2011 Boise State Broncos Football Preview

It has been an emotional rollercoaster for the folks in Boise, Idaho, this past year. A year ago in the late spring of college conference realignment, the Broncos - fresh off a Fiesta Bowl victory over TCU - accepted an invitation to join the surging Mountain West Conference. Gone were the days of the Western Athletic Conference and the combination of on-field mediocrity and national television obscurity that was so prevalent in that part of the college sports world. With BYU, Utah, and TCU in the fold, and a middle-of-the-pack which was superior to anything WAC has produced in decades, the new Mountain West was destined for automatic qualifying status. Fast forward six months, however, and the Mountain West that Boise State had signed up for was gone. BYU and Utah immediately bolted the league, while TCU planned an exit that will become official in 2012. The three upper-tier schools with box-office power that Boise State had hoped to challenge had all decided to move to more lucrative pastures. The MWC addressed this problem by quickly adding three additional teams from – you guessed it – the very same WAC that Boise had hoped to leave. This move – in which Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada will join the league, effective next year – poured even more salt on an already open wound.

With all that being said, and moving back to the actual games on the field (and not off them), the Boise State Broncos are indeed the class of the Mountain West in 2011. The Broncos return seven starters on each side of the ball, including Heisman finalist Kellen Moore at quarterback and two All-WAC offensive linemen in Nate Potter and Thomas Byrd. Doug Martin, also an All-WAC selection, will return at running back. If Moore can find some new talent at wide receiver, there should be no reason to think that Boise State won’t be right in the thick of BCS bowl contention – and perhaps national-title contention - yet again. The defense returns four All-WAC performers from a squad that dominated the WAC last season, surrendering just under 10 points per game during conference play if you eliminate defensive scores or other points that can’t be legitimately attributed to a defensive unit. The MWC has better offensive talent than the WAC, and the Broncos will be replacing key figures Ryan Winterswyk and Winston Venable on their defense. With that being said, Boise is still a proven commodity and will fit nicely into the Mountain West Conference. After this season, when TCU leaves for the Big East, the Broncos should be able to rule the roost on a regular basis.

The schedule is favorable, with top-end MWC teams like TCU and Air Force, plus former WAC rival Nevada, all making the trip to the blue turf in Boise. An opening-weekend contest with SEC power Georgia will give the nation another hefty dose of Bronco Nation and keep this team in the national spotlight. Much like the Virginia Tech victory last year, a win over the Bulldogs could very well propel the Broncos back to the forefront of college football’s biggest and most urgent conversation.

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