2009 Boise State schedule tentatively finalized

Boise State has released a tentative schedule for next season, and there is no opening week Division I-AA opponent to be found. Doesn't feel right, does it?

The final two pieces to the scheduling puzzle were a visit from UC Davis, alma mater of Coach Pete and a guaranteed 30-point victory, and a trip to Oklahoma to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Here is the non-conference schedule for the Broncos in 2009:

Sept. 5 vs. Oregon, Sept. 12 at Toledo, Sept. 19 vs. UC Davis, Sept. 26 vs. Miami (Ohio) and Oct. 3 at Tulsa.

For those of you counting on your fingers at home, yes that is five straight weeks of football during a time of season when teams usually take a week or two off. Despite playing in consecutive weeks, the schedule is easy enough for the Broncos to sail through undefeated, especially with the experienced team expected to return next fall. Is it too soon to be looking ahead to next season already? Yes. It is.

Broncos announce 2009 schedule [BroncoSports.com]

Feeling the burn: USC gets the itch

Not the headline you want to see. More puns to follow.

USC dealing with jock itch breakout [FOX Sports]

"Who is this year's Hawaii" and other disastrous distinctions

Non-BCS contenders hoping to make a name for themselves on the national stage need look no further than the example set by...Hawaii?

At media outlets across the country, the question of "Who is the next Boise State" has devolved into "Who is the next Hawaii," despite the fact that the questions carry nowhere near the same connotation. Boise State won the Fiesta Bowl. Hawaii choked away the Sugar Bowl. Boise State struck a blow for the little guy. Hawaii reminded everyone why WAC schools aren't usually invite to BCS functions.

If we're asking the question of "Who is this year's Hawaii," shouldn't we be asking the follow-up question of "Does anyone even want to be this year's Hawaii?" The way we remember it, the Warriors barely went undefeated against their cupcake regular season schedule, were chosen by the BCS out of default and obligation, laid a giant egg in the Sugar Bowl, then saw every important person on the team leave the program. Not exactly the way you want to build sustained success.

Scout.com was the latest to ask the question, and they had some interesting, if not unwilling candidates.

BYU, Utah, Tulsa, Southern Mississippi, Boise State.

Here's what they had to say about the Broncos:

Autzen is a nightmare no matter when you play there, but the Ducks are replacing Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart in the backfield. The Broncos are going there at the right time if there really is one, and this is a very experienced team. The game in Hattiesburg pits two of the best NBCS teams in the country, and Fresno State coming north to close out the season will likely decide the WAC champion.

We're sure that the media means well when it asks about the "next Hawaii," but assuming that the Warriors and the Broncos had similar experiences over the past two years is completely wrong. If people don't understand that, then it could be only a matter of time before we see some equally uncomfortable questions.

• Who is the next Maurice Clarett?
• Who is the next Bobby Petrino?
• When is the next USC recruiting scandal?
• Who is the next Chase Holbrook?
• What is the next 2k Sports Las Vegas Bowl?
• What are the next Oregon uniforms?
• Who will be the next Big Ten champion?
• What is the next Robb Akey mustache?

Some questions are best left unanswered.

Blog...Who is the next Hawai'i? [Scout.com]

Boise State's blueprint for a BCS championship berth

This afternoon, we are pleased to have a loyal OBNUG reader give his take on the upcoming Bronco football season.. Stephen Grettenberg, a Boise State football fan for many years, currently works for UC Berkeley for a scholarship program and is also founding a 501c3 organization promoting sustainability. He's contributed breaking news in the past, but this is his first OBNUG article. We're pretty sure you'll love it.


Every year starts with hope for every team in every sport - to reach some new goal, and for some, maybe even a national championship.

In Division I football (yes, I purposely skipped the new nomenclature) it really takes a lot for a non-BCS team to get a chance to play at that level, unlike say Fresno State's bizarre trip to baseball success. Strangely, that victory could help pave the way for Boise State football success by giving the WAC a better profile.

So, here's what I think would need to happen this year to give Boise State a slot in the football national championship game:

1. A strong quarterback with leadership and zip on the ball to emerge. Maybe Kellen Moore?
2. For Ian to have a strong rebound Heisman candidate year, to add publicity, and votes, to voter ballots. Continued success from the other backs as well.
3. Good offensive line play. I respected Sean Kugler, the former offensive line coach for the Broncos, now holding the same position for the Buffalo Bills. With Ryan Clady and a host of seniors gone as well, quality line play is a must and a question mark. Is the coaching and talent there? It has to be to compete at the top level.
4. The linebackers have to step up this year.

As for the games:

• USC must embarrass Ohio State. Why? Ohio State is quite likely to take the Big Ten. But if they are embarrassed in this game, nobody will want to see them in another championship.
• Boise State needs to bring its A+ best Fiesta Bowl style of moxie into Autzen Stadium and beat Oregon.
• Oregon needs to beat USC and go undefeated except for the loss to Boise State. This might give Boise an edge over any Pac-10 or Big Ten comers in combination with a USC victory over Ohio State as noted above.
• No more than one team in the BCS leagues can have fewer than two losses except Oregon.
• BYU and Utah can't go undefeated.
• Fresno State needs to go undefeated until getting beat by Boise State in Boise to close out the regular season.
• Boise State goes undefeated in the regular season.

Farfetched? Perhaps, but not wholly inconceivable.

I expect Fresno State and Oregon to both have strong years, especially Oregon. At one point the Ducks were second in the nation last year, and I actually think they could be better this year. I think they could be better than Oklahoma was in the Fiesta Bowl. What would it take to beat Oregon? I think Ian Johnson needs to take control like he did against Oregon State two years ago, for one thing. I think that would open up a chance for the passing game to work on the corners deep, if the safeties were supporting the run up the middle.

Last year, with many "elite teams" losing late in the season, a two-loss team made it to the national championship. Was this a fluke? If that kind of parity came again, it would open the door a little bit, providing a small chance for a team from the WAC or MWC to sneak in. It takes two things for that to happen as well. First that team needs to win out its schedule. The second is that it needs a really strong year from its competition.

This year I think there is a genuine chance for one of these non-BCS teams to run their slate: Boise State, Fresno State, BYU, or Utah. With the right breaks, and a real schedule unlike Hawaii's relatively light one last year, one of these teams could not only go BCS, but beyond.

It is up to Boise State to step up to be worthy of that chance, and leave the rest to fate. If Boise State beat Oregon convincingly in Autzen stadium, one of the toughest stadiums in the country, Boise State might be able to influence fate in its favor.

Friday: Links with Boise

Story of the day:

Greg Graham staying with Broncos [Idaho Statesman]

Oft-beleaguered Bronco coach Greg Graham looks to have a new incentive-laden deal with Boise State that could keep him in Boise for the better part of forever.

The contract includes standard components, such as an annual salary of $345,000 and financial incentives for conference championships, postseason berths and academic performance... The contract also has incentives for additional years that strictly relate to wins, championships and postseason bids.

Graham's contract could turn into a nine-year extension, provided he keep winning. Certain criteria range from winning the conference tournament to earning an NIT berth to completing fundamental inbounds plays.

We're happy to have Graham back because we feel that the Bronco men's basketball team has an opportunity to build upon its success from last season. The more winning BSU teams, the better!

Other links:

Extension coming for Hawkins? [Ralphie Report]
Being mediocre in the Big XII is a lot better than being awful in the Big XII, we guess.

Someone's talking Big East split [Fanblogs]
Southern Miss is being thrown around as a possible addition.

Was Hawaii's Sugar Bowl trip unethical? [Star Bulletin]
We mean besides the horribly lopsided loss part.

J Bates column links to OBNUG [J's Blog]
Ergo, OBNUG links to J Bates column. Thanks, J.

San Jose State and NMSU also not good [Rivals.com]
Well, half the WAC is out of the way, and Rivals isn't even out of the 100s yet.

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!

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]

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]

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]

Georgia Tech QB transferring to LaTech

Former Boise State reneger Taylor Bennett will be transferring from Georgia Tech to Louisiana Tech this season, and he will be eligible to start at quarterback for the Bulldogs.

Normally, a student-athlete transferring from one Division I-A program to another would have to sit out a year, but Louisiana Tech has a graduate-school major that Georgia Tech does not, so the NCAA approved Bennett's eligibility request on academic grounds.

Bennett once gave Boise State a verbal commitment, but he chose instead to play at Georgia Tech. In addition to his wanting a graduate degree, he also did not want anything to do with the spread option offense that new coach Paul Johnson was introducing. Apparently, Bennett prefers the staid, three-and-out offense of Louisiana Tech.

Bennett leaves Georgia Tech [ESPN.com]

Thanks to Jason Haberman for the tip.

Brian Murphy doesn't get college football

Brian Murphy continues to amaze us. After belittling Bronco fans in his March columns, Murphy has turned his attention to taking the wrong side in the BCS/Congress debate. In his Statesman story over the weekend, the Murph claimed that there are more important things for the Justice Department to concerned about.

Mike Simpson, R-Ida. and co-sponsors Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, and Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., have decided that what Congress should be worrying about is the college football bowl system. Even in this period of persistent war, a collapsing dollar, a mortgage crisis, all-time high gasoline prices and troubled healthcare system what Congress should really be worrying about is the college football bowl system.

Huh?

"We can do more than one thing at a time," Simpson said, defending the bill. "It doesn't mean we're not doing other things."

Um, that's precisely what it means.

Leave it to Murphy to ignore quotes from his main source in order to keep on the path to his original point. Sure, there are other issues in this country, but the government is well aware of them and working hard to fix them. Simpson is right; a bunch of grown-ups can multi-task.

Besides, as a Boise State fan, Murphy should be thrilled about this bill. The Broncos are the poster child for fairness and equality, and their success is exactly why this kind of legislation is being proposed. Should it pass, Boise State will have an infinitely better shot at a national title.

The issue is not an issue solely reserved for college football because obviously college football cannot handle it. If left alone in the hands of Myles Brand and Co., the BCS will continue in its current inequitable state for years. College football needs outside intervention, and the best place to get it is in Congress.

Murphy needs to get off his soapbox and appreciate this great opportunity. Forget the energy crisis. Be glad that college football won't be broken forever.

Congress should be dealing with bigger problems [Idaho Statesman]

An open letter to Congress

Dear Congress,

If you don't vote to end the BCS, the terrorists will win.

Sincerely,
OBNUG

Fighting The (BCS) Man on Capitol Hill

A resolution is underway in Washington, D.C., to investigate the legality of the BCS. We have never loved politicians more than we do right now.

Representatives Neil Abercrombie, Democrat of Hawaii; Lynn Westmoreland, Republican of Georgia; and Mike Simpson, Republican of Idaho, introduced a resolution saying the B.C.S. restricts trade because only the largest universities compete in its games. The resolution would require the Justice Department’s antitrust division to investigate if the B.C.S. violates federal law.

Good for Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson leading the charge. He has earned our vote from now until eternity.

The measure, if it passes, would put Congress on record as supporting a postseason playoff.

With OBNUG also on record as supporting a postseason playoff, Congress will have a hard time ignoring this issue.

Three lawmakers seek inquiry... [New York Times]

Let it go, Oklahoma. Let it go.

The state of Oklahoma continues to be haunted by the Sooners' Fiesta Bowl loss to the Broncos. Now, they are taking solace from Arena Football 2 wins.

It wasn't what you'd call payback for Boise State's 2007 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma.

But the Tulsa Talons' 65-28 Saturday night win over the Boise Burn did send a message back to Idaho that the Sooner State knows more than a little something about the game of arena football.

"It was nice to pay them back a little and redeem the state," said Talons jack linebacker Jamar Ranson, and he's not even an Oklahoma Sooner fan. Ransom played for rival Oklahoma State.

Touché. Looks like there's only one way to settle this: civil war.

Talons torch Boise [Tulsa World]

Bob Stoops hates underdogs

Boise State's Statue of Liberty play made it to the finals of ESPN's recent Greatest Highlight competition, much to the dismay of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops thought that ESPN.com voters might have overvalued the wild ending of the Oklahoma-Boise State 2007 Fiesta Bowl as the second-greatest television highlight of all time. While Stoops termed the Broncos' Statue of Liberty surprise as "a heck of a highlight," he had a couple of other personal favorites.

What exactly were his personal favorites? We assume they were Oklahoma's 79-10 win over North Texas, the U.S. Army's victory over Native Americans, and Goliath beating David.

Big 12 Roundup [ESPN.com]