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
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