The Boise State Broncos are finally beginning to get the respect they deserve.
Returning 20 of 22 starters, the Broncos came into the season ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 Preseason Poll and defeated then No. 10 Virginia Tech 33-30 in Washington, D.C., for their season opener. No. 3 is the highest that any non-Bowl Championship Series school has been ranked since the BCS was organized in 1998.
BSU, No. 4 Texas Christian University and the University of Utah have been three of my favorite college football teams during the past five years. The three schools have proved why college football needs to adapt to a playoff system and get rid of the BCS.
I personally know Executive Director of the BCS Bill Hancock because we have both been members of Asbury United Methodist Church in Prairie Village, for the past 15 years. Hancock, who also served as the director of the NCAA’s Division I Men’s Basketball Championship for 13 years, is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. I don’t want to see him lose his job, but at the same time, I want to see college football get rid of the BCS.
All BSU has done the past four years is go 49-4, including Fiesta Bowl victories against Oklahoma University in 2006 and TCU in 2009.
The 43-42 win over OU is considered by many to be one of the best games in college football history. BSU gave up an 18-point lead halfway through the third quarter and fell behind 35-28 with 1:02 left in regulation after BSU quarterback Jared Zabransky’s pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. BSU then bounced back with a 50-yard “hook-and-ladder” play for a touchdown to tie the game with seven seconds remaining.
After OU running back Adrian Peterson’s 25-yard touchdown run in OU’s first overtime possession, BSU receiver Vinny Perretta’s touchdown pass on fourth-and-4 made the score 42-41. BSU then decided to go for the win and attempted a two-point conversion. The Broncos ran the “statue of liberty” play and running back Ian Johnson ran the ball into the endzone for the win and then to the sideline to propose to his girlfriend, a BSU cheerleader, who said yes.
The stunning victory resulted in a 13-0 season for the Broncos. BSU also ended last season undefeated after giving TCU its only loss of the season in the Fiesta Bowl. Utah went undefeated in 2008 after defeating heavily favored University of Alabama.
The Broncos will try to improve to 2-0 on the season against the University of Wyoming at 7 p.m. Saturday.
BSU and TCU have played each other in bowl games the past two years, but I hope they play each other in a bowl game again this year as well. I would love to see BCS National Championship between two non-BCS schools.
