2020 Boise State Broncos football team

Boise State announced its 2020 football schedule on February 27, 2020.[5] The 2020 schedule consisted of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. On August 10, 2020, the Mountain West Conference announced the suspension of the football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7] The new schedule was released by the Mountain West on October 1, 2020.[8]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 24	5:00 p.m.	Utah State		Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID	FS1	W 42–13	0[lower-alpha 1]
October 31	4:00 p.m.	at Air Force	No. 25	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO	CBSSN	W 49–30	500
November 6	7:45 p.m.	No. 9 BYU*	No. 21	Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID	FS1	L 17–51	1,100
November 12	6:00 p.m.	Colorado State		Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID	FS1	W 52–21	1,100
November 21	9:00 p.m.	at Hawaii		Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI	CBSSN	W 40–32	0[lower-alpha 2]
November 28	2:00 p.m.	San Jose State		Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID	Fox	No Contest	_
December 4	7:30 p.m.	at UNLV		Allegiant Stadium Paradise, NV	CBSSN	No Contest	_
December 12	4:00 p.m.	at Wyoming		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	CBSSN	W 17–9	2,978
December 19	2:15 p.m.	vs. No. 24 San Jose State		Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV (MW Championship Game)	Fox	L 20–34	0
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game All times are in Mountain time

Following a game against the Brigham Young University Cougars on November 6, 2020, most of the players of both teams knelt midfield at Boise's Albertsons Stadium.[9] Images of the unusual prayer circulated on social media and the story was covered by Deseret News who reported that the prayer was led by Boise State's team chaplain Pastor Mark Thornton. "We started with prayer, we're going to end with prayer, and we're going to give the glory to God," said Thornton. The chaplain had regularly lead prayer on the field after games and held chapel the night before.

The story of Boise State, a public university, having an official team chaplain organizing religious services drew the attention of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). The foundation sent a letter to Boise State President Marlene Tromp stating that employing a chaplain was a constitutional violation and that it could make some student athletes feel coerced into prayers against their wishes.[10] FFRF Staff Attorney Christopher Line explained, "Government chaplains may only exist as an accommodation of a public employee’s religious beliefs when the government makes it difficult or impossible to seek out private ministries...Boise State football players have no government-imposed burden on their religion, so there is no need — or legitimate legal reason — for Boise State to provide a chaplain for them."

Boise State responded by eliminating the official chaplain position and pledged to take measures to "resolve the issue and establish appropriate constitutional boundaries."[11] President Tromp emphasized the importance of students' rights to make their own choices about their spiritual lives, telling Deseret News, "Boise State will always support our students’ right to pray, should they wish to do so. As a public institution, we cannot sponsor or endorse a specific religious advisor."[12]

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit law firm promoting religious accommodationism, criticized the FFRF after Boise State's pledge to reform. Becket Fund vice president Luke Goodrich called the FFRF "bullies" and erroneously claimed that it had forced a Kansas middle school to end their Christmas toy drive.[13][14] "Many public universities have team chaplains, and it’s not only constitutional but good to accommodate players’ voluntary religious practices in this way," said Goodrich.