What does the future hold is it New Coke or the 3rd Gen Ford Taurus?

There has been a lot of soul searching through out Bronco Nation since the opener at Michigan State a year ago, that has now been further accelerated since the horrible performance followed by Coach Pete’s remark following the Washington game.

Many of us woke the next day more in morning over the perceived end of what we all had so loved about Boise State offense. Many of us feel it wasn’t just a loss to Washington that pains us so but this new to Boise State Pistil offense. It’s like there has been a death in the family and it has us all wondering just WTF is Coach Pete thinking?

Now I will admit for most of my life I was a diehard Michigan fan, and why shouldn’t I be I was born and mostly raised in Michigan it was only natural that I would be. There was also a time when I absolutely hated Boise State, again I went to Idaho state in the mid 80’s and Boise State always smoked are arses in just about everything and even more so in football, so again why shouldn’t I, they were our rival.

I married a girl from Idaho had my first born son in Idaho and raised my children mostly up in Idaho and in Michigan. While my youngest son was born in Michigan my oldest son always had mixed loyalties between Michigan and anything from Idaho. So when ever Boise State was playing say CMU he would let me know so we could watch it. In 1997 Boise State played at Madison Wisconsin against the Badgers and at that time we lived 50 miles north of Green Bay so we had the opportunity to see the game. I was blown away by the heart of that Boise State team fighting against a prime Big 10 school and taking it to them, only to watch the game be stolen from the Bronco’s by Big 10 officials giving the Badgers a second shot on a 4^th and goal. There was no penalty they just flat out gave Wisconsin a 5^th down from Boise States 2 and barely did they score with just seconds on the clock blatantly robing Boise State of a win on the road.  I’ll be honest I didn’t follow what happened with Boise State the rest of that year as Michigan went on their first National Championship run in my life time and only years later learned what a dismal season that had turned out to be for the Bronco’s. The following year my son could not wait to tell me my former Highland High school Coach Dirk Keotter was now the head coach at Boise State. No doubt I would instantly be following Boise State if only to see how Coach Keotter would do and he did just fine.

August 2004 Wife Behind me my Mother inlaw at my side Father inlaw behind her and Yes that is a Black and Blue Boise State hat I'm waring just coming in off Lake Huron Salmon fishing just off Mackinac island

I watched every Boise State game I possibly could and before I knew it I was becoming as big a Boise State fan as I was a Michigan fan. By the end of the 2002 season I even question whom I might root for if Boise State and Michigan were to ever be paired in a bowl game. By 2004 I was all but all in with Boise State. Then came the death of Bo followed by Boise State’s heroic win in the Fiesta Bowl. Siting with my son’s here in Metro Detroit cheering and praying during that game when it was over in such dramatic fashion I made a pledge if Boise State was ever to return to a BCS Bowl I would be there.

2005 voicing my opinion after the Fresno game to friends on west coast!

By the time the 2008 season of college Football was under way I knew without a doubt whom I would root for if Michigan and Boise State were ever to be paired in a Bowl game, Boise State and there was no doubt!

Rich Rod, when the RR era started at Michigan and quickly became a failure I didn’t really care and if old post at the freep could be found one would see I was one of the lone voices defending him asking everyone to embrace change and give RR a chance. Fact is I was reveling a bit in Michigan fans and media’s misery and honestly didn’t like what I saw at all but hey they were beating Notre Dame and that’s about the only game I care about. If I was a true Michigan fan in those times I would have been discussed with what I saw and been calling for RR’s head like everyone else in Michigan was doing, but I didn’t I was paying for ESPN game plan watching Kellen ripping up the Ducks in Eugene (something Michigan could never do) Traveling the week before to Bowling Green getting my helmet signed and witnessing Boise State in person since my college days at ISU. After the Oregon game I was already making plans to go Bowling and we did.

The great thing about being an intelligent person is you can make up for lifes little mistakes that are brought about by what other might call birth rites. As I have aged and educated myself I have freely become a Catholic by choice not by up bring, the same is true of my Boise State Fandom. I don’t just love Boise State football because of the wins and great games along with the consistency, I love Boise State for all that it represents, Honor, integrity, building young men to be leaders outside of sports.

The complete story of Boise State isn’t just David vs. Goliath; it’s the city that could the school that strives to do it all the right way. I’m a Boise State fan for all the right reasons.

If Boise State was a prospect in the NFL draft it would be a high pick because it has so much upside. The growth potential is all up. A young growing city with everything to offer high moral community standards along with a young transplant population. The kids of the young parents that moved to Boise in the late 80’s and 90’s are just now coming to age. There is only one way for the community to go and that is up and with room to spare this will be decades long in the making.

That all being said today Bronco Nation see’s it’s self at a cross roads a long standing Coach beloved by everyone with a recorded of achievement that is unmatched by all standards. Yet he presents us with his version of New Coke or worse yet the 3^rd generation Ford Taurus. I say worse yet in regards to the Taurus because of how long it took Ford to figure out that “scare me” with the redesign barely lived off the previous designs reputation before being completely tossed 15 years later . With New Coke we all know now was just a trick to get us off pure Cain sugar and into corn syrup after 4 weeks of drinking crap when they brought Coke back as Classic Coke it was like the Hostess of today we all breathed a sigh of relief.

I’m not big on change and I’m certainly no fan of new coke and I still haven’t considered a Taurus even now. Unlike 2008 when RR was destroying everything Michigan fans loved I have every intention of speaking out. So hate me all you want but until proven otherwise I’m going to call into question everything Coach is doing.

Let’s just hope this is all just a New Coke moment.