Rocky Mountain Bowl Axed

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

The Salt Lake City group that proposed a bowl game for Rice-Eccles Stadium
was turned down by the NCAA Postseason Licensing Subcommittee Wednesday.

NCAA officials said they were concerned there was a lack of financial
support in Salt Lake City for the bowl and organizers were encouraged to apply
for licensing next season, NCAA spokeswoman Dana Thomas said.

Just because Boise has a bowl game doesn't mean that the NCAA will be handing out bowl games to just any old city. They've got standards. I'm guessing it was because they tried to sneak by a bowl named "Rocky Mountain" that's not played in Colorado.



Proposed SLC bowl game turned down [Salt Lake Tribune]

OBNUG's radio application

The search is on for the next voice of the Boise State Broncos. We think it should end with OBNUG.

That's right. After a good 15 minutes of deliberation, we have decided to throw our hat into the ring of potential candidates for Paul J. Schneider's successor. We want to be the Isaac to his Abraham, the Frasier to his Cheers, the BK Breakfast Sandwich to his Whopper Jr.

And we think we have what it takes to do it.

Here is the job description, as listed by Idaho Radio News:

Boise State University Play-by-Play

Boise State University has a football and basketball radio play-by-play opening.

This could be either a part or full-time opportunity based in part upon the preference of the successful candidate. Similarly, potential additional responsibilities will be determined based upon the strengths and desires of the successful candidate.

Sportscasters Talent Agency of America is screening for this position. Email applications are preferred but not mandatory. Please do not include more than two mp3 attachments with your submission.

"Strengths and desires"? We have those! In fact, we have just about everything it takes to be a successful play-by-play voice, and we said as much in our cover letter:

To Whom It May Concern:

Love acronyms? Enjoy sarcastic reparteé? Then OBNUG is the perfect candidate for the Boise State Broncos' play-by-play position.

Over the past three months, we have filled the Internets with Bronco news and information, leading a charge of quantity over quality that has earned us rave reviews for our general lack of censorship. We feel that these skills would translate beautifully into a radio booth.

During games, we have the ability to shoot the breeze about a wide variety of topics: Dairy Queen, politics, the Office, Marty Tadman, Madden 07 Gamecube strategy, and when robots will achieve singularity. There will never be a quiet moment in the booth (except for when we take bathroom or snack breaks, which will be often).

But that's not all. Here is a list of other assets that we would bring to a Bronco broadcast:

• We are young and hip.
• We speak fluent English.
• We own radios.
• We’ll be at the Bronco games anyway.

If you are still unsure of our qualifications, then know this: We love the Boise State Broncos. We love the radio. We love self-promotion. If that doesn't convince you, then nothing will.

Our two mp3 attachments will be a mixtape of selections from our Bronco Nation NOW podcasts and a cover song we did of Rhianna's "Umbrella." We'll let you know what we hear back.

Job: Boise State play-by-play [Idaho Radio News]

Hawkins' eventful spring game

At least the Colorado spring game wasn't boring.

The good news is that Ralphie jumped from No. 5 to No. 3 on the running back depth chart.

Buffaloes' head coach Dan Hawkins, who was recently crowned OBNUG's Public Enemy #1, called Ralphie's escape the "highlight of the day." It probably reminded him of the manner in which he ditched the BSU football program--cunningly, quickly, and motivated by all the green in front of him.

Colorado mascot escapes from handlers [Yardbarker.com]

BCS Stays The Same, No One Surprised

To no one's real surprise, it announced yesterday that the BCS system will not change. In fact, ACC commissioner and BCS chairman John Swofford stated:

I believe the BCS has never been healthier in its first decade

Of course, when something starts so low, it can only go up.

11 conference commissioners met along with Notre Dame's president to discuss the BCS. SEC commissioner Mike Slive proposed the plus-one system but did not receive any serious.

Karl Benson had this to say about the plus-one system:

It wasn't in opposition to the plus-one. It was that the existing system
and the existing format was working fine.

Well, that's debatable. Also:

No matter how much you tried to create a system that guaranteed one vs.
two, there's always going to be arguments and debates over who is No. 4 and who
is No. 5.

That's true, however, any chance to include more deserving teams in the opportunity to play for a title is never a bad thing. Lastly, Benson said he would propose a plus-one format because:

It's much easier to get to No. 4 than it is No. 2

And that seems to be the crux of the issue.

Now we're not as bent out of shape about this decision as fans of some other programs (like Auburn). As good as the 2006 Boise State team was, they were not in the top 4 after the regular season.

The thing that is the most frustrating thing about this, is that the college presidents and commissioners are depriving fans of the same experience that the NCAA basketball tournament delivers. Some would argue that Boise State upsetting Oklahoma was the perfect end to the season and that having to play in a playoff would rob us of that satisfaction. I would disagree. The only downside of that Fiesta Bowl win for me, is the thought of unrealized potential of that 2006 team. How good were they? Could they have beaten Florida? Most would say probably not, but the lack of a definitive answer will always bother me.

BCS will not change current non-playoff system [ESPN.com]
Murphy: NCAA once again chooses money over crowning a football champ [IdahoStatesman.com]