done over the years. excellent read by Forbes

In his seminal work on business management, “Good To Great”, author Jim Collins’s most significant insight was that true organizational greatness is not merely a function of circumstance, but rather the result of the conscious decision to become great combined with the discipline to undergo the rigors necessary to achieve such a goal. Few organizations exemplify proof of this concept better than the Boise State University Broncos football program."

How, then, does Boise State, with fewer resources and what many would say are less talented recruits, win on such a consistent basis against high level competition?

"As with any organization, its culture only goes as far as the individuals who make up its sum total are willing to carry it. To that end, the program’s entire recruiting philosophy is based around finding what Petersen calls, “OKGs (Our Kinda Guys).” In fact, Boise State might be the only sports program where the first criteria in recruiting new talent is not how well they play the actual game, but whether they align with the program’s core values. According to Petersen, instead of focusing on raw football talent, the emphasis is on intangibles."

'If you fall in love with talent, you’re making a big mistake. You have to fall in love with the person first and foremost because you can only change someone so much. We have to be mindful of falling into the trappings of looking for great [football] talent and instead go recruit an OKG and make him a football player.”


Boise

Weak conference.

I think I would have to give Bill Snyder credit for this type of thinking on recruits. Boise has followed his lead.

(10-13-2015 10:06 AM)PirateMarv Wrote:  Weak conference.

It's a mixture of both plus the ability to take talent that other schools in the P5 generally cannot due to admissions standards. Despite playing in a weaker conference, they know how to win plus can do so against the more prestigious schools out of conference.

Harsin being under coach Pete for quite a while, carries the same philosophy.

(10-13-2015 10:06 AM)PirateMarv Wrote:  Weak conference.

OK, but plenty of schools in equally weak conferences didn't do what Boise done did.

(10-13-2015 10:10 AM)miko33 Wrote:  

(10-13-2015 10:06 AM)PirateMarv Wrote:  Weak conference.

It's a mixture of both plus the ability to take talent that other schools in the P5 generally cannot due to admissions standards. Despite playing in a weaker conference, they know how to win plus can do so against the more prestigious schools out of conference.

As opposed to a school like ECU or Fresno State that always has a tough schedule, Boise came to power by being both in a weaker conference (than ECU) and initially not scheduling many tough non-conference games, probably somewhat not by choice given the risk factor some see in playing them plus their isolated location.

(10-13-2015 10:23 AM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(10-13-2015 10:06 AM)PirateMarv Wrote:  Weak conference.

OK, but plenty of schools in equally weak conferences didn't do what Boise done did.

Exactly that's weak sauce saying well they didn't play nobody.

None of the other nobodies are doing it and the ones who did and became somebodies (TCU and Utah) did it playing that same group and it mostly translated up.

I think the Boise magic has been good recruiting evaluation.

They start off a step ahead of a great number of G5 schools by being the SHOW in their area. There is no NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB franchise on top of them. There is no P5 program sucking air out of the fire.

Someone at Boise figured out an interesting strategy in recruiting. Not sure it still holds true today but a few years ago their recruiting was heavily clustered near cities with direct flights to Boise. There is very little talent within an eight hour drive of Boise so they went where the kids were and where the kids could get to Boise without changing planes.

The other part of the puzzle was hiring good coaches.

I'm underwhelmed by Houston Nutt but he ended up spending 14 years in the SEC after Boise and won or shared three division titles.

Dirk Koetter didn't set the world on fire at Arizona State but he lasted six years made four bowl games and the talent he brought in won the division after he was let go.

Dan Hawkins bombed at Colorado where the off-field stuff was more interesting than the on-field product.

Chris Petersen is 11-8 so far at Washington and the 8 wins in regular season was only the second 8 win regular season in a dozen years there.

(10-13-2015 10:06 AM)PirateMarv Wrote:  Weak conference.

I really hope you're trolling and not this stupid. Sadly, I'm not really sure.

How many p5 conference champs has ECU beat? BCS Bowls? Seriously every pundit and computer said that the MWC was better than the AAC and yet ECU still did nothing. Have you guys Ever even gotten through crappy CUSA with less than 3 conference losses?

(10-13-2015 11:00 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  None of the other nobodies are doing it and the ones who did and became somebodies (TCU and Utah) did it playing that same group and it mostly translated up.

I'd quibble both are top-level academic institutions, that TCU was once a major as the SWC was a top conference at one time, and that Utah was close to the PAC and Big XII, going back into the 70's.

Boise's run is simply unrivaled. The problems are: they aren't a flagship, aren't a research institution, sit in a minor market, and play in a conference without equivalencies of high non-majors. Still, it's better for them being on the other side of the Mississippi than where most of the G5 reside.

I think the "weak conference" is garbage coming from other G5 fans, but TCU and Utah, while they got stuck with the UNLV's and UNM's on their schedule, didn't also have SJSU and Hawaii to bring it down further. Boise was by far the best pick up of the WAC after MWC lost its best programs, but that is definitely not the same conference Utah and TCU had to topple for major consideration.

^

Hawai'i was actually good for most of Boise's run. Since June left, they've been a mixed bag.

(10-13-2015 04:01 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  ^

Hawai'i was actually good for most of Boise's run. Since June left, they've been a mixed bag.

True, but that was before the current MWC and running against a MWC with that three-headed monster. And that WAC had its own gassers in SJSU, NMSU, and Idaho, even if there were good UNR, UH, and Fresno teams at the top with Boise.

Even if Boise stuck with the AAC, one could toss that "weak" thing at them. They missed a shot at some of their outbound majors, and would be swimming in their share of bad competition.

It's been a combination of its administration's commitment to win at the highest level and coaching. They have successful coach after successful coach: Nutt, Koettner, Hawkins, Petersen and Harsin. The first three left for greener pastures and failed, the jury is still out on Petersen at Washington.

Boise was always criticized for playing in a weak conference but they proved their detractors wrong where it mattered, winning 3 Fiesta Bowls and beating multipe P5 teams in OOC. I can see how some fans of G5 schools hate Boise because that was supposed to be their school getting the spotlight not some school located in Idaho but Boise is the model to follow just as Louisville, TCU and Utah before they got their ticket to the big league .

(10-13-2015 10:02 AM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote:  done over the years. excellent read by Forbes

In his seminal work on business management, “Good To Great”, author Jim Collins’s most significant insight was that true organizational greatness is not merely a function of circumstance, but rather the result of the conscious decision to become great combined with the discipline to undergo the rigors necessary to achieve such a goal. Few organizations exemplify proof of this concept better than the Boise State University Broncos football program."

This part is B.S.

Oh, so you're telling me that (insert name here)l is unsuccessful because they either don't want to become great or they're not working hard enough?

Child, please. What a bunch of motivational speakeresque mumbo-jumbo.

Boise made great coaching hires compared to the other schools in their conference. Add a couple of flashy & inexpensive upgrades to wow recruits (blue turf, cool uniforms) and an institutional commitment that was at least as good as the other teams they play regularly, and that will build up some Ws really quickly.

It's the same strategy that every improving team has followed - including Cincinnati in recent years. But even most dynasties got there by following this strategy - Notre Dame and Ohio State followed this strategy in the early decades of the last century.

The only difference is that Boise got a bit of luck by participating in (and winning) one of the greatest CFB games of all time with the whole nation watching.

(10-13-2015 03:21 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2015 11:00 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  None of the other nobodies are doing it and the ones who did and became somebodies (TCU and Utah) did it playing that same group and it mostly translated up.

I'd quibble both are top-level academic institutions, that TCU was once a major as the SWC was a top conference at one time, and that Utah was close to the PAC and Big XII, going back into the 70's.

Boise's run is simply unrivaled. The problems are: they aren't a flagship, aren't a research institution, sit in a minor market, and play in a conference without equivalencies of high non-majors. Still, it's better for them being on the other side of the Mississippi than where most of the G5 reside.

I think the "weak conference" is garbage coming from other G5 fans, but TCU and Utah, while they got stuck with the UNLV's and UNM's on their schedule, didn't also have SJSU and Hawaii to bring it down further. Boise was by far the best pick up of the WAC after MWC lost its best programs, but that is definitely not the same conference Utah and TCU had to topple for major consideration.

Would June Jones be back at Hawaii since Norm Chow is on the hot seat? Jones could not create the same magic at SMU that he did with Hawaii that went unbeaten the regular season, and with one BCS bowl appearance. Hawaii went downhill after Jones left for SMU.

Fresno State, San Diego State, Air Force, New mexico, UNR, UNLV and Wyoming got respect for a long time since they have beaten P5 schools before. Utah State is getting the respect now.

San Jose State is not helping the mWC image.
Boise State also shed the weakness of Idaho and New Mexico State.
The competition is much better than it was in the WAC for Boise State.

(10-13-2015 02:40 PM)szullo Wrote:  

(10-13-2015 10:06 AM)PirateMarv Wrote:  Weak conference.

I really hope you're trolling and not this stupid. Sadly, I'm not really sure.

How many p5 conference champs has ECU beat? BCS Bowls? Seriously every pundit and computer said that the MWC was better than the AAC and yet ECU still did nothing. Have you guys Ever even gotten through crappy CUSA with less than 3 conference losses?

Nope, he's known in these parts as:

(10-13-2015 04:27 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote:  It's been a combination of its administration's commitment to win at the highest level and coaching. They have successful coach after successful coach: Nutt, Koettner, Hawkins, Petersen and Harsin. The first three left for greener pastures and failed, the jury is still out on Petersen at Washington.

Boise was always criticized for playing in a weak conference but they proved their detractors wrong where it mattered, winning 3 Fiesta Bowls and beating multipe P5 teams in OOC. I can see how some fans of G5 schools hate Boise because that was supposed to be their school getting the spotlight not some school located in Idaho but Boise is the model to follow just as Louisville, TCU and Utah before they got their ticket to the big league .

Nut was a failure at Boise State for only one season. He went 5-6 with the Broncos. After he left? That was when Boise State started their long run of wins. Since Nutt left? Boise State is the school with the most wins in FBS to this date. Better than any P5 schools in that time period. The lowest lost record during that time was a 4. Boise have been attracting great talent that P5 schools tried to get, or ignore. It is the winning mind set that the kids want to play for in Boise State than over schools like Kansas, Washington State, Oregon State and so forth.

(10-13-2015 03:21 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2015 11:00 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  None of the other nobodies are doing it and the ones who did and became somebodies (TCU and Utah) did it playing that same group and it mostly translated up.

I'd quibble both are top-level academic institutions, that TCU was once a major as the SWC was a top conference at one time, and that Utah was close to the PAC and Big XII, going back into the 70's.

Boise's run is simply unrivaled. The problems are: they aren't a flagship, aren't a research institution, sit in a minor market, and play in a conference without equivalencies of high non-majors. Still, it's better for them being on the other side of the Mississippi than where most of the G5 reside.

I think the "weak conference" is garbage coming from other G5 fans, but TCU and Utah, while they got stuck with the UNLV's and UNM's on their schedule, didn't also have SJSU and Hawaii to bring it down further. Boise was by far the best pick up of the WAC after MWC lost its best programs, but that is definitely not the same conference Utah and TCU had to topple for major consideration.

I live in SEC country so I hear plenty of whining about Boise's schedule. The SEC hate for Boise is awe inspiring around here. I know people who won't even say Boise, they just say "the blue team".

Boise doesn't have to get past TCU, Utah, or BYU but the rest is there.

(10-13-2015 10:06 AM)PirateMarv Wrote:  Weak conference.

The conference is a little better than the old WAC.(terrible OOC this year)
Never having the chance to be in a conference with TCU,Utah and BYU has both helped and hurt their cause.
They outspend their conference mates.
Perception is little football program that can work with limited resources.

Truth is they pay their coaches more than some P5 programs.
They have three hundred million in athletic facility debt I have read.
They have the only conference TV deal that guarantees them the most money.
I see that changing because they have no other options in the future.
They have been really smart in branding and their all in for athletics approach has worked so far.

Personally, I have Boise fatigue.