No. 11 Boise State will host No. 22 UNLV in the Mountain West Championship Game on Friday. With Tulane losing earlier this week to Memphis and Army dropping out of the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, the winner of this game is almost certain to receive one of the five automatic bids to the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Broncos (11-1, 7-0 Mountain West) clinched their spot in the conference title game earlier this month and went undefeated against league opponents in the regular season. The Broncos have won their last 10 games since losing to Oregon 37-34 in Week 2.
UNLV (10-2, 6-1) punched its ticket to the Mountain West title game with a 38-14 win over Nevada in Week 14. The Rebels won the tiebreaker over Colorado State by virtue of their CFP ranking.
The game will be a rematch of Boise State’s thrilling 29-24 victory over UNLV on the road. Ashton Jeanty scored a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run with 12:38 remaining in regulation to give his team the lead for good. Boise State defeated UNLV 44-20 in last year’s conference title game.
Here’s what you need to know about Boise State and UNLV ahead of next week’s Mountain West title game.
What to know about Boise State
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably seen Jeanty light up defenses this season. The Boise State star running back is putting together a historic season and should be one of the finalists for the Heisman trophy. Jeanty finished the regular season with 2,288 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns and also caught 18 passes for 102 yards and another touchdown.
Boise State’s lone loss this season came against No. 1 Oregon on the road. Since that loss to the Ducks, Boise State has rattled off 10 consecutive wins to put themselves in a position to secure an automatic berth (and potentially a first-round bye) in the CFP with a win. Many projected former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson to step in for Boise State this season, but that wasn’t the case. Maddux Madsen won the starting job in fall camp and has thrown 21 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
What to know about UNLV
UNLV is firmly in the mix to reach the CFP and would likely get into the field as the No. 12 seed with a win over Boise State. The Rebels lost to Syracuse in nonconference play earlier this season and fell home to Boise State last month. UNLV has won its last four games since losing to the Broncos.
The Rebels season started with some controversy. Starting quarterback Matthew Sluka left the program due to a name, image and likeness dispute after guiding UNLV to a 3-0 start. Fellow transfer quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams stepped in during his absence and helped steer the ship. Between his running and passing, Williams has scored 23 combined touchdowns since taking over as the starter. UNLV wide receiver Ricky White lll will be a player to watch.