College Football 2016: 25 bold predictions

10. Boise State wins the Group of Five

After a relative down year in 2015, Boise State is ready to regain its status as a mid-major powerhouse this season.

Many fans around the nation were curious to see if the Broncos could keep playing at such a high level following Petersen’s departure for Washington. New head coach Bryan Harsin silenced those doubts quickly with an 11-2 season and Fiesta Bowl win over Arizona.

However, the Broncos struggled by their standards the next year, going 9-4 with some head-scratching losses to Utah State and New Mexico. Even so, the Broncos showed promise in some areas, particularly from freshman quarterback Brett Rypien in place of the injured Ryan Finley.

Don’t expect the Broncos to be down for too long. While most are pegging Houston to represent the Group of Five in the New Year’s Six, the schedule lines up for Boise State to make an undefeated run through the Mountain West.

Rypien should get better with experience, and he will have plenty of weapons to work with on offense. Dynamic running back Jeremy McNichols will be back, while top reciever Thomas Sperbeck over 1,400 yards on 89 receptions a year ago.

The Broncos play two beatable power conference teams in Washington State at home and Oregon State on the road, and will probably face San Diego State in the Mountain West title game. Navigating that schedule with one loss or fewer could be enough to get Boise State into the New Year’s Six, as Houston faces tough tests in Oklahoma and Louisville on its schedule.

Next: 9. Stanford earns a College Football Playoff berth