The NCAA can’t and won’t change Western Michigan football’s record.
But Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson still isn’t acknowledging the one in WMU’s loss column.
“They’re an undefeated football team. Period. End of story,” Danielson told reporters earlier this week. “You watch that game, they absolutely beat Michigan, at Michigan.
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“That is not hype. That is what happened.”
Because of what happened — Western Michigan lost the season opener at Michigan, 13-12, on a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass that the NCAA has acknowledged shouldn’t have happened after referees put one heavily disputed second back on the clock — this weekend’s meeting is as hyped as any football game in Kalamazoo in recent memory.
The meeting of two sets of Broncos has significant College Football Playoff implications. At least one spot in the 12-team CFP will go to a team from the Group of Six, and Boise State (2-1) and Western Michigan (2-1) seem to be the leaders in the clubhouse entering Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Waldo Stadium.
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“College GameDay” won’t be there — it’s going to be at Texas-Tennessee in Knoxville — but the game will be on ESPN2, a huge promotion from ESPN-Plus. Waldo Stadium, capacity 30,000, is expected to be nearly sold out.
“It’s a great opportunity for our football team,” Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor said. “We understand what it means for this program in terms of national implications. That’s a testament to where we are.
“They’ve earned the right to be in the national spotlight, whatever that means.”
The first-ever meeting between Boise State and Western Michigan is, undoubtedly, a huge one, and it’s a fascinating one, in that in so many ways, it’s like looking in the mirror — right down to the mascot, with the same name, Buster.
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Boise State, led by fifth-year senior quarterback (and third-year starter) Maddux Madsen, has the more explosive offense. Western Michigan has the stingier defense. But both are more than capable on both sides.
“That defense held Michigan to 12 points, or six points. Excuse me,” said Danielson, whose offense is averaging more than 460 yards a game. “When you talk about their toughness and physicality, it shows up on film.”
Both teams are ball hogs, among the nation’s best in time of possession. Neither team has thrown an interception, through three games. Both teams are getting AP Top 25 votes, having earned national respect from their season-opening losses — Boise State to then-No. 2 Oregon, 34-27, and Western Michigan to then-No. 16 Michigan.
Boise State and Western Michigan have built foundations in an era where it’s as tough as ever to do that, at any level, because of all the player movement and NIL. Western Michigan, last year’s Mid-American Conference champion, didn’t lose a single starter to the transfer portal this offseason. Boise State, which won the Mountain West in 2025 and now is playing in the Pac-12, has a similarly strong culture, and represented the Group of Six in the CFP in 2024.
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“I think they’re very similar to us,” said Taylor, whose team is coming off a 28-21 win at Rice. “It’ll be a great test to really see where we are. We will be tested in multiple ways, and I think our guys are excited about that challenge.”
Said Danielson, coming off a 38-24 win over South Dakota: “It’s going to be a big-time college football matchup.”
Saturday’s result isn’t the end-all for either team, win or lose, given it’s not even October, and neither team has begun conference play yet. But a win will, at the least, give one team the early upper hand in CFP chatter. ESPN’s latest projections have Boise State getting the Group of Six’s guaranteed spot in the CFP.
This Boise State-Western Michigan game is the first of a home-and-home series. WMU will visit Boise State in 2029.
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Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Waldo Stadium, Kalamazoo
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TV: ESPN2
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Records: Boise State 2-1; Western Michigan 2-1
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Line: Boise State by 7.5
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Series: First meeting
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Boise State coach on WMU: ‘They’re an undefeated football team’
