Thoughts on Brotzman and BSU

After watching the Boise State/Nevada game, I was glad Nevada won. Colin Kaepernick is one of my favorite college football players and I have enjoyed watching him play for years. I love watching a good upset and I was surprised Boise went down, since they were well on their way to the Rose Bowl and maybe the national championship game.

Everyone knows I’m not high on Boise State. They are Idaho’s rival. I shouldn’t explain why I don’t like my rival, but I won’t get into that right now. I don’t hate them; I just have a strong dislike for them. How can you hate on a guy like Kellen Moore. If only some of the fans were more like him.

The biggest no-no of college football fandom is hating on players on your own team. It’s ok to criticize their performance, but it is inexcusable to harass them and spread hate.

I was ashamed of the so-called fans that called to harass people named Brotzman in the Boise area: http://www.ktvb.com/sports/Criticism-and-support-for-Bronco-kicker-110915324.html

The video has some of the phone calls.

Then there are the Facebook groups that popped up after the game. I was embarrassed as an Idahoan to see this happen. To hate on a fellow Idahoan that has done so much for his team was just terrible to see. However, to Boise’s credit, the good fans stepped up and supported him and it has drowned out the idiots for now.
I hate to say this, but I predicted the idiots to come out in force. It’s happened before. Jared Zabransky got some hateful treatment from Boise fans. I think it was the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise; the fans were booing him when he got the MVP trophy against Boston College. Boise did lose that game.

When a fan base is spoiled, and the team wins all the time, you forget what it is like to lose and how to lose gracefully. I don’t think much of the Bronco fan base knows what it is like to have a losing season, or even three losses in a season.

My advice to Boise fans is this: don’t take the game so seriously. It is not your whole life; don’t wrap your self-worth around it. Sometimes, I am obsessed with my team, but I don’t let it ruin my day. BSU won’t win football games forever, and undefeated seasons are as rare as they come. If BSU has a losing season, don’t jump off the bandwagon. Don’t hide the car flags. Don’t hide your bright orange sweatshirts. When you go through a losing season, it will separate the real fans from the bandwagon fans.

Boise’s problem is the media plays into the fan base. The fan base eats up everything sports radio says and follows it. I’ve heard blatantly false things on Idaho Sports Talk and the fan base repeats it. I was disgusted to hear Paul J say on the post-game that it was “all on Brotzman”. Ya know, it’s not all on him. Where was the Boise defense in the second half? You know where the fans get the idiot behavior. It’s from guys like Paul J and Jeff Caves. BSU football is the #1 and only thing during football season in Boise. If you read the papers and listened to the radio, it’s the only thing that matters. BSU football has no competition in Boise. They get all the media coverage and it’s almost PR-ish to a point.

I agree the BCS system is messed up. There are so many good teams out there with one loss, and it would be cool to see a playoff. It would be great to see Boise up against some of the best competition out there week and in week out and see how they handle it.

College football is here!

I’ve been waiting for college football forever now. Especially since all the expansion news. BYU is the latest to leave the Mountain West. I predicted this after Utah accepted an invite to the PAC-10. BYU is probably the only program at this time to make the jump to independence. BYU has a new broadcast center and a worldwide TV network, which makes the transition to independence easier. I don’t know how they will fare at being an independent, but I think they’ll be fine. However, I think being in the PAC-10 outweighs being independent any day. BYU’s other sports are going to the WCC, which really makes no sense to me because the WCC schools are much smaller than BYU and play in small facilities.

Since I moved to Salt Lake City and now work at the University of Utah, the Utes are now my second favorite team. I’ve always enjoyed watching them and especially loved the Sugar Bowl. We have season tickets to the Utes, and they are a hot commodity. The PAC-10 move was a great move on their part. Season tickets sold out within hours.

My first game at Rice-Eccles Stadium was pretty awesome. The game day atmosphere was excellent and they already have some great traditions. Many people tailgate and there’s activities for everyone. What I like the most about the University of Utah is they put the students first. Students are part of the “MUSS”, which is the most insane student sections I’ve ever seen. Their section is just a sea of red and they are jumping and cheering like crazy. People were really into the game and the stadium was very loud. The Utes were very sloppy and had some silly mistakes. I think the mistakes can be corrected over the course of the season. Luckily, the upcoming stretch is very favorable for the Utes and the hardest game they have on the schedule is not until TCU. That game is at least two months away. I think the Utes have what it takes to go undefeated again. The Ute defense is impressive and probably will take them over the top this year.

Here’s some highlights:

I am a die-hard Vandal and Idaho is my #1 team. I think it is perfectly acceptable to have a number two team, especially if they are a BCS conference team. Utah isn’t in the PAC-10 yet, but will be next year. We have season tickets to the Utes, which is a good investment. I have a connection to the “U” and my SO will be a student there next year.

As for the Vandals, they had a great win against North Dakota. I watched the game on the DVR. The offensive line had some trouble and they need to get those issues ironed out when the season starts. Nathan Enderle looked great. The defense looked much improved. However, it is tough to see when the opponent is North Dakota. Idaho has a real tough test next with Nebraska.

Here’s the ND highlights:

My thoughts on college expansion

College football expansion talk has exploded. Some of the dominoes have already fallen and more to follow this week.

Boise State got what it wanted, an invite to the Mountain West. I would be careful what I wished for in that conference. I know the big dogs in the conference aren’t looking to stick around much longer because of the horrible TV contract they have in place. When it is all said and done, don’t be surprised if the WAC and Mountain West merge together like the old days.

Here in Salt Lake, the Utes want out of the Mountain West. They were mentioned as one of the teams to the expanded PAC-16. I was hoping the expansion would stop at 12 because a mega conference sounds unappealing. These mega-conferences are all about the dollars now and college football, as we know it will not be the same.

Some people are saying it is the end of the BCS and there will be a playoff. I find this hard to believe. These mega-conferences have one goal – leave the small schools out of the picture.

In my opinion, the business of college athletics has gotten out of control. With the mega-conferences, it will get worse. Congress is even rumored to get involved, especially with revoking tax-exempt status from these state schools.

I love college sports and I have a lot of pride for the University of Idaho. But what is the cost in the long run? The costs are going to get out of control and these smaller schools will not be able to compete anymore. Schools may drop football or drop down to smaller divisions, such as D-II or D-III.

Students are paying for college sports. I didn’t mind paying for sports, but if the cost keeps going up, is it even worth it anymore? The Salt Lake Tribune did a good in-depth article about the costs associated with college sports and how much college students are actually paying for it. The Mountain West schools are actually paying more per student. Here’s the article if you are interested in reading it: http://www.sltrib.com/D=g/ci_15208016 Another source to check out is the budgets for each school in the NCAA. Check out how much state funding each school gets. Boise State still gets state funding, even though their fans brag about “how much their athletic department makes and pays for everything else”.

Everyone is saying the expanded PAC-10 will bring in more money, however, some of these experts are forgetting about the increased costs involved. Washington teams will be traveling to Texas. Does Bill Moos (AD at WSU) want to send it’s swimming team to Texas every year? Do the Longhorns women’s soccer team want to travel all the way to Seattle?

How do you fix this? It will be hard to fix the mega-business of college athletics. It is bordering on professional status, especially with the sanctions put on USC.

One solution is to scrap college athletics all together. Most of these athletic programs get money from their respective states anyways. Maybe the NFL can fund some sort of minor league system like the NBA does for the developmental league. Get rid of the Arena Football league and build a real minor league system. Players can attend college if they want or have real jobs.

Second solution is to keep college athletics, but scale it down significantly. Schools should offer only a handful of sports. Schools should not be sponsoring 20 plus athletic programs. You can’t get around Title IX, but you can still be in compliance if fewer sports are offered. I think conferences should decide which sports to offer and all schools follow. For example, the Western Athletic Conference can offer ten sports – football, women’s soccer, men and women’s track, men and women’s golf, men and women’s basketball, softball and baseball.

If college athletic programs were scaled down, it would be smart to scale down these conferences. I think making regional conferences would be a smarter idea. Some conferences can be non-football. For example many Big Sky teams need to drop football for financial reasons. I suggest Idaho State, Montana State, Eastern Washington, Western Washington, Weber State, Gonzaga, Portland State, and Seattle U create some sort of conference and focus on basketball.

There should be a number of football conferences as well. I think an 8-10 team league will be sufficient.

My, oh my

My apologies for not blogging about the Vandals more. Things have gotten in the way and now I wish I would have blogged more about the great Idaho Vandal football season.

Idaho fans knew back in October the Vandals would probably be going to a bowl game. The Humanitarian Bowl (as expected) was awarded to the Idaho Vandals.

Even though the Vandals stumbled through the last part of the season (losses to USU, Fresno State, and Boise State), Akey’s Army played one of the most amazing football games I’ve ever seen as a Vana fan.

I was unable to attend the game in Boise, but some friends were able to go. Hopefully, I will be able to go to the next bowl game.

My favorite moments from the game:

Demaundray Woolridge:

And of course, the last minute of the game:

If you didn’t hear the game on radio, Tom Hansen has some great audio clips of Tom Morris and Evan Ellis with the call:

http://www.MoscowCares.com/HumanitarianBowl

I can’t tell you how much this game meant for Idaho Vandal fans and alumni. I haven’t seen a winning Vandal season for ten years. TEN YEARS. A lot of fans wouldn’t dare to stick around that long. My friends and I have seen many bad Vandal games in person. Watching the Vandals in the Humanitarian Bowl just makes it so much sweeter.

There is excitement around Vandal football for the first time in many, many, years. I can’t wait to see the parade in Moscow and meet the players in about a week. Thank you Robb Akey for sticking around and bringing a new attitude to Vandal Football.

Don’t Give Up Yet

Dear Vandal fans,

The Idaho Vandals are 6-2. Sure, they had a horrible game against Nevada. Giving up 70 points is never a good thing. Is that a reason to give up on the Vandals? No.

On Halloween, it is homecoming. Idaho versus Louisiana Tech. Kibbie  Dome. Tailgating. Parade. Pancake feed.  There is nothing like the homecoming traditions at the University of Idaho.

I am one of those fans who worry about the attendance. Vandal fans sometimes stop going to games when the team plays poorly. Idaho still has a great chance at going to a bowl game. Officially, they are bowl eligible, but one more win will seal the deal. Idaho has a great chance to pick up win number seven against Louisiana Tech.

To all those Vandal fans who are questioning the ability of this team or you haven’t gotten your butt to the Dome yet this season, GO. You won’t regret it.  The dome gets loud and crazy. Who wouldn’t want to see an exciting football team?

Why should you go? I go because I love the atmosphere and the team. Go because of guys like Max Komar, who was a walk-on and is having an outstanding season. Go because of Nate Enderle, who was thrown under the bus by many Vandal fans and questioned Akey for starting him as a freshman two years ago. Now, Enderle is having an amazing season, thanks to some great pass protection. And finally, go because of Robb Akey. He has turned the ship. How could you not root for this guy? He kicked off 18 players and paid the price with the NCAA. Akey has promoted a family-like atmosphere with the team and it has shown. The players have bought into the program, which was a problem in the past.

So Vandal fans, get to the Kibbie Dome. Bring your friends and family. Pick up some Vandal gear at the bookstore (or at the game). The Vandals are back and there are only three home games to see this great turnaround.

—jazzyidahovandal

Proving the naysayers wrong

The Vandals are now 4-1 on the season and have proved a lot of naysayers wrong, even the Idaho fan base.  My prediction was four wins, double from a year ago.

I’ve followed the Vandals for ten years. As a freshman in college in 1998, Idaho football was picked to be one of the worst teams in the nation. With guys like Joel Thomas, Mao Tosi, and John Welsh, the Vandals proved everyone wrong. I’ll never forget the 98 season, because they beat BSU at the end of the season with an exciting two point conversion and then went on the Humanitarian Bowl and beat Southern Miss. Idaho beat all expectations and ended the season with a 9-3 record.

I took two years off of school, and when I came back to Moscow in January of 2002, the Vandals were a completely different team. Tom Cable was now coaching, and Idaho was in a new conference, the Sun Belt. The 2002 season was an absolute trainwreck, just like the year before. Idaho won just one game in 2001 and two games in 2002. 2002 was a terrible year. Idaho lost to former I-AA foe Montana in the Kibbie Dome. I’ll never forget that game because their fans and team showed the Vandals up and it was embarrassing.

Idaho didn’t get any better in 2003. They lost to teams like Eastern Washington and Montana (again). Tom Cable was finally fired at the end of 2003. Nick Holt was hired and the Vandals were invited to the Western Athletic Conference.  There was a little bit of hope with Idaho fans. Wrong. He coached for just two seasons. Then Dennis Erickson came back a second time to lead the Vandals. That didn’t work out either. The Dik, the nickname given by Idaho fans, put the team into the ground.

The Vandal hopeful were in the dumps. What more could be done?
Opposing fans, some Idaho fans, and the media thought Idaho would be better off in the Big Sky Conference (I-AA) Hardcore fans (like me) and the athletic director knew Idaho belonged in the WAC.  We knew I-A football meant more advertising dollars, more television exposure, and opportunities for bowl games.

I’ll never forget the newspaper columns calling for Idaho to go back to the Big Sky. Other fans and I wrote strongly worded letters to the editor. The Big Sky comments haven’t gone away at all.

When Robb Akey was hired as head coach in 2007, Idaho fans were skeptical and didn’t expect much.  The team struggled with only one win in 2007 and two wins in 2008. Akey even kicked off nearly 20 players due to criminal activity, academic problems, or they just didn’t fit in with the team. Akey made sure to get rid of the bad apples and bring in good citizens.

The hardcore fans still went to the games (there wasn’t many of us), even though we knew they would struggle. Idaho was a very young team last year and the year before. The lack of depth hurt the team and had a hard time playing entire games.

I knew Idaho would get better if the same group of players stayed around. It takes time to build a football program, especially when Akey got rid of so many players when he he was hired.
Honestly, I thought it would take at least three years for the Vandals to be over .500.
So far this season, Idaho has proven the naysayers wrong. Even me. They are now 4-1, off to their best start since 1994.

Why are the Vandals so successful this year? It is the offensive line for sure. They are experienced and average a height of 6’4″ and a weight of 308.8 pounds. It doesn’t hurt to have Mike Iupati, a Rotary Lombardi candidate and possible NFL draft pick.

The play of quarterback Nathan Enderle is quite improved from a year ago. Last season, he struggled and so did the offensive line. He didn’t have much time to throw the ball at all. This year, he has all the time in the world, thanks to an experienced and healthy offensive line

Thanks to the pass protection, receivers like Max Komar and Eric Greenwood are getting open and getting key catches at the end of games.

And I can’t forget the running backs. A good running game has opened up the passing game for Idaho, which didn’t exist a year ago. Demaundray Woolridge, a transfer from Washington State University has played very well, and Princeton McCarty has had big yard gains.

What will the rest of the season bring for the Vandals? I predict three more wins and a bid to the Humanitarian Bowl. Who knows, maybe they will surprise everyone again and have just one loss before the Boise State game.

New blog

I must say I haven’t blogged in a really long time. Recently, I changed my blog location. I deleted my personal website because I didn’t want to pay for web hosting fees anymore. Since I hardly blog anymore, why keep it?

I would like to keep blogging though.

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