Boise State Football 2012: 1 Good Reason the Broncos Can Beat Every Opponent

With no word out of Boise yet of where the Broncos will spend their 2012 season, this list will have to go forward on the assumption of status quo.

However, if they decide to move to the Big East for the 2012 season, only the first four games of the season will remain the same.

Instead of Nevada, Fresno State, Colorado State, Hawaii, UNLV, San Diego State, Wyoming and New Mexico, the Broncos will face Connecticut, Syracuse, Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pitt and South Florida.

At this point it is anyone's guess if Boise State and Big East officials have figured out a way to cover the costs of the Broncos leaving the MWC one year early to join the Big East ahead of schedule.

Until then, let's look at what a Mountain West schedule might bring and how the Broncos would achieve victory in each of those contests.

@ Michigan State

Element of surprise

Both teams will come into this opening game with a lot of unknowns. Both the Spartans and the Broncos lost a considerable amount of talent from last season, leaving a lot of questions for game planning and strategy.

However, it is the Broncos that will have a bigger element of surprise. The Spartans will be running the same system with only the names changing. The Broncos, on the other hand, have a lot of new names, but they also have a brand new offensive coordinator.

Robert Prince replaced Brent Pease as the OC in the offseason, and it will be interesting to see what he comes up with. From all indications, Prince's play-calling will be far less conservative than last year and should keep the Spartans guessing. This will make it much more difficult for the Michigan State coaches to formulate a game plan with any kind of accuracy.

Not only that, but depending on who wins the quarterback competition for the Broncos, the BSU offense could be anything from a spread to an option or anything in between.

This element of surprise could be the key to a Broncos victory come opening day.

Miami Ohio

Better talent

Boise State takes on Miami Ohio in its second game. The RedHawks have some key players coming back from a team that went 4-8 last season, including their quarterback and best receiver. However, the talent they do have coming back is not better than those on the Broncos roster.

BSU lost a lot of key starters, but it has a large number of extremely talented players coming back. Not only that, but the recruiting class of 2012 is arguably the best in BSU history. If you go down the list and compare on paper the talent of the Broncos versus the RedHawks, you realize BSU has a considerable edge.

Football games are won play by play and position by position. Look for Boise State to dominate this one.

BYU

Home-field advantage

This game will be challenge for the Broncos. BYU went 10-3 last year, and it has a lot of key players returning.

The Broncos will probably be getting into rhythm with their new offense by this third game, but it is ultimately the home-field advantage that will carry them to victory.

You can expect it to be a hard-fought contest with neither side giving in. However, in those kind of close games the atmosphere, noise and crowd energy are usually a deciding factor.

You can expect that and then some when BYU comes to town.

@ Southern Miss

Coaching

Coach Chris Petersen is a master motivator. Expect him to have his Broncos ready when they go down to face a scrappy Southern Miss team.

Southern Miss lost some key players from a solid bowl team last season. It will be doing its own rebuilding, but you know it won't give up without a fight.

In the end it will come down to the game plan. Whoever has the best plan and the greatest execution will come away with victory. Expect Petersen to have his guys ready and an excellent plan in hand.

Boise State should win this one, and coaching is one reason it can do it.

Nevada

Experienced defensive backs

Last season the Broncos struggled in the area of pass defense. The 2012 season should be different.

Jerrell Gavins, Jamar Taylor, Lee Hightower and Ebenezer Makinde are a few of the guys returning in the secondary for the Broncos.

They will also be loaded up with new talent and some guys who haven't yet earned their time.

Expect the secondary to step up next season and shut down opposing quarterbacks. This is what should happen when the Broncos face Nevada, which will allow the Boise State front seven to concentrate on containing a mobile quarterback and shutting down the run.

This should stifle the Wolf Pack offense and bring victory home to Boise.

Fresno State

Dominance at the line of scrimmage

Pat Hill has made his exit from Fresno State, so this game will be a bit strange. However, it should be more of the same.

Look for the Broncos to dominate at the line of scrimmage. On both sides of the ball.

Even though BSU lost eight starters on defense and most of its dominant defensive line, it has some key returning players. Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe, Michael Atkinson and Darren Koontz will be there along with some incredible new talent. They will no doubt step up and play the kind of defense the Broncos are used to.

On the other side of the ball, the Broncos also have a few key elements coming back. Joe Kellogg returns as does Jake Broyles, Charles Leno, Cory Yriarte and Spencer Gerke.

Boise State should be able to control the line all day long against Fresno State, and that will be the difference.

Colorado State

Running Game:

Last year the Broncos were able to rack up 393 yards rushing against Colorado State.

In 2012 you can expect more of the same.

Doug Martin is gone, but D.J. Harper returns for the Broncos at running back, as do Drew Wright and Jay Ajayi. Also, look for freshman Jack Fields to make a name for himself.

Another key element of the running game is the return of fullback Dan Paul. As a lead blocker Paul can make a huge difference. He missed most of last season with an injury, but should be just fine for 2012.

The run advantage will only increase if any element of option is incorporated in the new-look Bronco offense, but even without that Boise State has the edge.

Expect the Broncos to run to victory over Colorado State.

Hawaii

Balanced attack

It is always challenging when visiting Hawaii, and 2012 will be no exception.

Hawaii will be in a serious rebuilding year itself, and on paper the Broncos will have the edge. However, BSU will still need to bring its "A" game. It will take a true balanced approach to chip away at an inexperienced Warriors team, but the Broncos should have that kind of team next season.

Look for Coach Petersen to keep it simple and straightforward. BSU shouldn't need to reach into the bag of tricks for this one. It will take just some plain old smash-mouth football.

In the end you can expect the Broncos to bring back a victory from the islands.

UNLV

Offensive fire power:

By the time Boise State plays UNLV you can expect it to be firing on all cylinders. The running game and passing game should be far better than some expect. The system Petersen has created in Boise allows him to continue to produce offensive numbers no matter what the names are on the jersey.

UNLV came out last year at home and hit Boise in the mouth. The Broncos responded with a good second half, but not before the Rebels made their statement.

Don't think for a second that Coach Petersen and his staff don't remember that night in Vegas, but this time they will be ready.

Expect the Broncos to make a statement of their own at home against UNLV.

San Diego State

San Diego State's lack of an offense

Last year the BSU vs. SDSU game was all but over by half time. It was 42-14 going into the break. Twenty-one fourth-quarter points by the Aztecs made it somewhat respectable, but the game was over by then.

In 2012 don't expect the same kind of game, but expect the same result.

Boise State should handle the much-depleted Aztecs. Yes, the Broncos lost a lot, too, but the talent they bring to the table in 2012 is far superior to that of San Diego State.

Look for Boise State to move the ball effectively, but look for the Aztecs to be stifled. The result should be a Bronco victory.

Wyoming

The kicking game

It may be stepping out on a very high and extremely thin limb to say BSU will have the edge in this game because of its kicking game. However, you might be surprised.

To say that the kicking game has not gone the Broncos' way in recent years would be a slight understatement. However, 2012 could see that all change.

Spring competition in Boise will be fierce. One of the key position battles will be kicker. You can expect Jake Van Ginkel, Dan Goodale and newcomer Sean Wale to go toe-to-toe to see who will have the honor of kicking field goals for the Broncos.

The Wyoming Cowboys will be a good team next season, and it will be a battle when Boise State visits. You can expect it to be a close one, and chances are it will come down to who has the most field goals.

It may even come down to a last-second kick. If it does, expect BSU to finally make the game-winning field goal.

New Mexico

Talent gap

The key reason the Broncos will handle New Mexico next season is the serious talent gap. That may change over time with new head coach Bob Davie coming to town for the Lobos. However, for now there is a considerable difference between the two teams.

It will be interesting to see how Davie will do in his first season, but don't expect him and his team to pull off an upset of the Broncos.

This game probably won't be close, but look for New Mexico to pull off a few wins in 2012. It should be improved from last season, but that won't be difficult considering it went 1-11.

Opponent to Be Named Later

East or West?

Whether the Broncos go east or stay west, they will need to pick up another game.

They get a 13th game for traveling to Hawaii if they stay in the MWC or they will need a 12th game in the Big East because of a seven-game league schedule.

Chances are they will simply schedule a FCS school as most every other FBS team will be locked into its schedule or unwilling to travel to Boise.

It will be interesting to see if Boise State can financially pull off a move to the Big East for 2012. If it does, this entire list will be a moot point.

However, it will bring up all sorts of other angles, speculations, observations and predictions.