Preview: Utah State at Louisiana Tech

The last non-automatic qualifying school with a chance to crash the BCS party is No. 19 Louisiana Tech, but it’s going to need a lot of help. The Bulldogs can draw one step closer to a Western Athletic  Conference title and keep their BCS dreams alive with a home win over Utah State on Saturday. The Aggies are tied with Louisiana Tech for the WAC lead and will put their tough defense up against the Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech is averaging 576.5 yards to lead the nation but Utah State boasts the sixth-ranked scoring defense in the country, surrendering 13.5 points. The Aggies can put up points, too, and have scored at least 38 in each of their last four games as they’ve ripped through the WAC.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN3.com. LINE: Utah State -3

ABOUT UTAH STATE (8-2, 4-0 WAC): The Aggies are ready to lay their claim as the best team in the WAC and have the body of work to back it up. Utah State’s lone setbacks came on the road at Wisconsin 16-14 and at Brigham Young 6-3. The Aggies have put up at least 27 points in each of their eight wins and have allowed more than 20 only once. Having already beaten third-place San Jose State, Utah State can clinch the WAC with a win over the Bulldogs. Quarterback Chuckie Keeton has 23 touchdowns against seven interceptions and is coming off a 316-yard, four-touchdown passing day in a 38-7 victory over Texas State on Nov. 3. Keeton has become a factor in the rushing attack as well, piling up four scores on the ground over the last four games.

ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (9-1, 4-0): The Bulldogs average 53.4 points - 18.3 more than the next-closest team in the WAC. They pace the conference in  passing and rushing, with freshman running back Kenneth Dixon already over 1,000 yards (1,052) and 24 touchdowns. But Dixon’s raw numbers are dwarfed by quarterback Colby Cameron, who has thrown for 3,283 yards and 27 touchdowns without an interception. Louisiana Tech’s only loss came in a 59-57 shootout against Texas A&M, but the defense had made things interesting on several occasions. The quick-strike offense tends to leave the defense out on the field for a long time, leading to 36.2 points against. Cameron needed 337 yards and Dixon needed four touchdowns to survive a 62-55 test at Texas State last week.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Bulldogs rank 20th in the BCS standings and need to move up to 16 to have a shot at a BCS Bowl.

2. Utah State has never won on the road against a ranked team and has dropped 29 straight overall to ranked opponents.

3. Dixon’s 24 touchdowns are an NCAA freshman record.

PREDICTION: Louisiana Tech 40, Utah State 38