Boise State = Butler, that is.
Ivan Maisel asks the question. Andy Staples goes there too, surprisingly with a touch of BCS credit-where-credit-is-due. And Year2 plays “Jane, you ignorant slut” with himself on the same topic.
It strikes me as being within the realm of possibility if the Broncos get past Virginia Tech – now there’s a game that seems destined to get the hell hyped out of it by the WWL as the summer wears on. Boise State ought to start out with a high preseason ranking that should only improve with a big road win like that. Year2 is correct about the quality of BSU’s schedule strength as a potential hurdle as the season plays out, but one big thing in Boise’s favor is the unlikelihood that the SEC is going to boast an undefeated team this season.
Anyway, I’d like to see it happen simply to watch Orrin Hatch’s head explode as he tries to explain to the fans who are in the “competition” camp regarding the football postseason that it really doesn’t count because of Hatch’s concerns about financial fairness. (I’ll award bonus points to the first pundit who throws a sour grapes accusation Hatch’s way because it’s a non-Utah school that breaks the BCS glass ceiling.)
I’ll likely feel sorry for Gary Patterson’s TCU program, though. If Boise State beats Virginia Tech, it’ll suck all the media oxygen out of the room. One meme at a time, Coach.
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UPDATE: Mr. Gillett gets his hands on a memo.
Get The Picture 
At least in college football, we know that we are still likely to get at least 2 of the 3 or 4 best teams in the title game every year.
This year’s Final 4 was a joke, and was rife with mediocre teams. This is the year when college basketball officially moved further from big-time college sport and closer to a club sport.
There are just no good teams left, and watering down the field to 96 teams is only going to exacerbate that.
I don’t know if people care about watching good basketball anymore, probably not, judging by how many mouth-breathers in this country sit for a couple of hours each week to wathc amateur dancers and karaoke singers, but there is no good basketball left in the college game. All that is left is personalities and stories. The games are ancillary.
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Problem with this complaint is…this was the highest rated NC game in many, many years. Did something like a 16 in the ratings.
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Yet it still didn’t reach the level of the BCS national championship game. There must be some interest (good or bad) in the current system as I don’t believe that only Texas and Alabama fans’ eyes could cause that kind of spike in the ratings.
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Again, not comparing Football and Basketball…just this year’s basketball ratings against past predecessors to point ou that the ratings for the game went up when compared to previous year’ s versions when there were more #1 and #2 teams in the Final Four.
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“This year’s Final 4 was a joke, and was rife with mediocre teams. This is the year when college basketball officially moved further from big-time college sport and closer to a club sport.”
Me =
UCLA
LSU
Florida
George Mason
I was much, much, MUCH worse.
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That UF team would have beaten any of this year’s participants by 10+ points.
And the ratings do not surprise me. There are a lot of stupid people in America. A lot of people watch American Idol. A lot of people listen to the Black Eyed Peas.
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Charles D, I couldn’t agree more my friend. I’ve heard plenty of people tout this as “the best final four” and “the best tournament” EVER. I think the biggest difference between folks like us, who want to see Great vs Great and “settle it on the field” folks is they enjoy seeing the triumph of the less talented; hence the ratings for two teams without an NBA starter between them. Every BCS title game has featured some of the nations most talent laden rosters and quality teams.
Regarding the meme, as a Tar Heel I’ll be rooting for the Hokies to beat Boise State but I can’t help but chuckle at the thought of what folks would say if they made a BCS title game appearance.
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We should make BSU an honorary member of the SEC for a year and let Vandy take a year off from the SEC grind to play out west in their place. Can you say 3 and 5?
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Vandy would win the WAC.
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1) I’m personally rooting like hell for Virginia Tech to stomp Boise State on Labor Day. Could you imagine an Ohio State – Boise State BCS title game?
2) College basketball has been victimized by the likes of Lebron and Kobe: High school players that skipped college in favor of the NBA. It’s hard to have a pity party for college basketball, since the players are doing what is in their best interests financially, but you have to wonder if they should institute a rule that forces college players to stay three years, similar to baseball rules for players drafted out of high school. Instead, they expanded the tournament to 96 in a money grab. So, tack on 31 more mediocre teams to the tournament, and let’s see if it’s still the GREATEST OMG POSTSEASON OMG EVERRRrrr… /dies during misguided auto-erotic asphyxiation on a pile of brackets
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Talent has been sucked out of the college bball game by the NBA. So sad.
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Kentucky and Kansas were INCREDIBLY talented. They also completely choked. It happens.
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“…one big thing in Boise’s favor is the unlikelihood that the SEC is going to boast an undefeated team this season.”
I’m not so sure. While and undefeated SEC team is a sure thing for the MNC, a 1-loss champ is nearly as solid…only teams of ahead of them would be undefeated champs from one of the other AQ conferences. Assume one of the following goes undefeated: Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Penn State or USC..they’re in the MNCG. If Alabama, Florida, or LSU is a 1-loss SEC champ (chances are that one loss is to one of the other teams mentioned since they all play each other this year) the nod likely goes to them over BSU for the second MNCG invite.
If I was Boise State, I would hope that the SEC champ is undefeated and thus an ‘automatic’ invitee. The Broncos could much more favourably compare their bona fides with an undefeated or 1-loss champ from any of the other AQ conferences. Putting the SEC champ in the mix for the invite that BSU covets is not good for the Broncos…and is simply one more candidate that BSU must compete against in the realm of public opinion/poll votes.
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So, if Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Penn State or USC go undefeated, that school is a lock for the BCS title game ahead of BSU… unless the SEC champ goes undefeated, in which case Boise’s in the mix with that same undefeated school.
I don’t understand your logic here.
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I guess I wasn’t clear.
If BSU and 1 AQ Champ are undefeated they will compete with a 1-loss SEC champ for the 2 MNCG invites. (Personally, I think the AQ school will have the best position followed by the 1-loss SEC team assuming its one loss came to one of the others mentioned)
Keep in mind, if oen of the other AQ teams goes undefeated the following will be their best non-conf victory:
Ohio State: Miami
Penn State: Alabama
(These two seem to have the best chance of being unquestioned if they are undefeated.)
Oklahoma: FSU (also Air Force and Cincy)
(The next best quality win)
Texas: UCLA
USC: Notre Dame and Minnesota
(these two could easily be jumped…though USC will have so much hype because they are teh media darlings and Kiffykins is sure to garner headlines)
If the SEC champ has one loss it is likely that that team lost its regular season matchup with one of the others and then won the rematch in Atlanta…Florida loses at Alabama but wins in the SECCG …or…LSU loses to Florida in teh regular season but then beats the Gators in Atlanta. (Obviously the LSU/Alabama loser gets no rematch)
So, like I stated, if I am BSU I don’t want a debated with an SEC team…I’d rather haggle about how good that non-conf win is for one of the other teams while pointing to a home win over Oregon State and a road victory over VT.
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” Personally, I think the AQ school will have the best position …”
Chalk this completely up to bias/prejudice against Boise State. One of these teams will get a pass, regardless of non-conf SoS, in voters’ minds simply because they are a brand name that we all know and won’t be too difficult to defend as a choice over BSU to the public. USC and Texas, by far, have teh weakest schedules this coming year…but could you imagine either of them not getting the invite? They will get it simply because they are USC and Texas.
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All of the above is why we need a “plus-one game” arrangement with the top four teams playing in two bowls and the winners advancing to the BCSNC game (which is the “plus-one game”).
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I’m not so sure a “Plus One” is good enough. Last year the four entrants would have been Alabama, Texas, Cincy and TCU. Texas and Cincy got blasted in their games and TCU also lost. Are you sure that Florida, BSU, or OSU weren’t deserving of one of those spots?
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Better get ready folks, because if Boise gets by Va Tech, I don’t see much chance you can keep them out of the BCS title game. Their first 22 players are very good, and they are well-coached. For sure they would be very unlikely to win an SEC title, but I think they could compete in a few BCS conferences this year, especially the PAC 10. There will be a lot of discussion about having the longest winning streak, and their wins against TCU, Oregon, and Oklahoma.
Ironically, the 8 game playoff would be the best way to prevent them, or anyone else, from getting a “cheap title”, and would have eliminated any conversation (warranted or not) about last year.
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Personally, if the SEC doesn’t win its 5th BCS titla in a row I will be rooting for Boise State to upset the applecart.
BSU is a ‘little guy’ that has proven it is worthy consideration and entrance into ‘the club’. Unfortunately they are in the most precarious situation both now and with projected conference expansions. Without a new division like the Sneator, among others, proposes BSU could be left out int he cold. Pac-10 expansion, the natural home for BSU, only mentions BYU and Utah as potential members. therefore, their best hope is that the BigXII loses Missouri to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac10 and picks up TCU and BSU as replacements.
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Good comments, Phocian. Boise deserves more credit nationally than they receive, imo, but despite their performance they lack leverage when it comes to conference expansion. Geographically they are close to no one except the schools in the NW, and they have no sizable media market to drive the TV contracts. Unless expansion goes to the extreme number levels, they could be left out in the cold again stuck with the great unwashed as their conference opponents and being being sneered at. I understand the business side of this, but I feel they have earned better than that.
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Exactly…well put. They have ‘earned’ consideration in football, but there is so much more to conference membership than just competition on the field in football. Unfortunately Boise State doesn’t have much else to bring to the table.
Perhaps some conference could look at them as the inverse Notre Dame…instead of being in a major conference for every sport EXCEPT football, Boise could be in a major conference ONLY for football and remain in the WAC for the rest.
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Love it, “inverse Notre Dame”. Not only the opposite for the reason you stated but because Boise is actually a better team than their reputation. Steak rather than sizzle!
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Boise is a good team, but last year they only played/beat 5 teams in the regular season with a winning record and only 1 of those ended up ranked (Oregon). Just for comparison, 9 of UGA’s 12 regular season opponents finished above .500, and of UGA’s paltry 8 wins, 4 were against teams that finished above 500 and 1 of those was ranked at year end (Tech). Basically UGA had as many respectable scalps on the wall as Boise last year. If UGA had replaced all the teams they lost to with WAC teams… well, it could have been a hell of a year, record wise.
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The “mayor” got it right. A “plus one ” game would mean the top 4 teams would have a shot. Auburn in 04 &USC & UGA in 07 would have had the opportunity they deserved. It would have worked for me every year . As it now is, It never works for me.
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I wish we had a schedule where we only had 1 big game and that was VT
Seriously, what a joke
VT is their entire schedule
Well, Oregon State isn’t bad but hardly that great
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Then you would be Texas…The Horns play Oklahoma and ???? Same this year as last year, and last year was good enought o get them an invite to Pasadena.
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