Randall Building a Powerhouse at Boise State

Coach Greg Randall inherited one of the top wrestling squads in the country. He is beginning to turn it into a powerhouse.

Randall has this year’s squad ranked anywhere from #3 to #9 depending on who you talk to.

Wrestling Report has Boise State #3 with 78 points, behind #1 Cornell (103) and Penn State (89). Andrew Hochstrasser is the #2-rated wrestler at 133 pounds, Kirk Smith is also #2 at 184 pounds, junior Jason Chamberlain is #3 at 149 pounds, Adam Hall is #3 in the 157-pound classification, freshman Jake Swartz has worked his way up to #11 at 174 pounds, Levi Jones is #17 at 141 pounds while Alan Bartelli is rated #22 at 125 pounds and Matt Casperson is #24 at 197 pounds. Boise State has no wrestlers in the top 33 at 165 pounds or in the 285-pound group.

Intermat also ranks Boise State #3 with 76 points, behind only Cornell and Penn State, who each have 87.5 points. Intermat has Smith #1 and Bartelli ranked 16th, with the other rankings fairly in line with Wrestling Report.

The rankings posted on the official NCAA site have Boise State #9, trailing #1 Cornell, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Missouri and Iowa.

Most wrestling rankings attempt to predict the results of the NCAA National Wrestling Championships; the NCAA site reflects votes of the nation’s wrestling coaches.

Coach Randall has led Boise State to seven Top 3 finishes at the Pac-10 Conference Championships in the last eight years. The Broncos won two straight Pac-10 titles in 2008 and 2009 and fell to Oregon State by two points last season. In 2009, Boise State was 17-3 in dual matches and shattered the all-time Pac-10 Championship scoring record with 172.5 points. Six Broncos captured individual conference titles that year: Andrew Hochstrasser at 133 pounds, Jason Chamberlain in the 149-pound classification, Tyler Sherfey at 165, Nate Lee at 174 pounds, Kirk Smith at 184 pounds and Brent Chriswell at 197 pounds. Nine wrestlers qualified for the Nationals, to tie the school record set in 2003 and matched in 2008. Three of those—Hochstrasser, Sherfey and Chriswell earned All-America honors with top-eight finishes. Boise State finished 12th in the nation in 2009, 11th last year, and Randall also led the Broncos to a 12th-place finish in 2003.

All those accomplishments aside, Randall and Boise State are attempting to finally crack the Top 10 in the nation, something Randall’s predecessor, Mike Young, did at Boise State. With new prized recruits arriving on campus each year, Randall is well on the way to building the Broncos into a national power.

Boise State Will Play Eight Bowl Teams in 2011

The football schedule just keeps getting better for Boise State. With the addition of #2 TCU next season, the Broncos will play eight bowl teams: Georgia, Tulsa, Toledo, Fresno State, #13 Nevada, #2 TCU, San Diego State and Air Force.


Nevada has hinted that it is trying to get out of the game with Boise State but no official announcement has been made at this time.


The eight teams mentioned above were a combined 76-29 last season.

Bronco Men Will Battle Utah State for WAC Indoor Track Crown

In the early part of the season, the Boise State men's indoor track team is neck-and-neck with Utah State in the battle for projected points in the upcoming WAC Indoor Championships.  Utah State is currently projected at 146 to 144 for Boise State, 110 for Louisiana Tech and 81 for Idaho.

The women have made good strides in recent years and it would be nice to see the Bronco women continue to push their way to the top.  Currently, perennial champion Tech is favored with 149 points to 106 for Utah State, 88 for surprising New Mexico State, Boise State and Nevada have 79 projected points each, with Idaho set for 38 and Hawai'i 35.

Boise State will Host TCU, play SD State on the Road in 2011

Speculation has been confirmed.  TCU will visit Boise State this fall, according to Mountain West Conference sources.  Boise State will play San Diego State on the road, and then host the Aztecs in 2012.

Boise State has played TCU three times, winning two of them.  Two of them (the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl and the 2010 Fiesta Bowl) were played at neutral sites, while the 2003 Fort Worth Bowl was played on TCU's home field.  The two powerhouses have never played in Boise.

Bronco Wrestlers Down #24 Cal Poly 29-6 in Pac-10

It was home sweet home for the #3 Boise State wrestling team as the Broncos disposed of #24 Cal Poly 29-6 yesterday at Taco Bell Arena.

Coach Greg Randall’s team won eight matches, three of them by major decision and one by a technical fall.  This is the kind of depth the team will need if it hopes to finish in the top five at the NCAA National Championships. 

#11 Jake Swartz got Boise State on the board with a 6-3 win over Steven Vasquez at 174 pounds.  Kirk Smith, who has been largely been kept out of the lineup with a nagging injury, defeated the Mustangs’ Kelan Bragg in a 14-3 major.  Matt Casperson downed Rayn Smith 10-5 at 197 pounds and the Broncos were off and rolling.

Freshman J.T. Felix earned a win at heavyweight over Atticus Disney 7-3.  #16 Alan Bartelli gave the Broncos their fifth straight individual win with a 2-0 win over Brandan Rocha at 125 pounds and #2 Andrew Hochstrasser defeated #14 Filip Novachkov at 133 pounds to complete a 20-0 run for Boise State.

#18 Levi Jones proved his potential in a near-upset of #4 Boris Novachkov of Cal Poly.  The two nationally-ranked wrestlers battled to a 2-2 tie late in the match.  Novachkov scored a take down with 20 seconds left in the match to earn the hard-fought victory.  That made the score 20-6, but #3 Jason Chamberlain recorded a technical fall 22-7 over Stephen Thalin at 149 pounds and #2 Adam Hall scored a 14-6 major over Barrett Abel at 157.

The Broncos, now 6-2-1 on the season, continue the Pac-10 season by hosting Stanford this Friday.



#9 Boise State 29, #24 Cal Poly 6
165 - #17 Ryan DesRoches (CP) dec. Kurt Swartz (BSU) 6-0
174 - #11 Jake Swartz (BSU) dec. Steven Vasquez (CP) 6-2

184 - #1 Kirk Smith (BSU) major dec. Kelan Bragg (CP) 14-3

197 – Matt Casperson (BSU) dec. Ryan Smith (CP) 10-5
HWT – J.T. Felix (BSU) dec. Atticus Disney (CP) 7-3
125 - #16 Alan Bartelli (BSU) dec. Brandan Rocha (CP) 2-0

133 - #2 Andrew Hochstrasser (BSU) major dec. #14 Filip Novachkov (CP) 16-2

141 - #4 Boris Novachkov (CP) dec. #18 Levi Jones (BSU) 4-2

149 - #3 Jason Chamberlain (BSU) tech fall Stephen Thalin (CP) 22-7 (5:08)

157 - #2 Adam Hall (BSU) major dec. Barrett Abel (CP) 14-6

Bronco Tennis Team Off to Good Start

Coach Patton continues to work magic.  With practically an entire new team, Boise State has had to basically rebuild.  Yet Boise State downed Pacific yesterday 5-2 to open their season.

Patton is redshirting James Meredith to prepare for the future and get his class breakdown the way he wants it.  That means some younger talent will get valuable experience this year, and the Broncos will be all the better for it when Meredith rejoins the lineup next year.

The real test will be today against #26 Washington.  That match is underway in Seattle.

Boise State Wins Seven Events at Bronco Invitational

The young Boise State track team came away with some positives from yesterday’s Bronco invitational.  The Broncos captured seven titles and produced 33 career-best marks in the event at Jackson’s Indoor Track in Nampa.


Three Bronco juniors remain unbeaten on the season.   Eetu Viitala had a lifetime best of 25-4 in the long jump, bettering his previous high by eight inches.  Viitala was just ¾ of an inch short of an all-time #3 jump in school history.  Mele Vaisima won the weight throw (61-4.25) for her third consecutive victory of the young season. Trevor Kraychir, the reigning Western Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week, heaved the weight 64-7 to win his third straight title as well.  Jeff Daw, Karrie Butler, Rolando Trammel and Paul Robertson are also 3-0 with a victory in the 4 x 400-meter relay (3:15.77). 


Redshirt sophomore Chase Sexton captured the shot put title with a throw of 53-8.50, junior Brian Pierre ran a great mile (4:15.25) and sophomore Jeff Daw broke the tape in the 400 with a career best of 48.01. 


Winning the WAC and doing well in the NCAA Nationals, however, requires more than individual efforts and event titles.  It is the points a team gets from other contributors that separates the teams with a few good individuals from those that get to take the hardware home.  We’ll watch that on this blog and chart their progress.  Yesterday, Alyssa Osai and Nadine Russell had career-bests of 54-10.75 and 53-4.25, respectively, in the weight throw to provide backup for Viitala and finish second and third.  Alex Nelson finished second to Kraychir in the men’s throw with a 59-10.25 effort. 


The well-balanced Bronco quartet could pay dividends in the WAC Championships next month.  Coach J.W. Hardy’s group went 1-2-3-4 led by Daw.  Manoah Wesson ran a career-best 48.17 to take second, Karrie Butler finished in 48.82, also a career best, and Paul Robertson was timed in 49.23.  Eric Capelle was just edged at the finish in the 60-meter dash (6.96) while freshman Justin Maines sported a lifetime best of 8.27 in the 60-meter hurdles to take second.  Promising sophomore Destiny Gammage was second in the 200-hurdles (25.01) while senior BreAnna Craig took second in the pole vault (12-5.50). 


Daniel Thompson still has work to do to join the top WAC pole vaulters, but he cleared a career-best 15-11 to take third yesterday.  Mathew Moyer ran third in the 800 with his lifetime best of 1:55.01.  Racquel Jones is another key to the Broncos’ hopes in the conference championships; she was able to take third in the long jump (18-2.25). 


Boise State hosts the Jackson’s Invitational next weekend in Nampa.  The Broncos are improving week to week and are an exciting group to watch.  That meet starts at 11:30 a.m. Friday with action getting underway Saturday at 9 a.m.

The Conspiracy of the Idiocy of America

People from outside the Boise State circle claim there is no conspiracy against Boise State.  Maybe not in the Watergate tradition, but it is more like the collective conspiracy of the idiocy in this country.

The mindset of our country is screwed up.  We are blessed to be able to speak our opinions and we should all be thankful for that.  What we are not thankful for are when idiots get paid to be television announcers.  Case in point--yesterday in the East-West Shrine Game on the NFL Network, Mike Mayock said the following:

"You look at the Boise State kids individually and you think, how in the world did Boise State win so many games?"

and

"None of these four Boise State players are great athletes.  But they're well-coached and they know what to do."

Really?

Mayock wouldn't know a great athlete if he came out of nowhere and knocked him back 10 yards on his can.  Too bad it didn't happen.

I know the above comments are so ludicrous that any knowledgeable football fan sees right through them, but it still should be ripped apart.  Ryan Winterswyk was a three-time All-WAC player and is fourth in Boise State history in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss.  He was a menacing force in opposing backfields, impossible to deny over the course of any game against any team in the land.  I guarantee you that I and most of this blog's readers could be coached by the great Boise State staff and not come up with those numbers.  By the way, in the Shrine Game, Winterswyk, despite being held most of the game, was the West's leading tackler with 7.

Jeron Johnson was one of the fiercest hitters in college football over the last four years.  JJ has a motor that won't quit, has tremendous instincts and knows how to finish a play.  He may have been well taught at Boise State, but you have to have tremendous athleticism to be in position and then make the kind of plays he has made.  Johnson finished his career as one of the top tacklers in school history.  Johnson had three tackles yesterday.

Brandyn Thompson finished his Boise State career with 13 interceptions, including a pick six early in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl that helped Boise State beat #3 TCU.  Thompson wasn't merely in position to make that interception as his coaches taught, he made the play and sprinted into the end zone untouched.  It takes a tremendous athlete to make that kind of play, which Thompson of course is.  Thompson had four tackles in the Shrine Game.

Mayock obviously hasn't watched Winston Venable either.  He made highlight reel play after highlight reel play in his two years at Boise State.  His outstanding play at the nickelback position allowed Doug Martin to switch to tailback and help the Broncos there.  It wasn't outstanding coaching that allowed Martin to move from defense to offense.  It was an outstanding athlete (Venable) who also has an amazing motor and great football ability.  Only a fool like Mayock would be unable to recognize this.

Oh and by the way, Venable made four tackles yesterday, one for loss, and had an interception that he returned through the East team for 24 yards to the East eight-yard line.  I suppose when Coach Petersen talked to Venable he said, "If you get an interception, Winston, cut to your left a bit, then to your right.  There should then be a bit of an opening.  There will be a couple of guys straight ahead but you can just break through their tackles.  Cut again to the right, plow ahead, and it will get you 24 yards."  Wow that would be amazing coaching if he did everything from memory of what he was taught and nothing at all by instinct or...umm...dare I say it...by athleticism.  Har-de-har-har.

No, there may not be a Watergate-type conspiracy against Boise State.  Rather, the Broncos are the victim of just plain dumb people that happen to be in positions of influence in college football.  They have preconceived biases and spout uninformed nonsense to the masses.

That is where the conspiracy lies.

Broncos One Win Away From Being Premier Swim Team in the Northwest

With a convincing 160-83 win over Idaho yesterday, the Boise State swim team is on the verge of accomplishing something Coach Kristin Hill has publicly stated is a goal of hers.  Coach Hill's Broncos have now beaten every Division I swimming team in the Northwest except Oregon State.

And guess what?  Next up on the Boise State schedule is none other than those very Beavers.  Now normally, you would say that beavers are much more natural swimmers than broncos, but you never know.  These Broncos are different and I wouldn't count Hill's team out.

Broncos Score Another Road Win

You get the feeling that Bronco senior La'Shard Anderson wants to go out a winner.

Several times this year, Anderson has carried the Broncos to wins.  He did it again last night, scoring 12 of the final 16 points to help Boise State come back to take a 70-67 win at Idaho.  Anderson netted 21 points and has five rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a complete effort.   Paul Noonan, Daequon Montreal and freshman Ryan Watkins also hit in double figures.

Speaking of Noonan, the young man has to find a way to get to the free throw line.  He is money, but averages less than two attempts per game.  When you have a guy that can consistently go to the line and rack up points for you, you want that guy at the line 8-10 times a game, not 2.  Noonan is hitting 84% of his free throw attempts in his career, which would break Chris Childs' all-time record.  But Noonan doesn't have enough attempts.  That's a tragedy.

If Boise State is to get to 20 wins, they can take a major step next week.  The Broncos face New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech on the road.  Coach Leon Rice's team notched their third consecutive road win last night and  seem to play better away from home.  If the Broncos can get a split next week and somehow turn those big crowds into an advantage at home, they'll get to 20.

Bronco Swimmers Top Washington State

I'll say it.  The Boise State swimming team has reloaded.

The defending Western Athletic Conference champions lost several stars to graduation, but seem just as strong this season in the early going.  The Broncos went into Pullman and came away a 143-119 winner in the Washington State water. 

Boise State got a 1-2-3 sweep in the 1000-yard freestyle to get started and never looked back.  Who achieved this for Kristin Hill's team?  A sophomore (Jennifer Cahill, with the win) and two freshmen (Rachel Heaney and Brooke Balogh).  Another sophomore, Christine Raininger, won the 400 individual medley.  Where does Hill get these gals?  It really speaks volumes about her ability to come in, start a brand new program from scratch, and recruit top student-athletes to Boise State.  The Broncos have begun to turn heads in the sport, getting votes earlier this year in the national rankings.

Good that Amber Boucher has two more years.  The junior who helped the Broncos win the WAC last year won two individual events and helped win both relays.  Boucher's 100 butterfly time was 54.88 to set a Pullman pool record.  Boucher now has every one of the top 10 times in Boise State history!  Stephanie North also won in the 100 and 200 free races and anchored both relay teams. 

The Broncos took on Idaho this morning in Moscow.  Results are not yet available.

Boise State Falls Short at #11 Alabama

It was a great experience, traveling to SEC country for the first time. But for the well-seasoned Boise State gymnastics team, this wasn't about the experience. They wanted a win. The Broncos fell 1.325 points short.

Boise State fell by less than 1.4 points (196.325 to 195.000) to four-time national champion Alabama last night at the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa .  Much like the football team in 2009 used the motto “One Point Better” to motivate them for the year ahead, this is the task the Boise State gymnastics team has.  Only they don’t have three months to improve; they must do it in a little more than two months.

That is how long Boise State has to improve its lot in the college gymnastics world.  The Broncos have become a consistent Top 20 team and they have won conference championships more often than not.  One goal has so far eluded them:  to reach the NCAA National Championships.  To do that, Boise State must finish in the top two of the Western Regionals.  That competition is set for April 2^nd in Corvallis , Oregon .  Oregon State will host the Regionals for the 13^th time and the Beavers will be one of the favorites. 

That Boise State captured the title last night on balance beam gives them not only a point of pride but something to build on.  They took on one of the top gymnastics teams in the nation on their home floor and performed better on this evening on the beam.  Boise State ’s lineup recorded a season-best 48.550 to 48.525 for the Crimson Tide ladies.  Alabama was spectacular on the floor, vault and bars, and that is what it is going to take for the Broncos to realize their dreams.  There can be no weaknesses, no flaws.  It will take near-perfect performances from each member on the squad.

Again, the difference between the two teams was minute, but that is what decides gymnastics duals and ultimately, which teams get to go to nationals.  Can coaches Tina Bird and Neil Resnick find 1.4 more points up and down the lineup?

Amy Glass was sensational for Boise State in winning the individual all-around title.  Glass shattered her career-best with a 39.375, placing second on the beam (9.850) and floor with a 9.875 career best.  Amy was fifth on bars (9.825) and sixth on vault (9.825).  Glass is now #6 all-time at Boise State for career all-around wins. Alabama ’s Sarah DeMeo (39.175) was second in the all-around while teammate Kim Jacob placed third (39.075).

"Amy is such a rock for our team," said Bird. "Her cool demeanor at meets really calms the team and makes us feel like we can do anything."

Redmon(9.875) finished in tie for the bars title with Alabama 's Ashley Sledge and Geralen Stack-Eaton.   Bird continued, "Hannah claimed the bar title tonight and competed like the champion she is."  It was Redmon’s seventh career win on the apparatus, making her #8 all-time at Boise State .  Redmon also paced the Lady Broncos with a season-best 9.850 on vault.  Although vault is a strong event for the team, Alabama came home with the honors on this night.  The Tide women put up a brilliant 49.25 to 48.825 for Boise State .  Freshman Amanda Otuafi (9.775) and sophomore Brittany Potvin-Green (9.750) rang up career-bests to place seventh and eighth respectively. 

Since this is one of the Broncos’ top events, it would seem that part of the 1.4 points could be made up here with more team balance.  To achieve Alabama ’s score of 49.25, the Broncos must average 9.85.  Although Redmon was over that total and Glass was just short, the other scores drop below 9.8.  But with just a little more solid routines,  Otuafi and Potvin-Green can certainly get there.  Freshman Kelsey Black (9.625) produced the Broncos’ final counting score in the event. 

On the uneven bars, Potvin-Green impressed with a 9.825 to join Glass with that score.  Senior Lindsay Kazandjian produced a 9.8 to give the Broncos four gymnasts at 9.8 or better.  Hopefully, friendly competition amongst the four to get the high score in each future meet will make all four of them better.  Katie Tuller had the final score with a 9.7. 

The Broncos have traditionally been superb on floor but were thumped by over 7/10^th’s of a point on this night.  Black was the top finisher after Glass with a 9.775.  Kelsey Lang was eighth with a 9.725 and Kazandjian (9.675) took ninth.  Both of those two can do much better, so the Broncos can easily find 3-4/tenths on the floor.

Boise State finished on the beam with Glass leading the team followed by Kazandjian with a 9.75  Lang produced a 9.725 to place seventh with Freshman Alessandra Cinfio bringing home a career-best of 9.675.  Fellow frosh Bekah Gher notched a 9.550 and Molly Dziawura had an even 9.0.

The Crimson Tide's Diandra Milliner won the vault title with a 9.925 score, while Sledge and Stack-Eaton shared the bars title with Boise State 's Redmon. Stack-Eaton won the beam title with a poised performance (9.90), while Kayla Hoffman captured the floor title (9.90).

Boise State gave a great effort in Tuscaloosa that fell just a bit short.  They now know what they need to do to reach nationals.  The Broncos continue their road trip with a meet against #31 Arizona next Friday in Tucson . 

LOI Details Announced

Bronco fans can go check out what could be Boise State's finest football recruiting class on LOI Day, Wednesday, February 2.  The official party with the coaches is set for the Stueckle Center in Bronco Stadium beginning at 5 p.m.  Tickets are $30 and can be obtained at http://www.idahotickets.com/.  Get them now!

KTIK's Jeff Caves will once again host the LOI Day celebration that has become a tradition with Bronco fans.  I believe Jeff has been doing that for 13 years now and he does an excellent job interviewing the new recruits and interacting with the fans.  The KTIK show will again be at Buffalo Wild Wings on Eagle Road.  This year, in addition to the usual great show, KTIK will be broadcasting Coach Chris Petersen's live news conference announcing the new Boise State recruits at 1:30 p.m.

The schedules give Bronco fans a chance to attend both ceremonies.  They both are excellent and not to be missed!

Teams Keep Running Away From Boise State

The college football nation is beginning to see how schools react when they are faced with playing Boise State.  Bronco Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier has maintained for years that teams dodge Boise State and the evidence backs him up.


Last year, Boise State announced that it was making a long-desired move to the Mountain West Conference.  Simply put, the school could not achieve its goals in the Western Athletic Conference, and a conference schedule that included Utah, BYU, TCU, Air Force, San Diego State and others would finally give the football team the strength of schedule it desired.  In fact, it appeared to all that the Mountain West lineup would surely be given automatic qualification into a BCS (Bowl Championship Series) Bowl.  That schedule, plus an upgraded out-of-conference schedule, would be able to finally land the Broncos in the BCS Championship game.


However, within days of news that Boise State was joining the Mountain West, Utah announced it would leave the Mountain West.  A few weeks later, BYU announced that it too would leave the Mountain West.  But not before trying to sabotage Boise State's move by attempting a power play that the Cougars thought would make the Broncos come crawling back to the WAC.  That plan went awry and was publicly exposed, much to the embarrassment of BYU and fellow conspirator Utah State.  After their idea backfired, BYU announced it would leave the MWC and be an independent.  A few short months later, the third of the big three in the Mountain West, TCU, announced that it too was leaving.


Note that none of these three bolted before it was announced that Boise State would be joining the conference effective next year.  They bolted after the announcement--big difference.  If they really wanted to leave the Mountain West, they could have done so at any time, but did not decide to shop their wares until they learned Boise State would be joining them.  This is eerily similar to what Tulsa, Rice, SMU and UTEP did soon after Boise State joined the WAC, when those four took off for Conference USA. 


Even after Utah announced the decision to leave the Mountain West, they still had a standing three-game series with Boise State in football.  The Broncos had beaten Utah 36-3 in the first game of the scheduled four-game series.  Utah canceled the remaining three games of the schedule rather than play #8 Boise State.  The thought of playing the Broncos was so concerning to Utah that they paid $350,000 just to get out of the series. 


Now we hear word that Nevada is going to cancel its 2011 game with Boise State.  The game would have been penciled in anyway if Boise State were still in the WAC.  To make the transition to the Mountain West easy for both schools, they agreed to keep the game in 2011, with Boise State traveling to Reno when both schools were in the Mountain West.  Now, Nevada is apparently going to cancel their game with Boise State next year.  Why is that?


Combine all these eerie cancellations with the fact that in the past 16 months, Bleymaier has signed deals to play Virginia Tech, Georgia, Mississippi, Michigan State, Washington State and Washington, and it should be clear to even opposing fans that Bleymaier is indeed doing his level best to get Boise State's schedule upgraded.  When they made the move to the Mountain West, it was with the understanding that the top three teams would stay and that the conference would be an Automatic Qualifier.  And there can be no question that the out-of-conference schedule has gotten stronger by leaps and bounds, despite very few of those games mentioned above being in Bronco Stadium.


Which school is trying their damndest to get tougher games and which schools are walking away from them?


I will hear no more arguments against Boise State's strength of schedule.  You cannot on one hand watch high-quality teams back out of games against Boise State and then criticize Boise State because they don't have a tough schedule.  Any system (computer or otherwise) which attempts to downgrade the Broncos because of their schedule is a sham.  They would be penalizing a school because other schools don't want to play them.  This is wrong and flies in the face of basic fairness.  This isn't professional sports, but college, where the student-athlete is supposed to matter.  Penalizing one student because other teams run away from his team is not the proper course of action.

Hall, Colledge, Wilson Aim for Super Bowl

Boise State will have three former greats in this weekend's NFC and AFC Championship games.  Fullback Korey Hall and lineman Daryn Colledge lead Green Bay against Atlanta while reserve rookie safety Kyle Wilson hopes to help the New York Jets against Pittsburgh.

The 2010 Super Bowl came and went without any Boise State players, which has been unusual in recent years.  Hopefully, one, two or three players will get in this year.

Seventh Heaven

Boise State consistently shows up in the all-time Top 10 in several football categories, but Boise State's run of success has lasted scarcely over a decade.  This list showing consecutive seasons with seven or more victories requires more consistency.  The teams that make this list are generally the landmark teams, the giants of college football.  Boise State has been a great 11-year phenomenon, and has been doing this for a very short time compared to the Michigan's, the Ohio State's, the Alabama's.  But to land in the Top 25 is still impressive.


For the Broncos to truly get respect, however, they will need to stay consistent for at least another decade.  Given that they land near the top in about every other category, if the Broncos can reach the Top 10 in this list, most will feel at that time that they belong.  There will of course be a scattering of skeptics.  But you can't please everyone...


Nebraska put together the most amazing run in the history of football by winning seven or more games every year from 1969 to 2003, an incredible streak of 35 straight seasons. That all came to a crashing halt when the Cornhuskers finished 2004 by winning just five of 11 games.


Florida State has compiled a streak of 29 straight seasons that is still current. The Seminoles have won seven or more games every year since 1982. Michigan had a great recent streak of 23 years that ended in 2008 when the Wolverines were 3-9. Florida’s streak of 23 consecutive seasons that began in 1988 is still current. Oklahoma put together a streak of 22 straight seasons; the Sooners were highly consistent from 1970 to 1991.  Coach Frank Beamer has guided Virginia Tech to seven or more wins every season since 1993, giving the Hokies 18 consecutive seasons.


Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Miami of Florida each achieved the feat 17 straight seasons, with the Wolverines winning seven or more from 1968 to 1983, the Fighting Irish recording the feat in the years 1964-1980, the Nittany Lions putting together seasons of seven or more wins from 1967 to 1983 and the Hurricanes doing it from 1980 to 1996. Tennessee’s streak of 16 straight seasons (1989-2004) ended when the Volunteers went 5-6 in 2005.


Ohio State’s best streak came between the years of 1972 and 1986, when the Buckeyes ran through15 consecutive seasons of seven or more wins. Oklahoma put together a run of 14 straight years from 1946 to 1959, the 14^th best streak of all-time. Virginia racked up seven or more wins from 1987-1999, 13 consecutive seasons. Alabama put together streaks of 13 (1971-1983), 12 (1985-1996) and 10 (1959-1968).


Mississippi won seven or more from 1952 to 1963, a streak of 12 seasons, matched by Notre Dame’s run from 1938 to 1949. A Texas streak of 12 consecutive seven-win seasons ended this year when the Longhorns were 5-7.  USC’s top streak was in the years 1972-1982, 11 straight seasons. Washington’s most successful years came from 1977-1987 when they too won seven or more games in eleven straight seasons. Texas A & M matched the Huskies’ streak from 1985 to 1995. Arizona State enjoyed ten consecutive seasons of seven or more wins from 1955-1964. Alabama (1959-1968), USC (1924-1993), Colorado (1987-1996), Colorado State (1994-2003), Ohio State (1989-1998), Pittsburgh (1974-1983) and Duke (1932-1941) also had ten seasons of seven or more wins.


Yale dominated football in the 19^th century and the first part of the 20^th century, winning seven or more games for 28 straight seasons (1882-1909). Princeton strung 27 such years together (1881-1907) and Pennsylvania (1888-1912) and Harvard (1886-1910) both had 25 consecutive seasons in roughly the same time period. Carlisle, which featured running back Jim Thorpe, won seven or more games from 1902-1913, a streak of twelve seasons.


The top streaks in the history of college football are featured below.




Consecutive Seasons of Seven or More Wins:
1.  Nebraska…35 (1969-2003)
2.  Florida State…29 (1982-2010)
3.  Yale…28 (1882-1909)
4.  Princeton…27 (1881-1907)
5.  Harvard…25 (1886-1910)
5.  Pennsylvania…25 (1888-1912)
7.  Florida…23 (1988-2010)
7.  Michigan…23 (1985-2007)
9.  Oklahoma…22 (1970-1991)
10.  Virginia Tech…18 (1993-2010)
11.  Miami of Florida…17 (1980-1996)
11.  Notre Dame…17 (1964-1980)
11.  Penn State…17 (1967-1983)
14.  Michigan…16 (1968-1983)
14.  Tennessee…16 (1989-2004)
16.  Ohio State…15 (1972-1986)
17.  Oklahoma…14 (1946-1959)
18.  Alabama…13 (1971-1983)
18.  Georgia…13 (1997-2009)
18.  Georgia Tech…13 (1997-2009)
18.  Virginia…13 (1987-1999)
22.  Alabama…12 (1985-1996)
22.  Boise State…12 (1999-2010)
22.  Boston College…12 1999-2010
22.  Carlisle…12 (1902-1913)
22.  Mississippi…12 (1952-1963)
22.  Notre Dame…12 (1938-1949)
22.  Oklahoma…..12 1999-2010
22.  Texas…12 (1998-2009)

Bronco Gymnasts Go After #11 Alabama

The Boise State gymnasts suffered a huge setback last week when they lost to Washington for the first time in school history.  The Lady Broncos are still #15 this week and will test themselves on the road against #11 Alabama.

While the rankings are based on scores and not wins, every time Boise State loses a meet, they will fall in the rankings relative to the team they lost to.  If the Broncos are ever going to reach the national championships, they need to prove to themselves more than anyone else that they can beat teams like Alabama. 

My niece was a world-class gymnast, so I would like nothing better than for the Broncos to do well.  I've been trying in vain to get her to come up to Boise, first on the gymnastics team and now as a coach someday!  If Boise State were to climb to another level, it would improve my chances!

I'll be talking more about the meet with Alabama leading up to the meet.  Boise State needs a win like this to make a statement.

Make Plans Now for LOI Day!

I have received word that tickets for the annual Boise State LOI (Letter of Intent) Day celebration will go on sale in the next couple of days.  Details are still being firmed up, but once again the official party will be at the Stueckle Center in Bronco Stadium.

LOI Day is the day set aside when high school football recruits can officially sign their letter of intents indicating their choice where they want to attend school for the next four-five years.  The upcoming 2011 Boise State class appears to be the best one they have ever had.  That sounds like a broken record is being played for several years in a row, but such is the nature of Boise State football over the last 6-7 years.

The original LOI Party was drummed up by KTIK and features a good show with Jeff Caves hosting.  Last year, the show was at Buffalo Wild Wings on Eagle Road.  Those details are also still being worked out.

Once I have further information, I will post it on the blog.

Boise State 2nd Vs. Elite Teams In Last Five Years

Despite Boise State’s tremendous success against all odds in the last five years, a few naysayers remain. 

They say that Boise State doesn’t play a tough schedule being in the Western Athletic Conference.  Of course, that will all change when the Broncos enter their third conference since beginning major college football in 1996.  Next fall, Boise State will play in the Mountain West Conference.

Nevertheless, to go along with the argument, Boise State could not beat the great teams on a regular basis.

There are many ways to measure the “power” in a powerhouse college football team.  One of the best is to look at how they did against other powers.  For this study, we will look at the 35 college football teams that have finished in the Top 15 in the USA Today rankings in at least once in the last four years.  We will go over their schedules with a fine-toothed comb and evaluate how each of the 35 did against other Top 15 teams.  We will call those games “power games”.  Let us see exactly how Boise State has done in power games, compare the number of power games that the Broncos have played vs. those that other Top 15 teams have played, and see how the teams do out of conference.

Coach Chris Petersen’s team wins when they play elite competition.  The Broncos are 5-2, the second-best mark in the nation over four years.  USC’s  7-3 record tops everyone, although it is less sparkling than last year with losses to Stanford and Oregon this past year.   West Virginia (3-2) and Auburn (7-6) are the only other teams with winning records against Top 15 competition.

Boise State ranks ninth in the nation in wins over teams that finished in the Top 15 in the last five years (Power Schedule). These rankings give credit to those powers that face a tough schedule year-in and year-out and break ties by looking at which team played the most power games over the four-year period.

Florida (7-7), Texas (6-6), LSU 6-11), Ohio State (6-6) Oklahoma (6-7) and Alabama are the other teams that have more wins against elite teams than Boise State.  Georgia, Boise State’s opponent in 2011, also has five wins against elite teams. 

Playing power teams within your own conference is one thing.  Those are games that essentially are “scheduled for you”.  Despite the Automatic Qualifying Conferences saying Boise State could not win week in and week out in a conference like theirs, notice that not one of these conferences has invited supposed weakling Boise State into their conference so they could beat up on them!

So since the other power teams have neither beaten Boise State nor joined them, they essentially have shut the Broncos out of their system while at the same time decrying their success achieved against anyone who will play them. 

Since Boise State was not been invited to any of the AQ conferences during the “Great Expansion of 2010”, they have tried to schedule games against the power teams out-of-conference.  Many have refused, as has been well chronicled in the media.  To their great credit, a few have accepted, while a few others have been forced to play the Broncos in a bowl game.

Although all of the teams listed in the rankings have finished one or multiple years in the final USA Today Coaches’ Poll Top 15, it is noteworthy that several have less than sterling records against other power teams.  These teams, in fact, do not win “week in and week out”.

In conclusion, Boise State matches up well against the other power teams no matter what formula you care to investigate.  They are second in the nation in one ranking and ninth in the other.

Here is how the power teams of the last five years stack up.  (Teams with winning records are ranked by winning percentage; teams with losing records are ranked first by number of Top 15 wins and then by least number of losses.)

                                                                         

Best Five-Year Record:

1.  USC 7-3

2.  Boise State 5-2

3.  West Virginia 3-2

4.  Auburn 7-6

5.  Florida 7-7

6.  Texas 6-6

6.  Ohio State 6-6

8.  Oklahoma 6-7

9.  Alabama 6-9

10.  LSU 6-11

11.  Georgia 5-7

12.  Iowa 4-7

13.  Stanford 3-5

14.  TCU 3-6

15.  Oregon 3-9

15.  Texas Tech 3-9

17.  Arkansas 3-15

18.  Boston College 2-3

19.  Georgia Tech 2-7

19.  Missouri 2-7

19.  Virginia Tech 2-7

22.  California 2-8

22.  Cincinnati 2-8

22.  Utah 2-8

25.  Wisconsin 2-9

26.  Michigan 2-12

27.  Mississippi 2-14

27.  Tennessee 2-14

29.  Louisville 1-4

29.  Nevada 1-4

29.  Pittsburgh 1-4

29.  Rutgers 1-4

33.  Kansas 1-7

34.  Michigan State 1-9

35.  Penn State 1-10

36.  Nebraska 1-14

37.  BYU 0-5

38.  Arizona State 0-11

39.  Oklahoma State 0-14

Power Schedule:

1.  Florida 7-7

2.  USC 7-3

3.  LSU 6-11

4.  Alabama 6-9

5.  Oklahoma 6-7

6.  Texas 6-6

7.  Georgia 5-7

8.  Ohio State 5-5

9.  Boise State 5-2

10.  Iowa 4-7

11.  Arkansas 3-15

12.  Oregon 3-9

13.  Texas Tech 3-7

14.  Auburn 3-6

14.  TCU 3-6

16.  Stanford 3-5

17.  West Virginia 3-2

18.  Tennessee 2-14

18.  Mississippi 2-14

20.  Michigan 2-12

21.  Wisconsin 2-9

22.  Cincinnati 2-8

22.  Utah 2-8

22.  California 2-8

25.  Georgia Tech 2-7

25.  Missouri 2-7

25.  Virginia Tech 2-7

28.  Boston College 2-3

29.  Nebraska 1-14

30.  Penn State 1-10

31.  Michigan State 1-9

32.  Kansas 1-7

33.  Louisville 1-4

33.  Nevada 1-4

33.  Pittsburgh 1-4

33.  Rutgers 1-4

37.  Oklahoma State 0-14

38.  Arizona State 0-11

39.  BYU 0-5

Boise State 5th Team To Win 10 Games In 8 Of 9 Years

Boise State became the fifth team in the modern era and 13^th in history to win ten or more games in eight out of nine years.  The Broncos finished 12-1 this past season with a 26-3 win over #20 Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.  Ohio State moved lockstep with Boise State this year by also recording their eighth 10-win season in the last nine years. 


The only year in which Boise State did not win 10 or more games in the current stretch was 2005 when they were a disappointing 9-4.  The Broncos were 12-1 in 2002, 13-1 in 2003, 11-1 in 2004, 13-0 in 2006, 10-3 in 2007, 12-1 in 2008 and 12-1 in 2009.  If Boise State is fortunate enough to win 10 or more games in 2011, Boise State would become one of nine college football schools in history to do that in nine out of 10 years.


Florida State is the only team in history to win 10 or more games in each year of a decade--the Seminoles did that in the 90's. The Seminoles, in fact, strung together 14 consecutive seasons of 10 wins (1987-2000).  Only three times in history has a school won ten or more games in nine seasons of a decade.  Pennsylvania and Princeton did it in the 1890’s and Texas became the second school since 1900 to do it by winning 10 games in nine years this past decade.  Princeton won 10 or more games in 11 of 12 years from 1888-1899.  Pennsylvania won 10 or more in 11 of 12 years from 1890-1901.  Texas has a current streak of nine consecutive years of 10 or more wins that began in 2001.  Yale won 10 or more games from 1888-1896, a streak of nine consecutive years. 


Oklahoma won 10 or more games in nine out of 10 years (1971-1980) and won 10 games in eight out of nine years from 2000-2008.  The highly-successful Miami of Florida teams won 10 or more games in nine out of 10 years from 1983-1992.  Alabama had nine out of 10 years in which they won 10 or more from 1971-1980. 


Nebraska won 10 or more in all but one year from 1993-2001.  Harvard was able to win 10 or more in all but one year from 1886-1894.


USC won 10 or more games every year from 2002-2008 but could not put together a streak of eight out of nine.  Florida has had 12 seasons since 1991 of 10 or more wins but has never had more than seven out of eight.  For all of its storied tradition, Michigan has never been able to achieve a better streak than seven out of eight years (1971-1978).  Penn State’s best streak was six out of seven from 1968-1974. 


Virginia Tech, Boise State’s opponent in the 2010 season opener, now has seven consecutive seasons of 10 or more wins and can reach this elite group with a 10-win season next year.    

Boise State Sets Another Modern Record

Of all the history made by Boise, this statistic is probably the most interesting!

One of the more interesting factoids about Boise’s successful football run is this one—the Broncos have put together streaks of seven or more wins in a row in their last nine seasons. This is yet another modern record--Boise State is the first team since 1903 to accomplish this and only the fourth team in history. 

Princeton holds the all-time record with 21 consecutive years of winning seven consecutive games.  The Tigers did it from 1883-1903.  Yale is second by achieving the feat from 1886-1898 (13 straight years).  Harvard did it 10 straight years (1886-1895) while Pennsylvania (1891-1898) and Michigan (1969-1976) had streaks of eight years.