Boise State to host conference title game again. Here’s why, and its opponent

The Boise State football team earned a berth in the Mountain West Conference championship game. | Idaho Statesman. BOSIE (Idaho Statesman) — Just a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like Boise State football was stuck in the outside lane to make the Mountain West championship game, and slowly falling behind. But what seemed improbable in the days following the Broncos’ 17-7 loss to San Diego State on Nov. 15 become a reality on Sunday: Boise State is hosting the conference title game, courtesy of computer rankings and a key regular season win. Boise State (8-4, 6-2 Mountain West) will play familiar foe UNLV (10-2, 6-2) at 6 p.m. Friday at Albertsons Stadium. This will be the third straight year these teams have met for the championship, with the Broncos winning two years ago in Las Vegas and last year in Boise. The game will air on Fox. The Broncos routed the Rebels 56-31 in the regular season on The Blue, with redshirt junior quarterback Maddux Madsen throwing four touchdown passes in the October matchup. Madsen has missed the past three games since suffering a lower-leg injury against Fresno State on Nov. 1, but Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said Friday there’s a “really good chance” he’ll be healthy for the championship game. In Madsen’s absence, the Broncos wilted in a loss at San Diego State before pulling off do-or-die victories against Colorado State and Utah State. “It’s never easy and they found a way to not only win this past weekend to secure a spot, but also overcame tons of adversity…,” Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey told the Idaho Statesman in a statement. “… Our student-athletes, Coach Danielson and his coaching staff, and the entire team behind the team have done a phenomenal job of living out our What’s Next mentality.” Tickets are already on sale through TicketMaster, which has an agreement with the university to ensure authentic ticket sales and resales. As of Sunday morning, the cheapest tickets available were going for $39 before taxes in the upper tier of the South End Zone. How Boise State pulled it off Following Boise State’s 25-24 comeback victory at Utah State on Friday evening and this weekend’s action, the Broncos finished in a four-way tie at the top of the conference standings at 6-2, alongside UNLV, San Diego State and New Mexico. New Mexico defeated San Diego State 23-17 in double overtime on Friday to force its way into the conversation, while UNLV swept aside in-state rival Nevada 42-17 on Saturday night. The Mountain West’s first tiebreaker to determine the two teams is head-to-head records. Although Boise State played the three other teams involved this season, San Diego State and UNLV did not meet, so that tiebreaker wasn’t possible. The conference’s second tiebreaker is a composite of four computer rankings — Connelly SP+, ESPN SOR, KPI and SportSource — with the two teams with the best averages advancing. Once those teams are determined, it reverts to the first tiebreaker to determine who will host. UNLV led the rankings with a composite average of 45.5, while Boise State came in second with an average of 47.75, despite having the most losses of the teams in the tie. San Diego State (9-3, 6-2), which entered the weekend in pole position for hosting the game, was third with an average of 51, while New Mexico (9-3, 6-2) brought up the rear at 54.75. With the top two teams figured out, the Broncos were sitting pretty by virtue of their victory over the Rebels, meaning in this instance, the No. 2 team in the rankings gets to host the No. 1 team. Dickey told the Statesman that the conference’s tie-breaking process gives a “consistent and objective standard to evaluate everyone at once.” “When we as Mountain West athletic directors voted this into place starting with the 2024 season, we set out to establish a process to identify two teams with the strongest full-season resumes when head to head can’t break a tie,” Dickey said. “This process and metrics also align with the College Football Playoff’s evaluation philosophy.” Dickey extended his sympathies to San Diego State and New Mexico’s leadership, and that he knows it “could have been us on the other side.” This will be Boise State’s fourth straight appearance in the championship game. The Broncos lost 28-16 at home to Fresno State in 2022, before beating UNLV 44-20 in ‘23 and defeating the Rebels 21-7 at Albertsons Stadium last December.The post Boise State to host conference title game again. Here’s why, and its opponent appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com