Boise State Wins Another Mountain West Football Title!

Boise State is making a strong case for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. The No. 10 Broncos dominated No. 20 UNLV early, cruising to a 21-7 victory in the Mountain West Conference championship game on Friday night. The pivotal moment came just before halftime when Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run, effectively sealing the game.

eanty delivered a sensational performance, finishing with 209 rushing yards and earning chants of his name from the Boise State faithful in the second half. His season total now stands at 2,497 rushing yards, surpassing Marcus Allen's mark for the fourth-most rushing yards in a single season. The electrifying 75-yard score was one of two Broncos touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half. Quarterback Maddux Madsen also contributed with a brilliant run on a QB draw to extend the lead to 14-0 late in the second quarter.

 UNLV’s offense struggled throughout the game. After a quick three-and-out following Jeanty’s touchdown, the Rebels squandered multiple scoring opportunities. They missed a field goal in the first half and failed to capitalize on an 86-yard run by Kylin James in the third quarter, thanks to a heroic tackle by Seyi Oladipo. UNLV came away empty-handed again after a fourth-down pass fell incomplete. Even after finally finding the end zone in the fourth quarter, the Rebels couldn’t close the gap. A goal-to-go situation late in the game ended in another turnover on downs.

The dominant win all but assures Boise State will remain ahead of the Big 12 champion in Sunday’s College Football Playoff rankings. That positions the Broncos as the likely No. 4 seed, with a chance to climb to No. 3 if Clemson defeats SMU in the ACC Championship.

Under the current playoff format, the top five conference champions are guaranteed spots, with the top four earning first-round byes. Few predicted a non-Power Five team would earn one of those coveted slots, but Boise State’s resume speaks for itself. Their lone loss of the season came in Week 2 against Oregon, the nation’s only unbeaten team. That game was decided by a last-second field goal in a 37-34 thriller.

 

Since then, Boise State has been dominant, with six wins by three scores or more. Friday’s victory marked their second over UNLV this season, following a 29-24 road win in October.

As for UNLV, the Rebels will miss the playoff but have much to celebrate. Their 10-win season is only the second in program history and their first since 1984. A likely destination is the LA Bowl, which would mark back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in school history.