Does Boise have the ability to remain at (or near) the top of the non-BCS teams in College Football? Let's explore the possibilities of that...
- Longevity:
Boise has been a member of FBS (former Div1A) for only 11 years - and counting. So essentially there is no longevity at the highest division of college football. That of course takes time. But over those short 11 years, Boise has proven that they can win regularly, sporting a Won/Lose record since 2000 that is better than all but a couple FBS teams. Sure, the haters out there will argue that Boise's schedule allows them to win all those games. And of course there is truth to that. But still, having been a member of the FBS for only 11 years speaks volumes of the success story that is Boise St! - Success at Previous Levels...
Not many people outside of Boise realize that this team has been very successful in College Football prior to the FBS. Having won National Championships at both the Div2 and FCS (former Div1AA) levels, Boise has proven not only that this team knows how to win, but that it continues to successfully grow. There appears to be no end in site of Boise's potential growth. Of course, you don't know you've hit your maximum growth until after you've reached it, but for Boise at least, we haven't seen the end yet. - Coaching...
Boise has proven that it can deal with turnover in the coaching staff and still continue to win. The atmosphere at Boise St has fostered a winning attitude throughout the entire campus - from the school President, to the AD, to the faculty and students. Boise St, it seems, can be successful regardless of who is at the helm. This will bode well in the future as well, since Boise will be a prime location for up-and-coming coaches (with a hunger to win and be successful) who want to propel their stock in coaching at a higher level. It is that hunger for success that is prevalent at Boise. - Attitude...
For at least the past decade, the attitude at Boise has been - work to win, then work some more. It's that blue-collar mentality that attracts both coaches and players, which are willing to work, work, and work some more, to win. It comes from always being the underdog and having to fight harder then everyone else to gain that respect. It comes from winning the conference championship one year and still being told the next you can't win it again (and doing it 5 times in a row). ......... The attitude has been pretty consistent for many years, but did seem to be a little less noticeable this year (2007). Can the players get back that blue-collar mentality next year - when Fresno will likely be the pre-season favorite for the WAC Title? - Recruits...
This is probably the area that is always so tough to judge. Recruits are rated by a couple of primary rating sites. These sites rate recruits heavily on tangibles - size, speed, game stats, etc. They are rarely rated on the hardest commodities of all to rate - the intangibles like heart, will, and overall desire to win. Boise has been successful in the past at getting those recruits that may have been passed over by the bigger schools for lacking the tangibles, but who have great intangibles. Prime example - Kory Hall. Recruited by no one out of High School, was very successful as a smallish, slowish MLB in college, and is now doing very well as a Fullback on a Playoff Bound NFL team (Packers). These are the kinds of guys that have ended up at Boise in the past. ......... Since the Fiesta Bowl though, higher rated recruits have become interested in Boise. In rating numbers, Boise has recruited the last two years better than any other non-BCS team (other than BYU). Will these new types of recruits change the dynamics of Boise's formula for success, or will they continue to build successful season upon successful season? Only time will tell on this one.
Overall, 2007 was a down year for Boise. And at a record of 10-3, that's really saying something about the expectations of Boise St Football. But if you look at it closely, Boise's schedule for 2007 was very soft, so the success was likely perceived greater than it really was. I personally feel that Boise needs to get that blue-collar mentality back. It was the one piece in the formula-for-success that seemed to be lacking on Boise team this past year. ............ Personally, I believe they will get it back. Maybe not next year - 2008 looks to be another rebuilding year for Boise - but definitely by 2009 and 2010, when Boise could emerge once again as the premier non-BCS team in the nation.
So the answer to the original question is......
Yes! Boise does have the ability to remain at (or near) the top of the non-BCS teams in College Football (in my own opinion of course)
