BCS CHANCES

Boise State's convincing victory against in-state rival Idaho did little to help the Broncos in the polls, as they remained No. 6 in the Associated Press, the Harris and the coaches' polls as well as the all-important BCS Standings. No. 4 TCU throttled Utah in what should be the Horned Frogs' last big test, making it increasingly unlikely that Boise State will be the top-ranked non-BCS team at the end of the regular season. However, the Broncos got some help from the rest of college football over the weekend. Stanford's rout of USC should knock the Trojans out of BCS contention. If things remain relatively stable, you can account for eight BCS spots easily - the six BCS champions, the loser of the SEC championship game and TCU will gobble up those spots. The means the No. 2 team in the Big Ten (Iowa or Penn State), Stanford, Oklahoma State and Boise State are likely competing for the final two spots. I think Iowa, which is ranked No. 13 in the BCS standings and beat Penn State and played Ohio State to overtime, lands one of the berths because of its large traveling contingent. Oklahoma State, which is ranked No. 12 in the BCS, might be attractive to the Fiesta Bowl, which has a strong relationship with the Big 12, and thus bump the Broncos.

OFFENSE

Boise State's passing game appeared unstoppable for a large portion of the game as quarterback Kellen Moore threw for five touchdowns and wide receiver Austin Pettis had four touchdown grabs, tying a school record for receiving scores in a game. Moore leads the country with 32 touchdown passes and Pettis is tops with 14 touchdown catches. The potent combination overshadowed other solid performances, such as Titus Young's six-catch, 101-yard performance and Jeremy Avery's 110 yards rushing. Avery averaged 7.9 yards per attempt. Moore and the offensive line did a nice job of picking up Idaho's blitzes. The Vandals brought more pressure than normal and it left plenty of room in the secondary for the Broncos wide receivers to run free. Boise State did not have a turnover or snap issues and was a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone against the Vandals, solving several problems that have plagued the offense this year. Grade: A

DEFENSE

Boise State forced seven turnovers, including a fumble and an interception on Idaho's first two possessions. Idaho was playing with backup quarterback Brian Reader, and the Broncos took advantage of his inexperience. Cornerback Brandyn Thompson had two picks and senior Kyle Wilson had his third interception in as many games. Wilson returned his third-quarter pick 71 yards for a touchdown. There must be some concern about how well Idaho ran the ball in the first half with DeMaundray Woolridge, who finished with 143 yards and two touchdowns. On Idaho's first scoring drive, the Vandals did not throw a pass, running eight straight times for 79 yards. With Nevada's No. 1-ranked run game looming in two weeks, the run defense will need to be better. Idaho had 514 yards of total offense, but the seven turnovers more than cancel those out. Grade: A

SPECIAL TEAMS

Titus Young's 100-yard kickoff return - yes, it was about 107 yards, but in college the maximum is 100 - right before halftime was a backbreaker for Idaho, which had cut its deficit to 35-17 before Young's return. The TD increased the lead to 42-17 entering halftime and ended any Vandal momentum. Kicker/punter Kyle Brotzman averaged 41.2 yards on five punts, though he did have a 19-yarder and a 14-yarder. The special teams units did not allow any big plays for Idaho, which needed help from its special teams in order to pull off the upset. Grade: A

Brian Murphy: 377-6444