Bern’s-Eye View: Mountain West Best Bets Week 2

By Taylor Bern

Friday, Sept. 5, 2014 | 3 p.m.

While 5-6 isn’t exactly what I was looking for in the debut of this column, it wasn’t terrible so I’ll take it. This week we drop most of the Division I-AA opponents so things should be a little more clear.

I went 2-3 in games against a I-AA foes while the other losses were just whiffs involving a couple of Pac-12 schools and an SEC beatdown. This week only one team on this slate (Utah State) is playing a lower-division opponent and we also get a couple of conference games.

Let’s get to the games:

Note: UNLV picks will appear in the live blog on the day of games.

TONIGHT

Washington State (minus-3) at UNR

7:30 p.m., ESPN

• This is the hardest pick on the slate for me. In the end I’m going with the Wolf Pack simply because they’re getting points at home in a game that I think could come down to the very end.

Pick: UNR — Win

SATURDAY

Fresno State (plus-13) at Utah

Noon, Pac-12 Networks

• I was an idiot for picking Fresno State last week, a selection based more on USC’s week off the field than anything to do with the Bulldogs. After seeing the quarterback battle between Brian Burrell and Brandon Connette I’m going to have to see some drastic improvements before siding with Fresno again.

Pick: Utah — Win

No. 17 Arizona State (minus-24) at New Mexico

4 p.m., CBS Sports Network

• The Lobos got better as the game went along last week against UTEP, but still it was a home loss to a bad team. So what’s going to happen when a competent team comes to town?

Pick: Arizona State — Win

San Jose State (plus-32 ½) at No. 5 Auburn

4 p.m., ESPN2

• This isn’t “Hoosiers,” so be wary of any coach using measurements to convince his team they have a chance. “It’s 53 1/3 yards wide, it’s 120 yards in length, it’s 11 men of ours vs. their 11 best,” SJSU coach Ron Caragher told the San Jose Mercury News. Lay the points.

Pick: Auburn — Win

Idaho State (plus-35) at Utah State

4 p.m., Mountain West Network/Campus Insiders

• This is a get-right game for the Aggies, who were humbled by last week’s 38-7 loss at Tennessee. However, I’m not comfortable laying that many points.

Pick: Idaho State — Win

San Diego State (plus-15 ½) at No. 21 North Carolina

5 p.m., ESPNews

• I think Canyon Springs grad D.J. Pumphrey, a sophomore running back at SDSU, has a big game to help the Aztecs finish within two touchdowns.

Pick: San Diego State — Win

Colorado State (plus-9 ½) at Boise State

7:15 p.m., ESPN2

• Upset special: I’d consider the Rams for the straight-up win. This game could play a large role in the conference title race, and we’re less than a week into September.

Pick: Colorado State — Loss

Air Force (minus-2) at Wyoming

7:15 p.m., ESPNU

• If I were making this pick based on last week’s results I’d have to go with Air Force. However, I’ll stick to what I would have done in the preseasons since the Falcons’ 44-16 victory was against middling Nicholls State while the team Wyoming struggled with, Montana, is one of the best in Division I-AA this year.

Pick: Wyoming — Win

Oregon State (minus-10) at Hawaii

7:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network

• Still not picking Hawaii to win until I see it, but with a lesser Pac-12 team than last week (Washington) coming to town I suppose I’ll side with the home team considering their one-point loss to the Huskies.

Pick: Hawaii — Win

Last week: 5-6

Season: 5-6

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.