Boise State athletics are always a hot topic in the Treasure Valley — even when it pertains to who’s calling games for the Broncos on the radio.

When Boise State handed the mic over to KIDO three months ago, what it also did was send a message that change was imminent. Gone is the long-time voice of the Broncos Paul J. Schneider and in is Bob Behler, a 45-year-old career radio man who first started calling games as a school boy at Lincoln High in Stockton, Calif.

His latest stint was at the University of Massachusetts, and before that, he spent time at Bucknell. He graduated from Georgia. College sports are what Behler knows best.

In the last two weeks since Behler’s got the job, I’ve talked to a few Bronco fans and eyeballed a few message boards. The consensus seems to be that many Broncos fans are not too happy with choice made by KIDO, which we all know was given the stamp of approval by Gene Bleymaier and the Boise State brass.

These same fans feel Boise State turned on Paul J., and his dismissal from the booth was done in haste, and frankly, without much taste.  

But that’s not Behler’s fault — he’s just a guy looking to move up. A guy looking to get a shorter flight home to see his mom, dad and brother in California.

And more importantly, a guy who’s more than qualified to call games for one of the top mid-major football programs (he’ll also call basketball games) in the country.

And if you think Behler’s worried about taking over for a legend, he’s not. He’s more interested providing radio listeners, along with new color man Jadon Dailey, with a fun and entertaining experience.

“He did a good job,” Behler said of Schneider, “and I want to continue in his footsteps.”

Just to note, this won’t be the first time Behler has stepped with high expectations. When he got the job at UMass, he took over for Mark Vandermeer, who left for the University of Miami. Vandermeer now calls games for the Houston Texans.

It’s pretty clear that Behler is more than qualified to take over for Paul J. And although he’s been calling games for a FCS (formerly I-AA) team, that team just also happens to be in a pretty good basketball conference, the Atlantic 10.

If you think Behler is going to be intimidated heading north to the Palouse to call a game in the Kibbie Dome, think again. After all, he’s called games in Madison Square Garden.

Sure, he may not have the history of watching games for the last 30-plus seasons, but that’s why they have media guides.

Behler’s a professional, and his clear, crisp calls will be in tune with the next generation of Boise State athletics.