If Monday night's BCS National Championship game proved anything conclusively, it was that Boise State deserves the title this year.
I know the fans of the big boys cringe at the thought of handing a WAC team any sort of hardware, but there really shouldn't be a debate on this one. The fact that the writers and coaches only voted the Broncos 5th and 6th, respectively, in their final polls shows just how little said groups understand the realities of college football.
The common argument against the undefeated Broncos comes down to schedule. According to Wes Colley's rankings, Boise ranked 81st in overall SOS. This would seem to preclude any possibility of their earning a title nod, but take a closer look at the numbers: Wisconsin was 75th, and Virginia was 71st . If Wisconsin had beaten Michigan earlier in the year, would there have been any doubt that they deserved a shot at Ohio State? If Virginia had gone undefeated, would they have been shut out of the championship game?
The truth is that Boise State had just as many genuinely meaningful wins as Louisville, and went into bowl season with one less loss—and still the national consensus had Louisville pegged as the the far superior team.
Why?
Easy: Louisville comes from a BCS conference. Louisville has NFL prospects. Louisville rubbed shoulders with two other undefeated teams in the Big East for most of the season, which not only boosted the Cardinals' strength of schedule but also put them in the national spotlight on multiple occasions.
Of course, both of those undefeated teams turned out to be grossly overrated: West Virginia lost to USF and then barely beat Georgia Tech in their bowl game; Rutgers lost to Cincinnati and was cast off into the Insignificant Bowl, where they drilled a mediocre Kansas State team. By comparison, all of Boise State's bowl-eligible opponents won their postseason games, with the highlight coming when Hawaii blew out the same Arizona State team that nearly knocked off USC.
And then we come to the most disturbing reason Louisville was consistently ranked ahead of Boise State in 2006: prognostication. Louisville, you see, was ranked 13th to start the season, while Boise State received a mere 23 votes. Poll logic generally works so that if a team wins, they either march in time or move up—which means that Boise State started the season looking up a mountain.
Don't want to believe that the preseason polls matter? Imagine a world in which every writer in the country thought Boise State was the number one team before the first coin toss. Would they have ever moved down? Make no mistake, they'd have been playing for all the marbles on Monday night—or the national media would've had a fit. The fact of the matter is that too much in college football boils down to gridiron groupthink, reformulated on a weekly basis in an effort to validate preseason biases.
Boise State, My National Champions
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About the Author J.C. Hagan (analyst)
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33 comments Last one added over 2 years ago — Leave a Comment
Anonymous over 2 years ago
If the season ends with one undefeated team, and that team is not the National Champ, then why bother having an NCAAD1 that goes beyond thirty or forty teams? Why not push everyone outside the Pac 10, Big 10, and SEC into a new "Also Ran" division to determine who the best of the worst might be? It's disgraceful that Boise State didn't finish higher in the coachs' polls.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Every one has a right to their oppinion, I guess, as do the AP writers that voted 65-1 for Florida #1 and the coaches that voted Florida the National Champs. If enough people really believed that Boise State was the best team in the nation they should have voted for them. Under the current system that is how the Champion is decided.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
You talke up Hawaii's won over Arizona State because ASU "almost beat USC" and then you downplay Rutgers' blowout of Kansas State, a team that BEAT Texas??
Pure Ignorance.
You can twist wins and almost-wins all you want, but the Big East teams played a far superior OOC schedule than the WhACk.
All Boise State had to do was schedule one top-notch BCS team and win - oh wait, you already tried that back in 2005. How'd that work out against Georgia? You know, the SEC champ that WVU led 28-0 one minute into the 2nd quarter in last year's Sugar Bowl? How would Boise have fared playing Florida or LSU this year in early September?
LMAO!
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
I totally agree that the current system is a joke. The one thing that these sports writers and coaches dont take into account is the fact that every year teams change, extensively. Look at Miami. They started the season ranked twelfth and look at them they were probably the biggest joke in Div I-A. Teams change. Texas, Last Years National Champs, started the season ranked 3rd (2nd in Coaches) and finished the season luckily at 10-3 with a final ranking of a generous 13th. Teams set the teams they will play 3 years prior and that is what is holding Boise State back. Had they had a team 3 years ago they would have played for the national championship this year.
The least that could be done is another game Florida vs Boise State
Without that Florida should not take this championship seriously.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
It sounded to me like you just babbling with some ideas just to call yourself a writer. The game Monday night showed the matchup of the concensus #1 and #2 team in the nation at the end of the season. Boise State is not capable of winning the SEC and thrash the almighty Ohio State like the Gators did. That's what the vast majority believe. We'll never find out and you'll never convince the majority otherwise.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Kc, you are out of contact with the vast majority of Americans who see Boise State as their champions. The mighty or almighty as you called them Ohio would have gotten the same treatment from Boise as they gave Oklahoma; gutsy football, amazing plays; pride in being able to play in a great bowl game and win it! You apparently did not watch the same Fiesta Bowl that I did. Boise plays with heart and sadly the only championship they are going to get this year is in the hearts of Americans. They would have given us a Championship game to remember if they only would have had the chance.
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J.C. Hagan over 2 years ago
Big Beast - Texas is not a great football team. USC is. Did you even watch college football this season? Texas was lucky they beat the worst Iowa team in years playing in San Antonio. And again, in case you didn't read the article, the past shouldn't matter, so cut the garbage out about LAST YEAR'S Georgia team.
KC - Thanks for telling me the ESPN position. Next time, try reading the article and critiquing a premise or something.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
"All Boise State had to do was schedule one top-notch BCS team and win - oh wait, you already tried that back in 2005. How'd that work out against Georgia?"
Tell me, how is that a BSU team from a year ago that was only 9-4 losing to SEC Georgia in a rout when everything went wrong (4 INT's and 2 fumbles by the QB alone in the first half) means that a team the following year who went 13-0 and beat big 12 champ Oklahoma in a BCS game is not worthy??? Yet an Ohio State team that loses in a FAR more lopsided blow-out loss to an SEC team (82 total yards??!!! at least BSU had almost an even number of yardage as Georgia in their loss) is ranked #2 the day after getting creamed????
If that makes any sense to you then the country is doomed to morons.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Florida is the BCS champion.
Boise State is America's champion.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
I've been following the Boise State Broncos for the past 22 years. The one thing that comes to mind in the past 10 years is the Broncos have been ranked in the top 25 and as high as 10th in most of those 10 years. They didn't come out of nowhere. They have been proving themselves year in and year out. After living in Boise for the past 22 years, one thing I have learned is to respect a very good team and program. For those who don't think that the Broncos don't deserve the #1 ranking, where have you been for the past few years. They were 12-0 at the end of the 2004 season and lost to a very good Louiville team by 4 points. There were a few controversial calls against the Broncos which kept them from having another 13-0 year. One day people will wake up and smell the roses and realize Boise State can be #1. Respect is a big work and all the critics will one day learn to respect an undefeated team. The Broncos are #1 in my mind and no one will make me think they shouldn't be. RESPECT!! Give it to those who deserve it.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Boise State has been my favorite team not ever since they had they're fist 12-0 season. I knew at that momement that the Bronco's were going somewhere in the future. They deserve a shot at the title. If you all didn't know, Boise State has only been a D-1A team since 1999 or something. Now thats saying something.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
I'm an Aggie fan. No, not those Aggies. I attend Utah State University, whose football team went 1-11 this year. We had the privilege of being steamrolled by Boise State, among other teams. And believe me, they are good.
However, I am part of the NCAA school of thought, which does not recognize a Division I-A champion. Why? Because there is absolutely no reasonable way to tell. Ohio State sure seemed the obvious choice for most of the season, but we saw a different team take that beating from Florida on Monday. Boise State, like I said, is great, but they didn't play too many other tough teams.
You've probably guessed by now that I, like many of you, I'm sure, am a playoff advocate. But here's the thing... It's not going to happen, folks! The players want it. The coaches want it. The fans are screaming for it. But the people who make the decisions (university presidents, conference commisioners, and bowl committees) won't hear of it.
So, if Boise State or any other mid-major school wants an honest shot at the national title, they'll have to convince these people that a playoff system will line their pockets more than the current bowl system. Good luck!
As for Boise State, I wish you the best. I'll be rooting for you next year. Maybe even when you come to Logan, Utah to give the 'udder' Aggies a whomping.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
I really don't know if Boise State deseves the title in division 1A foot ball... One thing isfo sure though. Boise State has climbed up the ladder every year for the last 4 years from well below the top 25. A bunch of BCS teams will be dodging Boise for quite a while from here on out and it will be harder for the WAC to get the respect it deserves. Boise State in my mind are "champions" for every school that creates not only grat teams, but does graduate their kids.
Way to go Boise!
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Boise State came out strong this year (like many of the past years) a proved they were a powerhouse. I am extreamly familiar this year and am proud to call myself a bronco. The fact is that no, Boise St. should not be national champions. We played Sac. state, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, and Fresno, but we did beat all those teams (crushed most of them). I figured Boise would be around 3rd, but when i saw the newspaper with them as 5th I almost lost it. Boise might not have played the teams ohio and flordia played, but every week we went out and played as if they were ohio or florida and ended up creaming nearly every tea. So no BSU doesnt deserve the national championship, at least not this year, but they do deserve more respect then 5th.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Thanks for the props. The real answer to why Boise isn't the champion is money.
Their entire football budget doesn't quite equal Urban Meyer's or Bob Stoops' annual salary. If they play a BCS team, it's always as a visitor in a hostile 75,000 seat stadium. No contender wants come to Boise to play! The players are the recruits who "weren't good enough" to play for USC or Oklahoma. The fact that a BSU goes undefeated is even bigger when one looks at the obsticles they overcame to get there.
I noticed the first preseason poll for next year (Rivals) doesn't even rate Boise State. I suspect that some of the big wigs got a little too scared that Boise had crashed their party, next time they might be back.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
You cant do more than win all your scheduled games unless you can create a challenge at the end of the year. Oklahoma is a big "so called great team." They came ready to kick Boise all over the field and prove a point. If Oklahoma had not of lost to Oregon on a controversial call, they would of probably found themselves in the National Championship game. Well, Boise State embarrased Oklahoma. Oklahoma was kicked all over the field. The only thing that save Oklahoma was a break on the momentum change on the punt that hit the Boise State player leg. Even so, Boise State still took them apart. The score of that game didnt reflect that game. Oklahoma was totally outclassed.
There are those that create rankings and just remember, they have look in the mirror. We win because we won! They that create the rankings will lose every day in inner guilt. There is one thing for sure. Boise State knows they are champs and you will not ever be able to take that from them.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
U of I, Boise's rival in Idaho, scheduled several BCS teams in their season and seemed to have a stronger SOS. Boise had a weaker schedule. Why? BCS teams don't play threats outside the top 25. Idaho hasn't been a threat for years so big BCS teams see them as a punching bag early in the season. Why not schedule Boise State? Big BCS team wins, they get no major jump in the poles. They lose, they lose big in the poles. How do you start out in the top 25? You don't without playing the big BCS teams which won't play you unless it helps them in the poles. A classic catch 22. The system is self-protecting. Sounds like organized crime or politics in the '30's.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
I'm a Brit, a 'football' fan, and see a horribly flawed system when champions are decided by votes cast by folk who can't possibly be aware of every team's achievements at any given moment.
Whose idea was that?!
"Boise State are an 'out in the sticks' team, and can't possibly be the real deal" . . . a mentality that has prevailed for several years now, and it's not only Boise State who loses out now is it?
In the end they had to be pure as the driven snow throughout the entire season to get noticed, and it still isn't enough.
What really matters though is that Boise State are the 'People's Champion.'
It says it all, including the fact that the system and the coaches are WRONG!
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Do you know why Urban Meyer lobbied so hard to get to play in the national championship game? Because in 2004 his Utes were in Boise's shoes. They, too, beat a BCS school in a BCS game to end the season undefeated. They didn't get the title, either. He knew what is was like to get left out, and wanted his chance to prove it on the field. Just as in 2004, there were several teams that could have been in that game. This time he got his wish.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
I seem to remember a great deal of national consternation that BYU was awarded the national championship in 1984, from Gumbel's 'Bo Diddly Tech' comment to Switzer's sour grapes. A playoff is needed to determine a champion, but, absent that, undefeated is as much as one can ask any team to be.
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J.C. Hagan over 2 years ago
When I said everyone was fine, I meant the writers as a whole were fine with voting them the national champions.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Bring on any Big East team. This season's Broncos would WAC any of them.
Big Beast - you said "The Big East teams played a far superior OOC schedule than the Whack?"
Please!
The only high profile team any Big East team played out of conference before bowl games is Miami. Miami had an "off" season to say the least going 7 - 6. Miami's final win of the season was by 1 point against Nevada. Nevada threw a pick on the final drive when all they needed was a field goal to win.
Boise State smoked Nevada at Nevada 38-7.
We could settle this on the field if any of the top three Big East teams (Louisville, Rutgers, or West Virginia) would get some balls and schedule a home and home. None of the ther Big East teams are worth scheduling.
Go Broncos!
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
A champion is someone that beats the competition not just gets voted in because the belong to a certain group. The only thing big about the big east is their heads and egos. As long as the bull crap series (BCS) exists we will not have a title game or a national champion.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Conjecture who is better until you are blue in the face and the sun no longer shines... if it takes a judge to crown a winner, IT IS NOT A SPORT!
Oh, and by the way, the BCS exists BECAUSE BYU won teh national championship in 1984. Those in power wanted to make sure that no "Bo Diddly Tech" school could rain on the National Championship again.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
You spew falsehoods. The BCS was an offshoot of the BCA (Bowl Championship Alliance) and came into being after a split national championship between the BCA champ (Nebraska) and the AP champ (Michigan) following the 1997 season. The Rose Bowl was persuaded to join the BCA and it became the BCS. If Boise St. played a tougher schedule and went undefeated they would earn the right to play in the BCS championship game. Take a cue from BYU...they regularly schedule at least two respected BCS programs each year. In 2010, they play Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA and Florida State as their non-conference games. They've had home and home series with Miami, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Notre Dame, USC, Cal, and so on. I'm sure more teams would be willing to schedule H&H series with Boise State if they would show some respect for the game of football and get rid of their ridiculous kindergarten blue carpet field. Seriously, that's one of the biggest turnoffs to fans and administrators about playing in Boise.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Graduated BSU in '81 and swore if we ever had a chance to grab the brass ring I would be there. So I was with my family. Great great game. We played the storied Sooners who were every bit as good as advertised. Does that make us champions. Who knows? But for me, it is enough for this year. I actually like the fact that we still are hungry, still want respect, still have further to go. For me it is the journey. Not the destination. Anyone who has watched our program grow, knows we aren't going to be going away any time soon. We are now in national awareness. Someday will will be undeniable national champions. I don't know if it will require good preseason polls, movement to a BCS conference (ala Louisville) or getting the WAC recognized as a BCS conference. We are used to impossible tasks in Idaho. I, for one, am looking forward to the future and look with great satisfaction at how far we have come since we won the 1AA championship in '80.
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John Smith over 2 years ago
The Big Dog verses the Little Dog. David verses Goliath. Cinderella. Interesting names for a team that was only a 7 point underdog. Sounds like arrogance to me. It wasn't the final score that told everyone that Boise belonged in the Fiesta Bowl. It was the way they got off their blocks on defense and the way they tackled on offense. Oklahoma had a horse in Peterson but Boise pretty much shut him down. The Broncos pressured Oklahoma's quarterback for a fumble,covered well in the secondary and got two interceptions. Zabransky showed a strong arm and great mobility. Then there was Ian Johnson to move the ball between the tackles. BSU showed they belonged in that game. They stood toe to toe and stood their ground and even pushed forward. Most of the times there were multiple players swarming to the ball. Everyone saw that. Could they have defeated Florida in their next game? Who knows? Oh, I know. The voters. The arrogant ones who favored Ohio State. Greeaaat!!
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Matt DeNicola over 2 years ago
I am as much of a proponent of a playoff system as anyone else. I too feel that Boise State's undefeated record and #5 ranking points to the problems in college football.
However, college presidents sign BCS contracts. College presidents take BCS-negotiated money. Including Boise State. I don't know the guy personally, but I can pretty much guarantee you that the Boise State president went ahead and cashed the fat check he received for playing in the Fiesta Bowl.
Fans can cry and moan all they want ... nobody may listen ... but it's still their right. Coaches, and even players, however, really should not. They are representatives of the university ... universities that accept BCS contract terms. Like USC in 2003 claiming a split national championship. BS. The AP may have voted you #1, but you took money from the BCS, which declares the national champion is decided in the national championship game.
Boise State may feel a little slighted. But they knew going into the season that there would be no playoff. There is nothing official that says an undefeated school (from any conference, mind you) is guaranteed a shot at the title. So if this was such a devastating problem, it needed to be handled before the game. Really want to protest? Don't accept the invitation to the Fiesta Bowl. Lose out on the cash. Make an actual statement. You can't take the money, accept the bowl bid, and then complain about the outcome. It is just blatantly hypocritical. And personally, I wouldn't want to cheer for an institution like that.
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John Smith over 2 years ago
Look, just because Boise accepted the terms before the season and before the Fiesta Bowl doesn't mean that there shouldn't be a champion determined on the field of play. I have to disagree with your characterization of being hypocritical because they played in the system that was offered. It's not either or like you want to paint it. If they didn't play in the Fiesta Bowl then their argument would be weaker because the experts that control the outcome wouldn't have thought that Boise would have won in the first place. If you listened to coach Peterson he actually voted Florida #1 and Boise #5. Boise didn't have the chance to play Florida on the field so that was the fair way to rank them and it shows the classiness of the institution. The fans wanted Boise to play another game but the arrogant experts wanted to arbitrarily decide the outcome. Personally I wouldn't cheer for an outdated, unfair institution like that.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
To say that Boise State is hypocritical is just crazy. That's like you complaining that you have to pay taxes, but you do it because you have to. Then you cash your refund check? Come on, check into reality.
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John Smith over 2 years ago
Funny how you chose to use a tax analogy. Just like a tax refund, your only getting money back at the end of the year because you paid in too much of what you earned during the year in the first place and let someone use it interest free. Not very smart. Your much better off not getting a refund at all and keeping both interest and principal. Let there be free competition not arbitrary rules handed down by a bunch of high brow elites that benefit a selected group. May the best person or team win though natural face to face competition to serve us all better and let the artificial "systems" die on the vine.
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Anonymous over 2 years ago
Boise State has attempted to play top notched schools for a while. Many people bring up the Georgia vs Boise State game of 05... This was not their first meeting with the SEC, and in all of their other meetings, the outcome has been much the same. As a matter of fact, they are 0-4 historically against the SEC,
UGA-48 B.S.-13 (2005)
South Carolina-32 B.S.-13 (2001)
Arkansas-38 B.S. 31 (2000)
Arkansas-41 B.S. 14 (2002)
In addition to this, they are 0-1 vs Big 10, 0-1 vs ACC.
The truth is, they have only done well against the Big 12 Conference, which does not truly speak well for them. So, before you say Boise State deserves to be placed ahead of Florida (who is in a far superior conference and no one can make an argument against that) take a look at the facts and the history. FLORIDA IS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS AND WOULD HAVE MURDERED BOISE STATE JUST AS EVERY OTHER SEC SCHOOL BEFORE IT!
End of story.
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John Smith over 2 years ago
It is very interesting that you would use the term "would have", i.e.FLORIDA IS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS AND WOULD HAVE MURDERED BOISE STATE JUST AS EVERY OTHER SEC SCHOOL BEFORE IT!
Why don't we just do the same exercise with all
the schools at the end of the season and then come up with the final rankings? Since we don't do that then I submit that we leave it up to
the players to play the game not the no-it-alls
with their crystal balls. It doesn't matter anyway because BSU will have to start so far from the bottom of the polls that when they get to the last game they still won't be in the top 5 even if they are undefeated. I would love to see BSU go undefeated for five years straight and still be denied a national title. Where you end up is really a function of where you are ranked at the beginning of the season and so the vicious cycle continues but where you are ranked at the beginning is more an exercise of opinion than what you did the previous season.
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