What is up with this field?

So, as we prepared for kickoff yesterday of the Super Bowl, I mentioned to my Patriot friend and fellow Bronco bretheren, "Hey, you know this is the same field as the Fiesta Bowl, right?"

Now, a day later, I'm wondering myself -- what exactly is up with this field? Boise State pulled off the upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. A week later, Florida thrashed a then undefeated and supposedly much better Ohio State team. And now, a year later, arguably one of the greatest upsets in NFL history has taken place on the same field.

The thing that really stuns me is how quickly things have changed. Seven years ago, the Patriots were the underdogs, they were just happy to be there, and they were elated when they won. It wasn't supposed to happen. A little over a year ago, many of us Boise State fans were in the same boat heading into the Fiesta Bowl (those of us that weren't still had the memories of the Georgia debacle fresh in our minds and feared the worst). When the seemingly impossible happened, it was a feeling like anything I had ever experienced as a sports fan. Boise State isn't supposed to make plays like that. Eli Manning isn't supposed to elude a rush and throw a 30 yard strike.

We all root for our teams to be great. We want them to remembered as one of the greatest of all time. But at what price? At some point the joy gets removed from the winning and it's replaced by relief. We can no longer enjoy the games that they're supposed to win.

So, as much as I want Boise State to continue to climb the ladder of respectability in college football, I hope somehow they can keep the mystic of being the underdog. Can there be a happy medium? I'm not sure. However, a win that's not supposed to happen feels a whole lot better than the ones that aren't.

Tharp leads Nation to loss

Taylor Tharp went 10-21 for 94 yards and two interceptions in the Texas vs. the Nation all-star game Saturday, which Texas won 41-14. Apparently, Tharp thought it was Washington vs. the Nation.

Team Texas downs team Nation [AP]

Bold predictions for the coming week

Good Monday, Bronco Nation. This week we find out the 2008 Bronco recruiting class, and we have a feeling that this class will be one of the best. Without further ado, here are some bold predictions for the week of February 4 through February 8.

• Signing Day will go as planned until BSU announces the commitment of myself--a 6'0", 185 pound safety with one year of eligibility remaining. I will proceed to make everyone forget about Marty Tadman.
• The Broncos' new motto will be "Anywhere but the Humanitarian Bowl."
• The Steelers will cut Jared Zabransky after finding out that, while he did lead the game-winning Fiesta Bowl drive, he also threw one of the worst interceptions of all-time to put his team behind.

WIR: Childs, Zabransky, and the birth of a blog

Week in Review likes it when there are Broncos in the news, even if it is just Broncos being drafted by leagues that won't exist in two years. We'll take what we can get.

--OBNUG's first post, and a new generation of Bronco football begins.
--Zabransky to the Steelers...and Pittsburgh fans rejoice.
--Jeremy Childs will return to the team.
--Cheating: not all that bad when you consider the alternatives.
--KBOI will have to fight...for its right...to brooooaaadcast!

We'll be back on Monday. Enjoy the weekend.

An open letter to Jeremy Childs

Dear Jeremy,

Your recent suspension from school is equal parts disappointing and deflating. Tim Gilligan would have never done this to us.

We understand that you are an athlete, and as an athlete, you are afforded certain privileges. You cut in line at the cafeteria, you get to talk to Chadd Cripe, and you can have people do your schoolwork for you. We get that. In fact, those reasons alone are why we didn't give up on our college football dreams until an embarrassing episode in our local gym made us realize we could never cut it.

So while we are not completely appalled at your plagiarism, we are still annoyed at what happened. How could you? How could you...get caught. We think that if you are going to cheat, you should make sure you cover all your bases. And that, Jeremy, is where you have let us down.

Well, we are here to help you. Specifically, we are here to help you cheat. Whoever you had writing papers for you in the past is obviously no good. We can provide original content, and while we do not guarantee good grades (we don't like reading), we can assure you that no one will ever mistake your work for someone else's.

We may not know a lot about a lot of things, but we certainly know a little about a lot of things. Here is a list of classes and potential papers that can be yours if you only ask:

Biology: Would someone cure cancer already?!
Chemistry: E=mc Hammer: the life and times of chemistry's brother from another mother
Sociology: Five billion people and we can't find anyone to get my order right at McDonald's?
Finance: What's the deal with subprime mortgages?
Economics: Benefits of the $3 bill
Health: What Powerade does for your body that a multivitamin never could (complete with visual aid)
Theater: Acting is for weirdos
Graphic design: Double entendres of the Nike logo

If you have additional classes that are not on this list, please let us know so that we can start doing research. We want you to succeed, and if that means doing a science project on hamsters, then we are more than willing to make that sacrifice.

All the best,

OBNUG team

Photo courtesy Idaho Statesman

Childs suspension...with perspective!

Let’s put this thing into context.

We here at OBNUG do not condone Jeremy Childs’ indiscretions. Cheating is wrong, and the only thing it ever leads to is cold, empty nights searching for the innocence you lost…and the occasional perfect season.

But just where does cheating rank in the arena of immorality? I mean, Childs didn’t commit murder (notwithstanding his reputation and the Hawaii Bowl), but his sins were obviously larger than a little white lie in a media guide. How is one to compare his shenanigans to those of DUI Dinwiddie? And does anyone even use the word shenanigans anymore?

Trouble and temptation are everywhere for big-time college athletes, and even those who play in the WAC are subject to the devil’s advances. Unfortunately, Childs bit the forbidden apple from the Spark notes tree, and he has had to live with the consequences. Let’s just be thankful that it wasn’t something more serious.

Below, we have compiled a list of various ne’er-do-welling and ranked the misadventures from cute to criminal. Enjoy.

1. Streaking a women’s basketball game. Everyone loves a good streaker, especially when said streaker is breaking up the monotony of bounce passes and missed, flat-footed lay-ups. Streaking women’s b-ball shouldn’t be a crime; it should be an achievement.
   
2. Prank calling Idaho Sports Talk with Caves and Prater. The only time this one is reproachable is if it is done poorly. No “is your refrigerator running” or impersonations of Dirk Koetter. A tasteful, clever prank is always appreciated, especially if Caves and Prater are the targets.
   
3. Cheating. Childs’ offense would fit in this spot in the countdown. His was a victimless crime, unless you consider a young man’s future a victim. Obviously, as you will see below, he could have done a lot worse.
   
4. Telling your girlfriend she looks good in that tube top when, really, she do not. Girls know when you’re lying to them. And hell hath no fury like a women scorned. Someone told me that once; I think it was my wife.
   
5. Giving 105 percent out of a possible 110 percent. What are you saving that extra five percent for? You selfish jerk.
   
6. Losing the Hawaii Bowl. Some people can’t help but lose lower-tier bowl games. We call them the Sun Belt. But when upper echelon programs riding the wave of national popularity bite the big one and look bad doing it, then this crime turns downright felonious.
   
7. Soliciting sex in an airport bathroom. Take it from Larry Craig: this one hurts. Reputations, heterosexual relationships, and careers are ruined if someone is caught doing this. (Note: careers may or may not be ruined if one is a politician.)
   
8. Playing well-below expectations following a Heisman-worthy season. The fans are the ones hurt most by this crime. They buy all your merchandise, tell all your friends about you, and then watch as you run for 10 yards on four carries and take yourself out of the game because your ankle hurts. The person guilty of this crime has some serious work to do to make up for it. Ahem.
   

Signing Day in Boise

Wednesday, February 6th, is signing day, and the Big Easy Concert House in Boise will be hosting the BSU selections. Doors open at noon, which means OBNUG will be camping out at 8:00am. I'm going to go ahead and set the over/under on drunk people starting the "Boise!"..."State!" cheer at 7.5.

Signing Day [Big Easy]