SB Nation - Air Force Falcons

Ranking The 2009-2010 Bowls: Part 1

Mark Kieffer — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:10:59 -0000

Everyone and their grandma has been ranking the bowls......Except for me. So I figured that I should jump in on all the fun, and talk about the 2nd season of College Football: "Bowl Season".

Now, I am in the camp of those who think there are just way too many bowl games. I'm not going to lie. It takes quite a bit to get me hyped up for a bowl game. To be honest, almost every year I set out to try and watch every bowl game, and every year I end up watching a handful of bowls, but mostly college basketball.

This year, I'm not making any promises like that, especially when it's quite possible I'll be going down to Tempe for the bowl game. At the same time, I will make the effort of watching a handful of games, and I figured I would share my process of elimination with you, by doing a countdown of bowl games that I am looking forward to most.

In Part 1 of this three part series, I'm going to countdown the 14 bowls that I find the least exciting. I'd characterize this group by saying that I could watch some of these games, but I'm certainly not rearranging my life to watch them. I can safely say that if I somehow did not watch a single game from this group, I wouldn't be too disappointed.

#34: New Orleans Bowl (Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee State), 12/20/2009, 7:30pm CST, ESPN

I have absolutley no reason to get excited about this game at all. I thought Southern Miss would be a better team than they were, but they ended up being just another 7-5 midmajor. If you're hardcore, on paper these teams look pretty even in regards to scoring. It could be a close game. Accuscore has Southern Miss as a 54% favorite. Whatifsports.com has Southern Miss, just edging the victory as well. Fortunatley for me, the Vikings play the Panthers on that Sunday night, so I will be watching that as well.

#33: New Mexico Bowl (Fresno State vs. Wyoming), 12/19/2009, 3:30pm CST, ESPN

There have been years in the past, when I've flicked on the game, because it's the 1st one in the season, and it's been a bit of a novelty. Usually, I can't watch past the 1st quarter. This year, I will probably try and attempt the same thing, but will end up doing something else. Not a knock on Fresno State which is a decent team, but moreso on Wyoming. On paper, this has the makings of a blowout. With Fresno State, you have one of the best offenses in the nation, averaging 436 yards/game and about 34 points scored. With Wyoming, you have one of the worst offenses, averaging 298 yards/game, and about 17 points scored.

#32: Little Caesar's Bowl (Marshall vs. Ohio), 12/26/2009, Noon CST, ESPN

What ranks this game here as opposed to last, is probably the fact that Marshall has a new head coach from the regular season now. Since there is a "craziness" possibility to this game, I may watch the first few series.

#31: Hawaii Bowl (Nevada vs. SMU), 12/24/2009, 7pm CST, ESPN

The biggest thing this game has going for it, is that there is no College Basketball at all that night, no other College Football that night, and no NBA either. There is a Chargers vs. Titans game on the NFL Network, but that's it as far as sports go. People wanting their sports fix might be tuning into this one. Or maybe they will do something with their families on Christmas Eve (for those that celebrate it).

#30: GMAC Bowl (Central Michigan vs. Troy), 1/6/2010, 6pm CST, ESPN

This actually is a decent matchup among mid-majors. It really is. The biggest problem with this bowl is that it's sandwiched right between the Orange Bowl and the BCS Championship Game. I might watch some of it, as I wait for the Iowa State vs. Duke game, but that's about it.

#29: St. Petersburg Bowl (UCF vs. Rutgers), 12/19/2009, 7pm CST, ESPN

I know Rutgers is 8-4, but they went 3-4 in the Big East. Also, this is practically a homegame for UCF. Just not a lot about this game to sell me on.

#28: EagleBank Bowl (UCLA vs. Temple), 12/29/2009, 3:30pm CST, ESPN

Can't say much about this one, other than I'm probably not going to watch it.

#27: International Bowl (South Florida vs. Northern Illinois), 1/2/2010, 11am CST, ESPN2

I don't think I've ever watched the International Bowl and this matchup isn't really changing the chances of that happening for me.

#26: Armed Forces Bowl (Houston vs. Air Force), 12/31/2009, 11am CST, ESPN

The thick of the CUSA schedule exposed Houston as a paper tiger, it could be a close game. It is an interesting matchup in Houston has the best pass offense in the nation, while Air Force has the best pass defense in the nation. There's not enough there for me to take an interest, especially if I'm in Tempe getting ready for the Insight Bowl.

#25: Alamo Bowl (Michigan State vs. Texas Tech), 1/2/2010, 8pm CST, ESPN

Michigan State is a disappointment this year. I think many thought they had an outside shot to compete for the Big 10, and instead they finish 6-6. To add insult to injury, they also suspended 8 guys and kicked 2 off the team for some off the field drama. There's no reason why Texas Tech shouldn't roll this team by 21.

#24: Meineke Car Care Bowl (Pitt vs. UNC), 12/26/2009, 3:30pm CST, ESPN

On paper, Pitt should roll UNC. I just wonder how they will play coming off that disappointing loss to Cincy. It seems like when a team gets snubbed or loses a tough championship game like that, they don't come in ready to play.

UNC is just manic with their play. Some weeks they look great and beat Virginia Tech, while others they are losing to NC-State. Overall, I see the makings of a potentially sloppy game

#23: Humanitarian Bowl (Bowling Green vs. Idaho), 12/30/2009, 3:30pm CST, ESPN

Watch the weather forecast for this one. If it's a clear, calm day, it's going to be a shootout with my man Freddie Barnes tearing it up, and I'm going to want to watch it! If it's blizzard conditions, or just a day condusive to running the ball a lot, this bowl belongs in the #34-30 range.

#22: Music City Bowl (Kentucky vs. Clemson), 12/27/2009, 7:30pm CST, ESPN

C.J. Spiller is the reason to watch this game. If you haven't seen him play before this would be a good spot to see him as I have a feeling he'll have a big game in this one. Kentucky has a bad rush defense. That said, I see this as a Clemson romp, so I'm not exactly expecting a good game from this one.

#21: Papajohns.com Bowl (South Carolina vs. UConn), 1/2/2010, 1pm CST, ESPN

South Carolina really perplexes me. Spurrier is supposed to be this offensive genius, but South Carolina seems to have had sucky offenses since he took over. I'm rooting for UConn in this one. With everything they've gone through this season, how nice would it be to see the Huskies get a bowl victory?

In Part 2 of this series, I will count down the next tier of bowl games in terms of what I'm looking forward to. Look for that on Tuesday. In the meantime, feel free to join in on the conversation.

3rd Annual Rock M Nation Bowl Pick 'Em Contest

The Beef — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:00:18 -0000

UPDATE: BUMPED BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE.

That's right loyal readers...the Bowl Pick 'Em Contest is back for its third season.

It is simple to participate. Simply reply to this thread with your picks. You will need to pick both against the spread, as well as the over/under, so you will have two picks per game. The spreads are LOCKED, so a movement in the line will not be taken into account. The spreads are courtesy of bookmaker.com because...well...that's the one I could find (and unless otherwise noted) They also represent where the lines were when they opened, which was a week ago (had to wait for Army/Navy to be played to determine Eagle Bowl and Texas Bowl line)

Our winner from last year is FSUncensored, who went 39-27 to win by three games over The Cool Alonzo and myself. All time, MU 1839 (our first winner) holds the best two-year record at 18 games over .500 (74-56). Of the "couples" category, The Beef and Tailgate Queen came out 3 game ahead of Bill C and Bill C's wife last year, tying their annual battle at 1-1. Overall, the contest generated a won-loss record of 1066-1244 for a not so good percentage of .461. Over the two years, we currently sit at 1711-1879 for a winning percentage of .477. Yes...I've kept track.

Picks are due by noon on Saturday, December 19th (since the first games are later that evening). Picks are lined up after the jump.

As for prizes...1st prize will get you the Rock M Nation T-shirt of your choice, unless RPT (who somehow is the keeper of the purse strings around here) decides we want to pony up some additional swag.

Anyway, we had a good time with this last year with 35 participants (up from 20 the first year) and somehow I am thinking we are going to have a FEW more than that :-) Come one, come all (and that certainly includes non-Rock M regulars...anyone from SB Nation is welcome to participate)...make me work hard at this. If you were here last season and have changed names, just let me know and I will do my best to give you your two or three-season score when all is said and done as well.

New Mexico

Fresno State -10 1/2 vs. Wyoming

Over/Under - 55 1/2

St. Petersburg

Rutgers -2 vs. UCF

Over/Under - 44 1/2

New Orleans

Sothern Miss -3 1/2 vs. Mid Tenn St.

Over/Under - 59

Las Vegas

Oregon State - 1 1/2 vs. BYU

Over/Under - 60 1/2

Poinsetta

Cal -3 vs. Utah

Over/Under - 53 1/2

Hawaii

Nevada -14 vs. SMU

Over/Under - 73 1/2

Little Caesers

Ohio -2 vs. Marshall

Over/Under - 50

Meineke

Pitt -3 vs. UNC

Over/Under - 44 1/2

Emerald

USC -9 vs. BC

Over/Under - 45 1/2

Music City

Clemson -7 vs. Kentucky

Over/Under - 52 1/2

Independence

Georgia -7 vs. Texas A&M

Over/Under - 64

Eagle Bank (LSVC odds)

UCLA -4 vs. Temple

Over/Under - 46 1/2

Champs Sports

Miami (FL) -3 vs. Wisconsin

Over/Under - 56

Humanitarian

Bowling Green PK vs. Idaho

Over/Under - 68 1/2

Holiday

Arizona -1 vs. Nebraska

Over/Under - 41

Armed Forces

Houston -5 vs. Air Force

Over/Under - 61

Sun

Oklahoma -9 1/2 vs. Stanford

Over/Under - 56 1/2

Texas (LVSC odds)

Mizzou -6 vs. Navy

Over/Under - 54

Insight

Minnesota -3 vs. Iowa State

Over/Under - 48

Chick-Fil-A

Va Tech -4 1/2 vs. Tenn

Over/Under - 50 1/2

Outback

Auburn -8 vs. Northwestern

Over/Under - 54 1/2

Gator

West Virginia -2 1/2 vs. Florida St.

Over/Under - 60 1/2

Capital One

Penn State -3 vs. LSU

Over/Under - 44

Rose

Oregon -3 1/2 vs. Ohio State

Over/Under - 51 1/2

Sugar

Florida -10 vs. Cincy

Over/Under - 55 1/2

International

South Fla. -6 1/2 vs. No. Illinois

Over/Under - 50

PapaJohns

South Carolina -4 1/2 vs. UCONN

Over/Under - 53

Cotton

Ole Miss -3 vs. Okie State

Over/Under -  50 1/2

Liberty

Arkansas -7 1/2 vs. East Carolina

Over/Under - 63 1/2

Alamo

Texas Tech -7 vs. Michigan St.

Over/Under - 60 1/2

Fiesta

TCU -7 vs. Boise St

Over/Under - 54

Orange

Ga Tech -4 vs. Iowa

Over/Under - 51

GMAC

Central Mich -4 vs. Troy

Over/Under - 64

BCS Champ

Alabama -5 1/2 vs. Texas

Over/Under - 45

Armed Forces Bowl - A Look at the Numbers

bhsmarine — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:46:45 -0000

Next Game

Houston Cougars
@ Air Force Falcons

Thursday, Dec 31, 2009, 9:00 AM PST
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX

Complete Coverage >

Air Force and Houston are facing off in the Armed Forces Bowl on New Years Eve. Lets take a quick look at how the teams stack up against each other. The bold numbers denote that team is ranked higher in that certain category. Stats after the jump...

Catagory	Air Force	Houston
Scoring Offense (PPG)	#53 - 28.3	#2 - 43.9
Rushing Offense (Yards)	#4 - 273.6	#81 -134
Passing Offense (Yards)	#118 - 82.3	#1 - 447
Total Offense (Yards)	#77 - 355.9	#1 - 581.1
Turnover Margin (TO per G)	#3 - 1.42	#19 - .62
Penalties (Yards per G)	#26 - 44.6	#7 - 40.5
3rd Down Conversions	#29 - 43.5%	#3 - 51.9%
Red Zone Conversions	#63 - 81.6%	#20 - 86.4%
Time of Possession	#19 - 31:44	#112 - 27:22
Total Defense (Yards)	#10 - 284.8	#108 - 442.7
Opponent 3rd Down Conv.	#7 - 30.3%	#89 - 41.9%
Sacks (Per Game)	#58 - 1.92	#76 -1.69

It looks to be a battle of run vs. pass and who can impose their tempo on the other team. In these 12 categories the teams match off an even 6-6 with Houston taking most the offensive categories and Air Force the defensive ones. In a quick bit of analysis I would say whoever imposes their tempo in this game wins. There will be a full write up as the game gets closer.

Can We Con-vince Lombardi To Coach For SU?

Sean Keeley — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:54:12 -0000

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

View full size photo »

America's newspapers looking for copy editors...I'll be waiting for your call.

So the search for a new defensive line coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator are ongoing for the Orange and we don't expect to hear anything anytime soon. Rather, we shouldn't expect to know when we'll hear anything at all, given the way Doug Marrone handles business.

One rumor that seems to be making its way around the Intertubes is that Marrone would be looking at New Orleans Saints QB coach Joe Lombardi for one or both of the offensive positions. We could do much worse.

Over the last two years Lombardi has worked closely with Pete Carmichael, who has been promoted to offensive coordinator after serving as quarterbacks coach/passing game. While Lombardi helped tutor the passers throughout the last two years, he also stepped in for a brief stint as the running backs coach near the end of 2008.

Lombardi arrived in New Orleans with extensive coaching experience on both sides of the ball, most recently serving as defensive assistant for the Atlanta Falcons in 2006. While in that role, he worked with a defensive line that combined for 25.5 sacks.

We know how much Marrone likes to work with people he's worked with before and Lombardi fits the bill. He worked under Marrone when Doug was the OC there. He also stepped in to take over some of Doug's duties when he moved on to SU.

That also brings us to the other part that makes sense. Lombardi's worked under Marrone, he knows what Marrone wants to do and he's been willing to help make it happen. That's exactly what Doug seems to be looking for in an assistant, someone who buys in.

Lombardi is an Air Force guy but he has college coaching experience all overm, including Dayton, VMI and Bucknell to go with his experience in the NFL. AND he has XFL experience! I don't know why that excites me but it does!

Some other folks out there are interested in Lombardi's services so if the Orange want him they best get on it.

And yes, he is the grandson of that Vince Lombardi. You were wondering...

Making the Rounds 12/8/2009

bhsmarine — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:21:34 -0000

Air Force - Thisbowl game is nothing new for Air Force.

BYU - Cougars are excited to get after the Beavers of Oregon State.

CSU - Steve Fairchild is still confident in his program.

New Mexico - The Rio Grande Rivalry just ain't what it use to be.

San Diego - The Aztecs played at tough UCSB.

TCU -TCU looks to take down #23 Texas Tech at home.

UNLV - The Running Rebels are #18.

Utah - The Utes have quite a week of basketball in front of them.

Wyoming - Cowboys are excited for the New Mexico Bowl.

Week Fourteen BlogPoll Ballot Draft

T Kyle King — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:52:12 -0000

The time has come to cast my final regular-season BlogPoll ballot---or, at least, I think it has; I’m assuming we’re not submitting new top 25s after next weekend’s Army-Navy game---and here is what I came up with after starting with a blank piece of paper:

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama
2	Cincinnati	2
3	Texas
4	Boise State	1
5	TCU	1
6	Florida	4
7	Oregon
8	Ohio State
9	Georgia Tech	1
10	Iowa	1
11	West Virginia	9
12	LSU	1
13	Arizona
14	Oregon State	2
15	Southern Cal
16	Virginia Tech	5
17	Stanford
18	Miami (Florida)	4
19	Pittsburgh	7
20	California	1
21	Oklahoma State	2
22	Brigham Young	1
23	Nebraska	1
24	Penn State	7
25	Wisconsin	1
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Houston (#18), Central Michigan (#25).

The Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) are No. 1. Duh! Of the dozen Division I-A opponents beaten by Nick Saban’s squad, nine finished with winning records, including the sixth-ranked Florida Gators, the twelfth-ranked LSU Tigers, and the 16th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. The Tide’s only close calls came in rivalry games against teams who will be playing on New Year’s Eve or later.

In spite of their close call against the Pittsburgh Panthers in a game played in the snow featuring two botched extra point attempts, the Cincinnati Bearcats (12-0) captured the No. 2 spot on my ballot by virtue of seven regular-season wins over teams that finished above .500, among them the 11th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers, the 14th-ranked Oregon St. Beavers, and 19th-ranked Pitt. Also, Cincy gets credit for having a logo reminiscent of Chick-fil-A's.

While I understand and respect C&F’s argument, I awarded the No. 3 ranking to the Texas Longhorns (13-0) because Mack Brown’s outfit went undefeated against a slate that included no Division I-AA schedule fodder and only four teams that posted losing ledgers. Wins over the No. 21 Oklahoma St. Cowboys and the No. 23 Nebraska Cornhuskers provided heft to the Big 12 standard-bearer’s resume.

I ranked the Boise St. Broncos (13-0) ahead of the TCU Horned Frogs (12-0) for a variety of reasons. Both took advantage of a Division I-AA victim and each faced five Division I-A teams with winning records, but Boise State has an additional win and Texas Christian has two close shaves (at Air Force and at Clemson) as opposed to the Broncos’ one (at Tulsa). Boise State’s second- and third-best wins (over Nevada and Fresno State) are comparable to the Frogs’ (over Utah and Clemson), but the Broncos’ marquee victory over the seven-ranked Oregon Ducks far outshines TCU’s best pelt, that of the 22nd-ranked BYU Cougars.

The Sunshine State Saurians (12-1) slipped to sixth after their less than competitive neutral site outing against ‘Bama, as befits the nation’s lone once-beaten team, and Oregon (10-2) led the parade of two-loss teams because the Ducks fell to two quality teams on the road and made up for those setbacks with wins over three teams ranked in my top 20 (Arizona, Oregon State, and Cal).

The Ohio St. Buckeyes (10-2) earned a No. 8 ranking on the strength of wins over the tenth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, the 24th-ranked Penn St. Nittany Lions, and the 25th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-2) rode their ~~fourth-place finish in the SEC East~~ ACC championship to the No. 9 ranking, although the Ramblin’ Wreck’s loss to the Georgia Bulldogs at home serves as a drag on a resume that includes five close calls in the Golden Tornado’s ten Division I-A wins. Only two of the Engineers’ victims finished with fewer than five losses, but one of those triumphs came over No. 16 VPI.

Iowa (10-2) carded quality victories over a trio of top 25 teams (Arizona, Penn State, and Wisconsin, all by double-digit margins) to overcome respectable losses to Ohio State and Northwestern, both of whom will be playing on New Year’s Day. (For whatever it might be worth, I would point out that the five BCS bowls pit No. 9 v. No. 10, No. 7 v. No. 8, No. 4 v. No. 5, No. 2 v. No. 6, and No. 1 v. No. 3 on my ballot. This ought to be a pretty good bowl season.)

West Virginia narrowly edged out Louisiana State in my estimation. Both teams boasted similar resumes: both finished 9-3; both won three games by a touchdown or less; both lost one game by a touchdown or less. However, as ashamed as I am to admit it, the Mountain Men’s win over Pitt counts for more this season than the Bayou Bengals’ win over Georgia. I know, it hurts me to admit that, too; visions of Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino will haunt my dreams tonight.

A glut of 8-4 clubs out of the Pac-10 proved difficult to untangle, but I declared the Arizona Wildcats first among equals by awarding Mike Stoops’s troops the No. 13 ranking. Three of Arizona’s four losses came on the road, two of them were nailbiters, and only one of them was the handiwork of a team with fewer than eight wins. The Wildcats carded victories over No. 14 Oregon State, the 15th-ranked USC Trojans, and the 17th-ranked Stanford Cardinal, with Central Michigan thrown in for good measure.

The Beavers landed right behind Arizona, partly because of wins over Cal and Stanford but mostly because of a quartet of quality losses. Oregon State’s four setbacks all came against opponents sporting eight or more wins, and, of the four, only the one against the No. 2 team in the country wasn’t a close call.

I will grant that it appears somewhat strange that I placed Stanford at No. 17, two spots behind Southern California (a club the Cardinal beat handily in Los Angeles) and three spots ahead of the California Golden Bears (a squad that defeated Jim Harbaugh’s outfit at the Farm), but Stanford had no legitimate third-best victory after the Cardinal’s wins over Oregon and USC to overcome the trio of triumphs notched by the Men of Troy over Ohio State, Oregon State, and Cal. Likewise, the Bears of Berkeley had trouble overcoming the fact that all four of their losses came by margins of 17 points or more. Oddly enough, Southern California, Stanford, and California each lost to a 5-7 team on the road, but the Trojans’ loss to the Washington Huskies and the Cardinal’s loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at least had the virtue of being close.

Sandwiched amid those West Coast outfits were No. 16 Virginia Tech (9-3), which beat top 25 teams Miami and Nebraska while sustaining three respectable defeats (including two to top ten squads); the 18th-ranked Miami Hurricanes (9-3), who are able to boast of a marquee win over Georgia Tech; and 19th-ranked Pittsburgh (9-3), which sneaked ahead of California by virtue of a more forgivable set of losses. The Panthers’ three setbacks all came by close margins, with two of those coming in down-to-the-wire clashes with top eleven opponents Cincinnati and West Virginia. Pitt’s loss to N.C. State was comparable to Cal’s loss to Washington---both came on the road against 5-7 squads---but the Wolfpack won by seven and the Huskies won by 32.

The inclusion of Oklahoma State (9-3) attested to the fact that next year’s BlogPoll should rank only 20 teams instead of 25---which the Associated Press poll did prior to 1989, by the way---but somebody had to be No. 21, so the Pokes were as qualified as anyone. Why was Les Miles’s old team ranked nine spots behind Les Miles’s current team when both have identical records and both count a win over the ‘Dawgs among their most impressive conquests? Simple: LSU lost to three teams with a combined 33-5 record by a combined 62-41 margin, while OSU lost to three teams with a combined 30-8 record by a combined 113-49 margin.

BYU (10-2) had absolutely no business being ranked after getting positively smoked by TCU and the hapless Florida St. Seminoles, but Brigham Young beat the Oklahoma Sooners and the Utah Utes, which counts for something. Nebraska (9-4) did little to impress me in the win column---the ‘Huskers beat only two teams with winning records---but, since all of the Big Red Machine’s losses were to teams that finished .500 or better and three of those were by razor-thin margins, I gave Bo Pelini’s team the benefit of the doubt.

The fact that Penn State (10-2) and Wisconsin (9-3) made the grade proves that I was scraping the bottom of the barrel; both the Nittany Lions and the Badgers lost convincingly to the Big Ten’s two top ten teams and neither beat more than two Division I-A teams that finished above .500, but the dearth of quality squads at the bottom of my ballot allowed a PSU team whose best win was against Temple and a Wiscy unit whose best win was against Fresno State to sneak undeservedly into the top 25.

Consideration was also given to the Boston College Eagles and the Mississippi Rebels. I’d like to tell you that I took a look at the Central Michigan Chippewas, East Carolina Pirates, Houston Cougars, Missouri Tigers, Navy Midshipmen, North Carolina Tar Heels, Northwestern Wildcats, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and Texas Tech Red Raiders, but, if I said so, I’d be lying.

I watched the Oregon-Oregon State game on Thursday, the Central Michigan-Ohio (Ohio) game on Friday, and a Saturday slate consisting primarily of the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh, Alabama-Florida, and Clemson-Georgia Tech games, with bits of the Nebraska-Texas and Hawaii-Wisconsin tilts sprinkled in for variety.

As always, I actively solicit your input with respect to what is, after all, a draft ballot. Feel free to register your disagreement or lobby for or against particular teams in the comments below.

Go ‘Dawgs!

First Impressions of Bowl Matchups... Really BCS TCU vs. Boise State

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:39:31 -0000

FIESTA BOWL

TCU vs. Boise State
When: Jan. 4/8 p.m.
TV: Fox
Where: Glendale, Ariz.

Now this is a slap in the face to both schools who deserve a better matchup then to face the same team for the third time in seven years in the post season. TCU fans should be happy to be here since this is their first ever BCS appearance. Bronco fans have a mixed feeling toward this game, but since they are an at-large team they are not as upset as TCU fans.

Still not sure why a Big 10 team was chosen ahead of either team, and when the Fiesta Bowl people say they wanted this matchup for TV ratings and ticket sales they are lying. All BCS games will sell out but if they invited Iowa then the numbers would be big.

This should be a great game, and lets hope the offense shows up this year, unlike in San Diego last year.

Early prediction: TCU wins any where from 6-14 points.

NEW MEXICO BOWL

Wyoming vs. Fresno State
When: Dec. 19/4:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Where: Albuquerque, N.M.

Wyoming's first bowl bid since the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl, and the Pokes made one of the more impressive turn arounds in the country. This game will feature a potent offense with Fresno going up against a solid Wyoming defense.

The key could be the Wyoming spread offense that can move the ball,and with the Bulldogs weak defense Wyoming could take advantage in this one.

Early prediction: Fresno by three points

LAS VEGAS BOWL

Oregon State vs. BYU
When: Dec. 22/8 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Where: Las Vegas

BYU's second home is in Vegas as this is their fifth trip to the game and they are awarded by playing a fellow top 20 foe. The Oregon State offense is really fast which could cause problems for the Cougar defense. However, on the flipside the BYU offense should be able to score some points against Oregon State.

Early prediction: BYU by 10 points

POINSETTIA BOWL

California vs. Utah
When: Dec. 23/8 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Where: San Diego

The big story line will be that Utah's old offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig has the same position at Cal as he had at Utah and for a brief few weeks at Kansas State this past summer. Cal is a hit and miss team, just look at this past weeks game for an example as Cal was humiliate by Washington 42-10.

Early prediction: Utah by four points

ARMED FORCES BOWL

Air Force vs.Houston
When: Dec. 31/noon
TV: ESPN
Where: Fort Worth, Texas

Surprised this matchup was formed since this is the third time these teams met when you go back to last years regular season and bowl game. This will be an entertaining game since Houston throws the ball for over 400 a game while Air Force rushes for 273 yards in the nation.

Early prediction: This is a tough one but Houston by 10.

Final Mountain West Football Bowl Projections

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:30:14 -0000

What a game last night in the Big XII title game. TCU was less then a foot away from playing in Pasadena, but since that is not the case here are my bowl projections and the official announcement will be announced later this evening on Fox and ESPN at 8pm est.

New Mexico Bowl

Wyoming Cowboys (6-6) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4)

Armed Forces Bowl

Air Force Falcons (7-5) vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7-5)

Las Vegas Bowl

BYU Cougars (10-2) vs. USC Trojans (8-4)

Poinsettia Bowl

Utah Utes (9-3) vs. Cal Golden Bears (8-4)

Sugar Bowl

TCU Horned Frogs (12-0) vs. Florida Gators (12-1)

There you have it, so lets see if these are correct. I have a hard time seeing USC fall that far, but their loss to Arizona puts them there because Stanford will go to the local Emerald Bowl and unless the Sun Bow takes USC they are headed to Vegas.

Below the jump are the last of the 'expert' picks

Brad Edwards' BCS Bowl Projections

Bowl	Matchup
BCS Title	Alabama versus Texas
Rose Bowl	Ohio St. versus Oregon
Fiesta Bowl	TCU versus Boise State
Orange Bowl	Ga. Tech versus Iowa
Sugar Bowl	Florida versus Cincinnati

I still do not see the Fiesta wanting that low of a bowl selection, plus the Fiesta gets to pick after the Sugar Bowl replacement and a Big 10 school is a near guarantee ratings boost. Plus, Boise State and TCU played last year in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Rivals BCS bowl projections

Bowl	Matchup
BCS Title	Alabama versus Texas
Rose Bowl	Ohio St. versus Oregon
Fiesta Bowl	TCU versus Iowa
Orange Bowl	Ga. Tech versus Cincinnati
Sugar Bowl	Florida versus Boise State

Scout's BCS Bowl projections

Bowl	Matchup
BCS Title	Alabama versus Texas
Rose Bowl	Ohio St. versus Oregon
Fiesta Bowl	Boise State versus Iowa
Orange Bowl	Ga. Tech versus TCU
Sugar Bowl	Florida versus Cincinnati

Now lets hear from the readers put your bowl projections in the comment section.

Mountain West and their Road to the BCS: Week 14

Michael Rueckert — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:00:31 -0000

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The Mountain West Conference regular season has officially come to a close, but there is still one final weekend of college football. This is a big weekend that will determine where most teams are going bowling when announced on Sunday.

TCU crushed New Mexico and finished the season undefeated, guaranteeing them their first ever spot in the BCS. They remain ranked 4th in the BCS standings, but still have a shot at the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena.

Here is a look at the games being played in the final week of the regular season in college football, and how they will affect the Mountain West's BCS outlook:

All times are eastern

No. 3 Texas vs No. 22 Nebraska (ABC, 8:00 PM)

The Big 12 Championship Game. If Texas wins they will play the winner of the SEC Championship Game in the BCS National Championship. If Nebraska wins they will play in the Fiesta Bowl, and Texas will likely be selected as an at-large team.

MWC rooting interest: Nebraska. This is TCU's last chance to get into the Championship Game. If Texas loses TCU should jump to the No. 2 spot over Texas and the loser of the SEC Championship Game. Mountain West fans should all become the biggest Huskers fans on Saturday night.

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Alabama (CBS, 4:00 PM)

A rematch of the 2008 SEC Championship Game. The winner will punch their ticket to Pasadena, and the loser will be going to the Sugar Bowl.

MWC rooting interest: Toss up. TCU has no chance of jumping the winner of this game. There is a good chance that TCU will play the loser of this game in the Sugar Bowl. That is what Jeremy Mauss has been predicting here for a while now. I believe that TCU can beat either of these teams, a MWC vs SEC matchup would be great for the conference.

No. 5 Cincinnati at No. 15 Pittsburgh (ABC, 12:00 PM)

The winner will claim the Big East for 2009 and their automatic spot in the BCS.

MWC rooting interest: Pittsburgh. Cincinnati is not far behind TCU in the rankings. With a win over Pitt there is a very good chance that they can jump the Horned Frogs. It would be awful is Texas loses, but Cincinnati jumps TCU to get into the BCS Championship Game.

No. 10 Georgia Tech vs Clemson (8:00 PM, ESPN)

The ACC Championship Game. The winner will represent the ACC with their automatic spot in the BCS. TCU defeated Clemson earlier this season.

MWC rooting interest: Clemson. TCU has only beated two teams that are currently ranked in the Top 25. It would strengthen their claim to the National Championship Game by having Clemson get back into the Top 25. If Clemson wins, they will likely boot No. 25 Utah out of the Top 25 which actually may be worse for the Mountain West with the AQ Evaluations.

New Mexico State at No. 6 Boise State (3:00 PM, ESPN 360)

A win means another undefeated regular season for the Boise State Broncos, who are looking to get into the BCS as an at-large team.

MWC rooting interest: Boise State. Multiple non-AQ teams in the BCS would be a great thing for all non-automatic qualifier conferences. It can open the door of the non-BCS movement even more. Also, if rumors are true, and the Mountain West chooses to expand; the higher Boise State's final ranking, the better off the MWC would be in the AQ Evaluations.

Decade saw shift in athletics

JazzyUte — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:03:58 -0000

It's hard to believe ten years ago so many people were making a fuss of the whole Y2K nonsense. It's harder to believe we're already about to enter an entirely new decade. Yet when the clock rolls over to January 1st, 2010 - that's exactly what we'll do (and I know technically the next decade doesn't start until 2011, but really, who cares?).

The last decade has been pretty kind to Utah athletics. But for different reasons than the 90s - which saw unprecedented success on the hardwood. In the 00s, it was on the gridiron where Utah made its national impact, a reversal of the 90s.

So, what was it like on December 4th, 1999 for Utah athletics? Well life was going about its normal existence, even though many around the world were predicting Armageddon. Utah football had just finished their tenth regular season under head coach Ron McBride with a 20-17 win over BYU. They were also preparing for their bowl game against Fresno State (a week later, the Utes would beat the Bulldogs in a sloppy 17-16 contest).

The basketball team, a year and a half removed from playing for the national championship, was 4-3 and on the verge of winning eighteen of their next twenty. That team made the NCAA Tournament, beat St. Louis in the first round and then lost to the eventual champion Michigan State Spartans.

All in all, it wasn't a bad ending to a decade that saw the rise of Utah football and the dominance of Utah basketball. It was a decade where the football team finished with its best season to that point (1994, 10-2) and the basketball team played for the national title.

As we rolled into the 21st Century, the future did indeed look bright for both major sports. But as we now know, one would explode and the other would fizzle.

Which is a surprise, because the Utes football team floundered in 2000. They finished tied for the worst record since McBride's first season in 1990. The basketball team faired a bit better, making the NIT that season.

However, as the decade progressed, hoops would slowly deteriorate, even after their resurgence in 2005. Football, on the other hand, bottomed out in 2002 and then bolted onto the national stage under Urban Meyer. It marked the fastest rise of any Utah sport in the modern history and took a program that had been historically good, but far from great, and made them great.

Only three years into the new decade and the Utes had won ten games - something it took a century to do the first time. They had claimed an outright championship and finished ranked for only the third time in school history. The future was certainly looking up for Utah football and basketball, at this point, continued humming along - even if just barely.

By 2004, things were actually probably at its peak for the program. The Runnin' Utes had shown signs of softening their grip on the Mountain West, but were far from tanking and the football team was performing at its best. That was the season Utah did the unthinkable and went undefeated, busting the BCS and finishing ranked 4th in the nation. This was before the BCS eased up its rules and though their opponent in the Fiesta Bowl was hardly fantastic, it provided the program a defining moment that so few programs are allowed the experience. When your first real national coming out party is in the Fiesta Bowl - you know you've done good.

It's hard to imagine that four years prior it seemed like the football program was barely staying afloat. Sure, McBride had a good run and was fresh off a shared Mountain West title. But Utah had a penchant for under performing and it eventually caught up with him and the program.

Meyer changed that mentality here at Utah. Prior to him, there was a good portion of the fanbase who were content with 7-4 and 9-3 seasons - just as long as they ended with wins over BYU. Just beat the Cougars, finish above .500 and all will be well. McBride did that. He rarely did more.

Then Meyer rolls into town and overhauls how we think. We're not just beating BYU anymore. We're beating Texas A&M and Oregon and Cal. But beyond that, we're beating Colorado State and Air Force too. Those programs were McBride's kryptonite and it seemed every year they would stand between the Utes and either a shared conference championship or an outright title (as was the case in 1999, when the Utes barely lost to the Rams).

Meyer didn't lose to either during his two-year stint here. Of course, both programs were faltering by that time. But you've got to wonder what mental block they provided Utah in their quest for an outright title in 2003. It is, in fact, the Rams who offered up Meyer one of his biggest wins here. That isn't a coincidence.

Utah has only lost to the Rams and Falcons once each since Meyer left (2005 and 2007 respectively).

Of course, football very well could have slipped back to the pre-2003 days when he took off for Florida. But it didn't. Kyle Whittingham had a rough start, but eventually got Utah back onto the national stage in 2008 - four years after their first appearance. Last year, Utah did what no one thought possible - they bested the '04 Utes.

They didn't do it in style points, but they surely did it in every other aspect of the game. They won thirteen to '04's twelve. They did it with a harder schedule and the creme de la creme came when they knocked off Alabama - a far superior foe than Pitt - in the Sugar Bowl to finish the season ranked second nationally.

It was, unquestionably, the greatest season in Utah football history. And the kicker? The guy who delivered it still coaches the Utes. That's huge. It's huge because generally when a coach leads his team to the best season they've ever experienced, he's gone. We saw it in 2004 and there are going to be teams that see it this year.

It's Whittingham that has led the Utes for the last half-decade and he will lead Utah into the next decade poised to establish the program as a legitimate national champion contender.

Who would have thought that possible ten years ago? I mean, back in 1999 we just wanted to win enough games to claim a share of the title. Going undefeated was only something we hoped might possibly happen if McBride somehow found enough magic in his shoe dirt.

Now we're not pleased with a 9-3 season and a top-25 ranking. That's good, but we're so much better than that.

The football program surely has come a long way this decade. The same can't be said for basketball.

Basketball was supposed to have an unlimited horizon. It did, after all, see sustained success at the national level and was still being led by the man who guided the team to the best season in school history. The sky was the limit, even though things had stalled by 2000 and the prospects weren't nearly as good.

That was just growing pains, we told ourselves. The Utes would work out the kinks, find the good recruits and eventually develop into a program capable of deep tournament runs. But after 1998, they never came close.

Yet this was still Utah basketball and even though Rick Majerus looked like he was on the backside of his career, the program was contending and winning conference championships and making the NCAA Tournament. However, there were issues with the program. Majerus sat out all but one game of the 2001 season and then, in 2004, abruptly resigned after the first twenty games.

That resignation was met with mixed reaction because quietly many Ute fans had wondered if he had taken the program as far as he possibly could. Change was welcomed and after the 2004 season finished with another disappointing early exit, change is exactly what Utah got.

The Utes replaced the loud and opinionated Majerus with Ray Giacoletti - a person who was extremely reclusive and quiet. Fans who were used to the celebrity that was their former coach had a tough time embracing the more reserved Giacoletti.

Then he won and everyone couldn't get enough of the Guy in the Red Jacket. He guided the Utes to the Sweet Sixteen in his first season and everything was right in the world again. Utah football had just finished its best season ever and the Runnin' Utes were producing their best season since the '98 campaign. To top it off, Utah became the first school ever to have the #1 pick in both the NBA and NFL drafts in the same year.

Giacoletti looked every bit the coach Majerus was and he lacked the baggage. It seemed like the perfect fit - until Andrew Bogut left for the NBA. Nothing has been the same since for Utah basketball. They haven't even come close to sniffing the success they did in 2005, even though Giacoletti was replaced by Jim Boylen.

The program hit its lowest point in modern history in 2006 and though things looked up in 2007 and 2008, it's hard to shake the recent history that has plagued Utah basketball. Even an NCAA Tournament last year hasn't had much of an impact. The Utes currently sit at 3-4 this season.

What might be more surprising than Utah's rise in football has been their decline in basketball. Mostly because, prior to 2003, this was very much a basketball school. This was home to legends and the tenth-winningest program in America. They were coming off a decade run only surpassed by a couple schools and had everything seemingly going for them.

Then they hit the 21st Century Wall and have not been the same since. It's arguable that this has been the worst decade in Utah's modern basketball history - beating even that of the 80s.

For football, however, it's been the best decade. That isn't up for debate. But what is in store for both programs as we enter the next ten years?

Honestly, I don't think anyone can answer. We can't answer because I believe if Block U had been around in 1999 and I posed the same question, I doubt anyone predicts horrific basketball struggles and national prominence in football.

If, ten years ago, I had told you one program would finish the era ranked fourth and second, while the other made the post-season, but rarely did anything spectacular - you probably would think I was talking about the basketball team in the former and the football team in the latter. Hell, so would I. Because, in the 90s, that's almost exactly what our football teams and basketball teams did. Outside of 1994 for Utah football, they plodded along and rarely did anything spectacular. The basketball team, though, was churning out one great season after another. That isn't the case now.

I don't know what to expect over the next ten years. But I hope football continues to top itself every few seasons and basketball eventually lives up to its past glories.