The Mountain West championship game went about as well as it could have for anyone except UNLV fans.
A 12-1 Boise State team - with its only loss a close one at unbeaten Oregon - earned a spot in the new College Football Playoff as the #3 seed.
That result means the Mountain West will earn $8 million courtesy of that first round bye and guaranteed quarterfinal appearance.
Ashton Jeanty added 209 yards and a 75-yard run to his Heisman resume.
And of course, the passionate Bronco fan base got to celebrate Boise Style, which basically meant mistreating the goalposts.
The Playoff
Fiesta Bowl, Dec 21: Boise State vs SMU or Penn State
You’d expect the Nittany Lions to beat SMU at home in State College. They’ll be a handful for the Broncos in the quarterfinal, no doubt about it. More on this in a week or so.
The Bowl Games
LA Bowl, Dec 18: UNLV vs Cal
Rebs are slight underdogs (+2.5) in an intriguing matchup. If you take away the 38-6 loss to SMU, Cal lost five games by a total of 17 points. Can UNLV rebound from the disappointment of another title game loss to Boise?
Potato Bowl, Dec 23: Fresno State vs Northern Illinois
Bulldogs are also getting points (+1.5) in Tim Skipper’s final game as interim head coach. Fresno State QB Mikey Keene is transfer portal bound.
Hawaii Bowl, Dec 24: San Jose State vs South Florida
First year San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo returns to his home state, as the Spartans play in the Hawaii bowl for the second straight year. Should be a close one, with SJSU favored by 2.5 points.
Arizona Bowl, Dec 28: Colorado State vs Miami (OH)
First bowl game for Colorado State since 2017 and the Rams are getting 1.5 points against a defensive-minded Miami team. Note: This one is actually called the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl.
Breaking News
The Good
Utah State hires Bronco Mendenhall away from New Mexico. The Utah native should bring some stability to the Aggie program.
The Bad
New Mexico loses Mendenhall, offensive coordinator Jason Beck (hired by Utah) and worst of all, star quarterback Devon Dampier, who has entered the transfer portal.
The Ugly
Barry Odom is leaving UNLV for Purdue. That news is a bummer for UNLV fans who watched Odom bring their program plenty of wins and some national attention. He’s got a tough job ahead in West Lafayette.