Boise State Football Ranked 22 in USA Today Poll; Key Players out

For the fourth straight year, Boise State has been ranked in the Top 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The poll, released Wednesday, placed the Broncos at No. 22, down considerably from previous preseason rankings. In 2010, the Broncos were ranked at No. 5 and then at No. 7 in 2011.

The Broncos, favored to win the Mountain West in 2012, have been generally ranked in the Top 25 in preseason polls. About.com's college football poll, though, ranks them as high as No. 5 overall.

In other Bronco news, wide receiver Geraldo Boldewijn will miss the first four games of the 2012 season for violation of NCAA rules for receiving extra benefits. According to a report on USA Today, Boldewijn accepted financial help from his Boise high school host family to take a trip to visit family in the Netherlands.

The suspension was announced Friday. Boldewijn missed several games at the start of the 2011 season while under NCAA eligibility investigation. In 2011, Boldewijn played in nine games and had 19 catches for 266 yards and two touchdowns.

In spite of losing Boldewijn, the Broncos should still be strong at the receiver spot with returning red-shirt sophomore Matt Miller leading the air corps. The Broncos have solid depth with Matt Burroughs, Kirby Moore, Chris Potter, Chandler Koch and Gabe Linehan all back and capable of lining up in receiver slots.

Boise State will also utilize its running backs, and that means veterans like D.J. Harper and Drew Wright swinging open from the backfield.

Senior center Cory Yriarte will miss the entire season due to a knee injury suffered in summer conditioning drills. Yriarte is a sixth year senior. He received two extra years of eligibility after suffering knee injuries in 2009 and 2010. Matt Paradis, a redshirt junior, will likely take over at center to open the season.

While Yriarte's (at 6'1 and 280 lbs) presence will be missed on the offensive line, the Broncos returned a lot of veteran players to the trenches. Paradis (6'3 and 293 lbs) moving from guard to starting center makes sense but won't diminish the strength of the O-line.