The Boise State Broncos take on the Oregon State Beavers in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds for the game have Oregon State favored by a field goal.

The Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve is always a solid contest between two pretty good teams. This year we'll see Oregon State take on Boise State in a matchup between teams who probably thought they'd have better seasons. The Broncos have won four straight bowl games overall, three of which came in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Boise State had built a brand for being the team no big school wanted to play, but now Chris Peterson has bolted town and took the Washington job. Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory will be coaching in this bowl game.

Oregon State was on fire to begin the season, opening the year with a 6-1 record. Then they came back down to earth with five straight losses to end the season to Stanford, USC, Arizona State, Washington and Oregon. Yuck. They probably should have won the Civil War matchup against Oregon but weren't able to hang on late in the contest.

The Beaver QB Sean Mannion is a gun slinger but made several poor decisions during their losing streak. Brandin Cooks caught well over 1,600 yards and caught 120 balls this season with 15 touchdowns. Oregon State does not run the football effectively and expect Mannion and Cooks to hook up several times for big yardage in this game.

Boise State was expecting to get QB Joe Southwick back. He missed the last four games of the season because of a broken ankle. However, reports on Friday night indicated that Southwick had been sent home from Hawaii. The Bronco defense isn't what it used to be, ranking just 74th in the country this season.

Will Boise be able to stop Oregon State from throwing the football? If the Beavers aren't able to run the rock effectively Boise should be able to load up against the pass game. The Beavers are 5-2 in bowl games under Mike Riley and we like them to win this game.

The Oregon State passing offense ranks third best in the country. We think it's too much for Boise State in this one.

Free Pick: Oregon State 38, Boise State 27

College Football Free Picks: Colorado State vs Washington State

What college football bettors need to know about Colorado State Rams vs Washington State Cougars in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday (12/21/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Ken Thomson, with Bryan Leonard and host Marco D'Angelo.

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