The 2012 Las Vegas Bowl picks are going to be difficult to make, as the Washington Huskies and Boise State Broncos are set to do battle with one another in a Pac-12 vs. Mountain West battle. Check out our Las Vegas Bowl predictions and the keys to the game for Washington vs. Boise State.

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2012 Las Vegas Bowl: Washington Huskies vs. Boise State Broncos
2012 Las Vegas Bowl Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
2012 Las Vegas Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 22nd, 3:30 p.m. (ET)
2012 Las Vegas Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Key #1: Both teams need to win the turnover battle
It’s definitely cliché in football, but in this case, it clearly is something that is true. The team that wins the turnover battle is going to win the Las Vegas Bowl this year. The Broncos were ranked No. 4 in the country in turnover margin at +18, and they were the leaders in the nation in recovered fumbles with 17, and tied for 17th in picks with 16. Washington meanwhile, in spite of its horrifying schedule chock full of great defenses, still managed a +7 turnover margin for the year, which is something that you wouldn’t have expected from a team that featured a quarterback in QB Keith Price that tossed 11 interceptions on the campaign. One of these teams is going to end up with a minus in the turnover margin in this game, and it is going to be a rare happening for either one. The loser will be the one with the big, fat minus marking in their turnover column on December 22nd.

Famous Las Vegas Bowl Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
Washington Huskies +5.5
Boise State Broncos -5.5
Over/Under 44
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Key #2: Points cannot be left on the field
There were only a total of 31 field goals attempted all year long by both the Broncos and the Huskies, while there were just a total of 77 touchdowns. It’s just not all that great for either team. That means that, especially Washington, which averaged just 2.92 touchdowns per game this year, cannot afford to let opportunities slip away. RB Bishop Sankey has a real nose for the end zone, as he had 15 scores this year, and when he gets close, he has no choice but to pound the ball into the end zone. The same could be said for a Boise State outfit that has gotten spoiled by QB Kellen Moore over the course of the last four years. Now, with QB Joe Southwick in the fold, Head Coach Chris Petersen is relying a lot more on his defense, which is one of the best in America statistically. Again, it’s up to RB DJ Harper to get the job done, as there wasn’t another player on this team that had a better nose for the end zone. Harper scored 15 times on the campaign. No one else scored more than five.

Key #3: Boise State has to prove that it belongs here and wants to be here
Those are two totally different points of contention that we have to discuss. The Broncos did win 10 games again this year, but few think that this 10-win team is anywhere near as good as some of the 10, 11, and 12 win teams that have come off of the Smurf Turf in the past. The losses this year against the San Diego State Aztecs and Michigan State Spartans turned out to be as bad of losses as the program has had in years and years, and there weren’t those dominating 65-0 victories littered all over the schedule. As a result, this is the third straight season playing in the Las Vegas Bowl, and it has to get tiresome, especially for some of the upperclassmen that have been here before. Were the Broncos really the best team in the Mountain West this year? That’s probably still partially to be determined. That loss to the Aztecs at home with a backup quarterback under center really didn’t sit well at all with the Boise State faithful. Don’t blame the Broncos if they don’t really feel like showing up for this game, something that certainly will not be a problem for a U-Dub team that has earned every single victory that it has gotten since Head Coach Steve Sarkisian has taken over as the man in charge in Seattle.

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The Boise State Broncos and Utah Utes were two of the best mid major programs all season long, but both fell upon hard times and lost games inexplicably to take them out of the BCS race. Though neither one is playing in that illustrious game that they were hoping for, they are going to meet up in Sin City on Wednesday night in the MAACO’s Las Vegas Bowl, with some big time bragging rights on the line. Boise State will be taking Utah’s spot in the Mountain West Conference in the future, while the Utes head over to the Pac-10. But which team will grab the upper hand when these two match wits on Wednesday night? Check out our keys to the Las Vegas Bowl here at Bankroll Sports.

Key #1: Does Boise State want to be here?
All too often, teams that think they are heading to BCS games that end up playing in secondary events don’t really prepare the same sort of way that they would have if they were in the big bowls. Quite often, the end result shows the team that wanted to be in the game playing a significantly better game than the one that really didn’t want to be there. The Broncos definitely still have to feel spurned just a bit by the BCS in spite of the fact that their one loss came against a team ranked in the Top 20. Still, the WAC shouldn’t have been so difficult this year that they were beaten to the point that they didn’t win the conference crown. Head Coach Chris Petersen definitely has his work cut out for him to be able to make sure that when this one kicks off on Wednesday night that his boys are ready to give its best shot. If it does, this game really shouldn’t be all that close.

Key #2: Terrance Cain must play like a star
When you’re going against a defense that is allowing just 155.8 yards per game through the air, you know you have your work cut out for you, especially when that team held the Hawaii Warriors under 200 passing yards for the game earlier this year. QB Jordan Wynn is being held out of this game with an injury, which has really opened the door for the senior leader of this team, Cain, to take charge once again. Cain really found himself on the short end of the stick in Salt Lake City last year when Wynn, the freshman young gun, came in and played tremendous ball. In last year’s Poinsettia Bowl, Wynn threw for three TDs and had a true bust out game. Though he didn’t play poorly this year, Wynn never really looked like an elite QB in his sophomore campaign, throwing for 2,334 yards and 17 TDs against ten picks. Cain got to start two games and play some mop up time in a few others. For the most part, he played very, very well, throwing for 610 yards and six scores against two INTs. His blunder though, came in the final game of Utah’s season in the Holy War against the BYU Cougars. Cain came in to relieve to injured Wynn and went just 2-for-7 for eight yards with two INTs, nearly costing the Utes the game. He is the man that needs to really be in charge for the underdogs in this one to be able to spring the upset.

Key #3: Boise State’s offense needs to be heroes and prove that they aren’t a product of the weak WAC
In games against teams from outside the major conferences and outside the Top 25 this year, Boise State averaged a stunning 52.2 points per game. It tallied at least 48 in all eight of those games and really played some tremendous ball. However, in its four games against teams from BCS conferences or those against teams from the Top 25 (or nearly in the Top 25) from the WAC, the Broncos only averaged 35.8 points per game and never scored more than 42 in any of those. Now, there’s no shame in averaging 35.8 points per game against any type of schedule in the country, but if they’re going to beat a number like this one and make for successful Las Vegas Bowl picks, the Broncos need to make sure they exceed this number on the scoreboard against the Utes. Putting up all of these yards and points is nice, but doing it against the best competition in the country is what is really going to make the difference. Unfortunately for Boise State, especially against a defense that is averaging allowing just 319.7 yards and 19.8 points per game against a significantly tougher schedule, it really might not be able to just run wild like it thinks it will.