Boise State gains in AP poll

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.

Texas Christian 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.

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 doesn’t 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.

Cal Poly, UC Davis going to Big Sky

The football teams from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Davis are joining the Big Sky Conference, league Commissioner Doug Fullerton said.

The universities accepted the invitations to join the conference as football-only schools late last week after university presidents approved an exception to league rules that require all member schools to take part in the same 14 sports.

Cal Poly and UC Davis are Football Championship Subdivision members that compete in the Great West Conference but participate in the Big West Conference for the majority of their sports.

A timeline for the move has not been set.

“Our obligation and commitment to them is to work them in just as quickly as we can,” Fullerton said.

Many of the Big Sky Conference teams have their 2011 schedules nearly complete and Cal Poly and UC Davis must officially withdraw from the Great West Conference, which also includes football teams from North Dakota, South Dakota and Southern Utah.

Fullerton said he expects Cal Poly and UC Davis to end up with some games against Big Sky schools next year, a heavy slate of games in 2012 and a likely full schedule by 2013.

Etc.

The father of Minnesota fullback Jon Hoese has died following a stroke. Terry Hoese passed away Monday night, according to Gophers Coach Tim Brewster. Jon Hoese rushed for three touchdowns and made several key plays in Minnesota’s win at Middle Tennessee last Thursday while his dad was hospitalized and comatose. The Gophers play host to USC on Sept. 18.