Campus Confidential

BY MIKE ROSE

1. Boise State and the BCS: No. 9 Boise State was really impressive on Friday night, dominating a decent Fresno State team 61-10 to cap a 12-0 regular season and win the WAC title. But the Broncos might be home for the holidays. Why? A BCS at-large bid is not definite, even with the top 10 ranking and unbeaten record. Utah, also unbeaten at 12-0 and the Mountain West champion, will be get the non-BCS conference bid. Boise State can also get an at-large bid, but needs help:

-- Oregon needs to beat Oregon State later today. Boise State can't afford to have two Pac-10 teams in the BCS (With a win, Oregon State wins the Pac-10 and USC would be assured of an at-large bid).
-- The teams in front need to lose. Of course, if Florida were to stumble twice, or if USC were to lose a game, that would help.

Basically, it comes down to this. The six BCS conference champions get automatic bids. Utah is in. That leaves three spots. The SEC and Big 12 will each get a second team in. That leaves one spot for Boise State and Ohio State (10-2). BUT if Oregon State gets the Pac-10 bid, that leaves Boise State, USC and Ohio State for one spot. I would find it hard to imagine an 11-1 USC team not getting the at-large bid.

It was brought up in the ESPN telecast last night and it's an interesting idea. Since the WAC is deemed to be weak, Boise State may need to move to a power conference. The Broncos have a football power. Remember, Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl not too long ago.

What if Boise State -- and maybe even Utah -- joined the Pac-10? That way you could divide the Pac-10 into two six-team divisions. Play a conference title game at some neutral site and that's something to talk about. How about this:

Pac-12
North Division
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Boise State
Utah

South Division
USC
UCLA
California
Stanford
Arizona
Arizona State

The Big Ten should do something similar. But that's a discussion for another day.

If Boise State is left out of the BCS, the Broncos may be playing another home game on the blue turf -- in the Humanitarian Bowl.

2. Is Pitt turning the corner? Pittsburgh rallied from a 15-7 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat West Virginia for the second straight year in the Backyard Brawl. Also, LeSean McCoy, Pitt's star running back, rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns. McCoy announced this week that he'll return for his junior season. That's good news for the Panthers. Pitt can win its ninth game next week at UConn. Another win and Pitt could be looking at a New Year's Day bowl, perhaps the Gator. And you have to make Pitt the preseason Big East favorite next year.

3. Is Nebraska turning the corner? Perhaps. Nebraska put together a nice rally to beat rival Colorado 40-31 on Friday afternoon. It's definitely been an up-and-down year for new coach Bo Pelini and the Cornhuskers. But Nebraska ended the regular season with three straight wins, an 8-4 overall record and 5-3 Big 12 record. Nebraska is also looking at a possible New Year's Day bowl, maybe the Gator.

4. What has happened to LSU? The defending national champions simply didn't have the players this year. That explains the 7-5 overall record and 3-5 mark in the SEC. LSU had problems at the quarterback position and the entire defense really struggled. LSU ended the regular season with a crushing 31-30 loss at Arkansas. Coupled with the loss to Mississippi last week, LSU lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2002. And don't forget that if not for the miraculous comeback against Troy a few weeks back. LSU would be 6-6.

5. Croom resigns: Mississippi's 45-0 win over Mississippi State on Friday ended Sylvester Croom's coaching tenure with the Bulldogs. Croom resigned on Saturday after the loss, the second biggest in the rivalry's history. Really a sad day. Croom was the first black head football coach in the SEC when he took over at Mississippi State five years ago. Croom and the Bulldogs put together a nice season last year, with an 8-5 record and Liberty Bowl win. Croom was also the 2007 SEC coach of the year. Mississippi State finished 4-8 this season.