Item #1: I feel obliged to start with the scene that went down in Bronco Stadium Saturday afternoon. I already mentioned it in my take on the beat down of the Rainbow Warriors here, but I wanted to go into more detail on it. I was thinking about this over the weekend and these are my thoughts: I am so proud of the team and coaching staff for what they did on Saturday. I mean that sincerely. Stephen Kinsey is a little hero and deserves everything he got and more. When he and Shea McClellin walked out onto the field holding hands, carrying their hammers, it was like everybody in the stadium was watching a Nicholas Sparks movie. Waterworks galore. My eyes were sweating…At least that’s what I told my wife…The performance of the team coupled with Coach Pete’s treatment of the Kinsey family made me so proud to be a Bronco. At some point I may get back to my proactive BCS-hating ways, but right now I do not care. If you could tell me of a coach or a team that would do what Petersen and the Broncos did, you would be making it up. Bronco Nation is amazing, and it all starts with the coach. The BCS can have their fun this year, we all know who the real winners are. Take a look at Bronco-loved Pat Forde's perspective on Coach Pete and the team. It is really touching in so many ways. Pete is known for not trying to make a statement or earn "style points" when his team plays. Forde explains why it makes sense that he is how he is. Seriously, I was crying when I saw Kinsey and McClellin come onto the field, and then again when I read about it the next day. For a moment in time, I was able to see what is important in life, forget this garbage about the BCS, and enjoy myself on a surprisingly sunny Saturday in Boise. I am a big baby sometimes, and this was one of those times. If we could strive to be like Chris Petersen, not just with our actions but in our thoughts as well, we would be better fans and enjoy the game more. It was indeed a needed break from the BCS madness.
Item #2: With that said, I now wish to harp on the BCS (I told you I was going to contradict myself. But hey, the Stephen Kinsey-induced euphoria can only last so long, right?). Start by reading Brian Murphy's take on TCU jumping BSU in the polls and BCS Rankings. It is a really good article. These two teams are so close in talent, coaching, offensive and defensive production, and skill, that it is so hard to determine who should be ranked higher. All that you have to help you make a decision is who they played against, common opponents, and strength of schedule. Boise State's is ranked 78th and TCU's is 85th. Boise State's marquee win was over Virginia Tech, who currently sits 20th in the BCS Standings. TCU's signature win was against an extremely overrated Utah team (strength of schedule; 99th), who now sits at 14th. As long as the Hokies keep winning, they will be in the top 10 and at BCS Bowl by the end of the season. Utah will lose at Notre Dame. Boise State also beat a red hot Hawaii team, and will still face a tough Fresno State squad as well as a ranked Nevada unit. TCU plays nobody for their last two games. With that said, there is still plenty of time and the possibility for the Broncos to pass the Horned Frogs in the Rankings. Time will tell. My main gripe is the voters. With as close as these teams are, how in the world can the Frogs be getting that much more love than Boise State? The difference in respect is astounding and ridiculous at the same time. Boise State beat them last year. You can and have to use last year's results. Everything that happens this year is based on it. Boise State has a lot of ground to make up on TCU, biased voters are not going to help. In the bitter end, the Broncos could be left out of a BCS Bowl Game, which would be ridiculous. Come on voters! Get over yourselves! As far as common opponents, there are two; Oregon State and Wyoming. Boise State was more dominant over the Beavers than TCU was, beating them by a larger margin. They also dismantled Wyoming on the road, not allowing a point to be scored and held the Cowboys to negative rushing yards. The Horned Frogs beat them at home by the same margin, but allowed Wyoming to score. It is important to point out that the Cowboys were without their starting quarterback against TCU. Without this, how else could you compare the teams? Boise State was more impressive against them, but yet again the voters do not care. Insanity.
Item #3: I received a comment on "Boise State's Nice List" from Raul. He was wondering why Andrea Adleson wasn't on there. In all honesty, I had never heard of her before then. But as a blogger aspiring to be a journalist, I did my due diligence and researched everything I could about Mrs. Adelson. I found that she is very supportive of the non-AQ schools, including Boise State. The most interesting piece I found from her is actually a conversation she had with Mark Schlabach. In it they debate the merits of these schools. Check it out here and see for yourself. She definitely belongs on the Nice List, so thank you very much Raul. I would put her at number three, bumping the former numbers 4 through 8 back one spot. She is that high because of how enthusiastic she is with her non-AQ supporting position. I will now pay plenty of attention to what Andrea Adelson does. It feels good to have another one on our side.
That is all I have for today. Thanks again to Raul for commenting and contributing to this blog. I hope there is a lot more from him as well as everyone else that reads. As a farewell and in honor of the rivalry game that will go down on Friday, enjoy this picture! I saw it in person at Bronco Stadium three years ago! Check back in tomorrow for more!
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