NCAAF BCS Busters
By Bruce Marshall
Following are our latest "BCS Buster" rankings, with straight-up and point spread records listed, as well as the next opponent.
1-BOISE STATE (3-0, 3-0)... The Broncos did enough in last week’s 37-24 win over Oregon State to not hurt themselves in the polls, keeping their BCS title game hopes on course. Now, the Broncos are going to have to do some scoreboard watching and cheer for Virginia Tech to continue its climb back up the ACC mountain (Frank Beamer won’t have a bigger fan than Boise for this week’s test vs. unbeaten NC State) and also cheer for revitalized Nevada to stay unbeaten until the Thanksgiving week showdown in Reno. In the meantime, to limit poll damage caused by the steady diet of WAC opposition the Broncos will be facing in the next eight weeks, don’t be surprised if Boise (20-9 its last 29 as chalk) scores some "style points" and roll up some scores in the coming weeks, beginning this week with poor New Mexico State. Hosts New Mexico State this Saturday.
2-TCU (4-0, 2-2)... The Frogs endured a bit of a scare last Friday vs. Metroplex rival SMU, trailing for a moment in the 3rd quarter before getting serious and putting the Mustangs away. The Oregon State comparison vs. Boise, however, probably won’t help the Horned Frogs, so they’ll be hoping that some WAC entries such as Hawaii and San Jose and, eventually, Nevada cause enough trouble for the Broncos to give TCU a chance to leapfrog (no pun intended) Boise in the polls. It’s ironic that a loss in last year’s Fiesta Bowl to Boise might be one of the most important games in this year’s eventual BCS equation, as it effectively put TCU behind the Broncos from the outset. Talk about your flaws in the BCS system! At Colorado State this Saturday.
3-UTAH (4-0, 3-1)... The Utes have notched some impressive style points in recent weeks, crashing the 50-point barrier and covering vs. outmanned New Mexico and San Jose State. They’ll get their shot at TCU later this season (in Salt Lake City to boot), but finding a way past Boise might require some help from outside sources. Further good news is that QB Jordan Wynn returned to action last Saturday vs. the Spartans, and Utah continues to handle hefty numbers for HC Kyle Whittingham (the Utes are now 9-1 their last 10 laying 20 points or more after the San Jose destruction). At Iowa State October 9
4-NEVADA (4-0, 3-1)... Two "hump" wins in a row for the Wolf Pack, easy 27-13 winners last week at BYU, suddenly have them talking BCS in Washoe County, too. Nevada has also surfaced in the polls (ranked 25th in both) for the first time since 1948, when the Wolf Pack eventually performed in the Harbor Bowl, a predecessor to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. Heady times in Reno, to be sure, especially with a chance to beat up rival UNLV and win the Fremont Cannon for the sixth straight year on Saturday night. Do you think QB Colin Kaepernick might be due a Heisman endorsement from Sharron Angle and the Tea Party? At UNLV this Saturday
5-AIR FORCE (3-1, 2-2)... The Falcs could be excused for being a bit flat at Wyoming, a tough sandwich game between a heroic near-miss at Oklahoma and the revenge war this week vs. Navy. And don’t underestimate the importance of this week’s game vs. the Mids; never mind the Mountain West, this year’s Air Force team will define itself by reclaiming the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. But to do so, the Falcs will have to beat Navy this week for the first time since 2002. Hosts Navy this Saturday.
6-NAVY (2-1, 1-2)... Much like Air Force, the Mids’ season will be defined by the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, which in Navy’s case means keeping it for the eighth year in a row. Oddsmakers do not seem to think the Mids are up to the task this week at Colorado Springs, where the Falcs have been installed as 10-point favorites. All we can say to them is underestimate Navy at your own risk. At Air Force this Saturday.
7-HOUSTON (3-1, 1-2)... Maybe the Cougars’ season isn’t scotched after all. True frosh QB Terrance Broadway, the new UH spread pilot after injuries KO’d starter and peripheral Heisman candidate Case Keenum and backup Cotton Turner the previous week at UCLA, looked more than serviceable in his first start last Saturday vs. Tulane, completing 19 of 28 passes and showing the sort of moves that made him the nation’s 5th-rated dual-purpose QB threat coming out of high school last year. If he stays healthy, he’ll get better as the season progresses and should emerge as a playmaker deluxe for the Cougs. Getting a TD from the defense in last week’s 42-23 win over the Green Wave was a positive sign as well. At Mississippi State October 9
8-SMU (2-2, 2-2)... We’re not going to downgrade the Mustangs too much for the TCU loss. If anything, taking a lead in the 3rd quarter showed how far June Jones has progressed the program in two years. Home dates later in October vs. Tulsa and Houston will likely go a long way in determining the C-USA West winner, but no matter what it looks like Jones has the Ponies poised for a return to a bowl game somewhere in December. At Rice this Saturday
9-FRESNO STATE (2-1, 2-1).. .After an encouraging start for the Fresno defense, things unraveled in a big way for the Bulldogs at Ole Miss, where the Rebels discovered they could unleash RB Brandon Bolden and do significant damage to the Fresno rush defense, which was one of the worst in the country when allowing over 6 ypc a year ago. At least HC Pat Hill has time to shore up those rush defense deficiencies (if he can), with WAC showdowns vs. Nevada and Boise State not coming until back-to-back weeks in mid-November. Hosts Cal Poly SLO this Saturday
10-SOUTHERN MISS (3-1, 1-3)... It’s a good thing the Golden Eagles aren’t worried about "style points" the way they are at Boise, TCU, and Utah, because Dick Button and Peggy Fleming would have given them very low marks for their unsightly 13-12 win at La Tech last week. USM will have to work on its offensive efficiency after having little to show for 425 yards worth of offense at Ruston, although star WR DeAndre Brown is expected to return for this week’s C-USA opener vs. Marshall. Hosts Marshall this Saturday
Knocking on the door: San Diego State, UCF, Temple, Army