Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Feeling Blue: Boise State’s Sad Reality
For a team that hasn't lost on the field in more than a year, the Boise State Broncos just cannot win off of it.
No, they do not have dozens of arrests on their record, nor have any NCAA investigators changed their mailing addresses to Boise. But in the intellectually corrupt court of college football opinion, the Broncos were judged well before their first kickoff of the season.
Boise State's impressive opening weekend win over Virginia Tech at a neutral-in-name-only Fedex Field seemed to announce our first real shot at a non-BCS conference school making the National Championship Game. But just five days later, the Hokies fell flat to 1-AA James Madison, deflating the Broncos' signature win in the process.
Just three weeks into the season, the debate about Boise has made several sharp turns. Immediately after the win in metro Washington, DC, the Broncos' critics tried to snuff out the afterglow by questioning just how good Virginia Tech is (a fair question, in hindsight). Others wrote off the significance of one game altogether, suggesting the true test of a team is facing challenges week-in, week-out.
In rebuttal, Boise's supporters proclaimed their team would easily contend for the championship of one of the lesser BCS conferences, such as the ACC or Big East. As a chaser, they cited Boise's wins in past seasons over Oregon, Oregon State, and Oklahoma. (On a side note, that Fiesta Bowl happened following the 2006 season, which for perspective, was Tim Tebow's freshman year. Why do we still site this as evidence of Boise's credentials?)
So what is Boise State really? Are they a blue-turfed figment of our college football zeitgeist? Are they an unfairly marginalized up-and-comer that threatens the status quo?
Clearly, the answer lies somewhere in between, though you'll be hard-pressed to find many college football fans who hold that moderate opinion. The truly baffling part of this debate is how little the events on the field seem to matter.
The sad truth is, most college football fans and media had their minds made up about Boise State before Labor Day. Either the prospect of a Bronco victory was insignificant in light of the rest of Boise's schedule or an affirmation of their bona fides.
But strangely, everyone seems to agree on the most unpredictable part of the equation: Boise State seems destined to go 12-0 and run its unbeaten streak to 25 games. And yet nobody wants to talk about what is playing out on the field.
Then what should we do with Boise three weeks into the season? Wait. The Broncos have 10 games left to establish their resume. The significance of those games, as well as the two already in the books, is yet to be determined, the same as everyone else.
College football is as contextual as any sport we follow in this country. In the NFL, a 45-0 win in any week is impressive even over the lowliest opponent. But on Saturdays, every game has a back story. Those 60 precious minutes spread roots in the months and even years that follow. And because subjective rankings are the majority factor in deciding who plays for the national championship, where that root system spreads matters.
And that brings us back to the cloud in Boise's silver lining. For as good as the Broncos have looked, they sit at No. 3 in the polls and could certainly be overtaken by the big names breathing down their necks. It is difficult to imagine the schedule and talent will ever line up any better for Boise (after all, what BCS-conference team wants to schedule them at this point?). Until something in their context changes, this peak may be where Boise maxes out as a program.
There is no more frustrating realization than finding that your best effort is not good enough. So while Boise State continues this wave of winning on the field, it may be doomed to larger defeats off of it.