Lucky Sevens For Boise State

Boise State recorded its seventh win of the season in a victory over New Mexico State last night. It is the Broncos' eighth consecutive season in which they've won seven or more games. If they can do it three more years, Boise State will join select company as teams that have won consistently each year of a decade.

With its win over New Mexico State, Boise State recorded its seventh win of the season against no defeats.  Fans and recruits should be able to recognize a pattern here, because the Broncos have won seven or more games every year since 1999.  With three more such seasons, Boise State can become the 16^th school in the history of college football to win seven or more games each year in a decade.  (A decade is defined as beginning with a year ending in 0 and ending in a year ending with 9:  example 1950-1959, 1990-1999)

This achievement reflects consistent success, and shows the ability to win year in and year out.   Thus far, it has only been achieved 25 times in major college history and only 18 times in the last 100 years.    Florida, Florida State, Texas, Texas Tech, Boston College, Fresno State, Toledo, Georgia Tech, LSU, Louisville, Miami of Florida, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and Michigan have won seven or more every year this decade prior to 2006 and are still in line to record the feat if they win seven games this season. 

Oklahoma accomplished the feat three times (50’s, 70’s and 80’s) and a similar performance this decade would set a record for the most times that one school has done it.  Nebraska accomplished the feat three times (70’s, 80’s and 90’s) as well but will not do it this decade since the Cornhuskers finished 5-6 in 2004.   

Michigan and Penn State both won seven or more games each year of the 70’s and 90’s.  Notre Dame did it in the 40’s and 70’s.  Harvard, Pennsylvania and Yale achieved the feat twice in the 1890’s and 1900’s.

BYU, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Virginia and Miami of Florida recorded the feat once in the 20^th century.  Princeton did it once in the 19^th century.

Noticeably absent from this list of schools are USC, Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas, although as noted above the Longhorns, Bulldogs and Buckeyes can achieve the feat this decade. Alabama, Auburn, Iowa, Colorado and Washington have never done it.

Schools that have matched or exceeded Boise State’s achievement of winning seven or more games in seven years of a decade are listed below.  Schools that have been successful this decade are also shown.

Alabama 60’s (9), 70’s (9), 80’s (9), 90’s (9), Auburn 50’s (7), 80’s (8), 00’s (6), Boise State 00’s (7), Arizona State 60’s (8), 70’s (8), Arkansas 60’s (8), 80’s (9), Boston College 00’s (6), BYU 80’s (10), 90’s (8), California 20’s (7), 00’s (4), Carlisle 1900’s (8), Clemson 50’s (7), 80’s (8), Colorado 90’s (9), Colorado State 90’s (7), Cornell 1900’s (7), East Carolina 70’s (8), Florida 80’s (8), 90’s (10), 00’s (6),  Florida State 80’s (9), 90’s (10), 00’s (6),  Fresno State 00’s (6), Furman 20’s (7), Georgia 40’s (7), 80’s (9), 00’s (6), Georgia Tech 40’s (7), 00’s (6), Harvard 1880’s (7), 1890’s (10), 1900’s (10), 1910’s (7), Iowa 80’s (7), Kansas State 90’s (8), Lafayette 1900’s (9),  LSU 60’s (8), 70’s (7), 80’s (7), 00’s (6), Louisville 00’s (6),  Maryland 70’s (7), Miami of Florida 80’s (10), 90’s (9), 00’s (6), Miami, OH 70’s (8), Michigan 1890’s (7), 40’s (7), 70’s (10), 80’s (9), 90’s (10), 00’s (6), Michigan State 50’s (7), Mississippi 50’s (8), 60’s (8), Nebraska 1900’s (8), 70’s (10), 80’s (10), 90’s (10), North Carolina 70’s (7), 90‘s (8), North Carolina State 70’s (7), 2000’s (5), Northern Illinois 00’s (4), Notre Dame 20’s (9), 40’s (10), 70’s (10), 90’s (8), Ohio State 70’s (9), 80’s (8), 90’s (9), 00’s (7), Oklahoma 50’s (10),  70’s (10), 80’s (10), 00’s (6), Oregon 00’s (5), Oregon State 00’s (4), Penn State 60’s (7), 70’s (10), 80’s (8), 90’s (10), Pennsylvania 1890’s (10), 1900’s (10), Pittsburgh 30’s (8), Princeton 1880’s (9), 1890’s (10), 1900’s (8), Purdue 00’s (4), Rutgers 70’s (7), San Diego State 70’s (8), Southern Mississippi  00’s (5), Stanford 20’s (7), Syracuse 60’s (7), 90’s (9), Tennessee 30’s (7), 40’s (7), 70’s (7), 80’s (7), 90’s (10), 00’s (5), Texas 40’s (8), 60’s (8), 70’s (9), 80’s (7), 00’s (6), Texas A & M 90’s (9), TCU 30’s (8), 00’s (4), Texas Tech 00’s (6), Toledo 00’s (6), UCLA 80’s (9), 00’s (3), USC 20’s (7), 60’s (8), 70’s (8), 80’s (7), 00’s (4), Utah 90’s (7), 00’s (4), Utah State 60’s (7), Virginia 90’s (10), Virginia Tech 90’s (7), 00’s (6), Washington 80’s (9), 90’s (9), West Virginia 80’s (7), 00’s (5), Western Michigan 90’s (8), Wisconsin 00’s (5), Yale 1880’s (8), 1890’s (10), 1900’s (10)