Boise State has clear path to College Football Playoff following Memphis victory

Broncos remain top Group of Six contender

Boise State's Max Stege. | Boise State Athletics

Boise State’s support in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll shrunk after Saturday’s 38-20 victory over Memphis, but the Broncos (1-1, 0-0 Pac-12) are now the overwhelming favorite to represent the Group of Six in the College Football Playoff.

In the latest odds from FanDuel, the Broncos are now +230 to reach the CFP for the second time in three seasons. 

Only 13 teams have better odds to reach the CFP than Boise State: Notre Dame (-800), Miami (-600), Indiana (-380), Georgia (-380), Texas (-370), Ohio State (-290), Texas Tech (-166), LSU (-146), Alabama (+144), Ole Miss (+150), Oregon (+160), Texas A&M (+164) and USC (+170). 

The Broncos were +450 to make the CFP heading into their Week 1 matchup with Oregon and dropped to +350 after suffering a competitive seven-point loss to the Ducks. 

The highest-ranked Group of Six champion will receive an automatic bid to the 12-team playoff. 

Boise State’s top competition for the automatic CFP bid will likely be Mountain West newcomer North Dakota State (3-0, 1-0), which held on for a 38-32 victory at Air Force on Saturday. The Bison do have upcoming road trips to New Mexico (2-0, 0-0) and UNLV (1-2, 1-0) but could be favored in every remaining game. 

North Dakota State is +800 to reach the CFP. 

Two American teams sit at +1000: Memphis (2-1, 0-0) and UTSA (2-0, 0-0). 

The Tigers boast a road win over UNLV but were shut out in the second half at Boise State. UTSA, which defeated Texas State (0-2, 0-0 Pac-12) over the weekend, travels to No. 1 Texas (2-0, 0-0 SEC) this week before hosting Colorado State (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) on Sept. 26. 

Sun Belt favorite James Madison has the fifth-best odds among Group of Six teams to make the playoff at +1150, followed by New Mexico (+1300), South Florida (+1300), Navy (+1500), San Diego State (+1500), Army (+2200) and Western Michigan (+3800).

Boise State will travel to Western Michigan (1-1, 0-0 MAC) on Sept. 26 after hosting FCS South Dakota (3-0) at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The Coyotes were ranked No. 11 in last week’s FCS Coaches Poll. 

The Broncos’ quality loss to Oregon took a hit over the weekend as the Ducks stubbed their toe at Oklahoma State, 39-31. The Cowboys had dropped 21 straight matchups with FBS opponents entering the game. 

Despite the loss, Oregon remains in the hunt for a third straight CFP bid. 

• Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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