BOISE STATE BRONCOS AT AIR FORCE FALCONS
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado (Falcon Stadium)
Date/Time: Saturday, September 20th at 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Television: CBS Sports Network (CBSSN)
Streaming: CBS Sports App
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KBOI 93.1 FM (Bronco Radio Network)
Head-to-Head: Boise State is 8-4 all-time against the Falcons, winning the last two matchups. Air Force’s last win against the Broncos came on The Blue in 2021.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Boise State: 1-1 (0-0 in MW), AF: 1-1 (0-1 in MW)
Mountain
West vs. Mountain West
BSU: Head Coach Spencer Danielson (2nd Full Year, 16-4 Overall Record)
AF: Head Coach Troy Calhoun (19th Full Year, 136-90 Overall Record)
Last Week
BSU: On bye after beating FCS Eastern Washington 51-14 the previous week.
AF: Lost to Utah State in Logan, 49-30.
What Allows Boise State to Win Saturday?
Limiting turnovers and staying ahead of the chains.
Playing a triple option offense, it is a death sentence to give the ball away when you only get so many possessions.
We are not entirely sure how good this Air Force team truly is in 2025, but with head coach Troy Calhoun still in charge, the Falcons will make this a game.
Boise State ran all over Eastern Washington, but the only other significant data point we have is the drubbing they received against South Florida. Frankly, neither team has enough body-of-work on their resume to proclaim themselves as a good or bad team.
Against USF, Boise State committed three turnovers to the Bulls’ zero.
Against EWU, the Broncos forced two turnovers, staying clean on their side of the stat sheet.
Keep it simple.
And it is readily apparent that this offense does not operate well from behind the sticks. Pound the rock with Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley. Allow Malik Sherrod to spread the Falcon defense out horizontally from sideline to sideline.
Keep the train on the tracks.
What Allows Air Force to Win Saturday?
An improved effort on defense.
Perhaps Utah State is a legit Mountain West contender that can rack up points with the best in the conference.
But allowing 473 yards is not the Air Force standard.
Troy Calhoun has a tendency of rallying the troops after a disappointing loss and coming out with a vengeance the next time they step on the gridiron.
If the Falcons can force Boise State to operate from the 3rd and long, there is no reason they can’t upend the Broncos.
And not committing three turnovers wouldn’t hurt, either.
Who Pulls Out The Win?
I have an odd feeling about this game.
There are a plethora of unknowns about both programs that only have wins against FCS programs.
On the road in Tampa, Boise State was out of its element.
Air Force has always been a thorn in the Broncos’ side, batting .333 all-time.
This is going to be a tight contest, and I think that we will see an upset in Colorado Springs.
Petterson’s Prediction: Air Force to Win Outright, Cover, and Take the Under.
FanDuel Odds: BSU -10.5, Total of 51.5
Boise State Broncos 28 – Air Force Falcons 31
Let us at the Mountain West Connection know your predictions for BSU’s conference opener!
