Boise State Broncos vs. Michigan State Spartans Betting Odds: Bookies Want Boise State Bad
Carrie Stroup here with your Boise State Broncos vs. Michigan State Spartans betting odds. The bookies really want Boise State here as the betting public is all over Michigan State at an 85 percent clip. You can bet this game and all other College Football games at Sportsbook.com here, where eligible new customers can claim up to $250 FREE. Be sure to ask about their Buddy Referral Program where you can make hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars monthly by simply referring your friends.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Michigan State -6.5 & 46
Opening Line & Total: Spartans -7 & 47
Two nationally-ranked programs adjusting to life with new quarterbacks kick off their 2012 season on Friday night when No. 24 Boise State visits No. 13 Michigan State.
This is the first meeting between the two teams. The Spartans have won 13 straight home openers, but Boise is no slouch in road openers, winning seven of its past nine. Michigan State needs to replace QB Kirk Cousins and its top three receivers from last season, so MSU will lean heavily on Le’Veon Bell, who’s now the team’s clear-cut No. 1 RB. Boise State is in a similar boat, expecting RB D.J. Harper to carry the offense with 50-win QB Kellen Moore gone. The Broncos also lost nine defensive starters and several key assistant coaches. However, this is the kind of game that Boise State has lived for, playing a good team from an elite conference and upending them. Since Chris Petersen took over in 2006, the Broncos are 29-3 SU overall against non-conference opponents, including 8-1 SU against ranked opponents, 15-3 SU away from Boise (road or neutral), 6-1 SU against ranked opponents away from home, and 9-1 SU in true road games.
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Boise State is 50-3 SU (31-19 ATS) over the past four seasons, and now turns over its offense to junior QB Joe Southwick. He has been limited to mostly mop-up duty in his two college seasons playing behind Moore, completing 40-of-54 passes for 400 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. Southwick’s go-to receiver will be Matt Miller, who had a team-high-tying 62 catches last year for 679 yards and 9 TD. But this offense revolves around Harper, who amassed 557 rushing yards (4.8 YPC) and 9 TD as the backup to Doug Martin last season. Harper has scored 24 touchdowns in his career. Boise’s offense should still run smoothly, but the defense lost nine starters, which includes all four D-linemen and the top three linebackers. The secondary returns a pair of talented cornerbacks though, in Jerrell Gavins and Jamar Taylor.
Senior QB Andrew Maxwell will start under center for the Spartans, but he hasn’t played many meaningful minutes as the backup to Cousins. Maxwell, who has seen action in nine games in his career, was strong last season, going 18-of-26 (69.2%) for 171 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. However, Maxwell can no longer rely on a departed receiving trio of B.J. Cunningham, Keshawn Martin and Keith Nichol. Bell will be the true workhorse of this offense, coming off a strong sophomore campaign in which he rushed for 948 yards (5.2 YPC) and 13 touchdowns. Although questions abound concerning the offense, there is little question that the Spartans will once again be an elite defense. They return eight starters from a unit that allowed just 277 total YPG (ninth in FBS) and 18.4 PPG (10th in nation) last season. DE William Gholston (five sacks, 70 tackles) is the star up front, with LBs Denicos Allen (11 sacks) and Max Bullough (89 tackles, 3½ sacks) manning the middle.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
