NCAA

  • Previewing the Utah College Football Quinfecta utah college football

    This Saturday really is going to be a special day because we will have the Grand Utah College Football Quinfecta: What is the grand Utah College Football Quinfecta, you may ask? Well, every division 1 football team in the state(yes Weber and SUU count) have home games all on the same day. And I will be going to all of them. Just kidding. But anyways in celebration of this special day, I will preview all of these games, like what they will have to do to win, how it will affect the season and whatever else I feel like saying. Also, mother nature is clearly not a fan of the Grand Utah College Football Quinfecta because have you seen the weather for Saturday? Smh. 

    Utah St: vs. Nevada @8:15 2 weeks ago Big Blue ill-advisedly got stuck in a cage with Mike the Tiger and got thrashed around for 3 hours. But luckily they had last week off to put on some bandaids and heal some wounds and they should be ready for Nevada. The Wolf Pack come to Logan with Last Chance U quarterback Malik Henry and are hoping to ride some momentum off their win against ...

  • West Coast Football Power Rankings for Week 5 utah usc 3

    4 games into the college football season and we are starting to get a taste of who is good and who isn’t out west. This highly scientific poll based on my personal opinion ranks all the teams in the Pac-12 and Mountain West, + BYU + Weber. 

    1. Cal: The mighty Golden Bears of Berkely are the Pac 12’s only undefeated team left and possibly their final hope for making the playoffs (Good luck). They have not entirely over-powered anyone in any game, (ex: Cal 23, North Texas 17), but their victory over Ole Miss and their one-point win over Washington in Seattle puts them number one on the list.
    2. Washington: The lightning delay game against Cal was probably a fluke and the Huskies would likely win in a rematch, but we here at PMH respect head to head wins and therefore put Cal ahead. Anyways, Washington QB Jake Eason is playing well, and UW is coming off two impressive victories over BYU and Hawaii and looks like the best team in the Pac-12.
    3. Oregon: Oh ducks. Ya blew it. With the whole country watching opening weekend you let a 15-point lead slip away while Auburn Freshman Bo Nix rallied his team to victory. Oregon ...
    4. Pre-season Outlook for Utah Football rice eccles stadium 2

      The University of Utah is set to open their season Thursday night at home against Michigan in what will be one of the most anticipated games of the opening weekend of college football. Expectations are high after the Utes went 8-4 last year and won their bowl game as well. They have several key players returning this year. So what are realistic expectations?

      • I believe Utah will be an even better football team this year but may win the same number of games. It’s important to remember Utah won several close ones last year. It is quite possible a few of those games don’t go their way this year and they end up only 7-5 or 8-4 again.
      • I heard a crazy stat on the radio a few weeks ago that Utah had not beaten a Pac-12 opponent by more than a touchdown in the past two years. It is true. Those numbers speak to how good the Pac-12 is. The conference is easily the second best after the SEC and the Pac-12 South has five incredible teams. Colorado is the only non-powerhouse in the division.
      • Close games and all, I think Utah is talented enough to be a top 15 or even ...
      • Pre-Season Thoughts on BYU Football BYU logo

        More interesting than the win/loss record this season will be the attitude of the BYU fan base: seeing what attendance is, gauging the growing dissatisfaction with Bronco, the reaction to watching their rival have a solid year again in a power conference.

        • It is highly likely BYU will be 1-3 after the first 4 games of the season
          • Nebraska is the most winnable game but you don’t just waltz into Lincoln and beat a storied program. BYU will also be missing players due to suspension from the Miami Beach Brawl. BYU gets Nebraska in their first game with a new coach so that may help.
          • I think Boise State is a flat-out better team and program than BYU. This is essentially BYU’s only real home game of note. If the Cougs do win at Nebraska, Lavell Edwards Stadium will be a mad house for that Boise game and perhaps they’ll have a chance.
          • Though they are getting too much hype, UCLA will be more talented than BYU
          • Michigan is a winnable game…..if you’re playing them week one like Utah is. However, I think Harbaugh may have that ship turned around by the 4th game. Could spell trouble for BYU
        • Because of what will likely be a ...
        • The Greatest Sports Announcer Calls of All Time cal stanford

          We’re still a month or so away from the open of Fall camp for BYU and Utah Football. The NBA finals just ended. Most sports fans are probably watching a little baseball or hitting the beach or the lake for vacation. During this relatively mild time of the sports year, I thought it would be cool to post some of the greatest sports calls of all time. Of course these calls generally coincide with the greatest sports moments of all time. You’ll recognize many of them.

          My personal favorite is Kirk Gibson’s home run in game one of the 1988 World Series since I grew up in So. California as a Dodger fan. I remember sitting around the TV watching that game with my family. Vin Scully was the TV announcer. In addition to doing Dodger games, I think he worked for NBC and did all the big games. However, his call of the home run was actually not as dramatic as the late Jack Buck, who I believe was doing the game on radio. Jack Buck’s call is on the Youtube clip. (And I believe Jack Buck was also the announcer on the Ozzie Smith home run)

          That said, the best ...

        • College Football Conference Realignment – 5 Years Later Conference map

          BYU and Utah fans remember it well – five years ago Utah received word they were joining the Pac-12 and leaving BYU behind. BYU football decided to go Independent. Check out this link to a fantastic read from Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports, one of the premier college football writers. He provides a great summary of all the conference changes and how the affected teams have fared in the 5 years since. It’s a really fascinating break-down. Hard to read if you’re a BYU fan.

          Biggest winners, losers five years after realignment hell broke loose

           

        • Runnin’ Utes Fall Flat on Saturday Against Arizona Arizona

          The #8 Utah Utes were beaten handily by #10 Arizona on Saturday 76-59. It was billed as a top 10 showdown but did not live up to the hype. Utah never got going on offense and seemed overmatched by Arizona’s height and length. Delon Wright did not play well and the Utes didn’t seem to have anyone else willing to answer the bell.

          I thought this might be a nice showcase game for Utah’s 7 footer, Jacob Poeltl – who is receiving a lot of NBA draft buzz. Arizona is loaded with NBA caliber big men and it would have been nice to see Potl hold his own. He was kind of a non-factor. Poelt had his normal 6 points in the game but was just not a force.

          Besides this bad loss, the only negative thing I have to say about Larry Krystkowiak this season is Utah doesn’t feature Poeltl enough in their offense. I think they could go more deliberately into the post with him and develop his offensive game, while helping the team score.

          Though I don’t think Arizona is 20 points better than Utah, the Utes certainly have some room to improve after this bad loss. I think they ...

        • TCU Says SE-who? and Play-off Preview tcu

          TCU showed the college football world they really did belong in the 4 team play-off after they put an absolute beat-down on Ole Miss, 42-3. It was not even a game. The mighty SEC West either forgot to show up today or they really weren’t that mighty. Mississippi State suffered a similar fate against a good, but not great Georgia Tech team. Should Alabama lose tomorrow, this whole SEC West was the best is gonna look extremely silly.

          Boise State showed once again they belong with the college football elite. Their 38-30 victory over Arizona should vault them into a top 15 final ranking.

          As for a preview of tomorrow’s semi-final games:

          I believe the two best coaches in all of college football will square off when Alabama and Ohio State lock horns tomorrow night. At last check, Bama is a 9 point favorite. Bama has better players but I like both coaches’ ability to scheme a great game plan with a month to prepare. I don’t think Alabama is gonna run away with it.

          Oregon is a also a 9 point favorite over Florida State. I think anyone not living in Tallahassee, FL is cheering for Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariotta and Oregon ...

        • Bring on Boise State! Boise chair back

          Any of you who’ve read my blog since I started in 2010 will know that I’ve long been an admirer of the Boise State football team. I wrote a lot about Boise and TCU and how their fight for college football legitimacy was the same as Utah’s and BYU’s.

          Of course TCU has gone on to join the Big-12 and excel. In my opinion, the Horned Frogs were robbed of a spot in the play-off this year. College Football Play-off – Just as Crooked as the BCS

          Utah has joined the Pac-12 and done well.

          BYU and Boise State are still considered “outsiders.”

          Of those 4 teams though, I think Boise State has been the single most compelling team to watch. Boise will be back at it this year as they have once again qualified for the Fiesta Bowl. They are getting in as the highest ranked team from the non power-5 schools. They will face #10 Arizona on New Year’s Eve. Boise got thumped to start the season by Ole Miss but have gone on to compile a 10-2 season. BYU fans know how good Boise State is after watching the Broncos thrash the Cougars earlier this year. Boise State is ranked ...

        • College Football Playoff – Just as Crooked as the BCS college football playoff2

          The college football playoff committee gave an early Christmas gift to every sports talk radio show in America today – a week’s worth of material and crazed phone calls to fill segment after segment. Up to this point, we had been led to believe the committee was actually acting like the intelligent, thoughtful group of 13 individuals they are. However, objectivity, reason, and sanity went out the window at noon eastern today when the final 4 teams were announced. Money, traditional names, power, greed and TV won out once again. Nothing shocking – we all know how college football works – it was just a little jolting because the committee had seemed to actually make sense up to this point.

          These were the rankings (I just have the top 16) released last Tuesday night (just 5 days ago):

          1. Alabama
          2. Oregon
          3. TCU
          4. Florida State
          5. Ohio State
          6. Baylor
          7. Arizona
          8. Michigan State
          9. Kansas State
          10. Mississippi State
          11. Georgia Tech
          12. Ole Miss
          13. Wisconsin
          14. Georgia
          15. UCLA
          16. Missouri

          Here’s the final top 10 rankings released today:

          1. Alabama
          2. Oregon
          3. Florida State
          4. Ohio State
          5. Baylor
          6. TCU
          7. Mississippi State
          8. Michigan State
          9. Ole Miss
          10. Arizona

          TCU is out of the top 4 and Ohio State is in.

          Here is what transpired over the weekend.

          • #1 Alabama easily handled #16 Missouri 42-13 in the SEC title game and secured their spot
          • #2 Oregon crushed #7 Arizona 51-13 in the Pac-12 championship game
          • #3TCU destroyed a ...