Georgia Bulldogs: What If They Lose To Boise State?

In all the chatter about how great Georgia's 2011 recruiting class was and how it seems that Mark Richt has the program back on track—ditching the perceived troublemakers and players with poor attitudes as well as bringing in a better approach to strength and conditioning—no one appears to be worried about the possibility of Georgia losing to Boise State in the opener.

Truthfully, it's a fair bet that Boise State isn't exactly taking this game lightly. They have been in this position twice before under the guidance of head coach Chris Petersen—beating both Oregon and Virginia Tech in 2009 and 2010, respectively—so they know what it feels like to play a big time game, under the lights, with a lot to prove.

So what of the argument that this game will prove how good they really are? After all, they haven't been nearly as successful against the SEC as they have against other conferences and Georgia dismantled them in 2005 at Sanford. Why should any Georgia fan be worried that this second meeting will be any different? 

Well, for one, this isn't 2005 and Kellen Moore is a far better quarterback than Jared Zabransky ever hoped to be. And second, while it's true that Boise State plays a perennially weaker conference schedule than their BCS counterparts, that also works to their advantage where games of this magnitude are concerned.

Boise State's 2011 schedule—beyond the opener against Georgia—isn't exactly worthy of much conversation. Honestly, if they beat Georgia, they have a legitimate shot at going undefeated. This game is their one big one for the regular season and they can afford to place it all on the line.

By contrast, Georgia has to be ready for this game and then be ready to get back to work against South Carolina in week two. That's two emotionally charged weeks of college football for a team that—let's be honest here—still has a lot of questions to answer about their toughness, their offense, and their defense—will that 3-4 be markedly better in year two?

So, why aren't more people concerned about the possibility that Georgia could lose?

For the record I do not expect to see Georgia lose their first two games, but I also can't say for certain that I know which game they will win—just being honest.

As much as Boise State can be viewed as a lesser opponent—unworthy of competing with the SEC—there can still be no denying the fact that Boise has consistently risen to the challenge each and every time they have been put to the test.

By contrast, Georgia has shown an heir of entitlement over the last two seasons, drunk off the fame and notoriety of winning so many games from 2001-2008. Has that attitude finally left the Butts-Mehre building or are their still guys that believe their own press, who couldn't tell you what GATA means if spotted the 'G' or the 'A'?

Georgia fans should be leary of having too much confidence until the 2011 product is seen on the field, because, until then, talk is cheap.

85 days and a wake-up folks, who's ready for some football?

Related articles

• Georgia Bulldogs: Don't Put All Your Eggs in Boise State's Basket (theladysportswriter.blogspot.com)
• Boise State gets a little less prepared. (blutarsky.wordpress.com)
• Slow down a little, aight? (blutarsky.wordpress.com)

Georgia Bulldogs: Don't Put All Your Eggs in Boise State's Basket

Photo Credit: David Tulis

"Every time we go out there, that’s what we think about — getting better to beat Boise State on Sept. 3rd."—(Georgia defensive back, Jakar Hamilton, AJC, 4/13/2011)

Speaking candidly, as a Georgia fan, I both love and hate that statement by Hamilton. I love knowing the team is doing all it can to avoid losing a big game, on a national stage, in the first game of the season. However, at the same time, I hate that the Boise State game has become the only reason some guys are so motivated to play because, while it would definitely be a great thing to see them win, it means nothing in the grander scheme of it all.

Point blank, I've seen Georgia play Boise State before and, while I respect everything Chris Petersen has done over the past five-years, I cannot say that I feel Georgia is the inferior team going into this match-up. Despite what these teams look like on paper, Georgia is capable of beating Boise State—if they play their brand of football.

That said, I am more concerned about the September 10th game against South Carolina than the one September 3rd against Boise—no disrespect intended to the Broncos—because all I want to see Georgia do in 2011 is get back to the SEC Championship game and Boise State has absolutely nothing to do with that happening.

Of course, the natural response to that last statement will be that the Boise game will set the tone for the rest of the year. Well, I only have one response to that: Virginia Tech.

The Hokies lost to Boise State to start last season, got embarrassed in week two by a Division I-AA opponent, but went on an 11-0 tear afterward and ended up winning the 2010 ACC Championship Game. So, you'll have to forgive me if I don't necessarily bite on the whole tone-setting approach.

Georgia could lose to Boise State and still be just fine.

Sure, it would be nice to have a repeat of 2005—defeat Boise in a big way and secure bragging rights over a team that many feel is one of the best in the country—but, if that happens, I can assure you that there will be a lot of unimpressed fans who were already feeling that Georgia was the better team anyhow—regardless of their mediocre 2010 record.

That said, quite a few people will be looking past Boise—win or lose—and pointing to South Carolina as the true barometer of what Georgia will be in year two with a more experienced Aaron Murray under center, bolstered by a second season of a Todd Grantham executed defense, with a new offensive line coach to lead the way, minus a few "cancers", led by a new approach to the strength and conditioning, and minus the talents of either an A.J. Green or a Justin Houston.

The level of exposure the game against Boise State offers may have injected some needed life into the program but, in my very humble—yet honest—opinion, Boise is the least of Georgia's concerns. The true questions will be answered in Knoxville (where Derek Dooley is spearheading a great turnabout for the Vols), in Jacksonville (where the changing of the guard has taken place and Georgia is desperate for a win), and in Athens (where the defending national champs (Auburn) and SEC East Champs (South Carolina) will come to play in 2011).

Sure a win against Boise State would be a great start, but I'd trade that for an SEC Championship and wins over Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, and South Carolina—just being honest.

So, hopefully, the coaches at Georgia are selling more than just Boise as motivation for the guys who will be representing the red and black because, as I said, Boise is the least of their concerns.

Georgia Bulldogs Football: Why Boise State and Why Now?

In case you didn't know, the Georgia Bulldogs and Mark Richt will be placed on display for the whole world to see at the start of the 2011 college football season.

The announcement that the Bulldogs would face Boise State, in Atlanta, for the annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game was both a surprise, and a statement, that the new athletic director, Greg McGarity, wants Georgia to get back to being a brand that the college football world recognizes a contender.

That said, the turmoil, and the question marks, surrounding Mark Richt, Georgia football, and the overall direction of the program just went from being a local/regional story to a national one.

Is that the kind of attention Mark Richt really wants?

Can this opportunity provide the spark that he and the team both need to get back on the right track this off-season? Will the fans who gave up on the coaching staff long ago come back and support them now—temporarily ditching their seats on the 'Fire Mark Richt' train?

These are the types of questions you have to ask because, while it's easy to applaud this move and say that it will benefit the program from both a financial and, hopefully, a recruiting standpoint, there are also more serious repercussions if the move backfires.

For one, this isn't the Boise State program of 2005. The one that Georgia dismantled and decimated at Sanford Stadium, 48-13. That was Dan Hawkins' team and he left shortly after said season for the "greener pastures" of the BCS friendly Big 12—opening the door for his offensive coordinator, Chris Petersen, to take the reigns. 

Chris Petersen has not only been every bit as successful as his predecessor, but he's moved the Broncos into the realm of major contenders.  His team has become a staple of the BCS Top 10 and, barring some unforeseen catastrophe, they are poised to make yet another appearance in a BCS bowl this year—their third in five years.

By contrast, Georgia hasn't seen a BCS bowl since 2007 and their overall win-loss record has dipped lower in each successive year since that time. 

That said, this time around, Boise is likely to be the favored team entering the contest.

In other words, this game would be a great opportunity for Georgia because Boise will enter 2011 as a Top 10 team, and if Georgia can beat them on a national stage, then it would be a tremendous start to their season.

That said, you also have to entertain the possibility of what it would mean if Georgia lost. That would certainly be a bad omen for Richt's future prospects—especially if the remainder of the season played out in much the same way the prior two have.

Of course, if the team lost but was able to find their footing and go on a run, a scenario pointed out by  one of my loyal readers, Bill B., then who knows. As Bill pointed out, both Virginia Tech (2010) and Oregon (2009) lost their season openers to Boise State, but still ended up finishing well.

That's a very good point, too. Oregon won their next seven games and moved into the Top 5 before a late season loss to Stanford spoiled their season. Still, a Pac-10 Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl wasn't a bad consolation prize. 

As for Virginia Tech, they stand to win the ACC and they too could end up in a top-tier bowl come seasons end—so, there is a bright side.

However, you still have to wonder if this game is meant to send a message. Is this McGarity's way of letting Richt know this is his last chance to shine?

It could very well be and, for the sake of Georgia's fans, let's hope that he's ready to shine brightly.


Related articles

• Georgia Bulldogs Go "All In," Agree to Meet Boise State Broncos in Georgia Dome to Open 2011 Season (dawgsports.com)
• Boise St. to face Georgia in 2011 opening game (sports.espn.go.com)

Virginia Tech vs Boise State: Frank Beamer Is In An Unenviable Position

Here are the three indisputable facts about the Boise State Broncos:

1) They have one of the best records in college football over the last four years.
2) They have beaten BCS competition.
3) They play in the WAC—for now.

That last fact is the one that raises the ire of most every college football fan who detests the endless hype Boise State has received—since stunning the Sooners in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. That infamous "Statue of Liberty" play, executed perfectly by former Broncos signal-caller, Jared Zabranski, both announced Boise's arrival to the rest of the college football world and began the conversation that continues to intrigue us all today—"is Boise really that good"?

The fact that the question continues to exist and pose heated debates among fans and experts alike, nearly five years later, has made it difficult for Chris Petersen's program to receive the two things they are certain they deserve the most—respect and a shot at the BCS Championship.

You see, in 2006, it was okay that Boise won a lot of games and dethroned the big bad Sooners—it was a Cinderella story and every dog is entitled to its day. But, now that they've stuck around long past midnight, long enough to make a fuss about not having a shot at a national title, all anyone wants them to do is go away.

They are supposed to go back to being the "little school" in the "soft conference". The message from the peanut gallery it loud and clear: We don't want you here at the big boy table.

The oft heard refrain has become: "If they played (insert your automatic-qualifying BCS school here) schedule, then they wouldn't go undefeated every year".

However, we all forget that college football left the door open for teams like Boise State, and their "soft" schedules when they decided, in 2004, to omit 'strength of schedule' as a factor in determining the BCS standings—it's merely a consideration now.

With that fact in mind, Boise State has only done what they were supposed to do—play the schedule they have in front of them, and beat every team on it. The WAC may not be a powerhouse conference but that's hardly Boise's problem—is it? Even more, is the schedule they play soft because the opposition is so bad or because Boise is so good?

Think about it, objectively for a moment, why hasn't any other team in the WAC been as consistently good as Boise State has? Fresno State and Nevada have both had opportunities to come out on top—why haven't they?

Admittedly, the latter is a debatable point because there are so many factors to consider—recruiting, coaching, out-of-conference (OOC) schedule, etc. However, when you consider the fact that Boise has beaten Oklahoma, Oregon (twice), TCU, and Utah in the last four-years while Fresno and Nevada have fallen short when given their shot to shine, you have to give a little credit to the Broncos.

Boise has, consistently, shown up when given the opportunity. So, again, what's the problem? Why the outcry of "they're not worthy"...an outcry that this author has, at times, screamed quite loudly as well?

For one, the fans of college football still consider the difficulty of the schedule when assessing Boise as a contender. They simply do not respect the fact that the Broncos play cupcakes all season—no way around that fact.

Secondly, the arrogance of the fan who has a team in one of the BCS "power" conferences immediately cries foul at the fact that their school's road is so tough while the Broncos, seemingly, skate through theirs—remember that refrain mentioned above?

Whether or not 'strength of schedule' is a factor, perception is still reality for the everyday college football fan. They don't give a hoot about Boise getting respect because, in their minds, they haven't earned it yet.

That said, even if Boise defeats a legitimate power, the natural inclination will be to belittle Boise and make excuses for the other team—several examples follow.

Against Oklahoma in 2006, the excuse was Stoops' teams always choke when the opposing team has time to prepare. People referred to the Sooners as "Choklahoma" and pointed to the loss as yet another example of an overvalued team getting their jocks handed to them—Boise didn't win, the Sooners were just overrated.

When Boise beat Oregon last season, it was, "Yeah, but if they played Oregon later in the year, that game would have been different"...uh-huh, well, they played them in August—what can they do about that?

Again, Boise didn't win, the Ducks just weren't ready to play yet.

Their win against TCU in the Fiesta Bowl prompted more excuses: "So what? TCU didn't get stomped or anything. The game was won by the Broncos because TCU's offense stunk"—Boise didn't win, TCU lost.

Excuses, excuses.

So, here we sit, eight-months later, still talking about how good the Boise State Broncos aren't, how they do not deserve to be ranked in the Top 5, and how Virginia Tech will prove all of this on September 6th when the two teams meet—poor Frank Beamer.

This game was just supposed to be the one that replaced their home-and-home series with Syracuse. However, what it has transformed into is a lose-lose for the Hokies.

If Frank Beamer's team wins the game, the Boise naysayers will rejoice and say, "see, we told you". If they lose, the Boise State "we deserve a shot" train continues—with nothing to stand in its way.

In either case, the Hokies are shouldering a monumental burden because the media and the fans have made this game into an epic event—for both teams. 

In truth, however, this is just a game between two teams in the Top 10. Nothing is guaranteed–despite what anyone tries to tell you. Boise State could win this game, run the table, and still not get their shot. Or they could win and be upset later—it doesn't matter—that's why they play the games.

As for Frank Beamer, no coach in college football wants to be in his shoes right now. Win or lose, the rest of his teams' season will be judged according to what they do in this game. The kicker is, his team has question marks coming into this match-up too, they have some holes to fill too—there is a reason the Broncos are favored to win.

One thing is for sure, if the Broncos win this game, in convincing fashion, the rest of the season will be a calling card to the BCS...sponsored by 'No More Excuses'.

College Football: The Mountain West Wants R-E-S-P-E-C-T...Will They Ever Get It?

The Mountain West Conference (MWC), the oft mentioned but frequently disrespected conference in the FBS, has finally gone off the deep end in it's search for that elusive Automatic Qualifying (AQ) bid from the BCS powers that be—good luck with that if this turns out to be your method of getting there.

According to a recent report, offered via College Football Talk, the MWC and Conference-USA (C-USA) are in the very early stages of a discussion that would pit the MWC Champion against the C-USA Champion in a "play-in" game. The winner would be awarded an AQ bid by the BCS.

Okay, first of all, in what universe would a play-in game versus a C-USA opponent be an attractive package for the BCS?...Seriously?

The recent successes of East Carolina and Houston aside, the overall success of C-USA against current opponents that fall under the AQ umbrella is not impressive—at all. As a matter of fact, the conference as a whole sports a losing percentage against the Big XII (0.383), the ACC (0.377), the SEC (0.334), the Big Ten (0.209), and the Pac-10 (0.322). Shoot, they even have a poor winning percentage against the MWC (0.400).

*scratching my head*

Explain to me again how this  idea would be attractive to the BCS?

C-USA might house some great offensive powerhouses in Tulsa, Rice, Houston, and Memphis, but they are far from ready to compete with some of the bigger and better programs of the Big Ten and the SEC—that's laughable.

Admittedly, these discussions are in their infancy and neither side is ready to confidently go forth and present this option to anyone with the power to change things, but the mere fact that this step is being talked about at all puts a glaring spotlight on how badly the MWC is trying to gain legitimacy—they are tired of being the have-nots of college football.

I can't say that I blame them, the Boise State Broncos have gotten more respect as one team in a remarkably unchallenging conference than BYU or TCU have gotten playing in the MWC.

Boise State may have the more attractive record over the last 6-years (bolstered in large part by a 31-1 conference record), including BCS wins over Oklahoma and TCU, but their conference schedule continues to be a joke and their undefeated record at the end of the year seldom houses a quality win over a quality opponent. They play just as many pansies in their OOC match-ups as they do in their own conference—yet they are rewarded for it time and again.

Consider this, the Broncos, under Chris Petersen, are 4-1 against BCS teams that play in a conference with an AQ bid. Those four wins came against Oregon (2-0), Oregon State (1-0), and Oklahoma (1-0). BYU, in that same span of time, is 7-5 against BCS teams with an AQ bid. Their seven wins came against Oregon (1-0), Oregon State (1-0), Oklahoma (1-0), UCLA (2-1), Washington (1-0) and Arizona (1-2)—three of the five losses were against the ACC.

TCU has fared even better, going 7-2 against AQ opponents—including wins over Stanford, Texas Tech, and Clemson. 

Last I checked, Boise State hasn't played the ACC, under Chris Petersen, yet. For that matter, they haven't played a team from the SEC or the Big Ten either—just saying.


Oh, I know...no one wants to play Boise because they're scared they'll get pummelled.  Uh huh, okay. I really wish people would stop making Boise sound so much better than they are because it's getting old.


A large part of the reason why no one wants to play Boise is because they aren't interested in doing a home-and-home series with them. Texas, Florida, USC, Ohio State, etc., don't need to dole out more money in travel than they will get in gate and concession receipts for going out to Idaho to play in a stadium that maxes out at 32,000—gimme a break.

Boise isn't scary, they are unreasonable and seem to forget they play in the WAC.

They play one relevant game a season and the media wants to anoint them as better than the other 119 Division-I teams that play in the FBS—it's pathetic and, personally, I'm tired of it.

Yet, I digress.

The MWC has been crapped on for years now, despite the success of BYU, Utah, and TCU and they are tired of it. Unfortunately for them, they are barking up the wrong tree with this idea as it will amount to a whole lot of nothing if they ever do bring it to the table.