Boise State Football: The Case against the Broncos (and for a Playoff System)

It's amazing how much inspiration can be found in a state mainly known for potatoes.

The pride of Boise for the last four years have resided in QB Kellen Moore's magnificent career. Having passed for 13,096 yards and 128 TDs in his four-year career can entitle Moore to feel a massive sense of accomplishment on an individual level. For him to dominate nearly every aspect of his game makes him not only a legendary college quarterback, but surely one of the higher picks in the 2012 NFL Draft—at least, for whoever doesn't "Luck" out.

But the one thing missing from his tenure is the ultimate goal for any college football player: the BCS National Championship.

That last one was a blow to Boise fans for two reasons, the second of which being the word "BCS" in the front.

Boise fans hate the BCS. They clamor week after week for a playoff system, where their skills would be tested back to back to back. They're the victims of an inferior conference, playing only bottom-of-the-barrel teams and, predictably, beat them by unheard of margins.

The Broncos can put up points just as well as they can prevent them.

But being slaves to the Mountain West can only attract so much attention. After all, in the past four seasons, Boise State has played only nine ranked teams. Three of these occasions were in bowl games, going 2-1 in said games and 7-2 overall.

To put it in perspective, LSU has played six ranked teams this season alone, and 22 in the past four seasons.

Unless you're going week to week in huge games—and I mean huge, OK? We're talking 90,000 fans, not the paltry 33,500 that pack Bronco Stadium every week—against more powerhouse football teams, you're not getting the quality of play that comes with facing the best, and it's not Boise State's fault.

It's precisely for this reason that Boise State is moving to the newly-retooled Big East, geography be damned.

Boise State would love the benefit of national respect, but they'll have to do it without Moore at quarterback. Recruiting has stepped up dramatically in recent years, in no small part because of head coach Chris Petersen's stellar 69-5 record, including an undefeated start to his sixth year. Even with this new tradition of winning in place in Idaho, the Broncos need a showcase beyond the Mountain West and even the Big East.

They need a playoff system, and I'm rooting for them to get one. Take the top eight teams at the end of the standings and have a short, three-round playoff between the best teams in the nation. Keep bowl games around for the rest of the country. If you take away the top eight teams, you're still left with 30 bowl games.

With that kind of structure, Boise could step up to its claim as one of the best in the nation. The Big East move will help them, but not as much as a showcase against the top seven teams in the country.

In the meantime, the Broncos should build a bigger stadium, or expand the one they got if they want to commit to being a football powerhouse. They should be able to project history and tradition when opponents step into Bronco Stadium. In addition to expanding their prestige, they should also make one addition by subtraction.

Get rid of that stupid blue turf.