Las Vegas Bowl Odds
Posted by Jimmy Boyd - Google+
The 19th-ranked Boise State Broncos (10-2) take on the Washington Huskies (7-5) Saturday, Dec. 22 at 3:30 PM ET in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Oddsmakers have listed Boise State as a 5.5-point favorite and have set the total at 46.0.
Why Boise State Covers
The Broncos are one of the top defensive teams in the country. They rank sixth in scoring defense with 14.9 points allowed per game and ninth in total defense with 304.7 yards allowed per contest.
The Boise State stop unit should find success against a Washington offense that has struggled throughout the season. The Huskies rank 90th in scoring with 23.8 points per game and 101th in total offense with 347.4 yards per game.
The Broncos have been a terrific investment against quality competition over the years. In fact, they are on a 38-18 against the spread run when matched up against a team that has a winning record.
Boise State has also cleaned up away from the blue turf in non-conference action. Consider that it is on an awesome 6-0 against the spread run when playing away from home against non-conference foes. It has won by an average score of 40.2 to 16.3 in these contests.
The Broncos have fared well against the Pac-12 of late. They are on a 6-2-1 against the spread run in their last nine games against the conference. You might recall that they crushed Arizona State 56-24 in last season’s Las Vegas Bowl. It is also worth noting that Washington is 1-5-1 against the spread in its last seven games against teams from the Mountain West Conference.
Boise State has been an all-around good bowl bet recently as it is 4-0 against the number in its last four bowl games.
Why Washington Covers
The Huskies ended the regular season on a sour note with a 31-28 loss at Washington State, but before that they had won four in a row both straight up and against the spread. That loss assures us that Washington will enter the postseason hungry. The Huskies are 4-1 against the number in their last five games following a loss.
Washington showed it is capable of beating just about anyone. It defeated Pac-12 champion Stanford during the regular season, and it also defeated San Diego State, which beat Boise State and earned a share of the Mountain West Conference title.
The Broncos have struggled against good defensive teams this season because the offense is nowhere near where it has been. The Broncos rank 78th in the country in total offense with 390.0 yards per game. They will get nothing easy against a Washington stop unit that ranks 30th in the nation in total defense with 353.0 yards allowed per game.
In games against strong defensive teams, Boise State lost to Michigan State and defeated BYU by just one point
The Broncos are just 1-6 against the spread in their last seven games versus teams that have a winning record. They are also 1-4 against the number in their last five games following a victory.
Washington has covered the number in five of its last seven bowl games.
I have picked Boise State to win this game straight up. Check this page for the rest of my bowl predictions. Also, take a look at who Ryan James, Brandon Lee, Jack Jones, Vegas Top Cappers and Carolina Sports have winning the Las Vegas Bowl.
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