Boise State to face potential No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick in 2026 college football season opener

Boise State’s first game as a member of the Pac-12 will be on the road against a former Pac-12 power.

The Broncos are set to open the 2026 college football season at Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 5.

The Ducks, who fell to Indiana in the semifinals of this year’s College Football Playoff, will be replacing offensive coordinator Will Stein (Kentucky’s new head coach), defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi (California head coach) and several impact players on both sides of the ball, including tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman.

Oregon will have certainty at the quarterback position as Dante Moore announced on Wednesday that he is returning to school for his junior season. Moore was expected to be the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.

“With this decision, mainly all my life has just been about being as most prepared as I can for any situation I go into,” Moore said during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “And when it comes to me making my decision, I just want to do what's best for my situation, especially as a quarterback.”

Moore began his college career at UCLA and transferred after his freshman season. He backed up Dillon Gabriel last year as the Ducks won the Big Ten and earned the No. 1 overall seed for the inaugural 12-team CFP.

As a redshirt sophomore, Moore started all 15 games for the Ducks and completed 296 of 412 passes (71.8 percent) for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 156 yards and two more scores.

The 6-foot-3, 206-pound Moore is expected to be one of the top prospects in a loaded 2027 quarterbacks class.

Boise State will also have an experienced quarterback at Autzen Stadium in senior-to-be Maddux Madsen, who started the last two seasons for the Broncos.

Madsen finished his junior year 176 of 302 passing (58 percent) for 2,334 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He missed the final three games of the regular season with a lower leg injury but returned for the Mountain West championship game, leading the Broncos (9-5) to a third straight title.

It was an up-and-down campaign for Madsen, who started in four of Boise State’s five losses. He went 55 of 103 passing (54 percent) for 487 yards with one touchdown and six interceptions in the losses. Madsen didn’t finish two of the games — including the LA Bowl — due to injury.

In his five career appearances against Power Four teams, Madsen has two passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. He completed 17 of 40 passes for 148 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions during Boise State’s 37-34 loss at Oregon in September 2024.