Your argument makes sense if the conference is all about football, but it isn't. Academics plays a large role in these decisions, and when I say academics, I mean the research and contributions to knowledge that are being accomplished at each school, not how some kid does on his SAT scores. I don't know anything about Boise State academically, but I do know that the Pac-10, and specifically the four California schools, feel that they don't measure up to conference standards. It seems a shame, because in football they would make a great addition.