An interesting development...

Ever since the bowl announcements were made, all of the “experts” have been saying that Utah wouldn’t stand much chance against Alabama. One of their main arguments was that Utah’s offensive and defensive lines are much smaller than Alabama’s. Alabama has two first-team All Americans on their offensive line, which provides plenty of time for quarterback John Parker Wilson to make his reads and deliver the ball. They also open up big holes for runningback Glen Coffee to run through. The offensive line plays a huge part in the success of Alabama’s offense.

Well, things just got a little less lop-sided.

All-American left tackle Andre Smith was sent home from New Orleans yesterday and suspended from playing in the Sugar Bowl because of a violation of team rules. He would have gone up against Paul Kruger, the sophomore defensive end who lit up offenses all season. Instead, he’ll be watching the game on Fox Sports like the rest of us.

I have mixed feelings about this. Obviously I’ll gladly take anything that gives the Utes the slightest advantage in this game. Kruger has been preparing for nearly a month to take on Andre Smith. I have to think that all his preparation will be enough to completely overwhelm whoever fills in for Smith. But I can already hear it. Imagine Kruger gets 5 sacks and a handful of tackles for loss. We won’t hear anything about what a great player he is. All we will hear is that Alabama suffered because their star left tackle was out of the game. If Utah wins, the same excuses will be made. So this suspension really cheapens a Utah victory.

Now, that said, a win here would still be a HUGE milestone for the Utah football program. And just because Andre Smith is out, that doesn’t make this an easy victory by any means. It will require a near-flawless performance for Utah to win the game.

Dear Kevin O'Connor :

It has become abundantly clear that the Jazz do not need Carlos Boozer. He is nothing more than a sponge, soaking up more than his share of salary cap space. Over the last 15 games, we have seen Paul Millsap step into the starting role, and he has proven he is ready. No one on the team works harder than Millsap. It would be foolish to let Millsap go in order to keep Boozer around.

Since the Jazz have opted out of Morris Almond's contract at the end of the season, I propose the following trade:

(Screenshot via ESPN Trade Machine)

I have come to realize that what the Jazz lack is a defensive presence in the paint. Millsap is doing a good job, but his size limits his effectiveness against some of the league's premiere centers (O'Neal, Gasol, etc.). Bosh could be the answer. I think this trade equally benefits both teams, and will give the Jazz the spark they need to make a run at the championship.

Sincerely,
Me

Sugar Bowl, here we come!

The BCS Bowls were announced yesterday, and there were no surprises. Utah landed a bid against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Allstate Sugarbowl! The game will be played on January 2nd at the New Orleans Superdome.

This is absolutely the biggest game in Utah football history – yes, even bigger than the ’04 Fiesta Bowl. Alabama is an extremely good team this year. Had they won on Saturday against Florida, they would be playing Oklahoma for the National Title. Their defense is ranked 3rd in the nation. They are fast, and they are HUGE! Their nose tackle, Terrence Cody, is a giant at 6’ 5”, 365 LBS. He is scary. This will be a very tough test for the Utes.

That said, I believe in this team, and I believe in our coaches. I think that we have a very good chance in this game. We’ve seen how explosive our offense can be, and we’ve seen how stingy our defense can be. Kyle has almost a month to get our boys ready (though I'm sure they've been watching Alabama film for a while now, since it was the likeliest scenario) , and I think he’s up for the job.

Roll tide! Roll over and die! Go UTES!!!