It doesn’t get much bigger than Boise State-UNLV on Friday. Broncos prepare for “new game.”

Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has played in some big games on Idaho soil over the years.

The Pocatello native led Boise State to its first-ever bowl game and victory in front of a home crowd on the blue turf at what was then Bronco Stadium as head coach in the 1999 Humanitarian Bowl. He was the head coach at Highland High School over a decade earlier and remembers that Game against Pocatello High School in front of a packed crowd.

“I thought Highland Pokey was the biggest game,” Koetter laughed, “12,000 in the Mini Dome, that’s hard to beat.”

All joking aside, Koetter will be coaching a huge game this week – in front of a few thousand more people.

No. 10 Boise State (11-1, 7-0 Mountain West) hosts No. 19 UNLV (10-2, 6-1) in the Mountain West championship game at Albertsons Stadium on Friday at 6 p.m. This will be the sixth MW title game in Boise, but none have been bigger.

There is no berth in the Las Vegas Bowl or LA Bowl at stake. The winner secures a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. In Boise State’s case, a win likely also means a first-round bye.

The Broncos have had some amazing victories with the Blue, including victories in the old Division I-AA playoffs and three Humanitarian Bowls. To open the 2009 season, they defeated No. 16 Oregon to begin an undefeated season.

But this feels different because college football is in a very different place. The undefeated 2009 team and the famous 13-0 2006 team that beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl never had a chance to play for a prize like the national title.

“It’s probably one of the biggest games that could ever happen here,” redshirt sophomore Jayden Virgin-Morgan told the Idaho Statesman. “It’s the first year ever that we’re able to be in the 12-team playoffs, and if we don’t win this game, we could potentially make it so we don’t go to the playoffs.”

There is almost no doubt that a loss in this game will leave Boise State somewhere in a bowl game and not in the playoffs. With an 11-2 record against a team like Alabama, Miami or Ole Miss, their chances of getting a spot are pretty much nil.

So, first and foremost, it’s about taking care of business against the Rebels, a worthy conference opponent.

Boise State beat UNLV 29-24 in Las Vegas earlier this season after falling behind in the fourth quarter of a hard-fought game. A one-yard touchdown run by Ashton Jeanty gave the Broncos a lead they were able to defend. The two teams also faced each other in the conference championship game last year, which Boise State won 44-20.

“I think it’s a new game. Yes, there are things you know about each other, but at the end of the day it’s a new game,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “It’s a new game, even though we played it a month ago, five weeks ago.”

Can Boise State beat UNLV a second time this year?

The Broncos can probably learn a thing or two from their late-October slugfest with the Rebels, although aspects of that game might look different.

Boise State will undoubtedly look to get more production out of Jeanty, the country’s leading rusher. The Heisman Trophy candidate had his second-lowest yardage total of the season in the game, with 128 yards on 33 carries, just 3.9 yards per rush. His only lesser performance was 127 yards against Portland State – a game in which he only played the first half.

Jeanty also suffered a left arm injury at UNLV that affected his trademark dominance and endured a plethora of hard tackles and gang tackles. After the injury, he wore a brace for several games, but now only has his left elbow bandaged.

Thanks to the returns of redshirt junior center Mason Randolph and redshirt sophomore right guard Roger Carreon in recent weeks, the Broncos will have a loaded offensive line for this game. Neither played in Las Vegas.

“This game means a lot to me,” said Carreon, who suffered from a broken leg, an ankle injury and an MCL injury in his knee. “We work hard in the offseason for moments like this, so to be able to be in this position is just extremely exciting and very special.”

The Broncos will have to deal with dual-threat UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, who was named second team All-Mountain West on Tuesday. Williams threw for 179 yards and ran for 105 yards in the first game.

“It’s pretty difficult to just close down the different throwing and running paths that he could potentially have,” Virgin-Morgan said.

However, the Broncos sacked Williams six times in the October win, with Virgin-Morgan accounting for 1.5, and intercepted him once.

“It will be like every week,” Virgin-Morgan said. “Coach (Erik Chinander) is pretty aggressive with all of our pressure, so we’re going to stay aggressive.”

Boise State vs. UNLV

When: Friday, 6 p.m. mountain time

Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,363, grass)

TV: fox

Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 162 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 11-1, 7-0; UNLV 10-2, 6-1

Series: Boise State leads the series 10-3 and defeated the Rebels 29-24 in the regular season in Las Vegas

Vegas line: Boise State by 4 points

Weather: High 41, low 29, humidity 91%, mostly cloudy, 6% chance of rain or snow