Solid #45

Boise State

Pac-12 · 2026 preseason baseline

Projection

59.5

SP+ preseason

+6.8

Returning prod.

45%

Recruiting

60%

2026 portal cycle

Net negative on talent-weighted flow.

−1.34z

talent-weighted z-score

applied: −0.27 pts

Top gains

  • 3★ CBJeRico Washington Jr. from Kennesaw State
  • 3★ RBHarry Stewart III from Kansas
  • 3★ CBCam Jamerson from TCU

Top losses

  • 4★ STy Benefield to LSU
  • 3★ QBKaleb Annett to UCF
  • 3★ EDGEHayden Hanks

Portal moves are weighted by recruiting stars, position (QB and skill positions weighted higher), and eligibility. Withdrawn entrants are excluded. The z-score is normalized across teams appearing in the 2026 portal cycle. See the full portal leaderboard →

2025 season · final grade

The 2025 season, graded.

D CeilingD

Short of the projection.

Realized SP+ +3.1 · SP+ rank #64

Projection

64.3

Realized

54.4

Δ

−9.9

Δ grade

D

Ceiling SECONDARY

D

Projection vs realized

Realized 54.4 Projection 64.3

The yellow tick is Boise State's August 13, 2025 preseason SP+ rating (+10.0) — the last preseason release before Week 1, from Bill Connelly / ESPN. The dark bar is the final 2025 SP+ (Connelly, post-championship). Both mapped to the 0–100 scale by score = 50 + SP+ × (50/35), clamped [1, 99]. The gap between them is Δ: −9.9. Δ banded A through F gives the letter grade.

What the grade means

A D means Boise State finished between 6 and 18 points below the projection (Δ −9.9). Short of the number, and not narrowly.

Ceiling grade: D · secondary lens · 15% of downside headroom used. Δ divided by the room Boise State had to move (upside if Δ is positive, downside if negative). Ceiling normalizes for projection height: a projection-90 team has 10 points of upside room, a projection-50 team has 50.

The letter grade always records the same relationship: realized minus projection, banded A through F. A team can sit in the Elite tier and still receive a D. LSU in 2025 is that case.

Read the methodology →

Offense (2025)

29.1

SP+ offensive rating

Defense (2025)

25.1

SP+ defensive rating (lower = better)

Nat'l SP+ rank

#64

Final 2025 SP+ ranking

2025 portal cycle (context)

Inside a standard deviation of zero.

−0.73z

talent-weighted z-score

Top gains

  • 3★ EDGECamden DeGraw-Tryall from Washington State
  • 3★ EDGESterling Lane II from Arizona
  • 3★ EDGEMalakai Williams from Idaho

Top losses

  • 3★ QBMalachi Nelson to UTEP
  • 3★ EDGEJoseph Marsh to Ohio
  • 3★ EDGENick Hawthorne to Massachusetts

Portal moves are weighted by recruiting stars, position (QB and skill positions weighted higher), and eligibility. Withdrawn entrants are excluded. The z-score is normalized across teams appearing in the 2025 portal cycle (context).

Returning production (2025): 58% of prior-year PPA back on the field (Bill Connelly's percentPPA metric via CFBD). This is a narrative reference — the 2025 grade itself is Δ vs preseason SP+ only.