7. University of Hawaii
MW Conference record versus Boise State: 0-5 (000%)
21st Century record versus Boise State: 1-14 (067%)
All Time record versus Boise State: 3-14 (17.6%)
Rainbow Warrior Mountain West Conference Championships: 0
Most Disappointing Loss: #15 Rainbow Warriors 39, #19 Broncos 27 on November 23, 2007 in Honolulu, HI
Greatest Bronco Victory: #19 Broncos 31, Rainbow Warriors 10 on December 7, 2019 in Boise, ID (Mountain West Championship Game)
Biggest Rainbow Warrior Villain: Colt Brennan
Greatest Bronco Hero: Bryan Harsin
Quite a few blowouts (in the Broncos direction) in this series including a 55-0 drubbing that Coach Harsin and company laid on Hawaii in 2015. Hawaii and Boise State had some memorable battles in the WAC but the Rainbow Warriors were only able to notch one victory behind the arm of Colt Brennan. While Hawaii did have a successful season in 2019 and won the West Division, they also lost 2 games to the Broncos on the Blue Turf.
Rivalry Level: Sure, whatever. I guess you can call this a rivalry if you want. Hawaii made it to the BCS by defeating Boise State in 2007 in between the Broncos 2006 Fiesta Bowl and 2009 Fiesta Bowl trips. Hawaii got humiliated by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl but for a brief moment one could say they reached Bronco football heights.
Respect Level: Finally, a school that I will honestly say has a respect level above 0. Losing Head Coach Nick Rolovich probably will send the Rainbow Warriors back to the shallow end of the pool but this is a school that can make a little bit of noise. Not enough noise to be taken too seriously but enough of a rumble to get the Broncos to glance over and acknowledge.
6. University of Nevada, Reno
MW Conference record versus Boise State: 0-5 (000%)
21st Century record versus Boise State: 1-15 (6.2%)
All Time record versus Boise State: 13-30 (30.2%)
Wolf Pack Mountain West Conference Championships: 0
Most Disappointing Loss to the Wolf Pack: #19 Wolf Pack 34, #4 Broncos 31 on November 26, 2010 in Reno, NV
Greatest Bronco Victory: Broncos 28, #10 Wolf Pack 27 on November 10, 1979 in Reno, NV
Biggest Wolf Pack Villain: Chris Ault
Greatest Bronco Hero: Jared Zabransky
Knocking off the Wolf Pack in 1977 snapped a 3 game losing streak to Nevada in a season that saw the Wolf Pack ranked in the 2A poll. Nevada and head coach Chris Ault did score a memorable victory against the Broncos in 2010… but the Wolf Pack has lost every other game versus Boise State this century.
Boise State did win 10 straight matchups from 1999 to 2009, 3 of those victories were behind the arm of Zabransky.
Rivalry Level: Hated Rival. Boise State has played Nevada more than any other school in their football history. While Boise State has dominated the matchup recently, Nevada has kept it competitive in the past. There is very little love between these 2 fanbases.
Respect Level: Rival yes, Respect no. What is there to respect, congrats you won a game at home in overtime on a missed field goal. You lose more often than not in most other games that matter and nearly all the time to Boise State. 1 for 16 this century… if I do another one of these 10 years down the road; Nevada might no longer be considered a rival at this rate.
4. University of Wyoming
MW Conference record versus Boise State: 1-8 (11.1%)
21st Century record versus Boise State: 1-13 (7.1%)
All Time record versus Boise State: 1-13 (7.1%)
Cowboy Mountain West Conference Championships: 0
Most Disappointing Loss to the Cowboys: Cowboys 30, #13 Broncos 28 on Ocobter 29, 2016 in Laramie, WY
Greatest Bronco Victory: #3 Broncos 51, Cowboys 6 on September 18, 2010 in Laramie, WY
Biggest Cowboy Villain: Craig Bohl
Greatest Bronco Hero: Austin Pettis
The Cowboys were able to knock Boise State off once in Laramie in 2016 and punch a ticket to the Mountain West Championship game. Wyoming lost that championship game and every subsequent game to Boise State.
Outside of that two-point Cowboy victory, every other contest featuring these 2 schools have been Bronco victories. One memorable moment included a 2010 drubbing in Laramie which featured Austin Pettis doing a front flip in celebration of a touchdown.
Rivalry Level: We are your rival, you are not ours. Craig Bohl is a good coach and the Cowboys are a tough team but without a conference championship and just 1 victory over the Broncos, it is hard to consider this a rivalry.
Respect Level: Sure, Wyoming and Coach Bowl are a ‘tough out’ if you will. They play hard and the Cowboys are a team that shouldn’t be overlooked. Whether that warrants real respect is debatable.
[lawrence-auto-related count=2 category=1368]