Wyoming holds up the rear of the Mountain West standings and will likely finish the season in the conference cellar, but the Cowboys are a pesky team for bettors having covered five of eight even though they managed just one outright win in those matchups.
ODDS
The spread opened with the Cowboys 23.5-point underdogs on the road and that spread has since moved up half a point to 24.
Interestingly, Wyoming—while a terrible 1-7 SU—has done relatively well ATS this season, going 5-3 and taking four straight. Plus, in the four games it was installed an underdog of at least three touchdowns, it beat the spread in each of them.
Utah State, on the other hand, is 4-3 both SU and ATS and dropped its last game, 48-14. The Aggies were the favorites on the road by 4-points over San Diego State, but could only muster 239 total yards of offense, and was nearly defenseless against the Aztecs’ rushing attack.
KEY MISMATCH
Wyoming’s defense is allowing 32.2 points per game and over 400 yards per game, but the pass rush is pretty respectable and the secondary has, generally done its job.
The Cowboys rank No. 31 in the nation against the pass, allowing just 192 passing yards per game.
That bodes well for Wyoming’s ability to keep this game close. The Aggies’ passing game is far below average, ranking No. 111 with just 172.4 passing yards per game.
Senior quarterback Chuckie Keeton is dealing with a knee injury and may or may not play on Friday. He completed just 54.5% of his passes before the injury and had a dismal 2:5 touchdown to interception ratio. Kent Myers has been better as his replacement, but is coming off a game where he completed just 42.1% of his passes.
KEY STAT
.586 – This is the percentage of red zone possessions that have resulted in points for the Cowboys, the second worst percentage in all of college football.
Wyoming has only reached the red zone 29 times in their eight games, which is a staggeringly low and telling number. In those 29 times, the Cowboys only scored just 17 times, though 16 of the scores were of the touchdown variety.
The Aggies struggle in the red zone, too, but by comparison are a powerhouse, scoring 81% of the time.
BETTING ANGLE
A growing list of injuries aside, the Cowboys are unlikely to be able to upset Utah State, but they’ll at least have a shot at beating them ATS for the first time since 2006.
In their last three meetings, the Aggies have beaten the spread each time, though the spread has never been larger than it is for Friday night’s showdown. That, combined with the Cowboys four straight ATS victories and four straight ATS covers on the road should give Wyoming a fighting chance of at least a cover.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Bettors should be weary of the Aggies following last Friday night’s loss at San Diego State.
The Utah State defense is respectable and shouldn’t have any trouble holding down a Wyoming offense lacking top-end talent, but the Aggies’ offense isn’t among the elite either. The defense should do its job, but can the offense score enough to cover a 24-point spread?
Look to fade the Aggies as Wyoming will likely fall to 1-8 SU, but is in great position to cover the spread for the fifth straight time.
Utah State 33, Wyoming 13
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the Aggies were positioned as 23.5-point favorites. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Wyoming Cowboys and Utah State Aggies square off on Friday, October 30, 2015, at 10:15 p.m. ET at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. You can watch the game live on ESPN2.
