After a bye week for the Cougars and Utes and another comeback win for the Aggies, where could the three teams be headed for the postseason?
BYU
The Cougars will renew an old Mountain West rivalry coming out of the bye week, hitting the road to take on TCU.
While the Horned Frogs were the national-runners up last season, this year’s version of the team looks nothing like last year’s offensive juggernaut.
At 3-3 and now turning to the backup quarterback, the matchup with the Horned Frogs is suddenly a lot more winnable for BYU than it was just a handful of weeks ago.
BYU football: ESPN’s FPI heading toward its worst season forecast
The Cougars headed into the bye week by picking up their first Big 12 Conference victory, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them add another this week. The Big 12 as a whole looks different than many were expecting this season, and it’s not unreasonable to believe that BYU can win eight games in its debut season.
No matter what happens, the Cougars need just two more wins to secure a bowl invitation, something many thought wasn’t possible before the campaign got underway. Now, it looks like it may even happen before the end of October.
Projection: Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Opponent: Iowa
Date: Tuesday, December 26
Location: Chase Field – Phoenix, AZ
Time and channel: 7 p.m. MT, ESPN
No. 16 Utah
Even with the team on a bye week, there was less talk about Utah’s next opponent than the Cam Rising injury situation.
While we learned Rising’s injury was worse than was known, it still leaves a lot of questions for Utes and college football fans and media alike.
What is entirely going on with Rising? Will he be ready for the game against Cal? Or USC the following week? Or will he even play at all this season? No one seems to know, and that’s perhaps the most confusing part.
Rising’s status aside, Utah does actually have a game this week.
The Utes will face the Cal Golden Bears, a team they should beat regardless of who starts at quarterback. A win would put Utah just one win from bowl eligibility, although the bowl projections continue to trend downward each week for a team that has appeared in back-to-back Rose Bowls.
Projection: Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Opponent: NC State
Date: Friday, December 29
Location: Sun Bowl Stadium – El Paso, TX
Time and channel: 12 p.m. MT, CBS
Utah State
As the only FBS team from Utah in action last week, the Aggies did what they’ve done all season against Colorado State.
They started slowly in the first quarter, having yet again to find a way to dig themselves out of a multi-score deficit.
Once Utah State got going, however, it was difficult to stop. After trailing 17-0, USU scored 37 unanswered points to eventually cruise to a 44-24 victory.
It seems even though they have reached the halfway point of the schedule, the Aggies are still searching for consistency across the board. Following a 1-3 start, back-to-back wins have moved Utah State to 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in Mountain West action.
Will this be the week where the Aggies can start off the game well and score points early? It might be difficult against Fresno State, but a win would set USU up nicely for the second half of a schedule that features multiple struggling teams.
Projection: Isleta New Mexico Bowl
Opponent: New Mexico State
Date: Saturday, December 16
Location: University Stadium – Albuquerque, NM
Time and channel: 3:45 p.m. MT, ESPN
