Boise State and TCU will face off in a battle of non-BCS unbeatens in the Fiesta Bowl. How do you feel? Analysis coming soon; in the meantime, leave your thoughts in the comments.
Broncos going BCS bowling ... will you be there?
Are you planning a trip to the Fiesta Bowl?
The Fiesta Bowl takes place on Monday, January 4, at Glendale, Arizona. For many Bronco fans, it could very well feel like deja vu, both because the Broncos and Horned Frogs faced off just last year in the Poinsettia Bowl and because three years prior Bronco fans trekked to the Fiesta for one of the most memorable college football games of all-time.
Are you happy that Boise State is in the Fiesta and not the Sugar? Does the proximity make it easier to attend?
Boise State gets well-deserved BCS bowl
As Coach Pete faithfully proclaimed, "Things will work themselves out." And so they did.
Boise State went undefeated in the regular season for the second consecutive year, and they were rewarded with a lucrative, big-time bowl game. Can you imagine how it would have felt if they got snubbed?
Of course you can. That was the feeling that Bronco fans had for most of the year, ever since TCU passed the Broncos as the No. 1 non-BCS team. Fact is, Boise State played by the rules, did everything asked of it, and was rewarded for doing so. The BCS got this one right ... sort of.
Broncos versus Horned Frogs: What message is the BCS trying to send?
One take on the Boise State - TCU matchup is that the BCS is giving a giant middle finger to non-BCS teams by sticking them together in a bowl game. It is as if the BCS said, "You're making me take two non-BCS teams? Fine. I'll make them play each other and turn the whole thing into a meaningless sideshow that only accentuates the fact that small schools don't belong with the big boys."
The Fiesta Bowl pairing could be viewed as the BCS sending Rosa Parks to the back of the bus. It is compartmentalized elitism at its finest. The BCS might spin the matchup as a hotly anticipated battle of undefeateds. But to what end? It's not like the winner gets a crack at the winner of Alabama-Texas. The winner simply gets to say that they are the best non-BCS school out there, while at the same time having no on-field proof that it can stand with the BCS elites.
Think there is any validity to this kind of thinking? Do you agree? Disagree? Have a different take?
So much for wanting fan support
For the last couple weeks, Idaho Statesman reporter Chadd Cripe has said that the Fiesta Bowl's No. 1 priority would be fan travel. So what happened?
The Fiesta Bowl chose the two schools with the smallest fan bases out of the available BCS teams. Had they wanted fan travel, they would have taken Iowa, like everyone thought they would. Instead, they went with the bearded lady matchup of non-BCS teams and in so doing went against everything they had said.
"This year, more than any other, the number of people a team will bring and the length of time they’ll stay here and fill hotel rooms — from an economic engine standpoint — that’s going to be very important to us.”
Perhaps TCU fans are squatters and will stay in Glendale all month. That's the only theory I can think of.
How will Boise State fare against TCU?
All the above analysis is fine and good, but none of it even touches on the matchup itself. Who will win between TCU and Boise State?
Last week, I wrote that TCU would be the toughest opponent in the country for the Broncos to match up with, and I still believe it. The Broncos will have their work cut out for them in a big way. I'll cover all the particulars of this matchup over the next several weeks, but for now, I'll just say that TCU will be a very tough test for a very good BSU team.
Where do you think they will set the line for this game? TCU by 10? TCU by 3? Boise State by 3?
Bottom line: No room for complaining
The bottom line is that the Broncos made a BCS bowl, which is exactly what Bronco fans have been wanting all year. No matter who they face or what the outcome is, Bronco fans should be happy. Boise State has gone as far as it could this season and they are expected to be even better the next.
Your turn
Share you thoughts on the above topics and more in the comments.