We are mere hours away from the start of the Boise State football season. These are the thoughts running around my head. Share yours in the comments.
Confidence meter: Hopeful bordering on anxious
Because of my obvious biases and in spite of my historical anxiety, I have found myself strangely confident about Boise State's chances against Georgia. Occasionally over the past few days, I will read something I have written and say quietly to myself, "Boy, aren't you a piece of work. Publish!" I am not proud of this.
The Georgia game should scare me. The Bulldogs are big, fast, and talented, even when you factor in all their injuries and attrition. This will be one of the two best teams the Broncos face all season long, and yet for some reason I have yet to entertain the notion of Boise State losing.
Probably, the thought of losing will wash over me during the pregame festivities, and I'll need a private moment to have a nervous breakdown and recompose myself. But until then, I'm planning victory parades. Here is one of the best reasons I've found to be confident:
Boise State has been here before. I don't buy into the SEC factor, and I don't think what happened six years ago in Athens has any bearing on this game whatsoever. The Broncos went into FedEx Field and beat a BCS conference champion in the season opener last year. That's where I'll get my confidence. I don't think Georgia is as good as Virginia Tech. I don't think 2011 Boise State is as good as 2010 Boise State, either. So let's call it a push.
There are other reasons, too, like Kellen Moore, the Boise State defensive line, the big-game experience of players and coaches. I could go on. And I'm sure Georgia fans could come up with a list of reasons to be confident, too. For whatever reason, I just haven't bothered looking at their list yet. I'm hopeful for big things on Saturday night. I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible.
(Get out of my head, Amsterdam Watch Force!)
The bigger, faster (and probably stronger) factor
What does Chris Petersen think about this Georgia team?
Petersen says Georgia is "bigger and faster" than Boise State, and than Boise State normally sees.less than a minute ago via TweetDeck 
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Bronco Beat
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Follow-up question: How much does "bigger and faster" matter?
Miscellaneous thoughts
- Who is going to carry the Hammer?
- As of right now, I would really like to know who is starting at right guard for the Broncos. As of 10:00 on Saturday night, I will wonder what the big deal was and why I'm so demanding of information.
- I don't think it's any coincidence that the two pictures hanging out on the OBNUG home page right now are of Boise State head coach Chris Petersen. Having a coach like Pete is a huge advantage in this game.
- Mark May has picked the Broncos to lose to Georgia. In other news, you get six points for a touchdown.
- Perhaps the thing that worries me most as kickoff approaches is how many people are picking the Bulldogs to win. It makes me feel like I'm forgetting something.
- Note: I wrote the above paragraph before the NCAA dropped the Dutch banhammer. Not having three key contributors in a game where depth and experience matter is my new biggest worry.
We talked a little Bronco football this week in preparation for Saturday's game. Here are the highlights:
- The Georgia Bulldogs anagram roster
- Georgia - Boise State game preview
- Boise State depth chart analysis
- Know Your Enemy: Georgia
- Your rooting guide for other college football games
- Interview with Georgia blogger Kyle King
- Predict the score contest
Your turn
What thoughts do you have as kickoff approaches? Fears? Hopes? Dreams? Worries? Share them in the comments.