Have you ever seen somebody pick a fight in a bar, only to realize they just swung at the wrong squad? That’s kind of what went down this week when Boise State’s athletic director, Jeramiah Dickey, came out swinging at the CFP Committee, blaming the new straight-seeding playoff format on his own squad’s Cinderella run in 2024. He even called it the “Boise State Policy” on X, like it was a badge of honor. Only problem? A national analyst pulled up receipts and turned that flex into a full-on L.

Last year the Broncos shocked the country. Ran the Mountain West, lost only to Oregon, then slid into the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff. They caught that first-round bye under the old system meant for the top four conference champs. But then came Penn State… and reality hit hard. The Fiesta Bowl turned into a cold splash of water. Boise got smacked 31-14. Ashton Jeanty—Heisman runner-up, highlight machine, Barry Sanders record-chaser—got held to 104 yards. QB Maddux Madsen threw three picks. And Penn State? They danced on them late, capped by a 58-yard dagger from Nick Singleton.

That loss was all the ammo haters needed. The Group of Five isn’t ready. Why’d they even get a bye? And this offseason, the CFP Committee pulled the plug on that format. No more automatic byes for conference champs. Just straight seeding. Dickey isn’t having it. He jumped on X with fire, saying, “Let’s just call it the Boise State Policy.” But here’s the twist: RJ Young wasn’t here for the pity party.

On May 24th, RJ Young laid it out: “I digress in that Boise State was able to take advantage of that automatic spot for the highest-ranked Group of Five champion and get themselves into a position to play in the Fiesta Bowl against a really good Penn State team. Now we know with the straight seeding that just by making the SEC or the Big Ten Championship game, you’re probably going to be one of the four or even five highest-seeded teams in the College Football Playoff in 2025. This makes winning the conference championship not as important.” RJ fired off on his podcast. “You could get boat raced and still slide into the playoffs. You wouldn’t be one of the four highest seeds, but you make the playoffs.” That’s the game now.

RJ’s bigger point? Winning the conference title used to be a golden ticket; now it’s more like a scratched-off lottery number for top teams in the conference. Sometimes you win, sometimes it’s just sparkles. Boise State cashed in last year, but once the smoke cleared and Penn State handled them like a tune-up game, the rest of the country went, ‘Yeah, we gotta fix this.’

2025 Boise State defense: rebuild mode or reload ready?

With all the noise around CFP politics and AD rants, the real challenge facing Boise isn’t Twitter beefs. It’s replacing the heart and soul of a squad that reached heights the program’s never touched before.

Let’s be clear—Ashton Jeanty isn’t walking through that door. The man who missed breaking Barry Sanders’ record by 27 yards is now wearing silver and black for the Raiders. And Ahmed Hassanein, their chaos-creating edge rusher? He’s in Detroit, terrorizing NFC North quarterbacks.

Boise is not out here waving white flags. The offense returns seven starters, including Madsen at QB, Latrell Caples at wideout, and Matt Lauter at tight end. That O-line? Veteran-heavy, stacked with Kage Casey, Mason Randolph, and Hall Schmidt anchoring the trenches. They aren’t about to fold.

Now, on defense? That’s where things get spicy….

Six starters return, and they got dogs. First-team All-Mountain West edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan tallied ten sacks last season. NFL scouts have already got his name in ink for 2026. Right next to him, linebacker Marco Notarainni is the glue—60 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and always in the mix. Those two alone keep this front seven honest.

Inside, senior DT Braxton Fely had his little flirt with the portal before saying, Nah, I’m good. He’s back after 5.5 sacks and brings real juice to the interior. New transfer David Latu from BYU is looking like a sneaky rotation piece next to Dion Washington. Big dudes. Low pads. Gap control locked in.

In the secondary, A’Marion McCoy and Jeremiah Earby bring heat at corner. McCoy? Straight-up lockdown. Had folks scared to throw his way. Ty Benefield at free safety led the team in tackles (82) and made plays all over the back end. Nickel Davon Banks is stepping in to replace Seyi Oladipo and brings that experience you want in the slot.

Linebacker Jake Ripp, who used to come off the edge, now slides into that weakside backer role after Andrew Simpson bounced. It’s a new look, but his motor is pure energy. And don’t sleep on strong safety Zion Washington. 67 tackles, 6 PBUs, and plays like he’s got Red Bull in his veins.

The names change, but the blueprint stays. Veteran core. Young Dawgs are hungry. The path back to a New Year’s Six isn’t out of reach. Especially with one last season to run in the Mountain West. Boise’s got something to prove, and they’re about to let it be known. CFP Committee or not, they’re coming. And this time, they know exactly what kind of smoke they’ll face in that second round.  No more surprises. Just scars, tape, and lessons learned.

Moral of the story? Maybe save the rage tweets for the post-game. Because college football’s changing fast. And Boise better run to keep up.