Happy Memorial Day Weekend: Let's take a look at the upcoming 2013 College Football Season!

Louisville was crowned the NCAA champions in College Basketball in 2013.  Who will be the next champion in College Football in 2013?

The back to back defending champion Alabama Crimson Tide should be among the major contenders again.  But, before we get started with who is #1, let's take a look at conference realignment, which has certainly reshaped rivalries and conference races.

The Atlantic Coast Conference will welcome Pittsburgh and Syracuse from the Big East to increase its membership to 14 programs in 2013.  Pitt will join the ACC's Coastal Division, while Syracuse will join the ACC's Atlantic Division this season.

• So, does Florida State repeat from the Atlantic division in 2013, with Clemson right behind?
• Virginia Tech looks to be Top 25 candidate, as they seek to take back the Coastal division.
• Could North Carolina be ready to surprise, along with Miami-FL in '13?
• Only Syracuse will play Big Ten teams in the OOC in '13, with games vs. Penn State @ the Meadowlands and @ Northwestern in back to back weeks to open the season.  

The Catholic 7 of the Big East have bolted, with the conference for a non-football conference that will add Butler, Creighton and Xavier to the mix with the seven remaining members, who don't play Major Conference Football.  So, the remaining football members Cincinnati, UConn, Temple and South Florida will begin a new league, with Louisville (joining ACC in '14) and Rutgers (joining Big Ten in '14) remaining for only 2013, while welcoming Houston, Memphis, SMU and CFU to the new league, the Atlantic Athletic Conference (AAC).

• Louisville beat Florida in the Sugar Bowl last year and the Cardinals look to repeat in the conference race and nationally, just like the champion basketball program.
• Rutgers could be a Top 25 candidate in '13.
• Cincinnati finished '12 as one in the USA Today Coaches Poll, but must rebuild for '13 and will play two games vs. Big Ten in '13.  Only three other teams will face Big Ten opponents in '13.
• Central Florida, South Florida will travel to face Big Ten opponents, while UConn hosts in '13. 

The Big 12 and Big Ten remain the same in membership for 2013.  The Big 12 will play a round-robin nine game schedule again.

• Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas all hope to remain in the Top 25 in '13.
• TCU and Oklahoma State hope to get back into the mix in '13.
• Baylor came up short in the Top 25 in '12.
• It will be a rebuilding year for fifth year coach Paul Rhoads and Iowa State, as the Cy-Hawk game comes to Ames in Week 3.  The lone Big Ten-Big 12 game in '13.
  

As mentioned, Rutgers joins the Big Ten in '14, along with Maryland from the ACC.  So, it will be interesting for Big Ten fans to see how future conference members Rutgers in the AAC and Maryland in the ACC Atlantic play in 2013?  The Big Ten will break up into the Leaders and Legends divisions for one final season in 2013.

• Ohio State went 12-0 in '12, but was ineligible for the BCS, due to one year NCAA sanctions.  ESPN is showing some love for the Big Ten in the post-Spring Top 25.  We shall see.
• Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan all seek to remain in the Top 25 in '13.
• Wisconsin will attempt to win its fourth straight Big Ten title and a possible fourth straight trip to the Rose Bowl, despite an 8-6 record in '12.
• Michigan State ended '12 on a high note with a 17-16 win over TCU in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl and hope to rebound after a disappointing 7-6 season.  Here's a look at the '13 schedule.
• Penn State is on NCAA probation for the 2013 season, ineligible again for title and bowls.

The Conference-USA will welcome five new members in 2013, as well.  Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Middle Tennessee join the East division, after leaving the Sun Belt.  The C-USA West gains North Texas from the Sun Belt and UTSA from the WAC to fill the voids from the four members leaving C-USA for the AAC.

• Tulsa was the top C-USA team last year and finished in the USA Today Coaches Poll in '12.
• East Carolina in the C-USA East may be the team to watch in '13, as East rival UCF leaves conference.
• Southern Miss is the only Big Ten opponent in the OOC in '13, traveling to Nebraska in Week 2.

The Mid-American Conference witnessed their best season in the BCS stakes in '12, as Northern Illinois rebound from a season opening loss to win 13 straight games and the conference's first birth in a BCS bowl game.  The MAC will face the Big Ten in 13 non-conference games in 2013.

• The West's Northern Illinois seeks to win third straight MAC title and remain in the Top 25 again in '13.
• The East's Kent State received votes in the final USA Today coaches Poll last season, as they replace new Purdue coach Darrell Hazell, with another former Ohio State assistant, as Paul Haynes takes over as Golden Flashes head coach.
• The East's Ohio U. got off to an outstanding start in '12 with a big win @ Penn State and finished with a nice Independence Bowl win, but struggled going .500 in league play.

The Mountain West Conference welcomes two new members from the WAC in 2013 and will break out divisions.  Utah State will join the Mountain division and San Jose State will join the West division in '13.  The MWC will face off with the Big Ten in four games in '13.

• Boise State looks to repeat as conference champion and Top 25 program in '13.
• Fresno State looks to break into the Top 25 in '13 in coach Tim DeRuyter's second season.
• The WAC has disbanded in College Football as Utah State and San Jose State finished 2012 both ranked in the Top 25.  Both programs will welcome new head coaches in '13, as well.

The Pac 12 Conference and the Southeast Conference remain the same in membership in 2013, after the SEC added two new members in 2012 to reach 14.  The Pac 12 moved to 12 members in 2011.

The Pac 12 certainly can claim the #2 ranking in College Football right now.  The Pac 12 and Big Ten will square off in five games, with California hosting both Northwestern and Ohio State in '13.

• Stanford claimed victory in the Rose Bowl in '12 and seeks fourth straight BCS bowl in '13.
• Oregon finished right behind Stanford and will seek a fifth straight BCS bowl in '13.
• Oregon State looks to remain again in the Top 25 for '13.
•  USC stumpled in '12, but they hope to rebound and be a contender in the Top 25 in '13.
• Many project UCLA as a Top 25 contender for '13, after winning the Pac 12 South in '12.
• Arizona State and Washington both hope to find away into the Top 25 in '13.
• Arizona enters its second season under coach Rich Rodriquez and looks to move up, as well.

The SEC has been the #1 conference in College Football, winning seven straight BCS title games.  The SEC had five teams finish in the nation's Top 10 in '12.  One half or seven, of the 14 SEC teams finished in the Top 25 in '13.

• Alabama has won back to back BCS titles and clearly is worthy of the #1 ranking heading into '13.
• Georgia, Texas A&M, South Carolina and Florida all seek to stay in the Top 10 heading into '13.
• LSU finished '12 in the Top 15, after finishing runner-up in the BCS title game in '11.
• Vanderbilt jumped into the Top 25 in '12 in coach James Franklin's second season and looks to repeat.
• Ole Miss is getting some consideration for '13, as coach Hugh Freeze enters year 2 at the helm.
• Tennessee has a new coach in Butch Jones, after a 5-7 record in Derek Dooley's third season in '12.'
• Excitement has hit an all-time high at Kentucky with the hiring of Mark Stoops as head coach for '13.
• Mississippi State went to a bowl game in '12, but lost to Northwestern, who won first bowl game, since 1949.  Coach Dan Mullen enters his fifth season at the helm in a conference that is very good.
• Missouri found the SEC a tough road in year one, unlike fellow newcomer Texas A&M.  It could be an interesting season in Columbia.  The Tigers play @ Indiana in Week 4 in the OOC.
• Auburn dismissed coach Gene Chizik after four years, and two years after winning their first BCS title.  Gus Malzahn is back, this time as head coach, after serving as OC during that BCS title season.

The Sun Belt welcomes two new members in '13, as Georgia State jumps up to FBS, after adding football recently, and Texas State moves over from the former WAC football conference, which has disbanded for football.

• Arkansas State has won back to back Sun Belt titles and will have third coach in three years.
• The Sun Belt will not play any Big Ten teams in the OOC in '13.

The Independents expand from four programs to six programs, as Idaho and New Mexico State join Army, BYU, Navy and Notre Dame, as FBS programs not affiliated with a conference for football.  Though, Notre Dame has aligned with the ACC for all other sports and will begin playing five ACC games each season in '14.

• Notre Dame will face three Big Ten teams in '13, as the BCS runner-ups must regroup now, after the late May announcement that QB Everett Golson has departed school, due to academic related issues.
• BYU will travel to Wisconsin in Week 11.
• Navy will travel to Indiana in Week 2.
• New Mexico State will host Minnesota in Week 2 in Las Cruces.

Fifteen teams have played in the BCS Title Game.  The 2013 College Football Season will be the last season, before the four-team BCS playoff begins in 2014.

• The 2014 National Championship game will be in Pasadena this season.
• 2013 Early Bird Preview that gives a good chart of current conferences in major college football.
• A look at the 2013-14 FBS Bowl Schedule.

Funny road to Independence for 1-4 BYU

The Brigham Young football program will become an Independent in 2011. But, after five games in 2010, the final season in the MWC, the Cougars are 1-4. The weakest start for BYU, since 1973.

BYU has lost four straight games, after losing @ Utah State (2-3) 16-31 on Friday night. Utah State won for the first time in 10 games vs. BYU, in this in-state rivalry.

Is becoming an Independent really the right thing BYU? After all, Notre Dame is 1-3 as an Independent heading into Week 5.

A great Week 5 in College Football is coming up on Saturday!

peace

Will the WAC or ACC make the bigger splash to close out Week 1 on Labor Day?

The WAC heads into Labor Day only 4-3 record in out of conference play, though Fresno State picked up a solid 28-14 win over the #23 Cincinnati (Big East) on Saturday night at home. Utah State came up short 24-31 @ #18 Oklahoma on Saturday, while Hawai'i lost 36-49 at home to USC on Thursday night to open Week 1. #1 Alabama nailed San Jose State 48-3 at home. Idaho, Nevada and Louisiana Tech all opened with victories over FCS programs.

The Big Game of the Week 1

WAC vs. ACC

from Landover, MD

non-BCS vs BCS conference

#3 Boise State vs. #6 Virginia Tech

7:00 p.m.
ESPN (HD) / ESPN 3D

The ACC enters Labor Day at 9-1, but has an opportunity to get two more victories with Maryland and Virginia Tech to close out Week 1 of the 2010 College Football season.

Labor Day Game

Maryland at #24 Navy

from Baltimore
3:00 p.m.
ESPN (HD)

Most of the ACC openers were against FCS competition. Though Clemson beat North Texas out of the Sun Belt 35-10 in their home opener. The ACC lost the top ACC-SEC match up game on Saturday night in Atlanta, when North Carolina, short 13 players due to NCAA issues, lost 24-30 to #12 LSU.

Talk about FCS competition: the SEC and Big 12 witnessed one of their programs falling to a FCS school in Week 1. FCS upsets of Week 1:

• Jacksonville State knocked off Ole Miss in 2OT 49-48


• North Dakota State beat Kansas, in Turner Gill's debut as head coach, 6-3

The SEC went 10-2 to open Week 1. In addition to Mississippi's loss, Vanderbilt came up short at home in a Big Ten-SEC showdown with Northwestern, 21-23. The SEC picked up the win in the SEC-ACC match up involving #12 LSU-UNC. The SEC didn't beat the Big Ten, but wins were picked up vs. Big East (Kentucky over Louisville), vs. C-USA (South Carolina over Southern Miss and Mississippi State over Memphis), vs. Sun Belt (Auburn over Arkansas State and #13 Georgia over LA-Lafayette), vs. MAC (# 5 Florida over Miami-OH) and vs. WAC (#1 Alabama over San Jose State). The rest of the opening games came against FCS opponents.

The Big 12 went 11-1 to open Week 1. The loss by Kansas to North Dakota State was the only disappointment. The conference enjoyed wins vs. the Big Ten (Missouri over Illinois), vs. the Pac Ten (Kansas State over UCLA), vs. Pac 10 (Oklahoma State over Washington State), vs. the MWC (Colorado over Colorado State), vs. C-USA (#7 Texas over Rice and #17 Texas Tech over SMU), vs. MAC (Iowa State over Northern Illinois), Sun Belt (#15 Nebraska over Western Kentucky) and vs. WAC (#18 Oklahoma over Utah State). A couple more games won were against FCS opponents.

The Big Ten went 9-2 to open Week 1. As mentioned earlier in our blog, the only losses were to the two Big Ten teams that Iowa will not face in 2010. Two rivalry games went the other way, as Purdue went to 1-12 @ Notre Dame (Independent) and Missouri (Big 12) won sixth straight over Illinois. The Big Ten picked up wins vs. the SEC (Northwestern over Vanderbilt), vs. Big East (Michigan over Connecticut), vs. C-USA (#2 Ohio State over Marshall), vs. Sun Belt (Minnesota over Middle Tennessee), vs. MAC (Michigan State over Western Michigan) and vs. MWC (#10 Wisconsin over UNLV). Other victories in Week 1 were against FCS opponents.

The Pac 10 only went 6-4 to open Week 1. The Pac 10 was knocked off by the MWC (#8 TCU beat Oregon State and #16 BYU over Washington), the Big 12 (Oklahoma State over Washington State and Kansas State over UCLA). The Pac 10 picked up a wins @ MAC (Arizona over Toledo), @ WAC (USC over Hawai'i), vs. MWC (#9 Oregon over New Mexico) and over FCS opponents in Week 1.

The Big East went 4-4 to open Week 1. Syracuse won @ Akron (MAC) 29-3 and three others beat FCS opponents, but four losses came @ the Big Ten (Michigan over UConn), @ the WAC (Fresno State over #23 Cincinnati), @ the MWC (#13 Utah over #22 Pitt) and vs. SEC (Kentucky over Louisville) in Week 1. It was a tough start for the Big East in Week 1.

The MWC went 6-3 to open Week 1. The MWC witnessed wins over Pac 10 (#8 TCU over Oregon State and #16 BYU over Washington), vs. Big East (#13 Utah over #22 Pitt in OT) and over three FCS opponents to open Week 1. Three MWC fell @ Pac 10 (#9 Oregon over New Mexico), vs. Big 12 (Colorado over Colorado State) and vs. Big Ten (#10 Wisconsin over UNLV) in Week 1.

In C-USA play, defending conference champion East Carolina (1-0, 1-0 C-USA) opened up conference play in an inter-division game vs. Tulsa (0-1, 0-1 C-USA). The Pirates beat the Golden Hurricane in a shootout 51-49, in East Carolina's debut of the Ruffin McNeill, the former DC at Texas Tech, who served as interim coach after Mike Leach's firing at Tech. The C-USA went 4-6 in Week 1 in out of conference games. The four wins came against FCS opponents, while the conference lost every OOC game @ Big Ten (#2 Ohio State over Marshall) @ SEC (South Carolina over Southern Miss and Mississippi State over Memphis), vs. Big 12 (#7 Texas over Rice), vs. Big 12 (#17 Texas Tech over SMU) and vs. Sun Belt (Florida Atlantic over UAB) in Week 1.

The MAC opened 6-7 in Week 1. All six wins came against FCS opponents, while the conference lost all seven games against FCS opponents in Week 1. The MAC lost @ Big Ten (Michigan State over Western Michigan), @ Big 12 (Iowa State over Northern Illinois), vs. Pac 10 (Arizona over Toledo), @ SEC (#5 Florida over Miami-OH), vs. Big East (Syracuse over Akron), vs. Independent (Army over Eastern Michigan) and @ Sun Belt (Troy over Bowling Green). Temple (1-0) nearly fell to defending FCS champion Villanova 31-24 and needed a FG in the final seconds to win the game. The game was 22-24 heading into the final seconds and a TD on the final play of the game gave the Owls the 31-24 difference.

The Sun Belt went 2-5 in Week 1. But, Troy and Florida Atlantic picked up nice OOC wins over Bowling Green (MAC) and @ UAB (C-USA) for the Sun Belt. The Sun Belt lost games vs. Big Ten (Minnesota over Middle Tennessee), @ Big 12 (#15 Nebraska over Western Kentucky), @ SEC (Auburn over Arkansas State and #14 Georgia over UL-Lafayette) and @ ACC (Clemson over North Texas).

We received news ahead of Week 1 that #16 BYU was going to leave the MWC after '10 to become an Independent. Depending on the game between #24 Navy-Maryland, the Independents are 2-0 thus far, with Notre Dame winning at home 23-12 over Purdue (Big Ten) and Army winning on the road @ Eastern Michigan (MAC) 31-27 in Week 1.

Week 1 will wrap up on Labor Day with the final two games. Week 2 should be outstanding with some great inter-conference match ups including Ohio State-Miami (FL), Alabama-Penn State, Iowa-Iowa State, Michigan-Notre Dame and Florida State-Oklahoma for starters.

peace

FBS Football: Conference reallignment continues with BYU and two members of the WAC

It began earlier this year with one WAC program announced it was moving to the MWC. Then, it was the two Big 12 teams leaving and one MWC leaving. Now, there is news out of the MWC and WAC again ...

• Boise State was moving from the WAC to the MWC, after '10


• Nebraska is moving from the Big 12 to the Big Ten, after '10


• Colorado is moving from the Big 12 to the Pac Ten, after '10


• Utah is moving from the MWC to the Pac Ten, after '10

Now, BYU is planning to become an independent in football and will move to the WAC for all other sports. The decision isn't official yet, regarding BYU, but the discussions are clearly on the table. While the MWC is going to likely lose both Utah and BYU, the WAC will lose not only Boise State, but Fresno State and Nevada appear headed now to the MWC, as 2010 is turning out to be a big year for conference realignment.

@Mark_Schlabach Fuzzy math....MWC sits at 10 for '11
(Utah, BYU gone; Boise, Fresno, Nevada coming in). Need two more for conf. title
game .. if BYU leaves ~ Twitter from Mark Schlabach of ESPN

BYU's quest for independence proves conference realignment isn't over - ‎NewsOK.com
BYU's happy feet are merely the latest example of why conference realignment has not checked in its equipment. It's only taken a timeout. ...

Latest: MWC invites Fresno and Nevada, and Fresno accepts while ... ‎- Salt Lake Tribune (blog)
Fresno State and Nevada-Reno to join its conference, an obvious shot across the bow at the WAC for taking BYU. ... In fact, it is changing by the minute.

Video: MWC-WAC dance resumes - KRQE.com
Sources: BYU to join WAC for all sports except football ‎ - The Herald Journal
Fresno St., Nevada plan to join Mountain West - ESPN
Report: Fresno State has agreed to join the Mountain West Conference ‎ - Los Angeles Times (blog)
Nevada, Fresno State accept offers to leave WAC and join Mountain West ‎ - USA Today

peace

We are less than two months out to the kickoff of the 2010 College Football season!

Regrets on not wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day on my blog sooner. It's been a busy 2010 and time hasn't offered as much opportunity to post. The blog has been idle for awhile, but the love and passion for College Football still lives on!

We hope you will keep an eye on our blog as we head into the 2010 College Football season, which is less than two months away! The first game kicks off on Thursday, September 2Nd with Presbyterian at Wake Forest on espn3.com. Plenty of other games kickoff the big Labor Day weekend! The regular season will close out on Saturday, December 4Th with conference title games and final regular season games.

It was a great 2009 college football season and 2010 should be great as well. The news out of the Big 12 Conference and MWC has been very interesting of late. It started with the news that Boise State will leave the WAC after 2010 season to join the MWC. Then, we learned the Big Ten and Pac Ten are both expanding, with Nebraska joining the Big Ten for 2011, while Colorado in 2012 and Utah joining in 2011 the Pac 10 Conference.

We want to welcome Nebraska for accepting an invitation to the Big Ten Conference. For years, we have enjoyed Cornhusker football growing up here in Eastern Iowa watching and following Dr. Tom Osborne. It will be enjoyable seeing Iowa-Nebraska on the gridiron more regularly. The late Bob Devaney would be proud for his Nebraska Cornhuskers.

From our nation's founding fathers to the major conferences in College Football, the landscape continues to evolve in 2010.

peace

A little Fiesta tonight, before enjoying the The Orange on Tuesday in the BCS

The 2010 Fiesta Bowl kicks off on Monday, January 4Th at 7 p.m. Central Time on Fox and ESPN Radio in a great match up between two 12-0 conference champions from non-BCS programs from the WAC and the Mountain West.

Tostitos Fiesta

Boise State vs. TCU
from Glendale, Ariz.

U. of Phoenix Stadium

TCU beat Boise State 17-16 in last year's Poinsettia Bowl. So, this should be an interesting rematch, on the field that Bosie State took out Oklahoma a couple years back.

Next: FedEx Orange

Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

peace

The 2009-10 College Football Bowl Season kicks off on Saturday, December 19, 2009 through Thursday, January 7, 2010

Saturday, December 19, 2009 kicks off the bowl season for 2009-10 through Christmas, the holiday season, the New Year and closing out on Thursday, January 7, 2009 with the BCS Title Game from Pasadena, California in the Rose Bowl, with the #Alabama Crimson Tide facing #2 Texas Longhorn (though my #3 team, behind #2 TCU) for the BCS title.

Today, the 2009 New Mexico Bowl will kick off at 3:30 pm, Central Time, in Albuquerque, New Mexico with the Mountain West vs. WAC with a game matching Wyoming vs. Fresno State. ESPN Preview of the game between Wyoming and Fresno State.

Phil Steele's preview magazine picked Fresno State at the beginning of the season to play again in the New Mexico Bowl, but to face Utah (MWC), who are headed to the Poinsettia vs. Cal on Wednesday, December 23Rd.

The Wyoming Cowboys finished 5Th in the MWC with a 6-6 overall record and 4-4 in conference play. The Cowboys went 0-4 against four Top 25 teams in 2009 (#3 Texas, @ #21 Utah, #14 BYU and #2 TCU). Wyoming is coached by first year coach Dave Christensen, who was OC at Missouri prior to accepting the job in Laramie.

The Cowboys were 4-8 in 2008 and are headed to their first bowl, since the 2004 season, when the Cowboys beat UCLA 24-21 in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Cowboys are looking to get to .500 in bowls, bringing a 5-6 mark into the New Mexico Bowl vs. Fresno State.

The Fresno State Bulldogs finished 3Rd in the WAC with a 8-4 overall record and 6-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs went 0-3 against four Top 25 teams in 2009 (@ #24 Wisconsin, #6 Boise State and @ #5 Cincinnati) all in September of the regular season.

The Bulldogs were 7-6 in 2008 and lost in the New Mexico Bowl 35-40 to Colorado State (MWC team) in last year's game. The Bulldogs bring a 10-8 bowl mark to Albuquerque this season. The last bowl win for the Bulldogs was 2007, when Fresno State defeated Georgia Tech 40-28 in the Humanitarian Bowl in coach Chan Gailey's final season at Georgia Tech.

Can David knock off Goliath in New Mexico? The Wyoming Cowboys are trying to obtain their first winning season, since the 2004 season. The top QB for the Cowboys is a freshman right out of San Jose CA, Austyn Carta-Samuels who is 6-2 210 and was a Phil Steele #85 rated QB out of high school last season. Fresno State is lead by first year starter, QB Ryan Colburn, a junior.

Most of the wins this season by Wyoming was with 30 points on the score board. They had one win where they beat New Mexico 37-13 at home and scored over 30 points. By the way, the Cowboys haven't won in New Mexico, since the 2006 season. Fresno State is far superior football program to the Lobos (3-7-1 in bowls), who won the '07 New Mexico Bowl.

Only two teams have held Fresno State under 30 points all season. In those two games, Fresno State lost @ # 5 Cincinnati (L, 20-28) and @ Nevada (L, 14-52), so defense is key. Teams have put up points on Fresno State, but winning those shootouts can be dangerous, as the Illinois Fighting Illini found out, in a 52-53 loss to end the Fighting Illini's season.

• Wyoming wins if the game is 28 points or less


• Fresno State wins, if they can force enough points and make it a shoot out, over 35 points


• MWC is a better conference than the WAC and will be going for its third straight win, since San Jose State's 20-12 win over New Mexico in the 2006 New Mexico Bowl

Our pick: Wyoming 30, Fresno State 25... Go Cowboys and Happy Holidays!

peace

Wednesday night College Football: Hawaii @ LA Tech on ESPN2

College Football closes out the month of September with one final game ...

Wednesday, September 30Th
Hawaii at Louisiana Tech
7:00 p.m.
ESPN2 (HD)

Two WAC teams looking to gain a little ground in the conference race where Boise State carries the torch for the conference in the top 10. Can the Bulldogs continue a positive trend in this series, after pulling off a win last year?

peace

Can Fresno State upset our #9 Boise State on Friday Night?

Friday, September 18Th spotlights a great WAC match up:

Boise State at Fresno State
8:00 p.m.
ESPN (HD)

• Can the Bulldogs upset the Broncos at home?
• Can a top non-BCS candidate be knocked off tonight?
• Boise State is playing strong football

We are not proponents of illegal gambling, but odds are always interesting and Fresno State is a +8 underdog. The Bulldogs can likely cover, but here is to an upset on Friday night too in Fresno. Fresno State (1-1) rebounds from loss at Wisconsin with a win over #9 Boise State (2-0) tonight.

Boise State vs Fresno State Betting Odds Alert - Point-Spreads.com
The best college football betting odds to bet the Bulldogs is at Bodog.com, you can get Fresno State +8 (-110 odds). “Right now, we're trying to catch Boise ...

Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson - ESPN
I'll have more on this game tomorrow morning, and tonight I'll be following the big WAC matchup between Fresno State and Boise State.

peace

College Football '09: A look at the Western Athletic Conference

Does the Western Athletic Conference make any BCS noise in '09? Who would the candidate be for '09? How does the conference breakdown in '09 for WAC?

• The WAC is ranked #10 by Jeff Sagarin among the FBS conferences

• No non-BCS conference team has ever played in the BCS Title Game and not likely anytime soon

• Two WAC teams have made BCS bowls in the past three years

• Will there be another BCS bid in '09 for the WAC?

Ranked teams in the AP and Coaches' preseason polls:

• Boise State at #14 and #16, respectively

Preseason magazines like other WAC teams in the Top 25 preseason:

• Nevada

Teams rebuilding in the WAC in '09

• Hawaii

Teams rated below the FBS mark of #120 in 2009?

• Utah State
• New Mexico State
• Idaho

Will the WAC finish this way in 2009??

1. Boise State * (8-0 in '08) (5-4 in bowls)
2. Nevada (5-3) (3-6)
3. Fresno State (4-4) (10-8)
4. Louisiana Tech (5-3) (2-2-1)
5. Hawaii (5-3) (5-4)
6. San Jose State (4-4) (5-3)
7. Utah State (3-5) (1-4)
8. New Mexico State (1-7) (2-0-1)
9. Idaho (1-7) (1-0)
   * denotes 2008 WAC champs (source for above list)

Last BCS bowl participant

• Hawaii went 12-0 during the 2007 regular season (L, Sugar to Georgia 10-41)

Kickoff Game of the Season

Thursday, September 3rd

Oregon at Boise State

Boise, Idaho at 9:15 PM CT

TV: ESPN

Final Look at the WAC teams, using the preseason Jeff Sagarin NCAA football ratings:

1. Boise State (# 19 in Sagarin ratings) - Coach Chris Peterson enters his 4Th season after leading the Broncos to a 12-1 season last year. The Broncos return 39 letterwinners, including 6 OFF and 5 DEF plus both kickers from a team that lost 16-17 to TCU in the Poinsettia. Huge opener vs. Oregon to open '09, followed by vs. Miami-OH, the WAC opener @ Fresno State, then @ Bowling Green and vs. UC-Davis to close out OOC.
   
2. Hawaii (# 67) - Coach Greg McMackin enters his 2Nd year at the helm for the Rainbow Warriors and likely a rebuilding year, after finishing 7-7 last year, with a loss to Notre Dame 21-49 in the Hawaii. The Warriors will return 50 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 2 DEF. Hawaii opens the '09 season at home vs. Central Arkansas, @ Washington State, @ UNLV, a bye week, then they open WAC play. They close out the OCC at the end of the season vs. Navy and vs. Wisconsin.
3. Fresno State (# 71) - Coach Pat Hill enters his 13Th year at the helm of the Bulldogs program, who finished last year at 7-6. The Bulldogs return 44 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 8 DEF plus both kickers from a team that lost 35-40 to Colorado State in the New Mexico. The Bulldogs open the '09 season vs. UC-Davis, @Wisconsin, then the WAC opener vs. Boise State, followed by @ Cincinnati. They close the OOC at the end of the season on 12/5 at Illinois.
4. Nevada (# 77) - Coach Chris Ault is in his third stint in Nevada and his 25Th year as head coach. The Wolf Pack finished last year at 7-6, with a 35-42 loss to Maryland in the Humanitarian. The Wolf Pack return 45 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 7 DEF plus punter from last year's squad. The Wolf Pack open the '09 season @ Notre Dame, bey week, @ Colorado State, vs. Missouri and vs. UNLV before opening WAC play vs. LA Tech.
5. Louisiana Tech (# 107) - Coach Derek Dooley enters his 3Rd season at the helm for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs finished last year 8-5 with a 17-10 win over Northern Illinois in the Independence. The Bulldogs return 37 letterwinners, with 9 OFF and 7 DEF. They open the '09 season @ Auburn, @ Navy, vs. Nicholls State, a bye week, then open WAC play vs. Hawaii. A game @ LSU on 11/14 closes OOC play for the Bulldogs.
6. San Jose State (# 109) - Coach Dick Tomey enters his 5Th year as head coach of the Spartans. The Spartans return 53 letterwinners, including 8 OFF and 7 DEF plus punter from a squad that finished 6-6. The Spartans open the '09 season @ USC, vs. Utah, @ Stanford, vs. Cal Poly, before a bye week and the WAC opener vs. Idaho.
7. Utah State (# 131) - The Aggies welcome new coach Gary Anderson, the former Utah DC, who was 4-7 in one season coaching for a FCS school. The Aggies return 48 letterwinners, with 9 OFF and 7 DEF plus PK/PT from a squad that finished 3-9 last season. The Aggies open @ Utah, bye week, @ Texas A&M, vs. Southern Utah, @ BYU before opening WAC play @ New Mexico State.
8. New Mexico State (# 144) - The other Aggies of the WAC welcome a new coach as well as DeWayne Walker moves over after serving three years as UCLA's DC. He is 0-1 as a head coach, after leading UCLA as interim coach for the 2007 bowl game. The Aggies return 44 letterwinners, with 5 OFF and 5 DEF plus PK/PF from a squad that finished 3-9 last season. The Aggies open the '09 season in the WAC vs. Idaho. Next, the OOC opponents are vs. Prairie View A&M, vs. UTEP, @ New Mexico and @ San Diego State.
9. Idaho (# 164) - Coach Robb Akey enters his 3Rd season at the helm for the Vandals. The Vandals return 44 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 6 DEF from a squad that finished 2-10 last year. The Vandals open the '09 season in the WAC @ New Mexico State, then in the OOC @ Washington, vs. San Diego State, @ Northern Illinois and vs. Colorado State before returning to WAC play.
   

A look back at last year's statistics in the WAC.

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Humanitarian Bowl: Maryland (7-5) vs. Nevada (7-5)

The 2008 Humanitarian Bowl welcomes the ACC and WAC to Boise this year. The Maryland Terrapins (7-5, tied for 3Rd in the ACC Atlantic Division) vs. the Nevada Wolfpack (7-5, tied for 2Nd in the WAC) will hit the blue turf of Boise for this year's Humanitarian Bowl.

The Terps are making their third straight bowl trip after a 14-21 lost to Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl last year. Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen is 3-2 in bowl games in eight seasons at the helm. Nevada is making their fourth straight bowl visit, after losing 0-23 to New Mexico in last year's New Mexico Bowl. Nevada coach Chris Ault is in his 24Th season for the Wolfpack.

Maryland's losses were at Middle Tennessee, at Virginia, at Virginia Tech, vs. Florida State and at Boston College. They come in on the heels of a two game losing streak. Nevada's losses were vs. Texas Tech, at Missouri, New Mexico State, at Hawaii, and vs. Boise State. Maryland beat five bowl team, while Nevada had two wins over bowl teams at Fresno State and at Louisiana Tech.

Maryland played up to opponents going 4-1 against ranked opponents, but down to unranked opponents finishing 3-4. Nevada is unranked, by the way. The Wolfpack were 3-4 against ranked opponents and 7-2 against unranked foes.

Last year, the non-BCS team beat the BCS team, when Fresno State beat Georgia Tech 40-28, after the BCS had won three out the past four games. Maryland's playing down and up to opponents makes this an interesting pick. Maryland's recent bowls have been against BCS opponents, while Nevada lost the last bowl they played vs. a BCS opponent, when the Wolfpack fell short of defeating Miami-FL in the 2006 MPC Computers Bowl.

Cidsports' Prediction

Maryland 21

Nevada 18

cidsports

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Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech (7-5) vs. Northern Illinois (6-6)

Hey, there is no Big 12 vs. SEC match up for the 2008 Independence Bowl this year, but it's the WAC vs. the MAC. The 2008 Independence Bowl hosts the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (7-5, tied for 2Nd in the WAC) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (6-6, 4Th in the MAC West) in Shreveport, LA.

Another home cooking for a Midwestern team, this time from the MAC? For Louisiana Tech, this is the first bowl trip, since the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl, where the Bulldogs went down 24-49 to Clemson. Prior to that, all three previous bowl trips for LA Tech have been in the Independence Bowl, where the Bulldogs are 1-1-1 previously in Shreveport.

Northern Illinois will be in their third bowl ever, after playing in the '83 California Bowl, '04 Silicon Valley Bowl and '06 Poinsettia Bowl, where TCU took NIU out 37-7. The Huskies are 2-1 lifetime in bowl games.

LA Tech beat Mississippi State to start the '08 season 23-14 at home. Northern Illinois lost a SEC match up at Tennessee 9-13 at Tennessee. Both teams are coming off losses to close out the '08 regular season. The Bulldogs lost 31-35 vs. Nevada, while the Huskies lost 0-16 vs. Navy.

While the game is Louisiana, the better team based on the Vegas spread and power ratings is Northern Illinois. NIU's first year coach is Jerry Kill, who moved over from Southern Illinois, where he was successful as head coach the past seven seasons, including FCS Coach of the Year in 2007. LA Tech's head coach is Derek Dooley, the son of former Georgia legendary head coach Vince Dooley. Dooley is in his second season at LA Tech, after coming over from the NFL.

While the spread and power ratings favor NIU, most are picking Louisiana Tech to win, so I guess my pick goes against the grain for most... upset win by NIU in the 2008 Independence Bowl is the call here by cidsports! Coach Kill brings some very good FCS experience to DeKalb and NIU.

Cidsports' prediction

Louisiana Tech 22

Northern Illinois 30

cidsports

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New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State (6-6) vs. Fresno State (7-5)

The 2ND bowl up for the 2008-09 bowl season is the 2008 New Mexico Bowl with the MWC squaring off with the WAC: Colorado State Rams (6-6, 5Th in the MWC) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (7-5, tied for 5Th in the WAC). Bragging rights between the top two non-BCS conferences will be on the line in this game on ESPN.

Both teams losses came from bowl eligible teams this season. Phil Steele projected Fresno State for the New Mexico Bowl in his 2008 preview, while Steele projected Colorado State dead last in the MWC.

Fresno State is a seasoned bowl team under coach Pat Hill, while Colorado State is playing in its first bowl, since the '05 Pinsettia Bowl, where Navy pounded the Rams 30-51. Fresno State beat Georgia Tech 40-28 in last year's Humanitarian Bowl. The Rams last bowl win was in '01 vs. North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl.

This bowl game will likely be high scoring or will it? Fresno State only scored 10 points in their final outing and 24 points in their final two wins. Colorado State has won two straight and scored 20 and 31 points in wins over New Mexico and at Wyoming, respectively. Look for the Rams first year coach Steve Fairchild to pick up his first bowl win for Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl today.

Cidsports prediction

Colorado State 28

Fresno State 20

http://twitter.com/cidsports

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The Good, Bad and Ugly after Week 4: Top 25?

It's still early in 2008 College Football season, but we are seeing some strengths and weaknesses starting to unfold, after four weeks of football. The Big Ten Conference will begin conference play in Week 5 and clearly from a national prospective... the torch barrier has fallen, bringing much of the conference with it. Four teams enter conference play undefeated, so it should be an interesting race in 2008.

USC is #1 nationally, but what about the strength of the Pac 10 overall? Can the Trojans remain focused week in and week out to run the table in '08 in the regular season?

The SEC is doing very well, when you look at Vanderbilt at 4-0 and 2-0 in the SEC and the top of the ticket this fall, taking care of business thus far with teams, like Georgia, Florida, LSU and Alabama.

How far can the Big 12 go in 2008? Will Oklahoma remain on top as the season unfolds and we finish out the season with the Big 12 Championship game? Missouri won it's first Big 12 North title ever in '07. Can anyone stop them from going higher in '08?

The Big East and the ACC... some want to dump the Big Ten into the fray, but clearly the Big East and ACC are falling short at the top of the ticket. Ohio State has one loss against #1 and two other prospects clearly appear capable of carrying the Big Ten's top banner at a higher level than anyone in either the Big East or ACC.

Pitt beat Iowa 21-20 at home. But, South Florida (4-0) played a tighter than expected game against FIU (0-3). USF beat Kansas (3-1) earlier, but how strong are they has they move into Big East play? Are we going to see another season, like 2004, with the Big East Conference in '08? In 2004, Pitt pulled off an important win at home in OT vs. Maryland. This year, Pitt (2-1) beat Iowa (3-1) in a game that could or should have gone either way.

The ACC doesn't have a clear cut Top 10 type team. Wake Forest at 3-0, 1-0 in the ACC doesn't seem to excite the country as a leader, as other names in the past. Can Virginia Tech (3-1, 2-0 ACC) gain back some much needed energy for the ACC in Week 5? The Hokies travel to Nebraska (3-0) for an interesting ACC-Big 12 contest. The Cornhuskers will be facing their first BCS conference opponent for the year. Of course, the Cornhuskers enter with two weeks of preparation, while is coming off a big road win in the ACC.

Notre Dame (1-2) will host their final Big Ten opponent of the year, with Purdue (2-1) heading to South Bend for Week 5. It will be coach Joe Tiller's final showdown, in his final season at Purdue. The Irish have an opportunity to start a winning streak on their schedule.

What about the non-BCS teams and conferences, thus far, after four weeks of play.

East Carolina (C-USA) found a early struggling North Carolina State (2-2, 0-1 ACC) as too much for the Pirates in Week 4 on the road. NC State beat ECU 30-24 to end the Pirates' quest for a Cinderella season. But, ECU (3-1, 1-0 CUSA) is off to a very solid start and will return to conference play in Week 5. Tulsa (3-0, 1-0 CUSA) picked up a win over New Mexico (MWC) in the OOC, while Marshall (3-1, 2-0 CUSA) is off to a good conference start by picking up another win in Week 4.

The MWC is off to a very good start lead by four conference teams: BYU (4-0, 1-0 MWC), Utah (4-0, 2-0 MWC), TCU (4-0, 1-0 MWC) and UNLV (3-1, 0-1 MWC). UNLV beat Iowa State (2-2) in OT at home, 34-31.

The WAC carried the non-BCS banner into the BCS bowls the past couple of years (Hawaii in '07 and Boise in '06). The WAC may not be out of it in '08, after a huge win by Boise State (3-0) over Oregon (3-1, 1-0 Pac 10) in Week 4 on the road. Fresno State (2-1) won an important road game again at Toledo in Week 4. Fresno's only loss was to Wisconsin (3-0) in Week 3, at home.

The Sun Belt and MAC don't appear primed for a strong non-BCS conference run vs. BCS opponents. Florida Atlantic (1-3) was a popular choice by many in the Sun Belt. But, FAU has showed very little in road games at Texas (3-0), Michigan State (3-1) and Minnesota (4-0).

Troy (2-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) and Arkansas State (3-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) are playing well in 2008 and clearly look capable of giving FAU a run for the Sun Belt Conference. I still like Troy taking the Sun Belt in '08.

But in the MAC, one team is clearly playing strong football. Ball State (4-0, 1-0 MAC) is playing well and did pick up a win over a BCS opponent for the MAC in Week 4. Ball State beat Indiana (3-1) 42-20. My favorite pick for the MAC is Western Michigan (3-1, 1-0 MAC). Central Michigan (2-2, 1-0 MAC), the favorite by many in the MAC, lost their third game to Purdue (2-1), since the third game of last year.

Week 5 will be the final weekend of September 2008. With conference play beginning for many, we should see some shake up continue throughout the Top 25 and beyond.

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Will the WAC continue to carry the banner for the Non-BCS world?

The Western Athletic Conference has carried the non-BCS banner the past two seasons. Will 2008 continue to be the case for the non-BCS conferences? Will the baton be passed to another non-BCS conference in '08, like the MWC, or dropped all together, like in 2005?

Who steps up in the WAC in 2008, within the conference and nationally, if at all?

Last year, Hawaii carried the torch for the WAC. Two years ago, it was Boise State carrying the banner. Who will carry the banner in '08. Will the Western Athletic Conference continue to be the top non-BCS conference in '08?

Two teams from the WAC were listed among three Top 25 ratings among this year's preseason previews. Boise State and Fresno State will try to carry the torch in '08 for the WAC.

The Top 15 OOC games for WAC in '08:

1. Wisconsin at Fresno State
2. Boise State at Oregon
3. Fresno State at Rutgers in the season's opener
4. Texas Tech at Nevada
5. Washington State at Hawaii
6. Fresno State at UCLA
7. Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech in the season's opener
8. Hawaii at Oregon State
9. San Jose State at Stanford
10. Idaho at Arizona in the season's opener
11. Nevada at Missouri
12. New Mexico State at Nebraska
13. Hawaii at Florida in the season's opener
14. San Jose State at Nebraska
15. Louisiana Tech at Kansas

The popular match ups with Pac Ten or Big Twelve opponents for the WAC in '08

So, who will lead the race for the WAC title in '08?

1. Fresno State Bulldogs (6-2 in '07) open their 12th season under one of the more interesting WAC coaches, Pat Hill... with two big opening games for the WAC nationally.
2. Boise State Broncos (7-1 in '07) will open their 3rd season under coach Chris Petersen and will look to make it three in a row vs. Pat Hill's Bulldogs in '08.
3. Nevada Wolf Pack (4-4 in '07) are lead by the dean of the WAC coaches, with coach Chris Ault, who will look to get back on top of the WAC, after two years out of the top spot.
4. Hawaii Rainbows (8-0 in '07) went undefeated in the regular season last year in route to a BCS bowl... losing to Georgia, 10-41 in the Sugar, and losing head coach June Jones to SMU , who is being replaced by former DC Greg McMackin.
5. San Jose State Spartans (4-4 in '07) will enter their fourth year under coach Dick Tomey and will work to get back to another bowl, after falling off in '07, after a strong '06 and bowl bid.
6. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (4-4 in '07) enter their 2nd year under coach Derek Dooley... a program that hasn't bowled, since '01... and clearly represents the eastern front of the WAC.
7. New Mexico State Aggies (1-7 in '07) will begin year four under Hal Mumme and will likely continue the longest bowl draught among WAC teams that goes back to 1960.
8. Idaho Vandals (0-8 in '07) enter their 2nd year under Robb Akey and the 10 year mark since their last and only bowl bid.
9. Utah State Aggies (2-6 in '07) will enter their fourth year under Brent Guy... the Aggies haven't bowled since 1997.

• Biggest Game and Rivalry in the WAC: Nov. 28 - Fresno State at Boise State (Friday game)
• Next Biggest Game: Oct. 4 - Hawaii at Fresno State
• Coach of the Year: Dick Tomey, San Jose State

It should be another Wacky year in the WAC in '08. Fresno State hasn't won a share of the WAC title, since 1999. Time is running out in this decade.

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