The Boise State argument

For three years I have been banging the drum for the Boise State Broncos, bothered by the fact that perception has too often trumped reality. It's frustrating to me that Boise is still more closely associated with its blue turf and "Statue of Liberty" thriller against Oklahoma in 2007 than the fact that its senior class is 46-2 during the last four seasons (with those two losses coming by a combined four points).

The idea that any one-loss team, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, would pass an undefeated Broncos team in the BCS standings at season's end -- which looks like a likely possibility at the moment -- is both misguided and unfair. Just because this team doesn't play in a power conference like the SEC doesn't mean it isn't deserving of making the Allstate BCS National Championship Game or capable of beating an Alabama or LSU Tigers team on a neutral field with the championship on the line.

I've gone through four points here to show where perception has hidden reality, and made the case for why the Broncos deserve a title shot:

1. Quarterback play

Perception: Kellen Moore is a system quarterback who's limited in size and arm strength
Reality: Moore is better than any quarterback in the SEC

Go ahead and ask the Georgia Bulldogs, Virginia Tech Hokies, Oregon Ducks, TCU Horned Frogs and 42 other opponents. Moore has more wins than any other signal-caller in the history of college football for a reason -- he is really good. His statistics are so good that they're almost too silly to reference, most notably his 128-to-24 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio. His accuracy, anticipation, feel and pocket awareness are second to none, and that includes Andrew Luck. If Moore were 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, he'd be joining Luck atop every NFL team's draft board.

In many ways, Moore is a microcosm of his football program. Doubted because he is not prototypical in nature, he has been undeniably productive, incredibly sound and smart. He has taken on all comers in his four years and lost only two games, both by field goals. Simply put, he's better than any passer an SEC team can run out of the tunnel this season.

To read the full breakdown of Boise State and why they deserve to play for the BCS title, become an ESPN Insider.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Email
• Subscribe

Brock Huard

ESPN Insider

• Follow
• Archive

• College football analyst for ESPN
• Six-year NFL QB, and three-year starter at University of Washington
• Co-host of the Brock and Danny Show on ESPN 710 AM in Seattle