We may know September 6 just how good Boise St. is. That's when the Broncos, led by Heisman candidate Kellen Moore, kick off their season on the road against Va Tech.
They play on a blue field, play a tremendous style of offense, their defense is deadly and they have 21 of their 22 starters returning from last season. The Boise State Broncos are as dangerous of a team as there is in the college football betting world in 2010.
The Broncos will start off the '10 campaign in prime position to win the National Championship thanks to their perfect 14-0 season from a year ago. If it can pull the feat off, Boise State would become the first mid-major program to win the title since Brigham Young in 1984.
College football betting odds at Bodog.com list Boise State at 8/1 to take down the BCS title, trailing only Alabama and Ohio State.
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The Boise State offense ranked No. 1 in the land last year at 42.2 points per game. Averaging 450.8 yards per game has become a bit of the norm in Boise, as opposing teams come to the blue field expecting a showcase both from the rushing game and the passing game.
After a season in which he threw for 3,536 yards and 39 TDs, QB Kellen Moore is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. He did a great job taking care of the football last year, throwing just three picks. His two top targets are back once again as well, as WRs Titus Young and Austin Pettis combined for 1,896 yards and 24 TDs.
The rushing attack is also stellar and experienced. Jeremy Avery rushed for 1,151 yards to lead the team, while Doug Martin had 15 TD trots over the course of the year.
The defense is what really made this team go, though. Opposing squads only averaged 17.1 PPG and 300.2 YPG against Boise. Both numbers were good enough for 14th in the nation.
The key this year for Boise State is going to be keeping up with expectations. Everyone gives this team its best shot week in and week out, and it is hard to maintain that type of intensity required to beat teams like that through an entire season.
The first game of the year will be the most difficult. The Broncos are heading to FedEx Field in Maryland to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in what should be one of the most highly anticipated games of the entire college football season. Though Boise State has a good history in major bowl games, the one time that it went east in recent seasons ended in disaster. Back in 2005, the Georgia Bulldogs pounded the Broncos "Between the Hedges," 48-13.
Boise State has only been defeated twice during the past four regular seasons, going an amazing 47-2 SU and 26-18-2 ATS. Since taking over as the head coach at Boise four years ago, head coach Chris Petersen has suffered a grand total of four losses. He has eschewed several chances to join BCS conference schools, knowing that he has something special at Boise.
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No one expects a WAC opponent to give the Broncos fits this year as they prepare to move to the Mountain West. They were absolutely dominating in conference a year ago, going 8-0 SU and 5-3 ATS. Boise State outscored its opponents by the average score of 49-21 in WAC play. The only potential snag game is going to be at Nevada, but the Wolf Pack probably isnn't anywhere near as strong as last season when Nevada was 8-5 overall and 7-1 in conference play.
If the Broncos can survive Va Tech, the question is going to be how well the computers treat them. It goes without saying that they are in trouble if two schools from BCS conferences run the table over the course of the season. At least Boise State knows that a return trip to the BCS will be in the cards if it can go 12-0, and the truth of the matter is 11-1 is probably good enough as well if that one loss is to the Hokies.
This could be a very, very special year for Boise State, though. Expect nothing but incredibly solid play all season long and a ton of blowouts, as the Broncos should coast to another WAC championship without any difficulties.