Boise State jumps a couple of spots in Top 25 poll after crucial win at UNLV
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Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman
BOISE — A crucial win over UNLV gave Boise State a bump back up The Associated Press Top 25 college football rankings this weekend.
The Broncos defeated the Rebels 29-24 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday night to not only take control of the Mountain West, but jump up to No. 15 in the week 10 rankings.
Boise State (6-1, 3-0 Mountain West) was No. 17 last week, having fallen after the bye week.
The Broncos’ ranking matches a season high and is their highest since being No. 14 in week 8 of the 2019 season.
The Broncos jumped above No. 16 LSU, which lost 38-23 to No. 10 Texas A&M, and No. 17 Kansas State, which narrowly beat 2-6 Kansas 29-27.
Boise State picked up 619 points, coming in behind No. 14 Alabama ( 706 points).
The Broncos remain the highest-ranked Group of Five team, which is a good sign for their hopes of qualifying for the expanded College Football Playoff later this season.
The highest-ranked team from a G5 conference in the CFP committee’s rankings — the Mountain West, AAC, Conference USA, MAC and Sun Belt — is guaranteed a spot in this year’s extended CFP.
The initial committee rankings will be released the evening of Nov. 5, which is Election Day. The only other G5 team ranked in the AP Top 25 is No. 21 Army, which is undefeated.
Washington State, whose only loss is to Boise State, entered the rankings at No. 22 after a narrow 29-26 win over a 3-4 San Diego State team. The Cougars technically still are one of two Pac-12 teams but play a Mountain West schedule until the new Pac-12 forms in July 2026.
The Broncos’ CFP hopes took a boost after Navy, of the AAC, lost its first game of the season in a 51-14 blowout against Notre Dame.
The College Football Playoff rankings won’t mirror the AP or football coaches’ polls, but good positions in those rankings generally bode well.
Despite jumping in the AP poll, the Broncos remained steady in the Coaches Poll at No. 19. The Broncos accumulated 459 points, ahead of No. 20 SMU (346 points) and behind No. 18 Pittsburgh (495 points).
AP TOP 25
Here are the complete AP rankings for Week 10. Clemson and Iowa State tied for No. 11 with 968 points. Oregon, which handed Boise State its only loss this season on a last-second field goal, stayed at No. 1 after a convincing win over No. 24 Illinois.
1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Penn State
4. Ohio State
5. Miami
6. Texas
7. Tennessee
8 Notre Dame
9. BYU
10. Texas A&M
11. Clemson
11. Iowa State
13. Indiana
14. Alabama
15. Boise State
16. LSU
17. Kansas State
18. Pittsburgh
19. Ole Miss
20. SMU
21. Army
22. Washington State
23. Colorad
24. Illinois
25. Missouri