BOISE, Idaho — If all goes as planned, the Boise State football team will close out the abbreviated 2020 regular season on Saturday afternoon with a game in Laramie against the Wyoming Cowboys.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Boise State (4-1, 4-0 MW) hasn't played a game since its 40-32 win over Hawai'i on Nov. 21. Two scheduled games - against San Jose State on Nov. 28 and UNLV on Dec. 4 - were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, Boise State coach Bryan Harsin expressed optimism that this week's Broncos-Cowboys matchup would go on as planned.
"[I'm] very confident we'll play this game," Harsin said at his weekly press conference. "We want to play, Wyoming wants to play. I feel very confident about where we are."
Assuming the game will be played, the Broncos are in the driver's seat when it comes to earning a spot in the Mountain West championship game. If the Broncos win on Saturday, they're in the title game.
San Jose State (5-0 MW) also controls its own destiny. If the Spartans beat Nevada (6-1 MW) on Friday, they'll punch their tickets to the conference championship. Boise State - if it wins on Saturday - would still make the title game if Nevada beats SJSU.
Harsin said the team's number one goal this week is to just win.
"That's the focus, I don't think it should be any other way," he said. "We're going there to win, that's the goal, so we have to prepare to make sure that we do that. And if you win, like I've said before, you control your destiny when you win games."
Meanwhile, Wyoming (2-3 MW), which has also had two games canceled this season, is coming off a 17-16 loss on the road to New Mexico. The decimated Lobos (1-5 MW), who were down to their fifth-string quarterback, managed to pull out the win in the final minutes, snapping the nation's longest losing streak.
At his news conference on Monday, Wyoming coach Craig Bohl said his team is looking forward to playing just their second home game this season. But he noted that they will need to fix some issues if they hope to win.
"War Memorial Stadium has been really, really good to the Cowboys," Bohl said. "And we're excited that we're gonna play a nationally-recognized brand in Boise at home.
"A lot to play for," Bohl added. "We certainly have got to lick our wounds - this lesson - we need to address our issues and learn from them."
GAME INFORMATION
Boise State (4-1, 4-0 MW) at Wyoming (2-3, 2-3 MW)
- Saturday, Dec. 12
- War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wyoming
- Kickoff: 4:02 p.m. MT
- Weather: Mostly cloudy, 25 degrees
ON TV
The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Murray), which can be found on the following channels:
- Sparklight: Channel 139 / 1139 (HD)
- DirecTV: Channel 221
- Dish Network: Channel 158
- Cox: Channel 234
ON THE RADIO
Fans can listen to the game on the Bronco Radio Network (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender) online or on the following stations in the Boise area:
- KBOI 670 AM in Boise
- KTIK 93.1 FM in Boise
- KDZY 98.3 FM in McCall
- KSNQ 98.3 FM in Twin Falls
Here is a list of Bronco Radio Network stations outside the Boise area.
STREAMING
The game will stream live on the CBS Sports website, as well on the CBS Sports mobile app, available in Apple and Android app stores. The service is only available to subscribers of participating cable and satellite television providers (including Sparklight, Cox, Dish Network, DirecTV, Hulu and YouTube TV, among others).
BRONCO ROUNDUP GAMEDAY
KTVB's Bronco Roundup Game Day show will be live from 9 to 10 a.m Saturday on KTVB, KTVB.COM, and on the KTVB mobile app. Join Jay Tust, Will Hall for a look at all of the major storylines surrounding this matchup.
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
KTVB will live stream the post-game press conference on KTVB.COM, the KTVB YouTube channel, and on the KTVB mobile app.
Interviews with coach Bryan Harsin and players will be posted online soon after the press conference ends, so you can watch the press conference whenever and wherever you want.
Stay tuned to KTVB.COM after the game for a game recap, highlights, and slideshow from the game.
LA BOWL CANCELED
The Mountain West's post-season opportunities are down to just three bowl games: the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, the New Mexico Bowl and the Arizona Bowl.
On Monday, the inaugural LA Bowl announced that the game has been canceled. The LA Bowl had been set to host the Mountain West champion and a Pac-12 team.
In his Scott Slant column on Tuesday, KTVB sports analyst Tom Scott writes that the Arizona Bowl is now the likely destination for the Mountain West champion:
What was to have been the destination for the conference’s champion, the L.A. Bowl at the new SoFi Stadium, will not be played this year due to COVID-19 concerns (of course). That leaves the Arizona Bowl, the New Mexico Bowl (which moves to Frisco, TX, this year) and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The Arizona Bowl is now considered the probable destination for the Mountain West winner. While Harsin says Boise State naturally likes to travel to different places for its bowl games, he acknowledges that this year it won’t be anything special: fly in, play the game, fly home. So he’s certainly not discounting his hometown bowl this time. “If we’re in a bowl game and it actually happens, I’d say right now we’d take it,” said Harsin. That would mean moving the game, of course.
BRONCOS-COWBOYS SERIES
The Broncos are 13-1 all-time against Wyoming, with the lone loss (30-28) coming in Laramie back in 2016. The Broncos avenged the road loss in 2018, knocking off the Cowboys in Laramie, 34-14, the second of what is now three-straight wins for Boise State.
The teams have played each other every year since 2010, and Boise State holds a 8-1 advantage in the series since joining the Mountain West for the 2011 season.
The last meeting between the teams was a 20-17 overtime victory for the Broncos last season at Albertson Stadium.
Boise State's all-time record against Wyoming:
- Nov. 9, 2019 - W - 20-17 (OT) (Boise)
- Sept. 29, 2018 - W - 34-14 (Laramie)
- Oct. 21, 2017 - W - 24-14 (Boise)
- Oct. 29, 2016 - L - 30-28 (Laramie)
- Oct. 24, 2015 - W - 34-14 (Boise)
- Nov. 22, 2014 - W - 63-14 (Laramie)
- Nov. 16, 2013 - W - 48-7 (Boise)
- Oct. 27, 2012 - W - 45-14 (Laramie)
- Nov. 26, 2011 - W - 36-14 (Boise)
- Sept. 18, 2010 - W - 51-6 (Laramie)
- Sept. 15, 2007 - W - 24-14 (Boise)
- Sept. 16, 2006 - W - 17-10 (Laramie)
- Sept. 27, 2003 - W - 33-17 (Boise)
- Sept. 14, 2002 - W - 35-13 (Laramie)