Say What You Will About Boise State…

…the team from the Pacific Northwest who plays on the “Smurf Turf” can play with the big boys!

Tonight, the Boise State Broncos went on the road to a “neutral” site game, jumped out to an early lead, fell behind in the second half, but came back to defeat Virginia Tech, a top ten team from a BCS conference. Did I mention that this “neutral” site game was played less than 300 miles from the Virginia Tech campus? Say what you will about Boise State…they aren’t going away anytime soon.

Yes, some will say that the referee’s handed Boise State the game (I disagree) but the game was entertaining and wasn’t decided until the final minute. It most definitely lived up to the hype that has surrounded it over the past couple of weeks.

I’ve heard people say that they’re sick of Boise State. That if they played a “real” schedule, they would go 8-4 every year. That they are bad for college football. In the end, I have to disagree with these people. Other than three games a year, Boise State is mandated to play the schedule they do during the season. yes, they don’t play the schedule that a team in the SEC, Big 10, Big 12 or Pac 10 play. But, when they play in big games, they’ve won, beating Oklahoma, Oregon, TCU and Virginia Tech.

Are they bad for college football? I don’t think so. They have come out of obscurity to become a team that has consistently gone to bowl games, and even BCS bowl games. Yes, compared to other top teams out there such as Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Texas and more, they may not be able to compete week in and week out with the pure talent of these teams. But, they’re playing the hand their dealt and you have to respect the job that the team and especially the coaching staff has done to build this successful program.

Who knows. This is only the first game of the season and they COULD lose a game, dropping them right out of the National Championship picture. Only time will tell. That’s why they play the game, right?

Feel free to chime in with your comments. I’m sure that Boise State will be discussed quite often between now and January.

Bill to Kill BCS System to be Proposed?

A member of Congress, from Texas, plans to introduce legislation that would force college football to adopt a playoff to determine the national champion. Hey, I’ve always said, I’m all for an NCAA playoff in Division 1 college football! This year is a prime example of how great a postseason could have been.

From the Associated Press:

Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, didn’t specify what sort of playoff he wants — only that the BCS should go.

“In some years the sport’s national championship winner was left unsettled, and at least one school was left out of the many millions of dollars in revenue that accompany the title,” Barton said in a statement released ahead of the bill’s introduction. “Despite repeated efforts to improve the system, the controversy rages on.”

He said the bill — being co-sponsored by Reps. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat, and Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican — “will prohibit the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a postseason game as a ‘national championship’ football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system. Violations of the prohibition will be treated as violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice.”

The BCS was created in 1998 by the six most powerful conferences. Since then, the system has been tweaked to make it easier for teams from smaller conferences to qualify for the top games. The sites for the four BCS bowls – the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta – take turns hosting a championship game between the top two teams in the BCS standings, which are based on two human polls and six computer ratings.

This season, Florida (12-1) and Oklahoma (12-1) will meet in the BCS title game Jan. 8 in Miami.