Boise State Football’s New Direction

As the nation prepares to watch tonight's national title game between Alabama and Ohio State, Boise State Football has a new head football coach. What could go wrong? A first-time university president, a first-time athletic director, and now a first-time head coach? As they say in pro wrestling, they're all in.

The state of Idaho and College Football Nation will watch to see if the Broncos can return to a national power who's success contributed to the end of the Bowl Championship Series. 2014 was the last time Boise State was in a New Year's Six Bowl. Since then, the American Athletic Conference has earned the national headlines as the Power 5 buster. Their conference president dub's them part of the 'Power 6.' In the West, all the great BSC Busters have joined the big schools, except Boise State.

The keepers of the Blue are at a crossroads. It was the brilliance of Chris Petersen and Gene Bleymaier that figured out how to win in an unwinnable system if you weren't from a Power 5 School. Today, the Broncos are in a conference that Bryan Harsin ripped. The university settled a lawsuit with the Mountain West Conference.

Meanwhile, in the AAC, Cincinnati had national sports writers lobbying for their team to be included in this year's playoff. That team was Boise State. I get tired of hearing announcers talk about 'Boise State back in the day.' Unless that day is over?

So we now have the new big three, Tromp, Dickey, and Avalos, in charge of the Bronco legacy. Avalos is the most experienced of the group, and he just got back to town. No one will outwork that young man. He wants to be here, and we wish him luck. He's going to need it.