WAC seeking $5 million buyout penalties from Fresno State & Nevada Posted by Anthony Stalter (08/19/2010 @ 6:00 pm) According to a report by ESPN.com, WAC commissioner Karl Benson believes that Fresno State and Nevada – two schools leaving the conference for the Mountain West – owe the WAC $5 million in buyout penalties. Karl Benson says the Bulldogs and Wolf Pack are going to have to pay up on a departure fee and possibly stay in the WAC until 2012 because they didn’t meet a deadline to get out of the league earlier. Benson believes both schools owe $5 million buyout penalties, whether the agreements were signed or orally agreed upon. And don’t expect any favors. Benson says Fresno State and Nevada acted selfishly when they accepted invitations to join the Mountain West. That basically dissolved an agreement the WAC had to bring BYU back to the league in every sport but football.
Is it just me or does Benson come off resembling a salty ex trying to get back at his former lover? If the two schools owe the WAC $5 million, then so be it. But don’t make this personal by saying Fresno State and Nevada acted selfishly when all of college football acts selfishly all the time. The goal for any program is to gain as much exposure and make as much money as they possibly can. Therefore, there shouldn’t be any surprise when it comes to why a program jumps conferences. Boise State’s move to the Mountain West breeds better competition Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/11/2010 @ 4:30 pm)  Boise-State TCU every year? Sign me up. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been vocal about how expansion could ruin tradition and rivalry in college football. If Texas and Texas A&M split when the Big 12 eventually falls apart, that’s not good for the sport. To think a rivalry so enriched in tradition would evaporate because conferences want to increase revenue should make most fans sick. (Although it’s rumored that both programs will join the Pac-10 now that Nebraska has accepted its invitation to join the Big Ten.) But count me in as someone who loves the Mountain West’s announcement that Boise State will be joining their conference in 2011. Assuming Boise, TCU, Utah and BYU continue to stay relevant, the Broncos’ move promotes competition without ruining any traditions in the process. WAC fans certainly have come to enjoy their annual Boise-Fresno State matchups, but it’s safe to say that outrage isn’t about to ensue because the Broncos are heading to the MWC. At least, not like there should be outrage if Texas and Texas A&M leave the Big 12 for separate conferences. For as good as the Boise-Fresno games have been over the years, obviously that rivalry pales in comparison to UT-Oklahoma, Michigan-Ohio State, Alabama-Auburn and yes, UT-A&M. The good news is that even though Boise is moving on, it can still schedule Fresno State on an annual basis if it wants. In fact, the Broncos need to schedule as many tough non-conference opponents as they can in order to have a remote shot at one day playing for a national title. For years they’ve been criticized for having a weak slate of games, but in moving to a better conference, that argument can be disputed. Let’s see what happens if they run the table playing the likes of TCU, Utah, BYU and Fresno in order to force the BCS to make a decision about whether or not they’re worthy to play in a title game. The BCS has always had a built-in excuse for keeping Boise out of the national championship when the program was playing in the WAC, but starting in 2011, it won’t be quite as easy to put down the Broncos’ schedule. This is one of the rare cases where I think expansion makes sense.
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Boise State rolls past ‘first real test’ Fresno Posted by Anthony Stalter (09/19/2009 @ 10:40 am) 
Unranked Fresno State was supposed to give No. 10 Boise State its first real test of the 2009 season when the two WAC teams met at Bulldog Stadium on Friday night. But despite a monster night from Fresno running back Ryan Matthews, the Bulldogs couldn’t slow down the Bronco offense as Boise rolled to a 51-34 victory. This was a closer contest then the final score indicates, although once Jeremy Avery scored on a 67-yard swing pass from Kellen Moore to give Boise a two touchdown advantage early in the fourth, the game started to get away from Fresno. Still, what an incredible performance by Matthews. The junior tailback rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries and virtually kept Fresno in the game by himself with touchdown runs of 69, 60 and 68 yards. He showed incredible explosion, quickness and vision throughout the night and will no doubt keep Fresno in most ball games. The Bulldogs must get better production out of their quarterback position, however, because Ryan Colburn (14 of 29, 187 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) struggled. It’s impressive how Chris Peterson always has his team ready to play. Just when you think Boise will be challenged, they put up 51 points on the road and remind everyone how good they are. The Broncos have a clear path to another undefeated season. Be sure to check out our college football picks and predictions for Week 3. Couch Potato Alert: 9/12 Posted by Thomas Conroy (09/12/2008 @ 3:55 pm) Kansas vs. South Florida
Seeking a repeat of their 2007 season, Coach Mark Mangino leads the 13th-ranked Jayhawks into Miami’s Raymond James Stadium on Friday night, when they face-off against #19 South Florida. This will be the second meeting between the two schools, the other was in 2006, a 13-7 Jayhawk victory in Lawrence. (click here for Anthony Stalter’s game preview) Ohio State vs. USC
This game is being billed as “The Collision at the Coliseum,” but the Jaws of Life might be needed to save the Buckeyes if they do not bring their “A” game to Los Angeles. The key to this matchup is for OSU’s offensive line to get physical with Southern Cal’s defensive front. If they do not win the battle at the line of scrimmage, it will not matter who is running the football for Ohio State (RB Chris “Beanie” Wells, ankle, is a game-time decision). Road wins against the Trojans are a scarce commodity in the Pete Carroll era, as they hold a 39-3 mark at the Coliseum. This contest will played on Saturday night in front of a nationally-televised audience on ABC at 8:00 PM EST. Wisconsin vs. Fresno State
The Badgers will travel to Central Valley, California to play in the most important game in Bulldog football history. Fresno State dominated Rutgers in their season opener, but they will need a victory Saturday night to keep their hopes of a BCS bowl berth alive. Wisconsin just needs a win to stay in the national title hunt. Tune in Saturday night at 10:30 PM EST on ESPN2 for this pivotal non-conference game. Milwaukee Brewers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The Brewers are trying to avoid another late-season collapse after coughing up an 8 ½ game lead in the NL Central last season. The Phillies will try to use this series as a springboard in getting back to the post-season. This is a key four-game series for both teams, with the Brewers three games ahead of the Phillies in the NL Wild Card race after losing the series opener last night 6-3 in Philadelphia. San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
Too many injuries for the Chargers to overcome this week, with Shawne Merriman on the mend until 2009 and now LaDainan Tomlinson and Antonio Gates each nursing injured big toes. (But both are expected to play on Sunday.) The Broncos offense appeared to be in mid-season form in their opener on Monday night.. Were they that good or were the Raiders that dreadful? That question will not be answered for at least another month, but a victory in this game could go a long way in establishing the Broncos as an AFC contender. Check your local CBS affiliate to see if they are televising this game at 4:00 PM ET. Posted in: College Football, Couch Potato Alert, General Sports, MLB, NFL, Television Tags: ABC, Antonio Gates, Badgers, Buckeyes, Bulldogs, CBS, Chris Beanie Wells, Coliseum, Denver Broncos, ESPN2, Fresno State, LaDainan Tomlinson, Milwaukee Brewers, NL Central, NL Wild Card, Ohio State, OSU, Pete Carroll, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Chargers, Shawne Merriman, Sou, Southern Cal, Trojans, USC, Wisconsin
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