Boise State is in the College Football Playoff.
The Broncos won the Mountain West Conference title Friday night, defeating UNLV 21-7 in the Mountain West championship game, and qualified for the sport's first 12-team playoffs.
Star running back Ashton Giunty ran for 209 yards and a touchdown, his sixth 200+ yard game of the season.
With 2,497 rushing yards in a season, Giunty currently ranks on the FBS's all-time single-season rushing list, ahead of Barry Sanders (2,628 yards in 1988), Melvin Gordon (2,587 yards in 2014) and UCF's Kevin Smith (2007). 2,567 yards per year). . Giunty also finished the regular season with 29 rushing touchdowns.
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Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Giunty runs through the line during the first half of the Mountain West Championship game against the UNLV Rebels at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, Dec. 6, 2024. do. (Lauren Orr/Getty Images)
Giunty set the tone for Boise State with a 75-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, his 12th carry of 50 yards or more this season.
Boise State will maintain or surpass No. 10 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, which will be released Sunday. That would almost certainly put the Broncos in line for fourth place in the conference championship rankings and a first-round bye.
The Big 12 title game on Saturday will pit No. 15 Arizona State against No. 16 Iowa State.
The winner advances to the playoffs. But the only realistic route left for either team to earn a bye (and the extra $4 million that comes with it) is that win (hopefully a convincing one) and the Atlantic Coast Conference. would be combined with a loss for No. 8 SMU, the leader of the. , will play No. 17 Clemson.
Iowa State, SMU ads engage in war of words in response to latest CFP rankings: “Stay off my lawn!”
UNLV Rebels offensive lineman Matheus Sua and the Boise State Broncos fight along the line of scrimmage during the first half of the Mountain West Championship game at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Dec. 6, 2024. Outside Linebacker Jaden Virgin Morgan #5. Idaho. (Lauren Orr/Getty Images)
The Big 12 commissioner and Iowa State's athletic director are among those already calling foul. By the time the title match is over and the rankings are revealed, they won't be the only ones left standing.
The nation will now turn its attention to other conference championship games as the first playoffs of the expanded playoff era begin to take shape.
Top-ranked Oregon State, the only undefeated team in the country, will also be in attendance. But Saturday's game against No. 3 Penn State is for the Big Ten title and will be a first-round bye.
If Penn State wins, there's an argument that the Nittany Lions could take that top seed.
In the SEC, No. 2 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia. Unfortunately, Bevo is not in the building. The winner gets a bye and wins the championship. The loser should still be in, but if that loser is Georgia, the Dawgs could be in the first round.
Depending on the standings, these teams could face each other three times this season.
Barring something completely unforeseen, it would take an SMU loss, a change of heart on the part of the selection committee, or both to remove Alabama from the list. If things go well, the Southeastern Conference will have four teams in the playoffs.
The selection committee placed the Crimson Tide at No. 11 last week, one spot above Miami, so it looks like the Tide will remain above the Hurricanes in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In last week's rankings, the University of Alabama was in the rankings and Miami was out.
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Two Boise State Broncos cheer the crowd before the start of the Mountain West Championship between the Boise State Broncos and UNLV Rebels at Albertsons Stadium on December 6, 2024 in Boise, Idaho. Number Ashton Janty. (Lauren Orr/Getty Images)
Some teams won't be playing this weekend, but there's no need to worry too much. Fourth place Notre Dame should get a home game.
No. 9 Indiana, one of four Big Ten teams expected to make the playoffs, will likely play.
In between is the question of No. 6 Ohio State and No. 7 Tennessee. Last week's projected standings had teams with a 10-2 record going into the first round game at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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