Broncos 10-2 but not in BCS frenzy

Boise State is going back to Vegas bowl nationally ranked.

Once again, Boise State is in Las Vegas for a bowl game to end yet another successful season. Unlike previous years, though, no one is talking about where the Broncos should really be.

There is no BCS controversy for the Broncos coming into today’s Las Vegas Bowl against Washington. No talk about Boise State being in the chase for a national title, either.

But if this season is what rebuilding is all about, coach Chris Petersen will gladly take it.

“Part of the problem with sports today, particularly college football, is that you do well and that sets the bar high,” Petersen said. “In our case, it’s set so high that anything but a perfect season is looked upon differently.”

Petersen’s team wasn’t perfect this year, though the Broncos aren’t complaining about a 10-2 record and a national ranking. Not after losing six starters from last year to the NFL draft and having to find a quarterback to replace Kellen Moore, who went 50-3 as a four-year starter.

Still, the year could have been even better had the Broncos not lost a 21-19 game at home to San Diego State that might have kept them out of a bigger bowl game.

“Win one more game and we’re in the BCS,” Petersen said. Thursday’s game BYU 23, San Diego State 6: Linebacker Kyle Van Noy forced a fumble in the end zone and recovered it for a touchdown, then he scored on a 17-yard interception return, both in the fourth quarter, to lead BYU over San Diego State at the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. The big plays swung the momentum for the Cougars (8-5) in what had been a tedious defensive struggle. The Aztecs (9-4) missed the chance for their first 10-win season since 1977 and had its seven-game winning streak snapped.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes’ 2013 spring game will be played at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati on April 13 because of renovations at Ohio Stadium.

Stanford: Nose guard Terrence Stephens was declared ineligible for the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin because of a secondary violation of NCAA rules related to his rental of off-campus housing. The senior missed the regular-season finale and the Pac-12 Championship game against UCLA for what coach David Shaw called a “personal problem.” Stephens has 10 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble this season.

Wisconsin: Gary Andersen was formally introduced Friday as the new head coach at Wisconsin and he made it clear right away that he will be more of a “fly on the wall” as the Badgers prepare for the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl game against Stanford. That’s because his boss, athletic director Barry Alvarez, is handling coaching duties at the request of the players following the departure of Bret Bielema for Arkansas. That allows Andersen, who left Utah State after four years, to prepare for next season.

“These kids need to go win a Rose Bowl,” Andersen said.