The topic was Boise State and whether the Broncos deserved a shot at the national championship game this year, even if all of the current undefeated teams ended up with a loss. Both Holtz and May said no.

Their reason? Boise State’s schedule isn’t good enough, and they scoffed at the notion that Boise can’t impact its own strength of schedule by scheduling Top 25 teams during the non-conference schedule. Holtz actually implied Boise State wouldn’t schedule more than one difficult opponent each season.

My issue isn’t their point, really, because I agree to some degree. My issue is this. Boise could schedule more Top 25 teams in non-conference play, and I actually think the Broncos would like to do so. The problem is this, guys – the automatic qualifying conferences are scared of the Broncos.

Yes, I said it. Scared.

Here’s the way the game is played among the six automatic qualifying conferences when it comes to non-conference action. Those schools do everything possible to make sure they win those games because they know their conferences are tough and that they’ll probably absorb a loss or two during league play. These programs value this strategy so much that they’ll actually pay lesser teams hundreds of thousands of dollars to come to their stadium so they can put a beat down on them.

The AQ teams get a win they can use to push their bowl eligibility and protect themselves from conference losses.

Sure, you have an unusual case like LSU this year, which scheduled a robust non-conference schedule to go with its SEC schedule. But most of the time you get a schedule that includes one decent AQ team and two or three non-AQ teams that will be easy to beat.

Boise State doesn’t have that luxury because it plays in the Mountain West, which is probably the best non-AQ conference going, but only has one ranked team and that’s Boise. The Broncos scheduled Georgia this year and beat the Bulldogs in the opener, but weren’t able to schedule another AQ team.

You don’t think Boise State wants to play tougher opponents? I feel certain that they do. But when you create a system where there’s no benefit for AQ teams to play a program like Boise State, then the Broncos will be lucky to get their one game against a ranked AQ opponent each year. The BCS continues to treat the Broncos as a novelty instead of as one of the nation’s top programs. This is just a case of the BCS trying to keep the non-AQ teams down. They don’t like party crashers.

Of course, Boise may finally get a chance to make its case, if the Big East’s flirtation with the program comes to fruition. Boise State moving to the Big East provides the conference with a program with a national following and helps take some of the sting out of the losses of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia (and maybe more). The move finally provides Boise State access to the AQ world and legitimizes them, as much as TCU’s move to the Big East (and later Big 12) did for the Horned Frogs and Utah’s move to the Pac-12 did for the Utes. Yes, I know the Utes are 1-4 in the Pac-12 right now and May made that point. But the fact is Boise is a better program than Utah and I think Boise would do much better in an AQ conference.

Boise State’s move to a conference like this is well overdue. So is the respect this program deserves. Boise State no longer needs a pat on the head when they beat an AQ school.

Boise State needs a chance to play with the big boys every week. The Big East – even as decimated as they look right now – would give Boise State the chance. Sadly, it does the Broncos no good this year.

So, without further ado, My PigskinU.com Top 25 poll after Week 9:

1. Alabama (last week: 2): The biggest game in the history of college football (November 2011 edition) is just six days away. The Tide must establish the run against LSU.

2. LSU (2): Meanwhile the Tigers not only have to stop the run but figure out how to keep the heat that is the Crimson Tide’s pass rush off QBs Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson.

3. Boise State (3): Boise’s final five games don’t look imposing. All they can do is play their games and see what happens.

4. Stanford (4): The Cardinal needed three overtimes to defeat USC. I don’t look at as a bad thing. This should toughen up the Cardinal for Oregon.

5. Oklahoma State (5): The Cowboys have had one close game this season, their one-point win over texas A&M. One other was a 12-point win. The rest have been absolute blowouts. The offense has scored at least 30 points in every game. Can anyone slow them down?

6. Oregon (6): What’s the worst thing that can happen to a Top 10 team during the season? A quarterback controversy. Watch the Darron Thomas-Bryan Bennett situation closely.

7. Oklahoma (8): I expected a bounce-back win for the Sooners. I didn’t quite expect the Sooner to blow out Kansas State, though.

8. Nebraska (9): The Cornhuskers just screwed up the Big Ten in a good way by beating Michigan State. You know, on second thought, Nebraska fits right into this league.

9. Arkansas (11): Yes, Arkansas struggled with Vandy. But that says more about the job James Franklin is doing in Nashville than the Hogs.  

10. Virginia Tech (13): You know if Duke had a kicker that could make a field goal we’d be talking about what’s wrong with the Hokies and not their escapability.

11. Penn State (14): Joe Pa is now the winningest coach in FBS/FCS. Congrats. Now enjoy the bye guys, because Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin loom. Don’t get comfortable, Joe.

12. South Carolina (15): The best thing South Carolina has going for it right now is its win over resurgent Georgia. If the Gamecocks beat Florida, the SEC East is theirs.

13. Clemson (7): Remember when I said I wasn’t sure Clemson would go undefeated? Well, there you go.

14. Cincinnati (18): I wasn’t sure what to do with the Bearcats, considering they didn’t play this week. Five Big East games lie ahead for the nation’s No 2 run defense.

15. Michigan (19): The Legends Division is now a mess and the door is open for the Wolverines to take control. They still have the Cornhuskers in three weeks.

16. Houston (20): I saw QB Case Keenum in person last week. He’s definitely a quarterback worth paying attention to. Houston is on course for a Conference USA division title.

17. Kansas State (10): If I’m Bill Snyder, I’d be asking someone in the Big 12 offices why they ended up with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on back-to-back weeks.

18. West Virginia (21): The Mountaineers are on their way to the Big 12. They still have a shot to claim their last Big East title.  

19. Arizona State (22): The Sun Devils dominated Colorado. That’s no mean feat. Losses ahead of the Sun Devils move them up three spots.

20. Wisconsin (12): Two flukish losses in a row for the Badgers put them in a precarious position. They must win out to contend for a Big Ten division title.

21. texas (23): texas ran the ball with impunity against Kansas. The longhorns are a win away from getting back to a bowl, but all five of their remaining games will be tough.

22. Georgia (NR): The Bulldogs won the Cocktail Party and it appears that Mark Richt’s job is safe. Sad that it takes that to secure a job for a great head coach like Richt.

23. Georgia Tech (NR): Food for thought – The Yellow Jackets have beaten five straight ranked opponents at home. Just sayin’.

24. Michigan State (17): I still think the Spartans are a Top 25 team. But they can’t keep laying eggs after winning big games.

25. Auburn (NR): I’m a little surprised the Tigers have been this good without Cam Newton. RB Michael Dyer is one of the best backs you’re not paying attention to.

Dropped out: texas A&M, Syracuse, USC.

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