Gene Chizik Thanks God for National Championship, Humiliates Third Commandment

"First of all, I can't be more blessed to be part of a whole team like this. Man, God was with us."
-Gene Chizik, head coach at Auburn

Such blasphemy must have had over-zealous Christians all over the country gawking in disbelief and anger. Religion is always a touchy subject outside of church or any other spiritual location, community, or event. Yet it always seems to find its way into the mouths, thoughts, and writings of individuals outside of said holy situations, oftentimes at the strangest and most inappropriate moments. Obviously, this was the case for Auburn's head coach Gene Chizik moments after his team dispatched of the Oregon Ducks in the National Title Game.

Is it possible that a higher being did indeed determine the outcome of the National Championship, giving the Tigers the win? It could be. Maybe God, along with the rest of the world, was visually offended by the uniform atrocity that the Ducks were wearing, especially those Day-Glo colored cleats on their webbed feet. Maybe it was transcendent karma for the legal infractions committed by current and past members of the Oregon team. But that can't be the case. Auburn has had it's own share of problems in regards to its student athletes, namely one Cameron Jerrell Newton. His heavily documented pay-for-play scheme, for which father Cecil took the fall, is enough to level out an alleged deity-aided playing field. If not, then let's go ahead and throw in the academic cheating scandal back in Gainesville to turn the table a little more.

Or maybe God had absolutely nothing to do with football, including this game. After all, there was a tragic shooting down the I-17 just two days before. It is guaranteed that there are plenty of reasons why His aid and comfort would be needed in Tucson. How selfish and self-absorbed of Chizik to infer that God had helped his team win when there are other more pressing, more imperative matters going on so close to the stadium. Sure, he may be thankful that the Diety gave him the ability and talent to coach and his players the skill and athleticism that they have to play, but that's as far as it goes.

Vain:
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. excessively proud of or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.; conceited: a vain dandy.
2. proceeding from or showing personal vanity: vain remarks.
3. ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile: a vain effort.
4. without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless: vain pageantry; vain display.
5. Archaic . senseless or foolish.
Oh, so kind of like claiming that God made your team win while ignoring the guys on the other side of the field. Really, why did Oregon even show up and try and play this one?

How about this: Auburn won because Chip Kelley made some very poor coaching decisions and his players made a few mental errors that cost them the game. How about kicking a field goal on fourth-and-goal with 2:26 left in the third quarter? How about using your time out at the end to assure that your Ducks would get the ball back with time left on the clock late in the fourth quarter? How about Cliff Harris finish the tackle on Michael Dyer and not let him scamper off for 30 more yards? As Coach Petersen of Boise State said, "One play can't lose a game, but one play can win a game." Agreed, but a number of poor plays (and decisions) can add up and eventually become too much for your team to overcome. Such was the case in Glendale, Arizona on Monday night.

There are many motives and causes for which humans strive to reach their full potential, regardless of their chosen path or direction. Division 1 football coaches are no different. A belief in God or being a faithful member of a certain religion can indeed guide someone in their preferred quest. But when it comes to individual athletic events and competitions, you are on your own. A higher entity does not choose sides or tilt the advantage one way or the other, even if you are BYU...or Gene Chizik.

Bronco Chase's Bowl Picks, 1st Edition

So it begins! The bowl season is finally upon us. I love this time of year and my only complaint is that it is gone too fast, much like the college football regular season. We start this weekend with three bowl games. When Saturday is over we will still have 32 to watch. Make sure you catch them all! I have picked winners and losers for all 35 games this year and I will be posting them periodically. There are a few things that you should know; if the word "prediction" has stars, then it is an upset. It will look like this:

*Prediction*:

Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record, which is currently at 65-17. That's not too shabby. I am putting it all on the line here and we will see how it works out for me. There, now you are ready for my picks!

I have the opportunity to go to the Humanitarian Bowl with a friend of mine and of course I am taking advantage of said opportunity. I will see all the action on The Blue first hand and will enjoy every second of it. Now, let's be honest. These three games are not the most exciting. There are much better bowls coming up later on. Troy vs. Ohio is a snooze fest, but you might as well watch it anyway. What else are you going to do? Anyway, let's get to it and

December 18th at 12 PM
New Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque, New Mexico

(6-6, 5-3 MWC)
vs.

(6-6, 3-5 C-USA)



Line: BYU favored by 12
Prediction: Cougars 31, Miners 28

December 18th at 3:30 PM
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Boise, Idaho

(10-3, 8-0 MAC)
vs.

(8-4, 5-3 WAC)



Line: Huskies favored by 1
The Huskies’ head coach bailed and went to Minnesota. They hired Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren, but he won’t make the trip to The Blue because he wants to finish what he started with the Badgers in the Rose Bowl. This Northern Illinois team in talented, but the lack of stability at the top plus a coach leaving is not good for bowl preparation and focus. On the other hand, Fresno State has had yet again another middle-of-the-pack season after recruiting very well and having plenty of talent on the roster. You get the feeling that the Bulldogs are tired of playing in the same bowls over and over and want something better; they want to be Boise State. The New Mexico Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl two times each will do that to you. The Bulldogs will bank on a healthy Robbie Rouse to carry the rock a lot and the Huskies will do the same with their running back Chad Spann. The team that wants to be here will win.
Prediction: Huskies 35, Bulldogs 28

December 18th at 7 PM
R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans, Louisiana

(8-4, 6-2 MAC)
vs.

(7-5, 6-2 Sun Belt)



Line: Troy favored by 2
*Prediction*: Bobcats 28, Trojans 27

Record coming in: 65-17

Check back in soon! I will post my next batch of Bowl Picks on December 20th, including the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas! Enjoy the holidays and as always, Go Broncos!

Weekend Picks, 5th Edition (8th Week of the Season)

Well we have yet another weekend where there isn’t anything too exciting happening in the Western Athletic Conference. In other words, there are really no marquee match ups or exciting games to feast your eyes on. Not only that, but Boise State doesn’t even play until Tuesday. So I guess I am resigned to picking some from other conferences. I will do a “Pick Special” on Monday for the Boise State versus Louisiana Tech game on the 26th, including extensive (aka probably way too much) analysis of the contest on The Blue. For the time being, let’s get going with the three WAC games that are happening on Saturday, as well as others that I deem necessary to add.

Saturday, October 23 at 3 PM

1-5 (0-2 WAC)
at

3-3 (0-1 WAC)
The Kibbie Dome will be rocking Saturday afternoon as the Vandals welcome the Aggies (the bad ones in the conference. No not those Aggies. The worst ones. There you go!). New Mexico State comes off yet another conference loss, this time at the hands of the Bulldogs of Fresno State. How bad is it for the Aggies? Well they average scoring 12 points a game and give up almost 39. That bad. At least they are averaging over 100 yards rushing, right? On the other side of the field, Idaho will still be licking its wounds from the beat down they took from Louisiana Tech. They scored, but were not able to stop the Bulldogs at all. Plus only gaining 20 yards on the ground did not bode well for them. They cannot win on the road to save their lives. Good thing this one is at home. The Vandals must win 3 conference games out of the 7 they have left in order to become bowl eligible. You can say that this season has been a let down compared to the moderate success they had last year. They should beat NMSU and San Jose State, but somehow they must find a way to win one against either at Hawai’i, at Utah State, or at Fresno State, or at home against Nevada or Boise State. It could be tough sledding for the silver and gold up north, but I think they can do it. At Fresno is a great opportunity, as well as at Utah State. However, this weekend they must focus on the hapless Aggies of New Mexico State
Prediction: Vandals, 41, Aggies 21

Saturday, October 23 at 3 PM

5-2 (3-0 WAC)
at

2-4 (0-2 WAC)
The Rainbow Warriors are riding high after their upset of the then 19th ranked Nevada Wolfpack. They did not have as great of a game offensively, but surprisingly their defense was more than up to the task of stopping “Bird Leg” and co. It helped that the Nevada offense had the absolute worst night in the history of the pistol’s existence. Anyway, this is the Rainbow Warrior team that we had grown to know and love. Quarterback Bryant Moniz has been playing like a man possessed. It helps that he has a receiver like Greg Salas to chuck the ball too. Lots of YAC for Hawai’I and plenty of big gains through the air. Sure-tackling will be the key for the Aggies to win this game. They have to limit the Yards After Contact (like I said, YAC) from Paredes and Salas. They will eat you alive if you try to gator-arm them. Have you seen the way Moniz just stands back there in the pocket and launches the pig skin? He makes it look like he is disinterested and barely moves his arm when throwing. But he gets results, and that’s all that matters. Moving on, I have mentioned before, every time I pick against Utah State they show up and win (see BYU). But when I pick them to win, they drop the ball (pun intended) and get smoked (a la Louisiana Tech). I think that it must be a microcosm of being a team with a young coach and are beginning their climb up. Part of me wants them to join the Mountain West so as to provide a close rival to Boise State and to gage their improvement as the years go by. Utah State plays well at home and I think has a shot to win this one. Hawai’i just came off of an emotional win and there is always a let down the next week (see South Carolina over Alabama and their next game at Kentucky. It did not go well for the Gamecocks). I think emotionally, the biggest difference will be on defense for Hawai’i. They won’t play as solid as they did last week. Still, the Rainbow Warriors are too good to get punked by the Aggies, even on the road and even after a huge win.
Prediction: Rainbow Warriors 34, Aggies 28

Saturday, October 23 at 6 PM

4-2 (2-1 WAC)
at

1-6 (0-2 WAC)
The Bulldogs got back to their winning ways by unceremoniously dispatching of the New Mexico State Aggies at home. They continue the sleep-walking part of their conference schedule as they travel up north a little ways to take on the (not so) mighty Spartans. I guess you could consider this season a little bit of a disappointment for Fresno State. They won a big game at home against Cincinnati, but then lost at Ole’ Miss and at home to Hawai’i. It looks like at best a third place finish in the WAC for the Bulldogs. Coach Pat Hill is trying to establish their identity as a tough, run-first offense. I just don’t know if they have the running back to do that (Ryan Mathews is gone). Plus, unleash Ryan Colburn a little bit more, he can get you points through the air, provided that at some point Winston Venable doesn’t drop out of the sky on top of him. San Jose State just got owned at home by Boise State. How does only 80 yards of offense sound (-12 on the ground)? Plus they lost yet another starter as Muldrow went down and came back on crutches. This will be another loss for the Spartans. Maybe this time they can avoid getting their colorguard trampled by the opposing team as they run onto the field (an investigation by the police, really?) If they can keep that from happening, then they will have at least improved since last week.
Prediction: Bulldogs 38, Spartans 13

Thursday, October 21 at 7 PM

3-3 (1-2 PAC 10)
at

6-0 (3-0 PAC 10)
I figured since Oregon is one of the teams that Boise State is chasing in the polls and BCS Rankings, it would only be appropriate to pick the winner and score of one of their games. I think that this is an interesting match up for a couple of reasons. The Bruins are averaging 223 yards per game on the ground (that is 100% the reason they destroyed Texas in Austin earlier this year) and the Ducks give up 127 per game (remember, they have played Washington State (91 rush yards), Portland State (74), and New Mexico (25). None have anything close to decent running backs). Against Stanford they gave up 177, Tennessee 182, and Arizona State 210. So UCLA could have a big game on the ground. I do not see them being able to stop the high-powered Oregon offense at all, so they will need to outscore them. I, however, do not see this happening. The Ducks will be too much at home and will push their record to 7-0.
Prediction: Ducks, 42, Bruins 21

Saturday, October 23 at 12 PM

2-5 (0-3 MWC)
at

2-5 (1-2 MWC)
This one will probably be a pillow fight. Both teams come limping into to this contest having lost last weekend. The Cowboys got taken to the woodshed by Utah at home and the Cougars were skunked by TCU on the road. It is obviously more disappointing for BYU as they are used to having success and being in the top 25 or at least right on the threshold. It did seem, however, that they were able to hold their own against the Horned Frogs for the first half and part of the second half. JJ DiLuigi is their only offensive weapon, but he is a good one. Wyoming is having a really bad season. They have never really been all that good, but at least they would put up a fight sometimes. They average scoring 11.6 points a game, which is good for second to last in the nation (San Jose State owns the top spot!). This one should be a fairly easy victory for the Cougars as they are at home.
Prediction: Cougars 35, Cowboys 20

Saturday, October 23 at 1:30 PM

7-0 (4-0 SEC)
at

7-0 (4-0 SEC)
Yep, that’s right. I am going to attempt another Auburn game. They burnt me last week much in the same way that they did Arkansas. How’s dropping 65 on a SEC defense for ya’?! However, they did give up 43 at the same time. That will be the best part of the game. LSU’s terrible offensive versus Auburn’s terrible defense. Which one will be less terrible? That is the question. At the same time, the Tigers (from Auburn) bring in one of the best offenses in the nation to take on the Tigers (from LSU) and their extremely stingy defense. It should be exciting all around. Les Miles better not pull anything like he did against Tennessee or his squad from Baton Rouge will be in trouble. Another interesting thing about this game is how it affects Boise State. Both teams are right on the heals of the Broncos and whoever wins might pass them. Also, the loser will drop back in the rankings and probably won’t be much of a factor anymore. This will definitely be one worth watching. At home, I think the Tigers get it done.
Prediction: Tigers (of Auburn) 28, Tigers (of LSU) 24

Saturday, October 32 at 1:30 PM

5-1 (2-1 Big 12)
at

5-2 (2-1 Big 12)
I don't want to say very much about this contest. Kansas State isn't as good as they think they are and Baylor is better than they are made out to be.
Upset Special!
Prediction: Bears 35, Wildcats 28

Record coming into this week: 25-10

Alright, there we have it! Make sure you check back in tomorrow for my take on the Oregon versus UCLA game and probably a rant or two! Go Broncos!

WAC Weekend Recap, Week 5

Despite there not being any marquee or terribly exciting match ups over the weekend in the Western Athletic Conference, it was still a great Saturday of football in other areas of the country. The Oregon vs. Stanford competition was a lot of fun to watch. Did anybody catch the helmet to helmet hit in that game that knocked one of Stanford's best receivers out of the game? There is zero talk going on about that, but I will have a post and some commentary on it tomorrow. Anyway, let's get started on recapping the WAC football action!

BYU Cougars at Utah State Aggies
My prediction was Cougars win 28 to 21
Final score: Aggies 31, Cougars 16
Boy was I wrong on this one. It seems that the Cougars are very schizophrenic on defense. They played pretty well on the road against Florida State, but then laid a complete egg up in Logan. Because of that and after a 1-4 start, BYU has fired their defensive coordinator. I'm not sure how much that is going to help, but we will see. I wonder if ESPN is looking at the fine print of the contract they signed to broadcast all of BYU's home games as an independent. It sure does not look good in Provo this year. Lots of dropped passes, and plenty of bad defense equals the first losing season in a long time. On the other side, Utah State is playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well. They played very well and got the win at home. Diondre Borel continues to play well and will be another duel threat for the WAC to contend with. Call him Colin Keapernick's mini-me. Next week the Aggies travel to Louisiana Tech to take on the Bulldogs.

Idaho Vandals at Western Michigan Broncos
My prediction was Broncos win 35 to 32
Final score: Vandals 33, Broncos 13
This is another one that I picked wrong. Idaho had not played well on the road at all, but they pulled it together and left Kalamazoo with the win, although it was close and very much in doubt up until late in the game. The main problem for Western Michigan was they couldn't run the ball at all. That made them one-dimensional and QB Alex Carder had to try and do it all on his own. It did not work. There were plenty of turnovers by the Broncos, and a couple came late in the game that led to Idaho scoring and putting it out of reach. The Vandals were plagued by their own turnovers as quarterback Nathan Enderle continued to throw the ball to the other team. He now has 9 interceptions to only 10 touchdowns. But the Vandal defense came alive, forced some turnovers and a lot of bad plays, and held the Broncos to 13 points. Idaho is now 3-2 and has some games in the future that they should be favored in. They are looking to get bowl eligible and will continue that quest after a bye week at Louisiana Tech on October 16.

UC Davis Aggies at San Jose Spartans
My prediction was Aggies win in an upset special 21 to 18
Final score: Aggies 14, Spartans 13
I kind of felt like I was going out on a limb picking this game as my upset special. I nailed it, I guess! It didn't look good for a while as San Jose State was up 13-0 at the half. But QB Randy Wright rallied his UC Davis squad and they came out on fire in the second half! The numbers were not very good for either squad, but Wright did throw a touchdown pass and gain 223 yards through the air. That was the difference. Wright threw a TD and Spartan QB Jordan La Secla threw an interception. The Spartans continue to play completely underwhelming and are actually a late touchdown score away from being 0-4. Needless to say, San Jose State has a long season ahead of them in which I don't see them winning any more games. Well, maybe one if they get lucky.

Cal Poly Mustangs at Fresno State Bulldogs
My prediction was Bulldogs win 42 to 17
Final score: Bulldogs 38, Mustangs 17
Dang I was nearly perfect getting this one right! The Bulldogs were very dominant in every category. The held the Mustangs to only 18 yards passing. That is unheard of. However, they did give up 203 on the ground. That is a concern for coach Pat Hill, as well as the 3 turnovers they had while forcing 0 to Cal Poly. I don't know very much about the Mustangs other than they run the ball a lot and can't pass worth crap. Fresno was supposed to win this game and they did. Now they welcome the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors and hope to continue building on their 3-1 record.

Nevada Wolfpack at UNLV Runnin' Rebels
My prediction was Wolfpack win 45 to 20
Final score: Wolfpack 44, Runnin' Rebels 26
UNLV scored more points than I think they should have. I am not sure if that means that Nevada is the same ol' defense that can't stop anybody, or if UNLV's offense has improved greatly since getting smoked at Idaho. The answer is yes, plus they were playing at home. They were able to force 3 turnovers from the Wolfpack, but could only muster 294 yards of offense, 214 of which came through the air, which is definitely Nevada's weakness. On the other hand, the Wolfpack did what it normally does, eating up yardage on the ground at 374 total for the game. Running back Vai Taua had a huge game going for 188 yards on 19 carries. "Bird Leg" Kaepernick still can't throw the ball very ball, but did go 13 for 17 for 124 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The match up in Reno against Boise State is looking very exciting as each week goes by. Nevada has moved up a little bit in the polls and will host the terrible San Jose State Spartans next week.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors
My prediction was Rainbow Warriors win 41 to 24
Final score: Rainbow Warriors 41, Bulldogs 21
Holy freak I am good at guessing the final scores! This game went exactly as I thought it was going to. The Bulldogs cannot play defense at all, especially on the road. They have serious problems finding out who is going to play quarterback long term, but Ross Jenkins did go 19 for 26, 215 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The ground game was decent, but not good enough. On the other hand, Hawai'i quarterback Bryant Moniz threw 4 touchdowns and went 42 for 58. What is absolutely amazing is that he threw for 532 yards! LA Tech does suck! I can guess what Boise State will be doing when the Bulldogs come into Bronco Stadium on October 26, lots of Titus Young and Austin Pettis. Next week Hawai'i goes to Fresno and Louisiana Tech heads back home to host Utah State.

Previous weeks' total: 14-3
This week (including Boise State's win): 4-2
Overall: 18-5

With Oregon jumping Boise State in both polls this week, it makes me think of the lower-tier teams in the WAC. San Jose State, Louisiana Tech, and New Mexico State are serious eye sores for the rest of the country to look at. San Jose State losing at home to an FCS school is not good. In no way do the rest of the Broncos' opponents help them with their strength of schedule, except for Nevada and maybe Fresno State. All there is to do is continue to win and hope for two undefeated teams in Reno on November 26th. My guess is Oregon loses at least once either to USC, Arizona, or Oregon State. There is no need or reason to freak out right now and complain that the Broncos lost position in the polls. It was bound to happen knowing how many low caliber teams were on Boise State's schedule. Still, I didn't think it would happen this early. After all, Boise State has beaten two ranked teams to Oregon's one thus far. Regardless, the Broncos are in good position to get into a BCS Bowl. As I have been promoting from the beginning, a lot of chaos would need to go down for them to make it to the national championship game. Being ranked 3rd or 4th does not really matter at this point. Boise State fans, just keep cheering on the Broncos and the Wolfpack and everything will work out fine! Let's go Boise State (and Erin Andrews)!

Weekend Picks, 3rd edition (5th week of the season)

Weekend Picks take three are a go! This seems to be a little bit of a down week for the WAC as there are no marquee match ups or big games to look forward to. I don’t want to say that this week will be boring, but it sure won’t be all that exciting. The Broncos dig into their conference schedule and there are a couple of FCS schools on schedule for the rest of the teams. We have one Friday game and the rest are on Saturday. Let’s get started.


Friday, October 1 at 6 PM

at

The Cougars defense came alive against Nevada last week in another loss. They are 1-3 this year and are not looking too good. Granted, they did play tough at Florida State earlier, but losses to Nevada and Air Force stung. With the defense playing well, the Cougars will look to get more production from their offense, break in a new quarterback, and try and find some play makers. JJ Di Luigi is still the go to back. Look for him to touch the ball often on Friday. Utah State has been disappointing since nearly upsetting Oklahoma. For a team that was picked by many to be bowl eligible, they sure are floundering. QB Diondre Borel has had a let down since week one and looks to get back on track. He is a dual threat and needs to utilize his abilities in order for the Aggies to win. He has thrown for 832 yards this season, but they have a poor rushing attack which leaves him one-dimensional. Playing a little defense wouldn’t hurt either. If BYU’s defense can play like it did in the second half against Nevada, they should win. If they do not and Borel is allowed to go off, Utah State could take it just as easily.
Prediction: Cougars 28, Aggies 21


Saturday, October 2 at noon

at

Rumors of the return of the Vandal defense have been greatly exaggerated. After stifling a really terrible UNLV team at home, Idaho gave up 36 points and let Colorado State quarterback Pete Thomas dissect them for 386 yards. Again, the offense has been playing very well with senior Nathan Enderle already having thrown for 1,009 yards and 7 touchdowns. The plague has been playing on the road for the Vandals. They absolutely stink! At home they are fine. Too bad this one is away from the comfy confines of the Kibbie Dome. Western Michigan welcomes Idaho the coolest stadium name in the coolest city name; Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo! Awesome. The Broncos are not that bad of a team, they have just played some really tough teams during the first few weeks of the season and they come in with a 1-2 record. QB Alex Carder has thrown 8 touchdowns and is a good player. This will be an evenly matched game and should be a good one to watch. Unfortunately, the road woes continue for the Vandals.
Prediction: Broncos 35, Vandals 32


Saturday, October 2 at 6 PM

at

The Spartans come off of a complete spanking in Salt Lake City to face another FCS school at home. They were barely able to beat Southern Utah two weeks ago. San Jose State still has a hard time scoring points and they sure can’t stop anybody on defense, but they are the favorite in this match up. The Spartans rank in the very back end on every statistical category in the nation. Not good. It will be a bore, skip it and watch something else. Every time I think of the Aggies I picture them coming into Bronco Stadium last year and playing the game of their lives against 5th ranked Boise State. Will they be able to duplicate that effort against a crappy San Jose State team? My guess is probably not. Like I said, this will be a bad game to watch. UC Davis actually has better statistics then San Jose State, but they also play worse competition. This feels like an upset in the making!
UPSET SPECIAL!
Prediction: Aggies 21, Spartans 18


Saturday, October 2 at 8 PM

at

Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Fresno State has a lot of anger to unleash this weekend. Ole’ Miss absolutely destroyed the Bulldogs last week. The worst part was how their defense performed against a struggling Rebel offense. They gave up 55 points. That is a lot to allow a team that could only muster 27 against Tulane. The Fresno State defense will need to fix the tackling issues that allowed Ole’ Miss to run wild. Offensively, they are strong with Ryan Colburn at the helm, averaging almost 36 points a game. On the other side, the Mustangs hail from the FCS and are a strong 3-1. Their offensive stats are not that strong, but they still score 27 points a game. The Cal Poly defense is best in their conference. Still, playing at Fresno will be an impossible task for the Mustangs.
Prediction: Bulldogs 42, Mustangs 17


Saturday, October 2 at 8 PM

at

Nevada is ranked for the first time since 1948 and is flying high. Even though they could only muster 3 points against BYU last week, the Wolfpack defense held strong and preserved the victory. Colin Kaepernick is still the master of the pistol offense that averages almost 45 points a game. Defensively, they are only giving up 19. UNLV on the other hand, has not gotten any better since they got killed by Idaho. The Runnin’ Rebels are 1-3, with their only win coming against an even worse New Mexico team. They score an average of 21 points a game while giving up 30. That means they will lose a lot of games. This week will be no exception.
Prediction: Wolfpack 45, Runnin’ Rebels 20


Saturday, October 3 at 9:30 PM

at

The Bulldogs bring their terrible offensive unit on the road and make the long flight to the islands. I wonder if these teams understand that letting the other team score more points than them means they will lose? LA Tech is scoring 18 a game and allowing 26. In a nutshell, they suck on offense and are bad on defense. It looks like the Bulldogs will stick with Tarik Hakmi at quarterback, hoping to get more production from their offense. Hawai’i really has no problem offensively, racking up the yardage and dropping a sturdy 37 per game. They are only giving up 29 a game as well. See, a team that understands the concept! Bryant Moniz continues to chuck the ball to anything moving and has the yards to prove it, as well as 3 interceptions. The Bulldogs have to travel a long distance and this game is at home for the Rainbow Warriors, so it should be a pretty impressive victory for them.
Prediction: Rainbow Warriors 41, Bulldogs 24


Saturday, October 2 at 6 PM

at

The Broncos will be without suspended nickel backer Winston Venable, for the first 2 quarters of the game (ridiculous, I know. See my previous post). The good news is they get suspended safety Jason Robinson back. Not that it matters against the Aggies. Boise State comes in ranked third in the nation, feeling good, and ready to start the soft part of their schedule. Kellen Moore continues to prove that he may be the best quarterback in the country. Receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis are catching everything thrown at them and running into the end zone with it afterwards. The Broncos took a blow when DJ re-tore his left ACL and will be out the rest of the season. Good thing they are deep at running back. Doug Martin (Muscle Hamster) will get more carries and we will see a lot more of Jeremy Avery and Matt Kaiserman. The offense scores 40 a game and gives up 20. The only weakness that was seen against Oregon State was the special teams, specifically kicking coverage. Actually, that is New Mexico State’s strong point. So it will be interesting to see what adjustments are made and what is improved for Boise State. The Aggies still can’t get anything going offensively, as quarterback Matt Christian is only completing just over 50% of his passes. Defensively, they rank towards the bottom of all Divison-1 teams. In fact, New Mexico State weekly finds themselves in Mark Schlabach’s bottom ten teams. See it for yourself here. The last three times the Aggies have played the Broncos, they have been outscored 149-7. Their one touchdown came last season in the tail end of the fourth quarter. What I am trying to say is the Aggies do not stand a chance.
Prediction: Broncos 52, Aggies 10


My record so far this season: 14-3

Be sure to come back tomorrow and check out the Weekly Player to Watch. There will be a new twist on it this time around!

Nevada into the Top 25!

The Nevada Wolfpack has busted into the top 25 for the first time since 1948 after a 27-13 win on the road over the BYU Cougars. Head coach Chris Ault has been criticized for his team not performing in big games. They have almost always lost really ugly a couple times in the beginning of the season, only to pull it all together later on. But it is different this year as Ault has his squad at 4-0 and ready to start WAC play.

For the WAC, this is really good news. There are now two teams ranked and had Fresno State won at Ole' Miss, there would have been three. There will start to be a lot of excitement as we get nearer to November 26. The Broncos roll into Reno in what should be a top 25 match up as long as Nevada keeps winning. Colin Kaepernick has his offense rolling and should be a contender for WAC offensive player of the year, as he always seems to be.

I think this Nevada Wolfpack team is good. Are they top 25 good? I'm not sure yet. They beat a really crappy Eastern Washington team, a just as bad Colorado State, and a mediocre BCS team in California all at home. But the win at BYU tells a lot, even if this is the worst BYU teams in years. Looking at their remaining schedule, they shouldn't get tested until they have to go to Fresno on November 13. I guess at Hawai'i on October 16 might be kind of tricky. Don't get me wrong, I think Nevada has the best team that they have ever had under Chris Ault. All I'm saying is that we won't know how good the Wolfpack is until they face the Bulldogs of Fresno State. Until then, they should continue to win and move up the rankings. I cannot wait for November 13!


Have you seen this man's throwing finesse?

WAC Weekend Recap

Week four of the college football season has officially ended and we have a lot to cover, so let's get started!

Idaho Vandals at Colorado State Rams
My prediction was Idaho wins 35 to 21.
Final score: Rams 36, Vandals 34.
Coming into this match up, the Rams had done absolutely nothing on offense (19 total points through 3 games) and even less on defense. At the same time, the Vandals had supposedly improved their defense by great lengths and were ready to stifle the already hapless Ram offense. So what happened? Idaho is Idaho, that's what happened. A completely over-rated and over-confident Vandal aquad went into Fort Collins and lost to a terrible Mountain West opponent. You can't blame Idaho's offense. QB Nate Enderle was a near perfect 25 for 30 for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns. But here were the numbers for Colorado State's quarterback Pete Thomas; 29 for 37, 386 yards and 3 touchdowns. So much for the new and improved defense. Oh well, the Vandals suck again/still and now we all realize it.

Fresno State Bulldogs at Ole' Miss Rebels
My prediction was Rebels win 32 to 28.
Final score: Rebels 55, Bulldogs 38.
Apparently no one was even remotely interested in playing defense in Oxford, MS yesterday. Finally Ole' Miss beat a team that doesn't suck. Rebel (literally and figuratively. He has a criminal record, remember?) QB Jeremiah Masoli was a modest 8 for 12 for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. What killed the Bulldogs was running back Brandon Bolden carrying 19 times for 228 yards. Fresno State QB Ryan Colburn did his best with 390 yards and 4 touchdowns on a 32 for 42 night. It was going to be a tough game for the Bulldogs anyway playing an SEC schools on the road, but they did themselves no favors regardless. They will have to regroup as they face Cal Poly at home next week.

Nevada Wolfpack at BYU Cougars
My prediction was Cougars win 38 to 35.
Final score: Wolfpack 27, Cougars 13.
The story here is how the BYU defense was able to stifle "Bird Leg" Kaepernick and the lethal Nevada offense, holding them to only 27 points. Kaepernick was 16 for 25 for 196 yards and had only 82 on the ground. Running back Vai Taua did have 133 yards, but that was with 29 carries. That is not very productive. Speaking of being unproductive, BYU QB Jakes Heaps was an ugly 24 for 45 for 229 yards. As I mentioned, this is not a very good BYU team, but they were able to contain the Wolfpack. Too bad they were anemic on offense and couldn't muster enough points to win. This was my upset special because I didn't see another one that I thought was possible. The Cougars played their game and had a chance for the upset, but Nevada went home victorious on a down night.

New Mexico State Aggies at Kansas Jayhawks
My prediction was Jayhawks win 28 to 10.
Final score: Jayhawks 42, Aggies 16.
The schizophrenic Kansas Jayhawks had one of their Dr. Jekyll nights and put up great offensive numbers. QB Jordan Webb was 17 for 27 for 249 yards and a touchdown. But the real story is how bad New Mexico State is and how they can't stop anybody on defense. Offensively, they suck just as bad, gaining only 275 yards total. When Boise State comes and plays them next week, it is going to be a long night on both sides of the ball.

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
My prediction was Golden Eagles win 35 to 24.
Final score: Golden Eagles 13, Bulldogs 12.
I'm sure glad that I missed this snooze fest. As mentioned, LA Tech plays well at home. At least they played well at home on defense in this game. Too bad their offense sucked incredibly. QB Tarik Hakmi (who???) did gain 262 yards through the air on 22 for 35 passing, but he did throw 2 interceptions, one of which sealed their fate late in the game. Southern Miss QB Austin Davis was 22 for 38 for 233 yards as well. Was there really good defense played last night in Ruston, Louisiana, or was it just really bad offense? The answer; really crappy defense.

San Jose State Spartans at Utah Utes
My prediction was Utes win 55 to 16.
Final score: Utes 56, Spartans 3.
The Spartans are really bad and as it turns out, even worse than I thought. I know Utah is a good team and especially tough at home, but only 3 points? Yikes. San Jose State QB Jordan La Secla was a meager 8 for 12 and 67 yards. 172 yards of total offense is not going to get it done against anybody. Utah was by far the superior team as QB Jordan Wynn played his first game since suffering a thumb injury. He went a modest 14 for 18 for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. What did we learn: San Jose State is indeed one of the worst teams in the nation. Moving on...

Utah State Aggies at San Diego State Aztecs
My prediction was Aztecs win 35 to 24.
Final score: Aztecs 41, Aggies 7.
Oh no, it looks like Utah State is regressing a lot after almost upsetting Oklahoma in week one. Diondre Borel had only 130 yards and an interception on 14 of 31 passing. Even worse, the dual threat rushed for 5 yards on 18 carries. Ugly. San Diego State completely dismantled the Aggies as they out gained them in total yardage by more than double, 504 to 245. Utah State needs to get it together if they want to make a bowl game like so many people predicted they would. They host the Cougars of BYU next week in what should be a good game.

Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors
My prediction was Rainbow Warriors win 42 to 21.
Final score: Rainbow Warriors 66, Buccaneers 7.
Hawai'i had maybe their best all around game in a couple of years. Granted, it was against a crappy FCS team. QB Bryant Moniz went 19 for 27 for 395 yards and 6 touchdowns. But most importantly, the Rainbow Warrior porous defense only gave up 227 yards. Like I said, the competition was very poor and Hawai'i took advantage. Next week they host the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in what may or may not be a blowout in favor of the Rainbow Warriors.

Last week; 7-1
This week (including Boise State's win); 7-2
Overall; 14-3

Well there we are. The Nevada win over BYU is great for the WAC. The Wolfpack should be ranked in the top 25 when polls are released later today. If they can keep winning, the match up in Reno in November against Boise State should be a fantastic showdown. Other than that, we really didn't learn much about the WAC, except that the lower tier teams still sucks really bad and that Idaho sucks still. Check back in later for a recap of the Boise State vs. Oregon State game and my reaction to it.

Weekend Picks, 2nd Edition (Week 4 of the season)

Here we are again for this weekend’s edition of: Weekend Picks! (I know, kind of redundant.) Saturday night is when all WAC games go down, so you only need to pay attention to the times (there will be no days listed, just kickoff times. Oh yeah, all times listed below are Mountain Time. Adjust according to what part of the nation you live in).

4:30 PM, Fresno State Bulldogs at Ole’ Miss Rebels.
This is a huge game for Pat Hill and his squad. Fresno State has started off really well this season at 2-0, including a severe beating of Cincinnati at home in week one and an impressive road win at WAC foe Utah State last week. Quarterback Ryan Colburn has had a stellar start in their two wins and their rushing game has been on par to form a complete offensive threat. Also, defensive tackle Chris Carter spends a lot of time in the opposing backfield, mauling whoever has the ball. In other words, the Bulldog defense is not too shabby in its own right. For Ole’ Miss, the Rebels, led by police record wielding former Oregon Duck QB Jeremiah Masoli, have been nothing short of underwhelming. They lost at home to FCS opponent Jacksonville State. It was a very ugly loss. Then won at Tulane, but followed it up with a loss to SEC bottom dweller Vanderbilt, also at home. There is not a lot to cheer for in Oxford. Still, the Bulldogs playing on the road at an SEC school will be as difficult as it gets for Fresno State this season. Because they are at home, Ole’ Miss has the advantage.
Prediction: Rebels 32, Bulldogs 28

2 PM, Idaho Vandals at Colorado State Rams.
Robb Akey and Co. followed up an embarrassing performance at Nebraska with a complete domination of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 30-7. The Vandal defense decided to take control while the offense continued to put up decent numbers. However, Idaho’s offensive line still has some work to do to improve their protection of QB Nathan Enderle. The size and desire is there, but the experience has not arrived quite yet. The Rams are 0-3, scoring only 19 total points while giving up 106. Yikes. There has been nothing impressive to talk about for Colorado State. They even lost at Miami of Ohio. The Vandals are not that good of a team, but they still should be too much for the Rams.
Prediction: Vandals 35, Rams 21

4 PM, Nevada Wolfpack at BYU Cougars.
Nevada completely dismantled a good Cal team last week in every aspect of the game. Colin “Bird Leg” Kaepernick showed why he is one of the top running quarterbacks in the nation, even if his rocket arm leaves something to be desired. The defense harassed Golden Bear QB Kevin Riley all night. He looked really uncomfortable and played terribly. Do not expect that to change in the slightest bit. BYU has been on a roller coaster since beating Washington on opening weekend (it turns out the Huskies still suck, though). They got swamped at Air Force and then played the Florida State Seminoles tough for 3 quarters. It would appear that the Cougars will be sticking with freshman phenom QB Jake Heaps as the starter, seeing as how co-starter Riley Nelson is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Besides, the two-quarterback system wasn’t working very well for them anyway. This may be exactly what the Wolfpack wants them to do. Heaps may have a really long evening ahead of him with Dantay Moch coming off the edge delivering as many snot-bubblers as he can. The way to neutralize Moch is by hitting running back JJ Di Luigi (probably the Cougars' best weapon) with short screens. As a BSU fan, an undefeated Nevada Wolfpack team would be fantastic for the strength of schedule talk, and they would also be ranked when the showdown in Reno takes place. Nevada is a 2 ½ point favorite. BYU will be very tough at home, and the game will be well played on both sides. If it was being played in Reno, I would go with Nevada. But since it’s in Provo…I needed an upset special, and this is the closest game I could find to fit the criteria. I had a hard time picking it. Do I believe BYU can beat Nevada? I don't know. Just don't get angry if I'm right.
UPSET SPECIAL:
Prediction: Cougars 38, Wolfpack 35

5 PM, New Mexico State Aggies at Kansas Jayhawks.
As we all know, the Aggies are one of the worst teams in the nation. They really do suck. They lost at home to a poor San Diego State team and then got crushed on the road at UTEP. It does, however, seem like New Mexico State is at least scoring some points every now and then. Unfortunately, they have not been consistent with Matt Christian under center. Speaking of roller coasters, how about the Kansas Jayhawks?! They only scored 3 points in a home loss to FCS school North Dakota State (WTF!!!!????!? Seriously?!?!?!?!?!), beat a ranked Georgia Tech Yellowjacket team 28-25, and ultimately lost on the road to Southern Mississippi 31-16. As schizophrenic as Kansas has been, they should handle the Aggies at home pretty easily.
Prediction: Jayhawks 28, Aggies 10

5 PM, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
This is a hard game to predict. The Bulldogs kicked off the season with a road victory over a really bad Grambling team 20-6. Then they proceeded to lose two straight against Texas A & M and Navy. The offensive numbers have not been impressive for QB’s Colby Cameron and Ross Jenkins (both have started games, Cameron in the last two). Maybe then need to switch back to Jenkins to win. Who knows? A banged up Phillip Livas has been less than stellar, as he was supposed to be the star of the team. Southern Miss has been playing very well. After a tough opening road loss at South Carolina, the Golden Eagles have taken two straight (the exact opposite of LA. Tech). QB Austin Davis gets the job done very well and has some weapons to hand off and pass to. The Bulldogs usually play well at home, but with a new coach and a lack of confidence, the upper-tier mid-major should win on the road.
Prediction: Golden Eagles 35, Bulldogs 24

6 PM, San Jose State Spartans at Utah Utes.
We could possibly dub this game “the battle of the mid-majors.” But since the Spartans play like a FCS or a division 2 school, that would not be accurate. A better one may be “the slaughter in Salt Lake.” San Jose State is 1-2, getting stomped on the road by two ranked BCS schools and then barely beating FCS school Southern Utah last week at home 16-11. QB Jordan La Secla (his name sounds like it belongs to a kicker) has been decent, but has few weapons to utilize. The Utes are 3-0 and ranked 13th in the nation in the AP and media polls. Did I mention they are hosting the Spartans at Rice-Eccles Stadium for this game? Even with starting quarterback Jordan Wynn questionable with a hand injury, back up Terrence Cain will own San Jose State. They are way to good and the game will be a rout.
Prediction, Utes 55, Spartans 16

6 PM, Utah State Aggies at San Diego State Aztecs.
As mentioned last week, Utah State has itself a second year coach and they are well on their way to becoming a respectable, winning program. Last week’s setback against Fresno State shows that they still have a lot of work to do, even after nearly upsetting ranked Oklahoma on the road the week before. On the bright side, QB Diondre Borel is making defenses look silly week in and week out. As a dual threat leader, the Aggies are averaging a middle-of-the-pack 28.7 points a game, which is a considerable step up from previous years. As a matter of fact, Utah State ranks in the middle of all FBS schools in total defense and offense. Like I said, they are getting better. What the Aggies are to the WAC, the Aztecs are to the Mountain West, which is a bottom level team that is slowly improving. In fact, San Diego State is racking up the yardage at 511.3 per game, good for 9th nationwide. They rank in the top third in all other general categories. QB Ryan Lindley is doing a great job of distributing the ball and making plays, and that is why they are currently sitting with a winning record at 2-1. As much as I would like to see Utah State pick up the road win and score one more for the WAC over the MWC, I don’t see it happening.
Prediction: Aztecs 35, Aggies 24

9:30 PM, Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Hawai’I Rainbow Warriors.
As is customary with just about every Hawai’I team since the dawn of time, the Rainbow Warriors are putting up ridiculous offensive numbers, but can’t stop anybody on defense to save their lives. Hawai’I lost an epic battle at home against USC on opening night, but then traveled to Westpoint, NY (some 5,000 miles or so) and notched a big win. Then the high, oxygen-lacking air in Boulder, CO did them in for their second loss. QB Bryant Moniz is chucking the ball all over the yard, mainly to WR Greg Salas, and the Rainbow Warriors are scoring, boasting a 26.7 points per game average. Too bad they are giving up 36 a game at the same time. However, their opponent, the CSU Buccaneers are a FCS school that will travel almost that same distance from the East Coast to Hawai’i. At 2-1, I won’t say much about them, other than they play in a league against such football powerhouses as Stony Brook, Liberty, Gardner-Webb, and the Virginia Military Academy. Yeah.
Prediction: Rainbow Warriors 42, Buccaneers 21

6 PM, ABC, Oregon State Beavers at Boise State Broncos.
Here it is folks, and it should be a dandy. Boise State comes off a complete smack down of the Wyoming Cowboys, flying high and ready for more. Kellen Moore looked good, but not great. The rushing onslaught of Doug Martin, DJ Harper, and Jeremy Avery looks as terrifying for opponents as any other running back group in the country. It also helps that the offensive line is opening up holes large enough for Jaba the Hut to carry the ball through (I must mention fullback Dan Paul, who is as good as a lead blocker as there is). If Austin Pettis can stay on the field (i.e. no flipping into the end zone after a beautiful flea flicker pass from Moore, for which he subsequently gets benched), then the offense should do everything it wants to and there will not be any sort of a letdown. I will say this; the Oregon State Beavers are not the Wyoming Cowboys. What I mean is that with Jacquizz Rodgers in the backfield, the Broncos will not be able to hold them to -22 yards rushing. At the same time, Boise State needs to come up big in stopping Quizz and make sophomore QB Ryan Katz one-dimensional. The problem with making Katz throw is Jacquizz’s brother James is as dangerous and explosive as little bro is. So pick your poison. Speaking of Katz, he has struggled completing passes, with a percentage of just over 47 (compare that to just over 63% for Kellen Moore). He has not, however, thrown an interception this year and has 4 touchdowns. The numbers aren’t that great thus far, but remember, the Beavers opened up against TCU, and that Horned Frog defense will slap you in the face, hard. As the Beavers are ranked 24th in the AP poll, this will be a stiff test for the Broncos. Their defense is in the lower 2/3 of all FBS schools, but is lead by a man-yeti known as Stephen Paea. He will clog up the middle and will be a huge obstacle for the Broncos running game to get through, or around, or over. The Beavers sure are getting ready, as they painted their practice field blue (the purpose of doing so is still unknown). This year’ Boise State team is good enough to win the Pac 10, and I think they could beat Oregon State at home or on the road. The Beavers will come into Bronco Stadium and will have so much to deal with and fight against; they won’t stand much of a chance. Broncos win big and keep their dreams alive for one more week.
Prediction: Broncos 41, Beavers 20

Alright, let me know what you think of my picks. I will have a re-cap of the weekend's action either Sunday or Monday, including how I did with my selections. Also, as mentioned, I will be at Bronco Stadium on Saturday to cheer on the Broncos. It is going to be a crazy scene and I will post pictures as soon as I can. Finally, check back in tomorrow for my Weekly PTW. It will be a lot of fun!

The WAC Takes it to Court

So I figured that I better chime in on what is going on in the Western Athletic Conference before it either becomes a non-story or blows up into a huge national headliner. Let me try and set the table first, in a nutshell; Back in July, the BYU Cougars hinted that they were looking to leave the Mountain West Conference, become independent in football, and join the WAC in all other sports (they did leave the MWC, but joined the West Coast Conference in most other sports). WAC commissioner Karl Benson really liked that idea, but only if the rest of his conference stayed in place (Boise State was already leaving long before all this went down). So he put in place a fee wherein any team wanting to leave would have to pay the conference 5 million dollars, but it only applies to the first team that bolts. Also, they have to let him know by July 1st in order to leave after the subsequent season. The moment BYU got serious about leaving, MWC commissioner Craig Thompson was on the phone inviting WAC schools Fresno State and Nevada to join BSU as WAC defectors. They agreed, but on July 18th, well beyond the deadline date to leave after the coming school year. This is exactly what Karl Benson was trying to prevent from happening when he instituted the fee; a mass exodus from his conference. Too bad for him. But now the controversy is whether both schools have to pay the 5 million dollars, or only one, can they share it, and when can they leave the WAC officially?

Here is the story from Yahoo! News about what the WAC and commissioner Karl Benson are doing to keep Nevada and Fresno State in the conference until after the 2011 season. The story says that the lawsuit doesn't mention the 5 million dollars owed, but it does say that the WAC is entitled to "compensation as the court sees fit." Whatever that means. Benson also says that the money is a separate issue, which I'm pretty sure it is not. I don't see how it can be a separate issue. Maybe that's why I'm not a lawyer and never dreamed of being one. As one would expect, the Wolfpack and the Bulldogs are not very happy about the legal proceedings and both feel it could have been discussed and settled outside of court. The word "unfortunate" is used by their university presidents to describe the situation. That's how you know it's serious. So someone is lying. Either they weren't returning Benson's phone calls, or Benson jumped the gun a little bit and is making it a bigger deal than it should be.

Here is my take on it; When the remaining WAC schools agreed on the exiting fee (after Boise State had said they were leaving but before Nevada and Fresno), the agreement said that only the first school would have to pay up, not multiple schools if there happened to be more than one. So which of the two schools announced their intentions first? That is the 5 million dollar question. The WAC is trying to get the fee from both schools, which is redonculous. If they left simultaneously, then they should split it, right? The Mountain West has offered to help them pay the fee, but we first need to know what the fee is going to be and who has to pay it. What a mess. I think that they should just split the fee, get it over with, and Karl Benson needs to not be so butt hurt about his conference going down the toilet (pun intended). You and the WAC will survive. You have before when the creation of the Mountain West literally reduced your conference into almost nothing. Get over it and look to the future, you have a lot of work to do, and probably quite a few sleepless nights. As ridiculous as it may sound, that is only half of the story and apparently not the issue in the lawsuit.

The Bulldogs and the Wolfpack want to leave for the Mountain West after this current season, meaning they would compete in MWC play next year at this time. But the WAC says July 1st was the deadline to announce intentions and both universities missed it, so they must stay until after the 2011 season. Benson says something about it that makes a lot of sense; "The damages the WAC could incur if Fresno State and Nevada left early are very, very significant, That's what has driven this: to protect the assets of the WAC as a corporate entity." What he is saying is that if he loses Boise State, Fresno State, and Nevada all at the same time, he is left with San Jose State, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho, Hawai'i, and Utah State. That is bad enough to put Benson on suicide watch. That's not an athletic conference, that is a list of the cellar dwellers of a conference that isn't that great to begin with! At the same time, I expect Louisiana Tech to join the MAC or Conference USA sometime soon so as to play games closer to home. Also, Hawai'i will go independent within the next couple of years.

Think about it, who is there to replace these defecting schools? UC Davis? Portland State? Sacramento State? Montana? The WAC is in a world of hurt. Also, financially, the WAC would not survive without its three cash cow schools. So Nevada and Fresno State should stay put until 2012, they at least owe that to the conference that has been so good to them since joining. The future of the WAC is in doubt and Benson is trying to hold on to what he can for as long as he can. What else is there to do? You would do the same thing.

Just when we thought it was over...

Alright, we thought the crisis and mass hysteria was over, avoided, done, and in the past. But then the Salt Lake Tribune delivered this snot-bubbler to the ribs of the college football world (note: a snot-bubbler is a term that I coined. It is used in football to describe when a defender hits the guy with the ball so hard and ferociously that it forces snot to bubble and blow out his nose). Actually, Colorado State had reported the story two times via Twitter in the early hours of Wednesday morning, only to delete the posts claiming that someone had hacked their account. Anyway, what is important is what the article says; BYU is leaving the Mountain West to become independent in football and will rejoin the WAC in all other sports. Holy Bill of Rights Batman!!!!! No where else is reporting that this is a done deal, just that there is heavy momentum swinging the Cougars that way. Even ESPN has not officially confirmed the move. Stay tuned, it could happen any second. What does this mean and what could happen because of it?

Here is what I think will happen if BYU's move is completed and becomes official: Well, Boise State will be kicking themselves for joining the Mountain West. Without BYU, they aren't that much better off than they were in the WAC. TCU is still there, which is nice, but my bet is TCU finds its way into the Big 12 when all is said and done. It could take a year or so, but it will happen, they are too good and carry too much prestige with their name for it not to happen. Goodbye Horned Frogs and then the Broncos are really in it deep. The Mountain West could try and invite Fresno State and/or Nevada, but both schools along with the everybody else in the conference just signed a contract to stay in the WAC for the next 5 years, and it has a $5 million buy out clause (source: ESPN's Andy Katz here ). This does not look good for the Mountain West Conference. The Broncos will rejoin the WAC. You can quote me. If BYU leaves, Boise State will be back pedaling faster than a cornerback trying to defend Titus Young on a deep post route. Karl Benson, the WAC's commissioner will gladly welcome the Broncos back, and then bellow a huge sigh of relief. Then the Western Athletic Conference can renegotiate their TV deal with ESPN, of which the Broncos are a huge pawn to have back on their side. The WAC is not only preserved, but is better off with BYU competing in all other sports and against 4 to 6 WAC football squads a year (source: same ESPN Andy Katz article mentioned earlier). That's not too bad of a deal for the once not-so-flashy Western Athletic Conference. However, if Fresno State and Nevada somehow get an invite and decide to pay the price to leave the WAC, I think Boise State and TCU will both stay, for now at least. This will make the Mountain West about equal to what it would be if BYU stayed. We will see.

In the eyes of the Cougars, they are getting shafted. It boils down to the fact that they are getting only $2 million in shared revenue from the Mountain West TV deal, plus their bitter rival, the Utah Utes, are joining the soon to be Pac 12. BYU is feeling upset about the lack of money and that they didn't get the invite to join Utah as a package deal (something I think should have happened anyway, but that is another story). Think of it this way, BYU-TV already exists and there are so many members of the LDS church inside and outside of Utah that would pony-up big bucks to order a TV package to see all of BYU's games (a la Notre Dame). The revenue would increase exponentially. All of these things are what good would come from BYU going independent.

However, there are far more undesirable things that would take place. BYU does not have the prestige or pull or uniqueness that Notre Dame has and therefore will have a harder time garnering national attention while on their own. Scheduling would be tough, not impossible, but tough. The biggest set back is one that I think, on its own, could compel BYU to remain in the Mountain West. It consists of three letters: BCS. Notre Dame has a deal with the BCS gurus that if they finish in the top 8, then they get to go to one of their bowls. That royalty-like treatment is due to the Irish's national pull and following, history, and prestige. The Cougars would not get anything close to that kind of deal or promise. They may be left out in the cold all together. I guess if they finish number 1 in the nation then there would be no choice but to include them, but that is unlikely to happen. The entire goal of all non-automatic qualifying schools is to bust the BCS and get into one of their bowl games. BYU has been on the precipice of doing just that for a few years counting. All that would end if they went independent. Have fun playing in the papajohns.com Bowl, or the new Yankee Bowl or whatever crappy game invites you.

That is a lot to loose if you are BYU. Surely the risks outweigh what there is to gain. But who knows, they may just do it because they are pissed about the Utah thing and the money thing, but I think it would be a huge mistake, and I am not alone.