Fresno State vs Boise State Mountain West Championship Prediction Game Preview

Fresno State vs Boise State Mountain West Championship game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Championship Week game on Saturday, December 3

Fresno State vs Boise State Mountain West Championship prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Championship Week, Saturday, December 3


Fresno State vs Boise State Mountain West Championship Prediction Game Preview

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Fresno State vs Boise State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 3
Game Time: 4:00 ET
Venue: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
How To Watch: FOX
Record: Fresno State (8-4), Boise State (9-3)
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Why Fresno State Will Win

Fresno State didn’t have its guy the first time around.

It held up well in the meeting with Boise State with the score tied at 20 late in the third quarter before allowing 20 unanswered points in the 40-20 loss. Bulldog QB Logan Fife struggled without a slew of downfield completions with no touchdowns with two picks.

That was the last time Fresno State lost.

Fife and the team picked it back up with two straight wins after losing in Boise, and then star QB Jake Haener returned and everything took off.

Starting with a miraculous comeback to beat San Diego State, the Bulldogs got rolling from there. The O led the Mountain West in yards and scoring, it’s great on third downs, and it lost just one turnover in the last four games.

Boise State was able to get by Utah State last week despite allowing over 300 passing yards. It lost the other two games when it for over 200 passing yards – BYU threw for 377 and Oregon State went for 292 – and faced no one else that could throw, a Haener-less Fresno State team aside.

However …

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Why Boise State Will Win

There’s something about San Diego State that allowed the stars of the Mountain West to find themselves.

Fresno State’s season kicked it into gear with two touchdowns in 13 seconds, and Boise State’s run to the Mountain West title game got rolling in the second half of the 35-13 win over the Aztecs. That’s when the rushing attack became almost unstoppable.

Air Force was able to keep it down, and BYU allowed just 104 yards in Boise State’s only loss over the last eight games, but it has been dominant on the ground with 200 yards or more in six of the last eight games after sputtering a wee bit to start the season.

The Broncos are 7-0 when running for 140 yards or more. Fresno State is 1-4 when allowing 160 rushing yards or more.

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What’s Going To Happen

It’ll be cold in Boise on Saturday, but the weather won’t affect the Fresno State passing game enough to matter.

The Boise State defense might be fantastic, but it also piled up big stats against a slew of teams that couldn’t do anything offensively.

It got San Diego State before Jalen Mayden took over – the O hit just 2-of-16 passes.

New Mexico finish the regular season with the nation’s worst offense. Colorado State wasn’t far off, Nevada was 122nd in the nation, Wyoming 117th, San Diego State 116th.

It beat the teams with struggling offenses and lost or had problems with the ones that could get past 300 yards. Fresno State will get past 300 yards.

It’s not like Fresno State beat a slew of teams with killer offenses, either – it played a lot of the same teams Boise State did. But Boise State will be able to run the ball.

The passing attack will overcome the running game in a fun 60-minute fight.

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Fresno State vs Boise State Mountain West Championship Prediction, Line

Fresno State 30, Boise State 27
Line: Boise State -3.5, o/u: 54.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Fresno State vs Boise State Mountain West Championship Must See Rating (out of 5): 4

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Boise State vs Fresno State Prediction, Game Preview

Boise State vs Fresno State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 6 game on Saturday, October 8

Boise State vs Fresno State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 6, Saturday, October 8


Boise State vs Fresno State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 8
Game Time: 9:45 ET
Venue: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
How To Watch: FS1
Record: Boise State (3-2), Fresno State (1-3)
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Boise State vs Fresno State Game Preview

Why Fresno State Will Win

What the heck was that?

QB Jake Haener might have been out – and he won’t play against Boise State – to lose at UConn 19-14 was a brutal clunker in a 1-3 start.

On the plus side, the defense was strong, the running game is far, far better than it showed against the Huskies, and turnovers were the big issue – they’re not going to give it away three times this week.

Boise State might have exploded in the second half of the win over San Diego State, but the offense is hardly smooth, and now it gets a Fresno State defense that’s going to step up its game against the ground attack.

Boise State isn’t any sort of a threat through the air, but …

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Why Boise State Will Win

Things aren’t exactly going well if you’re only gaining 187 yards of total offense and losing to UConn.

Fresno State played well against Oregon State, and wasn’t bad for a while against USC, but it still hasn’t beaten an FBS team and the team is getting worse instead of better – not having Haener is a problem.

On the other side, Boise State lost Hank Bachmeier to the transfer portal, but new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter got Taylen Green and the running game going last week with 316 yards and five touchdowns – most in the second half – against Boise State. It should all work just enough to keep things moving against the Bulldogs.

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What’s Going To Happen

This should’ve been a preview of the Mountain West Championship, but it might be simply a game for survival.

Fresno State will play far better than it did against UConn, but it still won’t be enough. The offense will get a few more plays down the field and the running game won’t be nearly as bad, but it’s going to be another struggle.

Boise State is hardly playing great, and those final 30 minutes against the Aztecs might be an aberration, but there’s a positive momentum here after the changes. Green and RB George Holani will combine for over 150 rushing yards.

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Boise State vs Fresno State Prediction, Line

Boise State 27, Fresno State 17
Line: Boise State -7.5, o/u: 45.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Boise State vs Fresno State Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5
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