Did Bronco really just say "I don't think it matters" in reference to weather? Is he serious? I'm a big fan of BYU and Bronco and am guilty of drinking the blue kool aid from time to time but not on this one. He's crazy if he really believes that weather doesn't matter when it comes to football or any sport for that matter.

New Mexico always plays tough against the Cougars, I wouldn't be surprised to see one of their better games of the season.

As is always the case in football, it comes down to who controls the line of scrimage. I believe the Cougars are dominant enough there to secure the win, but don't be surprised if New Mexico hangs close for most of the game.

Cougars by 10.

Could be. Probably because both teams might be playing under the same weather conditions. Ya' think?

enough said

The weather doesn't matter because both teams have to play in the same weather. If the weather mattered they would postpone the game like they do for wussy sports like baseball and golf.

To McKay: That goes double for players trying to hold on to a wet football.

RE: Strength of Schedule. ESPN's bottom ten for this week lists four teams on BYU's schedule and two more teams that those four teams have played. We will never gain any respect if we continue to schedule weak out-of-conference teams. Some argue that they were better teams when we scheduled them. The solution is to quit scheduling teams that will only be good until their coach leaves for a better job. Play a team from the SEC, Big-12, Big-10 or PAC-10 (i.e. USC) that has a winning tradition, ...even if we always have to go to their place. ... and drop USU when you make the change.

Both teams have the same advantages/disadvantages with weather. I'm sure Bronco didn't mean BYU wouldn't have to make some adjustments for weather, just that whatever the weather, New Mexico would have to deal with the same problems.

Good teams are able to make adjustments on the fly during the heat of the game to account for what the other team is doing offensively/defensively; dealing with adverse weather conditions is no different.

Of course weather matters but I think Bronco's point is it really doesn't matter since it affects both teams equally. I don't think you game plan any differently just because rain is in the forcast.

It's only going to be raining a little and a bit cool. He probably realized that and figured at this point in the season weather wont play a huge role.

Doesn't matter in your preparation I can swallow.

Vegas likes BYU by 23 for good reason! BYU by 10 in the first 5 minutes!

I think what Coach Mendenhall is saying is that he focuses on things that he can control, not on things that he has no control over.

"We will never gain any respect"

Sorry to rain on your gloomy forecast, but, BYU has already gained respect:

240 Coaches, Sportswriters, and Sportscasters have already recognized BYU as a Top 10 team this year in the AP, Coaches and Harris polls.

Take a look at the teams on the bottom 10 that have played BYU. Look to see if they were there prior to playing the Y. With the exception of Utah State, none of them were on it prior to playing BYU.

Two Mt West teams in the top 15 does signify respect. BYU and Utah are the only non BCS teams ranked as high. The Mt West will never be a BCS conference, regardless of who the teams play in the off season. The first chance that BYU or Utah has to join a BCS conference, they need to bolt.

Brandon Bradley is a class act (trying to stay on topic).

SOS,

Go check the 20 year records of Washington and UCLA. I think you will find that both have fairly strong Football Traditions with National Championships, PAC-10 Championships, NFL Players, etc... In fact, I would argue that behind USC (and this has really only been the last five years), UCLA and Washington are the TRADITIONAL PAC-10 Powerhouses.

Scheduling away games with SEC, BIG-10, etc... with no Home reciprocity is not a good strategy. Besides, those conferences are only interested in FCS teams for OOC games (check the record).

Until a playoff is established BYU must play the game as it is defined. They are doing that this year and if they win out they WILL play in a BCS Bowl. There is an outside chance to play in the BCS Championship if the stars align (I don't think so). What more can we hope for?

BKB

Did Nixon really say he was "super excited?"

If only it were that simple: call up a team and say let's play and boom it's done. Most SEC teams, if not all, will NOT play a home and home against BYU. Did you notice that when Georgia played AZ ST. it was the FIRST time they had played a regular season game that far west! Scheduling teams is a complicated thing, everyone makes it sound so simple, it takes TWO to tango! IF you can't count on UCLA and WASHINGTON to be good who can you count on? For example next year we play Florida St. and guess what they might NOT even be ranked, Florida Freakin State isn't even gonna get the job done, I am so tired of SOS BS, this is college football not the NFL.

well the weather is a HUGE problem if it limits our pasing game and we have to rely on our running backs. That is a recipe for disaster. Our backs our average at best. Why can't we recruit a stellar RB??? Harvey is okay but not as good as he was last year.

Seriously? I'm not all worked up over this, so I don't really feel the need to simmer down. I do realize that both teams have to play under the same conditions, however weather can affect one team more than the other. For instance, if one team is a smash mouth team and they just run the ball, the weather may not impact them as much, but if you have a team that likes to throw the ball and it's offense depends on running good routes and timing patterns, rain or snow could have a larger impact on that team. Perfect example of that was the 2003 game against the U, any sane BYU fan knows that the weather on that particular day played a bigger factor in holding the utes to 3 points than our defense did.

I'm a BYU fan South-Western Wyoming where we play football (high-school) whatever the weather is. As long as both teams show up they're going to play the game; even if there's a foot of snow on the field.
I'm sure BYU will be able to handle it, it's just rain!
Whatever the they have to endure, New Mexico will have to do likewise.
Go Cougars!

SOS won't matter for BYU by the end of the season. If BYU walks through the MWC like it has the last two years then it will beat every team in a conference that went 6-1 against the pac-10. Even though the pac-10 is in a down year, as wins pile up against themselves it strengthens the MWC and BYU's SOS. People keep yapping about how Utah has a higher computer ranking, but that will only help BYU when they beat the U. Assuming, on the other hand, that BYU loses a game then SOS won't matter anyway. The fact that the teams BYU has beat are not that good doesn't mean BYU isn't a great team, they're just somewhat unproven. But that all changes over the next six weeks. Although, with all the returning starters on offense there's no reason last year's accomplishments shouldn't be considered which explains the high early ranking which will stand until proven wrong.

A player's speed in the 40 doesn't really tell you how fast he is in a game. His vertical jump may only reveal he is out of shape. And even the intelligence test may have little to do with innate instincts that make him a virtual genius on the field.

Still, there is value in this process, if you know how to utilize the results.

The key thing to remember is that functionality is the most important evaluation of a player's ability to perform. No matter how fast he runs, how high he jumps or how well he scores on a test, his value can only be related to how functional he is on the field. And that is often something that cannot be precisely measured anyplace...

Many people may be surprised to find out that the most important test is not one that has a precise mark, but rather one that is evaluated with a great deal of subjectivity.

That test is the personal interview. It seems ironic that, after going through all these intricate procedures, we often reach our final judgment on a player based on a good, old fashioned face to face discussion.

It seems to me that Bronco is not very bright. Since when does a coach ignore the weather? Isn't it supposed to be blizzard conditions in provo this weekend? He needs to wake up!!!

When he's on the field he is the best player on the field.

First of all Doctor Doctor, unga at average, i would like you to maybe watch some of the film of him tanking over opponents. Then take a hit from fui. And after living in Alb. they see this game as a huge game and their "Rival game" i expect to see a great game on both sides of the ball.

Since this seems to be the forum for seemingly unrelated comments about the NFL combine, weather, the price of tea in China and any amount of other silly comments that have little or nothing to do with the article in question, I'd like to share my thoughts about the use of dollar coins. Though more durable they are a poor substitute for the old fashioned dollar bills. Aside from collecting them they are not widely used for transactions for several reasons, not the least of which is if you use them the cashier looks at you like your trying to pass off foreign currency. Another reason for not using them is that they are sometimes confused for quarters since the are only slightly larger than the $.25 coin. This I believe is largely symbolic of the depreciated purchasing power of U.S. currency. Remember when you could buy a candy bar for a quarter? If you've made it this far in this comment you are truly bored and need to find something better to do with your time. For that matter so do I.

All anyone wants to talk about is the weather? This article was about Brandon Bradley. It's about time he got more playing time. I think he'll be BYU's best DB by the end of the season. He's looking better and better. I'm glad he'll be here for another two years after this season!