Pick Six: Boise State, Liberty and UTSA are top contenders for the Group of Five’s spot in playoff

Boise State has won 83 of 100 Mountain West games and five championships since joining the conference in 2011, and the stage is set for the Broncos to take the next step.

The expansion of the College Football Playoff guarantees the Group of Five will be included in the 12-team field. It’s opportunity that’s ratcheted up the hype surrounding the defending Mountain West champion and preseason favorite.

“There’s a lot of great excitement and buzz and our players deserve that,” coach Spencer Danielson said, “but we’ve got to continue to earn it every single day.”

The 2021 Cincinnati Bearcats are the only Group of Five team to make the playoff since its inaugural 2014 season. Beginning this year, spots are reserved for the five highest-ranked conference champions.

With the demise of the Pac-12, there are now four power conferences. That leaves the winner of the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West or Sun Belt to receive an automatic bid.

Boise State brings back one of the country’s most dynamic players in Ashton Jeanty, the MWC offensive player of the year after leading the nation with 159.67 yards per game from scrimmage. Defensive end Ahmed Hassanein had 12.5 sacks.

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Danielson on Sunday named Maddux Madsen his starting quarterback. Madsen appeared in nine games as a backup before a season-ending knee injury in November. He beat out Malachi Nelson, who transferred from Southern California and was one of the top national recruits in the 2023.

The Broncos are three spots out of the preseason Associated Press Top 25 and the highest ranked Group of Five team in the ESPN power index. They have a big opportunity at No. 3 Oregon on Sept. 7, and they also have games against Washington State and Oregon State as part of the scheduling deal between the MWC and Pac-12 holdovers.

Liberty

The defending Conference USA champion Flames were unbeaten last season until their bowl loss to Oregon, and they could be just as good with the return of star quarterback Kaidon Salter and running back Quinton Cooley.

A prolific offense that put up 38 points and 500 yards per game masked a defense that was, at best, average. The Flames had a nation-leading 21 passes, but they also gave up 31 touchdown passes and 49 passes of 20 yards or longer, both among the most in the Bowl Subdivision.

Liberty gets a couple measuring-stick games early with September road trips to New Mexico State and Appalachian State.

UTSA

The Roadrunners have won nine games three straight seasons to become one of the top Group of Five programs under Jeff Traylor. They bring back 16 starters from the team that went 9-4 overall and 7-1 in its first season in the American Athletic Conference.

Quarterback Frank Harris wrapped up his seven-year college career — yes, seven years — so the competition between Owen McCown and will be closely watched.

Back-to-back nonconference road games against Sun Belt favorite Texas State and SEC newcomer Texas are big tests.

Memphis

The Tigers are coming off a 10-win season and are the AAC favorite with a bevy of experience on both sides of the ball.

Fourth-year starting quarterback Seth Henigan put up some of the best numbers in the FBS, throwing for 3,883 yards and 32 touchdowns and averaging 319.8 yards per game in total offense. His top four targets are back, led by 1,000-yard receiver Roc Taylor. LB Chandler Martin’s 17 tackles for loss ranked second in the conference.

Early games against Troy, at home, and on the road against Florida State will be good measuring sticks. Tough November games against UTSA and Tulane are both on the road.

Appalachian State

The Mountaineers have the Sun Belt Conference preseason offensive player of the year in quarterback Joey Aguilar and the core of a defense that intercepted 15 passes.

Aguilar passed for 33 touchdowns, including 10 to returning receiver Kaedin Robinson. Kanye Roberts, who averaged 5.7 yards per carry and scored five TDs, is the top returning running back following Nate Noel’s transfer to Missouri.

The Sun Belt East Division favorite’s schedule features nonconference games against Clemson (road), East Carolina (road) and Liberty (home).

Tulane

Tulane made a fast ascent in the AAC by going 23-5 the last two years under Willie Fritz, now at Houston. The Green Wave don’t expect to regress under Jon Sumrall, the ex-Tulane assistant who went 23-4 the last two years at Troy.

The biggest question is quarterback, where Oregon transfer Ty Thompson is battling returning backup Kai Horton. Makhi Hughes returns after rushing for a league-high 1,378 yards, and so do the team’s top three tacklers.

The Green Wave have the third-toughest schedule among Group of Five teams, according to TeamRankings.com. They open against Kansas State (home) and Oklahoma (road) and close against Memphis (home).

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football