Game Day Preview: No. 20 Boise State heads to Colorado State to Finish the Regular Season

Boise State is looking to go undefeated in Mountain West play.

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Game Day Preview: No. 20 Boise State heads to Colorado State to Finish the Regular Season

Broncos Seek their First Undefeated Season in Mountain West Conference Play

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Boise State vs. Colorado State is the finale.

Boise State heads south to Fort Collins for the last game of the 2019 regular season.  The Broncos have already clinched the Mountain Division while Hawaii has locked up the West Division, setting up a rematch from earlier in the year on the Blue Turf for the Mountain West Championship Game next week.

The Broncos do have some business to attend to before that championship game in the form of the Colorado State Rams. The Rams have had a disappointing season and were eliminated last week from bowl eligibility by the Wyoming Cowboys.

Colorado State has never defeated Boise State in football before so knocking off the Mountain West’s premier franchise will be extra sweet in their final game of the year if the Rams can pull off the upset. Meanwhile, Boise State will look to finish 8-0 in conference play which would be a first for the Broncos since joining the Mountain West in 2011.

Date: Friday November 29, 2019
Where: Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, CO
When: 1:30 PM, Mountain Standard Time
Spread: Boise State -12.5
How to Watch: CBS Sports Network
Stream: FuboTV – Get a seven-day free trial
ESPN FPI Win Predictor: Boise State to win at an 88.4% rate
Weather: High of 35 ̊/Low of 19 ̊  with light snow showers and mild winds. Sunset at 4:34 PM
Head to Head Record: Boise State 8 wins, Colorado State 0 wins
Previous Meeting: Boise State 56, Colorado State 28 on October 19, 2018 in Boise, Idaho
MWC Mountain Division Titles: Boise State 3, Colorado State 0
MWC Conference Titles: Boise State 3, Colorado State 0

Bronco/Ram History Rewind

Colorado State began football play in 1893 and were an independent until joining the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 1909 before moving to the Mountain State Conference in 1938 and finally the Skyline Conference in 1948.  The Rams returned to independency in 1962 before making the jump to the Western Athletic Conference in 1968.

Boise State would join the ranks of the Western Athletic Conference in 2001 but Colorado State had departed the WAC for the Mountain West Conference in 1998.  Boise State would themselves join the MWC in 2011. 

Despite the relatively close proximity between the schools, Colorado State and Boise State did not meet on the football field until they became conference mates in 2011. The Broncos and Rams have played every year since then and were both placed in the Mountain Division in 2013 when the conference expanded to 12 teams.

Boise State has won all 8 matchups since 2011 and many have them been by lopsided scores.  However, the 2017 game was quite memorable. Colorado State jumped out to a 28-3 lead but due to the heroics of Cedric Wilson and Alexander Mattison, Boise State was able to rally and force overtime when they were able to score a stunning victory with a final margin of 59-52.

Colorado State Season Rewind

The fifth season under Mike Bobo has not gone according to plan for Colorado State. After getting smoked by in state rival Colorado, the Rams got in the win column by defeating an FCS opponent at home. The Rams proceeded to lose the next 4 games and slipped to 1-5 at the midway point of the year. To make matters worse, Colorado State would lose their starting quarterback Colin Hill for the year during this period.

Coach Bobo and company would finally stop the hemorrhaging with a road trip to New Mexico where the Rams were able to knock off the Lobos.  Colorado State carried the momentum over to score a stunning upset victory on the road at Fresno State and followed that with another win at home over UNLV.  During this time, new quarterback Patrick O’Brien distinguished himself with solid play on the field and the Rams looked to have a hope of getting to a bowl game in 2019.

The good times would quickly come to a halt though.  Colorado State would lose to instate rival Air Force by 17 points and then get defeated in the Border War by Wyoming by 10 points and fall to 4-7.  Without any postseason hopes remaining, Coach Bobo and Patrick O’Brien will throw everything they have at the Broncos and look to end the year on a positive note. 

Rankings

In the College Football Playoff Rankings, the Broncos held fast at 20th despite their blowout victory last week. Meanwhile in the traditional polls, the Broncos find themselves also at 20th in the AP Poll and 19th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Colorado State is not receiving votes in either poll.  Jeff Sagarin’s computer rankings have the Broncos checking in as the 26th best team in division 1 football and the Rams find themselves at 109th.

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