Top Games

Utah Tech at UNLV

Saturday, Sept. 7
Noon PT, Mountain West Network

Line: No Line
Over/Under Point Total: None

Now the Rebels open the home portion of the schedule and can’t afford a letdown against an inferior opponent.

Utah Tech wins if…they can win the turnover battle.  Well, that should read they “can win if,” because even if they create more than they give up, they still probably won’t win this one.

But if UNLV creates takeaways the Trailblazers have no shot.

UNLV wins if…they get the passing game going. The Rebels won comfortably at Houston by pounding the ball on the ground.

This could be the kind of game Matthew Sluka can get things going early on.

—My Pick—
Outright winner: UNLV

Idaho at Wyoming

Saturday, Sept. 7
12:30 pm PT, truTV

Line: No Line
Over/Under Point Total: None

This week they get a Vandals team coming off a solid performance in a loss at Oregon.

Idaho wins if…they have the same success defensively on third down they had against the Ducks. Limiting Wyoming to 43% on third down could get it done.

Idaho has to pick up its third down rate, which was an abysmal two-for-12 in the opener.

Wyoming wins if…the Cowboys can get something going offensively. Despite the success Idaho enjoyed last week, they gave up a ton of yards.

The Cowboys need to move the football, and if they can’t get it done in this one, it is going to be a long day and perhaps an even longer year in Larmie.

—My Pick—
Outright winner: Wyoming

San Jose State at Air Force

Saturday, Sept. 7
4:00 pm PT, CBS Sports

BETMGMSPORTSBOOK Line: Air Force –6.5
Over/Under Point Total: 46.5

The Spartan offense looked good in Week One, but the defense gave up almost 200 yards on the ground to an FCS opponent. The Falcons running attack sputtered but the defense looked good.

The Spartans have never gotten a win in this series in Colorado Springs.

San Jose State wins if…The offense clicks like it did in game one.

The 42 points scored last week in Ken Niumatalolo’s first game as HC were the most for an SJSU head coach in their debut since Jack Elway’s 1979 squad put up 48 in the opener.

Air Force wins if…they run the ball. The Falcons ran for only 155 yards at just 3.0 yards per carry against Merrimack last week.

Neither of those totals is “Air Force-like” or what the Falcons need, especially against an FCS opponent. Against a conference foe, they need to be a lot better.

—My Picks—
Against the spread: San Jose State 
Points total: Under
Outright winner: Air Force

Texas Tech at Washington State

Saturday, Sept. 7
7:00 pm PT, Fox

BETMGMSPORTSBOOK Line: Washington State –1.5
Over/Under Point Total: 65.5

The difference was the Cougars were 40-point victors over Portland State while the Red Raiders were one-point winners in overtime over Abilene Christian.

Expect plenty of points in this one, too, but be weary; the under has hit in four of Texas Tech’s last five road games.

On the other hand, the Over has hit in five of WSU’s last seven…So who knows?

Texas Tech wins if…they score and score—and then score some more. Seriously, 51 points allowed to Abilene Christian?!! It is panic time for the Tech defense.

There will be a lot of pressure on the offense every time they touch it, knowing they need to score.

Washington State wins if…they take care of the football and don’t make self-inflicted mistakes. As noted, the Tech defense looked really bad Week One.

As long as the Cougars don’t make things easy on them, the offense should have a field day. No penalties and no giveaways and WSU will get the win.

—My Picks—
Against the spread: Washington State
Points total: Over
Outright winner: Washington State

Boise State at No. 7 Oregon

Saturday, Sept. 7
7:00 pm PT, Peacock

BETMGMSPORTSBOOK Line: Oregon –19.5
Over/Under Point Total: 61.5

BSU gave up a ton of points to Georgia Southern while Oregon found themselves in a fight with Idaho, mainly due to some sacks and the inability to convert on third down.

Boise State wins if…Ashton Jeanty is again the best player on the field by leaps and bounds. The Broncos running game had a day in Statesboro, GA last week and Jeanty himself had a record-setting day.

If the Broncos can establish the run, they’ll have a chance, but Oregon allowed just 49 yards on the ground last week.

Oregon wins if…they just continue to play their game. The sky is not falling and the season is not lost due to a 10-point win over Idaho. Dillon Gabriel completed 41 of 49 for 380. The defense shut down Idaho.

The issues were a lot of correctible things. The Ducks will be fine in the long run and they’ll be fine in this one. The UO offense is better than GSU’s. Oregon will score often.

—My Picks—
Against the spread: Oregon
Points total:  Over
Outright winner: Oregon

Sacramento State at Fresno State

Saturday, Sept. 7
7:00 pm PT, Mountain West Network

Line: No Line
Over/Under Point Total: None

The Bulldogs proved they will certainly be a player in the Mountain West, now the challenge is to stay up for an FCS opponent that has the potential to make them pay if they are caught overlooking Sac State.

Sacramento State wins if…they can contain Mikey Keene and the passing attack. The Hornets allowed a lot of passing yards to San Jose State.

Keene played very well against Michigan. If the Hornets let Fresno State’s passing game gobble up yardage they will be in trouble.

Fresno State wins if…the Bulldogs contain the Hornets ground game. Fresno State was good defensively against Michigan.

Let’s be clear, Sacramento State is not on the same level as Michigan, but they did run the ball against San Jose State. If Fresno State can take the running game away, the Bulldogs win this one easily.

—My Pick—
Outright winner: Fresno State

Oregon State at San Diego State

Saturday, Sept. 7
7:30 pm PT, CBS Sports

BETMGMSPORTSBOOK Line: Oregon State –4.5
Over/Under Point Total: 55.5

San Diego State won in dominant offensive fashion with a 42-point first half.

Oregon State ran for just under 400 yards in their win over Idaho State.

Oregon State wins if…they run the ball like they did in week one. Will they have another 370-yard output on the ground? Probably not. They don’t need that dominant of a ground attack either.

To be sure, SDSU was good against the run last week, and the Aztecs will be a tougher test. But if the Beavers can get the ground game moving their offensive line should be able to take this one over.

San Diego State wins if…they cut down on the penalties. The Aztecs were flagged 16 times for 149 yards in last week’s win.

They absolutely cannot have a repeat performance. SDSU is also going to need to stop the Beaver rushing attack.

—My Picks—
Against the spread: Oregon State
Points total: Under
Outright winner: Oregon State

Best Bets

Georgia Southern at Nevada

Saturday, Sept. 7
4:00 pm PT, truTV

BETMGMSPORTSBOOK Line: Georgia Southern –1.5
Over/Under Point Total: 57.5

Look for GSU to win this one by more than one.

The Eagles have numerous limitations on defense, so look for this one to soar over the 57.5 points as well.

Georgia Southern wins if…The offense opens things up like they did against Boise State. The Eagles had 14 plays of at least 10 yards in the opener.

Nevada is allowing 14.5 plays of 10+ yards per game this season. The Eagle offense could shred the Wolf Pack defense.

Nevada wins if…they run the football. Georgia Southern gave up 371 yards on the ground in the opener.

If the Wolf Pack can get things going on the ground, they’ll have success and could set up some big plays for Brendon Lewis in the passing game.

—My Picks—
Against the spread: Georgia Southern
Points total: Over
Outright winner: Georgia Southern

Utah State at No. 13 USC

Saturday, Sept. 7
8:00 pm PT, Big Ten Network 

BETMGMSPORTSBOOK Line: USC –28.5
Over/Under Point Total: 63

That win turned some heads and the Trojan defense looked good creating pressure.

Utah State ran for 303 yards and put up almost 650 yards of total offense in their season-opening win. The Aggies offense is good, but it’s not LSU and the USC defense looks markedly better than that of Robert Morris.

USC must avoid the hangover after its big win last week, but with a bye next week, I don’t think the Trojans will get caught looking ahead.

The improved USC defense keeps this one under the 63-point total.

Utah State wins if…they can run the ball like they did in the opener. LSU averaged 4.5 yards per carry vs USC last week.

If the Aggies can get the ground game going, they could hang around with the Trojans for a while.

USC wins if…Miller Moss plays like he did last Sunday. Moss stepped in for Caleb Williams and played phenomenally against LSU.

The offense was clicking under Moss to the tune of 7.5 yards per play. They will need to get more from the rushing attack, but if Moss can consistently play like he did in the opener, the Trojans will be in good shape.

—My Picks—
Against the spread: USC
Points total: Under
Outright winner: USC

Stephen Vilardo’s Mountain West + Pac-2 Game Picks

2024 Week 2 MW + Pac-2 Games	Straight-Up Picks
Utah Tech at UNLV Sept 7, 12:00 pm PT	UNLV
Idaho at Wyoming Sept 7, 12:30 pm PT	Wyoming
SJSU at Air Force Sept 7, 4:00 pm PT	Air Force
Georgia Southern at Nevada Sept 7, 4:00 pm PT	Georgia Southern
Texas Tech at WSU Sept 7, 7:00 pm PT	WSU
Boise State at No. 7 Oregon Sept 7, 7:00 pm PT	Oregon
Sacramento State at Fresno St Sept 7, 7:00 pm PT	Fresno State
Oregon State at San Diego State Sept 7, 7:30 pm PT	Oregon State
Utah State at No. 13 USC Sept, 8:00 pm PT	USC
Vilardo’s Overall MW + Pac-2 Record	13-0 (100%)