Last night the ACC President's met and it was expected that Cal and Stanford's entry to the ACC would be voted upon, but it hit some big road blocks from reports. Evidently the one school that IS pushing for Cal and Stanford is Notre Dame as they have had a history with Stanford. From reports 5 of the league president's balked at letting these two schools in and a vote was not even taken. The key issue is that the ACC is monetarily behind the SEC and Big 12 and the gap is growing if it is doing anything. Adding Cal and Stanford would not help the financial situation, and if it did anything it would already divide up a pie that is not big enough for a number of schools. So the ACC president's are more interested in finding income streams than getting their revenue system divided up even more. Some of the school president's are not all that thrilled with Notre Dame, as even though they are a voting member of the ACC, they have every sport with the ACC except football, and this apparently rankles some school president's, so Notre Dame's name doesn't carry as much weight as they had hoped. My take is that this is a deal that has died.

So what now for Cal and Stanford? Good question. I have the feeling that Stanford would rather become eunuchs than join Fresno State and Boise State in the MWC. I still feel the most likely place for Stanford is as an independent for a few years and then see what happens. About Cal? Good question. There has been some talk about these (Stanford and Cal) joining the AAC, but there are major road blocks there as well.

I still think that Wazzu and Oregon State will be joining the MWC conference. I am thinking that there will be an agreement between Wazzu and Oregon State and the MWC that will be arrived at one of these days that will be something like, "Both schools have made application to become members of the MWC conference and they were accepted." The actual documents will be signed down the road, but the initial agreement will allow things to get started in the change over. I was under the impression that both Wazzu and Oregon State had made approaches to the Big 12 but there was no interest on the Big 12's part to invite them. There is absolutely no interest from the Big 10 or the ACC. The AAC does not appear to be a good fit for a number of reasons. There was a report that Wazzu and Oregon State were waiting to see what happens with Cal and Stanford before they move, and that appears to be solved except for what happens with Cal. I have read that there are some legal issue within the conference that need to be clarified, and as soon as the two schools (and maybe Cal) are comfortable enough with their positions then most likely negotiations with the MWC will take place. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that talks have already began but nothing is being put out as yet, as things are happening, but it is all behind closed doors.

From Draft Kings:


The Beavers could make a silk purse out of a sow's ear if they play going to the MWC right.

Linder still working to piece the schedule together.

Laramie, Wyo. (Aug. 9, 2023) -- As the Wyoming Cowboys concluded Wednesday’s practice on the North 40 practice fields it was evident that the defensive line unit continued to shine in practice as they were able to put pressure on Wyoming quarterbacks repeatedly. But with the returning talent on the defensive line, that is not that surprising. The Cowboys, in fact, may have one of the best returning defensive line units in the entire Mountain West Conference.



“I talked to Joe Tripodi (offensive line coach) and Tim Polasek (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) yesterday about that,” said Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl. “Within in our conference, our front, particularly our tackles, feature three bona fide players (Cole Godbout, Jordan Bertagnole and Gavin Meyer) who have stood up and gone toe-to-toe with whoever they’ve faced. That brings out the best in you when you have to go up against those type guys everyday in practice. And as coaches we have to look and see where we’re making progress (on the offensive line) when considering the dynamics of who they’re going up against.



“I’m seeing some positive signs. I think our offensive line is continuing to make progress. A guy who is emerging is Luke Sandy, who is from Colorado and who has not played a lot, but he is pressing himself into a position where he may be our sixth (offensive lineman), could be our fifth. Ideally, you want to have eight offensive linemen. To say we have eight that we feel completely good about right now would be less than honest. But Luke is making progress and there is a real battle with he and Wes King.



“I also want to say that I’m really pleased with how our guys are practicing. There has been intense competition, but there hasn’t been the extracurricular activity that ends up in a fight. Some people think that is macho but it really has nothing to do with football teams getting better. I’ve been around a lot of really good football teams and most of the time if guys are able to practice hard against one another every play that is what makes them better.”



Leading the offensive line group this season are sixth-year offensive tackle Frank Crum and junior center Nofoafia Tulafono, who both have extensive starting experience. After those two veterans, however, are a group of much younger players. On the right side of the offensive line are sophomore guard Jack Walsh and sophomore right tackle Caden Barnett. At left guard is redshirt freshman King and redshirt freshman Sandy.



Frank Crum is an Example of Wyoming’s Ability to Develop Players

Wyoming’s sixth year offensive tackle Crum is one of the shining examples of how the Cowboy Football program has been able to develop players through the years. Crum grew up in Laramie and played football and basketball at Laramie High School. His father, Gary Crum, was an All-Conference offensive lineman at Wyoming in 1981. When Frank was coming out of high school, he was trying to decide between pursuing a college football career or a college basketball career.



“Frank was a guy who was going to be a basketball player,” said Bohl. “He had some good size and played here at Laramie High. He, I and his dad had a really firm conversation up in my office. I told him we were going to offer him, and I wanted him to think about that because there would be no quitting and that he was going to have to work extremely hard. I also told him we were rolling the dice a little bit on whether he was going to take ownership to get bigger and stronger, and he’s done all that. His recruitment was certainly more art than science. He took ownership of his development, and he represents this state well. He’s on everybody’s NFL draft board right now and he’s having a good fall camp. What’s really encouraging is he’s concerned about the Cowboys and not all the other stuff. It was a little bit of a reach -- but a good decision.”



Running Back Updates

Bohl shared with media that there was a potential significant injury suffered in Wednesday’s practice to junior running back Dawaiian McNeely.



“I’m concerned about Dawaiian (McNeely),” said Bohl. “He did not finish practice. We’re looking at a potential knee injury, and we’re looking at getting an MRI. We have a great partnership with Premier (Bone and Joint) and hopefully we’ll get some information on Dawaiian soon. I feel for him. He’s gone through so many injuries. Obviously, we wouldn’t be pulling an MRI as soon as possible if we weren’t concerned by some of the initial indicators.



“Harrison Waylee (junior running back) is making really good progress, and we’re encouraged about that. He is not practicing yet, but he is out running now. D.Q. (James, sophomore running back) is making progress. He’s been cleared and we’re giving him some repetitions now. We’ll continue to monitor how many reps we give him. I also think Jamari (Ferrell, junior running back) is doing some really good things, along with Sam Scott (sophomore running back).”



On a Positive Note

There was one positive injury update provided by Bohl on Wednesday regarding sophomore defensive end Sabastian Harsh. “We do expect Sabastian Harsh back by the start of the season,” said Bohl. “He had a wire put in his knee (in a previous surgery) and unfortunately that broke. I don’t want to say it was a cosmetic procedure that was done today, but we anticipate that (injury) is not going to be something that is going to hold him back.”



Coach Bohl’s Thoughts on Statement Made Earlier on Wednesday by the Mountain West Conference Regarding Conference Realignment and Potential Expansion

“A lot of those things are outside of my pay grade, however, as 12 football coaches in our little world there is a great deal of unity there,” said Bohl. “I would like to applaud our commissioner (Gloria Nevarez). I think she is really savvy and has a good pulse on what is happening. Also, I want to give a big shout out to Craig Thompson (former Mountain West Commissioner). There was a lot of foresight that he had as far as maintaining this league through all the tumultuous times. We have one commissioner who has exited who is still having an impact and I think our current commissioner along with Bret Gilliland (MW Deputy Commissioner) gives us really solid leadership down in Colorado Springs (at the league office). I do think we have a unified league. I think we’re well positioned with really good leadership, really good coaches and really good institutions.”



Next Practice

The Cowboys will practice in Spiders on Thursday morning in War Memorial Stadium.



Tickets to the 2023 Season

Fans interested in purchasing tickets to the 2023 Wyoming Football season may: go online at www.GoWyo.com/tickets; email tickets@uwyo.edu; call the UW Athletics Ticket Office at (307) 766-7220; or stop by the ticket office on the west side of UW’s Arena-Auditorium. Season tickets start as low as $170 and single-game tickets start as low as $20 for adults.

The Good news...............I feel we are at a point that a little bit of good news will help us all. I don't know how much people knew but Sebastian Harsh DE, who Bohl and other coaches have raved about was of course lost last year. He went into this years Fall Practice and then last week he experienced pain in the knee that he hurt last year. Bohl did say that he didn't think it would stop Sebastian, and it was reported that a wire that they put in that knee last year had broken. So it was minor surgery today and Harsh will be back and we should finally see that young man play for the Brown and Gold!

Also in the article Bohl spoke about the RB position after McNeely's injury. Man-O-Man I feel for McNeely, he has battled some health issues. Get well soon young man. But Bohl did mentioned that D.Q. James was cleared to practice last week after his ACL tear last year. I would imagine that he will be a little rusty, but at least it is going in the right direction for him. Bohl mentioned acouple of RB's that he felt could help the Pokes, and these two players are ......................................

Jamari Ferrell and Sam Scott....

It looks like the addition of Jamari Ferrell this summer was pretty fortuitus.

Now for the normal news....... Per Cody's report here is what Bohl had to say about the QB position today. * Wyoming's quarterbacks were under duress Wednesday. That is very much on purpose. The verdict? Not great. "I'll watch the tape, but I think it was a little bit of less-than-competency to where we need to be, but that's how you're going to get there." Take it for what its worth.

Go Pokes!!!

in women's soccer

More than a little discussion on the interwebs this afternoon about a possible AAC/PAC 4 merger.

The current AAC deal pays schools about $7 million/year.

I know this would make no sense regionally or competitively, but common sense is completely out the window as university administrators prostitute themselves to the highest bidders.

If this comes to pass, it probably works out fine for the MW as the status quo would likely be preserved for another year... At least until the exit fee goes back down to $17 million in 2025.

To discuss conference membership.

Linebacker from Lincoln, Nebraska has committed to Wyoming football.

Mountain West schools are "united" to keep league together and idea was dead on arrival with a combo of G5 schools from P12, MW, and AAC. An inside TV source said the combo doesn't make sense regarding money payout and ESPN and Fox … have already spent their money.

Hirta and Cup, were right, there was a "Judas Iscariot" inside the MW.

Let’s say things work out and in 2025 Wyoming is playing in a new Pac 12. What once seemed impossible now appears likely.

Terrific! Now what?

Oregon State spent $22 million on football a year ago.

Washington State spent $23 million on football.

Boise’s football budget is about $15 million. SDSU has been trying to get ready for a step up, so they spent about $17 million on football.

Wyoming? We spend about $12 million on football against a $39 million annual athletics budget.

You don’t even want to know the numbers on the overall athletics budgets. OSU’s annual overall budget is almost exactly double Wyoming. WSU spends about $68 million on athletics.

Budget isn’t everything. And I remember well when our basketball team rolled into Corvallis in 2020 and won. I’m not saying we won’t or can’t be competitive now and then.

But let’s not kid ourselves about what is happening here. If we pull off this merger, we may have dodged the planet killing comet, but only at the expense of layering more competitive teams over the top of us.

I’m glad our conference is surviving in some form and that it looks like we’ll still have traditional rivalry games with CSU and AFA. But it also feels like this is our last dodged bullet. Whenever the next big round of alignment comes, and it will come, we may find it hard to get lucky twice.

Wyoming has spent more than a BILLION dollars on facilities at UW since 2020. It’s not that we can’t provide the budget to be competitive nationally in athletics. It’s that we’ve chosen not to.

Tight end prospect from Kerkhoven (Minn.). 2024 class.

Laramie, Wyo. (Aug. 7, 2023) -- As the Wyoming Cowboy football team wrapped up its fifth practice of the fall on Monday morning, the first thing that head coach Craig Bohl mentioned to media in his post-practice press conference was the high level of competition he has seen from his team this fall.



“We are making good progress and I think are players are doing a good job of competing against one another,” said Bohl. “I thought our defense was really moving around well today. We started out practice with some pass-under-pressure situations and I thought our defense was really pressing the quarterback.



Bohl did have one injury update on Monday. “We are staying fairly healthy, but Sabastian Harsh -- they’re going to remove some of the wire in his knee and he hasn’t been practicing lately. We are anticipating him being back though.”



Bohl has mentioned the interior defensive line as a strength on this year’s Cowboy defense, with three talented returners back in starting nose tackle Cole Godbout, starting defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole and key contributor Gavin Meyer. When asked about some of the other Cowboys competing for playing time at those sports, specifically Caleb Robinson and Ben Florentine, Bohl responded, “It is good competition right now between those guys. Ben is probably a little bit ahead, but nothing brings out the best in someone like competition. Caleb had a car accident this summer that put him behind with his conditioning, and he’s just starting to catch up. Oscar (Giles, defensive tackle coach) is continuing to look at that. That is one thing that has been helpful for us is we’ve been able to develop more depth.”



Sophomore Caden Barnett is being looked to fill the right tackle position on the Cowboy offense this fall. Barnett saw his first game action as a redshirt freshman in 2022, playing in all 13 games for the Pokes and starting at right tackle for an injured Frank Crum in the win over Air Force. With Crum moving from right tackle to left tackle for this coming season, Barnett is now the heir apparent on the right side.



“He (Caden Barnett) is a really intense guy and he practices really hard,” said Bohl. “Football is important to him. He continues to improve.”



Another key returner on the offensive side of the ball is wide receiver Wyatt Wieland, who is entering his sixth year in the Wyoming Football program. Wieland is the Cowboys’ leading returning receiver in terms of catches. He caught 23 passes last season. His 299 yards is second best among all Cowboy returners -- second only to tight end Treyton Welch’s 308 yards a year ago.



“Wyatt (Wieland) has been really valuable,” said Bohl. “He’s continued to grow and mature. He’s a six-year guy. He’s one of our fastest players and he is very, very competent.”



Another member of the receiving corps that the Cowboy coaching staff is looking forward to seeing develop is tight end John Michael Gyllenborg. The now sophomore had an outstanding spring practice and because of his skill set is projected to be much more involved in the offense this coming season.



“He (Gyllenborg) just came back to practice,” said Bohl. “He was violently sick with a stomach virus. He is a player who is able to stretch the field. He has really good hands, moves well, is a weapon in the passing game and is a capable blocker.”



In the Cowboy secondary, a player who the Cowboy defensive coaches are happy to see back healthy is sophomore Buck Coors. He missed the first eight games of the ‘22 season due to injury, but returned to appear in Wyoming’s final five games. Coors was moved from nickel back to safety during 2023 spring practice.



“He’s (Coors) doing well. There are some things we can continue to look at whether we play him at nickel or safety,” said Bohl. “Last fall, he was emerging and was on a fast track and then he got hurt. I know Coach (Jay) Sawvel is real excited about him and we’re taking a hard look at integrating him.”



Veteran Cowboys Have a Sense of Urgency About Performing Well in Their Final Season

There are a number of players on the 2023 Wyoming roster who have been part of the football program for five and six years, and some of those players, like sixth year offensive tackle Crum, have talked about the sense of urgency they feel now that they are nearing the end of their college careers. Bohl was asked if he saw that sense of urgency in his veteran players.



“I think all those guys have that sense of urgency,” said Bohl. “As you get to the tail end of your career, as Frank (Crum) was recognizing, this is it. There is no option. This is my last year. You’re seeing that with some other guys like Andrew (Peasley, quarterback) and Wyatt (Wieland).



“It’s been my experience that when you have special years, your oldest, most experienced players have their best years. When you underachieve, it’s typically because those guys are kind of off the mark. Thus far the needle is pointing up with this year’s group.”



Freshmen Making the Adjustment to College Football

The Cowboy coaching staff was very pleased to bring in a large group of freshmen scholarship and walk-on players in this year’s recruiting class. Bohl was asked how he felt his freshman class was adjusting through the first five practices.



“I think that whole group is a deep group,” said Bohl. “There is good length, size, speed and focus in this class. I think the future really looks bright for a lot of those guys for a long, long time. I think they’ve really messed in well and we’re well pleased.”



Next Practice

The Cowboys will practice for the first time this fall in full pads on Tuesday morning at the North 40 practice fields.



Tickets to the 2023 Season

Fans interested in purchasing tickets to the 2023 Wyoming Football season may: go online at www.GoWyo.com/tickets; email tickets@uwyo.edu; call the UW Athletics Ticket Office at (307) 766-7220; or stop by the ticket office on the west side of UW’s Arena-Auditorium. Season tickets start as low as $170 and single-game tickets start as low as $20 for adults.

Today they put out a short interview between Kevin and Bohl. Many of the comments were "coaches speak", so I am not going to get wound up about that. At the end of the interview Kevin asked about the QB's? I love it when Bohl starts off his response with, "It is somewhat of a mixed bag..."

Can the guy ever find a QB that can throw AJ (AJ = After Josh)? Considering that Wyoming didn't recruit Josh, he just fell into their lap, it sure does tell you a lot about Bohl and his Achillies heal, the QB position. Bohl would be a much better coach if they had never designed the forward pass! If all the QB had to do was hand the ball off, we would be in great shape.

PAC Commissioner has reached out to MWC Commish. I believe this is it where it will end up for now.

I think this writer nailed it down well. Especially, regarding a P4 mouth piece reporter and his tactics as a source. What I assumed about him before I read the article.

Gillette is hosting the regional tournament and as such gets their team into the tournament. Cheyenne won the auto bid for Wyoming, winning the state tournament last week. Well here we are, Washington team is out, Idaho team is out, Colorado team is out, Oregon team is out, Arkansas team is out (I don't understand Ark) and Montana team is out.

Yissiree, Cheyenne and Gillette are playing in the championship game in an hour for the bid to the National Tournament. Not sure what either team has left in the bullpen.