Wyoming Cowboys 2023 College Football Preview
June 29, 2023
2022 Recap
Record – 7-6
ATS – 6-6-1
They did it again. And we are surprised, why?
The Pokes came into the season with fairly low expectations and they blew them away. Wyoming put together a 7-2 (!) stretch during the campaign and finished with a mark of 7-6. It wasn’t a mirage as they managed to take down Air Force and they gave Boise St all they could handle (L 17-14). MEGALOCKS SEASON WIN TOTAL CLUB had a fine 9-1 season in 2022 but Wyoming ‘Under’ was a 90,000 star DEATH BOOSTER SURPRISE BLOOD CLOTS POWER LOCK loser.
Can the scrappy Cowboys exceed expectations yet again in 2023?
Wyoming Cowboys 2023 Outlook
OFFENSE
The THROW GAME was as pathetic as advertised LY (#125 FBS passing offense, #126 passing efficiency, 11-12 TD to INT) but the ground attack was pretty good (181 YPG, #44). QB Andrew Peasley is back for another tour of duty and we were hoping they’d find another option in the transfer portal. We’ll see how things go. The WR room looks pretty MEH but TE Treyton Welch is definitely a keeper (308, 5 TD). It’s not great to lose 1,000-yard RB Titus Swen but they look just fine at RB with the return of Dawaiian McNeely (5.7 LY) and the addition of Northern Illinois RB Harrison Waylee who’s been REALLY good at times. Only two starters return up front but they have good size and a track record of making the ground game work well.
DEFENSE
The Cowboys were pretty stout on defense LY (23.9 PPG, #47) but they had a bit of a SOFT UNDERBELLY vs the run (154 YPG, #73). Things look really good heading into this season as the Pokes return 10 (!) starters, nine of their top-ten tacklers, and their top-two sack producers. The DL might be the best in the Mountain West as they feature a small handful of havoc-masters including DEs DeVonne Harris (8 sacks, 13 TFL LY) and Braden Siders (7 sacks, 13.5 TFL). The LB group features the team’s top two tacklers from 2022 (Gibbs, Suiaunoa) and they’ve got an experienced secondary. Yup, this looks like one of the best defenses in the Mountain West.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Yes, guy.
Wyoming has a rock solid kicking game with the retention of punter Clayton Stewart (43.9) and All-Universe PK John Hoyland (22-25 FG, 4-5 50+ LY).
Schedule Analysis
Overall – They’ve got one TOMATO CAN in non-conference action (Portland St) and three tough ones (Texas Tech, at Texas, Appalachian St). They’ll deal with three tough games in Mountain West play and two of those BAD BOYS are back-to-back events on the road (Air Force, Boise St).
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – at UNLV (Nov 11)
This is a potential sneaky letdown spot as it comes after four tough games (Fresno, AF, Boise, Border War with Colorado St).
Season Win Total
Market consensus June 29
Over 5.5 -170
Under 5.5 +145
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Over
This team hits six wins on the regular (see below) and the defense will be nasty.
MEGAmazing Tidbit
The Cowboys have won at least six games every season since 2015 (!). The lone exception was the 2-4 record during the shortened 2020 PLANDEMIC ** season.
** hey Karen, why do you keep getting sick if you’ve had 14 safe and effective DEATH BOOSTERS? Weird.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
You know we can’t get enough SWEET WYOMING ACTION. They’re tougher than a $3 steak and we love the look of the defense, rushing attack, and kicking game. They’ll be in a lot of close games so it won’t be easy, but we’ll call for six or seven wins. They don’t appear to have enough firepower to make the Mountain West Championship Game, but you never know. #GOWYO !!