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07 September 2010
The opening college football weekend ended in grand fashion, as it should have. Boise State, looking out of breath and just about out of hope, turned into the little engine that could with two minutes left and scored an improbable game winning touchdown on Virginia Tech. At first look it seemed like just another great football game, but as it always goes in college football, the story is much more intriguing than that. Boise State represented all the little guys in their win against Virginia Tech and single handedly strengthened the argument for a postseason playoff.
We all take sides when it comes to football. Its part of the fun, part of the madness that drives us passionately debate topics that are out of our control. Rankings are a big part of the game, and as much as we all disagree or depise them, they still matter to us. Before the game monday night, we all heard the nation debate this question: does Boise State deserve to go to the national championship if they run the table? does Boise even deserved to be ranked in the top five?
I noticed that among fans of big time college programs a resounding argument was emerging:
"Boise State plays absolutely nobody! How in the world can you justify that WAC schedule! Who cares if they won two BCS games in the past few years, it was because the teams they were playing were beat up from their intense conference schedule and the Broncos were fresh because of who they play!"
These fans desperately want to hold on to old school college football where the only teams that have a chance at winning anything are those thay play in a major conference. I call them the traditionalists. They believe that the only thing that matters is tradition, recruituing, attendance numbers, and rankings. The game between Boise and VT represented a chance to shut up all those small schools, the ones who had no place in the conversation. Virginia Tech was supposed to wreck the pathetic Broncos.
So when Boise was down by four with two minutes to go, even though they had played competitive with Virginia Tech all game, all these traditionalists were ready to say the four words all sports fans relish-- 'I told you so.' And with one pass, those words went away. Respect is not something earned easliy, and it surely doesn't all change after one game. There will be those that say, "Well maybe VT just wasn't that good" and "If my team played Boise they would get crushed" and so on.
This game showed the country once again that a playoff is necessary to truly show who the best team in the nation is. There is no doubt about it. I think the traditionalist is now realizing that the time is coming. With a win like Boise's on monday, it is becoming near impossible to defend the argument that it is always clear who the two best teams are. Fans of big programs are getting scared, their foundations shook by the fact that bragging rights are up for grabs now and anything can happen. Maybe they are becoming confused, because although they may have wanted a playoff for a couple years now, it doesn't look so attractive anymore to play the little guys.
So thank you Boise. With one drive, with one touchdown, and with one win, you made one of the biggest statements for an argument that is getting stronger every year and you showed once again that the 'little guy' can run with anybody.
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