Fiesta Bowl 2014: Viewing Info, Odds and Predictions for Boise State vs. Arizona

If football fans find themselves uninterested in the four teams participating in the inaugural College Football Playoff, they have only the bowl games to save them from winter drudgery. 

The four-team playoff might have marginalized some of the top bowl games in the minds of some, but if you're a fan who is unconcerned with the wider implications of the new postseason structure and its effect on the bowl season, the 2014 Fiesta Bowl is for you.

No. 20 Boise State will take on No. 10 Arizona at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Dec. 31 in what should be an entertaining, high-scoring affair featuring two of the most well-balanced attacks in the nation.

The Broncos (11-2, 7-1 MWC) are forever etched in Fiesta Bowl lore, courtesy of their thrilling trickery in an overtime win over Oklahoma in 2007. They also defeated TCU 17-10 in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. Head coach Bryan Harsin noted his squad is happy to be back in this competition after a trying 2013 campaign.

"Any time you get a chance to play in a game like this, especially for us with experience being here, all you want to do is get back," Harsin said, via AZCentral.com's Jeff Metcalfe.

The Wildcats (10-3, 7-2 Pac-12), the only team to beat mighty Oregon this season, represent the Pac-12 in this contest. Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez has redeemed himself in the desert and built a competitive program after a disappointing three-year stint at Michigan from 2008-2010. He will be looking to end the season on a high note after a 51-13 loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship.

The Fiesta Bowl will get off to an afternoon start this year, but the matchup should be worthy of prime-time viewing. Both squads feature efficient, high-scoring offenses chock-full of athletic skill players. This isn't the game for fans of defensive slugfests. 

Here is a look at the viewing information and odds for the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, followed by a preview and prediction for the outcome.

Fiesta Bowl 2014: Viewing Info, Odds

Date: Dec. 31

Time (ET): 4 p.m.

Matchup (spread): Boise State vs. Arizona (-3.5)

Moneyline: Arizona -105, Boise State -115

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Dec. 27 at 4 a.m. ET.

Preview and Prediction

Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images

The Wildcats and Broncos game promises points thanks to the constellation of stars on the offenses of both teams. Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon had a wonderful season as a redshirt freshman, passing for 3,458 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

He didn't put up too many rushing yards this season, but Solomon is very adept at moving around the pocket and throwing on the run with accuracy. He also did a fine job of spreading the ball around, with seven different Wildcats tallying at least 23 receptions this season.

Running back Nick Wilson enjoyed a fine season, rushing for 15 touchdowns on 5.9 yards per carry. Those are fine numbers to be sure, but they pale in comparison to the ones put up by Broncos running back Jay Ajayi.

The fleet-footed junior carried the ball 325 times this year for nearly 1,700 yards and a staggering 25 touchdowns. Rodriguez compared Ajayi favorably to former Wildcat and current Chicago Bears tailback Ka'Deem Carey, according to Daniel Berk of the Arizona Daily Star:

He certainly made life simple for quarterback Grant Hedrick, who threw 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions while putting up 563 yards of his own on the ground.

Zona's leaky run defense should be cause for concern in this game, as the Broncos will be able to take up time on the clock and string together long drives.

Now, Boise State didn't face nearly the same level of competition that Arizona did during this season. The Broncos faced just one top-25 team this season, a then-No. 18 Ole Miss squad that handily defeated the Mountain West representatives 35-13 way back on Aug. 28.

That being said, Ole Miss had perhaps the best defense in the country, ranking first in the nation in scoring defense and 13th in yards against. Ajayi still managed a respectable 4.3 yards per carry.

The Wildcats defense is nowhere near as potent as the Rebels, which should allow Hedrick, Ajayi and company to put up numbers in line with their regular-season totals. 

One player the Broncos will have to game-plan heavily for is linebacker Scooby Wright III, a high-energy wrecking ball with a penchant for busting into the opponents' backfield with regularity.

Wright, a unanimous All-American and winner of the 2014 Bednarik, Lombardi and Nagurski awards racked up 27 tackles for loss, 14 sacks and six forced fumbles this season, per CFBStats.com. ESPN's Benjamin Allbright stated he would have given Wright his Heisman vote over Marcus Mariota:

The Broncos can't afford to give Arizona extra possessions in this one, and Wright is the player with the best chance of changing the tide of the game with one teeth-rattling hit that jars the ball loose.

Hedrick will need to be at his sharpest, as Solomon proved he doesn't make too many costly errors in big games and the Wildcats as a team turned the ball over just 16 times this season.

If Boise State can manage to hold onto the ball and drive down the field, they should be able to finish off drives with relative ease. The Broncos scored 48 touchdowns and 13 field goals in 68 trips to the red zone this season, per CFBStats.com. Arizona allowed opponents to score touchdowns on 60 percent of their red-zone sojourns.

The Wildcats have faced much tougher competition this season and should be raring to go for this game. Not every bowl contest in college football carries weight for the teams involved, but the Wildcats managed to win the Pac-12 South despite losses to USC and UCLA and will be out to prove that their demolition at the mercy of the Ducks was an aberration.

Look for this to be a high-scoring, back-and-forth contest throughout, with the Wildcats edging out the Broncos in the final minutes of the game via a statement drive engineered by Solomon.

Prediction: Arizona 42-38 Boise State