Oh were less than 100 days from the welcomed return of the college football season. In what seems like an eternity due to Covid restrictions, fans can now expect a return to one hundred percent capacity, which brings us to one of the many challenges to new Boise State Athletic Director Jeremiah Dickey.

Mr. Dickey met the press recently announcing a return to maximum capacity for all Bronco home games at Albertson's Stadium.

Mr. Dickey has said publicly that Boise State is a national brand that should sell out all of their home games. He would be correct; however, when did Boise State have a rock-solid sell-out in the last few years?

Reset Time

The Broncos are about to begin a massive reset with a new athletic director, a new football coach, and a relatively new university president. The world of college football has evolved since Chris Petersen led the Broncos to that remarkable win against Oklahoma.

If imitation is the most extraordinary form of flattery, the Broncos are in rare company. Various Group of Five schools has attempted to replace the Blue as the darling outside the Power Five.

Last year Coastal Carolina came very close to stealing the national spotlight that most Boise State Fans believe is their birthright. Back to selling out the Blue, how will the new regime tackle a problem that has plagued the Broncos for years? Sportswriters criticize the fans for not supporting the team against inferior teams.

Selling out the Oklahoma game is not an issue, but how do you convince fans to buy a ticket to UTEP? Requiring fans to buy all the home games hasn't worked in the past and won't work in the future.

How to Create Demand?

Dickey must create demand and perhaps use a strategy that our friends in retail use often, the loss leader. It's time to give the fans a break by giving them a break on tickets. Boise State should work to make the games affordable to all the fans, not the big-time money busters. Cheaper seats equal more fans. Let the sellout era begin!