Boise State is one of the most consistent teams in the chaotic environment of college football. The Broncos have been known for their winning ways, and despite all of their recent and historical success, they do not receive the respect that they deserve. This is generally because they currently compete in the Mountain West Conference, a conference not known for its competitive standards.

This would all change if they were placed in a conference with legitimate contenders for the College Football Playoff: the Pac-12.

The Pacific-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference consisting of different schools up and down the west coast—from Oregon down to USC and UCLA in Los Angeles. Geographically, Boise State would fit right in, located just a bit more inland than schools like Stanford, Oregon, USC, and UCLA; however, schools like Utah and Colorado, which are located near the Rocky Mountains, would keep Boise State from being a geographic outlier.

If geography was the only factor, then teams like Western Michigan would be playing in the Big 10, but Boise State has proven why they deserve to make the switch. In seasons dating back to 1999, a whole different millennium, the Broncos never once had a season where they won less than 8 games. They have also beaten proven competition before, debunking one of the main reasons why skeptics believe Boise State would not survive in the Pac-12. The most notable instance was the 2007 Fiesta Bowl in which #9 ranked Boise State upset a #8 Oklahoma team 43-42 in a thrilling overtime spectacle. 

They have also dethroned other Power 5 opponents; for example, this year the Broncos won 36-31 against an admittedly weak Florida State team, though the victory should not have come as a surprise to anyone who follows Boise State Football. Along with beating Florida State, Boise State has the potential to beat the majority of current Pac-12 teams. Schools like Cal, Colorado, and Washington State have positioned themselves in the bottom half of the standings of their respective divisions after lackluster performances over halfway through the season. The Broncos have the 17th best scoring offense in the nation and can easily best any of the teams listed before.

After proving their worth for decades, the Boise State Broncos deserve a chance to be promoted to the Pac-12. They have proven they can beat Power 5 competition in the past and with one of the nation’s best scoring offenses as of late, the Broncos could hold their own against their new, hypothetical conference opponents and maintain their streak of impressive, winning seasons while being in the Pac-12.