The San Diego State Aztecs are continuing to successfully handle the various challenges that come their way, but any football team which constantly plays close games – as the Aztecs have the past three weeks – might eventually stumble. Are the Aztecs in a position where that will likely happen or has a good chance of happening?
Details
Odds: Aztecs -10.5
Date & Time: Saturday, October 7, 10:45 PM ET
Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Broadcast: ESPN2
Reasons To Bet On The San Diego State Aztecs
The Aztecs have had to undergo a lot of obstacles in recent weeks. They went up against a Heisman Trophy candidate, Bryce Love, in their Week 3 win over Stanford. They dealt with a weather delay of nearly one and a half hours against Air Force and fell behind in the fourth quarter before rallying for a close victory. They then had to cope with a situation last week against Northern Illinois in which an NIU defensive player poked the eye of San Diego State star running back Rashaad Penny. That play slowed down Penny in the game and disrupted the Aztecs’ offense. Yet, the defense pulled through and managed to come up with an interception on the 1-yard line in the final minutes to preserve a six-point win. This team keeps finding solutions, so San Diego State should be able to deal with anything UNLV can throw in its direction. Winning the game won’t be too much of a concern.
In terms of covering the spread, San Diego State is a good choice because UNLV isn’t nearly as good as the teams the Aztecs have been playing the past three weeks. Stanford has been one of the Pac-12’s best programs this decade. Air Force had a terrific season last year and pushed Michigan for three quarters in Ann Arbor last month. Northern Illinois won at Nebraska and will contend for the MAC championship this season. Those are good teams. UNLV lost as a 45-point favorite to Howard of the Football Championship Subdivision. The Rebels are 2-2 and have not beaten any team of consequence. This game should give San Diego State a breather – the Aztecs are far stronger than the Rebels at the line of scrimmage. They should dominate up front and establish Penny with the running game.
Reasons To Bet On The UNLV Rebels
There is one reason to think UNLV can cover the number and possibly win the game outright. Very simply, San Diego State could experience a letdown in which the team simply doesn’t have any energy or enthusiasm or crispness. San Diego State has overcome challenges the past few weeks, as outlined above, but when a team is always living close to the edge – each game was a one-score game and went down to the final two minutes – the laws of averages usually catch up. It has taken a lot of effort for San Diego State to remain unbeaten. Human nature being what it is, these young athletes might go to Las Vegas and take UNLV lightly. They could fall behind 14-0 in the first quarter and spend the whole night trying to catch up. They might panic and lose focus, and once down, they might not be able to recover.
Two basic and likely scenarios exist in this game. SDSU could start strongly and create a blowout, or the Aztecs could start slowly. If they start slowly, they might never be able to get into a rhythm. That scenario is realistic, and UNLV – after winning by 28 points last week against San Jose State – might have an offense which is ready to perform at a high level and take advantage of the Aztecs if they are not sharp.
Outlook
The possibility of a San Diego State letdown is real, but UNLV is probably too weak in the trenches to stand up to San Diego State’s power. As long as the Aztecs don’t collapse early in the game and can get a solid seven-point lead midway through the second quarter or shortly before halftime, they should be able to pull away in the second half.
Prediction: Aztecs -10.5
Click here to bet on the college football season right now. DSI has a full list of spreads, totals and props for every single game on the board. Get all of the latest lines that you need to get a piece of the action!
