Collie to the NFL!

Can't say I blame him.

If I were in his shoes I would do the same thing.  He has nothing to gain by staying another year.  He wouldn't come out of next season any more attractive to the NFL than he already is now.  He would be risking injury by staying at the Y, and even as good as he is in college, an injury could take him out of consideration for the Pros much in the same way it did Luke Staley.  Playing in the NFL has always been his goal, so I say go chase your dreams while you are healthy and able to do so.

He will be impossible to replace.  In the history of BYU, even with a long list of good receivers to come through the program, they have never quite had one quite as dynamical as Austin.  Not only will his play be missed on the field but his leadership as well.  He was the one who emerged as the team leader during a season when this team sorely needed one.  

Will the Y move on and survive without him?  Sure.  It won't be easy, but the Cougs will have a cast of receivers, including the returning McKay Jacobsen, who will try to fill the void as a collective group. 

Looking at it with a "glass half full" approach, hopefully this will force Max to look the whole field and spread out his passes rather than keying in on only one receiver.  

Good luck Austin!

The best Ute team ever?

This will be the first and last time that I actually dedicate a post to the Ute football team in order to give them credit for being a great team.  

Before the season started I went on record saying that I felt they would be a good team, but thought in regular Ute fashion they would squander a game away somewhere in the season as a result of their own undoing.  At times they came close to proving me right but in the end were able to hold to their perfect record and put a exclamation point in dominating fashion onto a outstanding season.  To go undefeated is no easy feat, especially when you have to finish it off by beating one of the best teams in the SEC to do it.  

As I watched the game it brought to mind a couple of different questions about this team, questions that are still being thrown around the radio today.  Is this team better than the 04 team, and are they really deserving of being voted #1 in the polls?  Interestingly enough, my answer for both questions is the same for the same reason. 

No!  

As great as this team is, and they truly are great, they struggled at times during the regular season to barely hold on to victory.  A two point win over a 3-9 Michigan team, an end of the game touchdown to beat out Air Force and a 3 point win over New Mexico are examples of games when this team struggled against average or less than average opponents.  Not to mention the TCU game where the Utes were fortunate/lucky to come away with the win. 

My point is, the 04 team rolled through their schedule.  They dominated opponents game in and game out, leaving no room for criticism.  They hit the ground running from the very beginning of the season and never slowed down.  Unfortunately for them, they were never given the chance to prove how good they really were on the nations biggest stage.  

The 08 team on the other hand was slower in progressing.  They've peaked at the right time, and are playing as good of football as anyone now, but it wasn't sustained throughout the entire season.  At times they looked less than stellar.

Listen, the truth of the matter is though that they really are an amazing team worthy of a top five finish.  Should Ute Nation be clamoring for a #1 ranking?  You bet.  I don't think they are the best team though, but don't blame K-Whit and the fans for arguing the point.  I would be doing the same if it were the Cougars.  

I still wouldn't put them as the best Ute team of all time, and if I had a vote for this years champion they wouldn't get mine over OU, Texas, USC or even Florida.  I think they could hang with them and on a given Saturday possibly pull off a win, but they weren't consistent enough for me over the whole season to count them as college football's best.  One of the best, yes.  But not the best.

In any regard, it was an amazing season that has all Cougar fans red with envy.  The last time BYU had a season that is even close in comparison was back in 96 after knocking of K State in the Cotton Bowl.  They finished with one loss and #5 in the final polls.  The Utes have more than matched that twice in the last 5 seasons.  

Utah isn't just a basketball school anymore.  Who's the big brother now?  

Reality Bites!