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Nothin' but love for Utah at Pac-10 meeting
by JazzyUte on Jul 30, 2010 3:08 AM MDT
in Football
15 comments
Of course, what else are they going to say?
Regardless, it's nice to hear how well-known the Utah program is out west. It wasn't always this way and I can't help but get a bit verklempt when thinking about it! Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic...The Civil War was neither civil nor a war. Discuss.
via img2.timeinc.net
Anyway, the Deseret News compiled a nice list of quotes about Utah from Pac-10 coaches:
MIKE STOOPS, Arizona: "I think it's awesome. They bring some modern tradition. When you look at what they've done ever since Urban (Meyer) was there and since he left, I think they've established themselves on a national level — what they've been able to accomplish out there. So I think it's a neat place. I've been out there, I know it's a tough place to play. But again, we're excited to have both Utah and Colorado in the conference."
DENNIS ERICKSON, Arizona State: "It's great for our league. They do such a great job football-wise. Salt Lake City is a great city. I've spent time there and great fans and the TV markets ... To me it's a great addition. I like the idea of having 12 teams in our league and splitting it up and having a playoff. Getting them and Colorado is really beneficial for us."
JEFF TEDFORD, California: "I think it's great. When you look at competitive teams, Utah is right up there. We know firsthand from the bowl game last year and they've been consistent over the years. Not only are they a great football and athletic school but a great academic institution. So it's a great fit for the Pac-10."
CHIP KELLY, Oregon: "Love them ... They've won a couple BCS games. I think what coach Whittingham has done with that program has been nothing short of amazing. Now we get them in the league. We had a great game with them last year at our place ... It expands the footprint of our conference and it gets us to 12 teams. We've got a chance to play in a conference championship game and I think it's an exciting time to be in the league."
MIKE RILEY, Oregon State: "To be perfectly blunt, we're adding another really good football program to our league. So the competition just amped up a little bit more. I've got a lot of respect for Kyle and the program over there. Of course, we've been over there a couple of years ago and had a great game and lost. So we know how good they are. But I think they're a very, very fine picture of what will be a Pac-12 team. I think they fit the bill in every way. It's a good university, it's a great city. They're a very good football program. So even though it'll make life harder for us, we'll welcome them in anyway."
JIM HARBAUGH, Stanford: "I think it's really good for the conference, now kind of extend from the Pacific Ocean all the way to the Rocky Mountains. Another aspect for Stanford, we love recruiting the Salt Lake and Provo area and this will give us some more exposure in that area."
RICK NEUHEISEL, UCLA: "Excited. The conference expansion was certainly on the horizon and I know they're a great program. Coach Whittingham has done an unbelievable job of building a champion there. They've proven they can go to the BCS level and play successfully and I know their fans are excited about it. So it'll be a great addition to our league."
LANE KIFFIN, USC: "We're real excited about it. That will be the 11th team and we'll get to 12 and we'll be able to have a championship game, hopefully. So it's an exciting time for the conference and it's great bringing them in. They've played so great over the last few years. It's an extremely competitive opponent coming in."
PAUL WULFF, Washington State: "I think ultimately it's going to strengthen our whole package. They are a great addition. They've already got a lot of made things that fit the conference. So I think it's a solid fit. I think they are going to add strength to it. It broadens, obviously, the Pac-10 scope of geographical area, and so I just think it makes the conference as a whole more powerful. So it's a definite positive."
Can't wait!
Iowa State and Utah could drop game next year; what does it mean for the Holy War in '11?
by JazzyUte on Jul 28, 2010 6:50 PM MDT
in Football
44 comments
Even though the two meet this season, talks are already beginning about the potential of dropping Iowa State's return trip to Salt Lake City next season.
This would make sense because both teams will face radically different conferences next season. The Cyclones with the revamped nine-team Big 12 and Utah with their move to the Pac-10.
Losing the Iowa State game, in my opinion, isn't a big deal. Sure, it would be disappointing that we're essentially doing a one and done on the road - but it's not like the Cyclones are some football force.
The bigger news, though, is that this would provide an opening on Utah's 2011 schedule. That opening could theoretically be filled by the Cougars.
Of course, there are still issues with this.
For starters, this was a home game and I doubt the Utes replace Iowa State with a road game. They've already got road contests against Pitt and Boise State (at the moment) scheduled and it's not likely they schedule three out of conference road games. Especially when they could realistically have four conference road games.
But that's the problem. BYU travels to Salt Lake City this year and already have road trips against Oregon State and Texas. It's unlikely they would A) be willing to play consecutive years in Salt Lake and B) have three road out of conference games themselves.
So that means we're really looking at a roadblock here. In fact, the more I think about it, the more it seems likely the game will have to take a one year hiatus just to fairly balance out the schedules without radically adjusting things.
An option that could happen is if the Utes use that newly opened home slot and negotiate a deal with Boise State so that the game is played in Salt Lake City instead of Boise. Obviously a return date would be set up. Though, like with BYU, the Broncos have two road games already scheduled for 2011 (Ole Miss and Toledo), which means getting this to work would require some maneuvering on their end. Who knows, maybe they could drop the Toledo game.
If all that happened, it would mean the Utes then could schedule BYU and play them down in Provo without adding an extra road game. So their 2011 schedule would look like this:
9/03/11 - Team to replace Oregon (as we'll be conference mates now). Maybe an FBS team depending on whether the P-10 goes to nine conference games or eight. If nine, this could be a bye or an early conference game.
9/10/11 - Boise State has Wyoming scheduled here. However, the Cowboys will be a conference rival in 2011. So it's very likely this date will open up. Utah has it open, as well. So the Utes would host the Broncos.
9/17/11 - Utah originally had Oregon scheduled here. But they're now in the same conference, so this date opens up. BYU, currently, has nothing scheduled. So Utah could realistically play @ BYU this week.
10/01/11 - The original date where Utah had Boise State scheduled. If the Pac-10 does have nine conference games, that would mean there would only be room for three out of conference games. This would either be a bye or a conference game, depending on how the schedule breaks down.
10/15/11 - This week shouldn't change. It's their game @ Pitt.
So the Utes' OOC schedule would have two road games and very likely only one home game (though potentially two depending on whether the conference has eight or nine conference games). If there is room for only three out of conference games, I wouldn't be surprised if the Utes decided to put the rivalry on hold for at least a year and schedule a gimmie at home.
Of course, this assumes Boise State and Toledo go along with the idea. That might not be likely. If not, I guess the Utes could always just buy Boise State out and replace the Broncos with BYU and rework the schedule so that both teams are open a certain week for their contest down in Provo.
Thoughts?
Rating the Mountain West Conference Coaches Part IV (final addition)
by JazzyUte on Jul 28, 2010 4:43 PM MDT
in Football
10 comments
This will be the final time I rate Mountain West coaches. It's something I've done annually for four offseasons now and I'm sure I'll take it on over to the Pac-10 when we move there next year.
You can view my past ratings here: 2009, 2008 and 2007.
It's interesting to see how much has changed since the first rankings in 2007. That was only two full seasons into the Kyle Whittingham era and I think there were some legitimate questions surrounding the coach, as his teams had gone 7-5 and 8-5.
I said this about Whittingham:
5. Kyle Whittingham (2 seasons, 15-10).
Biggest Wins: TCU in 2006, Georgia Tech in 2005
Kyle, like Bronco, has a lot to prove. Unlike Bronco, however, he still hasn't had an impressive season. Winning only 60% of your games won't cut it over the long haul and if the Utes continue toiling in mediocrity, Kyle won't be this high on the list for long...if he's on the list at all.
A lot has changed, right?
In 2008, I said this:
3. Kyle Whittingham (3 seasons, 24-14).
Ok, so he didn't leap into 2nd place, but he's pretty close. Whittingham proved once again you can never count his teams out, as they looked dead after an embarrassing loss to the Rebels last year, only to find new life by way of a 7-game winning streak. Unfortunately for Whittingham, he still hasn't figured out how to win the Mountain West and is now 1-2 against Bronco and the Cougars. If you're going to cut it at Utah, one of those is going to have to change.
Now Whittingham is starting to make his mark on the Ute football program.
Finally, 2009:
1. Kyle Whittingham (4 seasons, 37-14):
Whittingham was third in last year's rankings, but shot up the list with a 13-0 campaign. The Utes not only went undefeated, they broke into the BCS and won the 2009 Sugar Bowl over 4th ranked Alabama. That was a huge victory for the Utes -- program defining, in fact. That season provided Whittingham something no other coach can claim in the conference and until another does, it's hard to put any of them ahead of him.
So, he went from 5th to 1st in two seasons. Not bad for a guy I was often embarrassingly critical of throughout most of 2006 and the early part of 2007 (I'll never live that down).
From the 2007 list, all but Bronco Mendenhall, Gary Patterson and Kyle Whittingham remain.
Here is how I officially ranked them in 2009:
1. Kyle Whittingham
2. Gary Patterson
3. Bronco Mendenhall
4. Troy Calhoun
5. Steve Fairchild
6. Mike Sanford
Mike Locksley (New Mexico), Brady Hoke (San Diego State) and Dave Christensen (Wyoming) were all new coaches and thus left off the list. They'll make their first appearance in this year's list. Which you can find after the jump...
Utah picked 2nd, TCU 1st in Mountain West
by JazzyUte on Jul 27, 2010 1:03 PM MDT
in Football
10 comments
The defending conference champion TCU Horned Frogs were picked by an overwhelming margin to repeat as conference champions, while the media pegged the Utes as second and BYU third.
Air Force, who has finished fourth the last two years, was once again picked at that spot. Wyoming, the Mountain West's other bowl team from a year ago, came in fifth, while upstart San Diego State is projected to finish sixth. Colorado State, UNLV and New Mexico round out the bottom.
While the Frogs are a no-brainer at the top, they will have to travel to Salt Lake City later in the season. That game could decide who wins the Mountain West championship and certainly one the Utes will have circled after last year's embarrassing debacle in Fort Worth.
Beyond just preseason conference poll, TCU swept the preseason Player of the Year awards - with Andy Dalton being named Offensive Player of the Year, Tank Carder Defensive Player of the Year and Jeremy Kerley Special Teams Player of the Year.
Surely the Frogs have the goods to establish the most dominant team in Mountain West history. After the jump you can see the entire 2010 Preseason All-Mountain West Football Team. Four Utes (three on offense, one on defense) make the list. Second most behind TCU's six.
Biggest story lines heading into Mountain West media day?
by JazzyUte on Jul 27, 2010 2:54 AM MDT
in Football
0 comments
Today marks the last Mountain West Conference media day for the University of Utah.
It's still pretty surreal to believe that a year from now, we'll be discussing the Pac-10 media day as a full-fledged member of the conference. But for now, we focus on the Mountain West - Utah's current home.
The media will gather later today to discuss expectations for the 2010 season, release their preseason polls and most assuredly, discuss Utah's departure from the conference it helped form.
So, which topic will dominate the day - TCU's potential BCS busting campaign? Boise State's pending move to the conference or the Utes' jump to the Pac-10?
The question is really rhetorical. We know exactly what most of the discussion will revolve around and it's Utah's move next summer.
It'll be interesting to hear what other coaches think about the move and the impact it'll have on the conference. Of course, I'm guessing most answers will be diplomatic at every turn, so it's unlikely we'll see Steve Fairchild spit and curse the name Utah.
Now if Joe Glenn hadn't been fired, well then things might've been more interesting. But these are professionals and they'll give professional answers.
But I'm sure if you read between the lines, you'll really get what they actually mean. And those insights might be the most enjoyable factor of this day.
Rivals ranks Utah 26th in their preseason poll
About where I expect them to start the season in the real rankings (26th-30th).
Utah's farewell tour
by JazzyUte on Jul 26, 2010 3:08 AM MDT
in Football
9 comments
The Stones are doing it and in a few weeks, Utah begins its own farewell tour.
It'll mark an end of an era where, for most its history, the Utes were conference comrades with Air Force (1980), Colorado State (1938), BYU (1922), New Mexico (1951), San Diego State (1978), UNLV (1996) and Wyoming (1909).
The Cowboys have been with the Utes the longest. They both joined the Rocky Mountain Conference in 1909, departed for the Skyline Conference together and eventually formed the Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences.
By late November, for the first time in over 100 years, the Pokes and Utes will belong to different conferences.
It's been a rather remarkable run and there certainly has been some great rivalries built over the years. It's going to be hard watching many of these rivalries die. It's going to be hard knowing with one fell swoop, an entire history is no more.
Sure, we'll see these teams (especially BYU) on the schedule down the road. It's just not going to be a yearly thing. Or even a decade thing. It just may be, unfortunately, a generation thing.
So begins the 2010 farewell tour. The stops along the way should prove interesting.
Continuing the Utah-BYU rivalry
by JazzyUte on Jul 20, 2010 8:23 PM MDT
in Holy War
19 comments
One of the biggest unknowns about Utah's move to the Pac-10 will be the continuation of the Holy War - the most contentious rivalry in the non-BCS.
Even Cougar athletic director Tom Holmoe is unsure about its future. Especially when you consider the Utes don't really have to schedule BYU in the future. We're not in the same conference anymore, so it's not a mandatory game.
Of course, we all know the rivalry will be hard to kill. There is a lot invested in it and even Chris Hill said he was not about to let it die. But as Utah football begins a new chapter, will it include the Cougars? Should it include the Cougars?
That's the pressing question that might not be answered for a year or two. Depending on what happens prior to the 2011 season, this November's contest could be the last Holy War in a while. Maybe decades. Maybe ever.
Should Utah continue the Holy War, or allow it to die?
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Utes Football Schedule
| Pittsburgh | Thu 09/02 | 6:30 PM MDT |
| UNLV | Sat 09/11 | 2:00 PM MDT |
| @ New Mexico | Sat 09/18 | 6:00 PM MDT |
| San Jose St. | Sat 09/25 | 6:00 PM MDT |
@
Iowa St.
|
Sat 10/09 | TBA |
| @ Wyoming | Sat 10/16 | 4:00 PM MDT |
| Colorado St. | Sat 10/23 | 4:00 PM MDT |
| @ Air Force | Sat 10/30 | 5:30 PM MDT |
| TCU | Sat 11/06 | 1:30 PM MDT |
|
@
Notre Dame
|
Sat 11/13 | 12:30 PM MST |
| @ San Diego St. | Sat 11/20 | 8:00 PM MST |
|
BYU
|
Sat 11/27 | 1:30 PM MST |
Next Game
Mountain West Conference Standings
(updated 1.4.2010 at 11:13 PM MST)
| Conf | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
| TCU Horned Frogs | 8 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
|
BYU Cougars
|
7 | 1 | 11 | 2 |
|
Utah Utes
|
6 | 2 | 10 | 3 |
| Air Force Falcons | 5 | 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Wyoming Cowboys | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
| UNLV Rebels | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| San Diego St. Aztecs | 2 | 6 | 4 | 8 |
| New Mexico Lobos | 1 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
| Colorado St. Rams | 0 | 8 | 3 | 9 |
Utes Basketball Schedule
Mountain West Conference Standings
(updated 3.20.2010 at 8:59 PM MDT)
| Conf | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
| New Mexico Lobos | 14 | 2 | 30 | 5 |
|
BYU Cougars
|
13 | 3 | 30 | 5 |
| San Diego St. Aztecs | 11 | 5 | 25 | 9 |
| UNLV Runnin Rebels | 11 | 5 | 25 | 9 |
| Colorado St. Rams | 7 | 9 | 16 | 16 |
|
Utah Utes
|
7 | 9 | 14 | 17 |
| TCU Horned Frogs | 5 | 11 | 13 | 19 |
| Wyoming Cowboys | 3 | 13 | 10 | 21 |
| Air Force Falcons | 1 | 15 | 10 | 21 |
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
