Thankful for early kickoff? ‘Morning operation’ Boise State gets Oregon State on Friday

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — While most of the Treasure Valley is tucked in bed or stumbling to breakfast Friday morning, packed to the brim full of Thanksgiving food and drink — or, ugh, already out shopping — the Boise State football team will be rolling up to Albertsons Stadium.

It still will be dark.

Due to some scheduling they have faced before, the No. 11 Broncos (10-1, 7-0 Mountain West) will host Oregon State (5-6) on Friday at 10 a.m. to close out the regular season.

Boise State’s players will be in bed by 9 p.m. on Thursday and have to report to Albertsons by 6 a.m. the next morning.

“We’re a morning operation, and so our guys are kind of used to that,” head coach Spencer Danielson said Monday.

The team’s Tuesday practice has started at 7 a.m. all season, with treatment for most players starting at 6.

“Now, we have not played an early game (this year), and we’re all battling what that looks like, but we’ve got to be ready to go,” he continued.

Danielson said the team would enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together before spending time with family, but the Broncos can’t afford to stuff themselves with too much turkey and mashed potatoes.

Visiting Oregon State has plenty to play for, being just one win from bowl eligibility, so it will be trying to make sure this isn’t its final game. The Beavers snapped a five-game losing streak last week with a 41-38 win over fellow former Pac-12 team Washington State after recovering a late fumble and getting a 54-yard field goal in the game’s final minute.

Boise State beat Washington State earlier this season 45-24.

“Everything’s on the line for them, too,” Danielson said. “They win this game, they’re bowl-eligible, they’re going to come out fired up.”

Friday morning’s game counts as a nonconference meeting, unusual for this time of year. Following the breakup of the Pac-12, the two leftover teams — Washington State and Oregon State — came to a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West. That means the Broncos played their final league game in the regular season last weekend, a 17-13 win over Wyoming.

The victory secured Boise State’s undefeated conference slate, ensuring it will host the Mountain West championship game at Albertsons Stadium at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6.

But that doesn’t make Friday morning’s game less important. The Broncos are still in the fight for positioning in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

The four highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed a first-round bye, and with Boise State ranked higher than any team from the Big 12, it currently holds that No. 4 seed. So even though the Broncos can make the CFP simply by winning the Mountain West title game against either UNLV or Colorado State, that’s not set in stone.

A home loss to a big underdog could be devastating, and allow a team like Tulane or Army to win the AAC title and steal the bid going to a Group of Five conference champ.

“It’s a big game for them, it’s a big game for us,” Danielson said. “And those are the games that you’re fired up about in late November, especially the last game of the season and right after Thanksgiving.”

Oregon State might not spring many surprises on Boise State, but one question could be at quarterback. Redshirt junior Gevani McCoy was the starter the first part of the season, after transferring from the University of Idaho. He played for the Vandals for three seasons, starting 26 games and totaling 5,834 yards and 49 touchdowns.

But it’s been a challenging jump from the FCS to Oregon State — he’s thrown just three touchdown passes while tossing five interceptions. He’s also rushed for five TDs. That stat line prompted the Beavers to look toward redshirt junior quarterback Ben Gulbranson in recent weeks.

Gulbranson threw for 294 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the win over Washington State over the weekend, so it’s likely he gets the start. But realizing McCoy might have extra motivation, it’s not out of the realm he could see action.

“Offensively, they put you in a bunch of conflict,” Danielson said. “They roll a couple of different quarterbacks. All can throw it and run.”

When: 10 a.m. Mountain time Friday

Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,363, turf)

TV: Fox Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 162 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 10-1, 7-0; Oregon State 5-6

Series: Oregon State leads the series 6-4

Vegas line: Boise State by 20.5 points

Weather: High of 37, low of 18, humidity 70%, sunny, 5% chance of rain or snow