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Plenty on line for Boise State in season finale at Nevada

Nov 21, 2006 - 11:53 PM No. 12 Boise St (11-0) at Nevada (8-3), 4:00 pm EST

RENO, Nevada (Ticker) - There is a lot on the line for Boise State.

The 12th-ranked Broncos look to complete an unbeaten regular season, secure their fifth straight Western Athletic Conference title and perhaps move into the Bowl Championship Series picture with a win Saturday over Nevada.

First-year coach Chris Petersen has continued the winning tradition at Boise State 11-0, 7-0 WAC), which is 44-3 in conference games since joining the WAC in 2001. The Broncos are gunning for their fifth WAC title and fourth unbeaten league season.

A loss would force Boise State to share the conference crown with Hawaii. It also would kill any chance the Broncos have of snaring a berth to a BCS bowl game.

The Broncos are 11th in the BCS standings. To qualify for a BCS bowl, it must win the WAC and finish in the top 12 in the BCS standings or finish in the top 16 with a higher ranking than a champion from a BCS conference.

Boise State is ranked ahead of every team from the Atlantic Coast Conference and would stay that way with a win over Nevada.

Last week, the Broncos rolled to their 11th straight win, a 49-10 home pounding of Utah State. Jared Zabransky threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns for Boise State, which did not miss star running back Ian Johnson.

Sidelined by a partially collapsed left lung, Johnson was replaced by senior Brett Denton, who ran for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 17 carries. Johnson is expected to play this week.

That could be bad news for the Wolf Pack (8-3, 5-2), who could be headed to the MPC Computers Bowl - in Boise, Idaho, of all places - if the Broncos secure the BCS berth.

Nevada has won five straight games in impressive fashion. It is coming off its second straight 42-0 victory, a romp at Louisiana Tech that saw Luke Lippincott run for 122 yards and three touchdowns and Robert Hubbard run for a pair of scores.

Sophomore D'Angelo Wilson returned three punts for 125 yards and was the WAC Special Teams Player of the Week. Zabransky was Offensive Player of the Week.

The Broncos hold a 20-12 edge in the all-time series, including a 49-14 home win last year.