At least in the view of one publication, the season-opening matchup between the BYU Cougars and Nebraska Cornhuskers Sept. 5 in Lincoln should be a tough one for the home team.
The Daily Nebraskan student newspaper identified three teams that are seen as beatable for Mike Riley's bunch but that could give it some trouble this fall. BYU appears along with Miami and Minnesota.
Noting that the Cougars are the Cornhuskers' highest-profile season-opening opponent in quite some time, Michael Dixon feels that Nebraska can't come into the game unprepared to play and expect to win.
"Nebraska should win," he writes. "The Huskers are better on paper, and they’re playing at home. But BYU is not Florida Atlantic, Southern Mississippi or Maine. Any lapse of concentration could result in a rocky debut for Nebraska’s new coach."
Finau part of golf's bright future?
One of the storylines reinforced at last weekend's PGA Championship was the notion that golf's future is in good hands with young stars such as winner Jason Day and runner-up Jordan Spieth.
One writer in Ireland thinks you can add Utah native Tony Finau to that conversation.
Among five things learned last weekend, Philip Reid of the Irish Times says Finau is part of the PGA's bright future.
"Eight years a pro, but Tony Finau — in his rookie year as a pro on the PGA Tour — seems to be the real deal and one who looks to have the tools necessary to become a major player going forward," Reid writes. "He has the physique — 6’ 4” — that is in tune with the finely tuned athlete that is increasingly walking the fairways and, at 25, has time on his side."
Finau's 10th-place finish came on the heels of a tie for 14th at the U.S. Open in June.
Jazz in the playoff hunt
After last week's release of next season's NBA schedule, Tim Cato of SB Nation examined the Western Conference playoff race, and predicted the Utah Jazz will be in a battle for one of the final two postseason berths.
In Cato's eyes, the first six spots will be secured by the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Along with Quin Snyder's club, Cato envisions the New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings as teams that could vie for the playoffs.
"If Utah can bottle up that second half surge and release it again next season, a spot as the No. 7 or 8 seed is bound to happen," he wrote, noting the Jazz's 19-10 record after last season's All-Star break.
Looking at the glass half empty, Cato feels the injury to Dante Exum might cause Utah to go back to the lottery.
"While he's not a vital cog, he was perhaps an underrated one, especially considering how much his long arms and wingspan affected players when he defended them," Cato writes. "The other problem is that his backup is Trey Burke and two totally unproven players. If the point guard problem persists throughout the season, it could erode the positives Utah has as a team."
Ryan McDonald is a sports reporter at DeseretNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanwmcdonald.