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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utes get a bye week after their dramatic upset over USC, but BYU and Utah State are looking for a pair of massive midseason wins on the road.
Make your picks here.
No. 9 UCLA (6-0) at No. 10 Oregon (5-1)
Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m. MDT (FOX)
The Pac-12 gets its first Top 10 regular-season matchup since 2016, and the Bruins' perfect season gets a major test in Eugene.
Why UCLA will win: The Bruins are coming off of a bye week following back-to-back Top-15 wins over Utah and Washington.
Zach Charbonnet is the real deal at running back, totaling 615 yards and six touchdowns through six games, and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson continues his stellar senior campaign with 1,510 yards and 15 touchdowns after totaling 2,409 and 21 touchdowns in all of 2021.
Why Oregon will win: The Ducks are also coming off of a bye and have yet to lose a game in Pac-12 play. Their most impressive win yet this season came in a 41-20 blowout over then-12th-ranked BYU on Sept. 17.
Bo Nix remains an efficient signal caller, throwing 12 touchdowns to just three interceptions so far this season. The defense, on the other hand, gave up 41 points to Washington State following the BYU win and will have to step up to have any chance of stopping the multi-faceted UCLA offense.
Betting line: Oregon -6
Over/under: 69.5
No. 20 Texas (5-2) at No. 11 Oklahoma State (5-1)
Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m. MDT (ABC)
Is Texas back? Oklahoma State will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season last week and end any Longhorns' hopes in this Big 12 clash.
Why Texas will win: It's yet to be seen if the Longhorns are back for real, but at least starting quarterback Quinn Ewers is back. He led the Longhorns to a 49-0 shutout over Oklahoma on Oct. 8 and a 24-21 comeback win over Iowa State last week.
Running back Bijan Robinson is already up to 10 touchdowns on the year and Texas is beating its opponents by an average score of 36-18 this season.
Why Oklahoma State will win: The Cowboys defeated No. 16 Baylor 36-25 to start the month, but lost 43-40 in double overtime to No. 13 TCU last week.
Quarterback Spencer Sanders is up to 13 passing touchdowns with only three interceptions, leading a Cowboys offense averaging 45 points per game.
Betting line: Texas -6
Over/under: 62
BYU (4-3) at Liberty (6-1)
Saturady, Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m. MDT (ESPNU)
BYU could drop to .500 after this week if the one-loss Liberty Flames continue their strong season.
Why BYU will win: Jaren Hall is carrying the Cougars right now. The junior quarterback has 17 touchdowns to just three interceptions and has a new favorite target in Kody Epps, who is up to six scores on the season.
The defense has been the primary point of concern for the Cougars as of late — allowing 30 points per game — and will need the changes to come quickly against a solid Liberty offense.
Why Liberty will win: The Flames have won four straight and their only loss this season was by 1 point to No. 19 Wake Forest.
On the flip side, BYU has lost three of its last five and appears to be on the decline following back-to-back losses and an array of issues on both sides of the ball.
Betting line: BYU -6.5
Over/under: 58
Boise State (4-2) at Air Force (5-2)
Saturday, Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. MDT (CBSSN)
Mountain West contenders meet for a midseason showdown at Falcon Stadium.
Why Boise State will win: The Broncos underwent an early-season quarterback change after Hank Bachmeier announced his transfer from the program. Two quarterbacks have started since the news — Sam Vidlak and Taylen Green — and the Broncos have back-to-back wins over San Diego State and Fresno State.
Running back George Holani has been a stablizing force with 549 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Why Air Force will win: The Falcons fell to Utah State two weeks ago, but bounced back with a 42-7 road win over UNLV last week.
Running back Brad Roberts is just eating up turf, with 853 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground already this season. The Falcons defense is holding opponents to just 16 points on average.
Betting line: Air Force -3.5
Over/under: 47.5
Utah State (3-4) at Wyoming (4-3)
Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7:45 p.m. MDT
Our second Mountain West matchup features the Aggies trying to get to .500 and the Cowboys looking to defend home field in Laramie.
Why Utah State will win: The Aggies have won two out of three since Cooper Legas took over for Logan Bonner, but the quarterback position is back up in the air after multiple injuries last week against Colorado State.
Running back Calvin Tyler Jr. is racking up the yards with 634 this season but will need to find the end zone more often for the Aggies offense to keep up.
Why Wyoming will win: The Cowboys lost at home to San Jose State after the Sept. 24 loss to BYU in Provo, but bounced back with a 27-14 road win over New Mexico prior to a bye week last week.
Quarterback Andrew Peasley is already over 1,000 yards for the season and running back Titus Swen has 505 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Betting line: Wyoming -4.5
Over/under: 41.5
Don't forget to make your picks!
