:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1116737/Northwest.jpg)
I confess to not buying any college football preview magazines this offseason because I feared the imminent carpal tunnel from all the instances where I would have to cross out "rebuild" and scribble in "reload." CFB magazines and Boise State fans differ on a few things, diction being one of them.
Rankings are another. While Bronco fans are ever the optimists when it comes to this new-look BSU football team, college football's print media kings are less so. Take it from Tom Scott who bought the preseason mags I didn't:
Athlon Sports and Lindy's both have Boise State at No. 24 this season, while Phil Steele buries the Broncos, comparatively speaking, at No. 38. Who's more realistic: Bronco Nation, Athlon and Lindy's, or proud Phil?
To summarize, the comparison of preview magazines looks like this:
- Phil Steele - No. 38
- Athlon - No. 24
- Lindy's - No. 24
- Boise State football fans - Somewhere in the teens and maybe the Top Ten if we're feeling particularly saucy
We won't know until December which group got it right, but that won't keep me from commenting on it today. No. 38 seems way too low for a team with as much historical precedence of success as Boise State. The Broncos would have to be 9-3 for Phil Steele's prediction to come true. Losses to Michigan State, BYU, and either Southern Miss or Nevada? Perish the thought.
No. 24 is fair. The Broncos could be a fringe Top 25 team with a loss to Michigan State and a close loss somewhere else on the schedule. Anything is possible with a new quarterback and a shaky kicking game (even Steele's three-loss prediction, I guess).
I kind of like hoping everything goes right, though. And if it does, Boise State should be no worse than Top 20 and perhaps even Top 15 or higher. I feel this obligation to write my own preview magazine now.
Your turn
Which preseason predictions do you think are fair? Can you see the Broncos sliding to No. 38? Is No. 24 as good as it will get? Share your thoughts in the comments.