Mountain West Conference Football Betting Preview: Week 9
Taking a look at the odds for the second week of Mountain West football action.
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Game week is here! Get your bets in
The good thing about jumping back into the sports writing world is that not many are paying attention…yet, at least.
That worked in my favor last weekend. Hand up, I went 1-4 on my picks, even after calling myself the Mountain West Whisperer on Twitter for about five days.
Guess what, though? Barely anyone noticed, huge blessing in disguise.
This week we bounce back. If not, we’re in trouble, and we gotta get back to the drawing board. If I have another trash week, I may even consider one of those videos where I let my dog pick for me by choosing a treat that represents a side in each game.
Anyways, I watched a lot of Mountain West ball last weekend, and I feel like I have a good read on this week’s games.
Let’s get to the picks.
(NOTE: All lines via BetMGM as of Wednesday, October 29)
COLORADO STATE -1.5 @ FRESNO STATE ; O/U 59 ; 7 P.M. PT (THURSDAY)
Fresno State was one of my many losses last week, and they looked surprisingly bad at home. That being said, they at least played a football game.
Colorado State had their game canceled last week, and after seeing what the Colorado wildfires seem to have done to Air Force, I simply cannot bet on the Rams this week.
I think the Bulldogs bounce back with a cover as a home ‘dog on a short week here. The public is on CSU heavy, moving the opening line of a Pick ‘Em (shout out the Pick ‘Em Podcast, one of the best college football pods out there), to the Rams -1.5.
I’ll fade the public here.
The Pick: Fresno State +1.5 – Bet on this at BetMGM
HAWAII -1 @ WYOMING ; O/U 60 ; 6:45 P.M. PT (FRIDAY)
Cowboys had a rough game last week, losing their starting quarterback Sean Chambers to an injury early. They eventually battled back with Levi Williams behind center and forced OT, but lost to Nevada in a close one.
The Rainbow Warriors were impressive, and the Todd Graham era is off to a hot start.
Per the official Hawaii Athletics Twitter, the ‘Bows have even been taking a nice lil’ team-bonding road trip, passing through Denver en route to Laramie. Looks like they’ve had at least one practice in the Mile High City too, so that bodes well for their chances of adjusting the War Memorial Stadium altitude.
As I said last week, I’m a big fan of Graham, and I definitely underestimated him. Not this week, though.
The Pick: Hawaii -1 – Bet on this at BetMGM
Boise State -14 @ AIR FORCE ; O/U 49 ; 3 P.M. PT
Boise was my only win last week, so I have no choice but to keep riding the Bronco Train.
Air Force was completely dominated by San Jose State, as a 7.5-point favorite at that. They only scored six points, and it’s not like they were playing a defensive powerhouse like San Diego State or anything (completely unbiased statement, look at the stats over the last decade).
Anyways, I’m convinced the Falcons are gonna have a tough year, and I think Boise is gonna steamroll through most of the Mountain West, so I’ll take the Broncos.
The Pick: Boise State -14 – Bet on this game at BetMGM
NEW MEXICO @ SAN JOSE STATE -13.5 ; O/U 58 ; 4 P.M. PT
This is one of the most disrespectful lines I’ve seen in quite some time.
Vegas clearly doesn’t know who Rocky Long truly is. Rocky Long is a *Stephen A. Smith voice* BAAAAADDDDDD MANNN.
The Lobos may have had their game canceled last week, but all that did was give Rocky and one of his 3-3-5 proteges, head coach Danny Gonzales, more time to study film and gameplan.
The Spartans had an impressive win over Air Force last week but only scored 17 points, making this an easy pick for me. This is way too many points for them to lay.
The Pick: New Mexico +13.5 – Bet on this at BetMGM
Bonus Pick: Under 58
SAN DIEGO STATE -7.5 @ UTAH STATE ; O/U 43.5 ; 6:30 P.M. PT
As an Aztec For Life, I’m ashamed of myself for taking UNLV last week. The Rebels weren’t bad, they were HORRIBLE. More on that later.
SDSU dominated from start to finish, and covered easily as heavy favorites. I was impressed by new defensive coordinator Kurt Mattix, as it looks like he’s using some of the same 3-3-5 principles Rocky Long dominated the conference with for over a decade.
The Aggies struggled against Boise last weekend, and it’s looking like one of those rebuild seasons. They lost a lot from last year’s squad, notably Jordan Love, and it really showed.
I’ve come back to my senses, and I’m all the way back in on the Aztecs. Can’t wait for the Mountain West Title game vs. Boise State. I’m also all the way back in on SDSU Unders, which as I said last week has been a CASH COW for a long time.
The Pick: SDSU -7.5 – Bet on this at BetMGM
Bonus Pick: Under 43.5
NEVADA -14 @ UNLV ; O/U 60 ; 7:30 P.M. PT
Nevada looked great last week, although they almost gave up a big lead as the game went to OT.
UNLV, however, looked like one of the worst FBS teams I’ve seen in years. I still can’t believe I picked the Rebels +15 last week against my Aztecs. I watched one quarter and knew that was a mistake. This is gonna be a tough year for the Vegas boys.
This one is easy. Wolfpack by 20+.
The Pick: Nevada -14 – Bet on this at BetMGM
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In the meantime, feel free to follow me on Twitter @hunterohewitt, where I’ll often be tweeting about Mountain West games on Saturdays.
