ESPN’s College GameDay is headed back to Boise, and the timing could hardly be better for a matchup with major Pac-12 implications.
Next Saturday’s meeting between Boise State and Oregon State will be the first College GameDay stop in Boise since 2010, and only the second time the show has made the trip there. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. Mountain time at Albertsons Stadium, with the game airing nationally on USA Network.
The last time GameDay rolled into Boise, it came for a Sept. 25, 2010 non-conference game between No. 3 Boise State and No.
24 Oregon State. The Broncos handled that one 37-24.
This time, Boise State arrives at 8-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play, riding an eight-game winning streak after a 64-38 demolition of Colorado State on Saturday. The Broncos sit two games ahead of Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State in the Pac-12 standings.
A win over the Beavers would do more than keep Boise State rolling. It would clinch home-field advantage for the Pac-12 championship game and keep the Broncos in position as the favorite to represent the Group of Six in the College Football Playoff.
Oregon State comes in at 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the Pac-12, but the season has turned sharply after a promising start. The Beavers opened 0-2 with losses to Houston and Texas Tech, then ripped off five straight wins before the break. Since the bye week, though, they’ve dropped back-to-back games in lopsided fashion, falling 38-22 to Fresno State and 42-21 to Texas State.
“Fresno exposed them a little bit last week,” Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne said after Saturday’s big road win.
“We were the more physical team and that’s what it’s about when you play these teams like that, finesse teams. They’re a finesse team and we were more the physical guys.”
Even with the skid, Oregon State still owns one of the league’s most dangerous offenses. The Beavers rank second in the Pac-12 and seventh nationally at 498.4 yards per game.
Braden Atkinson has been the engine. He leads the nation with 3,169 passing yards and has accounted for 27 total touchdowns against just three interceptions, though he was limited to a season-low 192 yards against Texas State.
Freshman Jesse Legree has been just as explosive. The true freshman has 61 catches for 1,209 yards, tops in FBS, and 14 touchdowns, which is tied for first nationally.
Boise State has its own star at the center of the spotlight. Running back Dylan Riley leads the FBS with 1,241 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns on 184 carries. He was everywhere against Colorado State, piling up 300 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.
“I’m proud of Dylan, the growth he’s had,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said after the game. “He’s taken ownership, he’s a phenomenal kid. It’s really cool to see him grow as a leader on this team, and the best is still to come for that young man.”
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Boise States win over Colorado State had plenty of football reasons to draw attention, but one of the stranger moments came away from the play itself. During the loss, a sideline altercation broke out involving Colorado State offensive lineman Toriyan Johnson and strength and conditioning coach Shelton Bynum, with video showing Bynum grabbing Johnsons jersey and shouting as Johnson answered back before others stepped in.
The incident added another layer of disorder to a rough afternoon for the Rams, and it did not go unnoticed after the game. Head coach Jim Mora addressed it in his postgame press conference, saying the program would handle the matter internally, leaving the episode as one more unresolved subplot from a game Boise State controlled on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Latest Poll Climb Adds Fuel To The Playoff Debate
Boise States latest surge in the polls came on the heels of a 64-38 win over Colorado State, a result that pushed the Broncos up three spots to No. 17 in the AP Top 25. It is their highest ranking of the season, and it keeps them squarely in the national conversation as the calendar moves deeper into November.
The Broncos also climbed three spots to No. 18 in the USA Today coaches poll, while staying at No. 25 in the College Football Playoff committee rankings. For a team still trying to strengthen its postseason case, the gap between where Boise State sits in the human polls and where it stands with the committee is the part worth watching next. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Just Landed A Spotlight Game With Real Stakes
ESPNs College GameDay is headed to Boise this weekend, putting a national spotlight on a Pac-12 matchup that already had plenty of weight for Boise State. The Broncos enter Saturday nights game against Oregon State ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 and sitting at 8-1, a position that has turned this into more than just a late-season conference game. College GameDay will air from Boise starting at 9 a.m. ET, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. ET.
For Boise State, the attention is part reward, part pressure. Oregon State arrives with a passing game that has been driven by Braden Atkinson and Jesse Legree, giving the Broncos a real test in front of a crowd that will have all day to build toward the matchup. With the national crew in town and the stakes rising, this one feels like the sort of November game that can shape how the rest of the season is remembered. [Read more 🡒]