Games of interest, Week 9
Boise State Broncos (-14.5) at Wyoming Cowboys
Appreciation for what Craig Bohl is building in Laramie has been a consistent theme in this space, and we're still buying Wyoming as an ascending program that could have a championship in its near future. The architect of the North Dakota State dynasty has fashioned a balanced and productive offense with a deep and diverse group of skill players. This team is vastly improved in the trenches from Bohl's first two editions.
Boise State was the undisputed overlord of the WAC, but since joining the Mountain West in 2011 has won just one outright conference championship. The Broncos are just 5-3 straight up and 2-6 against the spread in their last eight Mountain division games. Boise State is still a power, but this program doesn't have nearly the edge on its leaguemates that it did under Chris Petersen. Continued relevance has masked how much that gap has closed, but -- as Houston can attest -- relevance in the land of the have-nots can be difficult to maintain.
This outfit is about to walk into the most active atmosphere Wyoming has generated in years. Neither the team nor the crowd will resemble the familiar editions that the Broncos dominated the past few seasons. The question to answer this week is whether Boise State is preparing for this game like the championship affair it is, or dwelling on either last week's thrilling win over BYU or lesser Wyoming editions from the past.
Boise State Broncos (-14.5) at Wyoming Cowboys
Appreciation for what Craig Bohl is building in Laramie has been a consistent theme in this space, and we're still buying Wyoming as an ascending program that could have a championship in its near future. The architect of the North Dakota State dynasty has fashioned a balanced and productive offense with a deep and diverse group of skill players. This team is vastly improved in the trenches from Bohl's first two editions.
Boise State was the undisputed overlord of the WAC, but since joining the Mountain West in 2011 has won just one outright conference championship. The Broncos are just 5-3 straight up and 2-6 against the spread in their last eight Mountain division games. Boise State is still a power, but this program doesn't have nearly the edge on its leaguemates that it did under Chris Petersen. Continued relevance has masked how much that gap has closed, but -- as Houston can attest -- relevance in the land of the have-nots can be difficult to maintain.
This outfit is about to walk into the most active atmosphere Wyoming has generated in years. Neither the team nor the crowd will resemble the familiar editions that the Broncos dominated the past few seasons. The question to answer this week is whether Boise State is preparing for this game like the championship affair it is, or dwelling on either last week's thrilling win over BYU or lesser Wyoming editions from the past.
