The Boise State Broncos beat the Utah Utes in the MAACO Bowl on Wednesday night, although most people probably didn’t even realize they were playing at that time. It wasn’t much of a contest, Utah jumped to a early 3-0 lead only to get obliterated 26-3.
The game was sloppy on both sides and it wasn’t until Doug Martin rushed for an 84-yard TD in the second quarter that Boise’s offense showed any life. Can you blame them? They were one field goal away from making a BCS bowl on a much bigger stage against a much more notable competitor. Although, Utah was ranked as high as #6 in the BCS this season, they struggled tremendously down the stretch.
For Boise St. this was a solid win to show that they are a great football team, but it doesn’t take away any doubt from the people that thought they shouldn’t contend for the BCS Championship. Utah was good, and they had a 9-bowl winning streak, but they are not from a ‘power’ conference. This power conference idea is somewhat funny since three teams in the WAC Conference finished in the Top 25, compared to only two from the PAC-10, six in the SEC, three from the Big-10, and five from the Big-12. Personally, I feel that Boise State would have competed with, if not beat, either Auburn or Oregon.
Next season, Utah will move to the PAC-12 and fight for an automatic BCS Bowl bid, while Boise State will take Utah’s spot in the Mountain West Conference, an non-automatic qualifier.
[Photo Credit: NationalChamps.net]
