Boise State jumps into first-round bye spot in latest College Football Playoff rankings
Don’t look now, Bronco fans, but Boise State is currently set to receive a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
The Broncos were ranked No. 12 in this week’s poll, but as the fourth-highest-ranked presumed conference champion, Boise State was seeded No. 4. The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive byes in the first round — the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion will also receive an automatic bid but won’t receive a first-round bye.
Boise State jumped from last week’s ranking of No. 13 after previously undefeated BYU lost 17-13 to Kansas at home. The Cougars fell from No. 6 to No. 14.
While members of the SEC, Big Ten and ACC still rank above Boise State, the Broncos are ranked higher than every Big 12 member, giving them the projected first-round bye.
But it’s far from a done deal.
Not only does Boise State have to continue winning — next up is a trip to Wyoming on Saturday — but several Big 12 teams are still lurking.
BYU and No. 16 Colorado remain in the hunt for the Big 12 championship, and it may not be a huge surprise if the CFP selection committee selects the Big 12 champion over a Group of Five conference champion following the conference championship games.
Colorado plays Kansas next, so Bronco fans will be hoping the Jayhawks can repeat their heroics against BYU and defeat Colorado for a third straight Top 25 win.
If Boise State doesn’t win the Mountain West championship, it likely won’t be selected as an at-large team in the playoff. Other Group of Five conference teams are still hot on the Broncos’ heels, including undefeated No. 19 Army, No. 20 Tulane and No. 24 UNLV.
First-round games are played at the home of the higher-ranked team but don’t count as bowl games — those start in the quarterfinal round. Earlier this year, CFP Executive Director Rich Clark said bowl games would be assigned based on honoring historical traditions — such as the winner of the SEC playing in the Sugar Bowl — and proximity to the higher-ranked team.
That means if Boise State were to keep the No. 4 seed, it would most likely play in the Fiesta Bowl — a bowl the Broncos have won on three occasions. Using the rankings released Tuesday night, the Broncos would face the winner of No. 2 Ohio State and No. 14 BYU.
Of course, there’s a long way to go and plenty of games to play before the final rankings on Dec. 8.
The CFP will release updated rankings every Tuesday during the season. Here’s the week 3 list:
Oregon
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Indiana
Notre Dame
Alabama
Miami
Ole Miss
Georgia
Tennessee
Boise State
SMU
BYU
Texas A&M
Colorado
Clemson
South Carolina
Army
Tulane
Arizona State
Iowa State
Missouri
UNLV
Illinois
This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 5:29 PM.
