The 2012 College Football season kicks of this week and on Friday night we will see the Boise State Broncos travel to take on the Michigan State Spartans. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on ESPN. Currently the odds for the game have Michigan State favored by 7 points for the game, while the total sits at 46. Currently 68% of the Public is on Michigan State, while 74% is on the Over. Find out what side the Public is taking on all the games by clicking HERE.
Free Analysis: No. 13 Michigan State and No. 22 Boise State both feature new starting quarterbacks as they attempt to continue their winning ways in Friday's high-powered season-opening contest. The Spartans are coming off back-to-back 11-win campaigns but no longer have three-year starter Kirk Cousins, the most prolific passer (9,131 yards, 66 touchdowns) in school history. Coach Dantonio has designated Andrew Maxwell as his choice to kick things off this week and the junior couldn't be happier for the opportunity. Maxwell is a strong-armed junior who has attempted only 51 career passes. Like Maxwell, the receiving corps is a bit inexperienced as well, with sophomores Keith Mumphrey and Tony Lippett as the key figures streaking down the field. Not to be overlooked in the passing attack is running back Le'Veon Bell who not only led the team with 948 rushing yards and 13 TDs on the ground, he also caught 35 passes in 14 games, of which he started only six. The Spartans are stacked on defense after having the nation’s sixth-best unit a year ago. Junior outside linebacker Denicos Allen had 11 sacks last season and junior middle linebacker Max Bullough had a team-best 89 tackles. Junior William Gholston (five sacks) is rated as one of the nation’s top defensive ends, and a strong secondary is led senior cornerback Johnny Adams (eight career interceptions) and hard-hitting junior strong safety Isaiah Lewis (four interceptions in 2011). The Boise State Broncos are playing a high-profile opener for the fourth straight season, having defeated Oregon (2009), Virginia Tech (2010) and Georgia (2011) the past three years. Boise State’s Joe Southwick has even bigger shoes to than Andrew Maxwell as he is replacing Kellen Moore, who threw 142 career touchdowns and finished his career as the winningest quarterback (50-3) in NCAA history. Southwick is a nimble junior who has attempted 54 career passes. D.J. Harper steps in as the starting running back and although he has proven himself worthy of the position in past years, he has some huge shoes to fill following the departure of Doug Martin. Other key skill spots will have Mitch Burroughs, Matt Miller and Kirby Moore stretching the field and trying to find holes in the MSU defense this week. The Boise State offensive line ranked first in the nation last year with just 0.62 sacks allowed per game, but expect there to be some growing pains in that area moving forward. As for the defense, that's also an area of concern for the Broncos because they've been able to get so many former players to play above their ability and succeed. The team was first in the MWC and 12th in the nation in points allowed (18.7 ppg), but that might not be the case this time around. Gone are the top four tacklers from a year ago which leaves J.C. Percy as the top returnee in that category for the Broncos with just 48 stops in 13 games.
Free Pick: I am all over Michigan State in this one. The Boise Broncos have lost 6 NFL DC's on their offense and now they must go into a hostile stadium and take on a Michigan State squad that is loaded on defense, with 8 starters back from a group that allowed just 18.4 ppg and 277 ypg last year. I know that Boise reloads, and they may still have a great offense, but this is too tall an order for them to handle in the opening game when the timing just might not be there. Michigan State also lost their star QB, but teh difference for them is the fact that they will be facing a Boise defense that has just 2 starters back, with their returning leading tackler having just 48 tackles last year. I just don't see this as a good spot for the Broncos as they have lost way too much from last years team and will be going up against a Spartans team that will contend for the Big 10 Title this year. Michigan State by 10+ here.
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CFB Free Picks: Boise St at Michigan St Betting
What Football bettors need to know about Boise St at Michigan St on Friday (8/31/12) - with Pregame.com's Vegas Runner, Marco D'Angelo, Johnny Detroit and host RJ Bell.