Oregon State +4 4.4% NCAAF POD
The first match up of the 2017 season falls between Pac 12
and the Mountain West. Both teams are
really in similar situations as you have Oregon State and Gary Anderson in his
third year while you have Colorado Stateâ??s Mike Bobbo in his third year. Bobbo and Colorado State have gone to back to
back bowls and really lit it up down the stretch. They come into this game with a ton of hype
with their new stadium, and how they finished last year and all that tells me
is that we have an inflated line.
Colorado State returns 14 starters while Oregon State returns
15. The 2 and 5 year recruiting rankings
are in favor of Oregon State 43/49 to 69/79 so Oregon State should really be
favored and when you look at the front lines of both teams I love the value we are
getting here with Oregon State. The
Beavers have improved each of the last two years on offense and defense and I
think itâ??s finally time for them to take the next step and get back to a bowl
game. Their offense improved by over a
TD last year and they return both Nall and Pierce who both averaged over 5
yards per carry. Along with the RBâ??s
they return 3 QBâ??s with starting experience, but in this game they can really
lean on the run.
When you look at both teams they are very good at running
the ball, but very bad at stopping it a year ago. Oregon State #32nd in running the
ball while Colorado State was #24, but Colorado State faced only 4 teams in the
top 50 in stopping the run while Oregon State faced 7. Defensively Oregon State faced 4 top 30
running teams on their way to struggling ranking 90th. Colorado State was not any better at 91st
andt hey faced just 2 teams in the top 30.
They gave up 200+ yards rushing 9 times last year and Oregon State went
4-0 when they could run the ball and control the line of scrimmage.
Both teams come in with their most experienced teams in
three years. I like what Oregon State
has along the defensive line and I see them improving more as they return all
of their starters on the defensive line and add in Michigan State/JUCO transfer
Craig Evans who is a330lb linemen.
Compare that with Colorado State who on paper have 3 returning starters,
but lost 3 defensive tackles and a DE.
Depth is definitely a factor here.
You also have to handicap the fact that Colorado State will
face Colorado the following week their instate rival. They definitely canâ??t help but look ahead to
that game that means a lot more than this game.
Oregon State has a tough schedule and would love to start the season 2-0
with Portland State on deck. Oregon
State is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 against the Mountain West (losers to Boise
last year) and in case you are wondering the PAC 12 IS 49-17 since 2010 against
the Mountain West while outscoring opponents by 13.4ppg. In fact they have averaged over 34 ppg each
of the last 4 years.
