The Utah State Aggies looked ready to shock the world after one quarter last week against Wisconsin. The Aggies led the Badgers 10-0 at the end of the first 15-minute frame, but saw everything unravel quickly. Wisconsin scored 59 straight points in what turned out to be a laugher. The Aggies should fare much better this week against the Idaho State Bengals.
This contest in Week 2 of the regular season will go down Thursday, September 7, 2017, at 8
p.m. ET at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Idaho State was one of the worst teams in the FCS last season. The Bengals finished at 2-9 last season and were predicted to finish in the cellar of the Big Sky once again this year. They did beat Division II Western Oregon handily in their season opener last week, but aren’t particularly great on defense.
The Aggies didn’t come close to covering in Week 1 after the offensive explosion by the Badgers. Wisconsin was able to carve up the Utah State defense with a slow, grinding offense led by a dominating rushing attack. Utah State should fare much better on the defensive end going from the toughest opponent on its schedule to the easiest.
Player to Watch
If there is any chance that the Bengals pull off the upset, it will be because of quarterback Tanner Gueller. Gueller was one of the team’s few bright spots last year, throwing for 2,351 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2016. He was key in keeping the Bengals competitive down the stretch and turned it on over the last half of the 2016 campaign. Although Idaho State lost all four games, he threw for over 200 yards in each outing and tossed 12 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
The Bengals played two FBS opponents last season and Gueller was really bad in both games. He averaged a meager 3.5 yards per attempt against Oregon State and Colorado and threw a combined five interceptions in those two performances.
He was sharp against Western Oregon in the opener, but that’s a Division II squad. For Idaho State to win, or even cover, as a probable 20-point underdog, he will need to play well.
Matchup to Watch
Utah State didn’t have any real success in the running game against Wisconsin. The Aggies tried the whole game to get something going, but only managed to pick up 92 yards on 26 carries.
Time will tell whether or not that it was a telling start after the Aggies had their best rushing numbers yet under Matt Wells last season. Utah State averaged five yards per carry and ran for 171 yards on the ground per game in 2016. However, the Aggies aren’t bringing much back to that offensive line. Four of five starters from last season are gone and none of the running backs looked dynamic against Wisconsin. Quarterback Kent Myers is only an average passer, so the Aggies need the running game to be successful in order to pick up wins.
Free ATS Pick
There’s no line up for this game yet, but Utah State should be a sizeable favorite. Wells has led the team to a bowl game in three of his first four seasons on the job in Logan. They faced Idaho State in the second week of the season three years ago and beat them 40-20 as a 35-point favorite, but won’t be that big of a favorite this time around.
Look for the Bengals to get the cover here as long as the spread is at least 20 points. Utah State is going to win the game handily, but their minds will be elsewhere as they travel to Wake Forest next week. This game is an FCS cupcake in the middle of two Power Five opponents and they won’t prepare as thoroughly.
College Football Odds: Aggies 31, Bengals 20
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