The rusty Old Oil Can Trophy will be up for grabs when the San Diego Aztecs travel to take on the Fresno State Bulldogs at 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Valley Children’s Stadium. Fresno State (3-4, 2-1 Mountain West) is nearly favored by double digits against San Diego State (4-3, 2-1) ahead of this rivalry matchup. This will be the 61st meeting between these two teams, with the Aztecs boasting a 30-26-4 lead in the all-time series. Let’s dive into our San Diego State – Fresno State prediction. Be sure to check our OddsShopper tool for more CFB bets.
San Diego State-Fresno State Prediction, Odds and Trends
The Bulldogs opened as a 8-point favorite, but the spread is now between 9 and 9.5 at most sportsbooks. If you wish to lay the points, however, make sure to shop around for the best number with a couple different shops still listing a spread of 8.5 points as of Friday afternoon.
Both teams are 2-5 against the spread entering this week, so bettors probably aren’t confident in backing either team.
As for the total, the opening mark of 40 has risen up to 41.5 at the time of this writing. SDSU has hit the under five times in seven games, while Fresno State has done so four times.
Have the Aztecs Found a Quarterback?
College football is such a beautiful mess, the latest example being the Aztecs using a former safety as their new signal caller. Granted, Jalen Mayden has plenty of quarterback experience before he took over the job during these last two games.
Mayden was ranked as the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback recruit from the state of Texas before starting his collegiate career at Mississippi State. Mayden only appeared in three games before transferring to San Diego State, where he played in one game as a junior last season.
After switching to safety in the spring, Mayden is back under center and has led the Aztecs to back-to-back wins over Hawaii and Nevada. Mayden, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, has thrown for 478 yards and one touchdown while adding 59 yards and one score on the ground over the last two weeks.
It might be a bit unconventional, but the Aztecs are riding their first winning streak of the season entering Saturday’s contest.
Bulldogs Overcome Loss of Starting Quarterback
Jeff Tedford’s Bulldogs have had to deal with losing starting quarterback Jake Haener, who has not played since suffering an ankle injury during a 45-17 loss to USC on Sept. 17. It seems unlikely that Haener will return to action this weekend, either.
Sophomore Logan Fife has stepped up in Haener’s absence, even if there really is no way to replace the league’s best quarterback. Fife has thrown for 461 yards to go along with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He recorded two rushing touchdowns against New Mexico last time out.
It hasn’t been perfect, but Fife has done well enough to lead Fresno State to back-to-back wins over San Jose State and New Mexico. Here’s our final San Diego State – Fresno State prediction.
Best San Diego State-Fresno State Bet
This sport tends to produce the craziest (and most-heartwarming) stories, so it wouldn’t surprise me if a former safety led the Aztecs to a rivalry win late Saturday night. But, as bettors, we have to trust our numbers and mine currently project Fresno State to win by double-digits.
San Diego State has played better of late, but it remains to be seen if that kind of offensive production will continue against a team like Fresno State. The Bulldogs have only surrendered one touchdown over the past two weeks.
With a final score of 24-14, I’m betting on Fresno State to win the “coveted prize” of the Old Oil Can Trophy.
Best San Diego State-Fresno Bet: Fresno State -8.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook.
