The Fanatic Magazine - A student-run sports magazine for the UVA fanatic

Cinderella's Coup

Written by Michael Garcia

Friday, 12 January 2007

When readers of the Idaho Statesman opened up their sports sections Saturday, December 30, they found an unusual and unsuspected advertisement plastered on one of the pages. Two days before the local Boise State Broncos were to take on the mighty Oklahoma Sooners in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the paper displayed a full-page advertisement reading, “From one Cinderella to another, wishing Boise State good luck in their game against big bad Oklahoma.” The sponsor of this encouraging message was none other than George Mason University, the Fairfax, Virginia school whose men’s basketball team stunned the nation last April by becoming the first small-conference school since 1979 to reach the Final Four.

Mason’s effort towards Cinderella solidarity paid off, as the Broncos stunned the Sooners, 43-42, in overtime. In a thrilling ending, Boise State tied the contest with seven seconds to go in regulation on a 50-yard, game-tying hook-and-ladder on 4th down and 18, pulled within one in overtime on a touchdown pass from the back-up halfback on 4th and goal, and won it on a win-or-go-home statue of liberty play on the ensuing two point conversion. For Boise State, a former Division I-AA National Champion, this was easily the biggest game in program history; on New Year’s Day, the team famous for its blue playing turf went toe-to-toe with one of college football’s blue bloods – and, to the amazement of many, pulled off the upset. And yet, as much as this Fiesta Bowl victory might mean for the university and Broncos fans everywhere, it could ultimately be even more important in determining the future of the BCS.

as much as this Fiesta Bowl victory might mean for the university and Broncos fans everywhere, it could ultimately be even more important in determining the future of the BCS. Quotation

Since the inception of the Bowl Championship Series eight years ago, only one other team from a non-BCS conference, the 2004-2005 Utah Utes of the Mountain West Conference, has played in one of the four BCS bowls. Even then, however, most college football pundits dismissed Utah’s 35-7 triumph as a fluke, pointing to a watered-down Big East (minus powerhouses Miami and Virginia Tech) and an undeserving champion (Pitt earned the bowl invite despite a 4-3 conference record) as reasons for the Utes’ win. So while some hailed Utah’s victory as a monumental achievement for the little guys, others disregarded it as an anomaly.

But therein lies the beauty of Boise State’s incredible New Year’s Day victory. Oklahoma was a heavy favorite, a top-10 team with one legitimate loss, loads of talent, and big-game experience. Few people believed that the Broncos had the weapons to compete with the Sooners for 60 minutes. Yet overlooked in the hysteria of one of the greatest finishes of all time was the fact that, for the majority of the game, the blue and orange dominated, even taking a seemingly-commanding 28-10 lead with less than 20 minutes to play. Simply put, Boise State was the better team Monday night. And if the Western Athletic Conference champion is better than the Big XII champ, well, what does that say about the system in place?

Simply put, Boise State was the better team Monday night. And if the Western Athletic Conference champion is better than the Big XII champ, well, what does that say about the system in place? Quotation

Mid-major school presidents have insisted for some time that the gap between the big boys and the small timers is narrower than we all think, and thanks to BSU, the BCS can no longer dismiss them. As Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson opined, “I don’t even know if you can call it a gap anymore. The competitive level is balancing. It’s become apparent that other people than those six automatic-qualifier conferences can play on a national level.” Because of this win, the BCS again must confront the issue of selection and exclusion from its big-money bowl games. This time, it will have to contend with arguments that extend beyond one team; two other mid-majors, Brigham Young and Hawaii, knocked off two Pac-10 foes, Oregon and Arizona State respectively, in bowl play this year by a combined score of 79-32.

Thompson’s statement is no sudden realization; college football has seen this one coming before. Last year, after Texas Christian finished 11-1 and nearly earned a BCS invite, the system took steps to appease its critics, changing the rule that prevents a mid-major school from playing in a BCS game unless it finishes in the top six – the rule had previously stated top twelve – in its rankings (Boise State was eighth at the end of the 2006 regular season). But now the system faces a push toward post-season equality stronger that it has ever seen before. Will all this result in the formation of a college football playoff? Probably not, as BCS school presidents have made it clear that the sport will have to implement such a format over their dead bodies. But it certainly throws a wrench in the whole scheme.

Will all this result in the formation of a college football playoff? Probably not, as BCS school presidents have made it clear that the sport will have to implement such a format over their dead bodies. But it certainly throws a wrench in the whole scheme. Quotation

Now, the BCS will have to ask itself two things: 1) Was this year with Boise State a fluke?, and 2) If it wasn’t, and let recent history show that it is not, how do they adjust the system to allow the best teams to play in the biggest bowls?

While the Bowl Championship Series brain trust debates these questions, and the system adjusts to the increasing competitiveness of the schools it tries so very hard to exclude, Cinderellas everywhere will continue to make noise on a national scale. As George Mason’s supportive advertisement showed right before the New Year, the push toward a more inclusive college football post-season has transcended the sport itself. The oppressed of college football are getting closer to overthrowing the BCS powers and achieving some form of equality, be it in opportunity or revenue. And I, along with everyone else watching the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day, am thoroughly enjoying the coup.