Dec. 22
8 p.m.

ESPN Arizona State 24 vs Boise State 56

Offense: Boise State brings in an offense that averages over 43 points a game and is led by the NCAA alltime winningest quarterback Kellen Moore. The Broncos won every game this year except for a heartbreaker to TCU. Had that game gone the Broncos way, they may be in the BCS championship. But they are in Las Vegas and this is Kellen Moore's final game, so they will be ready to play. Tyler Shoemaker has had an exceptional season at wide receiver, breaking the school record for touchdown catches with 15. Freshman receiver Matt Miller has caught 8 touchdowns for the Broncos. When the Sun Devils focus on the Boise State passing attack, senior Doug Martin, who has 1148 rushing yards, to excel. Arizona State will look to rebound from a dissapointing season and win one for Dennis Erickson, who will be coaching his final game for the Sun Devils after being fired. It all starts with 6'9'' quarterback Brock Oswiler for Arizona State. The junior has thrown for over 3600 yards in this spread attack. The leading receiver he will look to is Gerell Robinson, who has over 1100 yards receiving. On the ground, Cameron Marshall will look to make an impact. He has 18 rushing touchdowns on the year.

Defense: Boise State obtains a defense that is ranked 10th nationally. The defensive line is the top group in this defense and it will be key for them to get pressure on Oswiler. The front four includes DE Tyrone Crawford, DT Chase Baker, DT Billy Winn, and DE Shea McClellin. The importance is emphasized when considering that the Boise State secondary can be a little suspect and Arizona State posseses such a strong passing attack. Arizona State has a defense that started strong, but in the current 4 game losing streak, has really tailed off. It is imperative that the Sun Devils get pressure on Moore. If he is given time, he will pick apart this secondary. Look for the unit to regroup as it will be an emotional game. You are playing for your fired coach, and you have a chance to be the #7 team in the country.

The pick: I like Boise State to win this one. The seniors from Boise are looking to win their 50TH GAME! 50 GAMES! That is unheard of. I expect the Sun Devils to compete hard for thier fired coach. Many look at this as a blowout, but I think it will be close. If you agree or disagree let me know why by tweeting me @bowlseason or emailing me at ryzim22@yahoo.com . I'll post them if you send them.

WE PICKED BOISE STATE. WE ARE NOW 4-2

Alex Calinsky, a correspondant for the Twins Fall Times-News, answered some questions for us.

BS: The Broncos once again had a great year, going 11-1. But the TCU game kept them from the BCS and possibly the title game. How would you rate this year overall and do you think Boise State will have trouble getting excited for a 6-6 Arizona State team?

Alex Calinsky: On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate it as an 8 for Boise State. Finishing 11-1 is great, but the expectations for the Broncos were even higher. Failing to reach the national championship or a BCS bowl in Kellen Moore’s final year will be what’s remembered more than the win total.

Boise State’s senior class, which includes Moore and 20 other players, will reach 50 wins in their career if they beat Arizona State. Those seniors will undoubtedly be ready for their final game, and Chris Petersen always prepares his team to play well regardless of the setting or opponent. The Broncos struggled against disciplined teams like TCU and Air Force — teams that don’t beat themselves and neutralize the line of scrimmage.

BS: Kellen Moore, talk about his historic career.

Alex Calinsky: The first time the college football world started to hear about Moore was in 2008, when as a redshirt freshman, he led Boise State to an upset win against Oregon in Autzen Stadium. Now with a 49-3 record as a starter, he owns the NCAA record for wins by a quarterback. Moore is also second to Case Keenum in career passing touchdowns (140), fourth in career passing yards (14,374), broke his own school record with touchdown passes in a season this year (41), and currently has a streak of 25 straight games with at least two touchdown passes.

BS: The offense was great this year, led by Moore. Who else has stepped up this year as the offense lost 2 great receivers, Titus Young and Austin Pettis to the NFL?

Alex Calinsky: It’s truly been a team effort replacing Titus Young and Austin Pettis’ production. The offensive line only allowed eight sacks this season, providing Moore time to throw. Running back Doug Martin (1,216 rushing yards, 15 TDs) forces defenses to respect the threat of the run, and a committee of receivers stepped up this season. In their last game against New Mexico, Moore completed a pass to 10 different receivers in the first half. Tyler Shoemaker’s 15 touchdown catches for the season broke Pettis’ previous school record and Matt Miller set a school record with eight receiving TDs as a freshman.

BS: The defense has again been dominant except for the TCU game. Who and what makes that defense so successful?

Alex Calinsky: Boise State’s success on defense begins and ends with their defensive line — Tyrone Crawford, Chase Baker, Billy Winn, and Shea McClellin. The line does exactly what they're supposed to — pressure quarterbacks and engulf rushers. Their sack totals aren’t great this year because they force Boise State’s inferior opponents into quick passes towards the sidelines, and their aggressive secondary tackles well, resulting in minimal gains. The front four has dominated the line of scrimmage, but TCU and Air Force limited their effectiveness. TCU stymied the Boise State defensive line’s push and Casey Pachall torched their secondary for 473 yards and five TDs because the Horned Frogs’ receivers had time to get open down the field. Injuries to the Broncos’ cornerbacks forced George Iloka, regularly a starting safety, to start at corner the last two games. If Arizona State can win the battle up front, Brock Osweiler is capable of a gigantic day.

BS: If you could choose one player to have a breakout performance in the bowl game, who would it be?

Alex Calinsky: Moore is the obvious choice to have a huge game, especially against the Sun Devils’ 107^th-ranked pass defense. However, if McClellin wreaks havoc and pressures Osweiler, it could be a long game for Arizona State; if McClellin is contained Arizona State can win.

Thanks alot to Alex Calinsky. Check his work out at magicvalley.com and follow @AlexCalinsky .