Bucking Broncos

There's a sentiment among those who follow college football that in 2010, little ol' Boise State University has arrived.

And why not? The blue turf brigade has achieved a top-five ranking in both preseason polls, and should it beat out Virginia Tech on Labor Day night, it's set up to probably run the table in the Western Athletic Conference and, with that lofty preseason ranking, be in the hunt for a bid in the BCS National Championship Game.

So, Boise State, the have-not now being mentioned in the same air of the haves of Alabama and Florida, might be the feel-good story of the 2010 college football season, but, will anyone actually be watching?

Potentially not, when one takes into account some interesting numbers from a Wall Street Journal story on Boise State.

Consider that last year's "BCS Buster" Fiesta Bowl game, which put Boise State against fellow "mid-major" Texas Christian University, posted ratings that were down 21 percent from the previous year's Fiesta Bowl, which pitted some more household names against each other—Texas and Ohio State.

Even more discouraging is a similar statistic—the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, the game that saw Boise capture the nation's imagination with an overtime win over Oklahoma, which featured trick plays and a marriage proposal, posted a ratings decline of 35 percent from the 2006 edition, which saw Ohio State take on Notre Dame.

In the end, it will be the near unanswerable question of merit. Will an undefeated Boise State that bulldozes through a schedule that features Toledo and New Mexico State be more deserving of a bid to play for the National Championship versus an Alabama or Florida that might have a loss in the more powerful Southeastern Conference, which boasts six teams in the Preseason top 25 polls?

It's a debate that will likely not be settled even after the crystal football is raised in Glendale, Arizona, on January 10, 2011, but, as the commentariat might say, we'll have to tune in and see.