ERIC SCHROEDER
My free play for Saturday is on the west coast, as I love the Fresno State Bulldogs against the Wyoming Cowboys in what will be a Mountain West mismatch.
I haven't figured out what I'm more impressed by, the Bulldogs' effective offense, or the stifling defense that rolls into this one after shutting down yet another potent offense last week.
While Nevada was missing its injured starting quarterback, the Wolf Pack had its chances, and simply couldn't capitalize against a Fresno State stop unit that was on the field for 86 plays and gave up just 327 yards, or, a mere 3.8 yards per play.
It was a game in which we saw the defense put to the test because Fresno State's offense happened to be ineffective with just 271 yards of offense.
This week, that all goes out the window.
Wyoming is no longer an offensive threat now that Josh Allen is playing on Sundays, as the Cowboys are a mere shell of the team that was in the Mountain West Conference title game a couple years back.
Wyoming hasn't won since ekeing out a 17-14 victory over Wofford, and believe me the Cowboys barely looked as good as the score indicated in their 29-7 season-opening win against New Mexico State.
The Cowyboys, who enter this game ranked 126th in total offense, down five slots from last week, when it ranked 121st. They looked terrible last week in Hawaii, and now have to travel to play the best team in the Mountain West - yes, the Bulldogs are better than Boise State.
Though Fresno State struggled offensively in Reno, and the Cowboys will be no pushover. But this one being at Fresno, where the Bulldogs are averaging 64 points and 521 yards per game, I think we're going to see the better team pull away for the win and cover.
Lay the chalk here, as Fresno State gets it done for us.
4* FRESNO STATE
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