This story doesn’t make a lick of sense to me.
- Was Boise State asking for a $1 million guarantee, even if it got a home game out of the deal? If so, that’s pretty arrogant.
- If BSU asked for that guarantee in the context of a one-shot appearance in Norman Lincoln, then what’s Nebraska’s problem? It can’t be the money – the school is paying Idaho $800,000 to play there, so what’s another $200,000?
I sure would like to know what I’m missing here.
Get The Picture 
Well, if my favorite restaurant usually charges eighty dollars and I go there the next time and I find out it’s one hundred, I might just leave.
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I don’t think you generally get paid when return trips are involved, do you? Sure, it might cost $800K for a one game, but not for a home and home.
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One of the options mentioned was a two-for-one.
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Nebraska offering 2 for 1 is SOP for their athletic department.
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If that’s what BSU got offered, then asking for $1 million on top of that’s nervy.
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People keep saying Boise St can’t help their schedule. Yes they can. If they play 4 BCS teams out of conf (and win), then I won’t care what their conf sched looks like.
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I think the problem is that they have to find someone to agree to play them. What if they could manage home-and-homes with Wazzu, Vandy, Purdue and Kansas? I don’t think that’s going to change anyone’s opinion.
Boise is in a tough spot because the teams we all want them to play gain nothing by playing them. Say what you will, but what did we gain in ’05 from beating them so handily? A spring-board to a championship season?
And look what Boise’s gained from the games it has won: a legitimate shot at the BCSCG.
I sort of feel bad for Boise because they probably will never be able to schedule up the way their critics want, so even when they win it’s a “one shot deal” they can’t overcome.
I wouldn’t mind seeing them play the SEC Champ in the BCS title game, honestly. It couldn’t be any better or worse than Ohio State’s last two appearances.
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Keep in mind that BSU is going to Oxford to play Ole Miss next season, so at least somebody is willing to host them for a big guarantee.
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Boise is in a tough spot because the teams we all want them to play gain nothing by playing them.
I thinks this comment from Stoopnagle gets to the heart of it. We’ve talked for a while about how playing Boise, either in the regular season or the postseason, is kind of a no-win situation, even now, in terms of your national stature. So why would Nebraska pay $1M for a game they know they could lose? If they want a challenge that bad, there are plenty of elite or near-elite BCS teams who’d do a home-and-home with Nebraska for free, and whom the ‘Huskers would get just as much credit, if not more, for beating.
Remember when VW came out with the Phaeton luxury sedan a few years back? Gorgeous car, every feature in the book, even shared its platform and 12-cylinder motor with the Bentley Continental GT — at half that car’s price. But absolutely nobody bought it because it was still $100,000, and at that price point you don’t want a VW badge, you want a three-pointed star or a VW logo. It was a great car, but image still counts.
That’s the problem BSU is facing now — they’re a great team, but opponents will still get more credit for beating the USCs and Ohio States of the world. So why would you pay more to get less credit? BSU needs to realize that if they want to be considered a big-boy program, they can’t keep demanding payouts; that’s what the San Jose States and UL-Lafayettes of the world do.
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Sorry, that sentence should read “…a three-pointed star or a BMW logo.” You pay that much money for a car, you want people to know it, you don’t want them asking if you bought a big-ass Passat.
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This part struck me as more relevant to us Georgia people:
“SEC teams get a rap for piling on the cupcakes in the nonconference, though. Is it true?
The 2006 Florida Gators played Western Carolina, Southern Miss, Florida State and Central Florida. In 2007, national champ LSU played Virginia Tech, Middle Tennessee, Tulane and Louisiana Tech. In 2008, Florida had Hawaii, Miami (Fla.), The Citadel and Florida State. Last year, Alabama played Virginia Tech, Florida International, North Texas and Tennessee-Chattanooga.”
Scheduling down sucks, but that’s the path to success.
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The other problem is BSU’s crappy stadium. Not only is it blue, but it has terrible capacity. That right there is a giant money loss for everyone involved.
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Nebraska is not going to pay somebody to play in Norman. That would be silly. Lincoln, on the other hand… (I kid, Senator).
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Damn, that’s a major brain fart – I’m surprised it took so long for somebody to catch it. 😉
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Although, to be honest, it would be funny as hell if Nebraska paid Boise State $1M to play (and beat) Oklahoma. That would be one last slap in the face as they exit stage left.
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((again))
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“Nobody will play them” is BS. Everything comes with costs. If Boise really wants it, it needs to take a game with Neb on the cheap. You will get schools to play you if you are cheap enough. It is still all about the money.
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My guess is that they would play a home and home then Boise would get 1 million for the second game in Lincoln. If so that sounds pretty fair to both teams. If Boise wanted 1 million for each game in Lincoln plus a return game I fully understand why Nebraska said thanks but no thanks. I really wish Boise would take the early FSU(Fresno and Florida State) and go play anyone that will have them without a return game. They play 3 road games a year against top 40 teams each year and keep working for some home and homes like what Oregon and Oregon state gave them and i would have no issue with their SOS. Two games a year are not going to cut it.
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