BOISE, Idaho — The Boise State Broncos dropped in both the AP Top 25 Poll and the Amway Coaches Poll on Sunday after they lost to rival BYU 28-25 on Saturday. Now their chances of making it a fourth NY6 bowl just got a little slimmer, leaving the margin error for the rest of the season razor thin.
Boise State is now No. 22 in the AP Top 25 Poll and 21st in the Coaches Poll. Going into their game against the Cougars, they were 14th in the AP Poll and 13th in the Coaches Poll.
Before the heartbreaking loss, Boise State was in the driver's seat for the Group of 5's bid for a New Year's 6 bowl, which was the Cotton Bowl this year. Now, the SMU Mustangs (7-0) of the American Athletic Conference are the highest-ranked G5 team at No. 16 in the AP Poll. The Mustangs are followed by the 6-1 Cincinnati Bearcats of the American at No. 18, and 6-0 Appalachian State Mountaineers of the Sun Belt Conference at No. 21.
RELATED: BYU upsets No. 14 Boise State 28-25
SMU and Cincinnati are likely to meet in the American Athletic Conference's championship game. SMU also play the 6-1 Memphis Tigers in two weeks.
Appalachian State's toughest game left on their schedule is against the 3-3 South Carolina Gamecocks on Nov. 9. South Carolina beat No. 3 Georgia 20-17 two weeks ago.
The Broncos' path to the Cotton Bowl now relies on teams from the American picking each other off and the Mountaineers to slip up - a far cry from controlling their own destiny a week ago.
Boise State is now on a bye week, which may give freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier enough time to fully heal from the injury he suffered against Hawai'i.
The Broncos' next game is on Saturday, Nov. 2 against the 3-4 San Jose State Spartans.
It is also worth noting that the San Diego State Aztecs (6-1, 3-1) received votes in both polls after their 27-17 win over San Jose State. The Aztecs now have a two-game lead in the West Division standings. Boise State and San Diego State could potentially meet up in the Mountain West Championship Game on Dec. 7 - if both teams continue to win. If they do, it has the makings of a Top 25 bout.
The Aztecs end the season against BYU in San Diego on Nov. 30
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