Yeah, I have to go there. My love for college football keeps drawing me to the story about the team from Idaho that just wins. Yeah, their turf is putrid - even more than regular fake grass. Yes they have a conference schedule that is made up of smaller, less significant programs that are seen by so many as "weaker" than other conferences. And Boise continues to win.
Some of the criticism is warranted. That isn't the toughest conference around. Some of the criticism can't be helped. There isn't exactly a line of big-time programs out there waiting to face off against the Broncos. And the teams that do show up - take Virginia Tech and Oregon State for examples this season - typically leave disappointed.
Regardless, the criticism is consistent - "They don't belong in the BCS"
Really? Let's look at this argument.
Boise has had two opportunities to participate in the BCS and they have a 2-0 record to show for it. In the 2007 Fiesta Bowl they defeated The Oklahoma Sooners 43-42. Then just last season they defeated TCU in the Fiesta Bowl 17-10.
And then there are the teams that "belong". The teams that sports writers and analysts never criticize when BCS polls are published or when selections are made for teams to participate in the BCS.
Oklahoma has lost their last five appearances in the BCS - including a loss to Boise, a 55-19 loss to Southern California and a 48-28 loss to West Virginia. And yet it never crosses any one's mind that the Sooners don't belong in the BCS.
Ohio State posted back-to-back pummelings at the hand of SEC opponents in their last two appearances in the BCS Championship game. The Buckeyes have posted a 2-3 record in their last 5 BCS appearances and the two victories were over Oregon and Notre Dame - both of which will be addressed shortly.
Oregon is 1-1 in BCS action and haven't won a BCS game since the 2002 Fiesta Bowl win over Colorado. They play in the Pac-10 with powerhouses like Washington State and Cal. They lost last season's Rose Bowl to Ohio State. See above - enough said.
Notre Dame. Really? The team that has not won a National title since 1988 and has not threatened to win one since 1993. Despite this recent lack of football success, Notre Dame is allowed to appeal to the BCS as if it were an entire conference all to itself. So this one school has the same bargaining power as the accumulated 12 schools of the SEC - winners of the last 4 (meaning every one ever held) BCS Title Games and 5 of the last 7 National Championships. This is without considering the fact that the 2004 Auburn Tigers were robbed if the trophy. And yet Notre Dame plays cupcakes all year every year. No one questions their presence in the BCS. For the record, Notre Dame's BCS record is 0-3 - including a 41-14 spanking by LSU and a 41-9 embarrassment by Oregon State.
So back to Boise. All of this craziness, all of this severe mediocrity, all these big schools have had their shot - and have been shot down time and time again. Boise has had two chances. They've won both times. That is more than I can say for the two teams that currently are standing between them and a chance for the Crystal Football. Why not give the Broncos a chance, if they win out, and if they lose 41-14 we allow them to play in the Rose Bowl in perpetuity.
What do we have to lose?
