BCS Busters In College Football

By: David Folz

We have all heard the potential every year for a “BCS Buster” in college football.  Most years it is Boise State, other years have been TCU and Utah.  This year is a different scene because TCU is in the Big 12 and Utah is in its second year of Pac 12 competition.  This year however could reign in the final year of the BCS busters before the Broncos head to the Big East next year and conference realignment finally coming to a close.  Nonetheless, there are possible BCS busters out there and here we reveal them. 

Boise State- This is a season that Boise State could prove that powerhouse don’t rebuild, rather they reload.  The Broncos lost many key starters on offense and defense as well as their Offensive Coordinator in the off-season.  The Broncos have been bashed in previous years for not playing a strong non-conference schedule but this year is anything but soft, going to Michigan State and playing fellow BCS bust hopefuls BYU and Southern Mississippi.  If somehow Boise can win at East Lansing to start the year, they will be favored in a down Mountain West as well as the other games this year.  If they do all that, their chances to crash a BCS game again improves dramatically. 

Ohio- If they beat Penn State opening weekend, which now is very possible it could happen, they should have a great chance going unbeaten.  The problem is that an unbeaten Ohio beating a down Penn State now isn’t going to persuade voters much at all and their schedule isn’t something to write about afterwards.  That and they play in the MAC which hasn’t fielded a BCS buster worth mentioning since Marshall in the early part of the last decade (and those Marshall teams still didn’t make the BCS.)  While not something to be overlooked though is the fact that Ohio has built their program up to be very good in the MAC under Frank Solich.

Louisiana Tech- The overwhelming favorite in the WAC could be in for a better bowl game if they can knock off Houston, Illinois, Virginia, and Texas A&M in the month of September.  It is not entirely out of the equation they could go 4-0 with those games, but Virginia and Houston are still really good teams and Illinois is looking for a rebound year after the last couple have been mediocre at best.  A 2-2 record against those 4 teams will give the Bulldogs a great shot at 10 wins with a downtrodden WAC conference this year. 

BYU- Two years ago I would be laughed at for this pick.  Now it’s not so farfetched to think BYU as an Independent could crash the BCS.  They have games against Washington State, at Utah, at Boise, Oregon State, at Notre Dame, and at Georgia Tech.  The four games on the road will be in very loud, hostile atmospheres and that will test the grit of this Cougars team.  A 4-2 mark is definitely a possibility, but shooting for 6-0 is a reach with the talents of Notre Dame and Georgia Tech.  If somehow the undefeated mark happens they should have no problem cruising to 12-0 and a BCS bowl game because the voters will not overlook the six games mentioned, especially not the road games at Notre Dame and Georgia Tech.

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