Boise State No. 12 in first College Football Playoff Rankings

The No. 12 ranking is the highest for Boise State in the CFP era

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The first set of rankings in the new 12-team College Football Playoff era were released Tuesday, and the 13-person committee was impressed with Boise State’s body of work.

The Broncos (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West Conference) checked in at No. 12 in the rankings, the top team outside of the Power 4 conferences. The five highest-ranked conference champions receive an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. 

Boise State boasts impressive wins over No. 21 Washington State (7-1) and UNLV (6-2) and has arguably the nation’s best loss: a 37-34 defeat at Oregon on Sept. 7. The Broncos held a 34-27 lead in the fourth quarter at Autzen Stadium but were unable to close out the Ducks. 

The No. 12 ranking is the highest for Boise State in the CFP era, which began in 2014. The Broncos’ previous high was No. 19, achieved most recently in 2019.

Oregon received the top spot in the CFP rankings, followed by Ohio State, Georgia, Miami and Texas. No. 25 Army is the only other Group of 5 team to crack the rankings. 

The four highest-ranked conference champions get a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. In the initial rankings, those teams would be Oregon, Georgia, Miami and No. 9 BYU. The four first-round matchups would be Indiana at Tennessee, Notre Dame at Penn State, Alabama at Texas and Boise State at Ohio State. 

The final bracket will be released Dec. 8. 

The Broncos moved up three spots to No. 12 in this week’s AP Top 25 after routing San Diego State, 56-24, on Nov. 1. It’s the highest ranking for Boise State in the AP Top 25 since ending the 2011 season at No. 8 following a win over Arizona State in the Maaco Bowl. 

In the coaches poll, Boise State jumped from No. 19 to No. 14 following the San Diego State game. 

Boise State ranks third nationally in scoring offense (45.8 points per game) and fourth in rushing offense (267.9 per game) and total offense (509.1 per game). 

The Broncos’ four turnovers are the fewest in the country. Boise State also leads all of FBS in sacks per game at 4.75. 

Junior running back Ashton Jeanty is one of the favorites to win the Heisman trophy. Jeanty is the nation’s leading rusher with 190 carries for 1,525 yards and 20 touchdowns. 

For his career, Jeanty has 566 carries for 3,693 yards (6.5 yards per carry) and 41 touchdowns while catching 71 passes for 805 yards and six scores. 

Boise State returns to action this Saturday with a 7 p.m. Mountain Time home game against Nevada (3-7, 0-4 MWC). The game will air nationally on FOX. 

MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

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• ESPN FPI predictions: Boise State in great shape to secure playoff bid

• Latest Heisman Trophy odds: Ashton Jeanty still in top 4