Colorado State (2-8, 1-5 Mountain West) at Boise State (6-4, 4-2 Mountain West)
When/where: 5 p.m. Saturday/Albertsons Stadium
TV/Radio: FS1/Rams Radio Network
BetMGM Line: CSU +16.5, 44.5 over/under
Weather: 42 degrees, partly cloudy
Series History: Boise State leads 12-1; CSU won last matchup on a Hail Mary, 31-30, in Fort Collins in 2023
Three storylines
Rams QB question: After Jackson Brousseau was injured in last week’s loss in New Mexico, freshman Darius Curry came on and mixed flashes of positivity with three interceptions. The QB completed 26 of 34 passes for 248 yards and two TDs. He has a 136.8 rating through four games on the season, while Brousseau is at 124.2. Curry will start in Boise with Brousseau out due to his injury. And at this point, it makes sense for CSU interim head coach Tyson Summers to hand the keys to Curry for the final two games and see what he does with it.
Broncos QB question: Boise State starting QB Maddux Madsen remains sidelined due to injury, so the Broncos are rolling with Max Cutforth under center. Their leading wideout, Chris Marshall, has also been dealing with an injury. That puts pressure on the Boise State run game to carry the load. Dylan Riley has been the team’s featured back and is averaging 6.6 yards a pop. Considering the CSU defense is last in the Mountain West in run defense, allowing 186.4 yards per game, a run-heavy game plan for Boise State is likely in the cards.
What’s left to play for: For the Rams, the final two games present an opportunity for players to prove their worth for 2026, whether that be in Fort Collins or in the portal. There’s also a matter of pride: If the Rams lose out, two wins would be the fewest for the program since a 1-10 season in the WAC in 1988 (not counting the shortened 2020 COVID schedule). For the Broncos, they are playing for better bowl positioning, which is important to a program used to going to bigger bowls and coming off a College Football Playoff appearance.
Predictions
Kyle Newman, sportswriter: Boise State 38, CSU 16
The Broncos are coming off consecutive losses to Fresno State and San Diego State, so this is far from the 12-2 team of a year ago that made the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff. Still, CSU has no chance in this one. Rams fans should save their hopes for a third win in the season finale against Air Force. Dylan Riley runs wild, and the Rams offense continues to lack an identity in a blowout loss.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: Boise State 30, CSU 13
Since Max Cutforth took the reins at QB in relief of an injured Maddux Madsen, the Broncos’ offense has stalled and BSU faithful have been pointing fingers. CSU QB Darius Curry showed enough juice at New Mexico to give Rams fans some hope, but … this is still the Land of the Blue Turf, CSU’s historic house of horrors. Best keep those expectations tempered. Boise hasn’t lost a home finale since 2015.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: Boise State 26, CSU 19
The Rams at least provided a glimmer of hope in last week’s down-to-the-wire loss at New Mexico. Darius Curry looked more than competent for a redshirt freshman thrown into the fray, and at least two of his three interceptions were either poor luck or poor execution from someone other than Curry. Do the Rams still have enough fight in them to go into potato country and pull off a stunner? Probably not. But it isn’t hard to envision them at least making a game of it.
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