It sounds so perfect — until you talk to Roady's Truck Stops president Kelly Rhinehart, who might not extend his three-year sponsorship agreement if the Broncos bolt. Boise State left last year, the first year of a three-year Roady's deal, for a weeklong vacation in Hawaii.

"When it comes to renewing, if they chose to leave this year and not for a BCS (Bowl Championship Series) game I'd have to really think about that," Rhinehart said. "It would be a tough choice to make. It would be an interesting question to ask, if the community was deciding this: Our own Boise team has chosen not to participate for greener pastures or tropical pastures, would that move you in any direction in your ongoing support? It's in no way threatening, but it would be an interesting question." Rhinehart's interest is from a different angle than you'd expect.

Roady's agreed to sponsor the game, Rhinehart said, for two reasons — to build brand awareness nationwide and to help the community.

From a business perspective, it might be better for him if the WAC sends an out-of-town team to Boise. Roady's, which serves as the umbrella brand for about 1,800 truck stops and convenience stores, doesn't have a large presence in Idaho's Treasure Valley other than its New Plymouth headquarters. It only had 350 stops and stores a year ago and Rhinehart is convinced the exposure from last year's Fresno State-Georgia Tech game drove the company's growth.

"We don't have that much out West, so we're doing it for the TV exposure," Rhinehart said.

But from a philanthropic perspective, Rhinehart thinks it would be better for the community if the Broncos stay home. Broncos fans could save millions of dollars — or spend it locally.

"If we take $10 million out of our community, I think economically that would be kind of silly," Rhinehart said.

The Dec. 30 Humanitarian Bowl and WAC have tried a Hail Mary of sorts, floating the idea of matching the Broncos against No. 15 Ball State (12-0) on the blue in a battle of unbeatens. The Mid-American Conference, however, seems resistant to playing that game in Boise — and the two sides aren't likely to find a neutral-site situation that would be a better fit for the Broncos than the Poinsettia.

The H-Bowl board of directors is scheduled to meet Monday and forward a team request to the WAC. The athletic directors will try to sort out requests from the Humanitarian, Poinsettia and New Mexico (likely Fresno State) bowls Tuesday.

The league also expects an invitation from the Independence (Shreveport, La.) or Texas (Houston) bowls for Louisiana Tech. If Oregon State beats Oregon on Saturday, the Emerald (San Francisco) might want a WAC team, too.

Boise State, Fresno State (7-4), Louisiana Tech (7-4), Nevada (6-5) and San Jose State (6-6) are eligible. Hawaii (6-5) needs to beat Washington State on Saturday or Cincinnati on Dec. 6 to lock up its spot in the Hawaii Bowl. If the Emerald has an opening, Benson expects to place all six teams.

Bowl invitations could begin flowing next week, "contingent upon" the BCS selections going as expected — something the Fort Worth Bowl did with the Broncos in 2003. Boise State and TCU are being held for consideration by the BCS, which announces its pairings Dec. 7.

"I don't expect any final decisions until Sunday, Dec. 7," Benson said.

Meanwhile, the Rose, Orange and Fiesta bowls will have representatives at Friday's game — a sign of respect as much as anything. No one expects the Broncos to land the last BCS berth over Ohio State and/or USC.