Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington preview and pick

One of the more fascinating minor college football bowl games takes place in Las Vegas on Saturday, December 21, as Boise State will take on Washington in Huskies head coach Chris Petersen’s final game. Petersen was previously the coach at Boise State, and the theatrics surrounding his retirement should make for added intrigue in a Las Vegas Bowl that already presented an interesting matchup on the field.

Boise State vs. Washington, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Boise State was dominant in 2019

Boise State is 12-1 straight up and 7-5 against the spread. The Broncos are champions of the Mountain West and were very nearly the "Group of Five" representative in a "New Year’s Six" bowl game.

Washington was the biggest disappointment of the Pac-12 in 2019. The Huskies finished just 7-5 straight up and 7-5 against the spread. The preseason favorite to win the conference, Washington was hampered by a worse-than-expected defense and inconsistent offensive play.

Henderson answered the bell when Bachmeier went down

Boise started the year on the road with quarterback Hank Bachmeier, but the true freshman went out with injuries in October and November. Bachmeier's first replacement, sophomore Chase Cord, struggled a bit with turnovers in two starts (and had injury issues, as well), which led the Broncos to turn to senior Jaylon Henderson.

Henderson performed excellently in relief, and the Broncos finished the year 14th in the nation in points per game (36.8). Their lone loss came on the road, by three  points to BYU, but they are a winning program that completed another regular-season campaign filled with wins.

Eason was shaky on the road

Washington is led by quarterback Jacob Eason, a Georgia transfer and big-armed thrower who had very different home and road splits. At home Eason threw for 15 touchdowns and three interceptions, with an average of 8.15 yards per attempt. On the road he threw seven touchdowns, had five interceptions and averaged 7.37 yards per attempt.

Boise State has been consistent all season

I like Boise State to win outright against a Washington team that is much worse when playing away from Seattle. Boise State has shown far greater consistency throughout the season. It doesn't help that standout Washington offensive tackle Trey Adams is skipping the game, which will only make life more difficult for Eason.

NCAAF free pick: Boise State +3.5

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