Early look: What to like about No. 16 Boise State in 2017
Each week, USA TODAY Sports will give a more detailed look at the teams listed on our early top 25 for the 2017 college football season.
Up next: No. 16 Boise State. The Broncos haven’t won a divisional title since 2014, Bryan Harsin’s first season as head coach. At Boise State, that qualifies as an extended drought. Once again, however, the Broncos will begin next season as the favorite in the Mountain West Conference.
Why No. 16?
1. Brett Rypien’s next step. Now entering his third season as the starter, look for Rypien to continue his development into one of the top quarterbacks on the Group of Five level — if not into one of college football’s best quarterbacks, period. Rypien made great progress last fall in his ability to push the ball downfield while still completing passes at a high clip and largely avoiding turnovers. With another season of experience, Rypien should threaten the 4,000-yard mark and hover around 30 touchdowns as a junior.
2. The friendly confines. There are a few road games to worry about, including a September trip to Washington State and back-to-back road dates with Brigham Young and San Diego State in October. But the home slate sits in the Broncos’ corner: Boise State gets New Mexico, Wyoming and Air Force at Albertsons Stadium, as well as Virginia and Troy in nonconference play. The Mountain West is no pushover — see more on that in a moment — but the Broncos’ home schedule is a clear positive.
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3. Talented (if unproven) younger core. There’s a distinct lack of experience at several key positions, including linebacker and the offensive line, but recent history suggests the Broncos won’t encounter any major difficulties getting the new cast up to speed before the opener in September. But there’s obvious talent and ability to choose from at nearly every position, as well as enough production from several likely starters — albeit in a reserve role — to hold confidence in how these underclassmen will fare when thrust into a major role in 2017.
Even in the Group of Five ranks, recruiting success is a major indicator for the future: the Broncos have inked the Mountain West’s top-ranked signing class in each of the past five years, according to the composite rankings compiled by 247Sports.com.
Why not higher?
1. Mountain Division. It’s no secret: The rest of the Mountain Division has made recent gains on Boise State. Last season marked the second year in a row that the six-team division placed five teams in the postseason, with all five winning at least five games in conference play. In short, the Broncos won’t simply roll out in September and cruise through the Mountain West; they’ll have to scrap and claw more often than not, cutting into the program’s margin for error as it makes a push for a New Year’s Six bowl.
2. Linebacker depth. Having already lost three multiple-year contributors at the position — Ben Weaver, Darren Lee and Tanner Vallejo — the Broncos’ depth took another offseason hit when would-be starting middle linebacker Joe Martarano left the program earlier this month to pursue a baseball career. There’s a troubling lack of depth, experience and production along the second level. The good news? One, that coordinator Andy Avalos has a deft touch with this position group, and two, it’s not as if the cupboard is completely bare — it’s simply unproven, by and large.
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3. Lost offensive production. There’s a clear hole to fill at running back, with Jeremy McNichols opting to depart a year ahead of schedule, and Thomas Sperbeck leaves fairly large shoes to fill at wide receiver. But that’s not all: Boise State must also retool along an offensive line that lost a trio of three-year starters – and do so with a new line coach, Brad Bedell, who has worked under Harsin in the past but didn’t join the program until a week into spring drills.
Biggest games
►At Washington State, Sept. 9
►Vs. Wyoming, Oct. 21
►Vs. Air Force, Nov. 18
Three players to know
1. WR Cedrick Wilson. The former JUCO transfer had 113 yards receiving and a score in his debut last September and never looked back, finishing with 56 catches for 1,129 yards and a team-best 11 touchdowns.
2. DL David Moa. Every offense on Boise State’s schedule will key on Moa, who led the team in sacks and finished second in tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2016.
3. C Mason Hampton. The line will build around Hampton, an honorable mention all-league pick last fall, and senior left tackle Archie Lewis.
PROJECTING THE PRESEASON TOP 25
