The Washington Huskies (8-6) will visit the #23 Boise State Broncos (12-2) on Friday, September 4, 2015 at the Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. The game will televise at 10:15 pm ET on ESPN. The current odds list Boise State as a 12-point favorite with the over/under set at 55.5.
Washington’s head coach will square off against his old team after going 92-12 in eight seasons with the Broncos. Washington has not listed who will start at quarterback as of yet. Jaydon Mickens returns to the team and will be the go-to receiver. Lavon Coleman will be the starting running back for the Huskies. The big loss for the Huskies was on defense. They had four starters get drafted in the NFL which will leave a big hole on defense.
Ryan Finley will make his debut as the starting quarterback. The big loss for the Broncos is all-star running back Jay Ajayi, who had over 1800 yards on the ground and added 28 touchdowns in 2014. The Broncos will play with three different running backs in the season opener. The Broncos will rely heavily on their defense that has many starters returning, including cornerback Donte Deayon who had six interceptions in 2014. Darian Thompson is also returning at safety, who managed to bring in seven interceptions himself in 2014.
My Pick: Washington +12
Washington’s head coach has probably been preparing for this game all summer. The quarterback situation for Washington is a bit shaky but Ryan Finley has been less than stellar as a backup. The real question is what defense is going to step it up and create the turnovers. I would be surprised if these offenses lit up the scoreboard. Boise is a tough place to play as the stadium will be extra loud for this game. I am going to roll with Washington in this one.