Huard: Perception is not reality with Boise State

Brock Huard thinks Boise State’s Kellen Moore, despite his smaller stature, is better than any SEC quarterback. (AP)

Editor’s note: Brock Huard writes a weekly column for ESPN.com during the college football season. Here is an excerpt from his eighth column, which dispels some of the misperceptions of Boise State and makes the case that the Broncos could hang with teams like LSU and Alabama.

For three years I have been banging the drum for the Boise State Broncos, bothered by the fact that perception has too often trumped reality. It’s frustrating to me that Boise is still more closely associated with its blue turf and “Statue of Liberty” thriller against Oklahoma in 2007 than the fact that its senior class is 46-2 during the last four seasons (with those two losses coming by a combined four points).

The idea that any one-loss team, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, would pass an undefeated Broncos team in the BCS standings at season’s end — which looks like a likely possibility at the moment — is both misguided and unfair. Just because this team doesn’t play in a power conference like the SEC doesn’t mean it isn’t deserving of making the Allstate BCS National Championship Game or capable of beating an Alabama or LSU Tigers team on a neutral field with the championship on the line.

I’ve gone through four points here to show where perception has hidden reality, and made the case for why the Broncos deserve a title shot.

The rest of Brock’s column is available to those with an ESPN Insider account, and can be read here.