Statesman bowl projections: Boise State looking up at Mountain West leaders
As it stands, Boise State’s bowl possibilities are hardly enticing, but November is going to be a very big month for the Broncos, with plenty of chances for a better landing spot.
Starting with the always hotly contested BYU matchup on Saturday, Boise State also will play Fresno State and Utah State this month — both teams are currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
It looks like the American has a good grip on the Group of Five’s New Year’s Six bowl slot, with UCF way out in front, and Houston a likely contender if the Cougars run the table. Fresno State is playing as well as anyone lately, while Utah State’s offense is on fire.
And yes, Boise State may still be a factor. If the Broncos can go unbeaten in November and win the Mountain West championship, that’s going to be noticed.
I’ll attempt to project the bowl picture weekly the rest of the month, factoring in how things will end up as opposed to where we currently stand.
Check out the Mountain West tie-ins here.
MOUNTAIN WEST BOWL GAMES
Las Vegas (Dec. 15): Fresno State vs. Arizona State
New Mexico (Dec. 15): Nevada vs. Louisiana Tech
Famous Idaho Potato (Dec. 21): San Diego State vs. Toledo
Hawaii (Dec. 22): Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee State
Cheez-It (Dec. 26): Utah State vs. Baylor
Arizona (Dec. 29): Boise State vs. Appalachian State
NEW YEAR’S SIX
Cotton (Dec. 29, CFP semi): Alabama vs. Michigan
Orange (Dec. 29, CFP semi): Clemson vs. Notre Dame
Peach (Dec. 29): LSU vs. UCF
Sugar (Jan. 1): Oklahoma vs. Georgia
Rose (Jan. 1): Washington State vs. Ohio State
Fiesta (Jan. 1): West Virginia vs. Florida
NOTES: The Mountain West may be positioning the Arizona Bowl as one of its top sites when it loses the Las Vegas Bowl after 2019, and as far as possible opponents, Appalachian State could be the best of the bunch if it finishes second in the Sun Belt. The conference will certainly want to put Boise State in a good matchup. ... Hawaii still needs to win one more game to be eligible since it plays 13 games. ... The Cheez-It Bowl (formerly Cactus) will be a landing spot if the Pac-12 or Big 12 doesn’t fill its allotment, and if those conferences get two into the New Year’s Six/CFP, it’s possible. Both have a lot of teams in that six- or seven-win range, so it will be interesting to see how it shakes out this month. ... Nevada could be a Potato Bowl team, but the Wolf Pack played Toledo this season, so I put them in New Mexico against a good Louisiana Tech squad.
This story was originally published November 1, 2018 at 6:50 PM.