Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington
By Ty Duffy
Bowl: Las Vegas
Toasting Town: Las Vegas, Nevada
Vintage: 1992
It’s not clear how good Boise State is. The Broncos now benefit from their past. They won 10 games, but did not really beat anyone of note (best win probably Fresno State by 10 at home). That saw them finish in the Top 20. This team had a “Boise State” defense finishing 8th in yards allowed per play. Without Kellen Moore, though, the “Boise State” offense departed, plummeting from 12th in yards per play in 2011 to 48th.
It’s not clear how good Washington is. Few teams have a weirder CV than Washington. Are they the team that edged out tough wins against Stanford and Oregon State? Or, are they the team that got crushed by LSU, got blown out by Arizona and blew an 18-point fourth quarter lead to an awful Washington State team in the Apple Cup?
Big Game For Washington: Where is Washington going under Steve Sarkisian? This is his fourth year. He’s fielding a full compliment of his players. If the Huskies fail to win, they finish 7-6 for the third-straight season. That’s not terrible, considering Sark inherited a team that went 0-12, but that is also the same amount of time it took Jim Harbaugh to turn Stanford into a juggernaut. A win, over purportedly the best coach with time to prepare, would be a statement.
Recreational Prediction: Boise State (-5.5). Petersen with time to prepare. Washington can’t handle Boise’s defensive front and will have trouble scoring. Those big wins they had? They came at home.
[Photo via Getty]