The Western Michigan Broncos missed a spot in last year’s bowl season, but they will make up for that this time around, as they look to bring to their campus the school’s first bowl win since 2015. The BYU Cougars, meanwhile, have had a topsy-turvy regular season, which they could punctuate with a nice win at the Famous Potato Bowl game. Going into the game, the sportsbook favors BYU by double-digits, giving them 12.5-points over the Broncos.
Betting on the Western Michigan Broncos (7-5 Overall / 5-3 Conference)
Everyone who’s followed or have gotten a good glimpse of how the Broncos have played in the regular season definitely have an idea where the strength of this team lies: in its backfield. The running back tandem of LeVante Bellamy and Jamauri Bogan has simply been the gift that keeps on giving for the Broncos, who are 44th in the nation with an average of 30.0 points per game. In their most recent game, the Broncos leaned on their ground attack. Which produced just 94 yards but scored three rushing touchdowns in a 28-21 win over the Northern Illinois Huskies on Nov. 20. Bogan paced the team with 63 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, while Bellamy had 52 rushing yards on 15 rushing attempts. Bellamy leads not only his team this season but also the entire MAC with 1,172 rushing yards to go with six touchdowns, while Bogan has 702 rushing yards along with 15 touchdowns.
The over is 4-0 in the last four games of the Broncos, who are producing 201.7 rushing yards per game — 35th in the nation.
Betting on the BYU Cougars (6-6 Overall / 0-0 Conference)
The Cougars have a memorable – if not inconsistent – season to date. They have wins against Arizona, Wisconsin and losses to the likes of California, Utah State, and Boise State. The last time they were on the field, the Cougars succumbed to No. 17 Utah in a 35-27 road loss on Nov. 25. In any case, BYU should feel confident in its chances heading into the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, particularly because the Cougars seem to have the Kryptonite that could put neutralize the main strength of Western Michigan: a stout run defense. The Cougars are ranked 32nd in the nation with just 135.0 rushing yards allowed per game. There have been only two instances this season in which the Cougars have allowed at least 200 rushing yards, which happened against Wisconsin and Utah State. BYU also appears to have tightened up its air defense with three passing touchdowns allowed over its last five games, so the Broncos might have trouble moving the chains through either route.
