Boise State spent Saturday on the sideline and still came away as one of the weekend’s winners in the AP Poll.
While chaos spread across the top 25, the Broncos climbed two spots to No. 21 in the Week 7 rankings released Sunday. Boise State is now 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Pac-12 play after last week’s 38-31 road win at Fresno State pushed it to No. 23.
The shakeup above them was dramatic. Top-ranked Georgia fell at home to Auburn, No.
2 Notre Dame lost on the road at No. 8 BYU, and five of the top seven teams went down on the same day for the first time in AP Poll history.
In total, eight teams ranked in the top 25 lost during one of the wildest college football weekends in recent memory.
That opened the door for the Broncos, who remain the only Group of Six team in the top 25. Three other Group of Six programs picked up votes: James Madison with 52, New Mexico with six and Oregon State with three.
At the top of the poll, Miami moved into No. 1, followed by BYU, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Georgia. Oklahoma State and Mississippi State dropped out after losses. Oregon still did not crack the poll despite its 17-14 comeback win over Nebraska.
Boise State will be back on the field next weekend at Washington State, where kickoff is set for 4 p.m. Mountain time in Pullman. The Cougars are 1-6 and 0-3 after losing four straight, though they showed more punch on offense in Saturday’s 48-30 road loss at Oregon State.
Washington State’s new quarterback, Owen Eshelman, delivered in his first career start. He passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns, threw one interception and added 136 rushing yards and another score.
The Broncos are half a game behind Oregon State in the Pac-12 standings. Boise State and the Beavers meet at Albertsons Stadium on Nov. 14 in a matchup that could determine where the Pac-12 title game is played.
Here is the full Week 7 AP poll (first-place votes in parentheses):
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 128, Oregon 79, Auburn 61, James Madison 52, Mississippi State 30, New Mexico 6, Oregon State 3.
In Other News...
Boise State Heads Into Washington State With A Defensive Concern
Spencer Danielson spent the bye week talking about the same defensive issues that have followed Boise State into this next stretch of the schedule: tackling more cleanly and cutting down on explosive plays. With Washington State up next, the Broncos are getting a look at a Cougars offense that just changed quarterbacks and found some early momentum in the new arrangement, which makes this matchup a little harder to project than it might have seemed a couple of weeks ago.
The added wrinkle is the familiar faces on the other sideline. Washington State's staff includes several Boise State alumni, a reminder of how often these programs have crossed paths and how much there is to sort through beyond the recent film. For a Boise State defense trying to steady itself, the challenge is as much about discipline and details as it is about the opponent's scheme. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Grip On The Pac-12 Suddenly Looks Far Less Safe
Boise State spent last week on the sideline while the rest of the Pac-12 landscape kept shifting around it, and the league picture looks a lot less settled now than it did a week ago. Oregon State is the team making the loudest move, fresh off a 48-30 win over Washington State and sitting atop the conference at 5-2, which gives the Beavers real momentum heading into the stretch run.
The Broncos will get their next chance to answer on Nov. 14, when they meet Oregon State in a game that suddenly carries more weight in the Pac-12 race. Boise State also benefitted in the rankings during its bye, but the more immediate concern is how quickly the conference has tightened up, with several other teams still sorting out their own paths through the final weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Fans Have A Real Reason To Worry About Braden Atkinson
With the college football transfer portal set to reopen for a single January window after the 2026 season, the next wave of roster movement could be shaped by which breakout players become available. For Boise State fans, that makes the broader market worth watching, especially with Power Four programs expected to circle the same kind of proven talent that can change a depth chart overnight.
One of the names drawing attention is Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson, who has now thrown for more than 300 yards in seven straight games, matching a program record. He is part of a larger group of Beavers who could entice major-conference programs, alongside a top receiver, a key runner and a defensive standout, which is the kind of spread of talent that can make any roster rebuild uneasy. [Read more 🡒]