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Poinsettia Bowl 2015, Boise State vs Northern Illinois preview, predictions, odds, live stream info

By Cody Williams

November 27, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; Boise State Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien (4) passes the football against the San Jose State Spartans during the first quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 27, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; Boise State Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien (4) passes the football against the San Jose State Spartans during the first quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Boise State Broncos vs. Northern Illinois Huskies

The Boise State Broncos have been entrenched as one of the best college football programs outside of the Power Five conferences over the last decade, something that the Northern Illinois Huskies can also boast. On Wednesday in the 2015 Poinsettia Bowl, the two programs will square off inside Qualcomm Stadium.

Jeremy McNichols has been monster in the Boise State rushing attack all season, breaking off big runs and showing terrific consistency over the year. He’ll need to run wild along with having Brett Rypien play efficiently at quarterback on Wednesday for the Broncos to find success. For the Huskies, they’ll hope to have Ryan Graham healthy enough to start at quarterback in lieu of third-stringer Tommy Fiedler, but Northern Illinois’ money will be with Joel Bouagnon in the rushing game as they try to pick up a bowl victory.

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Details for Wednesday’s game are below:

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 23
Start Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: San Diego, CA
Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Here

Keys to Victory

There’s no question that the key for the Broncos in the Poinsettia Bowl is going to be maintaining the balanced offensive attack that they have all season. McNichols is one of the best weapons in all of college football and Boise State will need him to remain effective in moving the ball on the ground while Rypien will also need to remain solid in the passing game. Rypien limiting any mistakes and helping to maintain control of the game-flow against Northern Illinois will be vital to Boise State’s success.

Meanwhile, the key for the Huskies in this game is going to be either Graham or Fiedler—whichever quarterback does end up starting or playing in this game—to not make any big mistakes and properly manage this game. Fiedler was eaten alive when he was under-center for the conference title game and completely lost control of the flow of the game and the offense. Against an offense as talented as Boise State’s the Huskies can’t afford to have the same thing happen in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Boise State -9.5
Moneyline: Boise State -360, Northern Illinois +300
O/U: 56

Prediction

Though the mere possibility of Graham being healthy enough to play in this game makes Northern Illinois exponentially more intriguing, he’s still likely not going to be at 100 percent. Against a quality, well-coached Boise State team, I simply don’t see the Huskies being able to have enough success offensively to get the job done in the 2015 Poinsettia Bowl.

Final Score: Boise State Broncos: 34, Northern Illinois Huskies: 21

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