Boise State is sitting at -115 to -160 and has the best odds to win the MWC as per FanDuel. The team, coming fresh off a playoff run in 2024, has the promise of six defensive starters to return in 2025, along with an offense armed to the teeth. And yet, despite that optimism, ESPN’s Greg McElroy has favored another underdog team to beat the Broncos in their opening game.

Boise State will visit South Florida on August 28 to start their season. One would expect Boise State, coming fresh after a playoff run in 2024 and carrying that momentum, to come out as the winner. For instance, the return of their ace QB, Maddux Madsen, is reason enough to be excited. But despite the promise of having an ‘elite’ squad, at least on G-5 levels, South Florida won’t be a walk in the park for the Broncos. And that’s exactly what Greg McElroy relays.

McElroy grouped Spencer Danielson’s Boise State on his “teams need to be a little careful this weekend” list, and for all the good reasons. “To see a line this close, to see a team that’s traveling three time zones, to go and to think that they’re going to face off against a South Florida Bulls team that’s extremely athletic, that has gone toe-to-toe multiple times in the last couple years against power five competition. Something tells me that Alex Golesh, the head coach of South Florida, knows how this opportunity might be,” said McElroy. And the ESPN analyst isn’t wrong, though!

The South Florida team is kicking off its third year with head coach Alex Golesh, who has a 14-12 record over the past two seasons. This year, 2025, is super important for him to really show what he’s got. The team’s got quarterback Byrum Brown, a dual-threat guy who’s racked up 4,532 passing yards and 1,257 rushing yards at UCF.

Then there’s the running back duo of Cartevious Norton and Nay’Quan Wright, which is considered the best in the AAC, all backed by a solid offensive line featuring Stanford transfer Connor McLaughlin. Last season, UCF pulled off a 21-point comeback against TCU, winning 35-34. Even though they lost to Florida 13-24, there were some positive takeaways for their offense. Meanwhile, Boise State seems to be dealing with some issues.

The Broncos lost Ashton Jeanty to the NFL draft this year, who was the architect of their 2024 CFP run. Not to mention, there were secondary concerns, as they struggled against high completion passers last year. Nevertheless, the Broncos still have their QB, Maddux Madsen, having passed 3,018 yards, along with an offensive line that returns four starters. All of this could add up to give Boise State the required edge. But as said, the South Florida Bulls can’t be underestimated. Moreover, Maddux Madsen has a message for the locker room before that first game challenge.

Boise State is getting renewed confidence from its QB, Maddux Madsen

Boise State is looking good for the upcoming season! They’ve kept their offensive and defensive continuity from 2024 and have a pretty favorable schedule. Sure, beating South Florida could be a bit tricky, but they’re still the favorites for that game. The game against Notre Dame in South Bend might throw them a curveball, but aside from that, their strong reputation as a consistent G-5 powerhouse should carry them through the season. Even quarterback Maddux Madsen is on board with that!

“We are ready to go. It’s extremely exciting knowing that we have a full season of football ahead of us, and it starts Thursday,” said the QB and described the confidence he has in the offense. “The nice thing about our offense is it’s an experienced offense. There’s a lot of guys who have played college football. So everyone on that offense knows exactly what it takes. Those guys have helped me just as much as I’ve helped them.”

Madsen is right. Boise State is in its second year under head coach Spencer Danielson, and most of the squad has experience to continue what they did in 2024. They do have a new offensive coordinator, Nate Potter, after Dirk Koetter decided to call it quits after the 2024 season. But that won’t affect the team much, considering the quality of the players like Malik Sherrod and Latrell Caples, along with the confidence of their QB, Maddux Madsen.