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

No NBA? No Problem (Casey)

With the news earlier this week from the NBA that the NBPA rejected the offer from the owners and that  there may be NO NBA season this year it looks like our options are limited down to watching our local college teams play (which is not a bad thing). So as we begin this year in basketball let us take a quick look at our local teams and see what we can expect.

1.  BYU: Well Cougar fans all i can say is NO MORE JIMMER! That right The Jimmer is gone so whats next? Well I think the Basketball team this year should be just fine. BYU will have to rely on there bigs to keep them in games. Brandon Davis is back for being kicked off the team and he is joined inside by Noah Hartsock. Charles Abuo will be relied on to be a leader on this team as well. The concern I have is with the Point Guard possition, right now Brock Zylstra is there point and he is not a PG. There is alot of excitement about UCLA transfer Matt Carlino a 6-2 guard who will be available after Dec 17th for the Cougs who should take over the PG position. All in All BYU should be a good team and win some games this year and with games against Baylor and Gonzaga(twice) and Saint Marys(twice) and a new conference, this could be interesting. But i expect BYU to make it into the NCAA Tournament for the 6th straight year.
2. Utah: The University of Utah is going through a rough few years. Under Jim Boylen it seemed to me that this program went from bad to worse. But at years end the Utes Fired Boylen (good move) and hired Larry Krystkowiak who was an assistant coach for the New Jersey Nets as well as a former Jazz player. The Utah version of Coach K will have a tough road ahead as he only returns 4 players from last year and welcomes in 11 new players as well as a new conference. Not to mention before the season even began there best player 7' 3" David Foster is out indefinitely. This year is going to be tough for the Utes. I expect them to have a losing record and finish at the bottom of the Pac 12.
3. Utah St: Well the Aggies are one of those teams that seem every year to play well, win the WAC and make it to the NCAA tournament only to be knocked out in the first round. And every year i pick them to win and am disappointed. Well this year will be alot of the same in my mind. Utah State under Stew Morrill is one of the steadiest programs in the state and The Spectrum is by far the craziest Arena in the state. Look for Brockeith Payne and Brady Jardine to lead the Aggies to another WAC Championship and NCAA tournmanet bid. They are young but they are good.
4. Weber St: Perhaps the Best team in the State, the Wildcats under Randy Rahe have been consistently good every year and will be good again this year. Behind Senior Klye Bullinger the Wildcats were picked to win the Big Sky and i think they should be able to do it. They play At BYU and At California which will be huge tests but after they slide into conference play i think they will do just fine and continue there winning ways.
5. UVU: Utah Valley University is a good basketball program. Last year they finished the season as the Great West Conference regular season champs and have been selected to repeat that again this year. Behind the play of returning all conference player Isiah Williams as well as Holton Huntsaker, big man Ben Aird and Forward Geddes Robinson this Wolverines team should be good and be able to hold there own against almost anyone even with a tough trip up to Logan.

So with all that being said it should be a great year for hoops in the state of Utah even without the Jazz playing Unless you cheer for the Utes but think about it this way Ute fans you will have an opportunity to see a #15 Arizona and a #23 California team come to your place. Sorry I dont know much about SUU or the other teams in the state. If anyone has info leave a comment!

Football Schedule 2012? (Tyler)

So i just got thinking to myself, since BYU has one more home game left this saturday against New Mexico State... who do i have to look forward to coming to LaVell Edwards Stadium next year? so far there is Weber State Sept. 8th, Utah State Oct. 5th, and Oregon State Oct. 13th..... these are the current home games scheduled for next year... i think Texas should be in that mix but no word on for sure dates and opponents. I've got a couple of teams i would like to see in LES next year. Who would you like to see in Provo? Lets hear it.

Somebody Stop Me!!! I Dare You!!! (Tyler)

The Green Bay Packers are currently 8-0 and top of the NFC North Division... i'm keeping tabs on their game right now against Minnesota and it's 24-7 into the 3rd Quarter and i got to thinking... who is going to break the perfect season for the Pack? Let's look at their remaining schedule. Green Bay doesn't have the easiest remaining schedule...

• Week 11 Tampa Bay 
• Week 12 @ Detroit
• Week 13 @New York Giants
• Week 14 Oakland
• Week 15 @Kansas City
• Week 16 Chicago
• Week 17 Detroit

Green Bay so far seems immortal but i think they have a legitimate shot at losing week 16 to Chicago even though they beat Chicago in Chicago week 3 27-17. The Bears are playing like a different team now than they were earlier in the year. That is my best guess.... whats yours? Or will they enter the playoffs undefeated?

• 
  

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? (Casey)

Since September 30th when Jake Heaps was pulled from the Utah State game and replaced by Riley Nelson there has been a lot of buzz about what Jake should do. Many of the local media around have suggested he transfer, even some have said he should transfer to Utah to play for Norm Chow and the Utes. All I can say is  Hold your Horses, Jake is going nowhere and i will tell you why. When he came to BYU he held a press conference and told the world how great BYU was and how he was going to win a National Title. In that same moment he told us he was going to have some help and out walked Ross Apo who decommited from Texas to come play with Jake at BYU as well as Zac Stout a LB star from Cali. When they did that in my eyes Jake solidified his 4 (or more) year commitment to BYU and those 2 and if he left he would be lying to those 2 as well as everyone else he told about BYU. Also once he got to BYU he found his wife and to tell her as they are both going to school that she needs to pack her stuff and leave and transfer, i just don't see it being that easy. Now I'm not going to lie his Sophomore year has not been all that great and he has had to deal with some challenging and humbling things, but we as fans have to remember HE IS A TRUE SOPHOMORE. I hope Jake takes a look at his situation and realizes that if he leaves and transfers to another school, unless he drops down a division, he will have to sit out a season anyway so why not redshirt next year and keep that year of eligibility. Plus he would be the same year as Apo and BYU has good WR coming in the next few years. I truly thing Jakes best situation would be to stay at BYU and continue to grow and learn under Brandon Doman and gain his ultimate goal of Playing for a winning program and getting into the NFL.

What i learned from Sundays games

(Dallin) As i was watching the games on Sunday ,now that its in the middle of the season, here are 5 things i learned.

• Philly is not going to the playoffs.  If you get all of these pieces in the offseason and cant beat the cardinals, with John Skelton at the helm, at home? i think you might have picked up the wrong people or personal to help them work together cause what your doing now just ain't working

• No matter who they start at quarterback the Washington Redskins are a bad team and losing your starting running back and wide receiver sure doesn't help but if you don't have a good QB then your not going to go far unless you have a great defence (Ravens of '01 and Tampa of '03)

• Its never a good idea to go for it on 4th down in overtime when your on your own 29 yard line, no matter how long you need to go for the first down. As most of you know the Atlanta Falcons took there game against New Orleans  to overtime.  After a couple of series the Falcons had the ball on there own 29 yard line.  It was 4th and inches and they decided to go for it instead of punt the ball and hope to stop them and get the ball back for another chance.  They handed it off to Turner up the middle who what stuffed behind the line and was short of the first down. The saints took over and kicked a field goal to win the game.  The thing is even if they made it they still had a long ways to go and might have not been able to move the ball further up the field to put them in position to win.  Now they are a 1 1/2 games behind New Orleans and 1 game out of the playoffs. Bad move Smith.

• The 49ers are for real.  At the first of the year i though there wins were just luck, but they have played so good team 3 of them have winning records and 2 others were in the playoffs last year.  All the 49ers have needed was a good coach that could put all of this talent together cause if you look at them they are the same team from last year.  Also Alex Smith is playing the best he has played since being drafted number 1 over all in the '05 draft.  He may not be putting up big numbers but he is not losing his team games with costly mistakes.  They will win there division since its so weak this year but i think that they can even win in the playoffs.  They only have 2 teams with winning records left on there schedule so they will most likely get a first round bye and home field advantage in there first game.  With good coaching, a solid running game, and good defence (number 1 against the run), and a QB that can manage the game its a good formula to a successful team.

• Dallas has a winning team that will make the playoffs.  With 7 games left on there schedule all of which i can see them winning.  They are 1 game behind the Giants and 1 game from a wild card spot.  They still have to play the Giants twice and they play them there last game of the season which could decide who gets in the playoffs.  Three of there remaining games are at home and only the G man have a winning record.  They go to Washington (win), to Arizona(win), to Tampa(win), then the big one at Giants stadium( i still think they win).  When there offensive line gives Romo enough time he has the weapons to have a very powerful offence, it also help when your running back (Demarco Murray) is playing as well has he has to help open up the passing game.   Also there Defence is able to apply pressure on the quarter back and cause turnovers.  If Dallas can continue to play consistent football then they will be in the playoffs and could go far.

Personal foul! (Casey)

Ray Lewis hit on Hines ward!

Ryan Clarks hit on Ed Dickson!

As I sat and contemplated my first blog there was one thing that I have had on my mind for a little while now. For the past few years the NFL as well as the NHL and other contact sports have put a emphasis on blows to the head or Helmet to Helmet contact. As someone who loves watching a lot of contact and physicality, in my eyes it takes from the game when you try taking the hitting out of it. I understand they are only trying to protect players, I mean nobody likes seeing anyone on the ground either unconscious and strapped to a board, carted off the field but there need to be some changes to the way things are done and i have some ideas.
      Because Helmet to Helmet contact is a 15 yard penalty there should be something done to ensure it is called correctly. Many times during the season i have seen calls where the player lead with his shoulder and because it was such a "bang bang" play the motion of the player made it look like it was a above the shoulders hit. Also there have been times when there was a Helmet to Helmet hit ala Ray Lewis on Hines Ward (picture above) that probably should have been called and were not. My solution to the problem is this;
     1. The NFL should have someone independent hired to sit in the booth that is watching the game and when there is a call like that it needs to be immediately looked at and determined whether or not it was Helmet to Helmet and buzzed down to the ref, it would not be a call that the Head Coaches could review and it would be reviewed only on obvious blows to the head that are not called (Hines Ward) as well as called Helmet to Helmet hits to make sure it was a correct call (Ryan Clark). In my eyes it wouldn't slow down the game anymore than reviews already do and the refs wouldn't have to look at it because the official in the booth would already see it and make the call. This could also be done on PI calls as well.
     I really hope the NFL takes a look at these rules and they make changes as needed, i hate to see hitting taken out of football. These are the games I love and being someone who loves to watch defensive football hitting someone is one of my favorite parts.

AFC WEST PREDICTIONS (CONT'D)

THE DENVER BRONCOS (Tyler)

The Denver Broncos are currently 3-5 and are one game behind 2nd place in the AFC WEST. Here are my predictions for the remaining games on the schedule for the Broncos.

Nov. 13th @Kansas City... as i predicted in my last post with Kansas City, i don't see the Broncos being able to repeat the same success they had against the Raiders. I see a loss coming here in KC. LOSS 17-3
Nov. 17th New York Jets... after a short week coming off a loss i'm not seeing hope in this game for the Broncos, the Jets Defense will shut down the Bronco offense. LOSS 21-6
Nov. 27th @ San Diego... Philip Rivers may be having a rougher season than we are used to seeing him have, Champ Bailey will have a INT or 2 in this game but the Chargers defense will not allow Tebow (or whoever the QB is for this game) to do a whole lot on offense. LOSS 17-9
Dec. 4th @ Minnesota... this game i can actually see Denver winning (no matter who the QB is) the Vikings are rebuilding around QB Christian Ponder. Ponder is looking pretty good in his first starts this year, but i think the Broncos will pull out a win here. WIN 14-13
Dec. 11th Chicago... Just like my other AFC West predictions when they play the Bears, i have the Bears defense being all over the Broncos offense. Devin Hester will run back a punt in this game also. Ugly loss for the Broncos. (but not shameful cause the Bears are good) LOSS 37-10
Dec. 18th New England... this is not the kind of team you want to see after a beatdown the week before. New England will come to Denver and show their QBs how to throw the ball effectively. LOSS 28-12
Dec. 24th @ Buffalo... The Bills have had an incredible year so far, however i don't see them continuing their winning streak. Fred Jackson will rush for 150 yards, but the Broncos will rush for 200 and slip a win in here against the Bills. WIN 17-16
Jan. 1st Kansas City... Just like my last prediction with the Chiefs. Kansas City will be playing to prove that they aren't a joke of a team and Denver doesn't have much to play for at this point. They will lose this game at home. LOSS 24-14

Summary... I have the Broncos finishing the season at 5-11 and last in the AFC WEST. I do however see some good things coming for the Broncos. I think John Fox is a good coach and will right the ship that was wrecked by Josh McDaniels. The defense is improved for sure and could use a couple of players to make them legitimate. The offense isn't very good but will improve over the next couple of years. There's always next year.

AFC WEST PREDICTIONS (CONT'D)

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (Tyler)

The Kansas City Chiefs are currently 4-4 and 2nd in the AFC West (after Oakland beat San Diego on Thursday) Here are my predictions on the remaining schedule for the Chiefs.

Nov. 13th Denver... The Broncos had a good showing in the run game last week against Oakland with Tim Tebow and Willis McGahee (where has McGahee been all year?) The Chiefs lost last weeks game against Miami, i don't however see the Broncos being able to repeat that performance this week and Tebow still has a lot to prove to me about being an NFL QB. WIN 17-3
Nov. 21st @New England... The Patriots haven't been as impressive this year as they have been in years past, however they still have Tom Brady leading the offense and New England is a tough place to play. Don't see the stars aligning for the chiefs on this one. LOSS 24-10
Nov. 27th Pittsburgh... Wow... after a tough game in New England i don't see the Chiefs being able to pull this game off against the Steelers Defense. Going to be a tough loss for the Chiefs. LOSS 21-9
Dec. 4th @ Chicago... Not much to say here, i don't see the Chiefs doing a whole lot against the Bears Defense in this game.. they will be able to score some points, just not enough. LOSS 24-18
Dec. 11th @New York Jets... Just like the beginning of the year (rough start) i actually seeing the Chiefs being able to come to New York in December and beat the Jets... I know, I know i may take some flak for this one but i can see the Chiefs bouncing back from some tough losses and sneaking a win here. WIN 17-14
Dec. 18th Green Bay... Oh boy, the Packers are on a roll and i don't see them stopping that progress here against the Chiefs. Going to say there's a loss here. LOSS 38-6
Dec. 24th Oakland... Just like my previous prediction here i see a healthier Raiders team being able to come into Kansas City and sneak a win. Pending injury of course. LOSS 21-14
Jan. 1st @ Denver... I see the Broncos giving up on the season by this point and not putting up much of a fight against a Chiefs team that is trying to prove they are not a flash in the pan team that got lucky last year. Kansas City walks into Denver and grabs the win. WIN 24-14

Summary... I have the Chiefs finishing 7-9 on the season along with the Chargers in the AFC WEST. Not a bad season considering the 2nd half of their season is brutal. Keep an eye on this Chiefs team next year when all of their stars are healthy again and we will see what happens.

AFC WEST STANDINGS

Now i'm going to break down the remaining schedule for the San Diego Chargers and predict how they will fare the rest of the year.

The San Diego Chargers are currently 4-4 and tied for 1st in the AFC WEST with Oakland and Kansas City, QB Philip Rivers has thrown for a lot of yards but has also thrown for more interceptions this year than i can remember happening in one year all together. RB Ryan Matthews is a force to be reckoned with in the league and can only get better. (barring injury) Lets look at their remaining schedule...
          Nov. 10th Oakland... The Oakland Raiders are still trying to figure out who they are as a team with new QB Carson Palmer at the helm, last week the Raiders gave up a ton of yards on the ground to Willis McGahee and Tim Tebow, look for Ryan Mathews to look pretty good and Philip Rivers to pick apart a battered secondary. WIN 35-17
          Nov. 20th @Chicago... Here i see the Chargers taking a hit against a good Bears defense. The Chargers can (and will) score the ball on offense, i just think that they will be able to do enough. I see a loss here. LOSS 21-14
          Nov. 27th Denver... Denver reports Tebow is on a short leash and they will put in Brady Quinn if necessary... really? Brady Quinn? I would rather have Tebow... (of course i think Orton is the better QB out of the three anyway) I don't see Denver's defense being able to stop the Chargers offensive attack. San Diego gets the victory here at home. WIN 33-17
          Dec. 5th @Jacksonville... This is kinda nice for San Diego, not having to travel to cold country in December at least one week... Jacksonville is a revived team with QB Blaine Gabbert and RB Maurice Jones-Drew... Jacksonville is going to score some points here.. Just not enough. WIN 27-24
          Dec. 11th Buffalo... RB Fred Jackson for the Bills is having a Pro Bowl year, and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has played lights out for most of the year. Buffalo's defense can ball for sure. (see game against New England) I see Buffalo sneaking a win here in San Diego. LOSS 34-24
          Dec. 18th Baltimore... To make this short and sweet, i see the Ravens D putting the hurt on Philip Rivers in this one, even with the Chargers at home i don't think they have enough to take it to the Ravens. I'm seeing a loss here also. LOSS 17-10
          Dec. 24th @Detroit... We've all seen that the Lions are a legitimate playoff team this year, and they may be fighting off the other NFC NORTH competition to let this game slide, especially at home. They are gonna make it real tough for Philip Rivers and company. LOSS 21-14
          Jan 1st @Oakland... if you were to look at my last post on the Oakland Raiders i predicted an Oakland victory at home. Even with a playoff bid on the line, the Chargers will be coming off three rough losses in a row before heading to Oak town. Gonna be a tough loss to swallow. LOSS 27-24

Summary.... Currently San Diego is 4-4, i'm predicting them going 7-9 with the final loss to the Raiders putting them out of the playoffs and giving the Chargers their first losing record in a long time. Be prepared Chargers fans. But believe me football fans there is always hope in the NFL. Any one game can alter the direction of a program. I think San Diego will be the most talented team with a losing record.

AFC WEST STANDINGS

Currently the AFC WEST is in quite a predicament, having 3 teams tied at 4-4 (Oakland, Kansas City, San Diego) But also having the 4th team in the league (Denver) only 1 game behind at 3-5. Here are my thoughts on the remaining schedule of the AFC WEST teams and how i think they will do.

 Oakland Raiders- Of course i start with the Oakland Raiders... the raiders have had a rough time the last couple of weeks after QB Jason Campbell went down with injury, and also RB Darren McFadden going down with a foot injury against Kansas City. The offense looked better after the bye week with QB Carson Palmer at the helm, but his 3 INTs sure didn't help anything, and the defense looked horrible against the run. Which is odd cause they have usually been pretty decent against the run. Here is Oakland's remaining schedule and how i see them faring.
          Nov. 10th @San Diego... i don't see this being too pretty of a picture for Oakland. Ryan Mathews should be back and Philip Rivers has torched Oakland with his arms before and knows how to beat them. With Darren McFadden probably out for this game i see a loss coming unless Rivers spends all night on his back. (unlikely)  LOSS 35-17
          Nov. 20th @Minnesota ... This game i see being very winnable even on the road. Minnesota has given up a lot of plays on defense and has choked in the 2nd half of games. Unfortunately for Oakland Adrian Peterson is on this team and having a good year again. He is going to be more of a threat to torch the Raiders than QB Christian Ponder. (even though Ponder has done fairly well for himself since he took over the starting job) I do see McFadden back this game and Oakland winning this one by a close score. WIN 24-21
          Nov. 27th Chicago... Oh boy... Even though this game is at home the odds are that the Bears defense is going to shut down anything Oakland can throw at them. And Matt Forte has been a beast all year. Look for Chicago to come to town and put the beat down. LOSS 31-10
          Dec. 4th @Miami... The Miami Dolphins have struggled badly this year to find an identity. Losing QB Chad Henne hurt them and RB Reggie Bush has had flashes of greatness but is badly inconsistent. A December game is Miami is going to be a nice treat for the Raiders. Winning this one. WIN 28-14
          Dec. 11th @Green Bay... Wow this has to be one of the worst time to play the Green Bay Packers, in Green Bay in December... Aaron Rodgers is lights out and their defense is stout. Not good for Oakland. LOSS 35-3
          Dec. 18th Detroit... The Detroit Lions have been a very good team this year on both sides of the ball. I don't see anybody being able to cover Megatron or seeing anybody being able to beat their defense. I do think Oakland will be able to run the ball with McFadden (check out SF's Gore) but it won't be enough. LOSS 24-14
          Dec. 24th @Kansas City.. The last time these two teams played Kansas City put the beat down on a badly wounded Raiders team, and i mean it was ugly. This time around i see the odds being more in Oakland's favor. (pending team health of course) With a healthy team and a starting QB that will have more of his game legs under him i see Oakland winning this one in KC but only by 7. WIN 21-14
          Jan 1st San Diego... This game could have very heavy playoff implications for both teams. The only reason i even see Oakland winning this game is if the home crowd comes loud and proud and the team is healthy. And i do see a win here. WIN 27-24

Summary.... The way i see it Oakland is currently 4-4 with some rough games ahead and some very winnable games ahead. Team Health is critical in the next few weeks/months. I predict an 8-8 finish this season. If i'm wrong then so be it. As far as playoffs go, i'm going to break down the remaining 3 teams in the division and we will see from there how it will all come together. Here's hoping for better than 8-8!

CONFERENCE EXPANSION AND BYU

Conference expansion is still running a muck all over the U.S. and it has definitely kept me curious on how/if BYU fits in with all the expansion. BYU is currently independent in football and i'm actually fine with that. The only downside i have seen is that BYU basically has to go undefeated to even have a shot at a BCS bowl game. For sure not the easiest way to go. A while ago the rumors were swirling that BYU was going to be the 10th member of the Big12 after Texas A&M left for the SEC, and that turned out not true with TCU joining abrubtly. Then BYU was brought up again along with West Virginia and even Louisville as possible candidates to join the Big12 as the 11th and 12th members. That also has not come to fruition. Missouri is gone from the Big12, joining the SEC along side A&M. And West Virginia seems to be the ones to take their place. And now the Bronco is saying that the Big East has contacted BYU about possibly joining them in their Western Division along with (possibly) Boise St. Air Force, Houston, SMU, and Louisville.

These are some crazy times in college football, especially for BYU whose fans have been on an emotional roller-coaster ever since the fake news broke out last year that they were gonna join the Big12. Here are a couple of scenarios of what might happen with BYU.

1. BYU still to the Big 12
          I know everyone is saying "the door is closed there" but listen to this point of view. BYU already has their spot in the Big12 but the time isn't right yet... this is how that happens..... The Big12 TV partners require at least 10 teams to compete in football in the Big12 each year. After A&M left they needed one school to fulfill that. The B12 wants to get to 12 football schools eventually so they solidify that BYU would be willing to join (they say "yes whenever you need us") so the B12 grabs TCU before they are looped into the 27 month commitment that is currently holding back W.V. then they wait to see what Mizzou does. Mizzou wants to leave (big shock ha ha) So B12 gets ball rolling with W.V. knowing they won't be able to leave for 27 months. Now.. BYU joins the B12 as 10th member and the B12 awaits the arrival of W.V. and adds 1 more school to become 12 again.

2. BYU heads to Big East
            I see this very possible and maybe not even a bad idea... BYU would be in the Western Division with Boise (new rival) maybe Air Force (i hope) or San Diego State (whatever), then SMU, Houston, and Louisville or Cincinatti. To me that doesn't sound too bad actually. BCS status and arguably easier opponents. Win-win right? The only hiccup i see is that in 2 years the BCS renewal happens and doesn't think that the Big East is a strong enough conference to sustain their BCS status and that BCS bid becomes "at large" (since i don't see another conference that has better teams) in that case it might be better for BYU to wait for the B12 possibly calling later or just stay Indy and work for one of the "at large" bids.

Now for what i actually think will happen. I think that BYU goes to the Big East in the Western Division. With all the Schools joining the Big East, the Big East releases West Virginia from the 27 month commitment and allows them to join the B12 as the 10th member and life goes on for BYU in the Big East. And a new rivalry sparks for BYU with Boise St. But we will see probably pretty soon how this all plays out. Always hoping for the best. No matter what happens i'm BYU through and through and will cheer them on no matter what. Go Cougs!

First Post

Since this is my first post i'm gonna show ya'll how i'm gonna run things this year. Start team by team that i wanna talk about then spit out my thoughts.

 1st. BYU... BYU this year has given me way too many ups and downs... after the Ole Miss victory my hopes shot up for the year, then the Texas game... yes i was disappointed with the loss but still hopeful on the year. Utah came to down and completely beat us up, and deservedly so (any team that turns the ball over 7 times deserves to lose). Even after the games against UCF and Utah State, Idaho State, Oregon State i wasn't sold on Riley Nelson at QB for BYU and he proved my thought process against TCU with some stupid plays that lost them the game. (aka 3 turnovers) Sure he can avoid pressure by running and make plays with his feet but his arm is terrible, and what kind of QB can't throw the ball downfield. Not a good one i say. Guess there will just be more question marks for the QB spot at BYU as they play Idaho, New Mexico State  and Hawaii to finish off the season before going to the Armed Forces Bowl December 30th. I say start Heaps the rest of the season. (What do you have to lose?)

 2nd. The Oakland Raiders. As some of you may know i was able to go to Denver Sept. 14th to watch the game there on Monday night. Was tons of fun and we won in Denver. (if anyone follows this rivalry they know that usually Denver and Oakland can't beat each other at home.) The following weeks we won some good games (the Jets) and lost some bad ones (the Chiefs). But after the Bye Week i figured on a good beatdown on the Denver Broncos again in Oakland. Ya that didn't happen. Got run over by McGahee and Tebow. Stupid penalties came back to haunt us again also, i was hoping we had that problem solved. (wishful thinking i know) I've been asked for my thoughts on the Carson Palmer trade multiple times so here are my thoughts... i'm not ready to pass judgement yet on any trade until i see what that player can do and does on the field. I'm willing to give up whatever it takes to win in the playoffs and in the Superbowl, and if giving up 2 potential 1st round picks for Carson Palmer helps the Raiders do that then i say it was a good trade. If he flops then... well... that sucks. But for now the Raiders are still tied for 1st in the AFC West thanks to losses also from the Chiefs and Chargers. So we will see what happens on Thursday against San Diego. Still got high hopes.

3rd. Delta High School.... Delta is my Alma Mater so i still follow up with Delta High Football and Wrestling. Delta High Football this year was an impressive team... even though they lost their 1st game to Manti (who ended up being pretty dang good in 2A) they won all the rest of their games during the regular season, with showcase wins over Stansbury 21-6, Park City 33-22, Spanish Fork 35-14, and Payson 40-7. And then beating Ogden in the 1st round of the playoffs 43-0. Unfortunately for Delta the curse of the playoffs got to them in the 2nd round where they lost to Cedar at home 28-6. Overall i would say it was a great year for Delta Football considering Delta has the smallest student enrollment in all of 3A and has still made it to the playoffs 37yrs straight. Proud to be a Rabbit.