Jimmer Goes Crazy!

Here's a little video of the most amazing performance by a BYU basketball player ever. Way to go Jimmer! After beating AZ by 30 points, the Cougs are now 13-1 and looking very good. Here's to hoping for a great year.
Below I have post-game comments about the game.

9 Straight

Oh, what a fun night! After a depressing and frustrating first quarter when it looked like Utah was San Diego State, the Utes turned it on and demolished the Cal Bears, 37-27, and it wasn't that close.

The best part about the game, aside from just winning, was the confirmation that we have a QB for the next 3 years! Jordan Wynn is going to be something special!

The Utes were able to throw it deep and throw it short. On defense they were great and really shut down Cal in every regard, despite some solid first quarter runs by Cal. The Ute D was also helped by the fact that Kevin Riley could barely hit the broad side of a barn. He isn't very good.

The coaching was also strong tonight. For the most part I liked the play calling, there were a few plays that were called at the wrong time and I am not a fan of the Asiata package with someone else running it, but all-in-all it was a well called game. I am most impressed with how the coaches were able to motivate the team after falling behind 14-0 following the pick-6.

The only weakness we had was our running game. We just weren't that great. I am not convinced that either Wide or Shakerin are the long-term answers. Fortunately, we get Asiata back next year.

This was a great win for the program and a great win for the MWC. 3-0 in Bowls this year and guaranteed a winning bowl record.

By the way, not only the Utes hold the nations longest bowl win streak at 9, but they are only two behind Florida State for the record and the Utes also are the most winningest program in bowl games with a minimum of 10 bowl games played! Giddy-up!

Final note, I am leaving tomorrow for Christmas vacation, may not blog during that period. So want to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Congrats on a solid year Utes, not bad for a re-building year.

UTES: 11-3

The Cougars Maul the Beavers 44-20

BYU handled the almost Pac-10 Champions, Oregon State. Scoring 37 straight points and hold OS scoreless for 2 quarters, BYU's defense was incredible, keeping the famous Rogers brothers in check all night. Collectively the defensive seniors accounted for 28 tackles, four tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, one interception and four pass breakups. The game was 44-7 until OS scored 2 meaningless TDs against BYU's reserves in the 2nd quarter. With this very lopsided win, BYU should finish the season in the top 10. So continues the MWC dominance over the PAC-10.
Now it's up to Utah to keep it rolling!

By the way, Dennis Pita is now the NCAA record holder for most career receptions and yards for a TE. He was 1 TD away from breaking that record too. You are awesome, Dennis we are gonna miss you.

GO COUGARS!

Why Q Picked the Y

Today LaHabra HS RB Joshua Quezada (1st team all city, 1st team all county, first team all league) surprised a lot of people, including myself and the voters on this blog, by committing to play for BYU over Utah. Quezada is not LDS, and very much likes his long hair which he came out and said would be difficult for him to cut. So we have a star non-lds athlete who was being asked to make a sacrifice to play for BYU and he committed. Why?

1. This week he had a visit from RB Coach Lance Reynolds who asked him if he was going to let something as trivial as his hair stop him from making a good decision. This came on the heels of Q's HS coach asking him if his hair defined who he was or if it was his actions. The visit by Coach Reynolds was perfect.

2. Quezada has been in constant contact with BYU's Assistant Recruiting Director Jake Heaps. Jake has worked so hard to bring an incredible class along with him and this is another example of his success.

3. The Honor Code. That's right my friends. A lot of people have been complaining lately that the silly honor code will cause BYU to lose this recruit. But Q came right out and listed the HC as one of the main reasons he chose BYU. A lot of BYU's big non-LDS recruits have said the same thing. The HC is not a liability. It is a selling point. And it ensures that we get kids of good character.

3.5. Quezada said the RBs at Utah kind of gave him the cold shoulder and the BYU RBs treated him like a brother. That's too bad but I appreciate the help from the Utah side.

This has been a great day and it is not over. Just got word that USC LB Uona Kaveinga is in Las Vegas as we speak. Who has he talked to and what is he doing there? I'm privy to some private info that I can't leak but I will say that Kaveinga has been officially released from USC. Now all we need is Ricky Heimuli to see the light. Last rumor was that he is now a strong BYU lean.

It's a great day to be a Cougar!

Some Quezada highlights for your viewing pleasure


UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!

As per my hints above USC LB Uona Kaveinga has transferred to BYU! How great is it to steal a recruit from USC! He has to sit out a year but will be able to play MLB for 2011 and 2012!

Man I love being a Cougar!

Everything but the Mackey Award...Which Makes No Sense

Dennis Pitta was just named to the 2009 COnsensus All America Team. Add that to his being named to the Walter Camp All American Team and the AFCA All American Team honors and how on earth does he not get the Mackey award? Really really stupid.

Also, remember 5'6 Brian Logan, BYU's diminutive CB? Guess who was named to SI's All American Team Honorable Mention? He recorded 14 pass breakups and 3 INTs this year. That's the second highest number of pass breakups in the nation. So how did he only make Honorable Mention in the MWC? The guy who made first team recorded 11 pass breakups this year. Bull feathers.

Heaps Makes It Official!

Pac-10 in on the Expansion Action!

ESPN is reporting that the Pac-1o will also look at expansion, though it seems less serious than the Big-1o talk. Nevertheless, I would argue that if the Big-1o expands and gets a conference championship game, the Pac-1o will virtually be forced into doing the same.

What I am 99% confident about is that if the Pac-1o decides to expand, their first two choices are 1. Colorado and 2. Utah. I think both would accept, certainly Utah would, but I also think Colorado would considering they seem to fit culturally better with the Pac-1o than the Big-12 as well as academically.

The big question is, what does the Pac-10 do if Colorado doesn't accept. What they should do is invite BYU. But there is a lot of opposition to BYU from the Pac-1o. The opposition really is centered around BYU's conservativism and religion, though the Pac-10 talking heads would have you believe it is because BYU is not a "Very High" research institution and that they don't play on Sunday's. That is B.S. It is all because of the religion factor and coupled with that, Stanford. It is no secret that Stanford is adamantly opposed to BYU in the Pac-10.

Other options, though wholly unrealistic, for the Pac-10 are: Boise State, UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii, and Texas. I am not even going consider the Cal State schools. That is dead in the water.

Really their only options are Colorado, Utah, and BYU. I hope it is Utah and BYU, but either way, Utah is a virtual lock. The question is, do they accept without BYU? They better.

I think an ideal world for me would be to have UU and CU join the Pac-10 and have BYU get picked up by the Big-12. I think that is a real possibility as I expect that BYU is 2nd on the Big-12's wish list behind Arkansas and ahead of TCU. And if CU goes Pacific and either Mizzou or Nebraska go Big-1o, the Big-12 needs two teams. I would argue that BYU would be a lock for one of those two spots.

Again, echoing my earlier post, how awesome would it be for fans in Utah to have both Pac-1o and Big-12 schools coming to the Wasatch Front all season long? That might be enough to force my hand in moving back to the state!

Let's talk Big-10 Expansion

Wisconsin's AD said that he thinks the Big-10 would seriously consider expansion this off-season. While it is highly unlikely it would occur anytime soon (in the next 1-2 years), it is an interesting topic and would have some major ramifications in College Football. There are two considerations to take into account the first is the direct ramifications of the new pick-up on the face of CFB. The other is what would the Pac-1o do in response?

First let's look at the possible teams to get the invite and if that team went what would be the chain reaction.

1. Notre Dame - they have a standing invite to join. If they did, it wouldn't cause much of a chain reaction as they are independent. I doubt they would join though.

2. A Big Twelve team - There are 3 teams that would fit in well with the Big-1o: Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa State. That would also be the order of preference. Should one of these teams join the Big-1o, the Big-12 would have a hole to fill. What would they do?

2A. The Big-12 would then chose from the following teams in order of preference: 1. Arkansas, 2. BYU, 3. TCU, 4. Utah, 5. Tulsa. The reason BYU is ahead of TCU is that the conference would receive a lot of push back from the Texas teams regarding having another Texas team competing for top recruits.

3. A Big-East team. The order of preference would be 1. Pitt, 2. Rutgers, 3. West Virginia. If the Big-East lost they would have to expand yet again (which they may do anyway).

3A. The Big-East would then try to steal (unsuccessfully) from the ACC and go after Boston College or Maryland. But they would have to settle for Central Florida, East Carolina, or Memphis. Central Florida is obviously the best choice, but Memphis would be sweet for BBall.

4. An ACC team. Though highly unlikely, the Big-1o may try to grab Maryland or Virginia. Obviously this to would set off a chain reaction, but it is so unlikely, it is not work delving into.

5. An SEC team. Perhaps more likely than the ACC, but not much. The only team they might consider inviting would be Kentucky. It probably wouldn't be a bad move for the Wildcats, but there is no way they do it.

The real question though, especially as to impact on the Mountain West, is what does the Pac-1o do? I have no doubt that if the Big-1o expanded to 12 and held a Conference Championship Game, the Pac-1o would as well. I think the Pac-1o would send immediate invites to Utah and Colorado. If the Big-1o managed to miraculously steal Nebraska from the Big-12, the Buffaloes would jump to the Pac-1o in a heart beat.

In a worst case scenario for the MWC (and not implausible), the Big-1o expands with a Big-12 team, leaving a hole for the Big-12 to fill. The Pac-1o decides to expand and gets Utah and Colorado, adding another hole for the Big-12 totalling 2 needs. The Big-12 then goes after Arkansas and BYU. Arkansas likely refuses, so the Big-12 grabs TCU instead. Thus, the three strongest teams in the MWC are gone and the conference is left floundering.

The MWC tries to salvage itself by stealing Boise, Houston and Tulsa, but my guess is the WAC preempts the MWC and keeps Boise and steals teams like Colorado State and UNLV for themselves. Thus the MWC dies.

Wow, when I started writing this I didn't even think of that scenario as being remotely plausible, but it could very well be a reality.

In fact, I haven't figured out yet why the BCS doesn't pressure the Pac-1o to expand anyway? If the Pac-1o went and grabbed Utah and BYU (or BYU goes to the Big-12), two of the four major non-BCS teams are out of the picture, as is the argument for including the MWC or WAC among the BCS conferences. Their problems are largely solved. The really sad thing is that in all these scenario's Boise State loses. Their only hope is for the MWC to maintain solidarity, bring them in the fold and get the auto bid. There is no other hope for Boise.

Anyway, to wrap this up and get back to the original point of discussion, if the Big-1o expands I think their top choices (regardless of likelyhood) would be:

1. Notre Dame, 2. Nebraska, 3. Pittsburgh, 4. Missouri, 5. West Virginia.

High Rollin'!

So BYU is back to Las Vegas. No Surprise. First, BYU beat Utah. Second, I really think only BYU is capable of selling out the Las Vegas Bowl. But I'm really jazzed about this matchup. Oregon State was a few plays away from going to the Rose Bowl. This is a good team with a great offense. Like BYU, they have a QB who has a 70% passing completion percentage, an RB who ran for over 1000 yards (though I'm more impressed with Harvey since he did it in fewer games) and both teams average over 400 yards per game and over 30 points. Look for this to be a shootout with whoever has the ball last with a minute to play winning the game.

Off to San Diego

The Utes will be facing off with my 2nd Favorite University, the California Golden Bears in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego.

This should be a fun and motivating match-up for the Utes. For the Bears, it really depends on which team shows up. They have very much been "Jeckyl and Hyde" this season with some brilliant games and some terrible ones.

Undoubtedly the Utes will be motivated and ready to play. Our coaches have shown that they are among the best in the country at preparing a team for a bowl game, exemplified by the Utes nation-leading bowl win streak.

An interesting twist in this game is that the Utes will be going up against last year's offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, who holds the same position at Cal. Undoubtedly he will be be able to help prepare the Cal defense for what the Utes do. But at the same time, the Ute coaches know Ludwig and will be better able to prepare his Cal Bears offense based on that knowledge.

GO UTES, BEAT CAL

Congrats Jake. Can't Wait to See You in Blue!

Jake Heaps tonight led Skyline to a 3rd straight State Title. That means that as a starter he has never not won the state championship. In tonight's game he accounted for 5 TDs, 4 passing and one rushing. I can't wait for Heaps and company to show up in Provo in a few months! 2010 could be a rebuilding year for the Cougs, but look for BYU to be amazing by 2012.

On another note, Utah's MR. Football was awarded to Tuni Kanuch, an OT bound for BYU. Last year's MR. Football was Craig Bills who played for BYU this year. BYU is doing a fine job recruiting the top Utah players. I hope it continues.

Bowl Predictions

We should know by tomorrow where all of our MWC teams are playing their bowls games, so let's get some predictions out there of where and against whom our boys will be playing.

This year the Utes have five bowls linked to the conference and five teams that have qualified for bowl games, however because TCU will going to a BCS game the MWC will not be filling it's Humanitarian Bowl commitment. We'll review the bowl scenario's from first place to last place in the conference.

1. TCU will either be playing in the Orange Bowl or Fiesta Bowl. Part of me thinks the Fiesta Bowl would love to have TCU because of their Texas connection, despite not being a member of the big-12. On the other hand, I can see TCU being the last team chosen because of their lack of fanbase. It is likely that not many TCU fans will go to the game. I think the Orange bowl could be interested in TCU, just to break up the annual Big East - ACC mediocrity championship (though Cinci this year is for real). All in all, I see the Fiesta Bowl being more interested in Boise State because more fans will travel and they probably bring in more TV viewers because they are a known quantity. Thuse TCU heads to Miami. The only way this changes is if Clemson wins the ACC, will the Orange want a Clemson-TCU rematch. In that case, I think the Orange goes after Cinci or Boise. If Cinci, TCU goes to the Sugar, if Boise, to the Fiesta. Prediction: TCU v Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

2. Technically the MWC champ goes to the Las Vegas Bowl, in this case, like last year, it would be the 2nd place team, which is BYU. However, I think neither BYU nor the LVB is particularly interested in each other when there are other viable options available for each party. BYU goes to the Poinsettia Bowl. The question is, who is the opponent. With Oregon's win on Thursday, that will mean Oregon to the Rose, likely USC (unless they lose today) to the Holiday, Cal to the Sun, Stanford to the Emerald. Leaving Oregon State and Arizona for the LVB and Poinsettia. LVB gets first choice and chooses Oregon State, they bring more to the table. So for the second straight year, it's BYU v Arizona in a bowl game, but this time in San Diego.

3. The above scenario makes Utah's situation easy. They will be playing in Las Vegas against Oregon State. LVB is in a win-win with having the choice between Utah and BYU. Both teams' fans will travel and the LVB wants a change of pace from BYU. Utah v. Oregon State.

4. Air Force had another solid, though under-the-radar year. They are already commited to play in the Armed Forces Bowl against a C-USA team. The choice will between either East Carolina or Central Florida. I think UCF would travel better, but East Carolina has some name recognition and might draw more viewers. The choice will almost definitely be East Carolina. Air Force v. East Carolina.

5. Congrats to my 2nd favorite MWC team, Wyoming, for becoming bowl eligible. A great improvement on last year. They are definitely heading to the New Mexico Bowl to play against a WAC team. With Boise in the BCS and second place Nevada heading to Hawaii, the choice is between Idaho and Fresno State. No doubt FSU is a much better choice and the Humanitarian will be dying for Idaho. No brainer, Wyoming v Fresno State.

Congratulations Dennis Pitta!

Today Dennis Pitta, BYU's star TE, has been named to the American Football Coaches Association All-America team. The last Cougar to do so was punter Matt Payne in 2004. Pitta is also a finalist for the Mackey Award, which he should have won last year but should get this year. BYU always has premiere TEs and we have some guys in the wings I can't wait to see including Holt, but Dennis may be the best we've had. We'll miss him and George a lot. Good luck, guys!

Here's the rest of the team:

2009 AFCA Coaches’ All-America Team

Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
WR Golden Tate 5-11 195 Jr. Notre Dame Charlie Weis Hendersonville, Tenn. (Pope John Paul II)
WR Mardy Gilyard 6-1 187 Sr. Cincinnati Brian Kelly Bunnell, Fla. (Flagler Palm Coast)
TE Dennis Pitta 6-5 247 Sr. BYU Bronco Mendenhall Moorpark, Calif. (Moorpark)
OL Mike Johnson 6-6 305 Sr. Alabama Nick Saban Pensacola, Fla. (Pine Crest)
OL Russell Okung 6-5 300 Sr. Oklahoma St. Mike Gundy Houston, Texas (Bush)
C Chris Hall 6-4 295 Sr. Texas Mack Brown Irving, Texas (Irving)
OL Trent Williams 6-5 315 Sr. Oklahoma Bob Stoops Longview, Texas (Longview)
OL Mike Iupati 6-6 330 Sr. Idaho Robb Akey Anaheim, Caiif. (Western)
QB Colt McCoy 6-2 210 Sr. Texas Mack Brown Tuscola, Texas (Jim Ned)
RB Mark Ingram 5-10 215 So. Alabama Nick Saban Flint, Mich. (Southwestern)
RB Toby Gerhart 6-1 235 Sr. Stanford Jim Harbaugh Norco, Calif. (Norco)

Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Ndamukong Suh 6-4 300 Sr. Nebraska Bo Pelini Portland, Ore. (Grant)
DL Jerry Hughes 6-3 257 Sr. TCU Gary Patterson Sugar Land, Texas (Austin)
DL Jared Odrick 6-5 296 Sr. Penn St. Joe Paterno Lebanon, Pa. (Lebanon)
DL Derrick Morgan 6-4 272 Jr. Georgia Tech Paul Johnson Coatesville, Pa. (Coatesville)
DL Brian Price 6-2 300 Jr. UCLA Rick Neuheisel Los Angeles, Calif. (Crenshaw)
LB Rolando McClain 6-4 258 Jr. Alabama Nick Saban Decatur, Ala. (Decatur)
LB Greg Jones 6-1 228 Jr. Michigan St. Mark Dantonio Cincinnati, Ohio (Moeller)
DB Eric Berry* 5-11 195 Jr. Tennessee Lane Kiffin Fairburn, Ga. (Creekside)
DB Joe Haden 5-11 190 Jr. Florida Urban Meyer Fort Washington, Md. (Friendly)
DB Javier Arenas 5-9 198 Sr. Alabama Nick Saban Tampa, Fla. (Robinson)
DB Earl Thomas 5-10 197 So. Texas Mack Brown Orange, Texas (West Orange Stark)

Specialists
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
P Drew Butler 6-2 203 So. Georgia Mark Richt Duluth, Ga. (Peachtree Ridge)
PK Kai Forbath 6-0 192 Jr. UCLA Rick Neuheisel Pacific Palisades, Calif. (Notre Dame)
AP C.J. Spiller 5-11 195 Sr. Clemson Dabo Swinney Lake Butler, Fla. (Union County)