WAC preview
When Dan Hawkins bolted Boise for Boulder after the 2005 season, who knew things would only get better for the Broncos? With Chris Petersen running the show, Boise State has compiled an incredible 35-4 straight-up record.
If not for a missed field goal in the fourth quarter of last year?s 17-16 loss to TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl, the Broncos would?ve gone unbeaten for the second time in three seasons under Petersen.
Does Boise St. have another monster season in front of it in 2009? If the Broncos can beat Oregon on the smurf turf in Week 1, they won?t have to face another team from a BCS conference the rest of the regular season.
Sportsbook.com has Boise?s season win total at 11 ?under? (minus-130). This wager has a 30-cent line so ?over? backers are looking at an even-money price.
Petersen found his quarterback of the present and future last season when Kellen Moore garnered second-team All-WAC honors as a redshirt freshman. Moore completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 3,486 yards with a 25/10 touchdown-interception ratio.
Although Moore lost his favorite wide receiver (Jeremy Childs, 72 receptions) and the school?s second all-time leading rusher (Ian Johnson), he still has a go-to wideout in Austin Pettis, who led the Broncos in touchdown catches last season with nine. Also, junior RB Jeremy Avery, who averaged 5.5 yards per carry in 2008, appears more than capable of shouldering a heavier load.
David doesn?t see anyone (think Hawaii circa ?07) bumping BSU from its perch atop the WAC standings, although he stops short of recommending an ?over? play on Boise?s win tally.
David said, ?Going 12-0 in the regular season again will be tough because the defense looks a tad raw, but BSU returns a stud quarterback and faces Nevada at home. Most pundits believe the Wolf Pack will be the Broncos? toughest conference test. The win total of 11 is a bit high, but going 7-1 in the WAC should still garner another piece of the conference hardware.?
Beyond the Oregon showdown in which the Ducks will be looking to avenge a 37-32 loss in Eugene last year, Boise will get its toughest games at Fresno St. (9/18), at Tulsa (10/14), at Hawaii (10/24), at La. Tech (11/6) and vs. Nevada (11/27).
Nevada appears poised for its best season in a long time. For starters, the Wolf Pack have one of the country?s most underrated QBs in junior Colin Kaepernick, who was the WAC?s Offensive Player of the Year when he threw for 2,849 yards with a 22/7 TD-INT ratio in 2008. He can also get it done with his legs, as evidenced by 1,130 net rushing yards (which includes the minuses for sacks) and 17 rushing TDs.
Nevada also has two of the WAC?s premier running backs. As a sophomore in 2008, Vai Taua led the league in rushing with 1,521 yards and 15 TDs, averaging an eye-opening 6.4 YPC. Taua stepped up when senior RB Luke Lippincott went down with a season-ending injury in Week 2. However, the NCAA granted Lippincott a sixth-year of eligibility, so the All-WAC selection in 2007 will also be in the mix.
I think bettors should give Nevada plenty of consideration in Week 1 at Notre Dame, especially if it is catching a double-digit number. Marshall noted that 14 would be the ?buy price? for him. Marshall said, ?We?ll be backing Nevada in South Bend if it is catching at least two touchdowns.?
Another non-conference game to watch for the Wolf Pack is an ESPN Friday game at home on Sept. 25. Chris Ault?s bunch will be in big-time revenge mode after taking a 69-17 shellacking in Columbia last year. Sportsbook.com has Nevada listed as a two-point favorite against the Tigers in its Games of the Year section.
Fresno St. has certainly been one of the best programs in the WAC during Pat Hill?s 12 years on the job. The Bulldogs? mantra of ?anybody, anytime, anywhere? continued again last season with non-conference road wins at Rutgers and at UCLA. Unfortunately for FSU, its propensity for dropping WAC games it should win also persisted in 2008.
Most importantly for our purposes, gamblers continued to have tons of success by fading the Bulldogs, who went 2-11 against the spread in 2008 and were 2-10 versus the number in 2006. Fresno St. failed to cover the number in all five of its home games last year.
The Bulldogs have seven starters on offense and eight starters on defense returning. However, they must replace three-year starting QB Tom Brandstater.
As always, Fresno St. will challenge itself in non-conference play with road games at Wisconsin, at Cincinnati and at Illinois. Once again, the Bulldogs only play five of their 12 games at home.
Hall thinks bettors should have Fresno on their fade list again in 2009. ?I don?t see much happening for the Bulldogs this year,? Hall said. ?Sure, they bring back seven starters on defense. That?s normally a good thing for a team, until you realize that they ranked 97th in total defense, allowing 410.9 yards per game in 2008. Offensively, everything is in flux with a separate coordinator for the running game and another for the air attack. I don?t see much improvement from a 10-26-1 ATS record over the last three campaigns."
Watch out for La. Tech to possibly be the WAC?s sleeper squad. Derek Dooley?s team went 8-5 SU last season, beating Northern Illinois 17-10 in the Independence Bowl. The Bulldogs return 16 total starters (9 offense, 7 defense), including dynamic RB Daniel Porter, who rushed for 1,164 yards and nine TDs in 2008.
They also have junior QB Ross Jenkins back in the fold. Jenkins started eight games last year and threw only three interceptions in 174 pass attempts. He?ll have his favorite target, Phillip Livas, back in the mix. Defensively, La. Tech has one of the country?s most underrated safeties in Antonio Baker, who is a two-time All-WAC selection who led his team in tackles with 115 last year.
After beating Mississippi St., albeit at home, in Week 1 of the 2008 campaign, La. Tech gets another shot at an SEC school when it opens at Auburn. The Bulldogs also play at LSU on Nov. 14. They get Boise St. at home but have to hit the road to face Nevada and Boise St.
Hawaii has the fewest returning starters in the WAC, just two on defense and seven on offense. The Warriors went 7-7 SU in their first year without June Jones running the show, losing to Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl.
With the travel obstacles Hawaii faces on a yearly basis, its schedule is always daunting. In 2009, the Warriors will face an especially difficult slate because they have just one open date and six games on the mainland. They take on a pair of BCS schools, flying to Washington St. in Week 2 and hosting Wisconsin in their regular-season finale.
San Jose St. is hoping to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2006. That will be a formidable task because the Trojans have road games at USC, at Stanford, at Fresno St., at Boise St. and at La. Tech, not to mention home games against Utah and Nevada.
New Mexico St. hasn?t tasted a bowl bid since 1960. After going 11-38 SU and 17-27 ATS under former Kentucky coach Hal Mumme, the Aggies are going in a different direction by hiring former UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker.
Idaho has only one bowl bid in school history, beating So. Miss 42-35 in the 1998 Humanitarian Bowl. The Vandals haven?t produced a winning ATS record for their backers since 2002. They went 2-10 SU last year and have seven starters back on offense and six returning on defense.
Utah St. only went 3-9 SU in 2008 but went 8-4 ATS. In fact, the Aggies have been money makers in three of the last four years. They have 16 starters returning (9 offense, 7 defense).
Roger thinks this team could be a sleeper school to perhaps surprise and get into the postseason. Rogers said, "The Aggies have been a great ATS play the last two seasons, covering 15 of 24 games, despite a 5-19 SU mark. The Aggies return nine starters on offense, including JR QB Diondre Borel, who is a decent threat as a runner, but must improve on his numbers from last season (11 TD, 10 INT). New head coach Gary Andersen comes over from nearby Utah, and he has developed several good QBs over the years."
When Dan Hawkins bolted Boise for Boulder after the 2005 season, who knew things would only get better for the Broncos? With Chris Petersen running the show, Boise State has compiled an incredible 35-4 straight-up record.
If not for a missed field goal in the fourth quarter of last year?s 17-16 loss to TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl, the Broncos would?ve gone unbeaten for the second time in three seasons under Petersen.
Does Boise St. have another monster season in front of it in 2009? If the Broncos can beat Oregon on the smurf turf in Week 1, they won?t have to face another team from a BCS conference the rest of the regular season.
Sportsbook.com has Boise?s season win total at 11 ?under? (minus-130). This wager has a 30-cent line so ?over? backers are looking at an even-money price.
Petersen found his quarterback of the present and future last season when Kellen Moore garnered second-team All-WAC honors as a redshirt freshman. Moore completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 3,486 yards with a 25/10 touchdown-interception ratio.
Although Moore lost his favorite wide receiver (Jeremy Childs, 72 receptions) and the school?s second all-time leading rusher (Ian Johnson), he still has a go-to wideout in Austin Pettis, who led the Broncos in touchdown catches last season with nine. Also, junior RB Jeremy Avery, who averaged 5.5 yards per carry in 2008, appears more than capable of shouldering a heavier load.
David doesn?t see anyone (think Hawaii circa ?07) bumping BSU from its perch atop the WAC standings, although he stops short of recommending an ?over? play on Boise?s win tally.
David said, ?Going 12-0 in the regular season again will be tough because the defense looks a tad raw, but BSU returns a stud quarterback and faces Nevada at home. Most pundits believe the Wolf Pack will be the Broncos? toughest conference test. The win total of 11 is a bit high, but going 7-1 in the WAC should still garner another piece of the conference hardware.?
Beyond the Oregon showdown in which the Ducks will be looking to avenge a 37-32 loss in Eugene last year, Boise will get its toughest games at Fresno St. (9/18), at Tulsa (10/14), at Hawaii (10/24), at La. Tech (11/6) and vs. Nevada (11/27).
Nevada appears poised for its best season in a long time. For starters, the Wolf Pack have one of the country?s most underrated QBs in junior Colin Kaepernick, who was the WAC?s Offensive Player of the Year when he threw for 2,849 yards with a 22/7 TD-INT ratio in 2008. He can also get it done with his legs, as evidenced by 1,130 net rushing yards (which includes the minuses for sacks) and 17 rushing TDs.
Nevada also has two of the WAC?s premier running backs. As a sophomore in 2008, Vai Taua led the league in rushing with 1,521 yards and 15 TDs, averaging an eye-opening 6.4 YPC. Taua stepped up when senior RB Luke Lippincott went down with a season-ending injury in Week 2. However, the NCAA granted Lippincott a sixth-year of eligibility, so the All-WAC selection in 2007 will also be in the mix.
I think bettors should give Nevada plenty of consideration in Week 1 at Notre Dame, especially if it is catching a double-digit number. Marshall noted that 14 would be the ?buy price? for him. Marshall said, ?We?ll be backing Nevada in South Bend if it is catching at least two touchdowns.?
Another non-conference game to watch for the Wolf Pack is an ESPN Friday game at home on Sept. 25. Chris Ault?s bunch will be in big-time revenge mode after taking a 69-17 shellacking in Columbia last year. Sportsbook.com has Nevada listed as a two-point favorite against the Tigers in its Games of the Year section.
Fresno St. has certainly been one of the best programs in the WAC during Pat Hill?s 12 years on the job. The Bulldogs? mantra of ?anybody, anytime, anywhere? continued again last season with non-conference road wins at Rutgers and at UCLA. Unfortunately for FSU, its propensity for dropping WAC games it should win also persisted in 2008.
Most importantly for our purposes, gamblers continued to have tons of success by fading the Bulldogs, who went 2-11 against the spread in 2008 and were 2-10 versus the number in 2006. Fresno St. failed to cover the number in all five of its home games last year.
The Bulldogs have seven starters on offense and eight starters on defense returning. However, they must replace three-year starting QB Tom Brandstater.
As always, Fresno St. will challenge itself in non-conference play with road games at Wisconsin, at Cincinnati and at Illinois. Once again, the Bulldogs only play five of their 12 games at home.
Hall thinks bettors should have Fresno on their fade list again in 2009. ?I don?t see much happening for the Bulldogs this year,? Hall said. ?Sure, they bring back seven starters on defense. That?s normally a good thing for a team, until you realize that they ranked 97th in total defense, allowing 410.9 yards per game in 2008. Offensively, everything is in flux with a separate coordinator for the running game and another for the air attack. I don?t see much improvement from a 10-26-1 ATS record over the last three campaigns."
Watch out for La. Tech to possibly be the WAC?s sleeper squad. Derek Dooley?s team went 8-5 SU last season, beating Northern Illinois 17-10 in the Independence Bowl. The Bulldogs return 16 total starters (9 offense, 7 defense), including dynamic RB Daniel Porter, who rushed for 1,164 yards and nine TDs in 2008.
They also have junior QB Ross Jenkins back in the fold. Jenkins started eight games last year and threw only three interceptions in 174 pass attempts. He?ll have his favorite target, Phillip Livas, back in the mix. Defensively, La. Tech has one of the country?s most underrated safeties in Antonio Baker, who is a two-time All-WAC selection who led his team in tackles with 115 last year.
After beating Mississippi St., albeit at home, in Week 1 of the 2008 campaign, La. Tech gets another shot at an SEC school when it opens at Auburn. The Bulldogs also play at LSU on Nov. 14. They get Boise St. at home but have to hit the road to face Nevada and Boise St.
Hawaii has the fewest returning starters in the WAC, just two on defense and seven on offense. The Warriors went 7-7 SU in their first year without June Jones running the show, losing to Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl.
With the travel obstacles Hawaii faces on a yearly basis, its schedule is always daunting. In 2009, the Warriors will face an especially difficult slate because they have just one open date and six games on the mainland. They take on a pair of BCS schools, flying to Washington St. in Week 2 and hosting Wisconsin in their regular-season finale.
San Jose St. is hoping to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2006. That will be a formidable task because the Trojans have road games at USC, at Stanford, at Fresno St., at Boise St. and at La. Tech, not to mention home games against Utah and Nevada.
New Mexico St. hasn?t tasted a bowl bid since 1960. After going 11-38 SU and 17-27 ATS under former Kentucky coach Hal Mumme, the Aggies are going in a different direction by hiring former UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker.
Idaho has only one bowl bid in school history, beating So. Miss 42-35 in the 1998 Humanitarian Bowl. The Vandals haven?t produced a winning ATS record for their backers since 2002. They went 2-10 SU last year and have seven starters back on offense and six returning on defense.
Utah St. only went 3-9 SU in 2008 but went 8-4 ATS. In fact, the Aggies have been money makers in three of the last four years. They have 16 starters returning (9 offense, 7 defense).
Roger thinks this team could be a sleeper school to perhaps surprise and get into the postseason. Rogers said, "The Aggies have been a great ATS play the last two seasons, covering 15 of 24 games, despite a 5-19 SU mark. The Aggies return nine starters on offense, including JR QB Diondre Borel, who is a decent threat as a runner, but must improve on his numbers from last season (11 TD, 10 INT). New head coach Gary Andersen comes over from nearby Utah, and he has developed several good QBs over the years."
