Need to Stop the Spread? Ask Gary Patterson

The New York Times has a great article this morning on how to defend against the Spread Offense. TCU's Gary Patterson has been as successful as any defensive coach in the nation at stopping this new trend in college football. Patterson uses a great analogy to describe his philisophical basis for stopping the Spread.

It's kind of like people cooking chili," Patterson said. "Everybody's got their own recipe. Everybody loves chili, but some like it hot, some like it meaty, some like it with more tomato sauce. There's a hundred thousand million ways to cook chili. You've just got to figure what their recipe is and what you are going to do to play against it.

At Air Force It's Athleticism That Counts

The Colorado Springs Gazette takes a look at Air Force coach Troy Calhoun's desire to put as much athleticism on the field as he can. Many on the Air Force roster played QB in high school and Coach Calhoun is trying to use their skills to the Falcons benefit. The Upset continues to be impressed with Troy Calhoun's out of the box thinking during his three year tenure at the Academy.

How would Utah/Boise State fare in the SEC?

With the successes of Utah and Boise State in crashing the BCS over the past few years there has always been this rebuttal Major Conferences levy against these non-AQ sqauds: They couldnt handle our schedule. So what would happen if Utah or Boise State were somehow inserted into the SEC for a season? How would they fare? The folks at Football Outsiders, using complex statistics have done precisely that. The story is posted on the ESPN insider and requires paid access. Here is a snippet:

How would these stand-out Utah and Boise State teams have done in the power conferences? We ran a set of retroactive projections for each team against the regular-season schedule played by the champion of each BCS conference to find out: How would they do? How would these 3 top non-BCS teams have fared in the major conferences? Parentheses indicate rank within division in that year.

Team ACC Big 12 Big East Big Ten Pac-10 SEC
2004 Utah 6-2 (T2) 7-1 (T2) 5-1 (1) 6-2 (T3) 6-2 (3) 7-1 (T2)

2006 Boise St 6-2 (T2) 6-2 (T2) 5-2 (T2) 7-1(T2) 7-2 (T1) 5-3 (T5)

2008 Utah 5-3 (T1) 6-2 (T2) 5-2(T2) 6-2 (T3) 8-1 (T1) 6-2 (T2)

According to this measure, each of the three non-BCS undefeated teams would have had the opportunity to win outright or share at least one league title in a BCS conference if it were given the opportunity to do so. The data also confirms the relative difficulty of BCS conference gauntlets versus those in the other leagues. While the 2004 and 2008 Utes and 2006 Broncos ran unscathed through their respective conference and nonconference schedules, none would have been likely to do so in any of the BCS conferences.

ESPN Previews MWC and WAC

ESPN has put together a great preview of the upcoming MWC and WAC campaigns. Stories dedicated to Dennis Pitta, Stevenson Sylvester, and Boise State's WAC dominance are front and center. The Upset would point our readers to the Ivan Maisel and Graham Watson video on this years BCS buster.

Oregon-Boise State Has BCS Implications

Roy Ratto, one The Upset's favorite columnist, penned a great piece on the non-AQ struggle for BCS respectability and more specifically on the Boise State/Oregon smurfturf showdown next week. What a wonderful opportunity for Boise State to prove they belong in the BCS discussion at years end no matter what the MWC champion does. Boise State was shut out of BCS consideration last season despite winning at Oregon, a much better sqaud than the lousy Michigan team Utah defeated.

SDSU's Hoke Looks to Change Program

The San Diego State football program never lives up to its potential. Beautiful weather, perfect recruiting locale and an NFL pedigree have not transitioned into success on the field. The Aztecs should consistently be in the top tier of the MWC conference year in and year out. Sadly, SDSU has not been to a bowl since since 1998 and havent won a Conference title in 23 years. The enigma of the SDSU football program has been turned over to former Ball State head man Brady Hoke. The Upset believes that the right coach and system could resurrect Montezuma Mesa and create a MWC power on the West Coast. Pat Hill is a great example of turning a middling non-AQ school into a legitimate football program. And with the athletes living in Southern California, the sky is the limit.

Columnists Pile on THE MTN

The Mountain West Sports Network has been a controversial entity since its inception a few years ago. Two seperate opinion pieces call into question the decision by the Mountain West to spurn ESPN for what they thought were the greener pastures of an exclusive TV deal.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/aug/27/mountain-wests-tv-strategy-remote-control-hide-and/

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705325141/MWC-a-low-priority-for-CBS-C.html

The Upset comes to the table with mixed feelings on the subject. The MTN has been improving over the past few years in terms of programming, on-air talent, and availability to the public. The MTN, however, still does not carry all of their major sporting events (football and basketball) in HD. While surfing through the channels on a Saturday evening the difference between an ESPNHD or CBSHD broadcast and a SD broadcast on the MTN relegates the latter to 'caveman' territory. The overall credibility of the product on the field is diminished by the pixels on the screen. To be honest, The Upset would rather watch a middling Sun Belt game in HD than Wyoming v. New Mexico in standard definition. The MTN needs to bring its network into the 21st Century.

Nevada to showcase three 1000-yard rushers in 2009

Follow title-link to see ESPN's Graham Watson's piece on how the Wolfpack backfield will be a beast to contain. Colin Kaepernick, Vai Taua, and Luke Lippincott return. With only three, they can't be the return of the Four Horseman, but The Upset is taking suggestions on a nickname for the Nevada three-some.

Max Hall - "I've gotten last year out of my head"

Click on title-link to see ESPN's Graham Watson find out how his wife and golf helped Max Hall clear his head and be ready for 2009.

Mtn West extends contract with Vegas Bowl through 2013

The Mountain West and Pac-10 conferences have both renewed their contract with the now Maaco Las Vegas Bowl through 2013. The contract will continue to give the Vegas Bowl the 1st pick of bowl-eligible MWC teams and the 5th pick of bowl-eligible Pac-10 teams.

In want of a better deal for their conference champion, The Upset views this as a poor decision by the Mountain West conference. As The Upset discussed earlier here http://the-upset.blogspot.com/2009/08/pending-2010-bowl-shuffle-could-bring.html, possibilities were opening up for the MWC to get its champion into a more premier matchup. This, however, seems to have the MWC locked into a lose-lose situation, having to play a middle-of-the-road Pac-10 team every year. When the MWC champ wins by a lot, talking heads will say "well, Oregon just didn't want to be there." When the MWC champ wins a close game, it will be said "so the MWC champ would be about the 4th best team in the Pac-10." And when the MWC champ loses in the Vegas Bowl, it will be said, "see? SEE? The MWC just isn't as good as the Pac-10."

This means that the MWC champ will play the #5 Pac-10 team, and the WAC champ plays the #5 MWC team. This is very underwhelming in the case for national respect.

The Upset supposes that the only way to garner respect now is to put a team into a BCS bowl every year. Otherwise, the non-AQ teams in the West will always be the little brother to the Pac-10.

AP pre-season poll also tabs 4 non-AQ schools

Like the USA Today Coaches Poll, The Associated Press pre-season poll has also ranked four non-AQ schools in the top 25: #14 Boise State, #17 TCU, #19 Utah, and #20 BYU. Again, notably absent from the rankings was any team from the Big East.

Pre-season polls are a malady that adds to the BCS problems college football faces. A more proper way of ranking teams according to performance this season would be to not release rankings until after week 6 or so. However, while pre-season polls cause problems, The Upset views the pre-season ranking of these four schools as a sign that the powers-that-be are viewing mid-major programs in the West with respect. For example, Utah lost an experienced senior quarterback, and BYU lost 4/5ths of the starting offensive line, but these teams were still ranked in the pre-season. The non-AQ schools, especially in the Mt. West, have never been closer to having the clout to change the BCS system or earn an automatic BCS bid than they are now. If the college football landscape is to change, these four programs must step up and keep the momentum going; otherwise, 2008 will just be seen as a flash in the pan.

Utah DE Misi "Out Indefinitely"

Utah head coach Kyle Wittingham announced that DE Koa Misi is out indefinitely with a back injury. The loss compounds the recent departures of Paul Kruger and Sean Smith to the NFL Draft.

Is Kaepernick ready for Primetime?

Colin Kaepernick is one of the most exciting college athletes you have never heard of. The WAC's version of Vince Young was the WAC Freshman of the Year two years ago and followed that up with Player of the Year honors last season. Kaepernick threw for nearly 3,000 yards while rushing for over 1,000. Against in-state rival UNLV Kaepernick put on a show worthy of the Las Vegas Strip: 11 for 16 176 yds 2 TD's, 18 Carries 240 yds 3 TD's. Impressive.

The Upset is excited to see how this great young QB progresses within Chris Ault's offense in 2009. Nevada looks to be the only squad in the WAC with an opportunity to challenge Boise State for the conference title. The road will be difficult however with the Wolf Pack traveling to South Bend to take on the Irish in Week 1, Colorado State in week 2, and to the land of smurf for a date with Boise in the Season finale. Add to this list a home game with Big-12 power Missouri. We should know whether Nevada is ready to make the next step after their baptism by fire.

Will Boise State's WAC Rival Please Stand Up?

Boise State Head Coach Chris Peterson is 23-1 in WAC play since taking over for Dan "Division 1 Football" Hawkins in 2006. And all but four of those victories were by double digits. The WAC is in serious need of a second team to counter the Bronopoly.

TCU looks to end State of Utah MWC Supremacy

"The Mountain West Conference title has spent all but one of the last six years in the state of Utah. TCU's 2005 championship was the only once since 2003 not by Utah or Brigham Young."

The Upset has great respect for the TCU program. Five 10-win seasons in the past seven years speaks for itself. But the question remains: Can Gary Patterson put together a season where he beat both BYU and Utah? The Frogs havent managed that since 2005. And are a combined 3-5 against the Beehive State schools since their entry into the MWC.

Fox Sports Mountain West Preview

The Upset opines that the consensus of the national media seems to have shifted to a Pro-MWC stance. This is encouraging for the future of the conference and its desire for Automatic Qualifying status.

Utah QB Louks transferring to Nevada

Corbin Louks had taken reps at safety in the last few days of camp after being placed #3 on the QB depth chart. Louks has 2 years of eligibility remaining, as well as his redshirt. He will redshirt for the 2009 season. Nevada returns potent passer and rusher Colin Kaepernick at QB, who is only a junior this year. Given Kaepernick's status on the Davey O'Brien watch list, it is unlikely Louks will be able to vie for the starting QB job until 2011, his last year of eligibility.

Max Hall dislocates finger, says he's "okay"

***Update***

"On the first interception, Hall sailed a pass that landed in the hands of Bills. Hall dislocated his right ring finger on the preceding play, but after practice he was quick to note the injury will not prevent him from practicing." http://www.kjzz.com/fansports/shows/53492897.html

--original post--

BYU quarterback Max Hall told Salt Lake City radio host Patrick Kinahan of 1320 KFAN that he has a fractured finger on his throwing hand, but expects to be okay. More info to come as it becomes available ...

INTERVIEW: BYU LB Matt Bauman

Just 3 weeks shy of a matchup with #3 Oklahoma BYU LB Matt Bauman sat down with The Upset to discuss the upcoming season.

Q: What was the most difficult part of last season? How has that changed heading into 2009

BAUMAN: Losing. We dont like to lose. Our mentality is better this year. There is more fire and heart.

Q: There have been some defensive changes this season (Scott Johnson moving to Safety alongside Andrew Rich. JC Transfers Lee Aguirre and Corby Eason coming in at the Corner spot and Vic So'oto moving to defensive end). What are your expectations for these players and the defense as a whole?

BAUMAN: Expect to see some big hits from the safeties. They are going to play well. We're having a corner battle right now and seeing who is going to step up. So'oto is a beast and will do well on the D-Line when the technique comes.

Q: Who is a player on defense that you see being a revelation and making a name for himself?

BAUMAN: Robbie Buckner at Corner and Terrence Hooks at Linebacker.

Q: You face a tough challenge in your opener vs. Oklahoma. You will be going toe to toe with the defending Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. How much preparation and game planning is star driven? Or do you focus more on the team as a whole?

BAUMAN: I could care less that he won the Heisman. That means nothing to me. He puts his pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us. We will prepare well and hard because we love the game and want to win, not because of who we play.

Q: Take us through a normal Saturday as a BYU Football player.

BAUMAN: Wake up, Walk Throughs, Meetings, Get to the Stadium, Get Ready, Self Reflect, then Go Make Plays.

Q: What is a characteristic Bronco Mendenhall posseses that fans might not know about?

BAUMAN: Great with kids.

Q: You were a Freshman under Gary Crowton. Now having 3 seasons under Coach Mendenhall what is the biggest difference between the two?

BAUMAN: Coach Mendenhall does a great job of uniting team. Under Crowton I felt like the Offense and Defense were two different teams.

Q: Best player you played against?

BAUMAN: Reggie Bush

Q: Loudest Crowd you played in front of?

BAUMAN: Boise State

Q: What team talks the most trash?

BAUMAN: Utah. No Question.

Q: Most Disappointing Loss?

BAUMAN: Utah 2008

Q: Most Gratifying Win?

BAUMAN: Utah 2007

Q: Toughest player on the team?

BAUMAN: Terrence Brown

Q: Best athlete on the team?

BAUMAN: Jordan Pendleton

Q: Best friend on the team?

BAUMAN: Lots of them. We are a close group.

Q: Lowest handicap on the team?

BAUMAN: Max says he is. He shoots around a 5 handicap.

Q: Best Chance to go pro?

BAUMAN: Dennis Pitta

Q: When you look back on your playing days, what specific play/game comes to mind?

BAUMAN: The blocked FG against UCLA and Utah's 4th and 18.

Q: You are a walk on. Was there a moment when you finally said "I made it"?

BAUMAN: I'm still trying to make it. Everyday is a battle. I got a scholarship but I have to fight each day to feel like I deserve it.

Pending 2010 bowl shuffle could bring improvement or more frustration to MWC and WAC fans

Stewart Mandel, SI.com:

"A major reshuffling of several conferences' bowl arrangements beginning with the 2010 season could land the Big Ten a third New Year's Day bowl slot and result in new homes for the Pac-10 and Big East's No. 2 teams ...

"A major reshuffling of several conferences' bowl arrangements beginning with the 2010 season could land the Big Ten a third New Year's Day bowl slot and result in new homes for the Pac-10 and Big East's No. 2 teams.

"With the moves by the Alamo and Insight bowls, the San Diego game (Holiday Bowl) is now expected to match Pac-10 No. 3 vs. Big 12 No. 5, a significant downgrade from its previous standing."

The Upset sees opportunity a plenty for the Mountain West and WAC, but also sees how this major shuffle could leave fans still frustrated with their conference's bowl affiliations.

Many MWC and WAC fans have clamored to see their conference champion be tied in to a more intriguing, reputable, and lucrative bowl game. The opportunity seems to be arising, and The Upset would hope that both conference commissioners are alert. Some fans and media have discussed the possibility of even pairing the MWC and WAC champions in a bowl game if other bowls and conference commissioners will not respect the MWC and WAC enough to invite them to play in a bowl featuring someone better than a #4 or #5 from a BCS conference. Because of last year's unique circumstances of Utah going to the Sugar Bowl, and Boise State and TCU being ranked in the Top 11 (circumstances that we hope aren't so unique in years to come), we were able to see bowl tie-ins disregarded, and college football benefited greatly, as the Poinsettia Bowl was one of the best of the bowl season.

WAC fans should be the most concerned, as for the coming season, the WAC champion is set to face the #5 team from the MWC in the Humanitarian Bowl, which is a complete slap in the face to the WAC champion, but may very well reflect the conference's standing on the college football stage. To go from ACC #4/5 to MWC #5 is definitely a downgrade. If not for the exception made last year, Boise State would have faced Colorado State in the Humanitarian.

The Upset would like to see the powers from the 'mid-major' west return to be featured in the Holiday Bowl. A MWC and WAC champion matchup would be fantastic, but may not serve the interests of either league in proving they belong with the big boys.

Perhaps the MWC has the most clout here, and could convince the Holiday Bowl to take the MWC champion to play the Pac-10 #3 team. Such a matchup would have seen in 2006, for instance, a matchup of BYU vs. a 9-4 Oregon State, a team that had won 7 of its last 8 games heading into its bowl. Instead, BYU played a 7-5 Oregon team that entered the bowl game on a 3-game losing streak, and the Cougars humiliated Oregon in every facet of the game.

While this is purely speculation, this does show how such a bowl arrangement would clearly benefit either conference with a more premier matchup and a bigger payoff.

Utes Hand QB Reigns to True Freshman?

Nine months removed from their triumphant Sugar Bowl thumping of Alabama, the Utah Utes are in the midst of a QB race raising many eyebrows in the Rocky Mountain West. Gone is fifth-year Senior and multi-year starter Brian Johnson. Johnson led the Utes to victories in 21 of his last 22 starts. So who will replace the Utes winningest QB in school history? The candidates were thought to be returning letterman Corbin Louks and junior college transfer Terrence Cain. Louks had the experience of playing in 19 games in a Utes uniform over his three years in the program and Cain looked to be a Brian Johnson clone with many of the same skills. Enter Jordan Wynn. The true freshman from San Diego graduated high school early and enrolled at the U in time for spring ball. The coaches have been pleased with his ability to grasp the offense. Which begs the question: Is he ready for primetime?

The Upset opines that the two more experienced QB's should have distanced themselves from Mr. Wynn by fall camp. A no-nonsense coach like Kyle Wittingham would not lead the kid on if there was not a chance of him running with the 1's. Having a QB race between 3 candidates is no better than one with 2. Wynn must have an upside that coaches believe is ready for Saturdays. And that upside doesn't include holding a clipboard.

Kyle Wittingham announced today following the Utes scrimmage that the coaching staff will look at some additional film today and eliminate one of the QB's from the race. The Upset would be surprised if Jordan Wynn is not in the Top 2 and would be even more surprised if the Utah coaching staff has brought on a QB controversy for nothing. Something very notable, Wynn is the only QB that was recruited by Dave Schramm, Utah's new offensive coordinator. It is possible that Schramm would favor Wynn because he has no obligations to Cain and Louks, and Wynn gives him the opportunity to mold from the beginning the QB that will man his offense.

****UPDATE: Scott Garrard of 1320 KFAN in Salt Lake is reporting from Ute camp that it is Jordan Wynn #1 and Terrance Cain #2, and quotes Utah coach Kyle Whittingham as saying "It is Jordan's job to lose." --- The Upset, 8/14/09 - 11:54 a.m.

New Mexico unveils new uniforms for 2009

The Upset declares this a step in the right direction for the Lobos. The monochrome look they have sported since 2005, especially at home, has been boring and, well, to use lingo befitting an article about clothing, SO early 2000's. The new unis aren't necessarily fantastic, but the classic and simplified style looks good. The name of the school is now prominently displayed, also improved from the miniscule "Lobos" they were sporting before.

When A Team Evolves Into A Program

Being on the outside of the BCS looking in has many disadvantages. The difficulties range from a lack of monetary compensation to disproportionate access to nationally televised games. Another annoyance imbedded in the system is the double standard placed upon Non-AQ teams when it comes to having a down year or even a bad game. In years past, when a Non-AQ team were to make an appearance in the Top 25 one year, that would not usually transition to the next. Obviously, past performance does not guarantee future results, but voters seemed to turn a blind eye to the should-be Top 25 squads from the Non-AQ Conferences. Thankfully, as time has passed, the voters are catching the vision: There are legitimate programs in the Mid-Major ranks that are consistently Top 25 teams. As another article mentioned, hopefully this trend continues.

2002 Preseason Consensus 0

Final Coaches Poll 3 #12 Boise State #19 Marshall #22 TCU

2003 Preseason Consensus 0

Final Coaches Poll 3 #15 Boise State # 21 Utah #25 TCU

2004 Preseason Consensus 1 #20 Utah

Final Coaches Poll 3 #5 Utah #13 Boise State #22 Fresno State

2005 Preseason Consensus 1 #20 Boise

Final Coaches Poll 1 #9 TCU

2006 Preseason Consensus 1 #24 TCU

Final Coaches Poll 4 #6 Boise State #15 BYU #21 TCU #24 Hawaii

2007 Preseason Consensus 2 #20 TCU #22 Hawaii

Final Coaches Poll 2 #14 BYU #17 Hawaii

2008 Preseason Consensus 1 #15 BYU

Final Coaches Poll 4 #4 Utah #7 TCU #13 Boise #21 BYU

2009 Preseason Consensus 4 #12 Boise #18 TCU #20 Utah #23 BYU*

• Boise State’s preseason #12 is the highest ranking for a Non-AQ team this decade.
• On average 1 Non-AQ team is selected Preseason 25.
• On average 3 Non-AQ teams finish the season in the Top 25.
• Boise State and TCU both have 5 Top 25 finishes in the past 7 years, only 2 Preseason Top 25 showings.
• BYU and Utah have 3 Top 25 finishes in the past 7 years, only 2 Preseason Top 25 selections.
• No surprise that Boise State, BYU, Utah, and TCU are finally getting the respect they deserve. Voters are seeing that these squads are not flashes in the pan but legitimate programs.
• The burden of proof is now on the Mountain West…and the 10^th member of the MWC Boise State to continue the momentum it has taken a decade to build.

* SOURCE: http://preseason.stassen.com/consensus/ and ESPN.COM

Ranking the 2009 WAC Non-Conference Schedules

The Upset ranks each WAC school's non-conference schedule, factoring in strength of schedule, travel, etc. (This is a ranking of the schedule, not a predicted finish or how each team will fare in their non-conference games).

THE BEST SCHEDULES

1. FRESNO STATE

UC Davis, @Wisconsin, @Cincinnati, @Illinois

Fresno State once again lives up to what has become their scheduling battle cry: Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime.

Anyone: The Bulldogs play 3 games against BCS-conference teams, one of which is the defending Big East champion.

Anywhere: All 3 games vs. BCS-conference opponents are on the road.

Anytime: The Bulldogs will battle the Illini in what is bound to be a frigid December 5th matchup in Urbana-Champaign.

2. SAN JOSE STATE

@USC, Utah, @Stanford, Cal Poly

The Spartans boast the non-conference schedule featuring teams with the best record coming out of 2008, the record of 38-11. Both games vs. BCS-conference opponents are on the road, and, well ... they play USC. As if that isn't enough, they also host the defending Sugar Bowl champion Utah Utes, a team that will definitely be solid (but not fantastic like last season). Not to mention their so-called "gimme game" is against FCS-playoff-team Cal Poly, a team that lost to Wisconsin in Madison by one point last season.

T-3. NEVADA

@Notre Dame, @Colorado State, Missouri, UNLV

Nevada gets credit here for traveling to South Bend to face the Fighting Irish in the opener. Notre Dame will be a team eager to put last year behind them. The Wolfpack will also be hosting Missouri.

T-3 LOUISIANA TECH

@Auburn, @Navy, Nicholls State, @LSU

Instincitively, a glance at this schedule would have you thinking about ranking it #1. Louisiana Tech earns this ranking by playing 2 SEC teams on the road, as well as Navy, a team that has gone bowling for two straight years. However, Auburn isn't the power it used to be (this is the team that won the 3-2 thriller over an awful Mississippi State team last year).

5. UTAH STATE

@Utah, @Texas A&M, Southern Utah, @BYU

The Aggies' schedule only falls to #5 because they only leave Utah once in non-conference play, and face a Utah team that will be good, but not great like last year. They also host Southern Utah in a game they should be able to handle easily. Travel won't hurt them like other teams on the list. However, they do travel to rowdy Kyle Field to play Texas A&M, and will likely get steam-rolled by BYU.

THE IN-BETWEENER

6. NEW MEXICO STATE

Prairie View A&M, @New Mexico, @San Diego State, @Ohio State

These Aggies fall in-between having a good schedule and a bad schedule. They play an FCS team in Prairie View, and the two teams that will likely bring up the bottom in the MWC, New Mexico and Suck Dog errrrr San Diego State, two games whose outcomes will shed much light on how the WAC and MWC compare. However, NMSU does travel to Columbus to play Ohio State in an odd, late-October non-conference matchup. This game keeps NMSU's schedule out of the bottom.

SCHEDULES THAT SHAME

7. HAWAII

Central Arkansas, @Washington St, @UNLV, Wisconsin

One FCS team, and on the road at the second-to-worst BCS-conference team of last season in Washington State doesn't prop up your scheduling cred if you are the Warriors. A trip to Vegas to play an improving UNLV is a decent game. Wisconsin looks good on paper, but this game favors Hawaii. It is Hawaii's annual 13th game they are allowed to schedule due to their traveling disadvantage. Do you think an average Wisconsin team will be focused much, leaving balmy Madison to fly to the Islands in December?

8. BOISE STATE

Oregon, Miami OH, @Bowling Green, UC Davis

A return on the home-and-home with Oregon will be a fantastic matchup, and the Ducks should fear. Facilities maintenance employees at Boise State have literally had to scrape up splattered duck from the blue turf, as occasionally a quacker will mistake the field for the surface of a pond. However, Boise did little else to even attempt a challenging schedule: an FCS team, a terrible MAC team, and a below-average MAC team. This isn't even a case where a school schedules someone like a Washington State 5 years in advance, and then the other program happens to tank before your game with them comes around. Nope. Not even an attempt besides the Oregon game. For a team that wants to be considered elite, this is a step backwards.

9. IDAHO

@Washington, San Diego State, @Northern Illinois, Colorado St

The Vandals schedule features teams that went a combined 15-35 last season, including the worst BCS-conference team in the nation last year, Washington, and the worst team in the MWC, San Diego State. Two matchups against average N. Illinois and Colorado State don't do much for the Vandals, who seem to have tried to schedule as many wins as possible. Too bad for Idaho, The Upset would be suprised if they were able to manage even one win anyway.

Coaches Poll looks West, and maybe not for the last time

"In other words, there are more non-BCS conference teams widely projected in the top 20 alone this year than in the past five years combined, and twice as many in the top 25 than in any other season in the BCS era."

Mountain West ranks among Top Six BCS Conferences

As the just released Coaches Poll evidenced, the Mountain West continues the momentum it gained from last years successes on the football field.

3 MWC, 1 WAC team ranked in preseason Coaches Poll

Rank	Team (first-place votes)
1.	Florida (53)
2.	Texas (4)
3.	Oklahoma (1)
4.	Southern California (1)
5.	Alabama
6.	Ohio State
7.	Virginia Tech
8.	Penn State
9.	LSU
10.	Mississippi
11.	Oklahoma State
12.	California
13.	Georgia
14.	Oregon
15.	Georgia Tech
16.	Boise State
17.	TCU
18.	Utah
19.	Florida State
20.	North Carolina
21.	Iowa
22.	Nebraska
23.	Notre Dame
24.	Brigham Young
25.	Oregon State

SI's Stewart Mandel: BYU pulled off a miracle 25 years ago; will it ever happen again?

Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel profiles BYU's 1984 national championship season and discusses whether or not a "non-BCS" school will ever win it again.

A humble suggestion to help the non-BCS elite bust the BCS

SI's Andy Staples writes a letter to athletic directors Gene Bleymaier (Boise St), Chris Hill (Utah), Tom Holmoe (BYU), Danny Morrison (TCU), and Terry Holland (East Carolina), offering advice on how these schools can at the least make tons of money, if not contend for a national championship.

Three Non-AQ QB's On Davey O'Brein Watchlist

BYU QB Max Hall, Boise State QB Kellen Moore and Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick were placed on the Davey O'Brein Award watchlist for the upcoming 2009 campaign. The honor is given to best Quarterback in the nation. Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford was the 2008 winner. The winner will be announced on December 10th during the ESPN broadcast of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show.

Florida Gets Vegas Nod for Repeat

With Heisman-winner Tim Tebow returning for his Senior Season the Vegas Oddsmakers have crowned the Florida Gators as the odds on favorite to win the 2010 BCS National Title. The Gators opened at 2 to 1, which is quite impressive considering the number of teams in college football with a legitimate chance at winning a BCS Title. Oklahoma, Texas, USC, and Ohio State rounded out the Top 5.

BYU and TCU were the highest non-AQ teams on the list. Both the Cougars and the Horned Frogs were 60/1 to win the national title. Boise State sits at 75/1. Defending Sugar Bowl champ Utah is at 100/1. And perhaps as a 'hometown' nod you can place a wager on the Runnin Rebels of UNLV at 500/1!

Season Ticket Numbers

With Mack Brown and Colt McCoy ready to invade "beautiful" Laramie in a little over a month's time, Wyoming has set a season ticket sales record for 2009. The Wyoming athletic department reported total sales volume at 7,837, breaking the highwater mark of 6,887 in 1999. The Cowboys have a solid home schedule with Top 5 Texas coming to town on Sept 12th, and Top 10 FCS squad Weber State the week before. The Pokes also have a good mix of Conference games with BYU, TCU, UNLV, and New Mexico coming in to War Memorial Stadium.

TES is always glad to see the Mountain West set records in regards to ticket sales. But a healthy dose of reality is given when we compare Wyoming's ticket sales with that of their Conference brethren. Utah and BYU both set records for Season Ticket sales this year as well, with 30,599 and 39,591 respectively. Sadly, the gulf between the rich and the poor coninues to grow in the Mountain West.

ESPN conducts mock draft to select best 40 teams in america

ESPN writers Pat Forde, Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach conducted a draft of the 120 FBS teams to the 40 they see as the Best of the Best.

In this fantasy draft, the 40 teams would then be divided into four 10-team conferences that compete for the national title, with the caveat that the worst-performing teams would be kicked out and replaced by the best-performing teams of the 'lower 80.' (full rules can be found here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=4369091&sportCat=ncf)

The first 5 drafted were USC, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, LSU

TES is happy to see that 3 members of the Mountain Time Zone were included on the list. TCU was surprisingly 'undrafted.' Five 10-win seasons in the past 7 years doesnt seem to be good enough.

17. Utah Utes

The Utes are the only team in the country to have two perfect seasons during the BCS era. Utah has two top-five finishes during the BCS era (more than Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State). Utah produced current Florida coach Urban Meyer (who became the first coach from a non-BCS school to crash the BCS party) and current coach Kyle Whittingham (who was the last coach to expose an SEC school in a BCS bowl game). BYU and Boise State were possible choices here, too, but the Utes have flourished on the national stage more than once.

20. Boise State Broncos

College football's most underrated program in one ofAmerica's most underrated cities. Blue Turf and the Statue of Liberty. The Broncos came within two points of finishing unbeaten for the second time in three seasons in 2008. As longas they're playing in the WAC, they'll have a chance for an unblemished record every season. Did I mention coach Chris Petersen is 35-4? He isn't going anywhere. Ask Dan Hawkins if the grass is bluer on the other side.

23. BYU Cougars

I finally left Dixie and now I can't get out of the Mountain Time Zone. I needed at least one team to offset my SEC selections, and I found it in BYU. The Cougars have never been on NCAA probation! The Cougars have had only three losing seasons since 1974, and don't forget they won the 1984 national championship (by winning the Holiday Bowl). Bronco Mendenhall is the first BYU coach to take his first four teams to bowl games, and the Cougars are a sparkling 32-7 the last three seasons.