I've never visited before. I'm seeing two Cards games and Game 1.

What are some must-see places outside of Busch Stadium/DrinkScotch Centre? How is parking and/or public transportation (I'm staying near the airport)? What are the recommended eating establishments/watering holes? Are there more economical alternatives to purchase Blues/Cards paraphernalia compared to the respective team stores?

I'm so geeked! I've never had the chance to see the Blues in person, and my first game will be a playoff game.

I'm excited for this game. I sat through every goddamn play of the TCU and ND games this year (and the '06 Boise game, now that I think about it), so a loss wouldn't faze me that much. I would prefer something that more closely resembles every Utah bowl game since 1994, though.

I get the feeling that this will be a close game. Utah's the underdog for a reason, and Boise simply doesn't participate in bowl blowouts in either direction. One huge factor that could work against Utah is the rain causing our defensive backs to lose a step in pass coverage. I think the "rain affects the passing game and requires more rushing" thought is antiquated and out-of-date. Good offenses execute no matter what the weather is, and a slick field favors the team that knows where it's going (usually the offense). If Brandon Burton and Conroy Black are constantly slipping when Pettis and Young are making their cuts, it will be a long night.

Good luck. Christmas will always be great, but this year would be extra-nice with a Ute victory :) I've enjoyed conversing with you guys all this month. You're a class group around here.

Sounds like this will be official tomorrow night.

I hope Utah can make a good game of it. Boise's offense is the best we've seen all year, and the Boise defense is the 2nd-best we've seen. Throw in our starter Jordan Wynn being out, and I'm not really getting my hopes up.

But Vegas is a decent bowl. Sam Boyd Stadium is kind of a dump, and it's in the middle of nowhere, but Vegas is easy to access; there's cheap and plentiful hotels; and there's plenty to do, obviously.

For Utah's sake, I hope this isn't a common occurrence to play you guys :)

Good luck, and I hope you're treated well by Ute fans between now and the game.

I was looking forward to making the four-hour trip up I-80 to see Utah play in Boise. I've never been to either Boise or Bronco Stadium. I've heard nice things about both.

I would really like to see a home-and-home with you guys in the future.

Good luck, and take it easy on our old pals in the MWC next year (except for New Mexico; Locksley is a douche).

I want to be informed regarding Utah's new conference. What are some good beat writers/blogs I should follow for PAC-10 teams? I've got Ted Miller and the SBN blogs so far.

If it hasn't already been stated enough, I love the hell out of you guys. Cal fans, along with 95% of the other PAC-10 fans, have been really cool. I'm really looking forward to proving we belong with elite, prestigious company

Sounds like we're in the same conference (again). I'm pretty stoked. I bought a yellow CU-esque hoodie from The North Pole gift shop when I was 14, and later found a matching Buffs hat to match. I can't say I wore the outfit more than 2 or 3 times, but the point is I like you guys. I've been a huge Broncos fan since birth, and I have family in Pueblo, so there are plenty of ancillary excuses to make the trip to Boulder every other year.

Also, props to your fans. They've been classy, and more importantly, hilarious on our message boards. I hope we have more a rivalry with those douchebag schools in Arizona while it's a nice relationship with you guys.


First time CU plays in Salt Lake, the (watered-down) beer is on me.

The mtn is available on DirecTV, and it's standard on many cable packages in the Intermountain region.

I'm assuming that if Boise accepts an invitation to the MWC, they would provide the mtn on the basic DirecTV package like they do in every other current MWC market.

Also, MWC games are played on Versus and CBS-CS. Versus isn't on the basic package, but it is available on the next-highest package (I don't recall the name off-hand). And I believe CBS-CS is on the same package as ESPNU.

The TV deal was frustrating before they got distribution on DirecTV, yes, and the on-air talent/production is laughable (Todd Christensen; broadcasts that look like vaseline was rubbed on the lens; weak programming), but the games are available, and I'm sure you'll enjoy playing more Saturday games and no Wednesday games. :)

Why are there no pictures from the Miss St game? It appears two are from the VaTech game, and one is from the Aubie game. Although I would understand, because I saved game pictures to use as my screen saver, and the Miss St game only had 6 or 7 photos.

It's a fantastic mag. I love reading the in-depth coverage on the key plays, especially when I read about them there, then see them show up in the "top moments" bracket.

RTR.

That was a great game between two great teams. I  thought Andy Dalton would be the difference in the game, but I expected it to be a positive difference. Your defensive line shut down TCU's running game, forcing the Frogs to be one-dimensional and forcing Dalton to beat you, and he didn't.

I also have a ton of respect for your offensive philosophy and execution. Five sacks all year is impressive, and it effectively neutralized the Frogs defensive line, which has been a huge strength all year. And Doug Martin is a ballplayer.

Chris Petersen is a fantastic coach, your fans travel really well, and I hope to see you guys in the MWC soon.

I was planning on going to the game with a few friends, but a combination of the weather and competition (both between Boise/USU and Utah/MWC/Boise) will keep me in Salt Lake.

The ticket's $20. My email is utahutes86@yahoo.com. We can discuss the exchange there.

BTW I hope you guys get a BCS at-large bid. Your team is scary good. I'm really looking forward to playing you guys again as well. That 2006 loss still smarts.

Last night's game was fun to watch on the ole TiVo. Masoli and James made running the ball look frighteningly easy. And that defensive front 7 didn't give the Trojans anything at all. All of this happening without Thurmond, who was a force against Utah, is even more commendable.

That was an impressive showing at CGD by the fans, and as always, Autzen was crazy.

Hope to see you guys in Pasadena humiliating a Big Ten team.

Puck Daddy posted a story about a female Flames fan who is pissed that there isn't a female cut of the vintage Calgary sweaters the team is wearing this season.

The post went on to express outrage over the pink sweaters offered for all 30 teams, while only a handful had similarly-fashioned home/away sweaters.

So my question is: do you find this to be an issue? Would you be more likely to buy a Blues sweater if it fit you better? Or are you already buying the "traditional cut" and couldn't give a rat's ass about form-fitting sweaters?

(BTW here's the story for those interested: Puck Daddy: Sexism and the third jersey)

Detroit Free Press: Franzen out four months

He'll be out a minimum of four months after tearing his ACL last night against Chicago. They've gone from dominating the Central, to barely leading it, and now they might struggle to make the playoffs.

Good thing they signed Brad May!

And they have 60-year-old Chris Chelios with their AHL affiliate. He's probably glad to be back in Chicago.

As always, fuck Detroit.

-Major props to Brandon Bair. Dude's a beast.

-LaMichael James is a player. That spin move with, what, 8 minutes left in the game was quite a move. And the cutback on the FG drive in the 4th quarter showed great vision.

-You guys have a legit defense. You gave up 10 points on a short field, and another 7 came on that fumble return. The TD pass on 3rd and 20 when Cain changed direction three times in the pocket was a tough break. Overall, it just looked like they were well-prepared. And it helps when your front four effectively controls the gaps on the front, freeing the linebackers to sit in zone and take away passing lanes. But every time we'd show four wide with a back and motion him out, your guys would calmly audible, drop 8 men, and make Cain scramble for a two-yard gain.

-Not a pretty day for passing. A lot of dropped passes and poorly-thrown balls by both QB's.

Congrats on the win. Autzen is a beautiful stadium, the crowd is really into it, and the fans are class acts. I enjoyed my interaction with fans from the time I parked the car before the game to when I got there after.

Good luck the rest of the way.

I'm not sure how to feel about this game. I had it penciled in as a loss virtually all offseason, then I saw the game at Boise, then I saw Utah at San Jose St.

Over the course of two weeks, this devolved from a potential match-up of two top-15 teams to two teams that don't resemble where they finished in 2008. Utah's offense can't score; the kicking game is horrible; and the defense is ordinary.

I'm looking forward to Autzen, though. I've heard nothing but good things, and the weather looks to be positively divine. I'm also excited to spend a day or two in Portland with family.

Off-topic, how long is that drive from Portland to Eugene on game day? I want to make sure we get a place to park and whatnot in plenty of time before the game.

I hope Utah brings their A game.

but as a Ute fan, I think he did a good-to-really good job as an offensive coach. When you look at the players that arrived here as freshmen in 2005, and how they evolved and got better by 2008, it's clear they were coached very well. I never thought Freddie Brown and Darrell Mack would amount to much, but they turned out to be instrumental to our BCS run last year. And except for Tommy Grady, he did a great job as QB coach with Ratliff and Johnson.

The problem (virtually) all Ute fans have with Ludwig is his play-calling. Too frequently he outsmarted himself. We'd drive 50 yards down the field using zone runs and the intermediate passing game, our bread-and-butter offense, then we'd try a fumblerooski or a reverse pass. These plays worked against bad defenses, but they put us in horrible situations against decent-to-good defenses.

Switching to the no-huddle in the 11th game of the season in 2008 was the best thing to happen to the Utes and Ludwig. We scored 63 points against SDSU, maybe the worst team in the conference; 48 against BYU (Brian Johnson was 30-of-36); and 31 against Alabama in the bowl game.

I wish Ludwig and the Bears nothing but luck this year. It would be nice to see a team other than the Trojans win the PAC-10.

News from around the MWC and our opponents:

-Juan Diego senior WR Keegan Andersen (rated 3 stars by Rivals) follows his dad to Utah State. [Logan Herald-Journal]
-Getting to know the San Jose St backfield. [Spartan Thunder]
-Oregon's questions heading into camp have yet to be answered.[Register-Guard]
-Mark Schlabach (along with everyone in the Western world) disagrees with Julie Hermann, Louisville's executive senior associate athletic director, regarding her comments at a Louisville luncheon Thursday:

"I am absolutely convinced, today more than ever, that we have the finest football coach in America..."

[Card Chronicle]
-JUCO defensive end B.J. Bell hopes to build on the Rebel legacy established by his brothers. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
-Seven true freshmen look to contribute for the Falcons in 2009. [Colorado Springs Gazette]
-Jason Speredon, the projected starter at left guard, is out of the year with a torn rotator cuff. Offensive line is the last place the Cougars need an injury. [Jeff Call - Deseret News]
-Graham Watson gives her 2009 "non-AQ" preseason team, highlighted by Zane Beadles and Stevenson Sylvester. [tWWL]

Remember to spend time with the family, get some yard work done, and live life, because it's only 19 days until your entire existence belong to this:

you had to think that regardless of who won the job going into the Utah St game September 3rd, the Utes would win in spite of the QB instead of the QB winning games.

My expectations have always hovered around 9-3/10-2 for this team. Certainly, I can't bring myself to fully say any one game on the schedule is a loss, but the combination of all we lost between last year and this year, plus "fate", means we won't go undefeated in consecutive seasons.

It will be interesting to see how the offensive philosophy changes with an 18-year-old that isn't an option QB. Do we still go no-huddle with Wynn? Will Schramm still move us towards becoming a "true" spread offense? Or do we move back to a "traditional" offense where we use the play clock and bring in certain personnel groupings to exploit weaknesses in a defense?

Looks like former SDSU head coach Chuck Long is doing busy work for his former employer while they settle a contract dispute. [FanHouse]

Ryan Lindley has full faith in his offensive line. [San Diego Union-Tribune]

Wyoming's top two receivers deal with being suspended to start the season. [Wyoming Tribune]

Colorado St wants to build a bigger role for standout linebacker Mychal Sisson. [Denver Post]

The Falcons are dealing with injuries a week into camp. Too bad they don't know anything about dealing with adversity. [Denver Post]

If BYU were a country, it would be Iran. [Every Day Should Be Saturday]

Oregon will look to their two standout juniors in 2009. [Paradise Post]

ESPN's Big East blogger attends Louisville's practice. Apparently we're not in Canada. [tWWL]

And finally, R.I.P. Reno 911!

2009 preseason coaches poll

1. Florida

2. Texas

3. Oklahoma 

4. USC

5. Alabama

6. Ohio State

7. Virginia Tech

8. Penn State

9. LSU

10. Mississippi

11. Oklahoma State

12. California

13. Georgia

14. Oregon

15. Georgia Tech

16. Boise State

17. TCU

18. Utah

19. Florida State

20. North Carolina

21. Iowa

22. Nebraska

23. Notre Dame

24. BYU

25. Oregon State

Others receiving votes (with 2008 records): Kansas (8-5) 138; Michigan State (9-4) 136; Texas Tech (11-2) 114; Cincinnati (11-3) 90; Pittsburgh (9-4) 64; West Virginia (9-4) 55; Rutgers (8-5) 51; Miami (Fla.) (7-6) 46; Missouri (10-4) 44; Illinois (5-7) 38; Clemson (7-6) 30; South Carolina (7-6) 18; UCLA (4-8) 14; Auburn (5-7) 12; Nevada (7-6) 11; South Florida (8-5) 11; Kentucky (7-6) 9; North Carolina State (6-7) 7; Arkansas (5-7) 6; Wisconsin (7-6) 6; Northwestern (9-4) 5; Southern Mississippi (7-6) 4; Wake Forest (8-5) 4; Arizona (8-5) 3; Boston College (9-5) 3; Central Michigan (8-5) 3; East Carolina (9-5) 3; Colorado (5-7) 2; Maryland (8-5) 2; Navy (8-5) 2; Tennessee (5-7) 2; Houston (8-5) 1; Michigan (3-9) 1; Minnesota (7-6) 1; Troy (8-5) 1.

was a little bittersweet, but also very encouraging.

It seemed like the Blues were just as capable of playing as well as Chicago did against Vancouver, so watching them score more goals on Luongo in 60 minutes than we did in 17 periods sucked ass.

Saying that, the Hawks were shit two years ago. They had nothing going for them, and they were stuck in a rut. A Wirtz death and #1 draft pick later, they're revitalized, and now they're in the conference finals.

While I was watching that, I couldn't help but feel that's St. Louis advancing to the conference finals in the next three years. That's Oshie pumping his fist after his 7th goal of the series in front of the raucous fans at the DrinkScotch Center. That's Mason raising his arms in jubilation as the clock strikes zero.

Our time is drawing near, and it's awesome to be a small part of it.