NFL PICK'EM WEEK 17

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR WEEK 17

Sunday Jan.1st                        TYLER           DALLIN         CASEY

Washington@Philadelphia                 Philadelphia          Philadelphia            Philadelphia

Tennessee@Houston                         Houston                 Houston                  Tennessee

Chicago@Minnesota                          Minnesota            Minnesota               Minnesota

Buffalo@New England                       Buffalo                   New England           New England

Indianapolis@Jacksonville                Jacksonville           Jacksonville            Jacksonville

Detroit@Green Bay                            Detroit                     Detroit                      Detroit

Carolina@New Orleans                     Carolina                  Carolina                    New Orleans

NY Jets@Miami                                 Miami                      Miami                        Miami

San Francisco@St. Louis                  San Francisco       San Francisco          San Francisco

Pittsburgh@Cleveland                     Pittsburgh              Pittsburgh                 Pittsburgh

Kansas City@Denver                      Kansas City           Kansas City              Kansas City

Tampa Bay@Atlanta                      Atlanta                    Atlanta                      Atlanta

Baltimore@Cincinnati                     Baltimore               Cincinnati                   Cincinnati

Seattle@Arizona                             Seattle                    Arizona                      Arizona

San Diego@Oakland                     Oakland                   Oakland                     Oakland

Dallas@NY Giants                         NY Giants               Dallas                        NY Giants

NBA TWILIGHT ZONE!!! (TYLER)

WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE NBA?

So i took a look into the NBA these last couple of days and couldn't believe my eyes and ears! It was like i was looking into the twilight zone! I mean... The defending champions, the Dallas Mavericks are already 0-2 after losing to a Carmelo-less Denver Nuggets team. The L.A. Lakers are 0-2 after losing to the Sacramento Kings! And three of the teams that analysts are talking about making big splashes in the playoffs are The L.A. Clippers, the Charlotte Bobcats, and the Golden State Warriors!!! Then i stop and think about it.... how is this going to continue? Look at this season for a second... We have 66 games instead of 82 and crammed into a shorter amount of time... meaning there are back-to-back-to-back series, and sometimes these are in 3 different cities. What teams are this kind of season going to benefit and what teams are this season going to hurt. 

1. Young teams are going to have fresher legs during the 3 game series and shorter time frame. Teams like Oklahoma City, L.A. Clippers, Sacramento, Portland, Utah, Golden State, Minnesota, Miami, Charlotte, Chicago, N.Y. Knicks, and the N.J. Nets. The main difference between some of these teams listed is there are some that have gone through very few changes and played together last year which is a huge benefit. (ex.. OKC, Miami, Chicago)
2. Older teams are going to have a tougher time staying in games later in these 3 game series and are going to struggle. Teams like the L.A. Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and the Boston Celtics. These teams have a lot of veteran players that are savvy and have proven their toughness over and over again, but it's going to be rough on those tired, worn out bodies of theirs.

So maybe this year will be like a year straight out of the twilight zone. Maybe the "bottom feeders" of the last few years make a big splash in the playoffs this year. I don't know but i'm excited to see how it all plays out.

NFL PICK'EM WEEK 16

                            

Here are our picks for the week.

Thursday Dec. 22                   Tyler                 Dallin                   Casey

Houston@Indianapolis             Houston              Houston                Houston

Saturday Dec. 24

Miami@New England             New England        New England       New England

Jacksonville@Tennessee         Tennessee             Tennessee           Jacksonville

Tampa Bay@Carolina             Carolina               Carolina               Carolina

Cleveland@Baltimore             Baltimore               Baltimore            Baltimore

Arizona@Cincinnati                Cincinnati               Cincinnati           Arizona

Minnesota@Washington         Minnesota              Minnesota           Washington

Denver@Buffalo                    Buffalo                   Denver                Buffalo

St.Louis@Pittsburgh              Pittsburgh                Pittsburgh          Pittsburgh

Oakland@Kansas City          Oakland                 Kansas City        Kansas City

NYGiants@NYJets               NYGiants               NYGiants           NYGiants

San Diego@Detroit               Detroit                    Detroit                San Diego

Philadelphia@Dallas              Philadelphia             Dallas                 Dallas

San Francisco@Seattle          San Francisco        Seattle                 Seattle

Sunday Dec. 25

Chicago@Green Bay            Green Bay               Green Bay           Green Bay

Monday Dec. 26

Atlanta@New Orleans          New Orleans           New Orleans       New Orleans

Why Sports? (Casey)

 So as I sat yesterday and watched my beloved Steelers fall in a game they needed to win I began to think, Why is it I watch sports and cheer for specific teams? Why is it I put so much emotion, so much pride, so much money into supporting a bunch of people gathered together to play a game? Why is it when my favorite teams lose I take it so personal or when the teams I despise wins I get so upset?
Its because at a young age I began grabing onto things like sports I looked for reasons to cheer.One of my favorite things to do was go to BYU football games with my Dad. We would get up early on any given saturday morning, pack up the car with treats and head up to mighty Provo dressed up in our BYU gear ready to cheer. I remember listening to Paul James on the Radio as we headed up the freeway, I actually remember hearing some garden show on KSL that always came on before the pregame show. I remember getting there and parking at the old Daily Herald Building on Freedom Boulevard and being so excited to go into the stadium where we sat on the north endzone close to the top. I remember the guy behind us who would yell "DDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEE" every time the Defense would take the field, I could never figure out how he was able to yell that long without taking a breath. I remember cheering untill I couldnt talk and when the game was over I would always ask Dad to buy me some BYU garb. Then we would get back to the car and turn on KSL for the post game show on the way home fighting traffic to the freeway. I loved every minute of it and to this day still do. I loved every sunday turning on the TV and watching the NFL, and the NBA. I loved watching the Jazz play on tv. I, like all Jazz fans was jumping up and down in my living room when John Stockton hit the shot in Houston that sent the Jazz to the NBA finals. And then how mad I was that they couldn't beat Jordan and the Bulls 2 years in a row. I was laying on my parents couch when the announcement came down that Utah would get the 2002 Winter Olympics and how excited I was for that untill I did the math and realized I would be on my LDS mission and would miss it. I remember being heartbroken when the Steelers lost to the Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX, and how excited I was when they beat Seattle in Super Bowl XL and the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. I think the reason I love sports so much is that it is a way to express joy and sorrow. To be able to grab ahold of something and cheer and get excited for them to do well. Sports has a way to provide a incredible high and it also has a way to provide incredible lows. As long as we keep sports in prespective in life it can be a very very enjoyable thing as well as a great way to create memories., To this day I am greatfull to my Dad and my family for getting me involved with sports and to my wife and kids for allowing me to continue my passion for sports no matter how nutty I get when I watch. I love hearing my kids cheer for the teams they watch, my daughter cheering for GO BYU, and my son jumping up and down and  clapping his little hands whenever his Dad cheers, and my beautiful wife for coming and sitting by me telling me sorry that my team is losing and the way she laughes me off when I do some silly dance when my teams score. In other words, Why Sports? Why Not!

Bowl Season Begins! (Casey)

Well folks its bowl season and I for one can't wait. This is one of my favorite times of year! It all starts Saturday December 17th with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl and will end January 8th with the Allstate BCS National Championship Game. And with nearly a Bowl Game or more a day its going to be some great TV. But there are a couple of games beside the ones involving local teams that Im especially excited to watch.

• The first of these games is the Outback Bowl on January 2nd where #16 Georgia (10-3) will play #17 Michigan State (10-3). Both of these teams are coming off loses in there respective conference championship games but these teams are both really good. Georgia came on late in the season starting 0-2 but didn't lose another game till they played #1 LSU in the SEC Championship Game. Michigan State played some great football this season as well and without a running into the kicker penalty late in the game could have had the ball and possibly won the game against Wisconsin and be playing in the Rose Bowl. But this game will be a great one to watch, an offensive team with alot of weapons (Georgia) against a Defensive team that will smash you in the mouth and not even look back (Michigan State). I have this game being real close but Georgia pulling it out 34-28.

• The Rose Bowl is the next game that Im excited about. This game will feature #5 Oregon (11-2) against #10 Wisconsin (11-2). These two teams are on 2 completely different sides of the spectrum but they are the same in that they are both running teams. Oregon its very flashy/high tempo running style behind LaMichael James against Wisconsin and there methodical/smashmouth running style behind Montee Ball. With that said you would think this game would be a quick, low scoring game but in the words of Lee Corso "Not So Fast!" these teams can score points. Against UCLA Oregon scored 49 points in fact in all but one game this year Oregon has scored more than 34 points the exception was against LSU who has one of the best defenses in the country. And Wisconsin scored 42 against Michigan State in the Big 10 Championship and has scored more that 40 points 9 times. This game including all that comes with it is one of my favorites games each year and will not dissapoint, I have Wisconsin winning in its second try in as many years in a high scoring affair. 43-38 Wisconsin.

So there you have it, my picks for the games I'm looking forward to but there are plenty of great games coming up so im curious what everyone elses games would be. So pop the popcorn and get your favorite chair ready its BOWL SEASON!

NFL PICK'EM WEEK 14

Here are our picks for this week.

Thursday Dec. 15th                       Tyler                  Dallin                  Casey

Jacksonville@Atlanta                   Atlanta                 Atlanta                  Atlanta

Saturday Dec. 17th

Dallas@Tampa Bay                   Tampa Bay           Dallas                   Dallas

Sunday Dec. 18th

Cincinnati@St. Louis                  Cincinnati               Cincinnati             Cincinnati

New Orleans@Minnesota          New Orleans         New Orleans       New Orleans

Miami@Buffalo                            Buffalo                  Buffalo                 Buffalo

Carolina@Houston                      Houston                 Carolina              Houston

Green Bay@Kansas City            Green Bay              Green Bay           Green Bay

Washington@NY Giants           NY Giants              NY Giants           NY Giants

Tennessee@Indianapolis          Tennessee              Tennessee            Tennessee

Seattle@Chicago                         Chicago                  Seattle                 Seattle

Detroit@Oakland                        Oakland                  Detroit                Detroit

Cleveland@Arizona                   Arizona                  Arizona                Arizona

NY Jets@Philadelphia                Philadelphia           Philadelphia          NY Jets

New England@Denver               New England          New England       New England

Baltimore@San Diego                San Diego               San Diego            San Diego

Monday Dec. 19th

Pittsburgh@San Francisco        Pittsburgh              Pittsburgh             Pittsburgh

Thug Life! (Casey)

Xavier vs Cincinnati Fight

So Saturday instead of College Football (other than the great Army vs Navy Game) we got to watch some great College Basketball. I mean #1 and #2 fell on saturday, and locally BYU and Utah played. But all the college world can talk about is the fight at the end of the Xavier vs Cincinnati game. I was watching the BYU vs Utah game when Dallin happened to see on the ticker that the Xavier game had been cut short because of a bench clearing brawl. So of course I turned the channel to ESPN News to see what happened and after I saw it I was amazed. It all started early in the week and during pregame when both teams were jawing back and forth and at half time Xavier Junior #10 Mark Lyons got into it with a bench player from Cincinnati as the teams left the court. Then in the final seconds of the game with the ballgame well in hand a Xavier Player and a Cincinnati player came nose to nose, someone was pushed and it all quickly went down hill from there. It was an embarrassment for both school and to watch #34 Yancy Gates from Cincinnati throw a sucker punch at #32 Kenny Frease then watch another Cincinnati player #13 Cheikh Mbodj stomp on Frease's head while he was down was actually criminal! So why is it that this kind of behavior is ok on the court or on the field when in real life those men (I use the term loosely) would have been thrown in Jail. Now I did hear that some criminal charges could be brought down on some of those that threw punches, which i hope they do, but this whole "Thug" mentality in sports especially in basketball needs to go away. After that fight and during the press conference Xavier SENIOR guard Tu Holloway said this:

"We are grown men over here, we got a whole bunch of Gangstas in the locker room, not thugs but tough guys on the Court!"

This mentality has to change, these guys are not gangsters they are BASKETBALL PLAYERS and they represent an Institution or City. When something like this happens I think these players should be kicked off any team until time comes that they realize that its more than street ball they are playing. If you want to play like a thug you should not be able to get a free education and represet a school. Now there were suspensions handed down and I was greatfull to hear the Cincinnati coach say that none of the players involved would be allowed to return to the team untill they apologized on tape and the coach deemed it an appropriate and truthfull apology. I hope these guys will begin to remember what they are playing for and how this can effect them later on in life, and stop with this stupid thinking and just play the game that we all love to watch.

Is Stern over using his power? (Dallin)

So as many of you know a couple days ago a trade when down between the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets, and the New Orleans Hornets. here is the trade breakdown.

Los Angeles Lakers receiving G Chris Paul

Houston Rockets receiving C Paul Gasol

New Orleans Hornets receiving Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Marin, Gordan Dragic, and a 1st round pick for '12

After many hours of owners being on the phone and finalizing this deal.  The commissioner stepped in and declined that trade, now should he do that?  many peoples argument is that the NBA owns the Hornets and so he should get a say if it should happen, which is true they do own them but David hired Dell Demps to make these kind or decisions because if Stern was to make these moves it would look bad on the league. Also he said he canceled it for NBA related reasons not as a owner.  The problem is that by Stern cancelling this trade makes the league look bad, because now Stern looks like some evil dictator that has full control of the league and as one NBA player tweeted it makes the NBA look fixed. Dan Gilbert from the Cleavland Cavaliers Email David Stern and Said 

"It would be a travesty to allow the Lakers to acquire Chris Paul in the apparent trade being discussed"

he also brought up that is should be voted by the other owners.  If they owners who are involved in the trade all agree on it then if should happen because they are looking for the best interest of there team.  The Lakers get there guy in Chris Paul, the Rockets get the center they have needed since losing Yao Ming, and they Hornets get value out of Paul instead of next year having him just walk away and they gain nothing (just ask Cleavland how awesome that is).

If they wanted to not have these kind of problems with players walking or demanding trades and creating "super teams".  Then they should have settled that in the lockout. Not by having the commissioner stepping in and running it how he wants .  Apparently the lockout didn't do anything different besides adding money to the owners pockets.  The players are still in charge if they don't want to be somewhere (small market teams) they will demand a trade or walk when they are a free agent and form "super teams".

Hate to see Jake go but BYU will be ok! (Casey)

Now I know that on November 14th I stated that I did not belive Jake Heaps was going to transfer. Boy was I wrong. On Monday December 5th Jake Heaps and BYU parted ways. I know it is going to be sad to see that potential go away but FEAR NOT Cougar Fans because I feel that BYU will be just fine in the future. The QB position at BYU has alot of history behind it and with it comes it own share of scrutiny from fans. But BYU has a great set of Quarterbacks at the school that will step up in the wake of Saint Jake leaving and do just fine. Lets go over who is in the program right now and who will be coming in the near future.

• First we have the starter Riley Nelson. Now I know he isn't the best Pocket Passing QB in the country, and I know his arm isn't as strong as Jakes was but this guy is a winner. Since he came in for Jake in the second half of the Utah State game he has gained 1467 yards passing and 16 TD's to 5 Picks. He is the third leading rusher on the team with 376 yards and has gone 6-1 as a starter (not including the Utah State game). Now I know some will argue that it was against lesser opponents, but he will have 1 year as a starter, he will be a SR, he will have the trust of his teammates, an offseason knowing he will start and a coaching staff who belives in him, something Heaps i belive never got. BYU also has some backups in the wings that are good and will be servicable if Riley were to get injured.
• James Lark is a 6-2, 200lb Junior this year who by most accounts during spring ball this year had the best arm and was the most impressive out of all the QB's, that includes Jake.
• Jason Muns is a 6-5, 250lb Sophomore this year who is a freak of nature, now he hasnt got much playing time but with his huge stature (for a QB) he should in my mind get a shot somewhere on the field i.e. LB or TE.
• Alex Kuresa is a 5-11, 160lb Freshman this year that has been on the practice squad and in an interview I heard Bronco gave to Greg Wrubell of KSL, Bronco said people are going to be suprised at what Alex can and will be doing in the future at BYU.

Now those are some of the names that are already in the program. Let us take a look at 2 of the recent commits to BYU and what they could possible be bringing. Now keep in mind these guys are young and the info I have is from there high school playing days but from all accounts they should be good.

• First one I want to mention is a 3 star recruit out of Idaho named Taysom Hill. He is 6-2 210lbs. He originally commited to Stanford but chose to go on an LDS mission and decided to transfer to BYU and play. In 2008 he was the Idaho 5A player of the year and a Gatorade All American. In 08 he threw for over 2000 yards and 18 TDs as well as rushed for over 1500 yards and 24 TDs. He comes home from his mission sometime in December and will enroll in BYU in January. From what I have seen in him he is alot like Riley in that he is a duel threat but the major difference is he can throw the ball downfield and is accurate. Look for him in spring ball to make some noise and compete for the backup spot with Lark.
• The other BYU commit I want to mention is 4 star recruit Tanner Mangum out of Idaho as well. Tanner is 6-3 210lbs and is the #2 Pro Style QB in the country according to Rivals.com. Tanner in 2011 went to the ESPNHS Elite 11 camp and won the most accurate passer award multiple times and in doing so held on the the Yellow Jersey for most of the camp. He was also voted Co-MVP of this camp. He has been selected to the Under Armor All-American team and will compete with some of the best incoming freshman in the country. In his Senior Year he went 238-332 and gained 3,433 yards passing. He also had 33 TDs to 9 Picks. He is going to serve a Mission for the LDS church after High school so Cougar fans your going to have to wait at least another 2 years to see him.

So although a great talent like Jake Heaps is leaving I can promise Cougar fans that the QB position is alive and strong at BYU and will be in the future.

NFL PICK'EM WEEK 13

Here are our game picks for week 13

Thursday Dec. 8                           Tyler                   Dallin                   Casey

Cleveland@Pittsburgh                 Pittsburgh               Pittsburgh             Pittsburgh

Sunday Dec. 11

Tampa Bay@Jacksonville           Jacksonville            Tampa Bay           Tampa Bay

Houston@Cincinnati                    Cincinnati                Cincinnati              Houston

Minnesota@Detroit                      Detroit                    Detroit                  Detroit

New England@Washington          New England          New England        New England

Kansas City@NY Jets                   NY Jets                  Kansas City          NY Jets

Atlanta@Carolina                        Carolina                 Carolina                Carolina

Philadelphia@Miami                   Miami                      Miami                   Miami

New Orleans@Tennessee            New Orleans          New Orleans         New Orleans

Indianapolis@Baltimore               Baltimore               Baltimore               Baltimore

Chicago@Denver                         Chicago                 Denver                  Denver

San Francisco@Arizona               San Francisco        Arizona                  San Francisco

Buffalo@San Diego                     San Diego              San Diego             San Diego

Oakland@Green Bay                   Green Bay              Green Bay            Green Bay

NY Giants@Dallas                       Dallas                    Dallas                   NY Giants

Monday Dec. 12

St. Louis@Seattle                        Seattle                   Seattle                    Seattle

Sold on Tebow? (Tyler)

So I've had a couple of people ask me if i'm on the Tim Tebow bandwagon yet. Here is my Response.... NO! Now let me tell you why.

1. Tebow has started now 7 games. Against Miami, Detroit, Oakland, Kansas City, New York Jets, San Diego, and Minnesota. Losing only to Detroit. In these games he has thrown a total of 158 times or about 22/game and has completed 75 for a 47.5% completion percentage and has been sacked 18 times. He has however thrown 10 TD to 1 INT which is good. Kyle Orton (who Tebow replaced) in 5 games against Oakland, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Green Bay, and San Diego had to throw 155 times or about 31/game completing 91 for a 58.7% completion percentage and was sacked 9 times. He however threw 8 TD to 7 INT which isn't great. Because Tebow hasn't really shown he can manage a game as a QB throwing the ball the Broncos have switched to an Option based offense that works with Tebow's strengths which is running the ball. He has run the ball 82 times! for 468 yards and 3 TD. He is 2nd in rushing on the team behind Willis McGahee.
2. Speaking of running the ball that brings me to my next point. Where were the Denver RBs at the beginning of the season? The Broncos in the first 5 games of the year with Orton at QB rushed for 102 yards per game. With Tebow in the next 7 games they are rushing for 200 yards per game! I don't know if the offensive line just really sucks at pass coverage or what, but the Broncos are getting it done on the ground with Tebow and McGahee, and Lance Ball for that matter. The Option offense is helping this of course but you don't run the option offense unless you don't trust your QB to throw the ball.
3. Has anyone noticed the teams that Kyle Orton had to play compared to Tebow? Orton played all healthy teams at the beginning of the year including Oakland, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Green Bay, and San Diego! Compared to Tebow who has played less than healthy teams later in the year like Miami,Oakland, Kansas City, Minnesota, and he gets the Chicago Bears this weekend without Cutler or Forte! Really!
4. My last point is the Denver defense has really stepped up their game from the beginning of the year, really putting the clamp down on teams like Miami...267 total yards, 4 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Oakland...2 sacks, 3 Int, and 2 forced fumbles. Kansas City...258 total yards, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble. New York Jets...318 total yards, 3 sacks, 1 Int, and 3 forced fumbles. San Diego...344 total yards, 3 sacks. Minnesota... 3 sacks, 2 Int, and 1 forced fumble. This defense has come to play and they are showing it and really helping out Tebow by limiting the opposing offenses in scoring and creating turnovers. 

My final analysis is that i would love to have Tim Tebow on my team as the starting RB cause he can run the ball well, but as for him being a good QB i think not. And give props to John Fox for understanding and utilizing the strengths of Tebow and giving him and this team the best chance to win games. However i do believe that the Option offense will not work for very long in the NFL and just like the Wildcat in Miami, that offense will falter and go back to being a 1-5 play-per-game system. At that point you need a QB that can make plays with his arm and i don't see Tebow being able to do that.

Local Bowl Games. (Casey)

So its bowl season again. I can't believe the football season is almost over but lets take a look at the upcoming bowl game and our local teams and who they are playing. 

• The First bowl game that includes a local team is the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where after a 14 year wait the Utah State Aggies (7-5) of the WAC will face the mighty Ohio Bobcats (9-4) of the MAC. This game is on the 17th of December at 3:30 on ESPN. Ohio finished 1st in the MAC East and lost to Northern Illinois in the MAC title game. Ohio is lead by MAC all second team WR LaVon Brazill who over the season recorded 1042 yards and 10 TD's, look for him to be very involved in the offense. They have a very good Offensive line but a young QB Sophmore Tyler Tettleton who threw for 3,086 yards and 26 TD's. There Defense is sturdy and should be tough for Utah State. But Utah State is a good team. They finished 2nd in the WAC and ended the year on a 5 game winning streak. The Aggies are lead by 2 great players, Jr RB Robert Turbin and Sr LB Bobby Wagner. Turbin is the driving force behind the #6 nationally ranked running attack in the country. He has 1416 yards and 19 TD's and he splits carries with 2 other very good running backs. Wagner is the leader of a very strong defense and should reek havoc on the Bobcats. Wagner has 62 solo tackles, 4 sacks and 2 picks this year. This should be a close game but i see Ohio coming up with the win 24-17 but it could be flipped very easy.
• They next game on the schedule is the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl which is December 30th on  ESPN at 10 AM where the BYU Cougars (9-3) will face the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (8-4) who were 2nd in C USA's west division behind Houston. Tulsa is lead by Sr QB G.J. Kinne who has 2,876 yards and 25 TD's as well as ran for 405 yards.  It should be a real test for BYU trying to stop him and WR's Willie Carter and Bryan Burnham who combined for 1605 yards receiving and an average of over 14 yards per catch. Tulsa also comes with a duel backfield where a pair of Sophomores Ja'Terian Douglas and Trey Watts combine for 1727 yards. BYU is looking to finish off its season with its 5th season in the last 6 years with 10 or more wins. BYU is lead by JR QB Riley Nelson who has been the emotional leader since being but in the game against Utah State and leading them to a win. BYU found a running game behind Michael Alisa and J.J Di Luigi. Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo are a big threat vertically to attack the Tulsa secondary and JD Falslev will be going across the middle all day long. BYU's Defense should be able to play well behind a strong D-Line and a deep Linebacking core. This should be a good game and I think as long as BYU does not commit mistakes they should keep it close and i think they pull it off in the end. Look for a real close game with the final score favoring BYU 34-31.
• The last game featuring a local team will be on Saturday December 31st at 12 PM where we have the University of Utah (7-5) playing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-4) from the ACC. Georgia Tech is a option team that will test the Utah run defense. But Utah is used to playing option teams because they had to face Air Force every year for so long in the WAC and MWC. Georgia Tech has a great QB Tevin Washington who not only leads the team in Passing (1515) but in rushing yards as well (890). Stephen Hill is there top receiver with 785 total yards. But I wouldn't expect Georgia Tech to throw the ball that often. Utah is lead by the #1 defense in the Pac 12 and should be up to the challenge. They have had a very up and down season this year but there defense has kept them in alot of games this year. The offense is lead by RB John White IV who rushed for 1404 yards this year and kept the offense relevant. The leaders on this Utah defense are DT Star Lotulelei, DE Derrick Shelby LB Chaz Walker and  Saftey Brian Blechen. If this Utah team can play like they did at the end of the season (minus the Colorado fiasco) they should be able to keep up with a very good Georgia Tech and in the end pull out the win. I see Utah winning another close one 17-14

So there you have it. Its my favorite time of year and I really think even Utah State has a good chance of winning and making it a clean sweep for the state of Utah. So good luck to all the teams in the state and enjoy the bowl season. Let me know what you guys think and give me your predictions.

The Worth of a Contract? (Casey)

Earlier this week one of the worst kept secrets in all college football was proven right when Urban Meyer was announced as the new head football coach at Ohio State. When i heard this announcement and the fact the contract is a 6 year $24 Million with an additional $2.4 Million in bonuses I thought to myself, When we don't learn from history we are doomed to repeat. I also began thinking about contracts in sports themselves. Time and time again we hear of a coach who is under contract just up and leaving a school or program to go get a different coaching position elsewhere. Urban has done this at least 3 time that I know of and many other coaches have done the same. The unfair and otherwise dishonest thing about it is when these coaches go into someones home and tells these 17 or 18 year olds that if they will commit 4 or more years of there life to that school that said coach will be there to help them along this new adventure in life. They also tell the kids mom and dad that they should fear not that there child will be taken care of and the coach will be there every step of the way. But because money has gotten so big in college sports now it seems to only take a sniff of a big pay check to make some of these coaches go back on every word they just said to these kids and parents, and the sad part is the atheletes are expected to stay at these schools whether they like it or not or transfer and face a penalty of losing eligibility but no such penalty on these coaches. Now I understand that some instinces are different, say if a coach is fired or leaves for family reason, but in my eyes, in most cases these coaches should be held to the contracts that they have signed and should not be let out of them so easy until the contract is fulfilled. I have the utmost respect for the coaches that do the right thing and stay with there programs through thick and thin. But coaches like Lavell Edwards, Bronco Mendenhall, Ron McBride, Kyle Whitttingham and others like them are becoming a rare exception to the rule and I would just like to see more coaches like them out there and the Urban Meyers of the world just go away. So is a Contract worth anything these days? I guess it depends on who you ask!

                                 
       It's time once again for our weekly NFL pick'em... Here are our picks.

Dec 1 Thursday                                Tyler                    Dallin                  Casey
Philadelphia @ Seattle                               Philadelphia       Philadelphia        Seattle


Dec 4 Sunday
Carolina @ Tampa Bay                             Tampa  Bay        Tampa Bay          Carolina
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh                             Pittsburgh           Pittsburgh           Pittsburgh
Atlanta @ Houston                                     Atlanta                Atlanta                 Houston
NY Jets @ Washington                               Washington        Jets                       Jets
Indianapolis @ New England                    New England      New England       New England
Oakland @ Miami                                      Oakland               Oakland                Miami
Denver @ Minnesota                                  Minnesota          Minnesota            Denver
Tennessee @ Buffalo                                 Tennessee          Buffalo                  Buffalo
Kansas City @ Chicago                               Chicago              Kansas City          Kansas City
Baltimore @ Cleveland                              Baltimore             Baltimore               Baltimore
Dallas @ Arizona                                        Dallas                 Dallas                    Dallas
Green Bay @ NY Giants                             Green Bay          Green Bay             Green Bay
St. Louis @ San Francisco                          San Francisco   San Francisco      San Francisco
Detroit @ New Orleans                                New Orleans     New Orleans         New Orleans


Dec 5 Monday
San Diego @ Jacksonville                           Jacksonville      Jacksonville          San Diego 

Its Title Time in College Football (Casey)

So its the Week of Championships in College Football and there are some great match ups and some pretty bad ones. I want to show you the match ups and share my opinion on who is going to win and why.

• The First game of the Weekend is the Pac 12 title game on Friday on Fox at 6 pm MT where we will watch Oregon (10-2, 8-1 in the Pac 12 North) take on UCLA (6-6, 5-4 in the Pac 12 South) and this is going to be a slaughter on the football field. UCLA got to the title game because Utah lost to Colorado on the last game of the year and to celebrate they went out and got destroyed 50-0 by rival USC and there coach was fired. So now they get to head up to Eugene to face a very good Oregon Ducks team that has 2 losses on the season to #1 LSU and to a good USC team. The Ducks have Pac 12 1st team running back LaMichael James and a very fast paced offense. This game won't be close I have Oregon over UCLA 50-3
• Next we have the SEC Championship game on Saturday on CBS at 2 pm MT where #1 LSU (12-0, 8-0 in the SEC West) takes on #14 Georgia (10-2, 7-1 in the SEC East) in what i think is going to be a good game. LSU has been tested over and over again this year and have proved week in and week out that they are the best team in the country. This Saturday they will face Georgia and who i think is the best passing QB in the SEC Aaron Murray. The Bulldogs started the season slow but have fought and won all the way to the End. Look for a close game where i still believe points will be hard to come by but i see LSU coming out ahead and remaining #1 with a final score of 21-14.
• Now this is not a Championship game by name but it is for the Big 12 title as #3 Oklahoma State (10-1, 7-1 in the Big 12) invites #10 Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2 in the Big 12) in the Bedlam game at 6 pm MT on ABC to determinethe Big 12 rep in the BCS. Oklahoma St brings a great offense to the game lead by Sr QB Brandon Weeden and All American WR Justin Blackmon. Oklahoma is Lead by Jr QB Landry Jones and the rest of Oklahomas offense. I just don't see Oklahomas Defense keeping up with Blackmon and if OK St can win there still is a chance all be it slim to get to the National Title Game. Im going high offensive scoring game OK St wins 34-31.
• At the same time 6 pm MT on ESPN You have the ACC Championship game between #5 Virginia Tech (11-1, 7-1 in the ACC Coastal) and #20 Clemson (9-3, 6-2 in the ACC Atlantic). Virginia Tech has not really been tested this year with a pretty week non conference schedule and there one loss this year was to Clemson early in the year. But year in and year out Frank Beamer has this team ready to play. Look for the Hokies to run the ball with the 26th rated rushing team in the country and behind Jr David Wilson and Sophomore QB Logan Thomas they should be good. Early in the year Clemson was one of the Sexy picks to possible compete for the National Title but as time has gone on they have taken a sharp turn downward and lost 3 of the last 4 games they have played. There young team lead by SO QB Tajh Boyd. One of the best players on the field will be Clemsons Freshman phenom WR  Sammy Watkins who has over 1000 yard receiving and 10 TD's this year but has been a little injured as of late. Look for a close game but i have to give it to Virginia Tech 21-17.
• Last but not least at 6:17 pm MT on Fox you have the first every Big 10 championship. In this game you have #15 Wisconsin (10-2, 6-2 in the Leaders Division) and #13 Michigan State (10-2, 7-1 in the Legends Division). Wisconsin is a powerhouse on the field. Behind Heisman hopeful Montee Ball and exciting QB Russell Wilson. Now earlier in the year Wisconsin lost a close one by 6 to Michigan State, I think this game is going to be alot the same, however Wisconsin is playing so good ball late outscoring opponents 177 to 54 and they beat Penn State 45-7. Michigan State brings a powerful defense that has held opponents to less than 17 points 7 times. Look for Wisconsin to win this in a slug fest, 17-14.

Also there is a Conference USA championship where #6 Houston should have very little problems behind Case Keenum in beating #24 Southern Miss. Big East is a mess with a potential tie with Louisville, Cincinnati, and West Virginia we will see how that works out. And of course our local teams. I have BYU beating Hawaii 34-17 (5:30 pm MT on ESPN 2) and I have Utah State riding the momentum from there bowl invite winning over New Mexico State 45-21 (1:30 pm MT). So there you have it let me know what you think.

Playoff prediction (Dallin)

With 5 weeks left in the NFL season i will tell you who is going to be in the playoffs, and what seed they will be according to there remaining schedule.

NFC
1. Green Bay Packers (15-1) NFC North Champion
2. San Francisco 49ers (13-3) NFC West Champion
3. New Orleans Saints (12-4) NFC South Champion
4. Dallas Cowboys (11-5) NFC East Champion
5. Atlanta Falcons (11-5) Wild Card
6. Detroit Lions (10-6) Wild Card

I think the Packers Lose late because they will rest some starters, San Francisco only plays one team that is over .500 left on there schedule (Steelers) but i think they will lose one more. New Orleans and the Falcons out of the south will battle for the division title  but New Orleans has too much offence and will win the division but the falcons will get a wild card spot.  Detroit , The Bears, and the Giants will fight for the last wild card spot but the Giants schedule is too hard and the Bears have Hanie at QB so i see the Lion getting the last spot.

AFC
1. New England Patriots (13-3) AFC East Champions
2. Baltimore Ravens (12-4) AFC North Champions
3. Houston Texans (10-6) AFC South Champions
4. Oakland Raiders (9-7) AFC West Champions
5. Pittsburgh Steeters (12-4) Wild Card
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) Wild Card

The New England Patriots  have a easy schedule and i don't see them losing any of those games.  The AFC north will be a fun division to watch but i see three teams in that division making the playoffs with the Bengals being the surprise team.  The ravens have yet to lose in that division and beat the Steelers twice this year so they will win the tie breaker.  The Texans have a good lead in the South the Titans could make a run but with the rushing game they have and how well they are playing on Defense i see them winning that division.  In the West its a pretty weak division but the Raiders are the best right now i think Denver will keep it close but when teams figure out there offence (much like teams figured out the wildcat from the dolphins) then i don't see them being able to keep it up.

By Dallin Finlinson

NBA is Here Well almost (Casey)

So as most of you have heard, the NBA players and owners have come to a tentative agreement and it looks like as of Dec. 25th we will have some basketball. Which leads me to this question, with 66 games to play, Who is going to be the best team in the NBA this year? Are the Mavericks going to repeat, are the Heat going to win there title, or are the Lakers going to come out and win another title? As for the Jazz they are a very young team and nobody knows who will make up this team. I do know I'm excited to see the young talent the Jazz have, and it will be interesting to see how they mesh and play together and I for one cant wait till Christmas Day. Thanks to the NBPA and the Owners for figuring it all out before we lost more games. Well leave your opinions on who you think has the best chance of winning this years NBA championship.

NFL PICK'EM WEEK 12

It's time once again for our weekly NFL pick'em... Here are our picks.

Thursday Nov. 24th. (Thanksgiving Day)      Tyler                 Dallin                   Casey

Green Bay@Detroit                                       Green Bay         Green Bay           Detroit

Miami@Dallas                                               Dallas                Dallas                 Dallas

San Fran@Baltimore                                     Baltimore          Baltimore            San Fran

Sunday Nov. 27th.

Minnesota@Atlanta                                        Atlanta             Atlanta                Atlanta

Cleveland@ Cincinnati                                   Cincinnati         Cincinnati            Cincinnati

Buffalo@New York Jets                                   Jets                  Jets                     Jets

Tampa Bay@Tennessee                                Tennessee       Tampa Bay         Tennessee

Arizona@St. Louis                                          St. Louis           St. Louis             St.Louis

Houston@Jacksonville                                    Houston            Houston              Houston

Carolina@Indianapolis                                  Carolina            Carolina              Carolina

Washington@Seattle                                     Seattle              Washington         Seattle

Chicago@Oakland                                         Oakland            Oakland             Oakland

New England@ Philadelphia                         New England    New England      Philadelphia

Denver@San Diego                                       San Diego          San Diego          San Diego

Pittsburgh@Kansas City                                Pittsburgh           Pittsburgh           Pittsburgh

Monday Nov. 28th.

New York Giants@New Orleans                   New Orleans      New Orleans     New Orleans

This Years Champ According to EA Sports NCAA 12! (Casey)

Ok everyone I decided to go ahead and have a Playoff using the top 8 teams according to the BCS and this is what happened. Now to start i did a total simulation on all games. Each game had 5 minute quarters and for the first round the highest seed played a home game. The semi finals were played in the Georgia Dome and the Fiesta Bowl and the National Title was played at the Rose Bowl. I had no control over the outcome, this was all according to the game itself.

• The first game played was between the #1 seed LSU and the #8 seed, Houston. And in the end LSU won that game 27-20.
• The next game was between #3 seed Arkansas and #6 Stanford. In the end Arkansas pulled out the victory 14-9.
• The next game was #4 Oklamona State and #5 Virginia Tech. This game had the widest margin of victory as the Cowboys won 24-17. 
• And  the last game of the first round pitted the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide against #7 Boise St. In the only upset of the 1st round the Broncos won 26-21.
• The Semi Finals began with the #1 Tigers of LSU Playing the #3 Arkansas Razorbacks in the Georgia Dome. When everything was said and done LSU won the game 27-20 and moved into the National Championship game.
• In the other Semi Final you had the #4 Oklahoma State Cowboys playing the #7 Boise St Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl. And of course the Broncos do it again and upset the Cowboys by a score of 27-20.

So here is your National Championship game. #1 LSU with there powerful Defense and at times powerful  offense playing the perennial Cinderella #7 Boise State and there potent offense. So who won you might ask? Well the winner is.........

That right your 2011/2012 National Champion is the Boise State Broncos. 10-3 over LSU

BCS Championship! (Casey)

So As the college football season winds down the continued argument year in and year out is Who Are The Two Best Teams That Should Play For The Title? And every year since the BCS has been in place we leave it up to computers to figure it out. This year is a little different, with so many 1 loss teams its up for debate which one of them is the best and if LSU loses who would the 2 best teams be? There is one thing for sure, I'm not a big fan of rematches and to think there is a possibility of a Alabama Vs LSU championship game. But lets take a look at all the one loss teams and see which ones you think should play for the title.

1. Alabama: Won this week- #2 in BCS, plays @ #24 Auburn
2. Arkansas: Won this week- #3 in BCS plays @ #1 LSU
3. Stanford: Won this week- #6 in BCS plays #22 Notre Dame then a possible Pac 12 Championship game.
4. Oklahoma State: Lost this week- #4 in BCS Plays #9 Oklahoma 
5. Virginia Tech: Won this week- #5 in BCS Plays @Virginia then the ACC Championship against #17 Clemson
6. Boise State: Won this week- #7 in BCS Plays Wyoming and New Mexico 
7. Undefeated Houston: Won this week- #8 Plays @ Tulsa then the CUSA championship

So there is your BCS top 8 teams along with #1 LSU. Take your pick and let me know what will happen and what should happen!

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT? (TYLER)

With the first season for the Utah Utes all nearing it's end, the Utes are currently 6-4 (3-4 in conference) and are listed as 4th in the Pac12 South Division. The Utes play @Washington State this Saturday and have Colorado at home to finish their regular season. An interesting twist however is that USC, Arizona St,  and UCLA (the teams above the Utes) are in an odd predicament also. 

1. USC- leading the south division at 8-2 overall (5-2 in conference), however they cannot play into the post-season due to NCAA sanctions that end after this year.
2. Arizona State- 2nd in the south division at 6-4 overall, (4-3 in conference) have struggled the last 2 weeks losing to UCLA and Washington State. The Sun Devils play Arizona and Cal their last 2 games at home and could potentially lose to both teams making their records 6-6 overall and 4-5 in conference.
3. UCLA- at 5-5 overall (4-3 in conference) the Bruins are happy to be at 3rd in the division for now only because they have a better in-conference record than the Utes. UCLA plays Colorado at home before going to play at USC. The Bruins will beat Colorado cause they are horrible, but they will fall to USC making them 6-6 overall and 5-4 in conference. 

My point in all this is that Utah has the easier schedule by far over the teams in front of them (ASU and UCLA) the Utes should finish with 2 wins making them 8-4 and 2nd in the South Division. Even if ASU wins 1 or their 2 final games they Utes would still go to the Pac12 Championship game.

My question is to all Ute fans out there. With you needing the sanctions to USC keeping them out of the post season, and needing Arizona State to completely collapse these last two games, would you be happy with that result instead of dominating the South Division and determining your own destiny? Let me hear your thoughts.

NFL PICK'EM WEEK 11

Here are our picks for week 11.

Thursday Nov. 17                             TYLER                   DALLIN                   CASEY

New York Jets @ Denver                    Jets                         Jets                           Jets

Sunday Nov. 20

Cincinnati @ Baltimore                    Baltimore               Cincinnati                Baltimore                

Jacksonville@Cleveland                   Jacksonville          Cleveland                 Jacksonville

Carolina@Detroit                             Detroit                    Detroit                      Detroit

Tampa Bay@Green Bay                  Green Bay             Green Bay                 Green Bay

Buffalo@Miami                                Buffalo                   Buffalo                      Miami

Oakland@Minnesota                       Oakland                 Oakland                    Oakland

Dallas@Washington                        Dallas                    Dallas                        Dallas

Arizona@San Francisco                  San Francisco       San Francisco          San Francisco

Seattle@St. Louis                            St. Louis                St. Louis                    St. Louis

Tennessee@Atlanta                       Atlanta                   Atlanta                      Atlanta

San Diego@Chicago                      Chicago                 Chicago                     Chicago

Philadelphia@N.Y.Giants              NY Giants              NY Giants                  NY Giants

Monday Nov. 21

Kansas City@New England           New England         New England            New England