No. 5 Boise State Broncos (-20.5) at Fresno State Bulldogs, Total 58.5 |
Boise State heads out on the road against after successfully completing its first homestand of the season, coming away with victories over Tulsa (41-21) and Nevada (30-10).
After dropping the first three meetings to the Bulldogs, Boise State has gone 9-1 in the last 10 years. The Broncos lead the all-time series, 9-4, including five straight wins and a 4-3 mark on the road.
Head coach Chris Petersen has put together one of the best programs in the country, leading the team to a 65-5 record over the last five-plus seasons. Boise State’s game against Fresno State will be the 51st-consecutive week that the team has been ranked in the Top 25.
The Broncos have tallied a 43-11 record (.796) on the road since the beginning of the 2002 season, which trails only USC and Texas in terms of winning percentage over that span.
Boise State is definitely no stranger to playing non-Saturday games, as it has tallied a 32-3 overall record in regular-season non-Saturday games.
Quarterback Kellen Moore is the nation’s active leader with 42 wins, while pacing everyone with a 167.15 passing efficiency rating. He is well protected by an offensive line that has allowed him to get sacked just twice in his last 222 pass attempts.
sportsbook bettors will find that the Broncos are 6-1 ATS as a road favorite of 10.5 or more points, while the ‘under’ is 10-4 in their last 14 games in October.
Fresno State will host its highest-ranked opponent ever inside Bulldog Stadium Friday night, as every game in this series has been televised since 2001. The Bulldogs will be aiming to snap a five-game losing streak to the Broncos.
There’s no question that running back Robbie Rouse is the key to this game, as he leads the nation with 133 carries and his 600 yards on the ground is the eighth-most nationally.
The team is no slouch at home, posting a 63-19 record in the past 15 seasons under long-time head coach Pat Hill, who has accumulated a 110-74 record in his 14-plus seasons.
The Bulldogs offensive attack is still very balanced, averaging 129.4 rushing yards and 258.2 passing yards, which will be put to the test against a Broncos stop unit that is limiting opponents to just 298.8 yards a contest.
Expect Moore to have some trouble throwing the ball against a defense that ranks second in the WAC versus the pass, giving up just 209 yards per game.
It’s likely that many will be basing their picks on this contest solely on the Bulldogs being 0-5 ATS in the last five meetings, while the favorite is 10-1 versus the number.
