Boise St. & TCU Previews

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By Andrea Adelson

ESPN Insider has teamed once again with the Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook to provide a look at every team in the nation. You need to be an Insider to read all of these comprehensive previews, but I am going to give you a little snippet of analysis on Boise State and TCU so you can see where they stand.

Boise State: The Broncos lost significant star power off last year's team, but with a senior-dominated lineup, a fourth-year starting quarterback, a stud tailback and a dominant defensive line, there's no reason to think this team is going to take a step backward. In fact, this might be the Broncos' last shot to truly contend for the national title for a while. They share the Mountain West with TCU for one year, which gives the Broncos a much-needed late-season test, and the schedule features eight bowl teams.

My take: Does Boise State actually contend for a national title? Even when the Broncos go undefeated they have not had a chance to contend for a national title. But I understand what the folks at Blue Ribbon are saying. With Kellen Moore and Doug Martin back and what should be a great defensive line, Boise State should be a top-10 team once again. This is as good a year as any to try and break the glass ceiling that faces non-AQs when it comes to a BCS National Championship Game. Because next year, Boise State will have a new quarterback, four new starters on the defensive line and a new running back and folks will talk about a "rebuilding year" the way they are talking about TCU this year. Still, I think Boise State has built up enough of a national rep that the Broncos are not going to fall off the face of the earth after this season, even in a much weaker Mountain West.

TCU: If the Horned Frogs can survive the first two games on the road with Baylor and conference foe Air Force, there's a good chance they will be undefeated when they head to Boise. (Gary) Patterson is 12 wins shy of becoming all-time winningest coach in school history. TCU enters the season with a 25-game regular-season winning streak, and a 13-game run that is second only to Auburn (15). All this team does is win, and TCU's recruiting has gotten to the point where, sorry for the cliche, it doesn't rebuild, it reloads. Expect another loaded TCU team in 2011.

My take: I have been on record saying I don't think TCU will be undefeated when it plays Boise State. I am still not sure how Casey Pachall is going to do early on as a first-year starter. Going on the road to play Baylor is not going to be easy. I don't care that the Horned Frogs destroyed the Bears last year. Going on the road to play at Air Force is not going to be easy, either, because of the unique challenges the triple-option presents. But I do agree that if they win those two games, there is a good chance TCU and Boise State will be undefeated when they meet in November.