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News Nuggets, 11.18.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

No separate divisions planned for future Big East

PROVIDENCE — The Big East will be one 16-team division in 2005-06 and only 12 schools will participate in the postseason basketball tournament.

The league announced the new structure earlier this week and it takes affect following the addition in 2005 of five schools from Conference USA and Boston College's departure for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Miami and Virginia Tech left for the ACC this academic year, leaving the Big East with 12 schools.

Louisville, Cincinnati, DePaul, Marquette and South Florida make the move from Conference USA to make it 16 schools.

The schools will still play a 16-game regular-season schedule with 13 opponents and three repeat matchups. The league office will decide the repeat matchups and it will be based on television, rivalries and geography.

Only 12 schools will advance to the annual postseason tournament at Madison Square Garden, the same as the current setup.

``The bottom line is we want to help our best teams prepare for success in the NCAA tournament,'' commissioner Mike Tranghese said. ``If we expanded our tournament field to 16 teams, there would be no byes — or rewards — for what's going to be an exciting, but grueling regular season.''

Many within the league were apprehensive about the size of the new conference.

``I know some coaches have expressed concern, that with a 16-team league, the NCAA Basketball Committee may be reluctant to invite a large number of at-large teams from one conference,'' Tranghese said. ``As a former chair of that committee, I know it is their charge to choose the most deserving teams to the tournament. I'm confident that the size of our conference will not hurt our chances in any way when it comes time for NCAA tournament selection.''

The only other conference to have 16 members was the Western Athletic Conference from 1996-98. The biggest current league is Conference USA with 14 members.

The Big East has had the last two national champions — Syracuse and Connecticut.

Old nemesis stands in Utes' path to BCS bid

The chance to beat Brigham Young always gets Utah fired up to play.

With a possible opportunity to achieve a Bowl Championship Series first, however, bragging rights over their archrivals won't be the Utes' main motivation Saturday night.

The fifth-ranked Utes (10-0, 6-0 Mountain West) look to complete a perfect regular season and earn what they hope will be a guaranteed BCS spot when they host the Cougars (5-5, 4-2).

Utah is on the verge of completing an unlikely march to a BCS bowl, which would mark the first time a school from outside the six major conferences has appeared in a BCS game since the format began six years ago.

The champions from the Big East, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10 and Southeastern Conference automatically earn berths in the four BCS games. Because its strength of schedule is considerably weaker than that of teams from those conferences, Utah had to go unbeaten to even have a chance of earning one of the final two berths.

A win over BYU would complete that requirement, and previously undefeated Wisconsin provided the Utes with some help Saturday when it lost 49-14 to Michigan State and fell from No. 5 in the BCS to 13th. If the Badgers had won, the Utes would have needed some help to get back in the BCS picture.

Instead, Utah was No. 6 in Monday's BCS standings, exactly where the Utes want to be when the final results are released next month. That would assure them of a spot in the Fiesta, Rose, Sugar or Orange Bowl.

``I'd play in any one of those. It wouldn't matter at all. Absolutely not,'' Utah quarterback Alex Smith said.

First, the Utes need to remain focused and take care of business against BYU, a fact not lost on Smith.

``We're one game closer and I think that pretty much affirmed that if we do win out, we will get in. But obviously there's still that `if.' We have to win this game. It's a huge game,'' he said.

That shouldn't be a problem if Smith, a Heisman Trophy contender, continues to play as he has all season. Utah hasn't scored less than 46 points in its last five games, and scored 63 in each of its last two home games.

Smith moved his team a step closer to BCS history Saturday, passing for 244 yards and three touchdowns and running for a game-high 105 yards and another TD as Utah scored on its first five possessions in a 45-28 victory at Wyoming. Smith, who completed 17 of 27 passes, has 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions on the season.

Steve Savoy had a 15-yard run that put Utah up 38-7 and a 10-yard TD among his six receptions as the Utes, who have already clinched their second straight outright MWC championship, racked up 488 yards of offense.

An upset of Utah would ruin the Utes' dream season as well as make BYU eligible for a bowl, but the Cougars face a tall order Saturday in trying to avoid a third straight losing season. BYU, which had won three in a row before a 21-14 loss to New Mexico last week, is 16-34-1 in Salt Lake City and last won at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2000.

BYU's John Beck was 22-for-37 for 247 yards, with one touchdown and an interception against New Mexico, but was sacked seven times.

Utah won the last meeting with BYU 3-0 in cold, snowy conditions at Provo last Nov. 22, clinching its first outright conference championship since 1957 and becoming the first team to shut out the Cougars in 28 years. The Utes will be trying for their third straight win in the series.

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.

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