Boise State ranked in AP Top 25 for the first time this season

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — For the first time this season, Boise State (Broncos Fan Gear) is ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.

The Broncos defeated Western Michigan 32-7 Saturday, coming just 63 seconds away from shutting out their opponent on the road. That was enough to impress voters, who ranked the Broncos at No. 22 in the Week 4 poll.

The No. 22 Broncos received 221 votes, a sizable increase from the 48 they received last week following a shaky 38-24 win over FCS program South Dakota. Boise State slots in behind the Atlantic Coast Conference’s SMU (246 points) and ahead of the Big Ten’s UCLA (218 points).

Boise State is the first team from a Group of Six conference to crack the Top 25 this season, indicating that the Broncos are in pole position to claim the sole playoff spot guaranteed to a program from the G6 — of course, there’s still a lot of the season to go.

The next-best G6 team to receive votes is the Sun Belt’s James Madison, which received just 10 points and is down at No. 36 if the rankings were to be extended beyond 25.

While AP voters were impressed, the Broncos still have some work to do to impress college football coaches around the country. Boise State remains outside the top 25 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, which is voted on by coaches, including Boise State’s Spencer Danielson.

The Broncos received 112 points in the Coaches’ Poll, making them the highest-ranked G6 school at No. 28.