Boise State missed out on making its second-straight trip to the College Football Playoff, but the Mountain West champions are playing in a bowl game for the 24th time since 1999.
The Broncos have won at least six games to earn bowl-eligibility every year since 1998, but they haven’t won a bowl game since knocking off North Texas in the Frisco Bowl in 2022. This year, they’re heading back to SoFi Stadium to face Washington in the LA Bowl on Saturday. It’s their second appearance in the game in the past three seasons. Boise State lost to UCLA in the inaugural LA Bowl in 2023.
Washington (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten) is a program the Broncos know well. The Huskies are 4-2 against Boise State since 2007, including a 56-19 win in Seattle, Washington, in the 2023 season opener. The programs also split a pair of meetings in the now-defunct Las Vegas Bowl. Washington won 38-7 in 2019 and Boise State won 28-26 in 2012.
Part of what put Boise State (9-4, 6-2 Mountain West) on the national map was wins over teams from Power Four conferences, including Fiesta Bowl victories over Oklahoma and Arizona and a 16-13 win over Washington in 2015, but those wins have been rare in recent years. The Broncos are 0-9 against P4 teams since beating Florida State in the 2019 season opener.
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They have their work cut out for them if they’re going to snap that skid on Saturday. The Huskies are averaging 33.7 points and 414.5 yards a game behind an offense led by quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson called one of the best offensive weapons in the country.
Williams is completing 70% of his passes, and he’s racked up 2,850 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air while adding 595 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
“He is electric,” Danielson said on Monday. “Getting him on the ground when he scrambles is a task that not many can do, and he can make all the throws.”
Danielson also called Washington’s leading rusher, Jonah Coleman, a future NFL Draft pick. He’s pacing the Huskies with 673 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
Boise State’s rushing attack has led the Broncos to three-straight wins, including a 38-21 victory over UNLV in the Mountain West Championship. Dylan Riley leads the way with 1,091 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Sire Gaines has added 795 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, and Fresno State transfer Malik Sherrod has chipped in with 406 yards and four touchdowns.
The Broncos are led by quarterback Maddux Madsen, who missed three games with a foot injury but returned to earn Offensive MVP honors in the Mountain West title game with 289 passing yards and four total touchdowns.
Boise State vs. Washington Betting Odds
Washington is a 9.5-point college football betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 52.5 points. The moneyline is at -350 for the Huskies and +280 for Boise State.
The Huskies are 17-3 overall and 11-9 against the spread in their past 20 games regardless of location. The Broncos are 7-13 overall and 11-8-1 ATS in their past 20 games as an underdog regardless of location.
Boise State vs. Washington On TV
The 2025 LA Bowl featuring Boise State and Washington at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, will be televised on ABC.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Boise State vs. Washington Prediction
I predict Washington wins 34-24 and covers the spread.
I think Boise State will lean on its talented backfield and big offensive line to keep it close in the first half, but I’m not sure the Broncos’ defense can hang with the Huskies’ offense for four quarters.
Williams may be the most talented dual-threat quarterback the Broncos have faced all season, and they’ve faced some good ones, including USF’s Byrum Brown and UNLV’s Anthony Colandrea. Williams is at his best when he gets outside the pocket and uses his athleticism to keep defenders guessing.
The Huskies also have a pretty stingy defense of their own, especially against the run. They’re giving up just 103.8 yards a game, which ranks No. 4 in the Big Ten.
