Staff Picks: Utah State at Colorado State
Jaden Johnson – @jadenjohnson
I know that Matt Wells and all of his players will try to sugarcoat this game, as they have for just about every game this season, and I get it. But let’s be real: Colorado State isn’t very good at football this year. There’s really not much more to it. The Rams are coming off of a 49-10 loss to Nevada, and the only things keeping them out of the Mountain West cellar are a win over San Jose State and a 2-point victory against New Mexico. Their defense bears a striking resemblance to that of each of USU’s last three opponents (in that it is very bad), and they benched their halfway decent quarterback in an attempt to get reps and experience for a younger guy, Collin Hill. Utah State currently leads the nation in points per game, and you can expect for that gap to grow even more after this one. Aggies in a rout.
Utah State 61 – Colorado State 13
Daniel Hansen – @thegranddanny
It’s been a difficult season in Fort Collins. The Rams had gone to five straight bowl games, but have been outscored by over 15 points per game this season, second-worst in the MW and 118th in the country. The problem has been the run game. After averaging 200 yards rushing per game on five yards per carry last year, the Rams have only managed 100 yards on the ground per game and 3.1 yards per carry. Utah State should encounter little trouble containing the CSU offense and proving themselves uncontainable versus a Rams defense allowing over 38 points per game. A forecast of snow might limit the full extent of USU’s offensive firepower, though the duo of Darwin Thompson and Gerold Bright should find enough room on the ground to overcome the elements.
Utah State 55, Colorado State 14
Dalton Renshaw – @dren_sports
This feels all too familiar for the Aggies. This will be their fifth straight game against an opponent who sits in the bottom 30 teams in points allowed. Colorado State has had an off year this season and has now apparently regressed to the mean by giving up five touchdowns a game on average. It’s hard to compete when your offense is 94th in the nation at 23.6 points per game, that a minus 12 point differential for those who don’t want to do the math. Colorado State has benched their only weapon on offense to go with a younger guy at quarterback in Collin Hill. This should be an absolute rout yet again. Although, I do find it interesting that there is a 50% percent chance of snow on Saturday in Fort Collins. Maybe that will make this game a little more interesting. Hey, at least the Aggies will probably move up in the rankings.
Utah State 52 Colorado State 13
Kaleb Barclay @kalebmbarclay
I’m perfectly capable of knowing that the Aggies are going to beat the Rams. The question is by how much. The Rams struggle keeping average running teams below 200 yards get to meet the D-train aka Darwin Thompson and his cohort Gerold Bright, these two are going to have a fun time with lots of big runs and a few touchdowns. The game through the air will be intriguing as this could easily become a snow game, which in my opinion are fun to watch from the warmth of my living room, and snow games make passing games tricky. This will be a bit of a bummer for for Jordan Love but KJ might appreciate the break as he has less career yards as a senior than our sophomore wonderboy and twice as many interceptions this season. I would expect there to be a few more Aggies catching passes not intended for them then we are used to seeing which will put us higher in the standings in just about every good defensive stat.
Utah State 63 Colorado State 17
Wes Mangum @Dream_Breather_
The Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference has an abysmal bottom half. New Mexico State and Colorado State are no good, plain and simple. The Rams inexperience has shown through this year. With that being said, you still have to show up and football games aren’t played on paper. Colorado Springs is a tough place to play, especially late in November. That still won’t be enough to make it close, though. I’m confident that Coach Wells will have this team ready, and their senior-laden offensive line and the one-two punch of Darwin Thompson and Gerold Bright is going to be too much for CSU to handle. Aggies get their 10th straight win, and we’re on to Boise State.