Saturday, April 10, 2010
Could This Be the Year For Boise State?
In 2009, the Boise State Broncos won their first game, 19-8 over the Oregon Ducks. The Broncos began the season ranked No. 14 and defeated ranked opponents in their first and last games of the season. Oregon at No. 16 and Texas Christian University at No. 4.
Despite going undefeated in the regular season for the fourth time in the decade, the Broncos weren’t even considered to be in the National Championship Game. Granted, there were five undefeated teams to choose from, but for the second time in the decade, Boise State emerged undefeated, unblemished, and had no claim to the national title.
In a new decade, they look to make their case to be in the National Championship Game stronger. Week one of the college football season has Boise State hosting Virginia Tech, an ACC team that ended the season ranked No. 10 by the AP and USA Today.
The Broncos' third game pits them against the Beavers of Oregon State, a team who spent significant time ranked in the top 25 and fell from those rankings after an embarrassing loss to BYU in the MAACO Bowl. This game is also at home for Boise State.
If Boise State emerges from the Oregon State game 3-0, the Broncos will have their most compelling case yet to reach the game they haven’t even been considered for, the National Championship.
They will need some help to get there, though. Some scenarios that will help:
1. The Broncos will need to win the rest of their games. The WAC is not a slouch conference. Losing to Nevada and Idaho on the road are real possibilities. The Broncos have to pull through unblemished, obviously.
2. The Beavers and Hokies must have good seasons. If Oregon State and Virginia Tech. wind up being mediocre and unranked, those wins will mean less in the long run.
3. There cannot be a plethora of unbeaten teams standing in the way. The power conferences and the Mountain West must beat each other up. BYU, TCU, and Utah will need to lose along the way.
4. Without a conference championship game, the Big Ten, Pac-10 will both need to boast champions with two losses. The Big East, as less of a powerhouse, can have a champion with one loss. This is probably the year to have such a thing occur. USC has a new coach. Can he fill the big shoes that have been left behind?
5. Either the Big 12 or the SEC Championship Games will need an upset. There will likely be an undefeated or one-loss team from both of these conferences that makes its way to their respective championship games. Only one of them can emerge victorious to dance with the Broncos of Boise State. Last year’s Nebraska over Texas dream will have to come true.
If all of these things can happen, we very well could end up watching a Boise State vs. Alabama National Championship Game come January 10, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. Wouldn’t that be lovely?
We will certainly know soon if we have reason to hope for such a game. The Broncos' first test comes September 6 against the Hokies of Virginia Tech.