Tuesday, September 16, 2008.

Less than two years ago, Boise State was in the discussion among college football's elite after the undefeated season and Fiesta Bowl victory. There was a residual effect last fall--until the losses to Hawaii and East Carolina to end the season. But many Bronco fans feel BSU should still be in that conversation. Well now, there's only one way to do it. Beat a Pac-10 team on the road for the first time. Beat a BCS school on the road for the first time. Until that happens, the cloud of national skepticism will hang over the program. The date at Oregon Saturday is just another game. But if the Broncos win, they catapult themselves into the Top 25. If they don't, they disappear from the "Also Receiving Votes" list.

At least Boise State isn't under the microscope like it was before the trip to Washington last year. That's when the Broncos were riding the Fiesta Bowl afterglow and a 14-game winning streak--and lost to the Huskies, 24-10. But look at the U-Dub program now. It's 2-12 since what it thought was a launching-pad victory over BSU. So this Saturday's game against the Ducks is a golden opportunity to regain prestige versus the No. 12 or No. 17 team in the country, depending on which poll you like. With that said, this is more David vs. Goliath than the Fiesta Bowl was against Oklahoma. It's Boise State taking a young team to the cruelest of road venues.

This is Boise State's one chance to join the party, as its schedule doesn't have anything close to the level of Oregon after Saturday. Chris Fowler at ESPN.com addressed the schedule issue last week: "For the moment, there are four legitimate at-large contenders from three different conferences. Voters have shown a willingness the past two years to reward an undefeated season. Boise State and Hawaii made the big time despite not beating a ranked opponent in the regular season. Will the Rainbows' woodshed beating from Georgia make pollsters think twice this year? Maybe. East Carolina is the current buzz-team after smothering West Virginia, a remarkable followup to the Pirates' punt block pilfer of the game against Virginia Tech. Already, that's two more wins versus ranked teams than Boise State or Hawaii had in previous seasons."

After all the panic over the lottery instituted for BSU's allotment of tickets Saturday in Autzen Stadium, there are other ways to skin the cat. You can find tickets if you want 'em--check eBay or Craigslist. It appears some Oregon fans are wanting to turn a quick profit and unload their tix to the Duck-Bronco game. You still have a chance to sprinkle your orange in the sea of green.

Boise State has its first WAC Player of the Week, as safety Jeron Johnson pulls down defensive honors after his performance in the 20-7 win over Bowling Green. Johnson was the point person on the BSU defense, making 13 tackles, including 1½ for loss. The sophomore from Compton, CA, also had both of the Broncos' fumble recoveries, both in the second half and both inside Boise State's 30-yard line.

It's been an amazing recruiting season already for Boise State, starting with its first verbal commitment back on May 27. Chadd Cripe reports in the Statesman that the Broncos have their 13th commit, and this may be the biggest coup yet. It's wide receiver Kirby Moore, Kellen Moore's brother from Prosser, WA. Kirby turned down Washington, Washington State and Stanford to join Kellen at BSU. Kirby has the same proclivity for touchdowns that his brother did in high school, setting a state single-season record with 29 catches last year. He received all that Pac-10 attention partly because of his size--Kirby is 6-2, 197 pounds.

Well, the WAC got whacked over the weekend, everything from Nevada's 69-17 annihilation at Missouri to Hawaii's 45-7 loss at Oregon State to Utah's 58-10 crushing by Utah. And here's the Mountain West going 4-0 against the Pac-10, including BYU's 59-0 waxing of UCLA. The Mountain West brings a "Whoa Nellie" to any notion that the WAC has passed its non-BCS brethren conference. Nobody recognizes moral victories, but that's what Fresno State has after its 13-10 loss to Wisconsin. At least the WAC nabbed a consolation prize against the Mountain West, as San Jose State rolled over San Diego State, 35-10.

Former BSU standouts Quintin Mikell and Orlando Scandrick crossed paths last night on Monday Night Football, both participating in the scoring circus that saw Dallas get by Philadelphia, 41-37. But there wasn't as much offense as you may think, with the Cowboys netting 380 yards and the Eagles 337. Mikell, Philly's starting strong safety, had five tackles and a pass deflection, and Scandrick had one special teams stop for Dallas.

The Utah Jazz return to Boise for training camp again this year, beginning two weeks from today at Taco Bell Arena. The Jazz also say there'll be an open practice for fans Friday, October 3. They're taking care of that little detail early this time. Last year, while being interviewed on Idaho SportsTalk, Jazz owner Larry Miller was asked why there wasn't an open event for the public. Miller said he did not know that, and excused himself to make a couple phone calls. He came back on IST to announce that everybody was invited to the team's final practice of camp. There's no exhibition game again this year--the Jazz open the preseason against the Lakers in Anaheim October 7.

This Day In Sports...September 16, 2000:

Boise State plays its first-ever game against a team from the Southeastern Conference, facing Arkansas and former BSU coach Houston Nutt. It took the Broncos awhile to settle down as they fell behind 24-0 in the second quarter before rallying to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Then, trailing 38-31 with just over a minute to play, BSU had a fourth-and-goal from the Arkansas nine. Bart Hendricks hit Jay Swillie, but he was stopped a half-yard short of the goal line and a possible overtime.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB's Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 1350 KTIK/The Ticket. He also handles color commentary on KTVB's telecasts of Boise State football.)

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