A Bunch of Hot Air in Glendale, AZ

After Boise State's one point victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, all of the talk was about how that victory showed that the "mid-majors" are for real and deserve to play with the big boys. Every announcer and columnist talked about how great it was to watch the Broncos play, and that their performance was just another reason why a playoff was needed so the Broncos could prove their worth.

So when the season ended, and the writers were given a chance to show the Broncos' true worth and validate Boise State's inclusion with the traditional powerhouses, where did they place the Broncos in the final poll?

Fifth... For the only undefeated team in Div I-A.

I wrote in a previous post that if writers truly believed that mid-major teams really belonged in the discussion for the national title hunt, then a big step would be to include Boise State near the top of the preseason polls. That way, if the team did go undefeated, they'd have a realistic shot of being invited to the title game.

Today, ESPN writer Mark Schlabach posted his preseason rankings. According to Schlabach, where does Boise State (which returns the majority of its offensive line and Ian Johnson to an innovative Chris Petersen offense that was praised nationwide by writers just a week ago) get to start out the 2007 season?

23rd?!

(Oklahoma, which lost to Boise State, and most likely will lose Adrian Peterson, is sixth.)

As was revealed this season, if a non-BCS team starts the year low in the polls, they are automatically eliminated from national title consideration- even if they go undefeated. So sorry Boise State fans, but your Fiesta Bowl win, while a fun story for a few days, didn't really earn you any respect amongst the the powers that be in the college world. Once again, you are amongst the have-nots in 2007.

It's a nice little racket we've got here in the sports community. At the beginning of the year, writers create a scenario in which the little guy has no chance to achieve the ultimate glory; and then at the end of the year, these same writers can blame the BCS system for not giving the little guys a chance. But hey, at least they're guaranteed some good copy.