In response to Monson's SL Tribune column, I would like to retort. I am a fan of BYU and Jimmer. He is a fun to watch. But I am also skeptical of his match as an NBA player.
Jimmer needs to improve in some areas to be an effective NBA point guard. First, he needs to be more disciplined. At times, he has been reckless and taken chances. Committed reckless turnovers. The first half against Florida showed the nation Jimmer's weaknesses. He has put the team on his shoulders instead of attempting to rally them and has been the excuse when things have not gone well for the Cougars. People speak of his lack of defense, but they do not play the NBA style of defense in college. No one point guard has an advantage on the defensive side going into the NBA. Jimmer will not be the savior of a Cleveland Caveliers, but he could mature into the next John Stockton, of sorts, under the tutelage of Devin Harris and/or Ronnie Price and/or Earl Watson.
But here is what the Jazz need to do, in my opinion, with their roster before bringing on someone like the Jimmer.
First, it is time to end the Fesenko project. He is not coming along at all. At times, he has shown he could be the future of this franchise. At other times, he has been nothing but a body standing around. This type of inconsistency can not continue to stand. If Fez can not play every game consistently, then let him go. Francisco Elson could also be traded or cut.
Second, let Andre go. Perhaps he can end up with a team that has a chance at winning a title. Gordon Hayward can now fill the small forward roll for the Jazz that Andre filled so well for so many years.
Third, keep two of the three point guards. Trade the other. I am partial to keeping Ronnie Price and Devin Harris and trading away Earl Watson.
That leaves room for a Center, a point guard and a project 2/3/4 player.
The center should be first. No one better than Enes Kanter of Turkey when there is already a Turk on the roster. Mehmet Okur would be the perfect tutor for Kanter.
Then the Jazz can draft Jimmer with their second pick. He can sit behind Harris for a year or two until he refines his craft. He can come off the bench and be available when the Jazz need a late-game sharp shooter.
The project player could be someone like Brandon Davies, if BYU does not let him back into school. Or Colorado State's Andy Ogide.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Utah College Football Schedules at a Glance.
BYU 2011 Schedule:
S3 @ Mississippi (Ole Miss)
S10 @ Texas
S17 Utah
S23 Central Florida
S30 Utah State
O8 San Jose State (Homecoming)
O15 @ Oregon State
O22 Idaho State
O27 @ TCU in Arlington, TX
N5 Open
N12 Idaho
N15 New Mexico State
N26 Open
D3 @ Hawaii
My prediction: BYU goes 9-3 and could work out a deal to replace the Big 12 team in the Insight.com bowl in Phoenix.
Utah 2011 Schedule
S1 Montana State
S10 @USC
S17 @BYU
S24 bye
O1 Washington
O8 Arizona State (Homecoming)
O15 @ Pittsburgh
O22 @ California
O29 Oregon State
N5 @ Arizona
N12 UCLA
N19 @ Washington State
N26 Colorado
My prediction: 9-3 would be a good PAC-12 start for the Utes and put them in the Holiday Bowl.
Utah State 2011 Schedule
S3 @ Auburn
S10 Weber State
S17 Open
S24 Colorado State (Homecoming)
S30 @ BYU
O8 Wyoming
O15 @ Fresno State
O22 Louisiana Tech
O29 Open
N5 @ Hawaii
N12 San Jose State
N19 @ Idaho
N26 Nevada
D3 @ New Mexico State
My prediction: I see a 5-7 season in Logan this year.
Weber State 2011 Football Schedule
S3 @ Wyoming
S10 @ Utah State
S17 Sacramento State
S24 @Northern Colorado
O1 @ Eastern Washington
O8 Open
O15 Idaho State (Homecoming)
O22 Southern Utah
O29 @ Montana
N5 Montana State
N12 Northern Arizona
N19 @ Portland State
My prediction: 8-3 and a possible at-large playoff bid.
Southern Utah 2011 Football
S3 @South Dakota State
S10 Sacramento State
S17 Texas San Antonio (Homecoming)
S24 @UNLV
O1 North Dakota
O8 @South Dakota
O15 @ Cal Poly
O22 @ Weber State
O29 UC Davis
N5 Open
N12 @Northern Iowa
N19 @Northern Arizona
My prediction: With 5 of their last 6 on the road 6-5 might be overachieving.
S3 @ Mississippi (Ole Miss)
S10 @ Texas
S17 Utah
S23 Central Florida
S30 Utah State
O8 San Jose State (Homecoming)
O15 @ Oregon State
O22 Idaho State
O27 @ TCU in Arlington, TX
N5 Open
N12 Idaho
N15 New Mexico State
N26 Open
D3 @ Hawaii
My prediction: BYU goes 9-3 and could work out a deal to replace the Big 12 team in the Insight.com bowl in Phoenix.
Utah 2011 Schedule
S1 Montana State
S10 @USC
S17 @BYU
S24 bye
O1 Washington
O8 Arizona State (Homecoming)
O15 @ Pittsburgh
O22 @ California
O29 Oregon State
N5 @ Arizona
N12 UCLA
N19 @ Washington State
N26 Colorado
My prediction: 9-3 would be a good PAC-12 start for the Utes and put them in the Holiday Bowl.
Utah State 2011 Schedule
S3 @ Auburn
S10 Weber State
S17 Open
S24 Colorado State (Homecoming)
S30 @ BYU
O8 Wyoming
O15 @ Fresno State
O22 Louisiana Tech
O29 Open
N5 @ Hawaii
N12 San Jose State
N19 @ Idaho
N26 Nevada
D3 @ New Mexico State
My prediction: I see a 5-7 season in Logan this year.
Weber State 2011 Football Schedule
S3 @ Wyoming
S10 @ Utah State
S17 Sacramento State
S24 @Northern Colorado
O1 @ Eastern Washington
O8 Open
O15 Idaho State (Homecoming)
O22 Southern Utah
O29 @ Montana
N5 Montana State
N12 Northern Arizona
N19 @ Portland State
My prediction: 8-3 and a possible at-large playoff bid.
Southern Utah 2011 Football
S3 @South Dakota State
S10 Sacramento State
S17 Texas San Antonio (Homecoming)
S24 @UNLV
O1 North Dakota
O8 @South Dakota
O15 @ Cal Poly
O22 @ Weber State
O29 UC Davis
N5 Open
N12 @Northern Iowa
N19 @Northern Arizona
My prediction: With 5 of their last 6 on the road 6-5 might be overachieving.
End of the Jimmer Era in Provo and Other Thoughts. Conference Expansion Update.
The Jimmer express ran out of gas in overtime in New Orleans tonight. This is really where the loss of Davies hurt the Cougars. They were able to hang with the Gators in regulation, but did not have enough for the extra frame. Now the Cougars retool and move to a new Conference. They will need to raise the bar on fitness and depth if we expect to see BYU in the Elite 8 or beyond. The same goes if the Big 12 is indeed in BYU's future. To use a football analogy, Dave Rose is has just finished the John Beck era of BYU basketball.
Jimmer will also need to adapt his game or play in Europe.
No sooner than it takes for Jimmer to dry off from his post-game shower, reports are linking Dave Rose to either the vacant Oklahoma job or Missouri job. ESPN's Andy Katz is right. Dave Rose should be coaching in the Big 12. BYU should be in the Big 12.
***
Conference Expansion Update...
Big 12
BYU's NCAA tournament run has again stoked the possibility that BYU would be a good fit for the Big 12. But it would surprise me if any offer came before the end of the 2012 basketball season. If BYU is in the sweet 16 and pushing for the elite 8 again in 2012, then talk of the Big 12 will heat up. Right now, the majority of Big 12 presidents do not like working around the Cougars no Sunday play.
There are rumors, however, that the Big 12 will look past the Cougars and take UNLV and San Diego State instead. I have seen 1 report, but have not been able to verify or find it again, that Sam Boyd Stadium will soon see a major face lift, including new locker rooms, weight rooms and other athletic facilities as well as an expansion above 45,000 from the current 37,000. This should help recruiting. UNLV is good in almost every sport other than football. Better facilities will lead to better recruiting which will lead to more gridiron success and will eventually bring Veagans out to the games.
San Diego State, on the other hand, need to figure out how to turn recent successes into more people in the stadium. It will be tough to convince Big 12 people to include the Aztecs if they continue to see attendance in the low 20s. Attendance in the high 30s to low 40s would be better. Filling your 71,000 seat stadium would be priceless.
However, if the Big 12 is to get back to 12 they could bring BYU in the fold as a football-only member and then use Creighton as the non-football school.
On the WAC front, the WAC invite to Montana was open ended, and Montana did not say "go away, get out of here and never darken our doorstep again." (That is what I heard when I was a missionary in Montana.) It was "now is not the right time" and "without some of our rivals (Montana State) it would not be worth it" and "how can we pay for this". Surely, Montana fans would show up from all over Montana to see the likes of Washington, BYU and other former rivals in Missoula. These schools are certain to schedule home and home games with the Grizzlies. Montanans would also travel to a bowl game, even in Boise.
This could be why everyone is silent on the issue. Negotiations are pending and in the dark. But indications are that the WAC wants a 12-team football conference. There may also be a football-only invitation to Cal-Poly and/or Cal-Davis in the works. Allowing these schools to keep their other sports in the travel-friendly Big West Conference may be a win/win for both the WAC and for these California schools.
The WAC may not make a lot of money by staging a conference championship game, but can reduce football travel costs by dividing. Try this out for size:
West Division
Cal Poly (Football-only)
Denver (Non-football)
Idaho
Montana
Montana State
Utah State
San Jose State
East Division
Lamar
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Monroe
New Mexico State
Texas State
UTSA
Jimmer will also need to adapt his game or play in Europe.
No sooner than it takes for Jimmer to dry off from his post-game shower, reports are linking Dave Rose to either the vacant Oklahoma job or Missouri job. ESPN's Andy Katz is right. Dave Rose should be coaching in the Big 12. BYU should be in the Big 12.
***
Conference Expansion Update...
Big 12
BYU's NCAA tournament run has again stoked the possibility that BYU would be a good fit for the Big 12. But it would surprise me if any offer came before the end of the 2012 basketball season. If BYU is in the sweet 16 and pushing for the elite 8 again in 2012, then talk of the Big 12 will heat up. Right now, the majority of Big 12 presidents do not like working around the Cougars no Sunday play.
There are rumors, however, that the Big 12 will look past the Cougars and take UNLV and San Diego State instead. I have seen 1 report, but have not been able to verify or find it again, that Sam Boyd Stadium will soon see a major face lift, including new locker rooms, weight rooms and other athletic facilities as well as an expansion above 45,000 from the current 37,000. This should help recruiting. UNLV is good in almost every sport other than football. Better facilities will lead to better recruiting which will lead to more gridiron success and will eventually bring Veagans out to the games.
San Diego State, on the other hand, need to figure out how to turn recent successes into more people in the stadium. It will be tough to convince Big 12 people to include the Aztecs if they continue to see attendance in the low 20s. Attendance in the high 30s to low 40s would be better. Filling your 71,000 seat stadium would be priceless.
However, if the Big 12 is to get back to 12 they could bring BYU in the fold as a football-only member and then use Creighton as the non-football school.
On the WAC front, the WAC invite to Montana was open ended, and Montana did not say "go away, get out of here and never darken our doorstep again." (That is what I heard when I was a missionary in Montana.) It was "now is not the right time" and "without some of our rivals (Montana State) it would not be worth it" and "how can we pay for this". Surely, Montana fans would show up from all over Montana to see the likes of Washington, BYU and other former rivals in Missoula. These schools are certain to schedule home and home games with the Grizzlies. Montanans would also travel to a bowl game, even in Boise.
This could be why everyone is silent on the issue. Negotiations are pending and in the dark. But indications are that the WAC wants a 12-team football conference. There may also be a football-only invitation to Cal-Poly and/or Cal-Davis in the works. Allowing these schools to keep their other sports in the travel-friendly Big West Conference may be a win/win for both the WAC and for these California schools.
The WAC may not make a lot of money by staging a conference championship game, but can reduce football travel costs by dividing. Try this out for size:
West Division
Cal Poly (Football-only)
Denver (Non-football)
Idaho
Montana
Montana State
Utah State
San Jose State
East Division
Lamar
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Monroe
New Mexico State
Texas State
UTSA
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
My Plan to Save UNO Football.
The Omaha World Herald is reporting today that some donors have announced that they will be cancelling donations to the University if they drop football. Enough to off-set the cost of keeping football, no one has said, but if it is, it is time to back track. That is not part of my plan. I plan to keep donating. But I may donate more if the University gives me a reason to. Any plan to cut donations to the school would be unwise at it will hurt students. I've never known the Omaha World Herald to tell the entire story, so I am not surprised to find that no one in crunching the numbers.
Now for the plan.
1. Join the Big Sky Conference on the agreement that there will be no intra-divisional road games in California or Oregon for the first two seasons. This can be done if the intra-divisional games are Eastern Washington, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. Other conference possibilities for the Mavericks include the Ohio Valley Conference and the Southland Conference. This can be a football-only invite to allow the Mavericks to join the more regionally-aligned Summit Conference for other sports as planned.
The Big Sky is the most prestigious potential conference for the Mavericks. They are home to the reigning national champion, and regularly put teams at least as far as the title game. It has also been a launching pad for many other successful sports programs such as Boise State and Nevada.
2. Normally a team transitioning from Division II to Division I FCS can not play a game against an FBS school for four seasons. Ask the NCAA for a waiver to make that two years. There are plenty of nearby FBS schools nearby that would result in a big payday for the Mavericks. It could cover at least 1/3 of the football team's expenses. I do not need to mention the Big School just to the southwest of Omaha...but there are others, like the one just east of Nebraska and few others in the two conferences that do not know how to count that could give the Mavs a money game.
3. Make the DI/FCS kick off a major fund-raising event. Push hard for alumni donations. Hopefully, the first DI/FCS game would be against a Giant FCS school like Montana, William and Mary, Appalachian State or James Madison.
Now for the plan.
1. Join the Big Sky Conference on the agreement that there will be no intra-divisional road games in California or Oregon for the first two seasons. This can be done if the intra-divisional games are Eastern Washington, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. Other conference possibilities for the Mavericks include the Ohio Valley Conference and the Southland Conference. This can be a football-only invite to allow the Mavericks to join the more regionally-aligned Summit Conference for other sports as planned.
The Big Sky is the most prestigious potential conference for the Mavericks. They are home to the reigning national champion, and regularly put teams at least as far as the title game. It has also been a launching pad for many other successful sports programs such as Boise State and Nevada.
2. Normally a team transitioning from Division II to Division I FCS can not play a game against an FBS school for four seasons. Ask the NCAA for a waiver to make that two years. There are plenty of nearby FBS schools nearby that would result in a big payday for the Mavericks. It could cover at least 1/3 of the football team's expenses. I do not need to mention the Big School just to the southwest of Omaha...but there are others, like the one just east of Nebraska and few others in the two conferences that do not know how to count that could give the Mavs a money game.
3. Make the DI/FCS kick off a major fund-raising event. Push hard for alumni donations. Hopefully, the first DI/FCS game would be against a Giant FCS school like Montana, William and Mary, Appalachian State or James Madison.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Random Thought
There is one big problem with the NCAA tournament. 68 teams, and 67 of them will end up with a loss in their last game...only one team finishes as a winner. Is that really fair? Why doesn't college basketball come up with a bowl system like they have in college football. There is no reason why press writers and coaches can't vote on the national champion after just one game. We should really know how good these teams are after seeing them play once.
Beside, college basketball players aren't really there to play basketball anyway. Out of 4,000 or so college basketball players, only about 50 or so get to move on to the NBA. The rest have to find a way to become accountants, teachers and physical therapists. The longer we drag out the college basketball season, the more impossible we make it for these kids to succeed in what they are really in college for. In fact, why not finish the college basketball season in early March like we do now, and play the college basketball bowl season around Memorial Day and give these kids time to concentrate on their final exams before playing that one basketball game that will determine the National Champion. Some games, however, could take place as early as St. Patrick's Day and Easter, while the big important National Championship game can take place right after the Indianapolis 500.
What could make this even better, is that we plan these college basketball bowl games around springtime festivals in the great college basketball cities around the country. We could rotate the National Championship game between cities like Indianapolis, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix where we can turn the giant indoor football stadiums into giant basketball arenas. We can play the smaller college basketball bowl games in cities like Salt Lake and Albuquerque. We can pay the organizers of these bowl games millions of dollars. We can require the schools that participate to purchase enough tickets for the game to ensure that they lose money.
And how often do mid-majors win the title anyway? Why not ensure that there is a coalition of the Big-6 conferences get together to lock out all of the others. If the Big East can have 11 teams in the NCAA tournament, who needs the CAA? But hey, if the smaller conferences want to have a playoff, they can be broken into their own special subdivision.
Now that I have your attention. If you think that this would be a bad move for college basketball, why do you think it makes sense for college football?
Beside, college basketball players aren't really there to play basketball anyway. Out of 4,000 or so college basketball players, only about 50 or so get to move on to the NBA. The rest have to find a way to become accountants, teachers and physical therapists. The longer we drag out the college basketball season, the more impossible we make it for these kids to succeed in what they are really in college for. In fact, why not finish the college basketball season in early March like we do now, and play the college basketball bowl season around Memorial Day and give these kids time to concentrate on their final exams before playing that one basketball game that will determine the National Champion. Some games, however, could take place as early as St. Patrick's Day and Easter, while the big important National Championship game can take place right after the Indianapolis 500.
What could make this even better, is that we plan these college basketball bowl games around springtime festivals in the great college basketball cities around the country. We could rotate the National Championship game between cities like Indianapolis, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix where we can turn the giant indoor football stadiums into giant basketball arenas. We can play the smaller college basketball bowl games in cities like Salt Lake and Albuquerque. We can pay the organizers of these bowl games millions of dollars. We can require the schools that participate to purchase enough tickets for the game to ensure that they lose money.
And how often do mid-majors win the title anyway? Why not ensure that there is a coalition of the Big-6 conferences get together to lock out all of the others. If the Big East can have 11 teams in the NCAA tournament, who needs the CAA? But hey, if the smaller conferences want to have a playoff, they can be broken into their own special subdivision.
Now that I have your attention. If you think that this would be a bad move for college basketball, why do you think it makes sense for college football?
Saturday, March 19, 2011
BYU's Bowl Options for 2011
Note: As of April 27, 2011 this post is moot. BYU has signed an agreement with the Armed Forces Bowl. They take a bowl slot that was part of the MWC bowl mix. I am not surprised as the MWC has not been able to provide teams for all of their bowl slots for 3 years running. But has also had a team in the BCS each of those three years.
The Armed Forces Bowl is Played on December 30th at SMU's Gerald J. Ford field in Dallas. A very nice stadium that was named after a wealthy booster and not after the former President. If I can swing the trip and the time off, I would be there.
***
BYU does not have a bowl contract for 2011 should they not qualify for a BCS game, but remain bowl eligible. But, there are some possibilities, and I am certain that none of these bowl games will pass on the Cougars if there is an opportunity to invite them.
Most likely scenarios...
1. New Mexico Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl or Poinsettia Bowl if either the Mountain West nor the WAC not have enough bowl eligible teams. The MWC had 5 bowl eligible teams in 2010 and is losing 2 of them, but gaining Boise State. The MWC had one team in the BCS in 2010 and could repeat the feat in 2011. That would leave them with 4 bowl eligible teams and 1 in the BCS. That would be 2 open slots. The WAC still has 4 bowls in 2011. The WAC could still end up with 4 bowl eligible teams should Idaho play up to their potential in 2011 and finish 6-6.
MWC 2011 Bowls (Projection)
BCS? (Boise State)
1. Las Vegas (TCU)
2. Poinsettia (San Diego State)
3. Independence (Air Force)
4. Armed Forces (Colorado State?)
5. New Mexico (UNLV?????really????ha, ha, ha, ha ha....that's a good one!)
WAC 2011 Bowls (Projection)
1. Poinsettia (Fresno State)
2. Humanitarian (Nevada)
3. New Mexico (Idaho???big maybe)
-. Hawaii will go to the Hawaii Bowl if they are bowl eligible and not selected by the BCS. Which is where I believe that they will be.
(BTW--in 2012 and 2013 the WAC only has 2 bowls, and only one bowl after 2013. There is talk of moving the Humanitarian Bowl to a warm weather site beginning in 2012...either Berkeley in Cal's new stadium or in the new 49ers stadium in Santa Clara. If this happens, the WAC will at least have one bowl. The New Mexico Bowl goes to the PAC-12 in 2012 and the Hawaii Bowl goes to the MWC with Hawaii in 2012.)
But let's say that by some miracle UNLV, Colorado State and Idaho are all bowl eligible and there is no spot for BYU.
2. Insight Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Texas Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl or Military bowl. This seems likely as the Big 12 has 8 bowl commitments but only 10 teams. It does not seem logical that the Big 12, with only 10 teams, will have 8 bowl eligible teams. The Big 12 had only 8 bowl eligible teams in 2010 and is only losing one of the those not bowl eligible. It is possible that the Big 12 will end up with 8 bowl eligible teams with the non-conference creme-puffs they usually schedule. But they are also playing a full-table conference schedule. This means that Iowa State will have 3 non-conference creme puffs and have to come up with 3 or 4 wins against the full Big-12 compliment. It will be harder for Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas to become bowl eligible. They are trading Colorado and Nebraska for the full southern division. If the Insight or Holiday bowl has to chose between 7-5 or 6-6 teams and BYU just misses the BCS, look for one of those bowls to fight for the Cougars. Money is involved, it may not work out.
Big 12 Bowls (Projection)
1. BCS (Oklahoma)
2. Cotton Bowl (Oklahoma State)
3. Alamo Bowl (Texas A&M)
4. Insight Bowl (Texas)
5. Holiday Bowl (Missouri)
6. Texas Bowl (Kansas State?)
7. Pinstripe Bowl (Texas Tech?)
8. Military Bowl (??Kansas/Baylor/Iowa State??)
3. Hawaii Bowl should Hawaii not be bowl eligible or be selected to the BCS. Without Boise State, Hawaii could run the table in 2011 and make the BCS. But Greg McMakin is still the coach and the Warriors have still not shown the old June Jones consistency but I still see at least 7 wins on the Warriors 2011 schedule. If BYU is 7-4 going into the Hawaii game and Hawaii is undefeated does BYU lose this game intentionally to ensure they go to a bowl game? It's not in Bronco's character to do so and hopefully this scenario does not play out.
If certain scenarios play out, however, BYU may end up in a bigger bowl game....
1. Holiday Bowl. They were not happy about having to settle for 6-6 Washington in 2010, even though the Huskies won the game. The attendance was the lowest since 1999 and second lowest since the last Qualcomm Stadium expansion of 1997. If either the PAC-12 or Big 12 team slotted for this game is 6-6, and BYU is 9-3 or better, look for the Holiday Bowl to find a way to invite the Cougars especially if either the Big 12 or the PAC-12 can not fill all of their bowl obligations, possibly even if they do and there is another bowl slot for a 6-6 Texas Tech in Albuquerque. But the PAC-12 only has 6 bowls for 2011, look for that conference to have no problem unless they snatch an at-large BCS birth as well. USC is still not eligible for the post season...they will be again in 2012.
PAC-12 Bowls (Projection)
1. BCS (Rose) (Oregon/Stanford)
2. Alamo (Arizona State)
3. Holiday (Utah)
4. Sun Bowl (Arizona)
5. Las Vegas Bowl (Washington)
6. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (Oregon State)
Also probably bowl eligible: UCLA, Cal?
Not Bowl eligible: Colorado, Washington State and USC
mmm...would the Holiday Bowl want a BYU/Utah rematch??? Hey, if it sells tickets, why not!
2. Las Vegas Bowl. Let's say Boise State wins the Mountain West gets a BCS invite and the LV Bowl becomes stuck with TCU...they may find a way to invite BYU instead especially if the MWC does not have enough teams for all of their bowl commitments.
Given all of this, the most likely scenarios I see for BYU are:
1. BYU vs UCLA in the New Mexico Bowl.
2. BYU vs Utah in the Holiday Bowl.
3. BYU vs Iowa in the Insight Bowl.
4. BYU vs Wake Forest in the Military Bowl.
5. BYU vs Nevada in the Humanitarian Bow.
6. BYU vs Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl.
7. BYU vs Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
8. BYU vs Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl.
A scenario where BYU does not make a bowl game even though they are bowl eligible...if they finish 7-5 or 6-6. It simply comes to a numbers game. There will be 4 at-large BCS berths no matter what. Notre Dame would have to be one of them. The PAC-12, who does not have enough bowl slots would have to take another slot. Same for the Big-10 and the SEC. Then every conference in the country, and both Army and Navy have to fill all of their bowl slots.
OK Readers, let's see what you can come up with!!!!
The Armed Forces Bowl is Played on December 30th at SMU's Gerald J. Ford field in Dallas. A very nice stadium that was named after a wealthy booster and not after the former President. If I can swing the trip and the time off, I would be there.
***
BYU does not have a bowl contract for 2011 should they not qualify for a BCS game, but remain bowl eligible. But, there are some possibilities, and I am certain that none of these bowl games will pass on the Cougars if there is an opportunity to invite them.
Most likely scenarios...
1. New Mexico Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl or Poinsettia Bowl if either the Mountain West nor the WAC not have enough bowl eligible teams. The MWC had 5 bowl eligible teams in 2010 and is losing 2 of them, but gaining Boise State. The MWC had one team in the BCS in 2010 and could repeat the feat in 2011. That would leave them with 4 bowl eligible teams and 1 in the BCS. That would be 2 open slots. The WAC still has 4 bowls in 2011. The WAC could still end up with 4 bowl eligible teams should Idaho play up to their potential in 2011 and finish 6-6.
MWC 2011 Bowls (Projection)
BCS? (Boise State)
1. Las Vegas (TCU)
2. Poinsettia (San Diego State)
3. Independence (Air Force)
4. Armed Forces (Colorado State?)
5. New Mexico (UNLV?????really????ha, ha, ha, ha ha....that's a good one!)
WAC 2011 Bowls (Projection)
1. Poinsettia (Fresno State)
2. Humanitarian (Nevada)
3. New Mexico (Idaho???big maybe)
-. Hawaii will go to the Hawaii Bowl if they are bowl eligible and not selected by the BCS. Which is where I believe that they will be.
(BTW--in 2012 and 2013 the WAC only has 2 bowls, and only one bowl after 2013. There is talk of moving the Humanitarian Bowl to a warm weather site beginning in 2012...either Berkeley in Cal's new stadium or in the new 49ers stadium in Santa Clara. If this happens, the WAC will at least have one bowl. The New Mexico Bowl goes to the PAC-12 in 2012 and the Hawaii Bowl goes to the MWC with Hawaii in 2012.)
But let's say that by some miracle UNLV, Colorado State and Idaho are all bowl eligible and there is no spot for BYU.
2. Insight Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Texas Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl or Military bowl. This seems likely as the Big 12 has 8 bowl commitments but only 10 teams. It does not seem logical that the Big 12, with only 10 teams, will have 8 bowl eligible teams. The Big 12 had only 8 bowl eligible teams in 2010 and is only losing one of the those not bowl eligible. It is possible that the Big 12 will end up with 8 bowl eligible teams with the non-conference creme-puffs they usually schedule. But they are also playing a full-table conference schedule. This means that Iowa State will have 3 non-conference creme puffs and have to come up with 3 or 4 wins against the full Big-12 compliment. It will be harder for Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas to become bowl eligible. They are trading Colorado and Nebraska for the full southern division. If the Insight or Holiday bowl has to chose between 7-5 or 6-6 teams and BYU just misses the BCS, look for one of those bowls to fight for the Cougars. Money is involved, it may not work out.
Big 12 Bowls (Projection)
1. BCS (Oklahoma)
2. Cotton Bowl (Oklahoma State)
3. Alamo Bowl (Texas A&M)
4. Insight Bowl (Texas)
5. Holiday Bowl (Missouri)
6. Texas Bowl (Kansas State?)
7. Pinstripe Bowl (Texas Tech?)
8. Military Bowl (??Kansas/Baylor/Iowa State??)
3. Hawaii Bowl should Hawaii not be bowl eligible or be selected to the BCS. Without Boise State, Hawaii could run the table in 2011 and make the BCS. But Greg McMakin is still the coach and the Warriors have still not shown the old June Jones consistency but I still see at least 7 wins on the Warriors 2011 schedule. If BYU is 7-4 going into the Hawaii game and Hawaii is undefeated does BYU lose this game intentionally to ensure they go to a bowl game? It's not in Bronco's character to do so and hopefully this scenario does not play out.
If certain scenarios play out, however, BYU may end up in a bigger bowl game....
1. Holiday Bowl. They were not happy about having to settle for 6-6 Washington in 2010, even though the Huskies won the game. The attendance was the lowest since 1999 and second lowest since the last Qualcomm Stadium expansion of 1997. If either the PAC-12 or Big 12 team slotted for this game is 6-6, and BYU is 9-3 or better, look for the Holiday Bowl to find a way to invite the Cougars especially if either the Big 12 or the PAC-12 can not fill all of their bowl obligations, possibly even if they do and there is another bowl slot for a 6-6 Texas Tech in Albuquerque. But the PAC-12 only has 6 bowls for 2011, look for that conference to have no problem unless they snatch an at-large BCS birth as well. USC is still not eligible for the post season...they will be again in 2012.
PAC-12 Bowls (Projection)
1. BCS (Rose) (Oregon/Stanford)
2. Alamo (Arizona State)
3. Holiday (Utah)
4. Sun Bowl (Arizona)
5. Las Vegas Bowl (Washington)
6. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (Oregon State)
Also probably bowl eligible: UCLA, Cal?
Not Bowl eligible: Colorado, Washington State and USC
mmm...would the Holiday Bowl want a BYU/Utah rematch??? Hey, if it sells tickets, why not!
2. Las Vegas Bowl. Let's say Boise State wins the Mountain West gets a BCS invite and the LV Bowl becomes stuck with TCU...they may find a way to invite BYU instead especially if the MWC does not have enough teams for all of their bowl commitments.
Given all of this, the most likely scenarios I see for BYU are:
1. BYU vs UCLA in the New Mexico Bowl.
2. BYU vs Utah in the Holiday Bowl.
3. BYU vs Iowa in the Insight Bowl.
4. BYU vs Wake Forest in the Military Bowl.
5. BYU vs Nevada in the Humanitarian Bow.
6. BYU vs Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl.
7. BYU vs Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
8. BYU vs Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl.
A scenario where BYU does not make a bowl game even though they are bowl eligible...if they finish 7-5 or 6-6. It simply comes to a numbers game. There will be 4 at-large BCS berths no matter what. Notre Dame would have to be one of them. The PAC-12, who does not have enough bowl slots would have to take another slot. Same for the Big-10 and the SEC. Then every conference in the country, and both Army and Navy have to fill all of their bowl slots.
OK Readers, let's see what you can come up with!!!!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Another College Football Program Bites the Dust!
On Sunday, the University of Nebraska at Omaha announced that they have received an invite from the Summit League, the same league where Southern Utah has camped their basketball program awaiting an invite from the Big Sky Conference. The catch, is to drop football and wrestling. These sports are not sponsored by the Summit League.
The reason for dropping these sports is the amount of money that Omaha campus uses to subsidize their sports. While basketball at the Division I level is a money maker, football at the FCS level is not. It requires more scholarships, not just for football players, but for female athletes as well.
The chancellor and athletic director said in the news conference that making this move will reduce the amount of money that is needed to subsidize athletics, but ending 100 years of football tradition in Omaha. It will honor existing scholarships, find schools for athletes to transfer to and provide severance packages to laid off coaches. The wrestling program, which just won it's third consecutive national championship is also being dropped as boosters attempt to find ways to save it.
At a personal level, I enlisted in the Air Force after completing 3 years of study at Weber State. Then, when stationed at Offutt AFB, completed my Bachelor's degree at UNO. Many former Offutt Airmen hold UNO degrees. This one is a personal loss for me, as me an my young family enjoyed our Saturday evenings at Al F. Caniglia Field. The "Alf" will soon be converted into a soccer stadium and will become the home of a different kind of football, should this proposal be approved.
Of interest to my readers, one option for the Maverick program would be to become the 14th member of the Big Sky Conference. But traveling to locations like Flagstaff with the chance to renew former rivalries with Northern Colorado and North Dakota did not appeal to the UNO athletic department. An east/west Big Sky alignment would not have spared them at least two trips to California or Portland every football season. Once South Dakota passed on Big Sky Conference membership and joined the MVFC taking the spot that UNO coveted, football at UNO was doomed.
However, divisions in the FCS are different than the FBS. Which would mean 3 trips to California every 7 years and a visit to Flagstaff once every 7 years; Cedar City, Utah once every 7 years; Portland once every 7 years and Cheney, WA once every 7 years. The farthest UNO would have to regularly travel to with an East/West Big Sky alignment would be Ogden, Utah; Pocatello, Idaho and Missoula, Montana.
Big Sky Divisions
East
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State
North Dakota
Northern Colorado
Weber State
(UNO--if they change their minds about dropping football)
West
Cal Poly
UC Davis
Eastern Washington
Northern Arizona
Portland State
Sacramento State
Southern Utah
(Without a 14th school from the East, Southern Utah will likely be in the East division with instate rival Weber State.)
If you wish to help UN-Omaha save football and wrestling, you can like the Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SaveOurSports
Other Conference Expansion News
In other news, with the WAC not losing Utah State or another program to the Mountain West Conference; it seems that the august conference will take it's time on rebuilding. After all, there is no rush. The bowl slots are gone, but the automatic NCAA tournament bid is not. Therefore, there is no rush.
Without UNO, the 14th football member of the Big Sky Conference may be...no one? The Big Sky Conference will need to rely on a D-II school to upgrade or another western school to re-instate or add football to round up to 14 or a combination of the two. Cal-State Fullerton or Santa Clara seem to be the ones most likely to bring back football...but neither would work well with the Big Sky. CSUF would likely join the WAC if they brought back football (Considering what the WAC has been through, they would be very foolish to pass on this, plus CSUF has good basketball and baseball programs) and Santa Clara is a private school and there are no private schools in the Big Sky Conference. UCSD is considering a move to Division I but does not sponsor football. Nebraska Kearney may follow UNO's lead; move to Division I but drop football. The football movement at Utah Valley is going nowhere and the Orem school has sights set on the WAC (yes, there are schools that want to join the WAC). It seems that the Big Sky is doomed to remain at 13 in football for now and that is where it will peak. The best options at this time are Central Washington or Dixie State, but neither seems to want an upgrade at this time. Adams State, a large D-II school in Grand Junction, CO is another option, but they are not entertaining an upgrade either. Of course, it may have been Commissioner Fullerton's plan all along to over-expand in case someone decided to move up to the FBS.
Of course another possibility is that the spot was left open for Idaho.
If you have additional information, please post a comment. I would love to hear from you.
The reason for dropping these sports is the amount of money that Omaha campus uses to subsidize their sports. While basketball at the Division I level is a money maker, football at the FCS level is not. It requires more scholarships, not just for football players, but for female athletes as well.
The chancellor and athletic director said in the news conference that making this move will reduce the amount of money that is needed to subsidize athletics, but ending 100 years of football tradition in Omaha. It will honor existing scholarships, find schools for athletes to transfer to and provide severance packages to laid off coaches. The wrestling program, which just won it's third consecutive national championship is also being dropped as boosters attempt to find ways to save it.
At a personal level, I enlisted in the Air Force after completing 3 years of study at Weber State. Then, when stationed at Offutt AFB, completed my Bachelor's degree at UNO. Many former Offutt Airmen hold UNO degrees. This one is a personal loss for me, as me an my young family enjoyed our Saturday evenings at Al F. Caniglia Field. The "Alf" will soon be converted into a soccer stadium and will become the home of a different kind of football, should this proposal be approved.
Of interest to my readers, one option for the Maverick program would be to become the 14th member of the Big Sky Conference. But traveling to locations like Flagstaff with the chance to renew former rivalries with Northern Colorado and North Dakota did not appeal to the UNO athletic department. An east/west Big Sky alignment would not have spared them at least two trips to California or Portland every football season. Once South Dakota passed on Big Sky Conference membership and joined the MVFC taking the spot that UNO coveted, football at UNO was doomed.
However, divisions in the FCS are different than the FBS. Which would mean 3 trips to California every 7 years and a visit to Flagstaff once every 7 years; Cedar City, Utah once every 7 years; Portland once every 7 years and Cheney, WA once every 7 years. The farthest UNO would have to regularly travel to with an East/West Big Sky alignment would be Ogden, Utah; Pocatello, Idaho and Missoula, Montana.
Big Sky Divisions
East
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State
North Dakota
Northern Colorado
Weber State
(UNO--if they change their minds about dropping football)
West
Cal Poly
UC Davis
Eastern Washington
Northern Arizona
Portland State
Sacramento State
Southern Utah
(Without a 14th school from the East, Southern Utah will likely be in the East division with instate rival Weber State.)
If you wish to help UN-Omaha save football and wrestling, you can like the Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SaveOurSports
Other Conference Expansion News
In other news, with the WAC not losing Utah State or another program to the Mountain West Conference; it seems that the august conference will take it's time on rebuilding. After all, there is no rush. The bowl slots are gone, but the automatic NCAA tournament bid is not. Therefore, there is no rush.
Without UNO, the 14th football member of the Big Sky Conference may be...no one? The Big Sky Conference will need to rely on a D-II school to upgrade or another western school to re-instate or add football to round up to 14 or a combination of the two. Cal-State Fullerton or Santa Clara seem to be the ones most likely to bring back football...but neither would work well with the Big Sky. CSUF would likely join the WAC if they brought back football (Considering what the WAC has been through, they would be very foolish to pass on this, plus CSUF has good basketball and baseball programs) and Santa Clara is a private school and there are no private schools in the Big Sky Conference. UCSD is considering a move to Division I but does not sponsor football. Nebraska Kearney may follow UNO's lead; move to Division I but drop football. The football movement at Utah Valley is going nowhere and the Orem school has sights set on the WAC (yes, there are schools that want to join the WAC). It seems that the Big Sky is doomed to remain at 13 in football for now and that is where it will peak. The best options at this time are Central Washington or Dixie State, but neither seems to want an upgrade at this time. Adams State, a large D-II school in Grand Junction, CO is another option, but they are not entertaining an upgrade either. Of course, it may have been Commissioner Fullerton's plan all along to over-expand in case someone decided to move up to the FBS.
Of course another possibility is that the spot was left open for Idaho.
If you have additional information, please post a comment. I would love to hear from you.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Reactions to post-season bids.
BYU
The Cougars don't exactly have a free gift to the sweet 16, but things worked out as well as they could. Wofford is a formidable opponent, and could send the Cougars home. The Terriers are a strong shooting team...it will be strength vs. strength. They have won 11 of their last 13 and their last 8 straight.
If BYU gets by Wofford, then they got to play either Gonzaga or St. Johns. The Johnny's also can shoot the ball, but have been inconsistent. And we all know about Gonzaga.
Utah State
Disappointed as they were with their 12th seed, you can't say that you dislike the match-up. I have to say that I like how Utah State matches up against Kansas State. If anyone should be disappointed with this match-up it should be Kansas State. You expect a weaker team when you are a number 5 seed. This is one that the NCAA committee got wrong. If you are looking for a lower-seeded team to win, this is probably that game.
Weber State
Yes, they made the CBI, but I do not like the potential of visiting Oregon and playing in front of those addicted to quack. But how may quack addicts show up this weekend remains to be seen. Perhaps these games are better played at rented NBA arenas. An empty arena is something that the Cats should be able to handle. The Ducks are 16-17 and made an interesting run in the PAC-10 tournament, including an upset of UCLA...which is why they are here. But they are below Weber State in points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage and turnovers. The only reason the game is in Eugene is because of the perception that the PAC-10 is a stronger conference. The Ducks are inconsistent. Which Oregon Duck team Weber plays will determine the outcome of this one.
The Cougars don't exactly have a free gift to the sweet 16, but things worked out as well as they could. Wofford is a formidable opponent, and could send the Cougars home. The Terriers are a strong shooting team...it will be strength vs. strength. They have won 11 of their last 13 and their last 8 straight.
If BYU gets by Wofford, then they got to play either Gonzaga or St. Johns. The Johnny's also can shoot the ball, but have been inconsistent. And we all know about Gonzaga.
Utah State
Disappointed as they were with their 12th seed, you can't say that you dislike the match-up. I have to say that I like how Utah State matches up against Kansas State. If anyone should be disappointed with this match-up it should be Kansas State. You expect a weaker team when you are a number 5 seed. This is one that the NCAA committee got wrong. If you are looking for a lower-seeded team to win, this is probably that game.
Weber State
Yes, they made the CBI, but I do not like the potential of visiting Oregon and playing in front of those addicted to quack. But how may quack addicts show up this weekend remains to be seen. Perhaps these games are better played at rented NBA arenas. An empty arena is something that the Cats should be able to handle. The Ducks are 16-17 and made an interesting run in the PAC-10 tournament, including an upset of UCLA...which is why they are here. But they are below Weber State in points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage and turnovers. The only reason the game is in Eugene is because of the perception that the PAC-10 is a stronger conference. The Ducks are inconsistent. Which Oregon Duck team Weber plays will determine the outcome of this one.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Observations from the weekend in College Basketball.
About BYU's handling of the Brandon Davies situation: It was a good move by the BYU administration to allow Davies to cut down a piece of the net after the win on Saturday. It is a gesture that shows that the administration would like Brandon to do what it takes to return to the team next season. Brandon was also voted 3rd team all MWC would should signal to the Cougars that it they do not want Davies, someone else does.
As far as the team goes, anytime you can get 100 against anyone in College Basketball, it is a real impressive feat. BYU may get another chance against New Mexico in the Semi-Finals of the MWC tournament. If they can pass that test, then the college basketball world may be ready to embrace the Cougars without Davies.
I was in attendance at the Big Sky Quarterfinal game between Weber State and Eastern Washington. The game was symbolic of the entire season for the Cats. Strong start, weak middle and strong finish.
A lot of the fans at the Dee were very upset with the officiating at the game. The Big Sky officiating is very suspect, and the bad calls hurt both teams. For example, it did not help Weber when Bamforth got an early second foul. It messed up their game plan. But in the second half, Kyle Bullinger tied the game on a pair of free throws he was awarded when he was not in the act of shooting and where WSU was not in a bonus situation. To me, the officiating was simply inconsistent, but it is down at the level I expect for the Big Sky Conference. I believe that most high school officials in this state do better. Improving the officiating has to become a priority for the conference.
Finally, is this Boylens's last year at Utah? It depends on who you read. But to remove all doubt, the Utes will have to get by San Diego State in the MWC tournament. That will not be an easy task.
Also, good luck to the no-drama Aggies as they get a free pass all the way to the WAC semi-finals.
As far as the team goes, anytime you can get 100 against anyone in College Basketball, it is a real impressive feat. BYU may get another chance against New Mexico in the Semi-Finals of the MWC tournament. If they can pass that test, then the college basketball world may be ready to embrace the Cougars without Davies.
I was in attendance at the Big Sky Quarterfinal game between Weber State and Eastern Washington. The game was symbolic of the entire season for the Cats. Strong start, weak middle and strong finish.
A lot of the fans at the Dee were very upset with the officiating at the game. The Big Sky officiating is very suspect, and the bad calls hurt both teams. For example, it did not help Weber when Bamforth got an early second foul. It messed up their game plan. But in the second half, Kyle Bullinger tied the game on a pair of free throws he was awarded when he was not in the act of shooting and where WSU was not in a bonus situation. To me, the officiating was simply inconsistent, but it is down at the level I expect for the Big Sky Conference. I believe that most high school officials in this state do better. Improving the officiating has to become a priority for the conference.
Finally, is this Boylens's last year at Utah? It depends on who you read. But to remove all doubt, the Utes will have to get by San Diego State in the MWC tournament. That will not be an easy task.
Also, good luck to the no-drama Aggies as they get a free pass all the way to the WAC semi-finals.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Big Sky, WAC and MWC Tournaments
First Round Games:
Saturday, March 5th
Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah
#6 Eastern Washington 70 vs # 3 Weber State 79
Rolle Activity Center, Flagstaff, Arizona
#5 Montana State 62 vs #4 Northern Arizona 65
Tuesday, March 8th
Butler-Hancock Hall, Greeley, Colorado
#2 Montana vs #3 Weber State
#1 Northern Colorado vs #4 Northern Arizona
Wednesday, March 9th
Butler-Hancock Hall, Greeley, Colorado
Championship Game between Tuesday's Winners
WAC Tournament
Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Wednesday, March 9
First Round
Upper Bracket
#8 San Jose State vs #5 Hawaii
Lower Bracket
#6 Nevada vs #7 Fresno State
Thursday, March 10
Quarter Finals
Upper Bracket
Winner vs #4 New Mexico State
Lower Bracket
Winner vs #3 Idaho
Friday, March 11
Semi-Finals
Upper Bracket
Winner vs #1 Utah State
Lower Bracket
Winner vs #2 Boise State
Mountain West Tournament
Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Play-in Game
Wednesday, March 9
#9 Wyoming vs #8 TCU
Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 10
Play-in Game Winner vs #1 BYU
#7 Utah vs #2 San Diego State
#6 Air Force vs #3 UNLV
#5 New Mexico vs #4 Colorado State
Saturday, March 5th
Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah
#6 Eastern Washington 70 vs # 3 Weber State 79
Rolle Activity Center, Flagstaff, Arizona
#5 Montana State 62 vs #4 Northern Arizona 65
Tuesday, March 8th
Butler-Hancock Hall, Greeley, Colorado
#2 Montana vs #3 Weber State
#1 Northern Colorado vs #4 Northern Arizona
Wednesday, March 9th
Butler-Hancock Hall, Greeley, Colorado
Championship Game between Tuesday's Winners
WAC Tournament
Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Wednesday, March 9
First Round
Upper Bracket
#8 San Jose State vs #5 Hawaii
Lower Bracket
#6 Nevada vs #7 Fresno State
Thursday, March 10
Quarter Finals
Upper Bracket
Winner vs #4 New Mexico State
Lower Bracket
Winner vs #3 Idaho
Friday, March 11
Semi-Finals
Upper Bracket
Winner vs #1 Utah State
Lower Bracket
Winner vs #2 Boise State
Mountain West Tournament
Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Play-in Game
Wednesday, March 9
#9 Wyoming vs #8 TCU
Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 10
Play-in Game Winner vs #1 BYU
#7 Utah vs #2 San Diego State
#6 Air Force vs #3 UNLV
#5 New Mexico vs #4 Colorado State
BYU and the Reaction to Davies Dismissal.
I give the administration at BYU and A for their handling of the Brandon Davies incident. They sent a strong message that they will be consistent in enforcing the honor code that all BYU students agree to. And that no one, no matter the circumstances or profile to the University will be given a pass. As someone in one of the dailies said, the basketball team exists because of the University and not the other way round.
As for Dave Rose, Jimmer Ferdette and the way that the BYU basketball team has reacted to the problem, I give a D+. The 34% shooting from the field, the 11 turnovers and the 31 points scored by team members not named Jimmer. The stats tell the story. On Wednesday night, BYU was truly a one-man team. The only reason I did not give them an F is because they kept the game within 20 points. I do not know if there was booing at the Marriott Center this evening, but if I was there, I would have booed. The team deserved it as it was obvious that the only team that was giving their best effort was the team from Albuquerque. It was if Brandon Davies was the team's all-American and team leader. If the Cougars at least looked like they were interested in giving an effort tonight, I would have given the team an A, even if they would have lost. Tonight, these Cougars were not at all valiant in the face of opposition.
This is an important life lesson that Dave Rose and the BYU Coaching staff failed to team the BYU young men. Being employed in industry since I left the Air Force in 1997 I have learned one lesson. Key people leave for various reasons. They leave for better opportunities, they leave because the powers that be decide that they are no longer willing to pay them. They leave for illness and for family circumstances. They retire and they die. They even leave because of sex. I have seen all of this in my career. It is not unreasonable that the expectations of the team remain the same. In fact, that is exactly how the business world works. It is a tough fact of life. If you want to have a job tomorrow, you can't let these things affect you. You have to go to work every single day regardless. It is perhaps the hardest thing to manage, especially if the departure is sudden and unexpected. But life goes on. This lesson may be beyond the level of 20-somethings, but the sooner that this lesson is learned is better.
Rather than make Davies and excuse and a scapegoat, the team should have turned their ire on Brandon. He was the one who thought that he was above the team and their rules. He was the one that did not live up to the code that he promised to live by. They were wrong to let Brandon Davies and his transgressions bring the rest of the team down and ruin the team chemistry.
Let me be clear, I do not fault the Cougars for the result. They do not play against the same New Mexico Lobos that everyone else in the Mountain West Conference gets. They always get an A+ effort from UNM. New Mexico could really go places if they played everyone like they play against BY). But I do fault the Cougars for letting external circumstances, as serious as they were, effect the level of their play and effort. Fans deserve better than excuses.
As for Dave Rose, Jimmer Ferdette and the way that the BYU basketball team has reacted to the problem, I give a D+. The 34% shooting from the field, the 11 turnovers and the 31 points scored by team members not named Jimmer. The stats tell the story. On Wednesday night, BYU was truly a one-man team. The only reason I did not give them an F is because they kept the game within 20 points. I do not know if there was booing at the Marriott Center this evening, but if I was there, I would have booed. The team deserved it as it was obvious that the only team that was giving their best effort was the team from Albuquerque. It was if Brandon Davies was the team's all-American and team leader. If the Cougars at least looked like they were interested in giving an effort tonight, I would have given the team an A, even if they would have lost. Tonight, these Cougars were not at all valiant in the face of opposition.
This is an important life lesson that Dave Rose and the BYU Coaching staff failed to team the BYU young men. Being employed in industry since I left the Air Force in 1997 I have learned one lesson. Key people leave for various reasons. They leave for better opportunities, they leave because the powers that be decide that they are no longer willing to pay them. They leave for illness and for family circumstances. They retire and they die. They even leave because of sex. I have seen all of this in my career. It is not unreasonable that the expectations of the team remain the same. In fact, that is exactly how the business world works. It is a tough fact of life. If you want to have a job tomorrow, you can't let these things affect you. You have to go to work every single day regardless. It is perhaps the hardest thing to manage, especially if the departure is sudden and unexpected. But life goes on. This lesson may be beyond the level of 20-somethings, but the sooner that this lesson is learned is better.
Rather than make Davies and excuse and a scapegoat, the team should have turned their ire on Brandon. He was the one who thought that he was above the team and their rules. He was the one that did not live up to the code that he promised to live by. They were wrong to let Brandon Davies and his transgressions bring the rest of the team down and ruin the team chemistry.
Let me be clear, I do not fault the Cougars for the result. They do not play against the same New Mexico Lobos that everyone else in the Mountain West Conference gets. They always get an A+ effort from UNM. New Mexico could really go places if they played everyone like they play against BY). But I do fault the Cougars for letting external circumstances, as serious as they were, effect the level of their play and effort. Fans deserve better than excuses.
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