(19) Boise State +3.5 over Washington
Saturday, Dec. 21, 7:30 pm EST
Considering how the season went for the Huskies it is hard to imagine a more intriguing bowl matchup. Just a few weeks after Washington head coach Chris Petersen declared that he would be stepping down from his post, the Huskies will play Petersen’s old team. Petersen went 92-12 as the Broncos head coach from 2006-2013. While Boise State had a few good seasons before Petersen got the job, he was the engine behind their rise to consistent national relevance. He also built Washington back into a perennial Pac-12 power after about 15 years of irrelevance. There is plenty of excitement around the rise of defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake as Petersen’s successor, but this game will undoubtedly be seen as a tribute to the departing head man. It would almost be fitting if he went as the latest victim of Boise State’s continued big game hunting. Washington fell out of contention midway through the season, but they are still a major conference team and are stocked with four and five star players. Complicating things is the fact that the Huskies will be without both starting tackles and star receiver Hunter Bryant due to a mix of injuries and injury prevention leading up to the draft. I think Washington will have trouble moving the ball consistently without some key players. While the defense is still at full strength, Boise State has relied on a powerful offense in most of their games against competitive teams this season. Washington may pull out a close one, but I see the Broncos covering the spread with a good chance at winning outright.
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