The first game of bowl season pits the Mountain West champion Boise State Broncos against the Washington Huskies.
While Group of Five teams have struggled in the CFB Playoff, they have had plenty of success in regular bowl games versus power-four opposition.
Boise State owns a slight advantage of staying in rhythm since it played last week in the Mountain West Championship Game.
The 9-4 Broncos possess an explosive offense that scored over 40 points on six occasions.
Washington must slow down the Boise State rushing attack, led by 1,000-yard rusher Dylan Riley, to run away with the LA Bowl.
The Huskies only give up 103.5 rushing yards per game. In all four of their Big Ten losses, the Huskies allowed more than their current rush-yard average.
Boise comes in with the 13th-best passing defense. Demond Williams Jr. threw for under 200 yards in three of Washington’s four losses.
So the formula is seems simple for Boise. As long as the Broncos run the ball well, they should hang with their Big Ten opponent.
Prediction: Boise State ( 9.5)
