Boise State a title contender?

Boise State is legit. They are a good, solid football team. They beat another good football team in Virginia Tech. A win against a top-10 program is a good win for any team, but it’s a great win for Boise State. Too bad that’s the only good football team they’ll play all season. Yes I know they play Oregon State, but they just lost to TCU. Being ranked #24/22 (AP/USA Today) and losing your first game probably means you’re on your way out of the top 25, at least for now. That leaves VA Tech as the only ranked team Boise St. plays all season. But I’m in a giving mood, so I’ll say Boise State plays two ranked opponents. They’ll beat Oregon State at home on September 25, and then enjoy the cake-walk that is their conference schedule. They’ll finish the season undefeated, again, and be in the discussion for the national championship game. I don’t have a problem with them being in the discussion. But I have a major problem with them playing for the national title, if that is where the chips fall.

Alabama is probably the best team in the SEC. Their schedule includes games against five ranked opponents; Penn State, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, and Auburn. Ohio State is the best team in the Big 10. They play four ranked teams; Miami, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Iowa. Texas, the best team in the Big 12, plays only two teams currently in the top-25, but those teams are Oklahoma (#7) and Nebraska (#8). Not to mention the quality of the un-ranked opponents Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas will face is much greater than the un-ranked teams in the WAC. I know there were several teams in the WAC that made bowls last year, but six wins in the WAC to become bowl eligible is less than impressive, at least to me. Boise State beat VA Tech with a month to prepare. They had a month to prepare for both Oregon and TCU last year. And they had five weeks to prepare for Oklahoma in that classic Fiesta Bowl match-up in 2007. Would they survive a four-game stretch like Florida’s schedule in October of this year: at #1 Alabama, vs. #21 LSU, vs. Mississippi State, vs. #23 Georgia with a record of 4-0?…or even 2-2?

My point is this – I have no love for good teams in bad conferences. If Boise State wants respect, and wants to be taken seriously as a “college football powerhouse,” they need to leave the WAC. It’s that simple.