Every year, there's one college team that captures attention and people wonder , "What if...?"
This year my vote goes to the Boise State.

pundits but have managed to become a

fixture in all polls and can easily be mentioned in the same sentence as Florida or Alabama.

Consider this: The BSU Broncos have finished the season in the Top 25 polls in 2002 (12th), 2003 (15th), 2004 (13th), 2006 (5th), and started the 2005 season ranked 18th and the 2007 season ranked 22nd. In addition, they've had two undefeated regular seasons in the last four years!

Bowl organizers like marquee teams--teams with national followings and that may be bad news for BSU. However, the lack of a national following may due, at least in part, to other teams refusing to play the Broncos. Boise is 44-4 over the past four seasons, including 4-1 against major conference opponents. Would YOU want to play them? The school acknowledges it needs to play tougher teams. Yet how can they schedule quality opponents if nobody is willing to play them? According to a report from Yahoo sports Boise athletic director Gene Bleymaier fails to even get return calls from major conferences like the Big-10 or SEC.


Currently, Boise State is raked No. 6 in the polls and, I think, deserves to be there. Should they be higher? Possibly. Unfortunately, lacking a major conference (BSU Is in the WAC) we may never see them play the likes of Texas, Alabama, Florida, or even Cincinnati.(That Big East auto-qualification has always been a sore spot for me!)

So, the logical thought would be that Boise needs to move up in the polls. Having only one game remaining with lowly New Mexico State, that doesn't seem likely. Unless Pitt beats Cincinnati this week and eliminates the Bearcats from the ranks of the undefeated. With a defeat, Cincinnati would definitely fall a few notches and an undefeated BSU could move into the No. 5 slot.

People may read this and say I'm spinning my wheels because BSU is going to be in a BCS game. Granted, it looks that way but, there are too may if's--
as of Saturday afternoon, the Broncos will be in the BCS provided Boise State defeats New Mexico State next week.
My thought is this--what happens if Nebraska beats Texas in the Big-12 championship?

In what many touted as the WAC championship, BSU dismantled Nevada 44-33. The game was not nearly as close as the score indicates. Boise scored the first 20 points and coasted the rest of the game. All of their games I've watched are like that--too lopsided to be truly enjoyable.

Are they the best team in the nation?
Probably not.
BUT do they deserve a shot at Florida or Alabama?
DEFINITELY!