Categories
NCAA Football

Utah St. Aggies 2014 NCAA Football Gambling Odds & Predictions

2014-15 Football Previews – (Mountain West) – Aggies

Utah State Aggies head coach Matt Wells has reason to smile after this past season. Not only did his team go 7-1 in conference en route to a 9-5 record overall, but he won the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference, earning a spot in the conference title game against then-ranked No. 24 Fresno State.

Utah State

  • Mountain West Conference 2014-15 College Football Previews:
  • Head Coach: Matt Wells
  • 2013 Record: 9-5
  • Utah State Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship:
  • Utah State Gambling Odds to win Mountain West Mountain Division:
  • Utah State Gambling Odds to win Mountain West Conference:
  • [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Wells and his crew went on to lose that title game 24-17, but the Aggies went on to defeat North Illinois in the San Diego Country Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. And how was he rewarded, you ask? With a contract extension this summer that makes him the head coach of this institution through the 2018 season.

Unfortunately for Wells, he doesn’t have as much talent to work with as he did last season. The extension he earned was well worth it and very much deserved, but we’ll see what he can do now with a group that has to deal with significant losses entering the 2014 college football season.

Team Strengths:

Quarterback Chuckie Keeton is back. His ACL injury was a blow to this team last season, and while it was able to recover nicely, there’s nothing more comforting than having a familiar face.

The problem is, and trust us when we say that this is a good problem to have, is that Keeton will be battling Darell Garretson for playing time. Garretson proved his worth going 6-1 in games he started, but Keeton was a borderline Heisman candidate when he was on top of his game and healthy.

CLICK to GRAB OUR BEST Expert Sports & Football Picks for 2014 GAMBLING!

Defensively, consider this group to be elite. It was seventh in points allowed per game in 2013, and it was top 15 in rushing yards, total yards allowed and passing efficiency defense. The hope is that those numbers translate to this season, but there’s one big problem to keep in mind…

Team Weaknesses:

The problem for this team is that there are key losses all over the field to make up for. Defensively, Utah State only has one returner up front. Like most positions on this roster, depth is not a problem, but experience is.
[soliloquy id=”82219″]
The offensive line has lost five seniors from last year. That’s a huge dropoff, and while the group set to replace them is talented, youth and inexperience should show at least early in the year.

Although it’s not a traditional weakness, look at the schedule to present some hurdles. Utah State must travel to Tennessee in the season opener, and then Arkansas State and BYU will be tough non-conference games at the end of the year.

2014-15 Utah State Football Prediction: 9-4

The Aggies won the division last season, and the truth is that they’re going to be a close second this year as well. The problem is that Boise State is far and away the favorites entering the year.

If all goes according to plan, and Utah State is indeed in the running for a divisional title, the last game of the year is going to be crucial. The Aggies haven’t won at Boise State in nearly 20 years (18 to be exact).

As entertaining as that game should be, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Utah State should be barely behind the Broncos at that point in the process, but Boise State should prove to be the superior team when the year comes to a close.

2014 Utah State Schedule

  • Sun, Aug 31 @ Tennessee
  • Sat, Sept 6 vs Idaho State
  • Sat, Sept 13 vs Wake Forest
  • Sat, Sept 20 @ Arkansas State
  • Fri, Oct 3 @ BYU
  • Sat, Oct 11 vs Air Force
  • Sat, Oct 18 @ Colorado State
  • Sat, Oct 25 vs UNLV
  • Sat, Nov 1 @ Hawaii
  • Fri, Nov 7 @ Wyoming
  • Sat, Nov 15 vs New Mexico
  • Fri, Nov 21 vs San Jose State
  • Sat, Nov 29 @ Boise State

CLICK HERE TO GRAB OUR BEST Expert CFB Picks for 2014 NCAA FOOTBALL Betting! —–>

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"