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First a few words for the Toledo Rockets

Boise State Broncos’ Football Schedule Analysis

The Boise State Broncos’ football schedule is filled with a couple of challenges, but the team has an excellent shot of going undefeated this season. Chris Petersen’s expectations are high for this team and if everything falls in line, the Broncos could wind up winning the national title. Fans and supporters of the program around the world want to see the team dominate and become the biggest story in college football this season.

Boise State Broncos’ Football Schedule in September
The season starts out for the team on the road in what should be a physical game against the (19) Georgia Bulldogs. After that contest, the team stays on the road to face Toledo. The month concludes at home for the team in what should be a high scoring affair against Tulsa. The team should get out to an excellent start, which should give them some confidence heading into October.

Boise State Broncos’ Football Schedule in October
The month begins with the team getting a chance for some pay back from last season for the devastating loss against Nevada. The Broncos will be looking to send a message to the Wolf Pack to start the month off right. After that game, the team travels on the road for two big games against Fresno State and Colorado State. The month concludes with a good game at home against Air Force. The team should play well this month, before heading into the stretch run of the season in November.

Boise State Broncos’ Football Schedule in November
The month begins with a trip to Vegas for a fun game against UNLV. After that game, the team will come home to play its most important game of the season against (23) TCU. After that contest, the team will travel to face San Diego State. The regular season concludes with two games at Bronco Stadium against Wyoming and New Mexico. On December 3rd, the crowd will cheer for the seniors who have contributed so much over the last four years as the team should easily defeat New Mexico.

Season In A Nutshell
The team is going to be in a BCS game for sure and if they do not get tripped up along the way, they may find themselves in the BCS national championship game. Chris Petersen wants a national championship for the program and seems to be getting closer each season. Fans and supporters of the program around the world are excited to see if the Broncos can defy the odds and become national champs this season.

Rockets ready for Broncs

Game planis years old

This week wasn’t the first time and won’t be the last that University of Toledo football coach Tim Beckman spends a lot of time dissecting the Boise State Broncos.

Long before the Rockets played in Boise last season, Beckman developed an affinity for the fourth-ranked Broncos, who visit the Glass Bowl tomorrow night for a nationally televised matchup against UT.

While working as the defensive coordinator at Bowling Green State University from 1998-2004, just as the Boise State program was taking off, Beckman began studying other successful mid-major programs so that when his time came to be a head coach, he would be able to hit the ground running.

In particular, Beckman respected the teams that seemed to go from the ground floor to the skydeck in a short order.

“When I wanted to become a head football coach, I looked at programs that seemed to build and then all of a sudden they’re really good,” Beckman said. “That [Boise State] program has certainly done that.”

Since taking over the helm at Toledo, Beckman has often preached about the Rockets becoming a “BCS buster” like Boise State, TCU, and Utah.

“It’s definitely [a program] I’ve looked up to,” Beckman said of Boise State. “They’ve done it in a short amount of time, to take their program and be as dominant as they’ve been since even before coach [Chris] Petersen.

Since 1999, just three years after their move to the Division I-A level, the Broncos have gone 134-21 (.865), won 10 conference championships and played in 11 bowl games.

In five-plus seasons under Petersen, Boise State is 62-5 (.925) and has ascended to the top echelon of college football, despite what the doubters may say.

“They’re BCS busters,” Beckman said. “That’s what they’ve done and these players [at UT] will tell you that we’ve talked about that.”

As for what aspects of the Boise State program that Beckman has tried to replicate with the Rockets, it’s in how the Broncos utilize their reserves.

“I like the way that they play [a lot of players],” Beckman said. “I think that’s one of the things that college football is going to more and more. The fact that they do that is something that we have definitely looked at here with this coaching staff.”

In their first face-to-face meeting with the Broncos last year, the Rockets were overwhelmed in a 57-14 rout.

Nonetheless, Beckman and his players said the experience was worth it because he and his team got to see how the Boise State program operated on a firsthand basis.

“It was eye-opening,” UT running back Adonis Thomas said. “I really didn’t know how intense they played and how we have to match their intensity in order to win. It was a good experience, and we learned a lot from it. It helped us get our minds focused for the rest of the season and now for [tomorrow’s] game.”

MEET-N-GREET: Before tomorrow’s game against Boise State, the UT women’s basketball team will hold a “Meet the Rockets” event at Savage Arena from 6-7 p.m.

Fans will have the chance to meet the entire team and coaching staff, get autographs, and participate in a free clinic for children in the eighth grade and younger.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TUR42cdgs50

Sports betting: Handicappers, who haven’t lost yet, go with familiar teams in Week 3

Josh Nagel

Who: Boise State at Toledo

When: 5 p.m. Friday (ESPN)

The pick: Boise State -20

Toledo’s near-upset of Ohio State last week gives Boise State another reason to give the Rockets a nationally televised thumping Friday night. Not that the Broncos needed one.

History shows this is the perfect spot to back Boise, despite the high number. Whenever the Broncos have an isolated national stage and the opponent is starting to get a little national recognition, it’s profitable to back Chris Petersen’s club.

In a similar spot in 2010, upstart Hawaii took a six-game winning streak to Boise and left with a 42-7 black eye. The Broncos are 14-6 against the spread in their last 20 Friday games and 20-7 ATS on the road.

Suddenly, a rout of Toledo looks better than it would have a couple of weeks ago, now that some media have been showering the Rockets with praise after their 27-22 loss to in-state rival Ohio State last Saturday.

Boise State is a different caliber of club than the rebuilding Buckeyes. Heisman Trophy candidate Kellen Moore and friends will come in with a week’s rest after dominating Georgia two weeks ago.

Toledo returns 18 starters from a team that went 8-5 in 2010. But unless a couple of their nine experienced defensive starters morphed into the next Lawrence Taylor over the summer, it shouldn’t matter.

The Rockets had one of the worst defensive units in the country last year, and gave up more than 40 points three times, including 57 to the Broncos.

Boise State’s underrated defense yielded a couple of long scoring plays to Georgia but was otherwise solid. Moore was 28-of-34 for 261 yards against an SEC defense.

Toledo is on short rest and coming off a crushing loss to a regional rival. The Rockets will have to get more than their share of breaks to stay close in this one. The better bet lies with a rested and motivated Boise State club.

Josh Nagel covers sports betting and poker for the RGJ. He has worked in the sports handicapping industry for several years, and is a regular contributor at www.covers.com. Find more atwww.joshnagel.com.

Note: Lines are as of 4 p.m. Wednesday at vegasinsider.com.