Boise State

Boise State has divided a lot of people in the college football world. On one hand, you've got the people who would like to see them play for a national title if they go undefeated; on the other, you've got the people who don't think they are good enough and their schedule is too weak. If the season plays out and Boise State is still undefeated I don't have a problem with them going to the BCS Title Game and I've got plenty of reasons why.

Boise State has only been a Division 1-A football program since 1996, so their rise to the elite of college football is quite historic. They are 142-41 since entering the 'FBS', and 104-11 since 2002! I don't care where you play, that record is impressive. With all that domination in the Big West and WAC they have proved they are passed that level of competition and ready to move up. But the problem is they can't get into the big conferences. Finally, this past year the Mountain West has opened a spot for them and they are making a small jump to a better conference, but still not in the BCS.

Chris Peterson is a great coach, I think everyone agrees with that. What he's able to do with regards to technique, motivation, recruiting the right athletes...everything he's done at Boise is incredible. His record in 4+ seasons is 56-4...that is quite an impressive start to a career, and 3 of those losses were in 2007 alone. His first season, 2006, put Boise St. on the map when they beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl and ended the season 13-0. Now that game most likely caught Oklahoma off guard, and OU is a horrible bowl team, but it still happened and set up Boise State to be looked at more seriously in the future. After a down year in 2007 by going 10-3, they rebounded in 2008 to have another undefeated regular season only to lose to TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl.

If Oregon and Auburn end up undefeated then I don't think Boise should play for the national title because Oregon and Auburn have had to endure much more than Boise, and so they are more qualified. But if there is only one other undefeated team or Boise is the only undefeated team then I think they should get a shot at the title. One of the main reasons I think Boise State is a legit contender and deserves a spot in the title game is that this has been a two-year campaign. In 2009 they went undefeated, 14-0, beating PAC 10 Champs Oregon and also undefeated TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise returned 21 of 22 starters from that team so everything the '09 team did should have some merit for the 2010 team because it is the same group of players.

The Broncos win big game after big game. If you discount the Oklahoma game in 2006 because of the big game losses in '07 it has still been a great run over the past 3 seasons where they have only lost 1 game. In '08 they beat Oregon in Eugene, in '09 they beat Oregon in Boise, then they won the Fiesta Bowl. Now this year they've beaten Virginia Tech and Oregon State. Say what you will about the VA Tech game, that the Hokies weren't what they are now at the beginning of the year as evidence the James Madison game. But they had all off-season to prepare for a Top 5 team, Boise St., and it was Boise's first game too. It was basically a home game for VA Tech, there was huge anticipation for the match-up, and it was the only game on--everyone was watching.

Boise State definitely plays no one. Their schedule is a who's who of patsies. And since that's the case they have to beat each team they play by 30-40 points in order for everyone to maintain their legitimate status. For the teams in BCS conferences, who play tough teams week in and week out, just winning the games on your schedule is enough to make your way to the top. I think crushing your competition by 30+ points is almost as difficult as just winning in a BCS conference. Boise State isn't just going undefeated, they are stomping through their schedule. They don't want to be in the WAC, but they are proving they are an elite team by crushing their competition just as a top BCS school would. And when they play a BCS school, they just need to win...as they already have so far this season.

A few weeks ago Boise State was my #1 team. Then last week I dropped them to #2. Now they are my #3 team. I'm not in favor of giving them a shot at the title over teams that have had a much tougher road, but if those teams in front or behind them lose, and they end with an impressive undefeated season in which they torched all their weak opponents, then I think they deserve a shot.

JB

P.S. Make sure to vote today, it's not as fun as football but it's more important.