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Boise State v. Oregon Football Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd on August 31, 2009

boise st oregon 83109 On Thursday, September 3rd at 10:15 pm EST, the Boise State Broncos and Oregon Ducks clash on ESPN in a battle of ranked teams at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Last year, the Broncos won a 37-32 thriller in Eugene and college football odds makers have listed Boise State as a 4-point favorite with the total set at 64.5 for Thursday’s matchup.

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Oregon will do battle with junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli taking the snaps. His dual-threat skills are a perfect fit for Oregon’s spread-option attack and he could emerge as the best signal caller in the Pac-10 this season. He’ll be joined in the backfield by punishing runner LeGarrette Blount and he’ll look to find the speedy Jamere Holland as much as possible. But, while Oregon is deep at the skill spots, its offensive line returns only two starters, and one of those starters, Bo Thran, has been bothered by a sore knee. The guys up front will have to do the job for the spread-option to be a success.

Expect coach Chip Kelly to throw a wrinkle at Boise State this week called the “Tazer.” This hybrid, H-back spot will be filled by athletes like Kenjon Barner and LaMichael James and will be used to create mismatches.

I expect the offense to be able to move the football so it will be up to the Ducks’ defense if they hope to start the season off with a win. The task at hand will be to slow down WAC Freshman of the Year quarterback Kellen Moore and much of that responsibility will fall on the guys up front. The coaches like what the have seen from tackles Brandon Bair, Simi Toeaina, and Blake Ferras, and they are expecting a big season out of end Will Tukuafu.

Boise State is 64-2 at home on the blue turf over the past 10 years so it will be no easy task for the Ducks to come into town and get the job done, but if you like the Ducks’ chances, bet Oregon at +4 at BetUS.

Many are calling this the biggest home game in Boise State history as the 16th-ranked Ducks are the first ever ranked opponent to visit Bronco Stadium for a regular season game and just the third ever BCS conference program to do so.

Much like Oregon, Boise State has had to rebuild its offensive line, but plenty of skill players remain, including quarterback Kellen Moore. He will have the luxury of throwing the ball to wide receivers Austin Pettis and Titus Young and handing it off to running backs Jeremy Avery and D.J. Harper. Don’t be surprised if the Broncos show the Ducks a little no-huddle look along with their shift-and-motion packages this week.

Defensively, the Broncos were one of the toughest teams in the nation statistically last season, but we can’t forget that they play in a weak conference. Oregon was able to score 32 points on them in 2008 and the team knows its defense will have to perform better than it did a season ago in this matchup to come away with a win. The Broncos have most everything coming back and are loaded at end with All-WAC first-teamer Ryan Winterswyk leading the way. The secondary is deep and experienced as well. A key will be if the Broncos have enough speed to stay with Oregon’s offensive skill guys. If you think the Broncos can continue their home dominance, bet the Boise State at -4 at BetUS.

Make sure you check out Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks to see who he’s playing this week!

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