<p>wish I couldve seen the game, mann A-hall needs to get the espnu channel :D</p>
<p>it was a very fun game too. very exciting. cool also that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff came into the stands and talked with a bunch of us Zoomies.</p>
<p>He must be happy to see Army continue to be beaten year after year. The old navy in him! :)</p>
<p>We watched the game here and it was fantastic. The ball didn't move much at all but it was a good game!</p>
<p>Polls
CBSSports.com 120.....AP......Coaches.....Harris
............37..................28.........30.............29</p>
<p>Mountain West Standings
TEAM.......CONF..............OVERALL W-L
Utah.........6-0....................10-0
TCU..........6-1......................9-2
BYU..........5-1......................9-1
Air Force...5-1......................8-2
CSU..........2-4......................4-6
New Mex...2-5......................4-7
UNLV........1-5......................4-6
Wyoming..1-5......................4-6
San Diego St..0-6.................1-9</p>
<p>Pretty clear division in the conference...</p>
<p>Small Senior Class, Huge Pride
By Irv Moss
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 11/13/2008 01:41:07 AM MST</p>
<p>AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Troy Calhoun has underlined the surprise of Air Force's 8-2 record by tagging his 2008 Falcons with special recognition.</p>
<p>However, his plaudits are open-ended, because the Falcons face a difficult Mountain West Conference test Saturday against No. 16 BYU.</p>
<p>"In all the years I've been around football, this team has made more improvement than any squad I've ever been a part of," Calhoun said. "In August we were concerned if we could get to one (win). We've made strides, but we have to make a lot more strides in the next 72 hours."</p>
<p>Calhoun's urgency is well-founded. BYU has dominated Air Force as much as any team, winning 22 of the 28 games, including the past four.</p>
<p>While Calhoun's compliment includes the whole team, it especially is meaningful to the 18 seniors who will play their last home game. Their leadership qualities also might have been underestimated.</p>
<p>"I think it's a point of pride for us because we are a small senior class," said Andrew Pipes, the starting center. "We've always been a small class, ever since I got here. We're not a very vocal group. We're not thinking about this being our last home game.</p>
<p>"Maybe when we get out there, the gravity of it will hit a little harder."</p>
<p>Said starting outside linebacker Hunter Altman: "There has been a lot of players from the senior class who stepped up after not getting much playing time last year. Andrew Pipes is a good example. He filled the center position and has played really well all season. That's huge."</p>
<p>Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or <a href="mailto:imoss@denverpost.com">imoss@denverpost.com</a></p>
<p>ESPN BOWL PROJECTION - 11/30/08</p>
<p>Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
(Mountain West vs. C-USA) Air Force vs. Rice</p>
<p>Anyone know when the bowl announcements will come out?</p>
<p>Air Force's bowl destination all but known
December 1, 2008 - 6:49 PM
JAKE SCHALLER
THE GAZETTE</p>
<p>While an official announcement likely won't come until Sunday, when the final Bowl Championship Series rankings are announced, Air Force appears to be all but a lock for a second consecutive trip to the Armed Forces Bowl.</p>
<p>Should the Falcons, as expected, get an invite, bowl executive director Tom Starr said their opponent would be one of four Conference USA teams - Tulsa, Rice, East Carolina or Houston.</p>
<p>"It will definitely be one of those four," Starr said. "More than likely, you can narrow it down to three because year in and year out we take a team from the West Division (of Conference USA) - so that's Tulsa, Rice and Houston. I'm not sure how realistic it is to get East Carolina, but we're staying in the hunt anyway."</p>
<p>Starr will get third choice of Conference USA teams. The Liberty Bowl takes the league's champion (either Tulsa or East Carolina - those teams play in the Conference USA Championship Game on Saturday). Then the GMAC Bowl in Mobile picks followed by the Armed Forces Bowl.</p>
<p>"I understand the situation with Houston, certainly, having played Air Force during the regular season," Starr said. "There are a couple bowls that pick above us. Hopefully we can come in with one of the top teams. But until the conference championship game is played, it's a scramble."</p>
<p>The Armed Forces Bowl will be played Dec. 31 at TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium.</p>
<p>I'll be planning on going to this again this year if they go!</p>
<p>i was rooting poinsettia bowl ;)</p>
<p>I was rooting for all except the NM bowl pretty much!</p>
<p>U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Air Force has been selected to play in the 2008 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 11 a.m. Central time. The Falcons will take on Houston from Conference-USA.</p>
<p>This marks the second straight year that Air Force has been selected for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, as the Falcons played California from the Pac-10 last season. This season's bowl is the 19th in Air Force history and the Falcons have posted an 8-9-1 overall mark. Air Force's last bowl win came in 2000 at the Silicon Valley Bowl against Fresno State, 37-34.</p>
<p>This year's game against Houston is a rematch from earlier this season, when the two teams played in Dallas on Sept. 13. Air Force won the game, 31-28, in the first ever meeting between the two schools. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Houston, but was moved to Dallas due to weather.</p>
<p>so its the sames teams at basically the same place. what a boring bowl game. navy has a rematch against wake forest. i say we trade!</p>
<p>oh well. go falcons.</p>
<p>I say we swap and take on Navy again!</p>
<p>Dec. 10, 2008</p>
<p>Dear Falcon Football Fans,</p>
<p>The Air Force football team has had a great season thanks in large part to your support. For the second consecutive year we have been selected to play in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on 31 December 2008 in Fort Worth, Texas.</p>
<p>The Air Force football team could not be more excited or proud to represent the Air Force Academy and the men and women of the United States military. Last year, with your generous support, we set a record with 12,000 tickets sold to the Armed Forces Bowl. That effort, along with the presence we had at the game, helped the bowl to a record attendance figure and is also a major reason that we have been selected to play in the game again this season.</p>
<p>This year we need your help to sell MORE tickets and travel MORE fans! Tickets to the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl are on sale now and have been reduced in price from $40 to $20 per ticket for all military members (active, reserve or retired) as well as all our current season ticket holders, Pride Club members and Blue & Silver Club members. In addition to the reduced prices, we are offering one free ticket per active duty, reserve or retired military member with the purchase of a $20 ticket. The free ticket is available only for military members and does not include dependents.</p>
<p>If you cannot attend this year’s game please consider purchasing a ticket for our young airmen or cadets who may not be able to afford it themselves. Donated tickets are only $20 and your contribution may be tax deductible. Thanks to your generosity we were able to send over 3,000 people to the game last year with donated tickets.</p>
<p>Fans who purchase tickets through the Air Force Academy Athletic Ticket Office will receive a commemorative bowl gift (to be delivered after the bowl game). Offered again this season, fans may also purchase a $25 ticket to the Air Force Pregame Tailgate at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which runs from 9 a.m. until kickoff.</p>
<p>As you may well know, the bowl business remains as competitive as ever. Teams secure bids based on their ability to sell tickets and travel fans to the game. We are very excited to show the nation that our performance last year was just the beginning and that Air Force football is among the nation’s leaders in bowl ticket sales and attendance.</p>
<p>Help us support these deserving football players as they play in their second straight bowl game and show your pride and support of Falcon Athletics. Tickets are available at the Air Force Academy Athletic Ticket Office at 800-666-USAF or online at Air</a> Force Academy Official Athletic Site. We need your support now more than ever!</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>Dr. Hans Mueh<br>
Director of Athletics </p>
<p>Troy Calhoun
Head Football Coach</p>
<p>Calhoun agrees to new 5-year deal with academy
January 21, 2009 - 12:47 PM
JAKE SCHALLER
THE GAZETTE</p>
<p>Air Force and football coach Troy Calhoun have agreed to a new five-year contract worth $4.175 million, the academy announced Wednesday.</p>
<p>Calhoun will be paid a base salary of $725,000 in each of the five years of the contract (it will not increase annually). In addition to his $3.625 million base salary over the duration of the deal, his benefits package will be worth approximately $110,000 per year.</p>
<p>The new contract represents a significant raise - especially by academy athletic standards - as Calhoun made a base salary of $560,000 in 2008. Athletic director Hans Mueh hopes it will help keep his hot commodity coach at the academy. Calhoun, who has led the Falcons to a 17-9 record and two bowl games in his two seasons, was a candidate for the openings at Clemson and Tennessee in late December and was linked to several other openings.</p>
<p>The percentage figures in Calhoun's incentive package are the same as in his previous contract - though the payouts will be larger because of his increased base salary. Among the incentives are a 2.5-percent bonus for earning Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year honors, a 5-percent bonus for winning or retaining the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, a 7.5-percent bonus for winning the MWC, a 10-percent bonus for a non-BCS bowl invitation and a 20-percent bonus for a BCS bowl invitation.</p>
<p>If Calhoun leaves before the end of his contract, he or the team for which he leaves would have to pay 25 percent of his remaining total base salary. In other words, if he leaves after the 2009 season, he'd still have four years and $2.9 million remaining on his deal - thus, the buyout would be $725,000.</p>
<p>Like his previous contract, this one is structured as a "rolling" deal, meaning it will be reviewed annually and, if both sides agree, another year will be added so Calhoun always will have five years left on his contract. Ostensibly, this is the academy's way of giving Calhoun a long-term deal, because it is not permitted to extend contracts of more than five years. But it also keeps the buyout figure high.</p>
<p>Calhoun's assistants also got raises. The pool of money for his nine contract assistants was increased from $885,000 to $1.17 million annually. How that money will be dispersed has not yet been released.</p>
<p>Calhoun released a statement that read, in part: "The academy's purpose - to educate and develop young people of integrity and fortitude who serve as outstanding leaders for our country - is both unique and quite moving. With regards to Air Force football, for over 50 years there have been many exciting moments, and we look forward to many more in the coming years."</p>
<p>Mountain West pushing for BCS change</p>
<p>January 26, 2009 3:50 PM</p>
<p>Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson</p>
<p>The Mountain West is angling for an automatic BCS bid.</p>
<p>It's something that has been talked about since Utah defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, but now people who could elicit change are discussing the possibility.</p>
<p>According to USA Today, Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson and the presidents and chancellors of the nine members of the Mountain West Conference had a meeting in early January to discuss the prospect of pushing for immediate automatic qualification as a BCS conference. Thompson is expected to sit down with Atlantic Coast commissioner and current BCS coordinator John Swofford in the coming weeks to discuss the possibility.</p>
<p>It's probably not reasonable to think that the Mountain West will gain automatic qualifying status for the 2009 season. Even the article states that all of the conferences, including the Mountain West, agreed to the current BCS system.</p>
<p>However, this is definitely a step toward pushing for automatic qualification in 2012, after the four-year evaluation period ends.</p>
<p>As I wrote in an earlier post, the BCS is in the midst of a four-year evaluation to determine whether another conference is worthy of an automatic BCS bid or whether there are conferences that don't deserve to have them. Currently, six conferences have automatic BCS bids and BCS rules stipulate that no more than seven conferences will have automatic entrance.</p>
<p>The Mountain West has taken a huge lead in this race, and if history is any indication, it won't be relinquishing that lead any time soon. The Mountain West has had at least one team with double digit wins in every season except 1999, the first year of the conference. And since 2006, the conference has boasted at least three teams with nine or more wins.</p>
<p>This year, the Mountain West had three teams finish in the AP Top 25, which is as many as the Pac-10 and the ACC, and more than the Big East.</p>
<p>The one concern with the Mountain West, at least at this stage, would be parity within the conference. For the past few years, the conference has been dominated by Utah, BYU and TCU. While Air Force, Colorado State and New Mexico have shown flashes of being competitive, those teams, along with Wyoming, UNLV, and San Diego State, will have to pick up the slack to keep the Mountain West competitive.</p>
<p>In all fairness, the Mountain West was one of six conferences to not have more than one team with fewer than four wins this season (San Diego State).</p>
<p>To show the Mountain West isn't taking its bid for automatic qualification lightly, it has put together some of the fiercest nonconference schedules -- as a conference -- in the entire non-BCS and perhaps the country. Every team in the Mountain West has at least one BCS opponent on their schedule, six of those teams were raked in the AP's final Top 25, and four of the nine teams have two BCS opponents, mostly from the Big 12. Each team also has scheduled a high-level team from a non-BCS conference.</p>
<p>There is no doubt the conference as a whole is making a push for this bid and the rest of the nation is sitting up and taking notice. From the various articles written about Utah having a chance at the national title to calls for legislation to change the BCS being brought to Washington. The Mountain West is spearheading a movement that could bring about radical change in college football.</p>