Blue Turf Nation

The Wild And Crazy Conference: Our Own Worst Enemy?

By D. Jenkins

A Blue-Bleeding, East Coast, Boise State Fan

****  http://twitter.com/DrewJinx ****

After dialing up a Halloween treat and blowing out San Jose State, we received our trick from the polls that Sunday when they dropped our beloved Broncos.  And what happened the following week after another in-conference victory over La Tech?  It was nothing but another drop in the polls, and more of the talking heads trying to spin their strength-of-schedule argument.  The same, ahem, ‘stuff’ we always hear.

Boise beat the BCS Oregon Ducks to open the season- the same Oregon Ducks who beat the USC Trojans.  TCU, currently the only non-BCS school ranked above Boise, and one of the teams bumped ahead of Boise in the aforementioned weeks, opened their non-conference play beating UVA who lost to FCS William & Mary.  Yes, TCU does have a victory over Clemson (not bad) but no pollster has Clemson ranked over Oregon.  In addition, it is no secret (as the story aired repeatedly on ESPN and other outlets) that BCS schools do not want to play Boise, and they certainly do not want to play Boise on the Blue Turf!

However, as much as I would like to debate how there is no justification for TCU’s leap-“frog” of Boise, what’s done is done.  And every year since busting the BCS and beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, Bronco fans have had to hear the, ahem, excuse of strength of schedule for Boise not being ranked as high as they truly deserved.  So maybe it is time to take things into our own hands.  I would like to thank the Blue Turf Nation for the opportunity to “guest author” and since I decided my article would be about a Boise transition to another conference, I have seen a lot of twitter and blog activity about said topic.  So, not only do I find it fitting, but also it appears that the subject is on a lot of minds other than my own.  So let’s get right into it and discuss, what I feel, are the valid options for Bronco Nation…

“The Obvious.” Option One: Transition to the Mountain West

I do not claim to be the first to propose a Boise move directly to the one non-BCS conference in the question of obtaining an automatic qualifier.  But I feel that the Mountain West needs to do it the right way- 12 teams, two divisions, and a conference championship:

• East Division:

1. TCU
2. Air Force
3. Wyoming
4. New Mexico
5. Colorado State
6. SMU (they defect from Conference USA)

• West Division

1. Boise State
2. Utah
3. Brigham Young
4. San Diego State
5. UNLV
6. Nevada (we bring ‘em with us to the battle)

Now, these moves would raise a whole lotta ruckus in the NCAA, but here is how I have worked it out: losing Boise and Nevada drops the WAC to seven teams, but they take Louisiana-Monroe from the Sunbelt.  This brings the WAC back up to a respectable eight teams and also places the Sunbelt at a logical eight teams.  And, the Mountain West is BCS AQ without a doubt.  I placed SMU in here from Conference USA because geographically, they are a fit; they are close to TCU; they are a storied program; June Jones appears to be bringing them back from their days of the dreaded black-flag; and they deserve to renew consistent matches against TCU and BYU.  This would drop Conference USA to an odd 11 teams; specifically their West division is dropped to an odd five teams.  No problem. They move UAB to their West division to bring it back up to six teams, and then Conference USA brings Army back into their fold in the East division.  Then they have a total of twelve teams once again.  If they really don’t care for Army for some reason (or vice versa), then they can steal a team from the MAC.  There is no reason for the MAC to currently have the odd number of 13 teams, but I don’t have the time (nor do I care enough about the MAC Conference) to re-align their divisions for them right now… we are talking about Bleeding Blue!

“The Big Time.” Option Two: Transition to the PAC-10

Let’s have Boise move right into PAC-10 territory (as they are already consistently recruiting from there and playing (and beating) their teams.  Again, bring in Boise and another program; have two divisions; and have a conference championship:

• North Division

1. Boise State
2. Oregon
3. Oregon State
4. Washington
5. Washington State
6. Nevada (we bring ‘em with us to the battle)

• South Division

1. Stanford
2. Arizona
3. USC
4. Cal
5. UCLA
6. Arizona State

I don’t feel we would have as much ruckus here with these moves.  The biggest question for me was, “what second team follows Boise in the WAC Exodus?”  One could make an argument for Fresno, but it is all about the “what have you done for me lately?” mindset.  Nevada is a program on the move while Fresno has appeared stagnant the last few years (if not actually slipping downward).  Also, Nevada makes sense geographically, not only with the divisions I have laid out above, but also it would then open a natural recruiting gateway for PAC-10 teams into the state of Nevada.  Plus, if someone from the Golden State wants to play Fresno State, San Jose State, or likewise San Diego State from the MWC, then they can schedule them on their own as an in-state/non-conference game.  Again, losing Boise and Nevada drops the WAC to seven teams, but they take Louisiana-Monroe from the Sunbelt.  This brings the WAC back up to a respectable eight teams and also places the Sunbelt at a logical eight teams. I think this Option Two should be seriously considered by all parties mentioned above as it should bring the PAC-10 to the level that the Big 12 and SEC are currently positioned at, and Boise has it’s shot at an AQ!

“The Dark Horse.” Option Three: Transition to the Big Ten

I know, I know, some of you are saying, “whaaat?”  But lets look at Option Three more carefully (and, also, you gotta note that I labeled it the Dark Horse Option, okay?).  First, The Big Ten already has 11 teams- all they would need is Boise State and then change their nifty log with the “11” inside the “Big Ten” writing to a 12!  So let’s do this- bring in Boise; have two divisions; and have a conference championship:

• East Division

1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Michigan State
4. Purdue
5. Michigan
6. Indiana

• West Division

1. Boise State
2. Iowa
3. Wisconsin
4. Northwestern
5. Minnesota
6. Illinois

Honestly, I really like Option Three for Boise as a serious option as well.  Here is why: First, Boise leaves the WAC with a respectable and even number of eight teams without them doing anything else, although I do think they should go after some like a Louisiana-Monroe from the Sunbelt.  Second, the Big Ten doesn’t have to do anything except change their nifty logo like I mentioned previously, and sit back and enjoy the respectability that would come from getting Boise and a conference championship game (for too long now, it has appeared that the Big Ten rule book states, “In Case of Tie: Send Ohio State to BCS game as representative of our AQ.”)  Third, while I recognize that Boise would equal a little bit of extra travel time for a couple of my East Division teams, it is not that bad, and other teams/conferences travel a whole lot further- Boise is basically a straight shot across the Midwest just like the other teams, just adding a few miles (and for Boise, come on, the Bronco Nation is playing Hawaii!).   Fourth, and maybe most important in terms of Boise State, as I mentioned in Option Two, Boise already plays and recruits in PAC-10 land; a move to the Big Ten would cement it’s standing as not only a Northwest/Pacific Northwest program, but now this transition would also recognize Boise State’s connection, ties, and roots as a Midwest program- Boise could have the best of both worlds!

In closing, I would again like to thank the Blue Turf Nation for the opportunity to “guest author” and I hope this gives other Boise fans something to ponder.  By looking at my options laid-out above… if nothing else… maybe I will start to see some twactivity (that’s twitter activity) mentioning other options instead of just limiting our talk to bouncing to the Mountain West.

Poll Question: As a Bronco fan, what would you prefer Boise Do?

-        The Obvious (Mountain West)

-        The Big Time (PAC-10)

-        The Dark Horse (Big Ten)

-        Independent (Notre Dame & NBC?  Let Boise strike a deal w/ ESPN2 for home games!)