Cheers for USU, TCU; jeers for BCS money

Scattershooting around college football while congratulating Brent Guy and the Aggies for knocking off Hawaii after what should have been a win over Fresno State, and wondering if Sarah Palin could outdraw UNLV in Sam Boyd Stadium.

THUMBS UP: The Aggies for crunching the Warriors; Utah and BYU for refusing to fold on the road and TCU for continued dominance since leaving Norman, Okla., last month. Kudos to Texas Tech coach Mike Leach for the win over No. 1 Texas. Lubbock hasn't been this delirious since Super Walmart came.

THUMBS DOWN:This is what BCS money can do. Tennessee will fire coach Phillip Fulmer for a decade of losing and they'll buy him out for $6 million. His staff is under contract for another $3.5 million and the school is liable if they leave. That's about a third of the total athletic budget of most MWC schools.

THEY SAID IT ... Bronco Mendenhall noting 8-1 as his best coaching start, "A lot could be made of margin of victory or style points, but maybe a lot should be made of when it comes down to it, this team and program has found ways to win. It's what has gained us recognition, momentum and consistency. I've realized smiling and enjoying it more is something I could certainly do, and our team could learn from that as well."

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: TCU leads the nation in run defense allowing 38.9 yards per game, while Utah is ranked eighth (89.6 ypg). The Horned Frogs have held eight of 10 opponents to under 100 yards rushing (New Mexico 56, Stephen F. Austin 3, Stanford 71, SMU minus-8, Oklahoma 25, SDSU minus-13, CSU 11, BYU 23), while the Utes have limited five of nine opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground (Michigan 36, Utah State 27, Air Force 53, Weber State 56, Oregon State 92). TCU also ranks fourth in the country for tackles for loss in the FBS, averaging 8.5 per game, and Utah is 12th (7.56 pet game).

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW: Who could face BYU, TCU or Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl? Could be 6-4 (4-2) Oregon that has Stanford at home and Arizona on the road and then finishes at Oregon State. Might be Stanford 5-4 (4-2), which is at Oregon, hosts USC and finishes at Cal. Or the Arizona Wildcats 5-3 (3-2), who will finish at Oregon then host Oregon State and Arizona State. All need a win to be bowl eligible. If the Pac-10 can't qualify enough teams to become a Las Vegas bowl opponent, the committee will turn to the WAC.

MY MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Well, the special teams player of the week should be renamed the Louie Sakoda Award from this time and for all eternity. The 12 catches — two for fourth quarter touchdowns — by BYU's Dennis Pitta easily climbs to the top performance of the week.