Fiesta Bowl Fallout: Lessons from a Classic

The deadline articles--written with churning stomachs destroyed by fresh postgame emotions--have been published and digested. Now begins the slower and more cerebral process of putting the 2007 Fiesta Bowl into its proper place. Just what did this epic do for the sport of college football? Let's get the discussion started.

First, one must deal with the ways in which this game will affect the BCS system and college football's postseason structure. Some observers would only conclude that Boise State's victory validates the existence of a "fifth" BCS game designed to give the little guy a New Year's Day stage under the bright lights. Others would go all the way and say that the Broncos would deserve to play Ohio State or Florida in a "plus-one" for the national title, and that future seasons should create that very format (or at least allow for the possibility of it in an elastic postseason plan).

Which side is right? It's a fascinating and worthy debate, but the verdict here is that the Boise States of the world--if they go undefeated--should be able to play for the national title if they go through a season without losing a game.

Here's the defining and central point with respect to this discussion: college football, as currently structured, is a sport in which "one-shot, do-or-die" games constitute the makeup of the sport's postseason structure. Division I-A college football doesn't have the multi-round playoff system that exists at the Division I-AA, Division II, and Division III levels of competition. Given this reality, the most important question one can ask in Division I-A ball is as follows: "Can a team compete in the one-shot arena known as a bowl game?" The underlying presumption embedded in this question is that a team like Boise State could not compete with Ohio State in one game on one night. Only BCS conference teams could do so, and even then, many pundits felt earlier this season that an unbeaten Big East Conference champion would not have deserved to play in the BCS title game over and against a one-loss team from the Big Ten or the SEC.

Simply stated, Boise State's win over Oklahoma--which was close but entirely legitimate--indicates that as long as major college football lacks a playoff, the sport should give the little guy the ultimate chance. No, not a mere "fifth BCS bowl," but the biggie: the national championship game. This claim is bolstered by a sober analysis of the Fiesta Bowl.

A few core realities emerge from Boise's 43-42 overtime triumph, and they all show that the Broncos--in a one-shot situation--were a legitimately elite team that belonged with anyone in college football this season. These same realities suggest that with a break here or there, Boise State could take Ohio State down to the wire, and maybe even win.

The first thing one needs to realize about the Fiesta Bowl is that without one very unlucky break, the Broncos would have crushed the Sooners by double-digits. Had it not been for a freak accident on a punt that hit the ankle of a Boise State player, the Broncos would have gained possession with a 28-10 lead with just 5:16 left in the third quarter. Given that Oklahoma's offense was being stymied at the time by Boise's stout and physical defense, there was little reason to think the Sooners could have made a credible comeback attempt without a lightning bolt of luck. Boise didn't just "hang in" against the Big XII champions (and let's remember who won the Big XII in 2005--the national champion Texas Longhorns); the Broncos, all things considered, slightly outplayed the Sooners in the trenches.

This doesn't mean that Boise has the better physical specimens, or that the Broncos--if competing in the Big XII on a weekly basis--would go undefeated (they probably wouldn't). What it does mean, though, is that in a one-shot bowl game, a combination of emotion, motivation, preparation, rest and adrenaline gives any talented team a shot against an opponent from a big-name conference. As Charles Davis, FOX's superb TV analyst, said during the Fiesta Bowl broadcast, "Want to know something about speed? Everyone in America (not just the SEC) has it." Barry Alvarez, a co-analyst along with Davis, chimed in with the thought that "It's not like they're recruiting slugs."

Indeed: the elite teams in America all have considerable talent. Mental toughness--if cultivated and sustained by a team--can lift an underdog to victory in a one-shot bowl game, and Boise State offers a perfect example of that reality. When Boise quarterback Jared Zabransky suffered from anxiety at Georgia in 2005, the Broncos were humiliated... which is why the national media understandably gave BSU little chance against Oklahoma. But against the Sooners, Zabransky put his anxiety attacks behind him, and the result was predictably different. In one hugely-hyped game, it just takes a handful of plays to transform the emotional calculus, and when this happens in favor of the underdog, all bets are off.

Another reason why Boise State--clearly not a shrinking violet at the line of scrimmage, as a physical Oklahoma team found out on New Year's night--could push Ohio State is play calling. Bronco head coach Chris Petersen displayed the best coaching clinic this columnist has ever seen in a single football game. By using unrivaled creativity, drilling his players perfectly, and putting matters in his own hands (going for two to win the game with your offense, when you call the shots and therefore have more control), Petersen showed what can happen when a coaching staff and a team do everything right in one 60-minute event. In his first season as a D-I head coach, Petersen--when given his shot in the Fiesta Bowl (forget about his team for a second) thoroughly humbled Bob Stoops, a man who has reached three BCS title games and won one of them. Boise State's superb execution under pressure was reminiscent of Villanova--in one 40-minute game, not a best-of-seven series, remember--shooting 78.6 percent to beat mighty Georgetown for the 1985 NCAA basketball championship. It's not just the emotions and speed (plus one or two lucky breaks early in a game) that can even out a seemingly lopsided matchup in a hurry. Play calling can also serve as a huge equalizer in a one-shot deal.

Just about every intangible element--which, remember, only needs to exist for one 60-minute stretch, not for a full SEC or Big Ten regular season--points to a shrinking gap between a WAC champion and the Big Ten champion in a one-shot scenario. In a ten-game series, Ohio State would easily dismiss Boise State in eight meetings, possibly nine. In a Big Ten regular season, the Broncos would get dinged twice or thrice, as mere attrition (not deficient quality; the Broncos have sensational frontline players at every position) would do them in. But in one game on one night, anything is possible, and THAT is the true lesson provided by Boise State's win over an Oklahoma team that, while not as good as the 2003 or 2004 squads in Norman, was still a major conference champion led by an elite coach.

The idea that a WAC team would lose twice or three times in the SEC (which is probably correct) over the course of an eight-game regular season conference schedule is not the argument that prevails in a postseason that involves bowl games and not playoff rounds. The operative question is, "Can Boise State win in a one-shot situation?" After the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, it is impossible to ever again answer that kind of question in the negative.

As long as college football retains a bowl system and rejects a playoff, the little guy deserves to play for the national title if it goes unbeaten in the regular season. Boise State helped the college football world by proving what the Western Athletic Conference (and other non-BCS leagues) can do if given a chance in the spotlight. That's the first and biggest reason why this Fiesta Bowl possesses an earthshaking level of importance in the college football cosmos, which is still governed by single-game matchups and not multi-round playoff systems.

The second half of this Fiesta Bowl assessment concerns the game's place in the college football pantheon. This columnist--when writing an "Instant Analysis" of the contest--felt it was the greatest of all time (GOAT). How do I feel 24 hours later? It's no worse than No. 2 for sure.

The one game that could top Boise State-Oklahoma for GOAT status is the 1984 Orange Bowl between Miami and Nebraska. That was the kind of contest that would rival Broncos-Sooners, for a number of reasons.

The best argument against BSU-OU's GOAT candidacy is that the game had too many turnovers. A number of people have argued--with considerable merit and legitimacy--that the greatest game of all time has to have a very high level of technical excellence. Broncos-Sooners, admittedly, did not have that. Other astute commentators have said that a "GOAT game" must be a national championship game or some other occasion that profoundly transformed the sport. That argument carries considerable weight as well. Miami-Nebraska, then, was the very kind of game that many college football historians would cite as the GOAT. It possessed a very lofty level of play. The stakes were higher than high. The finish was riveting, the consequences enormous. The game lives on in the collective memory.

The only other game that comes appreciably close to Broncos-Sooners or Canes-Huskers is the 2006 Rose Bowl between Texas and USC. That game exceeded the considerable hype, provided spectacular playmakers, involved two tradition-rich teams, and had an exciting finish. However, a lot of weirdness filled the first half of that game, especially a bewildering Reggie Bush lateral that was recovered by Texas. The game was also marred by replay review controversies, and the frantic finish was made possible by a dumb USC penalty on a 3rd and 5 near midfield on Texas' final drive. The 2006 Rose Bowl will endure in the history books not because it was a great game (though it was), but because it involved the greatest single-game performance in the history of college football, a masterpiece turned in by Vince Young (who is already making NFL defenses look silly).

A much-discussed "GOAT game" that some college football pundits embrace is the 2003 Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Miami. This game definitely fails to make the cut on the GOAT scale. The most lasting image from that exciting contest concerned (and this image was somewhat recalled in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl on the first of the three two-point tries by Oklahoma) the holding call involving OSU receiver Chris Gamble in the end zone, made after Miami coach Larry Coker had already stepped 20-30 yards onto the field, his jacket soaking wet from a victory bath. The 2003 Fiesta Bowl was memorable because of the drama and the emotional ups and downs, but the football itself was hardly spectacular. Boise State-Oklahoma, while not perfectly played, was a game that created even more pronounced mood swings and momentum shifts because of some absolutely brilliant play calling and even better execution in pressure situations.

The only other game that belongs in a GOAT discussion--aside of Broncos-Sooners, Canes-Huskers, and Longhorns-Trojans--is the 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma affair. Two titans tussled in a nationally-televised game watched by a riveted nation. The back-and-forth epic--in the nature of a great contest--transcended the pregame buzz. The quality of play, by all accounts, was lofty, and a national champion emerged from the game as well. But outside of Johnny Rodgers' punt return, what other memorable moment lingers in the national consciousness over 35 years later? Broncos-Sooners had three unforgettable occurrences (two on the field, one off it) that America will remember 35 years from now. It easily outpaces Huskers-Sooners in the GOAT debate.

It all comes back to Boise-Oklahoma and Miami-Nebraska. It's the ultimate "action" game against the ultimate "title fight" game. One fireworks show with stomach-punch moments would compete with a mythical struggle that didn't punch the stomach so much as it slowly churned it into mush. A game that changed the sport by giving smaller conferences their place at the big-boy table would be compared with a game that impacted college football by denying a title to Tom Osborne while launching a dynasty in Miami. Broncos-Sooners had amazing plays and crushing sequences. Canes-Huskers witnessed a higher level of play, superior technical excellence, and a storied comeback that fell one point short. All in all, these are two different flavors of greatness, two distinct types of beauty for college football fans. Some are drawn to the raw excitement and the "I've never seen anything like it" novelty of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Other football types are more impressed by the big-name heft, the national championship stakes, and the fundamentally sound performances seen in the 1984 Orange Bowl. I'd be willing to give both games a share of the GOAT honors, but if you demanded that I choose one game over the other, I'd stick with Broncos-Sooners. Here's why.

Despite the turnovers and the ugly elements of this game (and the astonishingly bad coaching performance by Bob Stoops, who just didn't have it for some odd reason), the 2007 Fiesta Bowl had virtually every script, narrative and theme packed into one football game. Never before has a single game involved so many turning-point moments, the kinds of occurrences that sportswriters become familiar with over time. I've been a sportswriter for only seven years, but I've watched sports on TV since November of 1981. I've learned to identify momentous plays in sporting events. Any seasoned sports journalist doesn't have to think very long or hard to identify a huge play in a big game.

A tying two-point conversion is one of those plays. Boise-Oklahoma had it... three times!

A dagger-like pick six with 1:02 left is one of those plays. Boise-Oklahoma had it.

A hook-and-lateral with seven seconds left to tie a game is one of those plays. Boise-Oklahoma had it.

A touchdown run in overtime by the star player who comes back from injury (we're talking about Adrian Peterson of OU) is one of those plays. Boise-Oklahoma had it.

A last-gasp, fourth-down play that produces a touchdown--especially when a gadget play is used to get it--is one of those plays. Boise-Oklahoma had it.

A Statue of Liberty play--perfectly executed, by the way--to win the game on an "all-in, chips on the table" two-point conversion is one of those plays. Boise-Oklahoma had it.

And then came that marriage proposal from Boise State's Ian Johnson.

Yes, this wasn't a national title game, but its potential impact on all of Division I-A college football could be hugely profound. If Boise State plays for a national title in two years, Broncos-Sooners will surely merit GOAT status in the college football pantheon. But even if that doesn't happen, the game has still shown that the proverbial "little guy" deserves to play in a BCS bowl, and that the BCS' plan to institute a "fifth game" was both wise and just.

The 1984 Orange Bowl fit the classic motif of a "GOAT game." However, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl had three moments--a hook-and lateral, a Statue of Liberty, and a marriage made on a football sideline--that America won't soon forget. What Boise State-Oklahoma lacked in national championship implications or raw technical excellence, it more than made up for in the realms of emotional theater, dramatic action, and feel-good excitement. When it comes to movies and books, only spoofs and satires cram every possible theme into one intentionally absurdist work. But in a football game, you get something truly special when that happens. Boise State-Oklahoma had several overwhelming turns of events, all rolled into one game and one mind-blowing stretch of football. At one point in the game, it seemed that Boise (when trailing in the final minute of regulation) was the proverbial football hero who let the pretty girl slip away. But just minutes later, that sportswriter's metaphor got turned on its head, as the Broncos got their girl back (figuratively) and then rejoiced as the maker of the winning score got his girl for the rest of his life (literally).

Call it over the top. Call it a turnover-fest with too many rough edges. Call it insignificant. I don't care.

I could live to be 200 years old before I see another college football game as amazing as the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. I was mentally prepared to write my opening paragraph on several different occasions, only to have the script altered each time. As someone who watches hundreds of games every year--and has been doing so professionally since 2000 (and as a fan since 1994, when I finally got cable TV for the first time)--I've seen enough football to know when I've tasted something straight from the gods. Miami-Nebraska certainly qualifies on that score, but Boise State-Oklahoma blew me out of my chair and bolted my jaw to the floor of my mother's home in Phoenix.

Wise men (and women) know when they stand before awesome forces, and respond with appropriate reverence as a result. This ever more cynical and somewhat drained sportswriter (it's been a long season of watching football, folks) was thoroughly humbled and electrified by the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. It's the most divine thing ever seen on a college football field.

In an age where it's increasingly hard to be surprised, Broncos-Sooners surprised the bejeezus out of me. And while I wasn't even nine years old when the 1984 Orange Bowl took place, I have to think that it didn't surprise America the same way the 2007 Fiesta Bowl did. Boise State-Oklahoma, after considerable reflection and examination, stands up under scrutiny as the greatest college football game of all time.