Consider former Arizona Wildcats football coach Dick Tomey a Boise believer.

Tomey saw plenty of the Boise State Broncos when he was coaching at WAC opponent San Jose State from 2005 to 2009. He saw Boise State as recently as last Saturday when he served as an analyst for the WAC Sports Network during the Broncos’ game at New Mexico State.

Boise State is 4-0 and ranked fourth nationally, and there could be quite a discussion about their worthiness for the national championship game should the Broncos finish 12-0.

“I think they stack up,” Tomey said in a phone interview Thursday.

“I think their defensive front is as good as anybody’s, including Alabama or whoever, and that’s where you start on defense. That’s the biggest difference in their team now and their team four years ago. Four years ago, they were not nearly as strong in the defensive line.

“And they have as good a quarterback as anybody does, maybe better,” Tomey added, referring to Kellen Moore. “If someone doesn’t think they are not in the conversation, I would think they are misinformed.”

Boise State has wins over Virginia Tech and Oregon State, although the Hokies’ subsequent loss to James Madison undercut the value of that victory. Arizona fans hope Oregon State doesn’t get rolling Saturday against the Wildcats.

Tomey, 72, will be honored between the first and second quarters of Saturday’s game, as the athletic department is giving him the John Button Salmon Award for outstanding service.

It will be Tomey’s first visit to Arizona Stadium since being forced out after the 2000 season.

From Nov. 2009: To Dick Tomey: Happy retirement and thanks for the memories

Tomey, who lives in Honolulu with his wife, author Nanci Kincaid, said he’s been happy to do work for the new WAC Sports Network, and he’s equally pleased that it’s not a full-time gig during the season.

“We just have too much else to do with the grandkids and places we want to go,” he said. “There are other things we want to do during the season in addition to broadcasting.”

One of those things, he said, was spending a week in Austin with Texas coach Mack Brown. Tomey was on the Texas staff in 2004 as an assistant coach.

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