Joseph Filler

ESPN SoCal

8-23-23

College Football season is now upon us. The Mountain West Conference is kicking things off on Saturday, August 26th, with the San Diego State Aztecs hosting the Ohio University Bobcats at 7:00p.m. The big question is, who will win this Week 1 showdown? Let's dive deeper into this to predict who the winner will be.

San Diego State finished 7-6 in 2022, good enough for 2nd in their division. However, their season ended with a devastating 25-23 loss in the 2022 EasyPost Hawaii Bowl to the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. In addition to the Bowl loss, the Aztecs also lost ten players from their roster. DL Jonah Tavai and WR Jesse Matthews were two of their standout players, both going undrafted but signed with the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans, respectively. 

On a postive note, San Diego State is notoriously known for their elite recruiting in the Mountain West Conference. In the offseason, they signed 3-Star recruit Javance Tupou'ata' Johnson, a top 20 Dual-Threat QB in the nation. Johnson is very accuarate with deep-ball passes, can run for big gains, and can break out of the pocket to extend plays. Another standout recruit the Aztecs got is another 3-Star recruit Tyson Berry. At 5'8, 160, he may seem undersized at a receiver, but don't let his size fool you. His speed allows him to create separation from opposing cornerbacks with ease and is a threat to tackle when the ball is in his hands. With 149 catches, 2,112 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns as a 4 year starter in high school, Berry will provide good value to the Aztecs.

On the other hand, Ohio University finished 10-4 in 2022, good enough for 1st overall in the Mid-American Conference. The season ended with a 30-27 win against the Wyoming Cowboys in the 2022 Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl. With a chip on their shoulder, the Bobcats are looking to continue their success in 2023. 

The Bobcats have numerous returning star players from their 2022 team, including QB Kurtis Rourke, WR Sam Wiglusz, and C Parker Titsworth. Rourke, however, is coming off a devastating ACL injury that ended his 2022 record-setting season early. Granted that he stay healthy, he will look to continue his success starting off with Week 1. Wiglusz returns as the number 1 WR option, leading the team in catches and yards during the 2022 season. Titsworth returns as the number 1 Center option, helping the Bobcats offense average 31.79 points and 421.4 yards per game in 2022. 

The Aztecs went 5-2 at home in 2022, while the Bobcats were 3-3 in 2022 during away games. The Bobcats, however, did allow 28.3 points a game to their opponents in 2022, and had the sixth-worst percentage asgainst the pass in the nation, giving the Aztecs an advantage in this case. The Aztecs will rely on their D-Line to hopefully compensate for their lack of offense coming into the 2023 season. 

While this will be a tough Week 1 showdown for both teams, it is expected that both teams will put on a battle for fans to see.