Boise will never get a fair shake

I'm done arguing about it, because frankly it's a moot point.

Any regular reader of the Salem News will know by now that the Buckeyes aren't my team. Boise State is. And every year the pre-season talk in Ohio is always how great the Buckeyes are, and if Boise State comes up in the coversation, it's about how they don't play anyone. Various bloggers and columnists often say that if Boise State was in the Big Ten, they would be a middle-tier team.

Hogwash.

I'm here to tell you that Boise State is for real. The BCS win against Oklahoma was no fluke a few years back. Neither was their undefeated season last year, and neither is their pre-season ranking among college coaches (No. 5)

But even if Boise State beats Virginia Tech (Preseason No. 6) on Monday, Sept. 5 at Fed Ex Field, then runs the table, it still won't get them into the national title picture.

Teams regularly avoid Boise State when scheduling, and that includes all of the better teams in the Big Ten. Why risk losing early in the year to a non-conference opponent if you're Ohio State or Wisconsin or Iowa?

Boise, in this blogger's opinion, will run the table again this year and get a BCS bowl berth. And just like last year, they'll get paired up against an opponent that won't cause any controversy at all (See Boise vs. TCU last season). The BCS doesn't want more controversy. It's already a money-hungry, flawed system that will leave people arguing for long after the games have been decided on the field.

What I'm basically saying is, Boise State is a legit top-5 team in the country. But aside from Virginia Tech, they will never get a chance to prove it no matter how much they win under the current system. As much as I, and actually surpisingly a lot of Ohio State fans would love to see Broncos vs. Buckeyes to settle the debate, it's an enormous long shot.

Really it's a shame. Because although Boise has garnered some credit for what they've accomplished, they'll never get the respect they truly deserve because none of the bigger names in college football want to play them, and none of the BCS bigwigs will ever give them a chance against a school from the SEC or Big Ten.