The decade's most dominant programs

Last in this series about the most dominant teams from 2000 to 2009 are the top ten. There is a qualitative difference in this group, compared to the others in the posts below. Here, bad years are those during which a team falls out of the top 40 in the Dominance Ranking-- and for the Texas, Boise, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech, "bad" means below the top 20 (there are only three such years between them!).

Of these ten programs, only Boise State, Virginia Tech, and Georgia lack a first-place finish in the Dominance Ranking any year this decade, and only Georgia lacks also a runner-up finish (its highest finish was sixth, in 2002).

1. Texas- 7.50
2. Boise State- 9.90
3. Oklahoma- 10.20
4. Virginia Tech- 10.70
5. Florida- 14.90
6. USC- 17.80
7. Ohio State- 20.40
8. TCU- 21.90
9. LSU- 22.00
10. Georgia- 24.60

The Decade's Pretty-Dang-Dominants

Here is a list of stout programs, when measured in a wide scale. Some of them are coasting on laurels earned during President Bush's first term (Miami, Florida State, Nebraska, Michigan), while others have felt their oats recently (Clemson, Alabama, West Virginia). The mid-decade strongmen were Texas Tech, Auburn, and Louisville.

Very remarkably, two of the teams on this part of the Dominance Ranking have not played D-1A football for all of the decade. South Florida and Connecticut have eight and nine years of top-level experience to their names, respectively, and only three years ranked lower than 40th between them.

11., Miami (FL), 25.70
12., Utah, 26.60
13., Boston College, 28.60
14., Clemson, 30.10
15., Florida St., 30.40
16., Texas Tech, 31.00
17., Michigan, 32.50
18., West Virginia, 33.20
19., Alabama, 33.60
20., Auburn, 34.40

2009 Attendance relative to enrollment

Developing the Wimple's notion that college football attendance figures ought to be filtered through the lens of enrollment size, here're 2009's attendance ranks, as percentages of each school's enrollment.

A few notes:

(1) Those schools that averaged 100% of capacity are listed below, and fit into a blessed and separate category, perhaps called Those Who May Charge More For Football Tickets.

(2) Of the eight D-1A schools with enrollments smaller than 10k (Tulsa, Navy, Army, Air Force, Rice, Wake Forest, La.-Monroe, and TCU) only Rice and La-Monroe failed to make the top eight in these attendance rankings. Rice is 32nd, and La-Monroe is all the way down at 61st. So having a small enrollment doesn't guarantee a high ranking; outdrawing one's enrollment by three or four times does.

Here're the top 10. (11 through 120 are after the jump)
[school, percentage of enrollment at an average home game]
1. Air Force 792.36%
2. Navy 721.09%
3. Notre Dame 688.61%
4. Army 623.96%
5. Tulsa 540.26%
6. Wake Forest 465.46%
7. TCU 439.13%
8. Clemson 388.35%
9. LSU 368.12%
10. Tennessee 366.03%

How to play be a 1st round NFL pick

'09 final Dominance Ranking

In a sense, there is only one statistic that matters: wins and losses. But the Wimple proposed, in December, an interesting proxy for that stat-- the sum of a team's national scoring offense and scoring defense ranks-- called the Dominance Ranking. Here is the final 2009 top 25, ranked by dominance:
rank, team (scoring defense, scoring offense, sum)
1. TCU (6, 5, 11)
2. Florida (4, 10, 14)
3. Boise St. (14, 1, 15)
3. Texas (12, 3, 15)
5. Alabama (2, 22, 24)
6. Central Mich. (17, 13, 30)
7. Virginia Tech (9, 24, 33)
8. Oklahoma (7, 29, 36)
9. BYU (29, 11, 40)
9. Pittsburgh (19, 21, 40)
11. Air Force (10, 36, 46)
12. Cincinnati (44, 4, 48)
12. Texas Tech (41, 7, 48)
14. Clemson (25, 28, 53)
15. Mississippi (15, 39, 54)
15. Ohio St. (5, 49, 54)
17. Penn St. (3, 52, 55)
18. Utah (23, 34, 57)
19. Wisconsin (33, 25, 58)
20. Oregon (51, 8, 59)
21. Arkansas (58, 9, 67)
22. Miami (37, 31, 68)
22. Rutgers (16, 52, 68)
24. Georgia Tech (56, 15, 71)
25. Middle Tenn. (49, 23, 72)
26. Connecticut (48, 27, 75)
26. Navy (18, 57, 75)
28. Nebraska (1, 75, 76)
29. Temple (39, 39, 78)
30. Stanford (69, 11, 80)
30. Southern Miss. (62, 18, 80)
32. Tennessee (38, 43, 81)
33. Oregon St. (57, 26, 83)
33. South Fla. (19, 64, 83)
35. Northern Ill. (30, 54, 84)
(36-120 in the comment below)

Three things jump out from this list: (1) the only losses among the top five teams came to each other; (2) Central Michigan may have been greatly underrated; and (3) the Mountain West has four of the top 17-- the best showing of any conference.

Look for periodic rankings by dominance in 2010.

MWC Review

Before signing day arrives, and the inevitable collective dive into the measurements, SAT scores, and possible position switches for thousands of yet-untested true freshmen, let's peruse the 2009 season with a wide lense. It was a pretty good year for the Mountain West-- although less successful than the blockbusting '08 season. The last three seasons the conference has gone .947 (18-1) against 2A foes; .629 (34-20) against non-cartel 1A teams; and .520 (26-24) against the cartel. In '09 the MWC fared slightly better than average against 2A and non-cartel 1A teams, (6-0 for 1.000, 12-7 for .632) and slightly worse against the cartel (7-9 for .435). The Mountain West had at least two teams in every poll this season (a first), and three teams ranked in all but four of the season's 16 poll weeks (previous record in '08: only five weeks without three ranked teams). And until TCU's lain egg at the Fiesta Bowl, it appeared the conference would sweep its five bowl games.

Coaching continuity had a lot to do with the conference's sustained success. For the second year running, the MWC had a BCS team without losing its BCS coach. Despite overtures from Tennessee, Notre Dame, USC, Kansas, and Cincinnati, the Mountain West keeps Gary Patterson and Kyle Whittingham (and Troy Calhoun) for another year. The situation is nearly the same with coordinators-- only Air Force lost a coordinator to poaching. (UNLV's turnover not included, obviously.) CSU fired its OC, and UNLV has an entirely new crew, but otherwise the staffs are unchanged at the tops in the conference.

The only new kid on the block is UNLV's Bobby Hauck, and his team of coordinators, most of whom followed Hauck from Montana State. Hauck poached JD Williams from Utah (cornerbacks) to be his assistant head coach, pass defense, and secondary coach; Brent Myers from Louisville will coach tight ends-- an emphasis in Hauck's run-heavy offenses. The rest of his staff followed Hauck from Montana State: Rob Phenicie (OC); Kraig Paulson (DC); Ty Gregorak (LB, recruiting coordinator) Chad Germer (o-line); Dominic Daste (RB); Michael Gray (DT); Mike Gerber (strength and conditioning).

How about the rookies? Dave Christensen leads these coaches going away, having led his Wyoming Cowboys not just out of a projected last-place finish, but to their first bowl (and bowl win) since '04. The first-year head coach had the sagacity to deemphasize the pass (his forte) and rely on the Cowboys less-dead running game, with true freshmen playmakers to boot. Christensen's returning crew is large, young, and optimistic. Brady Hoke appears to have his San Diego State Aztecs turned around, although his team lost a couple it shouldn't have. Whether Hoke can generate a running game in San Diego remains his biggest worry-- and the lack of one his team's Achilles heel.

Which leaves New Mexico's Mike Locksley, who probably has about half a season to show some wins, or else. The wheels came off in Albuquerque this season, and unless the Lobos show drastic improvement right off the bat in 2010, they'll be begging Rocky Long to come back by Columbus Day.

The shape of the league-- the Big Three atop, AFA leading the rest of the pack-- remained unchanged in 2009. Oddly, the league standings were perfectly transitive. TCU beat everybody; BYU lost only to TCU; Utah lost only to TCU and BYU; AFA lost only to the Big Three; Wyoming lost only to the Big Three and AFA; etc. Maybe AFA narrowed the distance between it and the Big Three (losing to TCU and Utah by a combined six points), but the better analysis that AFA neither gained nor lost ground. In '07, remember, the Academy took second place in the league.

The MWC's surprises, in rough order of magnitude, were these:
(1) Colorado State cratered, finishing 0-9 in conference after starting 3-0, including its first win in Boulder in over a decade.
(2) Wyoming wins bowl eligibility in its Year One of the spread-- albeit a run-heavy adaptation of Dave Christensen's attack.
(3) New Mexico's Year One of the spread features no wins and less offense until its eleventh game, against wheels-off CSU. The punch (alleged)? Later reports indicate it may not be as surprising as Lobo fans wish.
(4) BYU, with a 80% retooled offensive line, out-slugged Oklahoma in a defensive battle only a couple hours' drive from Norman.
(5) BYU gets out-slugged in a offensive embarrassment by Florida State, in Provo.
(6) ESPN Gameday comes to two Mountain West conference games, as well as the AFA-Army game.
(7) TCU loses its bowl, but remains ranked in the top 10.
(8) BYU's defense was faster than Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
(9) TCU likely will start 2010 ranked in the top ten, and below another non-cartel team.

The Mountain West's best 2009 moments:
(1) BYU topping OU;
(2) Colorado State beating Colorado;
(2) Wyoming beating Fresno State in double overtime in the New Mexico Bowl;
(3) ESPN Gameday at TCU;
(4) ESPN Gameday at BYU;
(5) Troy Calhoun turning down the top job at Tennessee

The MWC's reasons for optimism about 2010:
(1) TCU's returning seniors;
(2) the impossibility that AFA could have worse injury luck than last year;
(3) Jordan Wynn and Austyn Carta-Samuels were only freshmen;
(4) the bullseye for media attention is on Boise State's back
(5) Whittingham, Patterson, and Calhoun all return, with nearly idental staffs
(6) Pete Thomas (CSU QB) early enrolled;
(7) Harvey Unga, Jeremy Kerley, Vincent Brown returned for their senior years, and Matt Asiata and DeMarco Sampson won medical redshirts and sixth years of eligibility;
(8) New Mexico is .500 (in its last two games).

2009 Wimple Awards

The third annual Wimple Awards:

The 2009 Purple Wimple Players of the Year: Daryl Washington, Jerry Hughes
On a team full of playmakers, Daryl Washington and Jerry Hughes proved the most consistent big-play threats in purple. Washington stepped into the daunting shoes of Robert Henson, filled them, and then some. Washington was one of the emotional leaders of the team, as well as one of the defense's best performers. In 2009 the senior averaged over eight tackles per game, and never tallied less than five-- and in those three in which he only got five, at least one was for a loss. Washington played big in big games: his career best game was at Clemson, where he not only tallied 13 stops, but chased down C. J. Spiller in a footrace, bringing down the ACC Player of the Year and turning what would have been a touchdown into a field goal. Washington made ten and nine tackles at BYU and at Air Force, respectively, making him the Frogs' most valuable performer away from Amon Carter Stadium, as well as in it. Jerry Hughes's numbers themselves say much of the story: 58 tackles (21 of them for a loss); 13 sacks; seven (officially) QB hurries; two forced fumbles. Elite defenders rack up totals like that, and of those, only the best do it more than once. Hughes did it twice, despite being the number one threat on opposing offensive-coordinators' minds all off-season. For his effort he brought home the hardware in 2009, winning the Ted Henricks award, as well as his second consecutive spot as as first-team consensus All-American. (This year he was a the unanimous pick.) Hughes and Washington have played every year on special teams. Few Frogs have as obvious and as bright a future in the NFL as these two have; their years at TCU-- even when not starting-- were brilliant. Like Jason Phillips last year, and Chase Ortiz the year before, it will be hard to imagine the TCU team-- especially the defense-- without these defenders prowling in the middle of it and camping out in the opponents' backfields, making them look slow and stupid.




Offensive Player of the Year: Andy Dalton
The Wimple made the point last year, when awarding the quarterback with this same award, that no single player accounted for the Frogs' increase in productivity between '07 and '08 than Dalton. It is a singular delight, then, to note that this continues to be true. No single Frog accounts for more of the difference between the offense's record-setting '08 season, and its substantially more impressive (and record-setting) '09 output than Andy Dalton. With over 500 more yards, and 12 more touchdowns than last season, the junior had the best single season any TCU quarterback has had since at least the leather helmet era, if not ever. Dalton threw more touchdowns in 2009 (23) than he threw the previous two years combined, and threw only eight interceptions. Raw production aside, Dalton proved more durable than in the past, quicker and more dangerous as a running threat, and smarter than the defenses he faced. Against Clemson, he executed the Slice relentlessly, running for almost 70 yards in the second half, keeping TCU's scoring drives alive. Against Utah, Dalton completely negated the Utes' exotic blitzes, reading and passing over them repeatedly, and quickly! Dalton's increased production and smart performance was the most valuable component in TCU's best ever offensive year. His return in 2010 makes TCU a viable contender for the crystal trophy.

Defensive Player of the Year: Raphael Priest
The senior cornerback was one of the steadiest performers on the team, let alone in the secondary, which was marked by unexpected turmoil all season. How often did this fleet athlete lock down receivers sent to steal a deep pass? Priest's fourth starting campaign was perhaps his best. Priest started all but one game in the regular season--the only missed start of his career--and likely will continue football professionally this fall.

















Special Teams Player of the Year: Jeremy Kerley
Few players can take not receiving the ball as a compliment, but Jeremy Kerley is not like most players. Opposing teams kicked away from him all year, and when forced to punt his way, tried to punt out of bounds. It's hard to blame them: when Kerley fielded a punt or kickoff, he was electric. Twice Kerley returned kicks for touchdowns, both times igniting the Frogs' then-sluggish teammates. Kerley's touchdown return against Colorado State (watch it here and weep for other teams' special teams) is a lesson in agility, vision, and speed. It won ESPN's best play of the year, and should have.








Senior of the Year: Marshall Newhouse
Like Herbert Taylor before him, Marshall Newhouse began playing as a true freshman at TCU, at right tackle, and migrated to left tackle to replace a graduating senior. Chase Ortiz called Newhouse the most talented o-lineman at TCU, and after four years, the Wimple will brook no dissent on the issue. Newhouse has proven Taylor's equal in talent and, just as importantly, durability. The senior started or played in every TCU game since 2006. Last year, Marshall Newhouse anchored (with then-senior Blake Shlueter) an o-line that topped its best year in almost a decade, registering over 220 ground yards per game and over 33 points per game. Newhouse, the only starting senior on the line in 2009, led the group that bested both of those marks. The line allowed the fewest sacks (12) since joining the MWC, at least.











Freshman of the Year: Ed Wesley, Matthew Tucker
Behind the best o-line in at least a decade, these two runningbacks burst on the scene and have left Frog watchers wondering how the three incoming bluechip runningbacks will fit into the backfield. Ed Wesley was not only unheralded as a recruit, but was considered a poor choice by the few commentators who took any notice of him at all coming out of high school. Word filtered out during his redshirt year, however, that he was elusive and difficult for the Frogs' tremendous defense to stop. Thankfully he ran into the face of other teams' defenses in 2009, and relentlessly. Wesley averaged over six yards per carry, splitting snaps with Turner and Tucker. He also racked up 170 aerial yards, making Wesley one of the Frogs most versatile and dangerous weapons.
True freshman Matt Tucker had considerably more hype to live up to as a recruit to TCU, and did so in spades. Too talented for the coaches to redshirt him, Tucker made waves from his first practice in August. By season's open, the freshman had worked his way to second in the Frogs' three-back ground attack. By the postseason, Tucker had amassed 6.4 ypc, with slightly more touches than Wesley, and twice as many touchdowns (8).







Can't Wait to See Next Year: Dwight Smith, Casey Pachall, Stansley Maponga, David Johnson, James Dunbar.

TCU wraps up, upset, but set up.

So the Frogs didn't turn into princes upon invitation to a BCS bowl, and indeed the Wimple's forecast that any one loss in 2010 would feel like a letdown proved true. But good news accompanies even the truth of this prediction. How far fell the Frogs after that loss? TCU went to Glendale ranked #3 by the press, and #4 by the BCS. AP and the coaches put TCU in their final ballots at #6 (there is no final BCS poll).

How did the Frogs get to so high a ranking? By spreading the ball around. It began in Virginia, where TCU's three-headed backfield and utterly dominant o-line tallied 154 yards, keeping TCU in possession of the ball almost 35 minutes. They tallied 212 a week later against Texas State, and Dalton joined the fun against Clemson a week later. When the trio only managed 128 yards in the face of Clemson's impressive d-line, the junior signal-caller galloped for 100 himself, 68 of those in the second half. Still working with a partially concealed playbook against SMU, Dalton rode the SMU pony to a conference-high 160 efficiency rating. Turner, Wesley, and Tucker tallied 196 yards. Following a bitter-cold close call at Air Force, TCU upped the intensity of its ground game against Colorado State. Against the Rams, 14 Frogs toted the rock, for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

Those six games clearly were tune-ups for TCU, which blew the dust off of long-unused pages of its playbook for the tilt in Provo, where the Frogs dominated BYU in all three phases, for all sixty minutes. The steam-roll had only begun: Colorado State was the first of six conference opponents to give up more than 40 points to TCU; the other five came in a row: UNLV, San Diego State, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico. Of those five, only Utah scored more than 12, and only New Mexico held the Frogs to less than 326 rushing yards. TCU sold out its first conference game since its Southwest Conference days, (breaking its home record) when Utah and ESPN Gameday came to town. The Frogs rode the Mountain West all the way to 3rd in both human polls, and 4th in the BCS, and a record-setting bowl bid. Never before had a BCS bowl chosen a non-cartel team over a cartel-team; Boise State matched that record with a remarkable one of its own: never before had a second non-cartel team secured a BCS berth in one season. Their excitement about that unprecedented chance to bowl for big money carried into their outstanding Fiesta Bowl win over the Frogs.

TCU's 2009 senior class is small, but talented. Four of them (Washington, Hughes, Newhouse, and Gresham) are invited to the NFL Combine, and three will play in senior all-star games. Probably six or seven will be on NFL rosters next season (Washinigton and Hughes will be TCU's highest-picked draftees in years). It was the Frogs' juniors that carried the greatest load this year. Dalton, Cannon, Kirkpatrick, Vernon, Kerley, Young, Clay, Johnson on offense; Griffin, Grant, Daniels, Luttrell, Johnson, Ibiloye, Teague, and Jones on defense. Next season these juniors (then seniors) will cap the most talented team to wear purple in decades, perhaps ever.

TCU has finished seven of the last ten seasons ranked, but never maintained anything close to that strength in the polls across an offseason. After finishing 21/18th in 2000, TCU debuted 2001 unranked. After finished 23/22nd in 2002, TCU began the next year at 25th. After a 25/23rd finish in '03, TCU began 2004 unranked. After finished 2005 ranked 11/9th, TCU began the next season ranked 22nd. The exception is that TCU took a 22/21st finish in 2006 to a 22nd ranked beginning to 2007. The Frogs began 2008 --/44th, and finished 7/7th, only to debut 2009 ten spots lower at 17/17th. 2009 concluded with TCU 6/6th.

Incredibly, early-preseason polls rank TCU the same: sixth. A similar ranking in August would herald a new paradigm in college football. Boise and TCU likely will begin the 2010 season ranked in the top ten-- the first two non-cartel teams to achieve that kind of confidence and recognition among voters. While several non-cartel teams have clawed their way into the national title discussion by year-end, none have ever begun the year in that conversation. Boise certainly will do so in 2010, and TCU might.

The 2010 seniors clearly will be the most talented class to graduate from TCU since the 1950s, if not longer. They will be just the first such class, however. In a few weeks Gary Patterson's crew will close the second jaw-dropping class of recruits in as many years. The remarkable truth is that Patterson has created much more than a flash in the pan success in Fort Worth. He has set up the Frogs to succeed repeatedly on a once-unthinkably-high level. That players like Tanner Brock, Jason Teague, Greg McCoy, Blaize Foltz, Matt Tucker, Curtis Clay, Zach Roth, D.J. Yendry, Braylon Broughton, Andre Dean, Waymon James, and Casey Pachall didn't start this season is a revealing tribute to the quality of TCU's upperclassmen.

In sum, with the talent returning and enrolling (including early-enrolled Dwight Smith, called the best runningback to come from east Texas in a generation), a top-ten pre-season rank, and continuity on the staff, TCU is set up perfectly for a run at the sport's holy grail. It'll be decided in Glendale in 2010, and for the first time since our grandparents were young, it is not unreasonable to consider the Frogs in the running for it. It's crystal, football-shaped, and until 2010, had been reserved only for the privileged few. Next year, that club may have to expand like nobody could have imagined just a year or two ago.

Boise State 17, TCU 10

Outcoached.

TCU hasn't had to swallow that pill in a long time. But Boise State administered a terrific dose of the medicine in the Fiesta Bowl, first in defending TCU's rush attack quirkily enough to scare the Frogs' young OCs away from the run, and second in faking a punt (pictured) to keep the Bronco's only touchdown drive alive. Those changes, with terrific play by Boise's secondary (snagging three Dalton passes) made just enough difference to give Boise State the win.

While Boise sustained drives better than TCU (converting 40% of its third- and fourth-downs, compared to TCU's dismal eight percent), both teams punted eight times. Boise held the ball a full ten minutes longer than TCU, and ran eight more plays, but engineered exactly no more points from them than TCU did. TCU passed for 30 yards more than BSU, and scored on a pass play. Boise ran for 40 yards more than TCU, and scored on a run play. Both teams had 12 passing first downs, 3 or 4 rushing first downs, and one penalty first down. Neither quarterback had a typical day; Moore was pressured most of the night, and Dalton threw three interceptions, one of which was returned (accounting for all of the difference in the score), and the last killed TCU's attempt to tie the game in the final two minutes.

In the end, Boise's defense was the x-factor. They outplayed TCU's offense so effectively the Frogs could not win, despite their own defense's very good showing. Hughes, Washington, Carder-- all the usual suspects-- were typically terrific.

Much has been-- and should be-- said about TCU's abandoning the run. Matthew Tucker was given just one carry; Ed Wesley only two. Credit Boise's surprise use of a 3-3 and 3-2 front: it scared TCU's young offensive coordinators away from the Frogs' bread and butter, keeping potent purple playmakers off the field. In 2010, the Frogs' stable of runningbacks will be even more audacious than this season: Waymon James, Andre Dean, and Dwight Smith join Tucker and Wesley. Perhaps TCU will be more faithful to its roots, and roster, next season.

AIR FORCE wraps up, topped out?

What does an all-senior offensive line, a returning QB, two tailbacks, and a smash-mouth defense get these days for a service academy? Air Force took these assets into 2009, and emerged with its third straight bowl bid, and only bowl win of the decade, topping Houston (convincingly) in a chilly Armed Forces Bowl, and tallying its third eight-or-better win season in a row. QB Tim Jefferson completed long passes to returning WRs Kevin Fogler (pictured) and Jonathan Warzeka, adding hope to Falcon fans' expectations of a fourth bowl and second post-season win in 2010. More importantly, Jefferson's aerial prowess (10-14 for 161 yards) forced Houston to give the servicemen room on the ground to do what they do best: run. Jared Tew and Asher Clark ('10 sr. and jr., respectively) took 60% of AFA's ground snaps in the game, for 75% of its ground yards, and 80% of its touchdowns.

This summary was about what AFA watchers expected to see all year from the Falcons, but injuries hobbled Jefferson and Clark for much of the season. Sophomore Connor Dietz and junior Jared Tew stepped into the QB and RB slots effectively enough to keep the Academy's post-season run going, but the team standouts came from the defense. DBs Reggie Rembert, Anthony Wright, and Chris Thomas plagued offenses all season, in front of another great defensive front for the Academy.

Glass-half-empty people may focus on AFA's inability in '09 to cover any of the distance between it and the MWC's big three, but the Wimple is the half-glass-full type, and prefers to note how the Academy hasn't lost any distance to those three, either. And that's saying something, considering how steadily AFA battled injuries this season, and how much the MWC's top teams have improved in the last few years. AFA took Navy and Utah to overtime (losing both tilts) and played TCU to the wire in a blizzard-like game in Colorado Springs, perhaps covering the memory of its lopsided defeat in '08 with its manly showing in '09. For a second year, AFA finished fourth in the conference, beating all of its teams except Utah, TCU, and BYU.

Does the outlook brighten for 2010, or have the Falcons reached the highest altitude? There seems ready room for improvement in the Falcons' OOC performance, perhaps generating a top-25 ranking. AFA played Minnesota close, and missed its first victory over Navy in years by a missed field goal; they almost got a second victory over Utah and TCU in three years, as well. Jefferson, Clark, Dietz, Tew, Fogler, Warzeka, Rembert, and Wright all return; the Academy's skill and speed positions are well-stocked. Jefferson's connections with his wideouts in the bowl fund optimism that the Academy can manage a more balanced attack in 2010-- and a balanced pass-run option attack would be frightening to opposing defenses indeed. But... (how rarely to college teams avoid that rejoinder!)

But both lines lose seniors in droves. Four o-linemen graduate, including all-MWC Nick Charles and Peter Lusk; two of the three d-linemen played their last this week, including all-MWC noseguard Ben Garland. Both AFA inside LBs graduate as well. Replacing these interior starters will be coach Calhoun's biggest worry this offseason, and any dropoff in production from the new personel up front will make merely maintaining course in 2010 a program success. That no freshmen appeared on the late-season two-deep on either line may indicate the Falcons have depth enough to make this transition less painfully than in the past-- but that will remain a hopeful guess until the first whistle in September.

KDFW33's "Purple Reign"

    

SMU wraps up, winning.

Take a good look at it: to the right is a shot of SMU players triumphantly hoisting a bowl trophy. Players from the Hilltop haven't had a chance to do such a thing since they were state employees, paid from the governor's office, with generous contributions from the school's boosters. Craig James remains the most famous of that infamous lot, still taking potshots at TCU from his plush digs at ESPN.

But the kids you see at right are not anybody's employees; they're June Jones's latest devotees, and they put a stunning exclamation mark on the '09 season in the Hawaii Bowl. Sure Nevada had nearly the worst pass defense in the nation, but unlike other porous defenses on SMU's schedule (UAB, Tulane, Washington State, Rice, UTEP all ranked in the bottom 20), Nevada had a decent offense that was favored to keep SMU's aerial circus off the field, even without 2/3 of its 1,000-yards-each trio. But Jones and his freshman phenom Kyle Padron put the bowl practices-- a luxury not afforded the Ponies in a generation-- to good use. "I think I've grown a lot in these last few weeks," Padron said. "Any time you can get extra practice in with the coaches we have, it's going to help in the long run."

And in the short run, Mr. Padron.

SMU's true freshman gunslinger (pictured) racked up stats remeniscent of Colt Brennan, in Brennan's Hawaii stomping grounds: 460 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions. The Ponies' defense turned in its best performance of the year, holding Nevada to 10 points, 177 yards in the air and 137 on the ground. The 35 point margin of victory was the Mustangs' first comfortable win of the year-- of the last few years-- and nearly equalled the sum of the margins of victory in SMU's seven other wins this year. Add it all up, and everything about the game points to better things ahead in Dallas. Only graduating center Mitch Enright is older than a sophomore on SMU's 09 o-line two-deep; likewise only one d-linemen on the two-deep is older than a sophomore as well, junior nose-tackle Chris Parham. Senior WR Emmanuel Sanders graduates, and junior RB Shawnbrey McNeal has left early for the NFL, but the rest of the offense is scheduled for 2010. LB Chase Kennemer and two DBs graduate as well.

With McNeal (pictured) gone pro, SMU will be auditioning for a go-to runningback. McNeal handled 63% of the team's carries in '09, for over 83% of the team's ground yards. True freshmen Darryl Fields and Kevin Pope join a sparse backfield this summer.

In short, the crew that improved the school's rushing attack from 119th to 100th, scoring offense from 93rd to 55th, rush defense from 116th to 88th, pass defense from 119th to 46th, and scoring defense from 115th to 90th, returns in 2010. Likely SMU won't be threatening TCU's stranglehold on the Iron Skillet in 2010, but expect another round of improvement across the board-- and perhaps a different take on that Skillet in 2011.

Here're KDFW33's three-part look at SMU's '09 season.

SAN DIEGO STATE wraps up, solidifying.

Of course the Aztec faithful-- however many of those are left-- hope that the San Diego State is doing more than just solidifying; they see a program that's rising out of the conference cellar. Ryan Lindley led the offense that passed for 30 more yards and 4 more points (on average) in '09 than it got in '08, and he did so behind an anemic line and without the advantage of a viable run game. The '09 Aztecs didn't net 1,000 yards on the ground total, and in their eight losses averaged only 71 yards. In their four wins, SDSU averaged 95-- which is still frighteningly low.

So will SDSU's ground game improve? The answer lies in recruiting. Coach Hoke signed no offensive linemen in his (admittedly hastily-assembled) first class last year, and must replace two seniors on its line, RT Peter Nelson and LG Ikaika Aken-Moleta. Hoke and his staff have taken to building the team's lines with gusto, signing two JUCO linemen this month, and garnering four OL commits from high school seniors so far. Hoke hopes JUCO transfers Juan Bolanos and Riley Gauld will compete for starting spots, and that freshmen Emmanuel Beavers and Zach Dilley will press for PT, as well. SDSU's recruiting focus on linemen has to bring a smile to returning RBs Brandon Sullivan, Walter Kazee, Davon Brown, and incoming freshman Ronnie Hillman's faces. Kazee generated what little buzz the Aztecs had on the ground in 2009; Hillman was perhaps Hoke's most touted recruit last year; he finally enrolled for spring 2010. Any increased vigor in SDSU's rush attack counts double, because it frees the Aztecs' already-formidable passing game to grow.

And SDSU will continue to do that well. Ryan Lindley will be a third-year starter in '10, with a deep corps of receivers to whom to throw; if Vincent Brown is among them (and he's telling recruits he'll be back in '10), instead of in the NFL, SDSU won't have to find a franchise receiver. Replacing, or behind, Brown, is a long list of returning and new players, with Dominique Sandifer, Alston Umuloa, D. J. Shields, Osmond Nicholas, Marvin Jones, David Lamar, and Jay Waddell all vying for Lindley's attention. [update: Brown will return, as will DeMarco Sampson, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility. Together these two had 43% of SDSU's catches in '09, for 52% of the team's receiving yards. Their return is a huge bonus for Brady Hoke's rebuilding project on the Mesa.]

Hoke's DC, Rocky Long, brought a drastically different set of schemes for the defense in '09, and prompted a 33-place rise in the national rush defense standings, a 48-place rise in pass defense, and a 15-place rise in scoring defense. While the team must replace a starting corner, safety, and Aztec back, as well as two of the three LB spots on D, Rocky Long's cupboard is brimming with young talent to run his speedy schemes. 2009's bumper crop of freshmen DBs and LBs have a year of Long's tutelage under their belts, and they're joined by a second large group of incomers this fall. Their continued improvement is the second most important element in SDSU's revival. Fortunately, Long is a proven talent at developing players, and his magic has already been in evidence on the Mesa.

Long's d-line may see changes in personel, but not because of graduation. All three d-linemen return, but Hoke's first four-star recruit is JUCO transfer DE Perry Jackson, who will compete for starting snaps this spring.

More amorphously, Hoke seems to have succeeded in changing the culture in the SDSU program. He's convinced high school players previously committed to UNLV and Nevada to become Aztecs instead; he's sold prep seniors on the idea that they are starting a tradition of San Diego players staying in San Diego for college.

UTAH wraps up, roaring.

Guest-blogger, and die-hard Ute fan Jack contributed to this report.

Ten-win seasons do not grow on trees in most places, but perhaps it's time to consider Salt Lake City as fertile ground for ten-win seasons. Utah's dismantling of Cal in the Poinsettia Bowl made 2009 the program's fifth such season, and '08-'09 its first back-to-back 10-win seasons.

In some ways, Utah's season didn't get underway until the second half of the eighth game of 2009, when Wyoming was threatening to hand the Utes their second loss of the year, and Kyle Whittingham pulled the redshirt off of Jordan Wynn. The 18 year old provided a spark for the offense, going 9-14 with one touchdown in his first collegiate game and win. Wynn finished the season as a starter, going 3-2, including the come-from-behind tie against BYU, which ended in a loss in overtime, triggering commentary from the other starting QB in that game.

While Wynn is the best story for the '09 Utes, Utah's backfield is a similar story, and nearly as good. Franchise back Matt Asiata suffered a season-ending knee-injury early in game four, leaving smaller runners Eddie Wide, Sausan Shakerin, and Shaky Smithson to man the run game. Wide ('10 senior) stepped up in a big way, topping 1,000 yards by year end. Shakerin and Smithson ('10 senior) were effective change-of-pace backs. Asiata may return in 2010, if granted the medical redshirt. Shakerin ('10 soph) will be joined by redshirt Beau Burton and true freshman Princeton Collins as the backup RBs.

The Utes started only one senior on the o-line in '09, all-American Zane Beadles. The Utes' steady recruiting at OL is paying off, and the strong front that maintained the Utes' national top-50 rushing attack in '09 may improve it in 2010. Whittingham insists that the line will not be blocking ahead of a quarterback battle this offseason, despite Terrence Cain's better stats as a signalcaller. (139.4 v. 130.7 QB rating; Cain ran roughly twice as often as Wynn, for slightly more ypc.)

The 2010 signal caller will be throwing to a largely turned-over corps of wideouts. Three of the Utes' top four receivers graduate, taking half of 2009's catches and receiving yards with them. There'll be room on the two-deep for several of the full nine receivers Utah has enrolled in the '09 and '10 classes.

On defense, the situation is nearly reversed. Six of eight 2009 starters off the line were seniors, including standout LBs Stevenson Sylvester and S Robert Johnson. The '09 seniors (DE Misi, LBs Sylvester, Wright, Gaison, CB Sanford, Ss Johnson and Dale) took Utah's pass defense from 22nd in '08 to ninth in '09. Look for a return to something like 22nd in 2010. Over the last two or three years, the Utes have recruited better than any team in the conferece (except perhaps TCU), so expect considerable foment on the two-deep in spring and fall as younger players vie for starting spots in the defense. While Utah returns some of its most talented young players on the line, including DE Christian Cox and DTs David Kruger, Sealver Siliga, and JUCO transfer James Aiono (who redshirted in 2009), it is unclear who will rise to the top of the chart behind them at LB and in the secondary.

COLORADO STATE wraps up, looking up.

Looking up because it fell all the way to the bottom of the conference in 2009-- a surprising drop for a team that finished with the MWC's second-best passing attack in '08, a rare all-returning offensive line, and an even rarer upset of rival Colorado to open 2009. The Rams were riding high after three games; and then came the middle, meaty part of their schedule: BYU, Idaho, Utah, and TCU, three of them roadtrips. In under a month 3-0 became 3-4, and the bleeding never stopped. Unlike last year, CSU's quarterback play never gelled, and also unlike last year, no running Ram proved able to carry the team from the backfield.

Leonard Mason (pictured)-- the best emerging runningback on the team-- was injured against TCU. John Mosure's decent rushing performance against SDSU in the last third of the schedule was totally overshadowed by the Aztecs' brilliant passing game. Mason's return against AFA the next week wasn't enough to match the Falcons' option attack. CSU's odd loss at UNLV, in which the Rams beat the Rebels in every statistical category except points, closed postseason possibilities for CSU, and by the time lowly New Mexico topped Colorado State by two points for CSU's eighth loss of the season, the prize was a share of last place. Wyoming finished off the Rams' season with a humiliating come-from-behind win, launching CSU's hated rivals to their first bowl in half a decade. Had Steve Fairchild's magic fled with the talent-rich seniors that graduated after his first season in Fort Collins?

Probably not, although Fairchild's success (or failure) as a player developer is going to be on open display in 2010. His staff must grow up an offensive line this offseason, replacing seniors LT Cole Pemberton, LG (and all-MWC) Shelley Smith, C Tim Walter, and RGs Adrian Martinez and Scott Benedict. Their replacements, perhaps some combination of (L-R) Ryan Griffith, Jake Gdowski, Tyler McDermott, Mark Starr, and a younger guard, will have nearly no starts between them, and a new quarterback to hold a pocket for. How Fairchild's staff develops the six 2010 redshirt freshmen and sophomore linemen likely will effect their tenure in Fort Collins more than any other effort they make.

And just who might that new QB be? Backups Jon Eastman, Klay Kubiak, and redshirted Nico Ranieri will compete with early-enrolling blue chip Pete Thomas, who headlines the Rams' 2010 class. Because Eastman had ample time to impress, and didn't, Thomas (and to a lesser extent, Ranieri and true freshman Tyler Shreve) will arrive facing very high expectations.

Sadly, that yet-unknown starting QB won't get to throw to Dion Morton and Rashaun Greer, who depart taking 41% of the team's catches, and 48% of its receiving yards with them. Returning speester Tyson Ligget and FB Zac Pauga will play a large part of that effort (accounting for 23% of the team's catches and 19% of its receiving yards in '09). CSU must develop some go-to threats in the air, especially when breaking in so many new linemen and a QB.

On defense, the picture is almost 180 degrees opposite. The rushing defense continued its upward trajectory, led up front by second-year Ty Whittier, James Morehead, Guy Miller, and Cory Macon. They spearheaded a 26-place jump nationally in rushing defense (a 33 ypg improvement), and return in 2010. Sophomore Mychal Sisson led a young LB corps that gets Ricky Brewer back in 2010. Sisson led the team in tackles, TFLs, and sacks. Sophomore safety Elijah-Blu Smith and senior CB Nick Oppenneer led the secondary, which must improve in 2010 if CSU will go bowling again. The returner-heavy defense must carry the 2010 Rams while its offense finds its feet.

Fairchild and his staff will bring in a large class of recruits, heavy on linemen and DBs. Look for QBs Bobby Borcky and Tyler Shreve at other positions in a year or two.

BYU wraps up, pleased (believe it or not).

The Wimple welcomes guest blogger and BYU-fan Jake, to wrap up the 2009 Cougars and preview next season in Provo.

It’s funny how two seasons can progress so similarly and yet feel so differently. This was certainly the story of BYU football in 2008 and 2009. Although BYU went 10-2 in each of these two regular seasons, fans generally received the 2009 campaign much more favorably, helped by the Cougars beating their archrival and winning their bowl.

The Cougars started off the season with an explosion, pulling off a huge upset of then-#3 Oklahoma and jumping into the top 10, triggering discussion of the Cougars sneaking into the national title game. Two weeks later, that discussion ended as abruptly as it had begun as Florida State steamrolled the Cougars in Provo. BYU won its next four games and had regained some confidence heading into the College Gameday showdown with the Horned Frogs. That confidence was quickly shattered as TCU dominated the game from start to finish. After the TCU loss, it looked as though the season could slip away from BYU. However, the Cougars regrouped, the defense played its best football of the season down the stretch, and BYU ended the season on a four-game winning streak, including a dramatic overtime win over archrival Utah and a dominating beatdown of Oregon State in the Cougars' fifth straight Las Vegas Bowl.

Perhaps the most positive surprise for the BYU offense in 2009 was the play of the offensive line. The line returned only one starter (LT Matt Reynolds), and any semblance of depth was largely eradicated by injuries during fall camp (the Cougars traveled only seven offensive linemen to the season opener against Oklahoma). But the line gelled quickly, fueled by the contributions of new starters like Nick Alletto, Terence Brown and Braden Hansen. They powered a BYU offense that averaged 437 yards and over 34 points per game and allowed less than two sacks per game. They are a bright spot for BYU’s offense next year, which must replace the great majority of its passing production.

Much of the credit for BYU’s offensive production rests with Max Hall, who graduates with the school record for most wins by a starting QB. After starting the season with ten interceptions in its first five games, Hall threw just four INTs in the last seven, went over 300 yards eight times during the season, and wrote a new chapter in BYU football lore with his game-winning touchdown pass to Andrew George in overtime. A primary question for BYU in 2010 is who will replace Hall. Many question whether backup Riley Nelson's propensity to tuck the football and run is a good fit for BYU’s typically sit-in-the-pocket-and-throw offense. Jake Heaps (pictured) is BYU’s biggest recruiting get in several years—rated by some services the #1 high school quarterback in the country, and MVP of Nike’s prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp. Perhaps the most intriguing returning missionaries are the two at the quarterback spot, Jason Munns and James Lark. Cougar fans seems to agree that Munns had the better shot at the starting position, but missing spring practice gives Nelson or Heaps the chance to secure the early #1 spot.

At running back, Harvey Unga turned in his third straight 1000 yard season—a first for BYU football. Whether he'll depart early for the NFL will greatly colort BYU’s offseason. Graduating FB Manase Tonga provided crucial lead run-blocking and pass protection and scored seven touchdowns. His departure will certainly be felt in the 2010 offense. Sophomore J.J. DiLuigi provided a quicker change of pace to Unga, getting 250 yards both on the ground and through the air and scoring seven touchdowns. Bryan Kariya impressed as Unga’s replacement against Oklahoma; his workload decreased as Unga came back to action. The offensive line and receiving corps return most of their players, which should ease the transition for the new starting QB. Even if Unga doesn’t return, DiLuigi and Kariya will provide valuable experience in the backfield. '10 sophs Jo Jo Pili and Anthony Heimuli will battle to replace Tonga at fullback.

The strength of BYU’s passing attack was largely built on Hall’s connection with his two senior tight ends, All-American Dennis Pitta and backup Andrew George. The two combined for 83 catches, 1,146 yards and 12 touchdowns, and were the first teammates to earn first- and second-team all-MWC honors in the same season. Their production will be missed, but expect returning WRs O’Neil Chambers, McKay Jacobson, Luke Ashworth, Spencer Hafoka, Brett Thompson to fill much of the lack. Don’t be surprised to see BYU utilize a tight end much less next season, and certainly many fewer two-TE sets (expect to see more of a two-wide, one split tight end and one H-back/receiver set next year, similar to what BYU largely ran in 2005 and 2006).

Who'll be the next great BYU tight end? Braden Brown's move from TE to tackle looks as though it may be permanent. Likewise, highly-touted TE recruit Richard Wilson spent some time this year practicing at linebacker. Redshirt freshman Mike Muehlmann to be in the mix next season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wilson switched back to the offensive side of the ball. Returning missionary Austin Holt received offers from several cartel schools and will try to get immediate playing time at TE as well.

Jaime Hill’s second year of calling the plays as defensive coordinator was an improvement over last year's, although BYU’s defensive line performance was a bit of a mixed bag. First-team all-conference DE Jan Jorgensen battled all year for the MWC career lead in sacks. Brett Denney did well at the other end, recording 41 tackles and 2.5 sacks. DT Russell Tialavea struggled with conditioning coming into the season and with injuries during the season, and never truly seemed himself. Tialavea’s struggles allowed sophomore DT Romney Fuga to shine, as he recorded 38 tackles in his backup role. Jorgensen and Denney both depart, as do three starting linebackers. From the current roster, look for sophomore Matt Putnam, redshirt freshman Jordan Richardson, and freshman Mason Higham to be the main competitors for the starting DE spots. Both Tialavea and Fuga return to man the DT position. DT Eathyn Manumaleuna, best known for his block of the potential game-winning field goal in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl against UCLA, returns from a mission and will push Russell Tialavea and Romney Fuga for playing time.

The linebacking corps generally provided solid run support but often struggled against mobile quarterbacks and in pass protection. Coleby Clawson (best known for ending Sam Bradford's college career) led the group with five sacks and seven TFLs, and Jordan Pendleton, speedy if slightly undersized, playing his first year in the position. Matt Bauman and Shawn Doman were multi-year starters whose experience will be missed next season.

That three of BYU’s four starters in the secondary this year earned at least honorable mention all-conference honors speaks volumes to the coaching job done by Hill and company, and made the secondary perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the BYU season. JUCO transfer Brian Logan, one of the smallest players in FBS, recorded three interceptions and was an exceptional open-field tackler, earning an all-MWC honorable mention. Brandon Bradley, was generally more of a run-stopping corner due to his position on the short side of the field. S Scott Johnson (also honorable mention all-MWC) moved from his cornerback position last season, recording three interceptions and serving as the field general in the secondary. S Andrew Rich led the team with four interceptions and earned a reputation as a heavy hitter across the middle, earning him second-team all-MWC honors. In the secondary, all starters except Scott Johnson return, and this should actually be a strength of the BYU defense in 2010. To replace Johnson, highly-touted freshman Craig Bills is an easy choice—he intercepted two passes in spot duty this year and was basically groomed to fill Johnson’s shoes throughout the season. However, there is a chance that Bills will leave on a mission next year, and there has been some talk that CB Brandon Bradley might be moved to the safety spot, as the Cougars have more depth at corner than at safety.

Bronco Mendenhall will signing perhaps the best recruiting class ever at BYU. Scout counts 21 verbal commits rated at three stars or higher—in recent memory, the highest similar count for BYU in one season has been twelve. Scout ranks the class thirteenth nationally. Heaps is certainly the jewel of the class. His importance to this recruiting class cannot be overstated, not only because he is a big name, but because he has taken it upon himself to get other highly-rated players to join him at BYU. His efforts helped land four-star California linebacker Zac Stout over offers from Nebraska and several PAC-10 schools, as well as wide receiver Ross Apo, a Dallas-area standout who had previously committed to Texas. Other highlights include DEs Bronson Kaufusi (nationally 11th-ranked) and Kona Schwenke. Graham Rowley played both OL and DL; Tayo Fabuluje, who plays high school ball with Ross Apo, committed to BYU over offers from Arkansas and Arizona State. Running backs Drew Phillips, A.J. Moore, and Algernon Brown are the types of athletes BYU rarely gets. Another notable is LB Kyle Van Noy, who signed with the Cougars's last class, but won't join the team until 2010. Many Cougar fans expect him to immediately compete to start.

BYU’s four nonconference games next year are against Washington (home), Nevada (home), Florida State (away) and Utah State (away). The Washington game just became a lot more interesting with Jake Locker returning. The Nevada game should be a home win as the Wolf Pack lose much of their offensive firepower from this season. Florida State may be an unknown quantity with a new head coach, but Tallahassee will be an incredibly tough place to play for a new BYU quarterback. Utah State is improving but still just doesn’t have the talent to keep up with the Cougars.

In conference play, the Cougars’ 2009 blessing becomes their 2010 curse—2009 home games against Air Force, TCU and Utah become road games in 2010, along with Colorado State, who nearly knocked off the Cougars in Fort Collins in 2008. The de facto bottom half of the conference—Wyoming, San Diego State, UNLV and New Mexico—all come to Provo. A few of these games (i.e. most if not all of the home games) might be easy wins, and none of them will be entirely out of the Cougars’ reach. But playing at TCU and Utah is never easy, and the difficulty is compounded when breaking in a new QB.

If I had to make a (somewhat conservative) prediction at this point, I would say the Cougars go 8-4 in 2010, with losses to Washington, Florida State, TCU and Utah. This is the most rebuilding BYU has had to do in one year since 2007—but in that year, the Cougars went undefeated in conference and won 11 games. In other words, I would be more surprised if BYU won fewer than 8 games in 2010 than if they won more.

NEW MEXICO wraps up, hitting bottom. [updated]

It's hard to find the silver lining in this car wreck; New Mexico had about as bad a season as possible. Even worse, nobody expected it. But Locksley's recruiting magic may have dampened the effect of the Lobos' off-the-field woes, and let's face it: there's only one direction Locksley can pull (or, dare we say it, punch?) his team after the tailspin in Albuquerque this year: up.

That this year began with 0-3, against Texas A&M, Tulsa, and Air Force, wasn't completely surprising; that New Mexico couldn't manage an offensive touchdown until almost halftime in its third game (AFA) was. The Lobos returning depth at QB and O-line was bizarrely meaningless, and newcomers Demond Dennis and James Wright at runningback seemed totally lost. Worry turned to panic when lowly New Mexico State rallied to beat the Lobos in week 4, and by 0-5 a week later, the crap hit the fan. Mike Locksley punched, or didn't, an assistant coach, triggering a ten-day suspension.

Credit the Lobos, however: they kept fighting (their opponents, that is). At 0-9, New Mexico scared the bejeebers out of BYU, and were it not for otherworldly bad luck at field goals (two hit the uprights, a third blocked), would have ended the skid at nine losses. Said skid ended a week later at ten, when New Mexico ran all over Colorado State (its only successful rushing game, and not coincidentally, its ownly successful game at all) for the Lobos' sole win.

Rushing is the primary ill plaguing the team. A full seven teams held New Mexico under 100 yards on the ground (well under; the Lobos' average output in those games: 53 net yards rushing!). In its four other losses, New Mexico managed just over 140 yards rushing, on average. With such low production, losing three starting linemen isn't necessarily a blow, although C Erik Cook is the '09 all-MWC first-team center, and will be missed. All three graduating linemen have experienced backups, perhaps a hopeful sign for more potency on the ground in 2010. All of New Mexico's runningbacks return-- and freshmen Kasey Carrier and Demond Dennis improved as the season wore on. As in '09, these fellows will have more to do with their team's success than any other unit.

Elsewhere on offense the team was young; only three seniors were on the two-deep at WR, TE, FB, and QB. WR Michael Scarlett will be the go-to receiver in '10. Sophomore B.R. Holbrook appears to lead the battle to replace Donovan Porterie under center, but because he played in several games this season without sparking any improvement, he's not going to cement that starting role without besting any freshman that joins the team in the fall. That uncluttered depthchart may aid Locksley in luring a decent QB recruit to don the cherry and white. (Tarean Austin, in Florida, is the prime target.)

On defense, tackle-monster Carmen Messina returns, as do both corners and 3/4 of the starters on the line; clearly they need more from the offense to succeed. They do get more depth, regardless, as DT transfers Ugo Udzomina and Reggie Ellis that followed Locksley from Illinois have finished sitting out the mandatory year. The Lobos bring in several freshmen DBs who may contribute early. To date Locksley's crew tops only UNLV in the conference in number of recruits committed so far (eight). Lobo fans are high on Locksley's recruiting, however, and expect the schematic 180 that threw their team for such a loop in 2009 to resolve itself much more favorably in 2010.

UNLV wraps up disappointed; now what?

Bobby Hauck-- the new coach, that's what. The Rebels suffered long with Mike Sanford, and after a promising haul of JUCO defensive backs failed to produce the necessary uptick in defensive stoutness, they cut him off. Offensive coordinator Todd Berry left for the head spot at Louisiana-Monroe.

Sanford's Rebels did manage to stay out of the conference's basement for the second consecutive year, beating New Mexico, Colorado State, and San Diego State. UNLV also finally topped Hawaii in a nail-biter, but lost to Oregon State in another nailbiter. But the defining game for the '09 Rebs, if it can be called that, came with then 0-3 Nevada, which racked up 772 yards total, and 42 points in the second half, bludgeoning UNLV 63-28 by the final whistle. The Rebels didn't come out of shock until visiting soft New Mexico, beating the hapless Lobos to avoid last place in the conference. After its annual spanking by TCU, the Rebels beat another MWC team (CSU), flirted briefly with bowl eligibility before Air Force laid wood on them in Colorado Springs, and the university fired Sanford, who coached the finale-- a win-- against SDSU.

Offensively, the Rebels regressed slightly, scoring about a point less per game in '09 than they did in '08. Clayton was less efficient at QB, and Wolfe less productive at WR. More importantly, the team got no boost from its running game. Again. (2008: 121 ypg; 2009: 126) Hyped runningback Bradley Randle could not meet the (admittedly heavy) expectations that greeted his enrollment at UNLV, and neither Channing Trotter and C.J. Cox could pick up the slack. These players labored behind an line that, despite experience, just couldn't open holes for the ground game.

They all got little help from the defense, which was bad in '08 (110th rushing D, 111th passing), and even worse in '09 (113th, 108th). The heralded trio of JUCO defensive backs: Alex DeGiacomo, Warren Zeigler, and Kenny Brown yielded only one starter by season's end (DeGiacomo).

By mid 2009, it was clear to even his biggest fans (the Wimple admits to being one of them) that Sanford's staff could not develop talent. So now UNLV turns the reins over to Bobby Hauck, who'll take a turn pursuing that evanescent mirage: a program capable of turning Sin City's purported appeal with recruits into wins on the field. He doesn't take the helm of an empty cupboard, although he will have to tackle 2010 recruiting almost from scratch: only three players have maintained commitments to UNLV so far. (SDSU has poached several of the others.) [update: by the last week of recruiting before signing day, Houck and his staff have amassed 20 commits, headlined by RB Dionza Bradford and WR Kurt Davis.]

UNLV started only one senior on its O-line and two on its D-line, including all-conference tackle Martin Teveseu. Turning the returners into winners in the trenches would make UNLV a bowling team overnight, because its skill players are plentiful. Channing Trotter proved a capable back, given a push in front. Cox and Randle are not untalented backups. QBs Omar Clayton and Mike Clausen still make the conference's most dangerous tandem. LBs Starr Fuimaono is an NFL talent who'll be the senior leader of the defense. In short, it's with UNLV's returners that hope lies for a revival in Las Vegas, if the new coaches can develop them beyond what the former coaches could do.

WYOMING wraps up, winning (!?!)

Five months ago, the Wimple was unsparing in its criticism of Wyoming, and recommended to Cowboy fans to gird their loins and focus on next season. 2009 was going to be painful, said he, because Wyoming couldn't, and for a few months more, wouldn't run Dave Christensen's spread offense very well at all. Today, seven wins later, it appears that the 'Pokes are a fair stretch further down the road to competence than the Wimple expected them to be at season's end.

That road has been a rocky one, however. Christensen acknowledged the Wyoming was an underdog in every game it had against a D-1A opponent. Once he settled on Austyn Carta-Samuels as QB after a three-game audition between the true freshman and JUCO transfer Robert Benjamin, and moved to a run-first version of his up-tempo spread, Christensen's Cowboys improved. Carta-Samuels endured a frustrating shut-out at Colorado before leading the team to three straight victories, including two over conference foes UNLV and New Mexico, keeping Wyoming out of the MWC's cellar, mocking most pre-season polls. After a three-game skid to the conference heavyweights, the freshman led a remarkable come from behind win at San Diego. The 'Pokes scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to recapture .500 and a chance to go bowling. TCU's whooping of Wyoming may have deflated a less spunky team, but these Cowboys rallied to beat Colorado State in the final regular season game, clinching bowl eligibility for the first time in any of the team member's college careers.

Wyoming got its signature win as a Christmas present, knocking off Fresno State in double overtime in the surprisingly exciting New Mexico Bowl-- making the second takedown of the WAC's Bulldogs by a Mountain West underdog in Albuquerque in as many years. The game's highlight (sadly not included in the ESPN's highlights, but embedded in full, below) came in the first overtime, when Fresno State had Wyoming on the ropes, with a first-and-goal at the one. Four times they ran it up the gut, and four times the brown-and-gold denied them the endzone. Wyoming's missed field goal made that effort statistically irrelevant, but consider that four-and-out the senior-laden d-line's gift to the program this season. It paved the way to the bowl win, which the 'Pokes haven't savored since President Bush was popular, and gives the team that much more leverage going into 2010. Ironically, the d-line will be the team's biggest question mark next season.


Starting with the defense, which garnered plaudits in the pre-season, and came through big for the Cowboys when it had to. Number one: it's filled with young guys at LB and in the secondary. Wyoming will return all seven late-season starters off the line, including the Gipson brothers ('10 juniors) at corner, safety Shamiel Gray ('10 sophomore), and tackle-monsters Chris Prosinski (S, '10 senior), Gabe Knapton (LB, '10 junior), and Brian Hendricks (LB, '10 junior). Proskinski, Knapton, and Hendricks all finished in the national top 20 for tackles this season. Wyoming's back seven in 2010 will be the team's strength.

The big news for the Cowboys was up front however, where the trio John Fletcher (pictured), Fred Givens, and Mitch Unrein turned in a third (fourth?) and final year as starters. Fletcher is the team's sole all-MWC first teamer, and it's entirely unclear who'll replace these gents' pass rush in 2010. Backup end Mike Neuhaus also graduates; two true freshman played this season some. A trio of D-line recruits will join the fray this fall, but the three front spots are the Cowboys' biggest unknown for 2010. The contenders appear to be Purcell, Willis, and Felker.

And then there's the offense. It's just as young. RBs Alvester Alexander ('10 sophomore) and Brandon Stewart ('10 junior), and QB Austyn Carta-Samuels ('10 sophomore) accounted for over 84% of the Cowboys' rushing yards this season. In fact, as Coach Christensen realized his team just wasn't going to pass its way into the post season this year, he relied even more on this trio to run their way to a 13th game. They proved up to the task, and will be joined by the team's best rated recruit, Canadian Nehemie Kankolongo, in the fall. Wyoming's backfield is in good shape.

But what of the passing game? That's what Christensen does, and tried mightily to get his Cowboys to do for most of 2009. Wyoming's lack of reliable receivers turned the team into a run-first offense by the end of the season, and sent Christensen to junior colleges for more hands; Wyoming signed three JUCO wideouts this week. Anthony Amos, DeJay Lester, and Mazi Ogbonna enroll this January, joining four of this season's top six pass catchers for the 2010 lineup. This season juniors David Leonard, Zach Bolger, and Travis Burkhalter led the team in catches. TE Orlando Arnold and WR Greg Bolling graduate, but Chris McNiel ('10 sophomore) was also in the top six and returns. TEs Tooley ('10 RSFr) and incoming T.J. Smith will contribute. If those nine can give grow with Carta-Samuels into a viable passing threat, Wyoming will be a dangerous foe.

Standing in their way, however, is the offensive line. This group had to undergo the biggest transition with the new offense in '09, and performed... about as expected, which is to say, not very well. They paved an inconsistent way for the 75th best rushing game in the country this year, down from 33rd last season. Their calling card must become pass blocking, however, which would be a new addition to their card collection. This season Wyoming's pass offense was 103rd nationally, which was up from 114th. To date, Christensen hasn't coaxed many linemen to Laramie; one JUCO (Nick Puetz) joins the team in January. Another joins in the fall, and one redshirted this season. How Wyoming replaces seniors C Russ Arnold and G Zack Kennedy and T Ryan Otterson is almost as open a question as its replacements for d-line seniors.

Repeat All-American

In honor of Jerry Hughes' second consecutive season as a consensus (at least!) first-team All-American, comes this trivia question: Who was the last Horned Frog to repeat as a first-team All-American?