271

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3xrwcCS75CM

That is the number over points Boise State received in the USAToday coaches’ preseason poll.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm

Sure 22 ranked is higher than most blogs and fan sites rank Boise State. One does have to go back some years to find the last time the coaches’ preseason ranked Boise State lower, in 2008 Boise State barely received any votes at all with 25 points and being unranked, that season didn’t turn out so bad 12-1 with a 1 point loss to TCU in a bowl and a final ranking of #13. Then there is 2007 at least after the victory over OU we got some respect with a 23^rd ranking but just 222 points of course with a 10-3 record after a close bowl loss.  In 2006 the coaches gave us a total of 46 points and unranked Oh Boy were they wrong finishing 13-0 with a #6 ranking and possibly the greatest bowl game ever played. Surprisingly however after 2004 finishing #13 with 792 points just 10 points behind Michigan in 2005 the coaches ranked Boise State 19^th with 303 points, however after the dismal opener against Georgia were dropped from the rankings  and went weeks without even getting votes finishing the year unranked. While 2005 was the first year Boise State was ever ranked in a preseason coaches poll 2002’s final ranking of 12^th, one would of thought 2003 would have been the year.

Regardless to how we feel about the points and the ranking the fact is with MSU being ranked 13^th a season opening match up of #22 vs. #13 will still bring with it tons of media attention as well if the game is a close game say like the V-tech game with Boise State pulling out the close victory this shouldn’t hurt MSU’s ranking too much if at all depending on how the other games pan out. Certainly if the Meatchickens get blown out by Bama and Clemson loses to Auburn Sparty may stay right at #13 even with an opening loss to Boise State.

Looking ahead (it’s preseason that’s what we do in preseason) the biggest road blocks to Boise State having any chance to the MNCG is Florida State and West Virginia if either of these schools get on a run they could easily find themselves in cruise control all the way to their conference game. The Pac 12 and B1G are going to take themselves out plus if MSU proves out to be the best in the B1G it would be impossible for MSU to advance over Boise State and certainly any single loss B1G school who’s single loss would be from MSU would also fit the category. No one wants a repeat of last year’s MNCG where two schools from the same conference play again.

MSU needs to win out and the ACC and Big 12 champs need to have a think in their armor and Boise does what it hasn’t done since 2009, win out and we could see in our final year in a mid-major conference the impossible happen.

Hey it’s preseason it’s ok to dream!