Boise state will fall

Halloween is approaching rapidly and the only thing creepier than Buster Bronco’s costume is the future of the nation’s best mid-major.
Thanks largely in part to quarterback Kellen Moore, No. 4 Boise State has enjoyed its fair share of success in the WAC and now the Mountain West. Well, disregarding its 11-point home win against Air Force on Oct. 22. The exact same Air Force team who was victim to a 59-33 loss at unranked Notre Dame two weeks ago.
The Broncos have blossomed under Moore and former athletic director Gene Bleymaier. Come next fall, Boise State will be without two key figures who helped the football team become one of the most recognized and iconic programs in the nation.
As the season concludes, Chris Peterson will gag at the sight of his depth chart, one that sees sophomore Joe Southwick immediately behind Moore. Boise State has not had the opportunity to establish Southwick as the clear-cut favorite to fill the shoes of its consensus All-American.
Southwick will have two years to develop into the Heisman candidate Bronco fans expect. After his two initial seasons with Boise State, Moore had thrown for 64 touchdowns and compiled more than 550 completions. Southwick’s statistics are comparable, two touchdowns and 29 completions.
Hurling Southwick into the spotlight will be Peterson’s only option.
The offense thrived because of Moore, but Austin Pettis and Titus Young proved their value to the program through their prosperous careers, while Doug Martin has solidified himself as one of the most lethal rushers on the West Coast. Or maybe just the Mountain West.
Martin and second-leading rusher D.J. Harper will graduate in the spring along with leading receiver Tyler Shoemaker. In total, seven offensive starters and eight defensive starters will be gone, leaving the Broncos with minimal experience on the defensive and offensive line.
Yet considering everything that has led Boise State to nine consecutive bowl games and two Fiesta Bowl trophies in six years, it’s crucial to consider strength of schedule, the primary determinant that measures a team’s success.
Unlike the vast majority of Top 25 schools, Boise State has skated by, scheduling a ranked opponent to open the season for three consecutive years. How hard can a season opener be when injuries aren’t a factor?
The entire offensive line could have suffered torn ACL’s in the opener at Georgia and the Broncos still would have had no problem steamrolling Toledo the next week.
Downing Georgia, Virginia Tech and Oregon are impressive nonetheless but it’s difficult to sympathize with Boise State when glimpsing at the schedules of the nation’s elite. LSU is No. 1 for a reason, or seven reasons — depending on how its looked at it. That’s how many ranked opponents the 2011 schedule consists of. No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Oklahoma State each have five.
Week in and week out — how would Boise State fare against the SEC or Big 12? If the struggles against Air Force are any indication of what their future looks like, Peterson might as well join Moore in next year’s NFL Draft.
Say Boise State does endure somewhat of a collapse in the coming years. Will it be enough to revamp the in-state rivalry with its “nasty, inebriated” neighbors of the north?
Not only did BSU President Bob Kustra over-exaggerate drunkenness in Moscow, he overlooked Idaho’s success against Boise State’s new Mountain West opposition. That would be 3-1 since 2009, Kustra. Let’s not forget the Bronco’s season finale Dec. 3 comes against a New Mexico team who has been victorious twice in three years.
The Broncos have had no trouble routing the majority of the Mountain West this season, but don’t expect Boise State to cruise through to a BCS bowl game. A slip up at San Diego State remains possible while an upset at the hands of TCU is much more promising.
Boise State has been longing for an opportunity to compete for a BCS title and even if it does remain undefeated this year, to say it is deserved would
be absurd.
If calculations are correct, the Boise band-wagoners will drown in the blue oceans of Martin Stadium next season, followed by the football team.