1. #1
    bigboydan
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    WAC out for respect

    07/25/2007 08:42 AM
    By: Chance Harper

    The WAC is becoming more whack and less wacky in terms of Division I-A respect, due in part to Boise State's incredible run to a perfect 13-0 record a season ago that culminated with a wild 43-42 upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. And Hawaii QB Colt Brennan gives the conference a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate to start the 2007 campaign.

    Can a 'low major' get a little respect?
    WAC out for respect

    The Western Athletic Conference has yet to be represented on the futures market -- but it will. All the WAC did last year was produce three of the most profitable teams in the nation, plus the Fiesta Bowl champions. What’s in store for 2007?

    How about a Heisman Trophy? Colt Brennan won’t argue with that; the stellar quarterback for the Hawaii Warriors is among the second tier of favorites at +625 to take home the prestigious award. It won’t be easy to win the Heisman coming out of such a low-profile conference, but Brennan has been putting up the kind of videogame numbers that fans and voters alike can’t help but recognize. In 2006, Brennan set the Division I-A record with 58 touchdown passes, leading the Warriors to an 11-3 record and trouncing Arizona State 41-24 at the Hawaii Bowl.

    That eye-popping season was only good enough for sixth place in voting last year. Part of the problem was that the Boise State Broncos stole Brennan’s thunder by going 13-0, crashing the BCS bowl party and downing the Oklahoma Sooners 43-42 in overtime at the Fiesta Bowl. Not only did the Broncos upend the Sooners as 7-point underdogs, they broke out a variation of the old Statue of Liberty play for the winning score.

    The pecking order should be reversed in 2007. The Broncos go into the year with high expectations, but they also have two tough road dates on the schedule: a non-conference matchup on Sept. 8 at Washington, and a trip to Honolulu on No. 23 to face the dreaded Warriors. Nothing short of an undefeated record will put either of these clubs into the BCS picture; Hawaii has the better shot at running the table, getting to play both the Huskies and Broncos at home.

    Going undefeated would also vault Brennan squarely into the Heisman hunt. The Warriors’ run-and-shoot offense has been terrific in eight seasons under coach June Jones, and Brennan is a proven commodity as he enters his junior campaign.

    But his supporting cast is more of an unknown. Three starters from the 2006 offensive line have gone to the NFL, as have Hawaii’s top two running backs: Nate Ilaoa and Regan Mauia. Special teams could also be a problem with Kurt Milne having completed his senior season. Hawaii is still the team to beat in the WAC; beating the spread, on the other hand, could be problematic.

    It’ll be a shock if anyone in the conference comes close to challenging the Big Two. That doesn’t mean there isn’t money to be made. San Jose State and Nevada combined to go 17-9 straight-up and a delectable 20-5 ATS in 2006. They should be joined in the WAC’s middle class by a resurgent Fresno State. After a surprisingly poor 4-8 record (1-11 ATS), the Bulldogs should at least get back to .500 under new offensive co-ordinator Jim McElwain. San Jose State is in the most danger of falling off the pace, given the turnover on the Spartans’ offensive line and in the receiving corps. At least that should help the Under approach its 8-3-1 pace from last year.

    New Mexico State has the best chance of the remaining teams to make some noise in 2007. Like the Warriors, the Aggies have a ridiculously good air attack. This is the third year for coach Hal Mumme’s Air Raid offense, a radical departure from the old Aggies option. There have been some growing pains; New Mexico State went 0-12 in 2005 before the offense exploded last year and pushed the Aggies to 4-8 (5-3-2 ATS). The defense still isn’t good enough for the Aggies to break into the WAC title picture. However, an aggressive strategy geared at creating takeaways will help keep the offense on the field.

    This year’s contender to go 0-12 is Utah State. The 'other' Aggies will join Idaho and Louisiana Tech at the bottom of the WAC standings. All three are in protracted rebuilding programs -- they combined to go 5-29 (14-19-1 ATS) in 2005 and 8-29 (11-23-1 ATS) last year, so fading them again in 2007 would seem reasonable.

  2. #2
    Willie Bee
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigboydan View Post
    How about a Heisman Trophy? Colt Brennan won’t argue with that; the stellar quarterback for the Hawaii Warriors is among the second tier of favorites at +625 to take home the prestigious award.
    Chance, never got around to giving you the oh-fish-al welcome to the message board, so consider it done

    As for Brennan, I'd love to see him win it since I've always been a June Jones fan from his days with the old Houston Oilers. But I just don't see it. Not because he's playing for Hawaii, but because he's in the run-&-shoot, and I have my doubts that the Heisman voters will vote for a run-&-shoot QB for the award again.

  3. #3
    pags11
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    the WAC is pretty much like the arena league...

  4. #4
    Hawaiian time
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    the wac is the like the wild west, its always a shootout.

  5. #5
    linebacker
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    If you are a degenerate gambler, Hawaii always makes a interesting late night play. Always go with the over.

  6. #6
    pags11
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    haha linebacker, no doubt...yeah, defense is not a specialty in the WAC...

  7. #7
    BuddyBear
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    The top few teams in the leagure are solid (Boise St, Hawaii, Utah, Nevada, and FSU (use to at least)) and could compete with some of big name schools if given a chance. However, the bottom of the league is atrocious. They feature 3 of the worst teams in D1-A in Idaho, LA Tech, and Utah St.

  8. #8
    hawk 5
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    Quote Originally Posted by linebacker View Post
    If you are a degenerate gambler, Hawaii always makes a interesting late night play. Always go with the over.
    Hawaii under June Jones is one of my favorite bets whether it's on the over, on the spread, or anything in between.

  9. #9
    pags11
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    also, I really think Dick Tomie has done an excellent job at SJSU...

  10. #10
    bigboydan
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    Quote Originally Posted by pags11 View Post
    also, I really think Dick Tomie has done an excellent job at SJSU...
    He has indeed with the talent recruits there Pags.

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