19, 18, 16.....

Those are BSU's respective pre-season rankings from USA Today, the Associated Press, and Sport Illustrated, respectively. Fresno State also made it into the AP, and SI polls, at 24 and 19.

Are the polls important? Yes, and no. Of course, being ranked does not guarantee anything, especially for a Mid-Major college. On the other hand, being on the radar screen before the season starts does improve chances for being noticed at the end of the season. And, the NCAA football championship series is, in the final analysis, all done with mirrors.