CSU pregame look; The mtn on HD
Jeff Call and I ate breakfast at the IHOP in Fort Collins where it was packed with CSU students trying to recover from Halloween parties.
We did see three young women wearing “Quest” BYU shirts. While waiting for our table, a group of CSU students were talking about the BYU-CSU game and how they really wanted to see the Texas-Texas Tech game. The consensus was that if BYU was blowing out the Rams with five minutes to play, they’d all leave and go to their apartments and watch the Big 12 showdown. These fans didn’t talk like they expected CSU to win this game.
I think CSU will give BYU its best shot of the season. The Rams will gain some yards, get some big plays but may not be capable of scoring a lot of points in the red zone.
On the other hand, BYU’s offense will attack the Rams in so many different ways, it will be a struggle to keep the Cougars out of the end zone. I see BYU’s offense operating at about the same level it did last week against UNLV.
On Friday after we got out of the airport, we ate at Johnson’s Corner, a diner of sorts popular with the ranchers around Eastern Colorado. The folks frequenting the place were fairly simple, hardworking blue-collar people.
We decided to do a littl inquiry about the presidential election. We asked our waitress if she was familar enough with her patrons over the past month to predict how they’d vote. She said she knew, these folks would vote for McCain, they were not Obama types.
Then she said a group of Republicans met at the cafe frequently but he had a real problem with a some of them and they turned her off. I asked why.
“One of them always steals my tips,” she said.
Prediction: BYU 38, CSU 17
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The mtn announced HD!
Here is the press release about the BYU-Utah game being on high definition, a first for the league’s TV partner.
The Mtn. ‘ MountainWest Sports Network, in partnership with the Mountain West Conference, will broadcast in high-definition (HD) for the first time on Saturday, November 22 beginning with MWC Football Saturday at 11 a.m. Later in the day, two of college football’s greatest rivalries, Colorado State at Wyoming (12 p.m. MT) and BYU at Utah (4 p.m. MT), will be telecast in high-definition.
‘We’re excited to announce high-definition programming for the final day of football on The Mtn. for 2008,’ said Kim Carver, vice president and general manager of The Mtn. ‘This will be the first time the network has broadcast in HD and we are looking forward to bringing this special presentation to viewers and fans.
‘I also want to acknowledge the Mountain West Conference for underwriting these telecasts in high-definition. Being able to bring this product forward was only possible through the true spirit of partnership that exists between The Mtn. and the Conference.’
The Mtn. will telecast approximately nine (9) hours of continuous high-definition programming throughout the day, encompassing the one-hour pregame show, MWC Football Saturday, leading up to kickoff in Laramie, Wyo., for the Colorado State at Wyoming game. The Mtn.’s special game day coverage from Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, The Mtn. Live at The Stadium, which will provide in-depth coverage before, during, and after BYU at Utah airs at the conclusion of CSU/Wyoming and will also be presented in high-definition.
DIRECTV customers require a programming package (CHOICE or above in the MWC DMA or SportsPack for the remainder of the country) with HD Access and an HD-capable receiver to view high-definition programming. Cable subscribers should check with their local service provider for service, availability and channel placement. The Mtn. will also provided an updated listing on its website: http://www.themtn.tv/mtn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=325&Itemid=342
‘The Mtn. will continue to actively explore ways to deliver even more content in high-definition in the future,’ added Carver. ‘We recognize that fans crave the additional clarity and crispness that HD provides, making for an ideal way to watch sports on television.’