The Wiz of Odds

Putting That Oklahoma Education to Good Use

Alen Howard, a history teacher at Rockwell Charter High in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a University of Oklahoma graduate stuck in the middle of Brigham Young territory. Howard was so sure the Sooners would beat the Cougars last Saturday that he told his students he would eat a live cricket if the BYU could pull off the upset.

What could possibly go wrong? Oklahoma was a 22-point favorite.

Howard made good on his promise, devouring the cricket with a spoonful of peanut butter, much to the delight of his students.

Can Brigham Young Make It to the BCS Title Game?

Let's forget this one-game-at-a-time mentality and look at the big picture. Is Brigham Young, from a lowly non-Bowl Championship Conference, now in position for the big party prize — a berth to the BCS title game Jan. 7 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena?

The first release of the BCS standings won't come until next month, but that's simply too long to wait. This question requires an immediate answer, and thankfully there is Sam Chi, aka the BCS Guru.

Sam's first simulated BCS standings put BYU at No. 8 and within striking distance of the top two spots that earn berths to the BCS title game.

Granted, there is a lot of football to be played, but that could be a good thing for the Cougars. BYU's schedule is manageable and teams ahead of it must face the meat of their schedules. This essentially will allow the Cougars to be drafting for much of the season while the big boys crash into each other.

BYU Win Also a Victory for Gay Rights in Utah?

Provo isn't known as a party place, but Brigham Young fans went nuts after the Cougars' victory over Oklahoma. Much man love for BYU quarterback Max Hall. Check out the dude who says he'd make out with Hall, then gets cheered by the crowd. Yes, historians might look back on Saturday as a landmark day for gay rights in Utah.

The video after the jump shows Hall's game-winning touchdown pass to McKay Jacobson from the BYU section in Cowboys Stadium.

Perhaps this victory isn't surprising if one considers that the Sooners, who were 22-point favorites over the Cougars, returned only 29 combined starts in the offensive line. But reputations die hard.

Brigham Young

The Cougars have been producing award-winning posters for years, and BYU really went the extra distance this year by traveling to the Bonneville Salt Flats and shooting not only the poster, but a video that you can view by clicking here. We couldn't wait to open the finished product after landed in the old inbox, but after inspecting the goods, it was clear something was missing. Where was the schedule? Not on this poster. After several late-night discussions with a distinguished panel of judges at various dens of depravity, it was decided to let the Cougar poster into the contest, even though it was missing this key ingredient. Two key nonconference games: Sept. 5 vs. Oklahoma in Arlington and Sept. 19 vs. Florida State in Provo. Win those games and the only stumbling blocks on the cruise to an undefeated regular season are Oct. 24 against Texas Christian in Provo and the Nov. 28 Holy War against Utah, also in Provo. Thanks to Jaren!

The Making of a Poster Schedule

Brigham Young's poster schedule won't be released until next week, but the Cougars have offered a sneak peak with this video of the photo shoot on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

No Coffee, Smokes or ESPN at Brigham Young

Brigham Young flipped the analog-to-digital switch last Friday on its campus TV service. In the process, the university dropped ESPN from its channel lineup.

"We decided to keep all the channels we have currently, except for ESPN, based on the cost of that package," said Todd Hollingshead, University Communications information and financial manager.

In ESPN's place, BYU added CBS College Sports.

During negotiations for the new digital contract, campus television evaluated all of its existing packages and found that the ESPN package cost more than the combined price of all the other channels. The BYU administration could not justify the cost.

"It's something that's unfortunate but it's understandable why they made the change," sophomore Abram Clay said. "You just live with it and go from there."