Saturday, Sept. 28
10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific
Fox Sports 1
The Boise State Broncos are a solid favorite over the Washington State Cougars in this intriguing late game in Idaho. Washington State is undefeated so far this season. The Cougars beat Washington in Seattle to capture the Apple Cup. Then they beat San Jose State 54-52 in multiple overtimes in one of the craziest games of the year. Wazzu also has a decisive win over Texas Tech on its belt. The Cougars have been one of the pleasant surprises of the first month of the season, and yet they are underdogs of more than a full touchdown against Boise State. That is very intriguing.
Boise State is installed as a solid favorite in this game for a few reasons. Start with the fact that Boise State took Oregon to the wire in Eugene earlier in the 2024 campaign. Boise State lost 37-34 on a last-play field goal. The Broncos outplayed Oregon for most of the night but were crushed by two long kick-return touchdowns from the Ducks. Boise State’s defense limited Oregon’s offense to just 23 points, but the special teams unit allowed 14 Oregon points, and that made the difference. Nevertheless, it was hard to avoid noticing how good Boise State looked in that Oregon game. That certainly has flowed into the odds for this game.
The other reason for Boise State being this big a favorite is that Washington State did not look very good at all against San Jose State. The Cougars easily could have lost that game outright as a heavy home-field favorite. We’re going to say more about that after you look at all the betting odds below:
Washington State Cougars-Boise State Broncos Odds
Spread: Washington State +7.5 (-110), Boise State -7.5 (-110)
Total: 63.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Underdog moneyline: Washington State +225
Is Wazzu for real or not?
Is Washington State simply an overrated team which looked bad against San Jose State and is now ready to get its doors blown off by Boise State? That seems to be the central question bettors and college football fans should be asking before this game begins. Our response to that question will be very clear: Washington State was not in position to play a good game against San Jose State.
Hear T.J. and Gary talk this week’s top underdogs on the “3 Dog Thursday Podcast” by clicking play below,
Keep in mind that game was on a Friday. It was a short week of preparation for Washington State in the first place. Not only was it a short week, however; the short week came after the emotionally draining Apple Cup win over Washington. Normally the Apple Cup has been played on Thanksgiving weekend at the very end of the season. Normally, Washington State doesn’t have to play a football game one week after the Apple Cup. This year was completely different, due to the Apple Cup’s adjusted place on the schedule, the product of the death of the old Pac-12 and Washington’s move to the Big Ten.
Washington State needed last week off, but instead, it played on a short week. That explains the ragged performance versus San Jose State. Washington State should be mentally refreshed and ready to play at a much higher level in this game. The Cougars could lose this game by seven points and still cover? That is just way too good to pass up, and the moneyline underdog price looks very tempting from where we sit. This is one of the best underdog plays you can make in Week 5.