Quotes from the WAC Football Preview Day

About being picked 1st in the preseason WAC polls, JJ said:
"Preseason polls are preseason polls. Hopefully we'll be there at the end. They don't really mean much. We were picked last in '99 (and finished first). We were picked first one other time and finished last." (HA)

"It's nice that people think highly of us, especially coaching peers. But preseason polls don't really mean a lot other than those are people's opinions, and everybody has one. We are very excited about the season and hopefully we will live up to expectations, especially our own." (HSB)


Joking about his competition with Colt, Ian Johnson said:
"I went to the ESPYs, though. That was great. He can't have that. I've got an ESPY. Colt, where's your ESPY? Thank you, thank you. Chalk that as one to nothing." (HA)


Feeling that BSU should be picked to win the WAC in the preseason polls, Ian said:
"We did go 13-0 last year. I think we kind of have the crown. Nobody can say they beat us last year. They're going to have to take the crown. But when we go (to Hawai'i), we're going to give them the respect that they deserve. They're a great team." (HA)


Feeling that every WAC school has set their sights on them, Ian said:
"Not to take away from Hawaii, but we totally feel like every school in the WAC is a rivalry because we have bad blood with everyone. We're in a lot of people's cross-hairs. We're told San Jose State's talking about us, and the Idaho guys are talking about us. That's the way we love it. That's the way we want it to be." (HSB)


About the WAC's success last season, WAC Commissioner Karl Benson said:
"We finished the last football and basketball regular seasons with teams ranked in the top 10 of each poll and I don't know another (non-Bowl Championship Series) conference that can say that. The WAC is still the second most-recognized conference in the West — and that says a lot." (HA)


About how the WAC is in much better shape now than when the MWC teams left, former UH president Kenneth Mortimer said:
"It is very different now than when the conference split up. Karl has done a distinguished job in holding things together as national and regional alignments sorted themselves out." (HA)


Asked how the WAC never had players with such credentials entering a season like Colt and Ian Johnson this year, Benson said:
"Not in my time. We didn't have two returning players like Brennan and Johnson, guys who had done something so special the previous year. Their numbers and the Heisman voting, and obviously Johnson's Jan. 1 display (in the Fiesta Bowl victory) put him on the map, and a week ago the ESPYs brought it back into focus. Even LaDainian Tomlinson, he wasn't on any preseason Heisman list." (HSB)


About how the WAC spent $10k in the offseason to promote Colt, Ian Johnson, and some other WAC stars, Benson said:
"We spent time and money to make sure people didn't forget about them and I think that it's worked." (HSB)


About how it helps him for Colt to share the perseason spotlight, Ian Johnson said:
"It definitely helps. He's a real good guy and presents himself well. It helps show we're from a classy conference. As a player, there's an extremely great chance that he's going to be drafted very high." (HSB)


About how 3 Pac-10 schools turned down $1 mil for a game vs UH on 10/20, Benson said:
"Arizona State, Oregon State and Washington State turned down the offer." (HSB)

HSB Note: "The Pac-10 would have paid $400,000 of the amount and UH would have paid $600,000."