Predictions: BYU and Utah should prevail, but can USU slow Mendenhall's high-octane offense?

Can No. 13 BYU move on? Will Isaac Wilson be the catalyst for Utah's turnaround in the home stretch? Does Utah State have a chance to slow down Bronco Mendenhall's New Mexico offense in Logan?

These burning questions will be answered before Sunday.

Mike Gundy is known for getting his Cowboys going late in the season after poor starts.

Is Provo the right place for its first league win?

Unlikely, as BYU (6-0, 3-0) has proven tough in night games at home. Gundy will likely start a different quarterback this week and his defense, which will be without two starters, has struggled to stop the run.

On the other hand, OSU's Ollie Gordon II is the reigning Doak Walker Award winner, and while he may struggle to match last year's form, he is a dangerous defender who needs to catch BYU's attention.

Meanwhile, BYU's defense is one of 15 teams in the country that has held opponents to below their season average in yards per game. This game will feature two teams that are nearly tied in the national rankings in total offense: OSU is ranked 71st and BYU is ranked 72nd.

So the difference lies in defense. BYU is ranked 24th in total defense with the No. 1 pass efficiency defense and OSU is ranked 129th in total defense. OSU is rumored to be benching starting quarterback Alan Bowman for Garret Rangel.

I don't know if swapping QBs in Provo for Jay Hill will work. We'll find out, even though OSU had two weeks to take on the Cougars. Gundy is good at it.

In a strange football complexity, Kalani Sitake's Cougars win games with the third-worst offense in the Big 12. They do so by making big defensive and special teams plays, causing turnovers and giving the offense short fields. It has become something of a trademark.

BYU's defense had great moments, but Sitake says they need to steady things down. However, defense is the reason the Cougars should win this important league game.

At Utah (4-2, 1-2), Wilson doesn't have to carry the Utes on his shoulders, but it would help if he avoided turnovers and managed the offense sharply and productively in the absence of Cam Rising. QBs, fair or not, are monumental tools for how teams perform.

Is he capable? Yes. He is talented and good enough. He needs confidence and TCU (3-3, 1-2) could be just the game to help him and his friends overcome a two-game loss.

Wilson will be facing the No. 8 pass defense in the country, and that will be a big challenge. He'll need running back Micah Bernard (6.6 yards per carry) to provide balance.

Watching Cam Rising battle ASU makes you wonder if a healthy Wilson could have buoyed the Utes with some big completions to keep drives alive. Would he have avoided throwing three picks? That's a guess, but he would have had a more stable base to launch passes and get some mustard on the ball.

Utah needs to be more efficient in the red zone, where in the preseason everyone believed the Utes would take care of business with the talented tight ends and Bernard. But as it stands, Utah is averaging 26.9 points in Big 12 games while TCU is averaging 35.3 points. The Horned Frog's face Utah's strongest defense to date and are just behind Iowa State and BYU in total defense.

One of the main reasons Utah is favored is TCU's 30-19 loss to Houston, one of the Big 12's lower-tier teams.

With Logan, the Aggies have a daunting task in stopping the offense of New Mexico, which is ranked 24th nationally and averages 35 points per game.

Defensively, the Lobos can be exploited, but UNM has an advantage in the shootout with an explosive and balanced attack and a dangerous quarterback. USU ranks 131st nationally in scoring defense, scoring 42.8 points per game. UNM could drop 50 on the Aggies.

This week's tips

• Oregon 41, Purdue 17

• BYU 28, Oklahoma State 24

• Nevada 28, Fresno State 21

• Miami 33, Louisville 28

• Cincinnati 28, Arizona State 21

• Kansas 21, Houston 17

• Texas Tech 37, Baylor 28

• Iowa State 34, UCF 21

• Kansas State 28, West Virginia 24

• Utah 21, TCU 17

• New Mexico 42, Utah State 24

• San Jose State 24, Wyoming 21

• Colorado State 27, Air Force 24

• UNVL 37, Oregon State 31

• Army 42, East Carolina 24

• Rutgers 24, UCLA 21

• Alabama 28, Tennessee 24

• Michigan 24, Illinois 21

Last week 11-4; 89-27 overall (.767)