.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
THE Post's No. 1-ranked team is about to get the shaft.
Despite a 6-0 record, Boise State, ranked No. 3 behind Oklahoma and Oregon in the first BCS standings released last night, has almost no chance of playing in the national-title game even if it runs the table.
Check that, the Broncos won't get there even if they continue to obliterate opponents as they have most of this season.
"I think their chances are slim," Jerry Palm, publisher of CollegeBCS.com, told The Post. "They need to be the only choice."
Why they aren't a clear choice - if not the only choice - is a travesty. Since beating Virginia Tech 33-30, the Broncos have won five straight by an average of almost 42 points.
They don't suffer letdowns like South Carolina did on Saturday. They don't get upset - see Alabama, Ohio State and Nebraska.
They have mastered the almost impossible art of consistency. They have won 20 straight games. In the last five years they have beaten Oklahoma, Oregon, TCU and Oregon State twice.
"Every game our guys show up with butterflies in our stomach and the locker room is nervous," said Boise State coach Chris Petersen after Saturday's 48-0 win at San Jose State. "You know what can happen if you don't play well."
The undefeated Oregon Ducks were ranked first in the polls and got the No. 2 spot in the BCS. They have a G4 offense and a C+ defense.
Another argument usually leveled at Boise State is an abstract one: If the Broncos played in a BCS conference they wouldn't go undefeated. Yet no one ever questions if most BCS schools would go unbeaten in the WAC.
Stop laughing.
Would Alabama or Oklahoma or even Michigan State be, on paper, the best team in the WAC? Sure.
But that doesn't guarantee they wouldn't suffer a letdown against Boise State or Fresno State or Nevada, which crushed Cal earlier this season. This argument is hypothetical.
This is fact: Boise State leads the nation in rush defense, pass defense, total defense and sacks allowed, which means both lines are excellent.
Fact: Boise State is putting out NFL-caliber talent: See Jets cornerback Kyle Wilson and Chargers offensive tackle Ryan Claddy.
Fact: Boise State QB Kellen Moore, who despite throwing an astonishing 39 touchdown passes and a mere three interceptions didn't even get a trip to New York for last year's Heisman Trophy ceremony, is once again a legitimate candidate for college football's highest honor.
The Broncos don't eke out wins, they hammer opponents. But as Boise State goes through the WAC the way Liz Taylor went through husbands, the Broncos will slide in the computer rankings and possibly in the polls.
Boise State may not get to play for the crystal Waterford BCS trophy, but I guarantee this: If Boise goes undefeated and continues its dominant play, The Post will host a parade down the Canyon of Heroes. The Post will crown the Broncos their national champs.
Or maybe I'll just send Petersen a dozen bagels, an egg cream and one of those green rubber Statue of Liberty replicas.
Top Birds
1. Boise State (6-0)
2. Oregon (7-0)
3. TCU (7-0)
4. Auburn (7-0)
5. Oklahoma (6-0)
6. Alabama (5-1)
7. Utah (6-0)
8. Michigan State (7-0)
9. Ohio State (6-1)
10. Iowa (5-1)
25. Florida State (6-1)
Dropped out: Nebraska, So. Carolina
