Boise State’s nonconference slate in 2026 ends with a trip that could tell the country plenty about Western Michigan.
The Broncos will head to Kalamazoo in Week 4 to face a Western Michigan team that surged from an 0-3 start last season to win 10 of its final 11 games and claim the program’s first MAC championship since 2016. Head coach Lance Taylor, quarterback Broc Lowry and several other key pieces are back, and expectations are rising fast.
Western Michigan sits atop the MAC preseason coaches poll and is listed at +400 to win another league title. The Broncos are also +5000 to reach their first College Football Playoff.
Before Boise State arrives, Western Michigan opens at No. 16 Michigan, then gets Monmouth and Rice, a stretch that should give the Broncos some momentum - or at least a clearer read on what they are before the matchup with Boise State.
The offense is built to lean on the ground game. Jalen Buckley is the featured back after putting together two 1,000-yard seasons in his first four years with the program. He enters his final college season with 505 carries for 2,716 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Lowry gives Western Michigan another dangerous runner. Last season, he carried 203 times for 963 yards and 14 touchdowns while also throwing for 1,803 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Broncos also bring back three starters on an offensive line that is expected to be one of the best blocking groups in the Group of Six.
The one area that still needs to prove itself is wide receiver. That room is largely untested, and it has to take a step forward in 2026.
Defense was a big reason Western Michigan won the way it did last year. The Broncos finished 17th nationally in total defense at 305.5 yards allowed per game and ninth in scoring defense at 17.4 points per game, and they piled up 43 sacks, tied for fourth-most in the nation.
Some of the front-four production is gone, but first-year defensive coordinator Greer Martini is aiming to keep the pressure coming. Western Michigan will look to senior DeJuan Echoles Jr. and North Carolina transfer Austin Alexander to help lead the pass rush.
The secondary should also be a strength. Three starters are back there, including corner Javarius Smith and safety Joshua Franklin.
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The early returns matter because Boise State does not have the luxury of waiting long to sort out its young talent. Some of these freshmen are pushing toward immediate contribution, and the way they handle camp will shape how much trust the Broncos can place in them when the season begins. There is already a sense that one of the biggest decisions of the opening stretch could come before the Broncos ever settle into the fall, which makes this a class worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]