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Boise State was idle last week but still moved up two spots in the Coaches Poll as eight teams in the top 25 suffered losses.
The Broncos (6-1, 3-0 Pac-12) returned to action on Saturday and rode a dominant fourth quarter to a 31-10 road victory over Washington State (1-7, 0-4).
After closing strong at Martin Stadium, Boise State remained at No. 22 in the Week 8 Coaches Poll, which was released on Sunday morning.
Boise State and Washington State were locked in a 10-10 tie after three quarters, but the Broncos erupted for 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points on the Palouse. Dylan Riley, the nation’s leading rusher, had touchdown runs of 33 and 72 yards in the final period.
“It’s always be humble and relentless,” Riley said of the fourth-quarter onslaught. “Because you already know we’re doing pretty good now, so we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves and worry about something else. It’s just staying where our feet are and knowing the main goal of what we’re trying to do.”
Riley has 140 carries for 963 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
Boise State was the Group of Six’s lone representative in the top 25 of the Week 8 Coaches Poll. Five other Group of Six teams received votes: New Mexico (43), UTSA (34), Oregon State (15), North Texas (two) and James Madison (one).
The highest-ranked Group of Six team in the final College Football Playoff rankings earns an automatic berth to the 12-team playoff.
Miami remained atop the Coaches Poll, followed by Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana and Utah.
Oregon, which defeated the Broncos in Week 1, fell out of the poll after suffering a head-scratching 21-10 loss at Illinois. The Ducks (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) were ranked No. 25 in last week’s Coaches Poll.
Here is the full Week 8 Coaches Poll (first-place votes in parentheses):
1. Miami (67)
2. Ohio State (6)
3. Georgia
4. Indiana
5. Utah
6. Notre Dame
7. UCLA (1)
8. Kentucky
9. BYU
10. Alabama
11. Texas
12. Ole Miss
13. LSU
14. Texas Tech
15. Wake Forest
16. SMU
17. Tennessee
18. Northwestern
19. Houston
20. Florida
21. Arizona
22. Boise State
23. Missouri
24. Iowa
25. USC
Dropped out: No. 25 Oregon
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 120; Wisconsin 114; Cincinnati 49; New Mexico 43; Minnesota 35; UTSA 34; Nebraska 27; Virginia Tech 16; Oregon State 15; South Carolina 12; Duke 12; Oregon 5; Auburn 4; North Texas 2; Michigan 2; UCF 1; Oklahoma 1; James Madison 1