The next two weeks will tell us a lot about the state of the Wyoming football program. The Cowboys head into week three of the season with a 1-1 record, when many thought they could very well be 0-2. Winning in triple overtime in the opening weekend of the season against Northern Illinois, the Pokes showed they had some true grit. They showed similar grit for three quarters in Lincoln, Nebraska before all the wagon wheels fell off and the horses through their shoes. There were encouraging and discouraging signs in the first two weeks but this third game at home versus FCS based UC-Davis (1-1) the Pokes need to show nothing but good traits.
Wyoming is and should be a better team than UC-Davis and they need to show it Saturday afternoon. They enter the game as the clear favorites although there is no Vegas line on this game. The Sagarin Ratings show Wyoming being a 18 point favorite but they will need a composed and steady effort to get the job done. The Pokes only have to look to last season against North Dakota to find out what happens when you under estimate your opponent. A dominant win against the Aggies is what this program needs. Such a win would set-up a potential 3-1 start with a winnable road game against Eastern Michigan (Sagarin currently has Wyoming as a 6 point favorite in this match-up) coming the following Friday.
If the Cowboys are as improved in this third season under Head Coach Craig Bohl as he and the fan base believes. Then we need to see it and the team needs to define their season in the next two weeks. A 3-1 start is what the players in this program need to buy into Bohl’s system even more than they already do. A 2-2 start would still be positive considering only two games were won in 2015 but would still feel to me like a lost opportunity. A 1-3 start would be be truly disastrous and if that were to happen we could see a repeat of least season.
It’s crunch time boys and girls and now we will see where the football program truly stands. This team needs to learn how to win and it took a step towards that against Northern Illinois. Games against UC-Davis and Eastern Michigan will offer a chance to continue to learn those winning ways. Why not ace that lesson now and show the state Wyoming football has the true grit Coach Bohl preaches?