What Does Boise State's Non-Conference Slate Hold in Store for Their BCS Hopes?

For Boise State to get to their second BCS game, they will likely have to go 13-0, and for the Broncos to go 13-0, they'll have to win each of their five non-conference games. While three of their games are essentially cakewalks, two of them could cause some serious trouble for the orange and blue.

The Broncos' first non-conference game has them pitted against Oregon, which we'll get to in a second. Their second game matches them up with Miami-Ohio, a week after the Oregon tilt. The RedHawks went 2-10 last year, the worst record in the MAC.

They are returning a few offensive weapons, including QB Daniel Raudabaugh and junior wide receiver Chris Givens, who caught seven touchdowns as a sophomore. 

Their running game should be the only thing a young but experienced Boise State defense should have to worry about. Junior Thomas Merriweather had an impressive sophomore season and should be the top guy heading into the season.

He missed four of the last five games of the season, but he was in top form early in the season. He had a three-touchdown effort in week three against Charleston Southern and followed that up with a 133-yard effort in week five against Temple. 

Complementing Merriweather is sophomore J.R. Taylor, who ran for 427 yards and two scores as a freshman. He also averaged an impressive 4.9 yards per carry. Taylor picked up most of the slack while Merriweather was out towards the end of the season, piling up back-to-back 100-yard efforts against Bowling Green and Kent State.

Together the two should combine to give Miami an above average rushing attack at best. 

On defense, the RedHawks should prove pretty easy to move the ball and score on. They surrendered at least 31 points in their last five games of 2008 and were outscored by 171 points on the season, also worst in the MAC.

Boise State's third "non-con" game should also be a breeze. Two weeks after the Miami-Ohio game, and one week after their first conference matchup with Fresno State, they travel to Bowling Green for their third contest in four years.

About all you need to know about that game is that Bowling Green lost six games last season, and one of those was to Miami of Ohio. They should be a little better this year but should finish at around .500 again. The Broncos should cruise through this one. 

A week after the tilt with Bowling Green, the Broncos host UC-Davis, the alma mater of head coach Chris Peterson. The Broncos traditionally schedule one Division I-AA opponent each year, and this year that lucky team is UC-Davis.

The game should be an easy W, but beware, because it was only two years ago that Portland State gave Boise State trouble in their season opener.

That brings Boise State into their next non-conference game, where they will travel to the lovely state of Oklahoma to try to resurrect some Fiesta Bowl magic against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

The Hurricane had a really good season last year, going 11-3, losing the C-USA title game, but avenging that loss with a 45-13 butt-whupping of Ball State in the GMAC Bowl.

Going into this season, they're unsettled at the QB position, with three possible candidates waiting to replace record-setter David Johnson. Junior Jacob Bower has the most experience but has to hold off sophomore G.J. Kinne and talented newcomer Shavodrick Beaver.

Tulsa's game plan should be the same—move fast and furious and put up lots of points—but the Broncos can count on the Hurricane being a tick slower due to the inexperience at QB. 

So here we go—the big shebang! The only game standing between Boise State and a BCS berth also happens to be the first game of the season, making things all the more interesting. The Oregon Ducks travel to the blue turf to complete the two-game set the two teams began last year with the Broncos victory.

This year's game should be better than last year, something that might be hard to do. Last year's game featured Kellen Moore as an unknown freshman. This year he's a star.

Last year the Ducks had questions at QB after several injuries. This year, they have a solid starter in Jeremiah Masoli in addition to their solid running game, anchored by LeGarrette Blount. 

Also, you can be sure this year that the Ducks won't underestimate what the Broncos are capable of. I find it hard to believe they will leave themselves open for the big plays that allowed the Broncos to break the game open with last year. 

The Broncos defense should be improved from last year, though, and should be better equipped to close out a game, something they almost weren't able to do last year. 

Truthfully, this game could go either way. Last year, I went with my head and picked Oregon to hand BSU its only loss of the season. This year I'm going with my heart and picking Boise to walk away with another W on their way to another undefeated season and BCS berth.