Boise State coach Avalos needs to deliver a Mountain West title this year | Analysis

Editor’s note: This is the 10th and final installment of a series exploring the top 10 questions surrounding the Boise State football team this season. All stories are accompanied by a video online featuring Idaho Statesman reporter Ron Counts and Boise State super-fan Jacob Bleymaier. The videos also appear on his Bronco Bleymaier YouTube channel.

Dressed in a black hoodie and wielding a stick with a boxing glove on the end, Boise State football coach Andy Avalos was running around practice Thursday trying to dislodge the ball from the grasp of unsuspecting players.

The former Boise State linebacker known for his intensity and steely glare looks like he still has as much energy as he did when he was chasing down running backs.

He hopes that energy is contagious because he knows how important it is to start his third season as head coach at his alma mater on a positive note.

“Having a fast start and banking team reps so it doesn’t take us three weeks into the season to have confidence is going to be huge,” Avalos said during Mountain West Media Days last month in Las Vegas. “Once we get into the season, it’s one week at a time until we accomplish our goal.”

Starting the season on a winning note isn’t going to be easy. The Broncos open at Washington — one of the favorites to win the Pac-12. They follow that with a home game against UCF, which beat Boise State two years ago in Orlando and will be motivated to prove it belongs in the Power Five after joining the Big 12 this year.

Avalos and his Broncos proved last year that they can overcome daunting circumstances without crumbling. Four weeks into last season, they were 2-2 after a loss at UTEP, four-year starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier was in the transfer portal and offensive coordinator Tim Plough was out of a job.

A combination of masterful coaching from Avalos and interim offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, and quarterback Taylen Green’s super-human athleticism, led the Broncos to an appearance in the Mountain West championship game, a bowl win and a 10-4 record.

Avalos is 17-9 in two seasons at Boise State. He’s proven that he’s willing to make difficult decisions and knows how to rally the troops.

But is Avalos under pressure to win now? Of course. This is Boise State — a program that shook up the college football world with Fiesta Bowl wins and a 50-3 record during the Kellen Moore era that isn’t likely to be matched by a Group of Five team anytime soon.

Avalos knows there’s pressure, but he also knows what will quell all the noise — a Mountain West championship.

“Our goal is written right across the top of the room,” he said Monday, referring to the message his players see every day in the team room: Win the Mountain West championship and a bowl game with class, integrity and academic excellence.

“That’s become the standard here,” Avalos continued.

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Avalos is under pressure to deliver a conference crown this year, in part because the Broncos have come so close the past few years.

Boise State has played in the title game twice in the past three seasons and lost both times.

In 2020, San Jose State knocked the Broncos off at a neutral site in Las Vegas. Fresno State invaded Albertsons Stadium last season and left with the championship trophy after beating the Broncos 28-16.

Reasserting itself as the preeminent program in the Mountain West is more important for Boise State this year than getting back to 10 wins or winning another bowl game.

That’s especially true with the College Football Playoff expanding next year.

A conference championship won’t ensure the Broncos a prominent place in the postseason this year, but it will create a tidal wave of momentum heading into next season when the six highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed spots in the new 12-team playoff format.

“The opportunities that come in the future will be because of what we do today,” Avalos said. “We’re excited about the college football landscape, and we’re committed to hard work. We have a great group this year that not only wants to do it, but have fun doing it.”

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Avalos can thank his predecessors for the pressure he’s facing.

Former Boise State head coaches Chris Petersen and Bryan Harsin delivered conference titles in their first three seasons on the job.

Petersen led the Broncos to Western Athletic Conference championships in 2006 and 2008, with a 10-3 season sandwiched in between. Harsin led the team to a Mountain West title in 2014, which was his first season as head coach.

It would be completely unreasonable to suggest Avalos is on the hot seat this year.

He’s beloved by fans who still remember his 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 2004 Liberty Bowl. He’s doted on by an administration that has dreamed up a $300 million facilities overhaul that should make Boise State even more attractive to recruits and maybe even a Power Five conference.

Avalos still has two years on his contract, and his base salary is a little more than $1.5 million this season.

He’s also still in the process of remaking Boise State’s roster in his image. Avalos said Monday that 60 of the 85 scholarship players on the roster were recruited by his staff. Many of them will hit the field the next couple of years.

Avalos also has a chance to land one of the highest-rated recruits in program history in Burley wide receiver Gatlin Bair. The four-star recruit is poised to announce his decision during a live stream on Saturday. His top five schools are Boise State, Michigan, TCU, Oregon and Nebraska.

Avalos’ job isn’t in jeopardy this year, but that could change if he has to fire another coordinator or fails to deliver a conference championship again this season.

It’s Mountain West championship or bust for the Broncos this year. That sentiment will be even stronger next year when a playoff berth will come with a chance to play on the national stage with a hefty payout.