Boise has won the last 3 meetings in this series (last in '06) but this is the first time these two have played in a bowl game and no team has been better in bowl games than the Utes who have won a current NCAA-best 9 straight bowl games. If the Utes are going to pull the big upset they will have to do so without their starting QB as Wynn will be out for this one. Backup QB Cain does have plenty of experience and is 9-1 as a starter though. On the other side Boise QB Moore is 37-2 as the stater and amazingly still has another year of eligibility. Naturally he has plenty of weapons surrounding him in WR's Pettis and Young and RB Martin. Special teams could play a factor in this game and the Utes do have an advantage with PR Smithson being one of the best in the country and the struggles of Boise K Brotzmann are well noted.
In early November both of these teams were in the Top 5 and had BCS dreams and while the Utes were beaten handily by TCU and Notre Dame, this year’s bowl for Boise should be defined as “bubble-burst.” The BCS Championship gm was within reach and while they rebounded with a convincing win in the season finale, the layoff in the bowl will have them thinking about ‘what if’. Utah will not be intimidated by Boise and have a pair of BCS bowl wins themselves. I think this game will come down to the wire but ultimately you have to give the edge to Moore and the Broncos.