The quirks of this 2024 college football season are still present on a weekly basis.

Like this: A team with one of the best groups of 5 hoping to crash this new 12-team College Football Playoff format hasn’t even played a conference game yet.

No. 25 Boise State defeated previously undefeated Washington State 45-24 at home on Saturday to improve to 3-1. The bluegrass was once again graced by the presence of superstar running back Ashton Jeanty, who rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries.

But 2024 is weird. The Broncos now enter October at 0-0 in Mountain West Conference play, despite their rushing of the Cougars, but on top of the talk about teams that could play for a national title.

The MWC agreed to a scheduling alliance with Wazzu and Oregon State, the last two members of the Pac-12, for this unique season. Over the past two weeks, the Pac-12 has poached five MWC teams, headlined by Boise State, to join the conference. And since this latest confusing round of conference realignment kicked off, the Pac-12 is now suing the MWC in federal court for a “poaching fee” that could cost as much as $40 million.

That is the battle of the colors. On the field, Boise State continued an impressive start to a season led by Jeanty and a suffocating defensive front. The Broncos officially open MWC play at home against Utah State next weekend.

The kind of win Boise State needed to bolster its potential Playoff resume

The margin for error afforded to the Broncos is not the same as most other teams in the Top 25. Since they are not part of a Power 4 conference, losses in November and December must be minimal if they are to expand their potential position as looking to solidify one of the five highest-ranked conference champions earning automatic bids.

Boise State’s first third of the season looks pretty good on paper.

“Where’s the ceiling?” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said after the game. “We have to keep growing. I know we’re not playing our best football yet, but I also know that any team on our schedule can absolutely beat us. I know that. And that has been evident throughout college football.”

They handled Georgia Southern on the road, going toe-to-toe with an Oregon team that was ranked No. 3 in the country at the time at Autzen Stadium, but lost 37-34 on a last-second field goal. After that game, Jeanty comfortably declared the Broncos as one of the best teams in the country, before adding that they would dominate the rest of the teams on their schedule.

What followed was a 56-14 win at home over Portland State and the loss of Wazzu on Saturday. It was important because there won’t be that many high-profile matchups anymore.

The one that looks like it could determine the outcome of the conference — and possibly an automatic Group of 5 bid — is Boise State’s road trip to play 4-0 UNLV in Las Vegas on Friday, Oct. 25.

Another Heisman moment for the best back in college football

Jeanty knocked over two Wazzu linebackers on his way to his fourth touchdown run of the night. And when he reached the back of the end zone, he lifted his right leg, extended his right arm and once again struck the famous pose. He did it after his record-breaking six-touchdown performance in Week 1 at Georgia Southern. And against Wazzu it was fitting that he struck again. The junior running back once again proved how miserable it is to tackle him.

He stiff-armed defensive linemen. He ran over linebackers who wandered into a hole. He used his immediate speed to distance himself from the peloton.

“Ruthless,” Danielson said. “Talk about a guy who puts his team on his back, loves this team and will find any way to score because that’s what his team needs. That’s Ashton.”

Ashton Jeanty, 59 meters to the house. Cougs with a few more missed tackles.

Jeanty tonight: 18 carries, 218 yds, 3 TD

BSU31, WSU17 pic.twitter.com/fZvExf1aAA

— Greg Woods (@GregWWoods) September 29, 2024

Jeanty has now rushed for 845 yards and 13 touchdowns in four games. That’s an average of 211 yards per game.

“We’re going to run the ball — even if you know we’re going to run the ball — and we’re going to keep getting yards, and then we’re going to make you stop,” Jeanty said.

What other ‘outsiders’ are in the mix?

The beauty of the expanded Playoff format allows more fans to dream.

There are others outside of Boise State and UNLV who can think big. Army and Navy, of the American Athletic Conference, are 4-0. Conference USA’s Liberty is also 4-0. While James Madison is 4-0 and has yet to start conference play in the Sun Belt, the Dukes’ last two offensive outings included a 70-point performance at North Carolina, later followed by a 63-point performance at home against Ball State.

GO DEEPER

What we learned about the College Football Playoff in Week 5

(Photo by Ashton Jeanty: Loren Orr/Getty Images)