The Boise State Broncos take on the Washington Huskies in the LA Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 13. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Washington is favored by 9.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -375. Boise State, meanwhile, enters as a +9.5 underdog and is +285 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 52.5 total points.
Here’s my Boise State vs. Washington prediction and college football picks for Saturday, December 13.
Boise State vs Washington Prediction
- Boise State vs. Washington Pick: Washington -8.5
My Washington vs. Boise State best bet is on the Huskies to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Boise State vs Washington Odds
| Boise State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -108 | 52.5 -110o / -110u | +285 |
| Washington Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -112 | 52.5 -110o / -110u | -375 |
- Boise State vs Washington Spread: Washington -9.5, Boise State +9.5
- Boise State vs Washington Over/Under: 52.5 Points
- Boise State vs Washington Moneyline: Boise State +285, Washington -375
Boise State vs Washington College Football Betting Preview
Boise State Broncos Betting Preview: LA Bowl Déjà Vu
For the second time in three seasons, Mountain West champion Boise State heads to the LA Bowl.
Last time around, the Broncos lost and failed to cover a +6 spread against an eight-win UCLA team. Last year featured the Broncos losing to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, which was a College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
Quarterback Maddux Madsen missed Boise’s final four regular-season games but returned last week for the Mountain West Championship.
Under Madsen’s 289 yards and three touchdowns, Boise scored 38; without him, the Broncos struggled to start (scoring seven points against Fresno State and San Diego State each) but managed to pick the pace up against Colorado State and Utah State.
Barring a last-second transfer move, there’s no reason to believe Madsen doesn’t play here. He can return next year and almost certainly will after a ho-hum 2025, hurt or not.
Keep an eye on a few NFL-ready players like safety Ty Benefield and tackle Kage Casey (who already declared for the NFL Draft to opt out of this low-stakes bowl). The best way to track that is through our Stuckey’s opt-out and transfer portal tracker.
Life without a game-breaking running back has been markedly more difficult for Boise State.
Sire Gaines, who was supposed to be Ashton Jeanty’s successor, hasn’t panned out to expectation, and lately, has been losing touches to the more versatile Dylan Riley. Over 70% of Riley’s rushing yards have come after contact — a testament both to Riley himself and the issues up front.
Boise State’s defense has been decent, but it’s been frustratingly ineffective when opponents cross the 40. While it allows a quality drive on only 34.6% of drives, opponents average more than four points on those drives (a top-20 mark in the wrong direction).
Boise allows a touchdown or field goal on over 90% of opposing red-zone drives, the 14th-worst mark nationally.
Cornerback A’Marion McCoy, Boise’s top cover corner who ranks third in the Mountain West in PFF’s coverage grade, missed the final two games of the season. Moving into a bowl game against a talented passing attack, McCoy’s absence could be major.
Washington Huskies Betting Preview: Flashing or Fading?
Despite a two-game improvement from last year, Washington’s 2025 season feels like a big missed opportunity.
At times, the Huskies looked like a clear Big Ten dark-horse contender. They hung with Ohio State for the most part in the first half and dropped 42 on Illinois at home. But at other times, UW looked like a four-win team.
The offense has a tendency to disappear. It scored 10 points behind a 5-of-13 mark on third down at two-win Wisconsin, a game Washington lost. Earlier in the year, the Huskies were shut down in a 24-7 loss at Michigan. Against Oregon, they managed just 14 points.
Aside from a dynamic 280-yard, four-touchdown day against the Illini, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. didn’t really have a breakout performance. He tossed three interceptions against Michigan, and in losses, he tallied three touchdown passes against five picks.
Running back Jonah Coleman was off to a fantastic start, but injuries plagued him after Week 9, and the Huskies offense wasn’t the same.
In fact, injuries piled up and derailed what could have been a more competitive season.
Right tackle Drew Azzopardi and center Landen Hatchett missed a handful of games late, but Azzopardi returned against Oregon (where he gave up three QB pressures).
Star cornerback Tacario Davis missed two chunks of the season and may not play with an NFL future at risk, and top receiver Denzel Boston fought injuries late as well. Boston is another opt-out risk as a potential first-round NFL prospect.
The defense has been phenomenal under Ryan Walters — but in other news, the sky is blue.
The real concern here comes from injuries and opt-outs. Washington’s 8-4 record is an improvement over 6-7, but given a friendly schedule, 8-4 seems like an underachieving mark for the Huskies.
Does a berth in the LA Bowl make everything better? Do Washington’s top pieces want to be there, and will they play? Are starters battling injuries going to risk making those worse with a return to play here?
Boise State vs Washington Pick, Betting Analysis
There hasn’t been much notable movement to speak of since Washington opened as a -8.5 favorite in the game. The Huskies moved to -9.5, and the total ticked up from 51.5 to 52.5, through the key number of 52.
This is the first FBS bowl game on the docket and follows up prestigious games in Army vs. Navy and the Celebration Bowl earlier in the day. Notify your friends, as they might not even know the LA Bowl kicks off Saturday night.
This is Year 2 under the modified bowl schedule that moved in response to the expanded College Football Playoff — it tramples on a decades-long tradition of Army and Navy playing on their own week.
The floor for Washington comes out when it plays a defense more talented and more physical than its offense. The four floor games — not coincidentally, all losses — came against the Big Ten’s most talented and physical defenses in Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon.
Boise State is not nearly at the level of those programs.
Washington tripped at Maryland (though it salvaged a win thanks to the Terps remembering it wasn’t September late in the game), but every other performance this year produced at least 38 points.
Even without Coleman, Washington is capable of running the ball. Adam Mohammed rushed for 100-plus yards in UW’s final two games and impressed with 7.5 yards per carry against the Ducks.
And even without Boston, Williams can move the ball through the air. Dezmen Roebuck has six receiving touchdowns on 41 catches.
This is a regional and familiar foe for Washington, played on the West Coast. There are plenty of opportunities to bet against potentially disinterested power conference teams facing upstart Group of Five opponents (hello, Military Bowl), but this isn’t that spot.
Boise State carries a real brand and is missing critical pieces just like Washington. If we’re playing a depth game, that favors the Huskies.
Pick: Washington -8.5
Boise State vs Washington Betting Trends
