The BCS process is often made up of a bunch of ‘what if’s’ and there will once again be plenty to talk about this November heading into the postseason.
”If this team loses will this team ultimately pass them up”?
There are hundreds of questions it seems, but one of the biggest regarding the at-large bid process would be whether or not the Boise State Broncos can once again become BCS busters?
As you may or may not be aware of, if a team that wins their non-automatic qualifying conference finishes in the top 16 and ends up ranked (in the final BCS Standings) ahead of another BCS conference champion, they are automatically an at-large bid.
The selection process simply goes from the Fiesta to the Sugar and then to the Orange Bowl. An SEC tie-in is certainly going to be granted their spot in the Sugar Bowl and the Big 12 champion will be playing in the Fiesta, barring they are not playing in the BCS title.
The first overall selection belongs to the Fiesta Bowl, and most experts would be hard pressed to vote against Notre Dame earning that top selection.
However, the Sugar Bowl needs a second team and the smurfs turfs would be the obvious choice if the Big East and ACC champions are squaring off in the Orange Bowl as most anticipate.
This would obviously leave out a team from the Big 12 , which whether that is fair or not is simply the rules that are used.
So, is Boise State really worthy of earning a slot in one of the five prestigious BCS bowls?
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At this very moment, Chris Petersen is pulling a rabbit out of his hat as his smurfs are ranked No. 21 in the current BCS Standings. They would just need to climb up five spots and remain ahead of whoever ends up winning the Big Ten (Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nebraska).
Of course, Boise would need to run the table and finish with an emphatic 11-1 season that still includes games against San Diego State, Nevada and well….just San Diego State and Nevada (Wyoming, Hawai’i, Colorado State). The strength of schedule is a joke in a Mountain West conference that is average at best.
Certainly they will not be moving up more than a spot (or two) per week on average, which means a No. 15 or 16 ranking is spot on.
However, this program is still elite in terms of overall wins, but the Broncos are not a BCS title contending team anymore is the main argument everybody is sadly using.
The last three seasons they had stars like Kellen Moore, Doug Martin, Austin Pettis and Titus Young. Those are the high-profile names but their defense the previous three seasons were all arguably top 10 units.
Throw in their unstoppable offense and during the last three seasons they happened to finish 38-2!
That is beyond bonkers (sad just one BCS appearance) and the last time I saw anywhere near that type of winning percentage would be when I used to play NCAA Football religiously.
Kellen Moore is gone and Joe Southwick has picked up while producing decent enough numbers to allow the Broncos to fight for a potential BCS bowl.
Offensively speaking, they are No. 67 in rushing offense (158.86 YPG), No. 79 in passing offense (215.29 YPG), No. 85 in total offense (374.14 YPG) and No. 75 in scoring offense (26.14 PPG).
Those numbers are embarrassing with what they are accustomed to, but they continue to win games by a fairly decent amount of points. Will that also continue or has the schedule been that much worse than seasons past?
Well, the schedule has been weaker frankly put, but this defense has been playing lights out.
While the stats suggest they are brutal against the run (158.14 YPG), that is only because they have two of the better cover corners and secondary’s in the country.
Jamar Taylor and Jerrell Gavins have been sensational, and a few guys such as Jeremy Iaone and Lee Hightower have been legit as well.
They are suffocating and they currently rank No. 8 against the pass (158.71 YPG, No. 7 in pass efficiency 95.64 rating), No. 20 in total defense (316.86 YPG) and No. 6 in scoring defense (13.57 PPG).
However, the question was whether or not they are worthy, and at the end of the day they will be more than good enough to play in a BCS bowl.
The main reason is their defense is still suffocating despite the losses in their front 7 (DeMarcus Lawrence, J.C. Percy, Mike Atkinson, Tommy Smith are legit).
They still have proven that they are unbeatable at home and while they may be a full TD worse than the previous three seasons, this team does not look snake bitten in the clutch.
While they may end up perhaps getting worked by an angry SEC runner-up (Florida Gators/Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers), rules are still rules and what is to say that another team wouldn’t get wrecked by the SEC either?
If Boise State can go 11-1 or 12-0 every stinking season, they are more deserving of a BCS bowl because they have proven to pummel the BCS when they are given the chance.
Remember, the past two seasons they have jobbed in terms of getting a BCS bowl (especially last season) and I am sure Reggie Bush would say “what goes around comes around” because this team has an excellent chance of proving all the naysayers wrong like they have done so since 2000 (America’s winningest team, 139-20 at 87.4%).
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