Louisiana Teach has been one of the most impressive and surprising teams in the nation this year.
The Bulldogs are ranked 20th in the nation and have gone 9-1 on the season, including 4-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. With a win on Saturday against Utah State, Louisiana Tech can clinch the final championship in WAC history.
"Anytime the season starts, your first goal is to win a conference championship, and that is true with us," Bulldogs coach Sonny Dykes said. "... It is going to need to be one of our best efforts this year to have a chance to win."
Next season the conference will stop participating in football, with "Louisiana Tech heading to Conference USA and Utah State moving to the Mountain West," according to the Associated Press.
The lone loss for the Bulldogs this year came on Oct. 13 against then No. 22-ranked Texas A&M. The team held close until the very end, but lost 59-57 when they couldn't overcome freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel, who rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
The Bulldogs put up some amazing offensive numbers, including 450 yards passing and five touchdowns from quarterback Colby Cameron, but it wasn't enough to take down the Aggies.
The team has been prolific this season offensively, scoring 53 points per game, good for second in the nation. Running back Kenneth Dixon has been excellent all year, setting a freshman record with 24 touchdowns, including a four score game last week against Texas State.
Cameron has passed for a stellar 3,283 yards and 27 touchdowns with zero interceptions this season, including 337 yards and three touchdowns against Texas State. He has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation, ranking 11th in passer rating.
In Saturday's game, "Cameron also set an NCAA record by extending his streak of passes without an interception to 419, breaking Russell Wilson's mark of 379 set in 2008," according to the Associated Press.
Although the team has one loss, there is still an outside chance for the Bulldogs to make the first BCS game in school history. If the team wins its final two games and finishes the season 16th or better in the rankings, it will be eligible for a BCS bid.
Utah State is also undefeated in the WAC this season with a 4-0 record and can win an outright conference championship with a win on Saturday on the road at Joe Aillet Stadium.
"It's fun to be in a game that has this much on the outcome, this late in the year," Utah State coach Gary Andersen said. "Late November games are what football teams play for and fans want to be around."
According to the Associated Press, it would be the first conference title for Utah State "since sharing the Big West crown in 1997."
The Aggies have been just as good on offense as the Bulldogs recently, scoring 40 or more points in three of the past four games. The team has won four games in a row and has lost its only two games this year by a combined five points, including a 6-3 loss at BYU on Oct. 5.
The Louisiana Tech defense has been suspect all season, meaning Utah State could have a big day offensively. The Bulldogs have given up way too many yards this season and "rank 119th in the FBS, allowing 505.7 yards per game," according to the Associated Press.
The Utah State defense is ranked sixth in the nation, giving up only 13.5 points per game. One of the biggest challenges for the Aggies will be to slow down a Louisiana Tech team that has scored 51 or more points in three of the last four games, including 70 against Idaho on Oct. 20.
According to the Associated Press, "The Aggies are looking to reach nine wins for the first time since 1961."
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