Boise State, the BCS, and Gettin' Hosed

It is late and I am still awake. The obvious reason is that I am too pumped about tomorrow's college football games to allow myself to doze off. Another reason is that the kids that live in the apartment above us seem to be running laps at 12:30 AM. So, I won't try to fight it, and I'll just take this opportunity to give some more opinions on the BCS.

Tonight, Boise State finished out their perfect regular season with a 61-10 blowout of Fresno State, yet finds themselves on the outside of the BCS looking in. Their best chances of getting an at-large bid are for Oregon to beat Oregon State, thus keeping two PAC-10 schools out of the BCS (assuming USC has already punched their ticket -- which I believe they have). Then, they have to hope that a 2-loss Ohio State (big-game chokers!) team doesn't get chosen over them for the final BCS spot.

If Boise State does not get a BCS bid, they will end up playing in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho on December 30th, on their home field, in the freezing cold, and earning the $750,000 payout that comes with it. However, should they get an at-large bid to play in the Orange Bowl, they would be playing on New Year's Day in front of a huge nationally televised audience, in beautiful south Florida, and earning the roughly $17-million payout that comes with it. That's quite a drop in location, exposure, and, most-importantly, money.

It is also a huge drop in competition, as they would be playing the #1 ACC team in the Orange Bowl, while they would be getting the #8 ACC team in the Humanitarian Bowl. Will anyone really tune-in to watch Boise State put up 60 points on Wake Forest? Doubtful. However, who wouldn't tune-in to see the Broncos play for an undefeated season against the ACC Champion? If you remember the Fiesta Bowl from a couple of years ago, you wouldn't miss this game for anything. That was by far the most exciting game I have ever watched in my life, and probably one of the most exciting games ever. On Boise State's last series, I wasn't on the edge of my seat. That is because I sitting on the floor 18 inches from my tv screen, watching in amazement. The hook-and-ladder and the statue of liberty, run to perfection, with no time left? To win the game? Yeah, sign me up again, please.

Some will say that Boise State doesn't deserve to be in a BCS game due to their schedule. And I agree, it is pretty dismal. Their best win was on the road against a decent Oregon team (8-3). However, after that, the level of competition drops off significantly. But for the most part, they are blowing out their lesser opponents and have earned their #9 ranking. They even have a 10th-ranked BCS computer average, so it is not just the humans that think they have earned their ranking.

(Soapbox Moment in 3....2....1.....) The problem with the BCS is that the six major conferences have automatic bids no matter what they are ranked. In 2005, a Florida State team ranked #22 in the BCS standings won the ACC and got to play in the Orange Bowl. And this year, it again appears that we will have a low-ranked, 3 or 4-loss ACC team playing in the Orange Bowl due to the automatic bid. Some may say that it just shows that the ACC is very good from top to bottom. I'll say that it shows that the ACC is full of evenly-matched, mediocre teams.

If Boise State is left out of the BCS mix, the Orange Bowl will likely pit Big East champ Cincinnati against the ACC champ (BC, V Tech, FSU, or G Tech). If that is the case, you can guarantee that I won't be watching the Orange Bowl this year. The combined ranking of these teams would be around 30; not exactly a prime BCS match-up if the ask me. The Capital One Bowl and the Cotton Bowl would be better match-ups than the Orange Bowl!

So, join me in rooting for the Ducks to upset the Beavers tomorrow, and maybe we'll get to watch Boise give us another football miracle this bowl season.