NCAAF Friday night preview: Colorado State vs. Wyoming

Friday night gives college football fans a battle of middle-of-the-pack Mountain West teams. Wyoming is already bowl eligible, but Colorado State needs to win in Laramie and also against Boise State in the Rams' home finale to get there.

That’s a tall order—especially when you consider that the Cowboys are 5-0 at home this year. Three of those wins were impressive—a 37-31 defeat of Missouri, a 53-17 thrashing of UNLV and a 31-3 rout of Nevada. The Rams have won two straight on the road and each was by double digits. Colorado State and Wyoming have faced four common opponents, and the Cowboys hold a 30-point edge in those contests (+7.5 points per game).

Colorado State at Wyoming (-6.5), 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Wyoming's run defense has been stellar

Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl lost his first game against Colorado State’s Mike Bobo in 2015 but has won three straight since. Nobody can run the ball on the Cowboys’ defense, which is giving up just 2.78 yards per carry. The Rams have only put up 4.2 yards per carry on the season, and that is inflated by the early work of former top back Marvin Kinsey (703 yards in seven games at 5.81 yards per carry), who has since left the team. That means a lot of pressure will be placed on the arm of junior quarterback Patrick O’Brien, who has played admirably since Collin Hill tore his ACL in the third game of the season.

Wyoming ranks second to last in the Mountain West in passing yards allowed per game. You would think that might mean trouble, but closer inspection shows the Cowboys rank in the top four in the conference in opposing yards per attempt, completion percentage and quarterback rating.

Weather should be a factor

Offensively, Colorado State is in the top four in the conference in all of those stats, as well. So we have a case where it is strength on strength. Who gets the edge? I’ll throw my support behind the Wyoming defense. It is a night contest, with temperature forecasted for a chilly 21 degrees, 10 mph winds and occasional gusts up to 17 mph. The weather dictates that it should be significantly easier to run the ball in Laramie than it will be to throw].

Wyoming will be eager to break out of its funk

While you could make the case that Colorado State has more to play for and will be the more motivated team, Wyoming is coming off two tough road losses and should be inspired to prevent its season from sinking into the tank. And the Cowboys will want to keep that perfect home record intact. Their defense should make the Rams one dimensional, and the weather might mess with CSU’s otherwise prolific passing attack. Bohl seems to have Bobo’s number and his team will wear down the Rams for a fourth-quarter cover.

Pick: Wyoming -6.5

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