Boise State Football: Game preview, prediction vs. Utah State in Week 13

Boise State football hosts Utah State in a head-to-head battle for the MWC Mountain title. Will the Broncos or the Aggies be headed to the title game?

Boise State looked down and out earlier this season when they fell 19-13 at home against San Diego State to fall to 3-2 on the year. But after the Aztecs loss was in the rearview mirror, the Broncos have not lost since that game. With six wins in a row, Bryan Harsin’s team is now a victory away from representing the MWC Mountain for a second year in a row.

Utah State, meanwhile, has a straightforward opportunity to thwart Boise State’s shot at defending their Mountain West title. The Aggies are undefeated in conference play, and their only loss to date is a seven-point loss in the season opener at Michigan State. If they hold on and claim the Mountain West crown in 2018, the Aggies will be in good position to snatch away the Group of Five berth in a New Year’s Six bowl if UCF loses over the next two weeks.

Boise State has won the past two contests between the division rivals and 14 of their past 15 meetings dating back to the two teams’ days in the Big West back in 1997. One team is going to see their winning streak die on Saturday night. On the Smurf Turf, the hosts are slight favorites. But can Boise State actually pull off a win at home?

Here’s how you can watch the Saturday night showdown for the MWC Mountain title between Boise State and Utah State:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 24
Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
Location: Boise, Idaho
Venue: Albertsons Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

No team in the country has a lower net punting average than Boise State, which nets just 35 yards per punt against their opponents. The Broncos need to limit the number of times they need to punt by scoring points on each drive. And when they are forced to kick the ball away, they need to do a better job of flipping field position in order to have a better shot at victory.

Utah State, as a road underdog, has been out of sync when it comes to taking flags this year. The Aggies won’t manage to take down the Broncos on the road if they take as many penalties as they have regularly incurred this season. Like Boise State, Utah State has also been terrible at punting the ball and will need to win the field position battle to pull through in Idaho for the MWC Mountain title.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Boise State -2.5
Over/Under: 67.5

Prediction

While Boise State is a favorite by just under a field goal, it will be Utah State that manages to win by three points in the end. The two teams will grapple in a back-and-forth battle throughout the night in Boise, with Utah State forcing overtime inside the final minute.

The MWC Mountain rivals will trade touchdowns in the first overtime, but Boise State will only manage a field goal in the second overtime period. Jordan Love will throw a touchdown pass on Utah State’s drive to snatch away the road win.

Final Score: Utah State 47, Boise State 44 (OT)