49-4 over the last four seasons. 7-0 this year. Twenty-one consecutive wins. These numbers would define a dynasty in almost any other league and sport.

But not in NCAA football. In NCAA football, these records don't even garner a single appearance in the national title game. The reason for this is that the team that accomplished these feats simply isn't part of a major conference. For the NCAA, the Boise State Broncos simply haven't proven enough to get a shot at the title.

After going 14-0 last year, Boise State started the year ranked third in the nation behind Alabama and Ohio State. So when both of those teams lost while Boise State steamrolled over everyone on their schedule, Boise moved into first place, right?

Wrong. The NCAA once again found a team to place ahead of the Broncos in the Oregon Ducks. Now it is understandable if the league underestimates a team in the preseason rankings, realizes their mistake and puts them ahead of teams they should've been ahead of all along. But that isn't the case this time. Oregon does not deserve to be ahead of Boise State.

The main argument against Boise State is that they have a weak schedule and hence don't have to work as hard for a perfect record. The Broncos have the 77th toughest schedule in the nation, so this argument has some validity, even when you consider that they blow out everyone. But Oregon has the 112th toughest schedule in the nation. So why is Boise penalized for a weak schedule while an even weaker schedule is rewarded?

One could also argue that we can't compare the teams against other opponents but only against each other. The two teams don't play each other in the regular season this year, so we won't be able to fully compare the two teams until a hypothetical title match.

But we can take into account past meetings. Two years ago, Boise State traveled to Oregon and beat the Ducks 37-32. Last year, Boise beat Oregon again, this time at home, 19-8. Shouldn't Boise State get the benefit of the doubt in that they beat Oregon in each of the last two seasons?

The top two teams in the nation play for the national title, so Boise State could remain behind Oregon and still play in the title game. So, while they deserve to be first, they don't need to be.

They do, however, need to be given a chance to be champions. They have the third-ranked defense in the nation and the fourth-ranked offense in the nation. Kellen Moore is the top-rated quarterback in the country and has an astounding 18:2 touchdown to interception ratio. He throws to two of the most talented receivers in the country in Austin Pettis and Titus Young. But the team isn't all about passing. Running back Doug Martin has rushed for 99.1 yards per game and has six rushing touchdowns in seven games. Not enough can be said about the defense that has given up only 13.4 points per game.

The NCAA cannot continue to let a small thing such as conference reputation determine who is the best team in America. Not only do the Boise State Broncos deserve to play in the title game, they must if the NCAA wants to maintain any credibility.