TCU and Boise State Are Building Championship Caliber College Football Players

When Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady was selected by the Denver Broncos with the twelfth pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, it served as a milestone for the so called “small time football program.” Clady was the first player in the history of Broncos football taken in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The one time unheralded two star recruit out of California’s Eisenhower High School became the shining example of why teams like Boise State and TCU have been able to maintain a level of consistent success since coaches Chris Petersen and Gary Patterson took over their respective programs.

It seems a lot of people have the notion that the two teams are doing more with less, when in reality, they’re building less into more. The two programs have been taking less touted recruits, ones who aren’t seen in the headlines of Rivals' feature stories and aren’t lavished by bigger BCS programs, and maximizing every inch of their potential through sound training and smart coaching.

We’re now seeing it with some of the NFL talent the two schools are starting to churn out. Look at Kyle Wilson and Jerry Hughes. They were first round picks in this past NFL Draft and both were also considered average two star recruits coming out of high school.

Boise State took Wilson, a highly productive yet undersized wide receiver out of Piscataway, New Jersey, and turned him into one of the most coveted cornerback prospects in the country. TCU found themselves a pass rushing gem in Hughes, a two star recruit out of Stephen F. Austin High School in Texas. All of the big name schools in the state didn’t even bother taking a whiff of this kid.

Do you know how many scholarship offers Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore and TCU quarterback Andy Dalton received from BCS schools?

A grand total of zero.

And while neither will likely find the NFL riches of a Sam Bradford or a Matt Stafford, they’ve done exactly what they were brought in to do--win games. A whole lot of them.

Credit the coaching staffs at both schools who preach fundamentals over flash.

When watching the early season battle between Boise State and Virginia Tech, it was easy to see who the more prepared and better coached team really was. It was also easy to see that while Boise State may not have the depth to compete with bigger schools on a regular basis, they certainly have the speed and the athletes.

Broncos wide receivers Titus Young and Autin Pettis ran right by the Hokies' secondary on numerous occasions just like they’ve been doing to the opponents they’ve faced in the less respected WAC Conference all season.

While Boise has been doing it with speed, TCU has been doing it with pure strength and stamina. The Horned Frogs' strength and conditioning program has becoming the stuff of legends over the past few years. All you have to do is take a look at some of the imposing players on the team like 6'5'' 360 lb. offensive lineman Marcus Cannon, who will be another highly regarded TCU NFL prospect, to see why.

There aren't very many teams in the entire country who are built to go toe to toe with TCU for all four quarters and survive to tell about it. They wear you down and beat you up, just as we saw in Saturday’s slaughter in Salt Lake City.

Another fascinating thing about the two programs is that they’re always ready to play, regardless of the opponent.

You’ve never seen either team have a season like Mack Brown’s Texas team is having this year, where they just completely sleep walk through humiliating losses to lesser opponents.

It’s another testament to the great coaching staffs at each school, who not only build solid football players but solid teams as well.

From top to bottom, these are two of the most well put together teams we have in college football today and yes, it’s a darn shame that if both go undefeated they will get shut out of the title game once again.

There will be critics that say--well they just don’t have the talent to compete with the big boys--and that in itself is a false accusation. They’ve proved it countless times against the so called top names of college football.

When it comes right down to it, all Boise State and TCU do is compete. It’s what they’re built for.