Pink Sneakers

What if I told you pink is becoming the new blue? Well, be aware, it will be come Saturday when the BYU Cougars face off against the Utah Utes for the first time this season. The Cougars will be wearing pink shoes for cancer awareness. This is fitting since their head coach, Dave Rose, is a cancer survivor himself.  If you remember he was diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cancer. It is amazing the support that has developed for cancer research and awareness since Jimmy V’s great acceptance speech at the Espys in 1993. May all the awareness and work eventually lead to a cure.

So, what about the game? In the 294^th meeting of the Cougars and Utes in basketball, this game seems easily predictable (Sorry Ute fans, it doesn’t look good.). Let’s take a look at the stats.

	BYU	Utah
Point Per Game	82.7	68.8
Points Allowed Per Game	63.1	66.6
Record at Home vs. Away	11- 0	1-5

Based on these statistics, the 20,000 plus fans at the Marriot Center will be seeing a typical BYU rout. With both teams coming off losses (both losses being disappointing), we will see which team stops their losing ways and which on keeps reeling.

Now there is some hope for the Utes. Utah still holds the overall record in the basketball version of the holy war (Holy War is the nickname for this rivalry. It has no reference to any actual war relating to religion.). The fact that it is a rivalry game lets all involved know that anything can happen. Look at Kentucky losing to South Carolina. 

Why BYU Deserves to be ranked at 10 (and also why they maybe don't!)

At the start of this season, I was not a believer. My ignorance led me to believe that New Mexico would easily dominate the MWC, but this year I have been thoroughly surprised (as many have, I am sure) at BYU's dominance this year. They have climbed their way up to the 10th spot in the ESPN/USA Today poll, but do they deserve it?

BYU IS the 10th Best Team in the Country

BYU has earned their top spot by not only winning, but dominating teams in their games. 16 of their 20 wins have come by 10 points or more (8 of their wins have been by 20 points or more!). Sure, some of these wins have come from teams who probably shouldn't even be playing basketball (EWU and ENM... let's face it, they are awful).

Another interesting fact: BYU was techinically the first team in the top 25 to reach 20 wins. That may just be a schedule advantage, as at this point they have played more games than some of the teams up there, but it is interesting nonetheless.

The main reason why I like BYU so much is a man named Jimmer Fredette. Without a doubt he is the MWC Player of the Year. He leads the team in points (20.2) and assists (5.0) and he had a HUGE games against Nevada (33 points, 6 assists), Arizona (49, 9), and SDSU (33, 5).

BYU also has many other great weapons in Jackson Emery, and Tyler Haws (and all three are guards!) which have help put them at the 10th spot, and if they beat New Mexico today, they should keep climbing.

BYU is NOT the 10th Best Team in the country

As with any MWC team in any sport, the argument comes up that "they haven't really beaten anybody", and this holds true for BYU. They haven't played a single team that is currently ranked this season. This lack of true opponents will make their record look good, but could (as it usually does) come back to bite them in the NCAA Tournament, where the MWC usually doesn't fair well. BYU, who won the MWC but failed to win the MWC Tournament, was also immediately eliminated in the first round along with Utah and Utah State. So it comes back to the same question that the BYU football team gets: Can they win when it actually matters?

BYU's weak schedule is very strong argument that they should not be ranked as high as they are. UNM is the only challenge that they should have this season, so what will happen when they get to the NCAA Tournament? If they stay this high they should draw a team they can beat, but what will happen in the second when they have to beat someone like Gonzaga, Michigan State, or Purdue? These programs have been tested. While BYU has not. Beating UNM today (who is ranked 23rd in the AP Poll) will be their only win against a "ranked" team (they are not in the ESPN/USA Today poll, and if they lose, they will promptly fall out of the ranking).

I Love you, but....

As much as I have loved watching BYU play and climb the rankings so quickly, I am still nervous about how this will play out for them later. Can they finally make a move in the NCAA Tourney behind Jimmer Fredette this year? Or will we just see how lack of a strong schedule leads to disappointment in the end? We will see in March.

NFL Playoff Saturday Preview: Jets - Bengals

....And we're under way.....

The NFL Playoffs are finally upon us, and while the stories and dreams of a 16-0 team have been destroyed with the benching of Peyton Manning, there is a lot of story going on here. Today is the first batch of playoff games (and I won't lie, I am not a NFL on Saturday fan), so let's run a quick breakdown of the games.

NY Jets vs. Cincinnati: The Rematch
Last week the Jets were able to easily handle the Bengals because it seemed like they couldn't do anything right. The Jets started out the season so red-hot that I think for a moment we all thought Sanchez was already on the brink of greatness. However, his rookie colors come out and the Jets couldn't keep the hot streak alive, and now have barely stumbled in to the playoffs. The Jets have the top rushing attack on the NFL and will need that to control the game. If they can keep a solid ground game going throughout the game that will mean less pressure on the rookie Sanchez, especially since the Bengals are bringing the 4th-ranked defense to the table.

The Bengal offense isn't the most spectacular offense out there, and lest we forget, Carson Palmer doesn't have the greatest playoff history (one complete pass to Chris Henry, and a blown out knee.... not exactly memorable for greatness), but you can bet he is hungry for a victory. The two-time pro bowler has never won a big time game like this, and as Tony Romo knows, you can be as good as you want during the regular season, but if you can't come through in the playoffs, it doesn't matter. He needs this win. To help him out, he is going to need a big performance from their less-than-stellar running game to keep the mean green Jets in check, and and even bigger performance from his own stingy defense to keep the Jets behind them.

My Prediction: The Bengals will win, but not because of Palmer. He will complete his passes, throw a touchdown or two, but it will be the Bengal defense that wins this game. They will force turnovers and put Sanchez in high pressure situations that he won't be able to handle. Bengals win 24-10

How 'bout them Jazz?

Can I say finally?!  Gosh, what has been up with this team?  It has been so frustrating as a Jazz fan watching this team lately.  Especially since I'm a season ticket holder and investing in the team!  I hope this isn't just a fluke, I hope that they can carry the momentum forward to Memphis Friday and then on for the rest of the season.  So, do we need Deron hurt permanently to pull together?

And, so far I like this new guy, Gaines.  He seems pretty cool and ready to prove himself.  He didn't play too bad for his first NBA game.  I love what his coach from Idaho said to him...We don't want to see you back here.  Sundiata Gaines...what a name!

First post, nice and short.  What do you think about them Jazz?  Am I the only one that's been frustrated?

Air Force and the Triple Option

Wow! As a football fan I really liked watching the triple option that Air Force ran against Houston. They punched them in the mouth. The best part of the game may have been when Air Force returned a kick off for a touch down right after Houston had done the same. That was the dagger. Any momentum Houston had was gone and they were done for the game. How appropriate that an armed force wins the Armed Forces Bowl!

My personal philosophy when it comes to running an offense is: Get the first down! Air Forced seemed to do this the whole game. They averaged 5.6 yards a rush and 11.6 yards a pass. Houston couldn't do anything on defense. Not far into the game they were already losing track of the football. I don't blame them. Every play seemed to have 4 to 5 options to go to.

Another thing I love in a good offense is the play action pass. There is nothing better. It is the perfect thing to have in the red zone. Who hasn't seen the play where the tight end sneaks out into the back of the end zone? This play works like a charm. If only the Utah Utes would run it a little more. With Air Force's option offense the play action pass is always there. Air Force's quarterback Jefferson had a 71% completion percentage. It seemed to me that every time they called a pass play there was at least one open receiver. So, my question is this, why aren't more teams running this type of offense or at least have a package of plays?

College Football Bowl Season

I have been watching the bowl games this year and making it a point to watch the Mountain West Conference teams in their respective bowl games. As I have done this I have become particularly sick of one common belief in the national media that the big teams don't care about the game if it isn't a BCS bowl.

Your telling me that they spend the 2+ weeks of preparation doing nothing? That the seniors on the team are so depressed about not being in a BCS game that they don't care to win in their final game? Your telling me that the coach doesn't care about facing the media and fans about losing to a team considered to be less of an opponent?

Why does this logic make any sense? How can a team come into any bowl game and expect to win? Didn't Boise State v Oklahoma or Utah v Alabama teach them anything? The Mountain West is going to come in ready to play. They will punch you in the mouth and if you aren't ready to take a play, GO HOME!

You have got to be kidding me!