Boise State’s 2026 home opener comes with a fresh look, a familiar test and a little extra weight behind it.
The Broncos host Memphis on Saturday at 4 p.m. Mountain time in the first game at the newly renovated Albertsons Stadium this season. Boise State is 0-1 and looking for its first Pac-12 win, while the Tigers arrive at 2-0 and unbeaten in American play.
Memphis has already shown plenty of turnover can work in a hurry. First-year coach Charles Huff remade the roster in the offseason, adding more than 70 players through the transfer portal.
More than a dozen of them came with Huff from Southern Miss, and 20 of Memphis’ 22 offensive and defensive starters are portal additions. That group includes quarterback Marcus Stokes from West Florida, running back Jaylin Carter from Southern Miss and defensive linemen Elijah Kinsler from West Virginia and J’Mond Tapp, who spent time at Texas and Southern Miss.
The rebuilt Tigers opened with a 27-21 road win over Mountain West favorite UNLV in Week 0 and followed that up with a 42-24 win over Arkansas State.
Boise State’s stadium will look different too. The school completed its $70 million North End Zone Project over the summer, bringing in about 1,600 premium seats along with additional services.
The famous blue turf was also replaced as part of the program’s move from the Mountain West to the Pac-12. Boise State still hasn’t announced an official new capacity for Albertsons Stadium, but the renovated venue is expected to hold around 35,000 fans.
There’s also a long streak hanging over this one. Boise State’s last notable non-conference win came in Week 1 of the 2019 season, when true freshman Hank Bachmeier threw for 407 yards in a 36-31 road upset of Florida State.
Since then, the Broncos are 0-11 against Power Four opponents and 0-3 against American Conference teams. Those losses came on the road to South Florida in 2025, Memphis in 2023 and UCF in 2021.
Saturday gives Boise State a chance to end that run at home.
The matchup also carries some playoff relevance. As of Wednesday morning, Boise State was the favorite to represent the Group of 6 in the College Football Playoff at +350, with Memphis next among the challengers at +1000.
Boise State made the inaugural 12-team playoff in 2024, while Tulane and James Madison got bids last year. After an offseason format change, the Group of 6 is expected to get only one spot in 2026, and the Pac-12 and American are viewed as the strongest leagues in that race.
That gives Saturday’s game a chance to matter again when the committee makes its decisions in December.
Odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
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