The Joe Rankings

Program Rankings and Week One Preview: Sun Belt Conference

2010-08-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

With college football camps opening for the 2010 college football season, it is time to begin unveiling my new Program Rankings, along with a small Week One preview. Keep in mind, these are not my preseason rankings...these reflect the last five seasons, which is a solid representation of where a program lies (in my opinion). Anything past five years ago shouldn't be factored in. Here goes nothing:

Sun Belt Conference:
1. Troy (54 overall)
2. Middle Tennessee State (61 overall)
3. Florida Atlantic (72 overall)
4. Louisiana-Lafayette (84 overall)
5. Arkansas State (88 overall)
6. Louisiana-Monroe (105 overall)
7. North Texas (114 overall)
8. Florida International (117 overall)
9. Western Kentucky (120 overall)

Though the program rankings are adjusted week to week, there likely won't be any changes after Week One within the Sun Belt. The only possible change would be Arkansas State leapfrogging UL-Lafayette with an upset miracle victory at Auburn.

The Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee have the most winnable game against a BCS foe, as they host Minnesota. (Props to the Gophers, by the way, for having the guts to play a Sun Belt team on the road). MTSU has experience defeating favored squads--just ask Maryland, who lost to them in both 2008 and 2009. The team from Murfreesboro doesn't have the track record to overtake Troy yet in the 5-year program rankings, but they do start the 2010 season as the highest-ranked Sun Belt team (#63), and they are my favorites to win the 2010 Sun Belt championship.

Despite winning the conference a year ago, Troy will start the 2010 season a couple of spots behind the Blue Raiders at #65 overall. They will be favored in their opening match at home against Bowling Green.

The most winnable road game will be played by Florida Atlantic when they travel to Conference USA opponent Alabama-Birmingham.

UL-Lafayette, North Texas, and Western Kentucky will join the afore-mentioned Arkansas State in collecting BCS payouts to heavily-favored teams on the road. They play at Georgia, Clemson, and Nebraska, respectively.

UL-Monroe and Florida International have byes in Week One. I'm sure their coaches are telling the media that the bye week comes at the perfect time (hypothetically assuming, of course, that there is actual media that covers UL-Monroe and Florida International).

Great day for sports

2009-11-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

1. What a great week for college football! Before I do any BYU or Utah analysis, here is a quick recapitulation:

ACC: The biggest winner was Georgia Tech, who defeated Duke 49-10. The victory puts them in the ACC Championship Game. Their last regular season game is against Georgia in two weeks.

Clemson appears to be the most likely opponent in the championship game. They won at North Carolina State 43-23, and a win next week versus Virginia would clinch it.

It doesn't appear that the ACC will get any at-large BCS consideration after Miami lost at North Carolina. Their one hope to get two teams into the BCS would be Georgia Tech losing the ACC championship game and getting a lucky bid.

Big XII: In the Game of the Week, Oklahoma State won at home over Texas Tech, 24-17. Though the Cowboys are out of luck as far as making it to the Big XII Championship Game, they have a chance to make a strong case for at-large BCS consideration. If they win their last two games against Colorado and at Oklahoma, they should be in.

Meanwhile, Texas stayed a game up on OSU by routing Baylor on the road. One more win will clinch their spot in the Big XII title game, and it should happen next week against Kansas.

In the weaker North Division, Nebraska stayed on top with a win at Kansas. They host Kansas State next week in a game that could determine the division champion.

Big East: Cincinnati kept their perfect season going by beating West Virginia on Friday night, and sets up a huge Big East finale when they play at Pittsburgh in two weeks, a game which will determine who goes to the BCS. The loser is unlikely to grab an at-large bid. Pittsburgh, for their part, made the game much more interesting after dispatching Notre Dame. The Big East has really rebounded from a poor performance in 2008.

Big 10: The Ohio State Buckeyes clinched at least a share of the Big 10 championship after beating Iowa 27-24. They wrap up their season next week at rivals Michigan, but even if they lose, they own the tiebreaker and will go to the Rose Bowl.

In other games, Wisconsin defeated Michigan, while Penn State beat Indiana. Both schools kept alive their hopes for at-large BCS consideration.

Conference USA: Houston's slim BCS hopes were demolished after losing at Central Florida 37-32. The Cougars now find themselves in second place in the C-USA West Division, trailing SMU in the standings. The Mustangs defeated UTEP 35-31, and they now control their own destiny to the C-USA Championship Game.

Pac 10: Last week, I projected that Oregon State would get the automatic bid from the Pac 10 by winning the championship. They still control their own destiny after hammering Washington over the weekend.

But the big news was Stanford trouncing USC at the Coliseum, 55-21. After dominating nearly the entire decade, the Trojans will now be lucky to get to the Las Vegas Bowl in 2009.

SEC: All that mattered was that Florida and Alabama kept winning to set up the best SEC Championship Game of all time. They held serve with road wins against South Carolina and Mississippi State, respectively. I was way off on my MSU over Alabama prediction.

Sun Belt: Troy had a chance to give the Sun Belt Conference some national respect, but they got obliterated by Arkansas, 55-20. The Trojans can clinch the conference title by winning either of their last two games.

WAC: Boise State probably won't get an automatic BCS bid now since TCU looks to be well on their way to clinching the non-BCS spot. But Boise took care of business, destroying in-state "rival" Idaho 63-25.

But it is Nevada that is raising some eyebrows right now. After a slow start, they dominated Fresno State over the last three quarters, winning 52-14 to stay atop the WAC standings. Maybe Boise State should be more concerned with winning their conference than dealing with the BCS right now.

2. Real Salt Lake of Sandy is the Eastern Conference champions! They defeated the Chicago Fire on the road, 5-4 in a shootout after a 0-0 draw in 120 minutes of regulation and extra time. Real Salt Lake could be the first champion of a major professional sport from the state of Utah. They play the Los Angeles Galaxy for the title next weekend.

3. Back to college football, the new rankings are out. Here is what the BCS would look like if the season ended today:

National Championship Game:
Florida vs. Alabama

Rose Bowl:
Ohio State vs. Oregon

Fiesta Bowl:
Texas vs. TCU

Orange Bowl:
Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati

Sugar Bowl:
Penn State vs. Pittsburgh

I think the two at-large spots go to Sugar Bowl, where they pit former rivals against each other to create an intriguing match-up. They get criticized for passing on Boise State, but they want the most money, and there is also pressure from the Big Six Conferences to pick a team from an auto-qualifying conference.

Oklahoma State and Stanford are also left out.

Mailbag, Predictions, Basketball, Oh my!

2009-11-14T06:22:00.000-08:00

1. Mailbag!! I love it when people comment or email me. This email is courtesy of my brother, Rob. He lives in Las Vegas and is a huge UNLV fan.

"i think unlv has a chance against utah! love ya, rob"

I would have to disagree with Rob, since Utah already defeated UNLV this season, 35-15.

2. But maybe Rob was talking about basketball? After Utah lost at home to the Idaho Vandals yesterday, 94-87, it wouldn't shock me in the least if UNLV defeats the Utes a couple of times this season.

Meanwhile, BYU showed off their deep bench with a 70-60 win over MVC foe Bradley. Jimmer Fredette showed that he is not going to shy away from preseason expectations, scoring 25 points. I'm excited to see how this team gels.

On a side note, Bradley is the name of my nephew-in-waiting. My brother Ryan and his wife Erin are expecting his arrival in early December. They live in Chubbuck, Idaho.

3. Huge game tonight in the Mountain West Conference. The Utah/TCU football game has been kind of a tough game to figure out. I know who I am rooting for; thats not an issue. But I'm trying to figure out who I think will win.

From a strict football perspective, it is obvious that TCU has played better than Utah this season. Over the last four games, the Horned Frogs have beaten Colorado State by 38 points; BYU by 31 points in Provo; UNLV by 41 points; and San Diego State on the road by 43 points. Their win at Air Force earlier in the year was by only 3 points, but it is somewhat deceiving because the Falcons scored a touchdown with just seconds remaining to make the score closer. And their win at Clemson--even though it was by only four points--is looking better and better each week as Clemson contends for the ACC championship. They are 9-0 and ranked #6 in The Joe Rankings (#4 in the meaningless BCS standings).

Utah, too, has had a great season thus far. They are 5-0 in the Mountain West, tied atop the standings with TCU. They are 8-1 overall with their lone blemish a 7-point loss at Oregon in a game that they really should have won. But they only come in at #27 in The Joe Rankings because many of their wins have been ugly. It seems that elite teams should beat the dregs of Division I by 30-40 points, like TCU has been doing. But Utah has just been getting by.

They beat #103 Utah State by 18 points, not really putting a stamp on the victory until late in the third quarter. They were tied 7-7 in the fourth quarter at #102 San Jose State, eventually winning by just 10 points. At #94 Colorado State, the Utes were down 17-3 in the third quarter, and didn't take the lead until 3:40 left in the game, winning by 7 points. A couple of games later at home, they squeaked by #45 Air Force in overtime. The next week against #81 Wyoming, the Utes were down 10-9 going into the fourth quarter before escaping with a 12-point win.

Dont get me wrong. Im not alleging that Utah is a mediocre team. Quite to the contrary, they have proven themselves a great team, as only great teams can play sloppy and still come away with win after win after win. Utahs defense is elite. Putting the Oregon loss aside, Utah hasn't allowed more than 17 points in any game (and even in their loss at Oregon, they only gave up 24).

Clearly, the difference between TCU and Utah is that Utah's offense is holding the Utes back, while the Horned Frogs' offense has taken off. Utah was struggling with Terrance Cain at quarterback, and now they are starting true freshman Jordan Wynn behind center. Though he has looked pretty good in six quarters of play, his success has come against Wyoming and New Mexico, which arent even on the same orbit as TCUs defense.

I expect Utah's defense to hold TCU to 24 points. Their defense will be fired up in the underdog role. Kyle Whittingham will come up with a great game plan to stifle Andy Dalton. The Horned Frogs will be too amped up with the new uniforms, the sellout crowd, and the high national attention with their #4 BCS ranking and the ESPN College Gameday appearance on campus. But they will settle down and end up with 24 points.

Unfortunately for Utah, extreme motivation and getting pumped up can only take you so far on the offensive side of the ball. On offense, you want execution, cool-headedness, and consistency, which don't easily come with a freshman quarterback on the road against one of the nation's best defenses in the Game of the Week. Eddie Wide has filled in admirably all season long for the injured Matt Asiata, but he is by no means a superstar of the caliber of which the Horned Frogs haven't already faced (and stopped). The receivers will be facing the best defensive secondary that they've seen all season, and there will be no room for error from Wynn.

Their offense has enough talent in Wynn, Wide, Shaky Smithson, Sausan Shakerin, David Reed, and Jereme Brooks that they should be able to put points on the board. Especially since we all know that Whittingham will pull out two or three crazy trick plays that will generate some yardage. But they won't be able to get enough.

If Utah wants to win, I think the big first step is to score first. This will kick the crowd in the gut, put even more pressure on Dalton, and give Utah's defense even more motivation. That is my ultra-generic Key To The Game, brought to you by my friend Ron Boone.

Predicted Final Score: TCU 24, Utah 13.

Additional season-ending predictions to ruin my spot-on analysis above: With Alabama losing at Mississippi State this weekend, Texas Christian jumps to #3 in the BCS standings and hopes for an upset somewhere along the way to either Florida or Texas that would get them into the BCS National Championship Game. The hype will be overwhelming, but will all come crashing down the next week during a blizzardy afternoon on the high plains of Laramie in the biggest upset in MWC history. Boise State then throws a parade for their BCS inclusion until they lose the next week to Nevada to finish second place in the WAC. Houston wins out, gets the surprise BCS bid, wins Case Keenum a Heisman Trophy, and embarrasses non-BCS schools everywhere by storming the field after scoring on a Boise State-like hook-and-ladder on the last play of the Sugar Bowl in a 79-7 loss to Alabama. BYU makes their fifth straight appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl, where they lose 20-14 to Arizona. Utah goes to the Armed Forces Bowl, where their bowl winning streak stays alive with an impressive 16-15 come-from-behind victory over Stanford. TCU loses to Nevada in the Poinsettia Bowl, 49-48. Bummers all around.

4. BYU will defeat New Mexico today 42-21. Big early lead, lot of subs in a sloppy second half, and the Lobos will show us exactly why they are #117 in the Joe Rankings. This will set up a big set of games in Provo for the Cougars against Air Force and Utah.

MAC Daddy

2009-11-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

1. The Mid-American Conference has taken center stage in college football this week. They had a game on Tuesday and Wednesday, and two games tonight. The MAC Game of the Week is tomorrow when upstart Temple visits Akron.

Temple has a bit more pressure on them, as all four games played this week have been won by the favorites. Ohio won at Buffalo to improve to 5-1 in their conference. They have two tough games to close out their schedule against Northern Illinois and Temple.

In the other division, it looks like it could easily come down to the last game between Northern Illinois and Central Michigan. Both teams won this week against Ball State and Toledo, respectively.

There is always incredible intrigue in the MAC.

2. In the Big East, #24 South Florida was dominated on the road, losing to Rutgers 31-0. USF is now out of the running for their conference championship, while Rutgers kept their hopes alive and will likely garner some top 25 votes with an overal 7-2 record. With two winnable road games coming up for the Scarlet Knights (at Syracuse and at Louisville), they could be a surprising 9-2 going into their season finale against West Virginia.

3. Mailbag. It can take me hours to sift through my email because of the popularity of this blog. Just today, the mailman delivered three bags of fan mail. But I will just choose this email sent to me from my friend Josh, who lives in Connecticut.

"If Boise St and TCU go undefeated, than I think they both should go to a BCS bowl. Pat Forde even says that."

I agree with Pat Forde, if he did indeed say this. They would both deserve a BCS bid. But I don't think it will happen.

According to my BCS projections earlier this week, I've got Oregon State, Texas, Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, and Cincinnati as the champions of the six BCS conferences. TCU and Florida would grab other automatic berths. And there would be two spots left for the at-large pool. These two spots would be taken by USC and Miami.

The problem is that the BCS wants big-money teams with tons of fans nationally that bring along high TV ratings. None of the non-BCS schools accomplish this, regardless of how good they actually are.

The following would be helpful for Boise State to get an at-large BCS bid (assuming, of course, they go undefeated but finish below TCU):

A. USC wins the Pac 10 and goes to the Rose Bowl. If USC is an at-large candidate, they will be taken. It doesn't matter who is more deserving; the Trojans would be in a big-money game. But Boise would be selected over Arizona, Stanford, Oregon State, etc. Only Oregon would be considered over Boise, but I can't see a three-loss Ducks squad being picked over Boise, especially since BSU defeated Oregon.

B. Oklahoma State to lose again. The Cowboys have two losses, but if they win out, it would be hard for the Fiesta Bowl to pass up on a Big XII team, who they have a contract with. Their last three games are against Texas Tech and Colorado, before their finale at Oklahoma.

C. It would be nice for Penn State, Wisconsin, and Miami to all get losses as well. All three teams have two losses right now, but have big names and big fanbases. It would be tempting to take any of them over Boise State. It would also be a tough decision between Boise and Iowa, or even Boise and Georgia Tech (as the Yellow Jackets are so close to the Sugar and Orange Bowls).

Jazz stink, BYU doesn't, and more

2009-11-12T04:49:00.000-08:00

1. The Utah Jazz lost at the Boston Celtics last night, 105-86. The loss isn't surprising, and wouldn't have been even if the Jazz were a great team. But they had very little fight in them, and nobody stepped up to make it a game. The Jazz spread the ball around, with everybody scoring, but the high scorers were Ronnie Brewer and Deron Williams with 13 points each. The Celtics outscored the Jazz each of the first three quarters en route to building a 22-point lead going into the fourth.

The bright spot for the Jazz: they didn't blow a big lead this game.

The Jazz are now 3-5, are still in fourth place in the Northwest Division, and take today off before playing at the 4-4 Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow.

2. I should probably make my first mention of the BYU Cougars basketball team, who finished an unsurprising 2-0 in this season's exhibition games. On Tuesday night, they defeated Division II Central Washington 82-46.

I'm not going to pretend to get excited about a win over Central Washington, but I AM going to be excited about this season for BYU. They are coming off back-to-back-to-back conference championships, and have a great blend of youth and experience. Combined with what should be an overall down year in the Mountain West Conference, and the Cougars should get their fourth consecutive conference title, and I am optimistic that this is the year that they break through with an NCAA tournament victory.

They tip off their season with a home game on Friday night against Missouri Valley Conference foe Bradley.

3. More games to watch in college football this weekend:

Big XII: Last year, this conference was the talk of college football, with powerhouse teams in Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Missouri, and Kansas. In addition, you had rising teams in Oklahoma State and Nebraska that were going to make this season exceptional.

One Coleby Clawson sack into the season, and this conference is now a complete mess. Texas is the only team that could possibly win this conference, by far the best team right now. So the weekly crop of games have lacked some intensity and interest.

But the game of the week is Texas Tech at Oklahoma State. With a home victory here, the Cowboys of OSU can assert themselves as the second-best team in the conference and raise expectations even further for next season.

Big 10: There is no question that the big game this weekend is Iowa at Ohio State, co-leaders in the Big 10 standings. The Hawkeyes won their first nine games before losing to Northwestern last week. Ohio State has rebounded from their loss to Purdue with an impressive win last week at Penn State. The Buckeyes should win at home and play themselves into the Rose Bowl, but it will be interesting to see if the Hawkeyes bounce back and show that they are real contenders on the national scene.

MWC: The game that I’m MOST interested in is, of course, BYU at New Mexico. But clearly, the Game of the Week here is Utah at TCU. These two squads are both undefeated in the conference, and both are in BCS contention at this point.

My prediction and amateur analysis will come later, but I have been thinking about who I want to win this game. Pros and cons:

If TCU wins: the Horned Frogs will go undefeated with their two remaining games against Wyoming and New Mexico, and they will go to a BCS game. It will quiet the abnoxious Boise State and Utah fans. And it will give the MWC another BCS powerhouse in their quest to become a part of the BCS.

If Utah wins: it gives BYU a shot at a share of the 2009 MWC conference championship if they win out. Boise State fans go berserk and pretend that they are the best team in history as they go to the BCS for the second time. Utah fans get overly optimistic and talk smack to BYU fans about how they defeated TCU on the road while BYU got killed by them at home.

Easy call: Go Horned Frogs.

SEC: All the late-season drama is gone with three weeks still remaining in the regular season. Florida and Alabama have both clinched their divisions, and will play in December for a spot in the national championship. All that matters now is that these two squads win their remaining games so that this game can be as exciting as possible.

Florida is at South Carolina this weekend, which looked like it would be a competitive match-up until the Gamecocks got blown out their last two games against Tennessee and Arkansas. Alabama, on the other hand, might have a game on their hands as they travel to play Mississippi State. Despite being buried near the SEC West cellar each year, the Bulldogs squad have actually been competitive this year, losing close games to LSU, Georgia Tech, Houston, and Florida. Sometimes teams like this finally get a break-through win if they play enough ranked teams.

WAC: Idaho at Boise State is the Game ‘o the Week in the WAC. Okay, obviously Fresno State/Nevada is looking to be the more competitive match-up. And we all know that the Broncos are going to defeat the Vandals by at least 25 points. But I am making this the Game of the Week in honor of a rare decent team from the Moscow school. They probably believe that they have a fighting chance against their in-state rivals. And just because we like to spread the love at The Joe Rankings, I am giving the University of Idaho special attention today

My First Mention of the Jazz

2009-11-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

1. The Utah Jazz is my favorite NBA team. Obviously, since I am a Utahn. I was very optimistic going into last season, but the Jazz were hampered by injuries and an underwhelming season by Carlos Boozer. This year, my excitement and expectations were much lower, and I am glad that I didn't set myself up for disappointment, as the Jazz have started out 2-4.

The Jazz improved to 3-4 tonight, though, by kicking off their four-game Eastern Conference road trip with a win over the New York Knickerbockers, 95-93. Of course I am hopeful that the Jazz can rebound from their slow start and pick up a bunch of wins en route to a deep playoff run. But mostly I am excited tonight that the Knicks have started 1-7, and the Jazz get the Knicks' draft pick next summer.

Next up for the Jazz is a road game at the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. The Celtics are on fire to start the season, leading the NBA with a 7-1 mark.

2. Here are some of the big storylines in college football this upcoming weekend:

ACC: None of the top ACC teams play one another this weekend. But all of the top contenders are on the road, which should make things interesting. One or two of these teams are bound to lose. Georgia Tech and Clemson both control their own destiny to the ACC championship game, and they have games at Duke and North Carolina State, respectively. The Yellow Jackets can clinch their spot in the championship game with a victory.

Big East: Easily the biggest game this week is on Friday night, when West Virginia visits the undefeated fifth-ranked Bearcats of Cincinnati. The Mountaineers need a win to stay in the BCS hunt. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh hosts Notre Dame in a huge game to improve their BCS resume. A loss to the Fighting Irish would mean that they would need to win the Big East for any hopes of a big-money game.

Conference USA: Though all eyes are on #15 Houston and their star quarterback Case Keenum, the game of the week is probably on Sunday when Tulsa hosts East Carolina. Tulsa is in a down year, but they still have the firepower to defeat the Pirates. ECU is precariously positioned atop the East Division, and this would be a big win for them to keep their status as frontrunners.

MAC: Nothing jumps out as a big game here, but I'm keeping an eye on Temple, who is putting up a great season at 7-2 (5-0 MAC). They play at Akron on Friday, and a win would put them on the brink of the MAC championship game.

PAC 10: Every game is big in the Pac 10, but the Game of the Week here is Arizona at California. The Golden Bears have been disappointing, living up to their annual tradition of over-hype. But the Wildcats are 4-1 in the conference, and as they hit the toughest part of their schedule, this road game will help determine whether or not this team is for real.

Sun Belt: Troy currently sits atop the standings here, but they have a big non-conference road game at Arkansas. This game provides the Sun Belt with their last chance to gain a small measure of national respect.

Weekend Wrap

2009-11-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

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.

World Champions!!

2009-11-04T21:55:00.001-08:00

Back in 2001, I decided to begin cheering for the New York Yankees. Everyone was jumping on the Red Sox bandwagon, and I was rooting for the Bronx Bombers during that epic playoff series that was won by the Yankees when Aaron Boone jacked the home run. Even though they ended up losing in the World Series that year to the Arizona Daimondbacks, I was hooked and I joined my dad Bob and my brother Brad in rooting for them.

They defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 tonight, winning the World Series 4 games to 2. This was the first time in any sport that a team I have been rooting for has won the national championship.* I celebrated by grinning when Mark Teixeira caught the game-winning out at first base and the Yanks doggy-piled at the mound. It feels good to root for a champion!!

This was the Yankees' 27th World Championship in baseball's history, but only the second this decade after winning the decade's opening Series in the Subway Series in 2000 over the New York Mets.

Despite winning two titles this decade, though, I think the Yankees fall short of getting Team of the Decade honors. That honor still goes to the Boston Red Sox, as much as I hate typing that. The Red Sox also won two World Series (2004 and 2007), and had one less World Series appearance than New York, but the Red Sox get the nod due to the way they won their championships. In 2004, they came back from 3-0 down to beat the Yankees to the AL pennant. They then swept the Cardinals to dramatically break their long-term curse. They cemented their status in 2007 by sweeping the Colorado Rockies for the title.

* my favorite college football team--the Brigham Young University Cougars--won the 1984 national championship. But I was too young to remember, so I don't count myself as a witness to the event or as a fan of that specific team.

Yanks, Fulham, and More

2009-09-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

The Joe Story of the Day:
I can’t claim to have deep insight into my favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees. I casually follow them and will watch them on television every once in a while. On the outside, it appears that the Bronx Bombers are in great shape. They are 94-53 this season, which is 7 games ahead of their rival Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East. They are a lock to make the playoffs. They have the best record in baseball, by far. They signed Mark Texeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett, all who have panned out with great seasons.

But I just don’t feel that this is their year. They have had too many come-from-behind victories and dramatic finishes. Eventually, luck runs out, right? This is especially true in the postseason when the opposition is much more ramped up than usual. The pitching is starting to get shaky, I feel. Burnett is fairly unpredictable, mixing in 10-run games with his three-hitter gems. The Yanks have been coddling young star Joba Chamberlain to the point where he won’t be able to last through tight, grind-it-out games and will have to be relieved by the Yankees’ subpar relief corps. Offensively, I am a bit more comfortable with their line-up, but I’ll be closing my eyes during every Alex Rodriguez at-bat.

Besides all that, I feel that the Red Sox still have the Yankees’ number. Sure, the Yanks have won the majority of the recent games between the two, but the Sox still have the mojo of having won two recent World Series titles, and I think they are in the Yankees’ heads. If the Yanks can get by the Tigers in the first round, chances are they’ll face the confident Red Sox in the ALCS with the rowdy Fenway crowd. I don’t like their chances. I just don't.

Reader Review:
I am not the biggest fan of ESPN’s Rick Reilly. I guess I just don’t like his style. I heard him say in a Podcast that he focuses on trying to bring us the story of the athlete instead of analyzing sports or results. That is fine, but I don’t think he does that very well. He once worked to get access to an entire day with Kobe Bryant, and his article revealed very little insight. I came away feeling like he had wasted a golden opportunity to write about the personality and character of one of the most interesting athletes in NBA history. If Bill Simmons were to have an entire day with Bryant—good night!—we’d have a 6,000-word column full of insight and comedy, even if all they did was sit on the couch and watch soap operas all day.

At any rate, I decided to read Reilly’s latest article that criticized Michael Jordan after his Hall of Fame induction speech. I can’t agree more that Jordan can be a jerk and is very ego-centric. I’ve heard story after story that demonstrates this. And I’m fine if you want to write a personal piece that rips the character of a public figure. But I came away with the impression that he had a personal grudge against Jordan about how he was treated as a reporter. Reilly came out a little unprofessional to me. I get the same feeling when local radioheads (Patrick Kinahan) rip on Bronco Mendenhall simply because he doesn't always return requests to be interviewed. Move on and keep reporting.

I haven’t listened to Jordan’s induction speech yet. I’ll give it a listen and share my thoughts another day.

College Football:
There was a big game tonight played between ACC powers Miami (#20) and Georgia Tech (#14). The Hurricane won with relative ease, 33-17. Miami shut down Tech's vaunted flexbone offense, holding them to 93 yards rushing (aided by the shoulder injury sustained by their star running back Jonathan Dwyer). Meanwhile, Miami's sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris had his second straight strong game to start this season, completing 20-of-25 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

Clearly it is early in the season, but Miami has staked their place atop the ACC Coastal Division with a 2-0 record. They play next weekend at #13 Virginia Tech, in what is sure to be a big game on the national radar.

In their first game of the season on Labor Day, Miami beat in-state rival Florida State 38-34 in an instant classic decided on the final play of the game. It is always hard to tell after just one game whether or not a team is really good, so I was anxious to see these teams' next games to get a better idea. Florida State bounced back with a last-minute comeback victory over FCS opponent Jacksonville State, which was obviously less than impressive. But Miami looks like a legitimate power this year after toppling one of the ACC favorites.

This Saturday evening, the Seminoles travel to Provo to face the #7 BYU Cougars. I expect Florida State to play similarly to how they played against Miami, as opposed to their poor showing against Jacksonville State. Their quickness on the ball will be evident and will cause problems for BYU's front seven. Last weekend, I thought their offense was hampered down by bad weather and an uninteresting foe; both factors will not be in play in Provo.

On the other side of the coin, Florida's defense is still young and full of holes, and if Jacory Harris and JSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux can routinely complete passes for 20+ yards, I can only imagine what Max Hall will be able to do.

I think this game will be high-scoring and closer than a lot of people expect, but the altitude and energy from the home crowd will be too much for the Seminoles. My prediction: BYU 45, Florida State 38.

Soccer:
My favorite English Premier League (EPL) Team is the Fulham Cottagers. I decided to pick a favorite team two years ago, and I chose Fulham for the random reason that they had the most Americans on their squad. Currently they are down to just one American—Clint Dempsey, one of the heroes for the United States in their run this past summer to the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Due to their relatively high finish in the EPL standings last season, Fulham was invited to participate in this season’s UEFA Europa League, which is the little brother to the much-more-prestigious UEFA Champions League. To put it in American terms, it would be like playing in the NIT college basketball tournament instead of the 65-team NCAA Tournament. Nobody really cares too much about the Europa League, but it is big for the teams because it generates a boost in revenue, experience, and reputation.

Currently the Cottagers are in the group stages of the competition, drawn with Basel (Switzerland), CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), and Roma (Italy). They play each team home-and-away. The first game was earlier today, and Fulham claimed a 1-1 draw in Bulgaria against CSKA Sofia. The home side got on the board first in the 62nd minute, but Fulham drew level three minutes later when Frenchman Diomansy Kamara punched it in. Not a bad result for the Cottagers when you consider that they were on the road and took a squad of mostly substitutes and reserves.

With five games remaining in the group stage, they are tied for second place (with Sofia) on one point, two points behind Basel. Their next game in the competition will be on October 1 when they host Basel. This Sunday, they resume Premier League action at newly-promoted Wolverhampton.

In other notable Europa League games:
1. Everton—the other English team in this competition notched a 4-0 rout at Goodison Park over Greece’s AEK Athens. The Toffees are led by American goalkeeper Tim Howard.

2. Celtic—the biggest name in the fading Scottish Premier League lost 2-1 in Israel against Hapoel Tel-Aviv. It has been an outrage among their fans that they didn’t qualify for the group stages in the Champions League, and this setback will only infuriate them even more.

3. Villarreal—The Spanish side recorded a goal in the 72nd minute to get the home victory, 1-0 over Bulgarian side Levski Sofia.

4. Werder Bremen—The German squad took second place in the UEFA Cup last season, and opened up their group stage play this year with a 3-2 road victory over Portugal’s Nacional.

5. Shakhtar Donetsk—The Ukrainians are the defending champions of this league, and they started off their defense with a 4-1 blowout win at Belgian side Club Brugge.

Busy Summer for the American Soccer Team

2009-06-02T04:31:00.000-07:00

This month kicks off a key stretch of games for the United States men's soccer squad. They are in the midst of qualifying for next summer's World Cup, and will also be participating in the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa two weeks from now. Later on this summer, they will defend their title in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

But first thing's first. Bob Bradley's squad will continue World Cup qualification tomorrow with a huge road match at Costa Rica. The Americans have never come away victorious in the famed Estadio Saprissa, and historically these two squads have an even record against each other.

To add importance to the game, these two teams lie atop the qualification standings through three games:

1. United States (7 points)
2. Costa Rica (6 points)

3. Honduras (4 points)

4. Mexico (3 points)

5. El Salvador (2 points)

6. Trinidad & Tobago (2 points)

A U.S. victory would almost stamp their passport to South Africa next year with a four-point lead over anybody else, approaching the halfway point. A loss would put Costa Rica atop the table and put the Americans' World Cup hopes in danger with tough upcoming games against Honduras and at Mexico. A draw would be satisfactory, I think, and would keep the U.S. on pace for first place.

The United States has been dominant at home, so they should defeat Honduras just three days later in Chicago. But this is no guarantee since Los Catrachos will be well-rested and are a quality team anyway. Besides, they were the last team to defeat the United States on home soil earlier this decade, so nothing is a given.

Six points would be incredible. Four points would be pleasing. Three points would be okay. Anything less would be disappointment. Go USA!

Program Rankings

2009-04-01T05:25:00.001-07:00

To the left you will see my Program Rankings. This isn't a 2009 preseason Joe Poe. This is where I feel the football programs are in general over the past several seasons.

I am getting more and more excited for the 2009 season to begin. At some point I will have my preseason rankings out along with some predictions.

Season Recapitulation

2009-01-26T20:23:00.001-08:00

It kills me to say this. It really does. But I have to say it. I am going against every fiber of my college football soul. I am going against my stubborn and blue-tinted goggles. I am even going against my highly-esteemed Joe Rankings formula here. I will put it in quotation marks (even if it is incorrect to do so) to add emphasis.

“Utah--if you thought about it really hard--maybe has a claim that they could possibly deserve to be the 2009 national champions.”

There, I said it. It is out. I have just provided everyone with future smack material to sling at me. But I cannot lie on my blog. The University of Utah has an argument. Now, before you all think I am kowtowing to Kyle Whittingham and rubbing my Bourbon Street beads while making the sign of the U across my chest, I will bring a couple of things back to reality, or at least back into perspective:
1. Utah did not win the national championship. They can print out whatever shirts they want and hang whatever banner they want, but it would be a lie. As a Cougar fan, I can at least hang onto that last shred of school pride. BYU can at least legitimately claim the 1984 national title. And I can use it as smack material because it happened in my lifetime. So there you go.

2. When I say that Utah deserved to win the 2009 national championship, I don’t mean to say I feel that it is undisputed. Texas, USC, and Florida could all argue their way to the top spot as well. At least if you base this all on the argument of “which team is best.” Utah could go 0-3 against these other teams, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone. The sad thing is that we’ll never know, and my point is that for Utah fans that might be a good thing. At least they have an argument now and can puff out their chests. In a playoff scenario, I don’t think they’d be coming home to a parade. But I could be wrong. Maybe they would beat everyone. Who knows. I think I’m going in circles here, confusing myself more and more.

But I give Utah all the credit in the world. After the dominating Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama, I told a couple of friends that I didn’t think Utah would stand a chance against either Oklahoma or Texas. I didn’t mean that as a slight to Utah, I just thought that the Sooners and Longhorns were that good. But after watching the Fiesta Bowl and BCS title game, I think I’m wrong. I think that the Utes would be able to hang with these boys. Texas didn’t look too impressive in their last-minute victory over Ohio State. And Oklahoma only put up 14 points against Florida’s defense (the same defense that struggled to contain Alabama last month—the same Alabama that Utah creamed).

So what we end up with is a huge mess where nobody knows anything after all is said and done. Florida? They looked pretty darn convincing in their last two wins over ‘bama and Oklahoma. And they DO get to hang the national championship banner, after all. And if they want they can also hang a Joe Rankings Championship banner as well.

Texas? They lost one game in heartbreaking fashion on the road to a very good Texas Tech team, blew out everyone else they played, and beat an underrated Ohio State (at least underrated in my opinion) in the Fiesta Bowl.

USC? Yeah, they lost a close one at Oregon State early in the season, but they have been incredibly dominant since then. I don’t know if you could argue against their chances at this point if there were a playoff.

Utah? Name another team that went undefeated. And it isn’t like they were beating cream puffs. They beat two top 10 teams in Alabama and TCU. They beat two other top 25 teams in Oregon State and BYU. They went into Ann Arbor and beat a Michigan team who everyone thought would at least be decent (and they weren’t). And they set a new record for most times storming the field in one season. Give them some credit for that.

I don’t know what else to add to my ramble concerning the Utes’ incredible season and the BCS mess that has resulted. Utah is a top ten football program in my opinion. Kyle Whittingham has done an amazing job, but I think his biggest test remains. It is unclear how much of this team’s defensive ingenuity can be attributed to Whittingham or to now-Utah-State-head-coach Gary Andersen. Whittingham was a great defensive coach under McBride and Meyer, too, but can he coach the program while letting Kilane Sitake lead the defense? Probably. But maybe not. In addition, Utah loses most of their offensive firepower. Their offensive success came this year on great ball control and decision-making from Brian Johnson, which is only partially coachable. Can they bring in a new quarterback that won’t turn the ball over? They still have Aiona Key, David Reed, and Matt Asiata, so it isn’t like their cupboard is bare with only incoming freshmen and promoted third-stringers. But they might struggle with an inexperienced quarterback. Also, a few wins for the Utes this year came in large part because of their consensus All-American punter, Louis Sakoda. When games are won by defense and field position, you need a great punter. Will they have that luxury next year? Granted, there are always question marks going into every season, but if Whittingham can maintain success, then I’ll truly admit that I wish BYU would have snagged him over Bronco Mendenhall.

Speaking (or typing, I guess) of my BYU Cougars: What a disappointing finish. Back-to-back not-that-close of losses to Utah and Arizona…well, that kind of stunk. I think the loss in the Las Vegas Bowl was mainly attributed to BYU not being motivated, while the Wildcats came in with a ton of emotion in their first bowl game in a decade. It was the same thing with Utah hitting Alabama in the chops. They came out motivated, excited, and happy to be there, while the Crimson Tide and BYU went into their respective bowl game on a down note. That’s not an excuse…motivation and emotion is as much a part of the game as skill and tactics. That’s merely one of the main reasons Utah and Arizona won. I think if BYU were to play Arizona in a regular-season game with a high ranking to prove (like when they played UCLA), the result would probably have been different. But that’s just my speculation. Luckily for me, the Vegas Bowl was played while I was holding my one-day-old son Parker in the hospital. I wasn’t too concerned with the game, so I was emotionally stable after the loss (though my wife might argue against me ever being emotionally stable. But that’s another blog post for another day). Despite the disappointing season (and I maintain that it’s a good sign when 10-3 is “disappointing”), I don’t think it will hit BYU too hard in recruiting, and they have what should be a good team coming back next year. Austin Collie is leaving for the NFL, but I think we’ll see O’Neal Chambers and McKay Jacobsen put up some good numbers alongside Dennis Pitta. Harvey Unga is the best player on this offense, and I think he’ll see a lot more touches next year. If Manase Tonga can re-qualify academically, he would be a huge asset. And defensively, I don’t think their defense was THAT bad. They obviously weren’t great, but I bet that they’ll be vastly improved next season with a year of experience under their belts. So that is my take on the season. I apologize for not being very diligent in my blogging. Let’s hope for better from me next year.

My official prediction for the game

2008-11-17T04:59:00.000-08:00

Pregame Notes:

"We welcome you to Rice-Eccles Stadium this lovely autumn afternoon, as the 14th-ranked Cougars of BYU visit the University of Utah Utes, who are currently ranked 7th in the country!" So says radio man Greg Wrubell to open up the broadcast for this game, the biggest ever in the history of the Deseret Duel. The undefeated Utes would send themselves into the BCS with a victory, while the 10-1 Cougars would also position themselves for a potential bid if they pull off the upset.

Afternoon traffic is snarled by a nasty accident between a pirate ship and a remodeled school bus right in front of the stadium. "There were no fatalities, and only minor injuries," says police spokesman Paul Jaroscak. Asked if there was any alcohol involved, Jaroscak replies, "The accident was between a pirate ship and a school bus re-painted to look like a pig. YOU tell ME if there was alcohol involved."

The players get themselves pumped up in their respective locker rooms. In the BYU locker room, they get a pep speech from special visitors, the Southwest Baptist basketball team. "Listen, dudes," says Bearcat Tomas Brock. "If we can beat the Utes on their home floor, then so should you." Coach Bronco Mendenhall then shares a scripture about Samson. "When he lost his hair, his strength was gone," Mendenhall says. "Let us figuratively cut off the hair of our opponents today." His quote is quickly followed by a roar of approval, and the cougars storm the field, where they dance the Haka to a mixed chorus of cheers and boos.

Meanwhile, in the Utah locker room, a rap is performed by players Darrell Mack, Brice McCain, Louis Sakoda, and Brian Johnson. Once it is done, Johnson screams something about feeling the Holy Spirit and on cue the Utes rush the field.

The captains for the two teams meet at center field, and the Utes win the coin toss! Overheard on the referees' microphone by Ute captain Brian Johnson is this Matt Hasselbeck-worthy gem: "We will elect to receive the ball in the second half, and that is the ONLY kickoff we'll receive all game!" The Utah fans cheer and begin chanting "BYU sucks!"

First Quarter:

BYU receives the opening kickoff, which is a touchback. On the first play of the game, BYU quarterback Max Hall connects with Austin Collie on a 75-yard pass. On third-and-goal from the two yard line, BYU scores the first touchdown of the game on a Harvey Unga plow-in. 7-0 BYU.

Later in the quarter, Utah evens things up on a 78-yard drive, highlighted by a Darrell Mack 30-yard run. The score comes on a triple-reverse off a fake second-down field goal attempt. Freddie Brown ends up wide open in the end zone, where Asiata hits him. The score is tied 7-7. The fact that Utah scores a touchdown clinches the MWC Offensive Player of the Week award for Brian Johnson.

Second Quarter:

The defenses tighten up on both sides. Max Hall is sacked three times in this quarter and throws an interception deep in Cougar territory. Luckily for Hall, the Cougars block two Sakoda field goal attempts and force a turnover of their own when David Nixon forces a fumble from Bradon Godfrey on a monster hit. BYU capitalizes on the turnover with a 42-yard Mitch Payne field goal. Halftime score: BYU 10, Utah 7.

Halftime:

Fans are stunned when the Utah and BYU marching bands join forces on the field and play a lovely medley of popular Proposition 8 songs. "It really brought things into perspective," says the Utah fan who dresses up as a clown. "It reminded me of what is really important in life, and I ended up crying tears of joy and hugging BYU fans in an act of solidarity."

Utah athletics--sensing a little too much brotherhood in the stands--pulls out their "get the fans riled up" wild card by sending out men's basketball coach Jim Boylen. "All right fans!" he screams into the microphone at center field. "This is the season you've all been waiting for, since 1997!!!!! WE'RE GOING ALL THE WAY, BABY! !!!!!!! AIN'T NOBODY GOING TO STOP US THIS YEAR, BABY! WE'RE THE RUNNING UTES!!!!!!!!!! YEAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" The fans go nuts in appreciation when Swoop tackles Boylen from behind, hogties him, and carries him off the field on his little four-wheeler ATV.

Third Quarter:

Utah receives the second-half kickoff, and they don't take long to get more points on the scoreboard. From their own 45-yard line, Johnson connects with David Reed down the sideline, who hauls it in and high-steps into the end zone. A fifteen-yard penalty is called when Sakoda rushes onto the field and starts rapping with Reed. But they make the extra point anyway. 14-10 Utah lead.

BYU responds on the very next drive with a 14-play methodical drive, capped by an 8-yard scoring toss from Hall to a wide open Andrew George. Just for fun, George falls onto his knees as he catches it, a la Jonny Harline in 2006. This really ticks off the Utah fans, but no further harm is done. BYU re-takes the lead 17-14.

Fourth Quarter:

Things begin to get interesting when sure-handed Matt Asiata fumbles the ball early in the fourth, and BYU recovers at the Utes' 18-yard line. Six plays later, Harvey Unga runs it in for the touchdown, and BYU extends their lead to 24-14.

Things look really dire for the Utes when Sakoda's 55-yard field goal attempt doinks off the upright. But they get a stroke of good luck when Hall throws an interception to McCain that is returned for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 24-21.

Some tense drives ensue, but the two defenses hold strong when they need to. With three minutes remaining, Utah begins a drive at their own 28-yard line, and Whittingham sends offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig to the locker room, as they no longer need him. Utah coolly drives down the field, and they take the lead with :49 remaining when Johnson hooks up with Freddie Brown on a crossing pattern! The MUSS storms the field and starts to climb onto the goalposts, resulting in an obvious 15-yard penalty flag. The Cougars wisely accept the penalty on the kickoff, and Sakoda's extra point gives Utah a 28-24 lead.

Thanks to the penalty on the MUSS, BYU starts their next drive at their own 48-yard line with :42 remaining. On the very first play of the drive, Hall is smashed on the blind side by Paul Kruger, and the ball is jarred loose. About 18 players pounce on the ball, and an edgy three minutes follow as players are lifted off the pile to determine who recovered the ball. When the referee signals Utah ball, the fans go nuts and the MUSS again storms the field, for another flag.

In the middle of all of this, Mendenhall convinces the referees to take a second look at the tape. In the middle of the MUSS celebrating, the referee turns on his microphone and says, "Upon further review, the previous call is overturned. The defense had 15 players on the field. Fifteen yard penalty on the MUSS, and a further penalty for having too many players on the field. BYU ball, first down!"

The MUSS angrily storms off the field, and Frank Dolce goes crazy in the radio booth. "That is not a penalty, I swear it isn't," he insists on live radio. "I'll have to look in the rules book later, but I know that there is a clear rule that says under certain circumstances you can have fifteen players on the field. And it isn't like they made a difference anyways, they were second stringers!"

Two plays later, Hall has BYU on the 18-yard line with only :16 seconds remaining. On the next play, Hall drops back, floats the ball into the back corner of the end zone, where it is caught by Austin Collie for the touchdown! Unbelievable! Collie outjumps all four Ute secondary players, almost as if he is being lifted by "magic." As he gets plowed on the way down, he somehow sneaks a toe onto the field to make the catch. Former mayor Rocky Anderson comes out of nowhere and tries to get in a shoving match with Collie, but Austin doesn't fall for it. Payne's extra point attempt is good, and BYU takes a 31-28 lead.

The game ends on the next kickoff. Utah tries to lateral their way into a miracle, but their fourth lateral sails out of bounds and whacks Utah coach Kyle Whittingham in the head.

Final Score:
BYU 31, Utah 28

College Football Notes

2008-10-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

1. BYU plays UNLV tomorrow. I am excited to go to this game with my son. This was his Father's Day gift to me. BYU will win 52-17.

2. If the BCS were today, this is what I think it would look like:
National Championship Game: Texas (Big XII champ) v. Alabama (SEC champ)
Rose Bowl: Penn State (Big 10 champ) v. USC (Pac 10 champ)
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma (Big XII #2) v. Ohio State (Big 10 #2)
Sugar Bowl: Georgia (SEC #2) v. Utah (non-BCS #1)
Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech (ACC champ) v. Pittsburgh (Big East champ)

Georgia fans would probably not be too happy about a second consecutive year playing a non-BCS foe, but at least Utah would be a better foe than Hawaii was last year. Boise State also gets the short end of the stick. They are a non-BCS team in the top 12, which would normally be enough to get a BCS game, but they get trumped by Utah.

Ohio State and Georgia are the two at-large selections. Georgia gets in over Florida and LSU to be the second SEC team in the fold (remember, each conference can only have two teams in BCS games, which is also the reason Oklahoma State and Texas Tech aren't even mentioned from the Big XII right now). The Fiesta chooses Ohio State over Utah and Pittsburgh (the auto qualifiers). I think the Fiesta would also take the Buckeyes over TCU and Boise State (other at-large candidates).

It is possible that the Sugar could take Pittsburgh over Utah if the Panthers continue to win and build momentum. This would push the Utes to the Orange Bowl against the ACC champ.

3. BYU's loss to TCU last week all but ended their BCS hopes this year. But there is still a way for BYU to get in. If the Cougars finish in the top 16 of the BCS standings, they could get automatic qualification into the BCS IF they also finish higher than every other non-BCS team AND higher than the ACC champ and Big East champ.

As such, here is who I am rooting for this week:
BYU over UNLV (obviously)
Wyoming over TCU (not likely)
Eastern Michigan over Ball State (not likely)
Central Florida over Tulsa (not likely)
San Jose State over Boise State (not likely)
Virginia Tech over Florida State
Virginia over Georgia Tech
Louisville over South Florida
Rutgers over Pittsburgh
Texas Tech over Kansas
Texas over Oklahoma State
Colorado over Missouri
Indiana over Northwestern
Purdue over Minnesota
Penn State over Ohio State

There is another way for BYU to get in if they finish in the top 14 along with another Mountain West foe, but the chances of everything working out in this loophole are so astronomical that I don't think it is worth delving into.

The key for the Cougars is just win out, and maybe they'll squeak in.

Week Six Notes

2008-10-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

1. BYU beat Utah State by a lowly 20-point margin (34-14), and now all Cougar fans are freaking out that this team shouldn't be in the Top 10 of the national rankings. My take is who cares? BYU led 34-0 in the fourth quarter. As far as I'm concerned, anything that happens after that is mostly irrelevant. Yeah, BYU's subs should have still prevented the Agriculturalists from scoring 14 points, but none of this will be remembered after the next game is played.

2. BYU's next game is in Lavell Edwards Stadium against Los Lobos de Mexico Nueva. My Spanish might be off, so I hope I don't offend anyone. I don't think this game will be close. BYU will be fired up by Bronco Mendenhall, the game is at home, and New Mexico's starting quarterback is out for the year. My Prediction: BYU 45, New Mexico 7.

3. Utah, meanwhile, won a Thursday night thriller over Oregon State, 31-28. Brian Johnson rallied the boys to 11 points in the last two minutes or so to steal the victory at home. I watched the game at my parents'-in-law house, and had a fun time. I think Utah is the real deal. Like every team, they have weaker spots, but I don't see the Utes losing before November 22. This week, they travel to the fabled town of Laramie. I was telling a coworker there that when I went to a game in Laramie in November 2005, there were tumbleweeds blowing down the streets in their downtown area. The weather might be bad and the Cowboys are looking for revenge from last year's blowout when Utah kicked an onsides kick with a 40-point lead or whatever, but it won't matter. My Prediction: Utah 27, Wyoming 10.

4. If the BCS were to end today, this is what I think the BCS would look like:

National Championship Game: Oklahoma (Big XII champ) v. Alabama (SEC champ)
Rose Bowl: USC (Pac 10 champ) v. Penn State (Big 10 champ)
Fiesta Bowl: Missouri (Big XII #2) v. Ohio State (Big 10 #2)
Sugar Bowl: LSU (SEC #2) v. Utah (non-BCS #1)
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech (ACC champ) v. Pittsburgh (Big East champ)

5. I know it is preposterous to consider BYU going to the national championship game. It just won't happen no matter what happens, and I realize this. But heck, it's okay to have fun with it. This is who I am rooting for this weekend to pave BYU's path to the title.

A. Utah over Wyoming; TCU over Colorado State. If BYU wants any prayer, they need these two teams to win every single one of their non-BYU games. The more hype for the Holy War clash on November 22, the better.

B. Southern Miss over Boise State. I'm getting a little nervous that everyone is jumping on the Boise State Bronco bandwagon with their high strength of schedule. Other than Fresno State and maybe Nevada, I don't see anybody else even potentially coming close to knocking them off. Southern Miss gets the Broncos at home in an evening game. I would like to see Boise knocked out of the entire equation as soon as possible.

C. Staying out West, it would of course be nice to see the underachieving Arizona State squad knock off USC in SoCal, but I don't think the Sun Devils will even be able to keep it close. Also, a UCLA win at Oregon would be nice, too. If either of these two results happen, I'll be happy.

D. Among the other mid-major undefeateds, I don't think either Tulsa or Ball State has enough firepower to overtake an undefeated BYU. I would like to see them continue winning to keep a national eye on the "mid-major" scene.

E. The Big XII has a few interesting games. The most notable is the Red River Rivalry game between Oklahoma and Texas. I will go against my Fantasy College Football league here and root for the Longhorns. Overall, I think Oklahoma is the better team and there is a better chance that Texas could lose two other games after this one with the tougher schedule. Either way, both the Sooners and Longhorns will need two losses each when all is said and done.

Also, Oklahoma State is at Missouri. BYU needs the Tigers to have two losses, so I will be rooting for the Cowboys this weekend. It would also be nice to see Nebraska somehow knock down Texas Tech and for Colorado to beat Kansas. The more upsets, the better.

F. The SEC is also getting complicated, as the Cougars probably need everybody to have two losses to stay ahead of everyone. It would be nice to see Kentucky and Vanderbilt lose to South Carolina and Mississippi State, respectively, for the second and first losses, respectively. Did that last sentence even make sense?

The big game is Tennessee at Georgia. The Volunteers have looked horrible this year, but I still have hope they can give the Bulldogs their second loss of the year and knock them out of contention. The BIGGEST game is LSU (4-0) v. Florida (4-1). I think I'm rooting for the Gators here. LSU could stumble again with games at South Carolina and at home against Georgia. There will be other opportunities for the Urban Meyers to lose, hopefully. Alabama, meanwhile, is also undefeated but they have a bye this week.

Newest Thoughts

2008-09-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

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.

Week Four Update

2008-09-25T11:13:00.001-07:00

1. Utah proved me wrong last week. I predicted a loss for the Utes, but they came through with a last-minute touchdown to beat Air Force 30-23. Their defense played very well in limiting the Falcons' option running attack. Something doesn't sit right with this team yet. They're winning, which is all that really matters, but it seems like their offense is kind of staggering, especially Brian Johnson. What they need is a game like what I'm predicting this week. Week Five prediction: Utah 56, Weber State 10.

2. You'll notice that the Utes are also #1 in the Joe Rankings after four weeks. There are a couple of key factors: a)They've won all of their games, three of which were on the road. Their schedule will begin to balance out a little bit. b)UNLV beating Arizona State and Iowa State helps them a lot. All in all, their game against Weber State probably won't help them too much this week. I expect them to fall from the top spot, but to still retain a spot in the top 5.

3. BYU recorded their second straight shutout with a 44-0 beatdown of Wyoming. I only saw a little bit of the game, but they were clicking, as usual. Other than the Utah game at the end of last year, I haven't attended or seen an exciting game in Provo for years. They have been incredibly dominant at home.

4. BYU has risen to only #30 in my rankings despite the national hype that is now surrounding the program. The reasons for their low ranking are that three of their four games have been at home. BYU has a jumble of big road games late in the season, so if BYU keeps winning, their push up the Joe Rankings will be over the second half of the season. BYU has a bye this week before a road game at Utah State and a home game against New Mexico over the next two weeks. Don't expect them to rise too quickly.

5. If the season were to end today, this is what I think the BCS pairings would be:

National Championship Game: USC v. Oklahoma
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin v. Florida
Fiesta Bowl: Missouri v. BYU
Sugar Bowl: Georgia v. Penn State
Orange Bowl: Wake Forest v. South Florida

Since the games last week, Oregon is dropped from the Rose Bowl after their loss to Boise State, and the Granddaddy of them all is happy to replace them with the Gators. Penn State, meanwhile, moves into the national spotlight with a strong start to the season, and they get invited to the Sugar Bowl (though the Fiesta Bowl would take a good long hard look at the Nittany Lions). The Orange Bowl gets the short end of the stick so far this year, though there is still time for them to hope for a Clemson or Virginia Tech resurgence.

Wow

2008-09-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

1. What a weekend for the local college football teams. BYU and Utah scored 59 and 58 points, respectively, in their blowout victories over UCLA and Utah State. I didn't catch any of the Utah game or even read about it, but I was at the BYU victory and it was a very fun game. BYU was hitting them hard and creating turnovers. It was a game that will go in the annals of Lavell Edwards Stadium history.

2. This week BYU hosts Wyoming. The Cowboys struggled to two close wins over Ohio and North Dakota State, while suffering a blowout loss at home to Air Force. I don't think BYU will win by 59 points, but they'll still win this game easily. MY PREDICTION: BYU 45, Wyoming 13.

3. Utah travels to Air Force in what could be their last major road test of the season (the Utes host both TCU and BYU). I think this game will be low-scoring. Utah will have a difficult time stopping the Falcons' rushing attack with their thin defensive line. MY PREDICTION: Air Force 21, Utah 20.

4. Everyone is making a big deal of the Mountain West Conference winning all four games they played last week against PAC 10 opponents. It is hard for me to get too hyped up over it. After all, how many times have the PAC 10 teams eaten all these MWC teams for dessert? Another note: all four games were in MWC venues. I think if the games were played in PAC 10 stadiums, the Mountain West teams would have probably gone 2-2 or 1-3.

5. If the season were to end today, this is what I think the BCS match-ups would be:

National Championship Game: USC vs. Oklahoma
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Oregon
Fiesta Bowl: Missouri vs. BYU
Sugar Bowl: South Florida vs. Georgia
Orange Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Florida

Notes and Predictions

2008-09-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

1. BYU beat Washington fair and square. I'm trying not to be a homer on this, but the penalty at the end of the game was a penalty. The ref tossed the flag, and according to the rules it was a penalty and the refs called it correctly.

2. It was a tougher-than-expected game for the cougars against the same Husky team who got demolished by Oregon the previous week. Hey, I don't care. A win is a win on the road. I'll always say that.

3. BYU will play differently in Provo this week against UCLA. The secondary is under pressure and they will perform admirably. BYU will move the ball on offense just as easily as they did these first two games. My prediction: BYU 42, UCLA 12.

4. I was worried for Utah for a while there, tied with UNLV 14-14 at the half. But Utah took over after the break. Right now, Utah as a whole are looking pretty strong. They get another cakewalk this weekend up in Logan. My prediction: Utah 38, Utah State 3.

5. You'll notice on the left that Utah is ranked #1 by The Joe Rankings through two weeks of action. A couple of notes regarding this: A) this proves that my rankings are about as unbiased as they could possibly be. I do not EVER want to hear about how my rankings are set up to favor BYU and whatever else. B) Utah and BYU fans need not get too excited about this. Through two games, Utah has proven the most on the field of play, but it doesn't mean that they are the best team. Utah is ranked higher than most teams because everyone else has played a lower-division team. Utah gets their shot at Weber State later, and suredly their ranking will slip.

6. As impressive as Utah and BYU have been so far with two victories apiece, let us not overlook their MWC comrades TCU and Air Force. The Horned Frogs followed their monster win at New Mexico with a 67-7 hammering of Stephen F. Austin. Meanwhile, Air Force beat rivals Wyoming 23-3 in Laramie, which was preceded by a blowout of Southern Utah.

7. Switching gears for a moment, you'll notice that my World Cup map on the bottom of my blog has been updated. I have a few notes regarding soccer right now: A) Props to New Zealand for clinching the Oceania Region over the weekend. For years they have played second fiddle to Australia in that qualifying region, but the Socceroos switched to the Asian region for tougher competition. The Kiwis will play the fifth-placed team from Asia for a spot in the World Cup in South Africa. B) The United States defeated Cuba in Havana. They are on pace to qualify with six points earned through two road games (both 1-0 victories at Guatemala and at Cuba). Next up for the U.S. is a home game against Trinidad & Tobago. C) My cousins in Switzerland played to a 2-2 draw at Israel in European qualifying. Their next game is this week at home against Luxembourg.

More Predictions

2008-08-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

BYU v. Northern Iowa
August 30, 2008
4:00 pm

Pregame Notes:
BYU enters the season ranked #26 by The Joe Rankings, but they are looking to move up with a big victory over fierce rival Northern Iowa. “Some individuals are not correctly estimating our opponents this afternoon,” remarks cougar head coach Bronco Mendenhall. “But we are fully invested in our program. We are on a quest for perfection. Individual position mastery is the key, and we are aiming for a high level of execution, both on and off the football field. I will personally not be satisfied with merely a mediocre performance this afternoon. I am expecting full investment by each individual.”

The pre-game prayer is offered by Church President (and noted cougar fan) Thomas S. Monson, and the captains take the field for the coin toss. The Panthers of Northern Iowa win the toss and break out into a wild celebration by stomping on the Y at midfield and shushing the crowd. They elect to receive the kickoff, and the teams take their positions.

First quarter:
BYU freshman sensation Justin Sorensen shanks the opening kick out of bounds, and the Panthers start out at their own 35 yard line. After two sacks by Jan Jorgensen and another by Vic So’oto, the Panthers are forced to punt.

BYU eats up six minutes on their first drive, but are unable to punch it into the end zone. Mitch Payne’s 14-yard field goal is true, and the cougars take an early 3-0 lead. The cheerleaders delight the crowd by doing three pushups.

On the panthers’ next play from the line of scrimmage, their quarterback is flushed out of the pocket but somehow scrambles around and stays on his feet, breaking three different tackles. In desperation, he hurls the ball into the air, which is caught for a 79-yard touchdown! Fans begin to get nervous as they sense another Appalachian State upset about to happen. Northern Iowa 7, BYU 3.

BYU slowly drives down the field again, but with 4:03 left in the quarter, Harvey Unga fumbles the ball inside the five yard line, and it is recovered by the panthers. With :16 seconds to go, Northern Iowa pounds the ball into the end zone for a 14-3 lead, which is the score after one quarter of play.

Second quarter:
After five plays to begin the next frame, BYU is forced to punt, and CJ Santiago shanks it sixteen yards, where the Panthers take over at the cougar 45 yard line. Six plays later, another Panther touchdown is recorded on a 35-yard launch into the corner of the end zone that is batted away by safety David Tafuna but miraculously lands on the stomach of a panther wide receiver that is lying on the ground. Northern Iowa leads 21-3.

Cougar quarterback Max Hall has had enough. On 2nd and 6, he gives the magic wink to Austin Collie and they connect on a 69-yard touchdown bomb! Interestingly, Mendenhall goes for two and they convert it on a Harvey Unga catch out of the backfield. Northern Iowa 21, BYU 11.

Clearly inspired, the cougar defense shows up on the next possession as linebacker David Nixon intercepts a pass at the 36-yard line. After three plays (including a 20-yard scamper by Unga), Hall connects with a wide open Dennis Pitta in the end zone to cut the panthers’ lead to 21-18.

After both offenses sputter, BYU takes the lead with :36 seconds to go on a Harvey Unga 23-yard reception out of the backfield, running untouched for a touchdown. Halftime Score: BYU 25, Northern Iowa 21.

Halftime:
The referees are traditionally booed as they walk into their locker room. The BYU Cougar Marching Band then pleases their attentive audience with a stunning medley of Indiana Jones songs. The performance is capped off by Cosmo entering the field to a thunderous applause, jumping out of the way of an inflatable boulder, snatching his hat just before the boulder is about to crush it, and then whipping some guy in a hawk costume. The fans are delirious after the magical display.

Towards the end of the halftime period, some poor student (bless his soul) wearing a Southwest Airlines airplane costume gets the crowd to do the wave.

Third Quarter:
BYU gets the ball first, and wastes no time tearing apart the Panther defense. It takes ten plays, but Max Hall completes all nine of his pass attempts, including the touchdown pass to freshman O’Neil Chambers from eight yards out. Chambers flexes his muscles, drawing a fifteen yard penalty, but nobody cares as the cougars take a 32-21 lead.

Things begin to get out of hand as BYU begins dominating. The panthers fumble at midfield, which is recovered by Brett Denney, and the cougars cash in on a Fui Vakapuna dive into the end zone (which was set up by a 38-yard pass to Collie). The panthers fumble the ensuing kickoff, and Unga pounds it into the end zone one play later from 14 yards out to take a commanding 46-21 lead.

With time winding down in the quarter, the cougars essentially seal the deal when a 61-yard bomb to Austin Collie is followed by a 6-yard touchdown run by Vakapuna to give BYU the 53-21 lead after three quarters of play.

Fourth Quarter:
BYU sends in Brendan Gaskins along with the second unit for the rest of the game, and they predictably struggle. But the backups on the other side of the ball hold firm, allowing only a 38-yard panther field goal.

The second unit finally hits paydirt, though, when JJ DiLuigi strings together several impressive runs, and the drive is capped off with 1:01 to go when Gaskins throws a 19-yard touchdown pass to Luke Ashworth.

Final score: BYU 60, Northern Iowa 24.

Aftermath:
BYU’s ranking plummets into the mid-fifties after one week in The Joe Rankings. Austin Collie is named player of the game (“Magic happens,” he tells Greg Wrubell).

Utah vs. Michigan Prediction

2008-08-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Michigan v. Utah
August 30, 2008
1:30 pm MT

Pregame Notes:

The 21st-ranked utes come into Ann Arbor with a lot of confidence, and vow to not be intimidated. “It’s an incredible stadium that seats almost three times as many people as our home stadium,” says head coach Kyle Whittingham in his pre-game interview with radio legend Frank Dolce. “But my players need to know that the football field is the same as the stadium that we play in.” Before the game, Whittingham takes his players onto the field and—noticing their astonished faces—pulls out a tape measurer. With Louie Sakoda sitting on Paul Kruger’s hefty shoulders, they measure the goalposts to be exactly ten feet high. “Gentlemen,” Whittingham concludes, “I think you’ll notice that the goalposts are exactly the same height as the goalposts we practice on in Rice-Eccles Stadium.” The players chuckle a collective sigh of relief.

Before kickoff, the utes gather in a corner and perform the Haka dance, much to the pleasure of the visiting fans.

Utah wins the coin toss, and they elect to receive the kickoff.

First Quarter:

Things couldn’t start much worse for the utes as quarterback Brian Johnson drives the team down the field only to throw a pick-six in the Red Zone. And the wolverines take an early 7-0 lead in front of a deafening crowd.

The utes’ ensuing drive stalls at their own 40 yard line, and they are forced to punt.
Michigan drives down the field with their new spread offense, and new coach Rich Rodriguez makes a delightful first impression for the home crowd as Michigan drives it to the five, where they are forced to kick a field goal. 10-0 Michigan.

More bad news for the utes as Heisman candidate Brent Casteel and Freddie Brown collide on a quadruple reverse option, suffering a concussion and pinched nerve, respectively. Luckily backup quarterback Corbin Louks is able to pounce on the ball to prevent a turnover inside their own five yard line, and they punt.

But the ute defense holds strong to prevent more bleeding. After one quarter, it is 10-0 Michigan.

Second Quarter:

A defensive stalemate results for most of the second quarter, but late in the half the utes get on the board when Brian Johnson hits Aiona Key for a forty-two yard gain, and Darrell Mack finishes the drive a few plays later. Michigan leads 10-7 heading into the locker room.

Halftime:

The utes get inspired by a neat little rap composed by Brian Johnson and Matt Asiata. Meanwhile in the Michigan locker room, coach Rodriguez is late giving his motivational speech as he spends most of the time negotiating a new buyout so that he can coach at Alabama (long story).

The Wolverine Marching Band is top-notch, as usual, and they have the place rocking.

Third Quarter:

Utah takes the lead early in the third period when Robert Johnson intercepts an errant throw and takes it to the house, giving a little extra high-step in there to show off his new UnderArmour gear. 14-10 Utes.

Blunders aplenty plague both offenses, the worst being a botched pitch between Elijah Wesson and Matt Asiata on the second reverse deep in their own territory. The wolverines recover the fumble at the six yard line, but can only manage a 19-yard field goal. 14-13 Utah as we head into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter:

Another offensive mistake comes from the Utes as Brian Johnson is pressured out of the pocket and throws an ill-advised pass across the field that is intercepted and returned for a touchdown with 5:10 left. The wolverines’ tailback dives over a tackle and into the end zone for the two-point conversion, and the utes suddenly find themselves down 21-14.

But Brian Johnson doesn’t panic, and the utes methodically drive down the field. There is a bit of controversy as a third-and-ten completion at midfield is ruled a catch by Bradon Godfrey despite evidence of him landing out of bounds on the completion.

With 1:11 to go, Utah has third and goal at the four-yard line, and Brian Johnson rushes in for a score, but suffers a dislocated shoulder on the play and is taken to the locker room for x-rays.

With Michigan driving for a game-winning score, they fail when a 38-yard field goal soars wide left with no time remaining, sending the game into overtime.

Overtime:

Michigan wins the coin toss, and they elect to take the ball last. With Louks now in the game for the utes, their offense goes nowhere, but Louis Sakoda nails a 48-yard field goal to give the utes a 24-21 lead.

The wolverines appear poised for victory when on their first play from scrimmage it is run to the two-yard line by their speedy tailback. But Lady Luck strikes for the utes when on the very next play, the snap is mishandled and defensive lineman Kenape Eliapo ends up with the ball at the bottom of the pile. Utes win it 24-21!

Postgame aftermath:

Drying off from his Gatorade shower, Whittingham is at a loss for words in the postgame press conference. “All I can say is that when you’re living right on and off the field, magic happens!” he exclaims with a wide-mouthed grin. “Urban Meyer would be proud of this group of guys!”

It is discovered that Brian Johnson will be out for the next six to eight weeks with his shoulder separation, but luckily the NCAA grants him three more years of eligibility due to all of the injuries sustained throughout his career.

Preseason Top 25

2008-07-20T04:46:00.000-07:00

1. USC (#1 Pac 10)--The Trojans kind of bug me because they always win and they always steal a recruit or two from BYU every year. But I must admit that Pete Carroll is a great coach (we'll just assume for the purposes of my rankings that he doesn't pay any of the players). Here is a funny tribute to Pete. And hopefully they don't steal this guy away from my cougars.

2. Georgia (#1 SEC)--Many think that they could go all the way, but without their winningest ever mascot, I don't know if this is possible. This tragedy will either motivate them or depress them. One other item: my favorite ever touchdown celebration. Here it is again.

3. Ohio State (#1 Big Ten)--It's interesting how losing in the national championship games in 2006 and 2007 creates panic for a team's fans. They could be back again this year. I hope so, because having a team in the national championship game is good for a team in my fantasy football conference.

4. LSU--The defending champions start out at #4. They have plenty of talent, including an LDS quarterback who might start. But I'm down on the Tigers because this is Gary Crowton's second year as a coach in the Bayou. He always makes a big splash in Year One before struggling to ever win again. Just watch...next year Crowton will be coaching for the Patriots.

5. Oklahoma (#1 Big XII)--I have the Sooners on my fantasy football conference, so I am hoping that they win a third consecutive Big XII title. Bob Stoops created one of the most interesting offseason stories of the year by booting a guy off the team for rapping.

6. West Virginia (#1 Big East)--I don't think departed head coach Rich Rodriguez (now with Michigan) will ever make this list (a hard list to crack, by the way).

7. Florida--I have a lot of respect for QB Tim Tebow, last year's Heisman Trophy winner. He was a missionary in the offseason (note: he is not LDS, but it is okay) and he stands up for what he believes.

8. Missouri--Here is one reason Missouri should be really good this year. Here's another.

9. Texas--Two years ago, Texas QB Colt McCoy came in as a freshman to replace departed hero Vince Young and surprised everyone with an incredible year. Last year he faltered a bit. He looks to rebound this year.

10. Auburn--They are one of the teams participating in the ever-growing trend of rotating two quarterbacks because they don't have the guts to name just one. Personally, I have never been a big fan of the two-quarterback system, but that darn Urban Meyer made it work one year at Florida and now everybody thinks it's the wave of the future.

11. Virginia Tech (#1 ACC)--This is projected to be an average year for the ACC, but the defending conference champs should be right in the mix of things. By the way, you ever wondered what a hokie is?

12. Tennessee--The Volunteers will be celebrating the ten-year anniversary of their last national championship.

13. Wisconsin--I think the Badgers will struggle this year. But the most important observation I've had is that I think the state of Wisconsin looks like a great big baby's sock.

14. Clemson--They will try to win the ACC with probably the best running back tandem in the country.

15. Texas Tech--It's weak enough to play one division I-AA team each year on the schedule, but it is now common and everybody schedules one in. But TWO I-AA teams? C'mon. And this is the second time in three years that the Red Raiders are scheduling like this. I guess Hawaii set the gold standard last year on how to get your way into a BCS game. I have a feeling that The Joe Rankings won't take fondly to the soft scheduling.

16. Arizona State--For some reason, I never really liked the Sun Devils. Maybe it was because of their devil mascot, or their colors, or the fact that they are proud of being a party school. I dunno. But when they hired this guy as their coach, they dropped past USC and UCLA to #9 on the list of my favorite Pac 10 schools (right now, nobody can go lower than the University of Arizona).

17. Oregon--I hope they do well, mostly because they are in my fantasy college football conference. I also like their crazy uniforms. There are 120 division 1-A teams out there, and it gets boring if everyone has either red, blue, orange, white, etc.

18. Kansas--They were quite the surprise last year, going undefeated until their last game of the regular season and winning a BCS bowl game. I love their massive coach, Mark Mangino, a mix of Rick Majerus and Andy Reid.

19. Penn State--What's a Penn State post without mentioning coach Joe Paterno? I respect Paterno because he is a good friend of Lavell Edwards and I am glad he was recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

20. Boston College--I just noticed that Doug Flutie was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Reminds me of the second-greatest Hail Mary finish in college football history.

21. Utah (#1 MWC)--I really do think that the Utes are a tad underrated going into the season. I expect them to beat #22 Michigan in the Big House and only have one or two losses going into the Rivalry Game against BYU. My official season predictions will come later, but I think there will be some revenge from this game.

22. Michigan--You don't think I could resist, do you?

23. Cincinnati--It is difficult for me to put the defending Papajohns.com bowl champions so high, but as you can see above with #21, I have forced myself to be completely objective here. I don't know why I have always disliked Cincy. From Kenyon Martin to Bob Huggins to WKRP Cincinnati to the Bengals to Pete Rose...everything about that city has bothered me so far in life. And speaking of Papa John's, I'd be interested to know if anybody in the world has this on their computer desktop.

24. South Florida. They've been pretty impressive for a program that has only been around in Division 1-A since 1997. At one point last year they were #2 in the BCS rankings (I know, the BCS is faulty but this is still a good accomplishment). Here is a good argument that the Bulls are probably the second-best college team in Florida. I would agree.

25. Boise State (#1 WAC). One bad memory of Boise State. One good memory of Boise State. I don't know for sure how good they'll be this year, but they were impressive the last time I saw them in person.

Rankings Explanation

2008-07-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

As I begin to announce the Joe Rankings Preseason Top 25, I thought this a good opportunity to explain and remind everyone what my Rankings are all about.

The Joe Rankings is the most accurate rankings system in the world. This is because the Rankings reflect what a team has actually accomplished on the field of play. It does not take into account past seasons, preseason hype, BCS bias, or any other outside factor. It simply measures a team's accomplishments on the actual field of play relative to other teams.

I have posted the Joe Preseason Rankings, which will have no bearing whatsoever on the rankings once the season begins. But the Preseason Rankings are a reflection of where each team deserves to be ranked based on past performance and preseason expectations.

College football is almost here

2008-07-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

With Euro 2008 (and soccer) now behind me, I am now focusing my sports mind on the upcoming college football season. You can see The Joe Poe Preseason rankings on the left, which will update regularly as the season approaches.

This season seems a little more exciting than usual. BYU is considered by most as the favorite in the Mountain West Conference, and they have a legitimate shot at a BCS bid. Of course, there are twelve games to be played so I find it difficult to get myself caught up in the hype. But the two-time defending champions return virtually their entire offense. Unfortunately for the cougars, they also have to replace a large chunk of their defense. But I hope that they can fill in the holes adequately.

To add fuel to the fire, the University of Utah is also expected to field a strong squad this year. They played well last year despite a number of injuries to star players, and now those guys are back this year. Of course, if Utah goes undefeated, they should also have a claim to a BCS bid. So the stakes could be much higher than ever before when the Rivalry Game approaches this year. It is not too far-fetched to say that if both teams go into their November clash undefeated, that the winner would have a chance to possibly play in the championship game (maybe I'm smoking here, but I think it would likely be deserved).

So enjoy the preseason rankings and my occasional commentary. Preseason prediction will be out shortly as well.

Just can't root for them

2008-06-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Spain is in today's Euro 2008 final against Germany. If you check out my post below about my favorite Euro 2008 teams, you'll notice Spain is listed as #3 behind Switzerland and Sweden. Well, the Swiss and Swedish were knocked out a while ago, and Spain was the top team remaining. Since then, I've tried to get my heart to pull for the Spaniards, but I just haven't been able to pull it off.

The main reason I can't root for Spain is because I haven't been able to see them play or see any of the highlights. I have watched highlights of pretty much every other team, but for one reason or another whenever Spain plays, I have a busy day where I can't get to them. Maybe this is divine intervention. I dunno.

Another reason I'll be cheering on Germany today (figuratively speaking, as I will not be watching the game) is because before Euro 2008 began, I tabbed Germany as the winners in my Euro 2008 office pool.

I think the bottom line is that my Swiss ancestors probably spoke German before they came here, and that it is just a bloodline thing. If Spain were playing Macedonia or something, I'd probably root for the Iberian club.

So I apologize if I misled you this entire tournament, but I cannot lie in my heart. I will be rooting for Germany today. Gehen Sie Deutschland!!

Update (6/30): So the Curse of Joe was on full display yesterday. The day of the game, I switch my 'allegiance' from Spain to Germany, and Spain goes on to win 1-0! Unbelievable. At any rate, Spain deserved it. They played a great tournament, and will probably be the favorites heading into the World Cup.

So Spain has qualified for the 2009 Confederations Cup (the map below has been updated). There is one spot left for the Confederations Cup, which will be filled by either New Zealand or New Caledonia.

So I will probably take a break from soccer until the English Premiere League season starts up, when I start following my Fulham Cottagers.

World Cup 2010 Update

2008-06-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

As you can see on the left of my blog, Euro 2008 has progressed, and four of my favorite Euro teams that I listed below (Switzerland, Sweden, Greece, and Poland) failed to qualify for the quarterfinals. I feel bad for them, but at least they can get some comfort by looking at the 2010 World Cup map at the bottom of my blog. European countries have not begun World Cup qualification yet, so they are all still alive for the 2010 World Cup!

I probably won't care too much for Greece or Poland in qualifications, but I will be rooting on my Swiss cousins, without a doubt! They are in Group 2 of qualifying; they will kick off their campaign with a road match against Israel in September. Others in their group are Greece, Moldova, Latvia, and Luxembourg. The top team from the group qualifies for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while the second-placed nation will go to a playoff against a second-placed team from another group (the winner of that would advance to the World Cup).

Other nations I will be rooting for from Europe include Northern Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, Sweden, and maybe Spain (we'll see if they can win me over in Euro 2008).

My favorite team of all is, of course, the United States. They began their World Cup qualification with an emphatic 8-0 victory over Barbados. The two countries duke it out again this weekend, and the only way for the Yanks to be eliminated is for Barbados to win by more than eight goals. Probably won't happen. By the way, if you think you might be Barbadan or think that perhaps maybe one of your ancestors was, go here and maybe you can play for their soccer team. Update (6/23): The United States beat Barbados 1-0 yesterday, winning by a combined 9-0 score over their two games. The Yanks advance to the next round, where they will face home-and-away matches against Cuba, Guatemala, and Trinidad & Tobago. The top two from this group advance to the final phase of World Cup qualifying.

My favorite teams for Euro 2008

2008-06-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

What good is an international soccer competition without somehow choosing the order of countries I'm going to root for? Of the sixteen finalists, this is who my favorites are:

1. Switzerland. I'll have to ask my brother Bradley (the designated family geneologist) exactly what percentage of my blood is Swiss. I think it might be one-half. It's obvious because I'm so neutral when it comes to international conflict. UPDATE (6/11): Switzerland is eliminated from Euro 2008 contention. You'll see on the small map below that they have been taken off. Too bad. Go Sweden!

2. Sweden. I think I have some Swedish blood as well. In fact, I know I do because Bradley keeps forcing Swedish traditions on us around Christmastime. One year, we had to write a rhyming riddle to accompany the gifts that we gave. Unbelievable. Update (6/18): Sweden lost to Russia 2-0, so they have also been eliminated. I guess top-tier international soccer isn't in my bloodline after all. Too bad. Sweden's next big game is in September when they travel to Albania for World Cup qualifying. In the meantime, go Spain!

3. Spain. My wife served her mission in Madrid, and we will be visiting this place next year. I have to get myself geared up. Also, I have to list an actual Euro contender in my top three so that I'm not left rooting for my 13th favorite team in the semifinals.

4. Greece. They are defending champions and I liked the YouTube video I posted of their victory in Euro 2004.

5. Germany. I look like a German. My brother-in-law Mike is German. And I picked Germany to win in my fantasy Euro competition.

6. Poland. My favorite international team (the United States) beat Poland 3-0 recently. If the Polish somehow win this thing, it would make the Yanks look really powerful.

7. Russia. I liked how Zenit St. Petersburg cruised through to win the 2008 UEFA Cup.

8. Portugal. If you look at a map, this country is the closest European country to the United States. That means that they are the most American.

Euro 2008

2008-05-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Euro 2008 Finalists

The European championships are nearly upon us! The sixteen finalists are highlighted in this nifty map (you can click on it for more detail, if you wish).

After the World Cup (and maybe the Olympic Games), this is probably the most prestigious international soccer event. European soccer is very competitive and they have a lot of national pride. Greece is the defending champion, winning the event in 2004. Watch this video...you can't tell me that this is not an intense tournament.

The winner of Euro 2008 qualifies for next year's Confederations Cup held in South Africa. The Confederations Cup is an 8-nation event, taking the champions from all six geographical regions, plus the host nation and the defending champion. Below is a map of nations that have qualified thus far:

2009 Confederations Cup

There are two countries to be determined still. The winner of Euro 2008 qualifies (Italy automatically qualifies as the defending champions of the Confederations Cup. If they win Euro 2008, then the runner-up qualifies for the Confederations Cup). We are also awaiting the winner of the Oceania tournament, which will most likely be won by New Zealand.

Dream Realignment

2008-05-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

I, of course, have my theories as to what the best way would be for college football to determine a champion. I think the NCAA should split the 120 teams up into three divisions of 40 teams (four conferences of ten teams in each division).

The top division would look something like this:

Northeast Conference:
1. Boston College
2. Cincinnati
3. Connecticut
4. Michigan
5. Ohio State
6. Penn State
7. Purdue
8. Rutgers
9. West Virginia
10. Wisconsin

East Conference:
1. Clemson
2. Florida
3. Florida State
4. Georgia
5. Louisville
6. South Florida
7. Tennessee
8. Virginia
9. Virginia Tech
10. Wake Forest

South Conference:
1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. Auburn
4. Kansas
5. LSU
6. Missouri
7. Oklahoma
8. Texas
9. TCU
10. Texas Tech

West Conference:
1. Arizona State
2. Boise State
3. BYU
4. California
5. Hawaii
6. Nebraska
7. Oregon
8. Oregon State
9. USC
10. Utah

The top two teams from each conference would move on to an eight-team playoff.

The second division would also have four corresponding conferences with ten teams in each one. For example, the West Conference of the second division would have:

1. Air Force
2. Colorado
3. Fresno State
4. Nevada
5. New Mexico
6. Stanford
7. UCLA
8. Washington
9. Washington State
10. Wyoming

The top two teams from the second division get promoted to the top division for the next year. So if UCLA and Air Force are the top two teams from this conference, they get to play in the top division next year. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams from the top division get demoted to the second division.

There is also a third division. In the West, the third division would consist of:
1. Arizona
2. Colorado State
3. Idaho
4. New Mexico State
5. San Diego State
6. San Jose State
7. SMU
8. UNLV
9. Utah State
10. UTEP

The top two teams from the third division get promoted to the second division for the next year, replacing the worst two teams from the second division.

Another new blog

2008-04-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

I added a new blog (you can find the link to the left). Every day--well, every weekday--I will try to post a random link that will hopefully entertain you. You can go to the blog as often as you want to find another goodie link to click on. Some of the links will also come with mostly pointless commentary from me.

Enjoy.

NBA Playoffs First-Round Predictions

2008-04-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (8): Hmm, this is a toughie. On the one hand, you have the team that posted the best record in the NBA, set records all over the place, got fans excited in Boston again, have a fired-up MVP candidate in Kevin Garnett, a solid bench, and they have the best former Cougar of all time as their GM (Danny Ainge, but he could be a liability now that I think about it).

On the other hand, you have the Atlanta Hawks.

Prediction: Celtics 4-0. It would be a 7-0 sweep, but unfortunately the NBA forces them to stop playing once a team gets to four wins.

Lebron James (4) vs. Gilbert Arenas (5): Forget about their teammates, this series is about these two players only. At least that is how the media (including The Joe Rankings) will treat it. Luckily for the Wizards, they have a couple of players that are better than Arenas while the Lebrons don't have anybody else on their team better than even Trent Plaisted.

Prediction: Lebrons 4-3. Lebron will score all 32 points for the Lebrons in the fourth quarter of Game Seven, including a soaring 'and-one' dunk over all five Wizards with 5.2 seconds left in the game to give the Lebrons a one-point lead. On the next possession, Arenas will shoot an airball from 37 feet out, and then go home to blog all about it.

Orlando Magic (3) vs. Toronto Raptors (6): Since whichever team wins is a guaranteed loss in the next round no matter who they play, I don't feel the need to do much analysis here.

Prediction: Raptors 4-2. The Magic will have a chance to win at the buzzer in Game Six to force a seventh game in Orlando, but Superman Dwight Howard will take off for the game-winning dunk from the free throw line, and get stuffed by the rim.

Detroit Pistons (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7): The Sixers are the surprise team, led by one of the top 100 Utes of all time (Andre Miller) and his sidekick Andre Iguodala. I just wish they would have traded for Andrei Kirilenko to form the should-have-been intimidating team of Los Tres Andres.

Prediction: Pistons 4-0. Enough said about the Eastern Conference, let's move on to the West.

Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Denver Nuggets (8): Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, and Kenyon Martin all in the same town for a whole series. I'm sure some good juicy off-the-court news will surface here, especially if you consider the fact that Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest are not in the playoffs this year and could be roaming the streets of any NBA playoff city that they want. Look out.

Prediction: Lakers 4-1. Carmelo will get his 25, AI will get his 26, Camby will block 19 shots a game, J.R. Smith will throw in 19 each game, and yet somehow the Lakers will win their four games by an average of 20 points. I don't get how it all works, but that is what will happen.

Utah Jazz (4) vs. Houston Rockets (5): The Jazz have the better seed, but the Rockets have home-court advantage. This makes no sense, and I don't know why the NBA doesn't fix it. Either make the Jazz the #5 seed or give them homecourt advantage. It is too logical. At any rate...

Prediction: Jazz 4-1. I don't see any reason why the Rockets will give the Jazz any problems in this series. They are missing Yao Ming, so Boozer and Okur should have plenty of rebounds and points down low. Deron Williams is simply better than any point guard the Rockets will try to throw out there. Tracy McGrady will have his obligatory 49-point game in Game Two, but it will be too little.

San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Phoenix Suns (6): What a match-up. It seems like these two teams play each other every year in the playoffs, and of course the Spurs usually win. This year adds a couple of other twists, as well. Firstly, the Suns were screwed in last year's playoffs with the whole Amare Stoudamire suspension. Secondly, the Suns made the trade for Shaquille O'Neal for one reason--to try and negate Tim Duncan in the playoffs. We'll see right away if this works.

Prediction: Suns 4-3. This will be a series for the ages, I think. After a sluggish start in the series, Steve Nash will resurrect his old self for the last two games and turn a 3-2 deficit into a second-round appearance. Somewhere in Miami, Shawn Marion will be poking himself in the eye with a pencil.

New Orleans Hornets (2) vs. Dallas Mavericks (7). The Hornets have been probably the biggest surprise of the entire NBA season, with Chris Paul emerging as a legitimate MVP contender and David West quietly becoming one of the best forwards in the league. On the other side of the court, the Mavericks have started to come around after a slow start with Jason Kidd. This is an intriguing match-up.

Prediction: Mavericks 4-3. Nowitzski will hit a three as time expires in Game Seven, giving Dallas a three-point win. After making the shot, Dirk will untuck his shirt at the same time he does his patented annoying fist pump with clenched teeth, his mouth protector spilling onto his blonde chin. Also, I can't wait for all of the stories about what good friends Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash are, and how Nash will invite Dirk over for dinner the night before Game One.

A new blog

2008-04-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

My wife has created a Young Family blog. I think she has done a wonderful job with it. I encourage you to check it out (the link is on the left side of The Joe Rankings Blog). I think blogging is taking over the world.

Just a couple of items I'd like to post today:

1. Jessica won the Wine and Cheese Plate! The Wine and Cheese Plate is a big glass platter that I received at a white elephant gift exchange a few years ago. We pass it around to the winner of the annual NCAA Tournament prediction contest. The first two years, my little brother Ryan was victorious. I won it last year, and the plate has been in our office closet the whole time. Now my wife won it this year (I came in second place). I am happy that The Plate will remain in our home. I am just interested in seeing if Jessica will prominently display the Plate now that she is the owner of it. We'll have to see. In any case, I'll try to take a picture of Jessica with the plate, and we'll see if I can't get it posted on our family blog. Congratulations, Jessica.

2. I also want to post here about why I didn't win the darn Wine and Cheese Plate. It is because I originally had UCLA going to the Final Four, but then I switched it at the last second because I have a long-standing policy of always picking BYU into the Sweet 16 due to my undying loyalty to my favorite team. I am not ashamed. One of these days BYU will actually win a first round game and justify my policy.

3. I am very excited for college football season this year. I know predictions are much too premature, but I think Utah and BYU will both have stellar seasons, and I think the Rivalry Game in November will be another classic. Jessica and I will not be buying season tickets this year...we have other financial goals this year that take precedence, but the fact that BYU has a lame home schedule also played a factor in my decision. We might try and go to some Utah home games...I mean, I can get a ticket for free as a student, plus discounts on additional tickets.

4. I am somewhat ashamed (but not really) that I am now a soccer fan. I couldn't really care less about Real Salt Lake or the MLS. But European and international soccer is actually quite fun to follow. I can't say I know all the rules or that I would even want to sit down and watch a non-World Cup game. But I like watching highlights of soccer goals. Honestly, there are very few highlights that can rival a soccer goal. Some goals I can watch over and over again and not get bored. What other highlights can you say the same about? Maybe a really good alley-oop dunk? Maybe a hard hit in a football game? Maybe.

My favorite soccer teams: obviously, the United States went it comes to the international game. I root for Fulham in the Premiere League. The Premier League is the top division of English soccer, comprised of twenty teams. Every year, the bottom three teams in the standings get demoted to the next-lower league (called the Champions League), while the top three teams from the Champion League get promoted to the Premiere League. Right now, Fulham is in second-to-last place with only four matches remaining. It will take a miracle for them to survive, but I am still hopeful after their 2-0 road victory over Reading yesterday. If they get demoted, I will still root for Fulham in the lower division. But my new favorite Premiere League team would be Aston Villa (my ancestral home).

Every European country has their own league, and the champions from every country qualify for the UEFA Champions League. It is a competition that pits all the champions from all the countries to determine which team is the best. Really, there is nothing quite like this. They changed the format about a decade ago to allow second- and third-placed teams from power countries (England, Spain, and Italy), but it is still intriguing. Right now, they are down to the semifinals. Three of the teams (Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool) are from England, while Barcelona also qualified. Since I can't stand the top English teams (the three teams I mentioned along with Arsenal), I will be rooting for Barcelona to win the Champions League this year.

NCAA Tournament Prediction Contest

2008-03-10T15:19:00.001-07:00

Most of you probably know that I love the NCAA basketball tournament, especially the first two days. I'd like it more if my BYU cougars would ever win a game in the Big Dance, but whatever.

If you would like to join my prediction group, it is available to be joined! Go to ESPN.com, click on "fantasy," create an entry, and enter my group. My group name is "Wine and Cheese." The password is "maggie".

You can invite anyone that you want to join my group. But I request that you only submit one entry per person. If there's one thing I can't stand, it is when somebody submits ten different predictions then gets excited when one of them happens to be good. No, only one bracket per person. It's all or nothing.

For comparative purposes, I have included four additional brackets. There is a coin flip bracket, a top seed bracket, an RPI bracket, and a mascot bracket. On the Tuesday before the Big Dance tips off, I will post the results of the mascot bracket.

I named the group "wine and cheese" because members of the Young Family who join the competition play for the famed wine & cheese plate. It is a platter that I was given at a white elephant gift exchange a few years ago. This is the fourth year it will be passed along. My little brother Ryan won it the first two years, but it is now in my possession after I picked Florida to go all the way last year. I hope to retain it; it is a beautiful platter that my wife just adores (it has been hiding on the top shelf of our office closet all year long).

This week is the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament, otherwise known as the UNLV Home Court Advantage. Here are my predictions:

Wednesday (first round): Wyoming over Colorado State
Thursday (quarterfinals): BYU over Wyoming (after the game, Heath Schroyer will complain about the refs); UNLV over TCU; Utah over New Mexico; and San Diego State over Air Force.
Friday (semifinals): BYU over San Diego State (after the game, Steve Fisher complains about the refs); Utah beats UNLV.
Saturday (championship game): BYU over Utah (after the game, Jim Boylen's head literally explodes as he complains about the free throw discrepancy).

Also, I would also like to apologize about the lack of Joe Rankings at the end of the year. I did tabulate the Final Rankings, but it was late in coming. It was a perfect storm of busy-ness at school, work, and home. Next year will be better, I promise. In case you couldn't have guessed, LSU won the JRC (or Joe Rankings Championship which has just as much merit, by the way, as the BCS). Congratulations, Gary Crowton!

The Joe Rankings: End of Regular Season

2007-12-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

So the regular season is now complete. I would like to apologize for not updating my Rankings the last week or two. I kind of wish I had, because for the first time in a while LSU was knocked to #2 in the Rankings in favor of Missouri. Of course, things are back to normal now with Missouri losing and LSU moving back to the top.

The biggest story could very well be at the bottom of the Rankings. Northern Illinois has had a grapple-hold on the #120 spot for the past nine weeks. They were idle this past week, but somehow something happened in their strength of schedule to boost them past Southern Methodist and almost past Idaho (neither of whom played this past week, either). Go Huskies!

I'll post some pre-bowl and post-Rivalry comments on a future post. I just want to try and get the Rankings out today.

1. LSU
2. Virginia Tech
3. Missouri
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Georgia
7. Boston College
8. Ohio State
9. West Virginia
10. Arizona State

11. USC
12. Kansas
13. South Florida
14. Clemson
15. Tennessee
16. Virginia
17. Oregon
18. Illinois
19. Cincinnati
20. Auburn
21. Oregon State
22. Texas
23. BYU
24. Hawaii
25. Connecticut
26. Florida State
27. Wisconsin
28. Wake Forest
29. Arkansas
30. Texas A&M

31. Penn State
32. Boise State
33. Kentucky
34. Georgia Tech
35. Central Florida
36. Mississippi State
37. Texas Tech
38. Oklahoma State
39. South Carolina
40. Maryland
41. Troy
42. Michigan
43. Utah
44. Rutgers
45. Michigan State
46. Alabama
47. California
48. Air Force
49. UCLA
50. Colorado

51. Fresno State
52. Louisville
53. Nebraska
54. Indiana
55. Tulsa
56. New Mexico
57. Purdue
58. TCU
59. Vanderbilt
60. Kansas State
61. Washington State
62. Miami
63. North Carolina State
64. Arizona
65. Florida Atlantic
66. Pittsburgh
67. Bowling Green
68. Houston
69. East Carolina
70. Ball State
71. North Carolina
72. Washington
73. Iowa
74. Northwestern
75. Mississippi

76. Navy
77. Nevada
78. Western Kentucky
79. Louisiana Tech
80. Louisiana-Monroe
81. Wyoming
82. Central Michigan
83. Southern Miss
84. Stanford
85. San Jose State
86. Memphis
87. Arkansas State
88. Miami (OH)
89. Notre Dame
90. San Diego State
91. Baylor
92. Syracuse
93. Buffalo
94. Toledo
95. Middle Tennessee State
96. Duke
97. Iowa State
98. Ohio
99. Western Michigan
100. Eastern Michigan

101. Colorado State
102. Temple
103. Akron
104. Army
105. UTEP
106. Marshall
107. Tulane
108. UNLV
109. New Mexico State
110. Alabama-Birmingham
111. Minnesota
112. Utah State
113. Louisiana-Lafayette
114. Florida International
115. Kent State
116. North Texas
117. Rice
118. Idaho
119. Northern Illinois
120. SMU

The Rivalry Game Prediction

2007-11-20T15:26:00.001-08:00

Week 13: Utah (8-3) at BYU (8-2)

Pregame: Utah coach Kyle Whittingham stirs the pot a day before the big game. "We've already booked our tickets to Las Vegas," he says. "And thank you in advance for the Deseret Duel trophy." When reminded that the game has not been played yet, and that his comments could be used as locker room material, Whittingham continues. "What is Bronco going to do about it, read the scriptures and say a prayer? I guarantee a Utah victory this week."

As the players take the field, the Utes stomp on the Y and act offended at the Haka dance performed by BYU players. One Utah player--safety Steve Tate--needs to be restrained by teammates during the tribal ceremony. "It's so non-PC, man," Tate remarks after the game. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a group of people taking upon themselves the name or actions of an underrepresented nation."

Utah wins the coin toss, and they elect to defer to the second half!

1st Quarter:

The kickoff is kicked into the end zone for a touchback. On the first play from scrimmage, BYU quarterback Max Hall completes a pass up the middle to Harvey Unga for nine yards. On the next play, running back Fui Vakapuna runs for two yards for the America First first first down of the game.

BYU chews time off the clock driving down the field, highlighted by a 23-yard pass to Dennis Pitta. With 10:17 remaining in the quarter, Manase Tonga plows into the end zone. The extra point by Mitch Payne is good, and BYU takes the early 7-0 lead.

Utah gains some momentum on the ensuing kickoff when Elijah Wesson returns the kick past midfield to the 43-yard line. On the Utes' first play from scrimmage, Johnson hands off to Mack, who pitches it back to Marquis Wilson, who then hands it off to Freddie Brown, who lofts a pass to a seemingly wide open Brian Johnson streaking down the sideline. The pass is too lofty, though, and just as soon as Johnson catches it he is rocked by linebacker Kelly Poppinga, and Johnson has to leave the game with a concussion.

Enter Tommy Grady, with Utah at the BYU four-yard line. It goes without explaining that Utah has to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.

BYU's next drive stalls at midfield, and they punt it away, pinning Utah inside the five-yard line. On Utah's next play from scrimmage, Tommy Grady throws an interception to Brian Kehl, who returns it for a touchdown. BYU 14, Utah 3.

Utah's defense stays firm, while Grady proves extremely crusty, and the score remains 14-3 after one quarter.

2nd Quarter:

On the first play of the second quarter, Max Hall drops back to pass from his own 35-yard line, and is nailed from the blind side by Martail Burnett. Hall fumbles, and Robert Johnson scoops it up and rumbles in for a touchdown. Not only does it cut the Ute deficit to four points, but also sends Hall to the locker room.

The momentum swings completely to the Utes' favor when on the next drive, BYU backup quarterback Brendan Gaskins is intercepted at midfield by Steve Tate, who returns it to the 25-yard line. Enter third-string quarterback Corbin Louks, who ultimately puts Utah ahead on a 14-yard quarterback run. 17-14 Utah.

Both offenses stall for the remainder of the half, but Utah gets a huge break with under a minute to go when a controversial pass interference call gives Utah kicker Louie Sakoda a 51-yard field goal as time expires.

Halftime score: Utah 20, BYU 14.

Halftime: Utah's band joins forces with the Cougar marching band in a heartwarming display of brotherhood. After performing their patriotic medley in honor of the troops, the two teams' cheerleaders unravel a big American flag that get everyone's hearts beating a little more quickly.

Third Quarter:

Utah gets the ball back to start the second half, and take only four plays to score when Louks completes a 58-yard bomb to Wilson for a score. Utah increases their lead to 27-14.

When BYU punter CJ Santiago shanks a punt three plays later, BYU looks to be in trouble as Utah gets the ball at their own 48-yard line. However, BYU safety Kellen Fowler completes the game-changing play by intercepting a Louks pass at the Cougar one-yard line. BYU's offense drives the length of the field, led by a pair of 25-yard receptions by Unga, and they cap the time-consuming drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Gaskins to Pitta. 27-21 Utah with the lead.

After a Utah punt, BYU starts marching down the field again, and they take the lead with less 1:11 to go in the quarter on a 25-yard reception by Unga. 28-27 BYU.

4th Quarter:

This quarter features huge defensive plays on both sides of the ball, and neither offense is really able to generate a drive past the opponent's 45-yard line. BYU catches the first break, however, when Louks is intercepted by Corby Hodgkiss at the Utah 31-yard line with only 2:01 left in the game. After getting a first down on a 13-yard run by Unga, the offense stalls, and they settle for a Mitch Payne field goal with 1:17 left. BYU leads 31-27.

After the kickoff, the Utes enter the field while their fans chant "34, 31! 34, 31!" Starting from their own 33-yard line, Louks drives the Utes down the field, including a clutch 15-yard run on 4th and 10 at midfield. After completing a pass to Wilson down the sideline, Utah calls a timeout with only :03 remaining, with the ball at the 13-yard line, needing a touchdown to win.

The fans can't stand it as the teams line up for the last snap of the game. We let Greg Wrubell take it from here:

"Snap to Louks.....plenty of time, plenty of time, plenty of time. Looking, looking, looking. Stepping to his left, he has all kinds of time, still looking.....now the heat comes, Louks is on the run. He sprints to his right, the pressure comes, he turns, he throws, and it iiiiiisssssss....caught for the interception! Caught for the interception! Caught for the interception! Caught for the interception!"

Blaine Fowler: "He had all day, and he threw it into the far side of the end zone, and it was intercepted by Kellen Fowler, all by himself, on his knees! Nobody else was even close to the ball!! I love my son!!"

BYU students storm the field for yet another outright conference championship, chanting "Fowler is STILL open!" as they hoist the third-string safety onto their shoulders.

Final Score: BYU 31, Utah 27
Conference Championship: BYU
National Recognition: None

Postgame aftermath:
BYU is invited to the Las Vegas Bowl during the championship ceremony.

Utah, meanwhile, accepts a bid to play in the Poinsettia Bowl.

A look Ahead to Week 12: BYU vs. Wyoming

2007-11-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

BYU at Wyoming
Pregame: Coach Joe Glenn takes the field before the game, borrows the referee's microphone, and humbly apologizes to the crowd for his actions the previous game. "I should not have flipped the birdie," he says, tears streaming down his cheeks. "It was juvenile of me. I'd like to apologize to my family, my staff, my players, my cattle, to the University of Utah, and most importantly to you fans. POWDER RIVER LET 'EM BUCK!!" The crowd cheers loudly before resuming their anti-BYU chant for the rest of the game.

The captains take the field, and the Wyoming Cowboys win the coin flip! They elect to defer to the second half.

First Quarter: Joe Glenn attempts an onsides kick to start the game, and BYU narrowly recovers. Coach Glenn, in the heat of the moment, flips the bird to BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. BYU scores on the first play from scrimmage on a deep pass from Max Hall to Dennis Pitta, then successfully converts a two-point conversion on a fake PAT. "Classless move," writes Salt Lake Tribune writer Gordon Monson the next morning. 8-0 BYU.

BYU scores three more touchdowns in the quarter: a 37-yard interception return by Bryan Kehl; a 21-yard scoring strike from Hall to Austin Collie; and a 16-yard run by Harvey Unga. Add in three more successful two-point conversions, and BYU leads 32-0 after one quarter of play.

Second Quarter: BYU scores four more touchdowns in this quarter: a 1-yard plunge by Hall; a 2-yard plow-in by Manase Tonga; a 17-yard Hall completion to Matt Allen; and a 102-yard kickoff return by Collie after a Wyoming safety. They convert four more two-point conversions. Halftime score: BYU 66, Wyoming 0.

Second Half: In an effort to show class, Mendenhall orders BYU to take a knee on all of their remaining plays for the rest of the game. They don't even punt, instead taking a knee on fourth down deep in their own territory. Wyoming capitalizes with a field goal.

Postgame: Bronco Mendenhall states his reasoning for running up the score in the first half. "Nobody messes with my buddy Kyle Whittingham," he states. "I am fully invested in that friendship, and I wanted to show Coach Glenn a thing or two. This was personal. We are awesome. Thank you."

Final Score: BYU 66, Wyoming 3
Public Reprimands: issued to Joe Glenn
National Recognition: none

BYU and Utah games aftermath

2007-11-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

I'll start with BYU. I think it was a solid victory for them over TCU. The Horned Frogs had renewed enthusiasm, and I think that was the team that the media had in mind when they picked them to win the conference before the year began. They shut down Unga pretty well, and I was actually very impressed with their "All-American" defensive ends. They were tough.

But BYU was tougher. The offensive line did an incredible job protecting Max Hall, and I was impressed with Hall's short-range accuracy, hitting his tight ends over and over again. I think it was a minor turning point for BYU's mental toughness. Everyone knew all along that the Cougars had the physical talent, but they were being hampered by penalties and bad decisions. I think this was a good game for them to realize that their bye weeks are over, and every game from here on out will be a tough one.

Then on Saturday, Utah absolutely creamed the Cowboys of Wyoming. It is clear to me that Utah's defense was far underrated, and they have improved a lot. They create turnovers, they get monster hits, and they are a pretty strong group all around. The offense--which I still think is struggling a bit--is relying on the defense right now to create good field position and to create scoring opportunities. I still think it is somewhat concerning that the Utes' offense relies on so many trick plays. Maybe it is good coaching finding weaknesses in the opponents' defense, I don't know. But every Utah game I've been to has featured multiple trick plays. The reason they do these trick plays (many of them fake punts and field goals) is because their offense keeps bogging down when they play "normal" football.

As for the onside kick Utah did when leading 43-0....I think the reaction is a bit overblown. Utah was not running up the score. I think I read that they only threw one pass the entire 4th quarter. But what would concern me if I were a Utah fan would be the reaction that the team had to the comments from Wyoming's head coach, that he guaranteed a win in front of boosters. That apparently was the big motivation for the Utes. One player said that the comment was akin to being spit in the face! Whittingham said that was the reason he went for the onside kick.

C'mon, Utes!! Can't football be motivation enough? Wyoming beat you last year in a game you probably should have won; can't that motivate you to come out and prove yourself? Is it necessary to find some gimmick every game to place a chip on your shoulder? The comment from Joe Glenn wasn't that bad. It was not a spit in the face. He said it to Wyoming boosters, not to the media or to their face, and I think there's a huge difference. I will bet you any sum of money that almost every single player that plays every single game in college football tells somebody they know--in private like Glenn did--that there is no way they will lose their next game. Everybody guarantees wins in private conversations all the time. Get over it! If you have to nitpick something like that to motivate your players, then I believe something is wrong. At that level, playing a football game should be enough to get the players pumped up. They are still in the conference race. They are playing for a spot in the San Diego Bowl. They are riding a six-game winning streak. They are playing in front of their home crowd. They are playing Wyoming after losing to them last year. They are playing a team who beat nationally-ranked Virginia and they can prove that they are better. All these things can be used to motivate a team naturally. You shouldn't have to go to the press clippings every game.

Have fun in Laramie next year, Whittingham. I am pretty sure it won't be a pretty scene.

The Joe Rankings: Week 11

2007-11-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

Here they are:

1. LSU
2. Florida
3. Georgia
4. Ohio State
5. Arizona State
6. Oregon
7. Oklahoma
8. Missouri
9. Kansas
10. Virginia

11. Texas
12. West Virginia
13. Illinois
14. Tennessee
15. USC
16. Virginia Tech
17. Auburn
18. South Florida
19. Boise State
20. Clemson
21. Penn State
22. Cincinnati
23. Connecticut
24. Wisconsin
25. Boston College
26. Alabama
27. South Carolina
28. Kentucky
29. California
30. Troy

31. Mississippi State
32. Michigan
33. Florida State
34. Texas A&M
35. Arkansas
36. Hawaii
37. Wake Forest
38. Oregon State
39. BYU (#1 in MWC)
40. Georgia Tech
41. Oklahoma State
42. Texas Tech
43. Rutgers
44. Central Florida
45. Air Force (#2 in MWC)
46. Utah (#3 in MWC)
47. Vanderbilt
48. Maryland
49. New Mexico (#4 in MWC)
50. Nebraska

51. Tulsa
52. Fresno State
53. Purdue
54. Kansas State
55. Colorado
56. North Carolina State
57. Iowa
58. Michigan State
59. Washington State
60. Louisville
61. UCLA
62. Indiana
63. Wyoming (#5 in MWC)
64. Miami
65. TCU (#6 in MWC)
66. Houston
67. North Carolina
68. East Carolina
69. Mississippi
70. Northwestern
71. Washington
72. Louisiana Tech
73. San Diego State (#7 in MWC)
74. Western Kentucky
75. Nevada

76. Pittsburgh
77. Ball State
78. Arizona
79. Florida Atlantic
80. Miami (OH)
81. Bowling Green
82. Central Michigan
83. Stanford
84. San Jose State
85. Arkansas State
86. Middle Tennessee State
87. Baylor
88. Southern Miss
89. New Mexico State
90. Buffalo
91. Louisiana-Monroe
92. Memphis
93. Navy
94. Army
95. UTEP
96. Duke
97. Toledo
98. Akron
99. Syracuse
100. Iowa State

101. Ohio
102. Colorado State (#8 in MWC)
103. Temple
104. Florida International
105. UNLV (#9 in MWC)
106. Notre Dame
107. Tulane
108. Alabama Birmingham
109. Kent State
110. Rice
111. Western Michigan
112. Marshall
113. Eastern Michigan
114. Utah State
115. North Texas
116. Idaho
117. Louisiana-Lafayette
118. Minnesota
119. SMU
120. Northern Illinois

The Joe Rankings: Week 10

2007-11-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

So before I get to the rankings, just a few thoughts:

1. I said that if BYU beat Colorado State by fewer than 21 points, I'd be surprised. Well, they only won by 19 points. So I guess I was surprised. It is a little frustrating that BYU's offense seems to stall at times with so many skill players. Hopefully Max Hall stays healthy, because Brendan Gaskins will never be the answer.

2. BYU faces TCU tomorrow. This could be the closest game BYU has had at home in well over a year. TCU beat up New Mexico by 37 points last week, and they have their star defensive end back, along with their confidence. I expect it to be a tough battle. But BYU is not overlooking the Horned Frogs. I am going to predict a 27-17 BYU victory (with TCU scoring a defensive touchdown).

3. Utah faces Wyoming at home this week. Everyone is picking Utah to win, which is probable. But I am going to predict different. If BYU wins, Utah loses. If BYU loses, Utah wins. So since I predicted BYU to win already, I guess that means I'm predicting a Utah loss. But not necessarily. We won't know my prediction until after Thursday night's game.

On to the Rankings. And remember--the numbers only lie a little bit.

1. LSU (8-1). Surprise, surprise. The Tigers come out of nowhere to snag the top spot for the fifth week in a row (and the 7th time in the last 8 weeks).
2. Oregon (8-1)
3. Ohio State (10-0)
4. Arizona State (8-1)
5. Oklahoma (8-1)
6. Florida (6-3)
7. Virginia (8-2)
8. Georgia (7-2)
9. Kansas (9-0)
10. Missouri (8-1)

11. Boston College
12. Auburn
13. Texas
14. Connecticut
15. Penn State
16. Alabama
17. Boise State
18. Tennessee
19. Virginia Tech
20. West Virginia
21. California
22. Illinois
23. Clemson
24. South Florida
25. Florida State
26. USC
27. South Carolina
28. Wisconsin
29. Cincinnati
30. Michigan

31. Wake Forest
32. Texas A&M
33. Kentucky
34. Colorado
35. Troy
36. Texas Tech
37. Purdue
38. Arkansas
39. Hawaii
40. Vanderbilt
41. Oklahoma State
42. BYU--#1 in Mountain West
43. Central Florida
44. Mississippi State
45. Georgia Tech
46. Fresno State
47. Air Force--#2 in Mountain West
48. Oregon State
49. Kansas State
50. New Mexico--#3 in Mountain West

51. Utah--#4 in Mountain West
52. Rutgers
53. Nebraska
54. Indiana
55. Houston
56. Maryland
57. North Carolina State
58. Miami
59. Tulsa
60. Wyoming--#5 in Mountain West
61. East Carolina
62. Iowa
63. Louisville
64. UCLA
65. TCU--#6 in Mountain West
66. North Carolina
67. Michigan State
68. Washington State
69. Middle Tennessee State
70. Washington
71. Western Kentucky
72. Mississippi
73. Louisiana Tech
74. Northwestern
75. Arizona

76. Nevada
77. Ball State
78. Pittsburgh
79. Southern Miss
80. Miami (OH)
81. Stanford
82. Bowling Green
83. Florida Atlantic
84. Arkansas State
85. San Diego State--#7 in Mountain West
86. Central Michigan
87. New Mexico State
88. San Jose State
89. Army
90. Baylor
91. Duke
92. UTEP
93. Louisiana-Monroe
94. Buffalo
95. Navy
96. Memphis
97. Syracuse
98. Ohio
99. Toledo
100. Akron

101. Temple
102. Notre Dame
103. UNLV--#8 in Mountain West
104. Western Michigan
105. Iowa State
106. Alabama Birmingham
107. Kent State
108. Colorado State--#9 in Mountain West. But they the BEST 1-8 team in the country.
109. Florida International
110. Eastern Michigan
111. North Texas
112. Tulane
113. Rice
114. Utah State. I'm calling it this weekend in Logan. The Agriculturalists will beat Boise State.
115. Marshall
116. Idaho
117. SMU
118. Minnesota
119. Louisiana-Lafayette
120. Northern Illinois. At this point, I don't think it is possible for them to give up their grip on the bottom spot.

BYU vs. Colorado State Preview

2007-11-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

This game against Colorado State feels a little different to me. I mean, usually before a BYU game I get a small nervous feeling in my tummy that BYU just might lose. I get this feeling even before easy games which BYU is heavily favored--yes, I even had this nervous feeling before the Eastern Washington game. My wife Jessica will attest that it wasn't until Corby Hodgkiss got that pick-six that I turned to her and told her that my worries were gone.

I don't have that feeling against Colorado State. I dunno why, either. I have absolute confidence that BYU is just going to steamroll the Rams. I'd be surprised if the win is by fewer than 21 points. BYU is just going to dominate from the get-go. I have no doubt in my mind.

Max Hall will be on the mark. Dennis Pitta will redeem himself with some big catches (after all those easy drops against EWU). Harvey Unga will get his 100 yards in the first half before he is spelled by Fui Vakapuna in the second half. Austin Collie will have a few receptions. The defense won't allow much. Backup quarterback Brendan Gaskins will play the entire fourth quarter, completing zero passes on zero attempts. And their Human Victory Cigar (or I guess at BYU it would be the Human Ice Cream Sundae), Wayne Latu will get two carries for three yards at the very end of the game.

My prediction:

Final Score: BYU 55, CSU 16
Player of the Game: Max Hall (29-of-36 passing, 378 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT).
National Attention: None.

The Joe Rankings: Week 9

2007-10-30T09:15:00.001-07:00

Another good road win for the Utes, and they are beginning to inch up The Rankings. They are looking tougher each week, and it will be interesting to see if the bye week helps them or hurts them. They have great momentum right now, and they don't seem too dinged up with injuries. But the bye week will give them two weeks to prepare for a mediocre Wyoming team, and they should continue their winning streak in two weeks. I would say at this point, the New Mexico and BYU games are toss-ups.

On to the Rankings. Remember, the numbers simply don't lie very much.

1. LSU
2. Arizona State
3. Oregon
4. Ohio State
5. Auburn
6. Florida
7. Kansas
8. Boston College
9. Oklahoma
10. West Virginia

11. Georgia
12. Tennessee
13. South Florida
14. South Carolina
15. Alabama
16. Virginia
17. Missouri
18. Texas
19. Penn State
20. Connecticut
21. USC
22. California
23. Kentucky
24. Illinois
25. Wisconsin
26. Boise State
27. Oklahoma State
28. Kansas State
29. Mississippi State
30. Clemson

31. Colorado
32. Michigan
33. Texas A&M
34. Oregon State
35. Virginia Tech
36. Troy
37. Florida State
38. Purdue
39. Vanderbilt
40. Wake Forest
41. UCLA
42. Georgia Tech
43. Hawaii
44. New Mexico
45. Central Florida
46. BYU
47. Arkansas
48. Texas Tech
49. Cincinnati
50. Fresno State

51. Michigan State
52. Miami
53. Rutgers
54. Air Force
55. Utah
56. Houston
57. Wyoming
58. Nebraska
59. Tulsa
60. Washington State
61. Indiana
62. Louisville
63. Maryland
64. Stanford
65. East Carolina
66. Iowa
67. Western Kentucky
68. Washington
69. TCU
70. Northwestern
71. North Carolina
72. Mississippi
73. Ball State
74. Middle Tennessee State
75. Florida Atlantic

76. North Carolina State
77. Arizona
78. Baylor
79. New Mexico State
80. Louisiana Tech
81. Nevada
82. Miami (OH)
83. San Jose State
84. UTEP
85. Arkansas State
86. Southern Miss
87. Louisiana-Monroe
88. Pittsburgh
89. Central Michigan
90. Army
91. Buffalo
92. San Diego State
93. Memphis
94. Bowling Green
95. Duke
96. Notre Dame
97. Alabama Birmingham
98. Akron
99. Syracuse
100. Temple

101. Navy
102. Toledo
103. Eastern Michigan
104. Ohio
105. Western Michigan
106. Florida International
107. Tulane
108. UNLV
109. Kent State
110. Colorado State
111. North Texas
112. Iowa State
113. Marshall
114. Rice
115. Idaho
116. SMU
117. Minnesota
118. Utah State
119. Louisiana-Lafayette
120. Northern Illinois

The Joe Rankings: Week 8

2007-10-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

1. LSU
2. Oklahoma
3. Virginia
4. Oregon
5. Florida
6. Arizona State
7. South Florida
8. Ohio State
9. Boston College
10. Auburn

11. Kentucky
12. Missouri
13. Kansas
14. South Carolina
15. Texas A&M
16. Alabama
17. West Virginia
18. California
19. Oklahoma State
20. USC
21. Georgia
22. Texas Tech
23. Penn State
24. Tennessee
25. Virginia Tech
26. Connecticut
27. Texas
28. Georgia Tech
29. UCLA
30. Kansas State

31. Boise State
32. Wisconsin
33. Michigan State
34. Wake Forest
35. Miami
36. Cincinnati
37. Troy
38. BYU
39. Maryland
40. Michigan
41. Oregon State
42. Air Force
43. Rutgers
44. Illinois
45. Florida State
46. Clemson
47. Fresno State
48. Nebraska
49. Mississippi State
50. Hawaii

51. Arkansas
52. Purdue
53. New Mexico
54. Colorado
55. Vanderbilt
56. Utah
57. Tulsa
58. Navy
59. Washington
60. Bowling Green
61. Wyoming
62. Stanford
63. Florida Atlantic
64. Central Florida
65. Indiana
66. Northwestern
67. Ball State
68. Western Kentucky
69. Houston
70. TCU
71. North Carolina
72. Pittsburgh
73. Miami (OH)
74. East Carolina
75. New Mexico State

76. Washington State
77. Louisville
78. Middle Tennessee State
79. Mississippi
80. UTEP
81. Baylor
82. Duke
83. Army
84. Iowa
85. Akron
86. Nevada
87. San Jose State
88. Southern Miss
89. Arkansas State
90. Notre Dame
91. Arizona
92. Kent State
93. Louisiana Tech
94. Temple
95. Louisiana-Monroe
96. San Diego State
97. Central Michigan
98. Buffalo
99. Alabama Birmingham
100. Western Michigan

101. Tulane
102. North Carolina State
103. Syracuse
104. Colorado State
105. Memphis
106. North Texas
107. Ohio
108. Eastern Michigan
109. Florida International
110. UNLV
111. Toledo
112. Iowa State
113. SMU
114. Idaho
115. Rice
116. Minnesota
117. Utah State
118. Marshall
119. Louisiana-Lafayette
120. Northern Illinois

Great Win for Utah; BYU is up tomorrow

2007-10-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

As I was driving home from school late last night, I tuned in to the postgame show after Utah's 27-20 victory over TCU. I was pretty surprised about how negative everyone was about the Utes' triumph. Brian Johnson still isn't 100%. Dumb penalties. Bad play calling. Darrell Mack only averaged 3.1 yards per carry. Horrible special teams play. It went on like that the whole time I was in my car.

This is my take: the win was a great win for the Utes. It increased their winning streak to four games, adding to that momentum that is so important to gain at this stage of the season. It puts them at 5-3 on the season, meaning they really only need two more victories to ensure a bowl game. They improve to 2-2 in conference play, keeping them in realistic view of a share of the conference crown.

In my opinion, every road win in conference play is a good one. Granted, TCU is not the worldbeaters everyone thought they would be (not even close), but the Utes looked a whole lot better last night than they did at UNLV a few weeks ago. And many can say that the Utes still looked far from flawless. But isn't that a good sign when you win despite playing a less-than-stellar game? Methinks so. Everyone gave a lot credit to BYU (rightly so) for road wins over New Mexico and UNLV despite less-than-stellar performances. I think Utah should get the same credit.

Chalk up a huge win for the Utes. And with a game on the road next week against Colorado State, I expect the Utes to hit the meat of their schedule with a 6-3 (3-2) record.

****************************************

Meanwhile, the cougars are back at home tomorrow against I-AA foe Eastern Washington. I know BYU will probably win easily, but there is always a seed of worry in the back of my mind. What if BYU loses? That would be humiliating.

But no, the Cougars will win. Hopefully by more than 25 points. What I think Bronco will do is work a lot more on the BYU passing attack. Max Hall has struggled lately in getting the ball into the hands of Austin Collie, Matt Allen, and Michael Reed. The tight ends will hopefully get involved a lot as well. This will ideally boost the confidence of Hall and the passing game, plus I don't think the Cougars will mess around with the possibility of Harvey Unga and Manase Tonga getting dinged up.

And hopefully Brendan Gaskins will see a quarter or more of action on the field at quarterback. The way Hall has been hit this year, I would not be surprised if Gaskins sees some big plays down the road, and he could use some reps. Maybe we'll also see Wayne Latu get his random hundred yards.

I predict BYU wins this one 42-13.

The Joe Rankings: Week 7

2007-10-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Yet another wild weekend in college football, with The Joe Ranking's #1 team losing at Kentucky in triple-overtime. Also, the Cougars and Utes both played in a couple of semi-lackluster games, but they got their respective jobs done.

Both BYU and Utah were clearly the better teams, but they made boneheaded plays deep in opponents’ territories. For Utah, the fumble by Mack that went out of bounds in the end zone was stupid, and then it seemed like in the first half Brian Johnson bogged down inside the 35. For BYU, Max Hall threw 3 interceptions inside the 35 yard line.

For both teams, the second-half adjustments were huge. Utah decided to give the ball more to Mack, who dominated the game. BYU gave the ball to Harvey Unga, who was unstoppable. And then both teams’ defenses dominated the games throughout. UNLV’s offense wasn’t able to make a significant drive until there were fewer than two minutes left to go, while the Aztecs (which no longer exist as an organized nation) featured their quarterback as their second-leading receiver.

Anyways, BYU is clearly in the driver's seat for the MWC championship. The next three weeks should add to the Cougars' win column, and then they have that brutal stretch of TCU, at Wyoming, and Utah. The Utah game probably concerns me the most as a Cougar fan, because Utah is finally seeing some consistency. But there is a lot of football yet to be played, and as we've seend the past three weeks, anything can happen in college football.

Anyways, on to the Rankings. Remember, the numbers simply don't lie very much.

1. LSU (6-1)
2. Oklahoma (6-1)
3. South Florida (6-0)
4. Arizona State (7-0)
5. South Carolina (6-1)
6. Auburn (5-2)
7. Ohio State (7-0)
8. Florida (4-2)
9. Kentucky (6-1)
10. Boston College (7-0)

11. Georgia (5-2)
12. Missouri (5-1)
13. Virginia (6-1)
14. Illinois (5-2)
15. Oregon (5-1)
16. Virginia Tech (6-1)
17. West Virginia (5-1)
18. Texas Tech (6-1)
19. Tennessee (4-2)
20. California (5-1)
21. Penn State (5-2)
22. Kansas (6-0)
23. Kansas State (4-2)
24. Texas (5-2)
25. Oklahoma State (4-3)
26. Alabama (5-2)
27. BYU (4-2)
28. Cincinnati (6-1)
29. Wisconsin (5-2)
30. Michigan State (5-2)

31. Colorado
32. Hawaii
33. Mississippi State
34. Texas A&M
35. Georgia Tech
36. Oregon State
37. USC
38. Wake Forest
39. Florida State
40. Boise State
41. Connecticut
42. Air Force
43. Indiana
44. Nebraska
45. Troy
46. Maryland
47. Wyoming
48. UCLA
49. Tulsa
50. Fresno State

51. Purdue
52. East Carolina
53. Miami (OH)
54. Miami
55. Florida Atlantic
56. Rutgers
57. Arkansas
58. New Mexico
59. Michigan
60. Clemson
61. TCU
62. Washington
63. Navy
64. Bowling Green
65. Utah
66. North Carolina
67. Vanderbilt
68. UTEP
69. Ball State
70. Northwestern
71. Western Kentucky
72. Stanford
73. Baylor
74. Iowa
75. Central Florida

76. Houston
77. Washington State
78. Mississippi
79. Louisville
80. New Mexico State
81. Kent State
82. Arizona
83. Arkansas State
84. Louisiana Tech
85. San Jose State
86. San Diego State
87. Alabama-Birmingham
88. Army
89. Notre Dame
90. Southern Miss
91. Nevada
92. Pittsburgh
93. UNLV
94. Middle Tennessee State
95. Buffalo
96. Akron
97. Western Michigan
98. Central Michigan
99. Duke
100. Minnesota

101. Louisiana-Monroe
102. Temple
103. Ohio
104. Tulane
105. SMU
106. Syracuse
107. Eastern Michigan
108. Florida International
109. Memphis
110. Rice
111. Colorado State
112. North Carolina State
113. North Texas
114. Utah State
115. Toledo
116. Iowa State
117. Marshall
118. Idaho
119. Louisiana-Lafayette
120. Northern Illinois

The Joe Rankings: Week 6

2007-10-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been interesting, and the lack of stability is making the Joe Rankings more and more interesting. But the top two teams (LSU and Arizona State) are the undisputed Top Two in my rankings. Nobody in the national media has talked about the Sun Devils, who have quietly racked up a 6-0 record. However, we'll see how they manage Cal, USC, Oregon, and the rest of the Pac 10 as their schedule progresses.

Utah had an impressive road victory over Louisville. The Rankings have the Utes at #75 right now, which seems a little low. What has really hurt the Utes is that their opponents haven't performed too well this season, giving them a poor strength of schedule. Their two highlight victories have come over UCLA (who just gave Notre Dame their first victory of the year) and Louisville (who has performed pretty poorly this season; their prestige comes in reputation). Plus, their 27-0 loss to UNLV really hurts them. They should keep things progressing forward against San Diego State at home this week.

BYU dropped a bunch after their bye week, as they obviously didn't get the chance to prove anything on the field of play. Their losses to UCLA and Tulsa are looking worse with each passing week as those two teams play in boneheaded losses. But BYU should maintain their status as Mountain West favorites when they take on UNLV this Saturday.

1. LSU
2. Arizona State
3. Florida
4. South Florida
5. Illinois
6. Ohio State
7. South Carolina
8. Missouri
9. Oklahoma
10. Cincinnati

11. Auburn
12. West Virginia
13. California
14. Boston College
15. Colorado
16. USC
17. Oregon
18. Virginia Tech
19. Georgia
20. Kentucky
21. Indiana
22. Texas A&M
23. Wisconsin
24. Mississippi State
25. Virginia
26. Florida State
27. Connecticut
28. Wyoming
29. UCLA
30. Nebraska

31. Tennessee
32. Troy
33. Miami
34. Texas Tech
35. Alabama
36. Boise State
37. Kansas
38. Moku'Aina
39. Wake Forest
40. BYU
41. Penn State
42. Clemson
43. Maryland
44. Texas
45. Tulsa
46. Purdue
47. Akron
48. Oklahoma State
49. Georgia Tech
50. Washington

51. Kansas State
52. Air Force
53. UTEP
54. Fresno State
55. Bowling Green
56. Oregon State
57. Michigan State
58. Stanford
59. Arkansas
60. Mississippi
61. Florida Atlantic
62. Miami (OH)
63. Vanderbilt
64. New Mexico State
65. New Mexico
66. North Carolina
67. Rutgers
68. TCU
69. Western Kentucky
70. Baylor
71. Washington State
72. Central Florida
73. Army
74. San Jose State
75. Utah

76. San Diego State
77. Pittsburgh
78. Kent State
79. Michigan
80. Western Michigan
81. Navy
82. Houston
83. Arizona
84. Iowa
85. Arkansas State
86. Alabama-Birmingham
87. East Carolina
88. Louisiana-Monroe
89. UNLV
90. Ball State
91. Northwestern
92. Minnesota
93. Louisiana Tech
94. Southern Miss
95. Nevada
96. Duke
97. Louisville
98. Buffalo
99. Syracuse
100. Memphis

101. Middle Tennessee State
102. Notre Dame
103. Tulane
104. Colorado State
105. SMU
106. Central Michigan
107. Ohio
108. Eastern Michigan
109. Temple
110. North Carolina State
111. Rice
112. Toledo
113. North Texas
114. Utah State
115. Florida International
116. Idaho
117. Marshall
118. Iowa State
119. Louisiana-Lafayette
120. Northern Illinois

The Joe Rankings: Week 5

2007-10-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

With my Cougars taking a bye, I decided I'd slack off as well. I apologize for the lack of timeliness, along with the lack of links and analysis. This week, I'll just post the Top 120. REMEMBER, this is not an indication of which team is the best. It is merely an indication of which team has proven the most on the actual field of play.

And instead of putting up a lengthy prediction for tonight's game between Utah and Louisville, this will have to suffice. In a surprisingly low scoring game, the Cardinals eke out a 14-13 victory.

As for last week, I thought Utah's victory over Utah State was just what they needed. A solid victory that didn't make anybody think they were invincible. They were clearly the better team, which gave them confidence. But the last thing they needed--in my opinion--was a 75-0 beatdown of the Aggies to make The Six Pack think they were unbeatable. As it turns out, they are still a bit humble, they realize they still have a lot of work to do, and it will show some dividends in a game tonight that they should win.

BYU's win was underrated. I think most media was unimpressed, but it is not an easy thing to go down and win in Albuquerque. BYU extended their MWC winning streak to ten, and they have the easy part of their schedule coming up. The bye week comes at an opportune time. I think they will come out next week with a solid effort to keep the momentum going.

1. Wisconsin
2. LSU
3. California
4. Ohio State
5. USC
6. Florida
7. Arizona State
8. Georgia
9. Oklahoma
10. UCLA

11. Connecticut
12. Kentucky
13. BYU
14. Boston College
15. Missouri
16. South Carolina
17. Cincinnati
18. Michigan State
19. Illinois
20. Hawaii
21. Oregon
22. Texas Tech
23. Indiana
24. South Florida
25. West Virginia
26. Troy
27. Kansas State
28. Virginia
29. Florida State
30. Texas A&M

31. Texas
32. Nebraska
33. Tulsa
34. Auburn
35. Bowling Green
36. Miami
37. TCU
38. Clemson
39. Purdue
40. Washington
41. Boise State
42. Georgia Tech
43. Wyoming
44. Alabama
45. Virginia Tech
46. Mississippi State
47. Florida Atlantic
48. Colorado
49. Ball State
50. Oklahoma State

51. Utah
52. Wake Forest
53. Maryland
54. Central Florida
55. Tennessee
56. Kansas
57. Rutgers
58. Air Force
59. Navy
60. Akron
61. Kent State
62. Oregon State
63. Vanderbilt
64. Arkansas
65. Penn State
66. Arkansas State
67. Fresno State
68. Western Kentucky
69. New Mexico
70. Stanford
71. Nevada
72. Pittsburgh
73. New Mexico State
74. Southern Miss
75. Miami (OH)

76. UTEP
77. Baylor
78. Arizona
79. Army
80. Mississippi
81. Washington State
82. Iowa
83. Western Michigan
84. Duke
85. Louisville
86. Michigan
87. Alabama-Birmingham
88. UNLV
89. San Diego State
90. Houston
91. Louisiana Tech
92. East Carolina
93. San Jose State
94. Ohio
95. Minnesota
96. Colorado State
97. Eastern Michigan
98. Buffalo
99. Louisiana-Monroe
100. Tulane

101. Memphis
102. North Carolina
103. Syracuse
104. Middle Tennessee State
105. Notre Dame
106. Northwestern
107. North Texas
108. Idaho
109. SMU
110. Utah State
111. North Carolina State
112. Florida International
113. Central Michigan
114. Rice
115. Temple
116. Marshall
117. Toledo
118. Iowa State
119. Louisiana-Lafayette
120. Northern Illinois

Week 4 Thoughts and Week 5 Preview

2007-09-26T13:25:00.001-07:00

So I attended the BYU vs. Air Force game, and came away very impressed with the Cougars. They have always seemed to have a knack at shutting down the Falcons' option attack, and this game was no different. The tone was set early on with Quinn Gooch's interception, and the defensive line and linebackers dominated and gave Shaun Carney and their other backs a load of problems.

I think Air Force coach Troy Calhoun was way too obvious in his strategy. He saw Tulsa light up the BYU secondary the week before, and what does he do on the first play of the game? He has Carney attempt a deep bomb. Duh. Who would have thought? BYU was right on top of it. Carney is no Paul Smith, and BYU's secondary was not about to get lit up again. Throughout the game, I thought Calhoun's strategy was poor as he repeatedly had Carney roll out and attempt passes. He was hammered all day long, and only completed one noteworthy pass.

New Mexico is going to do the same thing, I think. Only I think Rocky Long is smarter right now than Calhoun is. Everyone is comparing the Lobos' offensive attack to Tulsa's, and everyone is warning the cougar faithful that the scoreboard will be lit up in a high-scoring duel. In my opinion, I don't think BYU's secondary is that bad. Yeah, they got burned up by Tulsa, but you must also consider that the Golden Hurricane had two weeks to prepare and install a dozen trick plays. The Lobos have had no luxury. Look for them to test BYU deep early, but come up fruitless on the scoreboard.

New Mexico will then revert to Rodney Ferguson and their running game, and I think he will spark a couple of scoring drives for the Lobos. But it won't be enough.

BYU will win this game 34-21. The Cougars will score a touchdown on their first drive of the game to take an early lead, and they will eventually lead 17-0. The lobos will score a touchdown with less than a minute to go in the half, and they will make it 17-14 early in the third. But BYU's offense will go crazy in the 4th quarter with two more touchdowns and a field goal to win it fairly comfortably.

For the first game this season, Max Hall will enjoy a sack-free day. He'll complete 34-of-42 passes for 369 yards, with 3 TD and 1 INT. Unga and Tonga will combine for 87 yards rushing, but will make their mark on the receiving end. Austin Collie will also get loose for a 100+ yard receiving game, including a long-bomb touchdown score.

As for the Utes, there is not really much to say about their win and loss. Most people have tried to put this roller coaster ride in words, but they just end up shaking their heads. I am doing the same thing right now as I type.

Utah will come out more focused and play a solid game against their old rivals from the dairy farm. It won't be as dominating as their effort over UCLA, but a part of me thinks that it would be good for the Utes to play a game in which they just win it solidly, without too much hullaballoo and excitement. They need a week where they aren't being talked about too much, where they can focus on football and their next opponent. I think this is what will happen. Utah will beat the Agriculturalists 27-10. They'll have their struggles, but they'll prove to be the obvious better team.

As for the UNLV Rebels, I can't stand them. I have always been more or less apathetic towards them, but to watch how much smack talk Mike Sanford and his players are running right now, I just kind of hope they get crushed by Nevada-Reno this week. Maybe Sanford ought to focus on winning a second conference game before he claims himself the next Urban Meyer. If Nevada or Air Force can't get them to be quiet, I have a feeling BYU will do the job on October 13 in their Biannual Home Game Against UNLV in Las Vegas.

2007-09-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

Remember, the numbers simply don't lie very much.

1. LSU--The first team this year to repeat as #1.
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Ohio State
5. Michigan State
6. Florida
7. UCLA--highest ranked team with a loss (3-1).
8. Oklahoma State--moved up 89 spots after upsetting Texas Tech
9. Boston College
10. Oregon

11. Wisconsin
12. USC
13. Cincinnati
14. West Virginia
15. Kentucky
16. Missouri
17. Nebraska
18. Arizona State
19. California
20. Connecticut
21. Illinois
22. Georgia
23. South Carolina
24. Hawaii
25. Clemson
26. Air Force
27. Tennessee
28. Wyoming
29. Miami
30. UNLV

31. Rutgers
32. Kansas
33. Alabama
34. Virginia
35. Mississippi State
36. Central Florida
37. Purdue
38. Oregon State
39. Arkansas
40. South Florida--Lowest ranked undefeated team (3-0)
41. Tulsa
42. BYU
43. Indiana
44. Washington State
45. Washington
46. Boise State
47. Virginia Tech
48. Akron
49. Baylor
50. Auburn

51. Wake Forest
52. Colorado
53. Florida State
54. Houston
55. Texas Tech
56. New Mexico
57. Ball State
58. Penn State
59. TCU
60. Western Kentucky
61. Texas A&M
62. UTEP
63. Bowling Green
64. Georgia Tech
65. Florida Atlantic
66. Minnesota
67. Maryland
68. Vanderbilt
69. Troy
70. Kent State
71. Navy
72. Mississippi
73. Pittsburgh
74. Kansas State
75. Iowa

76. Southern Miss
77. Fresno State
78. SMU
79. Louisiana Tech
80. Arkansas State
81. Western Michigan
82. New Mexico State
83. Alabama-Birmingham
84. Army
85. San Diego State
86. Ohio
87. Northwestern
88. San Jose State
89. Utah. While I was looking for that link, I came across this link that just made me laugh. I'm a horrible person.
90. Syracuse
91. East Carolina
92. Stanford
93. Buffalo
94. North Carolina State
95. Louisiana-Monroe--Highest-ranked team without a win (0-3).
96. Eastern Michigan
97. Michigan
98. Arizona
99. Miami (OH)--Dropped 60 spots.
100. Duke

101. Nevada
102. Colorado State
103. Tulane
104. North Texas
105. Memphis
106. Middle Tennessee State
107. Toledo
108. Louisville
109. Florida International
110. North Carolina
111. Notre Dame--Ouch.
112. Temple
113. Idaho
114. Rice
115. Utah State--Back where they belong.
116. Marshall
117. Central Michigan
118. Iowa State
119. Northern Illinois
120. Louisiana-Lafayette

Week 4 Predictions

2007-09-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

BYU vs. Air Force:

BYU comes out fired up to make a statement in this game, and they have control from start to finish. The cougars get the ball first, methodically driving down the field. They will score on a 17-yard screen pass to Manase Tonga.

After a turnover at midfield, BYU will again drive down for another touchdown. This time Max Hall will connect with Harvey Unga on a 19-yard scoring strike for a 14-0 lead.

BYU will score again in the second quarter on a 5-yard pass from Hall to Andrew George, for a 21-3 halftime lead.

The rain will set in for the second half, and the ground game ticks the clock off quickly. BYU will score once in the third quarter (Joe Semanoff 1-yard plunge), and again in the 4th quarter (Wayne Latu 33-yard touchdown scamper; extra point no good). Air Force will finally score again with under a minute remaining.

Final Score: BYU 34, Air Force 10.
Player of the Game: BYU QB Max Hall (28-of 37, 454 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT).
Updated MWC Standings: BYU (1-0); Air Force (2-1).
National Attention: Lou Holtz will mention Max Hall's good game on an ESPN gameday recap show, but that is it.

Utah at UNLV

Utah comes in riding a wave of enthusiasm and confidence after blowing out UCLA last week. Just before kickoff, Coach Kyle Whittingham announces that they will rest Brian Johnson one more week, and start Tommy Grady. Johnson doesn't even dress for the game.

Unfortunately for the Utes, Grady's Heisman performance of the week before does not carry over to this game, with two interceptions thrown in the first half, along with some other costly miscues. Luckily, the Utes defense steps up, and the score is Utah 3, UNLV 3 at halftime.

UNLV takes control of the game in the third quarter with two touchdown drives in a row to take a 17-3 lead. But Utah answers back, scoring on a Grady 54-yard bomb to Hernandez on the last play of the quarter to cut the deficit to 17-10.

Utah's defense tightens up, and two more field goals makes it 17-16 for the Rebels. UNLV has a chance late in the game to ice things up, but they make a costly error when their quarterback throws an ill-advised pass into the end zone that is picked off by Steve Tate with 1:09 remaining. Tommy Grady converts on a 4th-and-14 play on the ensuing drive that eventually ends with Sakoda nailing a 55-yard field goal as time expires.

Final Score: Utah 19, UNLV 17.
Player of the Game: Utah K Louie Sakoda (4-for-4 FG from distances of 41, 44, 46, and 55 yards).
Updated MWC Standings: Utah (1-1), UNLV (0-1).
Season-Ending Injuries: Darrell Mack (broken leg).
National Attention: Sakoda is named the NCAA special teams player of the week.

The Joe Rankings: Week 3

2007-09-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last week had a couple of intriguing results for the Utes and Cougars. As a result, you will see that the 1-2 Utes are now ranked higher than the 1-2 Cougars. Congratulations!

It was a great win for the Utes over the UCLA Bruins. Some positive developments: a) Tommy Grady did not throw a single interception to a defender who was standing all by himself. b) It appeared that Kyle Whittingham did an impressive job gearing up the Ute defense to dominate this game. They played awesome, and to make it even better, they had a lot of freshmen and underclassmen contribute to that dominating defense. c)As far as I know, they did not suffer a single season-ending injury. And d) They actually had some semblance of a running game, even if it was far from dominant.

Many Ute fans have jumped back on the bandwagon. Though I am not a big fan of Utah sports--meaning I do not jump either on or off the bandwagon ever--I will declare that I am not a believer quite yet in this year's Ute squad. I think Coach Whittingham is an expert at motivating his team when their backs are against the wall and when his job is inching closer to termination. But I am interested in seeing how his team plays over the next few weeks. I think this positive momentum will carry over against UNLV and Utah State, but what about when they play Colorado State, New Mexico, and Louisville? Those games will truly tell if this team is for real.

As much as I thought Utah's defense played awesome, I was still relatively unimpressed with the Utah offense. It is very easy to score 44 points when your defense and special teams is letting you start drives inside the 40-yard line every time. The running game--though mildly improved--is still weak, and I don't think it's necessarily accurate to say that Tommy Grady has suddenly turned the corner to a mistake-free quarterback. Brian Johnson will be coming back, and how he will play coming off so many injuries--well, that's anybody's guess.

On to the rankings. Remember, the numbers simply don't lie.

1. LSU. I don't miss him, but I'm glad he's doing well with the Tigers.
2. Boston College
3. Texas Tech
4. Texas
5. Ohio State
6. West Virginia
7. Wisconsin
8. Missouri
9. Oklahoma
10. Rutgers

11. Michigan State
12. USC
13. Florida Atlantic--They are the highest-ranked team with a loss (2-1).
14. Cincinnati
15. Virginia Tech
16. California
17. Alabama
18. Penn State
19. Arizona State
20. Georgia
21. Moku'aina
22. Troy--The Trojans made the biggest jump (82 spots) after beating Oklahoma State. They are also the highest-ranked team with a losing record (1-2).
23. Oregon
24. Tulsa
25. Bowling Green
26. South Carolina
27. Florida
28. Washington
29. Mississippi State
30. Kentucky

31. Washington State
32. Clemson
33. Air Force--#1 in Mountain West
34. Boise State
35. Nebraska
36. Kansas
37. Utah--#2 in Mountain West
38. TCU--#3 in Mountain West
39. Miami (OH)
40. Texas A&M
41. Wyoming--#4 in Mountain West
42. Arkansas State
43. Central Florida
44. Florida State
45. Purdue
46. Indiana
47. Miami
48. South Florida
49. Illinois
50. Connecticut--The Huskies are the lowest-ranked undefeated team (3-0).

51. Southern Miss
52. UCLA--I am very glad that Ben Olson transferred from BYU.
53. Louisville
54. Buffalo
55. Georgia Tech
56. New Mexico State
57. Oregon State
58. Virginia
59. UNLV--#5 in Mountain West
60. New Mexico--#6 in Mountain West
61. Kent State
62. Tennessee
63. BYU--#7 in Mountain West
64. Pittsburgh
65. Houston
66. Maryland
67. Stanford
68. Vanderbilt
69. Wake Forest
70. Western Kentucky
71. Ball State
72. Auburn
73. Kansas State
74. Akron
75. Iowa

76. Ohio
77. Fresno State
78. Louisiana Tech
79. Arkansas
80. Baylor
81. Duke
82. San Diego State--#8 in the Mountain West. The Aztecs are the highest-ranked winless team (0-2).
83. Navy
84. Alabama-Birmingham
85. Colorado
86. Central Michigan
87. Nevada
88. North Texas
89. North Carolina State
90. Colorado State--#9 in Mountain West
91. UTEP
92. Idaho
93. Memphis
94. Mississippi
95. Utah State--Two straight weeks in the Top 100!!!!!
96. Western Michigan
97. Oklahoma State--The Cowboys dropped 87 spots after losing to Troy.
98. Army
99. Eastern Michigan
100. Northwestern--The Wildcats are the lowest-ranked team with a winning record (2-1).

101. Minnesota
102. SMU
103. Arizona
104. North Carolina
105. Middle Tennessee State
106. San Jose State
107. East Carolina
108. Florida International
109. Louisiana-Monroe
110. Notre Dame
111. Toledo
112. Syracuse
113. Temple
114. Michigan--No, beating Notre Dame doesn't move you up very far this year, does it?
115. Tulane
116. Rice
117. Iowa State--They are the lowest-ranked team with a win (1-2).
118. Louisiana-Lafayette
119. Marshall
120. Northern Illinois--Losing to Eastern Michigan is not the best way to get out of the bottom position of The Rankings.

Quick thoughts and predictions

2007-09-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

I need to apologize that I haven't had the time between family, work, and school to post extravagant predictions lately. I guess with the MBA program I'm in, it'll only get worse. Luckily, I have a few days off on the Thanksgiving break that I can maybe post a good BYU-Utah prediction.

My picks for tomorrow:

BYU 37, Tulsa 27. It'll be a close one, and BYU won't put the game away until three minutes remaining in the game when Max Hall completes a 65-yard touchdown pass to Austin Collie to clinch victory. Harvey Unga will be the player of the game with over 200 all-purpose yards. BYU will have five touchdowns (2 by Unga, 1 by Pitta, 1 by George, and 1 by Collie), a missed extra point, and a field goal.

UCLA 35, Utah 21. As usual, everyone is jumping off the Ute bandwagon while things are down, thinking this will be a monstrous upset. But Utah will play it closer than expected. Tommy Grady will play with more confidence after last week's fourth-quarter rally (even though it fell short because the offensive line and running backs stink). But Utah's receivers will surprise the bruins with their quickness, and Utah will lead 21-20 at the break. But the wheels will come off the Ute Machine when Tommy Grady is knocked out for the season early in the third quarter with a torn Achilles. And instead of playing third-string quarterback Chad Manis, Whittingham will make a huge blunder and insert Brian Johnson, still recovering from his separated shoulder. Johnson will struggle all game long, and the Utes will be written off for good when Johnson's season is ended late in the fourth quarter with a broken collarbone and re-separation of the shoulder.

Oklahoma 78, Utah State 13. It will be 78-0 early in the third quarter. That's all you need to know about this game. Go Agriculturalists!

The Joe Rankings: Week Two

2007-09-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here are the rankings. Remember, the numbers simply don't lie very much.

1. Oklahoma--#1 in the Big XII
2. South Carolina--#1 in the SEC
3. Texas
4. LSU
5. Wisconsin--#1 in the Big 10
6. UCLA--#1 in the Pac 10
7. Arizona State
8. Cincinnati--#1 in the Big East
9. Rutgers
10. Oklahoma State--The cowboys are the highest ranked team with a loss (1-1). They lost in their opener at Georgia before rebounding with a sweet win over Florida Atlantic.

11. Nebraska
12. Michigan State
13. Texas Tech
14. South Florida
15. Kentucky
16. Missouri
17. California
18. Penn State
19. West Virginia
20. Washington
21. Florida
22. Air Force--#1 in the Mountain West
23. Moku'aina--#1 in the WAC
24. Ohio State
25. Boston College--#1 in the ACC
26. Oregon
27. Arkansas
28. Minnesota--Moved up 87 spots in The Rankings after beating Miami (OH).
29. Kansas
30. Georgia Tech

31. Iowa
32. Alabama
33. Texas A&M
34. Virginia Tech
35. Tennessee
36. Wyoming
37. Georgia
38. Indiana
39. Maryland
40. Washington State
41. USC
42. BYU
43. Mississippi State
44. Connecticut
45. Kansas State
46. Clemson
47. Pittsburgh
48. Ohio--#1 in the MAC
49. UNLV
50. Oregon State

51. Northwestern
52. SMU
53. Purdue
54. Wake Forest--The demon deacons are the highest-ranked team without a win. They have two losses to Boston College and Nebraska.
55. East Carolina--#1 in Conference USA
56. Florida State
57. Boise State
58. Colorado
59. Ball State
60. New Mexico
61. TCU
62. Tulsa
63. Louisville--The cardinals are the lowest-ranked team that has two victories (over Murray State and Middle Tennessee State).
64. Buffalo
65. Miami
66. Mississippi
67. Baylor
68. UTEP
69. North Carolina State
70. Bowling Green
71. Navy
72. Illinois
73. Central Florida--They are the lowest-ranked undefeated team, at 1-0.
74. Auburn
75. Virginia

76. Central Michigan
77. Colorado State
78. Kent State
79. Fresno State
80. Arizona
81. Houston
82. Army
83. Akron
84. Western Kentucky
85. Florida Atlantic--#1 in Sun Belt
86. Syracuse
87. North Carolina
88. Idaho
89. Arkansas State
90. Southern Miss
91. Louisiana-Monroe
92. Stanford
93. Marshall
94. Nevada
95. Notre Dame
96. San Diego State
97. Utah State--The agriculturalists break the top 100!! The streets of Logan probably look something like this.
98. Memphis
99. Middle Tennessee State
100. Miami, OH

101. Louisiana Tech
102. San Jose State
103. Vanderbilt
104. Troy--Dropped 59 spots after losing to Florida.
105. New Mexico State--The aggies are the lowest-ranked team with a win. They lost this last week to Los Lobos after beating a I-AA opponent in Week One.
106. Utah--I can't remember the Utes ever being this low. They need Brian Johnson back.
107. Western Michigan
108. Toledo
109. Alabama-Birmingham
110. Tulane
111. Florida International
112. Duke
113. North Texas
114. Louisiana-Lafayette
115. Temple
116. Eastern Michigan
117. Michigan
118. Rice
119. Iowa State
120. Northern Illinois

The Joe Rankings: Week 1

2007-09-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

So the numbers (which don't lie) are in, tallied, sorted, and ranked. Remember, this is NOT a ranking of which teams are actually the best. It simply rates which team has accomplished the most so far on the actual field of play. After just one week of games, this is obviously a bit skewed, but dang accurate nonetheless.

Here they are:

1. Georgia Institute of Technology--ACC. 33-3 victory over Notre Dame gives them the top spot.
2. California--Pac 10
3. Clemson--ACC
4. LSU--SEC
5. Washington--Pac 10
6. Georgia--SEC
7. Wisconsin--Big 10
8. Oregon State--Pac 10
9. Nebraska--Big XII
10. Boston College--ACC

11. BYU--MWC
12. Arizona State--Pac 10
13. West Virginia--Big East
14. Kansas--Big XII
15. Oregon--Pac 10
16. Bowling Green--MAC
17. Auburn--SEC
18. Central Florida--Conference USA
19. Texas Tech--Big XII
20. Wyoming--MWC
21. Virginia Tech--ACC
22. UCLA--Pac 10
23. Iowa--Big 10
24. Purdue--Big 10
25. Kent State--MAC
26. Missouri--Big XII
27. Miami--ACC
28. Florida Atlantic--Sun Belt
29. TCU--MWC
30. South Carolina--SEC

31. Connecticut--Big East
32. Arkansas--SEC
33. Texas--Big XII
34. Penn State--Big Ten
35. Tulsa--Conference USA
36. UTEP--Conference USA
37. Navy--Independent
38. Colorado--Big XII
39. UNLV--MWC
40. Oklahoma--Big XII
41. Rutgers--Big East
42. Pittsburgh--Big East
43. Miami (OH)--MAC
44. Mississippi--SEC
45. Troy--Sun Belt
46. Arkansas State--Sun Belt
47. USC--Pac 10
48. Michigan State--Big 10
49. Washington State--Pac 10
50. Akron--MAC

51. Fresno State--WAC
52. Boise State--WAC
53. Cincinnati--Big East
54. Air Force--MWC
55. Idaho--WAC
56. Florida--SEC
57. Hawaii--WAC
58. Utah--MWC
59. Indiana--Big 10
60. Ohio State--Big 10
61. Louisville--Big East
62. Tennessee--SEC
63. Alabama--SEC
64. Northwestern--Big 10
65. Western Kentucky--Independent
66. Texas A&M--Big XII
67. Kentucky--SEC
68. Wake Forest--ACC
69. Kansas State--Big XII
70. Louisiana Tech--WAC
71. Maryland--ACC
72. East Carolina--Conference USA
73. North Texas--Sun Belt
74. South Florida--Big East
75. Oklahoma State--Big XII

76. Southern Miss--Conference USA
77. Western Michigan--MAC
78. North Carolina--ACC
79. Ohio--MAC
80. Baylor--Big XII
81. New Mexico State--WAC
82. Mississippi State--SEC
83. Marshall--Conference USA
84. Vanderbilt--SEC
85. Buffalo--MAC
86. Florida State--ACC
87. Nevada--WAC
88. Houston--Conference USA
89. Tulane--Conference USA
90. San Diego State--MWC
91. Arizona--Pac 10
92. Stanford--Pac 10
93. Colorado State--MWC
94. Louisiana Lafayette--Sun Belt
95. Notre Dame--Independent
96. Virginia--ACC
97. Eastern Michigan--MAC
98. San Jose State--WAC
99. Florida International--Sun Belt
100. Central Michigan--MAC

101. Illinois--Big 10
102. Alabama Birmingham--Conference USA
103. Northern Illinois--MAC
104. New Mexico--MWC
105. Memphis--Conference USA
106. Army--Independent
107. SMU--Conference USA
108. Middle Tennessee State--Sun Belt
109. Temple--MAC
110. Toledo--MAC
111. Syracuse--Big East
112. Louisiana Monroe--Sun Belt
113. Duke--ACC
114. Iowa State--Big XII
115. Minnesota--Big Ten
116. Ball State--MAC
117. North Carolina State--ACC
118. Utah State--WAC
119. Rice--Conference USA
120. Michigan--Big Ten

Top Games of Week One:

2007-08-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

10. Nevada (60) at Nebraska (15). This is a good chance for the WAC to get on the national map. But Nebraska will have other plans at home. Cornhuskers will win it 35-10.

9. Wake Forest (35) at Boston College (29). This is a huge ACC game right off the bat! If the demon deacons want to repeat as conference champs, this would be an important game to win. The home team will win, though, 21-17.

8. Oklahoma State (39) at Georgia (22). There is a lot of hype over the cowboys' offense this year, and there is no better place to test it than in an SEC stadium. The bulldogs will bring expectations down to reality with a 24-12 victory.

7. Florida State (24) at Clemson (32). Another early ACC game that is sure to make a difference all year long throughout the conference race. The seminoles' new offensive coordinator will look impressive in his first game, as Bowden & Co will win it 39-28.

6. Kansas State (44) at Auburn (11). The shocker of Week One: The Wildcats will beat the Tigers 10-7.

5. LSU (2) at Mississippi State (68). An early road SEC test for LSU on their quest for the national championship. The tigers will rout the bulldogs 49-3 to get people talking.

4. Washington State (46) at Wisconsin (9). The badgers feel that they are legitimate Big Ten and national championship contenders. They will come out focused and win at home 31-17.

3. Georgia Tech (26) at Notre Dame (30). This game will show that Notre Dame has a long ways to go. The yellow jackets will win it 24-0 in South Bend.

2. Utah (50) at Oregon State (10). The Six-Pack will come out firing on all cylinders, and Brian Johnson will look great in his return to the field. The Utes go on the road for a huge season-opening victory, 38-32.

1. Tennessee (17) at California (13). The golden bears will be looking for revenge after last season's embarrasing defeat in Tennessee. The game will be closer, but the volunteers will come out victorious again, 28-24.

Other games of note:

UNLV will beat Utah State in Logan 24-7.

Colorado State will beat Colorado in Denver 31-28.

Air Force will beat South Carolina State in Colorado Springs 35-14.

Virginia will beat Wyoming in the great city of Laramie, 21-20.

BYU will beat Arizona 28-10.

Baylor will lose at TCU in a closer game than expected. Score will be 25-24.

New Mexico at UTEP. The lobos will win it easily 45-17 to garner some MWC attention.

BYU vs. Arizona prediction

2007-08-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall makes waves when he trots onto the field clad in Nephite armor. "I wanted my actions and appearance to be reflective of the investment that I have made into this program," he states.

Despite this weird occurance, BYU fans are still pumped up as the season begins. Arizona wins the coin toss...and they elect to kick off.

BYU fans go crazy when on the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Max Hall fakes a handoff to Harvey Unga, and launches a perfect deep strike to a wide-open Austin Collie down the sideline. However, Collie pulls a Todd Watkins and trips himself up for some reason at the five-yard line. BYU scores two plays later on a 3-yard pass to a wide open Dennis Pitta in the end zone. The extra point rattles in off the right upright, and BYU has an early 7-0 lead.

Arizona answers right back, though, with their new Texas Tech-style offense. Quarterback Willie Tuitama seems to be right on track, but BYU's Corby Hodgkiss ends the drive with a spectacular interception deep in cougar territory.

BYU chips off six minutes on their next drive with short passes and running plays, eventually finding the end zone when Harvey Unga plows in from four yards out. BYU takes the lead 14-0, and Max Hall is touted by many cougar faithful as an early Heisman candidate.

However, BYU hits a rut from there, and at the half the lead is still 14-0. BYU's defense forces three turnovers in the first half (interceptions by Hodgkiss and Ben Criddle, and a fumble recovery by freshman nose tackle Eathyn Manumaleuna). But the offense isn't able to generate very much more yardage.

Arizona gets on the board to open the second half when they return the kickoff to the 11-yard line, and Tuitama scores on the very first play from scrimmage to make it 14-7. But Max is up to the challenge, completing eight consecutive passes for 78 yards before Fuuuuuuui Vakapuna tumbles in for a touchdown, commencing it with his patented three-second spazz dance.

BYU's defense holds strong all game long. Arizona only threatens once more early in the fourth quarter when they drive inside the cougar five-yard line, but two consecutive sacks by Manumaleuna and David Nixon forces the wildcats to settle for a field goal.

BYU gets on the board once more on a 40-yard touchdown run by Harvey Unga with only three minutes remaining in the game. BYU wins it convincingly.

Final score: BYU 28, Arizona 10.
Player of the game: RB Harvey Unga (12 carries, 112 yards, 2 td)
Surprise performance: NT Eathyn Manumaleuna dominates the game with 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
National Attention: None.

2007 University of Utah Predictions

2007-08-21T13:25:00.001-07:00

As an esteemed MBA student at the University of Utah, I am now a rabid fan of all athletics that are associated with the university. Here is what I think will happen to the football team this year.

August 30 at Oregon State. Before the game, the team suffers a setback when the "Countdown to BYU Game" clock--yes, they even take it with them on road trips--tips over and lands on the knee of superstar safety Steve Tate. "Mark my words," Tate says in a hospital press conference a week later after major reconstructive knee surgery. "I'll be back for the game against the Team Down South."

As for the game itself, the Ute offense looks glossy. The Six Pack lights up the scoreboard early and often to take a 21-10 halftime lead. However, Kyle Whittingham inserts backup quarterback Tommy Grady to start the third quarter, and with 11:20 left in the third quarter, Oregon State holds a 24-21 lead. Grady's line: 0-for-2, -16 rushing yards, 2 INT, 1 lost fumble. Thousands of Ute fans pray that Brian Johnson never gets hurt.

Luckily for Ute fans, their heady coach puts Johnson back in the game, and order is restored. It takes a late 65-yard touchdown run by phenom running back Matt Asiata, but the Utes win the game 38-32.

September 8 vs. Air Force. Before the game, good news arrives for the Utes. Marty Johnson--former running back who still has eligibility--returns to the team to shore up the backfield. "He is an incredible addition," states Whittingham. "With Mart, Asiata, Mack, and Post, we probably have the greatest backfield that I could dream of."

Johnson makes his return with an emphatic 3-yard run up the middle, but in the process tears his ACL and is lost for the year. But Asiata fills in with an admirable line of 15 carries for 38 yards on the day.

Utah wins the game 28-17.

September 15 vs. UCLA. The MUSS comes out in full support for this game, clad in pirate gear. "Arrrr matey!" exclaims one tailgater. "The Bruins be on the plank, abouts to meet the locker of Davey Jones. Ayy!" "Squawk! Davey Jones! Squawk!" exclaims another tailgater, clad in a parrot costume.

Indeed, the nation's eye is on this game, as Heisman candidate Ben Olson trots onto the field for the undefeated UCLA Bruins. Olson does his part in keeping the Bruins ahead, throwing for six touchdown passes in the first half alone.

Sadly, fans go home in disappointment as the Utes coast to a 52-28 defeat. To make matters worse, Matt Asiata is out for the season with a broken leg.

September 22 at UNLV. No surprises this game, as Utah hands the lowly rebels a good old beatdown. Heisman candidate Brent Casteel leads the way with 9 receptions for 230 yards.

Good news also comes down after the game when Coach Whittingham announces that the Utes suffered no season-ending injuries that game. The resultant "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" celebration, however, results in wide receivers Casteel and Brian Hernandez getting arrested and suffering one-game suspensions.

Final score of this one: Utah 38-6.

September 29 vs. Utah State. This game--played in front of a less-than-standing-room-only audience--goes down in the annals of history as The Most Boring Game Ever. With Utah struggling to move the ball, and the aggies just fumbling all over the place, the game features 25 punts, and not once does an offense move the ball inside the other team's 40-yard line. It also features 20 penalties, a rain delay, six instant replay stoppages, a slew of incomplete passes, lackluster cheerleading, very little smack talk between fan bases, and a sloppy marching band performance. Not even Swoop manages to get the crowd too excited.

Luckily for the Utes, they have a good kicker. Louie Sakoda kicks in a pair of 56-yard field goals for a 6-0 victory.

October 5 at Louisville. Before the game, wide receivers Brent Casteel and Brian Hernandez apologize to fans, family, friends, teammates, coaches, equipment managers, community, alumni, students, community leaders, LVPD, and--most importantly--to their own mothers for their disorderly conduct after their victory over UNLV. "I'm glad to be back, though," states Hernandez. "I've had my eye on this game against Louisville all season long. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Kentucky has some great fried chicken."

Looking to put last week's poor performance behind them, Johnson and the rest of the Six Pack rush out to a surprising 17-0 lead. Their lead eventually increases to 24 points, but the cardinals storm back in the fourth quarter due to some suspect officiating.

But Sakoda saves the day again when he kicks in a 43-yard field goal as time expires to give the Utes an eye-opening 34-33 road victory.

October 13 vs. San Diego St. Now on an emotional high after dismantling previously unbeaten Louisville, the Utes enter the field to a polite standing ovation from the Ute faithful. Taking one another by the hand and forming a long line across the field, the players take a deep bow to the applause. Cheers of "Bravo!" emanate through the stands.

The aztecs are no match for the Utes on the field. The Six Pack rolls up huge numbers, and it gets so bad that backup quarterback Tommy Grady sees action, throwing only one interception. He even helps out by fumbling the ball into the end zone, where it is recovered by Braden Godfrey for a touchdown. Utah wins it 56-17.

October 18 at TCU. This Thursday night special has the attention of the entire sporting nation as the Utes look to upend the horned frogs' national championship quest. Swoop is in fine form before the game, throwing Utah "Good Investment" t-shirts into the crowd to a chorus of boos from the Christian faithful.

The Utes' luck runs out on the field, however, as the TCU defense stifles them. Star running back Daryl Poston--who up to this point in the season has garnered 120 yards rushing--is injured for the season, and Brian Johnson uncharacteristically tosses three interceptions in the losing effort.

TCU continues their quest to the National Championship Game with a 31-21 victory over the Utes.

October 27 at Colorado St. The Utes look mysteriously befuddled throughout this game, and when Brian Johnson goes down with a foot injury, things look especially bleak. Rams running back Kyle Bell rumbles for 231 yards rushing, and CSU puts Utah on a two-game losing streak, winning the game 24-17.

November 10 vs. Wyoming. During their bye week, the Utes re-set their focus on finishing strong. "Last year we lost to Wyoming, New Mexico, and BYU," states coaching phenom Kyle Whittingham. "Those are our last three opponents here, and we want to finish this out strong."

Brent Casteel looks like the Heisman contender that he is, with an early 79-yard reception (finishing with 201 yards total receiving), and the Utes cruise to an otherwise boring victory, 33-13.

November 17 vs. New Mexico. The lobos catch Utah looking ahead to the next week's matchup, and take a 21-10 lead at halftime. But mastermind offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig makes a few tweaks on the offensive side of the ball, and things start rollin' for the runnin' Utes.

Brian Johnson rushes for 131 yards, and Daryl Mack carries it for 2 yards more (133 yards combined in the second half), and Johnson passes for an additional 340 yards in a dominating comeback victory. Utah wins the game 44-24.

November 24 at BYU. This prediction can only come right before the game. I am sorry. Suffice it to say, I am going to predict BYU to win and you all know that's what I'm going to say, no matter what happens between now and then. So Utah finishes the season at 8-4, where they are invited to the San Francisco Bowl, where they'll beat Houston 41-40 in overtime.

The Preseason Joe Rankings: 1-25

2007-08-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

1. USC--Pac 10 (1)
2. LSU--SEC (1)
3. Oklahoma--Big XII (1)
4. Florida--SEC (2)
5. Ohio St--Big 10 (1)
6. Arkansas--SEC (3)
7. Louisville--Big East (1)
8. Texas--Big XII (2)
9. Wisconsin--Big 10 (2)
10. Oregon St--Pac 10 (2)
11. Auburn--SEC (4)
12. West Virginia--Big East (2)
13. California--Pac 10 (3)
14. Michigan--Big 10 (3)
15. Nebraska--Big XII (3)
16. Moku'aina--WAC (1)
17. Tennessee--SEC (5)
18. Rutgers--Big East (3)
19. Texas A&M--Big XII (4)
20. UCLA--Pac 10 (4)
21. Virginia Tech--ACC (1)
22. Georgia--SEC (6)
23. TCU--Mountain West (1)
24. Florida St--ACC (2)
25. Boise St--WAC (2)

So here you have it. There was no big surprise with Southern California at the top. The SEC got six teams into the Top 25, which almost makes me want to throw up. I might as well admit that the SEC is the best conference in college football. The numbers simply don't lie.

I just pray that Florida doesn't win the championship again. The last thing I want to see is Joakim Noah storming the field and doing this.

TCU comes in as the #1 team from the Mountain West Conference. They ended last year on a roll by winning their last eight games. And they return almost their entire team. The Mountain West has an opportunity to assert themselves early. TCU plays Texas (#8). Utah has a trio of games at Oregon State (#10), at Louisville (#7), and at home to UCLA (#20).

One of the teams I'll be looking at much more closely this year is Hawaii (#16). They should have some entertaining games, with their high-scoring offense coming back. Unfortunately, they are not as good on the Mainland, and I wouldn't be surprised if they finish the season with 2 or 3 losses.

The Preseason Joe Rankings: 26-50

2007-08-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

26. Georgia Tech--ACC (3)
27. South Florida--Big East (4)
28. Miami--ACC (4)
29. Boston College--ACC (5)
30. Notre Dame--Independent (1)
31. Texas Tech--Big XII (5)
32. Clemson--ACC (6)
33. Cincinnati--Big East (5)
34. Kentucky--SEC (7)
35. Wake Forest--ACC (7)
36. South Carolina--SEC (8)
37. Oregon--Pac 10 (5)
38. Maryland--ACC (8)
39. Oklahoma St--Big XII (6)
40. BYU--Mountain West (2)
41. Missouri--Big XII (7)
42. Penn St--Big 10 (4)
43. Arizona St--Pac 10 (6)
44. Kansas St--Big XII (8)
45. Washington St--Pac 10 (7)
46. Arizona--Pac 10 (8)
47. Iowa--Big 10 (5)
48. Alabama--SEC (9)
49. Houston--Conference USA (1)
50. Utah--Mountain West (3)

I know, I know. There will be an outrage from my Ute-loving friends and family that they are ranked as low as #50. Keep in mind that this is not an indication of which team is better or which team will be the best in the future. This is a preseason indicator of what they have earned. Last year was average for the Utes, which hurt their ranking a little bit. In addition, they lost their best player at every position from last year's team. They will need to prove on the field of play that they deserve a higher ranking.

Having said that, I think Utah will be a solid team that will surprise people nationally. But my predictions for BYU's and Utah's seasons will come in a future post.

As you can also see, BYU made the rankings at #40. I think they, too, will be a solid team. I am nervous about their kicker, quarterback, and depth at running back and defensive line. But other than that, I think they seem pretty deep and talented. I will of course post more on the cougars in future posts.

You will also notice that the Conference USA's top-ranked team is featured here. Houston (at #49) leads the way. As always, I tip my hat to Conference USA. What a great conference.

The Preseason Joe Rankings: 51-75

2007-07-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

51. Purdue--Big Ten (6)
52. Pittsburgh--Big East (6)
53. Southern Miss--Conference USA (2)
54. Minnesota--Big 10 (7)
55. Central Michigan--MAC (1)
56. Kansas--Big XII (9)
57. Vanderbilt--SEC (10)
58. East Carolina--Conference USA (3)
59. Tulsa--Conference USA (4)
60. Nevada--WAC (3)
61. Washington--Pac 10 (9)
62. Virginia--ACC (9)
63. Mississippi--SEC (11)
64. Navy--Independent (2)
65. San Jose St--WAC (4)
66. Western Michigan--MAC (2)
67. Wyoming--Mountain West (4)
68. Mississippi St--SEC (12)
69. Michigan St--Big 10 (8)
70. Rice--Conference USA (5)
71. North Carolina--ACC (10)
72. North Carolina St--ACC (11)
73. Syracuse--Big East (7)
74. Connecticut--Big East (8)
75. Colorado--Big XII (10)

As you can see, Central Michigan tops the Mid American Conference (#55 nationally). Their mascot is the Chippewa, but unlike Arkansas State they have decided to keep their racist moniker. Perhaps the university's biggest contribution to college athletics was producing two of the most incredible sports announcers of all time--Dick Enberg and Kevin Graham (seen here at the right of a very intimidating Gordon Monson).

I was also happy to see that East Carolina fans finally have some bragging rights over their chiefest of rivals--the tar heels of North Carolina. The Pirates are currently ranked 13 spots better. Maybe if Pee Dee the Pirate and company can pillage a few victories this season, we'll try to figure out where the mythical state of East Carolina is located. I searched all over the maps of the Eastern seaboard, looking eastward of North and South Carolina. I can't seem to find it.

The Preseason Joe Rankings: 76-100

2007-07-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

76. Ohio--MAC (3)
77. Northern Illinois--MAC (4)
78. Indiana--Big 10 (9)
79. Marshall--Conference USA (6)
80. Troy--Sun Belt (1)
81. SMU--Conference USA (7)
82. New Mexico--Mountain West (5)
83. Kent St--MAC (5)
84. Baylor--Big XII (11)
85. Fresno St--WAC (5)
86. Northwestern--Big 10 (10)
87. Stanford--Pac 10 (10)
88. Illinois--Big 10 (11)
89. Toledo--MAC (6)
90. Arkansas St--Sun Belt (2)
91. Akron--MAC (7)
92. Air Force--Mountain West (6)
93. Iowa St--Big XII (12)
94. Colorado St--Mountain West (7)
95. UTEP--Conference USA (8)
96. Middle Tennessee St--Sun Belt (3)
97. Tulane--Conference USA (9)
98. Louisiana Lafayette--Sun Belt (4)
99. Bowling Green--MAC (8)
100. Florida Atlantic--Sun Belt (5)

The Sun Belt wraps up their rankings, headlined by Troy at #80. It is safe to say that the Sun Belt Conference is rated as the worst in 1-A college football today. But, hey, the numbers simply don't lie. Maybe the Sun will come out firing on all cylinders and take over the Joe Rankings this year. You never know.

Arkansas State is THE team to watch from this group, mainly because we don't know what their mascot is going to be. Due to the NCAA's ban on ethnically-sensitive nicknames, they have abandoned the Indian as their mascot, and are currently searching and soliciting ideas for a new mascot. If you have any suggestions for their new mascot, you can contact their chancellor Robert L. Potts here. Personally, I think they should follow in the innovative footsteps of another university, who decided to just get a bird and call it good.

The Preseason Joe Rankings: 101-120

2007-07-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

101. Ball State--MAC (9)
102. Central Florida--Conference USA (10)
103. Duke--ACC (12)
104. New Mexico State--WAC (6)
105. Louisiana Monroe--Sun Belt (6)
106. Buffalo--MAC (10)
107. San Diego State--Mountain West (8)
108. Memphis--Conference USA (11)
109. Louisiana Tech--WAC (7)
110. Miami (OH)--MAC (11)
111. UNLV--Mountain West (9)
112. Army--Independent (3)
113. Alabama Birmingham--Conference USA (12)
114. North Texas--Sun Belt (7)
115. Idaho--WAC (8)
116. Eastern Michigan--MAC (12)
117. Temple--MAC (13)
118. Florida International--Sun Belt (8)
119. Utah State--WAC (9)
120. Western Kentucky--Independent (4)

The Joe Rankings welcomes the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers to the Division 1-A ranks. Nothing would be better than for them to beat Florida in the Swamp in Week One.

A familiar face also appears at the bottom of the returning 1-A teams. I am excited to follow the Utah State Agriculturalist program this year. The burning question: who will be scoring more, the players or the students?

By the way, the number in parentheses in the above list indicates where the team is ranked in their conference.

The Joe Rankings Explained

2007-06-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

The idea for The Joe Rankings first came to me after the 2004 college football season. The University of Utah had just crashed the BCS by winning each of their games with relative ease—including a Fiesta Bowl blowout victory over Big East champion Pittsburgh—en route to an undefeated 12-0 season.

Even as a fan of Utah’s archenemy, I must humbly admit that this team was pretty darn good. Their narrowest victory was over Air Force by 14 points. They beat their fiercest rival BYU by 23 points. They produced the #1 draft pick in Alex Smith. They had a dominant offense and a tough defense that rarely comes around together on the same season.

Even though I probably wasn’t able to swallow my pride and admit it at the time, I can now concede that I believe that the 2004 Ute squad would have legitimately challenged anyone for the national championship.

The problem is that they never got the opportunity to play for that national crown. Under the current system of BCS rule, teams from the MWC and WAC (among other conferences) essentially begin the season with a zero percent chance of winning the national championship. I don’t know of any other sport in the world where this phenomenon occurs.

To be honest, I do not have a solution to find a true champion for college football. There are too many factors in play—many of which I am sure I am unaware of. However, I believe there are better ways to rank the teams and determine which teams are worthy of participating in advanced games. The BCS is very heavily weighted towards the opinions of the media and coaches. It is impossible for these people—even in today’s era of mass communication and light-speed technology—to watch each game and decide which teams are truly the best. So they must resort to popular opinion, past history, rankings from the previous week, and opinions garnered over watching maybe two or three games each week before listening to Lou Holtz’s opinion later in the evening.

I have attempted to create a formula that would accurately portray the accomplishments of a team on the actual field of play. Take away media hype, conference affiliation, perceived superiority, coastal bias, public relations departments, award winners, et al. Let the games and the results speak for themselves.

The formula is not an attempt to reflect which teams are the best. They are not predictive in nature. It is simply an effort to show what teams have accomplished in actual games.

The Rankings takes into effect a myriad of variables. Obviously wins and losses are weighted the most. It also takes into account the home/away/neutral factor; winning & losing streaks; and strength of schedule.

I acknowledge that no numerical formula will ever be perfect. It is impossible to weigh each game against any set standard because each game is different. Weather takes effect. Motivations may change from game to game. Each game has different officials. Games may increase or decrease in intensity and importance as the year forges on. Traveling patterns and distances can take a toll. Injuries occur and players miss games. The variables are endless. But The Joe Rankings attempts to come as close as possible to reflecting which teams have actually accomplished the most on the field of play.

To put it basically, it attempts to show where teams deserve to be ranked. Remember, the numbers don’t lie nearly as often as humans do.