2014 Boise State
College Football
Betting Preview
Odds and Predictions
The 2014 Boise State Broncos football team is in off a very disappointing season which saw them lose 4 regular season Games topped off by a Bowl Game loss to Oregon State. Boise State hadn’t lost 5 Games in a season since 1998 and in fact had only lost 5 Games total between 2008-2012. To say the Broncos and their fans are looking for a better outcome in 2014 would be an understatement.
A look at the futures odds can help you determine what kind of a chance any given team has of success in the coming year. While oddsmakers aren’t always correct and sportsbooks can be beaten, we still have to respect their opinions. They do their homework, just as all bettors should. Once the odds are posted, they take on a life of their own and reflect the opinion of the bettors. In the case of Boise State, they are listed as 500 to 1 to win the National Championship at 5 dimes sportsbook. That should give you an idea of what to expect from Boise State in 2014.
Head coach Chris Peterson is gone and is now at Washington but his replacement is Bryan Harsin, a former Boise State QB and a coach who learned the ropes under Peterson. The two worked together at Boise for a decade. Between 2006 and 2010 Harsin was the offensive coordinator at Boise where he went 61-5 and knocked off Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Harsin coached at Texas and Arkansas State the last two season. Point being, the Broncos shouldn’t miss a beat with Harsin behind the wheel. The team won’t have to learn new schemes and suffer the adjustments that many programs do with a new hire.
Boise returns 14 starters, with 6 on the offense including the QB and 8 on the defense and the Schedule is at least cooperative. They kick off the season against Ole Miss at the end of August which should tell us plenty right off the bat. But after that, it’s a Mountain West Schedule with plenty of winnable Games. When you win like Boise did for the past decade and change, it makes recruiting a little easier. The Broncos will pull in talent each year as a result for the foreseeable future and should be a factor in the MWC. We see at least 9 wins in 2014.