This story includes the following quote from the WAC commissioner:
"It's not just WAC schools," says WAC commissioner Karl Benson. "I think schools in the Mountain West and Conference USA, as well, are going to look at what Boise State has accomplished this year and evaluate what it takes to get into that BCS game."
Uhhhmmm...someone needs to send Karl a note and remind him that the MWC knows what it takes to get into that BCS game. Afterall, we paved that road, we broke the ice, the system, and the Big East Champion. If it wasn't for Utah breaking the BCS and forcing them to make another bowl game and change up the computer computations, the Bronco's triumph would have never been.
Someone should also remind BSU that Utah ended up 5th (4th AP) overall and did not get to share a championship, also set new Fiesta Bowl records, and sent a 1st round draft pick to the NFL 6 months later.
That's what it takes not only to make it to a BCS game, but to break the BCS system as well. I didn't see congress get excited over this game, and I liked to see how Utah's 2005 Appearance still cast its shadows over this came in all of the commentating and reports, as it should have.
I think the WAC Commissioner must still be bugged that the MWC for the most part has lived up to it's creed it stated back in 1998 when the 8 teams left the WAC.
Will someone also send a note to BSU President Robert Kustra letting him know we are inviting him to the MWC, soon to be MTN 10 (Mountain 10) Conference?
Here's to 2007.
Craig Thompson
MWC Commissioner
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Their time, their way
Boise State traces a path to what Fresno State still only dreams about: a date in a big-time football bowl.
By George Hostetter / The Fresno Bee
12/27/06 04:18:30
Forget maturity. To heck with good manners. Throw mama's advice about grace in the face of disappointment out the window.
Boise State made it to a Bowl Championship Series football game and the multimillion-dollar payday that goes with it. And Fresno State didn't.
Bulldogs fans wouldn't be human if they weren't sick with envy.
The contrast between the two schools was once stark.
Boise State was a junior college only 40 years ago. Five years earlier, in 1961, Fresno State had captured the national spotlight by going undefeated and crushing a tough Bowling Green team in the Mercy Bowl.
The Broncos were playing Division I-AA football in 1992 when the Bulldogs were thumping USC in the Freedom Bowl.
Boise State didn't play in its first Division I-A bowl until 1999, and that as a member of the lowly Big West Conference, which the Bulldogs had fled earlier in the decade for the Western Athletic Conference.
Boise State has defeated only three schools from BCS conferences since it joined the WAC in 2001. Fresno State in 2001 beat three BCS teams within 14 days.
Bronco Stadium holds about 10,000 fewer fans than Bulldog Stadium. Boise State's athletic budget is smaller than Fresno State's.
Don't these trend lines suggest Fresno State should be the first WAC school to break the Big Boys' barrier and earn a berth in a BCS bowl?
But it'll be No. 9 Boise State that tangles with No. 7 Oklahoma in Monday's Fiesta Bowl, becoming only the second school from a non-BCS conference to play in a BCS bowl. Utah was the first, in 2005, but the Broncos' feat, in so short a time, is more impressive by far. The Utes were beating the likes of Oregon and Colorado when Kennedy was president.
The Bulldogs, coming off a 4-8 season, will watch the Broncos-Sooners battle on the living room TV.
How did this reversal of fortune happen?
Officials close to both programs aren't sure.
"If it was that much of a science, everybody would have the answers," says Paul Oliaro, chairman of the Fresno State Athletic Corp. board.
"I don't know why Fresno State hasn't done it," says Hank Smith, president of the Bulldog Foundation scholarship fund drive. "Everything has just worked out right for Boise State."
Yet, Boise State clearly did something right. And it's fair to wonder if Fresno State did something wrong.
No one at Fresno State begrudges Boise State its success. The Bee left numerous messages for Bulldogs coach Pat Hill, but was unable to contact him. But throughout this season, Hill was generous with praise whenever the Broncos' program was discussed at his weekly news conferences.
Former Bulldogs coach Jim Sweeney probably best summed up Fresno State's attitude. Asked his opinion of Boise State's Fiesta Bowl invitation, he replied: "Isn't that marvelous?"
Division I-A football, though, is a no-nonsense industry with millions of dollars at stake. Boise State associate athletic director Bob Madden estimates the Broncos will clear as much as $3.5 million after expenses from the Fiesta Bowl. The other WAC schools, including Fresno State, will get a much thinner slice of the bowl's payout.
The future of Fresno State's football program could benefit from an unsentimental review of recent events. Here are some factors that may partially explain why that big check is headed to Idaho rather than the central San Joaquin Valley:
Stability at the top. Madden says Boise State has benefitted from having the same athletic director — Gene Bleymaier — for a quarter century. Football coaches come and go, Madden says, but the athletic department's vision remains firm.
Hill has worked for three athletic directors and at least one interim AD. The tenures of two ADs — Al Bohl and Scott Johnson — were marked by periods of controversy outside football. Did this hurt the football program? It probably didn't help.
Broken momentum. "It would have been a much easier path to success if we'd been
able to stay in the old WAC," Sweeney says.
But the old WAC essentially died in May 1998 when eight schools announced they were bolting to form a new conference (soon named the Mountain West), effective in 1999-00. Until then, Fresno State's rising football fortunes had coincided with the higher stature of each new conference affiliation.
But the fallen WAC convinced Fresno State that it had to find a path to national renown outside the conference. That meant embracing a tough nonconference schedule — with checkered results.
Unbroken momentum. Boise State, on the other hand, never suffered a similar shattering of the spirit. It grew from a junior college to a state college to a state university, from Division II to Division I-AA to Division I-A, from the Big Sky Conference to the Big West to the WAC.
It was a natural progression, Madden says.
And, with each step, enthusiasm among players, coaches and fans grew as well.
Focus on the basics. Boise State puts great value on winning the conference title, Madden says. The Broncos have won or shared five titles since joining the WAC.
The Bulldogs don't dismiss the WAC's importance, but they've concentrated far more energy on their nonconference schedule. Perhaps that's why Fresno State is surprised every season by one or two WAC opponents.
Says Sweeney: "If there is one word that exemplifies Boise State's program and has been somewhat lacking in our program, it is consistency."
The changing bowl landscape. The BCS started with the 1998 regular season. Six conferences — Pac-10, Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast, Southeastern and Big East — plus independent Notre Dame pretty much had the four BCS bowls locked up.
Schools in non-BCS conferences howled. Today, there are five BCS bowls and non-BCS schools have a better chance of landing an at-large invitation.
It's not easy, though. High poll rankings at the end of the regular season are vital. It helps if the best teams in several BCS conferences lose a couple of games each. And going undefeated is a must.
Scheduling. Says Boise State's Madden: "We haven't overscheduled. If you put all your marbles in one basket, and that doesn't work out for you, that can affect the rest of your season."
Translation: Play a worthy nonconference schedule, but don't get intoxicated with dreams of beating Texas in Austin, Florida in Gainesville or Michigan in Ann Arbor. At least, not yet.
In nonconference games this season, the Broncos beat I-AA Sacramento State and Oregon State at home and Wyoming and Utah on the road. Only Oregon State is from a BCS conference. The Beavers and the Utes earned bowl berths.
This raises perhaps the biggest difference between the football programs at Boise State and Fresno State.
Faced with being frozen out of the BCS bowl scene in the late 1990s, Hill and the Bulldogs decided to storm the BCS gates.
They essentially said: You think we're not good enough for you? We'll play any of you, anywhere, anytime — and win. Then you'll have to let us in.
How can you not admire a coach and program with such pride?
But where Fresno State went wrong was forgetting that American life always overwhelms an aristocratic, privilege-by-birth system.
It's not always quick, simple or pretty. But, sooner or later, opportunity expands to meet demand. Even in Division I-A football.
Boise State didn't forget this truth.
So, while Fresno State was traveling to Columbus to play Ohio State and Norman to play Oklahoma and Baton Rouge to play Louisiana State, and playing with courage yet getting soundly beaten, Boise State was traveling a different path.
The Broncos succeeded where the odds were in their favor. They watched what they spent. They built a reputation for excellence. They concentrated on winning the conference. They didn't "overschedule."
And what happened? The Broncos went undefeated this season and positioned themselves to exploit the chance of a lifetime.
Of course, Boise State officials couldn't have anticipated events unfolding this way nine months ago, let alone nine years.
But predicting the future isn't the point. What counts is preparing for a future impossible to predict.
Boise State did, and that's why it's playing Oklahoma on Monday in a BCS bowl.
The game's importance figures to reverberate throughout Division I-A football.
"It's not just WAC schools," says WAC commissioner Karl Benson. "I think schools in the Mountain West and Conference USA, as well, are going to look at what Boise State has accomplished this year and evaluate what it takes to get into that BCS game."
The reporter can be reached at ghostetter@fresnobee.com or(559) 441-6272.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
2007: The Rivalry Continues
This dribble was directed at BYU fans. Since I am not a BYU fan I am
taking the tickets Gary Crowton gave me and I will indulge. Should be
fun! By-the-way, as co-chairman (Dr. G is the other co-chair) of the
BYU Study Group we have issued our findings:
The policies at BYU as implemented by Bronco are working too well.
BYU should stay in Provo and not cut and run.
Utah fans should buy out Bronco's contract and get BYU to rehire Crowton
or put a contract out on Bronco.
The insurgents in Provo should attend UVSC.
BYU should talk to its neighbor UVSC and reach agreement on where the
insurgents should live off campus.
After a thorough search for WMD on campus no rapists were found the last
two years.
As always,
James Baker
Co-Chairman, BYU Study Group
---------------
Does this mean we aren’t going on this road trip? What about the tickets?
Sponge Bob Square Pants
----------------
Talk about Mormons needing to take a stand, BYU has taken a stand against playing on Sunday, why don’t they take a stand against playing in this ridicules bowl game in Las Vegas? The last time I was in sin city there were filthy pornographic images everywhere, on the sidewalk (pinups and centerfolds dropped by passersby), on billboards, posters, and store fronts. I won’t go back. Shame on BYU fans who will wade through this smut! Instead of trying to be like everyone else and liked by everybody why don’t we Mormons do some more separating from the world and send a message? What would Joseph or Brigham say about corrupting BYU this way? Or is BYU truly like everybody else and it is all about the money? What a corrupting influence money is.
Brent Halladay
Chairman, Holladay Bowl Committee 1966
---------
Observations, ramblings, and yes...............a little gloating and lots of teasing.....................
Garth and Nevin, my oh my oh my..............I tip my hat to both of you and to your father. Emails with the last name of Limburg actually lit my computer on fire in Ute blood-red. Such devotion, such ferocity (is that a word?), such loyalty to the cause. The scriptures could well say "and John begat a Ute who begat another Ute who begat even more Utes, even until the end of time"................I didn't have any problem understanding where the Limburg loyalty lies! Fireside or pep rally........mattereth not, just show up in red!
Actually, I am SERIOUSLY tipping my hat to the Limburg clan. As I lost my voice sat. afternoon jumping up and down in the living room, joined by my 4 children, ages 7 - 17, I recognized............we may not be the Limburgs...........yet.........but we're getting there. I knew we were well on the way when my 7 year old, then 6, explained over breakfast last year that the Utes have poop in their helmets. His Ute Grandpa (Blaine) scolded him on the spot about "potty talk" while the siblings quietly snickered and I had to leave the room I was laughing so hard. Still, we went from near tears to elation beyond measure as Utah went into the well-described-from-Italy prevent the win defense. Thank you, Ute coaching staff.
And typically, a little humor from the Gundersen household about Whittingham being a Cougar. I liked and laughed at that one as much as when your daughter said, "Who invited you?", at Curtis's farewell.
I learned a few things from all the postgame comments. I had expected to hear cries and complaints of pass interference calls on 3rd and long......instead, I learned that BYU holds every down but the Utes don't. And I liked the takedown of "3 Utes" on the last play.......when only 2 rushed.........
Strangely, there was no mention of the legality of roughing the kicker/punter or illegal blocks in the back on fake punts. Hmmmmmmm...........could it be that we're all a little biased?
Nice job, Nevin, on the 2 pt. differential prophecy...................amazing. I have to admit I thought we would whack Utah convincingly...........Utah played hard, played smart, ran some terrific new wrinkles (the Weddle pass to the same guy he faked the end around to comes to mind), and when I saw the Ute bleachers moving up and down in raging joy with 79 seconds left in the game............I was as stunned as my angry sons!
Watching the Utah news that night, they were interviewing a Grandmother (BYU fan) when a Ute student ran in front of the camera and shouted, "BYU Sucks". Two comments on that. One, the grandma made me laugh when she said, "No, we don't"............like only a grandma could say...... and two, all Utes out there.................PLEASE CONSULT WITH DUKE UNIVERSITY..........they are very creative in how they "attack" and "taunt" their rival (UNC). BYU sucks is as tired and worn out a phrase as there is. Please, Cougar-haters.........come up with some creativity.....consult the Blue Devils in Durham............something like "friends don't let friends attend BYU" would enter the classier and better-thought-out taunt than BYU sucks. In fact, couldn't that be the theme for a pre-game Ute fireside.........er, I mean, pep rally?
I have saved the best for last..................this will be written in my very best BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY HOLIER THAN THOU, MOST OBNOXIOUS BLUE-BLOODED, ARROGANT-WE-ARE-BETTER-THAN-YOU..................approach. Here goes: Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune wrote last week, while trying to shed the term HOLY WAR from the ute-cougar debate, "God does not care about this game or who wins."
Hmmmmmmmmm, after seeing what happened in LaVell's last game and after hugging my four kids in unspeakable joy following THE CATCH on saturday, Gordon Monson might want to rethink that one.........................LOL....................over and out :) :) :)
Jonny Harline
P.S. Even though I'm approaching age 50, and even though I've seen the light in regards to school affiliation (LOL)..........I still have to admit I really LIKE and LOOK UP TO Garth, Bruce, and Nevin. You guys brought me a lot of joy and fun in my youth..........and there are not 3 nicer guys on Earth. I have to add Kirk and Dick Gundersen to that mix, as well..........not because their brother was a Y QB, but because they are filled to the brim with warming goodness............I miss seeing all of you on a regular basis............but please know...........I'll be happy to continue to insult and harass via email.
----------
Kevin (Nevin with a K),
This is one of your best---loved it and thanks. I read it at work and should be reprimanded here for laughing too much on the job. Nice kudos at the end about us Limburgs. You’re a much-better-than-average guy yourself, and keep the ranting going.
One fun observation at the end of the game as we all were walking (or floating) out. My daughter Laura, who attended with her husband Jason who is a second year student in the U’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program, in fun blurted out to BYU fans nearby, “Oh yeah, the refs gave you the game!” To which one of the BYU fans quickly replied, “The Lord was on our side.” My smart daughter even more quickly yelled back, “The Lord doesn’t care about who won this game, IT’S JUST A FOOTBALL GAME!” So the rivalry and Holy war will go on and on and on “til the end of time.” (Editorial note: yes, the Utes have some fans, a few, relatively, who get carried away with language not fit for the Telestial Kingdom, but…..nothing, and I mean NOTHING, gets Utes’ hair to stand on end more than when they hear “The Lord is on our side.” So why (same as the question about the ‘BYU sucks’ sayings), do arrogant BYU fans keep saying that? There are somewhere between 15-20,000 LDS students who attend the U, and a clear majority of the males are returned missionaries. Is the Lord not on their side too? Was the Lord not on Brigham Young’s side when he had the U of U established in 1850? I believe it borders on being blasphemous to be using the “Lord” name with regards to a football game. So let’s put our energy into cheering on the ‘gathering of Israel’ team, where I am certain the Lord has taken a side).
Thanks for the allowance to speak my mind and have some fun in doing it.
Cheers to all of us who write these and have fun and keep it clean, yet hard hitting on the most important issues of our day!
Nervous Nevin
taking the tickets Gary Crowton gave me and I will indulge. Should be
fun! By-the-way, as co-chairman (Dr. G is the other co-chair) of the
BYU Study Group we have issued our findings:
The policies at BYU as implemented by Bronco are working too well.
BYU should stay in Provo and not cut and run.
Utah fans should buy out Bronco's contract and get BYU to rehire Crowton
or put a contract out on Bronco.
The insurgents in Provo should attend UVSC.
BYU should talk to its neighbor UVSC and reach agreement on where the
insurgents should live off campus.
After a thorough search for WMD on campus no rapists were found the last
two years.
As always,
James Baker
Co-Chairman, BYU Study Group
---------------
Does this mean we aren’t going on this road trip? What about the tickets?
Sponge Bob Square Pants
----------------
Talk about Mormons needing to take a stand, BYU has taken a stand against playing on Sunday, why don’t they take a stand against playing in this ridicules bowl game in Las Vegas? The last time I was in sin city there were filthy pornographic images everywhere, on the sidewalk (pinups and centerfolds dropped by passersby), on billboards, posters, and store fronts. I won’t go back. Shame on BYU fans who will wade through this smut! Instead of trying to be like everyone else and liked by everybody why don’t we Mormons do some more separating from the world and send a message? What would Joseph or Brigham say about corrupting BYU this way? Or is BYU truly like everybody else and it is all about the money? What a corrupting influence money is.
Brent Halladay
Chairman, Holladay Bowl Committee 1966
---------
Observations, ramblings, and yes...............a little gloating and lots of teasing.....................
Garth and Nevin, my oh my oh my..............I tip my hat to both of you and to your father. Emails with the last name of Limburg actually lit my computer on fire in Ute blood-red. Such devotion, such ferocity (is that a word?), such loyalty to the cause. The scriptures could well say "and John begat a Ute who begat another Ute who begat even more Utes, even until the end of time"................I didn't have any problem understanding where the Limburg loyalty lies! Fireside or pep rally........mattereth not, just show up in red!
Actually, I am SERIOUSLY tipping my hat to the Limburg clan. As I lost my voice sat. afternoon jumping up and down in the living room, joined by my 4 children, ages 7 - 17, I recognized............we may not be the Limburgs...........yet.........but we're getting there. I knew we were well on the way when my 7 year old, then 6, explained over breakfast last year that the Utes have poop in their helmets. His Ute Grandpa (Blaine) scolded him on the spot about "potty talk" while the siblings quietly snickered and I had to leave the room I was laughing so hard. Still, we went from near tears to elation beyond measure as Utah went into the well-described-from-Italy prevent the win defense. Thank you, Ute coaching staff.
And typically, a little humor from the Gundersen household about Whittingham being a Cougar. I liked and laughed at that one as much as when your daughter said, "Who invited you?", at Curtis's farewell.
I learned a few things from all the postgame comments. I had expected to hear cries and complaints of pass interference calls on 3rd and long......instead, I learned that BYU holds every down but the Utes don't. And I liked the takedown of "3 Utes" on the last play.......when only 2 rushed.........
Strangely, there was no mention of the legality of roughing the kicker/punter or illegal blocks in the back on fake punts. Hmmmmmmm...........could it be that we're all a little biased?
Nice job, Nevin, on the 2 pt. differential prophecy...................amazing. I have to admit I thought we would whack Utah convincingly...........Utah played hard, played smart, ran some terrific new wrinkles (the Weddle pass to the same guy he faked the end around to comes to mind), and when I saw the Ute bleachers moving up and down in raging joy with 79 seconds left in the game............I was as stunned as my angry sons!
Watching the Utah news that night, they were interviewing a Grandmother (BYU fan) when a Ute student ran in front of the camera and shouted, "BYU Sucks". Two comments on that. One, the grandma made me laugh when she said, "No, we don't"............like only a grandma could say...... and two, all Utes out there.................PLEASE CONSULT WITH DUKE UNIVERSITY..........they are very creative in how they "attack" and "taunt" their rival (UNC). BYU sucks is as tired and worn out a phrase as there is. Please, Cougar-haters.........come up with some creativity.....consult the Blue Devils in Durham............something like "friends don't let friends attend BYU" would enter the classier and better-thought-out taunt than BYU sucks. In fact, couldn't that be the theme for a pre-game Ute fireside.........er, I mean, pep rally?
I have saved the best for last..................this will be written in my very best BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY HOLIER THAN THOU, MOST OBNOXIOUS BLUE-BLOODED, ARROGANT-WE-ARE-BETTER-THAN-YOU..................approach. Here goes: Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune wrote last week, while trying to shed the term HOLY WAR from the ute-cougar debate, "God does not care about this game or who wins."
Hmmmmmmmmm, after seeing what happened in LaVell's last game and after hugging my four kids in unspeakable joy following THE CATCH on saturday, Gordon Monson might want to rethink that one.........................LOL....................over and out :) :) :)
Jonny Harline
P.S. Even though I'm approaching age 50, and even though I've seen the light in regards to school affiliation (LOL)..........I still have to admit I really LIKE and LOOK UP TO Garth, Bruce, and Nevin. You guys brought me a lot of joy and fun in my youth..........and there are not 3 nicer guys on Earth. I have to add Kirk and Dick Gundersen to that mix, as well..........not because their brother was a Y QB, but because they are filled to the brim with warming goodness............I miss seeing all of you on a regular basis............but please know...........I'll be happy to continue to insult and harass via email.
----------
Kevin (Nevin with a K),
This is one of your best---loved it and thanks. I read it at work and should be reprimanded here for laughing too much on the job. Nice kudos at the end about us Limburgs. You’re a much-better-than-average guy yourself, and keep the ranting going.
One fun observation at the end of the game as we all were walking (or floating) out. My daughter Laura, who attended with her husband Jason who is a second year student in the U’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program, in fun blurted out to BYU fans nearby, “Oh yeah, the refs gave you the game!” To which one of the BYU fans quickly replied, “The Lord was on our side.” My smart daughter even more quickly yelled back, “The Lord doesn’t care about who won this game, IT’S JUST A FOOTBALL GAME!” So the rivalry and Holy war will go on and on and on “til the end of time.” (Editorial note: yes, the Utes have some fans, a few, relatively, who get carried away with language not fit for the Telestial Kingdom, but…..nothing, and I mean NOTHING, gets Utes’ hair to stand on end more than when they hear “The Lord is on our side.” So why (same as the question about the ‘BYU sucks’ sayings), do arrogant BYU fans keep saying that? There are somewhere between 15-20,000 LDS students who attend the U, and a clear majority of the males are returned missionaries. Is the Lord not on their side too? Was the Lord not on Brigham Young’s side when he had the U of U established in 1850? I believe it borders on being blasphemous to be using the “Lord” name with regards to a football game. So let’s put our energy into cheering on the ‘gathering of Israel’ team, where I am certain the Lord has taken a side).
Thanks for the allowance to speak my mind and have some fun in doing it.
Cheers to all of us who write these and have fun and keep it clean, yet hard hitting on the most important issues of our day!
Nervous Nevin
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