Thirteen Takes on MWC/WAC Shenanigans

It's been a wild week in the West with all that occurred this week. Seems like nobody is shedding a tear for the BYU Cougars. The Y felt they had to counter Utah's admission to the PAC 10 with football independence. Their reach could cost them mightily.

(At right: SDSU and the MWC are in good shape...for now, anyway!)

The Western Athletic Conference is on life support. Let's hope a solution will result in the WAC remaining viable and Mr. Benson's bad moves won't cost the member institutions.

1. The Mountain West Conference is in good shape as it is. Even if BYU goes, the MWC boasts highly-rated TCU and Boise State in 2011. The addition of a solid Fresno State program and a decent Nevada Reno outfit solidifies the future.

2. The Western Athletic Conference needs to act and act fast. The WAC and Benson should be proactive. The best bet is to recruit strong FCS teams.

3. UC Davis should jump up to FBS status. While the Aggies just recently jumped from NCAA Division II, UCD has an outstanding athletics program and the wherewithal to jump the hurdle.

4. Brigham Young University had its goose cooked. There was a time when the Cougars could’ve thrown its weight around, but not now. The Y’s tail is between the proverbial legs. The rest of the MWC is stronger than the Provo school.

5. Independence a gamble for Cougars? Was taking BYU in all but football a backlash to losing Boise State? Seems that way. It seems a shortsighted move by Benson. My odds are 65-35 against this being a good thing.

6. Benson is a hypocrite. Calling out two institutions—FSU and Nevada—for loyalty is a selfish call. Benson was trying to recruit BYU and had his bluff called.

7. Montana is the other team should be courted by the WAC. The Grizzlies are strong enough to make the move.

8. Hawaii is a better independent than BYU. The Warriors are better off as an independent than in the WAC. They can schedule home-and-homes with many due to the destination. Why play Louisiana Tech when can likely get a pay day from LSU?

9. The Big West is a better fit for Hawaii for the rest of its sports. The WCC is made up small, religious schools that have no similarity to UH. The Big West, on the other hand, is a bunch of public that don’t play football. Who is the better fit?

10. BYU will end up playing in the following order. A. Status quo with football and everything in the MWC. B. Football Indy and the rest in the WCC. C. Football Indy and in the WAC.

11. The MWC should NOT combine with Conference USA. A football championship game with CUSA could earn a BCS berth. That might be good for some, but not the MWC. This coalition also buys into the BCS farce. Let’s keep a separate MWC and CUSA and a playoff in 2014!

12. Utah State to the MWC? Last I heard, Houston had no interest in the Mountain West. Should BYU exit, the Aggies are good fit to keep presence in the absence of BYU and the Utes.

13. Somebody (NCAA) needs to put a tent over this circus. A playoff would be the best for all involved. (Then maybe we could go back to 1A and 1AA!)

The Best in College Football Attire

After the recent worst of college football fashion (congrats THE Ohio State University), it's time to focus on the positive. So here e the best college football uniforms

8. Greensboro College. Who you ask? Okay, my day job is to promote The Pride. Give GC Head Coach Dr. Randy Hunt credit, however, for adding the "GC" to a blank canvas helmet. This is the only NCAA DIII institution on the list. Coach Hunt led The Pride to six wins in 2009, the most in program history. Looking forward to seeing the new green tops, after wearing all-white the past three years.

7.Army Black Knights. Gotta give some love to a United States service academy. Air Force has a little better look than the Midshipmen from Navy. How can you not like a service academy that is bold, black and--from what we hear--has a great game-day atmosphere. They have an attractive"A" that will likely never make it on a helmet. Too bad...

5. Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincy does what my alma mater has never been able to accomplish: Make the red and black look great. The Bearcats stylish duds are modern and attractive. I don't love the helmet logo, but it does work. Cincy loses marks for the red jerseys that are inferior to the black tops.

5. Oregon Ducks. Many would've like to see the University of Oregon's traveling smorgasbord of colors, schemes and "Nike-ness" on the ugly list. However, OU and Phil Knight's deep pockets have produced one of the best branding images in recent memory: The "O." The problem with Oregon is they have too many different combinations. C'mon Phil, less is more sometimes.

4. Penn State Nittany Lions. Old coach, old school, Linebacker U gets an "A" in apparel. Not much has change in Joe Paterno's 70 years or so in Happy Valley, and that's good thing. The clean blue and white look stands the test of time.

3. Texas Longhorns. Mack Brown and the Longhorns win a lot of games. Their athletic department is the richest in the land, partly due to their marketing smarts. Their hook 'em horns logo is perhaps the best in the nation. (Note: the Houston Texans practically stole the logo.) The burnt orange lettering on all white is gorgeous.

2. University of Miami Hurricanes. You love them or hate them, but they are number one in logo branding. When Bernie Kosar played they adopted the famous "U." It was and is brilliant. Miami also meshed orange and green into an attractive combo that my hometown minor league baseball team (Greensboro Grasshoppers) lifted.

1. University of Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tide are the defending national champs and are numero uno in fashion sense, too. They wore similar duds when Bear Bryant was boss, and for good reason. While we chastised Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Wisconsin for being red, white and bland, 'Bama is distinctive. Maybe it's the numbers on the helmet. We can't put a finger on it but Alabama wins!

The Ugliest Uniforms in College Football

The College football season is just days away. There's no better time go Mr. Blackwell and judge the teams on their fashion sense.

5. Tie Arkansas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Nebraska. The reason? The red and white scheme is too prevalent and does not allow any of these institutions to pull away from the crowd.

4. LSU Tigers. They haven't updated these duds since Eisenhower was President. The "LSU" with a tiger head below on the skullcap reminds me of Pop Warner football opponents. C'mon, Baton Rogue, you can do better!

3. Minnesota Golden Gophers. As much as I dislike USC, the school with 1,000 lakes stole the patent on burgundy and gold schemes from Troy.

2. Florida Gators. I don't know exactly what it is about the Gators unis, but I just don't like 'em. They're not quite old school and they certainly not modern or cutting edge. They should be able to do better with orange, blue and an alligator.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes. Yes, THE Ohio State University is an institution in the Buckeye State. However, their football success has more to do with their reputation than their attire. Grey, white, and little Buckeye stickers on the helmet? It drives me to root for Michigan annually. (Note: Sorry, these clothes and head wear are too ugly to show on this blog.)

Coming up next: The best of college football uniforms.