Boise in the National Championship?

Recently some ESPN guys discussed the prospects of Boise State going to the college football National Championship game. Here, I will discuss my own predictions.

First of all, I am biased. I love BSU football and their coach Chris Petersen. The way they play football epitomizes what the sport is all about.

The main difficulty for BSU is their opener at Virginia Tech. Tech is bringing back most of thier team, led by QB Tyrod Taylor. Taylor is a great talent, but was very underdeveloped last year. We have no idea how he'll look in the BSU game. This game is a virtual home game for Tech, as it is played near their stadium.

I have no idea whether BSU will win or not, but they certainly are capable. They have proven that. If I had to bet, I would predict that they will win. The reason is because Virginia Tech has always struggled in big games. Frank Beamer took this team from mediocrity to perennial contenders, but they have never gotten over merely contending to actually winning. BSU on the other hand, is a perennial winner. BSU throws weird things at their opponents, they are highly disciplined and they play with more heart than any team I've ever seen. I simply cannot wait for this game.

If BSU loses, the conversation is over.

If BSU wins, they become serious National Championship contenders. However, the road is far from over.

First, after Tech, they have Wyoming. In the last few years, Wyoming has gone from a lousy team that did not have a serious program, to being mediocre team, that can actually win some games. I've even heard one expert predict they will beat Texas this year. I don't think Wyoming is quite there yet, but they do have a great coach, who is running a system based in Missouri's system. It is designed to give you quarterback some extra time to make decisions. If you have a great quarterback, it works well. The experts say Wyoming has one. However, I see Boise beating Wyoming.

The really overlooked game is BSU's next game against Oregon State. Oregon State is a perennial contender for the Pac 10 title, and has all thier important weapons coming back. I could seriously see BSU beating Tech, then Wyoming, and dropping this game to OSU. This would remind us of BYU beating Oklahoma last year, before getting embarrassed by a mediocre Florida State team. However, I could EASILY see BSU running the table, having beaten both the ACC and Pac 10 champion.

There are big differences between BSU and BYU. Mainly BSU has a recent history of success and expectations. BYU had neither last year.

However, ultimately, if BSU can win these 3 games, it will defeat the oft-repeated argument against their candidacy for the National Championship: that they don't have to slug through a long schedule of BCS conference teams. This 3 week period, combined with a schedule that includes some tough WAC opponents, combined with their recent history--justifies a National Championship shot. After that, BSU needs luck. They need other teams to lose, who will always get picked ahead of them.

I wish them luck...for the sake of all lovers of college football.