Boise State drops to No. 13 in latest College Football Playoff rankings

Broncos are in the projected 12-team playoff field as one of the five highest-rated conference champions

Boise State Broncos defensive end Ahmed Hassanein. / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Boise State remains firmly in the mix for a College Football Playoff first-round bye.

The Broncos (8-1, 5-0 Mountain West Conference) checked in at No. 13 in the latest CFP rankings, which were released Tuesday. Boise State sat at No. 12 in last week’s initial rankings and held off a spirited Nevada (3-8, 0-5) team, 28-21, Saturday night at Albertsons Stadium.

Junior running back Ashton Jeanty, a Heisman Trophy candidate, had a career-high 34 carries for 209 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

“Each week, we know we’re going to get a team’s best, and we have to make sure we play our best every single opportunity,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said after the Nevada game. “I’m proud of our guys for finding a way to finish the game. There are a lot of things that we need to continue to learn and grow in all three phases. Mistakes happen, and we’ve got to get them fixed. That’s the exciting part.”

Boise State is the top-ranked Group of 5 team by the 13-person CFP committee, well ahead of No. 24 Army. The five highest-ranked conference champions receive an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff with the top four champions getting a first-round bye. 

Oregon remained atop the CFP rankings, followed by Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Indiana. Projected Big 12 champion BYU, ranked ninth a week ago, jumped to No. 6 after edging rival Utah, 22-21. Miami, the projected ACC champion, tumbled to No. 9 after losing to unranked Georgia Tech.  

The four projected first-round matchups are Tennessee vs. Notre Dame, Alabama vs. Indiana, Ole Miss vs. Penn State and Boise State vs. Ohio State. Oregon, Texas, BYU and Miami would all receive first-round byes. 

Boise State, which remains within striking distance of BYU and Miami to get a bye, has impressive wins over No. 18 Washington State (8-1) and UNLV (7-2, 3-1). The Broncos’ lone blemish was a 37-34 loss at top-ranked Oregon in Week 2. 

Boise State has a chance to make another statement this weekend with a 5 p.m. Mountain time road game at San Jose State (6-3, 3-2). 

“We have a huge test this Saturday against San Jose State,” Danielson said. “I think the world of coach (Ken) Niumatalolo and their team, so we know we need to be prepared and have our best week of practice to play our best.”

Here are the College Football Playoff rankings for Week 12 of the 2024 season.

Week 12 College Football Playoff rankings 

Nov. 10, 2024

1. Oregon

2. Ohio State 

3. Texas

4. Penn State

5. Indiana 

6. BYU

7. Tennessee

8. Notre Dame

9. Miami

10. Alabama 

11. Ole Miss

12. Georgia 

13. Boise State

14. SMU

15. Texas A&M

16. Kansas State 

17. Colorado 

18. Washington State 

19. Louisville 

20. Clemson

21. South Carolina 

22. LSU

23. Missouri 

24. Army

25. Tulane

MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

• Ashton Jeanty tops NIL earnings list

• Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty sees workload take off

• AP Poll top 25: Boise State dips to No. 13 following Nevada win

• What Spencer Danielson said after Boise State’s win over Nevada

• Barry Sanders' records still within reach for Ashton Jeanty