CFI Countdown: #16 Boise St. Broncos

2008 Record: 12-1 (WAC: 8-0)
Bowl Game: Lost Poinsettia Bowl to TCU 17-16
Location: Boise, Idaho
Stadium: Bronco Stadium (30,000)
Head Coach: Chris Peterson
Overall: 35-4 (4th season)
@ Boise St.: 35-4 (4th season)
Link to Boise Football Page

They call it a “Decade of Dominance”. Boise St.’s 108 wins are second most in the country during that span with 64 home wins, 70 conference wins, nine bowl appearances, eight conference championships, eight 10-win seasons, and seven straight years ranked in the top 25, including three finishes in the BCS top 10. So a 10- or 11-win season and a BCS bowl appearance in 2008 would amount to business as usual. It would also serve as further proof that the Broncos have more than arrived as a program—they are a true model of consistency.

When the Broncos Have the Ball

Offensive Coordinator: Bryan Harsin (4th season)
Scheme: Multiple Sets
Starters Returning: Six
Key Losses: RB Ian Johnson, WR Jeremy Childs, WR Vinny Perretta, OT Andrew Woodruff, OG John Gott

Headman Chris Peterson couldn’t have asked for more from a freshman quarterback, as Kellen Moore delivered a WAC title and an undefeated regular season while putting up some prolific passing numbers on his way to Freshman of the Year honors. Not only is Moore accurate, he has that “it” factor that cannot be taught, but that winning quarterbacks possess. Moore is hoping to show he has pretty strong arm as well this season. Looking to stretch the field will be a pair of athletic wideouts in juniors Titus Young and Austin Pettis. Don’t be surprised to see the tight ends get a little more involved in the passing game as well. They will miss heart-and-soul Ian Johnson, but are confident that juniors Jeremy Avery and D. J. Harper can pick up the slack. More concerning is their offensive line, where they must replace two starters and have seen some drop off from previous seasons. The leader is sophomore center Thomas Byrd who impressed as a freshman last season. Other players will need to step up if they are to meet all their goals—don’t be surprised to see some newcomers emerge.

Top Pro Prospects: 1) K Kyle Brotzman (JR), 2) WR Titus Young (JR), 3) QB Kellen Moore (SO)

When the Other Team Has the Ball

Defensive Coordinator: Justin Wilcox (4th season)
Scheme: 4-2-5
Starters Returning: Six
Key Losses: DT Sean Bingham, DT Joe Bozikovich, LB Tim Brady, LB Kyle Gingg, S Ellis Powers

While junior defensive end Ryan Winterswyk is the lone returning starter along the defensive front, sophomore ends Byron Hout and Jarrell Root flashed some talent as freshmen, as did tackle Billy Winn (Freshman All-American). None of them would be considered beefy, but all three are athletic and mobile, capable of knifing into the offensive backfield to make an impact play. That is not to say there isn’t concern when it comes to facing a power running game (see week one vs. Oregon). At the next level, junior Derrell Acrey figures to be in the rotation along with more youngsters seeing their first significant action. The secondary boasts two of the better defensive backs in the nation, regardless of conference. Senior cornerback Kyle Wilson, who easily could have left for the NFL after his junior season, returns to lock down his side of the field. Just as likely to make a big play is junior free safety Jeron Johnson. Rounding out the secondary are returning starters, junior corner Brandyn Thompson and sophomore strong safety George Iloka.

Top Pro Prospects: 1) CB Kyle Wilson (SR), 2) SS Jeron Johnson (JR), 3) DE Ryan Winterswyk (JR)

The Schedule

Let’s be honest, no offense to the Idahos and Utah States of the world, but Boise’s goal of another WAC title and BCS bowl will come down to two games—both at home—against Oregon to kick off the season on September 3rd (Thursday Night) and versus Nevada on the second to last week of the year (November 27th). That is not to say there aren’t any other games where they could slip up, it’s just that they never seem to. Four road games that won’t be walks in the park—Fresno St. can be tough, Louisiana Tech should be better, leaving the mainland for Hawaii is never easy, and Tulsa is one of the better teams in Conference USA.

Pivotal Point

Keep up the home cooking! Since 1999 Boise has the best home winning percentage in the nation at 97 percent—that’s 64-2, folks! In fact their only home loss since losing their home opener in 2001, was a 27-21 loss to Boston College in the MPC Computers Bowl (in a game the Eagles led 27-0) with Dan Hawkins in charge. Since then, they are 19-0 at home under Chris Peterson, including a win over the Oregon St. Beavers. To reach a second BCS Bowl in four seasons they must protect the blue field.

CFI Final Analysis

The Broncos are one of the more intriguing teams this season. Even though they finished undefeated in the regular season in 2008, they weren’t necessarily a vintage Boise St. team. They can be this year, especially if the offensive and defensive lines gel early. This is season is also different because of where they start—at home against a ranked BCS conference foe and at #14 in the AP Poll, their highest pre-season ranking ever. Of course, it’s where they finish that matters—BCS Bowl or bust!



College Football Insiders Top 25 Countdown:
The Next 25 (26-50) Plus 18 Bowl Teams
#25 West Virginia Mounainteers
#24 Tennessee Volunteers
#23 Clemson Tigers
#22 Pittsburgh Panthers
#21 Michigan St. Spartans
#20 Utah Utes
#19 Oregon Ducks
#18 Florida St. Seminoles
#17 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Contact Daniel Mogollon via email dan@collegefootballinsiders.com

Photo Credit: Media Relations Boise St. University

NINE FINALISTS NAMED FOR 2008 EDDIE ROBINSON AWARD

DALLAS (FWAA) - The Football Writers Association of America has announced nine finalists for the 2008 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award to be voted upon by the entire membership.

With the 2008 regular season completed, the FWAA, in conjunction with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, has tabbed the following finalists: Texas' Mack Brown, USC's Pete Carroll, Texas Tech's Mike Leach, Florida's Urban Meyer, Penn State's Joe Paterno, Boise State's Chris Petersen, Alabama's Nick Saban, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Utah's Kyle Whittingham.

The finalists will be placed on a ballot which will be sent to the entire FWAA membership.

Two of the finalists, Boise State's Petersen and Utah's Whittingham, have directed their teams to unbeaten regular seasons, while seven of the nine coaches have led their teams to Bowl Championship Series games.

Of the nine finalists, four have previously been named the FWAA's National Coach of the Year, led by Penn State's Joe Paterno, who has been honored by the FWAA three times (1978, '82 and '86). Paterno has been a finalist on two other occasions (1997 and 2005). Florida's Urban Meyer (2004), Alabama's Nick Saban (2003) and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops (2000) are the other previous winners. Saban is trying to become the second coach to win the honor at two different schools after earning the award at LSU five seasons ago.

While USC's Pete Carroll has never won the award, he has been a finalist three times in three consecutive years (2003-05). This also is the third time Texas' Mack Brown has been named a finalist, the second time at Texas (2005). In 1997, he was a finalist for the award at North Carolina. Boise State's Petersen is a finalist for the second time in three years, while Texas Tech's Leach and Utah's Whittingham are the only two first-time finalists. The FWAA began naming its coaching award in honor of the late Robinson, the legendary Grambling State University coach, in 1997.

The winner of the FWAA/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award will be announced and honored at a reception on Jan. 6 in Miami sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and presented in conjunction with the FedEx BCS Championship Game.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,000 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game day operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.

For more information on the Eddie Robinson Award, visit eddierobinsonaward.com.

LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE AND ARCHIE MANNING ANNOUNCE 2008 LIBERTY MUTUAL COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALISTS

College Football Fans Invited to Vote for Winners at www.CoachoftheYear.com Dec. 12 - Dec. 22

NEW YORK (December 9, 2008) - Today Liberty Mutual Insurance and Archie Manning, chair of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, announced the 25 finalists for the 2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. The finalists represent standout college football coaches across the four NCAA divisions who best exemplify excellence in coaching - on and off the field - as determined by a combination of hundreds of thousands of fan votes at www.CoachoftheYear.com and an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame.

Each Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year finalist will have an opportunity to receive recognition in the permanent College Football Hall of Fame display in South Bend, Ind., $50,000 to support personal civic and charitable activities, and a $20,000 scholarship donation for his alumni association. After this season, the total Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year charitable and scholarship contributions will reach $680,000. The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award was introduced in 2006.

"I've had the opportunity to observe these coaches and their teams throughout the season and this lineup of finalists tells me that fans embraced what is unique about this award by voting for their favorite coach," said Manning who helped Liberty Mutual announce the finalists at the National Football Foundation Annual Awards press conference in New York City. "Being a successful college football coach is a balancing act that requires the ability to inspire a team to win on the field while developing responsible student-athletes off the field."

2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award Finalists The 25 award finalists represent 10 coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) and five coaches each from the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), Division II and Division III. To qualify as a finalist, a coach had to be among the top 25 fan vote getters in his division at www.CoachoftheYear.com and then be scored by an objective model that considers, among other criteria: wins, team penalties, on-field comportment, academic achievement by the student-athletes, and civic and philanthropic commitments.

The Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) finalists are, in alphabetical order: Mack Brown, University of Texas; Brady Hoke, Ball State University; Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern University; Urban Meyer, University of Florida; Joe Paterno, Pennsylvania State University; Chris Petersen, Boise State University; Nick Saban, University of Alabama; Bob Stoops, University of Oklahoma; Jim Tressel, Ohio State University; and Kyle Whittingham, University of Utah.

The Football Championship Subdivision (Division I- AA) finalists are, in alphabetical order: Mike Ayers, Wofford College; Henry Frazier III, Prairie View A&M University; Mickey Matthews, James Madison University, Jerry Moore, Appalachian State University; and Danny Rocco, Liberty University.

The Division II finalists are, in alphabetical order: Chuck Broyles, Pittsburg State University; David Dean, Valdosta State University; Danny Hale, Bloomsburg University; Chuck Martin, Grand Valley State University; and Bill O'Boyle, Chadron State College.

The Division III finalists are, in alphabetical order: Greg Debeljak, Case Western Reserve University; John Gagliardi, St. John's University; Larry Kehres, Mount Union College; Dan MacNeill; SUNY Cortland; and Mark Speckman, Willamette University.

"These finalists represent what is great about college football," said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president of Consumer Marketing. "Today we recognize 25 coaches who understand that how you win is every bit as important as winning itself, and who are revered by their fans for exhibiting characteristics of sportsmanship, integrity and responsibility."

2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Winner Selection Between Dec.12 and Dec. 22 college football fans are once again invited back to www.CoachoftheYear.com to cast their vote for the winner. On the site, fans have the opportunity to review bios and fan testimonials supporting each finalist before they make their selection and enjoy episodes of "Coach's Corner" which offer Archie Manning and Kirk Herbstreit's perspectives on the latest topics in college football.

To ensure candidates are evaluated fairly and measured against the specific values of responsibility and integrity, a Selection Committee composed of College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches and the national media will also cast votes for the winners. Fan votes account for 20 percent of each coach's final score while the College Football Hall of Famers and national college football media account for 55 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

The 2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winners will be announced on ESPN during halftime of the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media