By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com

The Boise State football team remained No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, The Associated Press Top 25 and the Harris poll Sunday but lost more ground to No. 4 TCU in all three.

The Broncos also stayed at No. 6 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. TCU is No. 4.

The Broncos have 1,183 points in the USA Today poll — down 17 from last week. TCU has 1,277 points — up 15 from last week.

First quarter

Boise State 8, Idaho 0 — Austin Pettis 2 pass from Kellen Moore (Kyle Efaw pass from Pettis), 12:11
Key play: Linebacker Aaron Tevis recovered a fumble by Idaho quarterback Brian Reader on the Idaho 15. Four plays later, Pettis caught a fade route in the end zone. It is the 10th straight game with a touchdown catch for Pettis. That is a school record.

• The is apparently a bit of a power outage at the stadium that has resulted in ESPNU losing its signal from Bronco Stadium. Yikes!

By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com

Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle is in uniform and he participated in pregame drills with the quarterbacks. He threw right-handed, unlike last week, when he threw left-handed and didn't play against Fresno State.

Still, backup quarterback Brian Reader is expected to start. Reader took the snaps with the first team during warmups. Third-stringer Logan Bushnell took the snaps with the second team.

Starting strong safety Jeromy Jones isn't expected to play.

The Nike Cross Nationals Northwest Regional cross country meet returns to Eagle Island State Park on Saturday for the third consecutive season.

Teams from Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming will race over 5 kilometers of grass, sand and packed dirt. Runners in the championship races, which begin at 2:05 p.m., will be competing for invitations to the national championship meet Dec. 5 in Portland.

A meet schedule, top course times, a course map and helpful links are located at the bottom of this story.

By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com

Since I’m now in the minority voting Boise State ahead of TCU in The Associated Press Top 25, I decided to dig into the question of why the Horned Frogs passed the Broncos — and whether I should vote the same way.

TCU is No. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Boise State, which has been as high as No. 4, is No. 6.

I’ve heard several reasons for placing the Horned Frogs ahead of the Broncos. Here’s what I found as I looked into each:

— Perception: TCU has been more consistently dominant than Boise State.

More plane talk

Horizon Air has gotten plenty of free advertising this week, thanks to Idaho athletic director Rob Spear’s decision to not fly on a Boise State-themed plane to Boise.

The plane will make two passes over the stadium before Saturday’s Idaho-Boise State game at Bronco Stadium.

The pilot of the plane will be Sherman Blaser, the father of former Boise State tight end Sherm Blaser. Sherman Blaser has three children who have graduated from Boise State and his youngest son currently attends Idaho.

Scheduling problems — or not

As former chief of staff to Gov. Cecil Andrus, Marc Johnson knows a thing or two about how Democratic candidates can win in Idaho.

And that makes his take on Rep. Walt Minnick worth your time. He posted it at his blog earlier in the week. Give it a read.

The president of Gallatin Public Affairs in Boise, Johnson is a student of history. And he really does a nice job of placing Minnick's 2008 victory into context.

Mercury contamination in lakes is not just an Idaho problem, it’s a national and probably an international problem.

That’s not news but a new report underscores how the pervasive pollutant, which Nevada gold mines and an Oregon concrete plant are sending to Idaho through the sky, is presenting a threat to the health of children.

9:17 p.m. — FINAL: Capital 38, Highland 3

8:59 p.m. — Capital 38, Highland 3: Charlie McMartin scored his fifth touchdown on a 33-yard run with 10:28 remaining in the game. His rushing total is 18 carries for 154 yards. Quarterback Jeremy Powers has rushed eight times for 110 yards.

In my interview with Kathy Griffin in this week's Scene, we talk about a new show she's supposed to host called "Let's Dance." It was scheduled to debut Nov. 23 on ABC — until it got canceled. (Scene has already run on the press, so I can't update the article, unfortunately.)