#23 Boise State Broncos

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Boise State

Chris Petersen has always found a way to win, whether that be by running trick plays or just dominating inferior opponents, but this year will be a new experience for the Bronco head coach as he doesn’t have his outstanding quarterback Kellen Moore to rely on. While we do expect the Broncos to win some games, they will be tested this season more than they have in the last 4 years.

Petersen also lost running back Doug Martin to the NFL, but Senior D.J. Harper is expected to step up and replace Martin. Where Petersen will run into trouble will be in replacing such a solid quarterback. While Junior Joe Southwick is expected to get the starting nod, there is obviously room for more than one quarterback in Boise. Southwick has only played in mop up duty, but considering the Bronco’s margin of victory last season, 27 points, Southwick should have seen a lot more action than he did.

Expect an early loss to Michigan State on the road and a possible loss to Southern Miss or Nevada, but other than that, the Broncos are sitting pretty once again in an extremely easy conference. The reason we have them so low is because the teams ahead of them face stiffer competition, and a 9 – 3 Big 10 team should be ranked higher than a 9 – 3 Mountain West team. It’s pretty simple.

Why Boise should be ranked higher:
It‘s pretty obvious why the Broncos should be ranked higher, they’ve done nothing to warrant a ranking outside of the top 10. Boise has won at least 12 games in the last four seasons and they face one of the easiest schedules in the country so they should be able to win a lot of games.

Why Boise shouldn’t be ranked higher:
No Kellen Moore, no Doug Martin, only 4 returning starters and they play one of the easiest schedules in the country and the teams ahead of them face a lot tougher competition.

Returning Starters: 5 Offense / 4 Defense

Best games: at Michigan State, at Southern Miss, at Nevada

2011 Total Offense: 9th

2011 Total Defense: 16th

2011 Turnover margin: 23rd

Championship odds: 14/1 Just a little ridiculous

Projected record: 9 – 3

23. Boise State, 24. Cincinnati, 25. Notre Dame