The No. 23 Boise State Broncos (-3) are favorites as they prepare to take on the No. 22 Boston College Eagles in the Servpro First Responder Bowl. This afternoon matchup starts at 1:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ESPN.
Betting Preview: Boise State Broncos vs. Boston College Eagles
In this Wednesday game, Boise State has been projected as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 3 points. The Eagles are also receiving +120 moneyline odds while the Broncos are -140. This tilt should provide several decent live betting opportunities, and oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 55 points.
Odds have moved from where they were first posted. The opening line was -4 and the game’s total hasn’t moved after it was initially placed at 55.
The Eagles are 7-5 against the spread (ATS) and are down 2.1 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 6-6.
The Broncos are down 0.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 7-5-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 5-7-1.
The Eagles have gone 7-5 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Broncos are 10-3 SU.
The Eagles will look to bounce back after a 42-21 loss to Syracuse on November 24. Anthony Brown completed just 17 passes on 37 attempts for 251 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. AJ Dillon (56 rushing yards on 12 attempts) led the ground attack while Michael Walker (three receptions, 32 yards) and Tommy Sweeney (three catches, 59 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
Boise State narrowly lost a 19-16 game to Fresno State. The defensive unit allowed the Bulldogs to run for 118 yards on 33 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Ronnie Rivers had a good showing for Fresno State, recording 63 rushing yards and a score on 17 attempts. For Boise State, Brett Rypien completed 15-of-31 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown. Alexander Mattison (200 yards on 40 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Rypien (six yards on 12 carries) mounted the running attack while A.J. Richardson (five receptions, 21 yards) and Sean Modster (four catches, 45 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Boston College’s run the ball on 62.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Boise State has an overall rush percentage of 53.0 percent. The Eagles have rushed for 189.1 yards per game and have 23 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Broncos are totaling 167.5 rush yards per game and have 24 total rushing TDs.
The Eagles offense has averaged 215.3 yards through the air overall and has 25 passing scores so far. The Broncos have put up 292.0 pass yards per outing and have 31 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Boston College has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 148.3 yards and pass for 247.9 yards per game. The Boise State defense has allowed 233.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 122.9 yards per game to opposing runners. The Eagles are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.82 to opponents, while the Broncos have allowed a 6.56 ANY/A.
Rypien has been sharper than Brown lately. The Broncos man under center has an adjusted net yards per pass attempt 7.87 for the season and 6.49 over his last two outings while Brown’s ANY/A is 6.73 (and 5.40 over the last two outings).
Boston College Eagles vs. Boise State Broncos NCAA Pick
SU Winner: Boise State, ATS Winner: Boise State, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- Boston College, as a team, has rushed for 2.1 yards per attempt over its last three games and 2.8 over its last two.
- Boise State has averaged 4.6 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.2 over its past two.
- Boise State has lost five fumbles this season while Boston College has lost 10.
- The Eagles offense has tallied seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Broncos have put up 14 such plays.
- The Boston College defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Boise State has given up 10 such plays.
- The Boston College offense has created 22 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Boise State has created 13 such runs.
- The Eagles defense has allowed 11 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Broncos have given up 13 such runs.
- The Boise State defensive unit has produced 39 sacks on the year while Boston College has just 33.
