Weekend Wrap

I have a headache, and am in no mood to even think of going to bed right now. So here are a few thoughts of the sports world for my sports blog after this weekend of action:

1. BYU 52, Wyoming 0. No surprise here. I suppose the margin of victory wasn't necessarily expected, but it wasn't a huge shock. BYU had a bye week after their humiliating 38-7 loss to TCU. I thought they would come out focused, angry, motivated, and everything else positive.

I don't think there are any long-term ramifications here. BYU is clearly the better team and program, having outscored Wyoming 96-0 the past two seasons. But it isn't like this was a huge breakthrough game that revealed a perfect offense. They will have two or three battles left this season.

They shouldn't have a battle next week, though. The Cougars travel to Albuquerque to face New Mexico, who is 0-9 on the season. Go to Lobo Stadium or whatever it is called, win by 20+ points, and avoid injuries. Those should be BYU's goals this week.


2. Utah 45, New Mexico 14. The Utes avoided any letdowns against the winless Lobos, overcoming their patented slow start to finish with a blowout win. They remain perfect in MWC play as they head to Fort Worth next weekend to face the #4 TCU Horned Frogs.

It seems clear to me that inserting freshman Jordan Wynn into the starting quarterback role has livened up their offense. Though you can't judge a player after one-and-a-half games against Wyoming and New Mexico, Ute fans can't help but be excited by the facts that he is a winner AND only a freshman. There is a lot of time for more optimism going forward.

The game next Saturday should be a good one. Utah's defense is good enough to limit TCU to under 24 points. The big question in my mind is how Jordan Wynn will react to the best defense he has ever faced. If he commits some turnovers, TCU will take an early lead and I don't like Utah's chances at that point.

I predict a TCU victory to stay on pace for a BCS slot, but I wouldn't be shocked if Utah pulls off the win. Surprised, yes. Shocked, no.


3. My BCS bowl projections:

National Championship Game:
Alabama vs. Texas. Nobody in the Big XII is going to knock off the Longhorns. And I predict that 'bama beats Florida in the SEC Championship Game to get into the title game.

Rose Bowl:
Ohio State vs. Oregon State. The Buckeyes took control of the Big 10 with a dominating victory at Penn State. They should defeat the slumping Iowa Hawkeyes at the Horseshoe later this season. Meanwhile, I'm going to pick the Beavers to get there, winning a tiebreaker to get into the Granddaddy of Them All.

Sugar Bowl:
Florida vs. Miami. The Floridians rekindle their rivalry in the Sugar Bowl. The resurgent Hurricanes are too good a story to pass up for the Sugar Bowl, and they leave undefeated Boise State out of the BCS.

Orange Bowl:
Clemson vs. Cincinnati. Not a sexy match-up for the Orange Bowl, but the Bearcats will finish #4 in the BCS standings, while Clemson will upset Georgia Tech in the ACC championship game.

Fiesta Bowl:
USC vs. TCU. The Horned Frogs will look to be the third non-BCS team to crash the party with a win in this particular bowl game.


4. Wigan 1, Fulham 1. My Cottagers got a nice draw on the road against Wigan. The home side got on the scoresheet first in the 13th minute, but Fulham responded later in the half when American Clint Dempsey scored a penalty kick in the 39th minute.

Every point counts in the Premier League, and the point helps Fulham creep ever closer to the top half of the table. They lie on 11th place with 15 points, even on points with Everton but with a superior goal difference. They also have a game in hand on Burnley, Stoke City, and Sunderland, who all rank right above Roy Hodgson's side.

Next up for Fulham is a match at Birmingham in two weeks' time. Next weekend is an international break.


5. In other soccer news, Real Salt Lake will ignore the international break and play in a one-off against the Chicago Fire on the road. A victory will give them the Eastern Conference championship! Yes, they are playing in the EASTERN Conference playoffs right now, where they have already dispatched the defending champion Columbus Crew.