I wasn't sure what to write about this week, but then I read about Lane Kiffin getting fired as the USC head coach last night as the team's charter plane landed at home after a loss to Arizona State. I write this as I am trying to process the entire situation.
In last week's blog, I called Provo fanstasyland. I think the same has to be said of Los Angeles, but in a different degree. The expectations this season were far too high. USC has been dealing with a rash of injuries this week, and are also dealing with a loss of scholarships players from sanctions a couple of years ago, and a rash of transfers from the program. There is much inexperience on the team. I am shocked to believe that USC had expectations of anything but a .500 season this year, especially considering the depth of the PAC-12. Every program has as 'down' season every now and again. Boosters and fans need to have a level of patience and accept reality.
Here on the Wasatch Front, one program is really struggling with the idea of realistic expectation. It's not Utah, as it seems that most people believe that Kyle Whttingham will get at least one more season to prove that the Utes can succeed in the PAC-12. It's not BYU, even as the fan base begins to grow impatient with an impotent offense. It actually Weber State.
This season, if Weber State does not win 4 games this season, Weber State can fire coach Jody Sears without a contract buyout. That seems reasonable as the Wildcats won just two games last season. A 4 win season looks like a reasonable level of improvement. The problem was the schedule is just not realistic. After surprising Stephen F. Austin the schedule became extremely unrealistic, perhaps the hardest the program has ever faced. Their non-conference schedule included Utah and Utah State as well as FCS top 10 McNeese State.
The program is unraveling fast. Since that opening game, where the Wildcats won 50-40, the team has given up 214 points while scoring only 22. This season the team has averaged 14.4 points per game, including the 50-point first game (5.5 points per game in the other 4 games) while giving up 50.8 points per game. In their homecoming game, out of 16 drives, 8 ended after only 3 plays, there were 4 fumbles, two at the end of the only 2 first half drives . The program appears to be heading to a 1-10 season before their next winnable game against perennial Big Sky cellar dweller Idaho State, and at this rate, the Bengals will be a big favorite.
I've said it before, the Weber State futility is not solely on the head of coach Jody Sears. We all know what John L. Smith did to the program. But now Sears in a sticky, syrupy mess he can't get out of. Personally, I think that athletic director Jerry Bovee is the one who deserve the pink slip in Ogden. He hired Smith and he provided WSU with their unrealistically difficult schedule. Out of everything that could be controlled that happened to Weber, it's Bovee who is responsible for a lot of it.
Players of the Week
BYU 37 Middle Tennessee 10
Player of the Game: QB Taysom Hill
Utah State 40 San Jose State 12
Player of the Game: Chuckie
Sacramento State 31 Weber State 3
Player of the Game: RB Bo Bolen
Southern Utah 27 Northern Colorado 21
Player of the Game: WR Fatu Moala
Conference Players of the Week
FBS Indy:
BYU QB Taysom Hill
PAC-12:
Washington RB Bishop Sankey
MWC:
UNLV RB Rim Cornett
Big Sky: Montana State RB Shawn Johnson
Power Rankings
PAC-12
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UCLA
4. Washington
5. Arizona State
6. Oregon State
7. Arizona
8. Utah
9. USC
10. Washington State
11. Colorado
12. California
FBS Independent
1. Notre Dame
2. BYU
3. Navy
4. Old Dominion
5. Army
6. New Mexico State
7. Idaho
MWC
1. Fresno State
2. Utah State
3. Boise State
4. San Diego State
5. Nevada
6. Wyoming
7. San Jose State
8. Air Force
9. UNLV
10. Colorado State
11. New Mexico
12. Hawaii
Big Sky Conference
1. Montana State
2. Cal Poly
3. Eastern Washington
4. Montana
5. Southern Utah
6. Northern Arizona
7. Portland State
8. Sacramento State
9. North Dakota
10. Northern Colorado
11. UC Davis
12. Idaho State
13. Weber State
Utah QB Power Rankings
1. Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
2. Travis Wilson, Utah
3. Aaron Kantu, Southern Utah
4. Taysom Hill, BYU
5. Chippowetti/Adamczyk, Weber State
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Revised Outlook for the 2013 season.
BYU
Current record 1-2.
Projected wins: Middle Tennessee, Houston, Idaho State
Projected losses: Utah State, Georgia Tech, Boise State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Nevada
Likely finish 4-8
Best Case Scenario: 7-5
Worst Case Seconario: 2-10
Comments: Go fast and go hard is not going anywhere very fast, and it's been hard to watch. BYU may have lost their most exciting offensive player for the rest of the season, but possibly forever. Cody Hoffman and Kyle Van Noy must be regretting thier decisions to pass up the NFL and come back. It's time for BYU fans to embrace Women's soccer, forget football, look forward to basketball and begin the debate about who should replace Bronco Mendenhall. If Mendenhall walks the talk, he should walk away from Provo after this season is over.
Utah
Current Record 3-1
Projected wins: Colorado
Projected losses: UCLA, Stanford, Arizona, USC, Arizona State, Oregon, Washington State
Likely finish 4-8
Best Case Scenario: 6-6
Worst Case Scenario: 3-9
Comments: Utah has wins against other in-state teams to hang their hat on, but the PAC-12 is brutal this year. Very brutal. Even Washington State is improved. It is Utah's unfortunate luck that they don't have California on the schedule this year, or had Arizona or Washington State at home. If they did, I would feel better about a 6-6 season. If Utah is going to improve their prospects in 2013, they have to be more complete on defense. Utah fans should be thankful that Utah State can't run and BYU can't pass or their season would be a complete disaster.
Utah State
Current Record: 2-2
Projected wins: San Jose State, BYU, New Mexico, Hawaii, UNLV, Colorado State, Wyoming
Projected losses: Boise State
Projected Bowl: Armed Forces
Likely finish: 10-3, with a bowl win
Best case scenario: 11-3, with a loss in the conference championship game and a bowl win
Worst case scenario: 6-7 with a bowl game loss
Thank goodness for the MWC and that most of the difficult part of the season is behind them. The only worries for Aggie fans should be that it is too easy after Boise State rolls into town and someone on the underside of the MWC pulls and upset and whether or not Chuckie comes back for his senior season. True, Joe Hill has been no replacement for Kerwynn Williams, but down the stretch, the Chuckie Show won't need a running game.
Southern Utah
Current record: 3-1
Projected wins: Northern Colorado, UC Davis, Portland State, Idaho State, Weber State, Northern Arizona
Projected losses: Eastern Washington, Montana State
Projected Post-Season: 1st round of NCAA FCS playoffs.
Likely finish: 8-4 with a loss in the playoffs
Best case scenario: 11-3, making it to the FCS round of 8.
Worst case scenario: 6-6
Freshman Raysean Martin is well on his way to becomming the Big Sky Conference newcommer of the year, and it is looking good for SUU to finally make the post-season for the first time in school history. Just as long as they don't end up on the losing end of a barn-burned like they had with Sacramento State. I don't think the staff in Cedar City has the experience necessary to make them winners in the post-season yet, but as long as they can continue to recruit players like Martin, the future looks for the school that is really down south.
Weber State
Current record: 1-4
Projected Wins: Sacramento State, Idaho State
Projected Losses: Eastern Washington, Cal Poly, Montana State, Portland State, Southern Utah, Montana
Likely finish: 3-9
Best case scenario: 5-7
Worst case scenario: 1-11
Weber caught Stephen F. Austin by surprise in the first game of the season. They will have to find a way to do this again if coach Jody Sears is to reach his contractural goal of 4 wins this season. They will have to find their offense again.
Which of Utah's Head Coaches will return in 2014.
Bronco Mendenhall: 50-50 chance he will be back in 2014. Someone will have to be held responsible for the debacle that is BYU's offense this year. There is a good chance that Bronco Mendenhall will fall on his own sword after this season because he is that kind of guy. I doubt that he will be fired or forced to resign. Gary Crowton got three losing seasons in a row before he was cut loose. Bronco doesn't need to worry about employment. BYU's defense is good enough that Bronco will become a defensive coordinator somewhere next year, possibly in the PAC-12 or even in the NFL.
Likely replacement if Bronco goes: Current Defensive Coordinator Nick Howell. Other potential replacements: Seattle Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Darel Bevel, Navy Head Coach Ken Nuimatalolo, Utah Defensive Kalani Sitake, Southern Utah Head Coach Ed Lamb
Kyle Whittingham: It's possible that if Utah gets a bagel in PAC-12 play that Whit will be gone. But that probably won't happen and Whit will be back in 2014. Next year will be his win or else season.
Likely replacemetnt if Whit gets the boot: Current Co-Offensive Coordinator Dennis Ericson. Other possibilities--list of all of the current offensive and defensive coordinators in upper half the PAC-12.
Matt Wells: You've got to be kidding...100% chance Matt Wells will be back at Utah State in 2014.
Ed Lamb: 65% chance he will be back in Cedar City next season. There is a good chance he will be somewhere else. That is the reality of success. Unless it's BYU, I don't think that Lamb will be a head coach somewhere else. It is more likely he will become a defensive coordinator at the FBS level and work his way up to being a head coach at the FBS level.
Likely replacement for Lamb: Offensive Coordinator Steve Clark. Other possibilities include Defensive Coordinator Justin Ena, and former successful Big Sky Conference head coaches like Paul Wulff and soon-to-be former UNLV head coach Bobby Hauck.
Jody Sears: It's in the contract, if Weber doesn't get 4 wins this season, he can be fired without a buyout. Doesn't look good right now.
Likely replacement for Sears: Possibilities include assistant coaches from around the Big Sky including Steve Clark and Justin Ena or Mountain West Conference assistant coaches or former successful Big Sky Head Coaches like Paul Wulff.
Current record 1-2.
Projected wins: Middle Tennessee, Houston, Idaho State
Projected losses: Utah State, Georgia Tech, Boise State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Nevada
Likely finish 4-8
Best Case Scenario: 7-5
Worst Case Seconario: 2-10
Comments: Go fast and go hard is not going anywhere very fast, and it's been hard to watch. BYU may have lost their most exciting offensive player for the rest of the season, but possibly forever. Cody Hoffman and Kyle Van Noy must be regretting thier decisions to pass up the NFL and come back. It's time for BYU fans to embrace Women's soccer, forget football, look forward to basketball and begin the debate about who should replace Bronco Mendenhall. If Mendenhall walks the talk, he should walk away from Provo after this season is over.
Utah
Current Record 3-1
Projected wins: Colorado
Projected losses: UCLA, Stanford, Arizona, USC, Arizona State, Oregon, Washington State
Likely finish 4-8
Best Case Scenario: 6-6
Worst Case Scenario: 3-9
Comments: Utah has wins against other in-state teams to hang their hat on, but the PAC-12 is brutal this year. Very brutal. Even Washington State is improved. It is Utah's unfortunate luck that they don't have California on the schedule this year, or had Arizona or Washington State at home. If they did, I would feel better about a 6-6 season. If Utah is going to improve their prospects in 2013, they have to be more complete on defense. Utah fans should be thankful that Utah State can't run and BYU can't pass or their season would be a complete disaster.
Utah State
Current Record: 2-2
Projected wins: San Jose State, BYU, New Mexico, Hawaii, UNLV, Colorado State, Wyoming
Projected losses: Boise State
Projected Bowl: Armed Forces
Likely finish: 10-3, with a bowl win
Best case scenario: 11-3, with a loss in the conference championship game and a bowl win
Worst case scenario: 6-7 with a bowl game loss
Thank goodness for the MWC and that most of the difficult part of the season is behind them. The only worries for Aggie fans should be that it is too easy after Boise State rolls into town and someone on the underside of the MWC pulls and upset and whether or not Chuckie comes back for his senior season. True, Joe Hill has been no replacement for Kerwynn Williams, but down the stretch, the Chuckie Show won't need a running game.
Southern Utah
Current record: 3-1
Projected wins: Northern Colorado, UC Davis, Portland State, Idaho State, Weber State, Northern Arizona
Projected losses: Eastern Washington, Montana State
Projected Post-Season: 1st round of NCAA FCS playoffs.
Likely finish: 8-4 with a loss in the playoffs
Best case scenario: 11-3, making it to the FCS round of 8.
Worst case scenario: 6-6
Freshman Raysean Martin is well on his way to becomming the Big Sky Conference newcommer of the year, and it is looking good for SUU to finally make the post-season for the first time in school history. Just as long as they don't end up on the losing end of a barn-burned like they had with Sacramento State. I don't think the staff in Cedar City has the experience necessary to make them winners in the post-season yet, but as long as they can continue to recruit players like Martin, the future looks for the school that is really down south.
Weber State
Current record: 1-4
Projected Wins: Sacramento State, Idaho State
Projected Losses: Eastern Washington, Cal Poly, Montana State, Portland State, Southern Utah, Montana
Likely finish: 3-9
Best case scenario: 5-7
Worst case scenario: 1-11
Weber caught Stephen F. Austin by surprise in the first game of the season. They will have to find a way to do this again if coach Jody Sears is to reach his contractural goal of 4 wins this season. They will have to find their offense again.
Which of Utah's Head Coaches will return in 2014.
Bronco Mendenhall: 50-50 chance he will be back in 2014. Someone will have to be held responsible for the debacle that is BYU's offense this year. There is a good chance that Bronco Mendenhall will fall on his own sword after this season because he is that kind of guy. I doubt that he will be fired or forced to resign. Gary Crowton got three losing seasons in a row before he was cut loose. Bronco doesn't need to worry about employment. BYU's defense is good enough that Bronco will become a defensive coordinator somewhere next year, possibly in the PAC-12 or even in the NFL.
Likely replacement if Bronco goes: Current Defensive Coordinator Nick Howell. Other potential replacements: Seattle Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Darel Bevel, Navy Head Coach Ken Nuimatalolo, Utah Defensive Kalani Sitake, Southern Utah Head Coach Ed Lamb
Kyle Whittingham: It's possible that if Utah gets a bagel in PAC-12 play that Whit will be gone. But that probably won't happen and Whit will be back in 2014. Next year will be his win or else season.
Likely replacemetnt if Whit gets the boot: Current Co-Offensive Coordinator Dennis Ericson. Other possibilities--list of all of the current offensive and defensive coordinators in upper half the PAC-12.
Matt Wells: You've got to be kidding...100% chance Matt Wells will be back at Utah State in 2014.
Ed Lamb: 65% chance he will be back in Cedar City next season. There is a good chance he will be somewhere else. That is the reality of success. Unless it's BYU, I don't think that Lamb will be a head coach somewhere else. It is more likely he will become a defensive coordinator at the FBS level and work his way up to being a head coach at the FBS level.
Likely replacement for Lamb: Offensive Coordinator Steve Clark. Other possibilities include Defensive Coordinator Justin Ena, and former successful Big Sky Conference head coaches like Paul Wulff and soon-to-be former UNLV head coach Bobby Hauck.
Jody Sears: It's in the contract, if Weber doesn't get 4 wins this season, he can be fired without a buyout. Doesn't look good right now.
Likely replacement for Sears: Possibilities include assistant coaches from around the Big Sky including Steve Clark and Justin Ena or Mountain West Conference assistant coaches or former successful Big Sky Head Coaches like Paul Wulff.
Who will be coaching BYU and Utah next time they meet
There is one reality in college football that BYU fans need to come to terms with. As a head coach, you don't lose 4 consecutive games to your biggest rival and expect to keep your job. True, BYU does not live in the real world, anyone who has been to that campus in Provo can tell you that. Where else would you suspend one of your best players the week before the biggest game of the season on very little solid evidence he did anything wrong? But I digress. I am very amazed considering how thing have been so far this season, and how things have been since 2010 that Bronco's carcus is not firmly in the hot seat. It should be.
Utah will be celebrating this week, but even though they leave Provo's fantasyland a victor this weekend, it will not be so rosy once they are firmly in confernce play. Utah this year has 3 wins, 1 against a team that has a great quarterback but no running game, 2 an FCS team with no defense and 3 a once mighty program that has forgotten their true offensive legacy. Yes, the Utes are 3-1 right now, but getting to .500 is still an iffy prospect. Just as a reminder, Utah has UCLA, USC, Stanford, Oregon, Arizona State and Arizona coming up before they will be favored again. And by the way, Washington State no longer looks like a given for Utah, either. Same for Colorado. The PAC-12 is realityland. Utah has to win 3 of those games just to get to .500 this year and become bowl eligible. That's a tall order for this team. But I suspect that even at 3-9, Kyle will be back next season, after all he's won 4 straight against their biggest rival, and that kind of a record will save your job in college football, most of the time.
Things have to get better on The Hill because in 2014 and 2015, there will be no victories against BYU for Kyle Whittingham to fall back on. They don't play. But I suspect that small maket reality has hit the U just like it has the Jazz and just now RSL (with rumors that Jason Kreis has received an offer from the expansion NYCFC). There are four markets smaller than Salt Lake in the PAC-12, and guess how many combined Rose Bowl appearances Oregon, Oregon State, Washington State and Arizona have between them since 1978 when Arizona and Arizona State joined the PAC-10? If you guessed 5, you were right. Oregon 3 times, Washington State twice. Oregon State last played in the Rose Bowl in 1965 and Arizona has never been there. And yes, even with all of the recent success of Oregon, they have had only 3 Rose Bowl appearances since the PAC-8 became the PAC-10. The odds for Utah's success in the PAC-12 aren't good, and you simply have to look at what the other small market programs have done in recent seasons. Eventually, the Utes will smell roses, but not anytime soon, and not very often. If Utah fails to get to .500 in either 2013 or 2014, Whit will not be around for 2015.
I don't know who will be coaching either school in 2016 when BYU and Utah play again. I will probably address both situations when the other shoe gets close to falling. Right now, I am certain that Andy Reid will not be on the BYU sidelines, and I don't expect that Ty Detmer or Steve Young will be there either, even though that's what many BYU will fans wish for. Many of those same fans think that Bronco should keep his job. I suspect that BYU may get someone like Darel Bevel (Seahawks), Ken Nuimatalolo (Navy) or even Kalani Sitake (Utah). Utah probably won't get Gary Anderson or Chris Peterson to coach in Salt Lake. They don't have the money. There is a pretty good chance that Dennis Ericson will take over. If not Ericson, perhaps Noel Mazzone (UCLA) or Mike Bloomgren (Stanford) or a coordinator from one of the other PAC-12 schools will come to Salt Lake.
In the end of Bronco vs. Whittingham, Kyle won out. Good job Kyle. Enjoy this, Utah fans. It's not going to get any easier this season. Here's to hoping for the best for Utah and for the better for BYU.
Utah 20 BYU 13
BYU MVP: LB Kyle Van Noy
Utah MVP: QB Travis Wilson
USC 17 Utah State 14
USU MVP: RB Joey DeMartino
Southern Utah 24 Sacramento State 21
SUU MVP: RB Raysean Martin
McNeese State 43 Weber State 6
WSU MVP: RB Bo Bolen
PAC-12 Player of the Week: Oregon State QB Sean Mannion
FBS Indy Player of the Week: BYU LB Kyle Van Noy
MWC Player of the Week: Fresno State QB Derek Carr
Big Sky Player of the Week: Southern Utah RB Raysean Martin
PAC 12 Power Rankings
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UCLA
4. Washington
5. Oregon State
6. Washington State
7. USC
8. Arizona State
9. Arizona
10. Utah
11. Colorado
12. California
FCS Indy Power Rankings
1. Notre Dame
2. Navy
3. BYU
4. Army
5. Old Dominion
6. New Mexico State
7. Idaho
MWC Power Rankings
1. Fresno State
2. Utah State
3. Boise State
4. San Diego State
5. Air Force
6. San Jose State
7. Nevada
8. Wyoming
9. Colorado State
10. New Mexico
11. UNLV
12. Hawaii
Big Sky Power Rankings
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana
3. Southern Utah
4. Montana State
5. Cal Poly
6. Portland State
7. Northern Arizona
8. North Dakota
9. Northern Colorado
10. Weber State
11. Sacramento State
12. Idaho State
13. UC Davis
Beehive State QB Power Rankings
1. Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
2. Travis Wilson, Utah
3. Aaron Kantu, Southern Utah
4. Taysom Hill, BYU
5. Chippowetti/Adamczyk, Weber State
Utah will be celebrating this week, but even though they leave Provo's fantasyland a victor this weekend, it will not be so rosy once they are firmly in confernce play. Utah this year has 3 wins, 1 against a team that has a great quarterback but no running game, 2 an FCS team with no defense and 3 a once mighty program that has forgotten their true offensive legacy. Yes, the Utes are 3-1 right now, but getting to .500 is still an iffy prospect. Just as a reminder, Utah has UCLA, USC, Stanford, Oregon, Arizona State and Arizona coming up before they will be favored again. And by the way, Washington State no longer looks like a given for Utah, either. Same for Colorado. The PAC-12 is realityland. Utah has to win 3 of those games just to get to .500 this year and become bowl eligible. That's a tall order for this team. But I suspect that even at 3-9, Kyle will be back next season, after all he's won 4 straight against their biggest rival, and that kind of a record will save your job in college football, most of the time.
Things have to get better on The Hill because in 2014 and 2015, there will be no victories against BYU for Kyle Whittingham to fall back on. They don't play. But I suspect that small maket reality has hit the U just like it has the Jazz and just now RSL (with rumors that Jason Kreis has received an offer from the expansion NYCFC). There are four markets smaller than Salt Lake in the PAC-12, and guess how many combined Rose Bowl appearances Oregon, Oregon State, Washington State and Arizona have between them since 1978 when Arizona and Arizona State joined the PAC-10? If you guessed 5, you were right. Oregon 3 times, Washington State twice. Oregon State last played in the Rose Bowl in 1965 and Arizona has never been there. And yes, even with all of the recent success of Oregon, they have had only 3 Rose Bowl appearances since the PAC-8 became the PAC-10. The odds for Utah's success in the PAC-12 aren't good, and you simply have to look at what the other small market programs have done in recent seasons. Eventually, the Utes will smell roses, but not anytime soon, and not very often. If Utah fails to get to .500 in either 2013 or 2014, Whit will not be around for 2015.
I don't know who will be coaching either school in 2016 when BYU and Utah play again. I will probably address both situations when the other shoe gets close to falling. Right now, I am certain that Andy Reid will not be on the BYU sidelines, and I don't expect that Ty Detmer or Steve Young will be there either, even though that's what many BYU will fans wish for. Many of those same fans think that Bronco should keep his job. I suspect that BYU may get someone like Darel Bevel (Seahawks), Ken Nuimatalolo (Navy) or even Kalani Sitake (Utah). Utah probably won't get Gary Anderson or Chris Peterson to coach in Salt Lake. They don't have the money. There is a pretty good chance that Dennis Ericson will take over. If not Ericson, perhaps Noel Mazzone (UCLA) or Mike Bloomgren (Stanford) or a coordinator from one of the other PAC-12 schools will come to Salt Lake.
In the end of Bronco vs. Whittingham, Kyle won out. Good job Kyle. Enjoy this, Utah fans. It's not going to get any easier this season. Here's to hoping for the best for Utah and for the better for BYU.
Utah 20 BYU 13
BYU MVP: LB Kyle Van Noy
Utah MVP: QB Travis Wilson
USC 17 Utah State 14
USU MVP: RB Joey DeMartino
Southern Utah 24 Sacramento State 21
SUU MVP: RB Raysean Martin
McNeese State 43 Weber State 6
WSU MVP: RB Bo Bolen
PAC-12 Player of the Week: Oregon State QB Sean Mannion
FBS Indy Player of the Week: BYU LB Kyle Van Noy
MWC Player of the Week: Fresno State QB Derek Carr
Big Sky Player of the Week: Southern Utah RB Raysean Martin
PAC 12 Power Rankings
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UCLA
4. Washington
5. Oregon State
6. Washington State
7. USC
8. Arizona State
9. Arizona
10. Utah
11. Colorado
12. California
FCS Indy Power Rankings
1. Notre Dame
2. Navy
3. BYU
4. Army
5. Old Dominion
6. New Mexico State
7. Idaho
MWC Power Rankings
1. Fresno State
2. Utah State
3. Boise State
4. San Diego State
5. Air Force
6. San Jose State
7. Nevada
8. Wyoming
9. Colorado State
10. New Mexico
11. UNLV
12. Hawaii
Big Sky Power Rankings
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana
3. Southern Utah
4. Montana State
5. Cal Poly
6. Portland State
7. Northern Arizona
8. North Dakota
9. Northern Colorado
10. Weber State
11. Sacramento State
12. Idaho State
13. UC Davis
Beehive State QB Power Rankings
1. Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
2. Travis Wilson, Utah
3. Aaron Kantu, Southern Utah
4. Taysom Hill, BYU
5. Chippowetti/Adamczyk, Weber State
Sunday, September 15, 2013
FBS vs FCS not a good test.
On Saturday, Utah State scored 70 points against Weber State and many Aggie fans are pleased with the results. Many Utah fans were also pleased with the 70-7 thrashing the Utes gave to the Wildcats the week before. This week, there is a lot weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth in Ute country after the Utes overtime loss to the Oregon State Beavers. OSU, lost to an FCS opponent, Eastern Washington in week 1 of the season. That same week, North Dakota State defeated Kansas State, the definding Big 12 champions.
I don't put a lot of stock into what happens when a team from the Football Bowl Subdivision meets a team from the Football Championship Subdivision, even if a team from the lower division wins. It makes for great college football drama. It is usually not a good test for the team in the upper division. These games are normally scheduled for two reasons. For the school in the lower division, it's a chance for a big 6-figure pay day and a test against competition much better than what they normally face. For the school in the lower division it normally presents a chance to get players into a game who normally would sitting on the bench, a chance to give them some real game-time experience.
However, the old adage about any given Saturday is true. Oregon State and Kansas State learned that lesson the hard way. I suppose that Utah and USU coaches should be commended for not allowing their teams to take Weber State lightly. After USU's 70-6 thrashing of Weber State, many fans on both sides are asking, "why do we even schedule these games?" Why indeed.
Aggie fans, your team will face a real challenge next week on the road against David Fales and San Jose State. While Weber fans will see the 'Cats in a winnable game the week after next when Sacramento State comes to town. You may even see the 'Cats put up a real fight against McNeese Sate on Saturday.
If you have not yet seen it, here is the ending to the Wisconsin @ Arizona State game where the Sun Devils won by 2 points. For those of you who do not know the rule, the official can breifly stop the clock to repsot the ball after the quarterback, "gave himself up" by setting the ball on the turf to center it. After a fumble, the clock is supposed to stop so that the officials can reset it. This was not just a mistake by the officials, but also a mistake by Wisconsin. They should have had an offensive lineman pounce on the ball when it was on the turf just to be certain. But if I have a decent kicker, I am not concerned about kicking from the right hash from 32 yards out. I spike the ball right there. A lesson for the future, I suppose. The game should have ended with Wisconsin attempting a game-winning field goal.
Players of the Week
Oregon State 51 Utah 48
Utah MVP: QB Travis Wilson
Utah State 70 Weber State 6
USU MVP: QB Chuckie Wilson
WSU MVP: LB Spencer Unga
Washington State 48 Southern Utah 10
SUU MVP: QB Aaron Cantu
Conference Players of the Week
PAC-12
Oregon State QB Sean Mannion
FBS Indy
Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees
MWC
Boise State RB Jay Ajayi
Big Sky
Montana QB Jordan Johnson
Power Rankings
Pac-12
1. Oregon
2. UCLA
3. Stanford
4. Washington
5. Arizona State
6. Oregon State
7. Arizona
8. Utah
9. USC
10. Washinton State
11. California
12. Colorado
FBS Indy
1. Notre Dame
2. BYU
3. Navy
4. Army
5. Old Dominion
6. New Mexico State
7. Idaho
MWC
1. Utah State
2. Boise State
3. Fresno State
4. San Jose State
5. San Diego State
6. Wyoming
7. Air Force
8. New Mexico
9. UNLV
10. Colorado State
11. New Mexico
12. Hawaii
Big Sky
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana
3. Montana State
4. Cal Poly
5. Southern Utah
6. North Dakota
7. Sacramento State
8. Weber State
9. Northern Arizona
10. Portland State
11. Northern Colorado
12. Idaho State
13. UC Davis
Beehive State QB Power Rankings
1. Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
2. Travis Wilson, Utah
3. Taysom Hill, BYU
4. Aaron Cantu, SUU
5. Austin Chipowetti, Weber State
Post-season projections for Utah's conferences
PAC-12
Oregon--BCS Championship
UCLA--Fiesta
Stanford--Alamo
Washington--Holiday
Oregon State--Sun
Arizona State--Las Vegas
Arizona--Kraft Fight Hunger
Utah--New Mexico
USC--Poinsettia (As a replacement for Army)
MWC
Utah State--Las Vegas
Frenso State--Poinsettia
Boise State--Hawaii
San Diego State--Armed Forces
San Jose State--New Mexico
Wyoming--Potato
Now my prediction for the BYU/Utah game...
Utah has had BYU's number since the two started playing in different conferences, especially in the 3rd quarter. If BYU is going to win this game, they need to make the proper half-time adjustments. This could be where the re-hiring of Robert Anae makes the difference, and we shouldn't see BYU's quarterback coming out after halftime in a daze this year. Overall, this game will be decided when BYU has the ball. BYU will need to have the ability to take advantage of Utah's week secondary. As Utah will also attempt to take advantage of BYU's weaknesses on defense. But this will likely be a low-scoring thriller. And the final will be 17-14 BYU.
I don't put a lot of stock into what happens when a team from the Football Bowl Subdivision meets a team from the Football Championship Subdivision, even if a team from the lower division wins. It makes for great college football drama. It is usually not a good test for the team in the upper division. These games are normally scheduled for two reasons. For the school in the lower division, it's a chance for a big 6-figure pay day and a test against competition much better than what they normally face. For the school in the lower division it normally presents a chance to get players into a game who normally would sitting on the bench, a chance to give them some real game-time experience.
However, the old adage about any given Saturday is true. Oregon State and Kansas State learned that lesson the hard way. I suppose that Utah and USU coaches should be commended for not allowing their teams to take Weber State lightly. After USU's 70-6 thrashing of Weber State, many fans on both sides are asking, "why do we even schedule these games?" Why indeed.
Aggie fans, your team will face a real challenge next week on the road against David Fales and San Jose State. While Weber fans will see the 'Cats in a winnable game the week after next when Sacramento State comes to town. You may even see the 'Cats put up a real fight against McNeese Sate on Saturday.
If you have not yet seen it, here is the ending to the Wisconsin @ Arizona State game where the Sun Devils won by 2 points. For those of you who do not know the rule, the official can breifly stop the clock to repsot the ball after the quarterback, "gave himself up" by setting the ball on the turf to center it. After a fumble, the clock is supposed to stop so that the officials can reset it. This was not just a mistake by the officials, but also a mistake by Wisconsin. They should have had an offensive lineman pounce on the ball when it was on the turf just to be certain. But if I have a decent kicker, I am not concerned about kicking from the right hash from 32 yards out. I spike the ball right there. A lesson for the future, I suppose. The game should have ended with Wisconsin attempting a game-winning field goal.
Players of the Week
Oregon State 51 Utah 48
Utah MVP: QB Travis Wilson
Utah State 70 Weber State 6
USU MVP: QB Chuckie Wilson
WSU MVP: LB Spencer Unga
Washington State 48 Southern Utah 10
SUU MVP: QB Aaron Cantu
Conference Players of the Week
PAC-12
Oregon State QB Sean Mannion
FBS Indy
Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees
MWC
Boise State RB Jay Ajayi
Big Sky
Montana QB Jordan Johnson
Power Rankings
Pac-12
1. Oregon
2. UCLA
3. Stanford
4. Washington
5. Arizona State
6. Oregon State
7. Arizona
8. Utah
9. USC
10. Washinton State
11. California
12. Colorado
FBS Indy
1. Notre Dame
2. BYU
3. Navy
4. Army
5. Old Dominion
6. New Mexico State
7. Idaho
MWC
1. Utah State
2. Boise State
3. Fresno State
4. San Jose State
5. San Diego State
6. Wyoming
7. Air Force
8. New Mexico
9. UNLV
10. Colorado State
11. New Mexico
12. Hawaii
Big Sky
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana
3. Montana State
4. Cal Poly
5. Southern Utah
6. North Dakota
7. Sacramento State
8. Weber State
9. Northern Arizona
10. Portland State
11. Northern Colorado
12. Idaho State
13. UC Davis
Beehive State QB Power Rankings
1. Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
2. Travis Wilson, Utah
3. Taysom Hill, BYU
4. Aaron Cantu, SUU
5. Austin Chipowetti, Weber State
Post-season projections for Utah's conferences
PAC-12
Oregon--BCS Championship
UCLA--Fiesta
Stanford--Alamo
Washington--Holiday
Oregon State--Sun
Arizona State--Las Vegas
Arizona--Kraft Fight Hunger
Utah--New Mexico
USC--Poinsettia (As a replacement for Army)
MWC
Utah State--Las Vegas
Frenso State--Poinsettia
Boise State--Hawaii
San Diego State--Armed Forces
San Jose State--New Mexico
Wyoming--Potato
Now my prediction for the BYU/Utah game...
Utah has had BYU's number since the two started playing in different conferences, especially in the 3rd quarter. If BYU is going to win this game, they need to make the proper half-time adjustments. This could be where the re-hiring of Robert Anae makes the difference, and we shouldn't see BYU's quarterback coming out after halftime in a daze this year. Overall, this game will be decided when BYU has the ball. BYU will need to have the ability to take advantage of Utah's week secondary. As Utah will also attempt to take advantage of BYU's weaknesses on defense. But this will likely be a low-scoring thriller. And the final will be 17-14 BYU.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Whose performance was I most impressed with on Septebmer 7, 2013?
Four of the 5 college football teams came away with victories on Saturday. And 4 of the 5 schools had impressive performances by the signal callers. Whose performance was the most impressive?
Let's list what each winning quarterback did on Saturday.
Aaron Cantu for SUU didn't rack up a lot of yards in the air, but was incredibly accurate with his arm. He completed 15 out of 16 passes and 4 touchdowns. Considering that this was against a Division II school may figure into it a little bit, but that kind of accuracy is good. Impressive, yes, but that is what a FCS school is supposed to do to a Division II school.
Travis Wilson numbers also seem impressive. However, he put up 264 yards in the air against an FCS school that gave up 450 yards in the air the week before to another FCS school. Impressive, yes, but that is what a PAC-12 team should do to a Big Sky Conference team with a suspect defense.
As for Weber State, it's only a matter of time before Austin Chippoletti is starting instead of Jordan Adamczyk.
Taysom Hill had a good game against the Texas defense when he was running the ball. And since when did BYU become expert in the Wildcat offense? Running the quarterback is a good way to get your quarterback hurt. Cougar fans should be thankful for the win, but concerned about the passing game. They have two weeks to figure that out before the Utes come to Provo. In the long run, this game only proved how overrated the Longhorns are, not how good the Cougars can be.
Chuckie Keeton is still the best quarterback in Utah. The Aggies said Hello to the MWC by blowing out Air Force. Chuckie's stats look Heisman worthy. Chuckie looked Heisman worthy. That was impressive indeed.
BYU 40 Texas 21
BYU MVP: QB Taysom Hill
Utah 70 Weber State 7
Utah MVP: RB Lucky Radley
WSU MVP: RB Bo Bolen
Utah State 52 Air Force 20
USU MVP: QB Chuckie Keeton
Southern Utah 49 Forth Lewis 0
SUU MVP: QB Aaron Kantu
Conference MVPs this week
PAC-12: Oregon RB De'Anthony Thomas
FBS Indy: BYU QB Taysom Hill
MWC: USU QB Chuckie Keeton
Big Sky: Montana State RB Cody Kirk
Power Rankings
PAC-12
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UCLA
4. Washington
5. Arizona
6. Arizona State
7. Utah
8. Washington State
9. USC
10. Oregon State
11. California
12. Colorado
FBS Indies
1. Navy
2. BYU
3. Notre Dame
4. Army
5. Old Dominion
6. New Mexico State
7. Idaho
MWC
1. Utah State
2. Fresno State
3. Boise State
4. Wyoming
5. New Mexico
6. San Diego State
7. San Jose State
8. Hawaii
9. Air Force
10. Nevada
11. Colorado State
12. UNLV
Big Sky
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana State
3. Cal Poly
4. Montana
5. Southern Utah
6. North Dakota
7. Portland State
8. Weber State
9. Northern Colorado
10. Northern Arizona
11. Sacramento State
12. Idaho State
13. UC Davis
Beehive State QB Power Rankings
1. Chuckie Keeton, USU
2. Travis Wilson, Utah
3. Aaron Cantu, SUU
4. Taysom Hill, BYU
5. Jordan Adamczyk, WSU
Let's list what each winning quarterback did on Saturday.
Aaron Cantu for SUU didn't rack up a lot of yards in the air, but was incredibly accurate with his arm. He completed 15 out of 16 passes and 4 touchdowns. Considering that this was against a Division II school may figure into it a little bit, but that kind of accuracy is good. Impressive, yes, but that is what a FCS school is supposed to do to a Division II school.
Travis Wilson numbers also seem impressive. However, he put up 264 yards in the air against an FCS school that gave up 450 yards in the air the week before to another FCS school. Impressive, yes, but that is what a PAC-12 team should do to a Big Sky Conference team with a suspect defense.
As for Weber State, it's only a matter of time before Austin Chippoletti is starting instead of Jordan Adamczyk.
Taysom Hill had a good game against the Texas defense when he was running the ball. And since when did BYU become expert in the Wildcat offense? Running the quarterback is a good way to get your quarterback hurt. Cougar fans should be thankful for the win, but concerned about the passing game. They have two weeks to figure that out before the Utes come to Provo. In the long run, this game only proved how overrated the Longhorns are, not how good the Cougars can be.
Chuckie Keeton is still the best quarterback in Utah. The Aggies said Hello to the MWC by blowing out Air Force. Chuckie's stats look Heisman worthy. Chuckie looked Heisman worthy. That was impressive indeed.
BYU 40 Texas 21
BYU MVP: QB Taysom Hill
Utah 70 Weber State 7
Utah MVP: RB Lucky Radley
WSU MVP: RB Bo Bolen
Utah State 52 Air Force 20
USU MVP: QB Chuckie Keeton
Southern Utah 49 Forth Lewis 0
SUU MVP: QB Aaron Kantu
Conference MVPs this week
PAC-12: Oregon RB De'Anthony Thomas
FBS Indy: BYU QB Taysom Hill
MWC: USU QB Chuckie Keeton
Big Sky: Montana State RB Cody Kirk
Power Rankings
PAC-12
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UCLA
4. Washington
5. Arizona
6. Arizona State
7. Utah
8. Washington State
9. USC
10. Oregon State
11. California
12. Colorado
FBS Indies
1. Navy
2. BYU
3. Notre Dame
4. Army
5. Old Dominion
6. New Mexico State
7. Idaho
MWC
1. Utah State
2. Fresno State
3. Boise State
4. Wyoming
5. New Mexico
6. San Diego State
7. San Jose State
8. Hawaii
9. Air Force
10. Nevada
11. Colorado State
12. UNLV
Big Sky
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana State
3. Cal Poly
4. Montana
5. Southern Utah
6. North Dakota
7. Portland State
8. Weber State
9. Northern Colorado
10. Northern Arizona
11. Sacramento State
12. Idaho State
13. UC Davis
Beehive State QB Power Rankings
1. Chuckie Keeton, USU
2. Travis Wilson, Utah
3. Aaron Cantu, SUU
4. Taysom Hill, BYU
5. Jordan Adamczyk, WSU
Sunday, September 1, 2013
This year it's all on Bronco--August 31, 2013
Virginia 19 BYU 16
After last season, Bronco Mendenhall fired all of his offensive coaches, from coordinator Brandon Doman to Graduate Assistant Coach Max Hall. Yes, the offense was that bad in 2012. You would expect that with a new staff and a new system, there were be improvement. But if week 1 is any indication, it will be worse. This is BYU, a place where the West Coat Offense took shape. What is now the standard for the NFL was developed in a lab in Provo. Hard to believe that at a school known to light up the scoreboard, the offense has become so anemic. Robert Anae has promised that BYU would go fast and go hard, but where are they going? It doesn't appear to be the end-zone.
Perhaps Virginia is better on defense than they were given credit for, but what I saw on Saturday wasn't that at all. We all saw one of the worst BYU offensive performances in the last 40 years, and possibly the worst offensive game since the 3-0 loss to Utah. This is not a BYU offense.
In Provo it's all on the quarterback, and Taysom Hill did not live up to his billing this Saturday. However, you can't put this loss all on the quarterback. There were receivers who could not catch the ball. And the offensive line was a sieve. The first week of go fast and go hard was almost a complete failure. The lone bright spot was Jamaal Williams with 144 yards on the ground. The other 10 men in the offense did not get the job done.
With the new offensive philosophy, if the offense does not perform, there is more pressure on the defense. 3 and out may only take 30 seconds. No matter how well the offense does, they will not dominate when it comes to time of possession. The defense will be tired. There will be no defense bailing the Cougars out this year if the offense doesn't figure it out. It will be too much to expect. I bet if Kyle Van Noy is not regretting his decision to come back to Provo for his senior season, he soon will.
How does this affect Bronco? Well, you can only clean house so many times before the head man is gone. Twice in the past 3 seasons, Bronco has cleaned house on offense. Sooner or later, this has to reflect on him. It's time for Bronco to be held accountable. As was said in the film A bugs life, "One lesson of leadership...everything is your fault." If go fast go hard doesn't work, then it should be Bronco who should go fast and go hard out of Provo. The schedule is difficult this year, no doubt about it. BYU did not look equal to the task on Saturday. It may be time to hand the reins of BYU football to someone else.
BYU MVP: RB Jamaal Williams
New projection for BYU in 2013--5-7. (That may still be too overly optimistic.)
Utah 30 Utah State 26
Is Utah better than we though they were this year? Possibly. Is Utah State not going to have another magical season after all? It's a little early to tell. They still might win the Mountain West Mountain. I've seen Boise State this season, and these Aggies can beat these Broncos, no doubt. But no BCS. The MWC Mountain division, if not the entire conference, appears to be up for grabs, and USU can win it. They just have to hope they can like the Las Vegas Bowl this year. Of course, the Aggies can still win out from here, and if they do, who knows?
This game, in my opinion, came down to just one factor. The experience of coach Kyle Whittingham trumping the inexperience of coach Matt Wells. Wells will learn from this experience and the next time the Aggies and the Utes hook horns, he will be ready. Utah doesn't look all that great, they were good enough to win on Thursday. Utah needs Tavis Wilson to play like this every game this season. While Utah State needs a little bit better performance from running back Joe Hill.
Utah MVP: QB Travis Wilson
USU MVP: QB Chukie Keeton
New projection for Utah in 2013--8-5 (4-5 in conference) after a win in the Holiday Bowl
New projection for USU in 2013--12-2 (9-0) after a win in the MWC Championship game and a win in the Las Vegas Bowl. (You'll take that, right Aggie fans?)
Southern Utah 22 South Alabama 21
This game supports the argument that some schools don't really belong in the Football Bowl Subdivision. South Alabama has only been in the FBS a few seasons, and doesn't look like they belong. SUU is better than they were picked in the pre-season, and I have confidence that the T-Birds will have at least a winning season this year and may even make the FCS expanded playoffs. Props should go to the Thunderbirds for pulling out an exciting win. If you are a T-Bird fan, you should be feeling optimistic about the prospects for 2013.
SUU MVP: RB Raysean Martin
New projection for SUU--8-5 (5-3) After a loss in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
Weber State 50 Stephen F. Austin 40
I've come to appreciate defense, lately. There was a time, when I was student at Ogden's mountainside campus, that defense was only a rumor in the Big Sky Conference and scores like this were common. And truth be told, after this one, the fans were ad tired as the defenses. It's a good start for Jody Sears and his hopes to get at least 4 wins this season. However, this may prove more than just 4 to 6 wins. The 'Cats scored 5 touchdowns on offense, and SFA is one of the better teams at the FCS level. SFA is as good as any Big Sky team. The defense came up with big plays in the 4th quarter, when they were obviously tired. WSU scored on defense and on special teams. If it weren't for the turnovers, they could have easily scored 70. WSU persevered and came away with a good win. WSU proved they can be a good team in the post-Ron McBride era, and that last years 2-9 finish was a statistical outlier. Perhaps they will do no better than 6-6 in 2013, but the future, at least for one evening, looks good in Ogden.
WSU MVP: RB's Josh Booker, Bo Bolen and Zach Smith
New projection for WSU--6-6 (5-3).
Conferences:
(Yes I know that CU and CSU have yet to play. Will the outcome make a difference? Probably not.)
PAC-12 MVP for week 1: Washington QB Keith Price
FBS Indy MVP for week 1: Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees
MWC MVP for week 1: Fresno State QB Derek Carr
Big Sky MVP for week 1: Eastern Washington QB Vernon Adams
PAC-12 Game of the Week for week 1: Utah 30 Utah State 26
FBS Indy Game of the Week for week 1: Virginia 19 BYU 16
MWC Game of the Week for week 1: Nebraska 37 Wyoming 34
Big Sky Game of the Week for week 1: Eastern Washington 49 Oregon State 46
Power Rankings
FBS Indy
1. Notre Dame
2. Navy
3. BYU
4. Army
5. New Mexico State
6. Idaho
7. Old Dominion
PAC-12
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UCLA
4. Wahington
5. USC
6. Arizona State
7. Arizona
8. Utah
9. California
10. Oregon State
11. Washington state
12. Colorado
(Why is Utah so low? The PAC-12 is that good.)
Mountain West
1. Fresno State
2. San Jose State
3. Air Force
4. Utah State
5. San Jose State
6. Boise State
7. Wyoming
8. San Diego State
9. Colorado State
10. UNLV
11. Hawaii
12. New Mexico
(Why is USU that low? They need a win.)
Big Sky
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana State
3. Cal Poly
4. Montana
5. Southern Utah
6. North Dakota
7. Weber State
8. Portland State
9. Northern Arizona
10. Sacramento State
11. Northern Colorado
12. UC Davis
13. Idaho State
Beehive State QB Power Ranking.
1. Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
2. Travis Wilson, Utah
3. Aaron Cantu, Southern Utah
4. Jordan Adamczyk, Weber State
5. Taysom Hill, BYU
After last season, Bronco Mendenhall fired all of his offensive coaches, from coordinator Brandon Doman to Graduate Assistant Coach Max Hall. Yes, the offense was that bad in 2012. You would expect that with a new staff and a new system, there were be improvement. But if week 1 is any indication, it will be worse. This is BYU, a place where the West Coat Offense took shape. What is now the standard for the NFL was developed in a lab in Provo. Hard to believe that at a school known to light up the scoreboard, the offense has become so anemic. Robert Anae has promised that BYU would go fast and go hard, but where are they going? It doesn't appear to be the end-zone.
Perhaps Virginia is better on defense than they were given credit for, but what I saw on Saturday wasn't that at all. We all saw one of the worst BYU offensive performances in the last 40 years, and possibly the worst offensive game since the 3-0 loss to Utah. This is not a BYU offense.
In Provo it's all on the quarterback, and Taysom Hill did not live up to his billing this Saturday. However, you can't put this loss all on the quarterback. There were receivers who could not catch the ball. And the offensive line was a sieve. The first week of go fast and go hard was almost a complete failure. The lone bright spot was Jamaal Williams with 144 yards on the ground. The other 10 men in the offense did not get the job done.
With the new offensive philosophy, if the offense does not perform, there is more pressure on the defense. 3 and out may only take 30 seconds. No matter how well the offense does, they will not dominate when it comes to time of possession. The defense will be tired. There will be no defense bailing the Cougars out this year if the offense doesn't figure it out. It will be too much to expect. I bet if Kyle Van Noy is not regretting his decision to come back to Provo for his senior season, he soon will.
How does this affect Bronco? Well, you can only clean house so many times before the head man is gone. Twice in the past 3 seasons, Bronco has cleaned house on offense. Sooner or later, this has to reflect on him. It's time for Bronco to be held accountable. As was said in the film A bugs life, "One lesson of leadership...everything is your fault." If go fast go hard doesn't work, then it should be Bronco who should go fast and go hard out of Provo. The schedule is difficult this year, no doubt about it. BYU did not look equal to the task on Saturday. It may be time to hand the reins of BYU football to someone else.
BYU MVP: RB Jamaal Williams
New projection for BYU in 2013--5-7. (That may still be too overly optimistic.)
Utah 30 Utah State 26
Is Utah better than we though they were this year? Possibly. Is Utah State not going to have another magical season after all? It's a little early to tell. They still might win the Mountain West Mountain. I've seen Boise State this season, and these Aggies can beat these Broncos, no doubt. But no BCS. The MWC Mountain division, if not the entire conference, appears to be up for grabs, and USU can win it. They just have to hope they can like the Las Vegas Bowl this year. Of course, the Aggies can still win out from here, and if they do, who knows?
This game, in my opinion, came down to just one factor. The experience of coach Kyle Whittingham trumping the inexperience of coach Matt Wells. Wells will learn from this experience and the next time the Aggies and the Utes hook horns, he will be ready. Utah doesn't look all that great, they were good enough to win on Thursday. Utah needs Tavis Wilson to play like this every game this season. While Utah State needs a little bit better performance from running back Joe Hill.
Utah MVP: QB Travis Wilson
USU MVP: QB Chukie Keeton
New projection for Utah in 2013--8-5 (4-5 in conference) after a win in the Holiday Bowl
New projection for USU in 2013--12-2 (9-0) after a win in the MWC Championship game and a win in the Las Vegas Bowl. (You'll take that, right Aggie fans?)
Southern Utah 22 South Alabama 21
This game supports the argument that some schools don't really belong in the Football Bowl Subdivision. South Alabama has only been in the FBS a few seasons, and doesn't look like they belong. SUU is better than they were picked in the pre-season, and I have confidence that the T-Birds will have at least a winning season this year and may even make the FCS expanded playoffs. Props should go to the Thunderbirds for pulling out an exciting win. If you are a T-Bird fan, you should be feeling optimistic about the prospects for 2013.
SUU MVP: RB Raysean Martin
New projection for SUU--8-5 (5-3) After a loss in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
Weber State 50 Stephen F. Austin 40
I've come to appreciate defense, lately. There was a time, when I was student at Ogden's mountainside campus, that defense was only a rumor in the Big Sky Conference and scores like this were common. And truth be told, after this one, the fans were ad tired as the defenses. It's a good start for Jody Sears and his hopes to get at least 4 wins this season. However, this may prove more than just 4 to 6 wins. The 'Cats scored 5 touchdowns on offense, and SFA is one of the better teams at the FCS level. SFA is as good as any Big Sky team. The defense came up with big plays in the 4th quarter, when they were obviously tired. WSU scored on defense and on special teams. If it weren't for the turnovers, they could have easily scored 70. WSU persevered and came away with a good win. WSU proved they can be a good team in the post-Ron McBride era, and that last years 2-9 finish was a statistical outlier. Perhaps they will do no better than 6-6 in 2013, but the future, at least for one evening, looks good in Ogden.
WSU MVP: RB's Josh Booker, Bo Bolen and Zach Smith
New projection for WSU--6-6 (5-3).
Conferences:
(Yes I know that CU and CSU have yet to play. Will the outcome make a difference? Probably not.)
PAC-12 MVP for week 1: Washington QB Keith Price
FBS Indy MVP for week 1: Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees
MWC MVP for week 1: Fresno State QB Derek Carr
Big Sky MVP for week 1: Eastern Washington QB Vernon Adams
PAC-12 Game of the Week for week 1: Utah 30 Utah State 26
FBS Indy Game of the Week for week 1: Virginia 19 BYU 16
MWC Game of the Week for week 1: Nebraska 37 Wyoming 34
Big Sky Game of the Week for week 1: Eastern Washington 49 Oregon State 46
Power Rankings
FBS Indy
1. Notre Dame
2. Navy
3. BYU
4. Army
5. New Mexico State
6. Idaho
7. Old Dominion
PAC-12
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UCLA
4. Wahington
5. USC
6. Arizona State
7. Arizona
8. Utah
9. California
10. Oregon State
11. Washington state
12. Colorado
(Why is Utah so low? The PAC-12 is that good.)
Mountain West
1. Fresno State
2. San Jose State
3. Air Force
4. Utah State
5. San Jose State
6. Boise State
7. Wyoming
8. San Diego State
9. Colorado State
10. UNLV
11. Hawaii
12. New Mexico
(Why is USU that low? They need a win.)
Big Sky
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana State
3. Cal Poly
4. Montana
5. Southern Utah
6. North Dakota
7. Weber State
8. Portland State
9. Northern Arizona
10. Sacramento State
11. Northern Colorado
12. UC Davis
13. Idaho State
Beehive State QB Power Ranking.
1. Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
2. Travis Wilson, Utah
3. Aaron Cantu, Southern Utah
4. Jordan Adamczyk, Weber State
5. Taysom Hill, BYU
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