The only real drama for the BCS selection show this year was 1) whether or not there would be an excuse for screwing Boise State out of an invite, and 2) who would get the 4th and final at-large bid.  I’m going to tell you who is going to got it, but I’m also going to tell you why I think they shouldn’t have.  (And Boise State didn’t possibly get left out…did they?)

There are 9 teams who either have less than two losses, or have two losses but have earned an automatic bid.  They are: Alabama (SEC), Texas (Big 12), Cincinnati (Big East), Oregon (Pac 10), Ohio State (Big Ten), Georgia Tech (ACC), Florida (At-Large), TCU (At-Large), and Boise State (At-Large).  All bid except Boise’s are earned and guaranteed.  Boise’s (13-0, win over Oregon) is sufficiently earned.

The final spot was really wide open, heading into the selection process.  The leader, and most obvious pick, would have been two-loss Iowa, who has a much stronger case than two loss Penn State.  And at the selection meeting, the BCS committee did the expected, naming Iowa as the opponent of the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets in the Orange Bowl.

Iowa lost two of their final three games to end the season and is very lucky to still be in the Top 10 in the BCS Standings.  They’re still around only because they play against the fictitiously strong Big Ten competition.  And it’s because of that competition that I think they were a poor choice for the Orange Bowl Berth.  Here are some 3-loss teams that got jobbed, and the cases I would have made in favor of them.

LSU* — They were more deserving, in my opinion, than Iowa, but unfortunately the rules of the BCS bowls prohibit their inclusion because they would have been the 3rd team in from the SEC.  So they’re out.

Virginia Tech – Probably would have been my first choice.  They went 9-3.  They did so in a conference that splits it’s championship game participants into two divisions.  Va. Tech’s conference record was identical to division champion Georgia Tech, the only difference is one played Alabama (Va. Tech) and the other played Jacksonville State (Ga. Tech).  Well, that, and Ga. Tech won the head to head match-up that decided the ACC.  Still, I would rather have seen them rematch rather than give defensive-minded Clemson a shot at a BCS Bowl.  Just because Va. Tech didn’t play in the championship doesn’t make them less deserving than GT.

Miami (Fla.)  — The ACC narrowly avoided chaos in the wake of Georgia Tech’s loss to Georgia.  Miami did not tie for the ACC Atlantic division title, but only because they failed to take care of Clemson in overtime.  Had Miami won that game, they, and not Georgia Tech, would have played Clemson for the ACC title.  But Georgia Tech would still have only been a two loss team.  They would have likely gotten the final at large BCS bid.  Which, in my mind, validates Miami’s case at the BCS bid, at least over Iowa.  Sure, they did lose that overtime game, but they swept their out of conference schedule, which was far more impressive than Iowa’s or Penn State.

West Virginia — Here’s a team, 9-3, in the vastly superior Big East (compared to the Big Ten, at least), it misses the BCS because of a bad loss to USF.  They went undefeated at home against a difficult schedule, losing only at Auburn, at USF, and at Cincinnati.  They did have their chances, but here’s a team that beat Pittsburgh when they were a top ten team, beat a strong Rutgers team on the road, compiled a computer average of exactly .4600.  That’s not higher than Iowa, but it is higher than Penn State in that same conference.

Pittsburgh — Another 9-3 team, but they started 9-1, and looked dominant taking care of Notre Dame.  Pittsburgh beat everyone on their schedule who they were stronger than, after a horrendous loss to North Carolina State.  That pretty much made them not BCS worthy, but even their resume might have been more impressive than Iowa.  Not saying anything definitive there.  A .2500 computer average is pretty unbecoming of a BCS team.

So there you have it.  The ACC and Big East were both more deserving of  a team receiving an at large bid than the Big Ten.  In fact, even champion Ohio State looks mediocre in comparison to the above (save Pittsburgh).  Iowa had their chance to sleepwalk through an easy schedule, win a bunch of games, and then beat Ohio State at the Horseshoe to secure that automatic bid, losing a thriller because HC Kirk Ferentz was hesitant to go for the win when he had a chance as an underdog.  Ohio State lost to 4-loss USC at home, nearly got upset by Navy, and really only belongs in the BCS because they proved to be the most deserving team from the Big Ten.  And to add another team seems to defy logic, and establish a barrier between a two and three loss team that is being viewed as the same difference between a perfect season and a one loss season.  It may have been the easiest decision by the pollsters, but it wasn’t the right one.

But then again, at least the deserving mid-majors made it.  Officially, thanks to a 13-0 season from Boise State, 2009 is the first year ever where two mid-majors will be part of the BCS bowls.  Consider this your official PSA courtesy of LiveBall for the month of December.  I like it when deserving parties don’t get screwed.

Well, college football’s regular season, save for the annual Army-Navy game, came to an end on Saturday.  Five teams in Division I finished the year undefeated, and two of them — Alabama and Texas — will play in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship game on January 7 in Pasadena, Calif.  The other three — Cincinnati, Texas Christian, and Boise State — all received nice parting gifts (Cincinnati was invited to play Florida in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, while TCU and Boise State will play each other in the Fiesta Bowl), but will not be a part of the national title picture.

We really don’t have a problem with those three teams being excluded.  After all, only two teams can play in the national championship game, and Alabama and Texas are probably the two most deserving.  But pardon us if we cannot get too excited about the game itself.  First off, the game is a month away, which is one of the true travesties of the bowl system.  After weeks of seeing teams play every weekend, they now have to wait 30 days before playing the biggest game of the year.  Secondly, Texas has no been playing all that well for the last several weeks.  Saturday night’s win over Nebraska in the Big 12 title game had an exciting finish that was preceded by 59 minutes and 59 seconds of truly awful offensive football (Texas kicker Hunter Lawrence kicked the game-winning field goal with one second remaining on the clock to give the Longhorns a 13-12 win). Third, Alabama is probably the least sexy top-ranked team we have seen in a long time.  Their defense is fantastic, but their offense is not exactly powerful.  In fact, outside of tailback Mark Ingram (pictured above and our favorite to win the Heisman Trophy), there is very little to write home about on the offensive side of the ball.

But the main reason that we can’t get too terribly excited about this match-up is because it seems so pre-ordained.  For the couple of months, ever since USC lost to Washington and Oklahoma lost reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford to injury, it has seemed almost a foregone conclusion that Texas would play the winner of the SEC in the national title game (and since we always believed that Alabama was a better team than Florida, we have had the Crimson Tide pegged as the SEC representative since the beginning of the season).  And now all that has come true.

Don’t get us wrong.  We will be watching on January 7.  But pardon us if we are not exactly waiting with baited breath.

Wow, what a weekend. The college bowl schedule is set and some matchups went as expected while others raised an eyebrow. Meanwhile, in the NFL, the NFC East race just got a little more interesting.

But let’s talk about the college scene first, because that’s the hotter topic in my opinion.

Texas did everything in their power to lose that game Saturday up until the final minute and even during the last few seconds I thought Colt McCoy made a devastating decision. Thank God for replay reviews!

I never underestimated Nebraska’s defense, even though I was surprised they were as dominant as they were Saturday.

Even though the Longhorns escaped with a 1-point win, I still think they are the obvious choice for the BCS National Championship game alongside Alabama. However, I do think McCoy’s hopes for the Heisman Trophy took a crushing blow. That hardware goes to ‘Bama RB Mark Ingram.

As far as bowl matchups are concerned, I like the Florida-Cincinnati pairing and if you love the running game like I do, then the Orange Bowl (Georgia Tech vs Iowa) will be a great game for you.

However, I would have liked to have seen TCU get a chance against somebody other than Boise State. To me that seems like a huge slap in the face both both those programs, each of whom went unbeaten for a chance to play a big dog and instead get to square off for nothing more than a “Little Brother Championship”.

Honestly, wouldn’t you much rather see TCU go head to head with Florida or Georgia Tech, or even Cincinnati??? I’m pretty disappointed with the Fiesta Bowl, but I’ll still watch.

As far as the NFL goes, all I have to say is this: “It must be December.”

Yes, I’m talking about the Dallas Cowboys and their performance (or lack thereof) in the month of December. They found a new way to lose a game in which they dominated last night against the Giants.

But don’t put this one on Tony Romo, no sir. He was pretty damn good, completing 41 passes for almost 400 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

This one goes to the defense and special teams. First of all, how in the hell does Brandon Jacobs catch a screen pass and run past the defense for a 74-yard touchdown? You mean to tell me nobody on the defense can catch Jacobs???

And later on I asked myself this question: “Do we practice tackling anymore?” that question came as Domenik Hixon broke through several Dallas arm tackles for a back-breaking punt return touchdown.

As I said earlier, the Cowboys found a new way to lose a game, and picked one hell of a bad time to do it, with the rest of the scheduled starting to look like an 0-4 finish.

Seriously, after that game last night, I told my wife, “I can honestly see this Dallas team finishing 8-8.”

FYI – I had picked the Cowboys to finish 9-7 and miss the playoffs in my NFL predictions back in August.

With a national title berth on the line, Saturday night’s contest for the Big 12 Championship between the Texas Longhorns and Nebraska Cornhuskers was a game for the ages. While Texas QB Colt McCoy probably lost the Heisman Trophy with his performance, McCoy got his team’s wish of delivering on the chance to play for the national championship in Pasadena leading the ‘Horns to a 13-12 victory. Let’s take a look at what went right and what went wrong for both squads on Saturday night in Arlington.

Texas Longhorns
What went right?
Well, not much, really. While the Nebraska defense was superb, Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and his squad’s effort should not be overshadowed. In a game where the Texas offense couldn’t stay on the field, the defense was asked to step up and keep the game within reach and they did. The defense gave up only 106 yards offensively to Nebraska – 39 passing and 67 rushing – and yielded only five first downs the entire game while tallying three turnovers.

The kicking game – and we’re talking the field goal unit only – was the star of the night. Senior kicker Hunter Lawrence was the epitomy of calm on Saturday night, as he was 2-for-2, including his game-winning 46-yard field goal as time expired.

What went wrong?
The Texas offense was absolutely pathetic. In large part, Nebraska’s defense is to blame – they played fantastic across the front four and in to the secondary – as they pressured McCoy all night, and locked down every receiver Texas threw at them. If Texas was going to play Alabama for the national title, the Nebraska defense gave them the best preparation they could ask for, and Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban will bring a similar defensive attack in Pasadena. As mentioned, with only 184 yards passing on 20-of-36 attempts and three INTs, McCoy did everything he could to potentially lose the Heisman Trophy race. As expected, the running game was also dominated by the Nebraska front four, gaining only 18 total yards (keeping in mind McCoy’s sacks contribute to that total). All told, the Texas offense gained only 202 yards of offense and 17 first downs on the night. Pure and simple, the offensive line played like a pee-wee team against one of the best defensive tackles in college football. Period.

Special teams continues to be a concern for the Longhorns as well. While there were no game-changing plays in the kicking game, they were far from perfect, as they gave up a big return late in the game that if not for Nebraska’s anemic offense, could have spelled trouble. Combine that with the partially blocked punt, and this group needs to get their edge back. Saturday’s game marks three games in a row where the specials have looked anything but, and it will need to get fixed before the national championship.

Nebraska Cornhuskers
What went right?
Obviously, the defense was phenomenal. The unit racked up nine sacks on the night, with 4.5 from defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh alone, and they held Texas to well under their season average in points and yards. More impressive, perhaps, was the effort from their secondary, which covered everything underneath and gave McCoy no where to throw when he was under pressure. They also kept Texas off the field with three key INTs, two of which were more on the receivers than McCoy, but eliminated Texas from getting any rhythm on offense. Despite the loss, the defense earned back the “Blackshirts” mantra of Cornhusker lore on Saturday night.

What went wrong?
The offense. If Texas’ offense was pathetic, the only word to describe the Nebraska offense is inept. Here again, the Texas defense played a large role in inhibiting the Cornhuskers to put up any points, but when your offense is geared to the run, and that is the Texas defense’s strength, you’ve got to try some different things offensively. The Cornhuskers’ offense managed only 1.93 yards per snap, and their stout running game had no back carry the ball more than seven yards on a single carry. Yikes. Early on, the Huskers tried to use play-action to tee up the long pass, but the Texas defensive backs came up with two big INTs when QB Zac Lee looked downfield. Lee can play better, but his Saturday night should leave all Big Red fans wondering his future at the position.

Moving Forward
In the end, a highly-desired BCS controversy was averted, and TCU and Cincinnati can sit back and think back to just how close they came to making their run for a national championship. Early BCS projections (although the final announcements will come 5:00p PT on Sunday) have Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl facing Florida, while TCU and Boise State would match-up in the Fiesta Bowl, the first time a BCS bowl outside of the national championship game would host two undefeated teams. To round it out, Iowa (most likely) or Penn State would play Georgia Tech (ACC champ) in the Orange Bowl, and Oregon (Pac-10 champ) and Ohio State (Big 10 champ) will play for the Roses in Pasadena.

In the coming weeks, post-season awards will be won and lost, and bowl games will decide the fate of many schools 2009-2010 seasons. Come late Saturday night, however, McCoy and his team won the best post-season award of all – the Big 12 Championship and a chance to play for the national title.

Hook ‘em!

✩

Although the BCS matchups haven’t been announced yet, though it’s pretty easy to determine who will play who – most of the bowl games are pre-determined. The hard part is determining who the at-large bids will be.

For me, that’s also the fun part – choosing who’ll play who, what matchups make the most sense both to football fans and to the BCS itself, from TV ratings and general interest standpoints. What two teams would be the most fun to watch? What two teams would draw the most causal fans? And, most importantly, what two teams deserve to play for the National Championship?

But for my sake and yours, I’m only going to predict the major bowls: The Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Orange and BCS Bowls. Sorry, International Bowl.

BCS Bowl: #2 Alabama vs #4 TCU

Why? Alabama clinched a spot with an upset win over Florida, when their stand-out defence held the Gators in check and didn’t allow a point in the second half. Not to mention a great showing by running back Mark Ingram: 112 yards on the ground, another 76 receiving and three touchdowns against one of the best defences in the country – Florida hadn’t allowed a team to score three majors all season.

For TCU, the case is a little less clear cut – it’s more in by subtraction then just on their merits. Florida, for obvious reasons, can’t qualify. And Texas, after a subpar performance against Oklahoma on Saturday, deserves to drop a few spots in the polls. But TCU dominated through their schedule – and not an easy one at that. They dismantled #14 ranked Brigham Young in October, handing them their only loss of the season, and ran all over Utah last month, winning 55-28.

How was TCU’s defence? This season, they allowed just 149 points. Number-one ranked Florida allowed 150 while #3 ranked Texas gave up 197. Through November 28, TCU had allowed only 2799 yards. Florida’s defence gave up 2797 and Texas allowed 3158. I’d say that TCU stacks up pretty well. So given their rankings, stats and their dominance this season, giving them the nod doesn’t seem like a huge stretch.

Orange Bowl: #10 Georgia Tech vs #9 Iowa Hawkeyes

By winning on Saturday, Georgia Tech clinched a spot in the Orange Bowl. The other spot, an at-large, is chosen based on a combination of rankings, stats and polls. Here, I’m just going to go with the closest to them: the Iowa Hawkeyes, ranked #9.

Why them? Statistically, they rank pretty close to Tech: the Hawkeyes haven’t scored as often or have as many wins, but have only lost two and have a great defence (they’ve allowed less points then #3-ranked Texas, for instance).

Rose Bowl: #8 Ohio State vs #7 Oregon

With wins this past week, both teams clinched spots in the Rose Bowl. Neither team stands out enough to justify a bump to the BCS bowl, so this one’s pretty much locked in.

Fiesta Bowl: #3 Texas vs #1 Florida

In my books, Texas clinched a spot here by nearly losing to Nebraska on Saturday night: for a team that was ranked so high and looked so good, they didn’t stand out enough to justify going to the BCS. So they’ll keep their spot as the Big 12 host for the Fiesta Bowl.

So why Florida? The Gators will be the hot at-large team, and since they lost their chance at the BCS bowl, why not stage what many thought would be that bowl at the Fiesta Bowl?

Of all the possible matches this bowl could have, this one that makes the most sense, both from a football standing (should be a good game) and from a financial standpoint, since a meeting of these nationally recognized teams is a major draw – it wouldn’t surprise me if this game out drew the BCS game in ratings, actually.

Sugar Bowl: #5 Cincinnati vs #6 Boise State

Why these two?

First off, since Alabama is headed to the BCS, the Sugar Bowl becomes two at-large teams. And since neither of these teams stands out enough to become an at-large in a bigger draw – against Texas or Florida, both of which are head-and-shoulders above these two – it seems natural that they would meet in New Orleans.

Still, this is far from a dud of a game: the Bearcats are a fun team to watch, especially since they can rally back, like they did against Pitt on Saturday, while Boise State can score in bunches – they scored 574 points, more then anybody else in the BCS top 10. I’d wager these two would match up pretty well for an interesting Sugar Bowl.

As the semester winds down and academics heat up, we’re hitting the evening before we have a chance to get these posts up. Our apologies, but we do want to graduate eventually!

Last night featured a pair of disappointments for Idaho hoops — the men fell on the road to Cal State-Northridge, while the women lost at home against Wyoming. Both games saw the Vandals lead in the second half, but in neither case were they able to hang on for the win.

Today’s a day off for all the WAC men’s teams — for the first day in awhile, there’s nothing on the hardwood.

Sunday, of course, will be an Idaho basketball doubleheader in Memorial Gym. The women tip off against Saint Mary’s at noon, while the men face #25 Portland at 5 p.m. We’ll have Vandal Nation Live courtside coverage for both games. Look for our game preview tomorrow, along with a Vandal Spotlight on Jeff Ledbetter.

Basketball

• The Vandal men built a 14-point lead in the second half against Cal State-Northridge, but blew it all down the stretch and fell, 95-93. We’ve got a game wrap and Don Verlin isn’t pleased. Gilberto Manzano of the Northridge Daily Sundial has a story from the Matador perspective.

• Idaho’s women dropped another one at home, once again squandering a lead against Wyoming to lose, 61-55. Ilya Pinchuk’s got the story for us, including a video interview with Jon Newlee. Gaylen Wood has the story for GoVandals.net, too.

• Storming the Floor has a great look at West Coast hoops in pictures.

• With a matchup preview of the Wolf Pack’s battle against Pacific, it’s the prolific Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal.

• Tomorrow’s rivalry battle between New Mexico State and New Mexico is a must-win if the Aggies want to salvage their non-conference season, says the Las Cruces Sun-News’ Jason Groves.

Football

• Previewing tomorrow’s WAC battle between Boise State and New Mexico State, Sam Wasson of BleedCrimson.net has a Know The Foe with OBNUG.

• Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Advertiser says Hawaii is expecting 40,000 fans in the stands for the Warriors’ pivotal game against Wisconsin. Hawaii must win to secure a bowl berth.

• In the day’s third WAC game, Louisiana Tech plays host to San Jose State, and as the Spartan Daily’s Ryan Buchan reports, the Spartans will be looking to send retiring coach Dick Tomey out with a victory.

• ESPN’s Graham Watson has a few things to watch for this weekend, particularly the street fight for the WAC’s bowl bids.

Today’s been packed with academic stuff, so we’ve gone to an afternoon edition again.

We’ve got two big games tonight in hoops-land: the women are at home against the Wyoming Cowgirls, while the men are down in the San Fernando Valley, taking on the Cal State-Northridge Matadors. Both games tip off at 7 p.m. Because we have class tonight, we won’t be doing a play-by-play liveblog — however, we will have regular scoring updates on Twitter.

The other big news today: standout offensive lineman Mike Iupati was named an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. He’s the only WAC player on the list, and one of just three from non-BCS schools.

Basketball

• We go Inside Cal State-Northridge for a look at their fast-paced offensive style and bench struggles, and chat with Don Verlin about the game. Gilberto Manzano of the Daily Sundial has a look from the Matador perspective. The Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright chimes in as well. Idaho is the only WAC men’s team in action tonight.

• Myself and Sam Wasson have this week’s edition of Checking in on the WAC for Rush the Court. We look at all nine WAC teams and break down their week to come.

• Before a packed and insanely-rocking house in Logan, the Utah State Aggies stretched their ridiculous home winning streak to 38 games by knocking off BYU in the Spectrum, the Herald-Journal’s Shawn Harrison reports. Jared Quayle led the charge back for the Aggies, Wesley Meacham says. Check out the awesome signage the students brought to bear in the rivalry battle, too.

• Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson buried a last-seconds 3-pointer to edge out Louisiana-Monroe, as the Bulldogs’ SID reports. They don’t have any marquee wins yet, but the Bulldogs do have the WAC’s best record at 6-1. (h/t to Parsing the WAC)

• It woulda, coulda, shoulda been a 3-0 sweep for the WAC last night, but the slumping Rainbow Warriors couldn’t get it done against UC Irvine. As Tom Connolly reported for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Anteaters built a 15-point halftime lead on the back of Hawaii’s frightful 27 percent shooting performance in the opening period.

• Kyle Whelliston has a beautiful, insightful and moving look at basketball coaching on The Mid-Majority. It’s the best piece of hoops writing I’ve read all year. You won’t be disappointed.

Football

• As noted, the AFCA named Mike Iupati to its All-America Team. He’s among illustrious company — Colt McCoy, Golden Tate, Ndamukong Suh and Toby Gerhart, to name a few.

• The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Dan Hinxman has some thoughts on what WAC fans should be watching for this weekend.

• Oh, those crazy folks at OBNUG. Somehow, they don’t think Idaho coach Robb Akey’s miracle turnaround season deserves the WAC’s Coach of the Year honors. I get it, I mean, all Akey’s done is win more games than any Vandal team in a decade, and more than triple the number of wins over last season. That’s no big deal. Clearly, Chris Petersen should win the award for doing about as well with the Broncos as everyone expected he’d do.

The day breaks with some local and national props for Idaho’s comeback football season, as ESPN’s Pat Forde and the Idaho Statesman both name Robb Akey their WAC Coach of the Year.

The Vandal women opened a four-game homestand on the wrong foot last night, falling to Colorado State, 65-55. They’ll hit the Memorial Gym hardwood again tomorrow against undefeated Wyoming.

There were two WAC men’s games last night and the conference went oh-fer at home — NMSU folded up like a house of cards against arch-rival UTEP, while Pacific upended Fresno State. A year that started with such promise for WAC hoops is looking grimmer by the day.

Now for the links:

Basketball

• Same old, same old for the Vandal women — a first-half hole was too deep to climb out of against Colorado State, as Ilya Pinchuk reports. SID Spencer Farrin counted 10 missed Idaho layups in a 10-point Idaho loss.

• We talked with Idaho men’s coach Don Verlin about tomorrow’s road trip to Cal State-Northridge, a dangerous squad that took the Vandals to the wire at home last year. We’ll have a complete game preview today.

• Utah State fans love their Aggies. Students have been camping out in line for two days before tonight’s rivalry battle royale against BYU, Jay Patrick of the Logan Herald-Journal reports. Shawn Harrison previews the game, which is Utah State’s oldest rivalry. Of course, The Refraction has its take, too.

• The unexpectedly-slumping New Mexico State Aggies took another body blow, as Sam Wasson of BleedCrimson.net reports on their worst home loss to UTEP since 1963. Shooting a stone-cold 29 percent from the field and 15 percent from downtown… yikes. Jason Groves of the Las Cruces Sun-News has his own take on the debacle.

• Fresno State has now lost four straight, as the Bulldogs couldn’t hold off Pacific. The Fresno Bee’s Marek Warszawski says Steve Cleveland’s offense just couldn’t get in sync.

• Dayton Morinaga of the Honolulu Advertiser previews tonight’s Hawaii/UC Irvine game, which the Rainbow Warriors will have to play short-handed.

• The Idaho Statesman’s Nick Jezierny looks at the big hoops games coming up for the Vandals and the Broncos.

Football

• ESPN’s Pat Forde bestows his WAC Coach of the Year crown on Robb Akey, after the third-year leader of the Vandals brought as many wins to Moscow this year as in the previous three season combined, plus the team’s first bowl since 1998. He also calls the Vandals’ last-minute comeback win over Louisiana Tech the conference’s Game of the Year.

• The Idaho Statesman gets in on the action, saying of the Vandals’ turnaround, “Anyone outside of Moscow who says they saw this coming is lying.” Robb Akey is the Statesman’s WAC Coach of the Year, while NFL-bound guard Mike Iupati and do-everything safety Shiloh Keo get spots on their All-WAC Team.

• First-year New Mexico State coach DeWayne Walker talks to Las Cruces Sun-News writer Teddy Feinberg about his incoming recruiting class.

As hoops season heats up, we’ll take this opportunity to begin our weekly Power Rankings of the Western Athletic Conference’s men’s basketball teams. These are, of course, our subjective opinion, so please feel free to agree or disagree at your leisure.

1. Idaho, 4-1 — The Vandals are off to their best start in more than 20 years. There’s more depth than on any other bench in the WAC and newcomers like Steffan Johnson, Luiz Toledo and Jeff Ledbetter have contributed lights-out shooting. Led by Mac Hopson, Idaho has one of the nation’s most efficient offenses, and the defense isn’t far behind. But the season’s toughest tests lie ahead, with a brutal three-game stretch — Big West champ Northridge, #25 Portland and red-hot Washington State. The next week may be the Vandals’ crucible.

2. Nevada, 2-3 — There’s still a lot of questions about the Pack’s depth, but nobody can challenge the talent found in the star pairing of Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson. After taking defending national champion North Carolina right to the wall, Nevada showed it can compete score-for-score with the best teams in America. What remains to be seen, however, is how well Babbitt and Johnson will hold up down the stretch with virtually no bench support. Right now, the Pack can’t afford an off night from either of them.

3. Utah State, 3-2 — For a “rebuilding year” without inside-outside-do-everything superstud Gary Wilkinson, Stew Morrill’s Aggies are starting off reasonably well. Both losses came in close games on the road against quality opponents, and Nate Bendall is growing into the big shoes Wilkinson left. It’s not clear, though, that the Aggies have the firepower to be the unstoppable juggernaut they were last season. Two big home tests against BYU and Saint Mary’s await, and wins there might answer that question in the affirmative.

4. San Jose State, 2-3 — This may be too high, but I like the spunk the Spartans are showing early. They beat previously-undefeated Pacific, hung with Pac-10 favorite Washington and, last night, very nearly upended WCC powerhouse Saint Mary’s. These are long-awaited promising signs for a long-suffering San Jose State team. The question has long been whether coach George Nessman can put together the talented pieces he has on his roster, and this might be the year he finally pulls it off.

5. Louisiana Tech, 5-1 — The win number is gaudy, but as Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal pointed out, those five wins came against teams with a combined six victories of their own. Now, you can only win the games you play, so it’s a little unfair to dock them too much, but racking up big victory margins over terrible opponents doesn’t really tell us that much about how well the Bulldogs will do against a WAC schedule that’s practically bursting with depth and firepower.

6. Boise State, 4-2 — OK, so there’s not many quality wins here either, and Anthony “Guarantee” Thomas seems to be regressing, but Ike Okoye is growing into a certifiable stud in the paint and the Broncos do have some talented newcomers making contributions. A 26-point thrashing at the hands of a very mediocre Wyoming squad, however, says Boise State has a long way to go before it can think about contending for a spot in the conference’s top tier.

7. New Mexico State, 2-3 — Until the Aggies show some semblance of defense, this might be as high as they go. Getting back Troy Gillenwater and Wendell McKines after next week will be huge, but the fact is right now, Marvin Menzies’ crew is giving up 85 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot 46 percent. When you win your gimme game against a D-II school by only 10 points, there’s something very wrong. This evening’s game against UTEP could get ugly.

8. Fresno State, 2-3 — A pair of weak wins to open the season has been followed by three straight weak losses, as the Bulldogs fell to Division I newcomer Seattle and perennial WCC mid-packer Santa Clara. Fresno State’s put together a solid defensive package, but despite their obvious talent on the floor, they’re still the WAC’s lowest-scoring and most inefficient team. There’s a lot of youth so it might take a few games to come together as a team — but that seems to be the excuse for Fresno State every year, doesn’t it?

9. Hawaii, 2-3 — The WAC’s basket case program can’t catch a break, as Dwain Williams, a transfer from Providence and a key piece of Bob Nash’s plan to rebuild the Rainbow Warriors (and save his job), was suspended for two games and is reported to be quite unhappy in Honolulu. They’re producing the second-worst shooting percentage and worst shooting defense in the conference. Unless things turn around quickly, it’s shaping up to be another very long season in paradise.

As the morning dawns and students flock back to campus, we’re down in the home stretch of the semester. It was an up and down weekend for Idaho sports, but this week promises to hold great opportunities on the hardwood.

On Saturday, Idaho ended its home football season with an disappointing loss to Utah State, after defensive breakdowns once again put the Vandals in a hole they couldn’t dig out of. But Don Verlin’s hoopsters provided a boost that night with a decisive home win over Eastern Washington to go to 4-1, their best start in decades.

Then, Sunday brought the first victory for Idaho’s women, who struggled early on with shooting woes and the loss of team leader Derisa Taleni. Offense was not a problem, as the Vandals whipped up on Louisiana-Lafayette, 90-66.

This weekend promises to be a historic one for Idaho sports, as #25 Portland comes calling in Moscow Sunday. The Pilots, who have beaten Oregon, UCLA and #22 Minnesota, may be the first nationally-ranked non-conference team to ever take on the Vandals at home. That game will tip off at 5 p.m. and is scheduled for the Cowan Spectrum.

Now for the links:

Basketball

• The AP Poll is out, and after upsetting #22 Minnesota, UCLA and Oregon, the Portland Pilots are ranked #25 in the nation.

• Idaho’s women got their first win Sunday, and did it with an offensive explosion. Here’s the official writeup.

• With a 6-for-7 performance from beyond the arc, Steffan Johnson led Idaho to victory over Eastern Washington, and Marvin Jefferson provided an exclamation point jam. Here’s a photo gallery and writeup from GoVandals.net, too. We’ll have photos of our own up this afternoon.

• Last night, Nevada made a strong showing in the defending national champions’ house, taking North Carolina down to the wire despite their lack of depth. Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal has the story from Chapel Hill, N.C. (props to the RGJ for sending him on the road) and observes that the Wolf Pack can claim a moral victory.

• Chris Murray also has his weekly WAC Power Rankings, and the Vandals are atop the leaderboard.

• Spartan Hoops previews tonight’s huge home game for the Spartans — they take on Saint Mary’s.

• Daniel Lyght of the Fresno Bee reports from the Bulldogs’ loss to Santa Clara, and Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland isn’t happy. (h/t to Parsing the WAC)

• Hawaii is headed out on its only road trip of the non-conference season, and the Honolulu Advertiser’s Dayton Morinaga says it could be the tonic the slumping Rainbow Warriors need.

Football

• ESPN.com is projecting, bizarrely, an Idaho/Northern Illinois rematch for the Humanitarian Bowl. Is there anyone who really wants to see that?

• CBS Sports, more interestingly, predicts an Idaho/Bowling Green battle in Boise.

• The Logan Herald-Journal’s Wade Denniston says the Aggies were hoping to give the Vandals a shootout — and did.

• The Denver Post’s John Henderson looks at the WAC’s singular mission: Get Boise State into the BCS.

• What was seemingly impossible last month is oh so tantalizingly close for the Hawaii Warriors — after three wins in a row, they can secure a berth in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl if they can take down Wisconsin this weekend, the Honolulu Advertiser’s Stephen Tsai reports.

After a chilly, foggy Friday, the weather gods have smiled on Moscow today — it’s a beautiful day for college football and basketball! The Vandals will take on Utah State at 2 p.m. in the Kibbie Dome and Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. in Mem Gym.

For the 7-4 Vandals, they’ll be looking for a Senior Day to remember as Idaho closes out its best regular season in a decade and looks ahead to its first bowl since 1998. After two ugly losses, QB Nathan Enderle should be back in action and ready to lead the Vandals to a momentum-building victory over the 3-8 Aggies.

We’ll bring you all the action from the Dome with play-by-play commentary, analysis and chat at Vandal Nation Live, starting at 1:30 p.m. with our pregame show. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. We’ll have scoring updates on the Vandal Nation Twitter as well.

Click here for Vandal Nation Live: Idaho vs. Utah State!

At 6:30 p.m., or immediately following football, we’ll have Vandal Nation Live coverage of Idaho hoops, as the men look for their best Division I start since the 1982-83 season. Tip-off against the Eagles is scheduled for 7 p.m. Our game preview is here.

Click here for Vandal Nation Live: Idaho vs. Eastern Washington!

This Weekend in the WAC

New Mexico State takes on San Jose State at 5 p.m. in Dick Tomey’s best remaining chance at getting a WAC win before retirement. Navy visits Hawaii in a game the Warriors must win to keep their slim bowl hopes alive. We’ve got the lowdown on all three of today’s WAC contests here.

Yesterday, Boise State beat Nevada, 44-33, to clinch at least a share of the WAC championship. Louisiana Tech and Fresno State are idle.

Pregame Roundup

• Here’s the Idaho official pregame notes and the Utah State official pregame notes.

• We’ve got our Better Know a Foe preview of the Aggies, thanks to Wade Denniston of the Logan Herald-Journal.

• Matt Dessert of GoVandals.net has a game preview and a handy Idaho depth chart.

• The Lewiston Tribune’s Jesse Baumgartner says that with Enderle back, the Vandals should pull out an eighth win.

• Chiming in with his preview, the Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright figures this game to be key in Idaho’s bowl dreams.

• Wade Denniston previews the game for the Logan Herald-Journal, noting the Aggies aren’t taking the Vandals lightly.

• Nick Jezierny of the Idaho Statesman has a great feature on “Diesel” DeMaundray Woolridge’s final home game.

After Boise State convincingly took down Nevada last night, three Western Athletic Conference games remain today and all have, if not bowl implications, some serious pride on the line.

Here’s the matchups, all times Pacific.

• Utah State (3-8, 2-5 WAC) at Idaho (7-4, 4-3 WAC), 2 p.m. (Altitude/ESPN360)

The Vandals are the feel-good story of the season and coach Robb Akey is a deserving candidate for National Coach of the Year. But when QB Nathan Enderle was sidelined by injury at the worst possible moment, Idaho dropped back-to-back games that weren’t ever close. With Enderle back in action, the Vandals are hoping to close out their miracle season on a high note — and grab the team’s first bowl berth of the century. Under first-year head coach Gary Anderson, the WAC’s blue Aggies have undertaken a turnaround campaign of their own. Any designs on postseason play evaporated long ago, but Utah State can still play spoiler on the Vandals’ Senior Day.

Idaho has won games, quite simply, by outscoring the other team. A “bend, don’t break” defense has struggled to contain opponents, particularly in the first half, and several of the Vandals’ victories have come only with last-minute comeback heroics. Yet, if there’s a team worse than Idaho on defense, it’s the Aggies. Utah State gives up an average of 450 yards per game — 210 on the ground, 240 through the air — and those numbers are just begging Enderle to put up what would be his fourth 300-yard passing game of the year and RB DeMaundray Woolridge his third 100-yard rushing performance. Aggie QB Diondre Borel and RB Robert Turbin are going to have to have the games of their lives — and Utah State’s defense will have to put up a season-defining performance — to beat Idaho in the Dome.

Eastern Washington Eagles (2-3)

Big Sky — 2009 record: 12-18

The Eagles are in the third year of a rebuilding program under coach Kirk Earlywine, and thus far it’s been something of a struggle. Eastern Washington hasn’t had a winning season since 2007, nor have they made the six-team Big Sky Conference Tournament. That despite having one of the best players ever to play in the Big Sky, current Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey. But in their meeting with Idaho last season, on their home court in Cheney, Eastern Washington came out victorious, 69-59.

This year’s Eastern Washington squad has just one win over a Division I program, that coming on the road against Southland Conference foe Texas-Arlington. They played close with a young Washington State team, giving the Cougars all they could handle but falling just short, 67-61. That success didn’t carry over, as on Tuesday Boise State easily handled the homestanding Eagles, 82-69.

The problem for the Eagles can be summed up in a word: Efficiency. Like the Hornets before them, the Eagles have started the season stone-cold from the floor — as a team, they’re shooting just .414 and have one of the nation’s worst 3-point percentages at .299. Against the Vandals, who have been holding their opponents to just .400 shooting, that doesn’t bode well for Eastern Washington’s upset chances. They have been slightly outrebounding their foes, but a +2.0 margin won’t be enough of a difference when your team misses 6 out of 10 shots from the field.

The defensive matchups look even worse for the Eagles. Idaho’s strength is in the backcourt, with the nation’s 40th-best 3-point shooting percentage at .420. It’s in that stat that the Eagles’ defense has been atrocious, allowing .404 shooting from outside — one of the nation’s worst.

It’s inside that Eastern Washington has a chance of making things happen. The combination of Brandon Moore and Mark Dunn can make for some matchup issues against Idaho’s big men — particularly given Idaho’s turnover woes there. But get beneath those two and there’s zero proven depth, so early foul trouble could take a toll.

Much like Sacramento State, the Eagles are a program that is poised for improvement, and after the Texas Southern debacle, Idaho well knows the cost of thinking any game is a gimme. But the Vandals have a clear talent advantage at virtually every position, and the guards should have a field day, shooting out the lights in Memorial Gym in front of a friendly crowd. It’s going to take a serious effort from Earlywine’s team to select their shots and convert every opportunity to keep this game close.

Key statistic: Points per possession

• Idaho: 1.06 (76th) — Eastern Washington: 0.91 (250th)

Measured by dividing the number of points scored by the number of possessions, this is a basic measurement of a team’s offensive efficiency, and the difference is stark. The Vandals have one of the nation’s 100 most efficient offenses, while the Eagles are stuck in the bottom 300.

Projected Starters:

• G #01 Glen Dean, Fr. — 8.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 4.0 apg

A true freshman point guard, Dean is doing a serviceable job for the Eagles in his first Division I action — but that’s a position where Eastern Washington could sorely use some senior experience. His negative assist-to-turnover ratio needs improvement, but what he most needs to learn is when not to take shots. The Eagles as a whole are a poor-shooting team, but Dean’s terrible .297 average is dragging everything else down. Then again, maybe it’s his ball-handling that’s the worst — coughing it up six times against Boise State? Yikes.

• G #10 Alden Gibbs, Jr. — 4.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.0 apg

Gibbs is another highly-touted JC transfer that has yet to pan out for Earlywine. Called by his coach “arguably the best athlete in the Big Sky,” Gibbs has proven to be a solid rebounder but he’s also been yet another EWU backcourter who can’t shoot. Gibbs has hit just 31.8 percent of his shots this year and went 0-3 in 20 minutes against Boise State. Against the Vandals’ stellar backcourt, those kind of numbers just aren’t going to cut it and Gibbs is going to have to seriously step up the production.

• G #10 Jeffrey Forbes, Fr. — 9.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.4 apg

Yet another true freshman pressed into service by the Eagles, Forbes has been one of EWU’s strongest newcomers — but even that’s relative. His .419 shooting percentage is just OK, though it makes him by far the best among Eastern Washington’s backcourters. Forbes is also a demon from the free-throw line, converting 90 percent of his trips to the charity stripe.

• C #45 Brandon Moore, Sr. — 13.4 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 1.0 apg

Anchoring the inside for Eastern Washington, Moore will create a formidable matchup. He has size, experience and a solid shooting stroke. Anyone who averages a double-double is someone to take seriously, and Marvin Jefferson should have all he can handle to keep Moore from dominating the paint. Where he should be exploitable is his ball-handling, as he’s given up 13 turnovers and got picked to death by Texas-Arlington.

• F #42 Mark Dunn, Sr. — 12.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, .600 FG%

A stalwart for the Eagles, Dunn is a serious force anywhere on the court and has the team’s best shooting percentage — inside and out. He can clean up the glass, slam home a dunk or even stroke it from beyond the arc, making for a real defensive matchup issue. Does he go up against Luiz Toledo? Can Toledo defend it outside, and if he’s drawn out there, will it open up the paint? Watch Dunn’s performance closely, as if Idaho can contain him effectively, things get very difficult for Eastern Washington. Conversely, if he gets it going the Eagles will have a chance.

Key reserves:

• G #5 Benny Valentine — 14.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.4 apg

Coming off the bench for the Eagles is an incredible scoring spark in the person of Valentine, a Texas Tech transfer who led EWU in scoring and assists last year and was named Second Team All-Big Sky. This year he again leads the Eagles in both categories. Why he doesn’t start is a mystery. It may have something to do with the fact that while he scores a lot, he misses even more — last year he shot .390 and this year he’s gotten worse at .339.

• G #21 Kevin Winford — 4.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.0 apg

One of the few Division I players to come out of Alaska, this redshirt freshman was expected to be one of the Eagles’ strongest pieces this season — Earlywine called him the team’s best shooter. But he hasn’t lived up to the hype, averaging just 4.0 points and putting up an awful .294 shooting percentage in his three appearances. Winford lost his starting role after the season’s opening games and saw limited minutes against Boise State.

Fog is blanketing Moscow today as shoppers scramble around for the best Black Friday deals. We already blew our stash on a Flip UltraHD camcorder for our nifty video interviews, so we can spend this afternoon talking sports.

Today, the Vandal women open their tournament season against Baylor, one of the nation’s top teams. They’ll have a tough fight of it, but undaunted, they’ll be looking for their first win at 5 p.m. this afternoon.

Tomorrow is a back-to-back extravaganza of Idaho sports.

First, football closes out its regular season against Utah State — it’s Senior Day in the Dome, and a victory would assure the Vandals of their best season since 1998. That game kicks off at 2 p.m. and we’ll have it for you on Vandal Nation Live with pregame at 1:30 p.m.

Then, the doubleheader’s second half — basketball vs. Eastern Washington — tips off in Memorial Gym at 7 p.m. The Vandals will be looking for their best start in 21 years with a victory over the Eagles, and we’ll have that game for you too on Vandal Nation Live, with pregame starting at 6:30 p.m. or immediately following the football game.

We’ll have complete football and hoops previews on the blog this afternoon. Now for your links:

Basketball

• The Portland Pilots — a team Idaho plays twice this year in a home-and-home series, beat up on UCLA last night, 74-47, and the score is closer than the game. They’re going to be a dangerous foe for the Vandals, with lights-out shooting from the backcourt and a stifling zone D.

• Rush the Court has their weekly look-in at the WAC.

• BleedCrimson.net’s Sam Wasson has a great photo gallery from the Newmags’ victory over North Carolina A&T. Jason Groves of the Las Cruces Sun-News has the story — it’s the Aggies’ first win over a D-I foe this year. (h/t to Parsing the WAC)

• Tonight’s marquee WAC matchup: Nevada takes on Virginia Commonwealth in a key clash of mid-major titans. The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Chris Murray previews the game, and thinks the Rams’ D will do just enough to beat the Pack.

• Spartan Hoops previews tomorrow’s San Jose State/Pacific matchup.

• The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are still without marquee guard Dwain Williams, who is battling injuries and other unspecified “issues” — and will have to take on the Lobos tonight without his firepower, Dayton Morinaga reports in the Honolulu Advertiser.

• Seth Kolloen of Seattle’s SunBreak suggests the Seattle Redhawks could make the NIT and says the Vandals will be Seattle’s toughest remaining home test.

Football

• Matt Dessert has his Vandals/Aggies preview up on GoVandals.net.

• Boise State plays Nevada tonight for the WAC championship, and it’s a must-win for the Broncos’ BCS hopes. Chadd Cripe asks whether Kellen Moore or Colin Kaepernick is the better quarterback while Brian Murphy says Boise State’s defense will be the key.

• The Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright has a game preview for Idaho/Utah State, focusing on the importance of momentum going into the bowl season.

• Bowl eligibility is still a possibility for the Hawaii Warriors, but they’ll have to win both of their remaining games against Navy and Wisconsin to do it. Jason Kaneshiro of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin says banged-up quarterback Bryant Moniz will be ready to go.

• The Idaho Statesman’s Nick Jezierny features DeMaundray Woolridge, one of the Vandals’ key weapons in their comeback season. Brian Murphy demystifies the Chris Petersen-to-everywhere rumors.

• Jesse Baumgartner of the Lewiston Tribune chimes in with his picks for the non-Idaho games, calling it for Boise State, SJSU and Navy.

• Idaho fans are a little confused, the Idaho Press-Tribune’s Jake Alger says — the Vandals’ season won’t be ending Saturday!

By Kyle Bauer

A 3 day man fest! Or rather fest for men! (the manisfestation)

Be ready for this one folks. It is a beast combing over some of todays big college football games, Black Friday, leftovers, decorating and of course Dave Wannstedt.

“That mustache and hair combination makes him look like he spends his afternoon in the strip club eating cheap steak and getting lap dances from Community College Freshmen. Once a month, he’ll spend an afternoon with his daughter because the divorce settlement forces him to. He picks her up in his Trans-Am, asks her how school is going, she is understandably mum.”

It’s Thanksgiving week, which is also Rivalry Week. We’ll be light on commentary this week, because most of these games speak for themselves. Many of these rivalries are sullied this year with dominant teams facing off against their historic opponents in rebuilding years. However, for those teams with nothing else to play for, these match-ups will be their “championship” because it would bring a team – like Auburn or Texas A&M – no greater pleasure than to spoil the BCS title hopes of their nemeses. So, don’t be surprised to emotional play lead to some surprising upsets this weekend.

Remember to check the TV coverage maps, and note that all rankings are the current BCS standings. Enjoy your leftovers and save room to indulge in your week 13 viewing guide.

Thursday
8:00 PM ET
#3 Texas 49 v. Texas A&M 39
This was…unusually close. Despite the loss, the Aggies might have played their best game of the year – at least offensively. QB Jerrod Johnson looked fantastic, and will continue to be a threat to Texas in the next couple of years. Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be irate after the way the defense played Thursday night, but my guess is that emotion and momentum kept the Aggies in the game much longer than expected because the ‘Horns offense clicked most of the game. If you’re running behind on Eyes Of TX content, the in-depth game preview can be found here. There is no asterisk as division champs this year, as Texas has plowed their way to the Big 12 Championship game against Nebraska on December 5th.

Friday
11:00 AM ET
Rutgers at Louisville, ESPN2
Exciting! Not. But, football season’s almost over….let’s feast while we still can.

12:00 PM ET
Illinois at #5 Cincinnati, ABC
One final test for the Bearcats. Rumor has it former starting QB Pike will make the start this week. Eyes Of TX says, “why mess with a good thing?” Hope that doesn’t backfire for Cincinnati, but an upset sure would make the BCS happy.

2:30 PM ET
#2 Alabama at Auburn, CBS
Can ‘Bama overcome their biggest rival to give themselves a shot at #1 Florida, the SEC championship and the national championship? We’ll see how Auburn gets up for this game after a killer start, but a late season let-down. If head coach Gene Chizik pulls off the upset, sadly, he will be enshrined as the best coach ever at Auburn.

3:30 PM ET
Nebraska at Colorado, ABC
Nebraska has clinched the Big 12’s North division and will face #3 Texas on December 5th for the Big 12 conference title. This will be the last opportunity to see what Bo Pelini’s squad has to offer, in particular his offense, and while most thought it will be Colorado’s last chance to help head coach Dan Hawkins keep is job, the university confirmed that he would be coaching in Boulder again next season. The NCAA might as well give CU the “death penalty” because they’ve definitely rolled over this year.

7:00 PM ET
#9 Pittsburgh at West Virginia, ESPN2
Does anyone else think Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt has a funny mustache?

10:00 PM ET
Nevada at #6 Boise State, ESPN2
Close out the night with this late game. Boise State could be shut out of the BCS this year despite being #6 and undefeated. It’s too bad their weak schedule didn’t allow us to see just how good they can be, and perhaps Oregon helped them look better than they actually are… With #5 Cincinnati and #4 TCU as mid-major schools ahead of them in the BCS, it will be a disappointment for the home of the blue turf.

Saturday
12:00 PM ET
Both of these games are intriguing for the in-state bragging rights implications. Neither matchup is particularly compelling but in the context of Rivalry Week, they’re definitely worth watching.

#18 Clemson at South Carolina, ESPN
The ‘ol Ball Coach tries to make a stand in Columbia against a ranked opponent. Win or lose, they could keep Clemson RB C.J. Spiller from winning some post-season awards if they can hold him to a sub-par performance.

North Carolina at North Carolina State, ESPN2
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around, does it make a sound? In the shadows of the Appalachian mountains, its basketball season folks.

12:21 PM ET
#25 Mississippi at Mississippi State, check local listings
If you can find this, see the same reasons as above. If anything, Texas fans can relish in the fact that when the pressure was on to deliver a big year for Ole Miss, former Longhorn back-up quarterback Jevan Snead fell flat in 2009.

12:30 PM ET
#12 Oklahoma State at oklahoma, Comcast Sports Net
Another one that will be hard to find, unfortunately, because it’s always nice to watch ou struggle. With this year’s ‘Pokes team rolling to a potential BCS at-large bid, it’s hard to imagine them dropping this one, even though they’re away from home.

3:30 PM ET
Florida State at #1 Florida, CBS
Florida’s won the last 21 games of this series, if memory serves. For Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden, the good thing is he’s old enough to forget each game. Florida wins big, and sets up the ultimate SEC Championship match-up of #1 v. #2 Alabama for the right to play in the national championship.

#14 Virginia Tech at Virginia, ESPN
Virginia is an absolute debacle this year. Expect the Hokies to roll the ‘Roos at home.

#17 Miami at South Florida, ABC
This might actually be interesting, as South Florida started out the year strong, as did Miami. We’ll see what the ACC has to offer up the bowl committees besides a surprising Georgia Tech. Can Miami step up?

(Also in this slot on ABC is Arizona at Arizona State, and Missouri at Kansas.)

5:00 PM ET
#21 Utah at #19 BYU, CBS College Sports
A great in-state matchup between two of the best non-BCS conference teams.

7:00 PM ET
Arkansas at #15 LSU, ESPN
LSU has found out they weren’t quite as good as they thought, in part due to horrible coaching by Les Miles last week. Arkansas has been inconsistent, but could pull off the upset. Unfortunately, Death Valley isn’t an easy place to play, especially the week after an LSU loss.

8:00 PM ET
Georgia at #7 Georgia Tech, ABC
Who would have thought the best team in Georgia would be out of Atlanta? Georgia Tech’s triple-option has proven surprisingly successful this year. Go Yellowjackets!

Notre Dame at Stanford, ABC
What could be head coach Charlie Weis’ last game at Notre Dame will be shown in most of the country. Meanwhile, Stanford will try to stamp their ticket with another win against a big-time program.

Thanks again to LilPete for his 2009 season viewing guides.

✩

Two of the best offenses in the nation meet as the Boise State Broncos face the Nevada Wolf Pack on Friday while the Backyard Brawl resumes between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Nevada Wolf Pack at Boise State Broncos

The Boise State Broncos host the Nevada Wolf Pack in a game that features the best offense in the nation trying to out-gun the hottest offense.

The Broncos are 14 point college football favorites largely because they have a big edge on defense.

The Wolf Pack are averaging 445.6 yards per game over their last eight games led by a deep stable of rushers including three with at least 1,000 yards.

If Boise State is going to cover the spread, they’re going to have to find a way to limit the damage on the ground. Boise State gives up 115.0 yards per game and if they can hold Nevada to something closer to this number than to the 574 rushing yards Nevada picked up in their last game they should win.

The Broncos offense hasn’t had any 574 yard rushing games, but it averages a nation-high 44.4 points per game.

Quarterback Kellen Moore and the receiving corps get most of the credit, but they diversified their game a bit against Utah State last week when they rushed for 323 yards.

Moore did struggle a bit in the game against Utah State completing fewer than 60 percent of his passes for the first time this season.

If Moore needs a little bit of confidence to get his passing game back, Nevada provides the perfect opportunity do get it. Nevada gives up an average of 286.3 passing yards per game which is second worst in the nation.

If Moore plays like he’s capable of and the Broncos defense is able to slow down the Wolf Pack’s running game, Boise State will easily cover the spread.

Pittsburgh Panthers at West Virginia Mountaineers

The Backyard Brawl resumes with the eight-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers visiting the West Virginia Mountaineers.

On paper these teams are very evenly matched and this game is a pick ‘em with the over/under at 49.

The Panthers also have the advantage of coming off of their bye week, so they should be well prepared.

Running back Dion Lewis leads the Pittsburgh offense with 1291 yards and is coming off of a 152 yard performance against the Fighting Irish. But West Virginia is getting similar offensive numbers from Jarrett Brown.

Their passing attacks rank 61st and 68th and their defenses are also putting up similar numbers.

The biggest difference is that Pittsburgh is scoring more when they get their chances. They’re more focused and mentally tough and it shows in their respective road records. Pittsburgh is 3-1, West Virginia 1-3.

West Virginia is a perfect 6-0 at home, but Pittsburgh is just the sort of team that can spoil that and coming off of a bye week they should be very well prepared.

It’s a snow-covered morning here in Moscow. Yesterday was our recovery day from the Fargo trip, but we’ve got a lot in store for you today, including a preview of tonight’s Idaho/Sacramento State hoops game and video interviews with Vandal players.

Last night ended the Vandals’ volleyball season on a disappointing note, as Idaho was upset by Boise State in the opening round of the WAC Volleyball Tournament, 3-1.

This evening, Idaho opens its home hoops season against the Hornets at 7 p.m. in Memorial Gym. We’ll have Vandal Nation Live courtside coverage starting at 6:30.

Now for the links!

Basketball

• Slow starts keep killing the Vandal women, as Ilya Pinchuk reports from Idaho’s loss to Montana State.

• New Mexico State travels to Cal State-Fullerton tonight, and Jason Groves says the Aggies can’t underestimate a club which just upset UCLA.

• TrueBlueA ranks all the WAC teams early on. (h/t to Parsing the WAC)

• Utah State is finally at home, taking on the Idaho State Bengals and looking to get their season back on track after road losses to Utah and Northeastern. For the serious take, Shawn Harrison of the Logan Herald-Journal has a game preview. For the irreverent take, there’s The Refraction.

• Fresno State was downed by San Diego State last night, continuing an out-of-conference slump for WAC teams. The Fresno Bee’s Marek Warszawski says the Bulldogs gave the Aztecs too many second chances.

• The Idaho Statesman’s Nick Jezierny previews tonight’s Broncos/Eagles battle in Cheney, as Boise State looks to end its own losing streak at Eastern Washington.

• Storming the Floor has a look at the *ahem* “parity” in the West, as Pac-10 teams have been falling like dominoes to unheralded mid-major squads.

• The RGJ’s Chris Murray posts up his first WAC Power Rankings of the season, and puts Idaho in second.

Football

• Nathan Enderle should be back in action for the Vandals this weekend against Utah State, the Idaho Statesman’s Nick Jezierny reports.

• Big Mike Iupati was named one of three national finalists for the Outland Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s best interior lineman. The Idaho guard and probable NFL draft pick is in heady territory — joining Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung.

• The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Dan Hinxman has a look at Friday’s WAC Championship-deciding game between Boise State and Nevada.

FARGO, N.D. — It’s the morning after a Vandal victory, and these are always sweet mornings.

This afternoon, the Vandal women are taking on Montana State at home — a game we unfortunately won’t make, as we’ll be on a jet to Denver about tip-off time. But if you’re in Moscow, make sure to be in Memorial Gym at 2 p.m. as Idaho looks for its first win of the season.

We’ll have some more thoughts and stat bites from last night’s NDSU game later this afternoon.

Basketball

• We’ve got a complete game story from the Vandals’ victory over North Dakota State.

• Kevin Schnepf of the Fargo Forum looks at the Bison’s ice-cold shooting which doomed them.

• Nevada took down Houston in a high-scoring shootout, and the Reno Gazette-Journal’s Chris Murray has the story.

• Utah State suffered another road loss, and once again, the Logan Herald-Journal’s Shawn Harrison reports, the Aggies blew a late lead against Northeastern.

• The Boise State Broncos aren’t having as much luck on the hardwood as on the Smurf Turf, as they got blown out by Wyoming last night. The Idaho Statesman reports BSU coughed up the ball 23 times against a tough Cowboy press.

• Sacramento State upended the Pac-10’s Oregon State last night in Corvallis, shocking the hoops world. The Hornets, who won just two games all last season, travel to Moscow for a game Tuesday night.

• Olu Ashaolu picked up another double-double, but it wasn’t enough for the Bulldogs, as Louisiana Tech was crushed by New Mexico. Everyone else had horrible nights in the blue and red, highlighted by Kyle Gibson and Jamel Guyton’s combined 22 points and Magnum Rolle’s 4-point, 1-board disaster.

• The Newmags finally got in the win column, albeit in an unimpressive fashion against a Division II foe, the Las Cruces Sun-News’ Jason Groves reports. Jonathan Gibson went off for a career-high 30 points to lead NMSU over Oklahoma Panhandle State.

Football

• San Jose State’s awful season got worse as the Spartans fell at home to Hawaii in overtime, despite making a solid defensive stand, the Mercury News’ Alex Pavlovic reports.

• The Nevada Wolf Pack pounded New Mexico State in the Aggies’ final home game of the year, in a game the Las Cruces Sun-News’ Teddy Feinberg called “No contest.”

• Fresno State took down Louisiana Tech, despite being without all-world rusher Ryan Mathews. The West Coast Bulldogs booted a field goal with time expiring to get the home win, and the Fresno Bee’s Daniel Lyght has the story.

FARGO, N.D. — Good morning from the tundra of North Dakota, where it’s a balmy 50 degrees.

The Vandals take on North Dakota State in college hoops this afternoon at 2 p.m. Pacific. We’re on the road, and we’ll have Vandal Nation Live courtside coverage with pregame at 1:30. Click here to join or set an e-mail reminder.

Basketball

• We previewed the Bison in anticipation of this afternoon’s Idaho/NDSU battle.

• BYU smacked around Hawaii on the islands last night, as the Warriors were no match for the Mountain West’s Cougars, the Honolulu Advertiser’s Dayton Morinaga reports.

• Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal previews tonight’s Nevada/Houston hoops fight.

• The Logan Herald-Journal’s Shawn Harrison is on the road with Utah State, and previews their game against Northeastern today.

• Boise State travels to Laramie to take on the Wyoming Cowboys, and The Idaho Statesman’s Nick Jezierny talks to Ike Okoye.

• Spartan Hoops has the word from Seattle, where San Jose State hung tough but fell at Washington.

• The New Mexico State Aggies should finally get in the win column today with a game against D-II Oklahoma Panhandle State, the Las Cruces Sun-News’ Jason Groves says.

Football

• The Nevada Appeal’s Joe Santoro takes a look at Nevada’s improved defense, and as the Wolf Pack prepare to take on New Mexico State, the Aggies want to close out their home season with a win, Las Cruces Sun-News writer Teddy Feinberg says.

• Hawaii makes its final trip off the islands to take on San Jose State today. The Honolulu Advertiser’s Stephen Tsai previews a game Hawaii must win to keep its bowl hopes alive, while Ferd Lewis says the Spartans shouldn’t stop the Warriors’ bowl quest.

• Boise State unsurprisingly obliterated Utah State last night on national TV, as the Idaho Statesman’s Chadd Cripe reports.

• In the Battle of the Bulldogs, Louisiana Tech faces a Fresno State squad sans Ryan Mathews, the Monroe News-Star reports.

This article was inspired by a poorly sourced ESPN assertion:  that with their win on Friday, Oklahoma State (9-2) becomes the front runner for the final “at-large” BCS bid.

Two weeks ago, I looked at the way the BCS bowls appeared to be shaping up.  It’s clear that since I wrote that article, USC has fallen out of the running for a BCS Bowl, and Notre Dame and Iowa are no longer serious threats (Penn State never was).  It sure looks like the loser of the Pitt-Cincinnati game will qualify for an at large bid, although being a two loss Big East team could turn off some voters.  But for the last spot, it sure seems like Boise State should be well out in front of that race.  Behind Oklahoma State, who really, deserves to be ranked based on a 9-2 record against a somewhat difficult schedule, but hardly to be sniffing a BCS bowl bid, you’re talking about three loss teams like Stanford, Virginia Tech, Oregon State, or Miami getting that last spot.

But why?  The rules of the BCS dictate that in a year where a mid-major goes undefeated, the series must accept at least the highest rated mid-major if they are in the top twelve.  TCU not only qualifies, but would be a legitimate top five team in any season.  And their dominance leaves Boise without the protection of that automatic bid.  Instead of deciding which bowl is going to swallow their pride and accept the Broncos, we’re now looking for excuses to deny them an invite.

If you are going to let the BCS Standings declare the teams that get to play for the national championship, flawed as the system is, how can you look at the gap between Boise State and OSU in the ratings and say that the Cowboys deserve that last spot?  Pundits and sportswriters alike are absolutely trashing the whole process that gives us the BCS, and we’re going to defend the systems’ right to pick the two teams who will play in the Championship…until we might have to let two mid-majors in.  Then it’s time to start looking to the two loss “powerhouses.”

There’s no rule to protect the second best mid-major because it shouldn’t be necesscary.  TCU should be in the BCS conversation no matter where their conference affiliation is.  While Boise’s road has been significantly less impressive, it’s not like there is any question that they are a top ten team.  What the heck is an “At-Large” bid anyway?  Just call it what it is: a Big Ten/ACC/Big XII elective.

SPOKANE, Wash.— Just sneaking in under the bell, it’s this morning’s link roundup. We’re en route to Fargo, N.D. for tomorrow’s basketball game, so posting will be pretty light today. We’ll try to get a game preview up tonight when we stop in Denver.

Last night, Idaho’s spikers ran Boise State right out of Mem Gym with a straight-sets sweep of the Broncos — made even sweeter by it being Senior Night. The Vandals have the No. 3 seed in next week’s WAC Volleyball Tournament and will play… No. 6 seed Boise State. The Argonaut’s Lisa Short has a preview.

The women’s hoopsters weren’t as lucky, falling 54-51 in overtime at Eastern Washington, after coughing up a big late lead with a slew of turnovers.

Again, Vandals/Bison men’s hoops tips off at 2 p.m. Pacific time tomorrow, and we’ll have Vandal Nation Live courtside coverage, with pregame at 1:30. Click here to join, or set an e-mail reminder.

Basketball

• We previewed tomorrow’s hoops throwdown between Idaho and North Dakota State in The Argonaut. There’s companion video interviews, too.

• San Jose State takes on a tough Pac-10 foe in the guise of the Washington Huskies tonight, and Spartan Hoops has a great game preview/breakdown.

• Another pair of Idaho’s future opponents — Seattle U. and Fresno State — went toe-to-toe last night and this time it was the Redhawks pulling off the upset on Elgin Baylor Night. The Seattle U. Basket Blog has the story.

• Brian McInnis of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin previews Hawaii’s battle tonight with BYU.

Football

• The Logan Herald-Journal’s Wade Denniston previews tonight’s Utah State/Boise State game.

• Teddy Feinberg of the Las Cruces Sun-News posts his five keys for New Mexico State as they look to upend Nevada.

• One Bronco Nation Under God adds their pregame USU/BSU thoughts.

• Fresno State needs to get out of the WAC, pronto — so says Matt James of the Fresno Bee.

• Logan Hopkins of The Collegian breaks down Fresno State’s matchup with Louisiana Tech, which the West Coast Bulldogs will have to play without NCAA-leading rusher Ryan Mathews.

OK, let’s be realistic about this.  Stanford’s Toby Gerhart is not winning the Heisman Trophy this season. 

But the fact that the Stanford running back is even in the mix – gaining the attention of even the New York Times in this extended feature – lets you know that his is no ordinary story.

Toby Gerhart

And, honestly, with a BCS title game that was seemingly pre-ordained before the season between Texas and the winner of the SEC title game (Florida or Alabama), college football fans have no choice but to look for other, more interesting storylines to define the 2009 season.

Without a doubt, the Gerhart story is gaining steam, challenging even the riveting saga of the BCS wanna-be duo of Boise State and TCU in giving college football fans something to discuss while waiting for that predictable national championship game on January 7th in Pasadena.

Fortunately, Gerhart remains grounded (as shown in this profile by the local San Francisco Chronicle).  Additional proof can be found in this Stanford-produced video that has fun with his elite two-sport status.

Yes, it is refreshing to see a breakout star with professional potential in both football and baseball rise into the national consciousness without all of the prefab hype that usually accompanies such success.

And, oh yeah, if this sports thing doesn’t work out, Gerhart will only have a stinkin’ degree in management sciences and engineering from Stanford to fall back on.

Great, great story that rebuilds a little faith in the modern student-athlete.  Heisman or not, his success (and the not-so-coincidental accompanying success of his team) deserves our full attention now and into the future.

It’s another edition of our daily links roundup, again pretty slow because of a football bye week and because of academic stuff. However, tomorrow Vandal volleyball plays its final home game of the season, the grudge match against Boise State.

Basketball

• We took a look at the Vandals’ backcourters, breaking down a deep group of guards.

• Shawn Harrison of the Logan Herald-Journal previews tonight’s Utah State/Utah intra-state battle. The Aggies will be looking to make it two straight WAC victories over the Utes.

• The Spokane Spokesman-Review’s Dave Trimmer features Idaho ironwoman Charlotte Otero.

• BleedCrimson.net’s Sam Wasson has the word from Las Cruces, where the New Mexico State Aggies went down to defeat again, nearly giving up triple digits to the arch-rival New Mexico Lobos.

• The Refraction makes its WAC picks for tonight.

• Hoops IQ picks the Vandals second-best in the WAC, behind only the Blue Aggies.

Football

• The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Dan Hinxman says the Wolf Pack hope to erase the memory of last year’s upset at the hands of New Mexico State. He also features Nevada’s senior-laden offensive line.

• Louisiana Tech freshman safety Chad Boyd was suspended by the WAC for half a game for a helmet-to-helmet hit on an LSU receiver last weekend.

• The Idaho Statesman trashes the University of Idaho again, as Tim Woodward says Boise fans are perfectly behaved, while Moscow fans are uncouth jerks.