Heartbroken x 3

This is definitely not the blog I wanted to be writing today after attending last night's Utah State/BYU football game in Provo, UT. But lets face it, bad things happen. And if you are a Utah State fan, alumni, support, player, etc. bad things seem to happen just about every time the Aggies take the field.

The Aggies blew a 10-point lead with 3 minutes left to Auburn in the first week of the season, that hurt, but a loss to Auburn was expected. In week 3, the offense and defense played well enough to win but because of two muffed punt returns, Colorado State was able to score in the last minutes to tie the game and win in double overtime. And to cap it all off, last night, with a lead in final minutes once again, that hated team from down south was able to put together a 96 yard touchdown drive against the Ags to win the game with 11 seconds remaining.

What can be done! I can't take anymore heartbreak, this team has the talent and skills to win, they just somehow seem to miraculously lose each and every game! One thing that I think would help would be for Coach Anderson to take given points or at least shots at given points i.e. the extra point in the second overtime of the CSU game and the field goal late in fourth quarter against BYU. When the team wasn't as talented as opponents, trick plays and going for it was fine, but now, I believe we have a good team, we need to take points!

I'll always support the Aggies but its going to take a couple of wins before I make the trek back up to Logan to watch another game. I hope the team has some moral left and can still rally to make a bowl game.

Oh and p.s.- BYU don't say its not a rivalry game anymore. You stormed the field. A win over the Aggies must now mean something!

Conference Shuffle

I have been opposed to conference realignment in college football for quite some time, with the loss of rivalries and historic match-ups, but at this time it seems like it is unavoidable. So if things must change and it appears like they must, this is what I would like to see happen based on current moves and other rumors.

Most analysts believe there are going to be four power conferences with 16 teams a piece. Those conferences being the Pac-12, ACC, SEC, and Big 10.

The Pac-12 is likely to add Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma St.

The ACC has already added Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Connecticut has been rumored to want in to stay with long time rival Syracuse, leaving the ACC with 15 teams. And breaking news today is that if forced to give up independence Notre Dame would like to be the 16th in the ACC.

The most elite football conference the SEC has added Texas A&M and is now at an odd 13 teams. I see the SEC either adding West Virginia from the Big East or Missouri from the Big 12 or both! If both teams go, a 16th would most likely be added.

The Big 10 has been relatively quiet in this new wave of rumors but it is unlikely that they wouldn't make a move to pick up some pieces of the disparaged Big 12 and Big East. The four candidates I see most likely moving to the Big 10 (assuming Notre Dame goes to the ACC) would be Rutgers, Iowa St., Cincinnati, and Louisville.

So there we have it, four big 16 team conferences. Something similar to this will most likely happen. My opinion differs on what will happen, and what I hope happens to some of the remaining schools though. A fifth super conference composed of Big 12 teams and other powers under the name of the Big 12 so that the automatic BCS bid still applies. Here is my list of the those teams and where they would be coming from. From the Big 12- Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State; BYU (Independent); and from the current and future Mountain West- Boise St., TCU, Air Force, Colorado St., New Mexico, SDSU, UNLV, Wyoming, Hawaii, Fresno St. and Nevada. A 16th team would of course be added at a future time. This could definitely be a power conference with TCU, Boise St., Baylor and BYU. Hawaii, Fresno St., SDSU, and Nevada have all been known to have good seasons too.

Is this a solution to the problems in college football? Most definitely not. Believe it or not there was a 16 team conference in college football once before. The WAC from 1996-1998. Why did it fail? Elite teams felt that the super conference compromised academic and athletic integrity. Travel costs were also cited as a reason of league failure. The conference stretched from Hawaii to California to Oklahoma.

As far as the new super conferences go they probably will be around for a while, this isn't the 90's anymore. Rivalries, traditions, academics, and athletic excellence don't really matter. The only thing that matters is money and the money could be big in big conferences.

My Top 10 Sports Moments of 2010

My annual list of unforgettable sports moments from the past year. This isn’t necessarily a list of the biggest events of the year, just a list of moments that I will never forget.

10. Never Ending Tennis Match
I am not a huge tennis fan but I will never forget the 22nd through the 24th of June when John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played the world’s longest tennis match. It was impossible to turn off the TV! “Isner, Mahut, Isner, Mahut” when will it end?!

9. 2010 PGA Championship

A controversial finish on the 72nd hole left Zach Johnson out of a playoff for the championship where Martin Kaymer beat the long hitting Bubba Watson for his first major championship. Tournament golf at its finest!

8. The Decision
Oh LeBron… Anybody who is reading this most likely already knows about the shenanigans that LeBron James pulled this summer. To break up with a whole city on national TV is heartless and definitely unforgettable.

7. NCAA Basketball Championship
The ultimate David vs. Goliath Story, almost, as the Butler Bulldogs nearly upset the Duke Blue Devils! I know I thought that Hayward’s shot was going in!

6. Canada/USA Olympic Hockey
Wow. You couldn’t ask for a more thrilling game in one the premier events of the Winter Olympics. Both teams really came to play on the sport’s biggest stage and then for the games star to win it in overtime, just classic.

5. Year of the Pitcher
Oh what was that? Another no hitter? Yup! There were six no-hitters, err should have been seven if Armando Gallaraga’s would have counted, including two perfect games in the 2010 MLB season. None of the games were more special though than my #2 Moment of the Year.

4. The 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach
The tournament wasn’t the most exciting but that fact of the matter is, I was there and it was beautiful. To watch the world’s best golfers up close and personal in one of the games four majors is amazing!

3. “Beat the Heat”
November 9, 2010. The day Paul Millsap brought his talents to South Beach. This was just the beginning of what has turned out to be a good season for my Utah Jazz. Make sure to watch the video clip attached to the link.

2. Unhittable Halladay
Rarely does anybody watch an entire baseball game the whole way through (especially on TV) but on this occasion, when Philadelphia Phillie Roy Halladay took the mound in the first game of the National League Division Series playoffs I don’t think I missed a pitch. It is amazing to see person do an almost perfect job at anything.

1. End of a 17 Year Drought

Anytime that something doesn’t happen for as long as time as 17 years, it is definitely going to be worth remembering. Though the Aggie football season didn’t go all according to plan I had to give the victory over arch rival BYU the top spot for the year. We absolutely handled those egotistical Cougars in their favorite sport. It definitely is nice to have some bragging rights for a while!

Alright there is my list! I hope you enjoyed it and I would love to hear your moments of the year! Happy 2011!

Some moments were close but didn’t make the cut… Boise State Football Loses to Nevada, Saints Win Super Bowl, Giants Win World Series, Utah Jazz Upset Nuggets in First Round of NBA Playoffs, Michael Vick’s Return as a star

The 2009 List

Provo Preview

The Aggie men travel to that school down south tonight. You know the one we beat in basketball last year, the one we beat in football this year, the one that still doesn't think we are a rival. A win tonight will solidify the fact that we are indeed a rival. In what could be the last game in the series for some time the Utah State Aggies (1-0) take on the #23 Brigham Young Cougars (1-0).

It's a huge early season match up, especially for the Aggies as they only play one more quality opponent out of. A win will go a long way come tournament time in March. Here is what happened up in Logan last year when the two teams met up. Hopefully there will be more of that tonight and my road spectating record will improve to 2-3. It will be a tough game for the Aggies, who are already missing starting forward Nate Bendall, as defensive specialist Pooh Williams may be unable to go after straining his groin in the opener vs. Weber State. He is listed as a game time decision but I expect him to play in a game as big as this.

Some quick facts about the game via the USU Media Guide:

• Utah State and Brigham Young will be playing for the 227th time this week in what is the oldest rivalry in school history. USU's first game against BYU was during the 1905-06 season. The Aggies trail in the all-time series 135-91. The first game played in the series was on Feb. 23, 1906 with BYU winning 21-14. The last time the two teams played was on Dec. 2, 2009 in Logan with USU winning, 71-61. The last time the two teams played in Provo was Dec. 16, 2006 with BYU winning, 75-62, and the last time Utah State won at BYU was on Dec. 18, 2004, 84-62. Overall, USU has won six of the last nine games played in the series.
• Utah State has won 16 straight regular season games dating back to the 2009-10 season with its last regular season loss coming at Louisiana Tech, 82-60, on Jan. 4, 2010.
• Utah State has won 24 of its last 30 games versus in-state opponents and is 31-10 (.756) against the state of Utah during the last 11 years. During that time period, USU is 6-4 versus Brigham Young, 6-4 versus Utah, 11-2 versus Weber State, 5-0 against Utah Valley and 3-0 against Southern Utah. Overall, USU is 32-15 (.681) versus teams from the state of Utah under Morrill.
• Utah State is 11-56 (.164) all-time against ranked opponents, which includes a 5-13 (.278) record under Morrill. The last time USU played a ranked opponent was in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament when it lost to No. 23 Texas A&M, 69-53. The last time USU defeated a ranked team was on March 9, 2007 when it beat then No. 9 Nevada, 79-77, in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
• Utah State is starting the 2010-11 season with four-straight in-state games as it defeated Weber State (77-65) at home, plays at Brigham Young (11/17) and Southern Utah (11/20) and hosts Utah (11/24). Those four in-state games to start the year are the most for USU since the 1991-92 team began its season by playing five-straight in-state opponents.
• Utah State's four returning starters have a combined 353 games played while at USU including 288 starts.
• Only one player on the Aggie roster has ever played a game at BYU, Morgan Grimm a U of U transfer.

Seventeen Years

Seventeen years ago I had not started kindergarten, this spring I will graduate from college. Seventeen years ago the internet was a novelty, now its rare to go more than a few hours without being online in some form. And until last night, seventeen years ago was the last time the Utah State Aggies had beat the BYU Cougars!

Last night was a great experience, maybe even better than beating BYU in basketball last December. Right now America is a football country and when you beat your rival that you haven't beat in almost two decades on national TV, it is kinda big deal! So yea, both the teams were 1-3 going into the game, but the Aggies aren't the team that is now 1-4 and that sure does feel good!

Aggie pride is everywhere right now. The restaurants were packed until the wee hours of the morning last night and the internet is abuzzing. Here is a little sampling of the mood in Logan and the rest of the west from some of my friends Facebook status's:

"And today was the day that the Aggies beat the YBU's in a little game we call football :)"

"BELIEVED. We did it. Finally. GO AGGIES!"

"AMAZING game...17 years in the making and we finally beat BYU. That's right...WE WON!!! Go Aggies!"

My buddy at the U, "PS, Utah State better storm the field!" oh we did!

"... I believe that WE JUST WON!!!!"

From a Boise State fan "Go Utah St. way to hand it to those cougars!!!!!"

"It seems like every frustration I have had in the last 6 months went away when I watched Utah State smash the Cougars, GO AGGIES!"

A friend at the Y, "I think my roommate and I cursed BYU Football with our non-LDS sins."

"YEAH!! GO AGGIES!! Put BYU in their place tonight!! :D"

From my anti-football sister who goes to Gonzaga: "AGGGIEEEESSS! heck yes. Go UTAH STATE FOOTBALL!!!!"

and finally one that sums it all up,

"It's a good day to be an Aggie :)"

State of WAC

States of the former WAC

I woke up yesterday morning and like usual turned on ESPN while eating breakfast. Low and behold, some of the best sports news I had seen all summer, BYU was to join the Western Athletic Conference for all sports but football. The Cougars would have to come to Logan every year and play basketball against the Aggies in the Spectrum. It seemed as if this summers conference shake-up was going to be a good thing for everyone including, a Boise State-less, Western Athletic Conference.

That was until the Mountain West poached Fresno State and Nevada, two of the premier WAC football teams, yesterday afternoon! Leaving the WAC with the following six schools, Utah State, Idaho, San Jose State, Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, and New Mexico State. Six teams spread across six states, with no natural rivalries and limited historic rivalries. This is a very bad situation. Only two of the state are even neighbors!

I was opposed to the idea of super conferences (Texas & Oklahoma going to the PAC-10) this summer because of the ruining of rivalries and the large geographic distances that would separate the institutions, but in reality those conferences could survive that. The WAC with six teams, can not. And I am not willing to pay another increase in student fees so that Utah State's athletic teams can travel to Ruston, LA and Honolulu, HI because ESPN and its TV money do not want to support a conference with just six teams.

Honestly, I don't know what can be done and I have absolutely no power to do anything about it. So in theory, this blog is more of a rant than a solution, but if I were in charge of the WAC, this is what I would try and do; entice Montana to move up from the Big Sky and Wyoming to move back from the Mountain West, all the while still getting BYU's sports for everything besides football.

Montana could be looking to make the jump from the FCS Division and into the Bowl Divison. They have done just about everything in the FCS and they could see this move as their chance to make it on the national scene. Boise State made the jump less than 20 years ago and look where they are now! The WAC is a depleted conference football wise and the Grizzlies could quite possibly have a winning record in their first season. They would restore a rivalry with University of Idaho by doing this too. Wyoming would make the move for similar reasons; a chance to play in an easier conference, keep its long standing ties with BYU for all other sports, and create new rivalries with schools such as Montana and Utah State.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the WAC, the 6th oldest conference in the Bowl Division, hopefully it will still be around by the year 2011.

Watch Your Words Boise State

Boise State is preparing to play its last season in the WAC and though the football season doesn't start for another month their is already controversy as the Broncos don't seem to be ones who like to maintain in-state rivalries.

"Why would we (go to Moscow)?" Broncos Coach Chris Petersen. "I don't think our fans even like to go up there. Most of Idaho's fans are in Boise anyway."

Boise State President Bob Kustra added, "I frankly don't care whether we ever play 'em (Idaho) again as long it goes. I don't see any reason to do it in Boise, but if somebody sees a reason to do it in Boise, fine.”

"It’s a culture that is nasty, inebriated and civilly doesn’t give our fans the respect that any fan should expect when visiting an away game," Kustra continued.

Really?! Have you ever been to one of your own football games? Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of good friends, who are good people and Boise State fans, but the two times Boise State has come to Logan to play my Aggies, Bronco Nation has been the "nasty, inebriated" culture that doesn't give even the home teams fans respect. If the people up in Moscow are as bad as Kustra says, it must be hell on earth and I highly doubt that. Florida and Florida State, Texas and Oklahoma, USC and UCLA, play each other every year and I am sure those fans are a lot worse to each other than some farm boys in Idaho are to each other. If you have read my blog before you know I am all for rivalries and tradition which makes me all against not playing this game! Yes, Boise State has won 11 straight games but Idaho is an up and coming team winning eight games last year. Overall BSU only holds a slight advantage at 21-17-1. Idaho continued to play BSU when the series was 17-10. So stop making excuses.

This whole ordeal is nothing out of the ordinary for the Broncos. In 1994 Boise State University made plans to move out of Division 1-AA's (now FCS) Big Sky Conference and into Division 1-A's (FBS) Big West Conference beginning in 1996. The team was off to a hot 6-0 start before coming into Holt Arena of Idaho State University. Two years earlier in 1992 the Bengals unvieled a play called the "Globe of Death," which led Idaho State only its 5th victory over the Broncos, and still had Bronco Nation upset. The game was dubbed by BSU officials as the "last visit to Pocatello."

Well as it stands, it was also the Broncos last lost in Pocatello. The Bengals had ended the Broncos perfect season in a 32-31 victory. Luckily for Boise State their run at a National Championship because of the playoff system in Division 1-AA. The loss to the Bengals was their only loss besides in the 1-AA National Championship.

So let it be that on November 12 in Moscow, ID if Boise State loses this time, the hopes of a national championship are out the door. Maybe Coach Pete and Pres. Kustra need to be a little more cautious before running their mouths or history just may be relived.

Beating BYU!

Simply amazing! The crowd, the game, the 71-61 win over our rival BYU! The whole atmosphere was so cool. I have never seen the line to get into a game be so long, the student section was filled to capacity within minutes. The signs and The Refraction were so rude, hilariously rude. For a while there it was scary as BYU jumped out to an early lead and was even winning at half-time. But the Aggies battled back, making it a night that will not be soon forgotten by all in attendance. The article below and the video above sums it all up! Go Ags!

Brad Rock, Deseret News
Hate not limited to 1 in-state rivalry against BYU

Wild. Woolly. Noisy. Intense.

And all those rude, overbearing fans.

But we're not talking about Max Hall and the Utes.

That's so November.

Wednesday night at the Spectrum, Utah State and BYU resumed their long basketball rivalry with a 71-61 Aggie victory. No, it wasn't particularly friendly. That happens when you start playing one another 104 years ago. A century is a long time to build up a dislike. USU and BYU didn't even play one another in 2007-08 thanks to a scheduling disagreement. So they're not bosom friends.

No real trouble actually occurred, unless you count the fat lip BYU's Jackson Emery got for getting too close to Tai Wesley's elbow. The hate was limited to the ever present Aggie crowd, which included a hefty, bare-chested guy who did an outstanding Chris Farley imitation.

...

Thus the Aggies pulled off another win in Logan, their 37th straight, where the crowd brings its "A" material for games against BYU.

"The signs come out, the craziness comes out," said Morrill. "Guy takes off his shirt. Hell, it all happens."

Added Morrill, "They might go over the edge a little, but that's OK with me. That might not be OK with everyone, but it's OK with me. They might have gone over the edge, so what?"

The fat guy had sung, having shown once again that when it comes to rivalries in Utah,there's plenty of hate to go around.

Ready to be "Classless"

Max Hall, BYU's starting quarterback, called the whole University of Utah "classless." After tomorrow night, it is my hope that BYU's basketball team is saying the same thing about Utah State.

The Cougars haven't visited the Spectrum since they lost here on December 22, 2005.. Nearly four years ago! And since then, the Aggies haven't beat the Cougars in major collegiate sports(men's basketball and football). A lot of Y fans don't even consider the two in-state schools a rivalry.

Tomorrow night that comes to an end. No more will we be the little farm school, forgotten about way up north in Cache Valley. The players and fans will show what it means to be an Aggie, and that Utah State isn't just "the second choice for kid's who couldn't get into BYU." We have the best basketball atmosphere this side of the Mississippi, it is about time we got some respect from that school down south.

The 'Re'Spectrum is already heating up. It's time to restore the rivalry and show BYU just how "classless" we can be!

Prediction: A thrilling game on my 21st birthday, Aggies win 64-57

The Aggies and Me: Oh-for-Three in SLC

Dec. 5, 2007- Huntsman Center- Utah 72, Utah State 48

Dec. 6, 2008- Energy Solutions Arena- BYU 68, Utah State 63

Nov. 18, 2009- Huntsman Center- Utah 68, Utah State 67

Three trips to Salt Lake City, three sad car rides back to Cache Valley. Thankfully, these are the only games I've ever seen the Aggies lose in person.

The game was quite sloppy last night. One can tell it is definitely early on in the season. The Aggies did have a chance right up until the end when the game ended in eerily similar way as the loss to Marquette in the NCAA Tournament Game.

At times I think losses can be good things, they make you appreciate the wins. They build character. Don't get me wrong still I hate seeing my team and my friends lose out there, but in the long run, this loss should make the team better. Lets hope so!

Overall last night was an eye opening experience for me as well. I realized that going to games isn't just about cheering on your team, it's about hanging out with good friends and having a good time. I got to see some good friends that I haven't seen in a really long time, it was great! And on a night I had all the reasons to be stressed out because of terrible Salt Lake traffic and being late to the game, I wasn't. Call it karma or whatever you want, but when we got to the ticket office a man approached us saying he had two extra tickets that we could use. So in the end it all worked out, we weren't there for the opening tip but we got to see the exciting end for free!

Anyways back to sports, it was the second game of the season. We were playing a Utah team who needed a win, on there home court, and without one of our best players in Pooh Williams. The weekend brings another tough road game in Northeastern and a chance for redemption. As always, Go Aggies!