It's the half-way point of the conference season. It is now a three team race, but two others have the chance to crawl back into things if they can string together some wins.
1. Northern Colorado. 17-4 (6-2) Not much of a test this week. Won a home game against Sacramento State. It will not be easy sailing for the bears the rest of the way, but have both Montanas as well as both Northwestern schools at home in the second half. Still have to travel to Ogden, so mark February 13th on your calendar.
2. Weber State. 13-7 (7-1) Yes, the Wildcats are in first place right now, but they have a much tougher second half schedule. That begins next week in Montana. They also have to travel to the Northwest. Damien Lillard and company have their work cut out for them.
3. Montana State. 11-8 (6-2) The Bobcats are also in control of their own destiny, but meet that destiny this Saturday in Greeley. Yea, they could be in first place by the end of next week, but could also be much farther behind.
4. Montana. 13-7 (4-4) The Grizzlies lost a couple of games the past two weeks that they should have won, and are thee games behind the conference leader with eight to play. They can close the gap in the next two weeks, or they could be all but out of it.
5. Northern Arizona. 10-9 (4-4) The Lumberjacks have crawled back into the race by winning four of their last five, but are still 3 games out of first place with 8 left to play. They will need to keep it up to get the post-season tourney into Flagstaff. But even winning four of the next five may not be enough.
6. Portland State. 8-12 (3-5) The Vikings are painfully realizing right now that close only counts in horseshoes. They dropped a couple of close games on the road this last week. They are four games back with eight to play. They will need help to get the conference tournament in Portland.
7. Eastern Washington 6-15 (2-6) They did not help their cause by dropping both games this last weekend. Three more losses or Weber State wins will ensure that the post season tournament will not be in Cheney this year. That could happen this weekend.
8. Idaho State 6-14 (3-5) The Bengals finally have won two in a row. But their elimination number is 4 from the regular season championship. But they could at least qualify for the tournament if it were held today. Last week's success is too little to late, but they are talented enough to trip up someone who has a real dream.
9. Sacramento State 7-14 (1-7) The Hornets are back to being the Hornets that we all know an love. Back to being a team that the rest of the Big Sky looks forward to playing. Elimination number is 2 from the regular season championship and 6 from the post-season tournament.
Games this week:
Thursday:
Montana State at Northern Arizona
Montana at Northern Colorado
Friday:
Sacramento State at Weber State
Saturday:
Montana at Northern Arizona
Sacramento State at Idaho State
Portland State at Eastern Washington
Sunday:
Montana State at Northern Colorado (GOTW)
Monday:
Eastern Washington at Seattle
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Attendance at College Basketball Games-Non Traditional Students.
I want to put my spin and comments on this Deseret Morning News article. What I like to suggest is a marketing strategy for getting Weber State's non-traditional students out to the games. There are things to know about non-traditional students that need to be understood. First, time and money are at a premium. Usually, a college basketball game is over in less than two hours. It fits well into the schedule. But there are other things that non-trads can do with the five bucks per guest.
1. Many non-trads work in the evening or even at all hours, consider an afternoon game. This may not work on the Friday/Saturday combos that the Big Sky leans toward, but the one-game weekends can have a Saturday Afternoon game.
2. Have time-out and halftime contests that are geared toward younger fans. The traditional student body members in attendance will love it.
3. Have a game where there is a special deal for the non-trad and their entire family...like $10.
4. Go to the marketing majors for more ideas.
Jerry Bovee...consider it.
1. Many non-trads work in the evening or even at all hours, consider an afternoon game. This may not work on the Friday/Saturday combos that the Big Sky leans toward, but the one-game weekends can have a Saturday Afternoon game.
2. Have time-out and halftime contests that are geared toward younger fans. The traditional student body members in attendance will love it.
3. Have a game where there is a special deal for the non-trad and their entire family...like $10.
4. Go to the marketing majors for more ideas.
Jerry Bovee...consider it.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Big Sky Power Rankings 1.19.2010
It was a tough weekend for the conference leaders. They really had to earn it this week.
1. Northern Colorado 16-4 (5-2) --Yes, the Bears lost in Portland this last week and nearly suffered a set back against Eastern Washington as well, but the schedule favors the team from Greeley the rest of the way. The toughest remaining game is in Ogden on February 13. Other than that, the Bears do not have a lot of wiggle room if the Big Sky Tournament is going to be played on the Front Range this year.
2. Weber State 11-7 (5-1) -- Weber State began the season 1-4, but since the loss at BYU in Provo; WSU is 10-3. Idaho State took them to triple OT in Pocatello on Saturday. If you missed this game to watch the NFL playoffs, you lost. Right now the WebCats are in first place, but will have to work extra hard to stay ahead of the Bears and win their 19th conference championship. They still have to travel to Montana and to the Northwest where NCU has made these trips already.
3. Montana 13-6 (4-3) -- The Grizzlies added a close shave at Sacramento State to their resume. The Grizz have some ground to make up to bring the Conference Tournament to Missoula.
4. Montana State 10-7 (4-3) -- The Bobcats have played a little inconsistently, lately. The had a Monday afternoon loss to CS-Bakersfield. So if you have MSU on your schedule, you do know which one you will get.
5. Portland State 8-10 (3-3) -- If the MSU Bobcats are playing inconsistently, then the Vikings have been playing erratic. PSU has some very good wins on their resume, like last Friday's win over conference leader Northern Colorado, followed up by a big defensive lapse against Northern Arizona. I don't expect that the Vikings will win the conference, but they will make the end of the season miserable for someone before it is done.
6. Northern Arizona 9-9 (3-4) -- The Lumberjacks really boosted their season by going northwest and winning both games last week. The folks in Flagstaff should feel really good about that.
7. Sacramento State 7-12 (1-5) -- None of the bottom three teams in the conference won last week, but the Hornets came close, twice. There was a one-point heart breaker to Montana, followed by a five point loss to Montana State. Kudos for avoiding a letdown after the heart breaker.
8. Eastern Washington 6-13 (2-4) -- The Eagles also lost a pair of close games. One by 3 points to NAU and the other by four to the rebounding NCU Bears.
9. Idaho State 4-14 (1-5) -- Came closer than any of the bottom three to a victory last week by taking Weber State to triple overtime in Pocatello. One more loss guarantees a sub-.500 season and a combination of 8 ISU losses or NAU/PSU wins will eliminate the Bengals from the BSC tourney. They could be out of the running by Super Bowl Sunday. They need a win this weekend in the worst way, but should get it if they play as desperately as they did in last week's border battle.
Games this week:
Northwesterns travel to I-15 with Friday/Saturday match-ups. PSU is in Ogden on Friday.
Sacramento State travels to the Northerns. Friday in Greeley, Sunday in Flagstaff
Montana and Montana State play on Saturday in Bozeman
1. Northern Colorado 16-4 (5-2) --Yes, the Bears lost in Portland this last week and nearly suffered a set back against Eastern Washington as well, but the schedule favors the team from Greeley the rest of the way. The toughest remaining game is in Ogden on February 13. Other than that, the Bears do not have a lot of wiggle room if the Big Sky Tournament is going to be played on the Front Range this year.
2. Weber State 11-7 (5-1) -- Weber State began the season 1-4, but since the loss at BYU in Provo; WSU is 10-3. Idaho State took them to triple OT in Pocatello on Saturday. If you missed this game to watch the NFL playoffs, you lost. Right now the WebCats are in first place, but will have to work extra hard to stay ahead of the Bears and win their 19th conference championship. They still have to travel to Montana and to the Northwest where NCU has made these trips already.
3. Montana 13-6 (4-3) -- The Grizzlies added a close shave at Sacramento State to their resume. The Grizz have some ground to make up to bring the Conference Tournament to Missoula.
4. Montana State 10-7 (4-3) -- The Bobcats have played a little inconsistently, lately. The had a Monday afternoon loss to CS-Bakersfield. So if you have MSU on your schedule, you do know which one you will get.
5. Portland State 8-10 (3-3) -- If the MSU Bobcats are playing inconsistently, then the Vikings have been playing erratic. PSU has some very good wins on their resume, like last Friday's win over conference leader Northern Colorado, followed up by a big defensive lapse against Northern Arizona. I don't expect that the Vikings will win the conference, but they will make the end of the season miserable for someone before it is done.
6. Northern Arizona 9-9 (3-4) -- The Lumberjacks really boosted their season by going northwest and winning both games last week. The folks in Flagstaff should feel really good about that.
7. Sacramento State 7-12 (1-5) -- None of the bottom three teams in the conference won last week, but the Hornets came close, twice. There was a one-point heart breaker to Montana, followed by a five point loss to Montana State. Kudos for avoiding a letdown after the heart breaker.
8. Eastern Washington 6-13 (2-4) -- The Eagles also lost a pair of close games. One by 3 points to NAU and the other by four to the rebounding NCU Bears.
9. Idaho State 4-14 (1-5) -- Came closer than any of the bottom three to a victory last week by taking Weber State to triple overtime in Pocatello. One more loss guarantees a sub-.500 season and a combination of 8 ISU losses or NAU/PSU wins will eliminate the Bengals from the BSC tourney. They could be out of the running by Super Bowl Sunday. They need a win this weekend in the worst way, but should get it if they play as desperately as they did in last week's border battle.
Games this week:
Northwesterns travel to I-15 with Friday/Saturday match-ups. PSU is in Ogden on Friday.
Sacramento State travels to the Northerns. Friday in Greeley, Sunday in Flagstaff
Montana and Montana State play on Saturday in Bozeman
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Big Sky Men's Basketball Power Rankings 13 January
Now that we are in the heart of Spring Semester or Winter Quarter for all Campuses, we are getting a better idea as to where our teams fall. The power rankings are close to the actual standings.
1. Northern Colorado--Swept Weber State and Idaho State at home. And now the Bears are even the BSC team in Bracketology. (The leader of each conference is automatically listed.).
2. Weber State--Split the "Northerns" road trip. Lost in Greeley and won in Flagstaff. Damien Lillard was held to 15 and 16 points over last weekend, so Nick Hansen stepped up against the Lumberjacks and put in 17.
3. Montana State--I still have the Bobcats third, but loosing at home to Eastern Washington did not help their cause. The Boze-cats are only 2-2 in conference.
4. Montana--Evened up their conference record by getting a sweep at home last weekend against EWU and PSU.
5. Eastern Washington--Got a split on the road in Montana to even up their conference record. Have a while to go before they even up their overall record.
6. Portland State--Dropped a pair in Montana last week. Their record is also even, but should be better.
7. Northern Arizona--Split a pair at home last week. Beat the Bengals but lost to Weber State. The Lumberjacks could be a force before the BSC tournament begins.
8. Sacramento State--The Hornets stepped out of conference last week and won a game against Seattle U.
9. Idaho State--Followed up a split last week by loosing both games on the road.
Games coming this week:
I-15ers play each-other on Saturday.
Sacramento State travels to Montana. The Bobcats host CS-Bakersfield on Saturday.
The Northerns travel to the Northwest.
1. Northern Colorado--Swept Weber State and Idaho State at home. And now the Bears are even the BSC team in Bracketology. (The leader of each conference is automatically listed.).
2. Weber State--Split the "Northerns" road trip. Lost in Greeley and won in Flagstaff. Damien Lillard was held to 15 and 16 points over last weekend, so Nick Hansen stepped up against the Lumberjacks and put in 17.
3. Montana State--I still have the Bobcats third, but loosing at home to Eastern Washington did not help their cause. The Boze-cats are only 2-2 in conference.
4. Montana--Evened up their conference record by getting a sweep at home last weekend against EWU and PSU.
5. Eastern Washington--Got a split on the road in Montana to even up their conference record. Have a while to go before they even up their overall record.
6. Portland State--Dropped a pair in Montana last week. Their record is also even, but should be better.
7. Northern Arizona--Split a pair at home last week. Beat the Bengals but lost to Weber State. The Lumberjacks could be a force before the BSC tournament begins.
8. Sacramento State--The Hornets stepped out of conference last week and won a game against Seattle U.
9. Idaho State--Followed up a split last week by loosing both games on the road.
Games coming this week:
I-15ers play each-other on Saturday.
Sacramento State travels to Montana. The Bobcats host CS-Bakersfield on Saturday.
The Northerns travel to the Northwest.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Big Sky Replacements...In Case of Catastrophe.
No matter how conference re-alignments cascade and if the economy continues to struggle, the Big Sky Conference is bound to loose a school or two or more in the next five years. As many as six could be gone.
Potential FBS Schools now in the Big Sky Conference:
-Montana--Has dominated the Big Sky since Idaho, Boise State and Nevada were promoted. Seems that they have been left behind and should have moved up as well. Natural fit for WAC.
-Montana State--Are in the fastest growing Mountain Time Zone city north of Utah and Colorado. Expanding and improving facilities for a 2022 Winter Olympic Bid. This energy is bound to improve the quality of athlete coming to Bozeman. In a position, because of their location, to benefit most if Idaho State drops football.
-Portland State--The Vikings are in a multi-sport major league city. Will benefit when the Timbers join MLS in 2011 as they share the facility. Attractive potential addition to the WAC.
-Sacramento State--Believed by some to already be a target of potential WAC expansion. Also a major league city.
Schools at risk of losing football programs
-Idaho State--Upset a lot of decision makers when they gave John Zamberlin a contract extension while other programs at the university are cutting back. That decision is indeed a head-scratch-er as the Bengals were winless at the time. ISU needs their own Ron McBride right now. Extending Zamberlin is a huge political miscalculation that could end up costing a football program in Pocatello.
-Northern Arizona--Another football program that is potentially lost if more budget cuts are needed at school. In spite of these persistent rumors, NAU managed a winning season last year. These rumors will persist until either the economy improves or NAU cuts their football program.
Stable Programs
-Eastern Washington--Keep loosing coaches to bigger programs, but the magic remains in Cheney. Since the loss of Idaho, Boise State and Nevada, the Eagles have only had one non-winning season.
-Weber State--Buoyed by a popular senior statesman in the Utah Football Community--Head Coach Ron McBride. Weber State football has been resurrected twice in the last 15 years. First when Mrs Stewart gave enough money for the new press box and luxury suite seats. Second when Ron McBride returned to the Beehive State. He is even winning recruits away from Utah and Utah State.
-Northern Colorado--Struggled a bit after moving to the BSC, but the program seems to be on the rise now.
Realistic Choices for New Conference Members:
Near Eastern Washington:
-Central Washington--Currently a division II school headquartered in Ellensburgh, Washington. The addition opens up recruiting in the Yakima, the Tri-Cities and Umatilla areas of Washington and Oregon. With Eastern Washington already in the fold, this can strengthen the presence of the conference in the Northwest.
-Western Washington--Located in Bellingham, Washington which is on I-5 just south of the Canadian Border. Currently a D-II school. It is close enough to Seattle to bring access to the bigger Washington State high schools for recruiting.
-Simon Frasier--Yes, the first Canadian School to compete "south of the border" would make a great addition to the conference. They are located near Vancouver proper and would instantly become the largest city in the Conference. Opens some good recruiting possibilities.
Near Weber State
-Dixie State--Currently a division II school that was a junior college not too long ago. Located in Saint George, Utah; which is the fastest growing city of it's size in the US. They have good facilities, including Hansen Stadium for football, which has even been used as a pre-season site for Major League Soccer. This addition makes sense.
-Southern Utah--Currently competes in the Great West Conference for football and the Summit League for basketball. Has tried to get into the Big Sky Conference before, but at the time the airport in Cedar City, Utah, was nothing more than a gravel runway. The city and county have since improved the airport facilities. Already has Weber State as a rival.
Near Northern Colorado
-Mesa State--The Grand Junction School is the only one I can find with an enrollment over 6000 in Colorado that sponsors football at the FCS or DII level. The others are too small and located too close to Denver not to be in the shadow of the DI-FBS schools in the area.
Other Schools and why they are not on the list:
San Diego--I can only come to the conclusion that the reason the Torreos are still in the Pioneer Conference for football is because that is where they want to be. Admission to the Big Sky would mean that all of their sports programs would have to come. Therefore, they would have to forget the other conference alignments that are working well for them.
Cal Poly and Cal Davis--I have to think that these programs would be as qualified for FBS promotion as, and perhaps even better candidates than, Portland State and Sacramento State are.
Humbolt State--Is very isolated, in a small community with a small student body. Travel there would be expensive.
Western Oregon--Could be a good fit if they could raise their recruiting profile. If PSU is in the shadow of Oregon State, WOU is in the shadow of PSU.
North Dakota/North Dakota State/South Dakota/South Dakota State--out of the footprint. All of these schools are in the eastern third of the Dakotas.
Adams State/Colorado Mines/Colorado State-Pueblo/Fort Lewis/Western State--All have a very small enrollment and sponsor too few sports to move up to DI-FCS. Many are too close to the Denver Metro and are in the Shadow of the Broncos and the bigger colleges.
Nebraska Kearney/Nebraska Omaha/Chadron State--The Nebraska board of Regents seems determined that the Cornhuskers are to be the only DI football state-sponsored school in Nebraska. UNO/UNK would have moved up years ago if the Regents would have allowed it. As if 200+ walk-ons are not enough in Lincoln. I do not see how allowing the Kearney Lopes to move to the FCS would hurt the Huskers, except for the fact that 15 to 20 kids would not longer have mom and dad paying for college in Lincoln.
Schools that would be a good fit if they only sponsored football:
There are many in the Big Sky footprint...let your imagination run wild.
What will happen: of course the loss of six programs is a worst-case scenario. The Big Sky Conference was hit hard with the loss of the Boise State, Idaho and Nevada programs in the mid-1990s when they had a reputation of being the best conference in the country at this level of College Football. The conference has yet to recover, and has slipped to second or third. One of the initial replacements, CS-Northridge dropped football. It would take some time to rebuild with this type of catastrophic loss. If this happens, hopefully it will not happen all at once. Realistically, at least two programs will be lost, hopefully to promotion. If the worst-case scenario happens, imagine this as your new Big Sky Conference:
Dixie State
Central Washington
Eastern Washington
Mesa State
Northern Colorado
Weber State
Western Washington
Simon Frasier
Southern Utah
Potential FBS Schools now in the Big Sky Conference:
-Montana--Has dominated the Big Sky since Idaho, Boise State and Nevada were promoted. Seems that they have been left behind and should have moved up as well. Natural fit for WAC.
-Montana State--Are in the fastest growing Mountain Time Zone city north of Utah and Colorado. Expanding and improving facilities for a 2022 Winter Olympic Bid. This energy is bound to improve the quality of athlete coming to Bozeman. In a position, because of their location, to benefit most if Idaho State drops football.
-Portland State--The Vikings are in a multi-sport major league city. Will benefit when the Timbers join MLS in 2011 as they share the facility. Attractive potential addition to the WAC.
-Sacramento State--Believed by some to already be a target of potential WAC expansion. Also a major league city.
Schools at risk of losing football programs
-Idaho State--Upset a lot of decision makers when they gave John Zamberlin a contract extension while other programs at the university are cutting back. That decision is indeed a head-scratch-er as the Bengals were winless at the time. ISU needs their own Ron McBride right now. Extending Zamberlin is a huge political miscalculation that could end up costing a football program in Pocatello.
-Northern Arizona--Another football program that is potentially lost if more budget cuts are needed at school. In spite of these persistent rumors, NAU managed a winning season last year. These rumors will persist until either the economy improves or NAU cuts their football program.
Stable Programs
-Eastern Washington--Keep loosing coaches to bigger programs, but the magic remains in Cheney. Since the loss of Idaho, Boise State and Nevada, the Eagles have only had one non-winning season.
-Weber State--Buoyed by a popular senior statesman in the Utah Football Community--Head Coach Ron McBride. Weber State football has been resurrected twice in the last 15 years. First when Mrs Stewart gave enough money for the new press box and luxury suite seats. Second when Ron McBride returned to the Beehive State. He is even winning recruits away from Utah and Utah State.
-Northern Colorado--Struggled a bit after moving to the BSC, but the program seems to be on the rise now.
Realistic Choices for New Conference Members:
Near Eastern Washington:
-Central Washington--Currently a division II school headquartered in Ellensburgh, Washington. The addition opens up recruiting in the Yakima, the Tri-Cities and Umatilla areas of Washington and Oregon. With Eastern Washington already in the fold, this can strengthen the presence of the conference in the Northwest.
-Western Washington--Located in Bellingham, Washington which is on I-5 just south of the Canadian Border. Currently a D-II school. It is close enough to Seattle to bring access to the bigger Washington State high schools for recruiting.
-Simon Frasier--Yes, the first Canadian School to compete "south of the border" would make a great addition to the conference. They are located near Vancouver proper and would instantly become the largest city in the Conference. Opens some good recruiting possibilities.
Near Weber State
-Dixie State--Currently a division II school that was a junior college not too long ago. Located in Saint George, Utah; which is the fastest growing city of it's size in the US. They have good facilities, including Hansen Stadium for football, which has even been used as a pre-season site for Major League Soccer. This addition makes sense.
-Southern Utah--Currently competes in the Great West Conference for football and the Summit League for basketball. Has tried to get into the Big Sky Conference before, but at the time the airport in Cedar City, Utah, was nothing more than a gravel runway. The city and county have since improved the airport facilities. Already has Weber State as a rival.
Near Northern Colorado
-Mesa State--The Grand Junction School is the only one I can find with an enrollment over 6000 in Colorado that sponsors football at the FCS or DII level. The others are too small and located too close to Denver not to be in the shadow of the DI-FBS schools in the area.
Other Schools and why they are not on the list:
San Diego--I can only come to the conclusion that the reason the Torreos are still in the Pioneer Conference for football is because that is where they want to be. Admission to the Big Sky would mean that all of their sports programs would have to come. Therefore, they would have to forget the other conference alignments that are working well for them.
Cal Poly and Cal Davis--I have to think that these programs would be as qualified for FBS promotion as, and perhaps even better candidates than, Portland State and Sacramento State are.
Humbolt State--Is very isolated, in a small community with a small student body. Travel there would be expensive.
Western Oregon--Could be a good fit if they could raise their recruiting profile. If PSU is in the shadow of Oregon State, WOU is in the shadow of PSU.
North Dakota/North Dakota State/South Dakota/South Dakota State--out of the footprint. All of these schools are in the eastern third of the Dakotas.
Adams State/Colorado Mines/Colorado State-Pueblo/Fort Lewis/Western State--All have a very small enrollment and sponsor too few sports to move up to DI-FCS. Many are too close to the Denver Metro and are in the Shadow of the Broncos and the bigger colleges.
Nebraska Kearney/Nebraska Omaha/Chadron State--The Nebraska board of Regents seems determined that the Cornhuskers are to be the only DI football state-sponsored school in Nebraska. UNO/UNK would have moved up years ago if the Regents would have allowed it. As if 200+ walk-ons are not enough in Lincoln. I do not see how allowing the Kearney Lopes to move to the FCS would hurt the Huskers, except for the fact that 15 to 20 kids would not longer have mom and dad paying for college in Lincoln.
Schools that would be a good fit if they only sponsored football:
There are many in the Big Sky footprint...let your imagination run wild.
What will happen: of course the loss of six programs is a worst-case scenario. The Big Sky Conference was hit hard with the loss of the Boise State, Idaho and Nevada programs in the mid-1990s when they had a reputation of being the best conference in the country at this level of College Football. The conference has yet to recover, and has slipped to second or third. One of the initial replacements, CS-Northridge dropped football. It would take some time to rebuild with this type of catastrophic loss. If this happens, hopefully it will not happen all at once. Realistically, at least two programs will be lost, hopefully to promotion. If the worst-case scenario happens, imagine this as your new Big Sky Conference:
Dixie State
Central Washington
Eastern Washington
Mesa State
Northern Colorado
Weber State
Western Washington
Simon Frasier
Southern Utah
Saturday, January 9, 2010
How I think the Conference Expansion mainia will cascade...
Bottom Line: WAC and Sun Belt will be decimated and will have to look to FCS for replacements.
1. The Big 10--I think that there is a good chance that it will remain at 11 teams. It will take it's own sweet time to decide on if and who to expand. The conference last expanded in 1989 and had looked at it seriously in 1999. When it could not reach an agreement to add Notre Dame. My opinion--Notre Dame is the only target, and it will have to have an agreement to allow ND to keep their arrangement with NBC. Just talking about expansion in the Big 10 will cascade down.
2. The SEC, Big 12 and ACC will not make a move unless they have a loss of a team due to an SMU-like scandal.
3. Big East--The Big East has eight teams for football, and another eight teams that do not participate in football. I have found sites that state that a split is imminent. With the split, the football side of the Big East will raid C-USA for new members. My opinion: Central Florida, Memphis, East Carolina and Southern Mississippi. Although a Villanova promotion is intriguing.
4. Mountain West--Needs to solidify their standing if they want an automatic BCS bid in two years. What hurts this conference most is the tumble that New Mexico and Colorado State have taken in the past two years. An expanded recruiting base will help the conference the most. I expect that Boise State, Fresno State and Houston are the the most likely to get in. Although rumors are mentioning Nevada instead of Houston. There is also a SMU/Houston debate happening on some sites right now. Other targets, although unlikely, are UTEP, San Jose State and Hawaii. Tulsa is another possibility. The divisions will have to keep BYU, Utah, Colorado State and Wyoming, who have been in the same conference since the 1930s together. The MWC could loose three programs to other conferences: BYU, TCU and Utah.
5. PAC-10--schools in this conference have been hurt hard by the current recession. After all, four are in California. The reasons for expansion involve money, cash and dinero. The conference needs a better TV deal and a true conference championship game would be a good catalyst for that. Otherwise, there are no threats to this conference and no other drivers for expansion. Utah is a good fit for the PAC-10, but who comes with? Mormons are everywhere in PAC-10 country, and adding BYU can help the turnstiles spin a little faster. But the Cougars do not play on Sunday. Colorado, maybe, but are they happy with the Big XII? San Diego State would be a good option if they had a winning football program every once in a while, same with UNLV. I think the economy will recover before the PAC-10 makes a move on expansion. The most likely targets are Utah, Colorado, BYU, San Diego State, UNLV and Hawaii.
6. C-USA could be a big looser in the next wave of conference expansion. They could loose as many as five or more schools. They will likely raid the Sun Belt for replacements, although WAC-outliers Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State are tempting targets. My opinion is that UTEP will pressure the conference to add New Mexico Sate. With the current state of the economy, Louisiana Tech will want better travel arrangements. That will leave three potential Sun Belt additions. My opinion: Middle Tennesee, Troy and North Texas. C-USA could just add five from the Sun Belt, or in other words, a Sun Belt-C-USA merger.
7. WAC--The WAC could loose as many as five programs to expansion, but will most likely loose four: Boise State, Fresno State, New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. If the PAC-10 expands, Nevada and Hawaii and maybe even San Jose State could go as well. (Not to the PAC-10, but to the MWC.) If the worst case scenario happens, the WAC will likely cease to exist as Utah State and Idaho will be the only programs left. But let's say the WAC just looses four. There are not a lot of options out west for the WAC to consider without going to the FCS. So here are the list of options: Montana, Montana State, Portland State, Cal Poly, Sacramento State and UC-Davis. This will have to be a gradual rebuilding. Only Montana and Montana State average 15,000 fans per game. Cal Poly only has a 10,000 seat stadium, but are in an if-you-build-it-they-will-come situation. And the other three schools will have to build their fan base. If the C-USA adds exclusively from the Sun Belt, then the WAC may only loose two and Montana and Montana State would be nice additions.
8. Sun Belt--will loose three or more programs and will also have to look to FCS programs to rebuild. Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion are ready to move up.
However, this all may not happen. It is all talk. Conference expansion and re-alingment is costly and has unintended consequences. Sometimes, those consequences are not new. For example, will 25,000 fans show up in Missoula after a could of 6-6 seasons? What about C-USA after the loss of Memphis and the Liberty Bowl. And will the WAC really be able to promote four FCS schools? We may not have to find out.
I will discuss what the Big Sky can do in my next blog.
1. The Big 10--I think that there is a good chance that it will remain at 11 teams. It will take it's own sweet time to decide on if and who to expand. The conference last expanded in 1989 and had looked at it seriously in 1999. When it could not reach an agreement to add Notre Dame. My opinion--Notre Dame is the only target, and it will have to have an agreement to allow ND to keep their arrangement with NBC. Just talking about expansion in the Big 10 will cascade down.
2. The SEC, Big 12 and ACC will not make a move unless they have a loss of a team due to an SMU-like scandal.
3. Big East--The Big East has eight teams for football, and another eight teams that do not participate in football. I have found sites that state that a split is imminent. With the split, the football side of the Big East will raid C-USA for new members. My opinion: Central Florida, Memphis, East Carolina and Southern Mississippi. Although a Villanova promotion is intriguing.
4. Mountain West--Needs to solidify their standing if they want an automatic BCS bid in two years. What hurts this conference most is the tumble that New Mexico and Colorado State have taken in the past two years. An expanded recruiting base will help the conference the most. I expect that Boise State, Fresno State and Houston are the the most likely to get in. Although rumors are mentioning Nevada instead of Houston. There is also a SMU/Houston debate happening on some sites right now. Other targets, although unlikely, are UTEP, San Jose State and Hawaii. Tulsa is another possibility. The divisions will have to keep BYU, Utah, Colorado State and Wyoming, who have been in the same conference since the 1930s together. The MWC could loose three programs to other conferences: BYU, TCU and Utah.
5. PAC-10--schools in this conference have been hurt hard by the current recession. After all, four are in California. The reasons for expansion involve money, cash and dinero. The conference needs a better TV deal and a true conference championship game would be a good catalyst for that. Otherwise, there are no threats to this conference and no other drivers for expansion. Utah is a good fit for the PAC-10, but who comes with? Mormons are everywhere in PAC-10 country, and adding BYU can help the turnstiles spin a little faster. But the Cougars do not play on Sunday. Colorado, maybe, but are they happy with the Big XII? San Diego State would be a good option if they had a winning football program every once in a while, same with UNLV. I think the economy will recover before the PAC-10 makes a move on expansion. The most likely targets are Utah, Colorado, BYU, San Diego State, UNLV and Hawaii.
6. C-USA could be a big looser in the next wave of conference expansion. They could loose as many as five or more schools. They will likely raid the Sun Belt for replacements, although WAC-outliers Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State are tempting targets. My opinion is that UTEP will pressure the conference to add New Mexico Sate. With the current state of the economy, Louisiana Tech will want better travel arrangements. That will leave three potential Sun Belt additions. My opinion: Middle Tennesee, Troy and North Texas. C-USA could just add five from the Sun Belt, or in other words, a Sun Belt-C-USA merger.
7. WAC--The WAC could loose as many as five programs to expansion, but will most likely loose four: Boise State, Fresno State, New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. If the PAC-10 expands, Nevada and Hawaii and maybe even San Jose State could go as well. (Not to the PAC-10, but to the MWC.) If the worst case scenario happens, the WAC will likely cease to exist as Utah State and Idaho will be the only programs left. But let's say the WAC just looses four. There are not a lot of options out west for the WAC to consider without going to the FCS. So here are the list of options: Montana, Montana State, Portland State, Cal Poly, Sacramento State and UC-Davis. This will have to be a gradual rebuilding. Only Montana and Montana State average 15,000 fans per game. Cal Poly only has a 10,000 seat stadium, but are in an if-you-build-it-they-will-come situation. And the other three schools will have to build their fan base. If the C-USA adds exclusively from the Sun Belt, then the WAC may only loose two and Montana and Montana State would be nice additions.
8. Sun Belt--will loose three or more programs and will also have to look to FCS programs to rebuild. Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion are ready to move up.
However, this all may not happen. It is all talk. Conference expansion and re-alingment is costly and has unintended consequences. Sometimes, those consequences are not new. For example, will 25,000 fans show up in Missoula after a could of 6-6 seasons? What about C-USA after the loss of Memphis and the Liberty Bowl. And will the WAC really be able to promote four FCS schools? We may not have to find out.
I will discuss what the Big Sky can do in my next blog.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Big Sky Men's Basketball Power Rankings 1/6/10
1. Northern Colorado--Earned a nine-point victory against Northern Arizona this last week. Led, as usual, by Will Figures. They had a light week last week to prepare for the challenge at home this coming week.
2. Weber State--Earned two hard fought wins at home against the Montanas. The Wildcats lead all the way vs the Bobcats, but the visitors from Bozeman kept it close. Against the Grizzlies on Saturday, they had a slow start to the second half, allowed Montana to take an eight point lead before Damien Lillard caught fire and led the Cats back. Tough test for Weber State coming this week.
3. Montana State--Earned a split on their trip down I-15. Lost in Ogden and won in Pocatello. Bobby Howard led the way for the Bobcats over the week, scoring 18 points against the Bengals on Saturday.
4. Portland State--Won against Sacramento State at home, in fact, they won big. Jamie Jones and Dominic Waters both had 25 against the Hornets.
5. Montana--Lost both games this last week on the road, but was in the game late in both of them. Anthony Johnson was the leading scorer in Pocatello with 15, while Will Cherry came off the bench for the Grizzlies in Ogden and led the way with 16.
6. Eastern Washington--Won their game against Sacramento State. Glen Dean led the way for the Eagles with 29 against the Hornets.
7. Northern Arizona--Lost at home to Northern Colorado. Nick Larsen led the Lumberjacks in the loss.
8. Sacramento State--Traveled to the Northwest and lost both games, including a 28 point loss to the Vikings on Saturday. In Portland, Duro Bjegovic led the way--off the bench--with 17. Antonio Flags led the way in the heartbreaker in Cheney. He had 18.
9. Idaho State--Give the Bengals credit for beating Montana at home on New Year's Eve. But lost in Pocatello on Saturday. In the loss, there was balanced scoring: Broderick Gilcrest, Amorrow Morgan and Chron Tatum each scored 15. Morgan scored 32 against the Grizzlies. The Bengals had only 4 bench points on Thursday and 7 on Saturday.
Games this week:
I-15ers visit the Northerns
The Northesterners travel to Montana
Sacramento State steps out of conference to play against the independent Seattle Red Hawks in California's Capital.
Big Game of the coming week: Thursday as Weber State visits Northern Colorado.
2. Weber State--Earned two hard fought wins at home against the Montanas. The Wildcats lead all the way vs the Bobcats, but the visitors from Bozeman kept it close. Against the Grizzlies on Saturday, they had a slow start to the second half, allowed Montana to take an eight point lead before Damien Lillard caught fire and led the Cats back. Tough test for Weber State coming this week.
3. Montana State--Earned a split on their trip down I-15. Lost in Ogden and won in Pocatello. Bobby Howard led the way for the Bobcats over the week, scoring 18 points against the Bengals on Saturday.
4. Portland State--Won against Sacramento State at home, in fact, they won big. Jamie Jones and Dominic Waters both had 25 against the Hornets.
5. Montana--Lost both games this last week on the road, but was in the game late in both of them. Anthony Johnson was the leading scorer in Pocatello with 15, while Will Cherry came off the bench for the Grizzlies in Ogden and led the way with 16.
6. Eastern Washington--Won their game against Sacramento State. Glen Dean led the way for the Eagles with 29 against the Hornets.
7. Northern Arizona--Lost at home to Northern Colorado. Nick Larsen led the Lumberjacks in the loss.
8. Sacramento State--Traveled to the Northwest and lost both games, including a 28 point loss to the Vikings on Saturday. In Portland, Duro Bjegovic led the way--off the bench--with 17. Antonio Flags led the way in the heartbreaker in Cheney. He had 18.
9. Idaho State--Give the Bengals credit for beating Montana at home on New Year's Eve. But lost in Pocatello on Saturday. In the loss, there was balanced scoring: Broderick Gilcrest, Amorrow Morgan and Chron Tatum each scored 15. Morgan scored 32 against the Grizzlies. The Bengals had only 4 bench points on Thursday and 7 on Saturday.
Games this week:
I-15ers visit the Northerns
The Northesterners travel to Montana
Sacramento State steps out of conference to play against the independent Seattle Red Hawks in California's Capital.
Big Game of the coming week: Thursday as Weber State visits Northern Colorado.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
2011 BYU football Schedule
Editor's note: this entry still gets a lot of hits, but is obsolete thanks to BYU becoming independent. Refer to this link for the latest update.
Final Bowl Blog.
Fiesta Bowl
Boise State 17 TCU 10 January 4, 2010, Glendale, AZ
The results of this game came from a combination of two factors. First, Boise State's coaching staff and players were well prepared for the game, where the TCU staff was not. Second, TCU had a bad game with poor execution on offense. The TCU defense played it's game well--except for the drive where the fake punt led to a BSU touchdown.
The game did not have the magic that either BSU's win over Oklahoma had four seasons ago, nor did it have the magic that Utah's win over Alabama had last year. The overall game was kind of a dud.
This does not mean that TCU will not be the conference favorite going into the 2010 season. It depends on how many of the Frog Stars decide to enter the NFL draft. It will still be the big 3 with the rest of the conference attempting to catch up. However, my conference favorite for next season is Utah, which means that BYU will win it. As for Boise State, they are still miles and miles ahead of the rest of the WAC.
FCS Championship Game
Villanova 23 Montana 21
Congratulations to Villanova on their win over Montana. The Wildcats showed the country how to beat the Grizzlies. They made Chase Reynolds a non-factor and forced Andy Selle to win the game by himself. That he almost did, but the Grizz could not recover the on-side kick at the end.
New Mexico Bowl
Wyoming 35 Fresno State 28
This was supposed to be a party for Ryan Matthews. He was supposed to impress the heck out of all of the NFL scouts. But 24,000 people in Albuquerque, most clad in prairie gold and brown ,witnessed a coming out party for Austyn Carta-Samuels and the Wyoming Cowboys. When the game was on the line, when the Bulldogs were up by three in the final third of the fourth quarter, Ryan Matthews was forced to cough up the football. What followed was a gutsy drive by Carta-Samuels and company, where they converted 3 fourth downs on the way to kicking the game tying field goal. In the OT, the Wyoming defense held on for the win
Las Vegas Bowl
BYU 44 Oregon State 20
The difference in this game is that Max Hall and BYU could handle the wind, but Oregon State could not. Even when the wind was at their back, the Beavers had trouble. That was where the game turned around. Whether the wind caught the ball, or it was a planned lateral, the fumble return turned the game around for good and OSU could not get on track until the fourth quarter.
Poinsettia Bowl
Utah 37 vs California 27
Jordan Wynn looked a little shaky at first, but bounced back nicely. Shaky is an understatement. It was a near disaster at the beginning. Before you could sit down with your nachos and Coke, Cal had a 14-0 lead. There was no panic in Wynn, he settled down and had the best game of his young collegiate career, do date. The Utes had little trouble putting the Bears away at the end. Stevenson Sylvester put away Cal for good in the fourth quarter.
Hawaii Bowl
SMU 45 Nevada 10
June Jones returns to Aloha Stadium, but it was the Ponies that ran away with this one and not the Wolfpack. Nevada only turned the ball over once, and that led to SMU's last touchdown. The Mustang defense held the Wolfpack rushers to just 137 yards on the ground. If I had been paying attention, I would have noticed that Luke Lippincott and Via Taua would not be playing and I would have predicted it differently.
Armed Forces Bowl
Air Force 47 Houston 20
The Air Force pass defense is back! They rebounded from a disappointing season finale to force one of the best quarterbacks in the country into 6 interceptions. And do not take anything away from the way that Jared Tew and Asher Clark played on offense. This game was a complete Air Force victory.
Humanitarian Bowl
Idaho 43 Bowling Green 42
This stands out, so far, as the best bowl game of the season. Idaho and BG trading scores in the waning moments of the game, with a gutsy two-point conversion call at the end to give the Vandals the victory. That was also a 3-play drive in just 28 seconds, if you were keeping track. Way to go, Idaho.
Swagger Awards for the Post-Season:
Big Sky
Offensive Player of the Post-Season: Montana RB Chase Reynolds
Defensive Team of the Post-Season: Montana vs Stephen F. Austin--earned a shutout.
Special Teams Player of the Post-Season: Montana K Brody McKnight-perfect on extra points in four post-season playoff games.
Game of the Post-Season: Montana 61 South Dakota State 48--FCS Quarterfinals
WAC
Offensive Player of the Post-Season: Idaho RB DeMaundray Woolridge
Defensive Team of the Post-Season: Boise State
Special Teams Player of the Post-Season: Boise State P Kyle Brotzman-Completed a fake punt pass in the 4th quarter of the Fiesta Bowl
Game of the Post-Season: Idaho 43 Bowling Green 42--Humanitarian Bowl
MWC
Offensive Players of the Post-Season: Air Force RB Jared Tew; Utah QB Jordan Wynn
Defensive Team of the Post-Season: Air Force
Special Teams Player of the Post-Season: BYU P Riley Stephenson-Many successful punts into the wind in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Game of the Post-Season: Wyoming 35 Fresno State 28--New Mexico Bowl
Boise State 17 TCU 10 January 4, 2010, Glendale, AZ
The results of this game came from a combination of two factors. First, Boise State's coaching staff and players were well prepared for the game, where the TCU staff was not. Second, TCU had a bad game with poor execution on offense. The TCU defense played it's game well--except for the drive where the fake punt led to a BSU touchdown.
The game did not have the magic that either BSU's win over Oklahoma had four seasons ago, nor did it have the magic that Utah's win over Alabama had last year. The overall game was kind of a dud.
This does not mean that TCU will not be the conference favorite going into the 2010 season. It depends on how many of the Frog Stars decide to enter the NFL draft. It will still be the big 3 with the rest of the conference attempting to catch up. However, my conference favorite for next season is Utah, which means that BYU will win it. As for Boise State, they are still miles and miles ahead of the rest of the WAC.
FCS Championship Game
Villanova 23 Montana 21
Congratulations to Villanova on their win over Montana. The Wildcats showed the country how to beat the Grizzlies. They made Chase Reynolds a non-factor and forced Andy Selle to win the game by himself. That he almost did, but the Grizz could not recover the on-side kick at the end.
New Mexico Bowl
Wyoming 35 Fresno State 28
This was supposed to be a party for Ryan Matthews. He was supposed to impress the heck out of all of the NFL scouts. But 24,000 people in Albuquerque, most clad in prairie gold and brown ,witnessed a coming out party for Austyn Carta-Samuels and the Wyoming Cowboys. When the game was on the line, when the Bulldogs were up by three in the final third of the fourth quarter, Ryan Matthews was forced to cough up the football. What followed was a gutsy drive by Carta-Samuels and company, where they converted 3 fourth downs on the way to kicking the game tying field goal. In the OT, the Wyoming defense held on for the win
Las Vegas Bowl
BYU 44 Oregon State 20
The difference in this game is that Max Hall and BYU could handle the wind, but Oregon State could not. Even when the wind was at their back, the Beavers had trouble. That was where the game turned around. Whether the wind caught the ball, or it was a planned lateral, the fumble return turned the game around for good and OSU could not get on track until the fourth quarter.
Poinsettia Bowl
Utah 37 vs California 27
Jordan Wynn looked a little shaky at first, but bounced back nicely. Shaky is an understatement. It was a near disaster at the beginning. Before you could sit down with your nachos and Coke, Cal had a 14-0 lead. There was no panic in Wynn, he settled down and had the best game of his young collegiate career, do date. The Utes had little trouble putting the Bears away at the end. Stevenson Sylvester put away Cal for good in the fourth quarter.
Hawaii Bowl
SMU 45 Nevada 10
June Jones returns to Aloha Stadium, but it was the Ponies that ran away with this one and not the Wolfpack. Nevada only turned the ball over once, and that led to SMU's last touchdown. The Mustang defense held the Wolfpack rushers to just 137 yards on the ground. If I had been paying attention, I would have noticed that Luke Lippincott and Via Taua would not be playing and I would have predicted it differently.
Armed Forces Bowl
Air Force 47 Houston 20
The Air Force pass defense is back! They rebounded from a disappointing season finale to force one of the best quarterbacks in the country into 6 interceptions. And do not take anything away from the way that Jared Tew and Asher Clark played on offense. This game was a complete Air Force victory.
Humanitarian Bowl
Idaho 43 Bowling Green 42
This stands out, so far, as the best bowl game of the season. Idaho and BG trading scores in the waning moments of the game, with a gutsy two-point conversion call at the end to give the Vandals the victory. That was also a 3-play drive in just 28 seconds, if you were keeping track. Way to go, Idaho.
Swagger Awards for the Post-Season:
Big Sky
Offensive Player of the Post-Season: Montana RB Chase Reynolds
Defensive Team of the Post-Season: Montana vs Stephen F. Austin--earned a shutout.
Special Teams Player of the Post-Season: Montana K Brody McKnight-perfect on extra points in four post-season playoff games.
Game of the Post-Season: Montana 61 South Dakota State 48--FCS Quarterfinals
WAC
Offensive Player of the Post-Season: Idaho RB DeMaundray Woolridge
Defensive Team of the Post-Season: Boise State
Special Teams Player of the Post-Season: Boise State P Kyle Brotzman-Completed a fake punt pass in the 4th quarter of the Fiesta Bowl
Game of the Post-Season: Idaho 43 Bowling Green 42--Humanitarian Bowl
MWC
Offensive Players of the Post-Season: Air Force RB Jared Tew; Utah QB Jordan Wynn
Defensive Team of the Post-Season: Air Force
Special Teams Player of the Post-Season: BYU P Riley Stephenson-Many successful punts into the wind in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Game of the Post-Season: Wyoming 35 Fresno State 28--New Mexico Bowl
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