Arizona State vs. Boise State: Why a Blowout Will Reveal BCS Injustice

The Boise State Broncos will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday night in the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas. Boise State fans will continue to feverishly support their team, but I can't help but think that the Broncos are deserving of a much more significant matchup.

Despite the fact that the Broncos finished 11-1 and No. 7 in the BCS poll, they were leapfrogged by teams like Michigan and Virginia Tech for at-large BCS berths. Much of this probably has to do with Boise State's weak Mountain West Conference schedule, but the Broncos prove themselves on a yearly basis as a legitimate threat.

This year, Boise State's lone loss came to an excellent TCU team by a score of 36-35. What's more, Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore put the team in position to win. However, for the second year in a row, place kicking issues crushed Boise State's national championship and BCS dreams. Freshman kicker Dan Goodale missed a game-winning, 39-yard field goal to end the Broncos' pursuit of perfection.

While I understand that a team like Boise State losing is weighted differently than a BCS team losing, it's hard for me to fathom that teams like Michigan and Virginia Tech can be considered better than Boise State. The Broncos admittedly had an easy schedule, but show me a more impressive win from Michigan or Virginia Tech than Boise State's 35-21 triumph over Georgia at the Georgia Dome.

The Broncos have proven time and time again that they can compete with and defeat power-conference teams, so it's time that they start getting treated like one. That soon will no longer be an issue, luckily, as the Broncos will be making the move to the Big East and will become automatic qualifiers.

As far as this season goes, Arizona State is a capable opponent for Boise State, but I don't envision the Broncos having much of a problem coming out on top. This will be the final collegiate game for spectacular quarterback Kellen Moore and he is poised to turn in a huge performance.

The Sun Devils did start off the season well, including a victory over USC, but they went on a major slide to end the season and lost their final four contests against seemingly inferior teams. Arizona State has a solid offense led by quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Cameron Marshall, but their defense has been awful.

That is surely something that Moore and the Boise State offense is going to exploit in the MAACO Bowl. I highly doubt that the Broncos are particularly thrilled with the way the BCS system shafted them, but rather than pout about it I expect the players to be focused and deliver a dominant performance.

Ultimately, the Broncos will once again easily vanquish a BCS opponent and we will be left to wonder what could have been for Boise State in a BCS bowl game. Most would agree that the BCS system is completely backwards and the manner in which Boise State was snubbed is yet another reminder of that.