Treading water just above mediocrity is neither exciting nor prestigious.

Give credit where it is due. Boise State runs a great program out of a relatively insignificant city. They usually win their bowl games; they have FANTASTIC recent P5 victories against good teams (Oregon, Oklahoma, Arizona, etc.). BYU beat them this year, but Boise is going to have the better season.

Think about this objectively. Would you rather go undefeated/1-loss, win a NY6 game, and whine about not getting a "fair chance" at the playoff, or would you rather lose 4-5 games a year and whine about a difficult schedule, injuries, and the honor code? I'd take option 1 every time.