The Western Athletic Conference media preview is now in our rear view mirror, so what did we learn?

Here's a look:

— For starters, we found out Boise State is far and away the class of the conference —I can't recount the many times I heard that the last few days.

At one point, it became a bit over the top. Louisiana Tech head man Derek Dooley made no bones about it, he's...read more

Robb Akey

This season mark year three for Robb Akey on the Palouse. Akey is pumped as usual for good things to happen to the Vandals.

"We're bigger, we're faster, we're stronger," he said.

Akey talked about how the team has more depth than in the past, but still have a few holes they need to fill to be a complete team. Avoiding injuries is also key.

"We got better...read more

Derek Dooley

Derek Dooley leads La. Tech for the third season, one that could be his most successful.

Last year, the team ended with a bowl victory and eight wins. This year, the Bulldogs are expected to finish in the top third of the league.

With many starters back, Dooley said the players they did lose were the "the glue of the team."

With many games on TV this season and three...read more

About one quarter of the questions directed at Karl Benson were about the Mountain West during his forum early Wednesday. It was clear Benson was getting annoyed on the subject, sighting many of the recent stories on Boise State leaving the WAC were not fact based.

"It makes great stories ...," he said.

After all, Boise State and its president, Dr. Kustra, have been fairly vocal about...read more

A few quick notes from Karl Benson

Benson was pretty upbeat on talking about the state of the WAC, sighting the conference has stayed stable for a number of years.

Benson: "... signals a state of stability ... despite chatter and speculation. Five years from now, very likely the same members."

Ironically,ESPN's WAC blogger had a quick story on Boise State leaving the WAC for the Mountain West...read more

Are you ready for some football

For all intents and purposes, our football season here in the Treasure Valley officially starts Wednesday.

That's right, in less than a day, the Western Athletic Conference will open its doors for its annual WAC media preview. This year, it's again in Salt Lake City.

All nine coaches will be on hand with plenty of clichs in tow; each team will also bring...read more

What happens when a TV program gets 39 million viewers? You guessed it, it moves to prime-time on Thursday night —TV's most coveted time slot.

Not only is the NFL Draft moving from the weekend to prime time, it's going from a two-day event to a three-day spectacle.

The first night (April 22) will be a three-plus hour showcase of just the first round. Friday will also be in prime time...read more

The debt to society has been paid. The prison sentence is over.

Now it's time for Michael Vick to get back to work.

On Monday, the former Heisman finalist and All-Pro quarterback finished 23 locked-up months, the final two at home with a tether locked to his ankle.

Now I'm not here to judge him for his inexcusable judgment to kills dogs, he already was after he pleaded guilty to federal...read more

Steve McNair's death was tragic, there's no debate about that. But maybe there will be some good that comes from his murder.

For as long as sports stars have been put on a pedestal, many of them have taken full advantage of it — especially when it comes to infidelity.

The Associated Press recently reported that McNair's death shines light on an ever-present problem with pro athletes...read more

The Home Run Derby is still pretty cool, but come on MLB, we need a little more fun during All-Star week.

I was listening to the Baseball Today podcast (on ESPN, of course) yesterday as I was riding my mountain bike and they brought up the idea of having an NHL-like skills contest.

I can see it now: Justin Verlander would win the fastest pitch contest, or would he. The Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton...read more

The first "M" in the acronym for MMA may have to be changed to Mainstream.

Mixed martial arts is quickly rising as a must-watch sport. UFC 100 last weekend was proof.

As I write this, highlights on SportsCenter are still playing Monday morning here at the paper.

The fight card Saturday, which was chock-full of A-listers, certainly didn't disappoint.

Though the main event between...read more

It's that time of year again, and as always, I'm more than happy to share my preseason Western Athletic Conference football vote.

Like usual, the WAC will be separated into three parts: The perennial champs, the contenders and the doormats.

The player of the year awards should be highly contested as well. Let's take a look (teams listed in order of predicted finish).

Boise State:...read more

We launched our sports Twitter account Wednesday and now we're looking for followers.

The 50th person to follow us will win a pair of tickets to next week's Snake River Stampede.

Click here to follow the idahosportsguys

The IPT sports staff has finally launched its Twitter page.

Check it out here. We should be tweeting a ton, especially with football season right around the corner. Just one click and you can follow us ...

I've been as critical of Lane Kiffin as anyone, and why not, he hasn't coached a football game yet for the Tennessee Volunteers and he's always in the headlines.

As Sporting News radio host Tim Brando said recently, Kiffin is college football's version on Sarah Palin —they'll both say anything to excite their base.

Since he's been on campus in Knoxville, he's...read more