Florida State is a big name, but they suck. They just fired their coach. Other than that, Boise is just riding their name and past.
But that's not to say your point isn't a good one.
That said, I was actually mistaken; 1988 UTEP wasn't ever ranked:
WikipediaThe 1988 UTEP Miners football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas at El Paso as a member of the Western Athletic Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its third season under head coach Bob Stull, the team compiled a 10–3 record (6–2 against WAC opponents), finished second in the conference, lost to Southern Miss in the 1988 Independence Bowl, and outscored all opponents by a total of 445 to 275.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_UTEP_Miners_football_team