AZTECS TAKE ON UCLA AFTER STRONG SHOWING AGAINST PORTLAND STATE.
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PAC-12 LOOKING TO REBOUND AFTER LACKLUSTER COMPREHENSIVE START
Boise State, San Diego State and Colorado sprint to early positives
On vacation in the Orange County area for my eldest daughter’s wedding next weekend, I’m reminded of the dominance of Power 4 schools. The Coke case I got was co-branded with USC and UCLA. When you’ve got big name schools, companies scramble to market their names. San Diego State will travel to play one of those names this Saturday at the Rose Bowl as they take on UCLA at 4:15. The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network. The Bruins come into the game as 11.5 point favorites and an over/under of 48.5 points. This translates into a 30-18 win for the Bruins. The Aztecs will certainly have something to say about this as they travel up I-5 into Pasadena. The Bruins are all-time 22-1-1 against the Aztecs, with the Aztecs sole win in 2019 where they beat the Bruins 23-14 at the Rose Bowl. The teams last met in 2023 at Snapdragon Stadium, where UCLA was dominant in a 35-10 win.
UCLA is coming off of a convincing 45-24 win against ACC member California up in Berkeley. The Aztecs, meanwhile, are celebrating a 53-20 win over FCS opponent Portland State. Jayden Denegal was efficient at quarterback despite an interception. Two backs helped pace the ground game in Javion Kinnard and Lucky Sutton. Receiver Jaylon Hawkins turned special teams into a bright spot with 141 yards in returns including a 100 yard scamper kick return touchdown. UCLA will be paced by quarterback Nico Lamaleave who was 14/22 for 184 yards and an interception against Cal. Anthony Woods led all ground gainers with 118 yards on 8 carries and two scores with a long of 53 yards. Linebacker Sammy Omosigho had 14 tackles, 7 solo, one sack and two tackles for loss. He will need to be accounted for to avoid any nasty surprises. With both teams momentum bound, I would have to give the nod to the home team and say that UCLA will hold out for a 34-28 hard fought, respect-driven win.
The conference overall left much to be desired last week. Colorado State and San Diego State both had strong wins and Boise State nearly pulled off the upset on the road against Oregon. These three schools look to be heads and shoulders against the rest of their colleagues. Former Mountain West teams Fresno State and Utah State were both embarrassed in their losses. Former Pac-12 members Oregon State and Washington State were respectable in their losses. Finally, latest member Texas State played as expected in being demolished by #5 Texas 59-7. The Longhorns have a history of showing no mercy to lower opponents when they travel to Austin. Texas State, being the relative newcomer, has been working hard to improve their status as a football program,. Formerly known as Southwest Texas and a national reputation as a party school, has rebranded themselves into a more appropriate name. They are still proud of their Bobcat, Boku. Under head coach GJ Kinner, they have built a high-powered offense run by potential all-conference quarterback Brad Jackson. Last year he tallied nearly 4,000 total yards and scored 38 touchdowns, breaking the school’s single-season rushing touchdowns record. The offense should be effective against more comparable foes while their defense still needs to find their footing. Entering the new conference, there is limited history with competition, only playing Utah State in 2012 and losing 38-7. This is a different Bobcat team. Rallying behind University President Dr. Kelly Damphousse, the Bobcats have pushed hard to raise their program, including improving the stadium and support buildings, increasing enrollment and expanding residence halls. My younger daughter attends Texas State in San Marcos and has said it has been a positive life changing experience.
Looking ahead to the rest of the schedule this week, besides the Aztecs travelling to UCLA, you have Washington State on the road at Kansas State. Expect the Wildcats to topple the Cougars easily. Next up are the Utah State Aggies, fresh off a loss to FCS Idaho State, taking on the Washington Huskies. This will be over by halftime as fans in Washington will leave early to do better things. UTSA takes on Texas State in the I-35 Rivalry game. The Roadrunners and Bobcats have a short, but fierce history and the Bobcats are a 1.5 point favorite at home. This will be the 8th meeting with San Antonio holding a 5-22 advantage. Expect Texas State to exact revenge and run up the score, perhaps 45-21. Next up is a great precursor of potentially the two best teams in the Group of Six, Memphis at Boise State. Alot at stake, but the Broncos showed they can hang with the countries best. I see Boise State up 38-24 and reclaiming their lead as the best team. Colorado State hosts Southern Utah and should control in all aspects. Oregon hosts #13 Texas Tech and the Red Raiders come into Corvallis as a 26.5 favorite. No reason to think they won’t cover the spread. Finally, Fresno State returns to action at home at Bulldog Stadium as they host new FBS team Sacramento State. A mere two hour drive from each other, both schools are worlds apart in talent. Fresno State is a 18.5 point favorite, but with their fans barking them on, I expect Fresno to run the score up, perhaps 49-17.
Early Pac-12 Rankings are as follows. No scientific analysis done, just a gut feeling. Enjoy the weekend as the heat continues to ravage much of the west.
- Boise State
- San Diego State
- Colorado State
- Oregon State
- Washington State
- Texas State
- Fresno State
- Utah State
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