Week 7 Preview

BYU takes on Oregon State this weekend. Oregon State has won only1 ball game to this point. However, the Beavers switched to redshirt freshman quarterback, Sean Mannion, a few games into the season. He has been improving week to week.

BYUfootball: Oregon StateBeavers are getting better with each game

Remember also that Oregon State’s version of LaMichel James, James Rogers, returned from injury in the 3rd week of the season. It could be that last week’s win over Arizona is a sign of things to come for Oregon State. This could really be a tough test for the Cougars. I know it sounds ridiculous but I’m not saying that for effect. Despite their record, we all know BYU is a very average team to this point. We’ll see how they fair when they line up against a roster full of Pac-12 talent.

Here’s a link to Oregon State blog, Building the Dam, and their summation of the Cougars.

BreakingDown The Cougars

Finally – if you’re unsure of where the game will be televised here are two links to confuse you even more:

BYU Cougars

Building
the Dam

 

As for the Utes – let’s see what they can actually do if they hang on to the ball. Utah is on the road at Pitt and then plays next week against Cal. The Utes can ill afford to lose both games. The one saving grace for Utah is their Pac-12 schedule will lighten up in the back half of the season: They get the likes of Washington State, UCLA and Arizona. Those should be winnable games.

The Utes will also be very interested to see how BYU fares against Oregon State as Utah and Oregon State play two weeks from now in Salt Lake.

Here’s a preview from The Deseret News discussing Utah facing another strong running attack in Pitt –

Utahfootball: Utes will have their hands full with Pitt running back Ray Graham

 

And I’m not forgetting the Aggies -Utah State kicks off at 8:00 Mountain time Saturday night in Fresno, CA. Fresno State is 2-4 with wins over only North Dakota and Idaho. One of their losses was at home to Ole Miss so that tells you how good the Bulldogs
are. However, Fresno State has been one of the better teams in the WAC for the past decade. If Utah State can go in there and win that would really show me something. At that point, I’d say the Aggies are for real this year and on their way to a bowl game, possibly even challenging for the WAC title.

Should Boise State ultimately jump from the MWC (Boise to Big East?), I would think Utah State would be setting themselves up to replace the Broncos in the MWC. Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii are all departing the WAC for the MWC, essentially
rendering the WAC a worthless football conference. Utah State will have hopefully proven they deserve to move on as well.