BSU and the BCS

Perception is Reality There is an old truism in the world of politics that holds that how something is perceived is how it is. Even if the perception is not a fair representation of reality, and it frequently isn't in politics, it doesn't matter. Perception becomes reality and the smart candidate or office holder learns to deal with the new "reality." Boise State University's aspiring football team is finding that the old truism holds regarding its national standing, as well. Boise State didn't even play this week and lost ground. The much ballyhooed BSU season opener against Virginia Tech lived up to the hype with the Broncos winning in the final moments of an exciting game, but then Virginia Tech went and lost its second game against a much inferior opponent, lowly James Madison. (No good can come from a major football power losing to a school named for a president, even if he was the principal author of the Constitution.) So, after a thrilling win against a team - Virginia Tech - that once also aspired to a national title, Boise State is left with the reality of having the team that was supposed to be its toughest opponent all year being 0-2 two weeks into the season. The Boston Globe's college football writer listed BSU as among the "big losers" after the Hokies' stumble. While saying it was too early to make definitive judgments about national title contenders, the New York Times nonetheless suggested that Boise State might well be left on the outside looking in. It reminds me of the old Rodney Dangerfield line: "I don't get no respect." Here's the problem, and in this case, its not just perception, but also reality. The Boise State schedule don't get no respect. Consider that the other top teams in the country - Alabama, Ohio State, TCU and Oregon - all have had a test so far in the young season and their schedules arguably get much tougher going forward. Week-in and week-out, these teams play better opponents in big stadiums for higher stakes. Take the Crimson Tide of Alabama, for instance. Over the next three weeks, the current number one ranked college football team will play at Duke, at Arkansas and home against Florida. Those road games, not counting television, will be played in front of more than 100,000 fans. When Florida comes to Tuscaloosa, the ghost of Bear Bryant will walk the sidelines in a stadium named after him, while nearly 102,000 wild-eyed Tide fans look on, not quietly. That is the big time - really. The reality in Bronco Nation is stark: the perception is that the Broncos really don't play all season with the big boys and, as a result, they don't belong in the same elite company. Writing in the Washington Post after the Virginia Tech game, Tracee Hamilton said it well regarding the BSU reality: "Your toughest game shouldn't be your first. But if you are by far the best team in your league, all you can do is to put two ranked teams on your non-conference schedule and hope for some help in moving up the rankings." Take nothing away - really - from Chris Petersen's sterling record, the big game wins over Oklahoma and TCU, but that perception about a weak schedule in an out of the way part of the football world is, well, reality. Bronco fans may be disappointed - again.

Turmoil in the BCS

Boise State's Impact On The Big Time The old comic Rodney Dangerfield's signature line - "I can't get no respect" - can no longer realistically be applied to the big time college football program at Boise State University. When the New York Times is commenting, the world is watching. In a lead article Wednesday headlined, "Boldly, Boise State Moves The Question," the newspaper of record summed up the impact of the BSU victory over Texas Christian in the Fiesta Bowl with this sentence: "Perception in college football is driven by star power, and Boise State now has it." A USA Today blog picked up, as others did, the suggestion that when President Obama invites the eventual national championship team for the standard post-season White House visit, he should also include an invite to the Broncos. Associated Press sports columnist Jim Litke's take on how underdog Boise State gets real respect - it's a political issue. So, cue the politicians and the issue ads aimed at reforming the Bowl Championship Series. Litke says: "Matt Sanderson, a Utah graduate and former campaign-finance attorney for GOP presidential contender John McCain, founded Playoff PAC with a half-dozen similarly politically savvy friends. "We wanted to give a home to the tremendous grass-roots energy that's formed around the BCS and channel it toward a proven method to get results — in this case, political pressure." Fixing college football's dysfunctional national championship system may not rank in importance with health insurance reform or reducing the deficit, but it may actually be something Congress could do. It should.

Welcome to the Big Time

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Boise State University's football program has earned its way into the elite ranks of the nation's college programs. For the most part, it seems, the program has done it all the old fashioned way - hard work, determination and integrity. Still, you wonder if there isn't always some price to pay for running with the big dogs. It is a thought that hovers over the fiercely fought, if not terribly well played Boise State - Oregon game this week. The Broncos, behind a powerhouse defense, won the game - a very big win, indeed, for the hometown heroes. Still, the lasting image of that victory will surely be the few seconds of video, played over and over, of an Oregon player landing a heavy punch on the jaw of a BSU player. The Duck running back has been suspended for the season, while the BSU player will be disciplined "internally," whatever that means. No judgements here on the punishments, but rather questions about what the incident says about our culture of sport and, in particular, college football. Google BSU-Oregon football this morning and you'll find 2,381 news articles. The YouTube video of the punch has been seen more than 314,000 times (about equal to the number of times it has aired on ESPN) and, of course, the video is rated 5 stars. The pundits weigh in: The New York Times suggested today that the punch seen 'round the world was just the latest of a whole series of tawdry incidents blacking the eyes of college sports. The Los Angeles Times headline: "Let's be blunt that Oregon-Boise finish was a fiasco." Writing at Oregon Live.Com, Bob Rickert, applauds the Oregon suspension, but wonders about accountability all around. One suspects we haven't heard the last of the punch. There will be NCAA and PAC-10 Conference reviews and lots of Monday morning quarterbacking. I couldn't help thinking, as the Oregon - Boise State game dominated the attention of Idaho's Capitol City over the last couple of weeks and the punch dominated the morning after, of Boise State President Bob Kustra's State of the University speech a few days ago. Kustra made headlines with criticism of health insurance cost increases for part-time university employees. The Idaho Statesman praised his courage in raising the issue. About those higher insurance costs facing part-time university employees, Kustra said, as the Statesman reported: "I just think it's so ironic in this world in which we live that these folks who make these decisions dress up in blue and orange and come to seven football games a year and spend two and three months asking me as I travel down the street, 'How's things going with the team? Are we going to beat Oregon?' I wish just once somebody would say, 'How's the lab technician going to handle the 40 percent increase? How is the custodian going to handle the 40 percent increase?'" Almost every college president would argue that a successful intercollegiate sports program is a huge marketing and alumni asset to a college or university that is primarily dedicated to providing academic excellence, but at the same time even the most erstwhile fan - or president - would have to admit that the priorities can get pretty fuzzy from time to time. Stay tuned, there will be more. When you're talking college football, the Big Time means many things - good, bad and occasionally ugly.