Is Boise State worth the ranking?

Where does Boise State rank now?

Ok, so there was that game last night where Boise State played Louisiana Tech… and won 45-35.

Are you impressed with Boise State?

Well, to me, I can’t say as much. Now don’t get me wrong, Boise State is a good team, no doubt about it. And they have won every game on their schedule, which includes a home game vs. Oregon. But where do they rank?

To me, Boise State should be ranked at LEAST below all undefeated teams in the nation, and I think there are at least 3 teams with one loss that should be ranked ahead of Boise State. Everybody likes to pull for the underdog, and with valid reasons, but the purpose of the top 25 is to put the best teams in line for a BCS Championship. Is Boise State one of those top two…not at all.

The strength of their schedule is severely lacking too. To struggle against a 3-6 team and win by 10 is laughable. That was last night’s game.

You spanked a 1-6 San Jose State team…big deal.

Scrubbed a 2-6 Hawaii team…ok, what else ya working on?

Tulsa was a nice team last year, but they are 4-4 now, and you beat them only by one touchdown.

Why did you play UC Davis?

Bowling Green is currently 4-5 and you beat them too.

But you did have a good win over Fresno State. They are 5-3 but have not been ranked anytime this year.

Miami OH is 1-9.…what’s up with that?

And of course, you started the season off beating Oregon.

Folks, I just cannot give the nod for a top 3 or top 5 team in Boise State if this is the level of competition they face. Only two teams at this moment have a winning record, and many of the others are bottom feeders. This does NOT make for a top 5 team, regardless of the record.

It’s funny because I hear media guys and gals talk about only the fact that they are undefeated…folks that does NOT determine your strength. Two of the last 4 games Boise State have are bottom feeders, but one could easily argue that Nevada and Idaho are benefiting from similar games. This does not make for a strong Boise State team, and last night showed that even against a losing team, they barely got the job done.

Is Boise State a top 10 team…of course they are. You cannot take away the fact that they are undefeated, AND that they beat Oregon. But folks, if Oregon wins out, and Boise State wins out, there is no argument that Oregon should be the better team.

The logic behind the idea that BSU beat Oregon is flawed because it’s not just the head on competition. If you use that same premise then Michigan ought to be ranked ahead of Notre Dame. Never mind that Michigan is 5-4, all that matters is that they beat Notre Dame, so they ought to be ranked higher, even if ND goes 10-2 and Michigan goes 5-7.

See how silly that sounds?

Oregon lost one game, but they have made up for it several times over by beating ranked foes. Boise State has not done so, in fact struggled against less than average teams. This does not make them a top 5 team, but I will not argue them being in the top 10. Now, if a lot of upsets happen today, they will , BY DEFAULT, slide up the rankings. But that does not mean they are better… remember Ole Miss…and Virginia Tech.

Certainly a BCS bowl is in the sights, but a national championship? Not really, not until they start playing higher caliber teams.