The Oregon Ducks have more talented than their foe in the Las Vegas Bowl, the Boise State Broncos. But will they have the focus? Oregon’s program is reeling after coach Willie Taggart departed last week to take over as the new coach of Florida State. Taggart was only with the Ducks for one season and the program must start a search for a new coach.
The players will aim to put that out of their mind as they face off against a solid Boise State squad. Oregon ended the season as winners of three of its final four games and will aim to take the momentum into the Las Vegas Bowl, but that might feel like a long time ago after all of the recent upheaval.
Boise State knocked off Fresno State in its conference championship game and at 10-3 has put together yet another nice season.
Kickoff for this bowl game is set for Saturday, December 16, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Oregon -7.5
Boise State +7.5
Over/Under 59
Odds Analysis
Boise State is slightly more than a touchdown underdog, and that half-point could be important if the margin ends up seven points. That would give the Broncos the cover, and more than 52 percent of the early action is on Boise State to do so.
The scoring total isn’t as high as many Oregon games, but clearly the betting public believes it should be higher as a whopping 93 percent of the early action is all up on the “over” for this matchup. Jump on it quickly if you feel the same because the total could move up.
Matchup To Watch
Oregon rushing attack vs. the Boise State run defense -- The Ducks have one of the most potent ground games in college football, racking up an average of 268 yards per game rushing. Royce Freeman leads the way, as the star running back has carried the ball 244 times for 1,475 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season. He is averaging a robust 6.0 yards per carry and has surpassed 120 yards rushing in each of the team’s past seven games.
Boise State will do its best to keep him in check. The Broncos are only allowing 125.8 rushing yards per game this season. However, they have done that against small-conference foes, not a team with the amount of talent as Oregon.
If the Ducks start dominating on the ground, it could be a long night for Boise State.
Player To Watch
Brett Rypien -- The Boise State quarterback is in his third year starting and won’t be intimidated by a major conference foe. Rypien has thrown for 2,515 yards with 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 2017.
It is imperative that he keeps turnovers to a minimum, because if Oregon is given short fields consistently it will take advantage more often than not.
Rypien has been in many big games and rarely hurts his team. Oregon has been up and down defensively on the season, and a poor showing would allow for Rypien to perform well and keep his team in the game.
Free ATS Pick
The Ducks have been hard to figure out all season. They looked great early in the year, took a dive to start Pac-12 play and then bounced back. The departure of Taggart makes it hard to put any confidence in them.
The choice is for Boise State to cover this spread, as it is too high based on Oregon’s volatility. The “over” is the right call as this one will have no shortage of explosive plays. This is a tough matchup to peg, so when in doubt, take the points.
College Football Odds: Oregon 34, Boise State 30
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