DISQUS

Lennie Collins · 1 year ago

It took a while but Brigham Young is back on top again. Well at least picked to be on top!

1Tomcat · 1 year ago

Ben Teams with four consecutive bowl wins 04 thru 07
Utah, Texas and Boston College

Zac · 1 year ago

Personally, I'm glad to see it. I only wish I could be completely optimistic about their chances. BYU went through a long tough drought before posting back-2-back 11 win seasons, including bowl wins. A repeat of the past 2 seasons will still be a challenge. Despite the offense returning practically intact, the defense looks strangely like WVU's: needing a complete face-lift.

While it's said the best defense is a good offense, the defense still has to come to play. We've all seen it; the offense can only carry a team so far; just ask last season's Louisville squad.

TX Tech is an even better example. Over the past 6 seasons, Tech has averaged over 40 pts/game. They also averaged only 8.5 wins/season. When beaten, Tech was up against a strong defense or they simply got out-scored.

BYU could be in the same boat this year. If their offense makes too many mistakes in the same game, if a good defense plays BYU particularly well, or if BYU's defense makes it easy enough for the opposing offense to score as often as the Cougars likely will, those will be the games BYU will lose. Looking at their schedule, there are a couple of potential traps early on before ending their season with 4 of 6 on the road: at TCU, CO St, AFC, & Utah. BYU may well win the MWC. I don't think undefeated in the MWC, let alone over their entire schedule, is in the cards.

Ben Prather · 1 year ago

They also went undefeated in conference play in the last two seasons.

They are the team to beat for a MWC team to take the conference.

Utah hosts TCU and BYU this year, so they have a good chance at taking the crown. Home field in the BYU Utah game has, however, historically been meaningless.

Mars · 1 year ago

Whoever claims that this year's BYU defense will be a liability has no idea who is on the BYU football team this year and what they are capable of. No friggin' clue.

4cornerz · 1 year ago

If we a bunch of one or two loss teams and BYU goes undefeated. BYU will play for the National Championship.

JB · 1 year ago

uhhhhhhh...............no

Ben Prather · 1 year ago

Now that I have described what they need above, the second link outlines what they would need.

At most one of USC, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Oklahoma and Texas could have less than two losses the rest two or more. No other team can be undefeated, preferably with late season conference losses. Then an undefeated BYU would have a chance.

4cornerz · 1 year ago

If we have a bunch of one or two loss teams and BYU goes undefeated. BYU will play for the National Championship. Remember IF-Then statements

Ben Prather · 1 year ago

Wow, miss one little " in the HTML code and the entire post gets hidden in the link.

Fixing that now.

I will be gone for weekend. The WAC will be up next on Monday.

jake · 1 year ago

With BYU and Utah's recent success, especially if BYU performs as predicted, is their entrance into the Pac-10 a potential reality or just some fun rumors for fans of the two teams? Additionally, how do you think the MWC would adjust?

Ben Prather · 1 year ago

The PAC 10's best expansion options are clearly Utah BYU. The question is if and when the PAC 10 chooses to expand.

I would expect the MWC would respond by effectively merging with the WAC, taking Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, Utah State and either Hawaii, San Jose State or New Mexico State. They would then have a conference championship of their own. I would lean towards Hawaii.

An east-west division line up would make sense
West: Fresno State, Hawaii, SDSU, UNLV, Nevada, Boise State
East: Utah State, Air Force, CSU, TCU, New Mexico, Wyoming

This would leave San Jose State, Idaho, New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech conference less. If they could talk the MWC into a 14 team alignment, San Jose State and New Mexico State make sense, and Louisiana Tech would be a good fit for C-USA. This leaves Idaho, too far for the Sun Belt they might do better as an independent..

jake · 1 year ago

Interesting idea. You might think that the MWC would WANT the Pac-10 to take BYU and Utah IF the WAC would be willing to merge. If, in fact, the MWC and WAC merged, that would put the Big East into some major trouble as the BE would likely lose its BCS bid.

JB · 1 year ago

How would that happen...BE quality teams are still better than the WAC

4cornerz · 1 year ago

Jake it is an interesting idea, but if BYU and Utah goes to the PAC10 and MWC and WAC merge, the Big East will not is BCS bid b/c of Dollars and Marketing and remember unlike the ACC the Big East has won its BCS games

jake · 1 year ago

Valid point on BE BCS bowl wins; however, it seems there is more money in television markets - e.g. recent creation of the Big 10 Network, bowl locations, etc. A MWC-WAC merger conference would potential consist of markets such as Dallas/Ft. Worth (5th; TCU); San Fran/Oakland/San Jose (6th, SJSU); San Diego (27th; SDSU); Salt Lake City (35th largest TV market, Utah); Las Vegas (43rd ;UNLV); Albuquerque (44th; UNM); and Fresno (55th; Fresno State).

Ben Prather · 1 year ago

Without a PAC 10 expansion, the only team likely to change would be Boise State.

With the expansion Salt Lake City is removed from the market consideration.

The proposed MWAC members in Dallas/Fort Worth and San Diego are not the featured teams of that area.

Ben Prather · 1 year ago

The MWC and WAC are 2-1 in thier BCS games.

jake · 1 year ago

JB . . . I really think that given a merger the conference would strongly encourage its members to boost their facilities (maybe even as a pre-cursor agreement to be a part of the conference). Let's be honest, MWC and WAC schools only put so much money into their programs because athletics are only a somewhat lucrative venture. Additionally, alumni only give so much money to these programs for the same reason. BCS schools on the other hand receive plenty of money from profit sharing, tv contracts, and bowl contracts. The national spotlight alone via the media yields higher donations and higher applicant volumes - my alma mater, Marquette, experienced this significantly after joining the BE. The BE unfortunately does not have many options for expansion. Marshall, Memphis, ECU? Not really great options. In a MWC-WAC merger, the new conference could pick and choose schools based on their willingness to attain the ultimate goal: a conference BCS bid. The others just get left in the dust . . .

Ben Prather · 1 year ago

Technically I don't call for a merger, but a raiding of the WAC by the MWC. Boise State clearly wants to defect already, and Fresno State has expressed their resentment of not being invited in the first place. Once these two cross over the balance is tipped to the MWC taking whoever they want from the WAC.

A PAC 10 expansion would increase the expectation that the MWC, along with the Big East, get a championship game.

The MWC is in a good spot if the PAC 10 expand. The WAC not so much.

A MWC fortified with the top WAC teams would fill the non BCS entry clause every year, making them effectively a BCS conference.

GoCougs! · 1 year ago

As a cougarfan I don't know that I necessarily want BYU and Utah in the PAC 10! Instead MWC should add Boise St, Fresno St, and either Houston or SMU. We would stack up top to bottom with both Big East and ACC.