To preface this pick, I really do not believe that my picks have the ability to win the National Championship, but I do think if they roll through their schedule, we may have a media darling that crashes the final four.
Boise State is returning a huge chunk of returning starters on a potent offense. I do not see one team on their schedule that can contain them. I think all of the extra time given to practice for the Poinsetta Bowl last year was huge for Rypien’s progress. Add to that, the return of McNichols and Sperbeck, as well as 4 out of the 5 offensive lineman, and I think this team will absolutely maul people on offense.
On the defensive side, there will certainly be some holes on the defensive line. I think there will be enough returning starters at LB and in the secondary to make up for the lack of experience up front. I see a lot of shoot outs with this team as the defense will be a bit of a liability.
Looking over the schedule I see:
@ ULL – Win in a shoot out.
Washington State – Any time coach Leach is involved, you have to worry, but I see Boise in another shoot out, and more importantly, they pick up a win against the Pac 12. This will look mighty nice on the resume as Washington State is going to be a monster this year.
@Oregon State – This will be a one-sided affair. A win over a Pac 12 bottom feeder, but a win over the Pac 12 nonetheless. Now with 2 wins over the Pac 12, people will start talking.
Utah State – Is Chucky Keeton still at USU? This will be another eyebrow raiser as the Broncos hammer USU. Aggies should be a bowl team, so this will be another nice win on the resume.
@New Mexico – Luckily for Boise in 2016, they got punked by UNM in 2015 and this will be a revenge-type game. Although the Lobos will keep it close, Boise puts up almost 60 and wins one of the highest scoring games of 2016.
Colorado State – Gonna be a long year for my Rammies. This will be the 3rd straight game Boise goes over 50 points.
BYU – Short week to prepare, and that is why I love the home field advantage here. BYU is another team that will be bowl bound (much like WSU and USU). Another shoot out, but Boise again picks up a win and the media starts the Cinderella chatter.
@Wyoming – This is just a glorified bye week. Broncos score 50, and then they play the second half….
San Jose State – Another glorified bye week.
@Hawaii – This one gets a little scary. By now the media will be all about the possibility of the Broncos going undefeated. Trips to the island are never gimmies, and as bad as Hawaii can be, I think they give Boise all they can handle. Broncos, but barely.
UNLV – Another Friday night-er where Boise hangs half a hundred.
@AFA – The scariest game on the schedule. When you give AFA a reason to play, they bring it. All of the hype will be at a full frenzy. Like the UNM game, AFA smacked Boise in 2015, and the revenge factor is enough to get Boise through.
MWC Championship game – Most likely at home against SDSU. – December 3rd in Boise. I’ll take the home team on the frozen tundra vs. the beach boys.
On paper, I can very easily see an undefeated season. You factor in that this team has been a media darling in the past, along with the fact the big boys are absolutely going to beat each other up, and you have a recipe for a team like Boise to get into the final four. Now, once they get there, they should get exposed, but by then, the hedging opportunity would be outstanding.
I’ll take Boise to win the title 100 to win 15K.
Since this bet is also a little far fetched, I will hedge it right out of the gate with Boise to win the MWC at +160. This seems a helluva lot more likely. 100 to win 160. I originally bet this at +140, so I also have 200 to win 280.
Additionally, I think another team with huge odds that could really get in the mix is Houston. Oklahoma will be in one mother of a look-ahead spot when they visit the Cougars, and if Houston wins this one, all they would need is to not lose to Louisville, and they would absolutely be in with an undefeated record.
100 to win 8k
And a team that actually should be in the final four would be Florida State. I cannot see one team in the land that should be able to stop Cook, and add to that, McGuire coming back and not having to split reps with Goulston in practice should be huge. It is my understanding that McGuire will be challenged heavily for the job, but I think he gets it. I'll take a stab at a team with all 11 starters returning on offense. 200 to win 2800
Looking forward to this season. I think we are going to have some huge surprises