WEEKEND HEADLINES

1. The chink in the toy armor.... Utah's team is papermache'



Utah played 3 patsies before a mediocre WSU (now 2-3) at home....



By seasons end, they might not have a win against a team in the top 75... which is pathetic... there will be DII teams with a top 75 win



http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_Utah_Utes.html?Utah" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Demoralizing for Utah (and fantastic for BYU).



Only thing better than a 1 point loss, would have been a 70 point loss... but it's close, simply because of how demoralizing this is for them.



Realtime has Utah going 5-7 now... instead of 6-6. 5-7 is a home run for BYU. This one point loss could get Kyle fired and force the hand of Utah to make some serious changes. Serious changes that signal a transition that will occur while BYU has a few of its best seasons ever. (We have to win that game next year...)



2. "The fall of Rome... Michigan is over?" or "Big House? Appparently size doesn't matter."



Notre Dame (the other most overrated team of my lifetime) has pulled the future schedule



Brady Hoke will be fired sooner rather than later



If Michigan finishes with a 3-4 win season (possibly 2) it will signal what people in Big 12 country have been saying for years... The Big 10 sucks...



***PENN STATE LOST TO NORTHWESTERN.. BADLY.. NORTHWESTERN BARELY BEAT CAL.. WHO BARE BEAT COLORADO IN 2 OT** PENN STATE BEAT UCF... Who is UCF this year? (we simply have no excuse... if we don't win out.. we don't belong.. our schedule bears that out)



Michigan is a flagship... if they fade into mediocrity does it carry the rest of the Big 10 there? We shall see... How does this affect the college landscape? How does the Big 12 see this? As a panacea where they don't have to change a thing? Or as an opportunity to make some waves by adding a couple of new power programs (UCF, BYU)... The Big 12 needs to get into Florida for recruiting and they need to change something... because A+M and the SEC have taken over Texas. BYU gives them the cache team, the current hot girl... Do they see that? Will the demise of the Big 10 make them comfortable and stand pat or do they get frisky and try to fan the flames by making waves? Whatever happens, Texas (formerly the boss of the Big 12) needs a change. And what Texas wants... Texas usually gets.



This is the first time Michigan has recorded three losses by the end of September in its 135-year football history



I could see a possibility where Michigan doesn't win another game.



The fallout here could be epic... Texas 2013 but worse because Texas at least is in Texas.



As you can see the fall of Rome is and always will be a global changer and the fall of Rome couldn't come at a better time. Utah has no signature win this year... at least when we beat Texas last year, they put themselves back in a race for the Big 12 championship, though they ran out of gas.



3. "Mystery Men... the Pac 12"



UCLA has been terribad the last few weeks... I saw them twice and didnt' think they deserved to be in the top 30. Yet they found ways to win... then put an epic beatdown on ASU. What to make of them?



Virginia and Texas had a chance to beat them... and I would say outplayed them for the most part. BYU outclassed Virginia and Texas by a sizeable margin. Yet realtime has UCLA at #7... and their play against ASU backs that up... someones shiny record is going down October 11 when Oregon visits.. but I don't see how UCLA escapes the Pac 12 with any less than 2 losses.. they just don't meet the eye test. (unless that eye was on ASU... wierd)



http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_UCLA_Bruins.html?UCLA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



USC ... lost to Boston College who lost to Colorado State who lost to Boise State who lost to Air Force who lost to Wyomng who almost lose to Montana and Florida Atlantic



However... Colorado State is favored to win every game they have left

http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_Colorado_State_Rams.html?Colorado+St" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.



And USC won at Stanford and smoked Oregon State....



Do any of you remember when Colorado was a top 5 program? I do and the collapse has been staggering. Congrats Utah, you're not the worst... well at least until you lose to Colorado (again.. here's to dreaming)



Oregon State is interesting... they've played nobody... but they have an experienced QB and a very favorable schedule (3 on the road, 1 of them is colorado) and the rest at home including Utah which they get 12 days of rest and preparation and Oregon at home in the last game of the reg season... a game they might need to get bowl eligible.. I would have to say BYU fans should be Oregon State fans if you're not already. They can do some damage to the Pac 12.



Stanford has the most brutal schedule remaining (maybe in the country) BUT THEY HAVE TWO WEEKS TO PREPARE FOR UTAH (IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER)

http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_Stanford_Cardinal.html?Stanford" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



we will be ranked ahead of Stanford by seasons end. They don't have the offense to match their schedule. Though I hope they beat Notre Dame... because Stanford will finish this season with at least 2-3 losses and Notre Dame needs booted off their high horse asap (BYU is not welcome to the table at all as long as Notre Dame is undefeated or has one loss... which will given to them via an FSU black eye)



I thought UCLA was the most overrated team in the country ... but they might have beaten that team, Arizona State... http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_Arizona_State_Sun_Devils.html?Arizona+St" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.



They could be going into Utah with a 4 game losing streak.. and then beat Utah (which is fantastic!)



Arizona... young and dangerous.. and has no defense. Oregon could hang 100 on them next week. Truthfully they look like pretenders, much like Utah.



Washington... Year 1 for Chris Peterson has been bumpy but he did us a HUGE FAVOR BY LEAVING BOISE STATE... WHO ARE QUICKLY BECOMING IRRELEVANT

http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_Washington_Huskies.html?Washington" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

08-30 at Hawaii 1-3 (0-0) 117 17-16 W

09-06 Eastern Wash. 3-1 (2-0) 83 59-52 W



CAL... JUST WIN BABY ... BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT GOOD... POORLY COACHED.. AND SOFT. BYU might have more fans there than Cal.

Sadly they're not favored to win another game... (wish we played them next week)

http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_California_Golden_Bears.html?California" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Taysom Hill is their worst nightmare... Colorados QB threw for 450 7 touchdowns and ran for 72... is their last 3 games he rushed for a total of 4 ...



(enough of that, If I keep going I'll look like a Pac 12 fanboi)



4. Where's Godzilla?



NC State was winning and outplayed FSU 60% of the game... but the last 40% was jaw dropping how good FSU looked.. each quarter in was like a different game.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?id=400547764" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



A+M ... this one hurt... OT at home against a middle of the road Arkansas

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=400548382" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Which leads me to BYUs dream season of 1984... These are the games in 1984 where they all fell BYUs way... A+M loses this game and they're a 3-4 loss team by seasons end. There is no chance that they win out... there is no chance that they are ranked ahead of BYU at the end of the season. Texas A+M losing to Arkansas would have had a terrible terrible terrible effect on the SEC this year. The SEC west is going to cannibalize themselves. An A+M team with a loss to Arkansas on their record can do a lot of damage to the rest of the SEC... Shame that Arkansas couldn't pull it out.

#6 Texas A&M 2-0 5-0

#3 Alabama 1-0 4-0

#14 Mississippi State 1-0 4-0

#5 Auburn 1-0 4-0

#10 Ole Miss 1-0 4-0

#17 LSU 0-1 4-1

Arkansas 0-2 3-2



That above is a mine field that no one escapes alive... injury, depth, exhaustion, and Ls on everyones schedule... You want to prove something? Come out of there undefeated and you get props for life..



Wait a minute... you say the SEC is overrated and gets a bump from the voters? Not according to Sagarin (not this year)... Too bad Arkansas didn't win... it would have helped start muddying (which is inevitable) the waters.



http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/sagarin/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Not sure there is a Godzilla but maybe Oregon, Oklahoma (TCU will have a say next week), potentially FSU and a bloodied champ of the SEC west... but not without helping BYU move up the rankings... best case for BYU is that one of these teams takes a massive inexplicable nosedive (say Jameis Winston beats his girlfriend and then goes out and hits a 4 year old with a tree branch and it's all on videotape)



I still think BYU loses a game this year prior to bowl season.. but it was a good weekend for the Cougs (ALL OF THEM) and with the exception of Boise losing (though it does lead you to believe that we are the favorites up there) and A+M avoiding a huge upset.



Here's a game changer to think about though... what if the winner of the SEC east beats the SEC West champ in their conference tourney?



1. The pressure to go to an 8 game playoff becomes massive

2. The SEC will then point straight at the Big 12 for not having a conference championship...



THESE ARE BOTH HUGE FOR BYU...



Good weekend... really good weekend... almost perfect

Interesting stuff. Thanks, Craig. 8 game play off? Did you mean 8 teams? 8 teams would take 3 rounds to produce a champion. I always thought that a play off should have at least 8 teams, though would prefer 16. 16 would make it even harder for the elitists to exclude unbeaten "mid-majors" or unpopular independents. In a 16 team tourney, only 2 programs would have to endure 4 rounds, and for that level of exposure and glory, I doubt that they would mind. Of course the elitists would continue the same disengenuous argument as they always have, that the extra games would interfere with the kids' academic progress..... Ha!



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BOID wrote:
Interesting stuff. Thanks, Craig. 8 game play off? Did you mean 8 teams? 8 teams would take 3 rounds to produce a champion. I always thought that a play off should have at least 8 teams, though would prefer 16. 16 would make it even harder for the elitists to exclude unbeaten "mid-majors" or unpopular independents. In a 16 team tourney, only 2 programs would have to endure 4 rounds, and for that level of exposure and glory, I doubt that they would mind. Of course the elitists would continue the same disengenuous argument as they always have, that the extra games would interfere with the kids' academic progress..... Ha!



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8 teams would make it nearly impossible to exclude any unbeaten outside the P5, it would need to be a very odd situation. Growing the playoff to 16 teams would make it impossible to exclude non-p5s, I think every major conference champ would get an auto entry and there would be a slot for a non-P5 guaranteed for the highest ranked team every year.



If BYU wins out and wins their bowl game it is a huge positive for non-P5's, more pressure to grow the playoff. Likewise you want to see some big conferences left out, BIG 10 could be out and they could pressure to get in by expanding the number of teams. This won't happen for years.

I have to say, based on the size of your post, I was expecting a Bib-like cacophony of non-sequitor, self-adulation and -promotion, awkward metaphor attempts, and general disarray, but instead that was quite the informative trip around the national CFB scene and how it affects BYU.



Well done, sire.

UCLA is an odd duck. I've watched some of their games and haven't been impressed but they manage to win, so I guess that counts for something. Arizona was clearly overrated.



Oregon is a bit odd too. Their QB is amazing. Their OL is not and their defense doesn't look that spectacular. It was basically a shoot out between them and WSU last week.



I suspect there will be continued shifting of leaders within the Pac12 and I don't think they are worthy of 4 teams in top 25.

snoscythe wrote:
I have to say, based on the size of your post, I was expecting a Bib-like cacophony of non-sequitor, self-adulation and -promotion, awkward metaphor attempts, and general disarray, but instead that was quite the informative trip around the national CFB scene and how it affects BYU.



Well done, sire.

I'll save the Bib-like cacophony of non-sequitor, self-adulation and -promotion, awkward metaphor attempts, and general disarray for basketball season.



I was kind of on a wierd football high when I wrote that. Not sure what came over me.

If ASU would have had their QB, they would have beat UCLA. But UCLA is going to lose at least 2 or 3 games.



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I agree with you, Stuckinbig10. ASU is not as bad as this game makes them look, nor is UCLA that good. I watched the replay of the 1st half this morning on Pac10 network. Change just one horribly missed call by the officials and bad management of time outs by ASU's coaches, and ASU would have been up by 2 scores at the half instead of down by 2. It's like the game where the wheels came off of our game against Utah 3 or 4 years ago and we were blown out at home. I know that we were actually the better team that year, but the Utes beat us by about 40 points at home! Sometimes, it just isn't your day.

craigoscarson wrote:

I have to say, based on the size of your post, I was expecting a Bib-like cacophony of non-sequitor, self-adulation and -promotion, awkward metaphor attempts, and general disarray, but instead that was quite the informative trip around the national CFB scene and how it affects BYU.



Well done, sire.

I'll save the Bib-like cacophony of non-sequitor, self-adulation and -promotion, awkward metaphor attempts, and general disarray for basketball season.



I was kind of on a wierd football high when I wrote that. Not sure what came over me.

What came over you was the otherwise manic belief that this team and this schedule has the potential to do something very special this year, but will likely only achieve something merely special or almost special.

In other words don't worry to much about your "Wierd football high". It will be cured by a bunch of penalties, mental mistakes, and an underwhelming performance that very possible could result in a very preventable loss.

The test for this team will not be in its opponents, but in its ability to overcome hubris and lack of discipline. And the harder that will get as the wins continue and the national attention continues, mixed of course, with its own early propensity for careless mistakes and playing with less than 100% intensity. Isn't that the definition of a champion?

The good news is that coaches and reports are suggesting that the week off wasnt a big slack off. We will see this Friday. GO COUGS, GO!! Don't let up.

Superb read. Thanks craigoscarson!



You've cooked your goose. I expect one of these each week now.

BroncoBot wrote:
Superb read. Thanks craigoscarson!



You've cooked your goose. I expect one of these each week now.

Don't count on it... those lucid creative moments in my life are few and far between