Bronco Chase's Bowl Picks, 5th Edition

I'm getting worse. These bowl games are hard to pick sometimes. Who would have thought that Nebraska was going to come out and lay a complete egg against a Washington team that they crushed by 40 points earlier in the season? Who knew that Georgia's offense was as putrid and ugly as their live mascot Uga VII? (Well, I did, actually). Anyway, I will rethink this next batch and make some better, more educated guesses. But first, here is the recap of what happened since my last post. Enjoy!

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
My prediction was SMU wins 28 to 24
Final score: Black Knights 16, Mustangs 14






New Era Pinstripe Bowl
My prediction was Kansas State wins 24 to 21
Final score: Orange 36, Wildcats 34






Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
My prediction was North Carolina wins 28 to 23
Final score: Tarheels 30, Volunteers 27 (Overtime)






Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
My prediction was Nebraska wins 41 to 21
Final score: Huskies 19, Cornhuskers 7






Meineke Car Care Bowl
My prediction was South Florida wins 24 to 23
Final score: Bulls 31, Tigers 26






Hyundai Sun Bowl
My prediction was Miami wins 28 to 24
Final score: Fighting Irish 33, Hurricanes 17






AutoZone Liberty Bowl
My prediction was Central Florida wins 24 to 21
Final score: Knights 10, Bulldogs 6






Chick-fil-A Bowl
My prediction was Florida State wins 31 to 28
Final score: Seminoles 26, Gamecocks 17






Batch total: 4-4
Bowl totals: 11-11
Season total: 76-28

_______________________________

As a reminder: if the word "prediction" has stars, then it is an upset. It will look like this:

*Prediction*:

Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record.

January 1st at 10 AM
TicketCity Bowl
Dallas, Texas

(7-5, 3-5 Big 10)
vs.

(7-5, 3-5 Big 12)



Line: Red Raiders favored by 10
Prediction: Red Raiders 35, Wildcats 28

January 1st at 11 AM
Outback Bowl
Tampa, Florida

(7-5, 4-4 SEC)
vs.

(7-5, 4-4 Big 10)



Line: Florida favored by 7
Prediction: Gators 24, Nittany Lions 21

January 1st at 11 AM
Capital One Bowl
Orlando, Florida

(9-3, 5-3 SEC)
vs.

(11-1, 7-1 Big 10)



Line: Crimson Tide favored by 10
Prediction: Crimson Tide 31, Spartans 21

January 1st at 11:30 PM
Gator Bowl
Jacksonville, Florida

(8-4, 4-4 SEC)
vs.

(7-5, 3-5 Big 10)



Line: Bulldogs favored by 5
Prediction: Bulldogs 35, Wolverines 34

January 1st at 3 PM
Rose Bowl Game Presented by VIZIO
Pasadena, California

(11-1, 7-1 Big 10)
vs.

(12-0, 8-0 MWC)



Line: Horned Frogs favored by 3
This looks to be a defensive battle, much like the TCU vs. Boise State bowl games in the past two years. With that said, both the Badgers and the Horned Frogs bring great offenses into this game. They both score an average of 43.3 points a game, and are quite stingy on the other side of the ball. TCU and Wisconsin have the athletes on defense to shut down opponents and the skill and execution necessary on offense to put lots of points on the board. I see this one as a fairly low scoring game, with plenty of third down stops and punts. It might not be the prettiest of bowl games, but it will be great to watch if you are a fine of hard-nosed, smash mouth football. The Frogs are a good team. Not as good as last year, but still very talented and well coached. The Badgers rely a lot on the legs of John Clay. Unfortunately for them, TCU is very good at stopping the run.
Prediction: Horned Frogs 21, Badgers 18

January 1st at 6:30 PM
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Glendale, Arizona

(8-4, 5-2 Big East)
vs.

(11-2, 6-2 Big 12)



Line: Sooners favored by 17
What can I say? The Big East gives us another average team and Oklahoma is forced to take the field against a big underdog in a BCS Bowl. Which Sooner team will show up? Bob Stoops has lost his mojo as his team has gone 0-5 in his last 5 BCS games, and 2-5 overall. They should be able to handle the Huskies easily, but the same thing was said when they played Boise State and West Virginia in their last two Fiesta Bowl appearances. With this pick, I am hoping that Oklahoma actually shows up and plays, not just take the field expecting to win without putting forth the effort. UConn will be scrappy and determined, but it won’t be enough. There is a huge talent disparity here.
Prediction: Sooners 38, Huskies 21

Bowl totals: 11-11
Season total: 76-28

Well there you have it. I sure hope I do better than the last two rounds. We will know tomorrow. Happy New Year everyone!

Bronco Chase's Bowl Picks, 4th Edition

It appears that my bowl picking skills are not as advanced as my regular season picking skills. Oh well, it happens. The point is that we are in the middle of bowl season and makes me very happy. We just finished up 7 of them during my last batch and now I bring you 8 more. But first, let us recap the action and then move on.

Little Caesars Bowl
My prediction was Toledo wins 31 to 28
Final score: Panthers 34, Rockets 32






AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
My prediction was Air Force wins 35 to 34
Final score: Falcons 14, Yellowjackets 7






Champs Sports Bowl
My prediction was West Virginia wins 28 to 21
Final score: Wolfpack 23, Mountaineers 7






Insight Bowl
My prediction was Missouri wins 31 to 21
Final score: Hawkeyes 27, Tigers 24






Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grunman
My prediction was Maryland wins 41 to 31
Final score: Terrapins 51, Pirates 20






Texas Bowl
My prediction was Baylor wins 31 to 30
Final score: Fighting Illini 38, Bears 14






Valero Alamo Bowl
My prediction was Oklahoma State wins 42 to 28
Final score: Cowboys 36, Wildcats 10






Group total: 3-4
Bowl totals: 7-7
Season total: 72-24

______________________________

As a reminder: if the word "prediction" has stars, then it is an upset. It will look like this:

*Prediction*:

Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record.

December 30th at 10 AM
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Dallas, Texas

(6-6)
vs.

(7-6, 6-2 C-USA)



Line: Mustangs favored by 9
Prediction: Mustangs 28, Black Knights 24

December 30th at 1:20 PM
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Bronx, New York

(7-5, 3-5 Big 12)
vs.

(7-5, 4-3 Big East)



Line: Neither team is favored, over/under at 48
Prediction: Wildcats 24, Orange 21

December 30th at 4:40 PM
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Nashville, Tennessee

(7-5, 4-4 ACC)
vs.

(6-6, 3-5 SEC)



Line: Tarheels favored by 2
Prediction: Tarheels 28, Volunteers 23

December 30th at 8 PM
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
San Diego, California

(10-3, 6-2 Big 12)
vs.

(6-6, 5-4 Pac 10)



Line: Cornhuskers favored by 14
Prediction: Cornhuskers 41, Huskies 21

December 31st at 10 AM
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Charlotte, North Carolina

(7-5, 3-4 Big East)
vs.

(6-6, 4-4 ACC)



Line: Tigers favored by 5
*Prediction*: Bulls 24, Tigers 23

December 31st at 12 PM
Hyundai Sun Bowl
El Paso, Texas

(7-5)
vs.

(7-5, 5-3 ACC)



Line: Hurricanes favored by 3
Prediction: Hurricanes 28, Fighting Irish 24

December 31st at 1:30 PM
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Memphis, Tennessee

(6-6, 3-5 SEC)
vs.

(10-3, 7-1 C-USA)



Line: Bulldogs favored by 7
*Prediction*: Knights 24, Bulldogs 21

December 31st at 5:30 PM
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Atlanta, Georgia

(9-4, 5-3 SEC)
vs.

(9-4, 6-2 ACC)



Line: Gamecocks favored by 3
*Prediction*: Seminoles 31, Gamecocks 28

Bowl totals: 7-7
Season total: 72-24

There we have it. Let's hope I do better this time. Enjoy the games and even though the season is over, Go Broncos!

Bronco Chase's Bowl Picks, 3rd Edition

Four games went by in what seems like a blink of an eye. That means that I now have to post a new batch of bowl picks and I hope that I do a lot better this time around. Let's start by recapping what went down in the last few days.

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl
My prediction was Southern Mississippi wins 31 to 28
Final score: Cardinals 31, Golden Eagles 28






MAACO Bowl Las Vegas
My prediction was Boise State wins 34 to 24
Final score: Broncos 26, Utes 3






San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
My prediction was San Diego State wins 38 to 31
Final score: Aztecs 35, Midshipmen 14






Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
My prediction was Hawai'i wins 49 to 35
Final score: Golden Hurricane 62, Rainbow Warriors 35






Group total: 2-2
Season total: 69-20

___________________________________________________

As a reminder: if the word "prediction" has stars, then it is an upset. It will look like this:

*Prediction*:

Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record.

December 26th at 6:30 PM
Little Caesars Bowl
Detroit, Michigan

(6-6, 6-2 Sun Belt)
vs.

(8-4, 7-1 MAC)



Line: Rockets favored by 2
Prediction: Rockets 31, Panthers 28

December 27th at 3 PM
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Shreveport, Louisiana

(8-4, 5-3 MWC)
vs.

(6-6, 4-4 ACC)



Line: Falcons favored by 3
Prediction: Falcons 35, Yellowjackets 34

December 28th at 4:30 PM
Champs Sports Bowl
Orlando, Florida

(9-3, 5-2 Big East)
vs.

(8-4, 5-3 ACC)



Line: Mountaineers favored by 3
Prediction: Mountaineers 28, Wolfpack 21

December 28th at 8 PM
Insight Bowl
Tempe, Arizona

(10-2, 6-2 Big 12)
vs.

(7-5, 4-4 Big 10)



Line: Tigers favored by 1
Prediction: Tigers 31, Hawkeyes 21

December 29th at 12:30 PM
Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman
Washington, D.C.

(6-6, 5-3 C-USA)
vs.

(8-4, 5-3 ACC)



Line: Terrapins favored by 7
Prediction: Terrapins 41, Pirates 31

December 29th at 4 PM
Texas Bowl
Houston, Texas

(6-6, 4-4 Big 10)
vs.

(7-5, 4-3 Big 12)



Line: Bears favored by 2
Prediction: Bears 31, Fighting Illini 30

December 29th at 7:15 PM
Valero Alamo Bowl
San Antonio, Texas

(10-2, 6-2 Big 12)
vs.

(7-5, 4-5 Pac 10)



Line: Cowboys favored by 6
Prediction: Cowboys 42, Wildcats 28

Total coming in: 69-20

Check back in for more sports action and new from Bronco Chase!

Broncos Dismantle Utes, Finish Amazing Season at 12-1

I honestly cannot believe that it is over. One of the best Boise State teams in school history put a cap on the season last night with a 26-3 complete domination of the University of Utah. The score wasn't even that close either. While it is sad to see the season end and to say good bye to a group of outstanding seniors, it is exciting to speculate and talk about what is to come. There will be many more amazing years of Bronco football to come. But let's not get the cart in front of the horse. Here are some stats and numbers to mull over.

Yardage:
......Broncos......Utes
Rushing-202........107
Passing-341.........93
..Total-543........200

First Downs:
......Broncos......Utes
........23..........8

Average Yards Gained Per Play:
......Broncos......Utes
........7.1........3.8

Passing Completions-Attempts:
......Broncos......Utes
.......29-40......10-24

Net Yards Per Pass Play:
......Broncos......Utes
.......8.5.........3.9

Number of Sacks on Opposing Quarterback-Yards:
......Broncos......Utes
.......4-21........1-7

Turnovers:
......Broncos......Utes
.........4..........3

Penalties-Yards:
......Broncos......Utes
.......3-29.......10-83

As you can clearly see, the Broncos were more than dominant in this match up. The Utes were only able to gain 107 yards on the ground because all they were doing was rushing the ball. Terrence Cain is not that much of a passing threat, and it showed. Even when they were able to make a big play in the running or passing game, it was either called back because of penalty (hence the massive penalty amount and yardage for Utah) or a receiver dropped the pass. Kellen Moore had another very efficient night and torched the Ute secondary over and over again. The turnovers killed Boise State. They could have had quite a few more points had it not been for a couple of costly fumbles and an interception. Regardless, the Broncos completely owned Utah and ended the Utes' 9 game bowl winning streak. I am happy with the win and the team.

What We Learned:

DeVonte' Christopher is a tool. What do you do when you talk some mean trash on Twitter, demeaning your opponent in the most cocky, stuck up way? Well, if your Devonte' Christopher, you catch 0 passes for 0 yards and drop the one ball that was thrown to you. Nice work. Just a suggestion Devonte', try and use something a little bit closer to legitimate English next time. I still am not sure what the freak he was trying to say. What a tool...

The Broncos D-line showed up again. It was good to see them back. They swallowed up Utah's big, physical running backs and ate Terrence Cain's lunch, limiting the Utes to a measly 107 yards on the ground. I was a big fan of that.

Pac 10 officials are really bad, in case you didn't already know that. In general, the game was very poorly officiated. They missed a lot of calls. I have no idea what in the world their replay officials were looking at on the fumble recovery in the end zone by Geraldo Hiwat. Here is a picture. If that's not a touchdown, I don't know what is.


Doug Martin is a complete beast. There's a reason why we call him the Muscle Hamster. His 84 yard touchdown run in the second quarter was a thing of beauty. It also got the Bronco offense rolling and kick started was to be a dominant rest of the game.


It was sloppy, but you can't ignore how good Boise State is. The first quarter was ugly, yes, but it got much better as time went by. If it wasn't for dropped passes, penalties, and bad decisions and calls by the referees, the final score could have ended up about 45-17. If only...

Areas of Concern:

It seems kind of pointless to even be doing this because the season is over, but let's do it anyway. Turnovers. We'll chalk it up to jitters, being rusty, and the fact that Kellen Moore was gone for a week of would-have-been practice time doing the awards circuit thing. That's it.

Favorite Play:

I don't even really need to say anything. Just watch:



Thoughts and Tidbits:
It was rainy and cold in Las Vegas. It's alright because it gave Coach Pete another chance to break out his awesome jacket! I really want one of those...I was informed from legitimate sources that the Keith Stein Boise State Blue Thunder Marching Band owned Utah's band during the pep rally. That's what I'm talking about! This batch of Nike Pro Combat uniforms were sick! I really liked them! The helmet has to stay! Utah has a tendency to make excuses when they lose. Head on over to blocku.com and see for yourself. Kellen Moore was named player of the game. I can't complain. Doug Martin would have been a fine choice as well.

Perception:
There has been a lot of talk about what could have been for this Boise State team, and legitimately so. If it wasn't for a missed field goal and a complete defensive lapse for two quarters, the Broncos would be preparing for a New Year's Bowl Game date with the Wisconsin Badgers. You're welcome Horned Frogs. But regardless, this has been one of the best seasons in Boise State history. Not only that, but it shows true determination, will, focus, great coaching, leadership, and resiliency to bounce back after a tough loss and be as dominant as the Broncos were against the Aggies and the Utes. I have never been more proud of a team and more excited to be a Bronco fan and Boise State graduate. As far as how the nation will see the team, I think it is still mixed. The Broncos have been polarizing all year. You either love them or you hate them. There has not been much middle ground. Still, this was a complete demolition of a ranked team on a big stage in a bowl game in Las Vegas. What else do people want? I know what we will hear; "But Utah had it's back up quarterback in." Or "The Utes weren't that good anyway." Well, the back up quarterback doesn't make his receivers drop every pass that comes to them, get a holding penalty every play as the Bronco D-line found its way into the backfield, or not cover any of Boise State's receivers in the secondary. Also, not being able to tackle Doug Martin wasn't Terrence Cain's fault either. If Utah wasn't that good anyway, why weren't people saying that when TCU came into Salt Lake City when the Utes were ranked 5th in the nation? Double standards shouldn't work in college football. Even if it wasn't a BCS Bowl against Wisconsin on New Year's Day, a bowl win is HUGE for a college football program, especially when it comes against a ranked team. I am happy and so is the team. The point is, this was a huge win in so many ways. It will put Boise State in the top 10 or at least the top 15 in the nation pre-season next year and make their opening day match up with Georgia even that much more exciting. Expect a lot of hype for that one, much like Virginia Tech this year.

Photos:

For the last time this season, let's all thank the Idaho Statesman for their great photos. Enjoy them while you reminisce a great bowl win for the Broncos!