Boise State football falls slightly in AP Top 25 after bye week. See the full poll here
Boise State took a slight dip in The Associated Press Top 25 college football rankings this week, to No. 17. The Broncos didn’t play and enjoyed their second bye week ahead of what might be the biggest game of the season.
Boise State (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West) dropped from its ranking of No. 15, which was the Broncos’ best position in the AP Top 25 since it was No. 14 in week eight of the 2019 season.
The Broncos fell behind new No. 13 Indiana, which beat Nebraska 56-7, and new No. 16 Kansas State, which beat West Virginia 45-18.
Boise State picked up 573 points, just ahead of No. 18 Ole Miss, which received 408 points.
The Broncos are the highest-ranked Group of Five team, a good sign for their hopes of qualifying for the expanded College Football Playoff later this season. The highest-ranked team from a G5 conference in the CFP committee’s rankings — the Mountain West, AAC, Conference USA, MAC and Sun Belt — is guaranteed a spot in this year’s extended CFP.
The other G5 teams ranked in the AP Top 25 are No. 23 Army and No. 24 Navy, both of the American Athletic Conference.
The College Football Playoff rankings won’t mirror the AP or football coaches’ polls, but good positions in those rankings generally bode well.
Boise State remained static in the Coaches Poll at No. 19. The Broncos accumulated 379 points, ahead of No. 20 Pittsburgh (359 points) and behind No. 18 Ole Miss (444 points). Boise remained the highest-ranked G5 team in that poll.
Boise State’s only loss this season came to the nation’s new No. 1 team, Oregon, which ascended from No. 2 after Texas lost 30-15 to Georgia. The Broncos fell 37-34 loss in Eugene in early September.
To make the playoffs, Boise State will have to win the Mountain West, and a game that should go a long way toward deciding who makes the league’s championship tilt — and who hosts it on Dec. 6 — is up next. The Broncos travel this week to UNLV (6-1, 2-0) for a Friday night matchup with the Rebels.
Boise State beat UNLV 44-20 in last year’s conference title game, and those two clubs very well could play in a rematch this season.
AP Rankings
1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Penn State
4. Ohio State
5. Texas
6. Miami
7. Tennessee
8. LSU
8. Clemson
10. Iowa State
11. BYU
12. Notre Dame
13. Indiana
14. Texas A&M
15. Alabama
16. Kansas State
17. Boise State
18. Ole Miss
19. Pittsburgh
20. Illinois
21. Missouri
22. SMU
23. Army
24. Navy
25. Vanderbilt
This story was originally published October 20, 2024 at 12:12 PM.
