The hype train has left the station: Boise State seen as likely top 20 team to start 2018
It is always more intriguing to look ahead than to look back in college football. That’s why within hours of the final game of the season Monday, national outlets began putting out their way-too-early Top 25s.
And if they are any indication, Boise State will be getting plenty of attention as the 2018 season approaches.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach ranks the Broncos at No. 17, saying, “With quarterback Brett Rypien and all but one defensive starter coming back in 2018, the Broncos should be the preseason favorites among Group of Five teams to grab a New Year’s Six bowl berth.”
Athlon Sports has Boise State at No. 19, again calling the Broncos the Group of Five preseason favorite. Ralph Russo of The Associated Press said the Broncos have maybe the best quarterback in the Mountain West in Rypien, who will be a senior, and “should start no worse than 20th” in 2018. The Athletic picks Boise State 18th, second among Group of Five teams (UCF is 10th). USA Today projects the Broncos 14th, tops in the Group of Five.
It isn’t a surprise to see the preseason love for the Broncos, considering how impressive the defense was and that it returns 10 starters (though the one it loses, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, is major). On offense, Rypien will return with 1,000-yard rusher Alexander Mattison and four offensive linemen who made multiple starts. However, seniors were responsible for 30 of the offense’s 51 touchdowns, so new weapons must be found.
The Broncos lost one assistant in defensive line coach Steve Caldwell, but the rest of the staff is slated to return. It is the first time since 2013 that the offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators all will be back.
Boise State (11-3) finished at No. 22 in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches’ polls, released Tuesday morning. The Broncos finished ranked in the AP poll for the 11th time in the past 16 seasons. They have been in the preseason AP Top 25 eight times since 2005.
2018 top returners: QB Brett Rypien, Sr.: 218-of-348 passing for 2,877 yards, 16 TDs, 6 INTs; RB Alexander Mattison, Jr.: 212 carries for 1,086 yards, 12 TDs; WR A.J. Richardson, Sr.: 33 receptions for 494 yards, 2 TDs; STUD Curtis Weaver, So.: 11 sacks, INT, fumble return TD; S Kekoa Nawahine, Jr.: 108 tackles, 3 INTs.
2018 schedule: Nonconference: at Troy (Sept. 1), vs. UConn (Sept. 8), at Oklahoma State (Sept. 15), vs. BYU (Nov. 3). Mountain West home: Fresno State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State. Mountain West road: Nevada, Air Force, Wyoming, New Mexico.
COZART IN ALL-STAR GAME
Boise State quarterback Montell Cozart, who spent one season with the Broncos as a graduate transfer from Kansas, will play in the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl in Daytona, Fla., on Sunday.
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Here are the final polls, released Tuesday morning:
AP TOP 25
1. Alabama (57 first-place votes)
2. Georgia
3. Oklahoma
4. Clemson
5. Ohio State
6. UCF (4)
7. Wisconsin
8. Penn State
9. TCU
10. Auburn
11. Notre Dame
12. USC
13. Miami (Fla.)
14. Oklahoma State
15. Michigan State
16. Washington
17. Northwestern
18. LSU
19. Mississippi State
20. Stanford
21. South Florida
22. Boise State
23. North Carolina State
24. Virginia Tech
25. Memphis
USA TODAY COACHES
1. Alabama (62 first-place votes)
2. Georgia
3. Oklahoma
4. Clemson
5. Ohio State
6. Wisconsin
7. UCF
8. Penn State
9. TCU
10. USC
11. Notre Dame
12. Auburn
13. Miami (Fla.)
14. Oklahoma State
15. Washington
16. Michigan State
17. Northwestern
18. LSU
19. Stanford
20. Mississippi State
21. South Florida
22. Boise State
23. North Carolina State
24. Memphis
25. Virginia Tech
This story was originally published January 9, 2018 at 3:34 PM with the headline "The hype train has left the station: Boise State seen as likely top 20 team to start 2018."