The Wiz of Odds

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."

The Devil Works in Mysterious Ways

Brigham Young's squeaky-clean image is taking a hit. There are allegations that involve consumption of alcohol — a violation of the honor code — during the weekend of Jan. 10-11, when 24 recruits were on campus.

The allegations started after hotshot linebacker Manti Te'o of Honolulu's Punahou High called Bronco Mendenhall last Saturday and said he had crossed BYU off his list.

Te'o, named the high school player of the year by the Sporting News, was among the recruits visiting Provo that weekend. Te'o, a Latter Day Saint, has three cousins at the school and BYU was once his college of choice.

But a report by former Cougar player Hans Olsen, who is a talk show host on 1280 The Zone, implicated Te'o in the incident. That sent the Cougar message boards into overdrive.

Locker, Revisited

The best view yet of Washington's Jake Locker throwing the ball high into the air after scoring with four seconds left against Brigham Young. And give a listen to Greg Wrubell's call on the final two plays. He's the fine voice of the Cougars. Good stuff.