Kellen Moore deserves a better send off.
The Boise State quarterback, who has more victories as a starter than any college quarterback in history, will conclude his brilliant career Thursday night at the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas against Arizona State, a 6-6 team that has already had its coach fired.
What a waste.
In many ways there is no more damning indictment of the Bowl Championship Series and college football's bloated bowl postseason than Moore and this group of Boise State seniors being relegated to a third-tier game.
Even mild-mannered coach Chris Peterson finally snapped at the BCS after his team's latest snub. The Broncos were No. 8 in the final AP Top 25 for the regular season.
"Everybody is just very tired of the BCS," Petersen told reporters in Idaho earlier this month. "I think that's the bottom line. Everybody is frustrated. Everybody doesn't really know what to do anymore. It doesn't make sense to anybody. I don't think anybody is happy anywhere.
"The whole thing needs to be changed, there's no question about it," he said. " ... I think (change) is coming, I really do."
Too late for this band of Broncos, though.
In four seasons as a starter, Moore has led Boise State to 49 victories and thrown 140 touchdown passes, second on the NCAA career list.
Of course, it's not just Moore.
Fellow seniors such as second-team All-American tackle Nate Potter, third-team All-American safety George Iloka, defensive tackles Billy Winn and Chase Baker and running back Doug Martin have formed the foundation of team that has lost twice the last two seasons. Both times they were a last-second field goal away from earning BCS bids.
Instead, it's been two straight postseason trips to Las Vegas.
There's no denying Boise State's gaudy record has been inflated by playing in conferences - the Western Athletic Conference, before coming to the Mountain West this season - with more than a few soft spots.
There is also no denying the Broncos have proved capable of beating good teams from power conferences. Just ask Oregon, Georgia and Virginia Tech.
The bowl seasons should have been another chance to see Boise State take on the heavyweights, to find out if the Broncos were truly worthy of being labeled national championship contenders.
Maybe Moore would have gotten buried by a good SEC defense. Maybe Winn and company would have gotten shredded by a Big 12 offense. The haters could have happily dismissed Boise State as a fraud.
Or maybe the Broncos would have cut a couple more of the so-called college football elite down to size and stuck it to the doubters.
Come to think of it, it's not just Moore who deserved better, it's all college football fans.
The picks:
SATURDAY
New Mexico Bowl
Wyoming (plus 7) vs. Temple
Player to watch: Owls RB Bernard Pierce ... TEMPLE 21-17.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Utah State (minus 2 1/2) vs. Ohio
Aggies bowling for first time in 14 years ... UTAH STATE 33-24.
UPSET SPECIAL
New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana-Lafayette (plus 5 1/2) vs. San Diego State
Ragin' Cajuns have short trip for first bowl since 1970 ... LA.-LAFAYETTE 35-28.
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TUESDAY
Beef 'O'Brady's Bowl
Marshall (plus 4 1/2) vs. FIU
Player to watch: FIU receiver T.Y. Hilton ... FIU 28-21.
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WEDNESDAY
Poinsettia Bowl
TCU (minus 10 1/2) vs. Louisiana Tech
Horned Frogs deserve better, too ... TCU 38-24.
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THURSDAY
MAACO Bowl
Boise State (minus 14) vs. Arizona State
Broncos don't get bored ... BOISE STATE 42-21.
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SATURDAY, DEC. 24
Hawaii Bowl
Nevada (plus 6) vs. Southern Mississippi
Last game of the Larry Fedora era at Southern Miss ... SOUTHERN MISS 41-21.
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MONDAY, DEC. 26
Independence Bowl
North Carolina (plus 4 1/2) vs. Missouri
Player to watch: North Carolina DE Quinton Coples ... MISSOURI 24-21.
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TUESDAY, DEC. 27
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Western Michigan (plus 2 1/2) vs. Purdue
Boilermakers last bowl was in same spot against MAC team in 2007 ... PURDUE 38-20.
Belk Bowl
North Carolina State (minus 2 1/2) vs. Louisville
Wolf Pack finished up and down season with two straight victories ... LOUISVILLE 27-23
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WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28
Military Bowl
Air Force (plus 3) vs. Toledo
Player to watch: Toledo WR Eric Page ... TOLEDO 45-35.
Holiday Bowl
Texas (minus 3) vs. California
Longhorns primed for big rebound in 2012 ... TEXAS 28-20.
---(equals)
THURSDAY, DEC. 29
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State (minus 3) vs. Notre Dame
The winner is overrated going into next season ... NOTRE DAME 24-21.
Alamo Bowl
Baylor (minus 9) vs. Washington
RG3's going away party? ... BAYLOR 54-48
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FRIDAY, DEC. 30
Armed Forces Bowl(equals)
Tulsa (pick'em) vs. BYU
Tulsa only loses to ranked teams ... TULSA 31-24
Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers (minus 2) vs. Iowa State
Player to watch: Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu ... IOWA STATE 28-24.
BEST BET
Music City Bowl
Mississippi State (minus 6 1/2) vs. Wake Forest
Middling SEC team vs. middling ACC team. Advantage, SEC ... MISSISSIPPI STATE 31-14.
Insight Bowl
Oklahoma (minus 14) vs. Iowa
Sooners went from preseason No. 1 to playing on Dec. 30 ... OKLAHOMA 38-21.
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Championship weekend record: 10-2 (straight); 6-6 (vs. spread).
Season record: 211-53 (straight); 127-112-1 (vs. spread).
Best bets: 9-4.
Upset specials (vs. spread): 7-6.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP
