Every year during the short span when BYU's football and basketball seasons overlap, we are treated to one weekend when both squads play big games.
In 2007, it was BYU's fourth-and-18 win over Utah in the gridiron, coinciding with the BYU hoopsters upsetting No. 6 Louisville and taking No. 1 North Carolina to the wire during a hardwood tourney in Las Vegas.
The 2008 offering comes Saturday as the 16th-ranked BYU football team plays Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl and the unbeaten basketball Cougars face No. 18 Arizona State at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
If Lee Cummand and company can beat the Sun Devils, the Cougars will vault into the Top 25 with an 11-0 mark and likely be ranked in the Top 20 when they host No. 10 Wake Forest on Jan. 3. That'll be a fun one.
BYU's football team looks to end on a positive note and earn a third straight 11-win season against an Arizona team that runs similar offensive and defensive schemes to the Cougars.
The B-ball tips at 2:30 p.m. on FSN. The gridders take the field at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
It's a feast worthy of the holiday season. And if the Cougars go 2-0 on the day, we'll all be wearing by smiles when we show up to church Sunday.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Is BYU still alive for a BCS bid?
Question 1: Is BYU still alive for a BCS bowl berth after an embarrassing 32-7 loss at TCU?
Answer: Yes.
Question 2: Do the Cougars deserve that?
Answer: No.
Simply put, BYU did not look remotely like a BCS caliber team in last Thursday's loss in Fort Worth.
The Cougars are No. 21 in the first BCS standings of the season. Five other non-BCS conference teams are ranked above the Cougars, including Utah (No. 11), Boise State (12), TCU (14), Tulsa (19) and Ball State (20).
Here's what needs to happen for the Cougars to get into the BCS Top 12 by the end of November and pass the handful of teams above in the BCS-buster mix.
1. BYU must win out and win convincingly.
2. Utah must beat TCU and lose to BYU. A loss by the Utes against New Mexico is also possible, but may not actually help the Cougars' cause. Beating an 11-0, Top 10 Utah team would look a lot better for the Y on Nov. 22.
3. Boise State must lose. The Broncos have an extremeley soft schedule, so this isn't likely. The best bets to give BSU a game are San Jose State this week, Nevada on Nov. 22 and Fresno State on Nov. 28. Too bad the Bulldogs have gone down the toilet since the loss to Wisconsin.
4. Ball State and Tulsa must lose. Ball State faces nothing but MAC fodder. Miami (Ohio) and Central Michigan will need to play outstanding games to have a shot. As for Tulsa, an Oct. 26 home game against Central Florida and a Nov. 1 road trip to Arkansas are the "toughest" obstacles against a junior-high caliber schedule. A trip to Houston on Nov. 15 could be a mild test.
In short, the odds are long for BYU to get back in the mix. If the Cougars win out, they will be ranked in the Top 12. But passing the teams above them, especially if those teams keep winning, isn't likely.
Looks like another December trip to Vegas or maybe a return to Fort Worth (ughh).
Answer: Yes.
Question 2: Do the Cougars deserve that?
Answer: No.
Simply put, BYU did not look remotely like a BCS caliber team in last Thursday's loss in Fort Worth.
The Cougars are No. 21 in the first BCS standings of the season. Five other non-BCS conference teams are ranked above the Cougars, including Utah (No. 11), Boise State (12), TCU (14), Tulsa (19) and Ball State (20).
Here's what needs to happen for the Cougars to get into the BCS Top 12 by the end of November and pass the handful of teams above in the BCS-buster mix.
1. BYU must win out and win convincingly.
2. Utah must beat TCU and lose to BYU. A loss by the Utes against New Mexico is also possible, but may not actually help the Cougars' cause. Beating an 11-0, Top 10 Utah team would look a lot better for the Y on Nov. 22.
3. Boise State must lose. The Broncos have an extremeley soft schedule, so this isn't likely. The best bets to give BSU a game are San Jose State this week, Nevada on Nov. 22 and Fresno State on Nov. 28. Too bad the Bulldogs have gone down the toilet since the loss to Wisconsin.
4. Ball State and Tulsa must lose. Ball State faces nothing but MAC fodder. Miami (Ohio) and Central Michigan will need to play outstanding games to have a shot. As for Tulsa, an Oct. 26 home game against Central Florida and a Nov. 1 road trip to Arkansas are the "toughest" obstacles against a junior-high caliber schedule. A trip to Houston on Nov. 15 could be a mild test.
In short, the odds are long for BYU to get back in the mix. If the Cougars win out, they will be ranked in the Top 12. But passing the teams above them, especially if those teams keep winning, isn't likely.
Looks like another December trip to Vegas or maybe a return to Fort Worth (ughh).
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Where does the UCLA game rank?
What a difference a week makes. After a 28-27 win at Washington, BYU got nothing but bad publicity after blocking a late extra point to beat the Huskies. Now? Well, a 59-0 thrashing of UCLA does wonders for one's resume.
Just how good was the UCLA win? Well, it's not only drawing big talk from ESPN and other national outlets, but fans are still buzzing days later.
This win has to rank up there with the most enjoyable, most impressive victories in BYU history. Yes, UCLA may prove to be terrible and could certainly finishing below .500. But for now, this win is tasting mighty sweet.
In my lifetime, only a handful of other BYU wins compare to Saturday's show of dominance. The 1990 win over No. 1 Miami is right up there. The 1997 Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State was sweet, as were the last two years against the Utes. The dramatic opening win over Texas A&M in 1996 stuck with me, as did BYU's 2001 miracle at Rice-Eccles.
All were great for different reasons. Some for the magnitude of the win, others for the late dramatics. As for UCLA, the overwhelming nature of the victory made this one a sight to behold.
In more than 20 years of watching BYU, I've never seen a first half to match this one.
Hopefully, that won't be true in a few weeks.
Dominating wins over Wyoming, Utah State and New Mexico are up next. Then we get a treat when the Cougars visit TCU on Thursday, Oct. 16. Maybe that contest will make my "most memorable" list.
Only time will tell. But until Saturday, it's time to soak up BYU's leaving the Bruins in ruins as Jeff Call put it in Deseret News.
Good times. Good times.
Just how good was the UCLA win? Well, it's not only drawing big talk from ESPN and other national outlets, but fans are still buzzing days later.
This win has to rank up there with the most enjoyable, most impressive victories in BYU history. Yes, UCLA may prove to be terrible and could certainly finishing below .500. But for now, this win is tasting mighty sweet.
In my lifetime, only a handful of other BYU wins compare to Saturday's show of dominance. The 1990 win over No. 1 Miami is right up there. The 1997 Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State was sweet, as were the last two years against the Utes. The dramatic opening win over Texas A&M in 1996 stuck with me, as did BYU's 2001 miracle at Rice-Eccles.
All were great for different reasons. Some for the magnitude of the win, others for the late dramatics. As for UCLA, the overwhelming nature of the victory made this one a sight to behold.
In more than 20 years of watching BYU, I've never seen a first half to match this one.
Hopefully, that won't be true in a few weeks.
Dominating wins over Wyoming, Utah State and New Mexico are up next. Then we get a treat when the Cougars visit TCU on Thursday, Oct. 16. Maybe that contest will make my "most memorable" list.
Only time will tell. But until Saturday, it's time to soak up BYU's leaving the Bruins in ruins as Jeff Call put it in Deseret News.
Good times. Good times.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Hard to top this day for BYU, MWC
Simply put, it was the greatest -- and most enjoyable -- half of football I've ever seen. Offense, defense, special teams: Everything went virtually perfect for BYU in a 59-0 rout of UCLA.
And the Cougars weren't the only Mountain West team to come away victorious against a Pac-10 foe on Saturday.
Incredibly, the MWC went 4-0 in its matchup with the Pac-10, including UNLV rallying from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a 23-20 overtime win over No. 13 Arizona State.
TCU shredded Stanford 31-14 and should crack the Top 25 before the month is up. Even New Mexico, which has looked terrible this season, managed to beat a solid Arizona team 36-28.
Four-and-oh against the Pac-10 is sweet. Of course, nothing tops 59-0. From the three UCLA fumbles in the second quarter to the blocked field goal to Max Hall's record-tying seven touchdown passes, it was a day that left Cougar fans with hoarse voices and wide smiles.
Next true test: TCU in October. By then, BYU should be 6-0 with a Top 10 ranking.
Should be fun.
And the Cougars weren't the only Mountain West team to come away victorious against a Pac-10 foe on Saturday.
Incredibly, the MWC went 4-0 in its matchup with the Pac-10, including UNLV rallying from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a 23-20 overtime win over No. 13 Arizona State.
TCU shredded Stanford 31-14 and should crack the Top 25 before the month is up. Even New Mexico, which has looked terrible this season, managed to beat a solid Arizona team 36-28.
Four-and-oh against the Pac-10 is sweet. Of course, nothing tops 59-0. From the three UCLA fumbles in the second quarter to the blocked field goal to Max Hall's record-tying seven touchdown passes, it was a day that left Cougar fans with hoarse voices and wide smiles.
Next true test: TCU in October. By then, BYU should be 6-0 with a Top 10 ranking.
Should be fun.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Scoring on the Bruins
While "Lockergate" continues to eat up local and national headlines, BYU's game against UCLA is just four days away.
What looked like a probable Cougar win during fall camp and the first half of the Bruins' opener against Tennessee, has become possibly the toughest test BYU will face in 2008.
The biggest challenge Saturday? Scoring points. BYU's offense is averaging nearly 35 points per game thus far, but don't expect the Cougars to reach that tally this week.
Far too many fan predictions have BYU reaching the 30s. Don't count on it.
Scoring more than three 3 TDs against a tough UCLA defense that is very familiar with our offense will be a tall order. With athletic corners, the Bruins can man up BYU's receivers and stack the box to take away the running game.
That means there will be more pressure on BYU's defense to make the stops it struggled to make against Washington. Fortunately, Kevin Craft is no Jake Locker and UCLA's more conventional approach (i.e, less QB creativity) will be easier to stop.
I see this game in the 20s, with one the loser probably not escaping the teens on the scoreboard.
UCLA has the better defense. BYU has the better offense. UCLA has outstanding coaching. BYU has an outstanding system in place. Both have special teams standouts.
The factor that slides the edge to BYU is the fact the game is at LaVell Edwards Stadium. But this'll be another heart-stopper.
Prediction: BYU 23, UCLA 17
What looked like a probable Cougar win during fall camp and the first half of the Bruins' opener against Tennessee, has become possibly the toughest test BYU will face in 2008.
The biggest challenge Saturday? Scoring points. BYU's offense is averaging nearly 35 points per game thus far, but don't expect the Cougars to reach that tally this week.
Far too many fan predictions have BYU reaching the 30s. Don't count on it.
Scoring more than three 3 TDs against a tough UCLA defense that is very familiar with our offense will be a tall order. With athletic corners, the Bruins can man up BYU's receivers and stack the box to take away the running game.
That means there will be more pressure on BYU's defense to make the stops it struggled to make against Washington. Fortunately, Kevin Craft is no Jake Locker and UCLA's more conventional approach (i.e, less QB creativity) will be easier to stop.
I see this game in the 20s, with one the loser probably not escaping the teens on the scoreboard.
UCLA has the better defense. BYU has the better offense. UCLA has outstanding coaching. BYU has an outstanding system in place. Both have special teams standouts.
The factor that slides the edge to BYU is the fact the game is at LaVell Edwards Stadium. But this'll be another heart-stopper.
Prediction: BYU 23, UCLA 17
Saturday, September 6, 2008
We just witnessed the value of home-field advantage
Closer than it should have been. That's the best way to sum up BYU's 28-27 at Washington on Saturday. Yards, first downs, time of possession. All were dominated by the Cougars for much of the game. Still, it came down to the final play.
Why? Two reasons: Turnovers and Pac-1o officials. BYU's interception before the half cost the Cougars a likely 21-14 lead at intermission. And Harvey Unga's fumble at the goal line would have put BYU in control and on its way to a probable double-digit win.
The Pac-10 officials missed one holding call after another, missed an intentional grounding on the Huskies' final drive and the review officials missed overturning a bobbled catch on the sideline that kept the final drive alive. On and on.
The funniest part of the day? FSN announcers Barry Tompkins and Petros Papadakis going nuts about how the officials cost UW the win. My wife actually laughed out loud at that. The officials played a key role in giving UW a chance to tie that game. In fact, if they call the final drive right, UW never gets to the 3-yard line to set up Jake Locker's TD.
Crazy day, indeed. But the fact BYU overcame its road woes while losing the turnover battle and getting the raw end of a few game and officiating breaks, is something significant.
Two-and-oh. UCLA's next. While the narrow nature of the win won't aid BYU's cause in the polls, a convincing win next week puts the Y right where it needs to be.
Why? Two reasons: Turnovers and Pac-1o officials. BYU's interception before the half cost the Cougars a likely 21-14 lead at intermission. And Harvey Unga's fumble at the goal line would have put BYU in control and on its way to a probable double-digit win.
The Pac-10 officials missed one holding call after another, missed an intentional grounding on the Huskies' final drive and the review officials missed overturning a bobbled catch on the sideline that kept the final drive alive. On and on.
The funniest part of the day? FSN announcers Barry Tompkins and Petros Papadakis going nuts about how the officials cost UW the win. My wife actually laughed out loud at that. The officials played a key role in giving UW a chance to tie that game. In fact, if they call the final drive right, UW never gets to the 3-yard line to set up Jake Locker's TD.
Crazy day, indeed. But the fact BYU overcame its road woes while losing the turnover battle and getting the raw end of a few game and officiating breaks, is something significant.
Two-and-oh. UCLA's next. While the narrow nature of the win won't aid BYU's cause in the polls, a convincing win next week puts the Y right where it needs to be.
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