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Univeristy of Utah junior quarterback Corbin Louks is set to inherit the starter's role
The Deseret News has a good article up on likely 2009 starting quarterback Corbin Louks.
He's gained some weight, but kept his speed as he prepares for fall camp.
about 19 hours ago
JazzyUte
0 comments
0 recs
Hatch Calls for BCS Hearings
by MeanBobMean
on Jul 1, 2009 11:16 AM MDT
0 comments
Woot! Senator be smacking on the BCS. I love it. See it here on "The HIll" blog. Said on that site:
The Republican addresses the argument of why Congress is tackling on the BCS at a time when there are other important issues on the table. He says there are "serious questions" surrounding the legality of the system.
"The Sherman Anti Trust Act prohibits contracts, combinations or conspiracies designed to reduce competition," Hatch wrote. "I don't think a more accurate description of what the BCS does exists."
Hatch also goes on to criticize the way teams are awarded money for being a part of the BCS.
Hearings are set for July 7th. See Sports Illustrated story for more details.
0 comments | 1 recs
Go Vote Utah
But before you do, get an idea of what the outside world thinks of the Utah-BYU rivalry.
The Utes will win down in Provo, right? Well let's show 'em. (right now, they're getting their clocks cleaned).
3 days ago
JazzyUte
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The face of non-BCS football (2009 edition)
by JazzyUte
on Jun 29, 2009 9:32 PM MDT
in Football
10 comments
Last year I presented a similar case establishing the face of non-BCS football. I came to the conclusion that Boise State, two seasons removed from its Fiesta Bowl victory, had clearly -- and dominantly -- established itself as the face of the non-BCS teams.
Well today, College Football News asked the same question. Their consensus seems to be that Boise State is that face, though they even concede it's easy to make a case for Utah, BYU and TCU.
But since much has changed over the course of a year, I thought it would be interesting to reestablish these rankings.
This time last year the Utes had yet to even claim a share of a conference title since the Urban Meyer era and that obviously hindered their prospects in the rankings. BYU, though, appeared poised for a BCS berth and we all know how that ended.
With that change in mind, I also believe it's appropriate to alter the original list of non-BCS teams I listed.
Here are the teams I listed last year:
- Boise State
- Brigham Young
- Fresno State
- Hawaii
- Texas Christian
- Toledo
- Utah
- Boise State
- Brigham Young
- Texas Christian
- Utah
10 comments
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Best team in state history...
Do I have impeccable timing or what? Just a couple days after asking this, ESPN decided to make it official.
So now the official poll is up.
Go vote.
Right now, 2008 Utah is winning nationally and locally.
While you're there, also vote for Urban Meyer/ Ron McBride over LaVell Edwards. Why? Because.
7 days ago
JazzyUte
2 comments
0 recs
Greatest team in Utah (state) history
by JazzyUte
on Jun 23, 2009 1:04 AM MDT
in Football
15 comments
ESPN College Football Live is running a special on all 50 states, specifically college football in each state. Though they haven't done Utah yet (I'm sure that comes later this summer), it's interesting to look at the poll questions they'll be asking. Each state is pretty much given the same polls, dealing with anything from best coach, best player and best team.
Now I thought best team would yield an interesting result, because the state has provided a few really great teams throughout its rich college football history. Of course, it's all subjective and when this poll question is really asked by ESPN, I'm guessing Utah fans will vote for the Utah teams listed and BYU fans will vote for the BYU teams listed. As for the rest of country? Hard to say.
But instead of waiting until then, I thought we could get a little sneak preview and do the poll ourselves. Obviously the results will be slanted in Utah's favor, since this is a Utah blog, but I think this could lead to a good and healthy debate.
So what is the greatest team in Utah state history?
Well for starters, I think you have to establish what makes a great team.
That is more difficult to figure out, since Utah, under Ike Armstrong, had some truly solid football programs. Then you have the Aggies, who while not good right now, were a fairly solid program in the 60s. How do you rank them?
Well we'll choose teams that finished the season in the top-25.
In this regard, BYU will have a larger pool to choose from, since they were consistently ranked in the top-25 throughout the late 70s, all throughout the 80s and part of the early 90s. Of course, only a handful of those teams were considered great. Many were very good and finished with only a couple of losses, but you'd be hard pressed to call them great teams, let alone the best and greatest in state history.
So with that established, here are the teams I put up for nomination, listed by each program:
BYU:
As mentioned, the Cougars have produced some really good teams over the years. They've had 14 teams win 10-games or more, Four that finished with only one-loss and one team that went undefeated. Since I don't think you can consider a 2 or 3 loss team as great, we'll begin with those teams that went undefeated or finished with no more than one-loss.
They are:
1979: These were the first true great Cougars. They finished the season 11-1, won the WAC and pretty much rolled through their season and finished the season 13th.
Best win: Texas A&M (6-5)
Worst win: Weber State (non-1A)
Bowl result: Lost to Indiana in the Holiday Bowl
This is probably one of the most deceiving teams in BYU history. They finished with a great record, but hardly faced anyone of consequence. Texas A&M only went 6-5 that year and their toughest opponent -- Indiana -- was a game they lost. So while this makes the list, I find it extremely hard to take them seriously.
1980: A year later and BYU again dominated their way through the season. They did have a slipup at the start of the year, which cost them any chance at a title, but that didn't stop them from winning 12-straight.
Best win: SMU (8-4)
Worst win: UTEP (1-11)
Bowl result: Beat SMU in the Holiday Bowl
Better than 1979, but again, we're looking at a team who rolled through a rather easy schedule. 1980 provided LaVell Edwards his first bowl victory with the Cougars (one of only a few), which came in dramatic fashion over the Mustangs of SMU. That victory would go down as one of the greatest in bowl history, unfortunately, it doesn't help that the team couldn't beat anyone with more than 8-wins.
1983: This was the team that really positioned the Cougars for their title run a year later. They would finish 11-1 and 7th in the nation -- higher than their ranking in 1980 (highest in school history at the time). The season, like '80, started with a loss and ended with a win streak that the Cougars would carry into the 1985 season.
Best win: Air Force (10-2)
Worst win: UTEP (2-10)
Bowl result: Beat Missouri in the Holiday Bowl
Again the Cougars win the Holiday Bowl and finish with one-loss. This team actually had a better schedule, but it's hard to excuse that early season loss to a mediocre Baylor team. With that said, up to this point, the '83 Cougars were the best team program history.
1984: This team claimed the 1984 national championship. They went undefeated and did so in style. Not much to explain about this one.
Best win: Air Force (8-4)
Worst win: Utah State (1-10)
Bowl result: Beat Michigan in the Holiday Bowl
BYU wins the national championship after going 13-0. The Cougars have officially arrived as a 1980s power. Unfortunately, they weren't really tested as their schedule was fairly light. Still, undefeated is undefeated.
1996: My belief is this was the best team in BYU history. They finished the season with 14-wins (then an NCAA record) and ranked 5th in the nation. If it weren't for an early loss to Washington, it's extremely likely the Cougars win their 2nd national championship in school history. Which is interesting, since their 1984 title came at the expense of Washington.
Best win: Kansas State
Worst win: Hawaii
Bowl result: Beat Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl
These Cougars were good. Really good. Unfortunately, in their biggest test, they lost to Washington three weeks into the season. That probably cost them a shot at being the greatest team in school history (maybe state history).
So there are the nominees for the Cougars. If I had to pick, I'd say 1996 and 1983 were actually better than 1984. However, you can't beat undefeated and the '84 Cougars most certainly should get the nod for their title as the best team in BYU history.
But does that make them the best in state history?
Utah State:
Utah State really doesn't have much of a football history, so this list won't be nearly as extensive as BYU's.
In fact, only one team really fits the rules I set for the Cougars: 1961.
1961: These Aggies finished 9-1-1 and 10th in the nation. Not bad for a program that has only finished ranked in the top-25 twice in school history (they'd return to the polls again a decade later, for the last time). They would lose to Baylor and Wyoming.
Best win: Utah (6-4)
Worst win: Colorado State (0-10)
Bowl Result: Lost to Baylor in the Gotham Bowl
The Aggies only will have one team on this list, so there won't be a debate as to whether they were the best in school history.
How do they stack up against the best Utah and BYU teams? You decide.
Utah:
The Utes had early success under Armstrong and then decent amount of success until about the 1970s, when the football program essentially died. Under McBride, they didn't really reach greatness level, but came close once, so Utah's list won't stretch through three decades like BYU's. With that said, I am going to bend the rules just a bit and include one team that finished the season with two-losses. I do this because no BYU team that finished with two-losses sniffed where Utah finished the 1994 season when they went 10-2.
And that's where we'll begin.
1994: These Utes are the biggest What If team in Utah history. After starting the season 8-0, Utah slipped up two weeks straight and had to rebound to finish the season 10-2. In the final poll they were ranked 10th.
Best win: Oregon (9-4)
Worst win: Idaho State (non-1A)
Bowl result: Beat Arizona in the Freedom Bowl
This team isn't the greatest, though it had the potential to be the greatest team in school history.
2004: The true first great team in Ute football history. A moment where Utah took to the Big Stage and established itself as one of the elite non-BCS teams in the country. They became the first to bust the BCS, first Utah team to go undefeated and finished 4th in the nation.
Best win: Pittsburgh (8-4)
Worst win: UNLV (2-9)
Bowl result: Beat Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl
This team, like the Cougars in '79, '80, '83 and '84, were plagued by a rather mediocre schedule. While they did beat five bowl teams, there were zero wins over schools with 10-wins or more and only one victory over a team ranked, Pitt.
2008: The most recent and the most improbable. Utah won a school record 13-games, finished undefeated for the second time in four years and dominated its way to a top-2 ranking.
Best win: Alabama (12-2)
Worst win: SDSU (2-10)
Bowl result: Beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl
Unlike in 2004, this schedule was actually difficult. The Utes beat three teams with 10+ victories (TCU, BYU and Alabama), dominated the Sugar Bowl, beat Michigan on the road and then defeated Oregon State (9-4). If they aren't the greatest team in state history, they sure have the greatest schedule in state history.
These are the Utah nominees. In my mind, you've got to go with 2008. 2004 may have been a better team, but they didn't do what these Utes did. Which is similar to the 1984/1996 BYU debate.
So that would give us the 1984 Cougars, 1961 Aggies and 2008 Utes.
BYU might have won the national title that year, but I think we all know who the greatest team in Utah state history is.
And I'll leave it to the Deseret News to tell us why.
With that said, this is a poll and I'm going to have you vote on EVERY nominee.
Who do you believe is the greatest team in Utah state history?
15 comments
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Are the Utes overrated?
by JazzyUte
on Jun 21, 2009 11:13 PM MDT
in Football
16 comments
It's not a surprise the Utes are receiving a great deal of preseason praise, I mean, they did just finish the best season in school history. However, how much of that praise is realistic and can Utah live up to these lofty goals?
To show that I am not completely biased as a blogger, I'm going to play the devil's advocate here and find out whether Utah's preseason rankings are a tad bit optimistic.
Firstly, let's start with those rankings. According to Stassen (a great site, by the way), the preseason consensus puts the Utes at 23rd. That actually isn't entirely bad. In fact, it's probably where they will start the season. And if you believe Utah is likely to go 10-3, with losses to Oregon, TCU and BYU, it's probable they finish the season there, too. So in this regard, I actually believe the Utes aren't overrated. In fact, it seems rather believable and realistic to put them 23rd to start the season.
For comparison, BYU is 22nd and TCU 19th -- so an obvious logjam between the three.
Yet if you look at the conference predictions, not just the top-25 rankings, you see a different story.
Here the Utes are predicted to win the Mountain West, with TCU and BYU closely behind. Of the magazines listed, Utah is predicted to finish first by Athlon and The Sporting News, while second by Lindy and third by Phil Steele. As more magazines are added, I do expect these numbers to change, however, for the moment, Utah is sitting at the top of the conference.
And when the conference media poll comes out later this summer, it's probable the Utes find themselves at the top of that one, too.
So we have a top-25 team according to predictions and a probable favorite to repeat as conference champions.
How believable is this?
Well, as I mentioned, it's not very difficult to see Utah finishing the season 23rd, but as we know, preseason polls aren't necessarily a prediction of where a team will finish and more a starting point. So it's very likely these same predictions expect Utah to finish higher than that as the season ends.
To expand on this, we'll address Athlon's ratings. I said they have Utah 1st, but they also put Utah 21st in their preseason top-25. That isn't far off from their average, but how likely is it for Utah to finish 21st in the nation if they win the Mountain West next year? Not likely at all.
Which means we're running into a contradiction here.
A 10-3 Utes team is definitely going to finish anywhere from 25th to 20th, but it's difficult to see them finishing higher, especially if one of those losses comes to BYU, the second to last game of the season (if you include the bowl).
How is this a contradiction? Well if the Utes go 10-3, with two of those losses coming in conference play, they're not winning the Mountain West. Since 2004, every champion has gone undefeated (Utah, TCU, BYU, BYU and Utah). A two-loss champion seems extremely unlikely.
So how can Utah finish around 23rd and then be picked to win the Mountain West, when the consensus has TCU and BYU ranked ahead of them? Well they can't. Which means the Utes will not be the consensus favorite to win the Mountain West. And that really isn't a surprise.
The Utes do lose most of their offense, have had some coaching changes and three extremely tough road games (two of which are in conference play). That's almost a complete 180 from where they were this time last year and even then, they weren't picked to win the conference. A repeat performance is very questionable.
In that regard, I do not believe Utah is overrated and they're definitely not underrated. That puts them at about the right spot. Surprising, since most preseason magazines put them in the 30s last year.
Secondly, let's look at the possible BCS busters. Here Utah isn't a favorite, but they're still batted around as a possibility. I've aready discussed this earlier, but even I conceded in that piece it would require more than Utah might be able to put forth this season for them to bust the BCS again.
Yet their name is still mentioned, even though it would require what appears to be a set of improbable events.
Like finding an offense that can at least somewhat perform at the level as 2008.
And then winning on the road against Oregon.
And then following it up with a road win over TCU.
And finally, winning in Provo.
These are a string of events that just a year ago seemed impossible, but with the glow of last year's 13-0 campaign still bright, it does seem at least a bit realistic, for now, anyway. But that, too, seems to be a bit of an overreaction to last year's events.
Which, in the end, means that I do not believe Utah is being overrated by the media. Ha! Maybe I am too biased to play devil's advocate here, especially when you consider the 2005 season. That year, as much as we'd not want to think about it very much, does seem to be hauntingly familiar.
Utah was coming off an undefeated, BCS busting season.
They had just lost some coaches.
They were the favorites, again, to win the Mountain West.
They had road games against TCU and BYU.
What happened? They went 7-5. Not quite the position they were thought to be in at the start of the season.
Of course, this isn't 2005. Utah still returns its head coach, which can't be downplayed, a solid defense and seems to have far more depth than that season. Even then, the Utes weren't all that bad in 2005, losing every game in the fourth quarter. Had they just been able to line up for a field goal, punched it in on 4th and goal and not lost their composure in a game most thought was a sure-win, they would've finished 10-2. You could even throw in the New Mexico game as a should-have-won and it's an 11-1 finish.
Not bad.
So if 2005 could come close to finishing 11-1, it's not hard to believe these Utes could actually do it.
Hell, maybe they are being underrated.
16 comments
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Boylen linked to USC job
It's unlikely to happen, since the USC job is a mess right now. But I thought i'd post this news, anyway.
16 days ago
JazzyUte
0 comments
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Utes Football Schedule
| Utah State | Thu 09/03 | 7:00 PM MDT |
| @ San Jose St. | Sat 09/12 | 6:00 PM MDT |
@
Oregon
|
Sat 09/19 | 1:30 PM MDT |
|
Louisville
|
Sat 09/26 | 5:30 PM MDT |
| @ Colorado St. | Sat 10/10 | 4:00 PM MDT |
| @ UNLV | Sat 10/17 | 8:00 PM MDT |
| Air Force | Sat 10/24 | 2:00 PM MDT |
| Wyoming | Sat 10/31 | 6:00 PM MDT |
| New Mexico | Sat 11/07 | 4:00 PM MST |
| @ TCU | Sat 11/14 | 5:30 PM MST |
| San Diego St. | Sat 11/21 | 2:00 PM MST |
| @ BYU | Sat 11/28 | 3:00 PM MST |
Next Game
Thursday, Sep 3, 2009, 7:00 PM MDT
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Mountain West Conference Standings
(updated 1.2.2009 at 9:56 PM MST)
| Conf | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
Utah Utes
|
8 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| TCU Horned Frogs | 7 | 1 | 11 | 2 |
| BYU Cougars | 6 | 2 | 10 | 3 |
| Air Force Falcons | 5 | 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Colorado St. Rams | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
| UNLV Rebels | 2 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
| New Mexico Lobos | 2 | 6 | 4 | 8 |
| Wyoming Cowboys | 1 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| San Diego St. Aztecs | 1 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
Utes Basketball Schedule
Mountain West Conference Standings
(updated 3.31.2009 at 8:02 PM MDT)
| Conf | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
| BYU Cougars | 12 | 4 | 25 | 8 |
|
Utah Utes
|
12 | 4 | 24 | 10 |
| New Mexico Lobos | 12 | 4 | 22 | 12 |
| San Diego St. Aztecs | 11 | 5 | 26 | 10 |
| UNLV Runnin Rebels | 9 | 7 | 21 | 11 |
| Wyoming Cowboys | 7 | 9 | 19 | 14 |
| TCU Horned Frogs | 5 | 11 | 14 | 17 |
| Colorado St. Rams | 4 | 12 | 9 | 22 |
| Air Force Falcons | 0 | 16 | 10 | 21 |
Certain photos copyright © 2009 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.
