Revenge series?

[Flagstaffsooner]

An OU-Boise series?
Scheduling becoming tougher for power schools


By Berry Tramel
Staff Writer

Several months ago, seeking to fill out its football schedule, OU sent an offer to a variety of mid-majors: 2-for-1. Agree to play on Owen Field twice, and the Sooners would agree to play on your campus or at a big-time stadium nearby.
The Mid-American Conference, Conference USA, the WAC. The Sooners solicited schools from a variety of leagues.
Boise State was on the list.
The negotiating relationship has changed, of course, in the last week, since Boise State stunned OU 43-42 in overtime, a Fiesta Bowl classic that still has the nation buzzing, even the NFL voices who are not void of subject matter this time of year.
But wouldn't an Oklahoma-Boise State series be fun?
Four days after the game, Bronco coach Chris Petersen still was talking with wide eyes.
"What a game,” Petersen told The Oklahoman. "We've got so much respect for Oklahoma. Class operation. We felt privileged to be out there, competing with those guys.”
Maybe it will happen again, and soon. College football scheduling is changing. Finding opponents for traditional powers is more difficult than ever.
OU athletic director Joe Castiglione has not heard back from Boise State, before or after the Fiesta, on the 2-for-1 offer.
Efforts failed to reach Boise State athletic director Gene Bleymaier. Maybe the Broncos will bite on the chance to get the Sooners in Idaho, even if it means two road trips for Boise State.
Of course, Boise State could claim it has earned the right to go home-and-home with anyone, and that would be a valid argument, too.
Would the Sooners sign off on a 1-for-1 deal with Boise State?
"That's a little different,” Castiglione said. "Typically, we've used those for marquee-type opportunities. Since we have marquee games aready set (Miami, Tennessee, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame), it would change our philosophy a little bit.”
But a philosophy change might be forced upon the Sooners. The rising price of purchased opponents will make all power-conference schools rethink scheduling.
Opponents now are charging the Oklahomas and the Floridas and the Michigans anywhere from $500,000 to $800,000 an appearance. At some point, the price will be too high.
An athletic director will explain to his football coach that sorry, the scheduling advantage is not worth the price, and more equitable games are in store. That's not what coaches want to hear. But such a shift will make the sport better. And when it happens, fans and media will have to realize that quality opponents make for losable games, and expectations will have to be downshifted slightly.
Heck, the Sooners already took a small step in that direction. In September, OU hosted Washington and is scheduled to play in Seattle in 2008. The Huskies are not one of those marquee games.
If OU goes home-and-home with Washington, why not Boise State? The Fiesta Bowl left us all wanting more.


Discuss

[achiro]

Discuss
Berry Tramel is a tool.

Yeah, I know it has nothing to do with this article, just adding my part to the discussion.:D

[ocsooner]

"What a game,” Petersen told The Oklahoman. "We've got so much respect for Oklahoma. Class operation. We felt privileged to be out there, competing with those guys.”

Discuss

Correct me if I'm wrong (or ban me), but I believe this is the first time that I have heard or read anything since the game from a Boise anyone saying that they have any respect at all for the Oklahoma program.

Revenge would be good, but unfortunately, it doesn't do anything for this season.

[FaninAma]

Institute a playoff and the non-conference schedule would take care of itself.

[bluesmagoo]

Tramel is an idiot.

[Flagstaffsooner]

I say let's play them and knock the snot out of them.

and yes, Barry Trammel is an a$$ lick.

[OK2LA]

You notice that they haven't exactly jumped at the chance to play us. After that whacking they took in Athens, I think they want to try to pick and choose who & where they play. Maybe they take the approach -

"Hey, we just beat Oklahoma - now WE make the terms. We play who we want, and where we want." They might just start believing what everyone is telling them. They ARE a good team. Period. But they just took the first step. They have a long way to go, and there are still many people out there that aren't believers. Don't forget - this isn't the first "mid major" program to do this - more recently, Utah w/ Alex Smith (Urban Meyer) - where are they now? They are ok, but these programs that do well, usually get raided of their coaches, and take a step back. BSU lost their coach to Colorado, and is likely going to have to "pony" up some serious jack to keep Petersen. Even if they do keep him, they still have some work to do up there to continue on the road they are on. You still have to convince kids to go to school in Idaho as opposed to California, Arizona, & the like. Fresno State is a perfect example. Remember when they had David Carr, and they were giving people fits? Beating usc in the sun bowl, giving Wiskey all they could handle, pushing many Pac-10 teams to the brink, etc. They've been pretty good lately, but it is tough for teams like that to SUSTAIN excellence for a long period of time. Many just end up being a flash in the pan.

[TheUnnamedSooner]

Berry Tramel is a tool.

Yeah, I know it has nothing to do with this article, just adding my part to the discussion.:D

heh - agreed

[8timechamps]

In all seriousness, a mid-major would have to be hard up for money to play OU in a 2 for 1 (or even a home and home) series. The Fiesta Bowl, while a great game for TV, is the exception to the rule. If OU, Michigan, Florida, etc. started scheduling mid-majors on a regular basis, would accomplish two things:

1. Deminish the match-ups of mid-majors against traditional power houses in bowl games. Just think, if the 2006 schedule was full of OU-BSU type games, the Fiesta Bowl wouldn't have had the same draw or significance that it had.

2. Allow the powerhouse schools to dominate the mid-majors. Really, does anyone think that if OU played BSU 10 times that BSU would win more than one (maybe two)?

It's a neat idea right now, in the wake of the Fiesta Bowl, but come September, no mid-major in their right mind wants to visit Owen Field, The Swamp or the Big House on a regular basis.

And, like FaninAma said, institute a playoff system, and it all corrects itself.

[Harry Beanbag]

Is he really trying to say that Washington and Boise State are the same type of school?

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

You notice that they haven't exactly jumped at the chance to play us. After that whacking they took in Athens, I think they want to try to pick and choose who & where they play. Maybe they take the approach -

"Hey, we just beat Oklahoma - now WE make the terms. We play who we want, and where we want." They might just start believing what everyone is telling them. They ARE a good team. Period. But they just took the first step. They have a long way to go, and there are still many people out there that aren't believers. Don't forget - this isn't the first "mid major" program to do this - more recently, Utah w/ Alex Smith (Urban Meyer) - where are they now? They are ok, but these programs that do well, usually get raided of their coaches, and take a step back. BSU lost their coach to Colorado, and is likely going to have to "pony" up some serious jack to keep Petersen. Even if they do keep him, they still have some work to do up there to continue on the road they are on. You still have to convince kids to go to school in Idaho as opposed to California, Arizona, & the like. Fresno State is a perfect example. Remember when they had David Carr, and they were giving people fits? Beating usc in the sun bowl, giving Wiskey all they could handle, pushing many Pac-10 teams to the brink, etc. They've been pretty good lately, but it is tough for teams like that to SUSTAIN excellence for a long period of time. Many just end up being a flash in the pan.


Exactly. I give Boise a lot of credit for being able to pull the upset but they are just one year removed from what 9-4 and getting killed by Georgia. They also had like 22 5th year seniors. Not saying that they won't be good and will compete in the WAC next year but I don't think they can be annointed the status of a perinnial power based on their one win and I don't think we have to schedule them a home and home to prove anything. If they want the 2 for 1 then fine. Otherwise I am more interested in putting a beatdown on the "U" next year.