No. 20 Boise State needs help to capture division title

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Boise State’s path to reaching the Mountain West title game boils down to this: Beat Air Force, root for New Mexico.

“All we can control is playing Air Force,” Broncos coach Bryan Harsin said.

That’s enough of a handful right there, considering No. 20 Boise State (10-1, 6-1 Mountain West, No. 19 CFP) has dropped two straight to the Falcons (8-3, 4-3) and their tricky triple-option offense heading into Friday’s game.

Should that happen, the Broncos need to hope the Lobos can upset Mountain Division-leading Wyoming on Saturday.

“It’s not about what anybody else is doing. It’s really about us,” Harsin said during his news conference. “We’ve got a lot to prepare for this week.”

Recently, the Falcons have given the Broncos fits. Boise State doesn’t lose often and rarely to the same team two years in a row. Rarer still, to the same team three straight seasons. Air Force would join Idaho (1982-93) and Nevada (1996-98) as the only teams in Boise State’s rich history to beat the Broncos in at least three straight years, according to the school.

That’s why the Broncos have been eyeing this game all season.

“We knew we finished with Air Force, knew it was a team we wanted to go play,” Harsin said. “We get to take action, control what we can control.”

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun believes this version of Boise State is one of the top teams the Falcons have faced in a while, ranking up there with the 2010 Texas Christian squad led by Andy Dalton, the 2008 Utah team and last year’s Michigan State squad.

“This group has every bit of the same makeup,” Calhoun said. “This is a team that’s one of the 10 best teams in college football.”

Especially with Jeremy McNichols in the backfield. The explosive junior has rushed for 1,575 yards this season and 22 TDs. He’s also caught 32 passes for 450 yards and four scores.

“Quite frankly, he’s one of the guys who should be the four or five contenders for the Heisman Trophy,” Calhoun said.

Harsin seconds that opinion of McNichols, who largely flies under the radar on the national scene.

“How is this guy not in the conversation with everybody else?” Harsin lamented. “I don’t know what else from an offensive standpoint a guy can do to not have his name thrown in there with all these other backs.

“To boot, he’s on a pretty good football team, too, that has a pretty good record right now.”