Preview of Boise State Vs. Oregon College Football Game, Sept. 03, 2009

In one of the biggest early matchups in college football, the Boise State Broncos host the Oregon Ducks on Thursday, September 3, 2009. The Broncos can make a huge statement by beating the Pac-10 Ducks, but Oregon has a new coach, Chip Kelly, who needs a big win sooner rather than later.

If you love college football, you are probably counting the hours until the Boise State-Oregon game this Thursday. The game will be a big test for both teams. While Oregon is in the very tough Pac-10 conference, the WAC conference can hold its own. Plus, Boise State is known for some shockingly big wins.

College Football Preseason Polls

The 2009 college football preseason polls and rankings were announced recently on posted on ESPN. The polls show that Boise State is ranked #14 and #16 in the two polls, while Oregon is also ranked #16 and #14 in the polls. Obviously, the polls are strikingly close and most would really call the rankings even at this point.

Both teams must perform well in this game and not get blown out to maintain their Top-20 rankings. The team that loses will drop in the rankings, of course, but if that team loses badly then it could be out of the Top 25.

Coaches of Oregon, Boise State

The Oregon Ducks have a brand new head coach in Chip Kelly who was recently the offensive coordinator of the Ducks. Coach Kelly will likely be motivated to make sure the Ducks look strong and competent under his leadership. A bad loss to the Broncos could have disastrous consequences for the rest of the Ducks' 2009 season.

The head coach of the Broncos, Chris Petersen, has done exceptionally well with the Broncos, leading them to a 35-4 record over the last three years.

Coach Petersen may be able to capitalize on his previous employment with Oregon's football program. According to Wikipedia, Coach Petersen was employed as wide receivers coach at Oregon from 1995-2000.

Ramifications of Game

This game is crucial for both Boise State and Oregon. It is the first game of the season and any loss this early has negative ramifications for consideration for a big bowl at the end of the season.

The Oregon Ducks have it relatively easy after this road game. According to their 2009 schedule, after the road game against Boise State, the Ducks have four straight games at home. The toughest one of those appears to be California on September 26. If Oregon can beat both Boise State and Oregon, they could jump into the top-five rankings after just one month of football.

The Boise State Broncos schedule does not appear that difficult after the Oregon game. The game against Oregon appears to be their highest-ranked opponent of the year and they absolutely must beat the Ducks to be considered a top-tier team in college football.

Sources

Chip Kelly, Wikipedia

Chris Petersen, Wikipedia

Western Athletic Conference, wacsports.com