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Week 2 Mountain West Football Early Odds, Picks, Predictions
First look at the odds for the second week.
Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire
What are the oddsmakers saying about these picks?
Early in the week we will present the odds with early lines and make some picks as the lines are just released. These predictions are against the spread.
For those wondering, my picks were 8-4 against the spread last week.
Marshall at Boise State (-12)
This is a Friday night game so there is one less day of rest and for what Boise State went through last week with travel rearrangements this is a walk in the park. The Broncos exceeded expectations and have been tested and that is not what happened to Marshall who had a tune up game against VMI, which they won 56-17. It is hard to tell how good the Thundering Herd are, however they are predicted to be in the Conference USA title game.
Pick: Boise State
San Diego State at UCLA (-7)
UCLA look outmatched and out classed in its 24-14 loss to Cincinnati and then San Diego State whose defense looked amazing but its offense was not good at all in its 6-0 win over Weber State.
Unless the Bruins improve, the Aztecs should be able to have a field day against the bad UCLA offensive line that allowed seven hurries, six tackles for loss, and a pair of sacks.
https://twitter.com/MWCwire/status/1167225488642695168
The offense overall for UCLA was not good and QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed only 8 of 26 for 156 yards and had two interceptions with a pair of scores. Despite the poor performance, head coach Chip Kelly is sticking with Thompson-Robinson.
Pick: San Diego State
Wyoming at Texas State (+7)
The Cowboys go on the road to face a tested Bobcats who opened up with Texas A&M. The Texas State offense struggled against what should be a good Aggies defense with only 219 total yards of offense and four interceptions. Wyoming’s defense may not be as good as the Aggies but it is really, really good and should be able stop the Texas State offense.
Pick: Wyoming
Nevada at Oregon (-22)
Nevada has another extremely tough challenge as they take on Oregon and its future first-round NFL quarterback in Justin Herbert. The Wolf Pack can not afford a slow start like they had against Missouri if they want to have a shot against the Ducks.
Oregon is coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Auburn so maybe their confidence will be knocked down a peg or they will be very upset and want to crush an opponent. The Wolf Pack are dangerous enough to keep this game close but they will need running back Toa Taua to have more than 56 yards.
Pick: Nevada
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Tulsa at San Jose State (+7)
San Jose State did what it needed to do against Northern Colorado for its win by scoring 35 points. That may not seem much but the Spartans needed a dominant win. Plus, its defense was led by Ethan Aguayo who had 20 tackles.
https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1167864621723598848
Tulsa is 0-1 after its 28-7 loss against Michigan State so they will be clearly tested when they travel to the West Coast. It is hard to tell what the Golden Hurricanes do well as they had -73 rushing yards but that includes sack yardage which included six sacks. Even when looking at running backs it was 13 carries for -1 yards. That should change for Tulsa and they will have more success against a team that is more on their level.
Pick: Tulsa
Arkansas State at UNLV (-2)
The line indicates that this should be a close game, if not the most competitive of the weekend. Arkansas State has an offense that will challenge this Rebel defense. The Red Wolves will be led by Logan Bonner who threw four touchdowns for on 32 of 50 passes for 324 yards. All of those touchdowns were thrown to Omar Baylees and he will be the player the UNLV secondary will need to keep its eyes on.
The Rebels looked good in its opener against Southen Utah but that was expected by playing a bad FCS team. The good thing in the win was the UNLV offense, specifically QB Armani Rogers who rushed for 114 yards and threw for another 144 yards.
https://twitter.com/unlvfootball/status/1168044502264643585
Pick: Arkansas State
Minnesota at Fresno State (+3)
This line seems very out of place. Fresno State nearly knocked off USC on the road whereas Minnesota struggled to beat South Dakota State of the FCS ranks. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman was the only player to stand out for the Gophers with 132 yards and a score on just five receptions.
If both teams play the same in Week 1 as in Week 2 it would likely mean an easy win for the Bulldogs. Clearly that will not happen, specifically for Minnesota who may have just been walking in stride against an FCS team.
Pick: Fresno State
Oregon State at Hawaii (-5.5)
Hawaii’s opening game was the Week 0 action-filled victory over Arizona, 45-38. The offense overall looked good when it was turning the ball over four times by quarterback Cole McDonald. McDonald has been named the starter for Oregon State just a few days after the Week 0 game.
The Warriors offense will be a huge test for Oregon State who opened up the season with a loss against Oklahoma State, 52-36. A shootout could be in the works again as the Beavers offense is pretty good with QB Jake Luton leading the way and his favorite target is Isaiah Hodgins who caught nine passes for 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Warriors defense will be tested late Saturday night for its home game. Do not be surprised if things get weird in this game.
Pick: Hawaii
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