by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Sep 20, 2021
Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET, Sept. 25, 2021
Venue: Pratt & Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, CT
Where to watch: CBS Sports Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Wyoming -30; O/U 56; Wyoming -12500, UConn +3500
BetMGM: Wyoming -29.5; O/U 55.5
Caesars: Wyoming -30; O/U 56; Wyoming -10000, UConn +2000
Season record
Wyoming: 3-0
UConn: 0-4
Team Del Genio was a PERFECT 4-0 in all-sports on Saturday to further a 9 of 11 (82%) HOT STREAK this week, WINNING their 25* NCAA-F Pac-12 Game of the Month with USC and their 25* NCAA-F Saturday TV Total of the Month with the ASU/BYU under! Catch Del Genio’s and other plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Wyoming - UConn preview and analysis
Recent form
Wyoming: won 45-12 vs. Ball State on Sept. 18
UConn: lost 52-21 at Army on Sept. 18.
There’s not really much to talk about with the Connecticut Huskies these days.
Buried in the depths of college football, losing to the likes of Holy Cross and one of two programs that would lose by 100 to an SEC opponent (hello, UNLV), UConn’s slow, agonizing season continues Saturday when it hosts the undefeated Wyoming Cowboys out of the Mountain West.
Rentschler Field is the place where football programs come to die. There is no incentive for teams to go there unless they want a free win. Because any program that loses to UConn this year should be banished for all eternity.
Teams who don’t cover against UConn should also be laughed at, but not completely removed from the world. The Army Black Knights were in the earlier category, despite winning 52-21 on Saturday at West Point and not covering the 34-point spread their way.
UConn’s offense is down-right abysmal. Somehow the group is averaging 12 points per game, which is 12 more than you could possibly think. Now comes Wyoming, a team with a stifling defense and is favored by four touchdowns against the Huskies.
The Cowboys are coming off a 45-12 win over Ball State on Saturday despite only 378 total yards of offense. Ball State mustered only 260.
Fresh off surviving a scare against Northern Illinois that resulted in a 50-43 win two weeks ago, Wyoming is one of only three teams in the Mountain West that’s undefeated (joining Utah State and San Diego State), and that will likely continue this week.
Sean Chambers may not have the youthful exuberance of a Hank Bachmeier from Boise State or the talent like a Carson Strong from Nevada - Reno, or even the rocket arm of a Jake Haener from Fresno State, but he’s a solid game manager.
Prediction
This should be a piece of cake for Wyoming, and what I’d expect to be an easy cover. Purdue shut UConn out at home with relative ease, and if that defense travels well to the northeast, expect something along the lines of a shutout. Wyoming wins by 49
Betting trends
Wyoming is 8-5 against the spread and 10-3 straight up as a favorite in the last 13 games.
Wyoming is 13-3 ATS following home wins by 28 points or more.
UConn has lost 13 straight as a home underdog straight up, but are 5-8 ATS.
Players to watch
Wyoming: Watch for the run game to take over and make an easy day for the offense. Xazavian Valladay could be due for a big day if things go according to plan.
UConn: All eyes are on quarterback Jack Zergiotis because it’ll be up to him to even keep them in this game. Zergiotis has three touchdowns and three interceptions this season.
Statistical leaders
Wyoming:
Passing: Sean Chambers -- 601 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Xazavian Valladay -- 239 yards, 3 TD
Receiving: Isaiah Neyor -- 203 yards, 2 TD
Defense: Chad Muma -- 33 tackles,1 sack, 2 INT
UConn:
Passing: Jack Zergiotis -- 235 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Kevin Mensah -- 122 yards
Receiving: Keelan Marion -- 75 yards, 2 TD
Defense: Jackson Mitchell -- 44 tackles, 0.5 sacks
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
