Taking A Look At Boise State’s Non-Conference Schedule
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With the NCAA Baseball and Softball Tournaments in full swing, the focus can now shift towards football. The Mountain West Wire’s 2022 OOC Rankings were recently released, and the Broncos have matchups from top to bottom. Before we get into other rankings, here is a quick breakdown of the non-MW slate for Boise State:
9/3 @ Oregon St
It shouldn’t surprise that the Broncos are opening the season on the road. Boise State has only opened the season in Alberston Stadium three times in the last decade, but at least Corvallis, Oregon, is only about an 8-hour drive. Generally, Oregon State has been towards the bottom of the PAC12 but finished 7-6 last season, and it will be interesting to see if they are genuinely improved and can replicate those results. The Beavers lost their lead back, B.J. Baylor, to the NFL and will have to deal with an improving Bronco defense, so it may come down to if the Boise State offense can start well. Since that has not happened constantly, it adds considerable intrigue to this match-up.
Outlook: The game being in Corvallis, where the Beavers have been good recently, makes this more interesting than it should be, but the Broncos should still walk away with a 13+ point victory.
9/17 vs. UT-Martin
As FCS opponents go, UT-Martin is better than most. The Skyhawks made it to the second round of the FCS playoffs after winning the Ohio Valley Conference, finishing with a 10-3 record. They look to be a very young team on offense and have not played in front of a crowd larger than 18,000 people since 2019, so if the defense starts strong and the crowd can get behind them, it could get out of hand quickly for them.
Outlook: If this were one of the Dakota State teams, there would be some concern. This game shouldn’t be close, though, and look for the Broncos to open their home schedule with a 30+ point Victory.
9/23 @ UTEP
Kind of like Oregon State, UTEP has been a bad team for a while and turned in a 7-6 record last season. These victories came over teams with a combined winning percentage of .288 and an FCS opponent and were beaten handily in Boise 54-13. Playing at home and returning a lot of experience on offense, The Minors might be able to stick in the game longer this year.
Outlook: UTEP should prove to be a better team than last year. Unfortunately for them, the Broncos will be too. The Broncos will return home with a 24+ point win over the Minors.
11/5 vs. BYU
BYU coming to “The Blue” is in the top five of Mountain West non-conference games, and frankly, it should be. In 2021, Boise State upset then #10 BYU in Provo, and in 2019 the Cougars throttled the Broncos in Boise. These games have been competitive recently, and long-term bragging rights come with this victory since BYU ended the annual matchup after this season. While the opener against Oregon State carries interest, a late-season home matchup against the Cougars is the game that should get Boise State and Mountain West fans excited. This game will be the third against BYU for the conference, and for Boise State fans, this will hopefully power the Broncos through the end of the season.
Outlook: This game is the wild card of the OOC games. It should be a close win for the Broncos, but it could easily end up 27-3, 56-41, or 10-8; who knows. The Broncos at Air Force and play a Colorado State team that has added a lot of talent the two weeks leading up to this game. If they come in healthy, they should have a 3+ point win. If they are banged up, which seems more likely, this could be a 12+ point loss.
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