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In the last weekend before most schools launch conference play, BYU and Utah State will venture into Pac-12 stadiums Saturday and Utah will visit a Mountain West team.
To complete the role reversal, USU plays on the Pac-12 Network and Utah will be seen on CBS Sports Network, an MW partner. Not surprisingly, the Pac-12 home teams are favored and the MW school is a big underdog. A closer look:
Utah State at Washington, 3 p.m. MDT • Washington remains one of the Pac-12's mystery teams. The Huskies haven't allowed a point in their last six quarters, but they struggled offensively in a loss at Boise State before beating Sacramento State 49-0. The available evidence suggests that Washington is about equal to Boise State and BYU. In turn, USU should be in a class with BSU and BYU. So by that logic, the Aggies have a shot at a mild upset — and a big breakthrough for their program.
If the USU offense can play more consistently and finish drives, the Aggies will stay in this game. They will field their best team of 2015, with receiver Hunter Sharp and two other players activated from suspensions, and that could make the difference between a 24-14 loss at Utah and a win in Seattle.
The pick • Utah State 24, Washington 21.
BYU at UCLA, 8:30 p.m. MDT • In one sense, it is natural to dismiss BYU's 2-0 record as a product of miraculous finishes, in games the Cougars should have lost. That theory suggests the Cougars can't sustain their success against a really good team such as UCLA. But what if they do win at the Rose Bowl? Then, this stuff gets really interesting.
The biggest issue for BYU is finding some way to move the ball, other than relying on quarterback Tanner Mangum's improvisations. If running back Adam Hine can do against UCLA what he did in the second half against Boise State, with 80 yards on eight carries, the Cougars can pick up first downs and sustain drives. I'll stick to my pre-September belief that by itself, none of BYU's games looked like an automatic loss. But stringing together more than two wins is still asking a lot.
The pick • UCLA 31, BYU 21.
Utah at Fresno State, 8:30 p.m. MDT • The Utes will play the least interesting — let's just say it, the worst — of the three opponents among the state's FBS schools this week, by their choice. As Ute athletic director Chris Hill recently reiterated, he couldn't give his coaches and players a nonconference schedule of Michigan, Utah State and BYU in advance of rugged Pac-12 play. So he gave them the Bulldogs, who gave up 73 points at Mississippi last week.
The scheduling approach just might work, if playing at Fresno State enables the Utes to get their offense going. As co-offensive coordinator Jim Harding said this week, "We want to do a better job of running the football; we want to do a better job of throwing the ball, in general." Yes, that should cover it.
The Utes are not publicly framing this game as their last chance to tune up for a Pac-12 schedule that begins next week at Oregon, but that's obviously how it falls on the calendar. Even if quarterback Travis Wilson's shoulder injury keeps him from playing, the Utes need to produce some yards and points after totaling 48 points vs. Michigan and Utah State. The baseline, according to last year's game in which Wilson threw five touchdown passes vs. Fresno State, is 59 points and 526 yards.
The pick • Utah 48, Fresno State 24.
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