BYU and the BCS

Since its beginnings, the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) has sparked controversy in the College Football world. Being a BYU fan, I go through a love/hate relationship with the BCS.
It is however, not impossible for BYU or any other non-BCS Conference team to break into the BCS in any given year. Utah and more recently Boise State and Hawaii have proven this.
I was looking at the BCS website today, and I looked at BYU's chances of still making it to a BCS Bowl game this year. Though improbable, its still possible... Here you go:
One of the following contions must be must for BYU to get an automatic BCS Bowl game bid:
1. Hawaii must lose and BYU must be ranked in the top 12.
2. USC, ASU, and Oregon must lose and BYU must be ranked in the top 16 (and be ranked higher than each of those three teams).
3. West Virginia loses and somehow ends up being ranked lower than BYU,who must be ranked in the top 16.
Like I said, at this point in the season, it may not be extremely probable, but stranger things have happened, right? (Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32).

Geek of the Week

I think that when greatness comes along, we need to do our best to embrace it. ...But until it does come along, we'll talk about this guy instead. John Allwood, a 29 year old Australian, recently head butted his way into the record books by (get this) smashing 40 watermelons with his head in less than one minute! He did it at the Chinchilla Melon Festival in Queensland Australia. Other games at the festival included Watermelon Skiing, Melon Bungy, Melon Bullseye, Melon Feasting, and you guessed it, Splitting Watermelons. The "Splitting Watermelons" portion of the festival was the crowd pleaser though, and they even brought in Chris Sheedy from Guiness World Records to adjudicate Mr. Allwood's cranial feat. Hey, everybody's got their own talents, right?

We've Been Simpsonized!!

Hey Everyone--Suzana and I found a link to this great website where you can upload pictures of yourself to be "Simpsonized"--or made to look like you've been drawn right into the Simpsons. Hope you enjoy our cartoon selves. If you'd like to try it yourself, click here and then send me an email with your picture so I can see them too!

Fantastic Finales

Stunning. Colorado and Auburn pulled off two great upsets this weekend, taking down #3 Oklahoma and #4 Florida. And best of all, they were both won by last second field goals.
You've got to hand it to both of these teams, and in my opinion, you've especially got to hand it to Auburn. The Tigers went in to the Swamp after having been the only team to beat the BCS Champs last year. I'm sure the Gators had been waiting all year for another shot at Auburn, even licking there chops for this game. But this time it wasn't to be. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead, and hung on until the end. Kudos to the Tigers.
No, I haven't forgotten about Colorado. This is the second time this year that kicker Kevin Eberhart has won a game for the Buffs in the waning seconds of the game--the first time was against arch-rivals Colorado State in week one. Like that first game, the last second field goal was in front of their home crowd. The Colorado faithful never lost hope in this game, and it turned out to be a great finish.

Studs and Duds

Ok, as many of you know, I am an avid College Football fan. I really enjoy the games, the drama, etc, etc. I would like to periodically post my opinions about the 'Studs and Duds' throughout the year--the teams that are shining and the teams that are...well, duds. So, without further ado...

Michigan State

Michigan State: Studs
Due to the recent successes of other Big 10 teams like Penn State and Wisconsin, along with the suprising upsets in Ann Arbor, it seems that the Spartans have been all but forgotten about. But now here we are, four weeks into the season, and the Spartans are 4-0. True, Michigan State has yet to play a conference game, but you've got to hand it to them for coming this far. After blowouts against UAB and Bowling Green, the Spartans proved they have the heart that they need to compete by winning a tight one against Pitt and then on the road at Notre Dame.
Michigan State's offense has got the approach it needs to stay competitive in the Big 10, with a great combintation of running and passing the ball. Backed by an excellent, very fast defense, the Spartans will come to compete in the Big 10.
And that's just where we are now: the beginning. The Spartans have made the very most of their non-conference opportunities, and now are beginning their Big 10 games. This is their chance to turn some heads in a very good conference, and this weekend against Wisconsin, they will have their chance to showcase their great talent. Can they compete for the Big 10 crown this year?

Utah Utes

University of Utah: Duds

I don't think anyone in the universe has a clue about what is going on with the Utes this season. If there was ever a team more unpredictable than the University of Utah I would like to see them. So far, they are on the bottom of the Mountain West Conference, losing a heartbreaker to Air Force at home, and later being humiliated by UNLV at Sam Boyd Stadium. Above all the rest, and out of nowhere, the Utes pull of an incredible spanking of the then #11 ranked UCLA Bruins at home. ?? Is anybody else seeing any inconsistencies??

I'm not trying to take anything away from the Utes as a team. Why not? They have talent. They have plenty of talent. Even after losing their star QB and RB in the first game, the second-stringers proved they could play with the big boys when they whomped UCLA. So where is the problem? The problem is at the top. Kyle Whittingham. He's was one heck of a defensive coordinator, but for some reason he just can't consistently rally the troops enough to win games (almost reminiscent of an infamous offensive coordinator-turned-head-coach from BYU).

It's sad to say it, but the Utes' schedule isn't getting any easier: After Utah State the Utes will go to play at Louisville before coming back for the heart of their MWC games.

The way I see it, the Utes are at a crossroads. They've shown that the have the talent to be competitive, but the question is: Will someone lead them to their potential?

Boston College

Boston College: Studs

The glory days of the ACC might be re-emerging, but this time it's the Golden Eagles on top of the conference. You can't say enough about BC this year, from the Matt Ryan at quarterback to their two stars at tailback Andre Callender and L.V. Whitworth, to Brandon Robinson and Kevin Challenger catching the passes--these guys have it all. After convincing wins to open the season against Wake Forest and NC State, BC really showed their stuff taking down a very impressive then-#15 ranked-Georgia Tech squad with a convincing 24-10 victory. Don't think that they show any signs of stopping either--this team could be 7-0 by the time they'll play at Virginia Tech come the end of October! And that's what I am predicting: That BC goes 11-1 this season and finishes in the top 10.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame: Duds

Notre Dame has never started a season 0-4. Ever. Never ever. You kind of have to feel bad for the Domers and their surprisingly tough season. Their young quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, has still yet to complete a touchdown pass this season, and has only passed for 305 yards thus far. Ouch... Their defense isn't doing too well either, allowing an average of 33.25 points per game, the Irish defense has already given up 133 points this year after 4 games.

The Irish do have an opporunity for their first win this weekend at Purdue, but after UCLA they'll have BC and USC come to town... Watch out. Hey, there's always next year, right?

Oregon

Oregon: Studs

Who says that the Pac-10 can only produce two powerhouse teams per season? The Oregon Ducks have had a great year so far, and I'd have to say that I think it has everything to do with their explosive offense. Any time you're averaging almost 550 offensive yards a game, you're bound to do well, but let us not forget that Oregon hasn't been playing your regular cupcake teams. Their offense is running on all cylinders right now, and don't expect it to stop. Oregon has had some tough games, but watch out for them this weekend as they go to California to play the Golden Bears. This one will be closer than many think. And one more thing: In college football, it's all about making a statement and separating yourself from the rest. Oregon's complete waxing of Michigan in Ann Arbor was just the sort of statement they needed this year.

Welcome to my BLOG

Hello everyone!! I have been really wanting to make a BLOG and start doing some posts. I hope everybody that reads it enjoys it. Not really sure what to write about for my 'initial message', so I'll be back later in the form of another post. See you soon. ARG.