The Week 5 college football slate is off to the races with plenty of thrilling finishes already having taken place. Kicking off at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Boise State Broncos host the Appalachian State Mountaineers with both teams entering with a 2-1 record to start the year.
This will be just the second matchup between these two programs in their history. Boise State produced a 17-14 victory in this matchup, which took place back in 1994.
Looking at the odds for today’s matchup, Boise State enters as 16.5-point favorites and holds -800 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. Appalachian State holds +550 odds of pulling off the outright upset, and the game total is set at 59.5.
This article will take a brief preview of both teams and a pick for the Week 5 matchup.
Boise State vs. Appalachian State prediction, preview
Boise State Preview
Boise State enters coming off back-to-back wins over Air Force and Eastern Washington after losing to South Florida 34-7 in the season opener. They have won 13 of their last 14 regular-season games. The Broncos’ offense has maintained its desired standard, but they have struggled to get stops in the early parts of this season.
Quarterback Maddux Madsen was slightly limited in practice this week due to an undisclosed lower-body injury but is expected to be a full go. Madsen has completed 56.8% of his pass attempts for 808 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception while adding 66 yards and a touchdown with his legs. Chris Marshall leads the team with 164 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Ben Ford leads all pass catchers with two receiving scores. Latrell Caples and Matt Lauter have also eclipsed 100 receiving yards already this season. Dylan Riley headlines the rushing production and has done a decent job filling the monstrous shoes that Ashton Jeanty left. Riley is posting a ridiculous 9.8 rushing yards per carry for 314 total rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground, plus one through the air. Sire Gaines and Malik Sherrod have also pitched in on the ground, combining for 325 yards and three scores.
The Broncos are averaging 35.7 points per game and are producing 535.7 yards of total offense, or the 11th-best rate in the country. Through the opening three games, they are giving up 28.3 points per game and 393.0 yards per game. Just last week, they gave up 37 points and over 500 yards of offense to Air Force. Boise State has six sacks and three turnovers forced on the season.
Appalachian State Preview
Entering off a bye week, Appalachian State has picked up victories over Charlotte and Lindenwood, but fell to Southern Mississippi 38-22 in the most recent game. Dowell Loggains has brought a spark with him in his first year as head coach, and is looking to improve the program after their 5-6 record last year.
AJ Swann headlines the quarterback production for the Mountaineers. He has completed 63.1% of his passes for 879 passing yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. Jaden Barnes headlines the wide receiver production with 24 receptions for 337 yards and three touchdowns thus far. Dalton Stroman is not far behind with 295 receiving yards and a touchdown of his own, while tight end Izayah Cummings has 172 receiving yards. Running back Rashod Dubinion leads the Sun Belt with 400 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Appalachian State is averaging 162 rushing yards per game as a team.
The Mountaineers are averaging 25.3 points per game while producing 519.7 total yards of offense. Turnovers have been an issue with eight already tallied through their first three games. Defensively, Appalachian State is allowing 20.7 points per game, which ranks 27th in the country, as well as 274.3 yards per game. The defensive unit has produced nine sacks and five turnovers forced so far on the season.
Boise State vs. Appalachian State pick, best bet
Appalachian State has a pair of wins to its name, but the level of competition needs to be taken into account. The loss to Southern Miss was concerning, and the Mountaineers gave Lindenwood every chance to take the game in their second matchup, which resulted in a 20-13 win. Expect Boise State to be a wake-up call as the Broncos seek to add a blowout victory to their resume.
Boise State has tallied 100 points over its past two games and will be ready to lay on points in this matchup. While Appalachian State has looked capable offensively, the turnover issues are too much to overlook. Unless AJ Swann can show some significant progress in his decision-making, turnover opportunities will be there for the taking.
Boise State will have the home crowd and blue turf behind them, and needs a convincing win to add to its resume. The Broncos have won each of their last 12 games against non-AP-ranked teams at Albertsons Stadium and covered the spread in five of their last six September games played at home. In contrast, Appalachian State has failed to cover in 11 of its last 13 September games.
The Broncos are the better team and have woken up after their disappointing start. Expect the offense to maintain its expected standard and for Appalachian State to fail to match this. Count on Boise State picking up its third win of the season and covering the -16.5 point spread. Don’t be surprised if this one gets ugly early.
