Newest Thoughts

1. Utah took care of business with a 37-17 victory at home over Ron McBride and the Weber State Wildcats. The game wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated, as the Wildcats scored two late touchdowns. But many Ute fans were worried that pollsters would not realize the blowout by simply looking at the score. It turns out that this is a non-issue, as Utah jumped to #15 in the national polls and nobody will look back at the Weber State score anyways.

2. The debate this morning was the "unwritten rule" that when the team in the lead takes out their starters, then the losing team of a blowout must also take out their starters. Apparently, Weber State scored their two late touchdowns with their starters playing against the Utes' second- and third-stringers. My take: I would WANT my teams' second- and third-stringers going up against the other teams' starters. It gives them better experience. Besides, shouldn't Utah's second-stringers be equal to Weber State's starters anyways?

3. What should concern Utah more than "unwritten rules" is why they weren't able to score with more ease against the Wildcats. Louie Sakoda had to kick a bunch of field goals, and another touchdown came on a double-reverse pass. Trick plays and field goals aren't going to win against TCU and BYU, and they've got to get their offense more consistent.

4. This Thursday, the Utes square off against Oregon State. The Beavers beat the Utes in last year's opener, a game in which the Utes lost a bunch of starters to injury (including Brian Johnson and Matt Asiata). What makes this game even more intriguing is that the visitors are fresh off an upset victory over former #1 USC. I don't know what to make of the upset victory, but I think the Beavers are headed for some humble pie. My Prediction: Utah 30, Oregon State 17.

5. A bye week saw BYU heal some lingering knicks and bruises. And by doing nothing, they vaulted in the national polls due to an upset-riddled week that saw USC, Georgia, Florida, and Wisconsin all lose. The Cougars are now ranked #7 and #8 in the two polls. They plummeted to #49 in The Joe Rankings. Though they have looked impressive and have high expectations, thus far in the season they have proven very little. This trend should continue over the next two weeks with games at Utah State and at home against New Mexico. My Prediction: BYU 49, Utah State 6.

6. If the season were to end today, here is what I think the BCS games would look like:

National Championship Game: Oklahoma v. LSU
Rose Bowl: USC v. Penn State
Fiesta Bowl: Missouri v. BYU
Sugar Bowl: Alabama v. Ohio State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech v. South Florida

USC's loss drops them out of the national championship picture, at least for now. But they have still got to be the favorites in the Pac 10. Penn State jumps into the scene after dispatching Illinois, combined with recent disappointments from Wisconsin and Ohio State.

The Buckeyes still are in the hunt, though, especially now that their star running back returns from an injury. They should challenge the Nittany Lions for Big 10 glory, and should compete for a berth in a BCS bowl, at least.

LSU jumped in to the national title hunt after Georgia and Florida both lost. So did Alabama. These two teams square off in a huge game in a couple of weeks.

I don't know what to make of the Big XII. Oklahoma obviously looks dominating so far, but Missouri, Texas, and Texas Tech are all ready to pounce.