New Mexico Bowl, 2pm Kickoff Saturday December 18 on ESPN
BYU Cougars (6-6, 5-3 Mountain West 5th Place) vs UTEP Miners (6-6, 3-5 CUSA West, 4th Place West 8th Place Overall)
From high scholl all-star to starting bowl QB in less than a year, BYU QB Jake Heaps. (Icon SMI)
The Cougars and the Miners have had a pretty similar seasons on the whole, but there is a definite sense that each squad is headed in different directions. BYU could be in for a good 2011 and might become BCS-worthy in 2012 and beyond. This was UTEP’s shot as the CUSA title with all the seniors in place, now it is back to square-1 in what might be a long couple of seasons…
The QBs will be the key to the game: how will young BYU QB Jake Heaps respond to the complex Miner D that has limited so many passing attacks this season? If the last 4 games are any indication, Heaps should do just fine as he has really taken care of the ball with only 1 INT over that span.
On the other side, Trevor Vittatoe is no where close to 100%, so how effective will he be? BYU isnt great at generating pressure this year (only 19 sacks) so will they be able to get to the gimpy Vittatoe before he can get a shot off downfield to Kris Adams?
Expect this game to be close throughout, both teams are among the least penalized, and both convert a high percentage of 3rd downs (mid-40′s). Read the rest of this entry →
Humanitarian Bowl – Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State
Yes, that is the Chad Spann that scored 20 TD this year for the Top 25 Northern Illinois Huskies. (Icon SMI)
Kickoff: 5:30 pm EST Sat Dec 18, 2010
NIU Notes
NIU’s Jerry Kill guided NIU the Huskies to a school-record third consecutive bowl but won’t be around after accepting the head coaching job at Minnesota on December 5. The move came less than 48 hours after the Huskies’ lost to Miami (O) in the MAC Championship game in Detroit.
The school named Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren its new head coach this past Monday he will stay with the Badgers until they face TCU in the Rose Bowl next month. Current NIU linebackers coach Tom Matukewicz will serve as interim coach for the 10-3 Huskies.
NIU is 2-3 lifetime in bowl games and have lost three straight (2006, 2008 & 2009)
Fresno State Notes
Fresno State expects star RB Robbie Rouse at full strength for the Humanitarian Bowl (Fresno Bee)
Fresno State is making its fourth consecutive bowl appearance and has a 10-9 lifetime record in bowls
The Bulldogs (8-4) look to conclude their season with a third straight victory after losing to #13 Nevada & and #10 Boise State; three of their losses have come against ranked opponents this season.
Americans simply want a meritocracy where the best survive and the weak do not. The Boise State Broncos embody that spirit as one of the winningest programs in college football while not being one of the economic power elite.
Fantasy College Blitz, and all who root for underdogs, carry the flag for Boise State in 2010 (Icon SMI)
So, do us a favor and throttle Nevada on Friday Night. Disarm the Wolfpack pistol. Make a burger out of the Turbo Ostrich Colin Kaepernick.
Coach Chris Petersen- you likely know this, but we who seek chaos in college football’s existing regime salute you. Be the successful outsider whose wins based on talent and heart, not on connections and money. We want the Broncos to be an agent of chaos.
While Top 25 ranked Nevada is the underdog in this week’s de facto WAC Championship game, Boise is this nation’s choice of underdog to root for.
Toledo (6-3, 5-0 MAC) at Northern Illinois (7-2, 5-0 MAC)
Rocket Man, burning things we'll never know rooting for Toledo to take the MAC West lead (Icon SMI)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 • 7:00 pm ET • DeKalb, Ill. • Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium (24,000); ESPN2
Series: Toledo leads 29-8
Toledo WR Eric Page ranks tied for eighth in the nation with 7.33 receptions per game and 21st with 86.22 receiving yards per game…Linebackers Archie Donald ranks 22nd in the nation in total tackles (88) and Dan Molls ranks 23rd (87)…Lead the MAC with a +9 turnover differential…Rockets rank 22nd in the nation in rush defense (116.3 ypg). Northern Illinois ranks 11th in the nation in rushing offense (243.33 ypg) and RB Chad Spann ranks 12th in the country in rushing (111.1 ypg)…Huskies rank sixth in the nation in third down percentage on offense (51.64%), eighth in time of possession (32:52) and tied for 16th in scoring defense (18.67 ppg).
Nick’s Pick: NIU 27 – Toledo 23
Comment: The Rockets have been a pain in NIU’s side winning 14 of the last 16 contests between these two divisional rivals. As Toledo’s defense has vastly improved from last year and they are playing better on the road than at home, give the nod to the Huskies but don’t be surprised if UT makes it 15 of the last 17. Read the rest of this entry →
The eyes of fantasy players always seem to light up a little bit more when the Western AthleticConference is mentioned…it means “a lot of offense” in Fantasy-Speak.
And, for 2010, it could mean even more offense than in past years, as Boise State and Nevada return a good part of their offense from last season. Also, some coaching changes around the league may upgrade some of the WAC’s weaker offenses.
You can be assured that fantasy players and leagues around the land will be jockeying to draft WAC talent like Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick (photo,thanks Scout.com) very early on… Read the rest of this entry →
