BCS Whacked by the WAC

by Paul Grossinger
(Baltimore, MD)

What Boise State’s Rise and Victory over Virginia Tech Means for College Football

Anyone who has read my work in the past (I like to flatter myself by acting like I actually have a fan base) knows that I am a big fan of mid-majors. I think that the BCS system in place over the last decade has tried to funnel only big ticket programs into the feature bowls. Underdog programs like the rise of a mid-major out of the WAC are good for a nice story, but they are hardly money-makers.

However, while the BCS has done a good job thus far at killing off Cinderella stories (remember Utah two years ago and last year’s Fiesta flop matchup of Boise State-TCU) and preventing them from proving themselves against top-notch and big name programs, Boise State’s opening victories the last two years should go a long way towards changing that.

Last year, Boise State came out of left field to outlast Oregon and, when Oregon made the Rose Bowl, BCS organizers were forced (kicking and screaming I might add) to place the WAC power in the Fiesta Bowl. Yesterday’s triumph over Virginia Tech, a big name ACC powerhouse that has averaged 11 wins and been a top 10 program of the past decade, serves to reinforce last year’s defeat of Oregon and proves that Boise State is here to stay. Should the WAC powerhouse maintain its perfect record over the rest of the season (and two straight perfect regular seasons would suggest they probably will) then the BCS will have to strongly consider them for a BCS Championship Game bid.

Let us take a moment to consider the implications of Boise State’s (insofar hypothetical) presence in the national title game? As recently as last year, there were three mid-major teams (Boise State, TCU, and BYU) with a legitimate case for a BCS Bowl appearance and progress was made when two actually appeared in them. However, those two-Boise State and TCU-were matched against one another in an effort to prevent them from getting the opportunity to upend a big name program.

This year, the strength of the mid-majors means that, not only is that likely to change, Boise State might actually make it to the title game.

In the Week 1 AP Poll released this Tuesday, Boise State held its spot at third but received eight number one votes. This was the first time a mid-major school had ever received even one top vote in the poll. Were they to actually maintain their performance and reach the national championship game, it would turn college football on its head. As it is, we will have to wait and see.

Read more about the BCS Controversy.