So far we have looked at twelve of the biggest college football games this year. We’ve gone coast to coast with games in Atlanta, Tallahassee, Arlington, and out west in California. This game features two teams that are winners but because of playing in a non automatic-qualifier conference and playing a weaker overall schedule they are often left on the outside looking in. Over the last five years these two teams have combined for a record of 116-16. Over the last three years these two teams have combined to lose only five games (that’s only five losses in six full seasons!). For the last two years one of these teams has been ranked in the AP Top 5 at the end of the season and yet, the only way one of these two teams in going to sniff the National Championship Game is by other teams losing.
TCU HORNED FROGS at BOISE STATE BRONCOS
When: November 12th
Where: Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho
The last time these two teams met it was in the 2009/2010 season Fiesta Bowl when the Broncos barely edged the Frogs 17-10. The year prior to that game, these teams had met in the Poinsettia Bowl and it was the Frogs that came out on top by just one point. Based on that brief past history, you have to think this one is going to be close. In an interesting subplot this will be TCU’s final year in the Mountain West Conference (before leaving to join the Big East. I know it’s confusing…don’t ask it’s college football) and Boise State’s first year in the Conference. Previous to this year the Broncos were probably thought of as an enemy of the MWC but this year they will be asked to be the hero by putting a boot to the Frogs as they leave to join an auto-matic qualifier conference.
An interesting storyline in this game will be the most experienced QB in the MWC, Kellen Moore of BSU, against a young talented up-start in Casey Paschall. Kellen Moore’s record is sterling and has even drawn respect out of the SEC’s Mark Richt when he joked that the only reason he agreed to the Boise St game for Georgia was because he thought Moore would be in the NFL this year. In Moore, you have a QB that led the Nation in Passing Efficiency last year (even higher than some dude named Cam Newton) and posted an amazing TD:INT ratio of 35:6. Moore will be without his two biggest targets but by November he should be pretty comfortable with his WR corps. Paschall sat and waited his turn behind Andy Dalton but is now ready to show the world what he can do. This will be a battle between the best QB in the MWC and maybe the top up-and-coming QB.
Another interesting battle is between the two stud RBs on these teams. Boise State’s Doug Martin is often overlooked because of Moore and because of the talented WRs that the Broncos had on the squad last year but this could be the year that he breaks out as a bigger name. He’s already had the production to be a big name as he was in the Top 20 Nationally in yards rushing (compiling more yards than respected players like Marcus Lattimore, Roy Helu Jr, Jacquizz Rodgers, Michael Dyer, Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley, Stepfan Taylor, Edwin Baker, Montel Harris and I could go on and on and one). Even when Boise struggled against Nevada, Martin had a big game as he posted over 150 yds rushing and scored twice. His counterpart is Ed Wesley and I think he’s going to have a break-out year this year. Wesley ran for over 1,000 yards last year while splitting carries with Matthew Tucker but he averaged almost two full yards per carry more than Tucker. Look for these two RBs to have huge seasons and both could tip the scales for their teams when these two meet on the gridiron.
A lot of things have to break right for these two teams and break bad for several other teams for BSU and TCU to have a shot at the National Title but playing each other will greatly help out their cause if they meet undefeated. BSU has to get past Georgia in the Georgia Dome and then they have some games against teams that aren’t major names but should be pretty good teams this year in Toledo, Tulsa, Nevada, Fresno State, San Diego State and Air Force. It’s not exactly a who’s who of college football but if BSU can’t get through that run then they won’t deserve a shot at the National Title. TCU’s road doesn’t have a big name opponent like Georgia but it does have some talented squads like Baylor, Air Force, SMU, and San Diego State. Besides BSU, BYU is probably the biggest game on their schedule. What it comes down to is that both of these two teams need each other to come into this game undefeated and if they do one of these two teams, with the right auto-matic qualifier teams falling by the wayside, could find finally themselves finally playing in the big one.
15 Games That Will Decide The National Champion:
Boise State vs. Georgia- Sept 3
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M- Sept 24
Wisconsin at Ohio State- Oct 29
Oregon at Stanford- Nov 12
TCU at Boise State- Nov 12
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
