Does Boise State Deserve a BCS Bowl Bid?

The answer to Boise State Bronco fans is easily yes. However, the BCS committee may not have the same answer for the Broncos.

Boise St. is currently ranked ninth in the BCS standings and is 11-0 on the season. However, their chances are almost doomed if Oregon St. beats Oregon in the Civil War on Saturday. This would cause USC to gain an at-large bid rather than the bid in the Rose Bowl as the Pac-10 champions.

In order for a mid-major conference team to gain an at-large bid, they must be ranked in the top 12 of the BCS standings. However, Utah is undefeated and ranked seventh in the BCS standings. This means Utah will get the automatic bid for the mid-major conferences because they are ranked higher.

Boise St.'s last hurdle would be No. 10 Ohio State (10-2). The Buckeyes' only two losses this season were to No. 5 USC and No. 8 Penn State. The BCS might also feel the Buckeyes will travel better if they get a BCS bid.

However, this is why the Broncos SHOULD get into the BCS mix.

They have won all their games. This is, of course, assuming they beat Fresno St. (7-4) on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium tonight. Ohio State has had their chance to prove they deserve to play with the nation's best teams twice. They lost both games.

Also, doesn't anyone remember how many Boise St. fans were in Tempe to watch them take down Oklahoma? There were plenty of fans. I mean, it's not like the BCS will have to worry about selling out the game they put the Broncos in, because to Boise St. fans, a BCS game is like a national title bid.

Yes, all the mid-major haters could say look at what happened to Hawaii last year in the Sugar Bowl. But this is a team that beat a highly ranked Oklahoma Sooner team in the Fiesta Bowl just two years ago. They have proven they can hang with the big boys. Also, their record over the last three seasons is 34-3.

While Boise St. may play a weaker schedule in the WAC, they proved themselves this season with a big non-conference victory. The Broncos beat Oregon, who was ranked 17th, 39-32 in Autzen Stadium. Oregon is now ranked 23rd.

The biggest reason for their success this season has been their offense. The Broncos rank 16th in the country in scoring offense, averaging 37.5 points per game. They also boast the 10th-best passing offense in the country, and they are 14th in total offense, averaging just over 461 yards a game.

While many fans remember senior running back Ian Johnson, the offense is actually led by freshman quarterback Kellen Moore. Moore has thrown for 3,051 yards and 23 touchdowns this season. He is also among the nation's leaders in passer rating and has completed 69.7 percent of his passes.

Defensive coordinators have nightmares about the two-headed monster in the backfield for the Broncos. Ian Johnson and sophomore Jeremy Avery have combined for 1,161 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

Boise St. is not all offense though. Their defense is among the best in the country.

It is led by junior cornerback Kyle Wilson, who is tied for 12th in the nation with five interceptions. The Broncos are allowing only 12.5 points per game, which is tied for second in the country with Alabama and only trails Florida, who is giving up only 12 points per game. They have also held opponents to seven points or less in six of their games this season.

The BCS may not like it, but they should give both the Broncos and the Utes a shot to once again prove they belong with the big boys.

Also, for all those fans expecting to see an end to Boise St.'s winning ways, think again. Even if they are left out of a BCS game this year, this team has a total of 64 freshmen. Face it, mid-major haters: Boise St. is here to stay.