SI picks Utes to win PAC12 South.

[The Thriller]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe if they had Heaps at QB. But not Wynn. Wynn isn't a gamer. He'll either injure something or throw too many interceptions.

I do believe in that Ute Dline. Those boys are nasty!

 

[Chad Feldheimer]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe if they had Heaps at QB. But not Wynn. Wynn isn't a gamer. He'll either injure something or throw too many interceptions.

I do believe in that Ute Dline. Those boys are nasty!

Heaps: zero 300 yd games. 3 games with less than 100 yds. 59% completion. 116 rating
Wynn: 3 300 yd games. zero games under 100 yds. 62% completion. 139 rating.

LOL indeed.

 

[bigb]

Did you forget that USC is not eligible? Factoring in that USC is not eligible, your first two links have the Utes at second, the next link says they could finish second (so presumably first since USC, who they picked first, isn't eligible), and the last link, Bleacher Report, is just crazy.

So you found one link, Bleacher Report (who have no more credibility than anyone on this board) who have the Utes at 4th. The rest have the Utes in the top 2.

Yes, I know USC is not eligible for post season play. That doesn't mean they're not being picked to win the South division.
First link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofU
Second link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofU
Third link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofA
4. UofU
Fourth link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofA
4. UofU

By my count, they're still being picked either 3rd or 4th. USC being ineligible doesn't mean they can't win the South. It only means they can't play in the Championship game. Big difference there.
And yes, I knew it was bleacherreport. Salty only asked for media predictions. In fact:

Do any of you guys have any expert/media/whatever predictions that don't have the Utes as a favorite in the PAC 12 South?

You'll notice "expert/media/whatever" I simply gave him what he asked for. I aim to please.

 

[Chad Feldheimer]

Yes, I know USC is not eligible for post season play. That doesn't mean they're not being picked to win the South division.
First link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofU
Second link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofU
Third link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofA
4. UofU
Fourth link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofA
4. UofU

By my count, they're still being picked either 3rd or 4th. USC being ineligible doesn't mean they can't win the South. It only means they can't play in the Championship game. Big difference there.
And yes, I knew it was bleacherreport. Salty only asked for media predictions. In fact:
You'll notice "expert/media/whatever" I simply gave him what he asked for. I aim to please.

Actually by definition that's exactly what it means. They could go undefeated and still not "win" the south. All that matters is who goes to the title game. Besides it's not like USC dominated everyone last year. The lost 5 games. The south is wide open. Utah has a favorable draw with no Oregon or Stanford and ASU at home. They are definitely contenders.

 

[The Thriller]

Heaps: zero 300 yd games. 3 games with less than 100 yds. 59% completion. 116 rating
Wynn: 3 300 yd games. zero games under 100 yds. 62% completion. 139 rating.

LOL indeed.

Seriously?

You're comparing apples to oranges. BYU's receivers not very good last year, Heaps was a freshmen who came in after a few games after Nelson got injured, and they had recently lost their #1 offensive weapon to honor code violations.

Ask ANYONE who they'd rather have right now. No question, Heaps. Even Salty would take Heaps over Wynn. Not only does he have more potential, but he's already a better QB. If you feel that Wynn doesn't suck, that's fine. But there's no question who has the best QB right now. Better team? We'll soon find out...

 

[Chad Feldheimer]

Seriously?

You're comparing apples to oranges. BYU's receivers not very good last year, Heaps was a freshmen who came in after a few games after Nelson got injured, and they had recently lost their #1 offensive weapon to honor code violations.

Ask ANYONE who they'd rather have right now. No question, Heaps. Even Salty would take Heaps over Wynn. Not only does he have more potential, but he's already a better QB. If you feel that Wynn doesn't suck, that's fine. But there's no question who has the best QB right now. Better team? We'll soon find out...

So basically you don't really know what you have with Heaps? He could be good, he could be average. Is he better than Wynn at this point? Debatable. Wynn was decent. Not great. He will definitely be a factor if not the defining factor for any success the Utes have this year.

 

[SaltyDawg]

Yes, I know USC is not eligible for post season play. That doesn't mean they're not being picked to win the South division.
First link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofU
Second link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofU
Third link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofA
4. UofU
Fourth link:
1. USC
2. ASU
3. UofA
4. UofU

By my count, they're still being picked either 3rd or 4th. USC being ineligible doesn't mean they can't win the South. It only means they can't play in the Championship game. Big difference there.
And yes, I knew it was bleacherreport. Salty only asked for media predictions. In fact:
You'll notice "expert/media/whatever" I simply gave him what he asked for. I aim to please.

As Chad Feldheimer accurately pointed out, USC not being eligible means they can NOT win the south division. You're splitting hairs in order to try to support your hater position. The bottom line is every REAL media source out there has the Utes as one fo the top 2 teams to play for the South in the first ever Pac 12 championship game.

Bleacher Report is not a REAL media source. They don't hire REAL reporters, and they don't get press passes at games. It's a bunch of people who post on message boards who call some of their posts articles. For all I know that "article" was written by you or some other biased BYU fan.

As Chad Feldheimer also pointed out, USC is only getting picked by everyone because of their name. They did nothing last year to make me think they will be a great team this year. But since their name is USC everyone picks them. It doesn't matter though, because they aren't eligible anyway.

I can see it is really going to piss a lot of BYU fans off when Utah is playing in that Pac 12 championship game this season.

 

[SaltyDawg]

Ask ANYONE who they'd rather have right now. No question, Heaps. Even Salty would take Heaps over Wynn. Not only does he have more potential, but he's already a better QB. If you feel that Wynn doesn't suck, that's fine. But there's no question who has the best QB right now. Better team? We'll soon find out...

Last year I would have definitely agreed with you. But then I found out Wynn was playing with a serious injury. I'll have to see how he does when he's healthy before I write him off.

My biggest beef with Wynn was he played like a Wuss. He did things like run out of bounds a yard short of a first down just to avoid getting hit. But if he had a serious shoulder injury, that might explain why he was doing that kind of stuff. I'm thinking and hoping that if he is healthy, he can return to the Jordan Wynn that we were all so high on as a Freshman and even early last season.

 

[Beantown]

Seriously?

You're comparing apples to oranges. BYU's receivers not very good last year, Heaps was a freshmen who came in after a few games after Nelson got injured, and they had recently lost their #1 offensive weapon to honor code violations.

Ask ANYONE who they'd rather have right now. No question, Heaps. Even Salty would take Heaps over Wynn. Not only does he have more potential, but he's already a better QB. If you feel that Wynn doesn't suck, that's fine. But there's no question who has the best QB right now. Better team? We'll soon find out...

Who had the better freshman season?

 

[7StraightIsGreat]

FSU's going to be light years ahead of any Pac-12 team this year and for the foreseeable future.

Cool story bro.

2010- Pre Season AP rank: 20, Final Rank: 17 (one of the only times in recent history FSU managed to finish higher than projected)
2009- Pre Season AP rank: 18, Final Rank: NR
2008- Pre Season AP rank: NR, Final Rank: NR
2007- Pre Season AP rank: 19, Final Rank: NR
2006- Pre Season AP rank: 11, Final Rank: NR (went from being #11, to not even receiving a single vote in the final poll)
2005- Pre Season AP rank: 14, Final Rank: 23 (5 loss team)
2004- Pre Season AP rank: 5, Final Rank: 15

That's a stellar track record of a program that should be "light years ahead of any Pac-12 team" this year. Almost every year we hear the national media and Seminole fans tell us that FSU is going to be a factor, and like clockwork they prove themselves to be overrated.

Salmon, I actually believe Jimbo Fisher might just be the guy to turn the tide for FSU, but he hasn't done it yet. All the while you seem to have some sort of smugness/arrogance about you in regards to FSU that is certainly unnderserved at this juncture. FSU has fallen behind other programs that you obviously feel superior than. That must hurt.

 

[7StraightIsGreat]

Seriously?

You're comparing apples to oranges. BYU's receivers not very good last year, Heaps was a freshmen who came in after a few games after Nelson got injured, and they had recently lost their #1 offensive weapon to honor code violations.

Ask ANYONE who they'd rather have right now. No question, Heaps. Even Salty would take Heaps over Wynn. Not only does he have more potential, but he's already a better QB. If you feel that Wynn doesn't suck, that's fine. But there's no question who has the best QB right now. Better team? We'll soon find out...

As a Ute fan, I have no problem saying that I'd take Heaps over Wynn. However, with that being said, I'd also take: Utah's D-Line, Utah's LB's, Utah's CB's, Utah's Safeties, Utah's WR's, Whittingham over Bronco, Pac12 over Independence, Chris Hill over Holmoe, and Red over Blue.

 

[The Thriller]

As a Ute fan, I have no problem saying that I'd take Heaps over Wynn. However, with that being said, I'd also take: Utah's D-Line, Utah's LB's, Utah's CB's, Utah's Safeties, Utah's WR's, Whittingham over Bronco, Pac12 over Independence, Chris Hill over Holmoe, and Red over Blue.

I have no real problem agreeing with you there. Although, I'm intrigued to see what Independence does. I think for BYU and it's "mission" perhaps they'll enjoy being independent, having their own tv network, and playing by their own rules (like no sunday play) than most (all) other schools?

I'm not sure why some Utah fans seem irked by my contributions in this thread. If Utah had the QB situation and offense rolling, I'd have no problem picking them to compete for the PAC-12 championship. Unfortunately, reality sets in, and the reality is, that offense sucks. And wynn, the leader of that offense, isn't a gamer. It doesn't matter what kind of talent you surround yourself with, you either have it or don't. Tom Brady, won superbowls with no name WRs. Alex Smith, looks like dump despite having Crabtree, Edwards, and Davis.

You either have it, or you don't.

Heaps? Probably has it, we'll see what he does this year. Wynn? Doesn't.

Most other parts of that Ute team are very solid and should readily compete with the top of the PAC. It's just unfortunate that the most important offensive position is manned by such an underwhelming player.

 

[The Thriller]

Who had the better freshman season?

Did you even read my post?

 

[The Thriller]

Last year I would have definitely agreed with you. But then I found out Wynn was playing with a serious injury. I'll have to see how he does when he's healthy before I write him off.

My biggest beef with Wynn was he played like a Wuss. He did things like run out of bounds a yard short of a first down just to avoid getting hit. But if he had a serious shoulder injury, that might explain why he was doing that kind of stuff. I'm thinking and hoping that if he is healthy, he can return to the Jordan Wynn that we were all so high on as a Freshman and even early last season.

I'll be honest, Wynn has never impressed me. From most of my Ute fans, they also see things the way I see them too. He's a wuss, isn't a gamer, doesn't have a very strong arm, and surely isn't a leader.

What from Wynn's freshmen season impressed you anyway? Was it the game against Cal? Was that it? Because, even late in the season he wasn't very impressive as I remember.

 

[SaltyDawg]

I'll be honest, Wynn has never impressed me. From most of my Ute fans, they also see things the way I see them too. He's a wuss, isn't a gamer, doesn't have a very strong arm, and surely isn't a leader.

What from Wynn's freshmen season impressed you anyway? Was it the game against Cal? Was that it? Because, even late in the season he wasn't very impressive as I remember.

The game against Cal impressed me, definitely. But I thought he was good in all of his games that season. He got killed in the TCU game, but had no protection.

Coming into last season, there weren't too many Ute fans saying Wynn sucked. Even early in the season last year must Ute fans were high on him. Around mid season is when everyone (myself included) started questioning if he was the right guy or not. And it got worse as the season went on.

We'll have to see what he does this year. If he sucks, then I agree the Utes won't win the PAC 12 South. But if Wynn has the type of season I am thinking he might have, then Utah has to be the favorite in the South.

I wonder what the sentiment will be, both nationally and on this board, if Utah beats USC in week 2.

 

[7StraightIsGreat]

I have no real problem agreeing with you there. Although, I'm intrigued to see what Independence does. I think for BYU and it's "mission" perhaps they'll enjoy being independent, having their own tv network, and playing by their own rules (like no sunday play) than most (all) other schools?

I'm actually curious to see how Independence plays out for BYU over the next few years because I must admit that I'm rather confused as to what the desired endgame is for them. If it's more about furthering the church's mission, I would guess that they will probably remain an independent for a very long time. However, staying indepentdent long term doesn't seem to be in the football programs best interest. As an independent, BYU will most likely never enjoy the BCS acccess that Notre Dame does. So how long are BYU fans going to be happy with yearly trips to The Armed Forces Bowl, etc? How much meaning is a season going to hold when BYU loses their first game in week 2 or 3 and BYU fans automatically know that bowl they are headed to regardless of how BYU finishes the rest of the season? The easiest way to play your way into a BCS bowl game is via conference play. Hell, Utah, Boise St, Hawaii and TCU have proven that it doesn't even have to be a BCS conference.

Speculation has been that if Texas A&M bolts for the SEC, the Big 12 may contact BYU and Houston in an attempt to salvage the league (assuming Texas stays). We've heard whispers that BYU might not accept a Big 12 invite if one is even extended. Looking at it from a strictly football point of view, BYU would be MORONIC not to accept that invite. It immediately gives you more BCS access than you've ever had, a huge presence in Texas recruiting, built in TV money that you'd probably never reach on your own, and the ability to play a nationally respected schedule without traveling across the nation all season long or playing half your schedule against WAC schools.

 

[InGameStrategy]

I'm actually curious to see how Independence plays out for BYU over the next few years because I must admit that I'm rather confused as to what the desired endgame is for them. If it's more about furthering the church's mission, I would guess that they will probably remain an independent for a very long time. However, staying indepentdent long term doesn't seem to be in the football programs best interest. As an independent, BYU will most likely never enjoy the BCS acccess that Notre Dame does. So how long are BYU fans going to be happy with yearly trips to The Armed Forces Bowl, etc?

At least as long as they were happy with trips to the Las Vegas Bowl ...

At least now they have some say about the "mid-major" bowl they can vie for. They're not locked into a trip to Sin City or maybe being the counterweight to a 4th-ranked PAC-12 team.

 

[Scat]

So Salty's argument is that Utah has a shot because USC is ineligible? You're not the real winner but because the person better than you screwed up we'll give you the prize... that's some good stuff right there.

 

[The Thriller]

I'm actually curious to see how Independence plays out for BYU over the next few years because I must admit that I'm rather confused as to what the desired endgame is for them. If it's more about furthering the church's mission, I would guess that they will probably remain an independent for a very long time. However, staying indepentdent long term doesn't seem to be in the football programs best interest. As an independent, BYU will most likely never enjoy the BCS acccess that Notre Dame does. So how long are BYU fans going to be happy with yearly trips to The Armed Forces Bowl, etc? How much meaning is a season going to hold when BYU loses their first game in week 2 or 3 and BYU fans automatically know that bowl they are headed to regardless of how BYU finishes the rest of the season? The easiest way to play your way into a BCS bowl game is via conference play. Hell, Utah, Boise St, Hawaii and TCU have proven that it doesn't even have to be a BCS conference.

Speculation has been that if Texas A&M bolts for the SEC, the Big 12 may contact BYU and Houston in an attempt to salvage the league (assuming Texas stays). We've heard whispers that BYU might not accept a Big 12 invite if one is even extended. Looking at it from a strictly football point of view, BYU would be MORONIC not to accept that invite. It immediately gives you more BCS access than you've ever had, a huge presence in Texas recruiting, built in TV money that you'd probably never reach on your own, and the ability to play a nationally respected schedule without traveling across the nation all season long or playing half your schedule against WAC schools.

I'm interested to see how this all works out.

From the interviews with Holmoe this week, he sounded like BYU didn't care about joining another conference. that Ind is somewhat of an ends instead of a means.

Of course, he was probably just playing it safe. If it gets out that BYU desperately wants to join a big conference and they don't/cannot, then they'll really look bad. And this independence thing doesn't look so great.

But if they give off the vibe that ind. was/is exactly what they want, then they don't look too bad (at least, for a while) if they stay independent and wait patiently for the right opportunity to move into a BCS conference.

 

[SaltyDawg]

So Salty's argument is that Utah has a shot because USC is ineligible? You're not the real winner but because the person better than you screwed up we'll give you the prize... that's some good stuff right there.

No, my argument is that Utah is better than USC, and even the national media is saying Utah is in the consensus top 2 picks to represent the PAC 12 South in the championship game.

Basically, my argument is that Sports Illustrated's prediction was not far fetched. The rest of the national media has the Utes pretty close to where Sports Illustrated has them.