Thursday: Links with technology

Story of the day:

Karl Benson's state of the WAC [ESPN.com]

In his press conference at the WAC media days yesterday, commissioner Karl Benson had plenty of good things to say about the recent success of the WAC and the high national profile that the conference has earned over the past few years. The only thing that could bring down his good times? Idaho, Utah State, and NMSU.

"We need to get better at the bottom of the league," Benson said. "There are 120 FBS programs and we've had teams in the hundreds, and those teams need to get better. It has an impact on the teams in the top half in terms of BCS standings."

Besides those three black sheep, Benson was pleased with the conference's progress. And he always loves a good MWC ribbing.

"The WAC has re-established itself as the second-most recognized conference in the West behind the Pac-10," Benson said. "It wasn't intended to compare the WAC to the Mountain West. The WAC is well-grounded, well-established and continues to perform at a high level."

Benson did not confirm an ESPN TV deal, but he did promise better officiating and a concerted effort to keep anyone from using the term "non-BCS conference" ever again. Good luck with that.

Other links:

Broncos will speak this afternoon [WAC Sports]
Ian Johnson, Mike Williams, and Coach Pete on the mic.

Notes from WAC media days [Press-Tribune]
Shirtless Idaho players? We're kind of glad we're not there.

Media votes Colorado seventh-best Big XII team [Big12 Sports]
Dan Hawkins wonders if BSU will take him back.

The Sugar Bowl did more harm than good [Salt Lake Tribune]
"Hawaii debacle" is a pretty strong headline.

Coach Pete conquers Blue Angels [Statesman]
Not blowing chunks in an 800 mph airplane is quite the achievement.

Ian Johnson weight update [Dave's Blog]
He's at 207. Update your Excel spreadsheet accordingly.

Robb Akey on the mic at WAC media convention

Enjoy. Or don't.

• Robb Akey press conference 

Coaches, commissioner speak...[WACSports.com]

Monday: Links with officiating

We'll have some exciting Ryan Dinwiddie news later today. What other kind is there, right?

Story of the day:

Idaho fan resents ESPN's "winless" remark [ESPN.com]

ESPN's newest non-BCS blogger, Graham Watson, suggested last week that the Vandals would go winless this season. Sounds like he knows his non-BCS football.

Watson made his prediction fully expecting the wrath of Vandal fans to rain down upon him. Instead, he got propositioned from a guy in Seattle.

Dan in Seattle writes: Hey Graham Watson, You challenged us Vandals fans to "let the emails fly." In light of your unfounded prediction that the 2008 Vandals will NOT WIN A GAME (and keeping with the relatively non-inciting tone in which it was registered), I propose a little more. How about a straightforward, even odds bet to back up that fearless prediction? Up to $500.

Watson didn't bite, but we imagine that Robb Akey would. Five hundred bucks could buy a lot of Just for Men mustache coloring.

The only way we see Idaho not going winless is beating Idaho State in Moscow. However, Seattle Dan seems to think there are other wins on the schedule, too.

Come on. WINLESS?? Multiple win-able conference games aside...

We'll stop you there. Apart from maybe Utah State (who, if you'll remember right, beat the Vandals last year), there are pretty much no games that Idaho is expected to win in the WAC. Maybe things will be different come midseason, or maybe pigs will fly through frozen hell. We're not holding our breath for either.

Other links:

The south end zone will be closed someday [Statesman]
What's another 20 million dollars?

$2500 per person for seats in the Mothership [Statesman]
Has BSU gone corporate?

Boise State preview [FOXSports.com]
Yes, 10-3 is a disappointment.

Scanned version of Boise State's Phil Steele preview [Boise state football news]
Now if we could just get the other 150 pages scanned, we'd be in business.

Only a month and a half left to bet [Wizard of Odds]
Week One lines from around college football

Reggie Larry update [Warriors.com]

Four minutes, zero points in finale of summer league

Interesting picks from Las Cruces newspaper [Daily Herald]

NMSU ahead of Hawaii? Favoritism!

Karl Benson interview [Statesman]
Brian Murphy is the new Larry King.

Baseball not in BSU's future [Press-Tribune]
Stupid Title IX.

Monday: Links with body paint

Story of the day:

WAC to renew TV deal with ESPN [Honolulu Advertiser]

After a couple fruitless summers of negotiations, it appears Karl Benson and the WAC finally have the deal they want from ESPN. The Honolulu Advertiser is reporting that the WAC will sign a new deal with ESPN that will increase the exposure of the league's teams and pay the conference royally for the right to do so.

The WAC had been receiving $900,000 per year on a six-year deal set to run through the 2009-10 academic year. That figure was down from $1 million after Texas-El Paso and three other schools left for Conference USA in 2005. The new agreement is expected to be worth, on average, approximately $4 million per year to the conference.

That's a 400 percent raise! Was Dwight Schrute involved in the negotiation talks for the WAC? The extra money is encouraging, and the extra exposure, especially for men's basketball, is exactly what the conference needs.

Under the current contract, the WAC (men's basketball) has been guaranteed only three games per season (two regular season games and the conference championship). The new deal is expected to more than triple the opportunities. In football, the WAC has been guaranteed a minimum of eight games, though it has averaged about 10 the last couple years. The new deal could double those opportunities.

Unfortunately, we are one step closer to Pam Ward covering Idaho-Utah State football.

Good for the WAC and good for Karl Benson. This TV contract is unlike any other that a small conference has. Rather than create their own station (Mountain West Conference) or toil in anonymity (Sun Belt, MAC), the WAC has found the kind of exposure and national spotlight that most conferences covet. Now if only Benson could fix the WAC competition, he'd be onto something.

Other links:

Notes from the highly entertaining BSU charity softball game [Fight Fight BSU]
We're curious what Raphiel Lambert ordered at the concession stand.

Bush Hamdan ranked 47th best fantasy quarterback [Fantasy College Football]
Points awarded for not talking to the media.

Bruce Feldman likes Boise State's recruiting taste [ESPN.com]
Southwick and Peterson are keepers; Burks may or may not still exist.

Another pick for BSU in the H-Bowl [Saturday Soundoffs]
What would make them think the Oregon game is unwinnable? Past precedent?

Checking in with some incoming BSU football recruits [Statesman]
Bigger, faster, stronger, and less Guitar Hero.

Phil Dailey gives a vote of confidence to Behler [Press-Tribune]
The same vote cast for Hamdan or a different one?

Friday: Links with independence

Story of the day:

Karl Benson bares his soul [Denver Post]

The Denver Post is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Mountain West's split from the WAC the only way they know how: making Karl Benson relive it all over again.

DP: That had to be the lowest point of your professional life 10 years ago when the Mountain West teams left...

KB: May and June 1998 was certainly difficult. It was challenging, tumultuous and gut wrenching both professional and personally.

Next question!

Aside from the start of the interview (great ice breaker, Denver Post), the story ended up being a positive look at how the WAC has survived throughout the past 10 years. Benson gave a lot of praise to Fresno State for soldiering on in the early years, and he of course had good things to say about Boise State football, too. But God bless him if he didn't try his best to put a positive spin on Utah State, Idaho, and NMSU.

DP: You're like the Statue of Liberty of college athletics: Give me you poor, your tired, your huddled masses. 


KB: We were forced to fill some holes, fill the gaps... We claim when teams join the WAC they get better, some get better quicker than others. I'm still confident our last three additions are going to get better.

Translation: my bad.

The behind-the-scenes information from Benson was pretty neat to hear, and the Denver Post followed the story up with a feature on the present state of the WAC and the MWC. For all the bad things that are said about the WAC, it was nice to find a story that showcases the conference to a certain degree. That said, we'll flip to the Pac-10 in an instant if they come calling. Sorry, Karl.

Other links:

BSU's Grinnell competes for Olympic berth [Scott Slant]
The triple jump finals or Mars Attack? We could go either way.

Nick Jezierny's interview with BSU's latest recruit [Statesman]
Watch your back, Chadd Cripe.

BSU President Kustra working for the NCAA [Press-Tribune]
Alright! We got a man on the inside.

Colt Brennan autograph signing tour [Pictures Plus]
He will not be signing souvenir Sugar Bowl T-shirts.

Ian Johnson a top five running back [End Zone Buzz]

Why, UNLV?! Why?! [UNLV Rebels]
Thank goodness we don't have to see these uniforms in person any time soon.

Pac-10 commish out; Boise State in?

Last week, Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen announced his retirement, effective in July 2009. So what? So everything.

Allow us a moment or two of presumptive reasoning chock full of fallacies and baseless hope centered upon the following premise: Tom Hansen’s retirement means Boise State will join the Pac-10. All of a sudden, the retirement of some old guy seems a lot more important.

Here is the simpleton path by which our thought process arrived at this point. At the top of the replacement list for Hansen is WAC commissioner Karl Benson. Presumably, at the top of the Pac-10’s to-do-list is expanding to 12 teams. Ergo, Boise State will be playing in the Pac-10 sooner rather than later.

Naturally, there are several inferences that this reasoning assumes as truths in order to work.

1. Karl Benson would get the job. Keep in mind that Benson is the man who introduced New Mexico State, Idaho, and Utah State into an already-weak football conference. Benson gained tie-ins to the lucrative Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, and another bowl that currently escapes our memory and interest. Benson has not exactly made the WAC better than it was when he took over.
2. The Pac-10 would actually want to expand. In our heart of hearts, we believe that this is true. However, our heart of hearts is far from a reliable source (see: Gamecube, Mario Tennis). Reasons against expansion: The Pac-10 is doing pretty well for itself with its 10 current teams. The Pac-10 is implicitly named to include 10 teams. The Pac-10 may not love conference championship games as much as TV executives do. The ACC.
3. Boise State would be chosen over a wide number of deserving schools. Boise, Idaho, home of the $1.99 Carl’s Jr. Famous Star, might not be able to hobnob with the Seattles and Los Angeleses of the Pac-10. The Eugenes and Pullmans? Sure. But the Pac-10 looks at academics, enrollment, grades, and facilities in addition to the obvious sports benefits. Plus, nothing says cheap like a basketball arena named after the home of the double decker taco.
4. The world would turn out to be a fair, honorable place. Then how might one explain the Hawaii Bowl?

Obviously, a lot of dominoes would have to fall in order for this scenario to play out in tangible places other than our dreams. Then again, all it takes is one domino to topple the rest. Tom Hansen = domino.

We’re not alone in our furtive hopefulness. Real, actual media outlets think the same thing:

Possible replacements for Hansen include Stanford Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby, Western Athletic Conference Commissioner Karl Benson, Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson and the former Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg. (New York Times)

Two of the top candidates for the job -- WAC commissioner Karl Benson and former Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg -- have the personality to sway the league's presidents and would be proactive in pursuing expansion. (Sporting News)

Would Benson be a good fit for the Pac-10? Hansen's old-school. Benson's a creative consensus-builder--he's had to be with the geographical and financial disparity among the WAC's membership in all its various forms. But Benson insists he remains a fit for the WAC, where he's about to become the longest-serving commissioner in the conference's 46-year history. (Tom Scott)

The process for choosing a new commissioner is sure to be long, tedious, and highfalutin. But the out-and-out optimism of living in a new landscape of West Coast football in a year from now is downright thrilling.

And it gets better.

Hansen has been notorious for his distaste of a college football playoff. He and his Rose Bowl are key roadblocks to the furthering of football justice, so with the old man out of the way, might a playoff be on the agenda?

Karl Benson had sure better be on board. No one has more firsthand experience about the kind of impact a small-conference school can have when given an opportunity to play against the big boys. Benson should appreciate that college football deserves to be a land of equality, and we’re confident that he would feel much better about affirming so once he has a cushy job at the head of a power conference. His voice would no longer be the bitter, desperate plea of a WAC commissioner begging for a fair chance. He could declare confidently his feelings on a playoff. Or he could have his intern do it for him.

At the very least, there is serious hope of a bright future for Boise State and small schools across the country. Old people should retire more often.

BCS Stays The Same, No One Surprised

To no one's real surprise, it announced yesterday that the BCS system will not change. In fact, ACC commissioner and BCS chairman John Swofford stated:

I believe the BCS has never been healthier in its first decade

Of course, when something starts so low, it can only go up.

11 conference commissioners met along with Notre Dame's president to discuss the BCS. SEC commissioner Mike Slive proposed the plus-one system but did not receive any serious.

Karl Benson had this to say about the plus-one system:

It wasn't in opposition to the plus-one. It was that the existing system
and the existing format was working fine.

Well, that's debatable. Also:

No matter how much you tried to create a system that guaranteed one vs.
two, there's always going to be arguments and debates over who is No. 4 and who
is No. 5.

That's true, however, any chance to include more deserving teams in the opportunity to play for a title is never a bad thing. Lastly, Benson said he would propose a plus-one format because:

It's much easier to get to No. 4 than it is No. 2

And that seems to be the crux of the issue.

Now we're not as bent out of shape about this decision as fans of some other programs (like Auburn). As good as the 2006 Boise State team was, they were not in the top 4 after the regular season.

The thing that is the most frustrating thing about this, is that the college presidents and commissioners are depriving fans of the same experience that the NCAA basketball tournament delivers. Some would argue that Boise State upsetting Oklahoma was the perfect end to the season and that having to play in a playoff would rob us of that satisfaction. I would disagree. The only downside of that Fiesta Bowl win for me, is the thought of unrealized potential of that 2006 team. How good were they? Could they have beaten Florida? Most would say probably not, but the lack of a definitive answer will always bother me.

BCS will not change current non-playoff system [ESPN.com]
Murphy: NCAA once again chooses money over crowning a football champ [IdahoStatesman.com]