So here we are again. That jaunty team from the heart of Idaho went undefeated for the second time in four years. What're we gonna do about it?
When Boise State squeaked past Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, it became the Hoosiers moment which legitimized the school's football against every other major program in the country. At the time, I wrote a fun impossible-to-disprove hypothesis that playoffs would have probably ruined the team's legacy, causing them to somewhere lose a game. (Can't say I'm wrong! Because I'm arguing theory!)
And while the 2009 version of the Broncos have no NCAA Football coverboys, no crocheting tailbacks, and no secret statues, it's not so certain that they wouldn't lose to Florida, Alabama, or Texas even after their 17-10 triumph over TCU. And yes, it would be fantastic if Boise State could line up against the winner of the BCS National Championship Game a week later, even in an informal yet competitive setting.
But in the end, we can draw one of two conclusions:
(1) The BCS twice screwed Boise State so hard their field turned blue, or
(2) The terrible, terrible system allowed the Broncos to finish with two perfect, pristine seasons.
I'm sure BSU would love to play another game if it would grant them a national championship. It won't happen, and genies only appear in the movies. So what's the next best thing? Is it settling for 14-0? Buddy, that's like settling for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 marathon on TV. Or settling for 50 lives in Contra. Yes, I suppose watching MST3K for eight hours followed by a threesome would be better. But I'm a realist.
If anything, having no playoffs is the perfect system for young student-athletes. It teaches them that life is not always fair, and that sometimes the only recourse is to take the utmost pride in one's accomplishments, because in the end, more popular teams with better resources are going to come out ahead.
(Photo credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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Article comments
1 - El Bicho
"(Can't say I'm wrong! Because I'm arguing theory!)"
If there is any certainty of the Internet, it's that people can always say you are wrong. And how did Slash not get mentioned?!
"having no playoffs is the perfect system for young student-athletes."
Then what a tragedy for all those other student-athletes who have to compete in playoffs. Surely you will be calling for an end to March Madness and the College World Series.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
No, you're wrong about me being wrong.
I do sympathize with the playoff participants. It's just false hope down the road, when they realize the board of directors don't use a bracket to determine that the CEO's inadequate son should become your new boss.
3 - Kristoph Wendel
College football is direct competition. Real life is not. Analogy fails.
In college football, a wrong CAN be righted. In real life, that is not always the case.