Boise State football learns conference opponents for 2025. Is slate of games favorable?
Boise State football has learned its conference opponents for next season. Although game dates and times haven’t been set, the Broncos know they’ll host a budding rivalry game at Albertsons Stadium and also head to some stadiums they have not visited in a few years.
UNLV, a team the Broncos have played three times in the past 12 months — including beating the Rebels in back-to-back Mountain West title games — will travel to Boise for a regular-season game at Albertsons Stadium for the first time since 2016.
The Broncos beat the Rebels in Las Vegas in last year’s championship game and in late October this season, and last week won 21-7 over UNLV in the Mountain West final on The Blue. Next year’s UNLV team may look quite different, though, now that coach Barry Odom has accepted the top job at Purdue.
Boise State also will welcome Colorado State, Fresno State and New Mexico to Albertsons Stadium in 2025. The Broncos did not face any of those teams in 2024.
Colorado State was in the running for this season’s Mountain West championship game, courtesy of a weaker league schedule, and finished with a conference record of 6-1. UNLV also was 6-1 and ranked higher in the College Football Playoff rankings, which was the tiebreaker.
Fresno State finished 6-6 overall and 4-3 in the conference, while New Mexico was 5-7 overall, 3-4 in the Mountain West.
As for their road slate, the Broncos likely won’t complain. They will travel to Air Force, Nevada, San Diego State and Utah State — four teams that combined this year for an overall record of 15-34. Nevada, which was winless in the league, and San Diego State each lost their final six games of 2024.
The Broncos played the Wolf Pack, Aztecs and Aggies at home this season, winning those three games by a combined score of 146-75. They have not played at Air Force or at Nevada since 2022.
Boise State’s four nonconference games next season include a premier matchup with a fellow 2024 playoff team: Notre Dame. The Broncos will open the season at South Florida on Aug. 30, 2025, and then play a pair of home games: against Eastern Washington (Sept. 6) and Appalachian State (Sept. 27).
The nonconference portion of the schedule will conclude with a trip to South Bend, Indiana, to take on the Fighting Irish on Oct. 4.
It’s possible Boise State could face Notre Dame in the semifinals of this year’s College Football Playoff. The No. 7-seeded Irish would have to beat No. 10 Indiana and upset No. 2 Georgia, and Boise State would need to defeat the winner of No. 6 Penn State and No. 11 SMU in the Fiesta Bowl.
