2013-14 Football Previews – (MWC) – Broncos
The Boise State Broncos have gotten so good that an 11-2 record seemed like “down” season for the Broncos. Chris Petersen has established himself as one of football’s top coaches. Boise State is one of those rare smaller teams that is able to reload instead of rebuild on a yearly basis.
Mountain West 2013 College Football Previews: Boise State Broncos (Team Link)
Head Coach: Chris Petersen
2012 Record: 11-2
Boise State Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship: +11,500
Boise State Gambling Odds to win Mountain West Conference: +140
When Kellen Moore graduated it left Boise State without a proven quarterback to lead the way. Joe Southwick struggled early in the season last year, but he seemed to be getting quite a bit better by the time the season was over.
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A second year in the system should help. The Mountain West is an improving conference. Does Boise State have what it takes to stay on top of this conference? Let’s take a closer look.
Team Strengths:
DeMarcus Lawrence looks like a super star in the making at defensive end for the Broncos. Lawrence led the team with 13 tackles for loss last year despite missing two games. He is probably the best defensive player in the entire conference, and no offensive linemen in this entire conference is capable of stopping him without a ton of help.
Lawrence is going to have a huge season.
Boise State seems to always have plenty of depth on both the offensive and defensive line, and that is the case once again this year. The majority of the teams in the Mountain West are lost if they have a couple of starters get hurt on the line, but Boise State just plugs in another very talented big man.
Jeremy Ioane and Darian Thompson form a tremendous duo at the safety positions for Boise State. These are two big hitters who lead the entire defense with their passion and motivation.
It’s always a huge plus to have such talent at the back of the defense. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Team Weaknesses:
The Broncos don’t have the play makers at the skill positions on offense that they have had in past years. Southwick isn’t a bad quarterback, but he certainly isn’t one of the best in the conference. Jay Ajayi has shown glimpses of being very good at running back, but there is no depth in the backfield as there usually is at Boise State.
Matt Miller is an elite receiver, but after him the pass catchers aren’t very good.
Boise State isn’t nearly as good against the run as they used to be. The Broncos defense has been loaded with talented linebackers in the past few years, but that area is a weakness this season. Blake Renaud is solid, but other than him there is a lot of inexperience at the linebacker positions.
Don’t be surprised if teams are able to run a little more than normal on the Broncos.
2013-2014 Boise State Football Prediction: 9-4
I’m very hesitant to go against Boise State because of how much I respect Chris Petersen, but I just don’t think this team has nearly as much talent as they had a couple years ago. The offense is missing big play makers, and the defense isn’t as good against the run. The rest of the conference around them is getting better, and I think the Broncos are going to lose a few games this year.
Look for Boise State to be a bit of a disappointment in 2013.
2013 Broncos Schedule
8/31/13 10:00 PM ET @WASH
9/7/13 3:00 PM ET UTM
9/13/13 8:00 PM ET AFA
9/20/13 9:00 PM ET @FRES
9/28/13 TBD SOMIS
10/12/13 7:30 PM ET @USU
10/19/13 8:00 PM ET NEV
10/25/13 8:00 PM ET @BYU
11/2/13 8:00 PM ET @CSU
11/16/13 TBD WYO
11/23/13 10:30 PM ET @SDSU
11/30/13 TBD UNM
