With just 41 days left until Boise State takes the Harsin show on the road and faces Ole' Miss. in the Peach State, I can't help but look back at what we experienced during the 2013 college football season.
There were moments of glory (winning at Utah State), but there were plenty of cringe-worthy and agonizing horrors (San Diego State, BYU -- the worst one, in my opinion). The Broncos finished with a disappointing 8-5 record, the season culminating with a loss to Oregon State in the Hawaii Bowl. Oh, and our head coach left. There's that, too.
Let's not forget our starting quarterback jacked up his ankle on the first play of the game against the Wolfpack of Nevada and then he (allegedly) urinated off a balcony in Hawaii and was sent home.
Yeah. I'd take a mulligan on a lot of those moments if I could.
As painful as it was to go through all that, and watch Chris Petersen sneak his way out of town for purple-er (not a word, I know) pastures, it could have been worse. Let us embrace the motto that our blue and orange-clad savior Bryan Harsin has supplied and forget about last season. It's time to attack the future. Seriously. Let's maul, maim, harm, injure, upend, tackle, mangle and otherwise pee on (too early?) the future.
But first, let's take a step back and gain some healthy and important perspective.
After the pineapple-scented dust had settled (in Hawaii, after all), Boise State was 8-5. Looking at the season from a somewhat historical view, take this into account:
- The last time the Broncos lost won eight or less games was in 2001 (8-4)
- There were 17 teams at the FBS level with eight wins in 2013.
- 33 teams had nine wins or more
- 68 teams had seven wins or less
- Idaho has not won eight games in a season since 1998 (finished 9-3)
-Furthermore, the Vandals have had just 12 seasons of eight or more wins since 1954, and that's only because they played seven-game seasons before that
So, relax Bronco Nation. The sky is not falling. Far from it, actually. Time will tell whether or not Harsin can continue the winning tradition at Boise State, and the pieces are there to make it happen.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
I added an Urban Dictionary definition of the term "University of Idaho"
Read it straight from the website here. (There was already a really good one posted). Mine is still being reviewed before it will be posted, but I went ahead and pasted it here for your pleasure. Enjoy!
University of Idaho
Forever the little brother of its fellow school on The Palouse and its in-state "rival" down south, the University of Idaho is used to playing second fiddle. So it comes as no surprise that after being passed by that same in-state college in every academic and athletic spectrum, the butt-hurt pouring from the University of Idaho is at an all-time high.
Despite its self-appointed title as "the Harvard of the West," there are zero nationally-ranked graduate programs or nationally-prominent faculty members to be found. Better known for its rampant drinking and alcoholism among its student population, the University of Idaho is more a waste of mommy and daddy's money that it is an actual establishment of higher learning.
The school's location, Moscow, Idaho, is a cold, bitter wasteland where only Neo-Nazi skinheads and right-wing nut jobs are comfortable and welcome (Larry Craig, Sarah Palin are graduates). The only bright spot is leaving.
The University of Idaho football team is only competitive against Division II programs, making its losses to them that much more humiliating. Then again, the school is used to that feeling as it plays in an over-sized bathroom stall known as the Kibbie Dome. Not only is losing as natural as breathing to the Vandals, the football team also gets banned from postseason play (not that they would ever qualify anyway) due to poor academic progress reports. To rub salt in the wound, its in-state rival is ranked in the top 3 nationally for average GPA among its football team.
Despite the Vandals' pathetic attempts to remain athletically relevant, its in-state rival has surpassed it by light years. Instead of admitting the ship has sailed, the University of Idaho leadership persists on "saving face" and whores out its football program for money games and, most recently, the Sun Belt Conference.
Example:
"I used to love Cher, but she's pulling a University of Idaho and just needs to call it quits."
"My friend has everything. I'm so jealous of him, call me University of Idaho."
University of Idaho
Forever the little brother of its fellow school on The Palouse and its in-state "rival" down south, the University of Idaho is used to playing second fiddle. So it comes as no surprise that after being passed by that same in-state college in every academic and athletic spectrum, the butt-hurt pouring from the University of Idaho is at an all-time high.
Despite its self-appointed title as "the Harvard of the West," there are zero nationally-ranked graduate programs or nationally-prominent faculty members to be found. Better known for its rampant drinking and alcoholism among its student population, the University of Idaho is more a waste of mommy and daddy's money that it is an actual establishment of higher learning.
The school's location, Moscow, Idaho, is a cold, bitter wasteland where only Neo-Nazi skinheads and right-wing nut jobs are comfortable and welcome (Larry Craig, Sarah Palin are graduates). The only bright spot is leaving.
The University of Idaho football team is only competitive against Division II programs, making its losses to them that much more humiliating. Then again, the school is used to that feeling as it plays in an over-sized bathroom stall known as the Kibbie Dome. Not only is losing as natural as breathing to the Vandals, the football team also gets banned from postseason play (not that they would ever qualify anyway) due to poor academic progress reports. To rub salt in the wound, its in-state rival is ranked in the top 3 nationally for average GPA among its football team.
Despite the Vandals' pathetic attempts to remain athletically relevant, its in-state rival has surpassed it by light years. Instead of admitting the ship has sailed, the University of Idaho leadership persists on "saving face" and whores out its football program for money games and, most recently, the Sun Belt Conference.
Example:
"I used to love Cher, but she's pulling a University of Idaho and just needs to call it quits."
"My friend has everything. I'm so jealous of him, call me University of Idaho."
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Dog days of summer got you down? Make sure to keep things Blue
We are smack-dab in the middle of the dog days of summer. I hate it.
Actually, the World Cup has distracted me from the football-less (that's American football, mind you) doldrums of my least favorite time of year. Under normal circumstances, only my Fiesta Bowl DVD collection could get me through it.
Some people have season depression where the cold, dark winter forces them into a sad shell. I'm the opposite. Summer makes me mad because I prefer the cold, and there's no football. Zero. Zip Zilch. None in sight.
I'd rather slit my wrists and do push-ups in salt water than watch baseball.
But, like any good die-hards, I rely on my fellow members of Bronco Nation to keep me and well. This offseason has been the most eventful and exciting in recent memory. Bryan Harsin has injected new life into what had become a complacent fan base. Every time a, "Go Broncos!" tweet from him shows up on my Twitter timeline, the adrenaline starts pumping and the anticipation is high.
It is my sincere hope that this excitement continues into the fall and is amplified on The Blue by a group of pissed off Broncos, upset at how last year unfolded.
So it is desired, so it shall be.
At least I hope so. See, that's the great part about being a fan. The optimism reigns in full force, regardless of how unfounded it is. It's what gives Dallas Cowboys fans undying hope of success as Tony Romo continues to do what Tony Romo does. It's what allows Idaho State Bengal fans to show up at Holt Arena every Saturday, waving their flags in the air and expecting a victory from their team. It may not happen, but the eternal flame of optimism continues to burn, even at the darkest times.
As Boise State embarks on a new era of football -- and we as fans go along with it -- there is more hope than ever before. Images of Jay Ajayi mowing down defenders then cart-wheeling his way past another toward the end zone occupy my mind as I wait for Aug. 28 to roll around.
Then I see incoming recruits like offensive lineman Troy Bacon full embracing what it means to be a Boise State Bronco (check out his Twitter timeline to find out what I'm talking about). There is so much more to The Blue than just great football. This has me excited about the future. This fuels my fire of optimism as much as what will take place on the gridiron.
Let's keep it going, Bronco Nation. We need each other as much as we need football. Can the season start now, please?
Actually, the World Cup has distracted me from the football-less (that's American football, mind you) doldrums of my least favorite time of year. Under normal circumstances, only my Fiesta Bowl DVD collection could get me through it.
Some people have season depression where the cold, dark winter forces them into a sad shell. I'm the opposite. Summer makes me mad because I prefer the cold, and there's no football. Zero. Zip Zilch. None in sight.
I'd rather slit my wrists and do push-ups in salt water than watch baseball.
But, like any good die-hards, I rely on my fellow members of Bronco Nation to keep me and well. This offseason has been the most eventful and exciting in recent memory. Bryan Harsin has injected new life into what had become a complacent fan base. Every time a, "Go Broncos!" tweet from him shows up on my Twitter timeline, the adrenaline starts pumping and the anticipation is high.
It is my sincere hope that this excitement continues into the fall and is amplified on The Blue by a group of pissed off Broncos, upset at how last year unfolded.
So it is desired, so it shall be.
At least I hope so. See, that's the great part about being a fan. The optimism reigns in full force, regardless of how unfounded it is. It's what gives Dallas Cowboys fans undying hope of success as Tony Romo continues to do what Tony Romo does. It's what allows Idaho State Bengal fans to show up at Holt Arena every Saturday, waving their flags in the air and expecting a victory from their team. It may not happen, but the eternal flame of optimism continues to burn, even at the darkest times.
As Boise State embarks on a new era of football -- and we as fans go along with it -- there is more hope than ever before. Images of Jay Ajayi mowing down defenders then cart-wheeling his way past another toward the end zone occupy my mind as I wait for Aug. 28 to roll around.
Then I see incoming recruits like offensive lineman Troy Bacon full embracing what it means to be a Boise State Bronco (check out his Twitter timeline to find out what I'm talking about). There is so much more to The Blue than just great football. This has me excited about the future. This fuels my fire of optimism as much as what will take place on the gridiron.
Let's keep it going, Bronco Nation. We need each other as much as we need football. Can the season start now, please?
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