NCAA Football FanHouse http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com NCAA Football FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif NCAA Football FanHouse http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Idaho Coach Speaks the Truthhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/idaho-coach-speaks-the-truth/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/idaho-coach-speaks-the-truth/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/idaho-coach-speaks-the-truth/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

There aren't a lot of more intriguing stories this season than Idaho. After years of being in the abyss of college football, known more for seasons of double-digit losses than anything positive, the once-proud FCS program that has struggled virtually since the start of its time in the Football Bowl Subdivision is bowl-eligible.

This weekend, the Vandals travel to play in-state rival Boise State, an opponent Idaho hasn't beaten since 1998. No one would argue that the Vandals have any pressure, as Boise State needs to win out in order to have a shot at a BCS bowl. Idaho coach Robb Akey is fully aware, and he talked about it Monday.

As reported by ESPN.com's Graham Watson on Twitter, Akey made it clear that he hopes his team can be the "bad guy" this weekend, costing his conference (and school) a big bag of money.
"I want to be the least popular individual with all the WAC administrators ... If we take care of business, there will be no BCS bowl for the Boise State and no BCS money coming to the conference."
You have to love Akey's candor. His team has been a blowout victim over and over again in the last decade. The only time they were even remotely competitive was when former coach Dennis Erickson returned for a one-year stint after he got fired from another NFL job. He left, and things went quickly south as Akey tried to get the program on stronger footing.
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Just 3-21 over his first two years, Akey has guided Idaho to a 7-3 start, including 4-1 at the Kibbie Dome, an old indoor facility in Moscow where the Vandals hadn't won more than twice in a single season since 2000.

With that as a background, Akey sees a chance to help gain visibility for his program this weekend. Boise State isn't just another game on Idaho's schedule. They're an in-state opponent, the only one the Vandals play on a regular basis (Idaho State is a Football Championship Subdivision program that sporadically shows up). More than that, Boise State is the benchmark by which the rest of the WAC is measured right now.

If Idaho can find a way to even keep it close on the smurf turf Saturday afternoon, Akey will have really accomplished something. And if his comments about ruining Boise State's BCS chances help fire his team up towards that goal, it was well worth saying on Akey's part.

When you are talking about coaches' dealings with the media, it's rarely a good idea to get on a guy for telling the truth. That's all Robb Akey has done here.

Idaho Coach Speaks the Truth originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>robb akeyBruce CiskieMon, 09 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST How Much Punishment for a Punch? In College Football, No One Knowshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/13/how-much-punishment-for-a-punch-in-college-football-no-one-kno/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/13/how-much-punishment-for-a-punch-in-college-football-no-one-kno/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/13/how-much-punishment-for-a-punch-in-college-football-no-one-kno/#commentsFiled under:

Three players. Three punches. Three very different punishments.

On Saturday, Idaho linebacker Tre'Shawn Robinson was ejected for throwing a punch in a game against San Jose State. On Monday, Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson responded by reprimanding Robinson and warning that any future problems could result in a one-game suspension.

That's it? A reprimand and a warning that another punch could result in a one-game suspension? LeGarrette Blount would like to know why he didn't get off that easily.

Blount, as you'll recall, is the Oregon running back who was suspended for the entire season because he punched Boise State player Byron Hout after the season opener. Oregon has since backtracked and said Blount might be permitted to play late in the year, but he'll have missed, at minimum, half the season for his punch.

In between Robinson's reprimand and Blount's banishment was Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton, who was suspended for one game after he punched a Notre Dame player last month.

So if you're a college football player and you punch an opponent, you can get reprimanded, or you can get suspended for a game, or you can get suspended for a season, depending on the whims of your coach and your conference commissioner.

I understand that there were different extenuating circumstances in the three different cases, but these very different punishments send the wrong message about how on-field misconduct will be handled. College football would be better off if the NCAA meted out punishment in such cases, and meted out punishment with some consistency.

How Much Punishment for a Punch? In College Football, No One Knows originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Michael David SmithTue, 13 Oct 2009 10:20:00 EST Idaho Cheerleaders' Uniforms Too Provocativehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/09/24/idaho-cheerleaders-uniforms-too-provocative/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/09/24/idaho-cheerleaders-uniforms-too-provocative/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/09/24/idaho-cheerleaders-uniforms-too-provocative/#commentsFiled under: ,

Upon hearing that Idaho has deemed its cheerleading uniforms too revealing one might ask "but isn't that what they're FOR?" And the answer, of course, is yes, that is what they're for. Nevertheless, the Idaho spirit squad will be replacing their $4,200 uniforms (I hope that's not each) on account of some complaints that they showed off a little too much skin.

Now, in the spirit of being fully informed, I did take a look at some pictures of the Idaho cheerleaders in uniform (there are a few at the above link) and I'm not sure I see what the big deal is. The skirt is a little short, yes, but if you're going to be flipping around all the time, isn't the length of the skirt somewhat irrelevant?

What, exactly, is gained by getting all puritanical on the length of the skirts?

Quoth the Idaho dean of students: "A number of fans were concerned that the uniforms were inappropriate. To be fair, there were a number of fans who liked them." I'd love to see what those two numbers were. My guess is the latter was significantly larger than the former.

Idaho Cheerleaders' Uniforms Too Provocative originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Pete HolidayWed, 24 Sep 2008 14:41:00 EST