| Blue View |
White View |
| By Tim Olsen |
By Mark Nance |
| Thoughts on the USU football game |
| Saturday’s win over Hawaii was the most complete game I’ve seen the Aggies play this season. The offense moved the ball, the defense was able to play some great red zone defense and for the first time this season the Aggies led from start to finish. Sophomore quarterback Diondre Borel was especially key in the Aggies’ offensive performance. Borel completed 14-of-19 passes for 223 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, as well as leading USU in rushing with 87 yards. Borel shook off a slow start and a short benching to come back and lead the Aggies. Probably most impressive was the decision making he showed reading the defenses, knowing when to throw and when to run. With the win, the Aggies took the first step in fulfilling my prediction of a 3-1 finish. |
What a game. The Aggies dominated the fourth quarter and wouldn’t let Hawaii get anything going on offense. The biggest reason the Aggies were able to get going on offense was because of the threat of the pass. Brent Guy finally went away from his 100 percent rushing attack and had Diondre Borel throw the ball. Borel threw a great 62-yard touchdown to Nnamdi Gwachan, a 23-yard touchdown pass to Robert Turbin and connected with a total of eight receivers throughout the game. I don’t usually like to praise Guy, but it seems that he is doing something right when he plays at home. He still looks like a horrible coach on the road. I was a little disappointed to hear McMackin say Guy was doing a great job, but if Guy stays for next season, at least I’ll have some nice rants to go off on. Guy may have won two games this season, but that should hardly get him out of the hot seat. |
| Thoughts on the BCS Top 10 rankings |
| With an amazing victory over then No. 1-ranked Texas, the Texas Tech Red Raiders jumped a deserving five spots from No. 7 to No. 2. It was a great weekend in college football and there’s a logjam at the top of the standings. Alabama took a break from the SEC and dismantled Sun Belt foe Arkansas State, moving to No. 1 with the Longhorn loss. Last week’s No. 3 Penn State held that spot as they had a bye week. Despite their undefeated record, I think the Nittany Lions ranking is a little high. The Big 10 Conference has been weaker than usual this season, and when compared to the SEC and Big 12 it’s not even close. I would drop Penn State all the way to No. 7 based on the strength of their conference schedule. My Top 10 teams are Alabama, Texas Tech, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Utah, Boise State and Oklahoma State. |
For all those who want to see Penn State in the BCS Championship, have no fear. Although Texas Tech vs. Texas was one of the best games I’ve seen, I doubt Texas Tech will be able to win out through the same schedule that Texas just came out of. Alabama can’t beat Florida, who they’ll see in the SEC championship game, when they are playing this well. I can see Penn State vs. Texas for the championship. Don’t sleep on TCU as a BCS buster. If they can beat Utah and win out, their only loss will have been to Oklahoma. They should jump Boise State based on quality wins. I think we’ll see the first legit argument for a one-loss non-BCS conference team to make it to a BCS game. Both Boise State and the winner of Utah/TCU should have the opportunity to play in a BCS game. |
| Thoughts on the Allen Iverson/Chauncey Billups trade |
| What a great trade for both teams. Iverson will take his tough play and ability to score back to the Eastern Conference and an NBA title contender, and Billups will bring a defensive mindset to a team that is in dire need of that. Iverson will add a new dimension to the Pistons’ offense and, if he can adjust to playing in such a structured system, could really improve an already good team. On the Denver side, the Nuggets have had a serious problem on the defensive end. NBA fans have been waiting for the tandem of Iverson and Carmelo Anthony to break out, but it just hasn’t happened. In the first round of last year’s playoffs, Denver was run out of the building by the Los Angeles Lakers. Billups will bring the tough-nosed Detroit mentality with him, and that attitude really has the potential to help the Nuggets. |
The bigger player was given to the Denver Nuggets. I think Chauncey Billups will make the biggest difference to his new team. Although Allen Iverson has the easy point advantage, Billups actually plays defense. Defense is something the Nuggets need and the Pistons will lose. He was the 2004 MVP and has had much more playoff experience than Iverson. Billups knows what it means to be a team player and play as a point guard. Billups and Carmello Anthony will be able to work together better than Iverson did. The Pistons will continue to be a great team in the East, because there are only two legit teams in the East. I expect the Nuggets will be a better team, but will still not be able to compete with the Lakers, Hornets, Rockets, Jazz and Suns. |
| A midseason review of our Super Bowl picks |
| Before the season started, I, along with many other experts, projected the Dallas Cowboys as this year’s Super Bowl champions. Now, sitting at 5-4 heading into a bye week, that pick is in serious jeopardy. Dallas was hit hard with the injury bug, losing Pro-Bowl players Tony Romo, Terrance Newman, rookie Felix Jones and other key players. Newly acquired cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones was also suspended, leaving the Cowboys shorthanded in the defensive secondary. Now sitting at the bottom of their division and stuck in the middle of a tough NFC, the Cowboys are going to have to come out of their bye week fighting for their playoff lives. There is light at the end of the tunnel, however, as most of these players are due back after this bye week. The Cowboys will likely have to finish the season 5-2 if they have any hopes of pursuing their early season aspirations. |
I still don’t believe in the Titans. Although they’re undefeated, they still have not played any great teams. All the teams they have faced are sitting at .500 or lower. The Cowboys and Chargers are busts so far this year. I still believe that anyone from the NFC East has a chance, even the Cowboys, but the surprise team that has come out of nowhere has been the Arizona Cardinals. Kurt Warner is having a great year and could get his third regular season MVP this year. He’s thrown for 2,400 yards and 16 touchdowns in just eight games. The Cardinals’ offense has been nothing but great. Arizona has basically already won their division, because the 49ers, Seahawks and Rams are having horrible seasons. If the Cardinals’ defense can step up, look for Arizona to go deep in the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl. |
| Rant |
| What in the world happened to the vaunted BYU defense? This team that was once ranked in the Top 10 and held four straight opponents to a combined 24 points (14 by USU) between weeks three and seven of the season, has now given up 77 points in its last two games. The Cougars are lucky they have such a prolific offense or they would have fallen completely off the national map. As it is, BYU has managed to win both of those games on last second drives and remain in the rankings. However, for a team that was questing for perfection, their defense has been playing far from it. As well as the Aggies have been playing lately, it’s too bad we can’t have them come back up for another shot. |
Congratulations to the Michigan Wolverines. After forcing Lloyd Carr to retire, the Wolverines thought Rich Rodriguez would be able to bring championships, along with beating Ohio State, back to Michigan. Now Michigan won’t be going to a bowl game for the first time in 33 years. They will have their first losing season in the last 40 years and still haven’t played their rival Bucks. It would be interesting to see how Carr would have done this season, but instead Michigan thought they were getting the next best thing. Rodriguez left a great West Virgina program before the team even played their last game. Well, I guess he’s not as good as everyone thought anyway. When you need to change an entire offense just to bring in a new coach, you expect to have a few bumps in the road. However, I doubt Michigan thought Rodriguez would be such an embarrassment. |
