Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings: Boise State continues its climb

What a week it’s been for Boise State.

First, the Broncos demolished Loyola Chicago in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge. The Ramblers were off to a great start and were a trendy pick to contend in the Valley, yet they were never competitive against Boise. Justinian Jessup went 6-7 from three and the Broncos won 87-53.

They weren’t done there.

Three days later, they went to Eugene and beat Oregon thanks to a buzzer-beating heave from Lexus Williams. The Ducks might be rebuilding after a Final Four year, but it’s never easy to win on a Pac-12 opponent’s home court.

Boise State then finished the week with a convincing win over Portland at home. The Broncos are 8-1, and for their efforts, have cruised into the top 10 of our rankings.

It’s important to note that two new voters joined the fray, so the total points are not consistent from weeks two to three. But after careful review, our new voters did not shake up the rankings too much — a few teams moved up or down a couple spots as a result, but nothing more than that.

We also have two newcomers to the poll this week, with Valparaiso and Western Kentucky checking in at 22 and 24, respectively. The Crusaders are off to an 8-0 start, while the Hilltoppers return amid a four-game winning streak, which includes victories over Purdue and SMU.

Here are our rankings for this week:

Also receiving votes: South Dakota State 29, Wyoming 26, Towson 14, Fresno State 12, Bucknell 12, Oakland 10, Louisiana 9, Mercer 8, Albany 5.