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BOISE STATE: 3 Years Straight Years Starting tough against Ranked Teams, Winning anyway


OFFNY

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Maybe I'm just not explaining my position well enough, so let me break it down.

1. They operate in a system that requires them to be judged as one of the top 2 teams in order to play for a NC. Whether that is fair or not is a completely different discussion.

2. The people who judge this take into account, quite heavily, the degree of difficulty involved in the games they play.

3. They are aware of the system they are in.

4. The schedule that they play is woefully inadequate when compared to the rest of the teams that compete for a NC.

5. Their conference schedule doesn't allow for them to get the same kind of tough games that other teams will get.

6. They are able to choose which non conference games they play.

7. Therefore, if they want to close the gap on the overall strength of their schedule they must play tough non conference games.

8. If these teams, who are in a position of negotiating power, tell them they must go on the road for 2 games in exchange for 1 at home they have man up and do it. Or, they can continue to get passed over in the BCS rankings.

9. If they choose the path that they are on, I feel no sympathy for them because they are aware of what is required of them and they choose not to do it.

Tell me how it's fair to say that they deserve a shot to play for a NC when they can go through a season and only be tested twice, while the teams they are competing against for a NC are tested 5, 6, 7, 8 times a season.

Now, if you want to talk about whether it's fair for them to be put in that situation, then we are having a different discussion. My point is, they know what they need to do and they have refused to do it.

You said fair was a different discussion...twice ;)

I see exactly what you are saying, I really do; I'm not being purposely obtuse. I just cannot reconcile that argument being correct, and if I tried it just might snuff out my dimming enjoyment of college football for good. The entire sport disgusts me, and even my life-long attachment to the Terps or my enjoyment of the sport of football in general might not be enough to keep me caring for much longer.

The scary part is, I fear that there are far more people like me out out in the country than those who run the sport want to admit. And something like Boise losing out again simply because the system is so rigged that a few extra bucks was what stood between them playing games with better opponents might be the drop of rain that hits the ground and starts the avalanche.

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Agreed.

I love watching Boise St though, they are very well coached and very underrated.

How are they underrated? They are likely to be #4 this week. How high do you think they should go? They certainly weren't more impressive than LSU this week. Boise is consistently given good pre season rankings now. I just don't get the underrated comments.

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How are they underrated? They are likely to be #4 this week. How high do you think they should go? They certainly weren't more impressive than LSU this week. Boise is consistently given good pre season rankings now. I just don't get the underrated comments.

They're underrated because most don't think they deserve to be in the same breath as the BCS schools. I think that's crap. I'm not talking about rankings here.

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They're underrated because most don't think they are good enough to have the opportunity to compete for a championship.

That's not true. Almost everyone thinks they are good enough. The gripe is that they are not more deserving b/c the schedule they play is a joke. They only have themselves to blame for that.

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That's not true. Almost everyone thinks they are good enough. The gripe is that they are not more deserving b/c the schedule they play is a joke. They only have themselves to blame for that.

Well I must be watching different college football shows then you I suppose. I hear people all the time say how good they are, but then in the same breath they say they don't deserve a shot because they're not a BCS school.

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Well I must be watching different college football shows then you I suppose. I hear people all the time say how good they are, but then in the same breath they say they don't deserve a shot because they're not a BCS school.

I don't think anyone says they don't deserve a shot b/c they're not a BCS school. They say they don't deserve a shot over X team b/c X team plays a much tougher schedule and has proven on the field over the course of the season that they deserve it more. Boise needs to man up and go on the road and play some big boys, just like Florida State did when they were establishing themselves as a national power.

The Boise players are the ones getting screwed in all of this, and I feel bad for them. However, they need to look at their administration and ask why they wouldn't take a 2 for 1 against Nebraska. They know that their current schedule isn't likely going to be good enough to get them into the NCG, yet they don't take the initiative to pack the non conference schedule with heavyweights. Playing one tough non conference game a year isn't enough. Hell, it's not even better than LSU's non conference and LSU plays in the SEC.

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I don't think anyone says they don't deserve a shot b/c they're not a BCS school. They say they don't deserve a shot over X team b/c X team plays a much tougher schedule and has proven on the field over the course of the season that they deserve it more. Boise needs to man up and go on the road and play some big boys, just like Florida State did when they were establishing themselves as a national power.

The Boise players are the ones getting screwed in all of this, and I feel bad for them. However, they need to look at their administration and ask why they wouldn't take a 2 for 1 against Nebraska. They know that their current schedule isn't likely going to be good enough to get them into the NCG, yet they don't take the initiative to pack the non conference schedule with heavyweights. Playing one tough non conference game a year isn't enough. Hell, it's not even better than LSU's non conference and LSU plays in the SEC.

I get your overall point, and agree with it. But I've heard plenty of morons on the radio and on TV say that they don't' deserve it because they're not a BCS school. I guess I should just let it go though, because most analysts who are intelligent sum it up as you have. I agree they should schedule more games, but I get frustrated because they've proven they can beat quality teams - just because they haven't played more tough games, doesn't mean they couldn't beat Oregon or Auburn in the title game.

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I don't think anyone says they don't deserve a shot b/c they're not a BCS school. They say they don't deserve a shot over X team b/c X team plays a much tougher schedule and has proven on the field over the course of the season that they deserve it more. Boise needs to man up and go on the road and play some big boys, just like Florida State did when they were establishing themselves as a national power.

The Boise players are the ones getting screwed in all of this, and I feel bad for them. However, they need to look at their administration and ask why they wouldn't take a 2 for 1 against Nebraska. They know that their current schedule isn't likely going to be good enough to get them into the NCG, yet they don't take the initiative to pack the non conference schedule with heavyweights. Playing one tough non conference game a year isn't enough. Hell, it's not even better than LSU's non conference and LSU plays in the SEC.

I don't disagree with your point, RE: teams with tougher schedules. But I don't think you can use the Florida State comparison as a model for what Boise should do. FSU built their program in the late 70s-early 80s, and college football was a much different game then. For one, FSU was an independent and was not tied to the schedule of a weak conference (and don't reply with "Boise should just join a better conference", you know they would in a heartbeat if they could). Also, there were many more independents for FSU to play back then too that were not tied to conference schedules. And it was even easier then to get a game against the powerhouse schools in conferences, because the conferences were smaller and so those schools had to schedule more OOC games each season....and the practice of scheduling guaranteed wins against 1-AA schools hadn't spawned yet. And finally, FSU had their built-in rivalries with Florida and Miami to boost their schedule strength....Boise has no such rivalries that guarantee a quality opponent every season.

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I don't disagree with your point' date=' RE: teams with tougher schedules. But I don't think you can use the Florida State comparison as a model for what Boise should do. FSU built their program in the late 70s-early 80s, and college football was a much different game then. For one, FSU was an independent and was not tied to the schedule of a weak conference (and don't reply with "Boise should just join a better conference", you know they would in a heartbeat if they could). Also, there were many more independents for FSU to play back then too that were not tied to conference schedules. And it was even easier then to get a game against the powerhouse schools in conferences, because the conferences were smaller and so those schools had to schedule more OOC games each season....and the practice of scheduling guaranteed wins against 1-AA schools hadn't spawned yet. And finally, FSU had their built-in rivalries with Florida and Miami to boost their schedule strength....Boise has no such rivalries that guarantee a quality opponent every season.[/quote']

Good points. It would be tougher for Boise to do it, but they had a golden opportunity and passed. They could have had Nebraska come to their house for 1 game and they could have played 2 in Lincoln. There are certainly enough teams that will play them, they just have to go on the road and do it. They only have to worry about finding 3-4 games. They should be able to do that.

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Good points. It would be tougher for Boise to do it, but they had a golden opportunity and passed. They could have had Nebraska come to their house for 1 game and they could have played 2 in Lincoln. There are certainly enough teams that will play them, they just have to go on the road and do it. They only have to worry about finding 3-4 games. They should be able to do that.

I also wouldn't rule out the financial implications either. I don't know what kind of donors Boise State has in their pocket, but I'm sure there are balance sheet considerations when scheduling opponents. As much as they might prefer to do a 2-for-1 with a school like Nebraska (or a one-time road game if the paycheck isn't big enough) to enhance their reputation and possibly their BCS ranking, such arrangements may not produce enough revenues to allow for them to do that. While not as attractive to voters and computers, a home-and-home with non-AQ schools (which means more home games year over year) may be necessary for the program's viability. Not saying they should get a free pass for that in the BCS standings, they shouldn't....but it's something to consider when critiquing their OOC schedule. Big time college football is an expensive game these days.

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I don't disagree with your point' date=' RE: teams with tougher schedules. But I don't think you can use the Florida State comparison as a model for what Boise should do. FSU built their program in the late 70s-early 80s, and college football was a much different game then. For one, FSU was an independent and was not tied to the schedule of a weak conference (and don't reply with "[b']Boise should just join a better conference[/b]", you know they would in a heartbeat if they could). Also, there were many more independents for FSU to play back then too that were not tied to conference schedules. And it was even easier then to get a game against the powerhouse schools in conferences, because the conferences were smaller and so those schools had to schedule more OOC games each season....and the practice of scheduling guaranteed wins against 1-AA schools hadn't spawned yet. And finally, FSU had their built-in rivalries with Florida and Miami to boost their schedule strength....Boise has no such rivalries that guarantee a quality opponent every season.

Well up until TCU announced they were leaving for the Big East they did. Now they're just going from the WAC into a maybe somewhat stronger version of the WAC.

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Well up until TCU announced they were leaving for the Big East they did. Now they're just going from the WAC into a maybe somewhat stronger version of the WAC.

BYU hadn't announced their intentions to leave yet either when Boise accepted the MWC's invite. My point was that Boise St can't just say "To have a shot at a championship we need to play in a better conference. Hey, Big Ten, here we are!"

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4. The schedule that they play is woefully inadequate when compared to the rest of the teams that compete for a NC.

I applaud Boise State for trying to schedule a couple games against top teams - and on the road. Boise State only has to wake up for two or three games a year - the rest is a cakewalk.

Obviously, I am a big conference guy and there is something to be said not just for the multiple top games in conference and a conference championship, but also for the week-in/week-out conference grind. There is seldom a week off in the better conferences. If you are bring your "B" or "C" game to Minnesota or Illinois in the B10, you will lose.

Boise State's overall schedule stinks and they should not be considered among the top 8-10 teams in the country until they play multiple top 15 teams along with multiple top 25 and multiple top 50 teams in a season.

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Why can't they do it?

Because they've spent fifteen years doing it. I guarantee if you go back and look at the games they were playing back then, they were playing 2-1s. That is what you do when you are building a program.

You haven't told me once why they should have to do it now. Why should they allow other teams to force them into unfair deals when they are higher-ranked than most of them?

The stadium is small, sure (although, since I looked it up there IS one BcS-conference team with a smaller stadium; any guesses without peeking?), and the payday wouldn't be as big as it would be in most places. But so what?

Your argument keeps swerving back-and-forth between a respect issue (Boise State should take the chance to play these other schools, 2-1 or not) and a money issue (other schools offer 2-1s because of the less money taken to play in Boise). And that's the whole problem with the sport: instead of having tradition and respect and ranking on one side and money on the other, they become so intermixed that you can't argue one without the other even in debates where they should be two separate issues.

It should be either a respect issue--Boise wants to play 1-1 at a BcS school but are turned down because the other school feels it deserves a 2-1--or a money issue--Boise wants the same chance at a payday but the other school doesn't think it is worth going to Boise--not both.

They have to do it now because their stadium is too small. There's not enough money in it for the big schools to play in Boise when they can schedule another home game. That's why Boise has to do a 2-for-1, an away game, or a neutral site game. They can cry about it all they want, but that's how it works.

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