BYU (3-2) vs. San Jose State (2-3)
Saturday, October 8th, 2011 / 8:15 MST (ESPN-U)
LaVell Edwards Stadium

Riley Nelson - QB BYU

When BYU planned their move to Independence in football last summer the strategy was to align themselves with the WAC in all other sports. In a last minute twist that plan was nixed when Fresno State and Nevada accepted invitations to leave the WAC and join the MWC. To help fill in football schedules, the Cougars and the WAC agreed to help each other the next few years. Four of BYU’s last seven games will pit them against a WAC school, the first being San Jose State. The San Jose State Spartans racked up one win last year under first-year coach Mike MacIntyre. That one win was against FCS school Southern Utah. There weren’t a lot of positives last year, but the Spartans are capable and confident they can turn things around this season. While the offense has been a little shaky this year, the Spartans are hoping to lean on the leadership of their ten returning starters on defense.  The Spartans have already surpassed their win total from last year so it’s all up from here for them. The Spartans will cap off BYU’s longest home-game stand since 1991 of four. With BYU going independent and the WAC losing teams and looking for opponents, this may be the beginning of something good for both schools.  

BYU Keys to Victory

#1 Get the Starters on the Bench

BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall is no stranger to sitting his starters if he feels comfortably ahead. With exception to the game against Utah, the problem has been that every game has gone down to the wire. BYU has won their three games by a total of 13 points. Last week Mendenhall benched starting QB Jake Heaps in favor of Riley Nelson. Something clicked and I believe Mendenhall will stick with Nelson this week.  When it rains it pours offense at LaVell Edwards Stadium and BYU is hoping to get their explosive offense back on track this game.

#2 Stay Focused

The fake punt, the onside kick, the going for it on 4th and 10, all things will be in the Spartans’ playbook. It’s not a matter of if the Spartans are going to take a chance with a gadget or trick play, it’s when. When Bronco Mendenhall assumed the defensive coordinator position five games into last season there was an instant change that was very visible. The Cougars were not caught off guard much and they were definitely better prepared each game with more focus and energy.  BYU’s defense has given up a lot of big plays this year but they have defended the gadget plays well. Last week against Utah State the Cougars stopped the Aggies on a fake punt late in the game.

#3 Win Field Position

Spartan punter Harrison Wade averaged 43.8 yards per punt last year and is doing about the same this year.  Unfortunately when you’re punting like that it usually means you are punting  a lot from your own territory. BYU needs to keep the Spartans backed up and not give them a short field to work with. If the Spartans hope to upset the Cougars they are going to have to do it by forcing turnovers and starting in Cougar territory. The Spartans’ strength lies with their defense. Although they suffered several devastating injuries last year, the defense still remained the glue that kept the team together. BYU has had troubles holding onto the ball, they have lost six fumbles in the last three games.

#4 Keep the Spartans Guessing

San Jose State senior Matt Faulkner got his first start this year against Stanford. He hasn’t done anything to hurt the Spartans. He will be coming off his best game of the year, throwing for 313 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Colorado State. BYU uses several blitz schemes with their 3-4-4 defense and all of their linebackers are capable of getting into the backfield quickly. If the Spartans do not get their offense going early with some good runs up the middle and quick passes to the sidelines then it will be a long day. San Jose State has given up only 1.6 sacks a game. While BYU has been successful pressuring quarterbacks, they have not been able to get to them. Their first sack of the year was during their fourth game against UCF.

Final Score

BYU 31 – San Jose State 17

Interest Level

3 (5-1 scale; 5 – can’t miss, 1 – organize your sock drawer)

BYU fans are emotional wrecks right now. They have a QB controversy and many are a bit miffed the Big XII invited TCU and not the Cougars. Even though we’re five games into the season, nobody really knows who this BYU team is. Their defense has been great at times and their offense has been miserable. 8 offensive touchdowns in 5 games is not going to get it done in Provo.

Marcus Matthews - BYU TE

Another game into the season and we know even less about BYU. BYU’s offense was once again stagnant and it took starting QB Jake Heaps getting benched to give it a kick-start. What we have now in Provo is a quarterback controversy five games into the season. Riley Nelson came in and lead the Cougars to victory but Heaps is still the QB with the most upside. The winning touchdown pass was only made possible because Nelson threw the ball well behind JJ DiLuigi. Without that bad pass there would have been no deflection and no winning touchdown catch by BYU tight end Marcus Matthews.  Here’s how the Cougars graded on our keys to victory:

#1 Stop Aggie RB Robert Turbin- C+

Robert Turbin took the first carry of the game 80 yards for a touchdown and only had eight more carries the rest of the game. Turbin ended the game with 123 yards rushing on nine carries with one rushing and one receiving touchdown. This game might have ended a little differently had the Aggies leaned on Turbin late in the game instead of freshman QB Chuckie Keeton’s arm. The Cougars gave up some big plays to Turbin but stopped him late in the game when they needed to.

#2 Avoid Allowing Big Plays- D

BYU allowed several long runs and struggled to contain Chuckie Keeton on 3^rd down. After the opening score the Aggies next two scores both game on long 3^rd downs. The first was right before halftime; Keeton avoided multiple tackles in the backfield and threw a 13 yard touchdown pass. The next was in the third quarter when Keeton hit Turbin for a 24-yard touchdown pass. Late in the game down by 4, BYU gave up a 52-yard run but dodged a bullet when Utah State went for a fake field goal and failed to convert. The Cougar defense is suffocating at times but had been extremely prone to giving up big plays this season.

#3 Run, Run, Run- A

 BYU’s rushing attack has continued to improve every game this year. The running backs have been consistent, the difference has been the blocking up front. There have been a lot of holes the last two weeks that weren’t there to start the season. Backup QB Riley Nelson had 68 of BYU’s 208 rushing yards. The Cougars ran the ball 46 times and passed it 39 times, extremely unorthodox for a BYU team but it was effective. All the ball carriers did a tremendous job getting positive yards and setting up short second downs.

#4 No Mental Mistakes- C

The Cougars had several mental mistakes, none of which really affected them because they did end up winning the game. Late in the game JJ DiLuigi fumbled the ball and gave Utah State an opportunity to run out the clock but BYU’s defense forced a punt. The punt was a line drive and instead of fielding it at the 28, BYU punt returner JD Falslev opted to let it roll all the way to the 4-yard line. BYU heads into this week with a QB controversy on their hands. Riley Nelson was spectacular, but Jake Heaps wasn’t bad. What Nelson did that Heaps did not was score touchdowns. Heaps had several drives killed by passes that were either overthrown or dropped. Heading into the half BYU settled for a field goal because Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo both dropped TD passes. BYU will need to clean up the mental mistakes and rally around whoever is named the starter for this week against San Jose State.

Cody Hoffman - BYU WR

Despite a lack-lustered and unispired effort by the offense for much of the game, BYU’s defense and special teams stepped up. Heading into playing Utah State, BYU could be 0-4 without the efforts of Kyle Van Noy. Van Noy had the sack-fumble and recovery for a touchdown against Ole’ Miss and tipped a ball to cause an interception in the waning moments of this game. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall says the offense is improving, but not quite there. Please, somebody poke Bronco and whisper ” we’re four games into the season and the offense is still in training camp mode.” BYU had a lot of firsts in their game against UCF. THey registered their forst sacks of the season, their first rushing touchdowns of the season, and Cody Hoffman’s kickoff return for a touchdown was BYU’s first in 13 years. Here’s how the Cougars graded against our keys to victory.

#1 Run, Run, Run- B+

The Knights came into this game giving up only 75 rushing yards a game and BYU came in averaging on;y 47 yards on the ground per game.  BYU came out early and was dead set on getting their run game going. In their first drive of the game, JJ DiLuigi and Josh Quezada had 2 rushes for 18 and 10 yards. After the first drive the running game cooled down until the 4^th quarter. After the Knights muffed a punt return the Cougars took over at UCF’s 23 yards line. Bryan Kariya then ran the ball three consecutive times to score what would be the game-winning touchdown. BYU ended up with 127 yards on the ground and scored their first two rushing touchdowns of the year.  Also worth noting was the return of fullback Zed Mendenhall, he is BYU’s premier blocking back and opened a lot of holes for the running backs.

#2 Prevent the Big Plays- D

BYU got their hand caught in the cookie jar more than once this game trying to keep taps on Knights QB Jeff Godfrey. UCF wide receivers A.J. Guyton and Qunicy McDuffie nearly doubled the receiving totals for the entire BYU team. The two combined had 14 catches for 213 yards. The Knights reeled off pass plays of 33, 54, and 58 yards that put the Cougar defense on the ropes.  The Knights did not do a good job capitalizing on their big plays, walking away from three drives with no points because of a missed field goal, fumble, and interception late in the game.

#3 Keep Scoring- C

BYU’s running game made a lot of improvements, their passing game however struggled once again. BYU QB Jake Heaps had difficulty placing the ball in the right spots, especially to WR McKay Jacobsen. BYU did not converge on two first downs and a touchdown because Heaps either under or overthrew Jacobsen. Heaps finished the game with only 133 yards passing and only led the Cougars on one scoring drive that did not start in UCF territory. Without Cody Hoffman’s 93 yard kickoff return and Michael Alisa recovering a muffed punt, BYU would not have won this game. Heaps’ go-to-guy Ross Apo did go down in the first quarter with a mild concussion. Apo has caught all 3 of BYU’s passing touchdowns and that no doubt affected BYU’s ability to challenge UCF’s secondary.

#4 Contain Jeff Godfrey- A-

Despite giving up seven pass plays over 16 yards, the Cougars did an excellent job containing Jeff Godfrey. Sure he passed for 270 yards but Godfrey is a QB that does a lot more damage on the ground. BYU was able to sack Godfrey four times and hold him to a net 7 yards rushing on 11 attempts. With a little over three minutes left in the game, Godfrey was scrambling to his right looking for the game-tying touchdown. In hot pursuit, BYU LB Kyle Van Noy was able to deflect Godfrey’s pass and BYU DB Joe Sampson intercepted it. Godfrey’s 270 yards passing was the second highest single game passing total of his career, but his passing was ultimately UCF’s undoing.

Final Score

BYU 24 - Central Florida 17 – What can I say? I should have put money down on the game…

BYU (1-2) vs. Central Florida (2-1)
Friday, September 23th, 2011 | 8:00 PM EST (TV: ESPN)
LaVell Edwards Stadium

Kyle Van Noy - LB BYU

It’s not often that teams from the state of Florida come visit the Cougars in Provo, Utah. Central Florida will be only the third one ever, which will be the furthest west the Knights have ever traveled to play a football game (they did play in the ’05 Hawaii Bowl, but that’s more “paradise” than it is “west”). The Knights are coming off of their most successful season in school history – winning their second conference championship, their first bowl game, and finished in the Top 25 for the first time ever. Speaking of firsts, this rare Friday game will be the first of two meetings between BYU and Central Florida; the second will take place in 2014 when the Cougars will visit the Knights in Orlando. While many like to point out the altitude as a factor in this game, it should be a non-issue. The only way location becomes a factor is if a wintry snowstorm rolls into Provo in late September.

Both BYU and Central Florida are coming off losses to in-state rivals. While the Knights lost to Florida International by a touchdown, BYU was destroyed by Utah 54-10. Not only did the Cougars set a BYU record with 7 turnovers, they also had their worst home loss since 2003. BYU is still trying to find their groove offensively under first year coordinator Brandon Doman. If they don’t put up at least 20-30 points there may be a riot in Provo. Thru three games the Cougars have only scored three offensive touchdowns and 40 total points. The Knights have not struggled too much offensively, but they will be attempting to throw their first touchdown pass of the season.

BYU Keys to Victory

#1 Run, Run, Run

The Cougars need to come out and be aggressive against UCF’s defensive line. BYU does a great job protecting QB Jake Heaps, but their run blocking has left much to be desired. The Cougars have a mere 145 TOTAL rushing yards this year and has been the Achilles heel of the offense. With such a ineffective rushing attack, defenses have been able to sit on passing routes and really get after Heaps. JJ DiLuigi and Josh Quezada need to hit the holes quickly and establish the run to set up the pass. UCF has the 13th ranked rush defense so far allowing 75 yards per game. BYU would be happy campers to get 75 yards, but they need to get much more.

#2 Prevent the Big Plays

The Knights can be very explosive on offense and special teams. Luckily for the Cougars, kicker Justin Sorenson returns; the Knight’s All-American return specialist Qunicy McDuffie may not get many chances to return a kick-off. In recent years, BYU has played with a “bend, but don’t break” style of defense, which has sometimes come back to bite them. In their blow-out loss last week the Cougars gave up several big plays to Utah including touchdown passes of 30and 59 yards to go with rushing touchdowns of 62 and 35 yards.

#3 Keep Scoring

In ’10, Central Florida outscored its opponents 131-30 in the first quarter, and every subsequent quarter for that matter. BYU had a similar trend, outscoring opponents 121-47 in the first, but then their scoring decreased to 89, 75, and 55 in quarters two through four, respectively. Central Florida is not going to lay off the gas and BYU needs to do the same. BYU has been able to move the ball but not put the ball in the end zone. Three touchdowns thru the first three games for a BYU offense is embarrassing.

#4 Contain Jeff Godfrey

The Cougars struggled with scrambling quarterbacks last year. In the first four games of 2010, the Cougars faced scramblers Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, and Colin Kaepernick – all selected in the first 36 picks in the NFL Draft this year. Last year the Knight’s sophomore quarterback Jeff Godfrey scrambled for more than 700 yards and 10 touchdowns. Godfrey is off to a good start this year with 200 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns already. BYU will be better prepared this year and have added USC transfer Uona Kaveinga to an already stellar core of linebackers. Jordan Pendelton may not be able to go this week but Kyle Van Noy is just as impressive. The Cougar defense has been solid during the first half of every game and then they fizzle out the longer they are on the field. The defense needs the offense to hold up their end of the bargain and have some long drives in the second half to give them a little rest.

Final Score

BYU 24 - Central Florida 17

Interest Level

3 (5-1 scale; 5 – can’t miss, 1 – watch re-runs of Simpsons, Seinfeld or Friends)

After last week’s dismal performance at home, LaVell Edwards Stadium probably won’t be at capacity. There is a great interest to see how BYU responds and Cougar fans are still anxious to see the offense come around.  Many fans will most likely be out to dinner and a movie an watching the game recorded.

Weber State (0-1) at Utah State (0-1)
Saturday, September 10^th, 2011, 6:00 PM MST
Romney Stadium

Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton

Here’s the Deal…
With Boise State leaving the WAC the race for the conference championship is wide open. Utah State has been down for several years but this year they believe they can make a real move. Head coach Gary Andersen, previously a defensive coordinator at Utah, has had a rocky first two years with the Aggies. Both years Andersen’s squads finished 4-8. The Aggies took defending National Champion Auburn down to the wire and nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year. The Aggies were up 38-28 with just over two minutes left in the game but squandered that lead and lost. Although the Aggies didn’t win, QB Chuckie Keeton walked away with great experience in his first start. Utah State should be confident they can hang with every team they play. The Aggies were also the top trending topic on Twitter early Saturday afternoon. That’s quite the accomplishment.

Utah State and Weber State are only a 45-minute drive from each other but haven’t played each other in 10 years. Weber State head coach Ron McBride is no stranger to the Aggies. Before he took over the reins at Weber State he coached at the University of Utah for 13 years and posted a 11-2 record against the Aggies. Weber State has had some of its best years in school history under McBride. Weber State opened its 2011 season with a close loss on the road just like Utah State. The Wildcats were on top of Wyoming 32-28 before they gave up a touchdown with less than a minute left in the game.  The Wildcats and Aggies both have bitter tastes in their mouths as they each look for their first win of the season.

Why Utah State Might Win:
Utah State has a lot of special playmakers on offense and special teams. RB Robert Turbin missed all of ’10 with a knee injury after rushing for nearly 1,300 yards and 23 touchdowns in ’09. Turbin racked up 70 yards and 2 touchdowns against Auburn last week and looks to be as good, if not better than before his injury. Alongside Turbin is Kerwynn Williams, a smaller and shiftier RB. Williams also returns kickoffs for the Aggies and lead the WAC last year averaging 27.2 yards per kickoff return.  Utah State also has WRs Matt Austin and Michael Smith that can pick up chunks of yardage at a time. Weber State is going to need to have a stellar game defensively to be able to slow down Utah State’s skill players. If Weber State decides to pick their poison and focus on one, the other is going to burn them. Utah State should be able to rack up another 400+ yard games offensively like they did last week and outscore the Wildcats.

Why Weber State Might Win:
Weber State isn’t shabby on offense either. In their loss last week to Wyoming the Wildcats had 540 yards offensively.  Just like Aggies QB Chuckie Keeton, Wildcats QB Mike Hoke also made his first collegiate start last week. Hoke had 314 yards in the air and 2 touchdowns. Hoke’s favorite target was freshman WR Xavian Johnson, making him a prime target for Utah State’s defense. Johnson finished with 7 catches for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Utah State can’t overlook RB Josh Booker either.  Booker shared carries last year with two other RBs and averaged 50 yards per game. This year Booker will take the bulk of the carries. In week one Booker rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown. Weber State will need Hoke, Johnson, and Booker to play like they did last week to have a chance to beat the Aggies.

What To Watch Out For:
Look no further than the defenses on both teams. Utah State and Weber State have both proven two things thus far. First, they rack up yards and score points; second they surrender a lot of yards and points.  Last year the Aggies gave up 33.8 points a game and the Wildcats gave up 31.1. Utah State ranked 100 or worst in the country in 3 of the 4 major statistical categories.  Utah State LB Bobby Wagner was the lone bright spot for the Aggies last year earning All-WAC honors. Wagner will need to spark the Aggies defense and keep them motivated. The team that forces the first three-and-out will control the game defensively and win.

What Will Happen:
Utah State has a lot to earn by coming out and dominating Weber State. They have the nation’s attention now and look as confident as they have in years. Freshman QB Chuckie Keeton will come out and put on another outstanding performance and prove he’s not just a one-hit wonder. Weber State is still going to score but Utah State will do a better job managing the game and getting stops on defense when they need to.

JIB Prediction: Utah State 34 – Weber State 17

Northern Arizona (0-0) at Arizona (0-0)
Saturday, September 3rd, 2011, 7:00 PM MST 
Arizona Stadium

Nick Foles - Arizona QB

Here’s the Deal…
Mike Stoops is entering his 8th year as the Arizona head coach. The Wildcats have made it to a bowl game in each of the last three years, but they ended last season on a five-game losing streak. If Coach Stoops cannot win some big games this year and have his team show a little more fight then he will be in the hot seat. Arizona will have a chance to avenge four of their losses from last year within their first five games this year. The Wildcats are stacked at the skill positions, but there is a big concern with the run blocking and quarterback protection. Former BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae was brought in to coach the offensive line, which only has one career start between them.

Northern Arizona returns 11 starters from last year, but not their quarterback. Head coach Jerome Souers has said he would like to have an equally balanced attack on offense with the pass and the run and is in no hurry to name a starting quarterback. The Lumberjacks have had no fewer than five losses every year since ’03 and would like to change that around this year.

Why Arizona Might Win:
Arizona QB Nick Foles is back for his senior year to lead a passing attack that finished last year ranked #9 in the nation. Foles threw for over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns despite missing two games. Foles’ two favorite targets were Juron Criner and David Douglas. Criner had 1,233 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving last year while Douglas racked up over 500 yards and 5 touchdowns. A new face that will also see the ball a lot is Texas transfer Dan Buckner. The Lumberjacks are going to have to have a solid plan to stop those three receivers or Foles is going to throw for well over 300 yards. Senior running back Keola Antolin and the highly touted freshman Ka’Deem Carey will also be in the backfield ready to bust thru any holes the line makes. The Wildcats firepower on offense alone should be enough for them to walk away with a win.

Why Northern Arizona Might Win:
The Wildcats have not tasted victory since October of last year. After five straight losses the Wildcats may have forgotten how to win. Northern Arizona has the opportunity to try and sneak in a win against the vulnerable Wildcats. Last year with a much more experienced offensive line the Wildcats ranked 88th nationally in sacks allowed and rushing yards. If the Lumberjacks are able to disrupt the Wildcats’ passing offense and force their hand to run the ball they have a good shot to pull off the upset. The Wildcats’ defense has some holes at defensive end and is really thin at linebacker, which may be an area of attack for Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks’ prescription for success is to stop the Wildcats passing attack and run the ball effectively themselves. 

What To Watch Out For:
Nick Foles has said that he has confidence in his offensive line, two of which are true-freshman. Sometimes experience is extremely over-rated, the Wildcats are hoping that’s the case. Watch for the run and pass blocking for Arizona. Arizona senior RB Keola Antolin rushed for 668 yards and 7 touchdowns last year as the backup. In Arizona’s five losses to close out last season, the only game they rushed for over 100 yards was their double overtime loss to Arizona State. If Antolin is able to go for over 100 yards that will open up the passing game and lift the heavy burden off the offensive line. For Northern Arizona, look no further than their sophomore running back Zach Bauman. As a freshman Bauman rushed for over 1,000 yards, which was the most by any freshman in the school’s history. Arizona is inexperienced on the edges of the line and Bauman may be able to swing to the sidelines and pick up some good gains.

What Will Happen:
The Wildcats have never lost to the Lumberjacks under Coach Stoops and they aren’t going to start now. The Lumberjacks’ three-headed rushing monster will be tough for the Wildcats to stop, but once they do they will have the game won. The Wildcats have too much skill on the offensive side of the ball to be stopped; even an inexperienced offensive line isn’t going to hamper them. The Wildcats will be tested the first three quarters before building a comfortable lead to finish the game off. The Lumberjacks haven’t defeated the Wildcats since 1932 and we’ll be saying that the next time they meet as well.

JIB Prediction: Arizona 34 – Northern Arizona 17

Montana State (0-0) at Utah (0-0)
Thursday, September 1st, 2011, 6:00 PM MST
Rice-Eccles Stadium

DeVonte Christopher - Utah WR

Here’s the Deal…
Only two schools had a victor’s parade after last year. Auburn had a parade to celebrate their BCS Title and Utah had a parade to celebrate joining the Pac-12. The Utes are excited and prepared to make their mark on the Pac-12. Since the BCS started in ’98, Utah has more BCS wins than 10 of it’s 11 fellow members of the Pac-12. Only USC(3) has more than Utah(2). One of the first moves Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham made was bringing in offensive guru and longtime Pac-10 offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Chow scrapped Utah’s spread offense and is implementing a new pro-style offense. 

Montana State isn’t the typical FCS team coming in to take their lickings and paycheck. The Bobcats are coming off their most successful season in program history with nine wins and they come into this season ranked in the FCS preseason top five by many polls. The Bobcats bring a high-scoring offense into Salt Lake City that averaged 37.4 points per game last season.

Why Utah Might Win:
The Utes defensive front are game changers. They do not return a single starter, but all the starters this year come with experience. They all contributed to the 11th ranked rush defense in the country last year, only giving up 112 yards per game. The Utes’ front seven being able to take away the run and make the Bobcats one-dimensional will be the key to winning this season opener. Norm Chow’s offense last year at UCLA finished 116 out of 120 in passing yards, but he didn’t have near the talent as he does with the Utes. Utah’s offense will be running a new system, but will still have many of it’s old functioning parts like QB Jordan Wynn and WR DeVonte Christopher that were able to score in bunches last year. The backfield is still unsettled, but John White seems to be the one separating himself in fall camp as the starter. As soon as the offense finds their footing, they should be able to break some big plays and put this game away before halftime.

Why Montana State Might Win:
The Utes are not a quick striking offense, their first quarter scoring was well below the other three. If Montana State is able to go down and score first then they might have a chance to keep the Utes down and pull off a major upset. The last time the Bobcats defeated a BCS opponent was ’06 when they defeated Colorado. The Utes one weak spot on defense is their secondary. If the Bobcats can buy some time for QB Denarius McGhee to spread the ball around then the  pass rush will subside and the Utes will be on their heels. McGhee threw for 3,163 yards and 23 touchdowns to 9 different players. He knows how to spread the ball around. In the Utes’ three losses last year they had 9 turnovers and averaged less than 80 yards of rushing. If the Bobcats can force some turnovers and frustrate the Utes’ inexperienced running backs then they will have a good chance to knock off a BCS school for the 2nd time in the past 5 years. 

What To Watch Out For:
Watch the Utes backfield for John White, Harvey Langi, and Thretton Palamo.  White is a junior college transfer, Langi is the highly touted freshman local product, and Palamo is a walk-on rugby player that has a lot of people talking.The Utah coaches seem to be leaning toward White as their man, but that may change once they see all three backs in real game situations. The Utes don’t have the luxury of taking their time to decide, they are going to need to make a decision during this game, or surely before they travel to USC the next week. For Montana State, keep your eyes peeled to the backfield and Orenzo Davis. Davis is the key to The Bobcats having a chance to win. Davis averaged nearly 100 yards per game last year and took on the the majority of carries. The more positive yards Davis gets, the more Bobcats QB McGhee will be able to air it out and pick on the Utah secondary. 

What Will Happen:
The largest crowd Montana State played in front of last year was at Washington State (26,356). Rice-Eccles Stadium will be filled to capacity of 45,000+ and will be raucous. This is the most anticipated season opener in Utah football history. Between joining the Pac-12 and bringing in Norm Chow, there is a lot of anticipation for this game and the adrenaline alone is going to carry the Utes through any first quarter hiccups. Montana State will have a couple good drives, but the Utah defense will smother the Bobcats and the Utah offense will bury them. 

 JIB Prediction: Utah 35 – Montana State 17

When BYU speaks of exposure, it shouldn’t be understated that they are talking about exposure for football and the LDS church. The general purpose of BYU athletics is to compete with integrity and be a good example of faith, not just win games. The contract BYU signed with ESPN will allow them to broadcast games not picked up by ESPN on BYUtv. Anticipating a move to independence for many years, BYU prepared themselves for this grand venture. In 2010 BYU completed construction of one of the most advanced college television facilities in the world, complete with a HD capable “broadcast bus.” BYU’s bus was hailed by ESPN as the best mobile platform west of the Mississippi. BYUtv will be accessible in homes of potential recruits across the country and BYU alumni and fans across the globe via cable, internet, or satellite.

Many assumptions are being made about head to head recruiting with Utah joining the PAC-12. One of those assumptions is that the Utes will gain a recruiting edge over BYU because of conference affiliation and access to the BCS through the PAC-12 Championship. Another is that the Utes are going to win as consistently in the PAC-12 as they did in the MWC. It’s not unrealistic to believe the Utes will have success in the PAC-12, they have posted four 10+ win seasons in the last decade and have forged a reputation as one of the best non-BCS programs in the nation. Though they have made an admiral start, a few winning seasons does not make a tradition.

Without a doubt, the Cougars and Utes have improved their situation just by leaving the MWC. Both schools will enjoy more exposure immediately. While the Utes will play mostly on regional Fox channels, BYU will have the broadcasting advantage playing at least six games on either ESPN or ESPN2. Seven games have already been picked up by ESPN.

Scheduling
 
BYU’s independence will enable them to play more marque teams with some games scheduled in NFL stadiums. This next year BYU will play Ole Miss in Death Valley, Texas in Austin, and make another visit to Cowboys Stadium to play TCU. Where would a possible recruit rather play,  Laramie or SEC country? Fort Collins or in Big 12 county? University Stadium in Albuquerque or Cowboys Stadium? If BYU can continue scheduling top schools in interesting venues it will help their recruiting immensely. Recruits should be excited about the possibility of playing top programs in NFL stadiums. Many of these young men will not get that opportunity after their college careers. Former BYU QB Max Hall said that the Cougars’ win over the Sooners in’09 was the highlight of the season not only because they won, but because they won in Cowboys Stadium. Many other players shared that same excitement, they also played in the Super Dome in New Orleans that year. BYU’s access to the BCS will come with good scheduling and continued winning. With no conference affiliation, BYU will be playing for a National Championship every year.
 
The Effects of the Honor Code
 
While football took a break, the BYU basketball team kept the university in the news with some kid named “Jimmer” and the controversy surrounding their Honor Code. When BYU was 27-2 and #3 in the nation, starting center Brandon Davies was dismissed from the basketball team for a violation of the BYU Honor Code. Several knew about the Honor Code, but Davies’ dismissal sparked a media firestorm resulting in both scrutiny and praise. All students that enroll at BYU, including athletes, are required to sign and adhere to the Honor Code. Their code of conduct commits every student to strive to live a virtuous, chaste, and honest life.

Whether a recruit chooses BYU over some other institution, including Utah, basically boils down to personal preference. No single football program will appeal to every recruit. Some like Vanilla, others Chocolate, and still others prefer Rocky Road.

John Stockton and Karl Malone, the Utah Jazz's two greatest draft picks.

The Utah Jazz have been one of the steadiest franchises in the NBA over the past 25 years. In those years the Jazz have made it to the post season 21 times. After John Stockton and Karl Malone’s departure in 2003 the Jazz missed the playoffs three consecutive years.  Those years of mediocrity enabled the Jazz to trade up in the draft and get Deron Williams in ’05. With the free agent additions of Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur the Jazz were back on track and made the post-season five years in a row. Several believed even more winning seasons and consecutive playoffs berths were ahead, but things went extremely sour last year. Boozer left via sign and trade to the Chicago Bulls and Okur was out nearly all year recovering from a blown achilles suffered in the ’10 Playoffs. Williams turned into a malcontent, and many believed his was the main reason head coach Jerry Sloan retired mid-season. It was becoming more and more clear that a dissatisfied Williams was not going to resign with the Jazz next summer so the management jumped on it. In a move that caught every one off-guard, the Jazz traded Williams to the New Jersey Nets for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, the Nets 1st round pick this year, and the Golden State Warriors’ 1st round pick  next year. With the luck of the ping pong balls, the Jazz landed the #3 pick in this year’s draft. Favors was the #3 pick last year and has signs of being a great player, so essentially the Jazz will be drafting 3rd for the 2nd straight year.

The Jazz are not in a position to woo many players to come play in Salt Lake City, when they rebuild they have to do with trades and the draft. The fact remains that over the past 25 years, the top two free-agent signings the Jazz have had were Boozer and Okur, and they were pretty raw talent when the Jazz signed them. So the Jazz have to rebuild, but how? Let’s take a look at what history suggests by seeing what has become of the last ten #3 picks in the draft and the last ten Jazz draft picks.

10 Years of #3 Picks:

The Jazz have the #3 pick from '10, who will they take this year at #3?

’10- Derrick Favors - Not many top 3 picks have to deal with trade rumors starting from their first game as a rookie. Once Favors was traded to the Jazz he settled down and started to show some tremendous upside. It can’t go without mentioning that he has a tattoo of Jesus spinning a basketball, righteous.
’09- James Harden - A solid three point shooter and lock-down defender for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was an integral part in pushing the eventual Champion Dallas Mavericks to the brink in the playoffs this year, and he has a beard that would make Grizzly Adams blush.
’08- O.J. Mayo - Mayo could be a better player if he had a better attitude. The only time we have heard Mayo’s name in the press since he’s been in the league has been for locker room brawls, black eyes over ”friendly” poker games, and recruiting infractions from his time at USC.
’07- Al Horford - Horford is a solid power forward, but he plays at the center too much for the Atlanta Hawks. Tim Duncan shined when he played power forward along side David Robinson at center. If the Hawks could get a solid center it would only help Horford flourish even more.
’06- Adam Morrison - Michael Jordan the player was the greatest ever, Michael Jordan the GM could be one of the worst ever. In ’01 Jordan used the Wizard’s 1st pick on Kwame Brown, with the Charlotte Bobcat’s 3rd pick Jordan fell flat on his face again. Morison lasted two years and is known better for his facial hair skills than his basketball skills.
’05- Deron Williams – The Jazz struck gold with their highest draft pick in team history. Williams has been an All-Star, won a gold medal in the Olympics, and been in the debate every year as the game’s best point guard. We’d all be surprised if he resigns with the New Jersey Nets next summer.
’04- Ben Gordon – Gordon is an undersized shooting guard that should really be a point guard, but not many PG’s can pull it off without passing the ball.  Gordon scored in bunches during his five years with the Bulls, primarily because there weren’t many players on those teams that could score. Gordon’s scoring stats have been considerably down since he signed with the Detroit Pistons.
’03- Carmelo Anthony – Melo was part of probably the deepest draft in NBA history, and although a malcontent himself, you cannot deny his talent. He’s been on the All-NBA team four times, an All-Star four times, and lead the Nuggets to the playoffs for six straight years. The funny thing is, after Melo was traded to the New York Knicks last year the Nuggets faired better without him.
’02- Mike Dunleavy - a.k.a the American Kirilenko. Dunleavy has been a solid role player, but nobody you can build your team around. In his eleven NBA season he has only played all 82 game three times.
’01- Pau Gasol - Gasol was good at Memphis and has been great with the Lakers. He didn’t have a great post-season, but with all the rumors swirling from his girlfriend breaking up with him and Kobe’s wife being involved would be enough to send any of us into a whirlwind of emotional distress

10 Years of Jazz 1st Round Picks:

The Jazz should be able to get a good player at #3. With exception to Adam Morrison, I think every GM would take any one of those players listed above. The only thing getting in the way of the Jazz finding a good player is the Jazz. Most of their picks have been late in the first round, but that doesn’t change the fact that out of GM Kevin O’Connor’s last ten first round picks, only one is still with the team, and that’s last year’s pick.

The future Kris Kardashian got his NBA start with the Jazz.

’10- Gordon Hayward – When the Jazz went young at the end of last year and played all their rookies Hayward improved immensely. Hayward has the potential to be a good spot-up shooter and can also drive to the hoop.
’09- Eric Maynor - Maynor is the back-up to Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City. In this past year’s playoffs when the Thunder had a chance to make the game winning shot against the mavericks, Maynor passed up Westbrook and Durant and chucked up an air-ball.
’08- Kosta Koufos - Koufos will be remembered in Jazz history as the crazy kid that dunked on the Nuggets in the ’10 Playoffs while yelling “Boom B*tches!” Other than that, he keps the bench real warm.
’07- Morris Almond - Almond was declared the best shooter in his draft class, but spent more time in the NBA D-League than he did with the Jazz.
’06- Ronnie Brewer - Great defender and hustler, but never could find his shot. Brewer is a sold bench player for the Bulls now.
’05- Deron Williams - The corner stone to the Jazz while he was here, and the heir-apparent to John Stockton.
’04- Kirk Snyder - “Snyderman” played for one year but never pleased Jazz brass so got traded. He recently served a jail sentence for assaulting a man.
’04- Kris Humphries- Who knew that when they drafted Humphries they’d be getting the future husband of Kim Kardashian. Now he’s the only player in the NBA that makes less than his wife.
’03- Sasha Pavlovic - Great name and a decent shooter, but never fit into the Jazz system and was traded.
’02- Ryan Humphrey - No, not Kris Humphries, just a single Humphrey that 90% of Jazz fans don’t even remember. Enough said.
’01- Raul Lopez - By the time the Jazz got him out of his contract  from overseas he was old and busted. Lopez was plagued by knee injuries and ended up heading back overseas.

Let’s also now forget the Jazz also have the #12 pick. The Jazz can go many directions with their picks. They can trade up, trade down, deal a veteran for a veteran with a pick ,or even keep their picks all to themselves. No matter what the Jazz do, next year will be the official start of the Tyrone Corbin era as head coach (beause let’s be honest, when he took over with 30 games left last season he was just doing damage control). If Jimmer Fredette is avilable at 12, it should be a no-brainer. If he’s not there, the Jazz would be suited well to just roll a dice, or ask the Magic 8 Ball who to pick.

Dan Persa and the Wildcats will finally get the signature win they have been looking for.

For the first time this year, don’t expect a lot of upsets this week, we may have thee at the most. With it being this late in the year and only one top 25 match-up, the only excitement we are going to see is if top teams allow inferior opponents to hang around. On a side note, if Cam Newton and his father did receive money from Auburn to play there then the NCAA needs to nip this investigation in the bud quickly! The last thing we need is another Reggie Bush Heisman and another USC national Title that never was. There is no place is collegiate sports, or any sports for that matter, for cheating. Also worth noting is the rivalry match-up of Boise State and Idaho. This past summer, Boise State’s President made some remarks on the University of Idaho. A couple words he used to describe them was “nasty, and “inebriated.” Those words may be on the Idaho Vandals’ bulletin board this week, but it won’t help them try to stop Boise State’s attack. Let’s take a look at a few headlines from this weekend:

Northwestern Finally Notches an Upset

 At face value, Iowa is #13 in the nation and Northwestern is nowhere close, this should be an easy win for Iowa. But, you cannot discount Northwestern having two-score leads in the second half in two of there three losses. They had Penn State on the ropes last week and #10 Michigan State in the same position the week before. Iowa has been on the other end a few times this year, coming from behind to win, it’s about time that there is a reversal of roles. Although not relevant to this year’s matchup, the Wildcats have has the Hawkeyes’ number in three of the last four meetings. Wildcat QB Dan Persa has the ability to keep the tough Hawkeye defense on their heels and give the Hawkeyes a taste of their own upset medicine.

We Have Now Entered the College Football Twilight Zone

You only have to look as far as the Texas Longhorns to see what a crazy year it has been. The value of a senior quarterback, even if he is 5-foot nothing, cannot be understated. It’s not that the Longhorns are without Colt McCoy, they are also out a leader. When McCoy got injured last year in the National Title Game, freshman QB Garrett Gilbert came in and led an amazing comeback that fell just short. Although there was disappointment, there was also excitement for this year and Gilbert’s potential to keep Texas up toward the top. Longhorn fans weren’t the only ones drinking the Texas Kool-Aid, so were the coaches and the media. Texas was ranked #3 preseason, now Baylor and Texas A&M are ranked higher, and the Longhorns are fighting to be bowl-eligible.

Scott Tolzien and the Badgers will be just another top 10 team to stand pat.

Top 10 Stands Ground for First Week

At least one team in the top 10 has lost every week this year. This week, every school (with the exception of Auburn if Cam Newton is rightfully suspended) will stand pat and take care of business. Of the ten original teams in the preseason top 10, only four remain, guesses? #3 TCU, #4 Boise State, #8 Ohio State, and #9 Nebraska. With two of  those teams being non-AQ teams, a few things need to be said of preseason rankings. First, most top teams are not what they are hyped up to be (Texas was #3, Florida was #4 for Hell’s sake). Second, the non-AQ teams ARE what they are hyped up to be. Third and lastly, no polls should be released until at the earliest week four, which is usually the when most top teams stop playing division 2 schools and pick on someone their own size.

JIB Picks

Last Week: 16-2 / Overall: 157-28

#1 Oregon – Cal / #2 Auburn – Georgia / #3 TCU – San Diego State / #4 Boise State – Idaho / #5 Wisconsin – Indiana / #6 LSU – Louisiana-Monroe / #7 Ohio State - Penn State / #8 Nebraska – Kansas / #9 Stanford – Arizona State / #10 Michigan State (Bye) / #11 Oklahoma State – Texas / #12 Alabama – #18 Mississippi State / #13 Iowa – Northwestern / #14  Arkansas – UTEP / #15 Utah - Notre Dame / #16 Oklahoma – Texas Tech / #17 Virginia Tech – North Carolina / #19 Arizona – USC / #20 Missouri – Kansas State / #21 Nevada – Fresno State / #22 South Carolina – #24 Florida / #23 Central Florida – Southern Miss. / #25 Texas A&M – Baylor