Spencer Danielson is glad his Boise State team is back in the conversation, “which it should be.”
Following their first College Football Playoff appearance, the Broncos are No. 25 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the first time they will start the season ranked since 2018.
“It’s awesome you know that people or writers or coaches think that we’re going to be good. We should be,” Danielson told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s Boise State.”
But the Broncos’ spot and admission reveals a noticeable fact about the Top 25: not only are they the last team in the poll, but are the only Group of Five team in it. That comes a year after no Group of Five teams started the season ranked, only the fifth time in the 35-year history USA TODAY Sports has administered the coaches poll.
Which begs the question: Are the non-power schools not getting enough respect, in a world that is becoming far less catered toward them?
It wasn’t long ago when Boise State and others annually occupied higher spots in the preseason poll. In 2010, the Broncos started at No. 5 and TCU and Utah, then members of the Mountain West, were No. 7 and No. 24, respectively, marking the only time three Group of Five teams started the season ranked in consecutive years. In 2011, Boise State was seventh and the Horned Frogs were 15th.
Since then, it’s become rare for schools outside the power conferences to be ranked high in the preseason. Boise State in 2013 (19th), Houston in 2016 (13th) and Cincinnati in 2021 (No. 10) are the only times Group of Five teams have ranked in the top 20. After 14 consecutive seasons from 2000-13 of being represented in the poll, the non-powers have been left out in 2014 and 2024.
It’s not like Group of Five teams aren’t doing bad either. At least one of them finished in the final top 25 in 33 of the 35 past seasons, and multiple were in 32 of them.
So what happened?
Impact of conference expansion and transfer portal
Danielson has seen this change unfold being with the Broncos since 2017, starting as a graduate assistant and rising to interim head coach during the 2023 season and then getting job permanently. He cited the impact of the transfer portal as a key factor. One thing you’ll notice about those teams that crashed the BCS party were they were teams built on roster retention.
Nowadays, successful Group of Five teams often get stripped with standout players getting lucrative offers to play for Power Four teams.
“I think back with Boise State years ago, where it’s like they would have these teams that would be really successful, and then you return all your players, right? So you’re ranked in the top 10, top five, because of that,” he said. “I think the transfer portal has something to do with that.”
It’s worth noting many names that heavily populated the polls – Brigham Young, TCU, Utah, Houston, Central Florida and Cincinnati – all leveled up the power conferences. The Cinderella darlings are now with the big boys. Boise State is moving to the Pac-12 in 2026, but it’s no longer considered a power conference.
And the big boys dominate the 2025 preseason poll. Led by No. 1 Texas, the SEC makes up four of the top nine spots and nine in the Top 25, with the Big Ten owning six spots.
The SEC nearly had 10 in the poll. Oklahoma had the most points of teams not making the Top 25. The Sooners were 25 points behind Boise State. Had their positions flipped, it would’ve meant the preseason poll didn’t include a school from outside the power conferences in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1995-96.
Even though the Broncos lost Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty, Danielson believes the success of last season is why the Broncos made the list. He’ll congratulate his team about making it because it hasn’t happened in seven years, but remind them “heavy is the crown.”
Boise State knows finish is more important that starting spot
As the lone Group of Five team ranked, the Broncos have an early edge toward securing the automatic bid into the playoff should they win the Mountain West title again. But Danielson knows it doesn’t guarantee anything.
Last season, Boise State went from unranked to finishing No. 9, its highest spot in the final since 2011. Meanwhile, 13 teams in the 2024 preseason poll finished unranked.
Danielson recalled after Boise State lost to Oregon in the second game of the season, “everybody knew we probably can’t drop another one.” They Broncose didn’t en route to securing the No. 3 seed in the playoff by finishing ahead of Big 12 champion Arizona State and ACC champion Clemson in the final playoff rankings.
However, the preseason poll illustrates the uphill battle the Group of Five teams have to prove they are worthy of national recognition, while Power Four teams will continue to fill up the rankings. Danielson is aware how strong of an impression his team has to make, even at Boise State where “there’s always high expectations.”
“Group of Five, probably you got to lose less, right? It’s just the reality of what you see how college football is,” he said.
For now, the Broncos are still carrying the flag for Group of Five teams, as they have done for 20 years. But while they present optimism for the level, there are plenty of teams that are hoping to take their place.
Memphis, Army, Tulane, Navy, UNLV and Buffalo all received votes in the preseason poll. Others could get in the mix, including South Florida, which hosts Boise State in Week 1.
“I think there’s a lot of really good teams out there,” Danielson said. “There’s a lot of really good Power Four teams. There’s a lot of really good Group of Five teams, but there’s only room for 25 seats right now, and that’s going to ebb and flow.
“Every single one of us have an opportunity to play in the College Football Playoff. I think as long as that is always the case, that’s what makes college football amazing.”
