Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Albertons Stadium - Boise, ID
Kickoff: Saturday, 5:45 p.m. ET
Line: Even, Total: 58

Western Michigan attempts to win its first bowl game in school history when it battles Air Force in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Saturday.

The Broncos had a stellar season, and after starting the year out 2-2 SU (3-1 ATS), they rattled off six wins over eight conference games while making it to their first bowl game since 2011. They were 10-2 ATS in the regular season and were able to win four games as the underdog. Their final contest of the year was a big letdown though, as they turned the ball over an uncharacteristic six times in a 31-21 loss to Northern Illinois as 8.5-point favorites at home. This game will be just their fourth bowl since the 2006 campaign, and in the first three, they are 0-3 SU (1-2 ATS) while losing by an average of 10.7 PPG. Air Force also put together a surprisingly great year while being 7-5 ATS and winning some big games against both Boise State and Navy. The team capped off the season with another impressive victory when it hosted Colorado State as 7.5-point underdogs and prevailed 27-24. The Falcons missed a bowl game last year with a 2-10 season, but had made it to six straight bowl games previous to that while going 2-4 SU, but were successful at covering the spread in three of their past four postseason games. With this being similar to a road game for each team, it is pertinent to know that the Broncos were an impressive 6-1 ATS in their away games while the Falcons managed to go a mere 2-4 ATS when away from home. Trends show that Air Force is 0-9 ATS over the past three seasons in non-home games after two consecutive games where it forced one or fewer turnovers while also going 25-11 ATS (69%) after covering the spread in four or five of its previous six games since 1992. The only injuries that may affect this game come from Air Force’s side of the ball as top HB Jacobi Owens (foot) is out indefinitely and both TE Garrett Griffin (undisclosed) and RB Jon Lee are listed as questionable.

Can Air Force win its 10th game of the season on Saturday? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014-15 bowl season. StatFox Dave is heating up with a 75% ATS mark (6-2) in College Football Best Bets in the past three weeks, while StatFox Brian is 60% ATS (9-6) in Best Bets over the past four weeks.

Western Michigan tends to get most of its offense from the passing game as it is averaging 264.8 YPG through the air (37th in nation) while rushing for 178.5 YPG and scoring 34.6 PPG (32nd in FBS). QB Zach Terrell (3,146 pass yards, 23 TD, 10 INT) was able to eclipse 300 passing yards three times this season, but is coming off a rough performance in the final game of the year (256 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT). His turnovers might be fairly high, but he is fairly efficient while completing 70% of his passes for 9.5 YPA. HB Jarvion Franklin (1,525 rush yards, 24 TD) has averaged 24.5 carries per game and has scored three times in six different games. He fell off over the final three games though, with just two scores and 195 yards on the ground (3.8 YPC) after surpassing 100 yards seven of his first nine contests. The duo of WRs Corey Davis (1,232 rec yards, 12 TD) and Daniel Braverman (912 rec yards, 6 TD) accounted for 64% of the catches on the squad, while Davis averaged 17.6 yards per catch and reached triple-digit receiving yards seven times. The defense for this program has done well in holding opponents to 23.8 PPG (39th in FBS) behind a mere 142.7 rushing YPG (37th in FBS). LB Grant DePalma (96 tackles, 2.5 sacks) along with DB Justin Currie (95 tackles, 1 INT) will need to play at the top of their games in order to take down this tough Air Force team on Saturday.

The Falcons offense is focused on one thing, running the ball, and they have done so to the tune of 272.2 YPG (8th in nation) while adding a mere 151.3 passing YPG and scoring 30.9 PPG. Dual-threat QB Kale Pearson (1,513 rush yards, 14 TD, 3 INT) has been effective when called on to throw with just three picks and 9.3 YPA while producing more than 200 passing yards twice. He has been solid on the ground with 646 rushing yards (4.1 YPC) and six touchdowns, and twice he rushed for more than 100 yards during the regular season. There are eight total players on the team with at least 30 carries and a touchdown, with HB Shayne Davern (412 rush yards, 6 TD) being the best of the bunch with Owens sidelined. WRs Jalen Robinette (763 rec yards, 4 TD) and Garrett Brown (509 rec yards, 6 TDs) have been solid when called upon to perform in the passing game, while Robinette was very impressive as he gained 18.6 yards per catch. On the defensive side of things, the leadership of LB Jordan Pierce (107 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 INT) aided the team in allowing the opposition to score 24.2 PPG (43rd in nation) and gain just 140.3 rushing YPG (35th in FBS).