Morneau said on Wednesday that he is still optimistic that he will eventually return from his concussion to help out in 2010, even though he still cant sit in the dugout to watch a full nine innings.

“To keep the symptoms down they say to limit the stress,” Morneau said with a sheepish shrug.

Easier said than done for a player as competitive as Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP and one of the pillars of the Twins clubhouse. He went on the disabled list after taking a knee to the head while sliding into second base in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 7.

He took some batting practice in August and has sat in the dugout for some games at Target Field, but doctors have advised him to take it slowly in those stressful activities to expedite the recovery process.

“Were late in the game, its more wanting to be out there,” Morneau said. “We got a tie game or were up by one and weve got runners on base, youre sitting there wanting to be out there. The adrenaline starts going and you starting thinking about what you would do in that situation. Were just trying to limit that stuff. Thats part of it.”

Morneau hasnt played since and is still feeling symptoms from the concussion. But he did say he is “having more good days than bad” this week.

“It comes and goes. The last couple days Ive felt pretty good and been really encouraged,” he said. “Its going to take a few days like that. Its not going to be just one or two where I can all of a sudden go out there and play. I have to feel like myself.”

His return sure would be a boost to the Twins, who have surged to the top of the AL Central even without their slugger in the lineup. Michael Cuddyer has moved from right field to first base and filled in admirably and the Twins led the Chicago White Sox by 4½ games when the day started on Wednesday.

Its the second straight September that Morneau has been forced to watch from the bench. He missed the final three weeks of last season and the playoffs with a back injury.

“Being in here after the game and seeing everybody excited, its tough for me to be around that,” Morneau said. “As good as it is to see it, its definitely hard to be around, not feeling like youre a part of it.”

Morneau was hitting .345 with 18 homers and 56 RBI when he went down the first week in July. Even though he hasnt played in two months, only Jim Thome (22) and Jason Kubel (19) have more homers than Morneau on the Twins.

“Its just a long process,” he said. “Its frustrating watching it and not being a part of it. This is what we play for and you never know how many chances youre going to get to win.

“Being the first year in this stadium and not being able to be a part of it has been very difficult. The boys are playing well, thats made it easier. Its still my goal of making it back this year.”

It hasnt been all bad news for Morneau. He was recently nominated as a finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to a major league player who combines community service with excellence on the field.

“Its a real special honor,” Morneau said. “What he did as a player and off the field helping so many people was something special and its very humbling to be nominated and recognized.”

Morneau grew up in the Vancouver area and idolized Canucks forward Trevor Linden, who was also very active in the community. He made it a priority to do the same thing when he made it to the big leagues.

“When you do anything off the field its not for recognition or awards or anything like that, its to try and make a difference in someones life,” Morneau said. “Its very special to be recognized and its nice, but theres a whole lot of guys in here doing great things.”

More accurately, hes a Grand Slam champion, accused hypochondriac and, according to the ratings, the third-best tennis player in the world.

Novak Djokovic is in the U.S. Open semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years. (AP) He has done impersonations of everyone from Rafael Nadal to Maria Sharapova, has given comments on almost anything and once again has given himself a chance to reach the fi by now it sho made it to the semis Wednesday for the fourth time in five years, defeating Gael Monfils, 7-6 (2), 6-1, 6-2.

They played on Arthur Ashe Stadium Court, where the wind was so strong it was fortunate balls werent blown over the stands to Citi Field across the tracks of the No. 7 train. “The conditions,” said Djokovic, “were as difficult as we saw so far in the tournament.”

What the 23-year-old Djokovic expected to see next was Mr. Federer, who in 2007 beat him in the final and in 2008 and 2009 did the same in the semis, prompting someone to wonder if Nadals side.

“What is done is done,” said Djokovic. “The draw is the way it is. You know, I lost to Federer the last three years we played here. But every year I tried to win. I tried to go on the court with a positive attitude. Hes a great champion, of course. A great player.”

Almost on cue, there, on the flat-screen TV that hangs on the wall of the 200-seat interview room under the Ashe grandstand, was a video of Federer as part of the intro for the evening telecast.

The assumption and the hope of many is that Nadal, the top-ranked and top-seeded player, and Federer, No. 2 in both categories, will meet in the final late Sunday afternoon. Djokovic, who is third in the rankings and seedings, is unbothered by such wish their images are painted on the sides of the vans ferryin but Djokovic can handle that as well as a cross-court forehand, something he did beautifully against Monfils.

“I like playing under the radar sometimes,” said Djokovic.

He is Serbian, although like most of those on the tennis tours he truly is a citizen of the world. And you can tell he knows an American idiom. Well, most American idioms.

More U.S. Open Day 10: Federer, Djokovic to semifinals Brackets: Women | Men Past champs: Women | Men

Told his first-round match last week, the one when it was 109 degrees on Ashe Court, the one in which he needed ice bags and encouragement from the spectators, was a potential “banana skin,” Djokovic responded, “Excuse me. What was the expression?”

When it was explained that, down two sets to one to Viktor Troicki, also a Serb, Djokovic might have slipped, figuratively, he laughed. “Banana. Nice. Good. Ill get that. Banana skin. OK. Sorry. Im trying to get it.”

Hes also trying to get a second Slam championship. The Joker won the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final after knocking off Federer in the semi. Yes, no five times in 15 matches, to be exact.

He also has learned to handle the criticism. Djokovic has a reputation, not undeservedly, for getting sick or injured more than infrequently, noted as much by his colleagues as by the media. Although to his credit, he fought through the awful heat to outlast Troicki.

On other occasions, Djokovic has pulled out of matches for various reasons, so when he was about to face Novak in an Open quarterfinal two years ago, Andy Roddick was asked if it appeared Djokovic was experiencing hip and ankle difficulty.

“Isnt it both of them?” Roddick asked rhetorically. “And a back and a hip.”

And he said there were too many to count?

“And a cramp.”

Did you get the sense he is …

“Bird flu … anthrax. SARS, common cough and cold…”

Roddick was asked if he thought Djokovic was bluffing.

“No, I mean … Im sure … no, if its there. Theres just a lot … you know, hes either quick to call a trainer or hes the most courageous guy of all time.”

Djokovic dispatched Roddick in four sets and then made a few disparaging remarks to the New York crowd, which idolizes Andy.

Fans here, as the Mets and Knicks know full well, do not suffer fools, losers or bad sports. Two days later, Djokovic was heckled in the semi against Federer.

Now two years down the road, Novak, having offered his apologies, is popular. The reactions on this breezy Wednesday were only positive, by both the spectators and the player.

Djokovics father was wearing a T-shirt with Novaks photo on the front.

“I dont know what to say,” Djokovic shrugged. “Hes a proud father. Im just glad to see them supporting me.”

So this Joker has come full circle in Gotham City, and hes determined not to be foiled again.

“If there is anybody in the world that can play without practicing, its probably Mark,” Saban said after Wednesdays practice. “Hes a student of the game, he watches everything, understands everything, knows everything and hes a tremendous competitor. He has a lot of experience, but we would never put him in that situation.”

Ingram had left knee surgery last week, but Saban said he was able to do some running the past two days.

“I just dont know if Marks going to have enough practice time,” he said. “Hes getting close, but I dont know if hell have enough practice time in to be able to play in the game or not.”

Before practice, Saban said Ingrams knee was “improving every day” and hasnt had swelling but the Heisman winner “probably” wouldnt be able to play. The Tide (1-0) faces the Nittany Lions (1-0) Saturday night at Bryant-Denny I would say hes probably not going to be ready to play this week,” Saban said. “He might be ready by the game, but he wont be able to practice enough.

“After that, maybe we have a chance to get him back if he continues to progress.”

Ingram sat out Alabamas opener against San Jose State after having an arthroscopic procedure to repair an injury sustained in practice early on opening week.

Backup Trent Richardson had 10 carries for 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns to go with three catches for 46 yards in the win over San Jose State. He only played the first half.

Coach Chris McSorley says the 34-year-old winger chose Geneva-Servette over competing offers from the NHL and elsewhere in Europe.

Park has played over 16 seasons in the NHL, including the past four with the New York Islanders.

McSorley tells the Associated Press he spoke with the Islanders Swiss defenseman Mark Streit about Parks qualities on and off the ice before making him Geneva-Servettes top offseason signing target.

The club lost in the Swiss playoff finals last season, beaten in game seven by Bern.

Park previously played in Switzerland with Langnau in 2004-05 during the NHL lockout season.

U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski responded to David Blatts opinion that the Soviet Unions victory in the controversial Olympic gold-medal game was fair by sayin either forgetting or ignoring that Blatt was born and raised in the United States.

NBA executive Mike Bantom, who played for that U.S. team, said he wasnt surprised “that someone employed by the Russian Federation might have a Russian perspective right about now, but I dont think it changes anything.”

“We know how wrong it was, what happened there,” Bantom told the Associated Press after watching U.S. practice Wednesday. “You watch a film, or you hear reports, you can debate whether or not it was right or wrong. But if you lived it, and you were there, you know that it was wrong what happened.”

The U.S. plays Russia on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the world championship on the 38th anniversary of the Soviets 51-50 victory in Munich. The Americans appeared to have won the game twice, but the Soviets were given a third chance and made the winning basket.

Believing they were cheated, the Americans never accepted their silver medals.

“Theres a wonderful film about that, and I hate to say it as an American, but it looks like the Russians were right. The American team was not cheated,” Blatt said Monday. “Funny things happened, but in reality it was fair.”

Blatt was likely referring to the HBO documentary about the game, , which Bantom appears in and said he saw. The film shows the confusion that created the multiple do-overs before Aleksander Belovs winning shot.

“You can arrange film to make a lot of things seem that theres some doubt,” said Bantom, the NBAs senior vice president of player development. “There was no doubt how that went down.”

The Americans had taken a one-point lead on Doug Collins free throws with 3 seconds left, and seemed to have won when the Soviets inbounded and didnt score.

But the Soviets claimed theyd called timeout, and an official had whistled for play to stop when he saw a disturbance near the scorers table. Time was put back on the clock, and again the Americans celebrated as the Soviets failed to score after inbounding.

More confusion followed because the clock was still being reset when the ball was put in play. Given a third chance when FIBAs secretary general ordered the final 3 seconds replayed, the Soviets won when Belov caught a long pass over two U.S. players and scored.

FIBA denied the appeal of the Americans, who had their 63-game Olympic winning streak snapped and voted unanimously to decline the silver medals. Bantom isnt surprised that none of his teammates has ever decided he wants the medal.

“I dont care how it was depicted in the film,” he said. “It was wrong and we felt it was wrong and we stuck by our feelings.

“First of all, all those things about the clock and all that was not known at the time. The referees were handling that game. It was not handled by the clock and what was going on. We were told to play, and we played, and the results of what went on on that court were overturned, and thats not how the game of basketball is decided.”

Blatt, who was born in Louisville, grew up in Massachusetts and played at Princeton, was 13 years old at the time and said he cried after the U.S. lost. Yet Krzyzewski wasnt surprised the way he sees the game now has changed.

“Hes a Russian, he coaches the Russian team, so he probably has that viewpoint,” Krzyzewski said. “And his eyes are clear now because theres no tears in them.”

Krzyzewski was more concerned by the problems his undersized team could face from the Russians, who he said had an average height of 6-foot-8. Other than saying “when you think of international basketball, you think of USA and Russia games, that being one of them,” he wouldnt go much further into Blatts remarks about 1972.

“Whatever he thinks, he thinks,” Krzyzewski said. “It really has absolutely no bearing on what were trying to do tomorrow. Absolutely none.”

NCAA Football Odds: Auburn Tigers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Online Betting Odds: Auburn -2

Why To Bet On Auburn

The Tigers are going to be very fun to watch in 2010, whether or not they win big. Quarterback Cam Newton started his season in style this past Saturday in a 52-26 win over Arkansas State. Newton threw for 186 yards and ran for 171, showing a devastating one-two punch and accumulating 357 total yards for head coach Gene Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. Mississippi State began the year by going up against a Memphis offense that is very short on raw athletic ability. Auburn will give MSUs defense a level of speed and balance that will be hard to adjust to at least in the early going. Malzahn is one of the premier offensive coordinators in big-time college football, and hell certainly show Mississippi State some looks the Bulldogs havent seen. Auburn is very likely to score a lot of points in this game.

Why To Bet On Mississippi State

The Bulldogs can score as well. Yes, they ran wild against a very weak Memphis team this past weekend, but a 49-7 win over the Tigers represented as fluid an offensive performance as anyone has seen in the still-developing Dan Mullen era. Mullen, the second-year head coach in Starkville, tutored Tim Tebow at Florida and also developed Alex Smith when working for Urban Meyer in a previous coaching stop at Utah. Mullens proven quality as a quarterback guru could well be emerging in his guidance of signal caller Tyler Russell. Mullens new prot?g? merely hit 13-of-16 passes for 256 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions against Memphis. With that kind of crisp execution, Mississippi State will be able to light up an Auburn defense that gave up 23 points in just 32 minutes to Sun Belt member Arkansas State. Auburns defense is going to be very vulnerable throughout 2010, and Mississippi State might have the offense that can take advantage of that very fact.

How The Game Will Play Out

The scoreboard will be busy on Thursday night, and footballs will fly through the air. Its going to be a wild game in Starkville, with Auburn having the better weapons in a full-on firefight. Newtons ability to run in the open field will be a major difference maker. Malzahns brilliance as a playcaller will also help Auburn to outpace Mississippi State.

Auburn Mississippi State BettingPick: Auburn

The White Sox made the moves before Tuesday nights game against Detroit.

Both players had been with Chicago earlier this season. Torres went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two games, while Viciedo hit .268 with three homers in 27 games.

Chicago also changed its starting lineup shortly before gametime. Third baseman Gordon Beckham was scratched because of continuing pain in his right hand.

And now? Williams is two victories away from her first U.S. Open title since 2001.

The No. 3-seeded Williams overcame nine double-faults and a total of 33 unforced errors to beat reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the quarterfinals Tuesday night.

More U.S. Open Spander: Sad showing by the U.S. Notes: New kids rules should help U.S. Brackets: Women | Men Past champs: Women | Men

“I want to be in the final, because then obviously its just one more step,” the 30-year-old Williams said. “But Im just focused on the semis, and I dont get too excited unless the tournament is over.”

Next up for Williams is a semifinal against defending champion Kim Clijsters, who ran her U.S. Open winning streak to 19 matches by eliminating French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Clijsters and Williams have split their 12 previous meetings, but the Belgian won the most recent four, including in the fourth round in New York in 2009.

“Venus is a great competitor. Shes been playing some really great tennis these last few matches,” Clijsters said. “I look forward to it. Its a challenge.”

Williams is the only American singles player left in the 2010 tournament, because the last of the countrys 15 men in the field, 20th-seeded Sam Querrey, lost 7-6 (9), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to No. 25 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland earlier Tuesday.

“I definitely wanted to … keep the hope going,” said Querrey, who was broken in the matchs last game. “You know, I was close.”

Its the second consecutive year that zero U.S. men reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals, something that hadnt ever happened before 2009. And this is the first season that the United States didnt place a man in at least two Grand Slam quarterfinals since the French Open first admitted foreigners in 1925.

Wawrinka, who joins Roger Federer to give Switzerland two quarterfinalists at a major for the first time, takes on No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia for a semifinal berth. Youzhny eliminated unseeded Tommy Robredo of Spain 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

Robredo was one o and the others all played countrymen. No. 8 Fernando Verdasco closed out his thrilling 5-7, 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 ( only the second match Verdas with as spectacular a match-ending shot as any.

Nearly 4½ hours in, Verdasco found the energy to sprint from the baseline up to get to a drop shot and whip a forehand around the post for a winner. Verdasco dropped to his back, let go of his racket and put his hands on his head. Then he rose for a hug with Ferrer.

Watching on TV in the locker room were No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 23 Feliciano Lopez, who were waiting to follow Clijsters and Stosur into Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Im happy for Fernando,” Nadal said, “but at the same time, sorry for David, because he deserved to win, too, no?”

Nadal then went out and showed no mercy for Davis Cup teammate and pal Lopez, beating him 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in a match that ended at 1:16 a.m. Wednesday. Nadal saved all four break points he faced and hasnt been broken a single time through four matches. at my highest level,” Nadal said. “To be in [the] quarterfinals of the U.S. Open without losing a set and without losing serve, two things must work very well: concentration and the serve.”

Early in the third set, Nadal did his best Roger Federer impression, chasing down a lob and, with his back to the net, hitting the ball between his legs. But unlike Federer, who pulled off that trick shot for winners at the U.S. Open both las because Lopez was standing at the net and calmly volleyed the ball away.

Nadals match against Verdasco will be the first all-Spanish quarterfinal in U.S. Open history. Its also a rematch of their classic 2009 Australian Open semifinal, a five-setter that lasted 5 hours, 14 minutes.

When Williams was asked whether she sensed any responsibility to carry American hopes, she smiled and replied: “If I felt like that, I dont think Id be able to even raise my arms. Thankfully, I dont feel that way. I think my expectations are enough to deal with, so Im just going to hopefully temper that.”

Her own expectations are based, of course, on a lengthy list of successes, including seven Grand Slam singles titles. Two came at the U.S. Open, in 2000 and 2001. But she last made the semifinals at Flushing Meadows in 2007, and she hasnt played in the title match since losing to her sister Serena in 2002.

“I feel really comfortable here,” Williams said, “and its great to come back to a place where I have won, and a place where Ive played well.”

Querrey-Wawrinka lasted nearly 4½ hours, meaning Williams-Schiavone didnt start on the same court until after 6 p.m.

But Williams didnt mind the delay one bit.

“Im a pro at waiting for my match: Singles, doubles, you name it, Ive waited. Ive waited for rain delays. Thats a part of tennis,” said Williams, whose other five major singles championships came at Wimbledon. “Im a pretty laid-back person, so I dont get too tight waiting.”

She and the sixth-seeded Schiavone both found it tough to play the way they wanted, thanks to swirling wind that Williams said made it impossible to practice serves during the warmup time, because her ball tosses kept going astray.

Still, she handled the conditions better in the end, improving to 8-0 against Schiavone.

The key was the tiebreaker, when Williams went ahead 4-0 with a backhand passing winner on the run. She moved well all evening, showing not a shred of a sign that there is anything wrong with her left knee. Williams sprained that kneecap in early August, which kept her from playing any hard-court tuneup events before heading to New York.

Schiavone, though, took the next four points to even things. Then she made it 5-all by winning a 12-stroke exchange with a vol the sort of excellence at the net and general exuberance she showed en route to the title in Paris, where she became Italys first female Grand Slam champion.

But then came two shots Schiavone would come to regret. First she pushed a backhand long to give Williams a set point at 6-5. Then she sailed a forehand long to end the set.

“Im so angry,” Schiavone would say afterward. “Instead of attacking and going for the lines, I should have played a little safer and put the ball in.”

Here is why that set was so crucial: Williams entered Tuesday with a 51-1 r the only loss was 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to eventual champion Clijsters in the 2005 quarterfinals.

So while Schiavone could insist, as she did, that, “When you lose the first set, you still have every chance to win the match,” Williams is now 52-1 in New York when the opening set is hers.

“I feel like when the stakes were higher,” Williams said, “I was able to raise my game.”

Now comes the time to do t and, if Williams wins that, in the final, too.

Nedim Karakas, the GM for Fenerbahce Ulker, said the team has handed over banking and housing records to the NCAA, which is reviewing Kanters amateur status.

“The NCAA asked officially what we paid,” he told the newspaper. “We took from the bank what we paid. Normally, we send all the documents that we have. They asked for more things. They asked for the rent, what we paid.”

The 6-foot-11, 272-pound Kanter is one of the top prospects in Kentuckys highly rated recruiting class.

“The University of Kentucky is working diligently with the NCAA on this matter and we fully support Enes Kanter and his family through this ongoing NCAA review,” school spokesman DeWayne Peevy said in an e-mailed statement. “We will have no further comment.”

Karakas said the Turkish team provided housing for Kanter and his family for more than three years. It also gave him food and pocket money, and paid Kanter more than $6,500 a month in salary during his final season.

If the 18-year-old Kanter is declared ineligible and decides to play in Europe next season, Fenerbahce Ulker would be owed a transfer fee. Both Karakas and club executive Aydin Ors also told the they were unhappy with the way Kanter left the team because of their investment in the prospect.

But Karakas said the clubs interaction with the NCAA is about telling the truth.

“This is real, and the NCAAs main goal is to protect the amateur side of sports,” Karakas said.

Max Ergul, who has advised Kanter, said the centers time with Fenerbahce was similar to a player who went to prep school in the U.S.

“They paid the necessary expenses, like any other kid who goes to prep school and gets the $30- or $40,000 scholarship,” Ergul told the . “I think thats the truth.”

Kanter, who did not sign a contract with the Turkish club, was held out during Kentuckys preseason trip to Canada last month, since the NCAA is examining his eligibility.

More AP Top 25 voters are buying into Boise State as the No. 1 team in the country.

Boise State gained seven first-place votes and closed in on No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Ohio State as the top three teams in the first regular season Associated Press football poll held their spots from the preseason.

The Broncos remained third after a thrilling 33-30 victory against Virginia Tech on Monday night, receiving eight first-place votes and 1,399 points from the media panel, 13 points behind the Buckeyes.

Ohio State received four first-place votes and 1,412 points.

Alabama had 47 first-place votes, down seven from the preseason poll, and 1,484 points in the rankings released Tuesday.

TCU from the Mountain West Conference moved up two spots to No. 4, marking the first time since the Bowl Championship Series was implemented in 1998 that two teams from conferences without automatic BCS bids have been in the top five. Boise State is the defending Western Athletic Conference champion.

Texas remained No. 5 and received one first-place vote.

No. 8 Florida dropped four spots after a sloppy 34-12 victory against Miami (Ohio) and No. 10 Oklahoma fell three places after beating Utah State 31-24.

The rest of the top 10 is Nebraska at No. 6, followed by Oregon, which moved up four spots after beating New Mexico 72-0. Iowa is No. 9.

No. 13 Virginia Tech dropped three spots after Boise State scored a touchdown with 1:09 left to beat the Hokies at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

Falling out of the rankings after close opening losses were Oregon State, Pittsburgh and North Carolina. Moving in were No. 20 Utah, No. 24 South Carolina and No. 25 Stanford.

But the big story is Boise State and the Broncos very well could be the talk of college football all season.

They entered Monday with their best preseason ranking and a legitim if they could beat the Hokies and then flawlessly navigate a schedule with no games more difficult than the first.

More Top 25 Complete AP poll Coaches poll CBSSports.com 120

Boise State jumped to a 17-0 first-quarter lead, watched that lead evaporate, then needed a two-minute drill capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Kellen Moore to Austin Pettis to win its 15th straight game.

“This was no fluke,” said voter Brett McMurphy of AOL Fanhouse, who had Boise State No. 1 this week. “[The Broncos] outgained Virginia Tech and hung 33 on the Hokies. The last two teams to score more than 30 against &#040 went on to win the national title.

“Will Boise? Who knows, but the Broncos deserve the top ranking for this week anyway.”

The Broncos have finished the last two regular seasons with perfect records, but neither time was it enough to earn them a spot in the national championship game. They were beaten out by teams from the so-called power conferences with BCS automatic bids, teams like Alabama from the Southeastern Conference and Ohio State from the Big Ten.

This season could be different. Boise State doesnt have to climb over scores of teams to get into position to contend for a spot in the BCS title game, spots determined in large part by the coaches poll and the Harris poll.

Boise State was third in the coaches poll this week, moving up two spots. The coaches also had Alabama first and Ohio State second. The Harris poll is not released until October.

“Weve just got a long tough hard season, and the bulls-eye will continue to grow, and its just going to be one game at a time,” coach Chris Petersen said.

Not hard enough to satisfy some people.

Boise State plays at Wyoming in two weeks and gets a visit from Oregon State, which opened its season by losing 30-21 to TCU, the week after. The Beavers from the Pac-10 look like the best team left on Boise States schedule, but the Broncos have lost one regular-season game on their blue turf home field since 2001. Toledo also visits Boise State.

As for the Broncos WAC competition, well, its been almost no competition for the Broncos the past decade. Boise State has won seven WAC titles and is 73-4 against conference opponents from 2000-09, a .948 winning percentage that is by far the best of any major college team.

Texas is second-best with an .841 percentage (69-13) in the Big 12 over that time.

Feeling it has outgrown the WAC, Boise State will be leaving the league after this season and joining the Mountain West.

The best teams the WAC can throw at Boise State this season are probably Nevada and Fresno State, though Hawaii and Utah State flashed potent offenses while losing their openers to ranked foes.

Fresno State comes to Boise on Nov. 19. The next week the Broncos have a road game at high-scoring Nevada that on paper seems to be their toughest remaining test.

They finish with Utah State at home on Dec. 4, the same day the SEC and Big 12 play its conference championship games.

If Boise State runs the table do they deserve a spot in the BCS championship game? Ahead of an unbeaten Big 12 or Big 10 champion? How about a one-loss SEC team?

Unless the Broncos take an unexpected stumble, the debate will rage all season.