Boise Among Men?

Amidst the ongoing flurry of rematch- and playoff-related BCS debates, there are countless college football what-if's to ponder. One of the most interesting stories--that of the Boise State Broncos--has gone largely untold, or more accurately, unimagined.

We're all quite familiar with the "Smurf turf" that covers Boise's one-of-a-kind home field. We're also well familiar with the oft-replicated David-versus-Goliath(s) storyline: a mid-major team posts an impressive record but is denied national championship consideration due to a weak schedule. (See Alex Smith and Utah, 2004). Smith's Utah team did earn the chance to play in a BCS bowl, but garnered little support for a shot at the Big One.

Here we see one of the key differences between college football and, say, college basketball. The NCAA basketball tournament is a mid-major team's dream. Consider Gonzaga, a program that came virtually out of nowhere and established itself as a perennial March contender. Initially, fans clamoured that the Zags were "overrated," that they would soon show themselves to be nothing more than one-and-done pretenders. Fortunately for Gonzaga (and for the fans who enjoy watching them inject a sense of freshness into the college basketball scene), they utilized their initial tournament opportunities, and have since strode into the upper echelon of March powers.

The key here: Gonzaga (or George Mason, UAB, et. al.) was offered a seat at the table. The very idea of a tournament is that no worthy team--of which we select some 65 annually in college basketball--is denied a chance, no matter how slight, to play for the national title. If it's true that Team A is nothing more than a non-major weakling, then this will manifest itself when they square off against a "traditional" powerhouse. In other words, they still PLAY THE GAME. Presumptions and punditry are thrown out the window in favor of--gasp--competition.

Of course, the adoption of such a clear-cut process has eluded college football (For an exploration of the reasons behind this, visit my pal Mike's blog at http://mao-musings.blogspot.com/). On the collegiate gridiron, reputations and opinions stem not solely from on-field play, but also from memories and images of yesteryear. Woven into our national football fabric are visions of Big Ten winters, with Woody and Bo duking it out; of the Fighting Irish suiting up for their yearly Trojan War; of smash-mouth Big 12 grudge matches; and of classic intra-Florida showdowns. When we see, for example, this year's Notre Dame team, we don't recognize it as consisting of an above-average offense combined with a so-so defense. Rather, we see Quinn as Montana, Weis as Rockne--a constellation of faded Irish glory. When we consider USC's upcoming game against UCLA, we paint it as an always-difficult "rivalry game" (which supposedly adds to the perceived allure of USC's schedule strength), rather than as a game that the would-be #2 team in the country should win by 30 points.

No, there isn't yet a thread for Boise in this fabric. Unlike the Gonzagas of the basketball world, Boise State cannot immediately play its way into the national consciousness. What, then, are they to do? A traditional powerhouse from a historic conference has the luxury of citing "reputation." Consider this year's Big 10, which features three exceptionally strong teams--Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin--but is otherwise overrated more heavily than any sports entity in America. For instance, take away Michigan's wins over ND and Wisconsin. What other worthy teams have they beaten? Penn State? Michigan State? Indeed, the Big 10 has stood upon fraudulent legs throughout this entire season, being rescued only by its eye-popping top-heaviness.

Boise, oh Boise, is left to navigate a much tougher passage. They are left to play in a weak conference, and their non-conference strength-of-schedule prospects continue to be tenuous. What major college power would be willing to schedule a non-conference game against Boise State early on in the season? Texas? USC? Ohio State? Michigan? These teams know that a loss in such a game would, effectively speaking, end their national title hopes. Despite the fact that Boise is a perennial statistical juggernaut, writers would nonetheless point to the fact that a contender lost to...Boise State!

In order to gain a seat at football's hallowed table, Boise will likely have to remain undefeated for an entire season, beat a major-conference team in a BCS bowl, and then replicate the feat the following year (or years) to show that they are indeed legitimate. Even then, voters may be hesitant to put the Smurfs in the money-grubbing BCS Championship Game.

After all, wouldn't we rather witness a finale filled with ghosts?