Louisiana Tech vs. Utah State: who’s better?

First off, both these college football teams have gotten remarkably better in recent years.

Louisiana Tech has been ranked in the Top-25 this year and played No. 20-ranked Texas A&M to a standstill last week (a 59-57 loss). Utah State is not far behind, standing at 5-2 on the season, fresh off a 49-27 win over San Jose State last weekend and are 30-point favorites this Saturday when New Mexico State visits Logan, Utah.

Of course there could be some unforeseen upsets along the way. We’re assuming both teams win down the stretch leading up to their Nov. 17 game in Ruston, La. And, if that’s the case, it should be a great game that could very well decide WAC supremacy.

But here’s why I lean towards Utah State right now: Because the UtAgs play defense. USU ranks No. 20 nationally in total defense (giving up just over 322-yards-per game) while Louisiana Tech ranks No. 119 (surrendering over 555-yards-per contest). Utah State is No. 14 in scoring defense (14.86 points per game) while Louisiana Tech is tied for 114th (39.67 per game).

Obviously the Bulldogs boast a prolific offense that’s been able to score on everybody they’ve faced (first in the nation averaging 53.83 points per game, ninth in the nation averaging 538.67 yards per game). So the challenge for USU will be keeping up with such proficiency.

New Mexico State will travel to face Utah State this weekend, then will host Louisiana Tech next Saturday. A chance for Aggie fans to see two real good teams in action.

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Good story from Salt Lake Tribune writer Tony Jones on where Utah State and New Mexico State stand along the college football landscape — Two Aggie Football Teams, Two Different Directions.

NMSU head coach had some interesting — and similar — quotes in today’s Las Cruces Sun-News story, while we also touched on some of these issues in a recent blog post.