The college football calendar has yet to reach October, and somehow, Boise State is already down to its last chance to save the season.

On the final day of September, five games into a troubled campaign that already seems more like five years, the beaten and battered Broncos are playing San Diego State in a contest that means everything to the program and this community.

Lose and the season is over. Win and there's hope for better days

ahead. Remember, this is a program that lost

five games last season and didn't play beyond November for the first time in 20 years. Serious buzzkill for a football family that wants to feast on monster postseason experiences.

And now this ... a season in jeopardy after a mysterious and ugly 2-2 start, a fired offensive coordinator, a four-year starting quarterback in the transfer portal and a head coach in self-preservation mode.

Friday night inside Albertsons Stadium is a massive game, a massive opportunity, with far more at stake than wins and losses and Mountain West standings.

Friday night is about this: A bond between a football team and its fans, both highly unsatisfied right now. The outcome of the San Diego State game will determine a vibe for the rest of the season.

Lose and the Broncos fall to 2-3 with games against Fresno State and Air Force looming. A large chunk of Boise State fans will emotionally check out, move on, look elsewhere for entertainment satisfaction. Hard to blame them.

Win and there's hope for better days ahead. Fingers crossed.

Either way, 100-plus football players and 11 coaches will plow ahead, hoping to win as many games as possible. Maybe a bowl game. Maybe a ray of hope for the offseason.

The ray of hope is in the hands of three men - new starting quarterback Taylen Green, new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and head coach Andy Avalos.

Can Green, the most popular player on the roster, save the Broncos' season? He's a redshirt freshman

from Lewisville, Texas, a rangy former track and field star who has never started a college football game. The hype around the dynamic athlete with deep religious ties and a strong work ethic is insane, and he won't win the Heisman Trophy on a single Friday night. His only job: Don't lose. Don't worry about style points. Get better next week.

Can Koetter, after working in the NFL from 2007-2020, help Green with all the above and save the Broncos' season?

He saved the program in 1998, taking over as Boise State's head coach following three years of turbulent times. He won 26 games in three seasons with the Broncos, and saved Bart Hendricks' career, turning the young, struggling quarterback into a two-time all-conference MVP and a Boise State Hall of Famer.

Hendricks, now the director of development for gift planning on campus, will be watching intently Friday night.