ADs who sign H&Hs with Boise State have been shown to guarantee their school 2 losses probably 95% of the time. Watching games on that blue turf is painful, and there really isn't much of a media coverage or attendance boost, if any, when you get them at home. And any team that does get lucky enough to beat them once, it doesn't earn you the recognition or respect that beating a lower tier team from the Cartel would. If we schedule a Top 25 program, we better be getting PAID. BSU is the last team from the MWC I'd ever want to schedule.
I never want to play on that ugly blue turf again.
I agree, they are not the juggernaut they were in the WAC. They are still very good, and of course I wouldn't trade a P5 H&H for them, but they would be a quality win if you could get it and no worse than losing to Texas Tech or Arkansas. A lot better than losing to South Alabama or UMass.
I miss the WAC also. Yeah distance sucked. But we were kind of part of a group of schools that had a reputation of being ‘the Junk yard boys’ where most of the other Power 5 conferences either feared and/or respected. What I mean is that they kept lightly dismissing us but at the same time feared squaring off against us on the field.
And when these schools came to Ruston, Most of the 25K per game in our stands were our fans because we knew it could be a good fight. Boise often said that we were the most physical team they would play. Beating Fresno was generally a highlight of the season. And I hated Nevada and Kaepernick (who never graduated) for different reasons.
We were definitely different and had a distinctive relationship to the national scene when we were in the WAC.
Oh yeah, and then during that time I remember an article where the other coaches would distinctly say "I hate going to Ruston". LOL
Texas Tech: We got 1 loss and $800,000 for 1 game
Arkansas: We got 1 loss and $925,000 for 1 game
UMass: likely 2 wins + $200,000 total ticket revenue over 2 games (road game in Fall outside Boston at Pats stadium)
South Al: likely 2 wins + $200,000 total ticket revenue over 2 games (road game in Redneck Riviera Labor Day weekend)
Boise State: likely 2 losses + $200,000 total ticket revenue over 2 games (road game on blue turf in Idaho)
It's pretty clear which opponent offers by far the worst deal.
for folks not familiar-- we won the first 4 games and now they are on 9 game winning streak against us. I have been to 2 games at the ugly ass field --3 things --- their fan base is awesome, very friendly ( much like Tech fans)-- It is too cold there!! Bowl game I went to was freezing-- they left us in the dust long time ago BUT I think we would be much more competitive now. I disagree that it was "foolish" to schedule Boise in old days--we were in Wac with them and I can think of no solid program who would/will come to Ruston every other year. I do not remember a game against them after conference folded. a win against Boise would show the progress many of us believe the program has made ... granted it would be a longshot-- no glory in beating Tulane.