Perhaps the biggest — or, at least, high-profile — job WAC commissioner Karl Benson has this time of year is publicly professing the virtues of Boise State as it relates to a BcS bid.
It seems like, every year at this time, the commish does a little stumping on the behalf of both the Broncos specifically and his conference in general. And, needless to say, this year is no different.
The Broncos are, for I believe the the 87th consecutive season — that may not be an accurate figure. It was just a guess, so you may want to Google it or check the Wiki for verification — undefeated late in the year and seem poised for yet another BcS berth. So, Benson is out there stumping again, this time in a seemingly innocuous conversation with the Birmingham News that was focused mainly on officiating.
Q: With USC losing last week, do you believe the door is now wide open for both TCU and Boise State to play in a BCS bowl?
“If USC had won, I’d be arguing today regardless of Southern Cal that Boise State deserves an at-large spot.”
Q: Sure. But doesn’t USC losing significantly help Boise State?
“Now all the quote experts are talking about Oklahoma State possibly being an at-large; or Stanford being an at-large; or if Pitt beats Cincinnati, then Cincinnati is an at-large; or if Virginia Tech wins out, they’re an at-large. Last week it was Southern Cal. This week it’s team X, Y or Z who may be a hurdle for Boise State. All Boise State has done over a six-year period is have a winning record that’s greater than any other team. And the one time they were given an opportunity to win a BCS bowl on the big stage, they performed at all three categories of what constitutes a deserving team. They took 25,000 fans to Phoenix. The television rating was the sixth-best out of the last three years. People forget they were ahead of Oklahoma by 14 points going into the fourth quarter. Yes, they needed some trick plays to win the game and they performed those trick plays. But they dominated the game midway through the fourth quarter.”
Q: You don’t have to sell Boise State to me.
“(Laughs). Sorry. I’m used to doing that. That’s my message right there.”
That’s a funny, yet sad commentary on how the WAC and Mountain West have to go waaay overboard to the point of excess in order to prove their “worthiness” to anyone and everyone they come across.
And that’s the message of the BcS — you need to go above and beyond any of the “Elite Six” to prove your worth and to sit at our financially exclusive table.
But, hey, at least the system now has a full-time point man and are making their presence felt on social networks. I’m quite certain that will solve all of their woes.
Don’t quote me on this buy I think the Montana grizzlies have the best winning percentage in the nation in all of football for the last couple of years??