College Football BCS Rankings: Boise State Starts at No.3

As I sat there on that early April night watching as Butler’s Gordan Hayward hoisted up a last second desperation half court shot in the 2010 college basketball national championship game, I couldn’t help but wonder to myself as the ball traveled perilously towards the basket - what the hell would happen if this shot goes in?

What would happen if the Butler Bulldogs, a Horizon League team that had never even made an Elite Eight appearance before, shocked the world and took down college basketball’s do gooders, the Duke Blue Devils?

Sadly, the question need not be answered as Hayward’s shot rimmed out and Duke went on to celebrate their 61-59 championship victory. But for those few split seconds, I have to admit, it was fun to wonder about the thought of a mid-major doing something so incredible as winning a college basketball national championship.

It made me ponder for a moment if a non-BCS team will ever actually get their shot in a college football National Title game.

The odds and backdoor politics seem to almost prevent it from ever happening but who knows, maybe this could be the year.

The pride of the Western Athletic Conference, the undefeated Boise State Broncos, finished third in the first edition of college football’s most important list, the BCS rankings, which were unveiled live on ESPN just a little while ago.

Oklahoma and Oregon sat atop the board with Boise State, Auburn and TCU rounding out the top five.

Boise State sits at 6-0 on the season with notable wins over BCS foes Virginia Tech and Oregon State as well as dominant victories over Wyoming, Toledo, New Mexico State, and San Jose State.

The Broncos rank in the top five nationally in both total offense and total defense but that probably won’t stop their many newfound critics from downgrading them at every opportunity.

As we sit here and inevitably wait for the national debate and outcry because this little team from Idaho sits above other more nationally prominent programs from more acclaimed conferences, maybe we should take a few minutes to appreciate what the Broncos have been able to accomplish recently.

Since Chris Petersen took over as head coach of the team following the 2005 season, the Broncos have gone on to win 55 out of their 59 games including two wins in the Fiesta Bowl and finished undefeated throughout regular season play on three different occasions.

The only problem?

They only have six wins over BCS schools - Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Oregon State twice, and Oregon twice - in that time frame.

You can’t fault Petersen’s team because they actually have shown a willingness to take on all comers, but it is a circumstance that many Boise naysayers try to hang their hat on.

The Broncos, as talented as they may be, aren’t equipped to survive the rigors of playing a full SEC, Big 12, Big Ten or Pac-10 schedule and finishing off without a blemish on their record.

And therein lies the conundrum.

There’s really nothing else Boise State can do to prove that they are worthy of playing in the BCS Championship game. Because unlike that Butler basketball team, they don’t have a tournament set up for them where they can knock off bigger name schools in succession on their way to the big game.

What Boise does have is a recent resume of consistency that no other team in the country can match. And that resume seems to have earned them enough respect at the this point to garner the No. 3 spot in college football’s most important rankings.

For how long they can sustain it remains to be seen, but from what we’ve witnessed so far this season, 2010 looks to be the type of year where anything can and will happen. So the possibility of a non-BCS team finally getting a shot at a National Championship is far from impossible.

This could be the type of year in which every major college football team finishes with at least one loss and if that scenario were to play out and Boise State finished 12-0, expect there to be one thing - pure chaos.

Say that perhaps after it’s all said and done, we’re left with a one loss SEC team, a one loss Big 12 team, a one loss Big Ten team, and a one loss Pac-10 team. Could an undefeated Broncos team justify a spot in the National Championship over at least three of those teams?

It’s all simply speculation at this point, we still have ten undefeated teams left. The only thing that is for sure right now is that this season is going to be a whole lot of fun to watch unfold.

We should save the “are they worthy” debates for later because whether they make it or not, there will be plenty of time between the end of the regular season and the national title game, 36 days to be exact, to hash things out and say if it was the right or wrong decision.

The BCS controversy is still in its infancy and at this point we should take a moment to appreciate Boise State instead of judge them and think of how fun it would be if they somehow got to a chance to prove themselves in the National Championship game.

For those wondering what Boise State’s remaining schedule looks like, here it is:

October 26th: Louisiana Tech (3-4)

November 6th: Hawaii (5-2)

November 12th: @Idaho (3-3)

November 19th: Fresno State (4-2)

November 26th: @Nevada (6-1)

December 4th: Utah State (2-4)

Combined Opponent’s Record: 23-16