Boise State Broncos (Football)

No major recruiting services found the 2007 and 2008 Boise State classes impressive enough to rank in the top 50 nationally.

No one is quite sure what the Mountain West Conference is going to look like in two years, but it won't include Boise State or San Diego State.

Tommy Rees threw an interception, lost a fumble, and took a bruising blow to the ribs for Notre Dame (8-4) before getting benched. Andrew Hendrix threw for 192 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in a second-half rally for the Fighting Irish that came up short.

The Tide will be out for revenge after blowing a 24-point lead to the Tigers last season and then watching them win the national championship. This time it's Alabama with national championship hopes.

Thank you, Brigham Young. Finally some sanity in the nonstop conference realignment blather that (along with Jerry Sandusky) has overshadowed much of what has taken place on the field this season. The powers that be in Provo, Utah, made the wise decision to say ``thanks, but no thanks'' to the Big East, a league desperately trying to hang on to relevancy - and its BCS berth. There's no truth to the rumor that the Big East has extended invitations to Suffolk, Franklin Pierce, and ITT Technical Institute. The Big East is, however, trying to persuade Boise State, Air Force, Navy, SMU, Houston, and Central Florida to join. Only Navy and Central Florida make sense. Isn't it already a stretch that Cincinnati and Louisville are in?

They talked about expanding from four to five BCS bowls (book it that Dallas will be the fifth BCS bowl, if there is still a BCS). They talked about changing the requirements for the automatic qualifying bids currently held by six conferences (Big East, Big 12, Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC, SEC).

Game tonight against winless New Mexico a good chance. Simply put, something has got to give tonight at University Stadium in Albuquerque.

When facing truths, the reality is that UNLV's two best shots at wins before the end of the 2011 season will come in the next three weeks.

Preseason ballots were sent recently to members of the Mountain West Conference media, and after taking a glance at it, one thought crossed my mind: "Boy, this league is top-heavy and otherwise thin this year." ¶ The MWC is in a transition phase, and that's the main reason for it. Gone are BYU and Utah, in is Boise State, on its way out is TCU and on its way in next season will be Fresno State and Nevada-Reno. Beyond that, who knows? ¶ With that said, it will be an eight-team league this year with two experienced and rather loaded teams duking it out at the top, a few pesky contenders immediately behind them and some programs hanging around in the background. ¶ The official preseason poll and individual honors will be unveiled this week when MWC media day takes place in Colorado Springs, Colo. ¶ Here is what my top five looks like, with explanations.

During the first weekly news conference of the UNLV football season Monday, sophomore quarterback Caleb Herring spoke in confidently about his upcoming career start.

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (Reuters) - A small-town Idaho high school student told a court on Wednesday that he was sexually abused by star athletes including one who later joined the powerhouse Boise State football team.

Orange Bowl coaches Harbaugh, Beamer on opposite sides of ongoing debate about playoff system. Jim Harbaugh needs no convincing that a playoff can work in college football.

Jones throws for 429 yards, 3 TDs to help Oklahoma beat Connecticut 48-20 in Fiesta Bowl. Watching film of their two previous, disastrous trips to the Fiesta Bowl back at the team hotel, Oklahoma's players didn't cringe, didn't get that here-we-go-again feeling.

BCS busters: TCU finishes perfect season with 21-19 win over Wisconsin in Rose Bowl. When Tank Carder leaped with perfect timing and swatted Wisconsin's final pass to the turf, the TCU linebacker felt as if he got a boost from every player at every school that never even imagined playing in the Rose Bowl.

Undrafted RB Blount making most of opportunity with Buccaneers. The NFL's rookie rushing leader is an undrafted free agent with a penchant for hurdling defenders in the open field.

Football costs millions for bowl-bound schools, who defend sport as money maker. The numbers grow every year: 35 bowl games, 70 teams ? the morphing of what was once a New Year's Day tradition into one that kicks off in mid-December and finishes closer to Martin Luther King Day than Jan. 1.

Indiana names former Boise State assistant Brent Pease offensive coordinator. Brent Pease is the new offensive coordinator at Indiana.

Sooners look to lessons learned from Fiesta upset losses. Looking ahead to the Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones pulled out an old adage: Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

With 3 touchdowns in 2-minute span, Tulsa beats No. 24 Hawaii 62-35 in Hawaii Bowl. Tulsa's defense did its part in the Hawaii Bowl, pounding the quarterback and jumping in front of pass routes to force six turnovers in the first half alone.

Martin, No. 10 Boise State snap out of funk in time to beat Utah in MAACO Bowl. It wasn't the bowl Boise State wanted to be in, and for the better part of the first half Wednesday night, the Broncos played as if they were thinking about the one that got away.