Wyoming Cowboys Football Picks Week 12 vs. Utah State: Specialization Series

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2019 Heisman Trophy Winner - Joe Burrow. Wow. What a game that LSU/Alabama contest was and what an incredible performance we witnessed by Joe Burrow. For those who live under a rock, Burrow completed 31 of 39 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball 14 times for 64 yards and filed his tax return while he was at it (kidding).

With that performance, Burrow all but guaranteed himself the Heisman Trophy, and we are all for it. Coming into the season, Burrow was listed upwards of 200/1, and with good reason. Nobody knew what to expect out of the Tigers offense, and certainly nobody expected Burrow to have the season he is having and leading the LSU Tigers to a 9-0 record after beating Alabama in front of a hostile crowd in Tuscaloosa, Ala. I tip my cap to Burrow and can't wait to see what he does for an encore the rest of the season.

As for this weekly article, we focus only on the MWC, specifically Wyoming, and we take a deep dive into the past game and help you come up with the best way to proceed moving forward. Many people just look at the box score and read the stats, but actually watching these games will give you a better indication on how the team is performing or not performing. You'd be surprised at how many times a team's win or loss was justified or not justified based on what the stats say. Once we delve into the previous game, I will give you a play for the next game based on how I believe the team is going to perform. I use the tried and tested Doc's Sports Unit Betting System for each pick, which allows you to gauge how confident I am and track the results.

Last Game

What a defensive struggle that was. Both Wyoming and Boise State traded defensive blows, but ultimately it was the Broncos who emerged victorious on the heels of a 28-yard Eric Sachse field goal in overtime. This game was ugly from the start as Boise jumped out to an early 7-0 lead before Wyoming responded with 10 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 10-7 lead into half time. From there, Boise cut the lead to four before a 21-yard Xazavian Valladay touchdown put the Cowboys up back up by seven points. From there, Boise would go onto score the next touchdown and the final points in overtime to escape with a 20-17 win. To say this was a defensive battle would be an understatement. Both teams were held under 290 total yards and combined to punt the ball 13 times. We've documented the Cowboys' struggle to manufacture big chunks in the passing game all season long, and that came to fruition once again in a game that was there for the taking. However, Tyler Vander Waal, who started in place of the injured Sean Chambers, completed 15 of 23 passes for 160 yards. Those 15 passes are what Chambers had in his last two starts combined. Moving forward, it'll be interesting to see if the team opens up the playbook a bit more and lets Vander Waal make things happen with his arm.

Week 12 at Utah State

As of writing this, 5Dimes is the only site with a posted lined on this game. The current line is Wyoming +6.5 (-110) and the posted total is set at 50 (-110). We go from a defensively struggle against Boise State to a potential shootout vs. a Utah State team that's given up 30+ points in three straight games. While coming off a loss, Wyoming should be pleased with how Vander Waal stepped in and performed under center. With a week of experience under his belt, and Valladay running the football out of the backfield very well, this could be the perfect storm for the Cowboys to put plenty of points on the board. From a Utah State perspective, the Aggies come into this game on a high after beating Fresno State on a last-second field goal as six-point underdogs. They will need to be a hell of a lot better defensively if they figure to their sixth win and a bowl game, as they've given up a ton of points all season long with no real fix in sight. Maybe a game against a Wyoming team who struggled to move the ball through the air is just what the doctor ordered. Only time will tell.

Series History: The Utah State Aggies have had Wyoming's number over the last handful of years, winning five of the last seven contests. Overall, Utah State has taken down 39 wins compared to 26 wins for Wyoming and four ties. Utah State got the better of Wyoming last year by a score of 24-16 in Laramie.

Wyoming at Utah State College Football Picks

I'm a bit torn on what to do in this spot. On one side of the coin, I like what the Wyoming passing attack looked like last week against Boise. If they can get consistent passing from Vander Waal, they are going to be tough to beat since the run game and defense is usually on point. Can this be a breakout game for the Wyoming attack going against a Utah State team that's given up 30+ points in three straight games? Potentially. On the flip side, Utah State has a very good offense and could easily put up 30+ and find a way to clamp down defensively and not give Wyoming a sniff of the endzone. From a conference perspective, both teams have no shot, but the Aggies will be the more desperate of the two teams has they are still one win shy of the very important six-win mark. With that said, I'll take a pass on this week's game and come back next week with a winning play.

Selection: Pass.