2014 Fiesta Bowl: Broncos vs Wildcats
College Football Bowl Season sees betting action between the Boise State Broncos and the Arizona Wildcats. Cappers picks provides free college football handicapping tips all season long.
The Pac-12 coach of the year, Rich Rodriguez of the Wildcats, will face off against first-year head coach Chris Petersen who won 11 games this year.
College Football Odds
2014 Vizio Fiesta Bowl
Boise State Broncos (11-2) vs. Arizona Wildcats (10-3)
Dec. 31, 2014
4:00 PM ET
University of Phoenix Stadium/Glendale, AZ
ESPN
College Football Betting Odds: AZ -3.5
College Football O/U Odds: 69
***2014 CFB BONUSES***
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Boise State
The Broncos come into this game being ranked #20 which is the highest rank of any team in the five minor FBS conferences. They rattled off eight straight victories to earn a trip to the Fiesta Bowl, in which they are no stranger to. In 2006 the Broncos beat powerhouse Oklahoma in a 43-42 thriller.
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This year their biggest star has been running back Jay Ajayi. Ajayi has rushed for nearly 1,700 yards while finding the end zone a remarkable 25 times. He also has four additional receiving touchdowns and has topped 100 rushing yards in nine games this year.
Boise State is not usually known for their defense, but this year they have been much better. As a team they have a total of 20 interceptions, 12 of which coming from strong safety Darian Thompson and cornerback Donte Deayon. Tanner Vallejo, linebacker, anchors the front seven with a team leading 86 tackles.
Quarterback Grant Hedrick has had a rocky season, but will look to end this year on a high note. He led his program to an 11-win season, but his throwing accuracy has been inconsistent. Hedrick has thrown for about 3,400 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
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If the Broncos hope to keep up with the Wildcats, Hedrick must play well and not turn the ball over.
Arizona
Wildcats freshman quarterback Anu Soloman has had an impressive year with 3,458 passing yards to go along with 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He has played consistent all year and has meshed extremely well with Coach Rodriguez’s fast-paced offense.
Running back Nick Wilson has been the go to back on the ground with 1,289 yards and 15 touchdowns. Cayleb Jones has been consistent through the air catching 65 passes for 902 yards and nine touchdowns.
The defense has struggled at times, but has been effective in forcing turnovers. Scooby Wright, the decorated middle linebacker, has racked up surreal numbers while on his to receiving the award for the nation’s top defensive player. Wright had a remarkable 28 tackles for loss with a total of 153 tackles to go along with 14 sacks.
The secondary is led by safety Jared Tevis who had an astonishing 119 tackles and four sacks. Free safety Jourdan Grandon picked off a team-high three interceptions while other safety William Parks racked up 13 tackles for loss.
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Without a doubt the play of the Wildcat defense has been the most impressive part of the team.
NCAA Handicapping Trends:
- Broncos are 0-4 ATS in their last four games in December.
- Broncos are 1-4 ATS in their last fives games against the Pac-12.
- Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last five games after allowing 200 or more rushing yards in their previous game.
- Broncos are 1-5 ATS in their last six games on grass.
- Over is 7-1 in the last eight Broncos’ games.
- Over is 9-3 in Wildcats last 12 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
Vizio Fiesta Bowl
There is no question to whether both of these teams can score or not. The most important factor in this game will be the defensive play. The team that can get more stops and more turnovers will most likely come out of this one on top. Except Scooby Wright to be all over the field and rack up a lot of tackles. If Arizona can stop the Boise State offense a few times they should be able to score enough points to win.
Free 4* NCAA Football Betting Pick: AZ -3.5
The Wildcats have surprised many experts this year by posting ten victories and beating the Oregon Ducks. Expect them to keep on rolling behind Coach Rodriguez and put up a ton of points on the score board.
Arizona 42, Boise State 35
Check out our Updated College Football Bowl Game Odds.
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