Boise State will be the third highest-ranked team with a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
The Broncos will play the winner of SMU and Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31 in the CFP quarterfinals.
Boise State is 12-1 overall after defeating UNLV in the Mountain West Championship. The Broncos have won 11 straight games with their only loss being against No. 1 Oregon 37-34 in their second regular season contest.
“We’ll see,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said during a press conference following the Mountain West Championship. “I mean, at this point, we’re in. And I’m so proud of our team. We’re going to do a watch party as a team on Sunday and we’ll see what happens. And I know we’re going to have another opportunity to play as a team.
“So wherever we go play, whoever we play, we’re excited to work our tails off to go play our best.”
Boise State is fourth in the FBS with 39.2 points per game and is sixth with 470.2 yards per game. The Broncos are tied for 37th in scoring defense with 21.92 points per game allowed.
“I believe in our team,” Danielson said. “I believe in that, when you work for something, you get what you deserve and you get what you earn in life.”
Boise State is led by Heisman frontrunner Ashton Jeanty. He’s first in the country with 2,497 rushing yards and is tied for first with 29 rushing touchdowns.
With at least one more game to play, he has a chance to break the NCAA single-season rushing yards record set by Barry Sanders, who ran for 2,628 yards in 1988.
“I think the same thing week after week,” Jeanty said. “That not only is this one of the best teams in the nation, but they’ve got one of the best players in the nation.”
CFB Playoff Rankings
- No. 1 Oregon
- No. 2 Georgia
- No. 3 Texas
- No. 4 Penn State
- No. 5 Notre Dame
- No. 6 Ohio State
- No. 7 Tennessee
- No. 8 Indiana
- No. 9 Boise State
- No. 10 SMU
- No. 12 Arizona State
- No. 16 Clemson
College Football Playoff Bracket
In the first round of the CFP, Clemson will play at Texas, Tennessee will go to Ohio State, SMU will play at Penn State, and Indiana will go to Notre Dame.
The winner of Penn State and SMU will compete against Boise State in the CFP quarterfinals.
“We have been in playoff football since this season started,” Danielson said. “That’s been our mentality. The next game is the most important game of the season because it’s the next one. It’s going to be no different going forward. There’s going to be even more hype on every game we play, and I know our guys are going to go to work. Our staff’s going to go to work. We’re going to focus on our process. … Whoever we play, they’re going to get our best.”
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Boise State Gets A First-Round Bye
In the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, Boise State was not only the first Group of Five team to earn an automatic spot as a conference champion.The Broncos were the first G5 team to earn a bye in the new format.
And while college football pundits may disagree with that outcome, there’s no doubt that will help Boise State.
“Man, that’s the best thing I’ve heard all day,” Jeanty said when asked about the possibility of having a few weeks off. “It’s great not just for me but for the team to get guys healthy and fresh. When guys are healthy and fresh, we just play different. We play so much better. It’s just a blessing to have this bye week. We’re gonna put it together and get ready for this next opponent.”
