The glass may be half empty for Utah and Boise State but it’s half full for college football betting fans. We get two nationally ranked teams in the MAACO Bowl of all places! That’s a nice bonus before Christmas, as the big games usually don’t come until later.
(20) Utah Utes (10-2) vs (10) Boise State Broncos (11-1)
Wednesday, December 22, 8:00 p.m. ET
Favorite: Boise State -17.5
Over/Under: 61
The interesting thing about this betting matchup is that both of these schools have fared very well in bowl games of late. Utah is 7-1 against the spread over its last eight bowl games and Boise St. is 7-2 ATS over its last nine bowl games.
Early this season, Utah was a force both straight up and against the spread, winning its first eight games and going 6-1-1 ATS over that span. But the Utes stumbled to a 2-2 record when their schedule toughened down the stretch and lost four of their last five games against the spread. TCU and Notre Dame crushed Utah by a combined margin of 75-10 over a two-week stretch in November.
Utah’s sportsbook trends point to the OVER. Four of the Utes’ last five bowl games have gone over the total and the over is 13-3-1 in Utah’s last 17 non-conference games.
Boise State has made a name for itself over the last few years by blowing teams away and occasionally upsetting teams from bigger conferences; the Broncos are 39-15-1 against the spread over their last 55 games against teams with winning records. Overall this season, Boise State went 8-4 ATS; that’s an impressive record considering that the Broncos were favored by 20 or more points nine times.
Though Utah trends toward going over the betting total, the UNDER is more common for stingy Boise State. Six of Boise State’s last seven games against MWC opponents have gone under the total.
Though Utah brings the country’s 43rd-ranked offense and No. 37 passing offense into this matchup, bettors may need to throw those rankings out the window. Starting quarterback Jordan Wynn, who led the team with 2,334 passing yards and 17 touchdown throws, will almost certainly miss the game with a shoulder injury. Utah has to hope its 23rd-ranked defense, which is 10th against the run with 104.2 yards allowed per game, can hang in against the Broncos.
Boise State’s offense will certainly test the Utes. The Broncos average 521.4 yards of offense per game, the fourth-highest mark in the country, and have a Heisman Trophy finalist leading the charge in quarterback Kellen Moore. He completed 71 per cent of his passes for 3,506 yards, 33 touchdowns and just five interceptions this year.
The Broncos are just as dominant defensively, fielding the No. 4 unit in the country there, too. They’re especially strong against the pass, ranking third with 155.8 yards allowed per contest. Boise State outscored opponents by an average margin of 46.7 to 13.6 this year.
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