Happy Valentine's Day, Bronco fans. In the spirit of love and respect and the interminably long offseason drought of content, I thought I'd make a list of the reasons why I love the Boise State football team. I stopped at 10 reasons, and they're listed after the jump. What would be on your list? Feel free to share in the comments.
1. Chris Petersen
What's not to love about Coach Pete? He's a brilliant football coach, a role model, and a leader. He has integrity and creativity and ingenuity and a sense of humor. He makes his phone number available at BroncoSports.com and has no problem sending my calls RE: passing game suggestions to voicemail. What more could you want in a football coach? Am I right, Stanford?
2. They haven't lost to Idaho in 12 years
Idaho is the worst. That is all.
3. The best players play, and those players include Kellen Moore and Doug Martin
Boise State recruits some of the best football players in the country, and sometimes those players take a back seat to walk-ons and puny effort guys. Such is life in Bronco Nation where the best players of the week are the ones who get the playing time. Other schools may have taken S Ryan Winterswyk and banished him to special teams purgatory. Boise State turned him into a DE and an all-conference player.
4. Trick plays
I know them as part of the Boise State offense, but the rest of the country would recognize them as "tricks." WR passes, double reverses, and the like provide a level of excitement and creativity to an already genius offensive scheme. Who doesn't love a well-timed pass to a wide open quarterback? Besides the Louisiana Tech secondary, I guess.
5. Blue turf
I understand why some people hate Boise State's blue turf. They're jealous. Except for Eastern Washington fans. They're insane and (I guess) color blind.
6. Being ranked
There's something to be said about a program that has consistently been in the Top 25 for the past decade. Whether it's the Top Ten or the Top Twenty, Bronco fans get to scoreboard watch week in and week out to see where the Broncos will land. Sometimes this isn't as fun as you might think (i.e., all those times when BSU gets jumped), but it sure beats the alternative.
7. Points
It would be hard to root for a team with no offense, as New Mexico State fans are aware. Boise State scores often and in bunches and in a variety of different ways although mostly Kellen Moore TD passes and Doug Martin TD runs. But even then, it's exciting stuff.
8. Bronco stock
I own part of the Boise State football team. Which part, I'm not sure, and I'm not allowed at practices or scrimmages to clarify. But still, the Broncos are the only team in college football to offer fans the opportunity to buy shares in the program and to pig out at shareholder meetings once a year. I demand hot dog sliders in 2011!
9. Having half your team on all-conference
The Broncos put 14 players on the all-conference team this year. They start 23 players.
10. No offseason
As recently as five years ago, Boise State football took a break after bowl season. Not any more. If you want Bronco football news, you can find it year-round. Whether it be preseason hype, conference realignment rumors, or good-old fashioned OBNUG speculative roundtables, Boise State talk dominates 365 days a year. As it should.
Your turn
What do you love about the Boise State football team? Anything you would add to this list? Anything you would take off? Share your thoughts in the comments.