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BOISE, Idaho -- Boise State coach Chris Petersen has stayed away from campaigning for a BCS berth this season.

He's said many times this year that he has faith that the system will take care of his Broncos.

But after Friday's 44-33 win over Nevada, the toughest opponent remaining on the Broncos' schedule, Petersen felt compelled to make his first pitch.

"We've got one more game, and if we take care of business, we've done everything we can possibly do if we can win one more game," Petersen said during his postgame news conference. "We've done it for two years in a row."

Boise State is ranked sixth in the BCS standings behind fellow nonautomatic qualifying school TCU, which is ranked fourth. If TCU beats New Mexico on Saturday, it will earn the lone automatic bid given to the non-AQ schools. Boise State will be relegated to the at-large pool for the second consecutive year.

The popular theory is that Boise State is battling Iowa and Oklahoma State for an at-large bid. Both the Hawkeyes and Cowboys have two losses apiece, and the Cowboys play rival Oklahoma in the final game of their regular season.

Last year, the 12-0 Broncos lost a BCS bowl spot to 10-2 Ohio State.

"With all due respect, we shouldn't even be talking about Boise State vs. Oklahoma State or Boise State vs. Iowa," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said. "Boise State should be automatic. It should be a lock. They deserve to be in the BCS."

Boise State will know it BCS fate for sure on Dec. 6 when the matchups for BCS bowls are announced. Representatives from the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl all were in attendance at Bronco Stadium Friday night.

If Boise State isn't selected for a BCS bowl, it likely will be an at-large team placed in the best bowl with the best possible matchup, though none of those potential matchups even come close to the competition the Broncos could face in one of the nation's three prominent available BCS bowls.

The Broncos have done everything the BCS has asked of a nonautomatic qualifying team. If they defeat New Mexico State next week, they will have gone undefeated for the second consecutive season. They have a win over Oregon, which is the favorite to win the Pac-10 and play in the Rose Bowl, and they've been dominant against teams they should be thrashing.

Friday's win over Nevada, a team that came in with the nation's hottest running game and riding an eight-game winning streak, was further proof of Boise State's strength this season. The Broncos jumped out to a 20-0 lead and stifled the Nevada running game. The Wolf Pack's 242 rushing yards was their lowest since Sept. 25, and the 383 yards of total offense was their third-lowest output of the season. During their eight-game winning streak, the Wolf Pack have averaged 598 yards of total offense and 446 yards on the ground.

While many will point to Notre Dame's shutout of Nevada, the team that came into Boise Friday night was a more confident and cohesive group than the one that played in South Bend.

And it's not like Boise State has won games in obscurity. The Broncos have been on national television almost every game this season, and have proven time and time again that they deserve to be a part of the national conversation.

Said Petersen: "We have confidence in the system and we have faith in system, and it's going to take care of the teams that should be in there."

BOISE, Idaho -- Nevada thought this was going to be the year.

After losing to Boise State for nine consecutive years, Nevada players thought this year’s team was the one to take down the WAC champions.

But the Wolf Pack found themselves down 20-0 at the end of the first quarter and spent the entire game fighting an uphill battle against the No. 6 team in the country; the best team coach Chris Ault said his Wolf Pack had faced all season.

“I’m getting tired of falling behind and jumping back,” Ault said. “That’s disappointing, it really is. You can’t fall behind a Boise State like we do and consistently expect to stay close. That’s tough stuff, and they’re too good of a football team.

“When it happens as fast as it did to us; they scored their first three possessions with the back out and stuff that we’d seen and we weren’t even close on it. You wonder when you’re going to gather yourself and stop this stuff. Again, they had their way with us in that first half, in particular from a defensive standpoint.”

Nevada fell 44-33, the Wolf Pack’s first double-digit loss to Boise State since 2006. The previous two games had been decided by nine total points.

Nevada came into Friday’s game with a ton of confidence after rebounding from a 0-3 start to win its next eight games. The Wolf Pack put themselves in a position to win the WAC title with a win over the Broncos, and the running game, which had been stagnant during the losing streak, was showing its true potential.

But Boise State squashed all of that. The Broncos ran back the opening kick and then scored on their next two possessions. Nevada was forced to adjust its game plan and try to score quickly. It had trouble mounting any sort of offense while it tried to get its bearings.

“You can’t let them go the first play of the game and put you behind the eight ball right away,” Ault said. “That’s tough. The demoralizing part of it, the morale, you’ve got to pick up by your play. You’re not all of a sudden going to run up and down the field on Boise State. It takes some time to get that stuff back.”

Every time the Boise State offense left the door open for a comeback, the Wolf Pack couldn’t step through. They cut the lead to eight twice, but could never get any closer.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who had been so key during the past two months, had one of the worst games of his season. Although he threw for 141 yards and three touchdowns, he also threw several passes into the ground in front of open receivers. He rushed for 31 yards, his second-lowest rushing game of the season.

The Nevada defense allowed 427 total yards and five touchdowns. The touchdowns tied a season high.

“To be the champions, you’ve got to beat the champions,” said running back Luke Lippincott, who’s lost to Boise State for six consecutive seasons. “We definitely felt like we had the team that could beat these guys, and it’s just a tough and disappointing loss.”

BOISE, Idaho -- Turns out the league office was right not to print out WAC championship hats and T-shirts for Nevada.

The Wolf Pack made the game interesting at the end of the first half and into the fourth quarter, but they played too tight down the stretch and never seemed to gain momentum to really take control of the game.

Boise State was Boise State. It jumped out to a big lead early and then kept the Wolf Pack at arm’s length before winning 44-33. There were opportunities for Nevada to take the lead and the Wolf Pack never seized them. That’s been the story for Nevada during the recent games of this series.

I’m heading downstairs to speak with players. I’ll be back up later with a report.

BOISE, Idaho -- The Nevada rushing game everyone has been talking about the past eight weeks just showed up.

Running back Vai Taua hit a hole in the Boise State defensive line and ran 71 yards untouched to make the score 34-26. Taua has 18 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown. He’s rushed for 100 yards against every WAC team this season

BOISE, Idaho -- There’s a little bit of a momentum shift going on in the second half.

The Nevada defense has made some nice adjustments, especially in defending the screen pass. The Boise State offense has stalled somewhat, especially without receiver Austin Pettis, who was injured during a two-point conversion after the second touchdown.

However, as well as the Nevada defense has played, the offense has hit a bit of a lull, and has yet to take advantage of Boise State’s struggles.

BOISE, Idaho -- Tonight’s Boise State-Nevada game has started similar to the past two.

In each of those games, Boise State jumped out to a big lead only to have Nevada charge back and make it a game. Last season, Boise State was up by 21 points twice before Nevada crawled back and made it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter.

In 2007, Boise State was up 21-7 before the Wolf Pack tied it and kept trading scores with the Broncos until they lost in the fourth overtime.

This first possession for Nevada out of halftime is critical. If it can score a touchdown, this becomes another tight game like it has been the past two seasons.

BOISE, Idaho -- So far this has not been the epic WAC title game matchup that it was billed to be. Boise Sate has been far superior to Nevada in every aspect of the game. It wasn’t until late in the half that Nevada started getting its offense moving.

Turning point: Nevada went on a seven-play, 79-yard touchdowns drive with 3 seconds remaining in the half to cut the lead to 27-16. It was a great ending to a disastrous half especially since the Wolf Pack get the ball to start the second half. Nevada looked out most of the game, but the Wolf Pack have crawled back into it.

Best player in the half: Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore hasn’t had to be too creative in his pass selection, since it’s been a lot of screen passes, but he’s done a good job of avoiding pressure, looking off defenders and finding the open guy. He has 183 yards passing and three touchdowns in the first half.

Best call: Boise State has been using the screen and underneath passes to perfection. Three of the Broncos touchdowns have come off a fullback pass after the fullback has released from his block. What’s interesting about the Broncos play selection -- especially near the end zone -- is that they scored on the exact same play (to the same player) three times.

BOISE, Idaho -- Boise State has been in the red zone three times and run the exact same play to the exact same player for a touchdown.

Dan Paul, who is in the game because Richie Brockel suffered a season-ending injury a couple weeks ago, has three catches for 22 yards and three touchdowns.

What’s worse is that Nevada has yet to adjust to the play and it’s getting a little embarrassing.

Paul is a linebacker turned fullback and those three touchdowns are the first of his career.

BOISE, Idaho -- Boise State’s leading receiver Austin Pettis was injured during a two-point conversion attempt after the Broncos second touchdown.

He was in the wildcat formation and tried to run the ball into the end zone. He was gang tackled and came up limping. He was not on the field for the Broncos next possession.

If they provide more information about the injury, I’ll pass it along.

BOISE, Idaho -- The Broncos look like the calmer, more seasoned team right now.

Up 20-0 after just three possessions, the Broncos are dominating. Their offense is faster than Nevada’s defense and so far their game plan is better.

Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore already has 113 yards passing. He’s thrown two touchdown passes and they've come on the same play call.

For Nevada, this looks like Notre Dame all over again. The Wolf Pack look overmatched and out of sorts.

Nevada was supposed to be a challenge for Boise State, but right now the Wolf Pack look like every other WAC team the Broncos have already beaten up on this season.

BOISE, Idaho -- So far, Nevada is not off to the start it hoped for.

The Wolf Pack gave up a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the first play of the game then ran three running plays to go three-and-out.

It looks like Boise State’s offensive gameplan is to take advantage of the Wolf Pack’s poor secondary. Already, Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore has thrown a couple bombs just to test the waters. They’re not all accurate but he did get a pass interference call on one.

BOISE, Idaho -- Nevada coach Chris Ault said earlier this week that he fully expects Boise State to game plan for quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his ability to break out of the pocket and run for big yardage.

Last year, the Broncos spied Kaepernick and limited him to 70 rushing yards. While “limited” might seem like an odd word, Kaepernick did rush for more than 1,000 yards last year.

Expect a similar game plan tonight. The Broncos are going to dare Kaepernick to throw, which hasn’t exactly been Nevada’s forte this season (though Kaepernick did have 241 passing yards last year). The Wolf Pack are averaging 161 yards in the air. But in all fairness, the running game has been so good that they haven’t needed to pass too often.

Kaepernick has passed for more than 200 yards just twice this season and hasn’t passed for more than 100 in either of the past two games. So it will be interesting to see how Nevada incorporates the passing game into its powerful rushing attack.

BOISE, Idaho -- The rain is coming down in Boise and the sky is starting to turn the orange color that usually signifies snow.

This is similar weather to what Boise State faced against Tulsa, which isn’t necessarily a good sign. There’s some thought that the rainy weather might play to the Nevada running game, which is tops in the nation. The Wolf Pack has three 1,000-yard rushers – Colin Kaepernick, Luke Lippincott and Vai Taua – and if you haven’t seen them play this season, the university has put together a highlight video.

There are differing opinions about the outcome of this game. No one wants to pick against Boise State on the blue turf, but this will be the Broncos toughest game of the season. I think we can all agree that we’re eager for the outcome.

Representatives from all of the BCS bowls are in the house. Don’t get too excited because reps will probably be at a lot of games this weekend. Still, it’s encouraging that the Broncos are still on the radar.

A good showing by both teams -- and a win by Boise State -- would probably help the Broncos chances.

I've been told that if Boise State wins there will be no WAC trophy presentation after the game. The trophy will be presented after the New Mexico State game. If Nevada wins, there will be a trophy presentation, likely in the visitor locker room. However, no T-shirts and hats have been made up yet for the Wolf Pack.

BOISE, Idaho -- Boise State has won nine straight against Nevada, the Wolf Pack's longest losing streak against any WAC opponent.

But in the past couple seasons, the Wolf Pack has figured out how to stay with Boise State.

This year, they hope they’ve found a way to beat the Broncos.

“No one really even needs to say anything this week,” running back Luke Lippincott said. “We all know what’s at stake and we’ve all been working up to this point. This is the last game, it’s the championship game, and it’s right where we want to be. I think everyone’s going to be perfectly hyped up for the game once it starts.”

One of the most epic games in the series came two years ago in Boise. Kyle Brotzman hit a game-tying field goal with no time remaining to send the game into overtime. The two teams traded touchdowns in the first two overtime periods, field goals in the third overtime and then Nevada failed to convert a two-point conversion to lose 69-67 in four overtimes.

“You still lost, that’s the way I look at it,” Nevada coach Chris Ault said. “Yeah, it was a legendary [game] but you still lost. You’ve got to find a way to win. It’s just that simple and we’ve talked about that with the players. That stuff is great for the media guys, but not real great for us.”

Nevada comes into tonight’s game as one of the hottest teams in the country. After starting 0-3, the Wolf Pack have rattled off eight consecutive wins and have been steamrolling teams with the nation’s best running game. Boise State coach Chris Petersen said this was the best Nevada team he’s seen as a head coach.

Nevada’s game plan tonight will be to use it’s running game, plain and simple. It will not only rely on quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back Vai Taua and Lippincott, the team’s three 1,000-yard rushers, but also lesser-revered running backs such as Lampford Mark and Mike Ball.

“It must be a curse for defenses having to deal with all the fresh legs that we have out there and the types of backs that we have out there,” Lippincott said. “It’s good when you get a little banged up and you can just look to the sideline and have another back come in that can produce.”

Tonight’s season finale will more or less be a chance for the Wolf Pack to redeem themselves after its awful showing against Notre Dame to start the year.

The players say that Notre Dame game, along with the 0-3 start, has fueled this run and put them in a position to with the WAC title.

“That Notre Dame game, we had no idea it was going to be like that,” Taua said of the 35-0 loss to the Irish. “And then once we lost that third one, we told each other, that’s it. We can’t do this anymore. We’re going to go undefeated and hopefully Boise goes undefeated and we want to go up there for the championship and take it up there.”

BOISE STATE BRONCOS

1. Stop the run: It seems simple enough, yet in the past eight games no one has been able to figure out how to stop Nevada’s running game. The Broncos are allowing just 115 yards per game on the ground, but have been abused by talented running backs from Fresno State and Idaho already this season.

2. Let Kellen be Kellen: One of the biggest knocks on Nevada the past couple of years has been its inability to defend the pass. The Wolf Pack rank 119th in the country in pass defense with 286.27 yards per game. That’s where Boise State needs to get its offense going.

3. Stay positive in the kicking game: One of the few weak spots of Boise State’s team this season has been its field goal kicking and against a Nevada team that has played the Broncos close each of the past two seasons, every point counts. Kyle Brotzman needs some early confidence because he’ll probably be counted on down the stretch.

NEVADA WOLF PACK

1. Run it: Nevada is what it is. The Wolf Pack need to use their three 1,000-yard rushers interchangeably to wear down the Boise State defense. The Broncos have not seen a running game as diverse as Nevada’s and it has had some success in the past on the blue turf. Nevada needs to carry that confidence into this game.

2. Don’t be something you're not: The one thing Nevada doesn’t want to do is psych itself out. Stay away from the whole “Boise State is expecting the run, so let’s pass the ball” idea. Don’t fall into that trap. Colin Kaepernick is an OK passer, but relying on the passing game as a change of pace would be a mistake.

3. Defense has to show up: The Nevada defense has come to play the last few weeks, including holding two teams under 300 yards of total offense, but Boise State is on a whole different level and will try to exploit the Wolf Pack’s porous secondary. If there was ever a time for Nevada's defensive backs to tighten up and have the game of their life, it’s Friday.