The Colorado State Rams and Boise State Broncos will go at it on the turf at Albertsons Stadium. This Friday matchup kicks off at 9:00 p.m. ET and spectators can view the action live on ESPN2. When the two programs met a year ago, Boise State knocked Colorado State off by a touchdown 59-52.
Colorado State Rams at Boise State Broncos Betting Preview
Colorado State is the noticeable underdog here and is currently receiving 24 points by bookmakers. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 59 points, and should one side can catch a lucky break early, it will probably produce a worthy live betting scenario.
The game’s O/U has shifted higher after originally being set at 57.5. The opening spread of -24 has remained firm.
The hapless Rams are 3-4 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 9.8 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 2-5. The Broncos have lost 3.6 units this season. The team is 3-3 ATS and has an O/U record of 3-2-1.
The Rams are 3-4 straight up (SU), including 2-1 SU against conference opponents. The Broncos are 4-2 SU overall and are also 2-1 SU in conference play.
The Rams are coming off a 20-18 victory over New Mexico last week where K.J. Carta-Samuels completed 24 passes for 311 yards and one touchdown. Izzy Matthews (92 rushing yards on 26 attempts) propelled the running attack while Preston Williams (nine receptions, 93 yards, one TD) and Olabisi Johnson (five catches, 81 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Boise State enters this one having just earned a 31-27 win over Nevada. The defensive secondary allowed the Wolf Pack to air it out for 304 yards and two touchdowns. McLane Mannix had a productive showing in the defeat for Nevada, recording 109 yards on four catches. For Boise State, Brett Rypien completed 28-of-38 passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Alexander Mattison (69 yards on 24 rush attempts) handled the running attack while Sean Modster (six receptions, 51 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Colorado State has run the ball on 45.6 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Boise State has a rush percentage of 48.4 percent. The Rams have rushed for 113 yards/game (including 149 per game versus Mountain West opponents) and have three scores on the ground this year. The Broncos are putting up 161 rushing yards per game (140 in conference) and have 11 total rush TDs.
It appears that the Broncos ought to own the advantage when it comes to effectiveness in the ground game, since their backfield has generated 4.2 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 3.7 YPC to opponents. The Rams have registered 3.2 yards per carry while allowing 5.3 YPC to opponents.
The Rams offensive scheme has logged 298 yards per game in the air overall (340 per game against conference opposition) and has 17 passing TDs so far. The Broncos have put up 321 pass yards per outing (274.0 in the MWC) and have 15 total pass scores.
Defensively, Colorado State has allowed 204 rush yards and 241 pass yards per game. The Boise State D has allowed 200.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 123.2 yards per game to opposing runners. The Broncos are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.66 to opposing QBs, while the Rams have allowed an 8.43 ANY/A.
Offensively, Carta-Samuels has amassed 1,772 passing yards this season. He’s connected on 144-of-232 attempts with 12 passing scores and four interceptions. He has a 7.24 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.29 over the last two outings.
Brett Rypien has managed to complete 136-of-192 passes for 1,688 yards, 14 TDs and three INTs for Boise State. His ANY/A stands at 8.67 for the year and 2.92 across his last two games.
RELATED: Week 8 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Colorado State Rams at Boise State Broncos
SU Winner – Boise State, ATS Winner – Colorado State, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
The Boise State defense has sacked opposing QBs 19 times this year. Colorado State has registered just 11 sacks.
The Boise State offense has lost three fumbles in 2018 while the Colorado State offense has lost four.
The Rams offense has produced five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Broncos have accounted for eight such plays.
The Colorado State defense has allowed 11 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Boise State has given up four such plays.
The Colorado State offense has created five rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Boise State has created nine such runs.
The Rams defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Broncos have given up eight such runs.
The Over/Under for Boise State’s previous game was set at 58. The O/U pushed in the team’s 31-27 triumph over Nevada.
In its last three contests, Boise State is 1-2 ATS.
In its last three contests, Colorado State is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Colorado State’s last game was set at 63. The under cashed in the team’s 20-18 victory over New Mexico.
Colorado State has averaged 4.0 yards per carry across its last three games and 3.8 over its last two.
Boise State has averaged 3.4 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.4 over its past two.
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