Category: Boise State

Future Hoops Foes: Week One Recap of Week Two’s Opponents

Get a quick preview of each team this week on the schedule.

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Taking a Look Mountain West Opponents in Week Two and how they Performed in Week One.

Each Mountain West Team’s Opponents for Week Two

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Take a look at each team’s opponents for this week and how they did last week.

We seek to take a look at each team’s opponents for the next week while also taking a look at their performance the previous week. These should be coming out on Sunday nights or Monday mornings going forward until the end of non-conference play depending on possible late night games on Sunday or not. And then traditional previews will take over since with conference play comes more familiarity with opponents.

Air Force Falcons 

Tues, Nov. 12th 

Army Black Knights:

Coach K’s alma mater is 1-1 on the season but that lone win comes against the US Merchant Marine Academy. That lone loss came at the hands of 10th ranked Villanova by 43 points. They are led by senior guard Tommy Funk who is averaging 13.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 4.5 APG. These military academy games mean a lot to these schools and I look forward to the Falcons taking the Black Knights on at home. 

Boise State Broncos

Fri, Nov. 15th 

California-Irvine Anteaters:

The Anteaters will face a familar face to Boise State fans in Life-Pacific on Tuesday. But after that they take on Boise State in The Taco Bell Arena on Friday. Irvine is 1-1 so far downing San Diego on opening night and losing to Pepperdine on Saturday by 3 points in Malibu. UC-Irvine is led by senior guard Evan Leonard who is averaging 19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 2.0 APG through two games. 

Colorado State Rams 

Wed, Nov. 13th 

Omaha Mavericks:

The Mavericks are 1-1 on the season but have not won against a division one team thus far. They are led by junior guard Ayo Akinwole who is averaging 16.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 7.0 APG through two games and has junior forward Matt Pile who is averaging a double-double (14.0 PPG and 12.0 RPG). 

Sat, Nov. 16th

Loyola Marymount Lions:

Loyola Marymount is coming off of a close loss to Nevada in Reno on Saturday which put them at 1-1 on the season. Eli Scott was the guy on Saturday but the Lions are actually led by sophomore forward Ivan Alipiev who is leading the team with 19.0 PPG and 7.5 RPG. 

Fresno State Bulldogs 

Tues, Nov. 12th 

San Diego Torreros:

San Diego is in a bit of a rebuild after losing a talented group of seniors last year. They are 0-2 on the season and are led by sophomore guard Joey Calcaterra, who is averaging 16.0 PPG in both losses. 

Sun, Nov. 17th 

California State University San Bernardino Coyotes:

The Bulldogs take on an undefeated Coyotes team who have two wins against division two opponents. They are led by senior guard Jeremy Smith who is averaging 26 PPG through week one. 

Nevada Wolf Pack 

Tues, Nov. 12th 

Texas-Arlington Mavericks:

The Mavericks are off to a great 2-0 start including a 14 point win against Tulsa on Saturday. Watch out for senior forward Jabari Narcis who is averaging 11.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 2.0 BPG. If he has a big night in the paint, the Wolf Pack don’t have enough front court depth to keep him in check. 

Sat, Nov. 16th

Southern California Trojans:

As Andy Enfield’s seat started to get a bit hot in Los Angeles he went out and got one of the best recruiting classes in the last decade for the Trojans and it’s paying off. His team is being led by his two five star freshman Isaiah Mobley and Onyeka Okongwu, and Big O is showing dominant play while averaging a double-double (20.0 PPG and 11.5 RPG). 

New Mexico Lobos 

Wed, Nov. 13th

Green Bay Phoenix:

The Phoenix are 1-1 on the season after a 51 point win against Wisconsin-Stout and a loss at Purdue. Watch out for freshman guard Amari Davis who averaged 12.5 PPG in last weeks action and junior guard PJ Pipes who is averaging 2.5 SPG. 

Sat, Nov. 16th

Mcneese State Cowboys:

The cowboys are 0-2 on the season and face Wisconsin on Wednesday before taking on the Lobos on Saturday. Look out for junior guard AJ Lawson who averaged 17.5 PPG in two games against Western Michigan and Louisiana Lafayette.

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Wyoming Cowboys fall to Boise State, 20-17

The defense was there for Wyoming but they did not have it all to defeat Boise State.

Broncos Top Cowboys In Overtime

Wyoming came close but didn’t make enough plays to finish on top

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In a game that was much closer than Vegas predicted, the Cowboys turned the matchup against the favored Broncos into more of a parking lot brawl. Despite trailing for much of the game, Boise State did just enough to steal the game late.

Tyler Vander Waal is going to be fine

In his first start of the season, the sophomore went 15-23 for 160 yards. It was a performance that was good enough for Wyoming to leave Boise with the W. On Wyoming’s final drive of the game, Vander Waal led the Pokes on a 10 play, 5-minute drive to get the team near scoring position before a failed 4th down conversion gave Boise State one final chance. Should he be able to replicate and possibly improve on his performance in the final 3 weeks, the Cowboys still have a shot at a 10-win season.

Where are the playmakers?

Xazavian Valladay provided a hard-earned 124 rushing yards on 37 attempts and TE Josh Harshman added a solid 6 receptions for 48 yards but WR’s Austin Conway and Rocket Ismail Jr. only combined to add 4 catches for 57 yards. Conway had a nice punt return early in the game that led to a score and Ismail Jr. had an 18-yard reception on a nifty run after the catch but it’s hard to explain the lack of touches they get from week to week. It would be great to see them get more opportunities to make plays especially with the running back depth essentially down to one man.  It’s hard watching the Cowboys crash Valladay into a wall 37 times when Conway and Rocket Jr. have shown how explosive they can be in the open field. 

The Defense Was Phenomenal

Aside from the opening drive of the game when Boise State opened up the playbook and threw everything at them, they completely dominated the game. The defensive line owned the line of scrimmage and Logan Wilson had one of the better games he’s had this season with 10 tackles, a sack, and a game-saving INT at the end of the 4th quarter. While the Broncos were also starting a backup quarterback, they have more weapons than any team left on the Cowboys schedule.

The Chambers injury seemed to slow the bandwagon that has grown with the team this season but the Pokes showed that they have the formula to compete regardless of who suits up and who they line up against. Utah State, Colorado State, and Air Force have challenges that Wyoming will need to overcome but there is no reason to think that the Cowboys won’t be up to the task.

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Will Arkansas Come Calling For Boise State’s Bryan Harsin?

Arkansas is looking for a new head coach, will they call Boise State’s Bryan Harsin?

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Will Arkansas Come Calling For Boise State’s Bryan Harsin?

Could the Broncos be in the market for a new head coach?

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It seems unlikely but you never know.

Arkansas is in the market for a new head coach after the school fired Chad Morris not even two years into his tenure in Fayetteville. With every Power 5 job that opens up, there is a concern about a good Mountain West coach could get poached to take over.

While Arkansas is not an amazing job at the moment but it is in the SEC and that is a big deal. The Razorbacks were able to land Bret Bielema from Wisconsin where he led the Badgers to three-straight Rose Bowls but went to take a low-level SEC job. So, the alure is real.

Of the Mountain West coaches that could be in the mix is Boise State’s Bryan Harsin. It is not just because Harsin is performing well for the Broncos but he actually has ties to the area.

They are loosely based as he spent one year as Arkansas State’s head coach and led them to a Sun Belt title, and he spent two seasons at Texas where he was the quarterback’s coach and co-offensive coordinator. Those two make him attractive with recruiting and connections to the area.

Will Harsin leave Boise State?

Never say never but consider that he just received an extension by virtue of the win over Wyoming which adds $2.25 million to his contract, which now expires Jan. 10, 2025.

Plus, Harsin has the chance to spend a few more years with an elite quarterback in Hank Bachmeier who looks to be the next great Broncos signal-caller.

Not having to go through a rebuild is very appealing to coaches but some also want the challenge of winning at the highest level. If Harsin were to take Arkansas to an SEC title or even get nine wins he’d be very much appreciated at that university.

Money is another reason why Harsin may want to go to the SEC. He currently makes a solid $1.75 million at Boise State; Morris was earning $4 million per year. The Razorbacks could easily double that and pay less for a new coach. Arkansas is willing to pay coaches very well. They are shelling out $10 million to let go of Morris to find the right guy.

Does Arkansas want Harsin?

The Razorbacks job is the third Power 5 school to open up this year. Rutgers and Florida State are the other two and who knows who else could be let go or move on from their current job. All signs point to USC opening up and that would push Arkansas down the pecking order of who they want or can get.

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Going with Harsin could be seen similar to the Morris hire. A coach from a Group of 5 school who was successful, however, Harsin has had more years and success as a head coach compared to Morris. Arkansas may feel getting Harsin is too similar to a move as Morris.

The ties are sort of there with Harsin but would his three total years in that part of the country amount to much with recruiting? There are other coaches in the area like Louisiana’s Billy Napier, UAB’s Bill Clarke, Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson, Willie Fritz at Tulane and more.

Recruiting and relationships is a big deal and that is one of the biggest weaknesses for Harsin being considered and that alow would have Arkansas put him below some candidates.

It is not like he is Mike Leech (don’t be surprised if his name comes up) who has a unique scheme that can give a boost overnight to it being so unique.

Arkansas spends like it is a big time player in college football and is in the SEC so they may want to make a big move this time around and avoid a Group of Five coach. Whether they get that or not is another question for debate.

Panic level for Boise State fnas possibly losing Harsin to Arkansas should seem pretty low.

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College Football Playoff Rankings: Projecting Boise State In The Week 12 Top 25

After another hard-fought Mountain West football victory, where will the Broncos end up in the CFP pecking order? We make our prediction.

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College Football Playoff Rankings: Projecting Boise State In The Week 12 Top 25

After another hard-fought Mountain West football victory, where will the Broncos end up in the CFP pecking order? We make our prediction.

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Moving up, but by how much?

The Boise State Broncos didn’t have it easy on Saturday night, but after defeating the Wyoming Cowboys in a defensive showcase, their standing in the Group of 5’s College Football Playoff clump is intact. With San Diego State’s shocking defeat at home against Nevada, the Broncos once again stand alone as the conference’s standard-bearer for the New Year’s Six bowl bid.

Will the latest national developments be enough for Boise State to improve that standing, though? As always, keep this in mind first: A lot can change in a week and in the College Football Playoff era and things have definitely tended to change quite a bit over the course of a month or so.

Here’s a quick recap of the weekend that was and what it might mean.

Who lost?

From the top:

  • #3 Alabama lost at home to #2 LSU, 46-41
  • #4 Penn State lost on the road to #17 Minnesota, 31-26
  • #16 Kansas State lost on the road to Texas, 27-24
  • #18 Iowa lost on the road to #13 Wisconsin, 24-22
  • #19 Wake Forest lost on the road to Virginia Tech, 36-17

For Boise State’s purposes, the last two losses on the list seem likely to translate to some upward mobility. At this time last year, 5-3 Texas A&M fell out of the rankings from #20 after losing to 5-3 Auburn, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see the same thing happen to Wake Forest and its bland resume (Have you heard the ACC is not good this year?).

Oddly enough, this is the second straight year the Hawkeyes have dropped a game immediately after the first CFP reveal, though this time around it’s not quite as egregious as losing to Purdue on the road. Last year, #17 Texas fell just two spots after losing by two to #13 West Virginia last season, so Iowa might just fall into the middle of the G5 morass this week.

Figuring out what will happen with Kansas State is a tougher nut to crack. From 2015 to 2018, seven teams ranked in the teens (13 to 19) have lost to unranked but better than .500 opponents after the first CFP rankings came out. Four of those teams fell out of the second top 25 altogether, but the aforementioned Iowa/Purdue game is instructive, as is Iowa State/West Virginia from 2017, since close losses are damaging — the Hawkeyes and Cyclones fell by five and six spots, respectively — but not fatal.

By Way of Comparison: How did the Group of 5 fare?

  • #20 Cincinnati defeated UConn at home, 48-3
  • #25 SMU defeated East Carolina at home, 59-51
  • Appalachian State defeated South Carolina on the road, 20-15
  • Louisiana Tech defeated North Texas at home, 52-17
  • UCF lost on the road to Tulsa, 34-31

Congratulations are in order, first and foremost, for UCF coming to the realization that no matter much how you thump your chest, no football program can become Boise State overnight.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, did exactly what was expected in dispatching the Huskies, but their immediate problem is that they may not make much headway in the rankings on their own until they host Temple on November 16. UConn doesn’t move the needle and beating a sub-.500 South Florida team probably won’t do the trick, either.

SMU, meanwhile, seems to be more lucky than good lately, as they now stand at 5-1 in games decided by eight or fewer points. Teams that don’t play defense tend to see that catch up with them at some point in November, so while they’ll probably rise with the rest of the G5 tide this week and next while they’re on bye, their upcoming clash at Navy is going to be a real gut check.

Appalachian State and Louisiana Tech, on the other hand, face a similar struggle. They’re racking up wins, yes, but strength of schedule matters to the committee and neither the Mountaineers nor the Bulldogs have it right now. The template, until further notice, is 2014 Marshall, which didn’t reach the CFP rankings until getting to 11-0 on November 25. App State’s cause would be helped if both North Carolina and South Carolina can claw their way to bowl eligibility, while LaTech will get tested with back-to-back road games at Marshall and then division foe UAB. Stay tuned.

So what do I think the top 25 will look like? Read on.

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