Friday Night ESPN College Football Hawaii @ San Jose St Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Week 7 NCAA Football Spreads and Odds

Week 7 Free College Football Picks and Spreads: Hawaii Warriors @ San Jose St Spartans 2011 NCAA Football Vegas Odds, Free Picks, and Expert Predictions on ESPN 10/14/11: The Western Athletic Conference doesn’t exactly get a lot of hype on the national level, but Friday night, the WAC will get a chance to show its stuff in primetime when the Hawaii Warriors (3-2) go on the road to face the San Jose State Spartans (2-4). Both programs have faced some tough out-of-conference tests already in 2011-12, and despite some losses, both teams could be contenders for the WAC title. However, the winner of Friday’s matchup will certainly be in better position to do so. Led by a powerful offense, the Warriors are six-point favorites on the road.

Hawaii will have the best player on the field Friday night in quarterback Bryant Moniz. He is averaging more than 315 passing yards per game this season and has 15 touchdowns and just one interception through five games. Moniz had also shown the ability to scramble this year, which makes him particularly dangerous in the pass-happy spread system the Warriors use. Moniz had been able to put up points against every opponent this season, including Pac-12 power Washington. In his first game against a WAC opponent in 2011-12, Moniz threw for more than 400 yards and fired four touchdowns.

However, the Spartans won’t be intimidated by any player at this point in the year. San Jose State has already gone on the road to play Stanford, UCLA and BYU. Granted, the Spartans lost all three games, but they played the Bruins and Cougars tough from start to finish. That being said, Moniz and the Hawaii offense will be the most dangerous the Spartans have faced with the exception of Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal. The Warriors run the spread attack as well as any team in the country, and San Jose State’s defense that is already giving up more than 400 yards of offense a game to opponents could have a tough time defending a system that is tough to simulate in practice, especially on a short week.

If the Spartans are going to pull off an upset, they are going to have to keep pace on the offensive side of the football. Running back Brandon Rutley has been the team’s best weapon all season, averaging just over 100 yards per game and scoring six touchdowns. Unfortunately for San Jose State, he is questionable for Friday’s game. Not to mention the fact that the Warriors have a solid defense against the run. Even if Rutley were completely healthy, the matchup would be far from ideal. With a ground game that is hurting and facing a Hawaii team that has no trouble scoring, San Jose State will have to rely on its passing game. However, the Spartans have managed just four touchdown passes all year.

There is no question that the Spartans are at a disadvantage in this one, and while playing at home should help their chances, it takes more than a home crowd to win a game. In the end, San Jose State is average at best on defense and is a poor offensive team. Granted, the Warriors aren’t a defensive juggernaut, but they defend the run well, which just happens to be the Spartans’ bread and butter. Meanwhile, Moniz and the high-powered Hawaii offense have been efficient and explosive all year and should continue to be Friday night. It would take a complete collapse from Moniz or the Hawaii defense to prevent the Warriors from covering the spread.

Prediction: Hawaii Warriors (-5.5) Cover the Spread

Free College Football Picks and NCAAF Predictions: Hawaii -5.5 to cover the spread

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