Boise State Football: Game-by-game predictions for the 2018 season

Final predictions about Boise State’s 2018 campaign

Boise State is going to put together its first undefeated regular season since 2009. That year, the Broncos earned their second of three Fiesta Bowl trips to date. Now that we are no longer in the BCS era, a perfect season isn’t a prerequisite to get into a major bowl game.

This year, however, it probably will be critical to stay unbeaten. With UCF riding the nation’s longest undefeated streak and set up for another strong season in Orlando, there is the real possibility that we will end the 2018 regular season with two undefeated Group of Five teams.

Getting the opportunity against Oklahoma State is important for Boise State’s chances of getting into a New Year’s Six contest. The Broncos need the Cowboys to make a run at the Big 12 title to bolster their case. After that, it will come down to the relative strength of each team’s conference.

Historically, the Mountain West was the strongest mid-major league. Since the dissolution of the Big East and its reconstitution as the American Athletic Conference, that league has supplanted the MWC as the top Group of Five loop.

Boise State will have to win big all season long to overcome the perception of the American as a stronger conference. And even if they do win every game by double digits, they could still miss out on the automatic bid if UCF also runs the table.

The College Football Playoff selection committee could ostensibly also give both teams an invitation, one as the automatic Group of Five qualifier and the other as an at-large selection. That happened in 2009, when Boise State played TCU in that Fiesta Bowl. We could see something similar happen again as the system fights back against two strong Group of Five teams in the same season.