(5%) BOISE. The Broncos are loaded. They returned 11 starters from last season, including 11 on defense. They're 2-1 but the loss came on the road at Oregon, by only three points against one of the best teams in entire country. Plus, the Broncos nearly won that game. They had an edge in stats and a lead going into halftime. The Broncos had a well-timed bye after the tough loss at Oregon. They recovered and came back to deliver a 56-14 win last week. I mentioned that the Broncos defense returned 11 starters. The offense is averaging 543 yards (6th best in the country) and 48.7 points, seventh most in the country.

While I respect what the Cougars have done so far, I expect them to receive a reality check this Saturday night. Keep in mind that WSU returned only four defensive starters from last year's 5-7 team. The Cougars beat up on Portland State, as they should have. They earned an impressive win vs. Texas Tech. Then, they upset rival Washington. Last week, they eked out a wild 54-52 win over San Jose State. Give them credit for the wins over Washington and Texas Tech. However, understand that the Cougars still haven't left their home state. A night game at Boise is going to be a different environment than they've experienced. Giving up 52 points and nearly 500 yards of offense to San Jose State (or 30 points and 450 yards to Portland State) isn't a good sign. That OT game figures to take a toll on the Cougars, who will be playing their fifth game in five weeks. They get a bye after this game but that won't help them here. Expect the the Broncos to score early and often and for the Cougars to be unable to keep up. Broncos win by double-digits. *good up to -10