Humanitarian Bowl Solidifies Its Standing

The Big West Conference announced Thursday a two-year agreement with Conference USA to participate in the Humanitarian Bowl.

The Big West champion will play a Conference USA runner-up - not necessarily the second-place finisher - in the Boise-based football game. The Conference USA champion automatically qualifies for the Liberty Bowl. The Big West also said that ESPN2 will televise the next three Humanitarian Bowls.

Utah State faced Conference USA’s Cincinnati, chosen as an at-large team, in the inaugural Humanitarian Bowl last December. Big West Conference commissioner Dennis Farrell said several other conferences, including the Pac-10 and Western Athletic, aren’t currently viable options. The Pac-10’s fifth-place team is committed to a new bowl game in Hawaii and fallout continues from the split of the WAC.

“What (the announcement) really shows is we’ve overcome the skepticism, both within this community and nationally, about the viability of the Humanitarian Bowl,” Farrell said. “This is a huge step forward in the credibility of our football product.”

The next major step, Farrell hopes, is a bowl-game sponsor.

Pack mentality

Nevada narrowly emerged as the preseason favorite in the coaches and media polls. The Wolf Pack were selected to win the conference by three of six coaches, earning 22 points. Defending champion Utah State earned one first-place vote and 21 points. Boise State had two first-place votes and 20 points. New Mexico State was fourth with 11 points. Idaho and North Texas tied with eight.

In the media poll, Nevada finished with 174 points, Boise State 159, Utah State 155, Idaho 84, New Mexico State 66 and North Texas 55.

Nevada was the overwhelming favorite last year, but finished a disappointing 5-6.

Early honors for Scott

Former Vandal Robert Scott, expected to start at receiver for Utah State, has been selected on one at least one publication’s preseason all-conference team.

Scott has just one year of eligibility remaining because he lost a year when he left UI for Utah State before the 1997 season. If Scott had two years of eligibility, new Utah State coach Dave Arslanian said he would have given Scott a chance at quarterback, something the Vandals toyed with early in Scott’s career.

Reserve running back Marcelle Williams, another former Vandal turned Aggie, was recently diagnosed with lupus, Arslanian said. “That’s obviously a very serious situation.”

Extension for Tormey

Idaho football coach Chris Tormey received a one-year extension last spring, meaning he has three years left on his current contract.

The extension, orchestrated by former athletic director Oval Jaynes, went unannounced because it was at roughly the same time Washington State went public with its mega-contract with coach Mike Price and UI didn’t want that to overshadow Tormey’s extension. Tormey is 17-16 entering his fourth year.

Yeah, but can he play QB?

Nate Sparks, No. 1 on Boise State’s quarterback depth chart, won the team’s ironman competition, similar to the strongman events shown on ESPN where competitors toss barrels over walls and pick up the back end of cars.

New BSU coach Dirk Koetter said it’s likely Sparks and Bart Hendricks will see time at quarterback.

Gallows humor

New North Texas coach Darrell Dickey inherited a rugged schedule, including games with the Big 12’s Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M.

“We’re so desperate to win a conference championship that we’re in two conferences,” Dickey joked. “Our A.D. wanted us to open up with the Dallas Cowboys, but they had to play in Tokyo or something.”

Continued Dickey: “The good news about our team is also the bad news - our best player is our punter (John Baker)… . I hope he leads the nation in yards per punt and not attempts.”