Albertsons Stadium - Boise, ID
Kickoff: Friday, 10:15 p.m. ET
Line: Boise State -11.5, Total: 57

Chris Petersen returns to his old stomping grounds on Friday when he leads Washington onto the blue turf of No. 23 Boise State.

Petersen, who was the architect of the Broncos program that rose from obscurity to a national power in his 13 years as head coach, went 8-6 SU (7-7 ATS) in his first season with the Huskies in 2014. With last year's starting QB Cyler Miles retiring due to a recurring hip ailment, Washington will have a new signal caller this year among its 12 new starters (five offense, seven defense). Although Petersen said he made a decision on whom to start between true freshman Jake Browning, junior Jeff Lindquist and redshirt freshman K.J. Carta-Samuels, he refused to share that information with the media or his opponent. Browning is the anticipated starter after a brilliant high school career in California where he threw for 229 touchdowns and 16,775 yards. The Huskies played well in true road games last season, going 4-2 (SU and ATS) with the only losses coming at Arizona by one point and at national championship participant Oregon. Petersen is a stellar 18-7 ATS (72%) on the road in the first half of the season in his coaching career. Boise State had a strong first season with new head coach Bryan Harsin, compiling a 12-2 record (9-6 ATS) that included a perfect 7-0 mark (4-3 ATS) at home. Although 16 Broncos starters are back (eight offense and eight defense), the team's top two offensive players are gone in QB Grant Hedrick and RB Jay Ajayi. These programs last met in 2013 when host Washington rolled to a 38-6 victory with 592 total yards. But the Broncos have some big betting trends in their favor, such as favorites of 10.5 to 21 points going 45-16 ATS (74%) after winning at least 80% of their games in the previous season. The only significant injury for either team in this one is Huskies OL Dexter Charles, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week.

Will Petersen and Washington be able to hang with Boise State on the blue turf? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2015 regular season and bowl season.

If the Huskies don't choose the highly-recruited Jake Browning under center, they will go with junior QB Jeff Lindquist (5.4 YPA) who was 10-for-26 for 162 yards and a touchdown in his only action at Hawaii. There is no question who the top target is though, as WR Jaydon Mickens (60 rec, 617 yds, 4 TD) is the best of a thin receiving corps. Senior TE Joshua Perkins (25 rec, 315 yds, 3 TD) provides a reliable option as well. Washington did have a quality ground game last season with 189 YPG (40th in nation), and will once again split carries between RBs Dwayne Washington (697 rush yds, 5.3 YPC, 9 TD) and Lavon Coleman (565 rush yds, 4.1 YPC, 1 TD). The Huskies defense was relentless in pursuit of the quarterback last season with 3.7 sacks per game (2nd in nation) and held teams to 124 rushing YPG (22nd in nation). But they lost 43 senior sacks, as three players in the front seven were among the first 50 picks of the NFL draft. Senior LB Travis Feeney (60 tackles, 4.5 TFL) is a great leader though, and the secondary is in good shape with S Budda Baker (80 tackles, 7 PD) and a deep stable of cornerbacks. This was quite the playmaking unit in 2014, leading the nation with seven defensive touchdowns and forcing 29 turnovers (17th in FBS).

The Boise State offense was potent under Bryan Harsin last season, piling up 39.7 PPG (9th in FBS) and 494 total YPG (14th in nation). Sophomore QB Ryan Finley (12-of-27, 161 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT) has plenty of options to choose in the spread offense with WRs Thomas Sperbeck (877 rec yds, 17.2 avg, 3 TD) and Shane Williams-Rhodes (585 rec yds, 7 TD), as well as sophomore TE Jake Roh (35 rec, 408 yds, 2 TD). The ground game piled up 214 YPG (29th in FBS) with now Miami Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi carrying the mail, but the team feels good about elusive sophomore RB Devan Demas (173 rush yds, 6.9 YPC, 2 TD). The defense was adequate last year (375 YPG, 48th in nation), and should be even better this season with only three starters gone and the healthy returns of DLs Tyler Horn and Justin Taimatuia. MLB Tanner Vallejo (100 tackles, 16.5 TFL) is a beast in the middle, allowing star OLB Kamalei Correa (12 sacks) to pressure the quarterback. CB Donte Deayon (6 INT) and S Darian Thompson (7 INT) lead a secondary that not only picked off 22 passes last season (T-5th in FBS), but also helped itself out greatly with six defensive touchdowns (T-2nd in nation).