Independence Day

Well it's official! BYU is leaving the MWC as of June 2011. While I wish things had worked out with the WAC I am still happy for the Cougars. I think tomorrow we will hear a lot about their upcoming schedule which is rumored to have ND, maybe Texas Tech and Clemson. It will be interesting to see how the future schedules work out without a football conference to lean on. We have games scheduled for Texas, Oregon State, Boise State, Hawaii and Utah State for the next several years so that should help. If on top of that we can get an annual late November game with Notre Dame I would be thrilled. Sounds like BYU and ND have already been talking about it. I also desperately hope this means the Utah game will continue yearly.

I am really glad this is happening. Even with TCU, Utah and BYU being as good as they have been the MWC was going nowhere. Add to that the underhanded dealings of Commish Thompson and his outright lies to the press and I am glad to no longer be a part of the conference. I hope we can help elevate the Basketball play of the WCC. After Gonzaga the WCC doesn't have much. St Mary's has show well lately and hopefully they continue to be good. The good news is that ESPN is going to help BYU schedule several preseason basketball games each year. In fact ESPN has been a big partner in all of this. It should be noted that on Monday ESPN ran an article saying what a good match the WCC and BYU would be. Obviously softening up the ground since the WCC ADs had already voted in favor of BYU earlier that day.

The one thing that still leaves me sad is the uncertain fate of USU. They are the team that has acted best in all this tumult and they are getting the shortest end of the stick. Who knows what will happen to them or what the fates of the MWC and WAC are. I will say this, if TCU leaves, the MWC is over. Good riddance.

Some links:

BYU's Official Tuesday Press Release
WCC Press Release
Watch the press conference live at BYUTV Wed Sep 1st Noon Mountain time!
ESPN's Story that broke the news!
Bronco's Reaction as heard on BYU.KSL.COM

Rise and Shout the Cougars are OUT!!!!

Independent BYU's Impact on the MWC

It looks like most likely that BYU becoming independent is imminent. I would be shocked if it doesn't happen. So the question then becomes, what happens to the rest of the MWC, including Boise State. With Utah and BYU gone the Mountain West is left with the following teams:

Air Force

Colorado State

New Mexico

TCU

UNLV

San Diego State

Wyoming

Boise State

The first thing that happens is TCU calls the Big-12 and Conference-USA immediately. The Big-12 will say, "call us in two years." But the CUSA will welcome them with open arms. With Utah and BYU gone, there is no reason for TCU to stick around. CUSA's current teams are equal with the remnants of the MWC (except for BSU). So going CUSA is a given, their travel will be greatly reduced and they have more natural rivals.

At this point, Boise renegs and goes back to the WAC. Rumor has it they have until September 1 to change their mind and can return with no questions asked. I can't verify that though.

Air Force most likely joins their other service counterparts as independents (and will continue to play BYU every year).

So now the MWC is left with CSU, UNM, SDSU, UNLV, and Wyoming. Undoubtedly, CSU, SDSU, UNLV and Wyoming give the WAC a call and join up. I am sure the WAC would take them. The WAC would have then following:

Boise State

Fresno State

Hawaii

Idaho

Louisiana Tech

Nevada

New Mexico State

San Jose State

Utah State

UNLV (giving a natural rivalry with UNR)

San Diego State (unifying the Cal State schools in one conference)

Colorado State

Wyoming

That is thirteen teams, and we still have New Mexico to discuss. Naturally, UNM could go to the WAC, and that is probably what happens. But consider the fact that Louisiana Tech is not sticking with the WAC long-term (it makes no sense being there in the first place). So they will jump ship and go to CUSA ASAP, bringing the WAC to 12 teams and thus, perfect...unless UNM joins up. My guess is UNM seriously considers following TCU to CUSA.

Currently CUSA has 12 teams and a championship game. They will undoubtedly accept TCU to bring the conference to 13, making the conference uneven and perhaps looking to add one more team. New Mexico makes sense. Albuquerque is a solid town, UNM has a great basketball program, and they would give UTEP a rival. It also wouldn't add travel distance versus the WAC considering they would have to travel to Hawaii, San Jose, and Moscow every year there. In CUSA, the farthest they travel would be Marshall or East Carolina.

This scenario brings CUSA to a 14 team conference. Shouldn't be a big deal. It also protects CUSA from future defections. It is no secret that the Big-East is investigating expansion scenarios and that Memphis, East Carolina, and UCF are the usual suspects being mentioned. Should the Big-East grab two of those teams, CUSA would simply be back to 12 teams and sitting just fine.

Sadly, BYU's decision inevitably destroys the Mountain West. I have developed a great affinity for the conference, I have great respect for and always enjoyed playing Wyoming, Colorado State, New Mexico, and Air Force. Granted, as a Ute fan, these games are gone anyway, but I hate to see them getting screwed in all this.

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!

Is BYU seriously considering going independent? I sincerely hope not. But there are rumors flying around the boards (cougarboard.com and utefans.net) stating that it may be coming sooner than we think.

Certainly, Utah to the Pac-12 was big blow to BYU, especially the schools actual athletic leadership and President. It is no secret that AD Tom Holmoe wasn't the least bit thrilled about it. It is natural for the Cougs to try to respond and try to improve their lot. Many think that independence is the way to go. It isn't.

Here's why. First, they are not Notre Dame. Yes, the Cougs have a solid national following. One of the strongest in the nation, but it is not that robust. Notre Dame can only pull it off because of who they are and there are many speculating that they will need a conference soon.

Scheduling 12 games per year is hard, way harder than scheduling 4. Sure they will get Utah and Utah State annually, maybe they could talk Notre Dame, Navy, and Army into annual meetings as well, but it is a tough sell. The biggest challenge will be to get good tough teams to sign on to home and homes. The only reason to do it is to make themselves stronger to win national championships. If they can't schedule a tough schedule they will be up a creek.

The Cougs will also not be getting Notre Dame BCS exceptions. They will be under the same rules as Navy, Army, and others. They have a much better chance at breaking into the BCS and getting a national championship in the Mountain West than they would being independent.

They are also no more likely to get an invite into the Big-12 (their last BCS hope if the MWC doesn't qualify) being independent. Again, higher likelihood for success in the MWC, which equals more cache and better chance at a better conference.

All this being said, there are some compelling reasons to consider independence. The primary one being television and the revenue that comes from that. BYU already has it's own TV network with national exposure (BYUTV), being the MWC and being stuck with the "Mtn." is undoubtedly costing the school money.

The other thing that independence brings is potentially greater national exposure in terms of where they travel. If the Church wants to use the school as a missionary tool to an extent, being able to travel to new environs would be beneficial.

Ultimately, however, the MWC is the best place for BYU right now. Hopefully, the Big-12 will stay together and decide to go back to 12 teams before too long and perhaps BYU will be able to snag one of those openings. But even if they don't they still are in a strong conference with good competition. The conference with Boise is pretty much the same as it was with Utah. Also, if Boise and TCU or BYU go undefeated this year, one of them will play in the NC game. This could add a lot of cache to the conference and I would argue makes the MWC a lock to become a BCS conference.

Starting the Farewell Tour

Last week the Utes started fall camp and today they had their first scrimmage. So far, things are looking great, especially for the offense. As the Utes head into their final season in the Mountain West Conference there are a handful questions:

How will Jordan Wynn do in his Sophomore campaign?

All signs are pointing to him being a very special quarterback for the Utes. He has remained focused all off-season and has become a leader on the team. There is always cause for concern about a "sophomore slump", but considering the Utes have two strong RB's, arguably their best offensive line ever, and some solid WR's, Wynn is surrounded with enough talent and protection to have a great year.

How are the Utes going to overcome their inexperience in the Line-backing corps?

No doubt the Utes biggest weakness are the LB's. It is hard to say how things will go, but there is room for optimism. First, the Utes bring back a very strong defensive line that can relieve some pressure on the LB's. Second, the Utes have always been a defense first team. They recruit for it and focus on it. The Utes, like the Cougs and Frogs in conference, are past "rebuilding" years and are more "reloading". If the Utes can mitigate the potential weakness of the LB's they will be fine. I expect them to.

Who is going to start at strong saftey?

Right now freshman Brian Blechen is #1 on the depth chart. Strange because he was a high school QB and LB. But apparently he is tearing it up in practice. This is another weak area for the Utes, but I would say is one of the lesser important positions.

Will the Utes be able to focus on this season with the PAC-10 looming large?

Of course. No one is better at getting a team focused than K-Whit. The Utes may not win every game (though they better!), but they will be focused on the task at hand. They Utes want to leave the conference as the championship and have momentum heading into the 12-Pac. No doubt they will get all MWC opponents' best shot. It will be a brutal year, but there is no reason why the Utes can't finish top-2 in the conference?

How good will the Utes offense be?

They are going to be awesome! Some are saying that this years offense could be their best ever, which is saying a lot when you consider the behemoth we had in 2004. But with two great RB's, an experienced QB, an awesome O-line, they should be money!

How bad will the Utes beat BYU?

Badly. Very badly. 58-3? Sounds reasonable.

Let's Go Camping!

It's sweet sweet football time again! After all those months of pretending to appreciate Baseball and kind of digging soccer, it's time to get real! Fall camp started this weekend and for BYU there are a few questions I hope to have answered. We'll skip the obvious QB Question although I hope Jake HEaps starts but Riley comes in on a regular basis as a change up player.

1 - Which Tight End will emerge? According to my copy of NCAA Football 2011 Mike Muehlmann is the man. Seriously he doesn't drop a pass. EVER. At least on my PS3! Anyway, there is so much talent at TE it will be awesome to see who get's the nod.

2 -Dovetailing on that, with the TE inexperience, will BYU go back to using a slot WR? I really really hope so. McKay Jacobsen was born for it.

3 - Will Ross Apo break into the WR starting rotation? BYU is stacked at WR this year but from all accounts he is really really good. Good enough to start? Bronco doesn't usually like to have Frosh start. We'll see.

4 - BYU's D is supposed to be much improved. We know the secondary will be very good and Rich will be great in the safety. But how about the LBs and the D Line? There are a lot of new faces. A ton of talent but little college experience. So can BYU's D become a cohesive unit and play like men come game 1?
5 - Will Ziggy learn how to play football? This is my favorite story of Fall Camp so far and it may come to nothing. Ezekial "Ziggy" Ansah is a 6'6" 254 pound Freshman walk-on from Ghana. He has never played football in his life but has always watched it and loves the sport more than anything. He has a track scholarship as a sprinter. So 6'6" 254 pound Ziggy can run a 4.4 forty. That's for real! Right now they have him as a DE. According to reports he looked a little lost on the first day. But if 2 years from now he has learned the game, he could be awesome. We'll see. He practiced with the players in 7 on 7s and they all love him. Anyway, I'll be rooting for you Ziggy!

Go Cougars!