Boise State Football: First Look At The 2023 Schedule

The Broncos enter 2023 with high expectations and a tough schedule with which to deal. 

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High expectations and a tough row.

After the revelation of Mountain West football’s full conference schedule at the beginning of this month, the path to another championship was laid bare for the Boise State Broncos. Already seen by many as the early preseason favorites to win it all, will the overall slate give Andy Avalos’s team a chance to build upon last year’s late surge?

Here’s what the week-by-week schedule looks like with Bill Connelly’s preseason SP+ rankings, where Boise State is 68th overall, in parentheses:

Saturday, September 2 – at Washington (16)
Saturday, September 9 – vs. UCF (39)
Saturday, September 16 – vs. North Dakota (35th among FCS teams)
Friday, September 22 – at San Diego State (80)
Saturday, September 30 – at Memphis (61)
Saturday, October 7 – vs. San Jose State (103)
Saturday, October 14 – at Colorado State (119)
Saturday, October 28 – vs. Wyoming (101)
Saturday, November 4 – at Fresno State (67)
Saturday, November 11 – vs. New Mexico (132)
Saturday, November 18 – at Utah State (118)
Saturday, November 25 – vs. Air Force (77)

What are the biggest initial takeaways?

1. An early meeting of potential contenders could set the tone throughout the Mountain West.

For the second season in a row, Boise State will begin conference play against the San Diego State Aztecs. Like last year, the two teams will clash under Friday night lights but, this time, the Broncos can expect a rowdy crowd at Snapdragon Stadium. It also happens to be the first of back-to-back road trips to opposite ends of the country, so that matchup looks like a critical juncture for the boys in blue to prove they’ve overcome the road woes that plagued them early in 2022 for good.

2. Another fruitful trip to Fresno?

Since Fresno State joined the Mountain West in 2012, the two teams have battled eleven times in all. However, the Broncos have made just three trips to Bulldog Stadium, winning their last clash there in 2021 after dropping the contests in 2013 and 2017, and it wouldn’t shock anyone if round four at the corner of Cedar and Barstow proved to be just as impactful as the others.

It’s arguably the most difficult road trip Boise State will make in conference play this fall and, on the first week of November, it will come at a crucial point in the overall calendar. Win at Fresno again, and the path to hosting another conference title game at Albertsons Stadium becomes a lot more wide open.

3. The trickiest season finale?

…If they survive Air Force at home, too, that is. Of the six games scheduled for the final weekend of Mountain West play, the Broncos hosting the Falcons would seem, on paper, to be the one most likely to shake up the title game chase. The two teams have played one-score games in each of the last two seasons and, with a potentially powerful Boise State offense matching up with a potentially stingy Air Force defense, this should be must-see television.

Hardest stretch: at Washington, vs. UCF

Easiest stretch: vs. New Mexico, at Utah State

Guaranteed wins: vs. North Dakota, vs. New Mexico

Guaranteed losses: at Washington

Worse than 50/50 games: vs. UCF

50/50 games: at San Diego State, at Memphis, vs. Wyoming, at Fresno State, vs. Air Force

Better than 50/50 games: vs. San Jose State, at Colorado State, at Utah State

Preliminary projected record: 8-4

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Story originally appeared on Mountain West Wire