2013 Week 9 Mountain West Football Odds: Real Rivals and Not-Real Rivals

Another week, another 6 games to predict.  This week we have HATED RIVALS competing and other "rivals" competing (remember folks, geography do not necessarily imply rivals).  That being said, let's hop right to it:

Last Week: 1-3

Overall Record: 25-25

All times are listed in Pacific Time

Friday, October 25, 2013

5:00 PM: Boise State at BYU (-7), O/U=61.5- This game for some reason or another is considered a rivalry by some, yet, this is only their fourth meeting ever (and the Broncos are 3-0).  This game will come down to who's offense can perform better.  BYU has not seen Grant Hedrick yet, and there may be a surprise or two headed the Cougars' way.

My Pick-Broncos beat the spread-  I'll take it one step further and say the Broncos will win this game.  These two teams are evenly matched, but BYU's offensive line struggled mightily against Houston and that will be the difference maker here.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

2:00 PM: Notre Dame (-20) at Air Force, O/U=57.5- Notre Dame is decent, not good.  Air Force is REALLY BAD.  The Falcons are having a QB competition for the 3rd (now 1st string) quarterback.  However, this is a pretty large spread to cover, especially for Notre Dame.

My Pick-Air Force beats the spread- Notre Dame will get close to those 20 points, however, the environment at Colorado Springs combined with the "down year" that the Fig Thing Irish have had, a 17 point game sounds more reasonable.

3:05 PM: UNLV at Nevada (-6), O/U=68- FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON FREMONT CANNON.  In all seriousness though, this game will be hard fought, with the winner not making the dumbest mistake.  I'm going to say, first to 40 wins.

My Pick-UNLV beats the spread- Taking it one step further: PAINT THE CANNON RED!

4:00 PM: Wyoming at San Jose State (-8.5), O/U=71.5- David Fales and the Youths of Sparta square off at home versus Brett Smith and the Cowboys.  A somewhat large spread has gone in favor of the Spartans, and that's probably due to Wyoming looking horribawful at home versus Colorado State.  Advantage: Silicon Valley Sparta.

My Pick-Spartans cover-  Wyoming is so unpredictable this year, I don't know who's going to show up, and this is easily my least confident pick.  Maybe the Pokes defense should just let the Spartans in the Red Zone. #RedZoneProblems

7:30 PM: Fresno State (-7.5) at San Diego State, O/U=62- Look, I get this is a rivalry game, and I know that Fresno State's track record at San Diego State isn't good (2 wins TOTAL).  I look at statistics and who's the better team, and guess what: the Bulldogs are the better team by far.  On the other hand, an Aztec win gives a high point to what's been a strangely random season.

My Pick-Bulldogs cover-  Aztec fans, take heart: you'll still probably make a bowl game this season.  However, you're not repeating as conference champions this season.

9:00 PM: Colorado State (-2.5) at Hawaii, O/U=55.5- What I don't understand here, is that the Rams opened as 6 point favorites, so what happened?  My guess is that travelling to the islands is going to give Colorado State some troubles.

My Pick-Colorado State covers easily- The oddsmakers obviously didn't watch the Border War last week.  Oh well, makes this pick that much easier.  Don't worry Hawaii, you'll win a game sometime.