News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

11.14.04: Cancer-stricken USF basketball player to miss season ... College football weekend: stars & storylines ... More...

11.13.04: Herrion seals the deal with New Jersey prep target ... Tigers tune up for Pirates with win over USM ... More...

11.12.04: Cook, Badiane fuel ECU win in final preseason test ... Hard-luck Louisville big man lost for season ... More...

11.11.04: Spurrier signals desire for warm weather college job ... LeFors leads Louisville rout of Horned Frogs ... More...

11.10.04: Wednesday primetime preview: TCU at Louisville ... CIAA basketball lands national TV package ... More...

11.09.04: Frogs hopping backwards from BCS territory ... Utah slips in BCS poll despite latest big win ... More...

11.08.04: C-USA standings, scoreboard, schedule & TV ... Associated Press college football poll ... More...

11.07.04: Roundup: Bearcats shoot down Golden Eagles ... College football weekend: stars & storylines ... More...

11.06.04: USM poised to increase its dominance of C-USA ... Juggernaut Utah team downplays distractions ... More...

11.05.04: Pirates overpower Newberry in preseason warmup ... Cardinals gun down Memphis in wild shootout ... More...

11.04.04: Pirates poised to hit hardwood amidst news aplenty ... Primetime TV preview: Louisville at Memphis ... More...

11.03.04: Primetime TV preview: South Florida at UAB ... Almond back in the saddle for No. 21 Southern Miss ... More...

11.02.04: Army game once again the charm for ECU honors ... No. 25 Miners digging out of rut under Price ... Tar Heels savor first victory over Top 5 opponent ... More...

11.01.04: C-USA standings, scoreboard, schedule & TV ... Associated Press college football poll ... More...

                   C-USA      All
TEAM               W   L     W   L
Louisville         5   0     7   1
UAB                4   2     6   3
Southern Miss      4   2     5   3
Cincinnati         4   2     5   4
Memphis            3   3     6   3
South Florida      3   3     4   4
Houston            3   4     3   7
Tulane             2   4     4   5
Texas Christian    2   4     4   5
Army               2   5     2   7
East Carolina      2   5     2   7

SATURDAY, NOV. 13:
UAB 20, Houston 7
Tulane 45, Army 31
South Florida 41, East Carolina 17

SATURDAY, NOV. 20:
UAB at Army 1:00 PM
Memphis at East Carolina 2:00 PM
Southern Miss at Texas Christian 2:00 PM
South Florida at Cincinnati 3:30 PM
Louisville at Houston 4:00 PM

LARAMIE, WY — Utah endured a bitterly cold night and waited through a delay of 99 minutes caused by a brownout. At the end of it all, the Utes came out with a good shot at a spot in the Bowl Championship Series.

``They can think about it now,'' coach Urban Meyer said after the Utes clinched their second straight Mountain West Conference title.

Utah's 45-28 win over Wyoming, combined with Wisconsin's 49-14 loss to Michigan State, could move the Utes (10-0, 6-0) into the top six in the BCS standings when they are released Monday, strengthening the possibility of a berth in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Utes, after moving up two spots to No. 5 in the AP poll released Sunday, will finish their season at home next week against Brigham Young.

Utah is trying to become the first team from a non-BCS conference to earn a bid to one of the four big-money bowl games. A sixth-place finish in the BCS standings will guarantee the Utes a place in the BCS.

``There's still another big week of football for us and for the rest of the country, and for a lot of teams two more weeks,'' said Utah's Alex Smith, who passed for 244 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 105 yards and another score. ``There's still lots to happen, and I said this before, I think it will all take care of itself.''

As the past has shown, that's not always the case with the BCS. But the results yesterday certainly helped. And the impressive way the Utes have been winning is convincing some people that they belong in one of the big-money bowls.

``Absolutely. There's no question about it,'' Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said. ``That quarterback is special. Big guy, can run. The offensive line is awesome.''

Smith completed 17 of 27 passes as Utah scored on its opening five possessions. He has 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions on the season.

The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 14, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:

[Conference USA team, including future members, and Carolinas teams in bold. ECU opponents in red. Teams belonging to a conference with no guaranteed BCS bowl bid in italics.]

Record/(1st place votes)/Points/Previous
1. Southern Cal (51) (10-0) 1608 1
2. Auburn (6) (10-0) 1536 3
2. Oklahoma (8) (10-0) 1536 2
4. California (8-1) 1409 5
5. Utah (10-0) 1316 7
6. Texas (9-1) 1301 6
7. Michigan (9-1) 1279 9
8. Louisville (7-1) 1279 12
9. Wisconsin (9-1) 1012 4
10. Florida State (8-2) 1004 11
11. Georgia (8-2) 979 8
12. Miami (FL) (7-2) 834 18
13. Boise State (9-0) 797 14
14. Louisiana State (7-2) 786 17
15. Tennessee (7-2) 733 15
15. Virginia Tech (7-2) 733 16
17. Iowa State (5-4) 626 NR
17. Iowa (8-2) 626 19
18. Virginia (7-2) 541 10
19. Boston College (7-2) 490 21
20. Arizona State (8-2) 442 20
21. West Virginia (8-2) 330 13
22. Texas A&M (7-3) 274 22
23. Oklahoma State (7-3) 223 25
24. Texas-El Paso (7-2) 152 23

Others Receiving Votes: Bowling Green 42, Pittsburgh 31, Georgia Tech 21, Florida 11, Alabama 6, Purdue 5, Texas Tech 5, Toledo 5, UCLA 4, Southern Miss 2, Notre Dame 2, Fresno State 1, Michigan State 1, Navy 1, New Mexico 1.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.