What’s up with Boise St.’s blue turf? I’ll be the first to admit that it looks awesome; it’s different, it’s noticeable, and it has put Boise on the map. Would Boise St. still be respected in college football if it did not have blue turf? Yeah, probably. But would they have won seven of the last eight Western Athletic Conference championships? I doubt it. High school athletes are not drawn to Boise St. because Boise is the sixth greenest urban area in the U.S., or because it’s the ninth hottest midsize city for entrepreneurs, not even because Idaho produces one-third of all the potatoes grown in the United States. It’s because they want to play on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium. But I do have a problem with it. In all honesty, I believe that it’s cheating. What color are the Bronco uniforms? Blue—they are the exact color as the turf they play on. Was this simply by accident? I think not. This year, the team even eliminated its orange pants to get the blue top on blue pants on blue turf camouflage look. You can’t tell me that when visiting
teams come to Bronco Stadium, they see the Boise players as clearly as they do their teammates. Especially if we’re talking about their peripheral vision. Do you have a better chance of seeing a blue jersey or a white jersey coming at you from the side? The home field advantage of Boise St. is one of the best in college football. Their players are essentially camouflaged by the field, and that’s not fair. What’s stopping Alabama from installing a crimson playing field? How many more TD’s would Tim Tebow have had if the Gators played on blue turf? Think about it: cornerbacks and safeties have their backs turned to the play until they see that no pass is coming, and then they locate Tebow immediately. If Tebow blended in with the turf he was playing on, I guarantee he’d have at least a half second extra time of not being noticed because the defensive backs wouldn’t know if he’s scrambling to the weak side or strong side. Boise playing on blue turf is an unfair advantage that the NCAA needs to take care of promptly.
You may have point or two here about the disguising effects of blue turf. On the other hand, traditionally pool tables were covered in green felt. I don't know why, but that's the way they used to come. Now they can be blue. And red or purple or any color I suppose. To a die hard pool player, it's not right. It's not the way it's spozed to be. I feel the same about blue turf, or any other color aside from green. That's what grass is (except in dry climates that have a water shortage and then the grass dies or turns tan/brown), and that's what football should be played on. If it weren't for TV—fake turf always looks better than the real stuff—football would always be played on grass. At some football games, fans are heard to cry out,"GO BLUE!" I disagree. --Hughes
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