Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas is the site of this years Las Vegas Bowl. This will be Boise State’s fourth appearance in Sin City for this event, and they’re 3-0 in their first three. Oregon has appeared in the Las Vegas Bowl once before, a victory over Air Force back in 1997. Oregon will be without former head coach Willie Taggart, as he took the head coaching job down in Tallahassee at Florida State. Taggart barely lasted a song in Eugene. Replacing Taggart is new head coach Mario Cristobal. He has been on the Ducks for one season as offensive coordinator. Word is the players absolutely love Cristobal, and will be playing hard for their new chief.
Boise State vs. Oregon Las Vegas Bowl
Date/Time: Saturday, December 16th at 3:30pm EST
TV: ABC
Pro Football Betting Odds from 5Dimes
Pro Football Betting Favorite: Oregon -7
Total: 60
Weather here in Las Vegas will be sunny and 61 degrees with light wind. It’ll be a terrific day for football, and the game is a sellout so there will be plenty of Broncos and Ducks supporters in the crowd. For Oregon, it was a tale of two seasons. While Justin Herbert was under center, the Ducks were 6-1 straight up and 5-2 ATS. Most notable is how many points they scored with Herbert starting at QB. With him starting, they averaged 52 points per game. Without Herbert, they were 1-4 straight up as well as ATS. They only averaged 15 points per game without him. Clearly, they’re a different team without Herbert calling the shots. He will be starting the game on Saturday. Not playing in this game is the leading rusher for the Ducks, Royce Freeman. He’s a healthy scratch, preparing himself for the NFL draft and deciding not to play in this game. Oregon’s offense is extremely potent and will still be able to put up points without Freeman.
On the flip side, Boise State started the season 2-2 then rattled off wins in eight of nine games, going 6-3 ATS to close out the season. Boise State is led by QB Brett Rypien. He put up 2515 yards this season, with 14 TDs to only 4 INT. Look for him to put up some legit numbers Saturday in the air. The ground game could be limited as their leading RB Alex Mattison is questionable for the Las Vegas Bowl. Senior Ryan Wolpin could be called upon to take over for Mattison. “It’s the same as every week, just be ready to step up,” Wolpin said Wednesday. “Hopefully Alex is 100 percent by game time, but I’ll attack it like I do every week and just be ready and be prepared.” Wolpin scored the game-winning TD in the Mountain West Championship game vs. Fresno State. Boise State averaged 32 points per game this season, so they are no slouch in the scoring department.
Sin City Sharp (@SinCitySharp on Twitter) Free Pick:
The absence of both starting running backs has a small impact, but the calling card for both these squads is their air attack. With Justin Herbert back and 100% healthy, this bodes well for the scoring department. Brett Rypien had a terrific season in the air as well. Players from Oregon will be excited to showcase their talents for their new head coach. Both sidelines will want to impress for the NFL scouts in the crowd, as this is a fairly big bowl game with two marquee teams. With Herbert under center and their 52 ppg, combined with Boise State’s average 32 ppg, Sin City Sharp sees this game sailing to the over in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Free Pick: Over the total (60) in the Las Vegas Bowl
