BYU vs. San Diego State: Game Preview, Kick Time, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Prediction
The Aztecs face their old rivals the Cougars on home turf- and with a new starting quarterback
Contact/Follow @tedmcgovern & @MWCwire
BYU independence is a mixed bag and Aztecs fans hate the Cougars. But it is undeniable: they fit in the Mountain West.
WEEK 14: San Diego State Aztecs (8-3) vs. BYU Cougars (7-4)
WHEN: Saturday, November 30th— 6:00 PM PST / 9:00 PM EST
WHERE: SDCCU Stadium- San Diego, California (70,561)
TV: CBS Sports Network
STREAMING: FuboTV – Get 7-day free trial to watch this game
RADIO: KSL 1160AM/102.7 FM
SERIES RECORD: BYU leads 28-7-1
LAST MATCHUP: December 20, 2012- Poinsettia Bowl (BYU won 23-6)
ODDS: BYU -3
San Diego, CA- The Aztecs have regrouped after a disappointing 14-11 loss last week at Hawaii blocked their entry into the 2019 Mountain West Conference championship game.
Nonetheless, they still seek a fourth ten-win season in the last five years.
The Cougars might be on a false high after crushing a lightweight indie football squad- UMass. They hope to go six in a row with a victory against their old and long-time rival the Aztecs.
The two haven’t played for years due in part to BYU’s move to independence, and because the Mountain West disapproved of the manner by which BYU left the conference on their quest of becoming the “Notre Dame of the West.”
BYU was intent to muscle their way into a Power-5 conference, but years later this has not happened. Most recently the Big 12 took a look and a hard pass on the university. Football has been up and down, with fans upset that there is no championship match, and some years featured no bowl game.
Men’s basketball has fallen into NCAA Tourney limbo, and is trapped playing second and third fiddle to Gonzaga and St. Mary’s in a small-ball West Coast Conference.
Within the Mountain West, BYU became programma-non-grata for a number of years as a result, and relations became icy.
Perhaps time heals all wounds, and now that San Diego State finally agreed to play the Cougars, things are changing. Perhaps BYU could benefit by re-entering the Mountain West Conference- if the option were available.
The Aztecs will be vying for a win tonight, but will start a new quarterback, redshirt freshman Carson Baker since Ryan Agnew has injured his calf. While this would normally be of grave concern, the Aztecs haven’t been winning on dynamic offense. Instead, it has been their elite defense which has made a huge difference.
Meanwhile, the Cougars have been gaining steam, and did manage to defeat Boise State this season. Coach Kalani Sitake seems to be gradually improving. Nonetheless, BYU has not faced San Diego State for many years, and the Aztecs are no longer the team they once knew.
GAME PREDICTION: BYU should win, given quarterback Ryan Agnew is out; however the Aztecs defense will shut the Cougars down offensively, and this will be a low-scoring game. The Aztecs have nearly nothing to lose starting a new quarterback. If history dictates what is to come: we can look to Christian Chapman and Ryan Agnew having big wins in their debuts, and this may strongly suggest Carson Baker will also have a winning debut.
This will be a battle, and veteran Aztecs fans along with Mountain West enthusiasts will be looking for a decisive victory against the Cougars.
This game will result in a narrow SDSU victory: Aztecs 20, Cougars 17.
