By now, everyone knows that the clowns that compile the BCS rankings are simple-minded folks. They have short-term memory and are easily influenced by big wins.

With that in mind, was Boise State’s 28-21 win over Tulsa on Wednesday night good enough to convince voters to rank them in the top 5 when the BCS standings are released for the first time October 18?

In short: No.

The Broncos are a solid football team and turned in a sound effort against the Golden Hurricane, outside of two first half turnovers that allowed Tulsa to keep the game close. But Boise State had several opportunities in the third quarter to put the game away and couldn’t. That allowed Tulsa to mount a comeback with a G.J. Kinne to Slick Shelley 55-yard touchdown pass with just under 9:30 remaining. The Golden Hurricane also had two chances to tie the game with less than six minutes to play, but failed to do so when their final two drives stalled.

Given the conference it plays in, it’s not enough for a team like Boise to only beat an opponent by seven points. While Tulsa had a 4-1 record entering the game, their only loss was a 45-0 beat down at the hands of Oklahoma in Week 3. Voters will certainly compare Boise and Oklahoma’s victories over Tulsa when it comes time to rank the Broncos next week.

Although Tulsa put up a fight in the first half, this game was hardly ever in doubt for Boise. Up until the fourth quarter, they moved the ball at will and completely dominated the third quarter. But again, while their overall effort was solid in the victory, their performance was unimpressive to say the least. And knowing BCS voters like we do, if teams like USC, Ohio State and Cincinnati roll this week, Boise might find itself ranked outside the top 5 come October 18.

– Raise your hand if you thought Stanford would upset USC again when the score was tied 17-17 at halftime. (Hand raised.)

– Not that a ton of people care about Conference USA, but what a statement by Houston. I don’t know what was more impressive, the fact that the Cougars scored 70 points or that they held Tulsa to only 30 points.

– Iowa’s Shonn Grenne (30 carries, 211 yards in a 22-17 win over Purdue) is a legit Heisman candidate for 2009.

– What happened to Kansas? I realize they didn’t play any of the top teams in the Big 12 last year, but they’re better than 6-5 aren’t they?

– They might have won 34-7, but Penn State’s win over Indiana was the least impressive 34-7 victory in some time.

– One of the more underrated rivalries in college football is Georgia-Auburn. And the Tigers easily have one of the more underrated defenses in the nation.

– Early upset watch for Week 13: Nevada over Boise State. The Wolf Pack’s offense is good enough to keep pace with the Broncos’ explosive attack and Boise hasn’t faced a tough opponent all year. (Unless you consider when they faced Oregon and their fourth string quarterback a tough opponent.)

– Worst…Michigan…season…ever.

– Underrated game of the week: No. 14 Ball State at Central Michigan next Wednesday.

– College football fans were cheated by not getting to see Beanie Wells run for a full season. He was amazing against Illinois.

– How about Troy hanging with LSU in Baton Rouge? Had they not turned the ball over three times, the Trojans could have pulled off one of the best upsets in college football this season.

Heading into Week 10, Tulsa was 8-0 and were averaging over 55 points a game. But as Arkansas proved on Saturday, even a sub .500 SEC team is usually better than any Conference USA program that the Golden Hurricane’s will face in a given week.

The Razorbacks rode a Dennis Johnson 96-yard kickoff return with 22 seconds left in the third quarter to beat Tulsa 30-23. The loss is the Golden Hurricane’s first of the year and will likely drop them out of the top 25 depending on how the rest of Week 10’s action pans out.

It’s kind of interesting to see how the different conferences shake out when they go head to head. Because it’s not like this is a very good Arkansas program this year. Bobby Petrino will need at least another season to get his personal in place before they start competing again in the SEC, but it’s rather impressive how they held such an explosive Tulsa offense to only 23 points.

Is it a difference in conference strength or were the Razorbacks just a better team today? It’s an interesting debate.