By Brian Murphy
bmurphy@idahostatesman.com
Why now? Why is Boise State able to land home-and-home football series with Michigan State, Virginia and, perhaps the biggest of all, Florida State now when such series were beyond the Broncos’ grasp in previous years?
Story: Boise State, Florida State agree to home-and-home series
Audio: Murphy on Boise State Public Radio discussing Boise State scheduling
Here are a few theories:
1. College football’s new playoff structure dictates that teams improve their non-conference strength of schedule. This is particularly important for schools that are not in the SEC. The ACC, in particular, suffers from a perception problem — that the league is not on par with other power leagues.
“Adding the Broncos to our football schedule continues our commitment to bringing top quality opponents to Doak Campbell Stadium. With our neutral site game versus Oklahoma State in 2014, the addition of Pitt and Syracuse to the ACC and now this series, we feel we are putting our football program in the best possible position to compete in the new BCS beginning in 2014,” Florida State Athletic Director Randy Spetman said in a statement.
Florida State’s Devonta Freeman (8) is lifted by teammate Cameron Erving (75) after his touchdown run against Georgia Tech during the first half of the ACC Championship college football game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
2. Attendance concerns. Schools are worried about competing with “man caves” and giant HD television screens. They have seen attendance decline, especially for games against lower-level opponents. In order to keep the fans coming to games, schools are going to have to schedule better opponents.
3. TV partners. ESPN (and Co.) are paying more than ever to televise college football games. Conferences and athletic departments need that revenue. Well, who wants to televise (or watch) lopsided games. The more compelling content you can provide to your television partners, the more they’ll be willing to pay. It’s probably not a coincidence that the Mountain West and Boise State are negotiating a television contract for the Broncos’ home games right now.
“What gives us the best opportunity to have a game that’s attractive to TV and has a chance to be attractive to our fans at home so we get a sold-out stadium?” Athletic Director Mark Coyle told the Idaho Statesman last week.
4. Boise State’s reputation. The Broncos survived their first Kellen Moore-less season, went 11-2 and, once again, finished in the top 20. Coach Chris Petersen stuck around, too.
“We’ve proven ourselves (on the field),” Coyle said last week. “We need to convince some of these BCS teams to come and play on our field. That’s what has us excited about Virginia – it does show other schools out there that you can come play in Boise and (the Broncos) will do a return game.”
5. One of the main reasons Boise State and President Bob Kustra wanted to join the Big East was to expand the Broncos’ “brand” to big markets on the East Coast. That plan fell apart. But Boise State is still finding ways to get into those markets with non-conference football games.
“The thought process is how can we continue to build our brand – from a recruiting standpoint, more national exposure,” Coyle said last week.
6. Kustra has long wanted the Broncos to increase the Broncos’ strength of schedule. He even tried to add bonuses into former Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier’s contract to reward tough non-conference games. Now it appears the president — with a new athletic director — is getting his way.
Boise State’s future non-conference games (as currently scheduled):
2013
at Washington (Aug. 31)
vs. Tennessee Martin (Sept. 7)
vs. Southern Miss (Sept. 28)
at BYU (Oct. 26)
2014
vs. Ole Miss in Atlanta (Thursday, Aug. 28)
vs. BYU (Oct. 25)
2015
at BYU (Sept. 12)
vs. Washington (Sept. 19)
at Virginia (Sept. 26)
2016
vs. Washington State (Sept. 10)
at Oregon State (Sept. 24)
vs. BYU (Oct. 15)
2017
at Washington State (Sept. 9)
vs. Virginia (Sept. 23)
at BYU (Oct. 7)
2018
vs. BYU (Oct. 20)
2019
at Florida State (Sept. 7)
at BYU (Oct. 12)
2020
vs. Florida State (Sept. 12)
vs. BYU (Oct. 17)
2021
at BYU (Oct. 9)
2022
vs. Michigan State (Sept. 17)
vs. BYU (Oct. 8)
2023
at Michigan State (Sept. 16)
at BYU (Oct. 14)
It’s good to read you again Murphy glade the Statesmen woke up and corrected their error of requiring subscriptions. Will be nice to link you guys in again.
And then they killed comments on IS.com.
Communism/
Murph,
A very good follow-up article that lays down the “why now”. I think the #3 reason most fits the Boise State angle as the school is striving to be paid in full for the excellence and increasing national exposure of its’ football program. It’s critical to get these high profile games set up in the out years while they are in the process of negotiating a long-term contract with ESPN. Also remember, one of the reasons Mark Coyle was brought in was due to his marketing savvy.
Does anyone really think FSU will come to Boise? They will find a way to get out of coming out west.
Now, now, be positive….BSU is attempting to prove to the country once again, and again, and again, that they can play with the big boys…They are trying…..Don’t forget the Oregon, Oregon State,Oklahoma (with Mr. Peterson) games of the past, oh, and Washington and Arizona State games, AND the closeness of the Michigan State game…I could go on, but it is not necessary. If they schedule weak games, people complain, if they schedule strong teams, people complain. Give them a break….
Boise State’s record on weak out of conference scheduled games is legendary. They are 11 wins and 12 losses since 2000 in BCS games. They are 6 wins and 5 losses against northwest schools (UW, WSU, Oregon and WSU). 2-0 vs. Oregon, 1-1 vs UW, 3-2 vs. Oregon State and 0-2 vs Wash, State. From 2006 through 2013 they have played 3 BCS teams in the regular season outside of northwest schools; 2011 Georgia, 2010 Virginia Tech and 2012 Michigan State going 2-1. 2010 was the only season that Boise played 2 regular season games against BCS schools in Virginia Tech and Oregon State since 2005 when they lost to Oregon State and were blown out on their first visit to Georgia. Boise is a well coached, highly disciplined team that has performed very well over the past decade. They are also very good about keeping their non league schedules very suspect and piling up wins in their very weak conferences which helps in creating momentum for 1 or 2 tough games per year. 2013 is no different with a so so UW and BYU on the schedule and probably the worst non league home schedule in winless Southern Miss and a very poor UT Martin team in only their 3rd game ever against top level competition. They lost to Tennessee 50-0 in 2010 in their BCS game. They play in a 7,500 seat stadium that they do not fill for their home games, smaller than most good Texas high schools. the 2014 schedule has Mississippi (2-10) last year and the perpetual BYU game. With 2 open dates, Boise has the opportunity to schedule some real teams, California, Stanford and Florida State among others have open dates which I hope Boise would seize upon. Expecting a home and home with schools whose stadiums are 1 1/2 two 2 1/2 times the size of your own is not realistic. I am hopeful but not optimistic that Boise will step up to the plate and upgrade their schedule with the 2017-2018 series with Troy (home stadium of 30,000 which is never filled) being a real letdown.
Does Boise State have any real plans to significantly increase their stadium capacity including decent sideline seats? It seems that in the last 12 years other than the oddly placed stuckey center they have only added some endzone high school bleachers and put a cheap coat of black paint where the track was. It looks like a real home made handy man job.
If you really want to pay a lot more for season tickets, be my guest.
Yes. Expansion plans are in the works for Boise State. The new football complex will open this season, first of all. While that does not improve seating, it does improve facilities, which is attractive to visiting teams.
The next step is to fill in the North endzone. That will add about 5,000 seats bringing the total size to about 40,000. The end goal is a total stadium size of 54,000. So yes, the stadium is being expanded.
The current capacity of Bronco Stadium with last years endzone bleacher add on is 36,800. There is no current construction plans to add 5,000 seat now which would bring the capacity to 41,800. The plans of August 2010 are no longer valid with what was built last year. . Simply slapping on a some cheap end zone bleachers won’t generate the revenue needed for a first class facility. Look @ what TCU, Oregon, Washington and Louisville have done. You need to spend some $, not some cheap add on by the lowest bidder to assure long term success. The football complex that opens this summer is for Boise recruits and not visiting teams and trying to bring some parity to their practice and training facilities which are pretty woeful at this time.
With the Big-10 agreeing to not schedule anyone but FBS schools, is the SEC and ACC far behind? With no FCS schools to schedule, of course the will dip into the “other six conferences.“
The reason that higher-level FBS teams are suddenly calling Boise is because the Broncos are an FBS team that should be a relatively easy win that will potentially garner more respect than a similarly talented team that hasn’t had Boise’s past success. Look for more teams to schedule teams like Nevada for the same reason. (Actually, Florida State did schedule Nevada.) Other FBS teams that will be hot among lower-level FBS teams will likely include Indiana, Idaho, and Massachusetts. (Again, North Carolina scheduled Idaho, whereas Florida State scheduled them the week before Florida so that it could have 2 weeks to prepare.) These teams are worse than higher-level FCS teams, but don’t kill SoS like playing FCS teams will.