Boise State, Utah Appear In SI.com's Preseason Predictions

Both the Boise State Broncos and the Utah Utes were name-dropped in SI.com's preseason predictions Wednesday.

Writers Stewart Mandel, Ben Glicksman and Mallory Rubin chose Utah as their surprise team for 2012 while Boise State made an appearance as Lars Anderson's "best bet to bust the BCS."

SI.com's staff pointed out Utah's easy schedule (USC at home, no Oregon and Stanford) plus the presence of a game changer on both sides of the ball (running back John White and defensive lineman Star Lotulelei) as the reasons of why they can make some noise in a top-heavy Pac-12. Glicksman even went as far as to say that "an unlikely Rose Bowl berth isn't out of the question."

As for Boise, Anderson still seemed encouraged by their prospects despite their loss of quarterback Kellen Moore. Here's what he had to say in the piece:

This is the season we find out about the long-term prospects of Boise being an elite program. Coach Chris Petersen has only six returning starters, but he's strung together several strong recruiting classes and there's plenty of talent on his roster, including sixth-year running back D.J. Harper. The Broncos face a tougher schedule this season with early matchups against Michigan State and BYU, but Boise will be in the BCS conversation deep into the fall.

Fore more information on the Utes' chances head on over to Block U. If the Broncos are more your cup of tea, pay a visit to One Bronco Nation Under God.