Boise State Opens PAC-12 Era With A Road Trip To Oregon

Guess who's PAC.

Boise State football is right around the corner. As the team heads into fall camp and prepares for their debut in the new PAC-12 conference, the competition for spots on the depth chart ramps up, as does the excitement for the beginning of the season on September 5th.

Looking strong, the Broncos are returning six starters on offense, including fifth-year senior quarterback Maddux Madsen and a pair of healthy running backs in Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines.

On the defensive side of the ball, Boise State returns five starters and plenty of transfer portal talent. With that said, five defensive starters have flown the coop, including linebacker Marco Notarainni and defensive backs A’Marion McCoy and Ty Benefield. 

Confident Coach

With those gaps in the depth chart, the Broncos have spent the offseason developing new talent to plug the holes. Head coach Spencer Danielson is not only pleased with where the team is at, but confident as well.

“I’ve been asked a lot about the receiver group and our defensive backs, because there’s a lot of new faces and honestly a lot of untested faces in that room, but I’m excited about both of those rooms,” Danielson said in his 2026 opening press conference.

To be blunt, both position groups have been gutted in 2026. Returning starters across both groups are down to just sixth-year senior Ben Ford at wide receiver and fifth-year senior Jaden Mickey at the nickelback spot.

“For both groups, the competition is everything … As coaches, you say we’re going to go compete, but are you really? Are you really looking at it? Are you really evaluating it if someone’s outplaying or are you just going to play the guy that’s been here,” Danielson said. “We’re going to play the best dude, and if he puts it on film, we’re a firm believer here that what you do in practice, you will do in a game and so at receiver and DB, that’s going to be our biggest push.”

Season Preview

With competition at its highest and the season just a month away, here’s a breakdown of the Broncos’ 2026 non-conference schedule.

Week 1: Loss @ Oregon

It seems like it was just yesterday that Boise State took a trip to Eugene. Things look quite a bit different this time around.

The Ducks are returning 14 starters this year, which is tied for second in the nation. Among them is redshirt junior quarterback Dante Moore.

Moore threw for 3,535 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2025, and led Oregon to the College Football Playoff semifinals, where they lost to Indiana 56-22. He is a serious Heisman candidate, ranking in the top five according to FanDuel.

There’s no question Oregon will be an offensive powerhouse in 2026, and the Bronco defense must be locked in if they have any chance of victory in this year’s season opener.

The Oregon vs. Boise State rivalry has typically been one that is decided in the trenches, and head coach Spencer Danielson seems to be confident in where the offensive and defensive lines are as they head into fall camp.

“Our fronts did a good job this offseason, we got some new faces there. We had some seniors last season, but I mean both our starting edge players are back,” Danielson said. “Max (Stege) and Jay (Jayden Virgin-Morgan) have really taken it by the horns and taken off. David Latu is in the best shape of his life, had a good season last year, and continues to ramp up.”

Historically, the Broncos are known for winning these “David vs. Goliath” matchups, but it’s actually been quite some time since Boise State has pulled off anything of that magnitude. In fact, the last Power Four team the Broncos took down was the 36-31 comeback victory against Florida State back in 2019.

Week 2: Win vs. Memphis

The first game on The Blue will be a familiar foe as the Broncos host Memphis. Last year the Tigers finished 9-5 on their season, beating notable teams such as South Florida and Arkansas.

The last time Boise State faced off against Memphis was during a period of turmoil for the Broncos, resulting in a loss. This year, the script has flipped as the Tigers are under new head coach Charles Huff, who previously coached at Marshall from 2021-2024.

Memphis is also still undecided at quarterback as redshirt junior Marcus Stokes competes in a mostly freshman and sophomore heavy quarterback room.

This matchup will be Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen’s second rodeo with Memphis, and he’ll be sure to even out the series as he starts his senior season on The Blue.

Week 3: Win vs. South Dakota

South Dakota is the FCS matchup for the Broncos this year, and may be a formidable opponent. The Coyotes finished 10-5 last year in a tough Missouri Valley conference, and are returning veterans all over their roster, including 14 starters.

While the Yotes are in the FCS, that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of winning. In 2025 they reached the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs and put up a 47-0 performance on No. 7 seed Mercer University in the second round.

Boise State hasn’t lost to an FCS team this century, and likely won’t anytime soon, especially on The Blue.

Week 4: Win @ Western Michigan

This week we see a little fratricide as the Western Michigan (UWM) Broncos host the Boise State Broncos in a battle of champions.

Western Michigan is coming off a 10-4 season where they won the MAC championship and the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Two key offensive players return for UWM in sophomore quarterback Broc Lowry and junior running back Jalen Buckley.

Lowry rushed for 963 yards, while Buckley added 1,003 in 2025. Lowry is a true dual-threat quarterback, throwing for 1,803 yards and nine touchdowns, while also notching another 14 touchdowns on the ground last season.

The good news for Boise State is that none of their receivers clocked over 500 yards in 2025, but neither have any of Boise State’s returning receivers. I suppose that’s another of many similarities between the Broncos and the Broncos.

This game is going to be a strength vs. strength matchup. Boise State’s two leading rushers Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines combined for 1,936 yards last season, while Madsen threw for 2,334 in a career-high season. 

Looking Ahead

Week 5 the Broncos will debut in the PAC-12 as conference play begins. Boise State is slated as the favorite to win the conference and likely earn a playoff bid, but anything can happen, as we know all too well in this college football climate.

Here’s the remaining games for the 2026 regular season.

Week 5: Utah State

Week 6: @ Fresno State

Week 7: Bye

Week 8: @ Washington State

Week 9: Texas State

Week 10: @ Colorado State

Week 11: Oregon State

Week 12: San Diego

Week 13: Flex Game

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