Week 11 Mountain West Conference Football Predictions

Another week of selecting every Mountain West Conference Football game...

Week 10 brought many exciting football games, but it also brought a tie-breaking win for Scott in the Head-To-Head predictions. Here are the results/overall standings:

Mark[Last Week 5-4(.555) 61-31(.663) Head-To-Head 3-4-2]
Scott[Last Week 5-4(.555) 62-30(.673) Head-To-Head 4-3-2]

This week brings the biggest game in Mountain West Conference history. It is also another quality week of football in the Big 12. Here are the predictions for week 11:

#12 TCU @ #8 Utah 6PM MT CBSC

This will be the biggest game in conference history and on paper it looks to be very good. TCU has been on a tear since embarrassing BYU at home. The Horned Frogs aren't going to be at home this Thursday and that is going to make a huge difference in the game. Utah has played lights out at home this season, and that will really help Brian Johnson to have a good game which is essential to Utah winning the game. The game will be close, but Utah will beat TCU using a late field goal.

Utah 24 TCU 21

Utah has a very good defense, while their offense is still looking for consistency. If they play like they did last week against New Mexico this could get out of hand. But Utah seems to play their best in the big games and I imagine that this one will go down to the wire. Everyone knows about TCU’s top ranked defense, but everyone seems to forget about their offense. TCU is second in the conference in total offense and first in points scored. This should live up to all the hype.

TCU 24 Utah 21

Wyoming @ Tennessee 11AM MT ESPN360

Poor Joe Glenn. A week after getting a much needed conference win the Cowboys have to fly to Tennessee to get their butts kicked.

Tennessee 49 Wyoming 7

It may be unfortunate that this game wasn’t played earlier in the year for Tennessee. The Vols are not the power they once were and head coach Fulmer is headed out the door. I expect Tennessee to play hard and dominate this game. Wyoming is looking to build on their domination of SDSU, but lets be honest…this isn’t going to be pretty.

Tennessee 35 Wyoming 10

San Diego State @ #15 BYU 12PM MT The Mtn

New Mexico put 70 points up on the Aztec defense. BYU very well could put up 100 points. BYU's defense has not looked good since the TCU game, but the defense should be able to shut down a poor Aztec offense. If BYU doesn't win and win big it is time to hit the panic button if you are a BYU fan; however, I don't see BYU having any trouble this weekend.

BYU 63 San Diego State 10

This game couldn’t come at a better time for BYU. They need to get healthy on the defensive side of the ball before they end the season on the road against Air Force and Utah. SDSU is not good at all. The only bright spot for the Aztecs is that BYU’s 4th string cornerback (Steven Thomas) is getting quite a bit of playing time. BYU’s pass defense is just plain awful. The difference between BYU’s defense at the beginning of the year and now is turnovers. If SDSU can hold on to the ball they should be able to score a few points. The problem for SDSU is that BYU’s offense will be able to score at will against them.

BYU 49 San Diego State 28

Colorado State @ Air Force 4PM MT The Mtn

This is a big game for both schools in Colorado. The Falcons have only the single hard fought conference loss to Utah, and they have held off the fatigue that Air Force teams of the past have suffered as the college football team progresses. This should be a very close game, but Colorado State match-up well with Air Force.

Colorado State 31 Air Force 21

This game will determine how far CSU has come this year. CSU still has a lot to play for this year. They need 2 more wins to become bowl eligible. If Air Force looks past the Rams at their last two games against BYU and TCU then CSU could steal on against the Falcons. CSU has had trouble stopping the run and everyone knows that Air Force is going to run over 80% of the time on offense.

Air Force 27 Colorado State 17

New Mexico @ UNLV 8PM MT The Mtn

UNLV's loss to TCU was the first game that the Rebels just didn't compete in all season. The Rebels have played well all season, but haven't found a way to win games. New Mexico has a tough defense that controlled Utah at home, but New Mexico won't have the offensive weapons to take advantages of the holes in the UNLV defense.

UNLV 28 New Mexico 13

UNLV continues to confuse most football fans. At times they look like they have finally put things together, and then at times they look like the UNLV of the past. Both UNLV and New Mexico need to win out in order to become bowl eligible, so they definitely have a lot to play for. If New Mexico’s defense plays like they did last week against Utah then they have a very good chance at winning this game. Both teams love their big running backs and the power running game. How healthy is Omar Clayton? Is this the game that UNLV finally pulls out in the 4th quarter? The winner keeps those bowl hopes alive…it should come down to the wire.

New Mexico 21 UNLV 17

Utah State @ #10 Boise State 12 PM MT ESPN360

This is the best time for the Aggies to go to Boise and hope to compete against the Broncos. Utah State had a great home stand facing Fresno State and Hawaii at home. A 58 yard field goal kept Utah State from going 2-0. Boise State hasn't lost a conference game at home since joining the conference. The Broncos will win this game, but Utah State will keep it close.

Boise State 24 Utah State 16

USU has not been able to get any momentum going through out the season. Coming off their first win of the year the Aggies went up against #8 (at the time) BYU. What is USU’s reward for beating Hawaii last week…only the #10 Boise State Broncos. I’m not sure how good this Boise State team is…and I’m not convinced that they are BCS worthy (not sure if any of the non BCS teams are). Utah State could solve this problem if they somehow beat BSU. They need to force some turnovers and have a huge day from Borel. The Aggies are playing their best football of the season and should be playing with some confidence. I just don’t think that USU has enough fire power to beat BSU.

Boise State 34 Utah State 17

#1 Alabama @ #16 LSU 1:30PM MT CBS

Nick Saban returns to LSU to take on his old team. Alabama has looked dominate this season, and Alabama is the last remaining unbeaten team in the conference. This game against LSU appears to be the last hurdle for them to cleat to get to the national championship game before the SEC title game(I say "appears" but really every game in the SEC is a tough game). Alabama has proven that they can win on the road, and LSU has looked far from dominating at home. Alabama will take care of business again this weekend.

Alabama 35 LSU 17

Which LSU team is going to show up this week? LSU is supposed to be anchored by their defense, but the last two games they played against ranked opponents they are allowing 51 points/game. They have to find a way to contain Alabama’s rushing attack on defense and somehow find a way to score on offense. Alabama’s defense is not going to give up a lot of yards. LSU needs to create turnovers and create favorable field position with their special teams. Alabama is more opportunistic than “high powered”. They force you to make mistakes and then convert those mistakes into points. I’m not sold on Bama as the #1 team in the country. The SEC is not as good as everyone thinks it is. If LSU were to lose this game, it is possible that only 3 SEC teams would be ranked.

LSU 24 Alabama 21

#9 Oklahoma State @ #2 Texas Tech 6PM MT ABCHD

Texas Tech gets a break by having this game at home. It will be hard for the Red Raiders to get up for two big games in a row, and Oklahoma State has just the singular loss to Texas. This game is going to be a shootout and it will come down to who has the football last at the end of the game.

Oklahoma State 49 Texas Tech 42

If anyone missed last week’s classic between Texas and Texas Tech, this week’s match up between Oklahoma State and Texas Tech should offer similar results. Right now, the difference between these two teams is that Tech completed their last second pass to score a touchdown to beat Texas, and OSU did not. Both teams have game breaking WRs and exceptional QBs. This should be very exciting…I expect that whoever has the ball last is going to win.

Oklahoma State 31 Texas Tech 28

#11 Ohio State @ #24 Northwestern 10AM MT ESPN2HD

How do Big Ten teams continue to crack into the top 25? Northwestern isn't going to hang around very long in this football game.

Ohio State 31 Northwestern 10

Last week Northwestern beat Minnesota without their starting QB and RB. Both are going to need to play if they want to have a shot against the Buckeyes. Despite their two losses, OSU remains the most talented team in the Big 10 and they out man Northwestern at every position. Playing on the road in Evanston shouldn’t be a problem for OSU because Northwestern only manages to get ~30k fans for each home game (half of which are the other team’s fans). NW may put up a fight early, but it won’t take long for OSU to take control of this game.

Ohio State 31 Northwestern 17