Message Replied To ==========
Anybody else think Fresno St. at 25 is only there to help Bama's SOS? *
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Let's look at the facts, shall we? Luckily, my friend's sister's co-worker's cousin's brother-in-law's auto-mechanic's accountant's temporary assistant's teenaged son, who is in the Rainbow City Junior Writing Club, has compiled them:
The 9-3 Fresno St. Bulldogs of the always tough(to get to) Mountain West Conference are West Division champs and will face perennial power Boise State in the conference championship game on December 2. This game is immediately on the heels of the Bulldogs' victory over the Broncos in Fresno* last Saturday. In addition to the a 7-1 conference record whose sole blemish was a home setback to the formidable Runnin' Rebels of UNLV,** the Bulldogs split a rugged non-conference slate that included a 41-10 loss to No. 5 and under appreciated Bama (in a game that was more competitive than the score indicates), a 48-16 loss to No. 13 Washington (another extremely competitive, though one-sided, game), and victories over the always tough BYU Cougars*** by a 20-13 count, and an absolute pasting of FCS stalwart, Incarnate Word,**** 66-0.
The Mountain West is a conference organized under the laws of some state I do not have time to verify and is well known for the availability of frequent flyer miles (road games to Hawai'i!), altitude sickness (multiple destinations), crime (Fresno but see *), and great lounge music inspiration (Do you know the way to San Jose?).
With such a resume, who can really doubt, or cast aspersions, on the CFP Committee's decision to rank Fresno State No. 25? If they beat Boise for the second week in a row, that resume could propel Bama back into the top 4, regardless of whether the chalk holds. RTR.
NOTES
* Fresno, formerly the armpit of California, has experienced a renaissance in recent decades and is now considered the armpit of California after an application of deodorant.
**UNLV, considered by many to be the best 5-7 team within a 50 mile radius of the Hoover Dam, would have been bowl eligible but for an upset loss to the Howard University Bison in the season opener. UNLV has filed a protest with the NCAA that Howard used an ineligible player, Caylin Newton (younger brother of Carolina Panther QB Cam Newton). It is alleged that Howard boosters provided $180 worth of aluminum siding to Caylin's father's Metro Atlanta church in exchange for his youngest son's commitment to the Bison. The investigation is, as they say, ongoing. Unfortunately, it is doubtful that the NCAA will reach closure in time for UNLV to be selected to the numerous bowls that would accept a 6-6 Mountain West team with a forfeit victory over Howard. UNLV's team of lawyers, led by noted advocate and NCAA gadfly, Thomas Gallion, have filed an action against the NCAA in hopes of resurrecting the Rebs bowl hopes.
*** After squeaking out a 16-10 victory over the Cougars, U Mass coach Mark "Smart as a" Whipple remarked that BYU had to be the toughest out of any 9-loss team amongst FBS teams with no conference affiliation.
**** Incarnate Word is considered an up-and-comer in the Southland Conference despite its 1-10 record. Many league observers expect them to threaten the top half of the conference by 2021.
