Boise State coach Spencer Danielson isn’t interested in splitting college football’s postseason into separate lanes for the Group of Six.
Asked Thursday morning about the idea, Danielson made his stance clear.
“Having sub-playoffs, I just think that muddies the water,” Danielson told reporters Thursday morning.
The discussion picked up after On3’s Brett McMurphy reported that nearly two-thirds of coaches from Group of Six programs would prefer their own playoff, so long as one G6 team still earns a guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff. The larger debate centers on a postseason shaped mostly by the Power Four - the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC - while the G6 leagues are viewed by some as not being on the same level.
McMurphy also reported one G6 coach saying, “Anyone who says a G6 team can win a national title in today’s (Name, Image and Likeness) environment is delusional.”
Danielson, though, pushed back on the idea that Boise State or any other G6 program should be isolated into its own bracket. His message was simple: win games, then ask for the opportunity.
“Here at Boise State, we’ve got to win games just like everybody else does. And if we do what we’re supposed to do, I want to get a shot,” Danielson said. “If we don’t handle our part, we didn’t handle our part, and we’ve got to get better.”
The Broncos have already played a role in the expanded CFP conversation. In the first two years of the 12-team format, three G6 teams made it in: Boise State in 2024, then James Madison and Tulane in 2025. Boise State also sits in line to represent the G6 again in 2026, with the Broncos ranked No. 20 nationally - the only G6 team in the rankings - and ESPN giving them a G6-best 47.2% chance to reach the playoff.
That hasn’t changed the broader argument over access. All three G6 teams that qualified in 2024 and 2025 lost their first games, including Boise State’s 31-14 defeat to Penn State in the 2024 Fiesta Bowl.
Danielson, however, is still on board with the playoff growing to 24 teams next season. Under that setup, the four Power Four conference champions would receive automatic bids, along with the highest-ranked G6 team, even if that team falls outside the top 24. The remaining 19 spots would go to the next highest-ranked teams without auto-bids, which leaves the door open for more than one G6 school to make the field.
“I think the College Football Playoff is really exciting for fan bases,” Danielson said. “I think you’re going to see some really cool matchups that are non-regional.
That’ll be really exciting. Some really cool home environments that you can play in; I think it’d be great for college football.”
He also acknowledged that a 24-team playoff would likely force scheduling changes, whether that means eliminating conference championship games or moving the start of the season earlier.
“There would have to be some changes schedule-wise,” Danielson said. “But I would be a proponent for the 24-team playoff.”
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