How Does BYU's Vegas Bowl Win Over Oregon State Impact College Football?

BYU beat Oregon State last night 44-20. What did we all learn from last night’s game? What does that mean for BYU, Oregon State, the Mountain West Conference, and the PAC-10?

Not much.

The bowl season is a tradition in college football, and a part of that tradition is trying to extrapolate conclusions based on the results of bowl games.

Why?

The college bowl system is the most backwards system of postseason play in all of sports. Even the Salem Witch Trials laugh at the absurdities and backwards logic of college football bowls.

Add to the ridiculous nature of the bowl system itself the have-have-not system of the BCS. This turns every low level bowl game between automatic qualifying conference and non-automatic qualifying conference teams into a protest game against the establishment of college football.

Major college football experts would have people think, before the start of the bowl games, that if the non-automatic qualifying conference team wins it means the BCS is wrong, and if the automatic qualifying conference team wins then the BCS is right.

Of course, no matter which team wins, there is little to no change in the system of college football.

The anti-BCS crowd will use BYU’s victory over Oregon State as another piece of evidence against the asinine nature of the BCS. They will make the argument that BYU and Oregon State both ended the season in second place in their conference (Oregon State ended in a tie for second place in the PAC-10, although they finished lower due to tie-breakers); therefore, the Mountain West Conference must be better than the PAC-10.

This argument doesn’t hold water.

The BCS crowd will counter with excuses. The wind helped BYU win. This argument is hard to justify, did the heavens hold back the wind every time BYU touched the ball? The officiating favored BYU. While it is understandable for PAC-10 teams to miss their homer officials, both teams ended the game with an equal amount of penalties called against them.

Yet, these arguments are incredibly credible compared to the typical fallacies that BCS and automatic qualifying conference usually use. The automatic qualifying conference team didn’t have any motivation to play. It seems this argument is used far too often to explain an unexpected outcome. What, have football players magically transformed themselves into thespians? Do they need to have a drive and motivation in order to get into character?

The motivation argument is stale from use, but the new vogue argument of BCS supports is: Any team can play one game against an automatic qualifying school, but they can’t play a full schedule in a BCS conference. Wow! So you want teams from non-automatic qualifying conferences to have less money, be at a recruiting disadvantage, play games at neutral sites or on the road, and still discredit them when they beat a bigger name school. That is like asking someone to juggle five chainsaws blindfolded, seeing it, and then scoffing at the juggler because you don’t think he can juggle ten.

The arguments of both sides are normally ludicrous and hardly stand up to scrutiny; however, the arguments just reflect the system they are commenting on.

The reality is that teams like BYU, Utah, TCU, Houston, Boise State, Fresno State, and Air Force could compete just fine in the automatic qualifying conferences. Teams like San Diego State, UNLV, Idaho, and SMU would struggle if they were in a BCS conference. Yet, teams like Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Washington State, and UConn would struggle in the Mountain West Conference.

There just isn’t a huge difference between the average non-automatic qualifying conference team, and an average automatic qualifying conference team.

It didn’t take BYU beating Oregon State to prove that.

Or Utah beating Alabama.

Or Boise State beating Oregon.

Or Houston beating Oklahoma State.

Or TCU beating Clemson.

It doesn’t matter though because both sides, much like the current political landscape, have bunkered down to their separate ideologies. A college football fan is either pro-BCS or anti-BCS and there isn’t any room for a sane middle ground.

There are too many instant reactions in college football. Oregon State is a good football team, and they were beat by a better BYU football team in Las Vegas. No excuses, and sadly due to the current system of college football there cannot be any conclusions drawn from the game.

Until there is a change in college football’s postseason—arguments will try to decide what should be decided on the football field.

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The Big Podcast Episode 35: 2009 College Football Bowl Preview

Predicting every single college football bowl game...

Here is an outline of what hosts Jake Stowell and Mark Welling talk about in this week's podcast.

• Predicting the winner of every single college football bowl game.
• Give an insight about each of the bowl games.
• Both Mark and Jake pick five teams they feel are locks to win their bowl games.
• Enjoy the variety of different, and absurd bowl names.
• Give three bowl games that are must-watch.
• There are two BCS bowl games which will be blowout this year, and two look to be instant classics. Which are which?
• Even with five undefeated teams Texas vs. Alabama does seem like the right national championship game.

Download here (Right click and save as) or listen with the player below.

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The Big Podcast Episode 17 - BYU Beats Oklahoma Edition

Talking about BYU's historic win, and what it means for the rest of the season.

In episode 17 we discuss:

• What led to BYU's big win
• What does it mean for the rest of the season
• Give a big Mahalo to coach Anae
• Talk about the upcoming BYU vs. Tulane game
• Review the rest of the weekend of college football
• Talk about the Utah vs. Utah State game

Download here (Right click and save as...) or listen with the player below...

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The BYU Win Over Oklahoma Creates Many New Questions

While BYU's win over Oklahoma on Saturday was historic, the win creates many new questions for the 2009 Cougars...

BYU's win over Oklahoma was very unexpected. Bradford's injury is getting the bulk of the media's attention. Yet, BYU's defense was really the story of why BYU won the game. From the seven play defensive stand inside the five yard line, the improvement of the defensive secondary, the increased pressure on Oklahoma's quarterbacks, and stopping two thousand yard Oklahoma running backs; the Cougar defense proved that it will be able to proved support to the offense this season.

With the win over Oklahoma the expectations for the 2009 Cougar season are now astronomical. The surprising thing is that last season expectations were extremely high, and the Cougars were happy that this season they would be able to fly under the radar. That thought of flying under the radar was gone as soon as the Cougars took down the number three team in the country. The expectations of 2008 look small in comparison to the speculation of a perfect 2009 season which could lead to BYU having a real chance at playing in the National Championship game. The question now is whether the 2009 BYU will fall into the same trap as the 2008 team?

The 2008 Cougar team allowed themselves to look past opponents, and to not prepare properly for games. Oklahoma was the best team on the Cougar's schedule, but that doesn't mean that there aren't teams left on BYU's schedule that will challenge the Cougars. For some reason most people are thinking that BYU will be able to handle Florida State at home easily, but that just isn't the case. Florida State, whether they make it past Miami with a win or not, is still a major game for BYU. In a normal year, the Florida State game would be the marque game of the season. Is it too early to be speculating about what bowl game BYU will go to this season? Yes, once BYU gets by the Seminoles then people can start to speculate about the BCS and the national title game. Yet, even that is incredibly premature. TCU and Utah will be tough games. Colorado State, UNLV, and Air Force games are also no gimmes.

Even if BYU takes care of business and wins out, they still are not in control of their own destiny. The polls that come out on Tuesday will show exactly what kind of season that BYU can hope to have. Boise State will almost assuredly be undefeated this season. Oregon was the only game with even a remote chance of slipping up the Broncos. Utah State might be the toughest game that Boise State has left on their schedule. If BYU cannot leap frog Boise State in the standings this week, with a win over Oklahoma, then BYU will probably not catch Boise State unless they slip up.

It will also be interesting to see if BYU will be ranked ahead of Oklahoma. One thing that the polls have shown in the past is the fact that voters from major conferences will vote in blocks to keep teams in their conference in contention. In addition to speculating about the condition of Bradford, major pundits have been talking about whether or not Oklahoma could still win a national championship? Oklahoma, if they win out the rest of their games could very easily find themselves in the top BCS bowl game. BYU on the other hand will almost assuredly require perfection to be included in the BCS conversation.

Besides the obvious questions that many people have possessed about BYU's 2009 season, some still remain unanswered after the season opener. How long will Unga be sidelined?

While BYU got some good production out of Tonga, Di Luigi, and Kariya BYU needs Unga to return quickly to be able to compete the remainder of the season. Unga is the best player on BYU's offense. He can pound the ball on the ground, has a good burst of speed, and amazing hands. BYU was limited with what they could do against Oklahoma with Unga on the bench.

Will the Cougars find another option for Hall to throw the ball to instead of Pitta? Jacobson, Chambers, and George were all thought to provide more receiving options for Hall, but while all had their moments of brilliance none provided a consistent performance on the field. For BYU to have their high powered attack, Hall needs receivers who will get open, and hang onto the football.

The questions about the 2009 BYU football team will be answered as the season progresses. How fun will this season be to watch? Incredibly fun for both BYU fans,and football fans of the Mountain West Conference.

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Quick Observations From the Utah vs Utah State Game

Observations about the Utah vs Utah State game...

The Utah vs Utah State game was very interesting last night. While the game was in hand for most of the fourth quarter, and it was very clear that there was a difference between where the Aggies are in respect to the Utes, the game was closer than people thought.

Utah defense did just enough to win. The Utah defense that has been touted to be the driving force this season for the Utes, did not perform to the level of expectations. Utah defenders will bring up the point that the Aggies didn't convert a third down the entire game. Yet, the Aggies were still able to move the ball against the Utes. It was poor play calling that cost the Aggies on third and fourth down, which was one of the many signs during the game that Utah State had a rookie head coach. If Utah wants to maintain their spot at the top of the conference this season, then their defense will need to improve.

Utah's offense didn't manage the game. The thought before the season was that Utah's offense would manage the game, limiting their turnovers, and then allow their defense to control the field position. In the second half the Utes figured out that they could pound the ball on the ground through the weak Utah State defensive line. While the statistics look good on paper, the execution on the field was generally poor. The Utes have one more game to get their offense in order before they start face better defensive units.

Utah State blew opportunities. The Aggies marched down the field on the first drive of the game. Just that single drive proved that Utah State will be able to move the ball this season. Turbin also proved that he will be an elite running back in the Western Athletic Conference. The hit of the night occurred when Turbin knocked a Ute defender on his back and then sprinted for another five yards. Turbin is a physical runner that also has explosive speed. The real problem with the Utah State offense was the play calling. Too often they would go away from the spread offense that was successful for most of the game, especially on key third and fourth down plays. The Aggies never took advantage of any of the turnovers in the game, and also failed to give Borel time in the pocket. The good news is the adjustments that Utah State needs to make are tweaks and not major overhauls.

How about the new uniforms for the Aggies. The Mtn. was broadcasting the previous two Utah vs. Utah State games leading up to the game last night. One thing that was obvious is that Utah State now has a little more money in the football program. The uniforms the previous two seasons looked as if they were something a JV junior high team would wear. The color was bad, their was a lack of names on the back of the jersey, and everything about them scream second rate. A coach I had growing up taught me an important lesson, "Teams will play like they look." It might be subconscious, but teams will play better if they have nicer equipment. The Aggies looked like an actual college football team last night, and they played like an actual team too. Expect success from the new look Aggies.

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What Will it Take for BYU and Utah State to Win this Weekend?

Both BYU and Utah State are trying to prove everyone wrong this week...

21

The number 21 is the connection that both the BYU vs Oklahoma and the Utah State vs Utah games share. 21 is the betting line for both games, with Utah State and BYU being the underdogs in each. Yet, it is hard to think that BYU is as far away from Oklahoma as Utah State is from Utah.

Utah State probably has a much better chance of beating Utah than BYU has beating Oklahoma. Look back at the Aggies season a year ago, and you will notice that they weren't that far away from a 5-7 season. While you might be saying, "What is the big deal? 3-9 or 5-7, both are pretty bad." Yes, both are poor records to have as a team, but there is a big difference between barely 3-9 and a disappointing 3-9. The Aggies had the talent last season to be a 5-7 team, and try to push to find a way to get a sixth all important win.

The majority of the contributing players that the Aggies had last season are back this season. They have a solid running back in Robert Turbin, and a proven play maker in Diondre Borel. The defense should be better, although the defensive line could still use some serious work. The other difference that the Aggies have, which will make a difference, is a change in attitude. It is clear to anyone watching the Aggies practice that there is a different mentality among the team. Gary Anderson has brought in a culture of accountability, discipline, and hope.

In regards to the Utah game, Utah State has the competitive advantage in that Utah has no idea what to expect from the Aggies. While at the same time Gary Anderson knows Utah's defense inside and out. Anderson has done everything that he can to keep a tight lid on the changes he is implementing in Logan. He is restricting the media's access to his players, practices, and even limiting what he showed to fans at the final fall scrimmage. Gary Anderson could have some surprises in store for his old team, when he makes his return to Rice-Eccles stadium.

Utah State is improved this season, but Utah might be a little overrated from last season. Utah is still a very good football team; however, they have lost some key skill players. Brian Johnson really made the offense work last season, and his loss along with Darrell Mack will hurt the productivity of the offense. Yet, the biggest loss for Utah is Paul Kruger. The most influential position on defense in college football is defensive end. A good defensive end will change a college football game. If you think otherwise, just look back at last year's BYU vs Utah game. Kruger almost single handily shut down Max Hall in that game. Kruger was a player that other teams had to game plan for, and always know where he was on the field. Utah has some good talent on defense, but they don't have another Paul Kruger.

Utah is trying to retool their offense on the run, and rely on their defense to carry them in their first few games. This is the biggest advantage, and chance that Utah State has in their opening game. If Gary Anderson's knowledge of Utah's defense can establish a weakness that the Aggies could exploit, then Utah State could get into a higher scoring game which would give them a chance to outscore a newly tooled Utah offense.

While Utah is good, but rebuilding; Oklahoma is great,they are coming back from a National Title Game loss, and the majority of their skill players are coming back. They have a Heisman Trophy winner, arguably the best front seven on defense ever in college football, and a stable full of tall athletic wide receivers. Oklahoma has little to no question marks going into the season, they are only worried about a possible injury derailing their chances of beating Texas and returning to the National Championship game.

BYU on the other hand ended last season on a huge low note. Max Hall turned into an interception/fumbling machine. Unga disappeared from the offense. The secondary was a complete joke. Plus, the four out of five offensive linemen graduated from school. The offensive line and secondary were the major concerns coming into the new season for BYU, and surprisingly enough there are more questions and concerns about the offensive line and secondary today than at the beginning of camp.

Three offensive linemen who were thought to contribute this season are injured: Matt Reynolds, Houston Reynolds, and Jason Speredon, although Matt Reynolds may return for the Oklahoma game.

The secondary is a pure mystery. The athletes in the secondary are better this season, than last year's secondary. Yet, the top four secondary guys are all fighting injuries, and another member of the secondary, Garett Nicholson, didn't qualify for school.

BYU has their work cut out for them against the Sooners. The only real chance that BYU has in their opening game is to control the clock. BYU would have to turn to their ground attack to keep the ball out of Sam Bradford's hands. Even if BYU were to make the game low scoring, and control the time of possession, it is very unlikely that they will win.

BYU needs to hope that they will at least be in striking distance at the end of the game, and hope that one of the new players can step up and have a breakout game. The one weakness that the Sooners do have, is they are trying to replace members of their secondary. If BYU can stay close, they could take advantage of the Sooners' secondary in the end.

Is it a long shot for both BYU and Utah State? Yes. Can both teams still have successful seasons even if they lose their opening game? Yes. Could both teams win their openers? It would shock some people, but it isn't impossible. There is a reason that teams actually play the game on the field and not on paper.

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Mark's Thoughts: What is Right About College Football

It seems that all anyone is talking about is what is wrong with college football, here are things that are right about it...

Columnists have been writing throughout the summer about what is wrong with the current landscape of college football. They have told us that the college football championship is a farce, that players are being paid under the table at major universities to play football, and coaches are throwing good college kids under the bus to further their careers. While many of these accusations are true, especially about the college football national championship game being a joke, it still doesn't hurt the game of college football. Why is that?

Other sports don't have the endurance of college football. NCAA football division I football has endured scandals of point shaving, steroids, cheating, arrests, and underhanded officiating (Both in the polls, different conference officials, and the actual officials at the games). Yet, it seems that the public is more ready to forgive the flaws in the system of college football.

Many writers have credited this forgiveness of college football to the actual major flaws in the system. Many have written that what makes the sport great is the corruption, the greed, and the flaws in the bowl system. They claim that these flaws cause people to talk about the game of college football, these flaws cause people to become passionate about the game, and these flaws shouldn't be changed or else the game of college football would fail. These "sports" writers simply do not understand the sport of college football. The game of college is football is great in spit of the flaws in the system. Changing those flaws would simply make a great sport even better.

What really makes college football great is the fact that it might be the highest level of pure sports that a person can watch. The majority of college football players will never be paid for playing football. For most players college football is the highest level of football that they will play. Every year in college football there are a handful of elite players, those players that even a casual fan see are special. Those players are going to play in the NFL, and are simply enjoying the short time they are spending in college football. The rest of the players are playing, more or less, for the love of the game of football.

Do the players get some compensation? Yes, they get a free education. Which for anyone that hasn't looked lately is quite a large chunk of money. Do all the players have a romantic view of playing football, and truly love the game? Of course not. Many players simply look at it as a business, and feel that the NCAA is using them like interchangeable parts in the big business of college football. Yet, there are far too many good players and good stories in college football, and the good outweighs the bad.

There have been stories, and players that have shown what it means to be a collegiate athlete. These are the players who play by the rules of the NCAA, they make themselves better through hard work and sacrifice. These are the coaches and staff that understand that although they might be fired for losing, they accomplished greater things if their players are living honorable productive lives after graduation.

Fans sense what is great about the sport of college football, which is why they support it even in its current flawed and corrupt state. The students see the players walk among them, and although the players are the big men on campus they still have to go to the same classes and face the same challenges of a normal student.

There are players that understand what it means to exemplify what it means to be a student athlete. Eric Weddle, former Utah players, now San Diego Charger, was one of those players. Brandon Gaskins at BYU is currently one of those players. LaVell Edwards is one of the great coaches to pass on the legacy of college football onto another generation, and Ron McBride, head coach of Weber State, is demonstrating he understands the purity of the game.

What other sport is there were every region has a team? What other sport has players which play on the team for at least four years? What other sport has given fans so many classic games, and upsets? What other sport allows all the teams to start, for the most part, equal, and allow a team to have a magical undefeated year? What other sport has produced so many local legends?

There is something special about the start of each college football season. It is important to remember the good about the sport, in order to be happy with what we see.

Sadly, the time of college football being the last alcove of pure collegiate sport is coming to a close as the greed grows in college football. College football is more likely headed towards paying players, more steroid scandals, more cheating, and even more conference elitism. All the average football fan can hope is that the sport, that we all love, can survive the stupidity of those currently at the helm of NCAA football. Let us enjoy what makes college football great, while it is still part of the game.

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BYU Loses Again to Texas A&M: Another Early Exit

BYU loses again, nothing new...


Texas A&M 79 BYU 66, no big surprise.

It seems to be like day light savings. Set your clock ahead, watch BYU choke in the conference tournament, and then watch them exit in the first round of the NCAA tournament. BYU hasn't gotten a "good" draw for many years; however, that isn't an excuse. Other teams are able to overcome a bad seed, poor play location, or even hostile crowds. Yet, BYU isn't able to overcome. The brighter the lights the quicker that BYU falters.

This year, BYU never got their game going. BYU went down early, and didn't seem to fight back. Sure Texas A&M were hitting big shots, but BYU wasn't doing anything to disrupt the streak of Texas A&M's shotting. How many free throws did A&M shot in the first half? Four, with two of those in the first nineteen minutes. That is it. If a team is on fire, "let see how many shots they can make on their back?" In a tournament teams just can't play soft, but that is BYU's M.O.

It wouldn't be a big deal for BYU if this year was something out of the ordinary. Nope, BYU has played the same type of game every year. Texas A&M came out of the gate last year and went up 11, and BYU couldn't overcome. Xavier couldn't miss from the outside, and BYU didn't do anything to slow them down. BYU actually got off to a big lead against Syracuse before Gerry McNamara caught fire and lead his team to a victory.

From the start of the season it was obvious that the BYU system of basketball is a hit or miss business. If BYU's outside shot is falling they can hang with anyone in the country. This can be seen in both the Arizona State and Wake Forest games this season. BYU had a lead, but couldn't maintain the lead once the shots stopped falling.

BYU system of offense seems to be almost at the level of a gimmick. The gimmick that is used by BYU ensures that they can compete year in year out in the Mountain West Conference. BYU can plug in your standard BYU player and succeed, but have trouble when it comes to any tournament.

1993, 1993 looms large in BYU's basketball fans minds. 1993 was the last time that BYU won a tournament game. That date will have to be burned into the mind of every BYU fan for another year at least for BYU to get another shot at erasing the date.

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NCAA Tournament Seeding for Utah Teams

A look at Utah teams and their tournament hopes...

Utah State - If you are a fan of the Aggies it was a shot to the gut to see USU get an 11 seed. Yet, another example of how few teams outside of the "Major Conferences" got any respect. It also meant that if the Aggies didn't win their conference tournament they would have been on the outside looking into the tournament. With that in mind, the Aggies need to be smiling when they view where and who they are playing. The Aggies drew an injured Marquette team that didn't finish the season well, and they are playing at Boise. The closest that the Aggies could get to playing a home game. Then to look out a little further on the bracket, the Aggies potential second round opponent would be Missouri. The weakest of all the three seeds in the tournament. The Aggies might have drawn a low seed, but the table is set for them to march into the sweet sixteen and prove that they were underrated.

Utah - A five seed! I still can't get over the surprise of when I heard that the Utes gained a five seed in the tournament. Utah didn't finish the season well. They were in the driver seat for the conference and ended up with a three way tie for the regular season title. The Utes then barely got by TCU, and played San Diego State to the buzzer to win the conference tournament (Which also makes San Diego State's omission from the field that much more insulting to the "Mid-Major" Conferences). Yet, the committee thought that the play of the Utes earned them merit, and they ended up with a five seed. Or in other words the committee believes that Utah is one of the twenty best teams in all of college basketball...huh? The Utes did have a high RPI, but I think what helped them most was having their AD on the selection committee. It helps to have friends in high places. The location of the play for Utah is not good. The Utes must travel to Miami to play their games. An insult to any five seed that they must travel across the country. Especially when a higher seed normally means that they get a location closer to their university to play. Utah is a two point underdog to Arizona, another slap in the face of a five seed. The Utes should beat 'Zons, but face a stiff second round challenge playing Wake Forest back east in the second round.

BYU - Another year, another terrible draw for BYU. Once again BYU is playing on the East Coast. They are playing in the early contests, meaning that BYU will be playing at 10:30am local time. BYU is also in a rematch with last year's opponent Texas A&M. A&M's seeding is interesting, and would be hard to explain (as many of the selection committee's decisions are equally perplexing). The Aggies were the fourth best team in the Big 12, but they are seed lower than both Texas and Oklahoma State, both teams that finished below them in the regular season. The Aggies have quick guards that give have given BYU trouble guarding in the past. Also even if the Cougars were to win their first tournament game of the new millennium, BYU would have to face UConn in UConn's backyard. If BYU's shots are falling they can beat anyone, and they will need those shots to fall if they want to win any tournament games this season.

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The Wife's Outburst: Best and Worst Mountain West Conference Football Helmets

Examining the best and worst football helmets in the history of each Mountain West Conference member...

As I was browsing Facebook, I found a link to a website (http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/) which has all the current helmets of all college football teams along with what the helmets looked like dating back to pre-1960. Here is a look at the best and worst helmet for each team in the Mountain West.

UTAH


The worst helmet for Utah was in 1974. It was just a plain red helmet with a sliver/gray face mask. Ugly! There is not any identification on it. No wonder it only lasted one year.  Did they not have enough money to put a logo on it?




The best helmet for Utah was from 1986-1987.  it has a white stripe down the middle and the current Utah logo.  The font is a little different.  The "U" is skinnier and has a Western type font.  It looks really good.  It is the bright red with a white face mask.

TCU

The worst helmet for TCU was worn (according to the site) during the first eight games of the 1980 season(on the left) and then the other two(on the right) were only worn for a game against Texas Tech and Texas.  I don't see what was so special about them.  Why did they have to make three different helmets?  They all look the same to me, except one is silver/gray and the other two are purple with a white or silver/gray face mask.  The colors are just reversed.  It is the same design.

The best helmet for TCU comes between 1995 and 1997.  It is a silver/gray helmet with purple block "TCU" on the side.  You may ask what makes that different from the ugly one.  It is the font.  On the ugly one the font is weird and unappealing.  This one is simple.  It has a black outline for the letters.  I also like the black face mask.


BYU

The worst helmet for BYU would have to be during the 1999-2004 seasons.  It went with the ugly uniforms.  I never liked them.  It seemed like BYU was trying to give itself a new image when the simple white helmet with a blue "Y" on the side was the BYU image for almost 30 years.



The best BYU helmet was about 1962.  This was used before BYU had the blue "Y" helmets.  Its really cool.  The upper half is blue and the lower half is white.  I haven't seen a helmet like this before.  Unfortunately, it didn't last very long.

AIR FORCE

This one is a bit different.  Air Force has been using the same helmet design since right around 1960s.  It is white with a blue lightning bolt.  Now that is what I call picking an identity and sticking with it.  Way to go Air Force!  For the past 48 years, they have only changed minor things like adding or taking away a stripe and changing the color of the face mask.


COLORADO STATE

Colorado State definitely had some bad helmets.  The worst one was worn from 1973-1981.  It is bright yellow with green ram's horns.  Yikes!  It's just....I don't know.  I can't find the words to describe its ugliness. I will just have to show you.



The best Colorado State helmet was during the 1993 and 1994 season.  It is a slight variation of the one they have been using since 1995.  The only difference is this one has a white face mask.  It looks a lot better and the players don't look like they are eating grass.  I guess that isn't necessarily a bad thing since they are the Rams.

UNLV

UNLV by far has had the most helmets for a team in the last 40 years (they beat New Mexico by 3).  The worst one was worn in 1981.  It was the last red helmet worn by the school.  There are letters written in a cursive type writing saying "UNLV" on the side of the helmet.  What football player would want to wear something with girly cursive writing on his helmet? But I guess it didn't affect them that bad because they won half their games.

The best helmet was from 1987 to about 1989.  It is silver with a big red "N" and in small white letters "Las Vegas" over the "N."  I really like it.  It has a red face mask and a red and white stripe down the middle of the helmet.  Out of all the helmets, red and silver, from the past 40 years, this one appealed to me the most.  It is unique.

NEW MEXICO

The worst helmet is the current one that has been used since 2004. I can't see the mascot.  It is too detailed.  The red outline does nothing for it.  Helmets need to be simple.  Why try to do too much with it.  It needs to be seen clearly from the stands.  The picture of a lobo cannot be seen clearly from the stands.



The best helmet is from 1972-1973.  It is red with a white circle and red "NM" in the white circle.  Now this was a simple helmet.  You can easily see the "NM" on the side.  This one is not very detailed at all.  The font of the "NM" is an easy to read font.  Overall, its just a cool helmet.

WYOMING

The worst helmet is from 1965-present.  How could a school have an ugly helmet for so long?  Why doesn't someone tell them?  I think it is because people don't want to stay around long enough.  The helmets pretty much are the same, only with a few color changes.  You do have to give them credit for sticking with the Cowboy image on their helmet.  I guess they want people to know they are the Cowboys.  The color combinations of yellow and brown are not very appealing (sorry Davis High people...); however for Wyoming it perfectly describes Wyoming.

The best helmet is the 1962-1964 plain white with a brown "W" on the side.  Why did they go away from this one?  It looks really nice and classic.  You really can't get anymore simpler than this.  They are trying to do too much with the current helmet.  Maybe if they go back to a simpler time and a simpler helmet they might play better?

SAN DIEGO STATE

The worst helmet is from 1974-1977.  It is just a plain red helmet with a black face mask.  How boring is that?  What if you were playing another team with your same color and their helmets were the same?  You wouldn't be able to tell the players apart except for the jersey.  And watching it on TV would look like a bunch of red blurs running up and down a green rectangle thing with white lines on it.  Oh, wait...that is how it used to look on the mtn. up until Saturday.

The best helmet is from 2002-2003.  The Aztec logo is really cool.  Much better than writing Aztecs on the side of the helmet.  Around the edge there is (according to the site) black airbrushing.  It looks fierce and warrior like.  I would be intimidated if I was on a team which was facing San Diego State.  The helmet for 2004-2005 looked just like this one, except the logo was outlined in white.

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Mark's Thoughts: The Economics of College Football

Why was the Oregon State win over USC so satisfying?

I was thinking about the USC vs Oregon State game for the hundredth time this morning, and smiled again thinking about it. I have never hated USC at any point; in fact, I think Pete Carroll is a very classy coach and Steve Sarkisian (former starting QB for the 1996 BYU Cotton Bowl team) is one of my favorite players ever. Yet, there was something about the game on Thursday night that was very satisfying to watch.

One element that made this game satisfying to watch is the current economic crisis that we face in America. Law makers are making the news circuit rounds telling citizens about a $700 billion bailout program for the banking system and Wall Street. Just hearing the number 700 billion is meaningless. Virtually no American can even comprehend that amount of money. Sure cable news stations will keep telling us how many things you could buy for that amount of money. (My favorite is the fact that for that amount of money every man woman and child in the US could have 2,000 McDonald's Apple Pies. I really want to meet the person that came up with that number, because they must love McDonald's.) Even with that money taken away from us (The American tax-payer) and given to corporations to buy their bad debt, there is no guarantee that it will fix the United States economy.

(Not to get too political, but...)
I view the current crisis as if we were out at sea on a coal driven steam ship during a hurricane, and the ship just ran out of coal. There needs to be a decision made on the ship for how we want to ride out the storm: do we start breaking down pieces of the ship to fuel the fire or do we let the engines stop and hope that everything takes care of itself. Either way, there is no guarantee that the ship will survive the storm, and either way it will take damage. Also, the facts remain that the Captain should have avoided putting us in the storm, brought more coal to power the ship, or better yet provided a more modern ship, than a coal-driven ship, for us. Yet, in the middle of the storm those facts don't matter. The simple choice remains destroy part of the ship to save the whole ship or keep the ship whole and let the storm play out. I would prefer to start breaking down the ship to feed the engine and give myself a fighting chance to survive the storm. It might not work, but I trust my own hands that I can see, rather than the "invisible hands" of nature. I believe that work will be rewarded, and that there are calmer seas on the ocean to be reached.

Even with the hope of the better days to come, the anger of the present situation remains. Why do these companies, who already have the most resources, need to get all the advantages in the current economic system?

USC is that elite corporation. USC is the AIG of college football. They are four deep at every position with high school stand-outs. They have future first round draft picks everywhere on their roster. They have two or three Heisman Trophy candidates every year. They are in a conference that fiscally rewards them regardless of whether they play well or if they don't. They are the national media darlings, before the game ESPN analysts were saying USC might be the best college football team ever. They gave Oregon State no chance to win the game, and were looking ahead to JANUARY and speculating about who USC would play in the National Championship Game. (ESPN's Herbstreit kills me when he won't speculate on "BCS Busters" until they have 8 or 9 wins (although he wasn't afraid to speculate about Fresno State or East Carolina "His BCS Busters") but Herbstreit is more than willing to speculate about the National Championship game in September...hypocrite!) With all of the advantages that USC has in college football today it was good to see them go down to Oregon State.

It was great to see Jacquizz Rodgers, the 5' 7" Oregon State running back, pile up 186 yards on the ground against the supposed best defense in the country. Oregon State coach Mike Riley said, "I guess they have about five first-round picks in their front seven, but our guys blocked them OK tonight."

To witness the Oregon State's defense shutout the Trojans in the first half and only giving up 10 yards to USC's talent running back Joe McKnight was really amazing.

Seeing a sea of orange storm the field and seeing the Trojans in their white uniforms to flee the field was extremely satisfying. Seeing this scene was especially satisfying due to the "Main Street" class that Oregon State fans had when interacting with the USC players. While I can't speak for every fan, the fans that passed USC quarterback Mark Sanchez on his way off the field stopped to share their thought with him. Instead of taunting Sanchez fans would pat his shoulder pads/his back and say things like, "good game," or "keep your head up." Whether these comments were sarcastic or not, it still shows the "Main Street" values and class of those fans.

Mark Sanchez's reaction going up the tunnel after the loss was the best example of the elite mentality at USC. In disgust over the outcome of the game he threw his mouth guard against the wall. That level of frustration is very understandable considering what had just happened to the Trojans on the field. Yet, the more interesting thing was the fact that Sanchez didn't even give a look back to see where his mouth guard landed. Instead an equipment manager raced around on the ground grabbing and caring for mouth guard, which must have been as fun for that equipment manager to pick up as someone's used gum. Sanchez didn't think about the consequences of his action, because he knew that it would be taken care of for him. That is what happens when you play at USC.

The fall of USC shows just how close the non-BCS schools are to the "Mighty Elite BCS" schools. Just as the current economic crisis shows how close the average American is to the elite businesses in the US. The national media will continue to prop up their flawed BCS system. The claims will still be made that the "Elite BCS Programs" would destroy any team that the non-BCS teams could offer; however, another lesson the current economic crisis has taught is just because something looks good on paper doesn't mean it means anything in reality. There is a reason games are decided on the field by players, and not by analysts in studios.

The USC's of the college football will get second chances. If USC puts this game behind them and wins the rest of their games they still have a chance to play in a BCS bowl game or even the National Championship Game. The national media will complement how they overcame adversity or giving excuses for the loss calling it a "fluke." Yet, the non-BCS schools don't get a governmental type hand out from the national media if things go wrong. In the current college football structure if a non-BCS school drops a game regardless of circumstances the best they can do is play in a lower bowl game, and most likely drop out of the polls completely.

That is why I smile thinking about the Beaver's victory on Thursday, because they rose up by themselves and proved everyone wrong. Just as Utah did in 2004, Boise State did against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, and Appalachian State did at the Big House last year; Oregon State proved they could stand up and do the unthinkable. Sure Oregon State is in the PAC-10, and they are part of the establishment that is building up the paper giants like USC; however, Oregon State is much closer to the non-BCS teams than they are to the BCS elite. In this time of crisis it is nice to smile and say, "GO BEAVERS!!!"

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Week 5 Mountain West Football Predictions

TCU has a chance to make a statement this weekend, and establish themselves as the best non-BCS team...

The Mountain West Conference could make a huge statement this weekend if TCU could find a way to beat Oklahoma, and if Colorado State could get a win at California. The chances of that happening don't look good. With BYU having a bye week, and Utah playing Weber State at home this might be the week that the Mountain West takes a step back. This will be due to teams outside of the state of Utah, from the Mountain West Conference, playing tough competition and in-state rivals. Although, a good showing this weekend from the Mountain West teams would cement their place as a top conference in college football this season. Here are the prediction standing from last week/to this point/head-to-head in the season:

Mark [Last Week 8-3(.727) 29-16(.644) Head-to-Head 1-1-2]
Scott[Last Week 8-3(.727) 29-16(.644) Head-to-Head 1-1-2]

After talking, Scott and I decided to come up with a tie-breaker instead of allowing ourselves to tie in the head-to-head competition some weeks. We will declare a game of the week, and the score from that game will be the tie-breaker that week. Here are the predictions for week five:

Bowling Green @ Wyoming 2PM MT The Mtn

Bowling Green is better than their 1-2 record.  After beating Pittsburgh on the road, they gave the ball up five times dropping a game to a good Minnesota team.  Then they had to go on the road and play Boise State and lost.  Boise is a tough place to play; however, Bowling Green was able to move the ball against the Broncos.  Neither Wyoming or Bowling Green has proven that they can hold onto the football, but Bowling Green has proven to be more successful.

Bowling Green 21 Wyoming 13

I pass on this one…ok, I guess I get paid to write something so here we go…Wyoming is not very good…lucky for them neither is Bowling Green. Wyoming actually moved the ball ok against BYU, if they could just hang onto it. I would imagine that Wyoming will try to run the ball more. Their backs have looked pretty good. Their defense has looked decent as well.

Wyoming 17 Bowling Green 16

Colorado State @ California 4:15 PM MT

Colorado State has taken a step forward beating Houston at home; however, Colorado State is going to have a lot of trouble against Cal this weekend.

Cal 38 Colorado State 10

Does another MWC team use a Pac 10 team as their personal punching bag again this week? I don’t think so. Sure the Pack 10 is down, and sure Cal lost to Maryland, who lost to Middle Tennessee State (by 10!!!), but I think Cal wins this game. CSU had a great win last week against Houston. They are young, but they are improving each week. Steve Fairchild has this team going in the right direction; they just need a little more time in order to compete on the road.

California 35 Colorado State 17

#24 TCU @ #2 Oklahoma 5PM MT

TCU's defense is really really good.  TCU has only given up 200 total yards once against SMU, and only allow a team one offense score a game.  Yet, they haven't taken on an offense like Oklahoma.  The Sooners lowest scoring game this season was 52 points.  They have also had a bye week to prepare for the Horned Frogs.  They also remember that the last time that TCU was playing at OU they won 17-10. If this game was play in Fort Worth I think the Horned Frogs would win, but the Sooners at home is hard to pick against.

Oklahoma 21 TCU 10

Do you think Oklahoma has forgotten about being embarrassed 3 years ago at home by TCU…well, probably. Not sure that is going to be real motivation for either team, except that TCU knows it can go into Norman and come away with a victory. Oklahoma has looked deadly this year. This is the first real test that TCU will face this year, and will tell a lot about how good they really are. One thing we know is that TCU’s defense is solid. I’m not sure they can stop Oklahoma’s high-powered offense.

Oklahoma 27 TCU 13

Weber State @ Utah 6PM MT

It will be close...maybe for the first minute of the game.

Utah 42 Weber State 3

I smell another blowout, although I do like Weber State’s running back.

Utah 52 Weber State 10

Idaho @ San Diego State 6PM MT

Wow, talk about the great pillow fight!  This could the first game were there are more players on the field than fans in the stadium watching them.  In fact, Scott and I might be the only people in the world thinking about this game this Saturday.  The coaches and players for each team don't start caring until halftime.  Idaho is no Cal Poly, the Aztecs get the first win of the year.

San Diego State 17 Idaho 14

This is almost too painful to think about. Chuck Long better win this game or else he might not be coaching much longer at SDSU. Makes you wonder what would have happened with this team if they could have held on and beat Notre Dame…actually, no, not really.

San Diego State 24 Idaho 13

New Mexico @ New Mexico State 6PM MT ESPN360

New starting QB for the Lobos might be a blessing in disguise.  Porterie hasn't been able to lead the Lobos to where they want to be this season.  The injury will force the Lobos to play control football on the ground, and rely more on their defense.  Look for New Mexico to handle the Aggies of New Mexico State.

New Mexico 21 New Mexico State 10

New Mexico lost their starting QB for the year, which means that they will rely heavily on Rodney Ferguson to carry the load. Last year New Mexico State’s QB threw for almost 500 yards. If he can get close to those numbers again this year, New Mexico State comes away with the W. I’m not sure if Gruner can make enough plays for New Mexico to win.

New Mexico State 31 New Mexico 28

Nevada @ UNLV 6PM MT The Mtn

UNLV has a soild core of young players.  The passing duo of Clayton and Wolfe complement Summers.  The Rebels defense has proven they are good enough to provide enough stops to get a win.  Nevada has faced tough competition  the past two weeks, and will have a tough time getting a win at UNLV.

UNLV 28 Nevada 24

I’m sorry, but I am still not sold on UNLV. They have definitely exceeded expectations this year, but I think their luck runs out on Saturday. Once again it is going to come down to the last minute of the game. Nevada has a decent run defense and if they can stop Summers from running over them and force Omar Clayton into beating them, I think they win.

Nevada 24 UNLV 21

#25 Fresno State @ UCLA 1:30 PM MT ABC

Was UCLA's win over Tennessee a fluke?  Were the Bruins still shell shocked after suffering a beat down in Provo when they lost to Arizona?  This game will go a long way to show just how good the PAC-10 is this season.  Fresno State hasn't been impressive this season. Losing a winnable game to an overrated Wisconsin team, and needing overtime to beat Toledo.  Yet, the strength of the Bulldogs is on the defensive side of the ball.  That will cause problems for UCLA.

Fresno State 13 UCLA 10

What happened to UCLA?! Neuheisel and Chow were supposed to come in and awake a sleeping giant. I guess this is what happens when you are on your third string QB. I don’t care who you are, if you are playing your third string QB and your two best running backs are injured you are going to struggle. The most shocking thing about UCLA is how poor their defense has looked. Fresno State looks to be a decent football team, almost beating Wisconsin but then almost blowing it against Toledo (55-54 in OT). Not sure which Fresno team is going to show up. I know I am going to regret this pick, but I think UCLA plays more like they did against Tennessee and they come away with the victory.

UCLA 21 Fresno St 17

#22 Illinois @ #12 Penn St. 6PM MT ABC

This is the first real test for Penn State. Illinois runs a very athletic spread offense that will cause problems for Penn State's defense. Illinois also has experience playing tough games on the road this season with a visit to Missouri under their belts. Illinois plays for redemption this weekend.

Illinois 35 Penn State 24

You just don’t come into Beaver Stadium at night and leave with a victory. This is Penn State’s first test this year after breezing through their first 4 games. Illinois’ offense has looked solid, and Juice Williams is showing that he is more of a QB than most people expected. The problem for Illinois lies on the defensive side of the ball, where they are struggling to gain their identity. Penn State controls the game on the ground and comes away with the victory. *side note…if you want to see one of the best football crowds in the nation, look no further than Penn State…it is an awesome sight to see.

Penn State 27 Illinois 20

GAME OF THE WEEK
#8 Alabama @ #3 Georgia 5:45 PM MT ESPN

It is tough to win on the road in the SEC. Alabama has really turned around the program, and is ready to take the next step to regain their elite status in college football. What they need to prove is their ability to win on the road. It isn't going to happen this week for Alabama.

Georgia 17 Alabama 10

Has Nick Saban already turned the Crimson Tide around? I’m not sold on the idea yet. Georgia has arguably the best team in the country and can beat you on the ground and through the air. John Parker Wilson must have a career day if Alabama is going to beat Georgia.

Georgia 35 Alabama 21

#9 Wisconsin @ Michigan 1:30 PM MT ABC

Michigan is coming off a bye week, and a very disappointing loss to Notre Dame. That bye week gave Michigan a chance to correct their problem with holding onto the football. They moved the ball well in every game this season, but have committed too many drive killing mistakes. They get an over rated Wisconsin team at home, and a chance to be the team to expose them. Big win for the Wolverines.

Michigan 28 Wisconsin 10

Whenever you play Wisconsin, you are always in the game. Wisconsin loves to play “Big 10 football” (power running game and tough defense). As a result they don’t score a lot of points. Michigan finally has a starting QB and if they can hold on to the football, have the potential for a big play or two. Wisconsin hasn’t beaten Michigan in Ann Arbor since 1994. Rodriguez finds a way to win.

Michigan 24 Wisconsin 17

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Week 5 Mountain West Conference Power Rankings

Mountain West Conference is very good this year...

The Mountain West Conference is arguably the third best conference in college football this season. The SEC and the Big 12 both look very strong, but the PAC-10, Big East, Big 10, and ACC have been exposed this season. The Mountain West Conference has continued to flex its muscle against BCS conference teams, and have three teams that look to deserve a BCS bowl birth. Here are the power rankings for week 5:

1a)BYU - 103-0. The scary thing is the margin of victory in the last two games could have been much higher. BYU might be under ranked at #11. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Cougars in the polls during their bye week.

1b)Utah - Close win over a better than expected Air Force team. Defense only allows Air Force to gain 53 yards on the ground, but the offense gives Air Force great field position to start drives. If Utah can ever stop their half good/half bad football they will be a great team.

1c)TCU - The Horned Frogs could really make a statement this weekend against Oklahoma. A win for TCU would put them in the top spot in the conference, and for the non-BCS teams trying to get a BCS birth.

4a)Air Force - Air Force were a few defensive stops away from beating the Utes. The Cadets didn't put up great numbers, but they took advantage of the opportunities that Utah gave them. The Falcons could trip up one of the top teams, and will be looking to bring back the Commander and Chief Trophy to the academy this year.

4b)UNLV - The Rebels demonstrate that they will be competing for the fourth spot in the conference, and they have the talent to play with any team in the conference. This Rebel team is young, and look for their confidence to increase as the season progresses.

6)Colorado State - Big win by the Rams over Houston. 2-1 is a great start for Colorado State this season, but they enter a tough stretch of schedule(@CAL, UNLV, TCU, @Utah). It is a lot to ask, but a win at California would be great for the conference.

7)New Mexico - The Lobos lost their starting quarterback for the season. Lucky for the Lobos they are facing the New Mexico State Aggies this weekend, and it should be a good week to break in a new quarterback. The pressure will be on New Mexico, they need a win this weekend to try and salvage the season, and they need to continue their dominance against the NMSU Aggies.

8)Wyoming - It doesn't look good for Joe Glenn and the cowboys. Glenn stating after the game that he has no idea who will play quarterback for Wyoming for the rest of the season. Wyoming returns home to try and squeak out a victory over Bowling Green this weekend.

9)San Diego State - The Aztecs have a chance not only to cement their position at the bottom of the conference but gain a strangle hold on the #119 spot in all of college football if they lose at home against Idaho.

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Week 4 Mountain West Conference Football Predictions

Predictions for the Mountain West Conference following a historic weekend for the Conference...

It was a huge week for the Mountain West Conference last weekend. The Mountain West swept the games they had against the PAC-10. Including BYU crushing UCLA at home. I also came out on top over Scott in the prediction last week:

Mark[Last Week 7-5(.583) 21-13(.617) Head-to-Head 1-1-1]
Scott[Last Week 6-6(.500) 21-13(.617) Head-to-Head 1-1-1]

BYU starts conference play this weekend, Utah has a big conference road against Air Force, and Utah State has a crucial game against the Idaho Vandals. Plus, the rest of the conference tries to continue the success of the last week in more non-conference games. Here are this weeks predictions:

Wyoming @ #14 BYU 1PM MT The Mtn.

After having a chance to re-watch BYU's blowout victory against UCLA...WOW!!! The offense was just picking apart the Bruin's defense. The Wyoming defense has had trouble stopping Ohio, Air Force, and North Dakota State. This game is going to be ugly for the pokes.

BYU 52 Wyoming 3

BYU=Very good Wyoming=Very bad.

BYU 42 Wyoming 10

Houston @ Colorado State 1:30PM MT

Houston can really rack up the yardage! The Cougars are averaging 405 yards through the air a game. The problem is Houston's defense is awful. The Cougars couldn't stop the Falcons running game giving up 380 yards on the ground, and they also gave up 699 yards of total offence to Oklahoma State. Colorado State is rebuilding this season, but home field will be the difference in this game.

Colorado State 28 Houston 24

Houston put up 500+ yards offense last week against a better than expected Air Force team. CSU is still going through some growing pains. If CSU can control the game on the ground and keep the ball away from Houston’s offense, then the game may be closer than most people expect.

Houston 31 Colorado State 20

#20 Utah @ Air Force 2PM MT

This is the week that Air Force will be exposed. Utah is the better team, and the defense will be able to take away the running attack of the Falcons. Air Force gave up yardage against Houston, something they won't be able to afford against the Utes.

Utah 42 Air Force 13

Air Force always plays Utah tough and knows how to keep the ball away from a high-powered offense by running the ball. Air Force has a chance to pull the upset if they pressure Johnson and force turnovers. Last week they failed to complete a pass. If that happens again this week, look for a blowout in Utah’s favor. Utah has looked very good in their three games, and at times, their offense has looked unstoppable. Air Force’s D won’t stop the Utes, so it comes down to whether or not Utah’s D can stop Air Force’s rushing attack.

Utah 35 Air Force 31

New Mexico @ Tulsa 5:05PM MT

This is the first real challenge for Tulsa. Having started the season playing UAB, and North Texas. The Lobos are riding the momentum of beating Arizona. Tulsa's quarterback David Johnson has been great. Johnson had 7 total touchdowns against North Texas. Donovan Porterie, New Mexico's starting quarterback, has yet to throw a touchdown in three games. Turnovers has been the key for the Lobos. The Lobos had three turnovers in their game against TCU, and four against Texas A&M. In their only win the Lobos only had one turnover, and took the ball away from Arizona five times. If a team can't handle the ball at home, then they normally have issues with turnovers on the road.

Tulsa 38 New Mexico 28

Major props to the Lobos for not rolling over and playing dead for the third week in a row. New Mexico’s D was up to the challenge last week against a “*good” offense. *(Haven’t we been hearing that for a few years now from Arizona???). They face another very good offense this week. Tulsa is averaging about 50 points per game this year (UAB and North Texas). How much of last weeks victory will carry over into this game? I expect New Mexico to put up a fight.

Tulsa 28 New Mexico 24

TCU @ SMU 6PM MT CBSC

Texas Tech isn't known for their defense, and SMU only score seven points against Texas Tech's defense. TCU's defense are going to be going for the shut out. Big win for the Horned Frogs.

TCU 35 SMU 0

TCU’s top ranked defense goes up against June Jone’s vaunted spread attack. Ok, so SMU isn’t Hawaii (2007) and this game really shouldn’t be close. TCU’s defense is near the top in every category and their offense has looked impressive so far. The real storyline of the game is whether or not TCU will look past SMU to next week’s showdown with #2 Oklahoma.

TCU 27 SMU 14

Iowa State @ UNLV 7PM MT

Anyone who saw the end of the Arizona State vs UNLV game knows that it took a miracle catch in the end zone to force overtime, and a pass in overtime that hit multiple Arizona State defenders in the hands before somehow finding the hands of a UNLV receiver. UNLV rose up and knocked off a team that was looking forward to a game against a top ranked Georgia team this weekend. It is hard to judge just how good the Rebels are this season. Yet, Iowa State has two wins over poor competition, and only scored five points against Iowa. UNLV has never been able to carry any momentum in the past from victories. This is the change year in Vegas.

UNLV 24 Iowa State 14

First, my apologies to UNLV. That was an impressive win on the road against the #2 Pac 10 team. Apparently they aren’t who we though they were…or are they? Last year UNLV showed great promise when they beat Utah, but then failed to build on that victory. Will UNLV follow that same path this year? Iowa State comes in only scoring 5 points against an ok Iowa team. Just like a few years ago, I see Mike Sanford refusing to leave the field again after ISU scores late to win the game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCpcAum2BSM) and then promptly trips over the grass.

Iowa State 17 UNLV 13

#6 LSU @ #10 Auburn 5:45 PM MT ESPN

LSU has played nobody. Appalachian State is only a challenge if your Michigan. North Texas also didn't prove to be much of a challenge. This is the first real game LSU is playing this season. Auburn hung on against Mississippi State on the road to win 3-2(yes that was really the score). Mississippi State had chances to win that game, and Auburn had troubles moving the ball. It is hard to win on the road in the SEC, and while Auburn's win wasn't pretty it gave them experience that will lead to the win over the Tigers

Auburn 17 LSU 10

Auburn and LSU always have great defenses. How will both young QBs handle the pressure of their first big-time SEC game? Not very many people can roll into Auburn and come away with a victory. I just think that LSU has a more complete team. Auburn’s D can only keep them in the game for so long against the defending national champs.

LSU 24 Auburn 17

#3 Georgia @ Arizona State 6PM MT ABC

Arizona State was overrated going into the season. They were exposed at home against UNLV. The players are embarrassed, and they have the #3 Georgia Bulldogs coming to town. Yet, nobody is talking about how Georgia barely hung on to beat South Carolina on the road last week. The Bulldogs look comfortable and Arizona State is looking for redemption. Look for the Sun Devils to find redemption this weekend.

Arizona State 28 Georgia 14

How does ASU bounce back after losing last week to UNLV at home? ASU has had this game circled on the calendar for a long time now, and they have something to prove. The only problem is that so does Georgia. Georgia has fallen in the rankings and would love to make a statement on a nationally televised night game, just like USC did last week.

Georgia 31 Arizona State 17

Notre Dame @ Michigan State 1:30 PM MT ABC

Michigan State isn't going to turn over the ball six times like Michigan did last weekend. Sorry Charlie your ACL won't be the only thing hurting after this weekend, your butt is going to also be sore.

Michigan State 49 Notre Dame 7

Michigan State’s recent dominance against ND coupled with ND’s football incompetence means a long day for the Irish. Sure, the Irish are 2-0, but the film doesn’t lie…they are slightly improved over last year’s 3-9 debacle. Clawson is improving and they do have a very good deep threat in Tate, but they are still too young to go on the road and win against a quality team. Michigan State’s Ringer rushed for nearly 300 yards last week and looks to carry the load again this week.

Michigan State 31 Notre Dame 13

#18 Wake Forrest @ #24 Florida State 5PM MT ESPN2

It is hard to go to Florida State and get a win. Wake Forest doesn't have the team to get it done.

Florida State 28 Wake Forest 14

Does Florida State finally have an offense to go with their D? Wake Forrest is a solid football team. They don’t do anything great, yet they find a way to win football games. FSU has looked good against lesser opponents (go figure) and this game will be very telling for both teams.

Florida State 24 Wake Forest 21

Idaho @ Utah State 2PM MT ESPN360

This is the game in the season that Utah State must win. While the Aggies have looked bad the last two weeks they have been playing tough opponents. Utah State says Borel will be the starter this weekend. That is a move in the right direction to turn the season around. Utah State wins at home.

Utah State 28 Idaho 17

UNLV looked to be a winnable game for USU, but they were on the road. USU finally gets a game at home that they should win. There aren’t very many games on USU’s schedule that they will be favored to win (the line is 4.5) and they need to take care of business. If the win this game and get some confidence they have a chance at putting together a pretty good season (winning as many games this year as they have in the past three years combined). Their best football is in front of them. Their conference season begins on Saturday and that is what is most important.

Utah State 20 Idaho 17

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