Boise State Visits Western Michigan Saturday in First-Ever Matchup
The short version
- First-ever Boise State–Western Michigan game, Saturday 3:30 p.m. at Waldo Stadium on ESPN2
- Both teams are 2-1 and vying for the Group of Six's guaranteed College Football Playoff spot
- Boise State is favored by 7.5 points; Western Michigan lost its opener on a disputed Hail Mary at Michigan
- Both teams are receiving AP Top 25 votes and have not thrown an interception this season
- Western Michigan visits Boise State in 2029 to complete the home-and-home series
Two 2-1 Broncos teams with College Football Playoff implications meet at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, airing on ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m.
Boise State travels to Western Michigan on Saturday for the first football game ever played between the two schools. Kickoff at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo is set for 3:30 p.m., with coverage on ESPN2 — a step up from ESPN-Plus. The 30,000-seat venue is expected to be close to full, and Boise State enters as a 7.5-point favorite.
Both teams bring 2-1 records into a game with real College Football Playoff weight. The 12-team format guarantees the Group of Six at least one berth, and these two programs currently look like the strongest candidates. ESPN's newest projections slot Boise State into that guaranteed spot.
Spencer Danielson, Boise State's head coach, declined this week to count Western Michigan's season-opening loss against the Broncos. "They're an undefeated football team. Period. End of story," he told reporters, arguing that Western Michigan deserved to win at Michigan and that the record does not reflect what took place.
That opener ended 13-12 when Michigan completed a Hail Mary touchdown on a final play made possible after officials restored a disputed second to the clock. The NCAA later conceded the play should never have counted. Western Michigan opened the season against then-No. 16 Michigan, while Boise State fell 34-27 to then-No. 2 Oregon; both losses nonetheless earned the teams votes in the AP Top 25.
The programs mirror each other in several ways, including their mascot — both named Buster. Boise State, guided by fifth-year senior and third-year starting quarterback Maddux Madsen, fields the higher-powered attack at more than 460 yards per game. Western Michigan counters with the tougher defense, one Danielson noted held Michigan to six points while praising its physicality.
Neither squad has thrown an interception through three games, and both rank among the national leaders in time of possession. Each has also shown staying power in an era of heavy roster movement and NIL. Western Michigan, the reigning Mid-American Conference champion, kept every starter out of the transfer portal this offseason. Boise State claimed the Mountain West title in 2025, now competes in the Pac-12, and reached the CFP as the Group of Six representative in 2024.
Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor, whose team won 28-21 at Rice last week, called the matchup a great opportunity and a strong measuring stick. Danielson, fresh off a 38-24 victory against South Dakota, labeled it a big-time game. Saturday's result will not decide anything definitively — it is still September, and neither side has started league play — but the winner gains an early edge in the CFP conversation.
The game opens a home-and-home arrangement, with Western Michigan scheduled to make the return trip to Boise in 2029.
For high school viewers, Western plays at Peebles High School on Friday, September 25 at 6:30 PM EDT.
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