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College football fans, it is time to rejoice as championship weekend has finally arrived! In what should be a fierce matchup in Sin City at Allegiant Stadium, the Boise State Broncos will square off with the UNLV Rebels for all of the marbles in the Mountain West Championship. Without further ado, let's take a sneak peek at our college football odds series where our Boise State-UNLV prediction and pick will be revealed.
It truly has been a rollercoaster of a season for the Boise State Broncos. After fearing they would suffer a losing season, Boise State decided to fire head coach Andy Avalos after compiling a 22-14 overall record in his three seasons. In shocking fashion, Boise State has still found themselves vying for a conference title berth with interim head coach Spencer Danielson taking the reigns until the Broncos find the right man for the gig. Playing in their fourth Mountain West Championship in the last five years, can Boise State be conference champs for the first time since 2019?
On the other side of things, the UNLV Rebels are in rarified air considering their only conference championship has came all the way back in 1994 when they were members of the Big West Conference. Luckily, this game will be played right in their own backyard of Las Vegas which cold prove to be a major advantage. All in all, do the Rebels have what it takes to cap off their Cinderella season in triumphant fashion?
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Mountain West Championship Odds: Boise State-UNLV Odds
Boise State: -2.5 (-120)
UNLV: +2.5 (-102)
Over: 58.5 (-110)
Under: 58.5 (-110)
How to Watch Boise State vs. UNLV
Time: 3:00 ET/12:00 PT
TV: Fox
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Boise State Will Cover The Spread
First things first, there will be an ounce of unfamiliarity when the Broncos buckle up the chinstraps and lace up the cleats to face off with the Rebels. More specifically, these two conference foes have not clashed on the gridiron since the 2019 season. In that matchup, Boise State came away with a one-sided 38-13 victory, but UNLV is clearly nowhere near the program that they once were even a few years ago.
All in all, the strongest facet of this Broncos squad happens to fall on the shoulders of a rushing attack that few defenses around the nation have been able to figure out. Overall, Boise State averages a whopping 207.7 rushing yards per game and is extremely reliant on the offensive line creating big enough running lanes that even semi-trucks could drive through. Even so, the Broncos gave a run-heavy team like the Air Force Falcons a taste of their own medicine last weekend when they rushed for 181 yards on 38 carries. Simply put, there is too much inconsistency with this Broncos passing game when it comes to sophomore Taylen Green under center, and pounding the rock down the throats of UNLV will end up being there and bread and butter on the afternoon.
Why UNLV Will Cover The Spread
Like previously mentioned, UNLV has found themselves in uncharted territory with one of the most successful football season in program history. Unlike the Broncos, the Rebels will have a clear-cut opposite plan to win this game and will turn to the right arm of freshman phenom Jayden Maiava. In ten starts on the season, the Vegas native has put together 2,628 yards through the air and has even connected with his wideouts 14 separate times on passing touchdowns. Undoubtedly, the sky is the limit for this young man, and going up against a Boise State passing defense that is giving up 254 yards per game, this could be Maiava's time to shine once again.
Not to mention, but this Rebels team loves to wreak havoc on the defensive side of the ball. Believe it or not, UNLV's turnover differential on the season is through the roof as they finished the regular season with 13 interceptions and eight forced fumbles recovered. Overall, the Rebels are +8 in the turnover margin and could end up gaining control of this Mountain West Championship game if the Broncos choose to be careless with the football.
Final Boise State-UNLV Prediction & Pick
One stat that stands out in this matchup is that UNLV is 5-0 against the spread and are 3-2 straight-up when serving as underdogs this season. To make matters worse for Boise State, the Broncos are quite average ATS this year with a 6-5-1 overall mark. In general, this Mountain West Title game could have the makings of an instant classic, but this will be considered as a home game for the Rebels despite this contest being a neutral site matchup technically. With the roaring fans having their back, it is hard not to imagine UNLV taking care of business and finishing on top of the Mountain West world en route to what should be a glamorous bowl game awaiting them afterwards.
Final Boise State-UNLV Prediction & Pick: UNLV +2.5 (-102)
