SAN JOSE, Calif. – Boise State’s pursuit of a Mountain West championship and s spot in the College Football Playoff makes its way to the Bay Area this weekend as the Broncos visit San Jose State at 5 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network.
The Spartans (6-3, 3-2 MW) are undefeated at home this season and possess the No. 5 passing attack in the country on offense and the No. 2 team in interceptions on defense.
It’s a sneaky tough game as the Broncos (8-1, 5-0 MW) look to stay in control of their own destiny with three regular season games remaining.
“This is the most important game of our season,” head coach Spencer Danielson said. “We know it’s a big-time test.”
San Jose State wide receiver Nick Nash leads the nation with 86 catches, 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns – in just nine games. The Spartans rank No. 5 nationally as a team in passing offense at 332.3 yards per game.
Defensively the Spartans rank No. 2 in the nation with 16 interceptions.
Another factor? Likely a small crowd. The Spartans had barely 17,000 for a home game against Wyoming recently and have a unique layout in which no fans sit behind the visiting bench. It will be a ‘BYOE’ game – bring your own energy – according to many players this week.
The Spartans are 4-0 at home this season and have already clinched bowl eligibility in the first year of coach Ken Niumatalolo.
“We know we’re going to get their best,” Danielson said.
Danielson’s message to his group this week? Slow down, soak it in and make the most of this. The Broncos are two wins from clinching home-field advantage in the Mountain West championship, three wins from finishing the regular season at 11-1 and four wins from locking up a spot in the College Football Playoff.
It’s got the makings of a magical, historical season for the Broncos – but it’s going quick.
“A big thing I hit our team on is enjoy the journey,” Danielson said. “Enjoy the journey. Yes, there’s different things on the outside, things that pull you, no different than the coaches, but enjoy the journey.
“This team will never be the same. Every week is a new week, but every year is a new year. Enjoy the journey together. Enjoy the time with your teammates, enjoy this time and enjoy the grind and this life. You can smile and have fun doing hard things.”
This is the second of four straight games in which the Broncos should be double-digit favorites to end the regular season. On paper the path to the CFP appearance seems fairly doable, if not likely.
But that means almost even more pressure on the Broncos. Everyone expects them to win – yet they’ve still got four more to go.
After a sloppy, scary, less-than-impressive home win over Nevada last week, the Broncos are hoping to play better in all three phases and put together a more complete win against San Jose State.
The Broncos are exactly where they want to be. Now they’ve got to finish the job.
“I’m proud of our team,” Danielson said. “Their mentality is in s good place. … I’m proud of our guys and there week they put in. We know the task at hand.”
Watch the Lithia Ford of Boise Pregame Show at 3 p.m. MT LIVE from CEFCU Stadium in San Jose on Saturday for a live look at warmups, late breaking news and injury updates and more on the Bronco Nation News YouTube, Facebook and X accounts. The BNN postgame show will air roughly an hour after the game ends.
