Thursday, January 8, 2009.

Late tonight we'll find out where Boise State ends up in the polls. Who other than TCU will leapfrog the ninth-ranked Broncos? On the other hand, who could fall further than BSU when the final rankings are released after the BCS Championship Game? Each of the five teams ranked immediately below BSU lost their bowl games. And No. 8 Texas Tech didn't look so hot in its Cotton Bowl loss to Ole Miss, so the Broncos have a shot at hanging on to a Top 10 spot. There's a good chance of No. 10 Ohio State jumping BSU, though, considering the Buckeyes' narrow Fiesta Bowl loss to No. 3 Texas. And it'll be really interesting to see how far 15th-ranked Oregon rises. The only Top 10 finish in Bronco history, of course, came two years ago with the No. 5 ranking after the Fiesta Bowl. Stay tuned.

And where will Utah finish in the rankings? Certainly higher than BSU two seasons ago. But it looks like fourth is as good as it will get for the Utes, since USC and Texas have already won ahead of them--and either Oklahoma or Florida will triumph tonight. If Utah does end up No. 4, it won't be only the schedule that gets the blame. Some national media are pointing at the Mountain West's TV network, "the mtn.", as keeping the Utes virtually invisible all season.

John Feinstein wrote a passionate piece in the Washington Post the other day imploring AP voters to cast their ballots for Utah as the No. 1 team. "The reason to vote for Utah is simple," said Feinstein. "This is the one and only way you can stand up to the BCS bullies--the university presidents, commissioners, athletic directors and the TV networks who enable them--and, to renew a catch phrase, 'just say no.' Say no to this horrible, hypocritical, feed-the-big-boys system."

Feinstein continues: "Virginia Tech and Cincinnati deserved to be in the Orange Bowl about as much as Boise State and TCU deserved to have to play in the Poinsettia Bowl before Christmas day. Those bowls should have been reversed. The strength-of-schedule argument is bogus. How tough did Texas Tech and Oklahoma State prove to be in the postseason? Beyond that, consider this: Do you think anyone from a BCS conference is going to start a home-and-home with Utah--or Boise State or TCU or Brigham Young--anytime soon?" (Thank you, Oregon and Oregon State.)

As for tonight's championship game, the local angle is Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and his sorry recent experiences on the biggest postseason stages. The Sooners have lost four consecutive BCS bowl games, including the Fiesta Bowl versus BSU and the national title games at the end of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The most familiar name remaining on OU's roster from the 2006 team that played the Broncos is senior wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias, who caught six passes for 120 yards and snagged the game-tying two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. Fellow wideouts Quentin Chaney and Manuel Johnson, who each had touchdown catches in the Fiesta, are also Sooner seniors now. And Lendy Holmes, who chased Jerard Rabb into the end zone on the hook-and-lateral, is still on the roster as well.

The WAC basketball stragglers have become surgers, and you could include San Jose State in that category. The Spartans come into Taco Bell Arena tonight 0-2 in conference, but they have something the Broncos don't have: a homecourt win over San Francisco. And like BSU, San Jose State owns a road win at San Diego. A pair of home losses to open conference play hurts the Spartans in the WAC race--they fell 66-61 to Louisiana Tech and 75-73 to New Mexico State. You can get ready for a cool night, as SJSU leads the WAC in limiting opposing shooters to just 40 percent from the field. Same with three-point percentage at 31.

The D-League Showcase this week is all about players plying their wares in front of NBA personnel people. But how can those club officials not take notice of Idaho Stampede coach Bryan Gates? He glued his team together Tuesday when it trailed Fort Wayne by 25 points in the third quarter and rallied it to victory over the Mad Ants. Gates, in his third season with the Stampede, is 81-35 with one NBADL championship. He has to be on the radar. The Stamps wind up their Showcase stay in Orem, UT, with a game today against the Tulsa 66ers.

Don't bet against former Boise State star Chris Carr having some kind of impact in Tennessee's NFL Playoffs opener Saturday against Baltimore. The Sporting News, in its playoffs preview, came up with a "Best of the Postseason" list, and Carr was tabbed best return man by the magazine's NFL insiders. "Carr has quick feet and can be elusive in the open field even though he lacks elite speed. He has excellent vision and a knack for finding a seam and getting upfield," said the synopsis. Anyone who saw him play during his BSU years would be hard-pressed to come up with anyone who ran harder than Carr. He averaged 10.1 yards per punt return and 28.1 yards per kickoff return this season for the Titans--the latter ranking third in the AFC.

This Day In Sports...January 8, 2007:

Shortly after Florida routs Ohio State 41-14 in the BCS Championship Game, the final college football rankings place Boise State no. 5 in the AP Poll and no. 6 in the Coaches Poll--needless to say, the school's highest rankings ever. The nation was still abuzz a week after the Broncos' now-legendary 43-42 overtime win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Many called for a playoff system so a team like BSU, the only undefeated school in the country, could play a team like Florida. But the Broncos were satisfied with the ending...and their place in college football lore. It was the fourth time in five years BSU finished the season in the Top 15.

(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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