One of the best things about college football today is the ability for the playoff bracket to feature a larger, more-diverse array of teams, and perhaps the best symbol of that was last season's inclusion of Boise State.
Sure, the Broncos didn’t do much with their appearance, but with it coming after years of them being both one of the most consistent programs and one of the biggest underdog stories in the sport, it was nonetheless a colossal breath of fresh air.
But hey, it'll never be easy for a Group-of-5 brand to reload well enough to go back to the playoff right away, so I can’t imagine that the odds of Boise State making consecutive appearances are particularly high—or are they?
That’s right, BSU actually has a window to return to the bracket far wider than one might assume, and that’s due to something that the Broncos should be equipped to handle regardless of who all is new to their depth chart: Their schedule.
Boise State’s 2025 slate is downright laughable
Of Boise State’s 12 opponents, only three finished 2024 with a record better than 7-6. One of them is Colorado State, who went 8-5 and has to play in Boise this fall. Another is UNLV, who is coming off a campaign that involved going 0-2 against the Broncos, and who will find itself on the blue turf this year as well.
That leaves just one more, and its name? Notre Dame, and that is where things get interesting.
Simply put, the Fighting Irish didn’t just do significantly better than 7-6 last season—they fought all the way to the National Championship/ Not only that, but unlike the Rams and Rebels, they have the luxury of hosting their meeting with the Broncos. What should all of that tell you? That Notre Dame probably isn’t taking a loss in it. But to tell you the truth, I highly doubt that’ll change much of anything.
Think about it: Boise State just finished its regular season 11-1 and won the Mountain West, with its sole loss being on the road to a mighty Oregon team, and it was ultimately an absolute lock for the playoff. Why would we see a different outcome if BSU went 11-1 and took the MWC crown again, but this time with a road loss to the defending runner-ups?
In the end, people can say what they want about the Broncos forever being too weak to compete for a national title, but with a schedule so favorable and a pothole so excusable, I would be nothing short of stunned if they didn’t land right back in the bracket this December.