Archive for WAC
There are quite a few intriguing games to watch in week two. These games include a conference opener and eight games where non-BCS schools battle BCS schools. These are this weekend’s best bets:
Friday’s Game
Florida International (1-0) at Louisville (1-0), 7 p.m. EST, ESPN - After winning their first season-opener since 2004, the Golden Panthers will try and win their first game against a BCS opponent in school history (0-21 all-time). They are 0-5 all-time against the Big East but four of the five losses have been by eight or points or less. Golden Panther all-purpose threat T.Y. Hilton had 283 all-purpose yards in last week’s win over North Texas—12 shy of his own school record. Louisville beat Murray State 21-9 last week.
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There is no doubt that the Big 12 is in a state of turmoil. By the time I finish this entry three more schools may have announced that they are leaving for the Pac-12, SEC or Big East. How does the tenuous state of the Big 12 affect the non-automatic qualifying (non-AQ) schools and conferences? Here is a breakdown:
Conference USA: If the Big 12 remains afloat, SMU and Houston remain candidates to replace departing schools. Both used to be members of the Southwest Conference with Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. SMU has been open about its interest in joining the Big 12. However, in this day when conference expansion is based on television markets and not geography the Big 12 may opt elsewhere.
Read More Post a comment (0)With the first week of college football in the books, there were many memorable moments. Here are nine things that will leave the greatest impression after week one.
Boise State’s Groundhog Day: For the third straight year, Boise State opened its season with a win over a ranked BCS opponent. On Saturday, the Broncos knocked off #19 Georgia 35-21 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Let the national media’s yearly debate about the Broncos’ worthiness of a BCS National Championship berth begin.
Utah State’s heartbreaker: In what may have been the best game on Saturday, the Aggies watched a 10-point lead with 3:38 in the fourth quarter turn into a 42-38 loss at Auburn. Last season, the Aggies lost at Oklahoma by seven points in its season opener. The Aggies may have found a quarterback in freshman Chuckie Keeton, who rushed for two touchdowns and threw for 213 yards in his debut. With a wide-open WAC, the Aggies could be poised to make some noise this year.
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It was a tumultuous off-season for the WAC. Perennial conference power Boise State left for the Mountain West while Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada depart in 2012. Current Football Championship Series(FCS) teams Texas State and Texas-San Antonio join the WAC next season.
In the meantime, the conference should be wide open. Hawaii and Nevada, tri-champions with Boise State last season, along with Fresno State, will be the favorites to win the conference. Hawaii is the only team with its starting quarterback back (Bryant Moniz) while Nevada gets both the Bulldogs and Warriors in Reno.
For the other teams, it is a chance to make a jump. Idaho, Louisiana Tech, Utah State fit this category. None of the three are quite as complete as the three favorites but it would be no surprise to see one of them finish in the top three within the conference.
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A brief look at the news and notes of the non-BCS schools:
- Navy and Notre Dame signs a deal to continue to meet through 2026. (ESPN)
- Conference USA announces its 2011 television air dates. (C-USA)
- The MAC releases details about its television coverage for the upcoming season on SportsTime Ohio and ESPN Regional Television. (MAC-Sports.com)