Boise State’s season may have barely gotten started, but Saturday’s home opener already carries the kind of weight most teams don’t feel until December.
The Broncos are set to host Memphis at Albertsons Stadium at 4 p.m., and this one comes with early College Football Playoff consequences written all over it. Boise State just came off a 34-27 loss to No.
2 Oregon, a game that showed the Broncos can go toe-to-toe with elite competition. Still, that result came with Boise State installed as a 24.5-point underdog, so the setback was never going to define the season.
This matchup is different. This one could help decide the race for the Group of Six spot in the expanded 12-team CFP field.
Under the updated playoff rules, the highest-ranked team from the Group of Six conferences will earn a place in the bracket, and the College Football Playoff Committee will unveil its final rankings and field on Dec. 6. With that setup, it’s expected that only one team from the Pac-12, American, Mountain West, Mid-American, Sun Belt and Conference USA will get in.
Boise State entered the year as one of the leading candidates for that berth, and the close loss at Oregon did not knock it out of the picture. If the Broncos make it, it would be their second CFP appearance in three years after qualifying as the No. 3 seed in 2024.
But they are hardly alone in the mix. Tulane, Navy and Memphis are all part of the conversation, and Memphis arrives in Boise with a 2-0 record and real résumé value already in hand.
“For me this week, I get all the stuff in regard to the CFP and who (Memphis) are. What I do know is we’re playing an undefeated Memphis team that is one of the best teams we’ll see all season,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said on Monday.
The Tigers have already taken down another team in the CFP picture, beating UNLV 27-21 in Week 0, then followed that with a 42-24 win over Arkansas State last weekend. That means Saturday gives the committee a clean head-to-head comparison if Boise State and Memphis end up with similar records and similar accomplishments.
And that’s what makes this game so big for the Broncos. A loss would drop Boise State to 0-2 and give a direct rival a win on its home field, a result that could loom large when the committee starts sorting out the final Group of Six order. The alternative is obvious: a win keeps Boise State firmly in the hunt and protects its standing in a race that could decide whether the Broncos are playing for a CFP spot or settling into a random season-ending bowl game.
Boise State vs Memphis
Where: Albertsons Stadium (34,423, Turf)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 84 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 0-1, 0-0; Memphis 2-0, 0-0
Weather: High of 83, low of 55, humidity 30%, partly sunny, 5% chance of rain
In Other News...
Boise State Has Two Troubling Questions Heading Into The Memphis Game
Boise States first public depth chart for the 2026 season offered a clearer look at where the Broncos stand heading into their home opener against Memphis, but it also underscored a few concerns for a team trying to regroup after its Week 1 loss to Oregon. The release showed several position battles still unfolding, and it came just as the Broncos were sorting through special-teams roles and getting a better sense of which spots are settled and which ones remain up for grabs.
One of the bigger developments involved the offensive line, where redshirt freshman right tackle Jacob Tracy is out for the season after suffering an injury before Week 1, according to head coach Spencer Danielson. For Boise State, that creates an immediate test up front as it prepares for a Memphis team that will see a line under pressure to stabilize quickly, while the kicking competition remains another issue the Broncos are still working through. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Home Opener Carries A Chance To Make A Statement
Boise States home opener arrives with a little more weight than usual on Saturday afternoon, when Memphis visits Albertsons Stadium for a 4 p.m. Mountain time kickoff. It is the kind of early-season matchup that can set a tone, especially with both teams bringing winning records into a nationally televised game on USA Network.
The Broncos get the benefit of playing in front of their own crowd, but Memphis has already shown it can handle business away from home and has opened the season with some momentum of its own. For Boise State, this is the sort of September test that can say plenty about where the program stands after recent changes around the roster and coaching staff, even before the schedule really starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Just Got One More Reason To Watch Oregon Closely
Boise States opener at Autzen Stadium already offered plenty to sort through after the Broncos fell 34-27 to No. 2 Oregon, but one of the games most prominent moments belonged to receiver Dakorien Moore. The Ducks freshman gave Oregon the decisive spark with a 62-yard go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, then finished with six catches for 93 yards in a game that showed why he was such a tough cover for Boise State.
Moores night added a layer of concern late, when he took a hard hit and briefly left the field before coming back. He was able to return and later walked off under his own power after the win, a small but important reassurance for Oregon after a play that had everyone in the stadium watching closely. For Boise State, it was another reminder that the Ducks have real playmaking depth, and that Moore is already a name to keep in mind on the schedule ahead. [Read more 🡒]