Boise State bowl watch: Whom, when and where the Broncos could play
Boise State won’t be part of the College Football Playoff this year, but one thing is for sure: The Broncos will go bowling once again, having qualified for the 28th straight season.
What’s not for sure? When and where the team will play, which affects what kind of opponent Boise State will draw, since the 127 bowl games — wait, there are only 41 of them, not counting all of the playoff contests — have different conference affiliations.
With a 7-4 record heading into the final game of the regular season — at Utah State on Friday — Boise State (5-2 Mountain West) still has a lot on the table, including the potential of playing in a fourth straight Mountain West championship game and winning three in a row. The Broncos just need to beat the Aggies (6-5, 4-3) and have other things fall their way.
But there’s still a wide array of potential postseason destinations, ranging from as early as Saturday, Dec. 13, in the LA Bowl to spending Christmas on the road in Arizona, Texas or even Hawaii.
Here’s the outlook for Boise State, including some forecasts right now from media outlets.
The easiest and best scenario
If the Broncos achieve their goal of winning another conference title, then they’ll play in the LA Bowl on Dec. 13 and have the holidays off.
The Mountain West champion goes to that game unless it is part of the CFP, which happened last year when Boise State made the field and played in the Fiesta Bowl, where it lost to Penn State. Because that happened, conference runner-up UNLV went to the LA Bowl.
The Broncos are familiar with that game, having won the Mountain West championship in 2023 and going on to Los Angeles to meet UCLA, which won 35-22. Third-string quarterback CJ Tiller had to start that game because Taylen Green decided to transfer and Maddux Madsen was out with a season-ending knee injury.
How would Spencer Danielson’s team get there this year?
A victory at Utah State, which is undefeated at home this season, is obviously necessary. If that happens and San Diego State defeats New Mexico, Boise State would play at SDSU in the title game, with the winner heading to the LA Bowl.
If Boise State wins but San Diego State loses to New Mexico, then things will get messy, as at least three teams, and potentially four, will be tied at the top of the standings at 6-2. The Mountain West would rely on computer metrics to determine the teams in the championship game, and Boise State would have to hope to be included.
The opponent for the Mountain West champ in the LA Bowl will be a former Pac-12 school, meaning it could be Washington State if the Cougars get to 6-6 to be eligible, or any of the teams that moved on to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC recently, such as Arizona, Arizona State or Cal.
What bowl games is Boise State predicted to be in right now?
If the Broncos fail to win the Mountain West championship, which is how prognosticators are treating the team now, they’ll likely end up in a bowl game the week of Christmas. And they could be just about anywhere on the map, conceivably even at home — although national outlets, when making their predictions, don’t seem to know or take into account that Boise State has no desire to play in the Potato Bowl.
The Broncos have not played in the bowl game on their blue turf since 2005, when they lost to Boston College in what was then called the MPC Computers Bowl.
Here are some of the possibilities for the Broncos (7-4), along with each opposing team’s record and conference heading into the final week of the regular season:
The Athletic: Boise State vs. Ohio (7-4, MAC) in the Arizona Bowl in Tucson on Saturday, Dec. 27.
USA Today: Boise State vs. Ohio (7-4, MAC) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise on Monday, Dec. 22.
Yahoo: Boise State vs. Old Dominion (8-3, Sun Belt) in the Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas, on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
DraftKings: Boise State vs. Ohio (7-4, MAC) in the Potato Bowl on Dec. 22.
ESPN: Boise State vs. Ohio (7-4, MAC) in the Potato Bowl on Dec. 22
OR Boise State vs. James Madison (10-1, Sun Belt) in the Frisco Bowl on Dec. 23.
College Football News: Boise State vs. Toledo (7-4, MAC) in the Potato Bowl on Dec. 22.
CBS Sports: Boise State vs. Cal (6-5, ACC) in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24.
Athlon Sports: Boise State vs. UTSA (6-5, American) in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas on Friday, Dec. 26.
