Boise State is just what BCS feared

[ponydawg]

Worth a read:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/16373267.htm

Boise State is just what BCS feared
GIL LeBRETON
In My Opinion

Star-Telegram
Gil LeBreton
A trick play might have won the Fiesta Bowl on Monday night.

But the mighty Oklahoma Sooners were beaten by something simpler, less sinister than that:

Parity.

No conference -- nor group of conferences -- has a monopoly on all the good teams. Or all of the best players.

"I wasn't surprised," said a man who ought to know.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson knows firsthand the kind of football program that the Boise State Broncos have. A year ago, had the Bowl Championship Series not still been such a greedy and shameless cartel, that could have been the 11-1 Horned Frogs, slipping convincingly into the Cinderella slippers.

But, no, this isn't a call for another public flogging of the BCS. Nor do I consider Boise State's 43-42 overtime victory a sudden mandate for staging a college football playoff.

Instead, the lesson learned from Monday night should be about attitudes. Changing attitudes.

On the Fox postgame show, Boise running back Ian Johnson was asked whether he thought the Oklahoma players took the Broncos lightly.

"We know they did," Johnson answered, without hesitation. "The way they were talking about us the whole entire game. The way they were talking to us when they were down.

"The whole entire week they acted like they felt we were their little brothers."

Exactly. And that's the arrogant attitude that the BCS -- and the school presidents who have endorsed it -- have allowed to develop.

The pregame show on Fox was a preview of the Neanderthal commentary that was to come. It featured the seemingly embalmed remains of what was once a pretty good college football coach, Barry Switzer, and the coiffured ramblings of Jimmy Johnson.

I'm paraphrasing here, but Johnson at one point shrugged and said, "Look, fellas, we all know that Oklahoma should win because it has all the better players, and it always will."

Switzer, ever the village idiot, tried to compare the upcoming game to a Rocky movie. Barring a Hollywood intervention, he was suggesting, Boise State had no chance.

"I know for a fact that Oklahoma didn't recruit any of those players that are on the Boise roster," Switzer said.

What arrogance! Like, Oklahoma is the official arbiter of who's worthy of a college football scholarship?

Switzer needs to be reminded that the Sooners didn't even try to recruit a kid from Waco named LaDainian Tomlinson. Nor did Oklahoma offer a scholarship to a Texan named Aaron Schobel, who will be going to the Pro Bowl soon, by way of TCU.

This notion of the non-BCS conferences being the wrong side of the college football tracks must be stopped. The "BCS" designation identifies the leagues and schools who have banded together to horde a disproportionate share of the TV bowl money.

It has unfairly been extrapolated to label college football's haves and have-nots.

Texas' Mack Brown had the gall not to even vote for 11-2 TCU on his final coaches poll ballot. Brown had undefeated Boise State ranked 12th.

For the record, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops voted Boise State 10th. Stoops also did not vote for TCU, which is curious because Stoops, of all people, should remember how he was outcoached and his team outplayed -- in Norman, Okla. -- by the Frogs in September, 2005.

My point isn't that the Mountain West or Western Athletic conferences are just as good, top to bottom, as the Big 12 and Pac-10. They're not. But that doesn't mean that TCU's 10 regular-season victories shouldn't count.

When they were in the same conference, before the Frogs went west and the Cardinals jumped to the Big East, TCU defeated Louisville three out of four seasons.

Each season there are going to be outstanding teams and weak teams -- Oklahomas and Iowa States -- in every conference. The best of them, no matter which league they hail from, are likely to be highly competitive, if invited to a BCS bowl.

If there was a lesson to be learned from Boise State on Monday, that should be it.

The current thinking in college football isn't unlike the NFL's attitude toward the AFL in the mid-1960s. All AFL teams were inferior to most NFL teams, the established league said, until Joe Namath and the Jets, Chiefs and Raiders pulled back the NFL's curtain.

"What happened Monday night," Patterson said, "was probably the worst fear of the top 50 schools in the country."

As we have been reminded night after night during this bowl season, there is more than one way to build a successful college football program. Not all of the best teams have to have running backs from Florida, or quarterbacks from Texas, or receivers from California.

Boise State, by the way, has two players on its roster from Texas and none from Oklahoma.

What Patterson would like to see is an automatic BCS invitation for at least one team from the current non-BCS leagues. If necessary, let the two highest ranked non-BCS-league teams meet in a one-game, early December playoff.

The "fear" that Patterson was talking about alludes to the arrogant schools' and conferences' notions that if they just ignore schools like Boise State, BYU and TCU, they'll go away.

Hopefully, the lesson learned at the Fiesta Bowl is that there are college football teams that are good enough, but are being systematically and categorically excluded, not only from bowl games but also from polls and scheduling.

It's wrong. And it's time that the Bob Stoopses and Mack Browns -- and their fans -- change their attitudes.

Gil LeBreton, 817-390-7760 [email protected]

[NavyCrimson]

Very good points.

Too bad nothing will happen anytime soon. Why? As long as the non-BCS-BS are apathetic & enjoy all the red ink, nothing will indeed change.

[ponyte]

The BSC didn't have a chance to screw the non BSC team this year (Remember how the Utes got the privilege to crush a pathetic Pitt team a couple of years ago). The BSC just didn't have a weak sister that received an "invitation" based on automatic bowl tie in arrangements. The BSC had to put one of its better teams up against Boise. And worse, it was a team with an infallible reputation and legacy and the Big 2 (or 3 depending on the year) conference Champs. Now the canard that Non BSC teams can't compete is exposed. Slowly, the cartel that functions as a monopoly will be exposed and the downfall of this two tire system will come about.

[J.T.supporta]

I dont think the BCS fears non BCS schools. If they feared them they would keep them out of the ENTIRE system and not have put the TOP 12 finish rule in their system.

Im sure the BCS wants non BCS schools to go undefeated and get into their games.

The Sad thing is everyone including the media makes such a big deal about "cinderellas" in the BCS. Its not that big of a deal because most people know in college football that UPSETS do happen.

Go undefeated, Crack the BCS, Cash in on millions, and compete with whomever you are playing.

[EastStang]

Then again. Our conference champion Houston lost to a 7-5 SEC team. I'd like to see a more open road to the championship or go back to the old fashioned bowl system, so we can argue about whether Boise or Florida can be the National champion as we did in 1982 when SMU lost the National championship in the Joe Pa Pity vote.

[PlanoStang]

I dont think the BCS fears non BCS schools. If they feared them they would keep them out of the ENTIRE system and not have put the TOP 12 finish rule in their system.

Im sure the BCS wants non BCS schools to go undefeated and get into their games.

The Sad thing is everyone including the media makes such a big deal about "cinderellas" in the BCS. Its not that big of a deal because most people know in college football that UPSETS do happen.

Go undefeated, Crack the BCS, Cash in on millions, and compete with whomever you are playing.

You're right If they feared them they would keep them out of the
ENTIRE system and not have put the TOP 12 finish rule in their system

What their arrogant behinds fear are CARTEL / MONOPOLY lawsuits, and
some conference (WAC) / school with some footBALLS needs to file a
CARTEL/MONOPOLY related lawsuit against any TV network televising
this BCS stuff, and the ncaa

[smupony94]

The Tulane President along with out Mr. Turner negotiated the current deal if I am not mistaken.

[J.T.supporta]

When you look at fairness compared to the so called "powerhouse" ND, the non BCS schools are better off than ND when it comes to getting a BCS birth. ND has to finish in the top 8 to get a guarenteed spot.

I wish the BCS would change the system to top 15 for non BCS teams to make it a little more fair.

[ponyte]

When you look at fairness compared to the so called "powerhouse" ND, the non BCS schools are better off than ND when it comes to getting a BCS birth. ND has to finish in the top 8 to get a guarenteed spot.

I wish the BCS would change the system to top 15 for non BCS teams to make it a little more fair.

Which is easy. ND is consistently overrated. ND has gotten BSC bowl bids when they clearly didn't deserve it. Oregon State a few years ago proved it. LSU proved it again this year. ND is 0-9 in its last nine bowls. Clearly ND goes to better bowls with a inferior team. ND draws a good rating and that trumps a teams performance and capability any day of the week. ND is in the idea position of providing a product that people buy (i.e. will watch) and the product doesn't even have to be all that good. The BSC knows they can get great ratings with ND and ND doesn't have to share is BSC money. It isn't personal, it is just business.

[mr. pony]

[quote="J.T.supporta"]When you look at fairness compared to the so called "powerhouse" ND, the non BCS schools are better off than ND when it comes to getting a BCS birth. ND has to finish in the top 8 to get a guarenteed spot.

I wish the BCS would change the system to top 15 for non BCS teams to make it a little more fair.[/quote]

ND needs help?? No way. Screw them and their TV deal too.

[J.T.supporta]

[quote="mr. pony"]ND needs help?? No way. Screw them and their TV deal too.[/quote]

NO, i wasnt saying ND needs help. I was trying to say that the NON BCS conference teams need more help. The ND agreement for BCS games it TOP 8, leave that agreement alone and chance the Top 12 rule for NON conference teams.

I would have loved to see Boise State play ND in a BCS bowl because I know that Boise would have Rocked ND.