Boise State football has been a national brand for nearly two decades, but the Broncos remain an overlooked program by many voters in the AP top 25 poll.Â
According to a recent report from Brett McMurphy of On3, Boise State has been the third-most underrated team in the preseason AP poll since 2014. The Broncos were the only Group of 5 representative in McMurphy’s top 10, coming in just behind BYU (Big 12) and Northwestern (Big Ten).
McMurphy analyzed which teams have over-performed their preseason rankings the most over the last decade.Â
Boise State finished 12-2 overall a season ago while capturing a second straight Mountain West title. The Broncos reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.Â
After falling to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State landed at No. 8 in the final AP top 25. It was the Broncos’ highest final ranking since 2011.Â
The 2025 AP preseason top 25 was released earlier this week, and Boise State just made the cut at No. 25.
In what may have been a nod to his own list, McMurphy did not rank Boise State, BYU or Northwestern in his preseason top 25.Â
With several impact players back on both sides of the ball, the Broncos were once again picked to win the MWC in the 2025 preseason media poll. Boise State placed 10 players on the preseason all-MWC team.Â
The Broncos open the 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 28 at South Florida. The game will air live on ESPN with a 3:30 p.m. Mountain time kickoff.Â
McMurphy also released a list of the most overrated preseason teams, which featured several of the top brands in college football.Â
USC topped the overrated list, followed by Auburn, Texas A&M, LSU, Wisconsin, Florida State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Miami and Michigan.Â
Here is McMurphy’s full list of the 25 most underrated teams in the preseason AP poll since 2014:
1. BYU (Big 12)
2. Northwestern (Big Ten)
3. Boise State (Mountain West)
4. TCU (Big 12)
5. Iowa (Big Ten)
6. Indiana (Big Ten)
7. Cincinnati (Big 12)
8. Mississippi State (SEC)
9. Arizona State (Big 12)
10. SMU (ACC)
11. Louisiana (Sun Belt)
12. UCF (Big 12)
13. Kentucky (SEC)
14. Tulane (American)Â
15. Missouri (SEC)
16. Houston (Big 12)
17. Oklahoma State (Big 12)
18. Memphis (American)
19. Arizona (Big 12)
20. Syracuse (ACC)
T-21. Army (American)
T-21. Navy (American)
23. Ole Miss (SEC)
24. Washington State (Pac-12)
25. Western Michigan (MAC)
