“Gene (Bleymaier, Boise State athletic director) is certainly open to continuing the series,” Bates said, “and I am as well. There is always that chance. We’re fairly booked the next few years. That was part of the conversation.”
Bates explained that Miami releasing Boise State from its contract to appear in Oxford was “part of a series of schedule changes that were tied directly and indirectly to the Kentucky game.”
Negotiations apparently took place among Boise State, Miami and other Mid-American Conference schools when Miami sought Kentucky to be its 2009 opening opponent at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium
According to the Idaho Statesman, “that started a round of horse-trading” which also involved Boise State and its future games against Bowling Green and Toledo.
Bates noted that the Miami-Boise State deal originally had been made after both had gone 13-1 in 2003. Miami had a final ranking of No. 10 and Boise State was No. 16.
“ESPN was heavily tied into it,” Bates said of the negotiations. “At the time Boise State and Miami were the two top non-BCS schools.”
The situation has changed drastically since then. Miami has gone 3-21 over the last two seasons and Boise State, ranked No. 6 and one of five undefeated teams in 2009, is scheduled to play No. 3 TCU on Jan. 4 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Most years it would be in Miami’s best interest to welcome a team like Boise State to Yager Stadium.
But head coach Michael Haywood is trying to get the program turned around and the RedHawks’ nonconference schedule for 2010 already includes two of the nation’s top-five ranked teams, No. 4 Cincinnati and No. 5 Florida, who will meet Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl.
Miami’s tentative nonleague schedule next year has games Sept. 4 at Florida, Sept. 18 at home against Colorado State (3-9 this season), Sept. 25 at Missouri (8-4 this season; will play Navy in the Texas Bowl) and Oct. 9 at Cincinnati.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.
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