Seemingly out of respect as much as anything else, AP voters selected Boise State 24th to start the season. The perennial top-10 team is replacing a nearly unprecedented number of starters, and not a single one of us had a clue what to expect of them heading into the season. In their opening game, at No. 13 Michigan State, they showed potential offensive issues but held steady enough defensively to hold a lead deep into the second half. They eventually fell to the Spartans, 17-13, but if nothing else a four-point road loss to the No. 13 team probably proved that the Broncos were of Top 25 caliber. But they were bumped from the polls because they lost. You almost always drop when you lose, no matter what.