Boise State moves up in AP Top 25, leaps over playoff rival. Here are the full rankings

It was a good week for Boise State in The Associated Press Top 25 college football rankings.

A hard-fought 42-21 victory for the Broncos over San Jose State, along with a bad result for previously undefeated BYU, allowed Boise State to jump to No. 12 in Sunday’s latest poll.

The Broncos (9-1, 6-0 Mountain West) were ranked No. 13 last week. BYU lost 17-13 to unranked Kansas on Saturday and dropped to No. 14, allowing Boise State to hop above the Cougars.

No. 12 is the highest the program has been ranked this season, tying its standing from two weeks ago.

Boise State had 880 points in the poll, slotting in behind No. 11 Miami (945 points) and ahead of No. 13 SMU (810 points).

The College Football Playoff committee’s rankings, released every Tuesday, ultimately decide the postseason field, but the AP poll can be a good indicator of what’s to come.

Because of BYU’s loss, Boise State is ranked higher than any Big 12 team in the media voting. If similar results play out in the CFP poll, Boise State could hold one of the byes for the top four conference champions in the newest mock bracket. The Broncos were No. 13 in the CFP last week; BYU, then unbeaten, was No. 6.

The highest-ranked team from a Group of Five conference — the Mountain West, AAC, Conference USA, MAC and Sun Belt — is guaranteed a spot in this year’s 12-team playoff field.

The Broncos have been the highest-ranked Group of Five team this season. Undefeated Army had a bye week and is No. 18, Tulane is ranked No. 20 and Mountain West foe UNLV is at No. 23 in the AP Top 25. Boise State defeated UNLV on the road, 29-24, in October.

The Broncos remained at No. 13 in the Coaches Poll. Boise State received 714 points, behind No. 12 SMU (744 points) and ahead of No. 14 Texas A&M (646 points).

AP Top 25

Here are the full rankings for week 13 of the AP poll:

1. Oregon

2. Ohio State

3. Texas

4. Penn State

5. Indiana

6. Notre Dame

7. Alabama

8. Georgia

9. Ole Miss

10. Tennessee

11. Miami

12. Boise State

13. SMU

14. BYU

15. Texas A&M

16. Colorado

17. Clemson

18. Army

19. South Carolina

20. Tulane

21. Arizona State

22. Iowa State

23. UNLV

24. Illinois

25. Washington State

This story was originally published November 17, 2024 at 12:47 PM.

Shaun Goodwin

Idaho Statesman

(208) 377-6237

Shaun Goodwin is the Boise State Athletics reporter for the Idaho Statesman, covering Broncos football, basketball and more. If you like stories like this, please consider supporting our work with a digital subscription. Support my work with a digital subscription