Although it is early in the season, Boise State, who was one of the Group of Six favorites to make the playoffs coming into the season, is already in a do-or-die situation. After losing to Oregon 34-27 in Week 1, the Broncos must win their game Saturday against the Memphis Tigers to remain in contention for a berth in January.
Boise State, currently 0-1 after their hard-fought loss, will head home to Albertson’s Stadium to take on a 2-0 Memphis Tigers team who already has a road victory over UNLV, another Group of Six favorite heading into 2026. But this win came in Week 0 and last week, the Tigers were able to gain another victory, all be it a less impressive 42-24 win over Arkansas State in their first home game.
Memphis quarterback Marcus Stokes has 411 yards passing with four touchdowns and two interceptions on the young season. But this is not his complete nature, as Stokes has also rushed for 65 yards through two games — something that will be important as the two best parts of this game will be the defensive lines of both teams.
Defense will decide the matchup between Boise State and Memphis
While many see both Boise State and Memphis and see offense, these teams have built up their defensive lines. Boise State used theirs to overwhelm an Oregon offensive line last week on a top team in the country, while the Memphis line completely shut down quarterback Jackson Arnold and UNLV for the entire second half in their opening game.
Currently 8.5-point favorites over Memphis, the Broncos are expected to win this game on the Smurf Turf. But this is giving a lot of credit to the way Boise State played in Eugene and much less respect to Memphis' new coach. Charles Huff has built through the transfer portal this offseason, adding several transfers from Southern Miss, where Huff coached last. He took an 1-11 Golden Eagles team and had them 7-2 before a late-season dip.
While much of the noise in this game will be on the quarterbacks in Stokes and Maddux Madsen of Boise State, the defense will be the key for both sides.Â
The Broncos will need to pressure Stokes and make him uncomfortable. But the same goes for Memphis, who will be facing a quarterback in Madsen who is in his third season starting and has an overall record of 20-6 with two straight Mountain West Conference titles before the team relocated to the Pac-12 before 2026.Â
During his career as a starter, Madsen has completed 522-of-863 passes for 6,767 yards, 53 touchdowns and 18 interceptions while also being sacked 38 times. In the run game, Madsen is also a threat having 428 yards and 1 touchdown on 155 attempts, which includes those 38 sacks.
Both teams want to pass the ball. But they also know that, to keep the opposing pass rushes honest, they must develop the game to run. Boise State was able to gain 93 yards rushing on 36 carries against Oregon in keeping their game close while Memphis has rushed for 530 yards and 5 touchdowns on 86 carries on the season in starting undefeated.
Neither of the teams has much room for a slip-up if they want to be a representative in the playoffs. But, with a loss already coming to Oregon and an upcoming game against Western Michigan, in Kalamazoo, the Broncos must win this game and look impressive. This will move the Broncos into the AP top 25, a spot currently held by Viginia. Currently, they are the first Group of Six school not ranked, coming in at No. 28. Either of these teams will look to be ranked next week with this major win. It is more important for Boise State at this juncture, as Memphis will still have only one loss with a defeat here, and the Tigers will also have a remaining game on the road against Cal to improve their resume.Â
If Boise State wins, it not only keeps their hopes alive, but this will also keep the hopes alive for Western Michigan, who need Boise State to finish with as good a record as possible to help offset the disappointing finish in Ann Arbor from last week.
If the Broncos of Western Michigan can hand Boise State their second and final loss of the season, their CFP hopes would grow considerably. Having a win over a two-loss team who kept Oregon to within seven points will far outweigh the loss to Michigan. But Boise State must first beat Memphis on Saturday to keep the playoff hopes alive for both teams of Broncos.  Â
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