Boise State could be playing for more than another MW title: A Fiesta Bowl return
It looked like only a distant dream, playing in a New Year’s Six game after a 3-2 start with two ranked teams coming to town in November.
But as the Boise State football team prepares for Saturday’s Mountain West championship, not only is that a possibility, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Broncos playing in the Fiesta Bowl for a fourth time.
It’s simple — if CFP No. 8 UCF loses to Memphis in the American conference championship on Saturday and No. 22 Boise State beats No. 25 Fresno State, the Broncos earn the Group of Five’s berth into one of the lucrative bowl games as the top-ranked conference champion. Fresno State is in the same situation.
“I haven’t really put a lot of thought into it. I’m aware of it,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. “... We were 3-2 and we’ve been able to win (seven) games since then because we’ve focused on the task at hand.”
UCF has won 24 straight games, but Saturday will be unlike any other in that stretch, as junior quarterback McKenzie Milton is out after suffering a major knee injury last Friday against South Florida. The Knights, at home, are just 3-point favorites over Memphis (8-4). The Tigers lost 31-30 on their home field to UCF in October.
Adding another twist is that the AAC championship kicks off at 1:30 p.m. MT, so the Broncos and Bulldogs likely will know by the start of their game if they’re playing for a spot in the New Year’s Six.
“That would be a great way to end your senior year. ... It’s not in our hands, we can only control what we control,” Boise State senior wide receiver A.J. Richardson said. “If we lose a game and they lose a game, that won’t help anybody. We can’t focus on what UCF does, we have to focus on what Boise State does.”
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It would be a heck of a motivational tool to not only repeat as Mountain West champions, but to return for a fourth time to a game where the Broncos are 3-0 with wins over Oklahoma, TCU and Arizona. But players have said they won’t be constantly checking the UCF score before the game.
“I don’t think any of our guys have their mind set on that,” senior defensive end Durrant Miles said.
The destination is obvious if UCF loses and Boise State wins, but if the Knights win and the Broncos win, the Broncos in all likelihood will go back to the Las Vegas Bowl. The bowl committee is set to meet Wednesday, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and is expected to decide to take the Mountain West champion.
Now, if UCF loses and Boise State loses, Las Vegas could take the Broncos if Fresno State reaches the Fiesta Bowl, but that remains unclear. A 10-win Utah State could be appealing.
A UCF win and a Boise State loss opens up a ton of possibilities, the leading one being a return to Phoenix for the Cheez-It Bowl (formerly Cactus), where the Broncos could be paired with a Pac-12 or Big 12 team, depending on if those conferences get multiple teams in the NY6 or not. Or perhaps the Broncos don’t want the seniors to go out with a loss at home and stay for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, or go to another Mountain West bowl destination in the New Mexico or Arizona bowls.
It will all become more clear Saturday, and the final bowl pairings will be announced Sunday.
MOUNTAIN WEST BOWL PROJECTIONS
Las Vegas (Dec. 15): Boise State vs. Arizona State
New Mexico (Dec. 15): Utah State vs. Middle Tennessee
Famous Idaho Potato (Dec. 21): San Diego State vs. Western Michigan
Hawaii (Dec. 22): Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech
Cheez-It (Dec. 26): Fresno State vs. Cal
Arizona (Dec. 29): Nevada vs. Arkansas State
Note: The MW has five bowl tie-ins and a backup agreement with the Cheez-It Bowl. Wyoming (6-6) may be left out as 81 teams are bowl-eligible for 78 spots in the FBS.
NEW YEAR’S SIX
Cotton (Dec. 29, CFP semi): Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Orange (Dec. 29, CFP semi): Clemson vs. Notre Dame
Peach (Dec. 29): Michigan vs. Florida
Sugar (Jan. 1): Texas vs. Georgia
Rose (Jan. 1): Washington vs. Ohio State
Fiesta (Jan. 1): UCF vs. LSU
Mountain West Championship
Who: Boise State vs. Fresno State
When: 5:45 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,387; FieldTurf)
TV: ESPN (Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: BSU 10-2, 7-1 (won 33-24 vs. Utah State on Saturday); Fresno State 10-2, 7-1 (won 31-13 vs. San Jose State on Saturday)
Series: Boise State leads 15-6 (Broncos won 24-17 on Nov. 9 in Boise)
Vegas line: Boise State by 2 1/2
Weather: Mid-30s, cloudy with chance of rain
Tickets: Office on the west side of Albertsons Stadium, visit BroncoSports.com/tickets or call 208-426-4737.
This story was originally published November 27, 2018 at 5:03 PM.