Utah Valley-NMSU Brawl Includes Fans, Under WAC Review... (UPDATED)

((HT: UVU SBS))

This was the end of the game between Utah Valley and New Mexico State- and it wasn't pretty...


Here's a little more from the stands...
((HT: thejadedsunrise))


So, here's the deal...

The Aggies lost a 7-point lead in regulation and lost 66-61 in overtime...

NMSU guard KC Ross-Miller was the one who chucked the ball at Utah Valley's Holton Hunsaker and then...

Jason Groves of the Las Cruces Sun-News caught up with Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies:

"What was embarrassing was (Ross-Miller's) actions," said Menzies when reached by the Sun-News. "As far an anything after, I'm going to wait to see what their fans did, what the security was like.

"We were going to shake hands. The game was over. They had fans on the floor and our guys felt threatened by that. One thing led to another. The film doesn't lie. I'm just thoroughly disappointed with (Ross-Miller's) actions. I'm disappointed with the way he handled himself. ... Guys were trying to hit our guys, and our guys were trying to defend themselves. We had staff pulling guys away. It turned into a free-for-all there for a moment. There were 50-75 fans on the floor. Before I can pass judgement, I have to watch the film."

WAC Commish Jeff Hurd is set to review the tapes Friday morning...

FRIDAY UPDATE: Ross-Miller has been suspended for his actions on the floor...

Irony: Pac 12 Upset at D-1 Inclusion of For Profit School

((ht: cbssports.com))

Does anyone else find this kind of funny? Or at the very least, a pot and kettle situation?

It appears the Pac-12 Conference is less that amused at the NCAA allowing Grand Canyon University Antelopes
to move from Division II to D-1

The 8,500 or so students who attend or take classes at the Arizona based Christian school are in line for a move to the Western Athletic Conference, which was decimated by realignment.

Read more from CBSSports.com RIGHT HERE

The reason we've labeled this ironic is simple. The Pac-12 and other "Big-Time Schools" all claim to be--"Not for Profit". Yet, they've thrown away traditional alignments, budget consciousness and everything else in the pursuit of TV money.

So much so that many long-time schools like Maryland and Rutgers who've jumped to the Big 10 primarily to pay off the debt they acquired building monsterous practice facilities and firing coaches they owe small fortunes to after a season or two.

Yes, Grand Canyon exists to make money. But you could argue so does every school in the PAC-12.

Sure, the Pac-12/Division 1 schools don't have to pay taxes on their profit. (They could eliminate half the national debt if they did), but many of them make profits. Yes, they umbrella it under the "Athletic Associations", but think about it. Many get up to $20 million a year from ESPN before they ever play a game.

Who wouldn't call that profit?

Thunder Dan To Grand Canyon University

Canyon Crazies... Meet Thunder Dan... (thanks, gculopes.com)

So, this is what happens when you go from the NAIA to the WAC...

The same thing happened to Paul Westphal as a first step to coaching when he took over the NAIA school a long time ago. And you all know where the coaching track after that...

Now, with Jerry Colangelo the Special Assistant to the President at GCU- effective March 8th, Dan Majerle gets to work on his coaching chops and, probably, make sure that he doesn't stray far from the Colangelo Way...

The HQ questions Grand Canyon's move to the WAC with the heat of a thousand suns...
Pun unintentional...

But we get it...
Get hammered in some sports, and make sure you can compete in others that could be big money-makers for the school...

Majerle takes over for Russ Pennell who resigned all of three days ago...
And don't be surprised if the Antelopes find a way to play in a larger barn than the 2,000 seat gym they play in now- that Colangelo has a say in as to the location... and, maybe, even a past relationship...

Here's the announcement...
((HT: GCU Athletics))

Now, That's A Season Opener... Some Basebrawl For Your Weekend...

((HT: KCRA-TV, Sacramento))

Sacramento State and UC-Riverside were in the state capitol for the season opener for the home team...

And, what's a season opener without some swinging...
FOSG Gulstan Dart takes the lead...


Sacramento State second baseman Andrew Ayers, the reigning WAC Player of the Year, and two UC Riverside players (Eddie Young and Drake Zarate) will be suspended for four games each for what went down...

Them's the rules by the folks in Indianapolis...

Who Is Kenneth Dixon And Why Does He Keep Scoring...???

((HT: KSLA-TV Shreveport))

The short answer is: Because Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Dykes tells QB Colby Cameron to hand the ball off to the talented freshman...

Dixon scored six TD's in last night's 70-28 win over Idaho.

"It was good to see the way the team came out and played after a tough loss last week," Dykes said post-game. "We wanted to come out and get off to a good start after not doing that last week against Texas A&M."

Safe to say, they did...

Louisiana Tech picked up 839 total yards of offense, a single game record and the most by a Division I team this season. The Bulldogs rushed for 408 yards and passed for another 431 yards in the win.

The 70 points were the most by Tech since they scored 77 in a win over UL-Lafayette in 1998. Tech entered the game the top-ranked team in the country in scoring offense and, also tied a WAC single game record with 56 first half points.

Here's the wrap from Joe Aillet...
KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather

Fantasy players take note... the next opponent for the Bulldogs is New Mexico State in Las Cruces next Saturday...

Shootout In Shreveport, Texas A&M Survives La. Tech 59-57

Louisiana Tech wanted to prove they could stand toe to toe with an SEC school and the Bulldogs did.  It’s just the Texas A&M Aggies were just a little better.

For one thing Texas A&M has already made its mark in the SEC record book.  Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel broke his own school and Southeastern Conference record for total offense with 576 total yards.

Manziel passed for 395 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 181 yards and three touchdowns.   His 72 yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty and sealed the win for the Aggies.

"He is a very special player," Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Dykes said. “We had a hard time adjusting to his speed early in the game. I thought our guys got more settled in and made some adjustments and made some plays in the second half. We just couldn't stop him in critical situations. That's what good players do, they make plays."

Check out the highlights from Shreveport.  (Thanks KBTX-TV, Bryan – College Station, TX)

Aggie head coach Kevin Sumlin was happy to escape Shreveport with a win.  (Thanks 12thmanTV)

Next Saturday we will see if Texas A&M will be a player in the race for the SEC West title.  LSU comes to College Station renewing that rivalry.  Then its three straight road games at Auburn, at Mississippi State then at Alabama. 

I believe that might qualify as a brutal stretch of road games.

Report: Boise St. not out of MWC yet; dealine looms

((ht: cbssports.com/mcmurphy))

Well, nothing like waiting to the last minute.

The clock is ticking on Boise State's intended move to the Big East conference. The Broncos have stated their intent to move for the 2013-14 season.

One problem: They haven't moved out of the Mountain West Conference yet. And if they don't do it by July 1st, the cost of moving goes up...exponentially.

The other problem and probable hold up: Finding a home for their other sports.

You see, Boise wants to make the move so they can be an "Automatic Qualifier" for a national championship. So they moved to the Big East, which despite its lack of competitiveness for such a title, is an "AQ" conference.

But....Boise doesn't want to move the rest of their sports east...which would be extremely "Cost Prohibitive". They want to relocate them in the neutered Western Athletic Conference...which at the current time consists of only 5 teams.

So there within lies the dilemma.

CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy gives the detailed explainer RIGHT HERE

If you ever want a "Poster Child" for Galactic Realignment for the sake of money...this is it. While we get Boise's want to be an "AQ" school and realize they've had a pretty good argument the past couple years for inclusion on their own, this is a bad idea.

In fact, we think it is such a colossally bad idea that we'll go out on a limb and say it will never happen. We'll go even further and say this: "Don't be surprised if Boise gets a look from the Big 12 who are 10." It makes more sense on pretty much every level. And they don't have to split the Sports. The travel makes sense and the "AQ" status along with the money works too.

There of course is only one catch: Do they want to take 2nd or even 3rd billing to Texas and Oklahoma. Because even if UT and OU suck, they still are the top priority for the conference. Everyone else as we've seen time and time again...is on their own.

Because we can...and it fits:

WAC Hemorrhaging Members- May Be Down To 4 Soon...

Utah State and San Jose State are now heading to the Mountain West Conference in time for the 2013-14 season...

These two are supposed to replace San Diego State and (wait for it) Boise State. But, "Wait a minute" you say, "I thought Boise was heading to the WAC...?"

Yes, that is true...
For now...

SDSU is going into the Big East and Boise wants to bail into the Big West Conference now for everything except football since everyone is leaving the WAC and Boise doesn't want to hang around for the death sentence.

You've seen the Texas State story below. And now with the egress of Louisiana Tech and UTSA to Conference USA and the idea of Texas-Arlington moving to the Sun Belt to replace the Louisiana schools moving to the new ConfUSA, all that's left would be Idaho, New Mexico State, Denver, and Seattle.

And the last two don't have all the big money sports...

Got all that...???

Winners... The Mountain West, Conference USA, and Sun Belt groups- simply because they survived...