2009's BCS Busters...

[buckeyefan78]

Pete Fiutak of CollegeFootballNews.com has it...

5. Nevada
4. Utah
3. TCU
2. BYU
1. Boise State

Quote:

5. Nevada The Wolf Pack have a potential perfect storm of things that could happen to be a BCS buster. First things first, there has to be a win over Boise State and a WAC title. There can't be any slip ups, and that's hardly going to be easy considering the nation's worst pass defense of 2008 still has to improve and the receiving corps needs major replacements. However, QB Colin Kaepernick, RB Vai Taua, and the nation's third best running game returns all the key parts and potentially gets another star, RB Luke Lippincott, back for a sixth year of eligibility. And then there's the non-conference schedule. It's not a stretch to think the Wolf Pack could get on the national map with an opening day win at Notre Dame. Missouri, who has a ton of rebuilding to do, has to come to Reno to give the Pack yet another high-profile game. 4. Utah The respect is there after the unbeaten season and the win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, but it'll be tough to repeat the feat with so many major losses on offense along with the departure of star kicker Louie Sakoda. The Utes should increase their 14-game winning streak to 16 games, starting out the year against Utah State and San Jose State, but the strong defense will be put to the test with a trip to Oregon. There's also a date against Louisville and trips to TCU and BYU. Utah will have to be unbeaten to get back in and if it's on a 26-game winning streak, there will be more to discuss than a spot in the Fiesta Bowl. 3. TCU It would've been an interesting late-season debate had TCU held on to beat Utah. Would an 11-1 TCU team, with the one loss coming at Oklahoma, gotten into the BCS over an unbeaten Boise State? The Horned Frogs beat the Broncos in an entertaining Poinsettia Bowl, and now they want to finally get over the hump and get the national spotlight game. The defense is always strong, but there's rebuilding to be done on the front seven around Jerry Hughes. The offense should be just good enough to get by, and it'll need to come up with a strong September with road trips to Virginia and Clemson. It's one thing to lose to Oklahoma, and it's another to lose to Clemson. TCU has to be unbeaten to get in. 2. BYU The Cougars will be the most interesting major BCS buster contender because of the non-conference schedule that could be both a good and a bad thing. BYU might be able to survive a loss to Oklahoma to start the season and still be in the BCS hunt, but it can't be a blowout. Of course, an upset win would change the dynamic of the season and get the national title talk going instead of just searching for a BCS spot. But this year's BYU team has holes (mainly on the offensive line) that will be exposed in the season opener. The Mountain West should be good enough to give the Cougars the needed respect if they can get through it unscathed, and a home win over Florida State would likely provide the national attention needed to put an 11-1 team in. 1. Boise State The Broncos got hosed last year after being passed over for Ohio State despite being ranked one spot higher (Boise State was ninth, the Buckeyes tenth) in the final BCS standings. They weren't even close to getting the automatic spot that Utah claimed by finishing sixth. While the Poinsettia Bowl loss to TCU ended any valid argument that the Fiesta made the wrong choice, Boise State still has proven itself time and again worthy of the big stage. The WAC will be better than it was last season, but Boise State will still be the class of the league. The non-conference schedule had layups like home games against Cal-Davis and Miami University, along with an interesting trip to Toledo, but the make-or-break moments will be on September 5th when Oregon comes to town and on October 3rd with a trip to Tulsa. Realistically, if Boise State can beat the Ducks and the Golden Hurricane, it'll take a major upset to prevent a second trip to the BCS in four years.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/843693.html

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Early for me to pick but I don't like the non-conference games for these teams. Seem too hard or too likely to stumble.

[OSUFan_88]

This thread has some exciting potential.

I will say this right now, predicting a BCS buster is a near impossibility. At this point, it could be anyone, or it could be no one.

Personally, I doubt we see any good BCS Buster this year.

[rocker78]

if ecu can stay relatively injury free, i think they have a shot.

[KOL]

I think Boise have a legitimate shot of an appearance in the BCS.
However, I'm sure there will be another non-conference scholl not listed above that will ambush us all and go unbeaten.

[ugadawgs29]

I got TCU and ECU. Bothare going to be doing good next year.. also I wanted to say Rice, but they lost their fast receiver and TE, so nevermind.

[EHSheadhunter09]

TCU has a better shot than Boise State... those guys are consistently good... especially on defense

[Travis40]

If Tulsa has another great QB, I think this could be their year. They've gotten close the last 2 years, only to fall apart in the last half of the season. Hopefully they can get it together and make it to a BCS game.

[BigDofBA]

Quote: Originally Posted by Travis40

If Tulsa has another great QB, I think this could be their year. They've gotten close the last 2 years, only to fall apart in the last half of the season. Hopefully they can get it together and make it to a BCS game.

Aside from my college years, I've lived in the Tulsa area pretty much my whole life so I've followed TU athletics. That being said, I don't think Tulsa will ever get to a BCS bowl. I think the last few seasons are about as good as it gets for TU.

Basketball is a different story. TU could easily be a Gonzaga type program that flirts with Final Fours from time to time. It wasn't long ago that TU had Tubby Smith leading the team to sweet 16's and Bill Self taking TU as far as the Elite 8.

As far as football goes, TU just doesn't have the resources. Being in the middle of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and the University of Arkansas doesn't help either