NCAAF: CAN BRONCOS BUST TCU’S ‘D’?
Tonight’s Poinsettia Bowl between the Boise State Broncos and the TCU Horned Frogs is one of the best bowl games.
Sportsbook.com opened this contest as a Pick and those laying down the money have preferred TCU, making them a three-point favorite with a Total of 46. ESPN will have the telecast at 8 pm ET.
Boise State (7-2-2 ATS) is ranked 9th in the country and finished unbeaten for the third time in five seasons. Their road wins at Oregon and Southern Miss carry more weight today in retrospect.
TCU (10-2, 8-3 ATS) is ranked 11th with a resume that isn’t too shabby either. A couple of missed field goals in Utah and a bad first quarter at BCS Finalist Oklahoma, are their only blemishes.
These are two of the best defensive teams in the country, with TCU 2nd and Boise State 3rd in points allowed. The Horned Frogs are 15-4 ATS in the second half of the season the last three years and held Oklahoma (along with Texas) to its lowest point total (35) of the year.
Quarterback Andy Dalton is an effective leader, bringing to the gridiron what TCU needs on any given day. If he needs to run, no problem, being an above average runner. If the opponents put eight or nine defenders in the box, Dalton can air it out, with 300-yard passing games like he had against Wyoming and Air Force.
TCU averaged 216 yards per game running the ball this season and coach Chris Peterson’s club only allowed 105 YPG at three yards per carry.
The Horned Frogs are 8-2 ATS as favorites and 11-3 ATS after out-gaining foes by 125 or more total yards in two consecutive games.
Let’s be candid, Boise State deserved to be in the Fiesta Bowl over Ohio State, but how well the Buckeyes fans travel and television ratings took precedent in the imperfect world of bowl selections.
Even with its two previous unblemished teams this decade, the Broncos didn’t have a defense this good. Boise State opponents averaged 26.6 points a game and they held them to an average of 12.2 points per game.
Boise State also plays well against outstanding defensive teams and is 10-2 ATS versus good defensive teams allowing 310 or fewer yards a game. The offense came together late in the season under the steady hand of redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Moore.
They averaged 49 points in their last five outings and have the dynamic duo of running backs Ian Johnson and Jeremy Avery sharing the load, combining for 1,416 yards and 16 TD’s.
TCU is 10-13-1 in bowls, with a 6-3-2 ATS record. Boise State is a more recent addition to the postseason action and is 5-3 straight-up and ATS.
