Boise State Finally Has A Real Playoff Path To Chase

Boise State may have come up just short of the AP preseason Top 25, but the Broncos still sit at the front of the Group of Six conversation.

HERO Sports’ preseason media poll put Boise State No. 1 among the non-power programs, and the Broncos backed that up in a big way with 16 of the 20 first-place votes. No other team got more than one.

That matters because of how the College Football Playoff is set up this season. In earlier years, the top-ranked Group of Six conference champion was guaranteed a playoff berth.

Boise State filled that role in 2024. But that setup has changed.

Now the spot goes to the highest-ranked Group of Six team after the conference championship games, based on the CFP committee’s rankings. A title still figures to be the most likely path, but it is no longer required.

That leaves Boise State in a race that could get messy. A Group of Six team could run through the regular season unbeaten, or finish with just one loss, and still get knocked off in its league title game. Even then, that team could remain the highest-ranked non-power program in the committee’s eyes.

UNLV landed at No. 2 in the HERO poll, though the Rebels did not receive a first-place vote. The former Mountain West rival is familiar with Boise State already, having lost three straight MW title games to the Broncos.

Navy checked in at No. 3, followed by New Mexico and Memphis to complete the top five.

Boise State’s schedule includes a couple of games that could matter in the Group of Six playoff picture. The Broncos host Memphis in Week 2 at Albertsons Stadium, then head to Western Michigan in Week 4. Western Michigan, the reigning Mid-American champion, was slotted 16th in the poll.

The poll also showed where other former or current Pac-12 programs stand in the Group of Six pecking order. San Diego State was the highest-ranked of that group at No. 8, with Fresno State at No.

12, Texas State at No. 17 and Washington State at No. 22.

Here’s HERO Sports’ full preseason top 25:

1. Boise State (Pac-12)
2. UNLV (Mountain West)
3. Navy (American)
4. New Mexico (Mountain West)
5. Memphis (American)
6. James Madison (Sun Belt)
7. UTSA (American)
8. San Diego State (Mountain West)
9. East Carolina (American)
10. Army (American)
11. Tulane (American)
12. Fresno State (Pac-12)
13. Hawaii (Mountain West)
14. South Florida (American)
15. North Dakota State (Mountain West)
16. Western Michigan (Mid-American)
17. Texas State (Pac-12)
18. Miami (OH) (Mid-American)
19. Air Force (Mountain West)
20. Troy (Sun Belt)
21. Old Dominion (Sun Belt)
22. Washington State (Pac-12)
23. Western Kentucky (Conference USA)
24. Jacksonville State (Conference USA)
25. Marshall (Sun Belt)

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Boise States Week 1 Threat To Oregon Is Starting To Take Shape

Fall camp is starting to give Boise State a clearer picture of what its Week 1 trip to Oregon could look like, and the offense is at the center of it. The Broncos appear to have a real foundation in the backfield with Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines leading a deep running back group, while quarterback Maddux Madsen has help from a set of new wide receiver additions that could make the passing game more dynamic than it was a year ago.

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For a team entering a new conference, the biggest question is often how quickly it can fit in. Boise State, though, is arriving with one clear edge: experience winning, and a standard that has already been proven over multiple seasons. The Broncos will be measured not just by how they handle a tougher stage, but by whether the same habits that carried them through the Mountain West can keep them in the title conversation again. [Read more 🡒]

Boise State May Have Found The Answer To A Growing Backcourt Concern

Boise States backcourt picture had been getting thinner by the day, but the Broncos appear to have added a useful piece for the coming season in Lamar Washington. The former Georgia Tech shooting guard joins the roster with one year of eligibility left, giving the staff another experienced option as it sorts through the lineup and settles on a perimeter rotation that already had to account for some uncertainty.

Washingtons arrival matters because Boise State had been looking for help on the wing, and his addition gives the program a player with a college track record to plug into that discussion. With the projected starting five still taking shape, his fit will be one of the more interesting roster questions to watch as the Broncos move closer to opening night. [Read more 🡒]