It’ll be a MWC-MWC showdown as the No. 19 Boise State Broncos (-14) are hefty favorites as they prepare to take on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the Mountain West Championship Game. This daytime game is scheduled to kick off at 4:00 p.m. ET and ESPN will televise the action.
Betting Preview: Boise State Broncos vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
In this Saturday Mountain West game, Boise State has been tabbed as the heavy favorite and the team’s currently giving up 14 points. If they want to play the moneyline, bettors would currently need to wager $600 in order to win $100 back on the Broncos (-600). The Rainbow Warriors are getting +425 moneyline odds. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 64 points, and if one team can create a bunch of points early, it’ll likely produce a worthwhile live betting opportunity.
The line originally opened at -15 and the game’s over/under was initially 62.5, so the early action has slanted toward both the Rainbow Warriors and the over.
Each team has rewarded gamblers this year as the Rainbow Warriors have recorded 7.8 units and the Broncos are up 6.1 units.
The Rainbow Warriors are 9-4 straight up (SU), including 5-3 SU against MWC opponents. The Broncos are 11-1 SU overall and 8-0 SU in conference play.
These two MWC foes did not get a chance to face each other in 2018.
The Rainbow Warriors hope to keep things rolling after a 52-31 win over Army West Point last week in which the Rainbow Warriors completed 26-of-41 passes for 359 yards and five touchdowns. Cole McDonald went 19-for-29 for 250 yards and three touchdowns while Chevan Cordeiro completed seven-of-12 for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Miles Reed (92 yards on 10 rushes, one TD) propelled the running attack while Cedric Byrd II (eight receptions, 122 yards, one TD) and Jared Smart (eight catches, 123 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Boise State is coming off of a 31-24 win over Colorado State. Jaylon Henderson completed 26-of-36 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns. George Holani (42 rushing yards on 18 attempts) mounted the running attack while Khalil Shakir (seven receptions, 103 yards) and John Hightower (five catches, 49 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Hawaii has run the ball on 40 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Boise State has a rush percentage of 54.2 percent. The Rainbow Warriors have run for 148.3 yards/game (including 164.4 per game versus Mountain West opponents) and have 19 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Broncos are totaling 176.7 rushing yards per game (178.4 in conference) and have 25 total rush TDs.
The Rainbow Warriors offense has tallied 332.5 yards/contest through the air overall (319 per game against conference opposition) and has 38 passing TDs so far. The Broncos have produced 271.3 pass yards per game (255 against MWC competition) and have 28 total pass scores.
Hawaii has let opponents rush for an average of 205.2 yards and throw for 225.7 yards per game. The Boise State D has allowed 233.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 115.1 yards per game on the ground. The Broncos are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.86 to opponents, while the Rainbow Warriors have given up a 6.54 ANY/A.
Henderson has completed 48-of-76 passes for 633 yards, six TDs and one INT. Henderson’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 8.43 for the season and 7.70 over his past two games. In the other huddle, McDonald is up to 3,257 passing yards this season. He’s connected on 265-of-410 attempts with 28 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions. McDonald’s got a 7.65 ANY/A, including 8.08 over the last two games.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors vs. Boise State Broncos Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Boise State, ATS Winner: Boise State, O/U: Over
Betting Trends
- The Over/Under for Hawaii’s last game going into it was 55.5. The over cashed in the team’s 52-31 win over Army West Point.
- Hawaii has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its past three outings and 5.3 over its last two.
- Boise State has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over its last three matchups and only 4.7 over its last two.
- The Boise State offense has lost seven fumbles this season while Hawaii has let 12 get away.
- Over its last three matchups, Hawaii is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Boise State’s previous match going into it was 58. The under cashed in the 31-24 victory over Colorado State.
- Over its last three contests, Boise State is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Rainbow Warriors offense has produced 14 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Broncos have put up 11 such plays.
- The Hawaii defense has allowed 10 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Boise State has given up nine such plays.
- The Hawaii offense has created 14 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Boise State has created 15 such runs.
- The Rainbow Warriors defense has allowed 29 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Broncos have given up 10 such runs.
- The Boise State D has registered 34 sacks on the year while Hawaii has just 15.
