Boise State should get a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

The No. 10 Broncos defeated No. 20 UNLV in the first half en route to a 21-7 victory in the Mountain West Conference championship game on Friday night. The victory was sealed at the end of the second quarter with a 75-yard run by Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty.

Jeanty finished the game with 209 rushing yards and had Boise State fans chanting his name in the second half.

Jeanty’s total puts him at 2,497 yards this season, passing former USC running back Marcus Allen for the fourth-most rushing yards in a single season.

The 75-yard TD run before halftime was Boise State’s second touchdown in the final three minutes of the second quarter. Maddux Madsen extended Boise State’s lead to 14-0 with 2:40 left in the second quarter with a fantastic run on a QB draw.

UNLV gained four yards on three plays on its ensuing possession before Jeanty opened the game.

The Rebels offense just couldn’t get anything going. And when it had a chance to score, it didn’t capitalize. UNLV missed a field goal in the first half and Kylin James broke off an 86-yard run in the third quarter to set UNLV up for a sure touchdown. But Seyi Oladipo ran James down from behind to prevent the touchdown, and UNLV couldn’t put the ball in the end zone because a fourth-down pass fell incomplete.

After finally scoring in the fourth quarter, UNLV had a chance to cut the lead to seven before the two-minute warning. But the Rebels fell behind after another goal-to-go situation and turned the ball over again on downs.

The nature of the win virtually guarantees that Boise State will remain in the College Football Playoff rankings on Sunday ahead of the winner of Saturday’s Big 12 title game. That means Boise State should be the No. 4 seed in the playoff round and could even end up at No. 3 if Clemson beats SMU in the ACC Championship game.

The playoff format guarantees spots for the top five conference champions in the rankings and the top four spots are reserved for the top four conference champions. There weren’t many people who would have bet before the season that a non-power conference champion would get a first-round bye, but it’s hard to argue against Boise State’s value, if you’re not in the Big 12.

Boise State’s only loss of the season came in Week 2 against Oregon, the only undefeated team in college football. The Broncos lost that game 37-34 as the Ducks needed a short field goal as time expired to win the game.

Since then, Boise State has won six games by at least three points, and Friday night’s win over UNLV was the Broncos’ second victory over the Rebels. Boise State won 29-24 in Las Vegas in October.

UNLV, meanwhile, faces a non-playoff bowl appearance despite its second 10-win season in program history and its first since 1984. The Rebels could travel to the LA Bowl to play back-to-back bowl games for the first time ever.