Life Coach: Airport Cheering 101

The Life Coach believes that there are no stupid questions, just stupid Vandal fans who ask questions. His purpose is to shepherd Bronco Nation to the calm waters of illumination, guiding them through their perfunctory problems with grace, flair, and competent advice. Got a question for the Life Coach? Email him at OneBroncoNationUnderGod@gmail.com.

Dear Life Coach,
I recently was in another airport and saw another traveler wearing a Boise State shirt. I suddenly had an uncontrollable urge to shout "Boise!" and he responded with "State!" Is this acceptable?
Annoying in Arco

No. A thousand times no. Please do not do this. If you do this, mature Boise State fans will slowly shake their heads, look down to the ground, and sigh. Here’s why.

I lived in Ohio for a year once. In Ohio, one person will yell “O-H!” and another person will yell “I-O!”. It’s fun. It’s unique. It’s been around forever. That’s why it works. But it does NOT work for us to do our "Boise...State!" cheer. First, it’s not fun to do it with just two people (especially if the guy on the back end is a little quiet because then it's just a dude in an airport yelling “BOISE!” and that’s a little odd). Second, it’s not unique at all. Every team has a back and forth cheer like that. And third, we’ve only been doing it so habitually for, like, 10 years – ever since we’ve been good. So please, please, don’t do this.

But there is something all to our own that is kind of cool that you can yell in an airport at another Boise State fan. By yelling this, you will see if this person really is a fan or not, and it will be a special moment between the two of you where you will both laugh and high-five each other. Just yell out, “And that’s another Boise State…” And if he or she is a true fan, they will yell back “FIRST DOWN!”

Life Coach,
How many Idaho Vandals does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Seriously, because I have four here right now and that isn't enough.
Handy in Hailey

It actually takes 17 Vandals to screw in a light bulb. Why? Because 16 isn’t enough, and 18 is too much.

It doesn’t have to make sense. We hate you, Vandals. Get better so we can have a rivalry again.

Mr. Life Coach,
Are Utah State fans worth jeering or are we just wasting our breath?
Sincerely, OBNUG

Well, let me say this. The name “Aggies” is actually short for “Agriculturalists." Now, don’t get me wrong; I support our agriculture as much as the next guy. But I just don’t think we need to waste our breath jeering the Utah State Agriculturalists. Not worth our time.

But we could do something new and exciting. I would encourage all fans instead of jeering to simply pity the other team. Simple and genuine pity. Instead of giving them the effort of our jeers, we could just feel bad for the Agriculturalists and their relative obscurity (ed's note: this works well with those New Mexico State Agriculturalists, too). Gentle pats on the back. Small encouragements for them to “keep trying, guys!” This will infuriate them. Agriculturalists hate pity.

Friday: Links with education

Story of the day:

Boise State recruiting adds two more [CSTV.com]

Yesterday's big news of getting a commitment from California QB Joe Southwick was just what we needed during this long summer. And now this!

Quarterback Joe Southwick of Danville-San Ramon Valley, Cal., who passed for 3185 yards and 35 touchdowns as a junior; defensive back Quaylon Ewing of Sugar Land-Kempner, Tex; and defensive back/receiver Ebenezer Makinde of Phoenix-Paradise Valley, Ariz., have committed to Boise State.

Looks like the Broncos have added two defensive backs to their 2009 recruiting class. This year's incoming class was short on both positions, so it is nice to see that the coaches have made it a point of emphasis to build up those areas of the team. And it is nice to have something fresh to talk about in late May.

Other links:

Southwick stories: Press-Tribune, Idaho Statesman, and Contra Costa Times.

More from Dave Southorn's interview with Southwick [Dave's Blog]
Good to know the Fiesta Bowl got Southwick's attention.

Boise State cracks Top 25 in random guy's poll [Domer Law]
But we don't really give too much credence to any poll that contains Notre Dame.

Fresno State adds Colorado to future schedule [Daily Camera]
Pat Hill will have to wait until 2011 to lose to Dan Hawkins again.

MAC looking to steal Sun Belt teams [AOL Fanhouse]
Please, take Idaho! Please!

Get LOST: a WAC guide to TV's best show

Tonight is the two-hour season finale of LOST. Schedule your life accordingly.

We can't wait to see what happens to Jack and the gang, and we hope the finale involves good doses of smoke monster, time travel, Kate, extreme close-ups, and Boone flashbacks. But while we were pining for our LOST fix, we got to thinking: what might things look like if the island was the WAC and the castaways were WAC teams?

Without further ado, here the WAC's version of LOST.

Jack = Boise State

Jack: in control of the island, has desirable leadership qualities, looks good on TV
Boise State: in control of the WAC, has desirable WAC championships, looks good on TV

Locke = Fresno State

Locke: never quite as good as Jack, full of secrets and supernatural hope, crippled for years by a fall from an eight-story window, surly
Fresno State: never quite as good as Boise State, full of hype and false hope, crippled for years by Paul Pinegar, haughty

Sawyer = Hawaii

Sawyer: had a good run there for awhile, scored Kate, pretty popular with the ladies, last seen holding a baby
Hawaii: had a good run there for awhile, scored twice in the Sugar Bowl, pretty popular with the locals, last seen holding Greg McMackin

Kate = LaTech

Kate: can give Jack some trouble, wanted for a crime, can't get over her boy problems, a tease
LaTech: can give Boise State some trouble, wants a consistent offense, can't get over Tim Rattay, a turnover

Sayid = Nevada

Sayid: strong-willed, from a foreign country, could possibly threaten Jack's leadership, knows how to use a gun
Nevada: thick-headed, from Reno, could possibly threaten Boise State's dominance, knows how to use a pistol

Sun = San Jose State

Sun: you sometimes forget she's on the show, lets her husband fight her battles, in utero
San Jose State: you sometimes forget they're in the WAC, lets the offense lose its battles, inconsistent

Hurley = New Mexico State

Hurley: harmless, good for comic relief every now and then, no one takes him seriously, rich in another life
New Mexico State: harmless, good for comic relief every now and then, no one takes them seriously, above .500 in another life

Claire = Utah State

Claire: a girl, gave birth to a possibly demonic boy, dated a rockstar, soon to be dead if not already
Utah State: a cupcake, gave birth to the 56-point loss, had a QB who punted, soon to be 0-1 if not already

Michael= Idaho

Michael: not a very likable person, his neck has a beard, he wanted to leave the island, killed some people
Idaho: not a very likable team, their coach has a mustache, we want them to leave the WAC, killed a rivalry

Let us know how what you think by sending us an email or leaving a comment. Who do you think Desmond should be? What about the Others? Do we place entirely too much value in television?

BONUS analogy: more of Jack as Boise State

Jack's...
...appendix is Jeremy Childs: both have been removed.
...facial hair is Doug Martin: both are tough and grisly.
...bedside manner is freshman linemen: both could use some work.
...medical skills is Coach Pete: both operate with surgical precision.
...alcoholism is the shotgun formation: both will lead to downfall.

QB recruit Southwick commits to Broncos

It appears that Boise State has landed its next big QB recruit.

Joe Southwick from San Ramon Valley HS (California) gave the Broncos a verbal commitment, and he sounds like a keeper. We'll let ESPN.com explain:

This guy has college starter written all over him. He is a guy that mid-majors are going to be all over and BCS programs should take notice. Southwick hasn't even come close to reaching his potential and his upside for development is outstanding. He is underdeveloped physically, but time in the weightroom and natural maturation will take care of that. He has good height and a quick, smooth arm. He is extremely poised and balanced within the pocket and does a great job working through progressions and buying time to find the open man.

This is a guy that plays in a pro style offense on the high school level and he really understands the passing game and he does an excellent job reading defenses especially for a young player. He is a very accurate quarterback that knows how to put his receivers in good position to make plays. He has excellent overall touch to make all the throws and although he does not have a cannon for an arm, he has enough zip on the ball to get it where he needs to. Footwork, drop and set up are quick and confident.

Throws well on the run, can change ball speeds and throws a soft, accurate ball on underneath and intermediate routes. Needs to be on time when throwing the ball deep, but can make vertical throws. His release is very quick and he shows a good clock for timing routes. Overall, Southwick is a late-bloomer with so much to work with and he has solid intangibles and leadership qualities. Excellent sleeper prospect.

Sounds good to us! Welcome to the team, Joe! We're glad to have you.

SRV QB commits to Boise State [East Bay Prep Sports]
ESPN.com scouting profile [ESPN.com]

Thursday: Links with Anger

Story of the day:

SEC talks about early recruiting season [Dave's Blog]

The SEC wants an early signing day, and what the SEC wants, the SEC gets. From ESPN.com:

The coaches voted by a 9-3 count Wednesday at the SEC spring meetings to add an early signing day in late November. This 24-hour period for prospects to sign early would fall on the Monday before the contact period begins, which during a normal year would come during the week of Thanksgiving.

The measure now moves on for approval by the conference's athletic directors and presidents before being sponsored on a national level. Why not fix the BCS while you're at it, SEC?

Other links:

Orlando Scandrick interview [Scout.com]
Fascinating read if you have a scout.com membership. We don't.

Quinton Jones roughriding it in the CFL [Leader-Post]
We hear that is the best place to roughride.

Hawkins' unique approach to recruiting [Daily Camera]
What doesn't Hawk have a unique approach to?

Fresno State wins Commissioner's Cup [Dailey's Bottom Line]
Is that similar to a WAC football championship? It isn't? Oh, that's what we thought.

Washington State releases top QB prospect [ESPN.com]
Steer clear of Moscow, young man!

Re-vote! The fix was in for Marty Tadman

Conspiracy theorists are buzzing...at least those conspiracy theorists who care about Boise State blogs.

Was Marty Tadman's Hall of Fame vote tampered with? Did a rogue Tadman-hater stuff the ballot box? Did we horribly underestimate Vandal alumni?

When we checked the results on Monday, we were surprised to see that Tadman's Fiesta Bowl performance had been denied induction. We figured that our love for Tadman had blinded us to the fact that his Fiesta Bowl was not as awesome as we thought. Apparently, we figured wrong.

Alert reader J Harry notified us of some shady dealings during voting. We'll let J Harry explain:

When I looked at the percentages, his approval for induction was well over 70%. As I was on, frequently refreshing the page, I literally saw his score drop, one percent at a time. I feel strongly that one person was probably voting repeatedly to get the total under 70%... otherwise it would have been well above the cut-off.

Great work, J Harry! You may have just earned yourself a Hall of Fame nomination in a few years. Apparently, someone wanted Tadman out, and they were willing to refresh our homepage often enough to see it done.

We feel that it is only fair to do a re-vote for Tadman. The poll will be back up later today, and we'll hold the voting through Monday morning. To make sure that our readers really do want Tadman in the OBNUG Hall of Fame, we are requiring 80 percent of the vote for his induction.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for voting (once).

Utah State starts at bottom of rankings

One blog's quest to rank every single football team in America begins at an appropriate place: the intersection of Utah State and the bottom.

God Inc is starting its rankings from worst to first, and the Aggies are the first ones up. The website sees Utah State finishing 2-10 (2-6 in WAC play), which we consider to be a roaring success as far as Utah State is concerned. And we already know where one of the wins is coming from:

Game to look for:

Idaho. This seems like it will be the game for last place in the WAC unless something changes fast for either of these programs. Utah State won last year’s meeting 24-19 in Moscow, Idaho.

We imagine that Idaho should be popping up on the site's rankings pretty soon, and we are more than prepared to wait 100 days or so to see Boise State's name.

2008 College Football Countdown [God Inc]

Wednesday: Links with hype

Story of the day

Several non-BCS running backs to watch [Rivals.com]

Rivals came up with a list of the top non-BCS running backs in the country, and if you look purely at the numbers, we think it is obvious which one is best.

The former Fiesta Bowl hero leads all active running backs in career rushing yards (3,418) and tops all active players in rushing touchdowns (45).

Ian Johnson stands out from the rest of the pack on his career totals alone, but the story focused on Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher, who sounds like he'll be a handful when the Broncos visit Hattiesburg. In all, four of BSU's 2008 opponents made the list, including Deonte Jackson (Idaho), Luke Lippincott (Nevada), and Ryan Matthews (Fresno State).

Let's hope our run defense really has gotten better.

Other links:

Utah State QB heading to BYU [Herald-Journal]
He must have seen the light on his Mormon mission.

Boise State's Fiesta Bowl third in clutchness [Pronounced like...]
But #1 in our hearts.

Non-Saturday games sure are annoying [FOX Sports.com]
Boise State fans hardly even notice any more.

Boise State's odds on winning national title

Cash in your 401K and break out Grandma's birthday check!

Bodog.com lists Boise State's odds of winning the 2009 national championship at 100/1. We'll take those odds any day. Some of the other teams with the same odds at the national title are Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, and BSU's September opponent Oregon. The team with the best odds is USC, in an obvious nod to 2005.

What we love best about the sports book is that Fresno State is not even listed. A group of teams are bundled into "The Field," and Boise State appears to be the only small-conference school to not be included in that group. Compulsive gamblers know what they're talking about!

The University of Idaho also did not receive a specific mention, either because they are to be included in The Field (says The Field: "Thanks for nothing!") or because sports betting agents didn't have their scientific calculators on hand to calculate the exponential figures of Idaho's national championship odds.

Football Futures Betting [bodog.com]

Tuesday: Links with Diet Coke

Story of the day:

Broncos hire Nevada alumnus [BroncoSports.com]

Boise State head athletic trainer Gary Craner will be retiring next month after 36 years on the job. Paul J. wishes he had the same opportunity.

Craner will be replaced by Marc Paul, a Nevada alumnus and the head trainer for the Wolfpack for the past eight years.

“We are very pleased to have attracted a person of Marc’s experience and background,” Bleymaier said. “We knew that replacing Gary Craner, who has been here for 36 years, would be a difficult task, but we think Marc is the right person at the right time. We feel he will be a great addition to the program.”

We're crossing our fingers that Bleymaier hired Marc Paul the athletic trainer and not Marc Paul the mentalist and mind-reader. Although, we would like to know what Coach Pete is thinking vis a vis the quarterback situation.

Other links:

Losing to BSU could cost Oregon's Bellotti [OregonLive]
His contract is tied to performance and gaudy uniform incentives

This is the first we've heard of a Jared Zabransky statue [Bleacher Report]
And the last we'll hear of it, hopefully.

Brian Murphy's long-awaited Indy Car column [Idaho Statesman]
Long-awaited if you actually wait for that kind of thing.

HOF: Tadman's Fiesta Bowl falls short

The people have spoken, and they do not feel the same way we do about Marty Tadman.

Tadman's Fiesta Bowl performance was the first nominee for the OBNUG Hall of Fame, a shoo-in as far as we were concerned, but he failed to earn the required 70 percent of the vote for induction, falling two percent short at 68 percent.

Were it up to us, Tadman would have been a sure-fire inductee, and he probably would have the Hall of Fame named after him. However, we value the opinion of our readers, and we appreciate you guys letting us know what you think. The OBNUG Hall of Fame will, apparently, be the toughest ticket in town.

Thanks to the hundreds who voted. We'll have the second OBNUG Hall of Fame nominee for you next week.

Monday: Links with America

Story of the day:

J. R. Simplot (1909-2008) [Associated Press]

Idaho lost one of its most successful and recognizable businessmen today when Jr. Simplot passed away in his home. He was 99.

While this news item is not expressly about Boise State, Simplot did have a soft spot in his heart for the Broncos, as explained by a story from the Tri-City Herald.

In his 90s, he seldom missed a Micron board meeting and was often seen about town, at events from Boise State University football games (he routinely bet $10 on the Broncos) to Art in the Park.

Betting on the Broncos? No wonder people considered him to have a brilliant business mind.

Other links:

Peak Broadcasting's BSU network [Idaho Press-Tribune]
You're welcome, Pocatello.

Don't expect BCS changes by 2018 [ESPN.com]
But do expect hover-cars.

Give Greg Graham an extension! [Parsing the WAC]
His players graduate!

None of BSU's Fiesta plays make list of memorable moments [ESPN.com]
And we're done reading ESPN.com forever.

Why is this year different for Fresno State? [Fresno State football blog]
"Because it is," says Fresno State fan.

Fiesta Bowl can't catch a break

What has happened to the 2007 Fiesta Bowl? Less than two years ago, it was the greatest college football game of all-time. Now it is not even the greatest BCS game in the last five years?

The 2006 Rose Bowl was fun to watch and all, but it could not even compare to the overall drama and impact of the '07 Fiesta. It's like Matthew McConaughey and the Applewhites are running this thing!

Fortunately, there is still time to right this wrong. Click here to vote in the poll. Then, when you are finished voting, refresh the page and vote again. We can't let the Fiesta Bowl go down without a fight!

(While you're in the voting mood, feel free to give us your thoughts on Marty Tadman's OBNUG Hall of Fame induction.)

Friday: Links with PDA

Story of the day:

Stewart Mandel gives BSU its due [SI.com]

A reader notified us of Stewart Mandel's latest mailbag at SI.com, and boy are we glad he did. Mandel was asked why he didn't believe Fresno State was BCS material, and his answer was both refreshing and obvious.

Because Fresno State is the Clemson of mid-majors: A big tease. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Pat Hill fan, but how many times have we seen this movie before? The Bulldogs go out and slay a giant or two, jump up into the polls -- then lay an egg in conference play.

Zing! Good one, Stewie!

Even better, Mandel offers a far more reasonable option for a WAC BCS team.

Let's be realistic here. If you had to pick one WAC team to not only win the conference but crash the BCS, are you going to go with notorious choke artist Fresno, or Boise State, five-time league champion prior to Hawaii's crown last season. Boise plays tough non-conference games at Oregon and Southern Miss but gets both the Bulldogs and Warriors at home.

How great is that! Welcome to Bronco Nation, Mr. Mandel!

Other links:

More Boise State love from ESPN [ESPN.com]
Dinwiddie, Fiesta, Statue Left, and the '04 and '06 Broncos. This article nearly brought us to tears.

Dennis Dodd's coach hot seat ratings [Sportsline.com]
Coach Pete = safe. Robb Akey = worried.

NFL Bronco roll call [Fight Fight BSU]
Wish it were football season already.

The letter Z in moderation [Democrat Herald]
Pro: "Zabranski." Con: skillz and boyz

"Sweet Feet" Clady? [Idaho Statesman]
Anti-playoff opinion [Online Athens]

Tom Scott = Fresno State fan?

Tom Scott's "Scott Slant" is often an interesting read...except when it is just plain wrong.

Scott's Tuesday entry recapped the ESPN.com story by Ivan Maisel about the WAC's biggest questions headed into the offseason. And instead of tackling the subject of Maisel's outrageous claim of Boise State "rebuilding," Scott took offense to the assertion that no WAC team is suited to crash the BCS again.

If Fresno's one loss isn't to Toledo, and the Bulldogs run the rest of the table, they could still go BCS-bustin'.

(Disappointed sigh.)

Forget, for a moment, the fact that Scott does not throw his endorsement behind a loaded Boise State squad. In order for Fresno to "run the rest of the table," they would have to beat the Broncos in Boise. Not as easy as it sounds.

Thanks for the complete lack of faith, Tom.

Every return to the brickyard is triumphant [Scott Slant]

Thursday: Links with self-confidence

Story of the day:

Get rid of the redshirt [ESPN.com]

Big XII commissioner Dan Beebe has proposed a plan to give all college football players five years of eligibility by getting rid of the redshirt. Too little, too late for Marty Tadman, we're afraid.

Beebe said that college football differs than other sports because of the widespread practice of redshirting freshmen.

"The thought would be why we would give them an extra year in that sport," Beebe said. "But you're talking about a sport with more redshirts than any other sport. And it's a sport where youngsters play a physical, very tough game with a lot of hard practices."

We couldn't agree more with this proposal. The only question is what would the fifth year of eligibility be called? Freshman, sophomore, junior, senior...gentleperson? Re-senior? Esquire? Hopefully, Beebe has an answer.

Other links:

Respect for the hook-and-ladder [ESPN.com]
The top coaching decision in BCS history is Circus. No. 3 is Statue Left.

Chris Petersen cracked the Top 10 defining BCS coaches [ESPN.com]
We are also ecstatic that June Jones did not make the list.

Ian Johnson: captain of longevity [Dave's blog]
Yes, it does feel like Johnson's been around forever.

Do not get in a car with Gerald Alexander [Fight Fight BSU]
New conferences for college football [Minister of Information]

OBNUG Hall of Fame podcast

We are taking this Hall of Fame business pretty seriously. How seriously? Podcast serious!

Behold the first ever OBNUG podcast! Nick and I sat down to dish on Marty Tadman, Fiesta Bowl rankings, and listening to Idaho Sports Talk in hell. We presented the case for the induction of Tadman's Fiesta Bowl performance (click here for more), and then we got bored and talked about other stuff.

Technically, it is not the greatest sounding podcast. I sound like I'm in a wind tunnel, Nick sounds like he's yelling, and the letter "p" might burst your eardrum. Give us time; we'll get it right.

Enjoy and don't forget to vote for Tadman's Fiesta Bowl performance!

HOF Discussion: Marty Tadman's Fiesta Bowl Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Democracy fails; Idaho voted No. 1

Looks like Robb Akey just found himself a recruiting tool.

The Idaho Vandals, all one win and eleven losses of them, are the number one team in the nation, according to a poll at collegefootballpoll.com. Curse those computer macros!



We're fascinated to see the Vandals on top, and we are equally surprised to find Utah State at number two. Talk about a scintillating BCS Championship game!

Wednesday: Links with youth

Story of the day:

Scandrick outperforms expectations, first round picks [FOX Sports.com]

The rave reviews on former Boise State CB Orlando Scandrick in the Dallas Cowboys' minicamp continue to flood in. This time, FOX Sports' John Czarnecki tells us that Scandrick was the best rookie corner in camp.

Scandrick, a fifth-round pick from Boise State, out-played Mike Jenkins in a recent mini-camp.

Jenkins was a first-round pick by the Cowboys. Maybe now the local media will stop asking Scandrick if he regrets turning pro early.

Other links:

Boise State rebuilding? Hardly [Bleacher Report]
Who do people think BSU is? Hawaii?

You can't put a price on blue turf [Idaho Statesman]
But $817,000 sounds about right.

BCS or playoffs? There is only one right answer [ESPN.com]
Forde says playoffs, freedom. Maisel says BCS, slavery.

Not everyone likes blue turf [Fight Fight BSU]
Hawaii's new TV contract [Honolulu Advertiser]

HOF nominee: Marty Tadman's Fiesta Bowl

To vote for Marty Tadman's Fiesta Bowl, use the poll on the sidebar. Voting will take place through the weekend, and nominees need 70 percent of the vote to gain induction.

Was the OBNUG Hall of Fame built with Marty Tadman in mind? Quite definitely, yes.

Anyone who spends five minutes with us knows that we are enthralled with Tadman up to and over the point of obsession. We feel that he was one of the greatest Boise State players of all-time, and he is a close, personal friend (in the alternate reality in which we live). Tadman's heroics over the course of his career speak monuments to his ability, leadership, and smarts, and picking just one Tadman moment for our first OBNUG Hall of Fame class was difficult.

But not impossible.

The Fiesta Bowl was one of the greatest moments in Boise State history, and it was fitting that one of Boise State's greatest players had one of his biggest games. Tadman showed up when it counted most, and without him, our collection of Fiesta Bowl t-shirts would be much less cool.

His solid, all-around play served merely as context for his two spectacular, timely, heads-up interceptions. The first stopped a drive; the second gave the Broncos breathing room (Jared Zabransky, obviously, hates breathing room).

After the Broncos jumped out to a 14-0 lead, Oklahoma started its comeback. The Sooners cut the lead in half, and on their next drive, they looked poised to strike again. Tadman, however, had other ideas. He picked off Oklahoma QB Paul Thompson in the end zone to kill the drive.

Later, with the Broncos holding on to a 21-10 lead midway through the third quarter, Tadman struck again. A Thompson pass headed for the flat was tipped by Korey Hall and picked by Tadman, who ran untouched into the end zone. The pick-six gave Boise State its biggest lead of the game, and it put the Broncos in great position to win.

Tadman's Fiesta Bowl picks were things of beauty, and his overall play spearheaded an aggressive, unheralded defense. The beauty of Boise State's victory was not in the trick plays or gimmicky offense. The real value was that the Broncos belonged on the same field as a Big XII team in every facet of the game.

We have Marty Tadman to thank for that.

Tuesday: Links with patience

Story of the day:

Fiesta Bowl needs our help [ESPN.com]

Once again, the greatest D-1 moment in Boise State history is having its value determined by ESPN.com visitors. The Worldwide Leader has a poll up right now to decide the best BCS bowl game, as part of their week-long look at the non-playoff system.

During its first decade of existence, the BCS provided many memorable games that had no championship implications. What college football fan can forget Boise State's trickery against Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl or Michigan edging Alabama in overtime in the 2000 Orange Bowl?

We're a little upset that they even put a game like Michigan-Alabama in the same sentence as the Fiesta Bowl. In fact, other than the peak of Vince Young's career in the Rose Bowl versus USC, there are no other serious contenders in this group of games. There really shouldn't even be a discussion.

Regardless, we voted at least seventeen times last night.

Other links:

ESPN.com writer is an idiot [ESPN.com]
The Fiesta Bowl as the third-best BCS game? Get real.

Ian Johnson poster boy for manly crocheting [Iowa State Fans]
Also, poster boy for national television engagements.

Merritt close to qualifying for U.S. Open [Idaho Press-Tribune]
Must...fake...interest...in...golf.

Montana State expanding stadium [Dailey's Bottom Line]
Is it wrong to be jealous of a 1-AA school?

Boise State in the H-Bowl again?! [College Football News]
Being the fourth alternate for the New Mexico Bowl doesn't make things any better.

Welcome to the OBNUG Hall of Fame

There are many ways to memorialize our favorite Boise State Bronco football players. Bedroom shrines, lower back tattoos, and naming children come immediately to mind. Yet we at OBNUG feel that the special performances in Boise State history deserve a special place, and until the city of Boise turns the capitol building into Bronco Mecca, that place is going to be here on the Internets of OBNUG.

We are proud to announce the official beginning of the OBNUG Hall of Fame. Each summer we will look forward to enshrining deserving candidates who have had a hand in the success of Boise State football. In true OBNUG fashion, we will do so with humor, perspective, and horrible bias, and our Hall of Fame will be unlike any other you have seen.

Most hall of fames reward careers and longevity. Not us. We want to enshrine nominees under the following criteria:

1. A singular moment, performance, or action
2. A significant impact on the history of Boise State football

Those two rules are the main laws of OBNUG's Hall of Fame. So for instance, instead of nominating Brock Forsey for his stellar career, we would instead nominate a particular performance against Fresno State. We are seeking fantastic individual performances or plays that made an impact on the team we love. Also, we are always up for nominees that rhyme with "Binfiddie."

Best of all, we want you, our loyal reader, to take part. For each nominee, we will allow a voting process to determine whether or not the candidate gets inducted. Seventy-percent or higher and they're in. Also, we value feedback and opinions on each of the candidates and on nominees you would like to see entered.

Hopefully, this will help make the summer go faster. And hopefully, Marty Tadman gets inducted multiple times.

Monday: Links with seniority

Story of the day:

BCS projections from the past [Fox Sports]

Pete Futiak at FOXSports.com has projected the matchups for every BCS game this fall, and his pick for the national title game has major deja vu vibes.

FedEx BCS National Championship: Ohio State vs. Florida

Not again!

Even worse, Futiak failed to mention any non-BCS conference team in his predictions. No BYU, no Fresno State, and no Broncos. See if we ever read FOXSports.com again (for the first time).

Other links:

Boise State's bloated 2009 QB class [Fight Fight BSU]
We hope these hot QB recruits rank high in benchwarming.

Fiesta Bowl finish loses another highlight contest [Webzini]
Somewhere, Bob Stoops sneers and rubs his hands together.

Jerard Rabb finishes up his degree [Idaho Statesman]
Drisan James lateraled Rabb's diploma to him.

BSU men's track wins title [Idaho Press-Tribune]
Golfer Merritt loses in playoff [Idaho Press-Tribune]

High School Musical or WAC media convention?

Zac Efron, meet Chadd Cripe.

When the WAC media convene in Salt Lake City for their annual meeting of the minds in July, there will be much more to discuss than Colin Kaepernick's skinny girl legs. Disney's High School Musical will be showing at a nearby theater, leaving WAC media members with a difficult decision: Vandal preseason predictions or Wildcat pride.

This heartwarming story features rousing music, fantastic dance choreography and is sure to delight the entire family.

Dance choreography sure sounds like more fun than Dick Tomey press conferences.

We know what decision will be making. Buffet at noon; getting our head in the game at 3:00 and 7:30.

Disney's High School Musical [Showbuzz.com]

Friday: Links with ageism

Story of the day:

ESPN recaps Broncos' busy spring[ESPN.com]

The Worldwide Leader is nothing if not persistent. In its efforts to create spring wrap-ups for every team in college football, ESPN.com often ends up doing a disservice to the small-conference schools, choosing sweeping generalizations over actually attending the spring practices. For instance:

There are questions at quarterback and along the offensive front, but there are plenty of playmakers if merely adequate answers appear.

This sentence could have been written five months ago.

The rest of the ESPN story is rather non-informative, considering that Boise State fans already know everything there is to know about the team. The added publicity is nice, but is it too much to ask for ESPN to make a starting QB prediction or something?

Other links:

Jake Plummer in downtown Boise on Saturday [Idaho Statesman]
We've got our #16 Arizona Cardinals jersey ready!

UW quarterback Jake Locker's legend grows [Rivals.com]
We're not sure which is more legendary: suffering a spine injury and missing just one game or beating Boise State.

Maisel and Schlabach offer WAC questions [ESPN.com]
We've got a question for them: How dare you.

ACC says good-bye to H-Bowl

The ACC has finally had enough of the Humanitarian Bowl, and the conference will end its bowl ties following the 2008 postseason.

For seven years, ACC teams have traveled to Boise, complained about Boise, and lost to small-conference schools. Conference officials decided they had had enough.

"The people in Boise have always done a fantastic job for us but there was a strong feeling that we needed to get our No. 8 team back into this part of the country," ACC commissioner John Swofford said.

Swofford continued: "Plus, the ACC hates humanitarians."

With an opening for 2009, the Humanitarian Bowl will be looking to fill a vacant spot in its bowl lineup. And although late-December, afternoon bowl games are not exactly hot tickets, we think that the H-Bowl should be able to get an entertaining opponent. Here are our suggestions:

• Another WAC team. Although, for this to be possible, the NCAA might need to lower its bowl-eligible requirements.
• Idaho's 5A high school football champion. David Augusto's head might explode.
• Notre Dame. Every year. They won't have anything else to do.
• Fast food and mobile phone mascots. The Idaho Powerball can officiate.
• The Hosei (Japan) University football team. Konnichiwa, college bowl season.
• A team of WAC bloggers. OBNUG calls dibs on wide receiver!
  

No more trips to Boise for ACC [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Thursday: Links with disappointment

Story of the day:

Nevada prep to walk-on at Boise State [Nevada Appeal]

Jake Hess, a 6-foot, 230-pound fullback from Galena High School in Reno, will walk-on at Boise State in the fall. Wait, isn't there a WAC football team already in Reno?

"A lot of people were asking, 'Why don't you go to Nevada?'" Hess said. "I really like Boise State - I like the tradition. The town is awesome. I can see myself at Boise."

Nevada's Pistol offense loses games and recruits, apparently.

Other links:

Troy Merritt feature [Idaho Press-Tribune]
Bronco Nation will be there in spirit because golf is pretty boring to watch in person.

A Top 25 list with perspective [EDSBS]
We think Mario Kart should have been ranked higher.

ACC pulls out of H-Bowl [Idaho Statesman]
Also pulling out? National respect.

Expect another wild season [Rivals.com]
And expect a small-conference school to get screwed.

MySpace profile: Ian Johnson version 2.0

Every so often, OBNUG puts on its investigative hat and hunts down the social network profiles of Boise State personalities. We're not proud of it.



Earlier today, we delved into the personal profile page of Ian Johnson. Or did we?

Further research shows a decidedly more personal MySpace page for #41, complete with accurate information, real photos, and mentions of his wife Chrissy. You mean there can be more than one profile page per person? Technology completely eludes us!

• Profile name: ian
• Tagline: Knowledge!!!!
• Friends: 39
• Top Friends: Chrissy Johnson, Shaun Jordan
• Music: Your Life and Mine by Just Surrender
• Books: "books are for nerds"
• Most tragic comment: "Hey good luck tomorrow bro! show everyone that Hawaii is no match for you!"

MySpace profile: Ian Johnson

Every so often, OBNUG puts on its investigative hat and hunts down the social network profiles of Boise State personalities. We're not proud of it.

We figured Ian Johnson to be a popular guy. He is an athletic, famous jock with a nationally recognized moment in the spotlight. Yet he only has 231 MySpace friends.

We attribute this to one of two things:

1. He has agoraphobia.
2. We did not find his actual MySpace page.

The latter option is a very good possibility, considering his profile lists his income at $250,000 and Barry Sanders as a Top Friend. At the same time, though, he has a lot of real, authentic people on his MySpace friend list, and they all seem to think that they are friends with the real Ian Johnson.

Agoraphobia is out of the question, too. People with social fears do not propose in front of a national TV audience.

Perhaps the reason for his low friend count is that he doesn't use MySpace very often. Maybe he views it as childish and immature, and he sees it as an obsession for those with no lives of their own. We wonder what that makes us then.

On second thought, forget we asked that.

Profile name: Ian

Cursor: giant football clipart

Friends: 231

Top friends: Matt Nelson, Kyle Wilson, the NFL, and ReggieBushFanClub.net,

Music: NFL Rise to Glory
Blog: none

Comments: "Thanx for the add. U R my favorite running back."

Ian Johnson's MySpace [MySpace]

Wednesday: Links with exercise

Story of the day:

Boise State to host big-time QB recruit [Idaho Press-Tribune]

The Idaho Press-Tribune's Dave Southorn is reporting that California high school QB Richard Brehaut will be in camp this summer with the Broncos. Rivals.com ranks him as a four star recruit and gives him a 5.8 on their rating scale that goes up to 6.1.

The following are stats from Brehaut's freshman year. Freshman!

65.0 completion percentage, 2,348 yards, 22 touchdowns
528 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns

Bush Hamdan was not available for comment.

Other links:

Numerical evidence that the BCS is awful [The Big Lead]
Along with the compelling case of common sense and demand, numerical evidence should make things pretty clear.

Boise State's hook-and-ladder spawns new iterations [Scout.com]
One high school is calling it the hook-and-latter. Also popular: the statue of levity, the double reverb, and quarterback stink.

Boise State games are fun to watch [Are you ready for football?]
Was there ever any debate?

McMackin to keep Hawaii's traditional pre-game dance [Scott Slant]
Former BSU WR Bady has new afl2 team [OurSportsCentral]

Webcams to cloning: the future of recruiting

As if the sordid world of college football recruiting isn't cutthroat enough, technology has kciked the yearlong beefcake auction into high gear. Coaches have turned to webcams to aid their recruiting, as if monetary gifts, hot coeds, self-doing homework, and hero worship weren't an easy enough sell.

(Webcams) are without a doubt the wave of the future in long-distance communicating with high school players. (Alabam's Nick) Saban and Southeastern Conference rivals Les Miles of LSU and Phillip Fulmer of Tennessee are using the Internet tool. Others among several dozen schools
contacted by The Associated Press are considering or have considered it.

The technology is catching on across the nation, especially with uncouth former NFL coaches.

Saban said he speaks to “four or five” recruits a day on the Web when he’s in the office.

Nerd alert!

If webcams are the present, then what is the future? With technology only increasing over the next few years, the prospects of long-distance communication have never looked so good.

• Star Trek transportation. NCAA rules may prohibit traveling to visit recruits, but they certainly do not say anything about teleporting to visit recruits. How else do you think Captain Kirk convinced Spock to join the S.S. Enterprise? It certainly wasn't a pre-owned Vulcan two-door sedan.
  
  
• Subliminal television messages. The mass media of TV is a great tool for reaching high school prospects, and the art of subliminal messaging could have a five-star player pining after Winnemucca U for reasons they do not entirely understand. The way it works is simple: during the popular ABC Family series Greek, Joe Coach will set up unique banners and ads to display in the background of certain scenes. Also, inserted between cuts from one character to the next would be brief messages intended on convincing college athletes to come to Joe Coach's university. Some call this College Football Live on ESPN.
  
  
• ESP. Banning text messaging, phone calls, and other communication has made life tough on college coaches. But The Man can't keep down brainwaves! Selling a recruit on a school would be as easy as thinking (note: not that easy for all college coaches). The home visit would be replaced by cross-country brain feed. The recruiting calls would give way to recruiting thought missives. Headaches aside, it would be pretty great.
  
  
• Cloning. The job of a college coach is often too much for one man. That is why God invented cloning. The only thing better than one Chris Petersen would be two or three Chris Petersens--one to do the coaching, one to do the recruiting, and a third, miniature one to appear at charity events and children's birthday parties. Regulate that, NCAA!

Web cams new tool in college recruiting [Yahoo! Sports]

Tuesday: Links with family

Story of the day

Kyle Wilson named to Nagurski watch list [WAC Sports.com]

Who needs Orlando Scandrick? The future Dallas Cowboys star bolted the Broncos for NFL riches after his junior year, leaving room for junior Kyle Wilson to fill his shoes. The media thinks that shouldn't be a problem.

The Football Writers Association of America has announced the Watch List for the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded to the best defensive player in college football and sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Four WAC players made the list: Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State; Solomon Elimimian, LB, Hawai‘i; Antonio Baker, DB, Louisiana Tech; and D'Anthony Smith, DT, Louisiana Tech.

By the end of the year, we fully expect Ryan Winterswyk, Derrell Acrey, and Jeron Johnson to join the list.

Other links:

Murphy unimpressed by Idaho prospects [Fight Fight BSU]
And Idaho prospects are unimpressed by his diction.

ESPN/ABC schedule released [ESPN.com]
Navy at Ball State. Clear your Friday, Sept. 5th!

Scott Slant sees more of the same for BSU in '08 [Scott Slant]
More of the same WAC dominance, we hope.

Changes to Taco Bell Arena next? [Idaho Press-Tribune]
Advice for sounding like a Boisean [Real Estate Blog]

Hawaii fan blog loads up on quantity, links

We Bronco bloggers are a rare breed, pumping out posts in an offseason devoid of news and information. Thankfully, we are not alone.

One of the big WAC bloggers is Hawaii's The Warriors Will Throw, and they are in the middle of a posting schedule of OBNUG proportions. The wholesale posts are admirable, but we have taken particular notice of the giant amount of linkage. Here is a taste:

• SMU fan site
• Hawaii Warriors wikipedia
• Colt Brennan draft post
• TimmyChang.net
• Ikaika Ilama-Francis' blog
• UH Rainbowtique

No OBNUG link? This Bronco-Warrior rivalry runs deeper than we thought.