The Warped Cries of Boise State - We Belong!

As a Longhorn fan, I recall being completely enamored by the Boise State Broncos while watching the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.  You will recall that this is the game that put the Broncos on the map.  They defeated a big time program that January day.  They defeated an arch nemesis of Texas.  They defeated a team full of Texas kids that somehow ($$$) left the Lone Star State to attend school in Norman, OK.  They defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in what many consider to be one of the greatest college football games of all time.  I am part of this group.  They won with speed, execution, and trickery.  My how times have changed...

What was once a program that longed for a mere chance to play with the big boys is now one that feels it is not receiving the respect that it so richly deserves.  The Broncos and their faithful will point to their mantra of being willing to play "anyone, anywhere, anytime."  They have played and beaten the likes of Oregon, Virgina Tech, and the aforementioned Oklahoma.  They will come to your house so long as you return to play them at theirs. Which, brings me to this....

Ah yes, the infamous blue turf.  The Smurf Turf.  What began as a gimmick and an attention getter in 1986 has morphed into an identity for Boise State within the college football world.  Someone recently argued with me, as I am not a fan of this absolute debacle of a field, that it is their insignia, their Hook'em sign, if you will.  I disagree wholeheartedly.  Try this experiment: go buy yourself some Boise State gear.  While donned with the bright blue apparel, walk through any mall, airport, or other locale with a boatload of people, and acknowledge other Bronco fans you pass by.  If that cat pulls out a slice of the blue turf in lieu of  \m/ (<----Hook'em sign for the graphically challenged), I will begin to buy this argument.  Until then, child please.  It is not insignia.  It is a gimmick and it is time for the gimmick to be put to rest...permanently.

There are some rumors surrounding the blue turf.  The most prominent, that Boise State was grandfathered in after the NCAA ruled that all football fields must be within varying shades of green.  This is not true.  It is solely up to the school to determine the color of their playing surface.  In essence, the Longhorns could play on a Burnt Orange field while Baylor could choose to play on a vibrant yellow surface.  Thank God above each of these schools, and every other Division 1A (FBS) program currently utilize some shade of green for their playing surface's color.  Boise State says they belong in college football's elite programs.  I say emphatically, not yet.

What has Boise State shown to us over the years?  A few things:  a) that they can get up for big games with ample time to prepare.  b) that they are no longer a Cinderella program.  c) and that they do not play a schedule that remotely resembles that of teams from the SEC, Big 12, PAC 10, ACC, and the Big 10.  The Broncos will charge that teams from the conferences listed above play patsies for the most part for their Out of Conference Schedules.  This is a correct assumption.  Why play into Boise State's hands here?  Where is the upside for an Alabama to schedule Boise State when they already will face the likes of LSU, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, and Arkansas?  This proposition to play Boise State is only a win for the Broncos.  If they beat an Alabama, Texas, or Ohio State, they gain notoriety and position themselves for a possible run at the BCS Championship game.  If they lose, so what?  They waltz through the rest of their schedule and await their bowl invitation.   In essence, they play 1-3 games of difficulty each season, while the other schools are forced to play much tougher schedules annually.  Whether fair or not, Boise State is a victim of their conference affiliation.  To their credit, they are leaving the WAC to enter the Mountain West.  While that will certainly be an upgrade, the loss of Utah to the PAC 10 stings.  But, it's not enough.  They must have chaos among the big boys to make it to the BCS National Championship Game. 

A couple of firsts are going to occur on 9/25/2010:  ESPN's College GameDay will be making the trip to Boise, Idaho and the Broncos will be playing in a nationally televised Saturday night game.  Congrats and welcome to the club.  As a thank you and an initiation fee into said "Big Boys Club," please ditch the blue turf and replace it with a normal and traditional shade of green.  You don't need the "guyliner" any longer.  I mean, if you are certain you belong, it is time to rid yourselves of this most atrocious staple.  You are better than this.  You point it out religiously here on a daily basis.  If you do indeed belong, as you so profusely claim, I also implore you to stop making ludicrous claims that the big boys do not want to face you for fear of losing.  That has nothing to do with it.  They simply do not need you with the current system.  In contrast, you desperately need them.  Whether this is fair or not, it is your reality.  And reality bites at times.  Just ask the 2008 Texas Longhorns.