looks to be lopsided. Yet, it won't be as lopsided as BYU fans are expecting. Especially considering most BYU fans are thinking that the defense will continue the streak of shut outs. Borel is a very mobile quarterback, and that is going to cause some problems for the Cougars. Enough problems for the Cougars that the Aggies will win? No, but it will be enough for the Aggies to put score some points against BYU defense.

BYU 56 Utah State 20

Three shutouts in a row?? Ok, Ok, I really don’t think that this is going to happen, but if it does, you heard it first here. This is an emotional game for the Aggies and they will be pumped up. Unfortunately BYU is better on both sides of the ball and special teams aren’t enough to get USU a win against a top 10 BYU team.

BYU 42 Utah State 0

UNLV @ Colorado State 12PM MT The Mtn

UNLV dropped a game against in-state rival Nevada last weekend. The Revels weren't able to stay in the shoot-out style game with Nevada's high powered offense. Colorado State though doesn't have enough offense to exploit the Rebel's defense.

UNLV 28 Colorado State 10

Let see how UNLV responds to last week’s loss to Nevada. UNLV gave up 400+ yards rushing last week, and CSU is going to try to exploit that. I have been really impressed with how CSU has competed this year and I expect them to grind out a victory at home. CSU’s defense only gave up 21 points to Cal on the road, which is impressive.

Colorado State 21 UNLV 17

Navy @ Air Force 2PM MT Versus

This looks to be a good football game, with two run happy offense. Playing at home give the Falcons the advantage this weekend.

Air Force 24 Navy 17

I love the “armed forces” football games because it really puts thing in perspective. Thanks to all these young men for serving our country! Now back to football…If you love option football, look no further than AFA against Navy. Navy shocked Wake Forrest last week and appears to be better than most people thought they would be. AFA is a very good football team and should easily control this game. The real question is how long the game will last. My guess is 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Air Force 28 Navy 14

San Diego State @ TCU 4 PM MT The Mtn

I would not want to be the Aztecs this weekend. The Horned Frogs didn't put up a fight against the #1 Sooners. TCU should take out their frustrations on San Diego State.

TCU 38 San Diego State 3

TCU got exposed last week against #1 Oklahoma. They will come out wanting to prove the conference that they are still a contender for the conference championship. That doesn’t change the fact that TCU doesn’t have an offense. TCU’s defense scores a touchdown and wins this game for them. SDSU is not a good football team and that is going easy on them.

TCU 27 San Diego State 14

Wyoming @ New Mexico 7:30 PM MT The Mtn

Wyoming is really bad, and they don't have a quarterback. The problem for the Lobos is they don't have a quarterback either. The Lobos were only able to get 55 yards through the air against New Mexico State last weekend. New Mexico's rushing game and defense will carry the Lobos at home this weekend against a bad Wyoming team.

New Mexico 28 Wyoming 13

Losing at home by 29 points to Bowling Green is bad. Wyoming = bad. Can New Mexico’s running attack carry them long enough for their new starting QB to settle in? This week, yes…not sure about the rest of the season.

New Mexico 35 Wyoming 7

#14 Ohio State @ #18 Wisconsin 6 PM MT ABC

Wisconsin was exposed against a down Michigan team, and Ohio State is looking better now that Beanie Wells is back from injury. Both teams are ranked far too high in the polls, but Ohio State will come out on top this weekend.

Ohio State 31 Wisconsin 13

Ohio State is starting a true freshman at QB and Beanie Wells doesn’t look like he is running at 100%. Wisconsin lost a tough one last week in Ann Arbor without their two best receivers/TEs. Wisconsin is better than they showed last week. If they can utilize their power running game to set up the pass to their All-American tight end then it could be a long game for the Buckeyes.

Wisconsin 24 Ohio State 21

#23 Oregon @ #9 USC 6PM MT ABC

USC played with no passion against the Beavers last Thursday. Look for the Trojans to want to make a statement this weekend against the Ducks.

USC 42 Oregon 13

USC is much better than they played last week against Oregon State. They have been humiliated two straight years against mediocre unranked Pac 10 teams. They definitely have something to prove this week. They also have the revenge factor after losing at Oregon last year by 7. Oregon looked good last week but they will need a huge game from their QB to get by USC.

USC 27 Oregon 10

#13 Auburn @ #19 Vanderbilt 4PM MT ESPN

This is Vanderbilt's opportunity to prove they belong in the top 25. It will be a tough task to move the ball against Auburn's defense. Auburn will be too much for Vanderbelt to handle.

Auburn 27 Vanderbilt 10

Auburn’s offense is bad and their defense is awesome. If it wasn’t for a fumble recovery in the end zone, Auburn would have lost to Tennessee last week. Vanderbilt has come out of nowhere and is ranked in the top 25. If Vanderbilt can score more than 21 points, then I think they can win. But I think Auburn’s defense is going to dominate this game.

Auburn 17 Vanderbilt 10

GAME OF THE WEEK
Florida State @ Miami 1:30 PM MT ABC

The battle of the Florida thug schools. The real question is will the teams score more points than police officers on the field. Police officers are nothing new to either of these football teams. Miami is still in the process of rebuilding, and Florida State looks to have the advantage in this game.

Florida State 17 Miami 10

This game used to be one of the best games of the year. Who could forget the classic “wide right” and “wide left” games! Fortunately both of these teams have been improving. Both teams are still very talented and play tough physical defense. They are both looking for consistency from their QB. Sometimes things don’t change…Miami wins by “wide right”.

Miami 17 Florida State 14