Group of Five: Week 12 Access Bowl Power Rankings

Boise State’s hopes of claiming another appearance in a New Year’s Six bowl game took a bit of a blow last weekend when Wyoming won against San Diego State. Had the Aztecs won in Laramie, the Broncos would have moved to the top of the MWC Mountain and set themselves up for a showdown with San Diego State for the conference title. As it now stands, Bryan Harsin’s team must win at Air Force and also needs the Cowboys to lose to New Mexico to play for the Mountain West crown.

In other words, Boise State finds itself in a situation similar to what Ohio State faces in the Big Ten. Just as the Buckeyes need Penn State to lose, so too does Boise need the Pokes to fall. But unlike Ohio State, the Broncos are not going to get the benefit of the doubt from the selection committee if they fail to win their division. The Access Bowl requirements stipulate clearly that only conference champs are in consideration, which means that Boise State could be looking from the outside in just like Houston.