For you all, I am sure it is....but nationally, I am not sure I have seen a single person not a UO or BSU fan considers this a game of the year.
It is a solid non-conference game but nothing more on a national scale.
Gonna have to disagree.
Yes, yes, it's only one example. There are more if you look, but I have a lot to respond to and I'm already exhausted.
But regardless, look at what I said again. I said it was gaining attention as one of the most important games of the year
for both teams. I never said it was a National Game of the Year.
You are but that is ok. That is what most people do when supporting their team. Support it no matter what.
The entire DL is gone, RB is gone, slew of WR's, etc....not even double-digit starters returning on both sides total excluding punter/kicker....and you actually can't understand why someone says BSU won't be "great"? I mean, you do understand why someone not affiliated would see that statement and laugh, right?
Umm. We are talking about the same Boise State, right? The one in Idaho? Because you are very, VERY wrong here. I mean, facts are facts and you are just flat out wrong.
We lost 20 seniors last year, and of those 20 only 8 were starters, and of those 8 only 2 (Bingham/Williams) regularly started on the DL. We were the youngest team in the top 25 last year, and are by far the youngest team this year.
We lost our top running back, but to be perfectly honest he was only our top back because he got the most carries. Johnson had a much diminished role last year because he had some lasting effects of an injury from the previous season. Jeremy Avery had a higher run average than Johnson, and he was only a sophomore last season.
We lost our top receiver, but again he was only our top receiver because he had the most balls thrown to him. Austin Pettis had a higher average last year, and Pettis was also just a sophomore last year.
But to replace Childs we have Titus Young, whom I believe would have been our top receiver last year had he not screwed up and been suspended from the team. But he's back this year, and he's even faster now then he was last year.
I would be more than happy to break down all of our starters for you, past and present, just ask.
Considering you really don't have a choice, is that really a question that needs to be asked?
You said it yourself....you can't get teams to come to you....and if you want to take that next step into the world of Top 5-10 consistently....beating Top 5-10 teams needs to be done and the only way to accomplish that is to go on the road and do it.
Though BSU fans may find it unfair or whatever, that really is the only solution for them. Sitting in their own house playing D2 teams and complaining won't really get them anywhere.
I've never said anything was unfair. The BCS has been, and will be great for us. But to expect a team to go out and play teams that are obviously bigger, faster, stronger is ridiculous. If we win, it's a fluke, unless we do it consistently. If we lose, well that's what was supposed to happen anyway, right? And if we lose then we have ZERO chance of making it to a BCS bowl and gaining the attention of new recruits.
You can't just magically be a great team. It takes years of getting the right personnel in place to recruit the right people. You have to have great seasons and get national attention, because otherwise we have no chance at landing bigger recruits. Even now we still don't land huge guys, but our coaching staff knows talent when they see it and we pounce on the guys that get overlooked by the "better" schools. Ryan Clady was one of these guys. Chris Carr, Orlando Scandrick, Derek Shoumann. These were all guys that were passed over by larger schools in the last few years. I'm sure you've never heard of them, so Google them. They all have starting spots on their respective NFL teams.
My point is, we don't have the luxury of a one or two loss season. We have to be perfect every year in order to have just a chance at the money that will build our program. You're comparing Boise State to SEC teams that have been around forever. Boise State has only been a D-IA team since 1999, so we're obviously still in the "growing phase".
As we get more national exposure we will continue to improve, and we will continue to schedule bigger schools. Last year we beat Oregon, this year we'll beat them again.
Next year we play Va. Tech. in D.C., which is basically a home game for Hokies.
Our schedules will continue to improve over time as our team does. But to schedule a top-five team would be ludicrous, because we would not only lose the game, but more importantly we would lose our one desperate shot at the BCS money. The money that is required to build a program.
This is why it really depends on the definition of "great". You define "great" as anyone in the top 10, but I see anyone in the top 20 as a great football team. That's the top 20 out of 120 schools in the FBS. That's a little under 17%. In my book the top 17% are "great" schools.
Honestly, how you compare your Non-Conference schedule to Florida's considering who they play in the regular season and you do...is beyond me.
If Florida is such a great team (which they are) then they shouldn't have any problem scheduling at LEAST a top 50 school in their non-conference schedule, right?
Seriously, how can you defend Florida's non-conference schedule? The only team that got a vote was Troy, and they're 53rd in the preseason poll. You have to admit that is pretty pathetic.
Yeah, they have a very tough conference schedule, but that has absolutely nothing to do with how extremely weak their non-conference schedule is.
I am not sure UGA has stopped scoring against you all from my last memory of BSU playing an SEC school
Heh heh. True, but hey, we all have bad seasons. But comparing a current team to a team from four years ago is just as meaningless as me saying Boise State could beat anyone in the Big 12 because we beat Oklahoma three years ago. Pretty ridiculous.
Thanks for the fun discussion,
DiamondMac!
