Stacking the Deck Already?

"Here we go again!"

 The season hasn't even started and our friends at Boise State are at it again. They're already trying to stack the deck to get into the national title game. No, they weren't trying to move into a BCS conference like other mid-majors, Utah now in the PAC 10 and TCU who will be joining the Big East in 2012. They weren't trying to schedule better non-conference opponents to make a sound argument for a title run. No, they just hi-jacked a home game from conference opponent TCU with the help of the Mountain West board of directors.
The MWC Board of Directors decided to implement the change in the 2011 football schedule as had been recommended by the athletic directors. TCU will now play at Boise State, while Boise State's contest with San Diego State will be played in San Diego. The Board felt the change was in the best interest of the Mountain West Conference and would help address current and future scheduling concerns created by the new set of circumstances which stemmed from another change in membership.
Because TCU is leaving the Mountain West, the school does not get a vote when it comes to whether the game is moved.

Now what it means is that it's in the best interest of the conference for Boise State to be undefeated at the end of the season.That way we can have a MWC school in the mix down the stretch. So we've got to make sure that happens because they're unbeatable at home. We don't care about TCU because they're leaving." I'm all for taking care of those that are loyal members but this sounds real shady to me.

TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte said previously he didn't agree with the league's proposal to move the game to benefit Boise State, which joins the league this year. "It's our home game and they told us it would be our home game and to change the rules midstream is not appropriate," Del Conte told ESPNDallas.com earlier this month. "I'm hoping they do what we originally said, which was that it would be a home game for TCU. To me to change it is not right."

TCU and Boise State will only be in the same conference for the 2011 season. While Boise State is the newcomer to the Mountain West, TCU is the veteran and will be playing it's last year before going to a BCS conference. I thought we'd finally see Boise State play a big regular season game that wasn't on the "Blue Turf" or on a neutral field. I thought Kirk Herbstreit would have to get off of the Bronco jock and watch his boys play on the road like everybody else that hopes to be in the national title conversation.  

Now I'm cool with whatever they decide to do, but don't try to shove Boise State down my throat next season about them playing for the national title. The big boys play big games at home and on the road, not on neutral fields.

 By the way, when the Broncos finally went on the road to play a big game last year against Nevada, they got beat. Let me say that again, Nevada! The Wolf Pack was only ranked 20th in the polls when they beat Boise State but the Bronco nation and Kirk Herbstreit had them playing for the title. Now here we go again and it's just February. Weren't we always taught to play fair as children? It's embarrassing. What's your opinion? 

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information used in this article provided By Brett McMurphy  senior writer Fanhouse