Our preview this week looks to focus in on the Mountain West, as the Colorado State Rams travel to the Gem State (not the Potato State!) to clash with the Boise State Broncos. When these two teams clashed last season, Colorado State had a 28-3 lead on Boise, the Broncos stormed back. An amazing onside kick with some shenanigans, and Boise State came out on top 59-52. Suffice to say, the Rams will be focused on getting some revenge on the Broncos up in Boise. Are they good enough to hang around with the top dogs of the MWC? Will Brett Rypien spread the ball around and get his TDs? Let’s take a look inside the numbers and see if we can get a winning streak going in our weekly free picks.
Colorado State vs. Boise State College Football Preview
Date/Time: Friday, October 19th at 9:00pm EST
TV: ESPN2
College Football Betting Odds from Bookmaker
College Football Betting Favorite: Boise State -23
Total: 63
Colorado State Rams:
Colorado State just isn’t a good football team, and there’s no way to sugarcoat this. They’re 3-4 on the season and actually 2-1 in Mountain West Conference play. Who have they beaten in conference? San Jose State and New Mexico, not exactly murderer’s row here. However, they’re not horrible against the spread. Far and away their best player is Junior Preston Williams. The 6’4” Junior from Lovejoy, GA has 52 receptions for 671 yards and 7 TDs on the season. He will be playing on Sundays in his future, and Boise State cannot take him lightly. They’ll be shading a safety on him and he will demand double coverage at times in this game. Williams is #2 in the Conference in total yards this season, so clearly he will be the focus of the Rams offense. Colorado State has never beaten Boise State, going 0-7 lifetime in games they’ve played each other. Head Coach Mike Bobo was quoted regarding playing against Boise State, “Boise State, a lot of times, you play them and they walk on the field and they’ve got a lead already, because of what they’ve done in the past,” Bobo said. “[Boise State has] an expectation to win.” This will be the best team Colorado State plays this season, so if there’s a game to get up for, it will be this Friday in Boise.
Boise State Broncos:
Boise State returns home for it’s first non-Saturday game of the season. They’re coming off a game against Nevada where they won as the clock expired, 31-27. QB Brett Rypien has struggled the past two weeks, going for just 2 TD to 5 INTs. Until these numbers improve, it’s hard to back the Broncos or even think they’re going to put up a bunch of points in games. Rypien started the season with 12 TD and 0 INT and looked to be a dark horse Heisman candidate. This could be a “get-right” game for him, but injuries have bitten the Broncos pretty badly. Nose tackle Sonatane Lui is doubtful Friday, OL Eric Quevedo is questionable, as is kicker Joel Velazquez. This is in addition to the 3 starters they’ve already lost. They’ve really hit a hiccup over the past couple weeks, and in fact their ATS record at home is only 3-13-1 in their last 17 games. Colorado State RB Izzy Matthews has run for 217 the past two weeks for the Rams, so Boise State may have an issue stopping him if their woes continue.
Sin City Sharp (@SinCity Sharp on Twitter) Free Pick:
We mentioned earlier Boise State’s poor ATS record at home, and in addition to that the under is 16-6 ATS in the last 22 games. With the current situation of the Broncos team, we just don’t see them going over this number. The Rams will be getting up for this game in a big way, and although they’re clearly outmatched, this will be the game to showcase everything they have. The Rams know they cannot outgun the Broncos, so they’ll be coming strong on defense and running the ball, a recipe for a nice under. Let’s get back in the win column this week with a nice winner!
Free Pick: Under 63
