Beehive Football: Utah State and BYU battle for 'The Old Wagon Wheel,' Utah hosts Colorado

With Oregon (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12 North) beating USC (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12 South) last week, all Utah (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12 South) needed to do was beat UCLA (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12 South) at home in what would have clinched the South division -- combined with a win over Colorado (4-8, 1-7 Pac-12 South) this Saturday. But just like four years ago in a loss to Colorado, the Utes couldn’t take advantage at home and will now have to wait another year to try and get that elusive Pac-12 South title.

BYU (8-3) shook off its fourth quarter meltdown against Missouri (5-6, 1-6 SEC East) last week and rebounded with a 52-10 thumping over Fresno State (3-8, 2-5 MW) on Senior Day at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Tanner Mangum threw for 336 yards and a touchdown in the win. With that, Mangum has now set freshman records for completions (226), passing yards (2,778), passing touchdowns (17), wins (7), single-game completions (35) and single-game passing (365 yards) this year.

Utah State (6-5, 5-3 MW) broke its two-game losing streak in stunning fashion. The Aggies rallied from 20 points down to beat Nevada (6-5, 4-3 MW), 31-27, at home. With the win, the Aggies become bowl eligible for fifth consecutive year.

BYU vs. UTAH STATE, Saturday 1:30 p.m. (CBSSN)

Rivalry week is here.

Thanks to two victories in the last five years, combined with star quarterbacks (Taysom Hill, Chuckie Keeton) going down with season ending injuries the last three years, Saturday’s game between the Cougars and the Aggies has a different feel to it than in past decades.

USU currently has a 14-game home winning streak – the third longest in school history – and is looking for back-to-back victories over BYU for the first time in 41 years. Meanwhile, a win for the Cougars would not only snap USU’s home winning streak, but would give BYU a shot at a 10-win season, something that hasn’t been happened since 2011.

Both teams come in with great defenses, and offenses that can certainly put up points. Coming in to Saturday’s game, Mangum is just 223 yards away from reaching the 3,000-yard plateau and loves to spread the ball around. For the season, 18 different receivers have caught a pass, with five having more than 400 yards on the season. Mitch Mathews leads the way with 571 yards and nine touchdowns.

USU has weapons of its own with running back Devante Mays and wide receiver Hunter Sharp. Mays has 788 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns, while Sharp has 53 catches for 646 yards and seven touchdowns.

Two players to watch on defense for BYU is defensive lineman Bronson Kaufusi and safety Kai Nacua. Kaufusi has 10 sacks on the year – the most by a BYU defender since 2012. Nacua comes in with six interceptions – returning two of them for touchdowns. His six interceptions are the most since 2001 (Jernaro Gilford).

But the Aggies have some defensive stars of their own. Nick Vigil and Kyler Fackrell lead stout USU defense. Vigil leads the team in tackles (131 tackles), to go along with 12.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Fackrell has 73 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, five fumble recoveries and four sacks.

As of Thursday, BYU is favored by three points as it looks to bring The Old Wagon Wheel back to Provo.

No. 23 UTAH vs. COLORADO, Saturday, 12:30 p.m. (Pac-12)

The Utes went from being ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation and a shot at the College Playoff, to now just hoping for a good bowl game after losing its last two-games.

But the Utes still have plenty to play for.

“We have a chance to win 10 games and be co-Pac-12 South Division champions,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said in his weekly press conference. “If we take care of business, we are co-champs. We won’t go to the championship game because of head-to-head but to finish as co-champions and potentially 10 wins, that’s the high-water mark since we’ve been in the conference.”

Utah comes in favored by 16 points, but might have a tough time covering the spread as injuries have wiped out the Utes’ offense.

Star running back Devontae Booker is out to repair a torn meniscus, and leading receiver Britain Covey suffered a leg injury last Saturday. Covey is out for Saturday’s game and his status for the upcoming bowl game is still in question.

19 seniors will play their final game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Evan Moeai and Tim Patrick plan to apply for medical extensions to play next year.

“We’ll say goodbye to a great group of seniors who were the primary group to enter this league with us and make this Pac-12 journey,” Whittingham said. “We’ve progressed with them these last five years and we will miss them.”

Follow Justin Giles on Twitter @Justingiles22.