Auburn BCS Boise State Choke Kickers Nevada SEC Underdogs WAC
by bholt11
3 comments
A Word About Boise State
Now you know how LeGarrette felt.
We’ll make this quick. The Sports Casualties Bowl© and Florida/Florida State are waiting.
It’s been almost four years since Boise State football trick-played their ways into our lives.
I remember it. You remember it.
We sat on the edge of our living room couches and pulled for the miracle. The upset over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl got us excited because it’s what we are conditioned to do. There’s something ingrained in our human DNA that makes us love an underdog, and that’s exactly what the Broncos were.
There was the hook-and-lateral and then the touchdown and then the Statue of Liberty two-point conversion to win and then the proposal.
I remember jumping around the room in celebration. The way I did when Landon Donovan scored against Algeria. The way I did when the Gators beat Ohio State. The way I did when Ronde Barber silenced Veterans Stadium.
But yet I sit here today, and – like much of America – I am happy.
Boise State lost last night. It snapped a 24-game win streak, and I sat up till 2 A.M. to soak in every last glorious, nerve-racking second of it.
It was wonderful.
Over the past few years, Boise has gone from the delightful underdog to an American villain on par with Notre Dame and Southern Cal. They’ve become the symbol of a culture war, big conference vs. small. They’ve made people groan at their television sets as people like Lou Holtz and Kirk Herbstreit insist that it’s not their fault they play beyond weak schedules and it shouldn’t be held against them.
I’ve sat through plenty of these 10:15 P.M. Boise kickoffs during that time. All in hopes of seeing the once-feel-good story fall.
Why did we make this transition so quickly? How do you go from thinking the Fiesta Bowl was the best thing ever to despising a team in the matter of a few years?
It’s simple.
With media outlets feasting on the cash mammoth that is college football, underdogs are blown out of proportion. They’re built up until we can’t take it anymore and then we celebrate their downfall.
If I wanted to jump on a personal note, I could tell you about the time the country jumped behind USF as they upset Auburn and West Virginia on their way to a 6-0 start and a No. 2 ranking in 2007. But those same people snarled at the No. 2 ranking and were happy to say “I told you so” when it all fell apart.
We love underdogs until they get too big.
I’ll admit as quick as anyone else that college football is an elitist system, and I thoroughly enjoy being an elitist. It’s why I trash small conferences like the WAC, and why I cheered for Auburn yesterday even though it’s a team that has caused my Gators as much pain as anyone over the years and is led by a guy that should be OUR quarterback right now.
Because I want to see an SEC champion for the fifth year in a row. Even though my team is beyond irrelevant right now, it somehow makes me feel a small sense of victory. And if Auburn can’t be the answer, it at least needs to be because of the OBC.
It’s why we all secretly love the BCS even though most of us will never admit it. The dire importance of the regular season and the never-ending discussion points. The chance to say “You don’t deserve it because you’re below us.”
Boise didn’t do much of anything to make us hate them besides win and suggest that they should be a title contender. But we rejoice nonetheless.
Don’t celebrate for too long. We only have a couple of years to turn the tide on Nevada.
-Bryan
holy cow, didn’t realize how long that was. should have just made it a post. my bad guys.
Great job. And Go Auburn.
First, great article, Holt. I too stayed up until the final FG in OT, though it wasn’t 2am over here. So kudos for that. Most East-Coasters would have gone to bed, their glass of warm milk in hand.
I agree with you and I disagree with you. I agree that once an underdog gets too big, they’re not the underdog anymore. They dominate their weak conference and turn into the villain. Just look at Gonzaga in the WCC. When they made the Elite 8 all those years ago, it was the best thing to happen to Spokane, WA in the history of Spokane. Then they started murdering every WCC team and it just wasn’t fun anymore. Then they got cocky and had this sense of entitlement. Then they lost to San Diego and people cheered.
Same thing to a certain extent with Boise State. I think the difference is Gonzaga cherished their role as underdog far longer than Boise. The problem with Boise (and their fans, who are legitimately the worst) is they began talking about conspiracies and how they deserved a chance at a National Title, who they play be damned. I never claimed Boise was a bad team; far from it, actually. But whenever you only have to ‘get up’ for the first game of the year, and you don’t have to worry about another game the rest of the season, something is wrong. People bring up their crappy conference for a reason; it’s relevant. Even if they played in the Pac 10, no way they’d be undefeated. But when people claim that even if Auburn is a 1-loss team, they should get in over Boise, all the BSU fans scream from the rooftops. I don’t get it. You haven’t lost because you’ve played New Mexico State, Idaho, Toledo, Wyoming, Fresno State, etc. Auburn has played Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, LSU, etc. If you don’t ‘get up’ for a game in the SEC, you lose. If you don’t ‘get up’ for a game in the WAC, you only win by 30. It’s ridiculous.
Last night was honestly one of the best days in college football that I can remember. Auburn comes back from 24 down at ‘Bama. Oregon not only comes back from a halftime deficit, but comes back and destroys Arizona. And then the Broncos become irrelevant because Nevada caught lightning in a bottle.
Eff you, Boise State, eff you.