What could hold Boise State back in its first Pac-12 season

Coming off three straight Mountain West championships, Boise State is the favorite to secure another title in Year 1 of the reborn Pac-12.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Broncos are +160 to win the Pac-12 in the latest odds from DraftKings. San Diego State is next at +400, followed by Texas State (+425), Fresno State (+650), Washington State (+950), Utah State (+1600), Oregon State (+1900) and Colorado State (+3300).

Boise State also has the best odds among Group of Six teams to reach the College Football Playoff at +450. The five highest-ranked conference champions earn automatic bids to the CFP.

Despite the lofty preseason expectations, Boise State has some concerns entering its first Pac-12 season. No concern is greater than the Broncos’ ability to tackle.

Tackling remains a major concern

In each of the past two years, Boise State regularly struggled to get ball-carriers on the ground. Missed tackles led directly to big plays in all five of the Broncos’ losses last season.

Back in June, Cody Nagel of CBS Sports compiled the career FBS production for every player entering the 2026 college football season. The numbers painted a dark picture for Boise State.

Of 138 Division I teams, the Broncos rank No. 127 with an overall missed tackle percentage of 17.3 percent. Boise is much better in other categories, including havoc percentage (1.7 percent, No. 19 nationally) and coverage efficiency (53.9 percent, No. 6 nationally).

Head coach Spencer Danielson has attempted to address the tackling issues with more physical play in spring practice and fall camp.

“We’ve got to tackle better,” Danielson said at the beginning of fall camp. “We were one of the worst tackling teams in the country last year, can’t happen. … I think we improved a lot in the spring, and we’ve carried it over into the summer.”

Special teams need to improve

The Broncos also need to be much better on special teams in 2026.

Kick return and kick coverage were two major weaknesses for Boise State last season. The Broncos ranked No. 122 in the country in kick return defense, No. 93 in kick returns and No. 111 in punt returns.

Returning kicker Colton Boomer had a solid junior season, converting 11 of 15 field goals (73 percent) and 46 of 47 (98 percent) PATs while recording touchbacks on 79 percent of his kickoffs. Boomer, who was 1 of 5 on field goals between 40 and 49 yards, needs to improve his accuracy.

Passing game showing signs of progress

Boise State’s downfield passing game has also received plenty of criticism over the last two years, but fifth-year senior quarterback Maddux Madsen and the rebuilt wide receivers room have looked solid in fall camp.

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