New trick for Boise State: Defense

LARAMIE, Wyo. – For years and years, Boise State's defense has been largely ignored, if only because its offense was always so good.

But that is no longer the case. The Broncos are 6-1 and have quietly crept up to No. 18 in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll this season, and it's mostly because of their defense. After basically losing their entire defensive front to the NFL, Boise has given up just 13.6 points per game and ranks eighth nationally in pass defense, yielding just 158.7 yards per game. Through seven games, Boise's opponents have made just 19 trips inside the red zone.

Now that's a program.

Boise State pretty much fell off the national radar after losing the season opener at Michigan State, 17-13. But this is a different team now, with quarterback Joe Southwick and first-year offensive coordinator Robert Prince getting more comfortable. All of the sudden, the Broncos look primed to put up another ho-hum, 11-1 year as they say goodbye to the Mountain West Conference and head for the Big East.

Without a big non-conference victory (and the relative weakness of the MWC compared to years past), Boise State has a huge uphill battle to make a BCS bowl game, even if they win out. But it's worth noting how little has changed with this program, even though the roster looks significantly different than years past.

The Broncos shouldn't have many problems today with Wyoming, which ranks among the most disappointing teams in the country. Coming off an eight-win year, the Cowboys were expected to be MWC contenders but instead sit at 1-6 overall. Head coach Dave Christensen was suspended for today's game after the YouTube video of his profane tirade at Air Force's Troy Calhoun went viral last week.