Kickoff time set for Boise State’s home tilt vs. Nevada, featuring preseason favorites

The Boise State football team’s home game against Nevada on Oct. 2 will kick off at 1:30 p.m. and air on FS1, the team announced Monday afternoon on Twitter.

Nevada (2-1) is coming off a 38-17 loss to Kansas State on Saturday, but the Wolf Pack opened the season with a 22-17 win over Cal. They also rolled Idaho State 49-10.

The Wolf Pack were picked to win the West Division by Mountain West media members in July, so even though it’s still early in the season, their game against the Broncos in Albertsons Stadium could have major conference title implications. Boise State was picked to win the Mountain Division.

The teams haven’t played since Boise State held on to win 31-27 in 2018 in Reno, Nevada.

Boise State is 30-13 all-time against Nevada. The Broncos have won the last five meetings, but the Wolf Pack boast one of the nation’s top passing attacks this season and are led by a quarterback likely to be playing in the NFL eventually.

Nevada ranks No. 3 in the Mountain West this season in total offense with 430 yards a game. Its passing attack (353 ypg) also ranks No. 3 in the conference while ranking No. 9 nationally. The Wolf Pack are led by quarterback Carson Strong, who earned some preseason hype as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Strong has thrown for 955 yards and seven touchdown with two interceptions in the first three games of the season. His top targets have been Romeo Doubs (17 catches, 259 yards, TD) and Elijah Cooks (13 catches, 157 yards, 4 TDs), who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.

Boise State (1-2) is coming off a home loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday, which came down to a late field-goal attempt by kicker Jonah Dalmas that was blocked. The Broncos have lost three of their last four games — dating back to a 34-20 loss to San Jose State in last season’s Mountain West championship game.

The Broncos open their Mountain West schedule on the road Saturday (10 a.m., CBS) at Utah State (3-0), which leads the conference with 563 yards of offense per game. Nevada has a bye this week.

BOISE STATE AT UTAH STATE

When: 10 a.m. Saturday

Where: Maverik Stadium, Logan, Utah

TV: CBS (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Sherree Burris). That’s channel 2 on Sparklight and 2-70 on Dish Network. CBS is no longer offered on DirecTV.

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 1-2; Utah State 3-0

Series: Boise State is 30-13 all-time against Utah State. The Broncos have won the last five in a row, including a 42-13 victory last fall in the season opener.

Vegas line: Boise State by 9

Weather: High of 80 degrees, 1% chance of rain, 5 mph winds