Perfect Timing

At the start of the 2011 college football season the University of Utah will be playing in an expanded PAC-10 conference. Since the Mountain West Conference was formed in 1999 the Utes have amassed four conference crowns, nine bowl victories with two coming in BCS games, and a ranking of #2 in the final AP poll in 2009. While the majorities seem to believe that the Utes will become another middle of the road PAC-10 school, please consider the timing of this announcement.
USC was put on probation earlier this month with monumental sanctions. USC is due to lose post season play for two years and 30 scholarships over that same span. This announcement marked the end of USC’s dominance in the PAC-10. I can only imagine the look on your face right now is one of doubt. However, we have many examples of teams that cannot recover from such sanctions. Miami dominated college football in the early 90’s. Sanctions in the mid 90’s knocked them off course for the last half of the decade. Alabama has always been a superior program in the SEC. Sanctions in the early 2000’s derailed their program until Nick Saban arrived three years ago and led the Tide to their 13th national championship and first since 1992. We have seen this before and we will see it again.
Jake Locker of Washington is considered the lead candidate to go #1 in the 2011 NFL draft. His main competition is Stanford’s Andrew Luck. Both quarterbacks’ are expected to leave after the 2010 college football season. Oregon’s QB, Jeremiah Massoli, won the hearts of college football fans everywhere with his brutal play. He was expected to lead Oregon to national championship contention in 2010 or 2011 but was dismissed from the team due to a string of offenses with the law. In steps Utah’s Jordan Wynn and USC’s Matt Barkley to be the dominating quarterbacks. Both quarterbacks will be juniors in 2011 with plenty of experience. Barkley’s downfall will come with a lack of underclassmen talent that will follow scholarship restrictions and a probable early exit to the NFL in 2012.
What does all of this mean? Utah will be contenders in the newly expanded PAC-10 from the very beginning. They will enter a conference with the mind set to win from the start and they will. I predict a spot in the conference championship game within three years. This will propel them to a contender year in and year out for many years to come. Utah’s entrance into a conference in flux, along with great coaching, could be the driving factor to a National Championship in this decade.

Is God Now a Ute?

I have long thought that God was a BYU fan. How else can you explain the miraculous events that have taken place in their sporting history? Jim McMahon’s amazing comeback to beat SMU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl. Danny Ainge’s coast to coast drive against Notre Dame in the 1981 NCAA tournament. The Associated Press turns a blind eye to a weak schedule and awarded the Cougars the 1984 National Championship. These are just a few in the long line but more recently they have been more subtle.
The holy war has been a popular venue for these unexplainable events. The doink hear round Utah as Ryan Kaneshiro hits the upright to miss his 3 field goal of the day to award BYU the 1998 WAC championship. In 2000 while Lavell Edward coached in his last rivalry game. BYU converts an amazing 4th down in route to another victory that makes you shake your head. John Beck’s scramble and touchdown pass in 2006 once again sealed Utah’s fate (Harline is still open). In 2007 BYU’s best receiver, Austin Collie, get behind every Utah defender on a 4th and 18 late in the game to convert and send Utah home with yet another loss.
However, in recent years there have been signs that God has followed the masses in changing sides from Blue to Red. Urban Meyer’s arrival to Salt Lake City in 2003 sealed the deal. Utah’s program has been elevated from irrelevant to the formal announcement of their joining the
PAC-10 in 15 years. BYU has become the irrelevant school when we talk about these two programs. Utah, whom was attached to the BYU coat tails for so long, no longer needs them. Last Thursday you could hear a collective sign throughout Utah County as the announcement was made. It was followed by the murmur of “Why has God forsaken us? We are his school.”
Yes God you have forsaken us. Oh, well……At least you gave us 84!!!

IT'S THE FIELDS TURN

Upon my viewing of the 110th US Open at Pebble Beach on Sunday I realized something that has been missing this year. Tiger Woods has lost something from his past. It was something that caused millions of casual sports fans to tune in for a final round on Sunday afternoon. Tiger has lost his mystique. It has been fading for some time but has died in 2010. He doesn't have the same presence and aura. Tiger's late charges have been few and far between. The field has stopped looking over their shoulder.
Many people might think this has to do with the now infamous scandal. This is not an Elin thing, this is an Eldrick thing. Today, there are many players who now have the confidence to win. Lefty is not the player of the late 90's or early 2000's. He is a player who wins. Tiger's door is closing. Will he get to the once guaranteed 18 majors? Maybe. Is it a sure thing? Not Anymore.
Tiger changed golf with his workouts off the course. The field now has the same workout ethic as he does. Tiger, get back to basics.Please hit a fairway, strike an iron clean, and putt like you know its going in. After watching yesterday Tiger needs to change his approach. Four Majors and a few famed events won’t cut it anymore. Tiger needs to know, the field is too good for that.