BCS Rankings Week 14: Why Boise State Still Deserves Berth in BCS Bowl

When freshman kicker Dan Goodale missed a potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds against the TCU Horned Frogs a couple of weeks ago, it seemed as if the Boise State Broncos' BCS hopes were dashed. Even with that loss, however, I still believe the Broncos are deserving of an at-large berth.

Being deserving and actually receiving the berth are two different things, but I think leaving Boise State out of the BCS picture would be a major oversight. At No. 7, the Broncos are currently behind No. 4 Stanford and No. 6 Houston for the two at-large berths.

Essentially, their only chance of making a BCS bowl at this juncture is if Houston loses to Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA championship game. While Southern Miss is an underrated squad, it seems pretty unlikely that Houston will let its perfect season slip away.

Even if the Cougars do finish the regular season undefeated, though, I still think Boise State is more deserving based upon strength of schedule. Neither Conference USA nor the Mountain West are particularly strong, but at least the Broncos handled No. 14 Georgia in a non-conference game.

The only BCS-level school Houston faced was a mediocre UCLA squad that the Cougars beat by just four points. Meanwhile, there is no shame in Boise State losing to No. 18 TCU. While I understand it is part of the game, the team as a whole did enough to win. The kicker simply didn't come through.

I realize that you can only work off actual results, but I think most would agree that Boise State is a better overall team than Houston. The Broncos have proven over an extended period of time that they can compete with and beat BCS teams, while the Cougars haven't done that.

It seems very likely that Houston will be destroyed by whomever it faces in a BCS bowl, particularly if that team has a competent defense. The same couldn't necessarily be said for Boise State as it has won BCS bowls in the past and undeniably possesses BCS-level talent.

While it will certainly be interesting to see how Houston's fast-paced offense fares against real competition, I fear it will be reminiscent of when Hawaii was smoked by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in 2008. The Cougars simply haven't been properly prepared to face a legitimate team.

Boise State, on the other hand, is battle tested as it has been in the BCS discussion for the better part of the past decade. The main goal of BCS bowls is for there to be compelling and competitive matchups.

Houston may be compelling, but if you're looking for a non-automatic qualifier that can actually win a BCS bowl game, Boise State—led by quarterback Kellen Moore and a strong defense—stands a much better chance than a gimmicky team like Houston.