Post Season for Utah's College Football Teams...

I love it...Utah State fans are going to have to root for BYU!  I'll explain later...keep reading.

Update November 21.

BYU...

Armed Forces Bowl Bid accepted.  BYU sits at 7-3 with a game at Hawaii remaining.  This game means more to Utah State fans than it does to BYU fans, but I will explain later.  BYU's opponent will depend on whether or not Houston holds on and earns a BCS bid.  Let's look at Conference-USA's bowl situation.

Houston and Tulsa play Saturday and the C-USA championship game will be the following week between the winner of this game and Southern Mississippi.  C-USA will likely have 5 bowl eligible teams, and maybe 6 and has 5 bowl slots.  The champion goes to the Liberty Bowl, Second place goes to Hawaii, Third place to the Armed Forces Bowl, Fourth place to New Orleans and Fifth place to the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in Tampa.  If Houston holds out, they will go to a BCS bowl.  Here is how you will likely see it shake down if Houston wins out.

BCS--Houston
Liberty--Southern Mississippi
Hawaii--Tulsa
Armed Forces--Southern Methodist
New Orleans--Marshall/East Carolina winner
Beef 'O' Brady's--UTEP if they beat UCF.

If Houston loses either week.

Liberty--Tulsa or Southern Mississippi
Hawaii--Tulsa or Southern Mississippi or Houston
Armed Forces--Tulsa or Houston
New Orleans--SMU
Beef 'O' Brady--Marshall/East Carolina/UTEP  

Perhaps BYU fans will cheer for the other Cougars so that they do not have to play them.

Utah

If I read the BCS correctly, this is where BCS teams will land in the BCS bowls.

BCS National Championship--LSU vs. Alabama
Rose--Oregon vs. Michigan State
Fiesta--Oklahoma vs. Stanford
Sugar--Boise State vs. Houston
Orange--Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati

But I am not reading the BCS correctly...read what the experts are saying down below...

I put Oregon and Stanford in the BCS because Oklahoma and Oklahoma State play each other and someone has to lose.  Same for LSU and Arkansas.  The SEC will be 1,2 and 3 for only one week. 

Here is, therefore, how the PAC-12 bowl picture looks.

Rose--Stanford
Fiesta--Oregon
Alamo--Arizona State
Holiday--Utah
Sun--Washington
Las Vegas--UCLA
Kraft Fight Hunger--California
New Mexico--No PAC-12 team eligible...The MAC supplies an alternate.

Utah State

Louisiana Tech won the WAC championship and will likely play in the Poinsettia Bowl.  This is not really good news for the Aggies, who need to win one of their last two to become bowl eligible.  But there was good news last night for USU and that is that Fresno State lost to Hawaii.  The Warriors have to win out to become bowl eligible.  Hawaii finishes out at home against Tulane and BYU.  If Hawaii beats hapless Tulane, USU fans may find themselves in an awkward position...having to hope for a BYU victory to get to a bowl game.

I know Aggie fans very well.  I have many cousins that have Utah State degrees.  They don't just love watching BYU lose.  The really looooove watching BYU lose.  For some Aggie fans, a BYU loss is the third best feeling in the world.  It will be really hard for them to cheer on the Cougars against Hawaii, but it may be necessary.  But first, the Aggies need to surprise the Wolfpack and down the other Aggies.  Then cheer for the Cougars.  If USU can beat both Nevada and New Mexico State, the Aggies could say Aloha.  And the Wolfpack will be digging for spuds.

Personally, Hawaii is in a funk, but they can pull out of it against the Cougars.  They have done so before.  BYU has little to play for, and Hawaii's season is on the line.  But they are in such a bad funk that they may lose to hapless Tulane and the BYU game will become 'Hawaii's Bowl Game'.

If USU wins out and Hawaii loses to BYU.

Poinsettia...La Tech
Hawaii...Utah State
Idaho Famous Potato...Nevada

If USU loses one of the two, and Hawaii does not win out...

Poinsettia...La Tech
Hawaii...Nevada
Idaho Famous Potato...Utah State

If USU loses both...

Poinsettia...La Tech
Hawaii...Nevada
Idaho Famous Potato...someone else.

Now, if Hawaii wins out...they will go to the Hawaii Bowl even though Utah State beat them in Hawaii.  That is the deal that Hawaii has with this game.  And if USU beats Nevada, they may both end up 7-5 and the Idaho Famous Potato Bowl committee would have a choice on who to select as there are no tie breakers for 2nd place.  Do they chose the team that would be thrilled to go there or the team that they know will sell tickets?  USU should not leave that to chance.  But if they lose to Nevada, they could find themselves bowl eligible and staying home.

If Hawaii wins out...No matter what USU's record is....

Poinsettia...La Tech
Hawaii...Hawaii
Idaho Famous Potato...Nevada

USU...stays home or goes somewhere else...but

Miami has decided not to go to a bowl game and Army is not bowl eligible.  This means that the Kraft Fight Hunger bowl is looking for a team.  Nevada may fit their requirement.  You may see this WAC bowl arrangement.

Poinsettia...La Tech
Hawaii...Hawaii
Idaho Famous Potato...Utah State
KFH...Nevada

The WAC is an alternate to the MWC to the New Mexico Bowl, but the MWC will likely have all of their bowls slots filled.  But another thing that Utah State can hope for is that Colorado State beats Air Force.

BCS--Boise State
Las Vegas--TCU
Poinsettia--San Diego State
Independence--Wyoming
New Mexico--Air Force

What the experts say...

ESPN's Bowl Bound has Utah State in the Idaho Famous Potato Bowl taking on Ohio and Nevada in the Hawaii bowl. They also have Utah in the Holiday bowl taking on Missouri.  They have Tulsa as BYU's Armed Forces Bowl opponent.  They also have #15 in the BCS Michigan in the Sugar Bowl ahead of #7 Boise State.

CBS's Jerry Palm has Wyoming in the Hawaii Bowl and Utah State staying home during the bowl season.  He has Utah in the Alamo Bowl taking on Oklahoma.  SMU as BYU's Armed Forces Bowl Opponent.  He has Louisville in the Orange Bowl and Michigan over Boise State in the Sugar Bowl.

Remember, these guys get paid to make these predictions, where I do not.