No. 21 Boise State is still sitting in the driver’s seat for the Group of Six playoff spot, but the margin is getting thinner.
The Broncos are now listed at +148 to reach the College Football Playoff in the latest DraftKings Sportsbook odds, a slight drop from +140 last week while they were idle. Boise State is 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Pac-12 play, and it remains the favorite to claim the automatic bid reserved for the highest-ranked Group of Six team in the final CFP rankings.
The biggest pressure is coming from James Madison. The Sun Belt leaders are 7-0 and 4-0, and after their 49-22 win over Georgia State on Saturday, their odds jumped from +400 to +190.
The Dukes have done it against a schedule ranked No. 130 nationally by ESPN’s FPI, while Boise State’s strength of schedule sits at No. 59.
New Mexico is still hanging around as well. The Mountain West leaders are 5-1 and 2-0, and they remain in the mix at +400. The Lobos’ schedule has also been soft at No. 108, but they still have North Dakota State (6-1, 3-1), UNLV (4-3, 2-1) and Air Force (5-1, 3-1) coming up.
UTSA has emerged as the American’s top CFP contender at +850. The Roadrunners are 6-1 and 3-0, with wins over Pac-12 foes Colorado State (2-4, 0-2) and Texas State (3-3, 1-1).
The fastest climb in the Group of Six race belongs to Oregon State. The Beavers are 5-2 and 3-0, and their odds have shortened all the way to +1200. Two weeks ago they were +6500, then +3000 before last Saturday’s 48-30 home win over Washington State.
Boise State and Oregon State are set to meet on Nov. 14, a game that also figures to play a major role in deciding where the Pac-12 championship game will be held.
Nationally, Boise State has the 13th-best CFP odds. The teams ahead of the Broncos are Miami (-3500), Georgia (-1100), Indiana (-700), Ohio State (-600), Notre Dame (-525), Alabama (-190), BYU (-140), Ole Miss (-125), Texas Tech (-110), Utah (+115), UCLA (+120) and Texas (+126).
Oregon, which beat Boise State 34-27 in Week 1, is also in the CFP odds mix at +420 despite being unranked. The Ducks are 4-2 and 2-1 in Big Ten play.
Spencer Danielson said the playoff picture is not something that comes up often inside the Boise State locker room.
“My focus for our players is for them to be the very best every single day,” Danielson said during Monday’s press conference. “Because the end results-the championships, the playoff-all that stuff is a moot point if you don’t handle your process.”
Boise State returns to the field Saturday for a 4 p.m. Mountain time road game at Washington State. As of Wednesday morning, the Broncos are 13.5-point favorites.
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