The Los Angeles bowl is about to host its vey first game after being canceled in 2020. The bowl game matches up the top team available in the Mountain West against a mid level PAC-12 team. The game replaces the Mountain West’s bowl affiliation with the Las Vegas Bowl, which also had the Mountain West against the PAC-12. Utah State is 10-3 and is coming off an impressive Mountain West title win over San Diego State in a blowout 46-13 victory. Oregon State is 7-5 this season and most recently fell to Oregon in a 38-29 loss but the Beavers finished 3rd in the PAC-12 North.

The leading passer this season for Utah State is Logan Bonner, who has passed for 3560 yards and 36 touchdowns this season on 257-420 passing. The leading rusher for the Aggies this season is Calvin Tyler Jr., a transfer from Oregon State who has rushed for 764 yards and six touchdowns on 170 carries this season. The leading receiver for Utah State this season is Deven Thompkins, who has put up 1589 yards and nine touchdowns on 96 receptions.

The leading passer for Oregon State this season is Chance Nolan, who has passed for 2,414 yards and 19 touchdowns on 288 attempts. The leading rusher for Oregon State this season is B.J. Baylor, who has rushed for 1259 yards and 13 touchdowns off of 209 carries. The leading receiver for the Beavers this season up to this point has been Trevon Bradford, who has 606 receiving yards and has caught five touchdowns on 40 receptions.

Utah State vs Oregon State Odds By DraftKings Sportsbook

Date: Saturday, December 18th

Time/Television: 4:30 P.M. EST on ABC

Line: Oregon State (-7)

Money Line: Utah State: +240; Oregon State: -305

Over/Under: 67.5

Why Utah State Can Cover the Spread

Logan Bonner has been a bright spot for the Aggies this year and his consistency led Utah State to their first ever Mountain West title. He has a very good arm on the deep ball and has the ability to take off and run with it as well. The Aggies have a speedy group of receivers that have been making plays all year long and Utah State has become consistently better in the red zone as the year has gone on.

Defensively, Utah State has done well, especially against San Diego State, where the Aggies blocked two punts and were able to dominate the San Diego State offense. Utah State has a younger group on defense that are steadily becoming better.

Why Oregon State Can Cover the Spread

The Beavers have had one of their better seasons in recent history, even at 7-5. The combination of quarterback Chance Nolan and running back B.J. Baylor has helped Oregon State to finally find consistency on offense. Considering Oregon State hasn’t played in a bowl game since a 2013 Hawaii Bowl win over Boise State, so Oregon State will definitely be up and ready for this one.

The Beavers have significant wins over USC, Washington, Utah, and Arizona State. The Beavers did lose to Washington State, which is a team that Utah State beat. Oregon State’s defense has been pretty good, but their offense has struggled a little bit in big stages, which this one is sure to be.

Logan Bonner, as good as he has been this season, has had a problem with interceptions this season. He has thrown an interception in every single game except one this season, which is not a good sign against one of the stingier defenses that Utah State has faced.

Over or Under?

Utah State and Oregon State have averaged 33.2 points per game and 32.8 points per game respectively. The two teams have allowed 25.3 points per game and 25.9 points per game respectively. In the past five games, both teams have averaged over 30 points per game and this game has the feeling of being much of the same for both teams. An over of 67.5 is a lot of points though and this game could have each team feeling themselves out for a while. The matchup could go just under or it could go over but with two defenses that will be looking to make plays alongside the offenses, leaning with the just under might be the smart choice as 67.5 is a lot of points.

The betting odds for this game and all of the other bowl games can be found at DraftKings Sportsbook.