Tag: BYU

BYU vs Boise State Prediction, Game Preview

BYU vs Boise State prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 9

BYU vs Boise State prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 9

BYU vs Boise State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 9
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT
How To Watch: ABC
Record: BYU (5-0), Boise State (2-3)
– Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

BYU vs Boise State Game Preview

Why Boise State Will Win

It hasn’t been perfect, but Boise State has managed to get the offense going with over 400 yards in three of the last four games with the one outlier the tough 21-20 loss to Oklahoma State.

In a lot of ways, the pressure is off. It’s been a rough run with three losses and a 41-31 defeat to Nevada in Mountain West play, but the spotlight is all on a top-ten caliber BYU squad that’s really and truly in the College Football Playoff chase now – it has a nasty schedule, unlike Cincinnati.

The passing game could be more explosive, but it’s clicking well enough to get by. The defense is forcing a ton of takeovers, but …

– Week 6 CFN College Football Expert Picks

Why BYU Will Win

The Cougars aren’t giving the ball away.

They’re sixth in the nation in turnover margin with just two giveaways, and they’re doing just about everywhere else right.

There’s not a lot of penalties, converting on third downs isn’t an issue, and the O is scoring when it’s getting the chance. On the flip side, Boise State can’t run the ball a lick, the run defense is shockingly mediocre, and the third down stops aren’t there.

BYU doesn’t have to be explosive. As long as it’s able to be steady and balanced, that should be enough to get by because …

– Week 6 College Football Schedule, Predictions, Game Previews

What’s Going To Happen

No, really. Boise State can’t do anything with the ground game.

The Broncos are 2-0 when they run for over 120 yards and 0-3 when they don’t. BYU is allowing 127 yards per game and haven’t allowed anyone – including Utah and Arizona State – to take over.

The BYU defense will take over right away, but Boise State will keep pressing with a decent enough day from QB Hank Bachmeier to hang around. However, as is the case all year, Boise State will be good, but not good enough.

– Week 5 CFN NFL Expert Picks

BYU vs Boise State Prediction, Line

BYU 27, Boise State 23
Line: BYU -6, o/u: 57.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 3.5

5: When Facebook and Instagram are down
1: The Bradshaw Bunch

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

– Fearless Predictions of Every Game
– Bowl Projections | Rankings

Notre Dame-BYU in Vegas officially on for 2022

Best location for a Shamrock Series game to date?

A few weeks back there was a report that Notre Dame and BYU were going to meet up for the Shamrock Series game in 2022 in Las Vegas.  Today that report was made official as Notre Dame announced the game will be played on October 8, 2022 at Allegiant Stadium with the game set to be aired on NBC.

Some notes on the 2022 Shamrock Series:

  • 11th Shamrock Series game
  • First game took place in 2009
  • Eighth different venue:  Allegiant Stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium, Yankee Stadium, FedEx Field, Fenway Park, Soldier Field, AT&T Stadium, Alamodome
  • First Notre Dame football game played in Nevada
  • The Irish are a perfect 10-0 in Shamrock Series games, with the most recent contest coming this past weekend at Soldier Field, a 41-13 win over No. 18/15 Wisconsin.

The game will be the ninth all-time meeting between Notre Dame and BYU. The Irish lead 6-2 in the series, with the most recent meeting occurring in 2013, a 23-13 Notre Dame win in South Bend.

Related:

Notre Dame football future schedules and opponents

Golfweek Red Sky Classic: Northern Arizona right at home at altitude in Colorado mountains

Even as the winds picked up in Vail, Colorado, Northern Arizona didn’t give up a bit of ground.

VAIL, Colo. — Even as the winds picked up across Red Sky Golf Club’s Fazio Course Monday, Northern Arizona didn’t give up a bit of ground.

Altitude is nothing new for the women from Flagstaff, Arizona, though this kind of mountainous landscape is a bit more extreme.

“If you would have told me we were tied for the lead after one round, I would be thrilled,” Northern Arizona head coach Brad Bedortha said. “Nice to see our team go out and compete.”

NAU played the opening round at Red Sky in 9 under to take an immediate share of the lead at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic. That was thanks in large part to a back-nine 31 from Eliska Kocourkova, who started on No. 10 with a bogey then fired off four birdies in a row before making a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th, a picturesque short hole with a huge elevation drop.

“Definitely exceeded our expectations for today,” said Bedortha. “We got off to a great start. The girls were making birdies right out the gate.”

East Tennessee State is also at 9 under and with star performances of their own. Sara Hasegawa eagled the par-5 18th, her ninth hole of the day, for an opening 70 to go along with rounds of 67 from Tereza Melecka and 69 from Hollie Muse.

“The Fazio Course at Red Sky is an amazing course and it was fun watching the ladies attack it today,” head coach Stefanie Shelton said. “It can be a tricky setup with some of the pin positions, so the next two days will be a challenge I’m sure.”

Both teams lead Brigham Young University, which was the on-paper favorite entering the tournament after back-to-back victories in its first two fall starts at the Dick McGuire Invitational and the Mercedes Benz Collegiate. Two “local” teams fared well on the first day, as well. Denver and Colorado are both part of a tie for fourth, along with Central Arkansas, at 5 under.

Denver’s Anna Zanusso, who competed at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April, is the defending champion but opened with 1-over 73. Teammate Anna Cathrine Krekling fired a 6-under 66 good for a share of the individual lead with BYU’s Kerstin Fotu.

The event at Red Sky is in its 12th playing after not being played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The traditional conference challenge aspect changed this year to feature a wider field. Interestingly, the defending Division II national champion Dallas Baptist is in the Division I field this week and in a share of the 13th after a 5-over 293 to open the week.

Past winners

2020 – No event
2019 – Ole Miss, 15-under 849
2018 – UCLA, 32-under 832
2017 – Denver, 8-over 872
2016 – San Diego State, 2-over 866
2015 – San Diego State, 6-under 858
2014 – Pepperdine, 2-under 862
2013 – Pepperdine, 5-over 869
2012 – Pepperdine, 4-under 860
2011 – Oklahoma, 35-over 899
2010 – Virginia, 13-over 877
2009 – Pepperdine, 17-over 881
Individual
2020 – No event
2019 – Anna Zanusso, Denver (11-under 205)
2018 – Mariel Galdiano, UCLA (13-under 203)
2017 – Haley Moore, Arizona (7-under 209)
2016 – Marlene Krolboll Hansen, Coastal Carolina (9-under 207)
2015 – Emma Henrikson, San Diego State (10-under 206)
2014 – Marissa Chow, Pepperdine (6-under 210)
2013 – Grace Na, Pepperdine (6-under 210)
2012 – Demi Runas, UC Davis (7-under 209)
2011 – Chirapat Jao-Javanil, Oklahoma (1-over 217)
2010 – Brittany Altomare, Virginia (4-under 212)
2009 – Caroline Hedwall, Oklahoma State (9-under 207)

Big 12 seeks expansion, officially invites BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF

The Big 12 is making moves.

The Big 12 will once again have the appropriate number of members in the conference.

The only caveat is that it took the conference’s two marquee schools, Texas and Oklahoma, shocking the nation and fleeing the Big 12 to join the SEC without anyone knowing.

The Big 12 needed to make a move in response, otherwise the conference would sink and bring the remaining eight teams with it. On Friday, the Big 12 formally invited BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to join the conference.

Of the new additions, BYU has the easiest process of joining the Big 12 as they are currently an Independent team in football. According to ESPN, BYU will be joining in the 2023-2024 season. The other three schools have some hoops to jump through due to contractual obligations with the AAC, and although they can join the conference the same time as BYU, they will have to pay a larger buyout fee.

According to the statements made by Texas and Oklahoma, the two schools do not plan on leaving the Big 12 until 2025. If so, the conference could field 14 teams for a couple seasons until their departure. However, it’s still seemingly likely that the Longhorns and Sooners are playing in the SEC much sooner than that.

It is unknown what will now happen to the AAC, but the Big 12 securing these four schools very well just saved the existence of a conference that was thought to be dead and gone.

Report: Notre Dame and BYU headed to Vegas in 2022

Notre Dame and BYU walk into Vegas. This isn’t the start of a joke, it’s actually happening next year.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Notre Dame and BYU will square off in 2022 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the current home of the NFL’s Raiders.

This has long been speculated although the opponent the Irish would play was anything but certain as Notre Dame still owes BYU a game in Provo, Utah.

The report states that the exact date of the game is not yet known but does not that both teams share current open Saturdays on both Oct. 8 and Oct. 29 of next year.

Related:  Notre Dame football future schedules and opponents

BYU is set to take on Arizona at Allegiant Stadium in their opener Saturday night while it was also recently announced the stadium will play host when LSU and USC knock heads to start the 2024 season.

Notre Dame and BYU have played eight times all-time with the Irish holding a 6-2 edge, including the last three, the most recent of which was a 23-13 Irish decision in 2013.

As I always state in regards to the Shamrock Series, college football is best played on college campuses.

That said, this will be a unique trip to one of the NFL’s new gems for the Irish who are yet to play there.

Related:

Two Bradys argue over Notre Dame-BYU game from 17 years ago

The Chosen Four: Big 12 conference is considering adding these programs

Four schools that the Big 12 is considering adding.

The Big 12 conference will be fighting for its life in a matter of years (months?) when the two blueblood programs of the conference, Texas and Oklahoma, depart for the SEC.

It has left many speculating whether the conference will search for new members or just disband all together. The decision is one that is very heavily influenced by money, television deals, and overall value that a school can bring to the conference.

It may sound like a simple process, but in fact it is the opposite. The Big 12 realistically can only choose from Group of Five schools. No one will leave the SEC and the endless supply of cash. On top of that, the alliance of the Pac-12 (who said they are not adding anyone), ACC, and Big Ten have ruled out any other Power Five team.

However, that does not mean there are not quality universities out there to chose from. It’s just a matter of selling the sinking conference. I compiled a list of six schools the Big 12 should consider pursing, and of those six, it was reported by The Athletic that three of them are among the four leading contenders.

As of right now, the Big 12 is planning on attempting to preserve the conference after the departure of the Longhorns and Sooners. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby has been adamant that the conference can stay together. Here is what he said at a recent statement:

“The eight ADs remain committed to furthering the Big 12 as one of the nation’s premier athletic conferences, and look forward to working with our presidents and chancellors to strengthen the league. Future exploration by the group will continue to center on options that best position the long-term strength of the Conference.”

The Athletic mentioned the timeframe of when all this could happen, as due to the Big 12 bylaws, members need to give 18 months notice before leaving the conference and must pay a $80 million fee. In order to join the SEC by 2023, Texas and Oklahoma have until the end of December.

The schools that are being considered have some hoops to jump through as well, but let’s take a look at the Big 12’s top choices to join the conference.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Six teams the Big 12 should now pursue to join the conference

Six teams the Big 12 should/could add in the near future.

At the beginning of June, I listed a few possible suitors to join the Big 12 to help the conference get back up to 12 teams.

Little did I realize, Texas and Oklahoma would be informing the Big 12 of their plan to leave the conference just weeks later. The two powerhouse programs would kick off the most impactful realignment ever with their plan to join the SEC.

This announcement left the college football world in awe, and led to other conferences making similar plans in order to ensure their respective conference can remain as one of the powers. While many initially thought that Texas and Oklahoma leaving would force the other Big 12 schools to do the same, we have recently learned that likely won’t be happening either.

The Pac-12, Big Ten, and ACC recently announced that they were forming an alliance, and unfortunately for the remaining eight Big 12 teams, that means they are on the outside looking in. The Big 12 teams were hopeful to head out west and join the Pac-12, but that dream was crushed when The Athletic reported on August 26 that the Pac-12 is not interested in expanding their conference.

Realistically, this leaves the Big 12 with two plausible options remaining. Unless the Big Ten or ACC decide to open their doors, the Big 12 is now standing alone in the corner at the party hoping for someone to talk to them.

The eight teams can either stick together, and all join the AAC together, which I predicted at least five out of the eight would end up doing if they were to leave, or they can seek out new members to join and revive the what seems to be a barely afloat conference.

When I first listed five teams that could join, I included USC as an honorable mention, but them joining was mutually inclusive with Texas and Oklahoma being in the conference so now that they are gone, and the Pac-12 is looking as content as ever, that is out the window.

The Big 12 needs to add, at the very minimum, four teams to get the conference back to 12 teams, but it should likely look into adding six to eight more teams to keep up with the rest of the college football world. Personally, I believe six is much more practical for the conference, as right now it is not the most appealing destination.

Let’s take a look at the six teams that make the most sense for the Big 12 to pursue.

Ducks to face BYU in Portland during Phil Knight Invitational

The Oregon Ducks will take on the Cougars of BYU this fall during the Phil Knight Invitational, a game that was cancelled last year.

The Oregon Ducks’ non-conference schedule for the men’s basketball team is starting to come together, with Jon Rothstein reporting that Oregon and BYU will meet in Portland for the Phil Knight invitational this fall.

No timetable for the event has been given, but in the past this event has been played in mid to late November, so the expectation is the game will take place in that time frame in 2021.

Oregon and BYU were slated to play each other in this event last year, but all Pac-12 non-conference games were cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Ducks are slated to be a top-15 team to begin the 2021-2022 campaign after returning Will Richardson and adding a pair of exciting transfers in De’Vion Harmon and Jacob Young.

BYU’s basketball peak came during the Jimmer Fredette era about 10 years ago, but the subsequent move to the WCC actually hurt their stock thanks to the dominance of Gonzaga, which has limited the Cougars to just four NCAA tournament appearances since 2011, and only one appearance past the first round.

However, BYU is 44-15 under new coach Mark Pope, and the return of Alex Barcello should make them a formidable early season opponent for Dana Altman and his squad – who will need to gel on the court in a hurry if they want to avoid an upset.

The Ducks and Cougars are both expected to be a part of the big PK85 tournament slated to take place in Portland in 2022 in honor of Nike founder Phil Knight’s 85th birthday, and five years after the inaugural PK80 event in 2017.

[listicle id=4293]

Wild weekend in Utah: An albatross, Tony Romo makes the cut, a female golfer makes history

An eventful weekend saw an albatross as well as an NFL announcer and a women’s college golfer make the cut.

Golf tournaments often have multiple interesting story lines.

The just-concluded Utah Open says “Hold my beer.”

Let’s start with the winner, Derek Fribbs.

The former Colorado Buffalo won the event at 23 under, three shots clear of T.K. Kim. Fribbs shot 66-63-64 in the 54-hole event, with the highlight of his weekend being his Sunday albatross.

From 215 yards out on the par-5 15th hole at Riverside Country Club in Provo, Fribbs ripped a 7-iron and holed it out for a 2. He told the Deseret News he “didn’t believe it until I officially went and got it out of the hole.”

If the name Derek Fribbs sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because you recall this wild story from June, in which a golfer was arrested after a fight broke out during the middle of a qualifier in Kansas on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Fribbs was more than a witness. He actually tried to break up the fight. The father of the fight’s instigator then began to use a putter to keep Fribbs from breaking up the fight.

When it came up during his post-round interview, Fribbs told the Deseret News: “At least I am the good guy in the story. I wasn’t beat up or arrested.”

Fribbs then hopped in a car, $20,000 richer after his win, and drove back to Colorado Sunday night with plans to catch a flight to Dallas for his next outing, a Korn Ferry Tour pre-qualifying tournament near Dallas.

Oh, and Fribbs turned 31 on Monday. Happy birthday, Derek.

But wait. There’s more to this Utah Open.

Tony Romo, the big-money NFL analyst for CBS, was in the tournament as well. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, who makes $17 million a year for his TV gig, opened with a 68, made the cut and tied for 42nd. Due to his amateur status, Romo could only accept $180 in merchandise credit to be used in the pro shop, according to the Deseret News. No word on what he splurged on.

There was a bit of history made at the tournament, too.

Brigham Young University golfer Kerstin Fotu, a 22-year-old junior-to-be, became the first woman to make the cut. And before you ask, yes, she was playing the same tees as everyone else on the 7,142-yard course. Fotu closed with her round Friday with three straight pars to make the cut on the number, beating close to 90 others in the process. She closed with a 76 on Sunday to finish 59th.

Among those to miss the cut was Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, who posted not-too-shabby scores of 74-77. Smith calls Riverside Country Club his home course. The 42-year-old bought the Jazz in December.

Notre Dame part of tough nonconference schedules for Power Five teams

The Irish will be part of tough schedules for some teams this year.

Any team that has Notre Dame on its nonconference schedule automatically receives a bump in the strength of that schedule. Even during seasons in which the Irish struggle, there at least is a bump interest for that game. Either way, any matchup with the Irish is serious business.

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has released a piece comparing nonconference schedules for the entire Football Bowl Subdivision. For the Power Five conferences and the AAC, he lists the nonconference schedules for the teams he believes have the toughest and weakest in those conferences. Notre Dame pops up in the toughest nonconference schedule for Georgia Tech in the ACC, USC in the Pac-12, and Cincinnati in the AAC. In fact, Palm ranks the Yellow Jackets as having the fifth toughest nonconference schedule in all of the FBS.

Here are the other nonconference opponents for all the teams that have the Irish on their schedules:

  • Georgia Tech: Georgia, Northern Illinois, Kennesaw State
  • USC: BYU, San Jose State
  • Cincinnati: Indiana, Miami (Ohio), Murray State