Boise State loses ground in Coaches Poll after South Dakota scare

Broncos still receive the most votes among Group of Six teams

Boise State's Kyle Hall (20). | Boise State Athletics

Following Saturday’s unimpressive 38-24 home victory over FCS South Dakota, Boise State lost votes in the Coaches Poll for the first time this season. 

The Broncos (2-1) earned 29 votes in the Week 3 Coaches Poll, which was released on Sunday. Boise State jumped from 24 to 43 votes after nearly upsetting Oregon to open the season and received 44 votes last week after blasting Memphis at home, 38-20. 

In Saturday’s game against South Dakota (3-1), the Broncos trailed 14-7 midway through the second quarter and were locked in a 24-all tie deep into the final period. Dylan Riley had a pair of rushing touchdowns in the closing minutes—including an 83-yard burst—to rescue Boise State at Albertsons Stadium.

“I’m just happy that we can learn a lot from a win,” senior edge rusher Max Stege said after the game. “I don’t think anybody is happy with our performance today, but at the end of the day we won. … Winning is always hard, and we got it done today. That’s what championship teams do. They win, no matter what.”

Boise State still leads Group of Six teams

The Broncos received the most votes among Group of Six teams in the Week 3 Coaches Poll, coming in above Tulsa (20), Western Michigan (17), North Dakota State (eight), Massachusetts (two) and James Madison (two). 

Western Michigan will host Boise State at 1:30 p.m. Mountain time on Saturday. 

Texas remains atop the Coaches Poll

Texas held on to the top spot in the Week 3 Coaches Poll, followed by Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami.

Texas A&M was the biggest faller of the week after suffering a 31-21 home loss to Kentucky. The Aggies plummeted 12 spots from No. 8 to No. 20.

Houston and Virginia both fell out of the Coaches Poll. 

Here is the full Week 3 Coaches Poll (first-place votes in parentheses):

Week 3 Coaches Poll

1. Texas (46)

2. Georgia (16)

3. Notre Dame (2)

4. Indiana (9)

5. Miami (1)

6. Ole Miss

7. Ohio State

8. Alabama

9. BYU

10. Texas Tech

11. LSU 

12. USC

13. Tennessee

14. Penn State

15. Utah

16. Oregon

17. Iowa

18. Michigan

19. Louisville 

20. Texas A&M

21. Missouri

22. Florida

23. Washington

24. Oklahoma

25. SMU

Dropped out: No. 23 Houston; No. 25 Virginia

Others receiving votes: Houston 116; Mississippi State 114; Duke 70; West Virginia 55; Kentucky 54; Oklahoma State 36; Pittsburgh 35; Virginia Tech 30; Vanderbilt 29; Boise State 29; Tulsa 20; UCLA 18; Kansas State 18; Western Michigan 17; Nebraska 11; North Dakota State 8; Northwestern 4; Clemson 3; Massachusetts 2; James Madison 2; Arizona 1