Free College Football Picks – BYU Tries To End Its Misery

The Brigham Young Cougars and their fans find themselves in a very unusual position this weekend.

Can BYU rebound against the San Diego State Aztecs?

Here’s a preview along with some free college football betting picks.

Saturday, October 9th – 6:05 PM ET

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San Diego State Aztecs @ BYU Cougars

LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT

Broadcast: local/regional cable

Free College Football Picks: San Diego State -4.5, BYU +4.5

Total: 49

It’s going to be a strange sort of Saturday for the Cougars’ loyal fan base, which has the misfortune of seeing one of the worst BYU teams to take the field in quite some time. The Cougars aren’t just 1-4 on the year, they’re a bad 1-4. BYU has lost its four games by an average of 18.5 points, wilting in the second halves of games and generally failing to do anything of consequence on offense.

Local bloggers and beat writers in and around the program have said that this group of BYU receivers is one of the least talented in school history. In last Friday’s 31-16 loss at Utah State, Cougar wideouts dropped at least six passes and misjudged several other aerials from the right arm of freshman quarterback Jake Heaps, who is undergoing his own learning process but is playing a lot better than his numbers might suggest.

Heaps threw 55 passes against Utah State and completed only 27 (under 50 percent), but had his pass catchers done their jobs, Heaps probably would have hit 35 of his throws. Yes, the receiving for the Cougars has been that abysmal to this point in the 2010 season.

It’s hard to imagine that the same school which was a quarterback factory in the 1980s and has still cranked out solid passers in recent years (John Beck and Max Hall) is now so markedly impotent and lifeless on offense.

Heaps is young and raw, but it’s still a stunner to realize that BYU hasn’t scored more than 16 points in a game since its opener against Washington on Sept. 4.

Free College Football Line: What San Diego State Has To Do To Win

San Diego State is 3-1 and is favored by five points, but we really don’t know what to expect from the Aztecs under coach Brady Hoke. SDSU ranks in the top 24 in each of the four bread-and-butter metrics for offense and defense: 13th in pass offense, 24th in rush offense, 15th in scoring offense, and ninth in scoring defense.

Yet, the Aztecs haven’t played anybody. Nicholls State comes from the FCS (that was win number one for SDSU this season). New Mexico State is a bottom-rung FBS program (win number two). Utah State – though competitive against good teams – has also bottomed out against so-so opponents this year as well (that’s win number three for the Aztecs).

Until we know more about Utah State, we won’t know quite as much about SDSU’s 41-7 win over those very same Aggies. SDSU’s one loss came at Missouri, and though the Aztecs outplayed the Tigers in that game, they didn’t finish them off.

One gets the sense that if San Diego State doesn’t grab a big early lead, BYU could hang around and win. San Diego State has the superior talent in this game. The Aztecs must simply focus on the task at hand and keep their composure. If SDSU plays up to its capabilities, BYU won’t be able to pull the upset.

Free College Football Picks: What BYU Has To Do To Win

The Cougars have to start with the basics, since they haven’t been able to do much of anything in 2010. BYU’s receivers have to eliminate dropped passes and start running better routes. The offensive line has to become competent at power-based run blocking.

All in all, the Cougars have to help out Heaps, their overburdened freshman quarterback. Without catching or blocking, this offense has no chance…just like the team itself.

Outlook & Free College Football Picks

The feeling here is that BYU will be so angry after weeks of underperforming that the Cougars will take out their frustrations on San Diego State. The Aztecs, who are not used to being a favorite against anyone –but especially not against BYU on the road – will find it hard to acquire the right mindset for this game.

BYU will surge in the fourth quarter and fight past the mentally shaky Aztecs for the outright win.

Free College Football Picks: BYU +4.5

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