Boise State Wanted Bigger Bowl, Not Petersen reunion
Not to disparage the Chris Petersen farewell party on Saturday night, but Boise State honestly would much rather be playing in the Cotton Bowl, not the Vegas Bowl.
That much was insinuated loud and clear by coach Bryan Harsin when he met with local Idaho media following announcement of the bowl pairings.
At 12-1, 18th-ranked and the Mountain West champs, the Broncos felt worthy of a more prominent postseason game and were linked early on to the Cotton Bowl.
Instead, 17th-ranked Memphis of the American Athletic Conference got the call from Texas and will meet No. 10 Penn State on Dec. 28 in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington. While enjoying unparalleled program success, the Tigers (12-1) will show up without their head coach because Mike Norvell is now the new Florida State leader.
Harsin still has his Boise State job and he feels compelled to use his platform to send a stern message: others should have done a better job of lobbying on behalf of Boise State for a more prestigious bowl experience.
"Our season has shown we're very good," the sixth-year Broncos coach said. "You need to take a program like Boise State and promote it. I see other conferences doing that. I don't necessarily think we do a good job of that."
The Vegas Bowl will be used to salute Petersen's coming career change and serve as a Boise State coaching reunion of sorts.
Of the 11 UW coaches, eight have a Broncos connection: Scott Huff, Keith Bhonapha, Bob Gregory, Bush Hamdan, Pete Kwiatkowski, Junior Adams, Jimmy Lake and Petersen. Huff, shown in the accompany video, has coached the offensive line at both schools.
On the Broncos staff now, co-offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau coached at Washington in 2012-2013 as part of Steve Sarkisian's staff.
Harsin, a former Boise State quarterback, same as Hamdan, served as offensive coordinator for five of Petersen's eight seasons with the Broncos. He's succeeded in keeping the good times rolling for the football program with the blue field, trick plays and uncanny staying power.
Yet Boise State won't have it's offensive coordinator for the Vegas Bowl. Zak Hill, architect of an offense that averages 36.8 points per game, took a similar coaching position with Arizona State and Herm Edwards.
Rather than exchange coaching pleasantries, the Broncos would much rather be in a New Year's Six Bowl. They have a proven track record. They've played in the Fiesta Bowl three times, beating Oklahoma in 2007, TCU in 2010 and Arizona in 2014. That should count for something.
"You sure would like to see our university and conference do the most they can to put us in a position at the end of the year, if everything else has been taken care of," Harsin said.
