Idaho has a chance to bust No. 6 Boise St.

Nov 14, 2009 - 12:00 AM By GREGG BELL AP Sports Writer

Folksy, chatty Robb Akey is the coach of revitalized Idaho and he isn't coy about his hopes for Saturday: an upset of bitter rival and No. 6 Boise State that shocks the conference and the whole BCS.

"We have a great opportunity here," said Akey, a human pogo stick of excitement and encouragement on the sideline.

"I want to be the least popular individual with all the WAC administrators. If we take care of business, there's not going to be a BCS bowl for Boise State and no money coming in for the conference.

"We can improve our bowl scenario. We can put their bowl scenario and a lot of other people's bowl scenario out of whack."

Sure, Boise State (9-0, 4-0 WAC) has beaten Idaho (7-3, 4-2 WAC) 10 consecutive times, is playing at home and gets all the attention in the state and conference. But what in Hells Canyon is going on upstate in Moscow?

An Idaho team that had seven wins in the previous three seasons combined has that many since September. The Vandals' three losses are at Washington, where they outgained the Huskies; at WAC co-leader Nevada; and last week to Fresno State, when they were without injured quarterback Nathan Enderle, fell behind 24-0 and lost 31-21.

Idaho, already eligible for its first bowl since 1998, is primed for its best shot at its archrival in a decade. The little team that plays in a 16,000-seat quonset hut on its remote campus - and that Saturday will be playing in front of only its second crowd this season of more than 16,772 - is off to its best start in 15 years.

As Akey says: "Doggone!"

His Vandals have an NFL-caliber left guard in Outland Trophy candidate Mark Iupati, and Boise State coach Chris Petersen says Idaho's offensive line is "REALLY good." Enderle is 10th nationally in passing efficiency and second only to Boise State's wondrous Kellen Moore in the WAC. Idaho's offense has the fewest three-and-outs in the country, just 10 in 10 games.

Enderle is questionable to start Saturday because of a bruised rotator cuff, though few think he'll miss this chance to knock off the kings of the state.

The Broncos keep winning, with 21 straight victories in the regular season. Yet Boise State apparently isn't winning by enough: by only 10 points at Louisiana Tech last week, by only seven in another nationally televised game at Tulsa last month.

Meanwhile No. 4 TCU, another undefeated non-BCS school, has continued to steamroll its opponents. So pollsters who form the opinion portion of the BCS rankings have moved the Horned Frogs ahead of Boise State.

The style-points aspect of the BCS makes Petersen sigh.

"Yeah, you know, it's just the nature of the system," he said by telephone from Boise, where his Broncos have the nation's best home winning percentage this decade at .968 (60-2). "If you pay attention to those things or get caught up in that you're headed down the wrong path."

Idaho looks like one of two remaining threats to Boise State's third perfect regular season since 2004. The other comes in two weeks, at home against WAC co-leader Nevada.

The Broncos' best hope for a BCS bid may rest with No. 16 Utah. The Utes play TCU Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Whatever, Petersen says.

"We have a hard enough time just winning games. That's really what our focus is," Boise State's coach said. "If we play really well and don't win by a lot, hey - or if we play really well and somebody beats us - we can live with those things. It's always about doing our best and playing the best of our ability.

"We just try to focus on ourselves and not worry about the drama that's going on. Because sometimes it makes sense - and sometimes it doesn't."

During their winning streak over Idaho, the Broncos are averaging 59.4 points per home game in five games of the series this decade. The last three times the Broncos have played the Vandals in Boise, they've won 58-14, 70-35 and 65-7.

"Doggone!"

Akey, of course, is undaunted.

"The thing I love about this team is that our guys do believe they can overcome large obstacles," he said.

The largest is Moore, whom Pac-10 schools considered too small to be their quarterback coming out of Prosser, Wash., High School. Now he's the nation's leader in passing efficiency, with 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Akey calls the 6-foot sophomore "a hell of a weapon." Washington State's former defensive coordinator offered Moore a scholarship soon after Akey was hired eight miles down the road at Idaho, in December 2007. But Moore had committed early to Boise State.

Yet another victory for the Broncos.