Time to move forward, the good things from Saturday...........

[cougjunkie]

Ashworth's catch over the middle was filthy good.

Yes it was, as was CHambers dive over the defender on a tipped ball.

[byu71]

I think if TCU beats Utah last year they would have gone to a BCS bowl game despite being 11-1 and the 1 being a blowout like BYU's loss on saturday. I am not convinced this BYU team is one of the best 8 teams in the nation, in fact far from it, but I don't think a BCS bowl game is entirely out of the picture yet. However, BYU no longer controls its own destiny in that regard.

However, I agree with your point about the margin of error that members of BCS conferences have that Utah and BYU do not enjoy.

Everything has to fall in line, but it could happen and the more people that say it can't, the more I think it might.

We of course need to win the rest of our games. It would be good if TCU was undefeated when we play and Utah has only one loss. If those two things happen we could be in the top 10. Our problem over the next month is teams jumping ahead of us because we are beating percieved dog teams.

Maybe this is looking with blue goggles, but I still think we have a 50/50 shot at the BCS, that is if the team is in reality more like the team that played against Okla. instead of FSU. Only time will tell us that.

[ERCougar]

The problem you have is that you're eliminated from BCS bowl contention. This is the terrible aspect of being a mid-major. Washington fans, despite a home loss against a tough team from the Souteast, and USC fans, despite a devastating upset loss, can still dream of the Rose Bowl, possibly even playing for an NC. BYU and Utah fans can't. We have to carve out our own psychic ground for hope becausde the BCS robs us of objective, senfory-based reasons for hope.

I see your point, but I have to disagree. That huge jump in the polls after the OU win (arguably too huge, in retrospect) gave us a margin for error. There were even commentators at the beginning of the season who were saying we could lose one and still make a BCS bowl. Sure, they probably expected that loss to be OU, but the computers don't care about timing, and if FSU ends up being 10-2 (easily conceivable with their schedule), then this loss doesn't hurt too badly. If we win out, that gives us three quality wins, which is two more than Utah had last year and three more than BSU will have this year. In the human polls, we're about where Utah was last year. That's in no small part due to Utah's Sugar Bowl win (which gave us the credibility to make that huge leap in the polls after week 1), so thanks.

This is all assuming that our defense shows up the rest of the season, but technically, I don't see how we're out of this.

[WashingtonCoug]

Everything has to fall in line, but it could happen and the more people that say it can't, the more I think it might.

We of course need to win the rest of our games. It would be good if TCU was undefeated when we play and Utah has only one loss. If those two things happen we could be in the top 10. Our problem over the next month is teams jumping ahead of us because we are beating percieved dog teams.

Maybe this is looking with blue goggles, but I still think we have a 50/50 shot at the BCS, that is if the team is in reality more like the team that played against Okla. instead of FSU. Only time will tell us that.

I actually think the toughest aspect is that Boise State is going to need to lose. Those guys have a cakewalk schedule the rest of the way. Even with our tougher schedule, BSU has such a far lead in the polls that it will be tough to catch them. We will need to start winning games by wide margins to impress all the voters that don't get to see our games on TV the rest of the season.

[Sizzle]

Yes it was, as was CHambers dive over the defender on a tipped ball.

Agreed on both.

[ERCougar]

I actually think the toughest aspect is that Boise State is going to need to lose. Those guys have a cakewalk schedule the rest of the way. Even with our tougher schedule, BSU has such a far lead in the polls that it will be tough to catch them. We will need to start winning games by wide margins to impress all the voters that don't get to see our games on TV the rest of the season.

We don't have to catch BSU. We just have to be ranked 12th or lower, right? If we win out, we'll be there. If we win out, we could even catch BSU in the BCS rankings. Their SOS is going to kill them.

[Pheidippides]

The problem you have is that you're eliminated from BCS bowl contention.

I disagree (for both teams) although the BSU losing thing is key. However, people will shut the hell up about it for a while, which is fine by me.

[kccougar]

Unfortunately, Utah will not be in the top 20 when we play them the way we were last year.

[Coach McGuirk]

We don't have to catch BSU. We just have to be ranked 12th or lower, right? If we win out, we'll be there. If we win out, we could even catch BSU in the BCS rankings. Their SOS is going to kill them.

Only one team is guaranteed if two teams are in the top 12. The other is put into the at large category.

[ERCougar]

Only one team is guaranteed if two teams are in the top 12. The other is put into the at large category.

I remember looking at this last year and it seems like the wording is ambiguous. Something like "a team from a non-BCS conference will be guaranteed a BCS bowl bid if it is ranked in the top 12...", leaving it open to interpretation whether only one team is guaranteed or if the rule is meant to be applied individually. I'm too lazy to look up the link.

[Coach McGuirk]

I remember looking at this last year and it seems like the wording is ambiguous. Something like "a team from a non-BCS conference will be guaranteed a BCS bowl bid if it is ranked in the top 12...", leaving it open to interpretation whether only one team is guaranteed or if the rule is meant to be applied individually. I'm too lazy to look up the link.

Here you go, I have bolded the key part,

MWC AND THE BCS
The champion of the Mountain West Conference (along with champions of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference or the Western Athletic Conference) will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:
A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.
No more than one such team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference shall earn an automatic berth in any year. If two or more teams from those conferences satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, then the team with the highest finish in the final BCS Standings will receive the automatic berth, and the remaining team or teams will be considered for at-large selection if it meets the criteria.
If there are fewer than 10 automatic qualifiers, then the bowls will select at-large participants to fill the remaining berths. An at-large team is any Football Bowl Subdivision team that is bowl-eligible and meets the following requirements:
A. Has won at least nine regular-season games, and
B. Is among the top 14 teams in the final BCS Standings.
No more than two teams from a conference may be selected, regardless of whether they are automatic qualifiers or at-large selections, unless two nonchampions from the same conference are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the final BCS Standings.

[ERCougar]

Here you go, I have bolded the key part,

Well...not so ambiguous.
Thanks for the smackdown.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I just looked at the numbers for the first time, we actually did have a few good moments on both offense and defense.

1. Harvey Unga had 10 carries for 97 yards, he was very effective when he was in the game.

2. I still maintain considering the circumstances Max Hall had a good game, he threw for over 300 yards, he had threw two nice deep balls (cue Johnny Lingo), in fact the 80 yarder to Jacobsen was the same play they ran on the 4th and 18 against Utah.

3. Our secondary actually did well in coverage, they only gave up 199 yards through the air, consider the fact that their was no pass rush and Ponder had all day to throw they played tough. Brian Logan had a few nice open field tackles and a couple pass breakups. I think against MWC teams they will be pretty solid.

4. We have only had to punt 1 time in the last 2 games.

5. I thought our defense still looked fast, in fact they were in position to make plays they just didnt finish. But in terms of speed we were not overly matched by any means.

I look forward to us getting back on track against CSU.

Turnovers lead to 54 points being given up. BYU's offense was able to score and gain yards but couldn't hold on to the damn football. Given BYU's total inability to stop the run, the outcome shouldn't be surprising. I was shocked after the Oklahoma game that OU didn't try to run the ball a bit more and force BYU to put more guys in the box so they could get some one on one matchups with our Scandinavian DBs. I know that sounds odd, but combined Murray and Brown averaged about 5 yards. If Oklahoma does what FSU did and ran the ball more, they would have won the game.

[FMCoug]

It's not that we lost. It's HOW we lost. The Defense completely laid an egg. So the arguments about 2-1 at this point we should be happy, etc. ring hollow to me. Had we lost a close, tough fought game (like say the OU game if we hadn't scored on that last drive) I would feel completely different. If our D had been flying around and playing with the passion they did against OU and their bigger O-line still manhandled them, fine.

To me what I am having trouble coming to grips with is the completely uninspired, lethargic effort they seemed to make.

[JohnnyLingo]

It's not that we lost. It's HOW we lost. The Defense completely laid an egg. So the arguments about 2-1 at this point we should be happy, etc. ring hollow to me. Had we lost a close, tough fought game (like say the OU game if we hadn't scored on that last drive) I would feel completely different. If our D had been flying around and playing with the passion they did against OU and their bigger O-line still manhandled them, fine.

That's the question, IMO. Was BYU's defensive line completely and utterly outmatched by the Seminole line, or is this a case where BYU's defense didn't give it the effort they could have?

If A is the case, I don't feel as bad. However, if the latter is true, I'm very disappointed.