College Football Rankings: Projected Top 25, Week 10 – Big 12 gets wild

Boise State picked the worst possible time to lose their first game of the season, with their Week 8 collapse against BYU in Provo coming immediately before a bye week. The Broncos, unable to pull off a comeback in a game they were leading at halftime, dropped eight spots in the AP Top 25 ahead of Week 9 and have to wait for their November 2 road trip to San Jose State to try to make up for their plummet.

Bryan Harsin and offensive co-coordinators Zak Hill and Eric Kiesau are hoping that the extra time resting will help Hank Bachmeier return to the field from his hip injury suffered in the Hawaii win. The freshman quarterback has been a jolt for the offense in a way backup Chase Cord proved incapable of providing in his start at BYU. Running back Robert Mahone was also knocked out against the Cougars, and the idle weekend could be beneficial as well for the team’s starter.

The game at San Jose State provides a great opportunity to ease people back into meaningful snaps without needing to push too hard. Boise State then returns home to take on Wyoming and New Mexico before closing out the regular season with a road swing to Utah State and Colorado State. If they avoid any further slips in November, the Broncos can still play their way into a New Year’s Six bowl.