In winning six of the past seven WAC football championships, Boise State has seen its share of rivals come and go. Mostly go.

Next up for the Broncos: Nevada.

The Wolf Pack, who play Maryland in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl at Bronco Stadium on Tuesday, will be the Broncos' most formidable conference challenge for the next two seasons at least.

Nevada has already shown its ability to contend with the Broncos, taking Boise State to four overtimes (69-67) in 2007 and to the final seconds (41-34) in 2008. This year's game was the closest conference game Boise State played all season.

Nevada (7-5) should continue to get better. The Wolf Pack have 68 freshmen or sophomores on their roster and 15 seniors, the second-fewest in the WAC behind Fresno State's 12.

And it's not just young players. It's young talent for Hall of Fame coach Chris Ault.

The Wolf Pack will return seven All-WAC players, including the Offensive Player of the Year in sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and the league's leading rusher in sophomore running back Vai Taua. The duo thrived in Ault's Pistol offense behind two returning all-league offensive linemen, Mike Gallett and Alonzo Durham. Sophomore defensive ends Kevin Basped and Dontay Moch combined for 19 sacks and 33 tackles for loss.

"We have a great future. We're really young and have a lot of great athletes," said Taua, who emerged after Luke Lippincott was lost toinjury for the season. " Good things are coming."

Nevada went 9-3 and earned a share of the WAC title in 2005, but the Wolf Pack have been plagued by inconsistency in the three seasons since. Nevada is 21-17 overall and 14-10 in conference in the past three seasons. The Wolf Pack lost to New Mexico State and Hawaii this season.

So Nevada's next task is turning that potential into victories and championships. It can begin with a victory against Maryland. Nevada has lost its last two bowl games, including a 21-20 decision to Miami in the 2006 MPC Computers Bowl at Bronco Stadium.

"We definitely have potential to be a great team with all of the young athletes that we have," said Kaepernick, a dual-threat quarterback who has accounted for 35 touchdowns this season. "At the same time, we have to fulfill that potential to become a great team. We have a lot of work in front of us."

A word of caution for giddy Wolf Pack fans: Fresno State parlayed its 9-4 season, including a resounding victory in the H-Bowl against Georgia Tech, in 2007 into a preseason Top 25 ranking and a preseason WAC championship prediction this season.

That didn't turn out so well for the Bulldogs, who finished the season 7-6 with a loss to Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl.

Nevada is likely to get some of the same recognition next season, though the Wolf Pack are not likely to be the preseason pick to win the WAC. Boise State, which has its own stable of returning young talent, is almost certain to be No. 1 in the preseason.

But expect the WAC schedule makers to arrange for the Boise State-Nevada game to be the regular-season finale, a la Boise State-Hawaii in 2007 and Boise State-Fresno State in 2008.

Nevada has not beaten Boise State since the Broncos joined the WAC in 2001. Since 2002, the Broncos have lost only to Fresno State and Hawaii in conference. The Wolf Pack, rivals with the Broncos dating back to the schools' Division I-AA days, would like nothing better than to join that exclusive group.

The recent close games indicate that Nevada is closing the gap after blowouts from 2001 to 2006.

"Have they taken the next step? They are right there, without question. Coach Ault has done a terrific job with that program. There's a reason he's in the College Football Hall of Fame. He knows what he's doing," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. " They are young. They'll be a program that we'll have our eye on and I'm sure we'll have many battles as this thing continues."

Nevada is playing in its school-record fourth consecutive bowl game. The Wolf Pack joined the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1992, four years before Boise State. Though the Wolf Pack have yet to achieve the same level of success as their rivals, hope is on the rise in Reno.

"It is encouraging. We played an awful lot of young kids and we're young even behind those guys," Ault said. "That is exciting for us."

And it should make for a very exciting rivalry in the next few years.

Brian Murphy: 377-6444