Bronco Nation News is taking a look at 20 key questions and storylines facing the Boise State football team entering the 2023 season. Next up in our series is question No. 11: What will the Broncos’ record be at the end of September?
Boise State has its toughest five-game stretch to start a season in several years in 2023.
The Broncos open at likely top-20 Washington on Sept. 2 before returning home to play UCF – who arrives on The Blue with a new Big 12 patch on its chest – on Sept. 9. An 0-2 start certainly seems possible, if not likely.
Up next is a home game against North Dakota before a pair of road games to San Diego State and Memphis.
Three of five on the road to start it out. At least one ranked team. Four games in which the Broncos might be underdogs. A 1-4 start is not off the table.
But so is 3-2 and maybe even 4-1. The swing game will be UCF. A loss to Washington is likely, so the home opener against the Knights will be huge for the opening stretch – and the season. Beat UCF and the Broncos will be 2-1 heading to San Diego State. They’ll have confidence. A win gets them to 3-1 with just the road game at Memphis left.
A loss to UCF drops the Broncos to 0-2 and puts them at 1-2 heading out for the two-game trip.
The most likely scenario is either a 3-2 or 2-3 start. The Broncos can probably win one of the two road games at San Diego State and Memphis, but can they win both?
A 4-1 start puts the Broncos right in the mix for a New Year’ Six bowl game. At 1-4 some fans would be calling for Andy Avalos’ job.
It’s as difficult stretch of games as the Broncos have played in a long time, and it happens right out of the gate. What will the Broncos’ record look like come Oct. 1? It’s as good a question as any – and an important one as we discuss and preview the 2023 season.
B.J. Rains and Jay Tust discussed the topic on Friday’s Bronco Nation News LIVE. Watch the episode here: