• When you give a little, they’ll ask for alot. Boise State AD wants NCAA involvement in scheduling. [Rivals]

It’s laughable when you consider that this request comes from a program who has benefited like no other from college football’s unwillingness to make strength of schedule a factor in qualifying for BCS bids.

Of the 2 BCS appearances by the Broncos, they were by far the team with the weakest strength of schedule both in 2009 and 2006. In fact, it wasn’t even close.

Team’s strength of schedule in brackets ( ).

So how does Boise State AD, Gene Bleymaier react to a question about scheduling as the Broncos and other mid majors have exploited this proverbial loophole in BCS qualification? By complaining about it, asking for increased NCAA involvement in the one lax aspect most responsible for propelling the Broncos to the position they are at today. Somehow riding schedules containing 1 or 2 legitimate opponents a year while coasting through the WAC to a coveted BCS spot is somehow equated to getting the short end of the stick because their only legitimate opponents refuse to travel back to Boise.

“There is a fairly compelling case to be made that the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-10 over the years have controlled the scheduling. All the large conferences … There’s an overwhelming number of home games for the big guys but no home-and-home. … We want to propose to the NCAA a mandated home-and-home scheduling arrangement for I-A non-conference football games. Why should Boise State go to Georgia, but more than likely they’re not going to return it?”

You’ve got to be joking.

Aside from the mere financial consequences of forcing major programs to return a trip to Boise State’s 32,000 seat stadium, should the NCAA mandate home and homes, it would mean the death of guaranteed games altogether, the lifeblood of numerous football programs around the country. Goodbye Florida International, Georgia State, North Texas, Chattanooga, and just about most of the 120 I-A teams that currently exist. When just 68 of the 120 I-A schools reported turning a profit on it’s football programs, the impact of eliminating guaranteed games on the 52 other FBS schools that reported median losses of $2.7 million last fiscal year will be catastrophic.

Now back to the simple numbers behind it all. When Boise State played at Oregon, Georgia, Washington, and Arkansas, they were playing in stadiums averaging crowds of 93,963 fans, 92,746 fans, 64,356 fans, and 65,112 fans. Merchandise and concessions aside, that’s still 93,963 / 92,746 / 64,356 and 65,112 tickets sold on any given Saturday. For those teams to return a road game to play at Bronco Stadium, capacity of 32,000 is simply not worth it when compared to playing a road game at most AQ conference stadiums. In fact, Boise State’s average home attendance of 32,782 last season is ranked 70th out of the 120 I-A programs recorded by the NCAA. A road game to Boise might not even cover travel expenses.

So you can forgive the Michigans, Penn States, Ohio States, Tennessees, and Alabamas of the world for not wanting to travel to that hideous blue turf for a home and home. With average crowds of 108,933 / 107,008 / 105,261 / 99,220 and 92,012, even the prospect of splitting the profits evenly from 32,000 tickets sold is just not financially sound.

So the next time you feel the need to bite the hand that fed you, Gene Bleymaier, figure out a way to consistently sell out your 32,000-seat stadium instead. When schools like Colorado, from the Big 12 (soon to be Pac-10) who averaged 50,088 fans a game last season is eager to earn $1.4 million just to visit Columbus with no return visit, it is ridiculous for Boise State to even broach the subject altogether.

Should Bleymaier feel the need to take up another crusade for competitive fairness, how about requesting that a minimum strength of schedule be set for teams qualifying for a BCS bowl. Didn’t think so.