Projected college football rankings after Boise State proves it deserves the bye

The Boise State Broncos are Mountain West Conference Champions. They aim for much more than that.

With a 21-7 win over UNLV on Friday night, Ashton Jeanty and company punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff. Unsurprisingly, the Heisman Trophy candidate racked up 209 rushing yards and a touchdown.

But an automatic offer was not the only issue. The Broncos had to give the College Football Playoffs selection committee a reason to keep them in the No. 4 seed.

There remains a chance the committee rewards the Big 12 winner with that spot, but Boise’s performance in the Mountain West championship game should be enough.

Oregon
Texas
State of Pennsylvania
Notre Dame
Georgia
EMS
Ohio State
Tennessee
Boise State
Indiana
Alabama
Arizona State
Miami
Ole Mademoiselle
South Carolina
Iowa State
Clemson
BYU
Missouri
Army
UNLV
Illinois
Syracuse
Colorado
Memphis

I reward conference champions not only for playing an extra game, but for winning it. That means bumps for Boise State and Army, as crowned champions, and for Arizona State and SMU, presumptive conference champions.

This bump won’t be enough to put the Sun Devils in the Top 4. The Broncos will get an unexpected bye thanks to their 12-1 record and their Mountain West title.

Frankly, it’s deserved. I understand the Big 12’s argument that they are respected. When they fight, it’s negative. When the SEC fights, it’s a show of strength. Trust me, I understand. Yet Boise State is a unique case.

Despite playing in the G5, the Bronco’s strength of schedule is not significantly worse than the Big 12 contenders. They came into championship weekend in 86th place in that measure. ASU is 72nd. Iowa State is 68th.

Additionally, Boise State traveled to Eugene to play Oregon and lost at the last second on a go-ahead field goal. Facing the No. 1 team in college football on their home field is a show of quality for the Broncos.

Barring a shocking seeding overhaul by the College Football Playoff committee, Boise State is on track to become the No. 4 seed. And they should be in the top 10 of the championship. college football rankings Also.