CFB YTD: 14-8 (+5.2 units)
The Georgia Bulldogs got us to the pay window last Saturday night by knocking off the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns. Unfortunately, our other play on Sam Houston State went down in flames. That made us 1-1 for the week, but we're fired up and ready for the Week 9 slate of games!
Friday's college football slate blesses us with a Mountain West showdown between Boise State and UNLV. Dive into our betting guide below for the odds, predictions, and our best bet! Good luck!
There has been very little movement on this game on both the side and the total. Most online sportsbooks opened with Boise State as a 3-point favorite. That's a little bit surprising since they'll be playing on the highway in a rocking UNLV atmosphere on Friday night.
The total opened up at 66.5, which isn't shocking because of the strength of these two offenses. That said, one of the biggest sportsbooks in the world is offering 65.5 instead of 66.5. Shop around for the best number, kids!
No team has been hotter than the Boise State Broncos over the last month or so. They lost a heartbreaker to Oregon on September 7th, but they've been smoking teams ever since. Heisman favorite Ashton Jeanty (1,248 yards and 17 TD) has been the key to Boise State's dynamic offense!
Jeanty gets all of the hype, and rightfully so, but sophomore QB Maddux Madsen has been efficient with his arm all year long. Madsen has thrown for 1,273 yards and 12 touchdowns so far this season. His best downfield option has been Cameron Camper, who has already hauled in 4 touchdown receptions.
Boise State's offense gets most of the attention, but their defense hasn't been too bad either. They rank 8th in the country at stopping the run, as they're only allowing 2.9 yards per rush. Ahmed Hassanein has been the main man on D, as he's already racked up 6.5 sacks!
No defense in the nation has been able to contain Jeanty so far this season. The 5'9" junior tailback is averaging 9.9 yards per carry and even in his "worst" game he still ran for 127 yards. All that to say, UNLV's defensive line better be finding a way to fill up those rushing lanes on Friday evening.
It's amazing how much better this UNLV offense has looked since Hajj-Malik Williams took over the reins at QB. HMW is a dangerous dual-threat signal-caller who's thrown for 10 touchdowns and ran for 4 more.
The Rebels passing attack should find some success against a Broncos secondary that ranks just 109th in yards per pass allowed. However, UNLV will have to be up to the task to pass block a Boise D-line that ranks 3rd in the nation in sack rate.
This has all the possibilities of being an instant classic! Interestingly enough, both of these squads rank inside the Top 25 in rushing offense and rushing defense. In other words, this should be a good-on-good battle in the trenches.
The main edge for the Rebels is in the passing game with Williams. If he can connect on a few deep shots, that will keep the Broncos from putting lots of men in the box. As we mentioned before though, it all comes down to the Rebels' ability to pass protect.
As far as the number, I see quite a bit of value. My power ratings only make Boise State a 1-point road favorite. Let's play UNLV and hope that the home dogs are barking on Friday evening! Good luck!