Boise State sitting pretty behind Group of Five contenders in CFP rankings
The Boise State football team remained at No. 20 in the latest College Football Playoff ranking, which was released on Tuesday evening, and the Broncos remain just behind Group of Five contenders Cincinnati and Memphis heading into the final week of the regular season.
No. 19 Cincinnati (10-1, 7-0 AAC) has already clinched the East Division in the American Athletic Conference and ends the regular season on Saturday at No. 18 Memphis (10-1, 6-1). The rivals could play again the following week in the conference championship game, but Navy (8-2, 6-1) could make things interesting in the West Division.
If the Tigers lose the the Bearcats and Navy beats Houston, the Midshipmen will face Cincinnati in the title game. If both Memphis and Navy win, the Tigers will advance to the championship game thanks to owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Midshipmen. Memphis beat Navy, 35-23, on Sept. 26.
The best-case scenario for Boise State is Memphis beats Cincinnati in the regular-season finale and the Bearcats rebound with a win in the AAC title game. That would give the Broncos the best chance to finish the season as the highest ranked conference champion in the Group of Five, assuming they beat Colorado State (1:30 p.m., CBSSN) on Friday and win the Mountain West championship game on Dec. 7 against Hawaii.
The Broncos (10-1, 7-0 MW) remained at No. 20 this week in the AP Top 25 after a 56-21 win on Saturday at Utah State. Boise State scored on the infamous Statue of Liberty play, and true freshman running back George Holani posted a career-high 178 rushing yards.
