Broncos didn’t help themselves

Win and advance in polls and perception. College football’s procession has long been established.

But Boise State is changing the pattern, and not in a good way for the Broncos, who continued their winning ways Wednesday with a 28-21 escape at Tulsa.

The game was a thriller, with Boise State battling to hold off a tough Golden Hurricanes team.

A loss would have knocked Boise State from the ranks of the unbeaten and ended its national championship aspirations.

But even in victory, Boise State’s path remains difficult. On a night when they received national television exposure to state their case as a contender, the Broncos may not have been convincing enough. This is the life of a power team from a non-power conference.

They may not feel so lucky today when the first BCS standings are released. BCS experts believe the numbers ultimately won’t add up for a perfect Boise State team.

Meaning even if the Broncos run the table, they won’t reach the BCS National Championship Game because they’ll finish behind teams from power conferences that are undefeated or have one loss.

“My thought is Boise has peaked in the polls,” said BCS expert Jerry Palm of the Web site collegebcs.com. “The teams behind them are gaining on them.”