Boise State Football: Game-by-game predictions for the 2018 season
By Zach Bigalke
The regular season concludes with a contest against Utah State. The Aggies won the WAC in its final season of existence, followed up with a division title their first year in the Mountain West, and have regressed ever since. Getting back to the top of the MWC Mountain is probably not going to happen this year, either.
It isn’t impossible, though. Utah State returns nine starters on offense and nine starters on defense, so they certainly have the experience to challenge Boise State this season. Sophomore quarterback Jordan Love no longer has to worry about competing with Kent Myers for the starting job. Beyond Myers, the team also lost receiver Braelon Roberts and running back LaJuan Hunt.
The defense also returns most of its talent. In 2017 the Aggies gave up an average of nearly 27 points and almost 400 yards per game. But that same group also finished sixth in the FBS in turnovers generated, snagging 29 takeaways over the course of the year. That is a major reason why Utah State managed to make a bowl game.
The Thanksgiving weekend showdown against Utah State is unlikely to worry Broncos fans too much this year. Boise State won’t avoid coughing up the ball at least once. But the Boise defense will also come up strong as Bryan Harsin’s team caps a 12-0 regular season.