Sunday, October 23, 2011

Boise State #5 in Coaches Poll, Week Eight


Oct. 23, 2011
Rank
Team (first-place votes)
Record
Points
Last week's poll
1.
LSU (41)
8-0
1,457
2
2.
Alabama (18)
8-0
1,434
3
3.
7-0
1,327
5
4.
Oklahoma State
7-0
1,301
6
5.
7-0
1,213
7
6.
8-0
1,174
8 (tie)
7.
6-1
1,121
8 (tie)
8.
Arkansas
6-1
974
10
9.
6-1
964
1
10.
Michigan State
6-1
932
13
11.
6-1
867
4
12.
Kansas State
7-0
827
16
13.
6-1
798
11
14.
South Carolina
6-1
730
12
15.
Virginia Tech
7-1
729
14 (tie)
16.
Texas A&M
5-2
520
18
17.
6-1
519
17
18.
Houston
7-0
507
20
19.
Penn State
7-1
448
22
20.
Arizona State
5-2
253
25
21.
Georgia
5-2
208
NR
22.
Texas Tech
5-2
180
NR
23.
Cincinnati
6-1
159
NR
24.
5-2
155
14
25.
Southern Mississippi
6-1
128
NR

Dropped out
No. 19 Georgia Tech (6-2, lost to Miami, Fla., 24-7), No. 21 Illinois (6-2, lost to Purdue 21-14), No. 23 Auburn (5-3, lost to then-No. 2 LSU 45-10), No. 24 Washington (5-2, lost to then-No. 5 Stanford 65-21).

Others receiving votes
Texas (4-2) 49; Georgia Tech (6-2) 39; TCU (5-2) 33; Baylor (4-2) 29; Illinois (6-2) 22; Washington (5-2) 20; Iowa (5-2) 14; Syracuse (5-2) 10; Brigham Young (6-2) 9; Southern Methodist (5-2) 7; Wake Forest (5-2) 6; Notre Dame (4-3) 5; Auburn (5-3) 3; Rutgers (5-2) 2; Florida (4-3) 1; Miami (Fla.) (4-3) 1.

Boise State #3 in Blue Through and Through Top 25 College Football Teams

Friday, October 21, 2011

Boise State Soccer Team Defeats TCU 2-1

In a match that could determine the final participant in the upcoming Mountain West Conference soccer tournament, Boise State edged TCU 2-1 tonight at the Boas Soccer Complex in Boise.


The Broncos and Horned Frogs were tied for sixth going into the match, knowing the loser would have a lot of pressure in their regular season finale.  TCU jumped on top early when leading scorer Jordan Calhoun snuck in behind Bronco defenders to take a pass from Brooke Kviz and booted a 30-yarder over the head of Bronco goalkeeper Liz Ruiz.


Boise State fought back aggressively and on a Shannon Schuren corner kick that was deflected to the middle of the box, Ashley Hruby was in the right place and sent a kick into the net for the first goal of her college career.  Coach Steve Lewis's team had a 17-4 shot advantage at the half, but were tied at 1.


Then, 10 minutes into the second half, Erica Parks was fouled inside the penalty box.  Senior Kati Lucas took the penalty kick and sent a shot past the keeper just inside the right post.

"It was one of those 'step up and take it (moments),'"said Lucas. " I'm a senior and I've done it a hundred times. It was just going through the motions all over again because by this
time it's muscle memory."


It was Lucas's seventh goal of the season and her third game-winner.


The Lady Broncos finish the regular season Sunday against MWC leader New Mexico.  A tie or a win will clinch a tournament berth for Boise State.  Action gets underway at 1 p.m. at the Boas Complex.

Bronco Soccer Team Ready to Battle TCU

The Boise State soccer team needs at least one win this weekend to qualify for the Mountain West Conference playoffs in their initial season.  The Broncos, 1-3 in conference, take on TCU (also 1-3) and league leader New Mexico (2-0-2) at Boas Soccer Complex in Boise.

The top six teams qualify for the playoffs beginning November 2, leaving one team out of the loop.  As TCU is fighting with Boise State for sixth place, a win against the Horned Frog women would seem to be a necessity.  Boise State hosts TCU this afternoon at 4, then will meet New Mexico Sunday at 1.

Here are the current standings:

ConferenceOverall
Team (Rk.)W-L-TPctHAPts.W-L-TPctHAN
New Mexico2-0-2.7502-0-10-0-188-4-4.6255-1-23-1-20-2-0
Wyoming2-0-1.8331-0-01-0-179-4-3.6565-1-24-1-10-2-0
UNLV2-1-0.6672-0-00-1-066-8-2.4384-2-02-6-10-0-1
San Diego State1-1-1.5000-1-11-0-047-6-3.5314-3-32-2-01-1-0
Air Force1-2-0.3330-0-01-2-036-7-3.4694-3-11-2--11-2-1
TCU1-3-0.2501-2-00-1-037-8-1.4693-5-12-3-02-0-0
Boise State1-3-0.0000-1-01-2-036-9-1.4062-4-13-2-01-3-0

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Boise State Volleyball Team Loses First Set to Colorado State

Action is underway in Boise for the MWC volleyball match between Boise State and Colorado State.  The Ram ladies got the best of the Broncos in the first set 25-15.

Boucher Named Mountain West Swimmer of the WEek

Amber Boucher captured the weekly award for Mountain West Swimmer of the Week after her performance against New Mexico and Seattle last weekend. 

Boucher won three individual events and was part of thee relay wins.  She won the 100-yard freestyle in 51.44, which leads the conference and ranks 16th in the nation.  Boucher also won the 100-yard butterfly and the 200 free and was second in the 50 free.  She also swam the butterfly on Boise State's winning 400-yard medley relay team.  The Broncos' time of 3:48.07 set a pool record, is best in the Mountain West and is ranked fifth in the country.

Bronco Soccer Team Hosts TCU and New Mexico

The Boise State soccer team will need wins this week if they hope to conclude their initial season in the Mountain West with a .500 record.

The Lady Broncos (6-9-1, 1-3 in the Mountain West) will host TCU Friday afternoon at 4 and then take on New Mexico, which boasts a seven-match winning streak.  The New Mexico game gets underway Sunday afternoon at 1.  Both matches are at the Boas Soccer and Tennis Complex off of Boise Avenue.

Boise State Volleyball Team Hosts Colorado State and Wyoming

The Boise State volleyball team, which has held its own but hasn't been able to close out teams in the fourth set, returns home to take on Colorado State and Wyoming.

The Broncos will host the Rams tonight and Wyoming Saturday night.  Both matches begin at 7 in Bronco Gym.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Liz Ruiz Named Mountain West Co-Defensive Soccer Player of the Week


Boise State goalkeeper Liz Ruiz was named by the Mountain West Conference as the Women's Soccer Co-Defensive Player of the Week.


Ruiz, who returned from an injury, had six saves in her fourth shutout of the season in a 1-0 win over preseason favorite San Diego State.  It was Liz's 27th win of her Boise State career, enabling her to pass Kim Parker as the winningest goalkeeper in Bronco history.

Official BCS Standings, Week 7

Boise State Football Team #5 in Harris Poll, Week Seven

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Kellen Moore's Performance vs. Colorado State Ranks #4 in Boise State History


ame
(minimum 15 attempts)
1.    Jared Zabransky (91.3%--21-23) vs. Utah State, 2006
2.    Taylor Tharp (89.7%--26-29) vs. Utah State, 2007
3.    Kellen Moore (87.5%--14-16) vs. San Jose State, 2010
4.    Kellen Moore (86.7%--26-30) vs. Colorado State 2011
5.    Ryan Dinwiddie (86.4%--19-22) vs. Fresno State, 2002
6.    Joe Aliotti (83.3%--20-24) vs. Idaho, 1979
7.    Ryan Dinwiddie (82.6%--19-23) vs. Rice, 2002
8.    Kellen Moore (82.4%--28-34) vs. Georgia 2011
9.    Kellen Moore (81.1%--30-37) vs. Hawai'i, 2010
10.    Kellen Moore (80.9%--17-21) vs. Bowling Green, 2009

Boise State Breaks School Total Offense Record

The Broncos had 733 yards of total offense Saturday against Wyoming, breaking the mark of 732 set against Louisiana Tech in 2003.

Martin Ties Francis & Webster for #5 All-Time in Career 100-Yard Rushing Games


Career 100+ Yard Rushing Games:


Career
1.    Cedric Minter (20) 1977-1980
2.    Brock Forsey (19) 1999-2002
3.    Ian Johnson (16) 2005-2008
4.    Chris Thomas (13) 1988-1991
5.    Jon Francis (12) 1984-1985)
5.    Rodney Webster (12) 1980-1983
5.    Doug Martin (12) 2008-current
8.    Chris Jackson (10) 1986-1987
9.    David Mikell (8) 2000-2003
10.  K.C. Adams (7) 1994

Martin Passes Mikell and Thomas for #4 All-Time


Touchdowns:


Career
1.    Ian Johnson (58) 2005-2008
2.    Brock Forsey (50) 1999-2002
3.    Cedric Minter (37) 1977-1980
4.    Doug Martin (33) 2008-current
5.    David Mikell (32) 2000-2003
5.    Chris Thomas (32) 1988-1991
7.    Jared Zabransky (31) 2003-2006
8.    Jeremy Avery (29) 2007-2010
9.    Terry Zahner (21) 1977-1980
10.  Bart Hendricks (20) 1997-2000

Boise State Swimming Team Grabs Huge Lead


Boise State's swimming team is off to a great start at the invitational with New Mexico and Seattle.  Action just got underway so plenty of time to get to the West Boise YMCA off of Cloverdale and Chinden and see this great team.

The Broncos won all eight events yesterday to pile up 426 points to 325 for New Mexico and 168 for Seattle.  Jessica Bottelberge, Heather Harper, Amber Boucher and Stephanie North combined to set a pool record in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:48:07.  Bottelberghe took the 200 backstroke with a lifetime best of 2:03.76, which ranks second in the Mountain West conference this season.  Harper won the 100 breaststroke, Emily Blasko captured the 500-yard freestyle and Sydney Johanse won the 200 IM with a time of 2:09.77.  Boucher set a season beset in winning the 100 butterfly while North crossed first in the 50-yard freestyle. 

Once again, the second day is underway at the West Y.

.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Boise State's Other Sports Will Play in WAC

Just announced that the rest of Boise State's sports will go to the WAC.  It was a good home for 10 years and they are gracious enough to accept us back.  I will say this--I think this is a temporary arrangement but time will tell.

Big East Prepared to Invite Boise State, 3 Others Next Week

And Now Official...

Boise State, Air Force, Navy and Central Florida will be invited to the Big East Conference .

New York Post Claims Boise State Will Be Invited to Big East


They said earlier in the week that an invitation for Boise State was imminent to the Big East Conference.  The New York Post is sticking to its story and says in an article today that the Broncos, Air Force and Navy could be invited this weekend if a vote today to raise exit fees passes.


http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/big_east_to_invite_six_VYHt8ArQpLKGN5Cz8tZSlM

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Boise State Volleyball Team Outpoints UNLV 3-2

Refresh often for updates...


Boise State won the first set 25-18 as they have been doing.  The problem is in the late sets, where they let wins over Oklahoma and TCU slip away.


Tonight, UNLV won the second set 25-19.   Boise State lost a four-point lead in the third set to give the advantage to UNLV down the stretch.  But then in a thrilling finish, the Broncos regained the upper hand and finally put away the hometown Rebels 33-31.  


Boise State lost 25-20 in the fourth set.  Can't close the door on teams.  But Boise State came out strong in the fifth set with the first six points and put away their MWC foes 15-9.


Congrats to the Broncos!

Boise State Picked to Finish Last in the Mountain West

Welcome to the Mountain West, huh?




The Boise State men's basketball team, which went 22-13 last season and was one of the last college basketball teams playing in the postseason, was predicted by the Mountain West Conference media to finish last in a poll released yesterday by the league office.



“I’m not surprised by where we were selected,” head coach Leon Rice said. “With only five guys returning from last year’s team we have a lot of newcomers, and we’re heading into a great league.”




What Rice didn't say is that those five players returning are extremely talented and there are guys waiting in the wings that we know about that will make a big impact this season.  Boise State was picked to finish sixth in the WAC last year, but surprised everyone by finishing second in Rice's first season.  The Broncos advanced to the WAC Championship before losing to nationally-ranked Utah State and played all the way into the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational before a loss on the road to Oregon.  It was one of the only victories for Oregon in any sport over Boise State. 
New Mexico received 22 of 26 first-place votes to earn the favorite's role, with UNLV second.

Boise State begins their season with an exhibition against Colorado Springs Tuesday, November 8 in Taco Bell Arena. 

The complete poll is below:

SCHOOL (FIRST PLACE VOTES)POINTS
1. New Mexico (22)203
2. UNLV (4)183
3. San Diego State158
4. Colorado State119
5. Air Force  78
6. Wyoming68
7. TCU64
8. Boise State63

Monday, October 10, 2011

Update on Conference Expansion

As my article this morning indicated, Houston is now an expansion candidate for the Big East for the reasons I outlined. Even better is that Boise State has apparently gotten the Big East schools to also consider adding SMU. That gives Boise State three other western-oriented schools (with Air Force being the other one) in their division of what could be the new Big East.

There's a lot to happen before both parties sign on the bottom line. For one thing, Boise State has to either find a home for its other sports or convince the Big East to admit them as a basketball-playing school as well. Odds are that won't happen. Boise State's previous conference, the WAC, has already indicated they would be open to receiving the Broncos in those other sports. The West Coast Conference is another option although I don't pretend to know how receptive they are.

In summary, the chain of events I outlined this morning is beginning to happen. Nothing is for sure until everything is signed. There are a lot of details to go over. The Big East has concerns about reaching that far--adding more western teams, however, lessens the travel for all involved. Perhaps Fresno State and Nevada can also come aboard, meaning that each school would only travel three times to the other division. I think that is very workable, and me one of the things the two parties are talking about as we move forward.

Harris Poll Percentages, Week Six


1.    LSU 97.84%
2.    Alabama 94.89%
3.    Oklahoma 94.4%
4.    Wisconsin 84.59%
5.    Boise State 81.84%
6.    Oklahoma State 80.00%
7.    Stanford 79.90%
8.    Clemson 72.70%
9.    Oregon 66.02%
10.  Michigan 59.93%
11.  Arkansas 58.82%
12.  Georgia Tech 56.38%
13.  Nebraska 44.94%
14.  Illinois 43.65%
15.  South Carolina 41.57%
16.  West Virginia 38.99%
17.  Kansas State 35.41%
18.  Virginia Tech 32.87%
19.  Arizona State 25.43%
20.  Texas 19.55%
21.  Baylor 17.22%
22.  Michigan State 12.03%
23.  Texas A&M 9.53%
24.  Houston 7.17%
25.  Florida 7.17%


26.  Auburn 6.68%
27.  South Florida 3.10%
28.  Penn State 3.06%
29.  Notre Dame 3.03%
30.  Washington 2.33%
31.  Wake Forest 1.39%
32.  North Carolina 1.15%
33.  Georgia 1.11%
34.  SMU 1.04%
35.  Texas Tech .66%
36.  TCU .52%
37.  Rutgers .35%
38.  Cincinnati .28%
39.  Louisiana-Lafayette .06%
39.  Southern Mississippi .06%
41.  Florida State .03%

What Boise State and Houston Bring to the Big East

Coaches Poll Percentages, Week 6


1.    Oklahoma 97.22%
2.    LSU 95.52%
3.    Alabama 94.85%
4.    Wisconsin 84.34%
5.    Stanford 83.53%
6.    Boise State 79.32%
7.    Oklahoma State 79.19%
8.    Clemson 70.92%
9.    Oregon 67.46%
10.  Michigan 60.41%
11.  Arkansas 59.05%
12.  Georgia Tech 54.58%
13.  South Carolina 45.97%
14.  Nebraska 45.49%
15.  Illinois 42.98%
16.  West Virginia 35.80%
17.  Virginia Tech 35.46%
18.  Kansas State 31.32%
19.  Michigan State 29.22%
20.  Arizona State 23.25%
21.  Texas 16.47%
22.  Houston 13.56%
23.  Texas A&M 13.42%
24.  Baylor 12.54%
25.  Penn State 5.22%


26.  Florida 4.88%
27.  Washington 3.52%
28.  North Carolina 2.92%
29.  Auburn 2.24%
30.  Notre Dame 2.10%
31.  South Florida 2.03%
32.  Wake Forest 1.49%
33.  Georgia 1.02%
34.  SMU .75%
35.  Texas Tech .61%
36.  Rutgers .54%
37.  Southern Mississippi .47%
38.  TCU .27%
39.  Hawai'i .06%

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Boise State #5 in Unofficial BCS Standings--Week 6 Final


These include the official Coaches and Harris Polls, the official Sagarin ratings, and estimated ratings from the other four current computer ratings.  The placings are accurate + or - 6, which means if two teams are bunched within 12 points, they could swap places depending on official computer numbers.


1.    Alabama 94.85% + 94.89% + 98.00 =287.74 
2.    LSU 95.22% + 97.84% + 92.50 = 285.56
3.    Oklahoma 97.22% + 94.40% + 88.00 = 279.62
4.    Oklahoma State 79.19% + 80.00% + 87.50 = 246.69
5.    Boise State 79.32% + 81.84% + 79.50 = 240.66
6.    Clemson 70.92% + 72.70% + 89.00 = 232.62
7.    Wisconsin 84.34% + 84.59% + 54.50 = 223.43
8.    Stanford 83.52% + 79.90% + 57.50 = 220.92
9.    Michigan 60.41% + 59.93% + 66.00 = 186.34
10.  Georgia Tech 54.58% + 56.38% + 58.50 = 169.46
11.  Arkansas 59.05% + 58.82% + 45.00 = 162.87
12.  Oregon 67.46% + 66.02% + 18.50 = 151.98
13.  Illinois 42.98% + 43.65% + 62.50 = 149.13
14.  Nebraska 45.49% + 44.99% + 43.00 = 133.48
15.  Kansas State 31.32% + 35.41% + 60.50 = 127.23
16.  South Carolina 45.97% + 41.57% + 35.00 = 122.54
17.  Virginia Tech 35.46% + 32.87% + 34.00 = 102.33
18.  West Virginia 35.80% + 38.99% + 17.50 = 92.29
19.  Texas 16.47% + 19.55% + 37.00 = 73.02
20.  Arizona State 23.25% + 25.43% + 22.50 = 71.18
21.  Michigan State 29.22% + 17.22% + 1.50 = 47.94
22.  Houston 13.56% + 9.53% + 18.50 = 41.59
23.  Baylor 12.54% + 19.48% + 9.00 = 41.02
24.  Auburn 2.92% + 6.68% + 29.00 = 32.60
25.  North Carolina 2.92% + 1.15% + 26.50 = 30.57




26.  Texas A&M 13.42% + 12.03% + 4.00 = 29.45
27.  Penn State 5.22% + 3.06% + 13.00 = 21.28
28.  Florida 4.88% + 7.17% + 3.00 = 15.05
29.  Washington 3.53% + 2.33% + 7.00 = 12.86
30.  Notre Dame 2.10% + 3.03% + 7.50 = 12.63
31.  Rutgers .54% + .35% + 7.00 = 7.89
32.  Georgia 1.02% + 1.11% + 4.50 = 6.13
33.  South Florida 2.03% + 3.06% + 1.00 = 6.09
34.  Wake Forest 1.49% + 1.39% + 0.00 = 2.88

First Harris Poll Out

Boise State #3 in Blue Through and Through Top 25 College Football Teams


Since it is obvious that most voters in the polls do not actually watch the games, here are my ratings (Someone has to set them straight...)


Boise State is ahead of Oklahoma because Oklahoma shied away from giving Boise State a tougher schedule in the Big 12.  If a team refuses to play another team, advantage to the team that is being avoided.  Ditto for the Pac-12...an undefeated Boise State will always be ahead of any Pac-12 team for the same reason.


1.    Alabama
2.    LSU
3.    Boise State
4.    Oklahoma

5.    Arkansas
6.    Clemson
7.    South Carolina
8.    Oklahoma State
9.    Stanford
10.  Oregon
11.  Wisconsin
12.  Virginia Tech
13.  Houston
14.  Nebraska
15.  Michigan
16.  Georgia Tech
17.  Kansas State
18.  Georgia
19.  Auburn
20.  Texas A&M
21.  Baylor
22.  Arizona State
23.  Illinois
24.  Notre Dame
25.  Florida          

Boise State Grounds Air Force 3-0

The Boise State volleyball team got a much-needed road win at Air Force last night.


The Broncos won 25-13, 25-19, 25-17 to record their second Mountain West victory against three defeats.  Freshman Brittany Reardon had nine kills, Breann Nesselhuf had six kills, 17 assists, 10 digs, three aces and three block assists and Casey Rose had 14 assists as Boise State improved to 11-8 overall.


"This was a big win for us on the road in league, it will help our confidence," said Boise State head coach Shawn Garus.  "We played really well tonight.  We have struggled a little lately and to come out with a conference win on the road is big for us. Several people stepped up for us in the match, Brittany (Reardon) hit the ball solid and Bree (Nesselhuf) had a big night for us as well. 


Victoria Foster paced the Falcons with 11 kills while Cami Richan and Ayesha Hein had six kills each.


The Broncos visit Utah Valley in a non-conference tilt Monday night.

Final Match Summary
 

Boise State at Air Force
10/08/11 at USAF Academy, Colo. (Falcon Court)
Attendance: 1001
Time: 1:20

Boise State def. Air Force 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-17)

Boise State (11-8, 2-3 MW) 

(Kills-aces-blocks) - Reardon, Brittany 9-1-1; Harden, Liz 6-0-2; Nesselhuf, Breann 6-3-3; Jones, Fiona 5-1-0;Nwagbuo, Darlene 4-0-5; Griffin, Elizabeth 3-0-1; Remy, Amanda 0-1-0; Rose, Casey 0-2-0; Totals 33-8-6.0. (Assists) - Nesselhuf, Breann 17; Rose, Casey 14. (Dig leaders) - Nesselhuf, Breann 10; Remy, Amanda 6.

Air Force (3-15, 0-5 MW) 

(Kills-aces-blocks) - FOSTER, Victoria 11-0-0; RICHAN, Cami 6-0-0; HEIN, Ayesha 6-0-0; POTTLE, Brooke 3-2-0; HOLT, Kristen 3-0-1; WISE, Josalynn 2-0-0; BIEBER, Claire 2-0-0; CLARY, Megan 1-0-0; PERICH, Maiya 0-1-0; Totals 34-3-1.0. (Assists) - KELTNER, Hillary 21; WISE, Josalynn 11. (Dig leaders) - PERICH, Maiya 12; RICHAN, Cami 9.

Boise State #6 in Computer Composite, Week Six

Boise State Drops to #7 in Sagarin, Week Six