Boise State has no Big East invite

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Boise State president Bob Kustra said Saturday his school has not received an inviation from the Big East, and has only had informational discussions with league officials.

Shortly before the Broncos played their first Mountain West game against Colorado State, Kustra addressed numerous reports that his school was a Big East target.

"They have to figure out what they're going to do and from what I read, they really haven't made those decisions yet so whenever that day comes, if in fact it would mean anything for our program, then would come the due diligence on our part," Kustra said. "But it's way premature since I have no indication of what they're up to and what their next steps are."

The Big East is down to six football playing members, and has said it would aggressively pursue new schools to add. Boise State, Air Force and Navy have been mentioned as football-only candidates, and UCF, Houston and SMU as all-sports candidates. But when asked whether the Big East had pressed Boise State for a decision, Kustra said, "I think they've talked to people. I wouldn’t say they have aggressively pursued Boise State in terms of asking us to respond to an invite because clearly the commissioner has not done that. I can vouch for that, and he can vouch for that."

Still, Kustra said he is keeping all his options open, especially if it means joining a conference that has an automatic qualifying spot.

"If the day ever comes that will certainly factor in," Kustra said. "We will take that very seriously. We will consider that up against where we are, up against any other opportunities there might be. All options must remain on the table for Boise State University. In the meantime, this is a great place for Boise State to be in the Mountain West Conference. We're going to enjoy every minute of it."

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Halftime: Boise State 35, Colorado State 13

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Boise State leads Colorado State 35-13 at halftime. Let's take a quick look at how it happened:

Stat of the half: 21. First downs for the Broncos, as they scored touchdowns on their first five possessions and racked up 476 yards of total offense on 47 plays. There simply was not much the Rams could do to stop Boise State.

Best player in the half: None other than Kellen Moore, of course. The Heisman Trophy hopeful started the game with 18 straight completions and ended the half 24-of-26 for 273 yards and two touchdowns. Moore did what he always does,

Best call:Colorado State needed to get something going, after falling behind 35-0. So coach Steve Fairchild called a trick play, with Crockett Gillmore throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Joe Brown on a halfback option. It worked so well the first time, the Rams did it again when Charles Lovett threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Matt Yemm later in the quarter.

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Boise State Prez Says Goal Is AQ Status in BCS

The Big East is expected to invite Boise State's football program to join a reconfigured conference as soon as next week, but that might not be the best move for the Broncos at this time.

"I don't have any idea right now ... of who's going to be in, who's going to be out" in the Big East, Kustra told The Associated Press. "And so if anybody asked me today, if anybody invited me today, I wouldn't know what I was getting invited to."

Kustra spoke to the AP prior to the fifth-ranked Broncos' inaugural Mountain West Conference game at Colorado State on Saturday. The Broncos (5-0) bolted the Western Athletic Conference to join the MWC this year.

Joining the Big East in football would require Boise State to find a home for its other sports because MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson said Friday night that Boise State was either all in or all out.

The Big East is in flux and a conference official told the AP that conference leaders are slated to vote Monday on doubling its exit fee to $10 million, which will clear the way to invite six new members.

Along with Boise State, the league also wants to invite Air Force and Navy as football-only members and Conference USA members Central Florida, SMU and Houston to join in all sports.

"It's really an unsettled time," Kustra said. "We have a number of options, one of which is staying right where we are, working through this Conference-USA merger of sorts and finding ways of getting better TV coverage and perhaps even working toward an AQ conference status. ... and while we love where we are, we'll keep all the options on the table. I think that's what my responsibility is as president."

Staying in the Mountain West, which is teaming with C-USA to form an association stretching from the East Coast to Hawaii, until the dust settles from all this conference realignment might be the best route for Boise State.

"I've been very vocal about my thoughts regarding the BCS and when they organize in 2013, I hope there's a way to deal with some of these inequities," Kustra said. "But in the meantime, it seems like our responsibility is to get as close as we can to AQ status as we can.

"And that's the reason why we're not just shutting down any interests from others who ask us questions about what are your future plans? Our future plans are to do whatever we can to work out a better TV arrangement, get on more TVs in more living rooms and at the same time work toward AQ status."

Kustra said another move would take time.

"We are not on any kind of urgent timetable," he said. "We really enjoy where we are and it's important for us to take advantage of the rest of this season. I mean, let's face it, if we take care of the rest of this season, we're going to a postseason bowl, a BCS bowl. And that's not exactly too shabby an existence in the year 2011."

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AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo contributed. Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

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Mailbag: The next Boise State is ...

Lively banter in the mailbag today. Many thanks to all who submitted questions and comments. Shall we begin?

Brandon Kanute of Hayden, Ala., writes: What makes a non-AQ school be a non-AQ school and do they have any say-so in this? I would think that all schools such as Boise and any other non-AQ schools would want to have a better shot at a great bowl or better chance of producing a Heisman. I just can't understand why, because everyone around the nation makes it seem like they are not deserving.

Andrea Adelson writes: It is all about conference affiliation, Brandon. Sure, Boise State would love a chance to join the Pac-12 or Big 12 or Big Ten, but the leagues are the ones that do the inviting. And the leagues decide who they want based on several factors, including who expands the geographic footprint and TV landscape (i.e., TV dollars). The schools are mere pawns in all of this, because it is the leagues, commissioners and to an extent university presidents who control who is labeled what.

Dan Hunt in Seattle writes: Ouch. My alma mater, the University of Idaho, has been for years and remains an all-sports member of the WAC.

Adelson writes: My humblest apologies for my embarrassing goof in my post on the new Mountain West membership.

Eric Fry in Hattiesburg, Miss., writes: Take a gander at this: my Southern Miss Golden Eagles went 8-4 this year, handing Central Florida their lone conference loss. Our four losses came to South Carolina (of course), UAB by one point in double OT, East Carolina by 1 point, and a 6 point shoot-out loss to Tulsa; we are 3 plays away from being 11-1. How long do you think it will take Southern Miss to join the ranks of respectable non-AQ teams not named Boise State, Utah or TCU, such as Central Florida and Nevada?

Adelson writes: First off, you have to stop by saying (of course) when you mention your games against top AQ opponents. Boise State, Utah and TCU have been known to win those games. So the first step is to win those games. The second step is to win those close games. Woulda, shoulda, coulda is all well and good, but the reality is Southern Miss is 8-4. The Golden Eagles are close, and I think will be in contention for the East next season, but establishing a series of undefeated or one-loss seasons is a must.

Aaron in Tampa writes: Adding Hawaii as a football-only member was a great move for the MWC, but I think their hopes of AQ status in the BCS for 2013 are shot. Even before losing BYU and Utah the conference was likely going to have to appeal to the Presidential Oversight Committee because of the weakness of the lower half of the members. Though TCU's numbers could still get the MWC before the committee, no unbiased panel would consider TCU's performance as an appropriate basis for awarding AQ status to the conference sans TCU. Given projected membership, I give the MWC 10 years before it's knocking on the door again.

Adelson writes: I tend to agree with you. I am not confident in the MWC getting AQ status for 2013 and 2014. But after this current cycle is up past 2014, it will be interesting to see how everyone is evaluated. Given the future state of the league, even 10 years may be optimistic.

Tony Nyborg of Mannford, Okla., writes: Do you think Tulsa has a chance of beating Hawaii on Hawaii's field? Who is the underdog, and by how much?

Adelson writes: Hawaii is a 10-point favorite. And, yes, Tulsa definitely has a chance. Interestingly, the over/under for this game is 73 -- second-highest behind the national championship game between Auburn and Oregon. You will have to tune in next week for my pick to win the game.

Preston in St. Paul, Minn., writes: Who is less qualified to lead their team: Al Golden or Derek Dooley? Both came from mediocre non-automatic qualifying teams - landing a gig at one of the most sought after coaching positions in college football. Personally, I think Dooley is less qualified considering how little he did at LA Tech.

Adelson writes: The fact that you are even calling Temple mediocre means Golden is more qualified. That program was beyond bad before he took over. It was absolutely dreadful. To have back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1978-79 speaks volumes to me about what he was able to do there. Don't forget, Temple beat Connecticut this year; Tennessee did not beat a team with a winning record.

Patrick in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, writes: What are Boise State's chances of another season like this one come next year? I know some key seniors are leaving, but do they have what it takes to be a BCS contender again?

Adelson writes: It's a good question, and one I have not thought too much about yet because the 2010 season is still going on. They do lose several key seniors, but several excellent players return, including Kellen Moore, and everyone on the D-line except Ryan Winterswyk. The secondary takes a hit, and so does the receiving corps. I also think playing in the Mountain West is going to be more difficult, though TCU loses a bunch of seniors as well. Let's talk in the spring.

Harrison in Orlando writes: How do you feel the recent hirings at Florida and Miami will affect UCF’s recruiting?

Adelson writes: I’m not sure if the hirings will affect UCF all that much, to be honest. I think those programs sell themselves first of all. Second, Al Golden and Will Muschamp are fantastic recruiters. UCF is just not in the same ballpark as FSU, UF and Miami right now but if the Knights continue to win and continue to be ranked in the Top 25, then perhaps they can pry away some of the best players in the state.

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Boise State president rips Gee

Boise State president Bob Kustra had some choice words for Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee, who set off a firestorm earlier today with his comments about the Broncos and TCU.

In a nutshell, Gee said TCU and Boise State were unworthy of national championship consideration because of their strength of schedule, pointing to the "murderer's row" Ohio State has to play every week. A murderer's row including Eastern Michigan, Marshall, Indiana and Purdue.

Chadd Cripe of The Idaho Statesman spoke to Kustra for a reaction. Boy, did he get one.
“He claims that in the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 it’s murderer’s row every week and there’s absolutely little substance to that claim. … The BCS has finally found someone to stand up and defend the indefensible and Gordon Gee proved it — he not just proved that it’s indefensible but he did so with facts that are simply wrong. … Everyone in intercollegiate football knows that athletic directors of those large power conferences are scheduling more and more teams who are I-AA, who are teams at the weaker end of the non-AQ conferences, and for Gee to stand up and talk about murderer’s row every week is just the height of folly. It’s ridiculous. I think he’s going to set off a firestorm he probably has no interest in creating. To say that he overstated his case is an understatement.”
TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte said this on ESPN Radio: "When a president of a major institution is taking shots at us, I know we've arrived... I thank him very much."Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

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Video: Boise State-Nevada keys to victory

Andrea Adelson looks at what Nevada must do to slow down Kellen Moore and upset Boise State.

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TCU, Boise State and BCS standings

Several big questions loom in the final weeks of the season regarding TCU, Boise State and their quest to become the first non-AQ team to play for a BCS national championship.

Auburn and Oregon are in control of their own destiny. One or both have to lose for TCU or Boise State to sneak in. I asked ESPN BCS guru Brad Edwards two pressing questions on the topic, and here is what he had to say:

Q: If Oregon and Auburn lose, what are the chances TCU and Boise State play for the national title if both stay undefeated?

A: Right now, you'd have to say that's the most likely scenario. Even if voters decide to elevate a 1-loss conference champion to attempt to keep it from happening, they'd need to be on the same page in deciding which team to elevate, and their choice would need to be a team that was strong enough in the computers. It would take a bunch of voters with a common goal. The biggest threat to that matchup, in my opinion, would be Auburn if it lost at Alabama then won the SEC title.

Q: So in that scenario, can the Tigers creep ahead of TCU/Boise State into the national title game?

A: If Auburn loses to Alabama then wins the SEC, the Tigers will still be very strong in the computers. My guess, though, is if Oregon is still unbeaten, most voters are willing to give TCU (or Boise State) a chance rather than try to force a team with a late loss into that spot. Then again, it's a one-loss SEC champ, and that's a decision the voters would have to make.

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