In the worst kept secret since last year's WAC Freshman of the Year voting, Boise State confirmed its 2010 game against Virginia Tech yesterday. The Broncos and Hokies will play on Saturday, October 2, at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. Boise State will receive $1.25 million for their troubles. The game will be a home game for VaTech and will be subject to ACC television rights. Mark May will be picking the Broncos to lose by a billion.
But what does it all mean? I'm glad you asked.
Will this mean the Broncos open the season with a WAC game? And will that WAC game be against the University of Idaho?
Most people, myself included, thought that the Boise State - Virginia Tech game would be both schools' season opener. Wrong. The game will be played on the fifth weekend of the 2010 college football season, which is great news for the Broncos' chances in the game. Openers against BCS schools aren't my favorite.
However, playing the game in October leaves a hole in the Broncos' schedule on opening weekend. Here are the dates confirmed by Broncosports.com for BSU's nonconference opponents next season.
| Opponent | Date |
| vs. Toledo | Sept. 11 |
| @ Wyoming | Sept. 18 |
| vs. Oregon State | Sept. 25 |
| @ VaTech (FedEx Field) | Oct. 2 |
Though it is a possibility, I cannot imagine that Boise State wants an open date on the first weekend of the college football season. Not only would it be a major buzzkill, but it would also mean that BSU would have a hard time coming up with another break at any point during the season.
The best solution I see: Start the season with a WAC game. Start the season with Idaho.
Let's face it. The Vandal-Bronco rivalry could use a shot in the arm, and opening the season with the game might just do the trick. The rivalry opener has happened before, so there's no reason why it wouldn't work now. It would give the Broncos an easier opponent to open the season against, it would be a season-opening home game for the Vandals (and it would sure beat going down to Arizona to lose 70-0), and it would receive more pub than it probably deserves over the entire course of the offseason.
I also wouldn't mind seeing a Boise State - Nevada or a Boise State - Fresno matchup to open the year. Basically, I just don't want to see a bye.
What are the Broncos going to do with $1.25 million?
Hopefully, they'll look into closing the south end zone. I have no idea how much those things cost, but I know that I would certainly do the job for $1.25 million.
If not stadium upgrades, the money could be well spent in a number of different areas. To wit: scholarship programs, a JumboTron in each end zone, the Kellen Moore Heisman campaign (you know it's coming), Paul J. Schneider hush money, hologram media guides, etc. The safest, most boring investment would be lessening the budget deficit. Lame, but probably what will happen.
To be sure, the Broncos made out like bandits. New Mexico State is only earning $850,000 for its game at Ohio State, and San Jose State has Alabama on the schedule in 2010 for slightly less than one million dollars.
No matter how you slice it, Boise State came up roses with their deal with Virginia Tech. Here's hoping they spend the money wisely.
Will it be the first time that a Boise State game is aired on ABC?
The VaTech game is certain to be nationally televised, and as it falls under ACC TV rights, it is certain to be aired by one of the ESPN family of networks. Included in that family? ABC. The Alphabet has pushed its Saturday Night football agenda on the country in recent years, and a neutral-site, VaTech-Boise State game seems like the perfect product for a primetime showcase.
At the very least, the game should be subject to regional coverage on ABC/ESPN during the day on Saturday. At the very best, Brent Musburger and Co. will be flying to D.C. to cover a phenomenal pre-conference-schedule showdown between two of the nation's most successful teams. Somewhere between those two, the game could end up on ESPN or ESPN2 and Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore could be prominently involved.
The opportunity for ABC coverage got me to thinking: Will it be the Broncos' first time on the national network? Tom Scott, a little help here? Readers? Wikipedia?
Is the Broncos' 2010 schedule worthy enough to earn national championship consideration?
Right. We already discussed this.
You readers got any theories on what the Virginia Tech game will mean to the Broncos next year? Share them in the comments.