Place to read, comment about Boise St.

[billybud]

Donovan...I know the Noles and they are not a championship caliber team yet.

The offense is shaky because the passing game has not come along to match the running game. A one dimensional FSU is much easier to scheme for. The defense is very greatly improved from last year, though.

NC State, with a mobile QB who has an accurate arm, will give FSU all they can handle. I expect a close game.

But, saying all that, I like the new attitude that coaches have brought. The Noles will hit you when you're up, hit you when you're down. There is fire this year on defense.

[Spence]

I will say only this - we NEED Boise State in the title game against a BCS-AQ school. The matchup may shut everyone up, one way or another. If Boise State wins or keeps it close, everyone can finally say they belong. If Boise State wins big, the naysayers can all eat their crumb cake. If Boise State loses bad, we can all say they don't belong.

For now, this horse has been rode hard, put up wet, tied, beaten, shot multiple times and distributed around the world as bottles of Elmer's glue.

Exactly. It is just time to put it to bed. Of course the BCS could have made it easier by matching them up with an AQ champ last year. Then if they won that, the championship after an undefeated season this year would have been a no brainer. But they had to match the two non AQ conferences together.

[donovan]

Donovan...I know the Noles and they are not a championship caliber team yet.

The offense is shaky because the passing game has not come along to match the running game. A one dimensional FSU is much easier to scheme for. The defense is very greatly improved from last year, though.

NC State, with a mobile QB who has an accurate arm, will give FSU all they can handle. I expect a close game.

But, saying all that, I like the new attitude that coaches have brought. The Noles will hit you when you're up, hit you when you're down. There is fire this year on defense.

Like you, when you watch a team in person, you get a feel that does not translate as you flick through multiple channels. I was accused the other day on some posting that I should see more football games other than Boise. I told Mrs. Donovan that and she ...well...lets leave it at that. So I truly do give credence to opinions based on watching the teams. I just know of the two..maybe three games I watched of FSU, they are being well coached and seemed disciplined the entire game.

[Spence]

I think it is safe to say that most of the guys on this site watch more football game than most of our wifes would porbably like. I think most people here watch lots of football. I don't know how many watch the late games (west coast) or non regional games, but I know several of the guys here do. I think most have a decent grasp of football across the country.

[RazorHawk]

I will say only this - we NEED Boise State in the title game against a BCS-AQ school. The matchup may shut everyone up, one way or another. If Boise State wins or keeps it close, everyone can finally say they belong. If Boise State wins big, the naysayers can all eat their crumb cake. If Boise State loses bad, we can all say they don't belong.

For now, this horse has been rode hard, put up wet, tied, beaten, shot multiple times and distributed around the world as bottles of Elmer's glue.

I am not sure anyone is saying that they might not win or be competitive. I think the point is when a team is playing a schedule that most of the games they are favored near 40 points, while those in BCS conferences are being tested every week, this is not on an equal playing field.

I think Donovan is right, in that maybe there needs to be two separate divisions. One would be made from the BCS conferences, while the second division would be made up with the mid majors.

[Spence]

Or just adjust the schedules to give everyone a schedule that is reasonable and then see how it goes.

[RazorHawk]

Or just adjust the schedules to give everyone a schedule that is reasonable and then see how it goes.

Impossible to adjust the schedules enough to balance with the great differences in the conferences. To do a national scheduling, it would almost require all conferences and rivalries to be eliminated and I am sure no one would want that. I didn't see the before responding.

[Dossenator]

I will say only this - we NEED Boise State in the title game against a BCS-AQ school. The matchup may shut everyone up, one way or another. If Boise State wins or keeps it close, everyone can finally say they belong. If Boise State wins big, the naysayers can all eat their crumb cake. If Boise State loses bad, we can all say they don't belong.

For now, this horse has been rode hard, put up wet, tied, beaten, shot multiple times and distributed around the world as bottles of Elmer's glue.

I am not sure anyone is saying that they might not win or be competitive. I think the point is when a team is playing a schedule that most of the games they are favored near 40 points, while those in BCS conferences are being tested every week, this is not on an equal playing field.

I think Donovan is right, in that maybe there needs to be two separate divisions. One would be made from the BCS conferences, while the second division would be made up with the mid majors.

I am starting to agree with Donovan on the 2 division idea. If you give Boise 30 days to prepare they can beat anyone. Now give them 7 days week after week against quality competion, factor in more injuries and lack of depth, more physical games, and having to play their starters for the majority of games, and Boise would not look liket he Boise we are seeing now against inferior competition. I will watch the game tonight but do not expect much...a good team will look great playing a bottom feeder in La Tech.

[billybud]

Finally someone gets the point.

It is not that Boise isn't good enough to play well in the title game...it's that they have a schemed schedule that almost guarantees them a shot at a BCS game at the least.

It is not a level playing field when there are elimination games every week....but not with Boise.

[Spence]

I completely get the point. Here is mine. For several years now I have heard - and said - play a good team and I will consider Boise State. Then they beat Oklahoma. Ok, we said you used a trick play to win, it wasn't like a win, maybe Oklahoma wasn't good. Then we say play a good team in the regular season and they play Oregon and beat them and we say one isn't enough. You have to play a couple good teams because maybe one isn't as good as we thought. The beat a good Oregon team, theey did it twice to take luck out of the equation, and we say no. Then they do what everyone has asked, they played two good teams OOC. The played and beat Virginia Tech and Oregon State and we say " you need to play at least four good teams OOC to for us to consider you. At some point people have to cry foul. As long as Boise State is in a non AQ conference, they will be held back. To me that makes the whole system a farce. If we play monopoly and I am one of the players, I expect to have a chance to win. I don't insist that you make a special rule for me, but I want to have the same shot as the others playing. Everytime we say you must do this to win and every time Boise State does it and we say good for you, but we need you to do something more now. Your strength of schedule matters, but Oregon's really doesn't.

The BCS doesn't say we want to find the teams that go through the biggest meat grinder to win. It says we want to find the two best teams. People do not really want a team that goes through a tough schedule anyway. In 2002 Ohio State went undefeated bruised and battered all through the schedule. (didn't know until after the bowl games that the B-10 was very good in 2002. All I heard was Luckeyes and things like that. It was an team that only had one impressive win (winning by a bunch) over B-12 offensive juggarnaut Texas Tech and their Heisman candidate QB Cliff Kingsbury. People were sure that Ohio State was get slaughtered - people were wrong. Same thing a few years later with Florida and Ohio State, except shoe on the other foot. Florida is going to get crushed, Michigan should have played in the championship. Florida killed Ohio State on the football field. People were wrong again. The Big-10 that was very good in 2002 was that bad in 2006. No one knew.


Boise State should get to prove it on the field and that is that. maybe people are wrong again. Maybe not. Let's find out.

[Eric]

Finally someone gets the point.

It is not that Boise isn't good enough to play well in the title game...it's that they have a schemed schedule that almost guarantees them a shot at a BCS game at the least.

It is not a level playing field when there are elimination games every week....but not with Boise.

"Schemed"? The executives sit in secretive smoke-filled rooms? It's not like they can do anything about their conference schedules. Of course, they have tried switching conferences but Utah and BYU bailed on the project to furnish the MWC into an auto-bid conference. I don't think the idea was to defeat two BCS schools and glide into the title game, I think it was to show that, in some fashion, they belong to some extent. I'm not sure what the scenario was concerning the Toledo and Wyoming games, when they were scheduled, and who else was available AND willing to face Boise State.

But if Boise State had defeated Virginia Tech, Oregon State, and replaced Toledo/Wyoming with a pairing like California/Texas A&M, the naysayers would use the same argument but say, "all they had to do was face four tests!" and just replace "two" with "four". It still wouldn't have been good enough.

[silverfox]

Good Post Spence.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5017 ... oncos-fail

And this from Pat Forde is interesting too:

And don't overlook this: Most of the current unbeatens have had pretty cushy travel schedules so far. Michigan State didn't leave the state of Michigan until Saturday -- when it nearly lost to Northwestern. TCU has left Texas once, for an uninspired win at Colorado State. Missouri has played five games at home, one in St. Louis and one road game. Auburn has played six home games and two on the road -- winning the roadies by a total of six points. Oregon has played three on the road, but the combined record of the opponents in those games is 6-16. Utah has had a similar ride: three road games against teams that are a combined 6-17.

Of the unbeatens, only Boise State has played more than half its games to date away from home. Bus.

- http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/s ... id=5727799

[silverfox]

If you get down to it...Boise State's signature win has been the three point come from behind win against VT in the last minutes.

And not too much else to talk about.

Auburn has played six home games and two on the road -- winning the roadies by a total of six points.

[WoVeU]

Spence stated the Boise State case as well as could be. A good closing statement for a trial that has been going on longer than OJ's epic.

People don't let accumulated data (and sometimes fact) stand in the way of their opinion, after an opinion has been drafted and stamped (the stamping comes in the form of dissemination, the one problem with sharing thought). Welcome, to the USA today!

Oh, and with that said, I have to give Kirk Herbstreit much credit and a salute. When I first heard him speaking positively at the end of last season and early this year...I attributed it to some set-up, maneuver, or manure (football PC). But I am convinced he is sincere, I was wrong!

[Eric]

Boise State only beat Louisiana Tech 49-20! They were only up 28-13 in the middle of the 3rd quarter. This disqualifies them from being considered an elite football team, because Missouri killed San Diego State, Oklahoma killed Utah State, Virginia Tech killed James Madison, Oregon didn't initially struggle against a very mediocre Tennessee team, Michigan State didn't only beat Florida Atlantic by 13 points, Wisconsin didn't only beat San Jose State by 13 points, LSU wasn't only up on McNeese State 22-10 after the third quarter and beat said mediocre Tennessee team on a botched execution of a late-game substitution, Nebraska didn't only beat South Dakota State 17-3, etc.