Brett Rypien will return Boise State to national spotlight

Oct 31, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Boise Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien (4) looks to make a pass during a game against UNLV at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Boise Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien (4) looks to make a pass during a game against UNLV at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Boise State football took a small step back in 2015 but they’ll be back in 2016 because of quarterback Brett Rypien.

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The Boise State Broncos have always played above their mid-major home the Mountain West Conference. In just 20 years of FBS play, the Broncos hold a record of 198-57. They were able to compile 13 seasons of 10 or more wins and two undefeated seasons. However, in two of the last three years, the Broncos have recorded just one season of 10 plus wins.

In 2016, the Broncos will return to that level of success because of a 9-4, 2015 season. Last season, the Broncos found their quarterback of the future in four-star true freshman Brett Rypien. Rypien may have been a rookie but he played like a veteran. He earned the starting job after Ryan Finley suffered a season-ending injury in the third week of 2015. Rypien took the job and showed Bronco fans that he was the future.

In 11 games of action, he threw for 3,350 yards, 20 touchdowns, eight interceptions completing 64 percent of his passes. No freshman has had a year like that since Kellen Moore. But, Moore was a redshirt freshman and was able to start and play all 13 games. Boise State football has always had solid quarterback play, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

He’s a talented quarterback, no doubt. But before I push this hype machine any further, the Broncos will be solid because of the receiving depth around him. He has four of his top five pass catchers returning. Boise State plays in a fairly easy conference but carries a squad worthy of a power five school. And, they play an extremely easy schedule. On their schedule, the two best opponents are Washington State and BYU.

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The Broncos might have a perfect winning formula. They understand that college football’s success travels through the quarterback. In Boise’s two best seasons, (2006 and 2009) the two most iconic quarterbacks in the program’s history led them. Jared Zabransky and Moore Brett Rypien could join that duo in the following years.