College Football 2006 - Week 8: Fall Foilage

This marks Week 8 as we are through with last week's madness. And I ask- is there a such thing as an aftershock of Friday the 13th? Teams were falling like flies including some hellacious upsets in all four divisions of NCAA football. One of which was a critical SEC matchup involving Florida going to Auburn. Some wins were just huge like Clemson smashing Temple. I had a tie for biggest upset because #11 Auburn smashed #2 Florida at home. But if you want a true upset, how about James Madison blowing out and smashing New Hampshire in 1-AA? This was a New Hampshire team that beat Northwestern of the Big Ten earlier this season. This was a New Hampshire team in which seen David Ball surpass Jerry Rice for all-time touchdown receptions in 1-AA football. This is surely a stunning (and a bit disappointing) loss. I usually try to bring all divisions into perspective because even though Division 1 (especially 1-A) gets all the media attention and focus, action can be just as intense in other divisions of NCAA football. I mean, there isn't a rule in covering sports that only Division 1 has all the hottest action. I don't know much about Divisions 2 and 3 myself. All I know is that it's still NCAA football. Or let me put it like this- any of you heard of the University of Chicago? Well, the Chicago Maroons used to be National Champions in the earliest years of college football. In fact, the University of Chicago won the National Championship back in 1905. Here's another fact about college football in the early years. The National Champions of college football between 1883 and 1900 were from the collegiate conference we now know as the Ivy League. National Champions between this time include Yale (first-ever champs), Harvard, Princeton, and Pennsylvania. The first National Champions away from what we now call the Ivy League was Michigan in 1901. They would go on to win a second National Championship the year after. The first non-New England or non-Midwest team was Georgia Tech in 1917. Every National Champion in college football's past still have football programs today. Good teams that been to Bowl Games that don't have football teams anymore include Marquette, Santa Clara, Pacific, San Francisco, all among others. So I try to bring emphasis for as much college football as possible.


I didn't update a lot of my scores. But I do have one score I didn't include:

* Kentucky at #14 LSU (40-0; #14 LOUISIANA STATE)



WEEK 8 - SUNDAY SYNOPSIS
One game played in New York (state) was postponed because of heavy snow was played between two bottom-of-the-barrel MAC teams duked it out. One game not delayed by anything took place in southern New Mexico by a WAC team looking to be a "BCS-Buster" against a highly inferior Sun Belt-team-turned-WAC team.





DIVISION 1-A GAMES
"Snow Devils" Miami University at Buffalo -game postponed by heavy snow on Saturday-
Many of you would think that a team would be stupid to postpone a game because of snow considering that snow is for football. But you'd be wrong considering the heavy snow that impacted Buffalo. It was said that over two feet of snow fell in Buffalo. Fortunately for Buffalo, that describes their season so far- covered in sorrow. The Buffalo Bulls (not to be confused with the Buffalo Bills of the NFL) can take the fight to any team at any time. It hasn't been that way a lot because the team has been terrible as of late. Let's meet their opponents. Miami University hasn't been the same since a young man by the name of Ben Roethlisberger left from college to go to the NFL. Now Big Ben is a Super Bowl-winning QB. The Redhawks need a new leader to take them back to at least the MAC Championship game. In the end, Buffalo's season just got worse with a loss like this. (38-31; Miami University)

"Enchanting Eden" #18 Boise State at New Mexico State
This is the Western Athletic Conference as one of the best meets one of the worst in conference. We are in the New Mexico, also known as The Land of Enchantment. Ready to be enchanted with football? Let me take you there. The city we'll see action in is Las Cruces, NM. It is a city about 20-30 miles north of El Paso, TX. Las Cruces is also the home of New Mexico State University. The best team in New Mexico is the University of New Mexico. But we're not here to see the Lobos, we're here to see the NMSU Aggies. The Aggies aren't very good to be honest. Boise State are far beyond average. The boys from BSU came all the way from Boise, ID just to go down into Las Cruces, NM. You certainly want to win as many games as you can. But remember last year when they played against Georgia? They lost and lost BADLY to Georgia. The Broncos of the Blue Field will have to relegate themselves to playing on green grass in this road game. Speaking of blue, they have a lovely shade of blue. I love blue. Oh, yeah. The game. Let's talk about it, or something. By the way, this is a Sunday Night of Bronco football with this college game and the Denver Broncos of the NFL taking on the lowly Oakland Raiders in the Mile High City. This was 27-14 at the Half in favor of the Broncos. (40-28; #18 Boise State)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
(No Division 1-AA games reported)





DIVISION 2 GAMES
* at





DIVISION 3 GAMES
* #9 Rowan at Buffalo State (35-7; #9 Rowan)





JOHN'S EXTRAS

--- WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A PUMPKIN THAT WEIGHS 1,312 POUNDS? ---
A pumpkin in Stillwater, Minnesota weighed in at 1,312 pounds during sort of event. I'll tell you this. I love Sweet Potato pie, but I think I've had pumpkin pie as well. You can make a WHOLE lot of pumpkin pie with a pumpkin that weighs 1,312 pounds. Hell, you can even cater to making loads of pumpkin pie at a party. Or perhaps you can re-enact the classic Charlie Brown cartoon about The Great Pumpkin (poor Linus...).



--- ARCA RACING AT THE NEW IOWA SPEEDWAY ---
I'll admit that the Iowa Speedway looks pretty nice for a guy who isn't too fond of "short track" racing. The coolest aspect of this track is that there are TV cameras basically on the racing surface. Anyone who seen the ARCA race on Speed Channel saw what it was like as the cars rolled by in the turns. It was quite an interesting feature. It makes racing on these tracks a little more fun. But for us REAL racing types, I wonder what it would be like if those kinds of cameras were installed under the surface of the roads at Le Mans. Ah... Can you imagine watching those LMPs pushing 190 mph and GT cars pushing about 160 mph on the Hunadieres (some call it the Mulsanne Straight)? Imagine placing those little cameras at about the 300 meter mark before the first of the two chicanes. That would be WICKED FAST!



--- DANNY PEDROSA KNOCKS OUT NICKY HAYDEN, MOTOGP LEADER; V. ROSSI REASSUMES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD ---
Here was a very controversial incident. I don't know if it was intentional or not (hope it wasn't), Nicky Hayden was the championship leader. Pedrosa, on the other Repsol Honda motorcycle, basically took out N. Hayden on Lap 2 in Portugal. Valentino Rossi won the race and retook the points lead after Nicky Hayden was knocked out. The young man from Owensboro, KY, USA has one last shot to win the MotoGP title. He's a hell of a motorcycle rider, and I want him to win the title. He was good in AMA Superbikes... and he's just as good in MotoGP. Even if he doesn't win, you still have a fan here in Houston, Texas in John M.



--- SATURDAY NIGHT BRAWL ---
In Saturday's games, a night game between Miami and Florida International took place. Their first-ever meeting was last night. But it was memorable for all the wrong reasons. A huge brawl ensued after an extra point with 9:00 left in the Third Quarter. In a brawl that looked more like a riot on the streets or a rock concert turned ugly, 8 Golden Panthers (Florida International) and 5 Hurricanes (Miami) were suspended. Larry Coker (Miami head coach) noted that this wasn't Miami football. It was a horrible incident for the boys in green, white, and orange. Florida International isn't exactly a great team in their own right. After all, this is their third or fourth year in Division 1-A. Them having a losing season is like how us Texans feel after losing to Dallas at Dallas. So they need to catch fire in some kind of way if they want to establish themselves in conference. Suspended players include:

SUSPENSIONS: UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
S Brandon Meriweather
G Derrick Morse
RB Charlie Jones
LB James Bryant
CB Carlos Armour
CB Bruce Johnson
(many more unmentioned)

SUSPENSIONS: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
(many more unmentioned)

And there you have it. The latest information (as of 10:23 PM EDT, the typing of this update) is that 13 Miami starters as well as 18 Florida International starters. Over 31 players are suspended in total for one game. Does the crime fit the punishment? You make the call.



--- COOL PLAY IN NFL ---
A pass was thrown by the St. Louis Rams. When a WR for the Rams bobbled the ball in his hands, he simply held on to it perfectly with his right hand as he took it in for the touchdown. St. Louis would go on to beat the Seattle Seahawks at home with a money field goal from LONG distance.



--- STATE OF EMERGENCY IN HAWAII ---
The state of Hawaii has suffered an earthquake that measured around a 6.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale. There was even some great amounts of rain. The Aloha State will see more bad weather tomorrow with a front moving in. There were power outages across the state as a 6.6 magnitude occured at 7:07 AM Hawaii time on Hawaii Island (about 1:07 PM EDT). This is an island chain within the Ring of Fire. This is not to mention that this state was made by volanic activity. So while it's fun for volleyball and surfing, it can still be quite dangerous there. Hawaii did see some good news as they completely smashed their bitter rival, Fresno State on Saturday. I have no idea how the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Chaminade University of Honolulu, or just about any other Hawaiian university in the state have been affected. If you live in or are touring around Hawaii and caught in the path of this incident, I hope you recover sooner than later. Be careful, and may God bless all you Hawaiians and Hawaii residents.



--- LATER THIS WEEK... ---
More scores and general nonsense from me forthcoming.

JOHN'S EXTRAS
(delayed from Monday)

--- MORE ON THE MIAMI/FLORIDA INTERNATONAL BRAWL ---
More fallout took place in the Miami/FIU brawl. Apparently, a Comcast Sports announcer named Lamar Thomas made some controversial comments which led to Lamar Thomas being fired from his announcing job. If you recall, about 15 Miami players and 18 FIU players ended up being suspended. It's still very sad. Entertaining TV my ass.

CSTV show "Taking Issue with Brian Curtis" had Brian Curtis' views of what should be done for something like this. The University of Virginia alum noted that both teams should forfeit their upcoming games and pay back the other school (in the Miami/FIU brawl), do community service, and more. Mr. Curtis wasn't happy with some of the charges. Needless to say, he also thinks that criminal charges are needed, coaches should be fired, and players should be suspended for something like this.

Reddick, who swung his helmet in the game, was suspended indefinitely. Brandon Merriweather of Miami noted that FIU was attacking Miami's placeholder after the PAT kick. So it seemed more like FIU initiated the fight. Merriweather did apologize to the media and explained his actions. His explanation was justified and gentleman-like. It takes a bold man to explain his actions and say something like "...my judgment got the better of me, and..." So it isn't like they are straight-up thugs that don't apologize to anyone for any sort of criminal activity. Five Miami players were ejected from that Saturday Night game. Miami's next game will be at [winless] Duke. But the week after, they got #13 Georgia Tech the week after the Duke game. No players were injured during the brawl. U. of Miami president, Donna Shalala stated that the players involved will be disciplined accordingly. She believes that the players shouldn't be stripped of their education and daily routine as she still wants her students to be involved with the University of Miami. She didn't want to take away scholarships. Just that something like this isn't going to be tolerated. Larry Coker (Miami, Head Coach) didn't try to handle this like what Dennis Green felt when he saw his Arizona Cardinals blow a 20+ point lead over the Chicago Bears. He was... let's say, calmly aggressive. In addition to penalizing players, D. Shamala even noted about the possibilities of not playing Florida International next season. From a competitive standpoint, I think this should be a new rivalry. Think about it- "The Battle for South Beach," or something like that. The rivalry match between Montana and Montana State in Division 1-AA is called "The Brawl of the Wild" because in this rivalry game, there actually were fights between the two schools in their past. But again, that's on a competitive standpoint. I would probably not play Florida International next year. Maybe take on Florida Atlantic instead for next year. FAU is in Boca Raton, FL. During the ESPNU Coaches Spotlight show, even Tom Luginbill clearly stated that Florida Interntaional started the fight, continued the fight, and then all hell broke loose.

Coker's trying to save his job, so they aren't thinking about forfeiting a Bowl Game. There's a number of issues involved in addition to this brawl issue. What exactly can Miami do? They certainly have to look at long-term goals right about now in addition to short-term



--- IS THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI REALLY OUT OF CONTROL? ---
I think the University of Miami has had some characters. Look at types like Kellen Winslow Jr. ("...I'm a solider!"), Jeremy Shockey, and people like that. It's okay for your school to have some characters, just as long as they aren't the ones getting into trouble with the law and with school administration. I do think players at "The U" still need to be put in check. South Florida and football is still a sweet combination. You just have to take into account that Hurricane footballers have to be some of the most animated off the field (maybe even on as well). Some help is needed so that they don't start getting extremely restless and uncontrollable.

Maybe some of you remember that saddening loss in the Peach Bowl against LSU last season. Miami basically lost their composure after the game. I think one of the Miami players threw his helmet at one of the LSU players heading into the tunnel after the game. I usually thought that beating Miami was an upset no matter who was playing the "U." Are they out of control? Your call.



--- MIAMI/FIU BRAWL VS. CLEMSON/SOUTH CAROLINA BRAWL ---
If you think this section is about which was a better fight, you really need personal help. I'm talking about the level of media attention as well as what should be done. The Clemson/South Carolina Brawl a few years ago happened a day after the Pistons/Pacers brawl in the NBA. How fitting- mostly Rivalry Week, and here you have two schools beating the crap out of each other. Football is a contact sport. Just not THIS kind of contact. As far as the Miami/Florida International brawl, this was just sad on a number of levels. Even one of the announcers of that Comcast Sports coverage lost his job by making some rather controversial comments. Maybe I haven't heard too much about the reprecussions of the Clemson/South Carolina brawl. But if I had to choose, I'd say this one was worse than the Clemson/South Carolina brawl... by miles. There's no place in football for it. This was just a good game sadly ruined by this wicked fisticuffs. The game still went on. Just glad this didn't end up like the Pistons/Pacers game in which the game was called short thanks to the brawl.



--- TROUBLE FOR BOSTON COLLEGE ---
The Boston College QB, Matt Ryan, has been listed as questionable with a foot injury. Boston College came off of a stunning home upset of Virginia Tech. Boston College will need to REALLY have some playmakers on their side when they go on the road to meet Florida State this Saturday.



--- HEAVY RAINS IN HOUSTON ---
Heavy rain pounded southeast Texas this past weekend and even on Monday. It was the first-ever time I seen my street turned into a river. It was one of the first times I've had to encounter heavy flooding like what I see in some weather reports. My stepfather drove me home after my community college was going to have classes after 4PM cancelled. I would have had my American History class at 5:30 PM CDT had it not been for the rain. I haven't seen rain this bad since Tropical Storm Allison hit Houston five years ago. But all is well now. Everything's okay more or less. We didn't get flooded out or anything. About four people have died from the heavy rain here in Houston on Monday. The morning after saw BEAUTIFUL weather. I'm talking mostly clear skies and maybe a few cirrus clouds in the sky. It almost looked like a Winter or late Fall day in the skies this morning.



--- SOMEONE'S BEEN JUICED... AND PAYING FOR IT ---
In the NFL ranks, Matt Lehr (G, Altanta Falcons) has been suspended for four games for using steroids. A later test revealed that Defensive Tackle, Shaun Rogers, has also been suspended four games for steroid usage.



--- OTHER GAMES THIS WEEKEND AND SOME EARLY PREDICTIONS ---
Texas at Nebraska
What pathetic conference? This is a battle between two teams that have at least one national championship apiece. Texas is the defending 1-A football champs. Now let's see if they can keep a good thing going when they go on the road to meet Nebraska. Here are some predictions:

(by the way, here's a new format)
Texas Wins: 46-6, 42-0, 35-28 (OT)
Nebraska Wins: 28-7, 14-7, 17-3

I'm thinking this will be somewhat of a high-scoring game since it's not as much like the defense-heavy SEC. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the winning teams get at least two touchdowns. Both of them beat Baylor and Kansas State respectively.


Iowa at Michigan

Ah, yes... the JNasty4G63 special. If there's a team potentially able to knock off Michigan and end their winning season, let it be Iowa. I can't believe Indiana beat Iowa in Bloomington. I don't think Iowa is going to lose two straight games. They are a much better team than that. Hell, Iowa's men's basketball team could probably beat Indiana (as good as they are in hoops).

PREDICTIONS:
Iowa Wins (upset): 34-31 (OT- Michigan picked off in End Zone when Michigan has ball), 28-27, 35-17
Michigan Wins: 38-10; 42-7; 31-16; 42-35 (2OT)

So is it possible for Iowa to get the dupe in Ann Arbor? Let me answer you this way- what is the current slogan for Starter? That's right- "Believe in it, baby!" I'm not confident on it because I respect Michigan. I give the Hawkeyes a 40% or 60% chance they upset Michigan at The Big House.

(I had a Boston College/Florida State Preview, but decided not to release it in this post).



--- LOVE FOR THE ROCKETS (NBA) ---
Quick note, my congratulations to the Houston Rockets for beating the Dallas Mavericks 72-69. It was the first game in which Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady were on the court at the same time. I really respect Illinois player, Luther Head, as well as Kentucky player, Chuck Hayes. Hey. We'll take both of them.



This should be interesting dicsussion on the Miami/FIU brawl. See you around.

I have to be put to work again as more action took place. Wednesday Night college football is underway in the Sunshine State.





WEEK 8 - WEDNESDAY SYNOPSIS
The Sun Belt saw two of its teams go into battle. Hope





DIVISION 1-A GAMES
"Sunshine Statement" Louisiana at Florida Atlantic
A lot of controversy has engulfed the Sunshine State. For a state called the Sunshine State, there was a storm of controversy days after the Miami/Florida International brawl. FIU was one of the worst football schools not only in the Sun Belt, and in the nation. We're not talking about Florida International here. Instead, we're talking about the other 1-A newcomer, Florida Atlantic. FAU is the better team, but only slightly. The team operates out of Boca Raton, FL, but play their football in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The FAU Owls haven't had too much of a good season up to this point. This is a team that needs to steadily progress rather than fall apart every down and every game. Coming into Ft. Lauderdale is the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Normally, I don't say the name of certain schools that have different sister campuses. For example, you don't see me type "North Carolina-Chapel Hill" or "Texas-Austin." You usually know what I'm talking about if you know. One problem I had is figuring out which of the main Louisiana campuses is actually the true University of Louisiana. Commercials for Louisiana-Lafayette (remember I had my Extra on how college sports is more of a business) shown that Louisiana-Lafayette was the main university while their rivals, Louisiana-Monroe, was the other such university. Now, there is a such school as Louisiana College. I'll put in the "College" after Louisiana College if I'm talking about the Louisiana College Wildcats of Division 3. But we're talking about the Ragin' Cajuns of the University of Louisiana. I'll try to refer to Louisiana-Lafayette as Louisiana. As in, the University of Louisiana. So here goes. The only score in the first half was a field goal by Louisiana. Another field goal was added, but any chance of Florida Atlantic cashing in on a late touchdown was dashed... just like much of their season as it is. (6-0; Louisiana)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
-none played today-





DIVISION 2 GAMES
-none played today-





DIVISION 3 GAMES
-none played today-





JOHN'S EXTRAS

--- FAU LOOKING FOR ON-CAMPUS STADIUM ---
You know, I'm not harsh on Florida Atlantic and Florida International because they are basically still very new to Division 1-A. They are still learning the ropes even in their third season in 1-A. I believe in prosperity and hope



--- IS IT OKAY TO _ SUN BELT? ---
Did you see some of the Sun Belt banners if you saw this game on ESPN2? The different collegiate logos indicate all members of the Sun Belt in both football and basketball. There are logos of Sun Belt teams that don't have football teams. Those teams include New Orleans, Arkansas-Little Rock, South Alabama, and Denver. Most of these probably had football teams in the past and dropped these programs.



--- MORE (AGAIN) ON MIAMI/FIU BRAWL ---
Lamar Thomas:
(indirect quotes) "I say why don't they meet after in the tunnel and get it on there? You don't come into Orange Bowl talking mess. You should be beaten if you do this to Miami. You get your butt beat. I was about to go down the elevator and get in there myself."

With comments like that, he likely deserved to be fired for such comments.



--- WHAT'S UP WITH LAPTOP STEALING? ---
Two Ball State players were suspended indefinitely for burglary of stolen laptops. The Ball State Cardinals are a pretty terrible MAC team. This is only going to hurt them.



--- WHO'S REALLY DOWN- THE ACC... OR THE MAC? ---
People talk about how the ACC is sort of having a down year. Meanwhile, I haven't heard too much about good MAC teams. The Mid-American Conference is the Cradle of Coaches. But I can't really say if there are any underrated teams in the MAC conference that isn't getting as much love in the media. I don't know, maybe Northern Illinois' been getting some love. But I don't know of anyone else making some waves in the MAC.



--- DISCUSSION: WHAT WOULD YOU DO... ---
This goes back to the Miami/FIU game. Most of you know a lot of the facts and figures of what happened in the game and announcer reactions to it. If you were the president of either Miami, Florida International, or even some other college or university...

...how would you deal with players involved in a brawl during a game?
...would you take away scholarships?
...how would you want your coach to discipline the players?
...would you play the team you brawled against next year?

So what would you do in a situation like this?



--- ARE OLDER CARS BETTER TO WORK WITH AND RACE? ---
By watching a lot of "Pinks" episodes, it got me to wonder. I'm not against using older cars and such, but are older cars easier to work with or better to use in racing? The show is a drag racing show whereas teams put together street cars that they put on the line against another team's car. The majority of cars I've seen were mostly 1980s and early 1990s Mustangs. I know the Mustang is perhaps America's pony car, but it seems like late 1980s and early 1990s Mustangs make for some quite popular muscle to race with. Again, I have nothing much against this deal. Just something I've noted. By the way, the season finale of Season 3 was a match against a 1989(?) Ford Mustang up against a 1989 or 1990 Nissan 240SX (powered by a Chevrolet motor).



--- MICHAEL SCHMACHER VS. FERNANDO ALONSO FOR ALL MARBLES THIS WEEKEND ---
The Japanese Grand Prix saw Schumacher fall out of the race while Alonso won the race. It seems pretty tough for M. Schumachers to climb back and win at the very tough Interlagos circuit this weekend. Only way he's going to get it done is if Alonso has a completely bad day. It's not fully his title yet.



--- DIRTY RADIOACTIVE BOMBS ---
A website posted something about seven different NFL arenas hit with "dirty, radioactive bombs." The NFL and Department of Homeland Security noted that the site is not credible and that such stadiums couldn't be any safer with all sorts of security checks and such. It almost seems like some of us can't even enjoy life with the threat of terror abound. If you do go to an NFL game this weekend, PLEASE be careful and return home safely.



--- TOMORROW... ---
I have no idea who will be up this Thursday. So I'll have scores from just about all divisions of NCAA football for Thursday. Meanwhile, I have to make ready for more bad weather overnight. Sucks to be a Houstonian having to deal with all this damned rain. But what can I do about it?

Thursday Night college football is under way as we see action in all four divisions of NCAA football. We're gearing up towards an exciting Saturday which will see matches like Louisville/Syracuse, Iowa/Michigan, Texas/Nebraska, Colorado/Oklahoma, and many more.





WEEK 8 - THURSDAY SYNOPSIS
Amid a plethora of media coverage regarding the Miami/Florida International brawl, the fight offered damage to the ACC's reputation. In speaking of the ACC, two of the less-impressive ACC teams met in a rivalry game. There was also a matchup in the ACC in Michigan. A big Division 2 game saw a Top 5 team go up against a Top 20 team. They are both Texas schools. And finally, a Division 3 school is ready to shock a 1-AA team if at all possible. One of the weekend's biggest upsets is about to happen from these games.





DIVISON 1-A GAMES
"Desperation" North Carolina at Virginia (RIVALRY: "Oldest Rivalry in the South")
North Carolina and Virginia hit it off in Charlottesville, VA. Let's go for it. Last week saw some March Madness love. Both of these teams saw their units become #1 in the nation in their respective pasts. But one has to imagine that these two have to be desperate to win. North Carolina has won only one football game so far while Virginia has won just two. North Carolina football has been bad for a long time. More people know (and probably care) more about UNC basketball than football. Virginia has been a postseason team several times. Now both teams are struggling. It will take a miracle for both teams to make the Bowl season. The UNC Tar Heels can't toss a pigskin like they can play roundball. Virginia is the Colorado of the ACC. The Charlottesville outfit saw the team fall apart like a 1980s Lincoln Town Car or most 1980s Jaguars (in case American people don't like me to rag on American cars). Despite falling apart, they've managed two wins. Charlottesville would love to see their beloved Cavaliers take North Carolina deep (to use some baseball speak). These teams have crappy seasons so far. Only one team will see one more "W" added until their respective next swing of games. The end zone was out of order for both teams as Virginia kicked and made three field goals in the First Half. Afterwards, it's business as usual- Virginia wins, North Carolina loses. Not to mention losing bad. (23-0; VIRGINIA)

* Utah at New Mexico (34-31; NEW MEXICO)

"Mount Pleasant Surprise" Bowling Green State at Central Michigan
You know how you hear about certain cities in NASCAR or sprint car racing you've never heard of? I think there's a city called Oregon, IL or something like that. Anyhow, we're talking about a Bowling Green here. Not the Bowling Green where Western Kentucky is, but Bowling Green, OH. Bowling Green State University hits the road to meet Central Michigan. It's a MAC showdown in Mount Pleasant, MI. Bowling Green was a real suprise team the past few years. They almost upset Wisconsin a year or so ago. Now the Falcons aren't even in that sort of winning form. They aren't the basketball equivalent of the Missouri Valley Conference. Central Michigan is looking to send Bowling Green away with plenty of migrane headaches. Then again, they may get temporary headaches once the Chippewas are done tackling them hard. But who'll get WHACKED hard this Thursday night? To the winner goes some asprin after some hard-hitting football. (31-14; CENTRAL MICHIGAN)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
"Loaded for Bearcat" Central Arkansas at Sam Houston State
Central Arkansas University came into Texas to meet one of their future Southland Conference rivals- Sam Houston State University. The Central Arkansas Bearcats are having a pretty good go in 1-AA as an independent. Meanwhile, Sam Houston State's Bearkats want to stay on top and take care of some business. Central Arkansas won this game by a touchdown and a 2-point conversion. The Huntsville, TX home crowd couldn't believe a loss like this. (38-30; Central Arkansas)

* Salisbury State at St. Peter's (26-23; SAINT PETERS)





DIVISION 2 GAMES
"" #20 Abeline Christian at #4 West Texas A&M
Why don't we come to Texas? I welcome all of you to Canyon, Texas- home to West Texas A&M University. No, not the TAMU in College Station, but WEST Texas A&M. Don't know about them? You'll know about them now because they are #4 in the Nation in Division 2. You'll know about Abeline Christian because they are no cupcake. In fact, they are #20 in the nation. Both teams are undefeated. Is an upset possible as a 20 tries to beat a 4? Find out. Chris Thomeson is the coach of Abeline Christian University. Abeline Christian is looking to go into West Texas A&M to shock the #4 team in Division 2. Remember that there is a playoff system in Division 2. So the Wildcats have a chance to scare the West Texas A&M boys. They are in their white away colors and blue. Now let's meet West Texas A&M. Don Carthel is the coach of West Texas A&M. West Texas A&M University had a winning season since 1998. Now they are putting up a hellacious season. Kind of think of Carthel as the Joe Paterno of West Texas A&M in the sense of a team that's seen good and bad years as they have made a courageous comeback (like last year's Penn State). West Texas A&M is in northwestern Texas within some distance of Lubbouck. This is going to sound strange... the Buffaloes are 7-0, but have committed a whole lot of penalties. West Texas A&M has infused a little College Station blood since these boys wear their home maroon jerseys with white accents. I think the CSTV broadcast said that they had about 110 yards of penalties a game. So let's see who gets it done in northwestern Texas. Abeline Christian and West Texas A&M first met in 1921. You weren't born then. ACU leads the series 25-1?. This is a battle of two Lone Star Conference foes.
We got ourselves an upset, players! It's Saturday come early! (49-33; Abeline Christian) *upset!*

* Southern Arkansas at Harding (17-6; HARDING)





DIVISION 3 GAMES
-none reported-





JOHN'S EXTRAS

--- NORTHERN COLORADO TROUBLE ---
The Northern Colorado Bears saw their punter stab Cozad mercilessly. By being tried in court, the suspect could face up to 48 years in jail. Can you imagine 48 years in the pokey? That's how long he'll be in if convicted for first-degree murder.



--- UPDATE ON THE "DIRTY BOMBS" DEAL, PLUS SOUND OFF ---
The FBI's Department of Homeland Security found out that the "Dirty Bomb" thing at NFL stadiums turned out to be nothing more but a hoax. The NFL wants to assure fans that they will be able to enjoy their football peacefully even though there will be plenty of security to help assure games around the nation will be safe and enjoyable. It is said that a Milwaukee man (20 y/o) was questioned about this. And all in all, it was an Internet prank. [FRIDAY UPDATE] The deal turned out to be a contest to see who can pull off the scariest threat on the Internet.

Now to sound off.

I am glad it's just a hoax. But you really know something? Nothing really boils my blood and increases my blood sugar than to see someone come up with some huge prank that gets authorities involved. In no way is something like this even funny. One thing I've talked about how I've grown up (to provide a different example) around the tuner culture. People will say that "ricing out" cars is pure disgrace. Well, there's much more serious stuff. Think of all the people who think they are above God by doing silly Jackass stunts. Are they exempt from stupidity? Then, there's all the people that do stupid crap on Myspace. It's my thing- people will do anything stupid just to get some national attention. You want national attention, do something RIGHT for America and American society and stop feeding us bulls:censored: just so you can be famous. It's why I don't get into all sorts of stupid and annoying stuff. It's just certain people making things bad for everybody else. I just don't understand it. And who would actually stoop to such a low like this? Some future pranksters better be glad there isn't an Amendment in the U.S. Constitution regarding stupid Internet bullcrap. These people usually think they are above God and above the law. NEWS FLASH: You're not! Want to make an ass out of yourself and have other Americans saying "what planet created this lowlife?" Go right ahead. But remember, you will be a statistic for many people in your age range and nation. That includes my 23-year old ass. How and why should you do such a thing? Unfathomable. Unbelievable. I'm basically beside myself just imagining such Internet pranks. [FRIDAY UPDATE] this incident is even more stupid since this was a sort of competition of who can create the scariest threat over the Internet. How stupid is this? You be the judge.



--- PAM WARD (EXTRA REVISION) ---
I did an Extra on Pam Ward, an ESPN play-by-play commentator. I forgot to properly update it. So let me finish what I started.

I learned from Wikipedia that Pam Ward is a graduate of the University of Maryland. She used to be a sideline reporter when starting out in 1996. She's been a play-by-play announcer since 2001 when her wishes of being a play-by-play announcer were granted. A blog on Deadspin made some hurtful comments about her being either lesbian or transgendered. None of this was true about her. Fact is, she's a lady that prefers to call games in their most exciting moments from the announcer's booth and not walking the sidelines. According to: { http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/career/article.html?record=7 }, Pam Ward didn't like the sideline walking because she kept being rained on, snowed on, the like. She states that her worst experience was when she did a game from the sidelines between Kentucky at Tennessee. She's been instrumental in that women can do play-by-play just as successful as male commentators. She's done a number of different gigs for television and radio. She basically wants to give women hope that women can be great play-by-play sports announcers. Ward is also credited for being the first female play-by-play announcer to cover a Bowl Game (started with Motor City Bowl). Her first play-by-play assignment was a game between rivals Bowling Green and Toledo. She wants to be able to have stats in front of her to really understand how the game goes. Basically, she wanted to be as involved as possible in games. I admire her for her efforts and all she had to do to get to the point where she is now. So if you're going to be watching games on TV and you hear Pam Ward's voice or see her face, she's done a whole lot for women in broadcasting sports. She is a native of Washington, D.C.

ESPN's Bio on Pam Ward can be found here: { http://bios.espn.com/talent/pam_ward }



--- NBC LOOKING TO CUT WORKFORCE BY 5% ---
Over 700 jobs may be lost by 2008 for NBC. Some dramas may be cancelled to make way for these job cuts. It's described as an across-the-board deal. It may even mean some jobs cute here for Houston's NBC affiliate, KPRC Channel 2. I don't really watch NBC much except for maybe Sunday Night Football.



--- TOMORROW (or later tonight since it's Friday) ---
West Virginia will head on the road to meet the basketball power, Connecticut. It's a collegiate edition of Friday Night Lights. I'll have those scores when I get a chance. See you then!

High school... college... can't make the decision? You came to this thread for some college football. I'm not mad at you if you want to go see some high school action. I don't really cover high school. This is about college football. So let's see who tossed up the pigskin today.





WEEK 8 - FRIDAY SYNOPSIS
More Division 2 fireworks erupted as another team gets upset in the Division 2 ranks. As for Division 1, two Big East teams collide as one tries to stay unbeaten.





DIVISION 1-A GAMES
* #4 West Virginia at Connecticut
Certainly West Virginia doesn't want to go 6-1 in losing to Connecticut. Connecticut made a Bowl Game [/U]for the first time in their history[/U](?) last year. They may be better in basketball, but the Huskies can still play football as well as they did last year. West Virginia players are Mountaineers, but they had no problems scaling Connecticut. (37-11; #4 West Virginia)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
* Georgetown University of Washington, D.C. played against the football club at George Mason University. I note games as 1-AA or such based on who the home team is. Georgetown is a road team, so no entry is on them. I don't have results of who won between Georgetown and George Mason as of the typing of this report.





DIVISION 2 GAMES
* #19 C.W. Post at Southern Connecticut (34-28; SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT) *upset!*





DIVISION 3 GAMES
-none reported-





JOHN'S EXTRAS
Allow me to kick off the extras. The first few entries will relate to two non-football teams with football clubs.

--- A RETURN TO FOOTBALL FOR XAVIER ---
Not an NCAA football team, but a club team for Xavier University. Basketball fans know that they are known as the Musketeers. Xavier dropped football some time in the 1960s or even the 1970s. They played a club football game against another non-football team- Marquette University. The Marquette Golden Eagles are winless in their club football ranks. They are 0-5 in meeting Xavier. Marquette and Xavier will get it on at Norwood this Saturday at 11AM local time there.

The home of Xavier University club football: http://www.xu.edu/football/



--- GEORGE WHO? ---
George Mason University made the Final Four last year in hoops. I was surprised to find out that they have a football team, just not a full-on NCAA unit. I first learned of George Mason's football team when I was trying to give you Division 2 scores. I noted that Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA played against (and BEATEN) GMU 43-0. I HAD to learn about George Mason's football team. Apparentely, the Patriots have had football since 1992 and have been mutiple-time Conference Champions. Between 2000 and 2005, the only year they weren't Seaboard Conference champions was in 2002. They are part of the Seaboard Conference along with four other teams. Read more about the Seaboard Conference in the next entry.

George Mason football: http://recsports.gmu.edu/football/



--- INTRODUCING THE SEABOARD CONFERENCE ---
This is not an NCAA conference. This is not a conference trying to join the NCAA. But it does feature a popular name- George Mason University. These are the five member schools of this football-only Seaboard Conference:

George Mason (NCAA Division 1 in basketball; Colonial Athletic Association)
Williamson Free School
Valley Forge Military
Stevens State
Berean

I think George Mason wants to try to fund for an NCAA football team. I didn't really know that some NCAA (and even NAIA) teams actually do play these non-football schools. When I mentioned Georgetown in my 1-AA scores, I mean the NCAA's Georgetown in Washington D.C., and not Georgetown of Kentucky (NAIA school).

Read more about this conference here: { http://www.jmz.com/seaboard/ }



--- TOMORROW... ---
* Ohio State and Indiana get it on!
* Can Iowa shock Michigan in Ann Arbor?
* Can Nebraska upset Texas?
* Will lowly Colorado return to form by beating Oklahoma?

This and a LOT more! As for me, I'll likely go to the Houston Air Show this Saturday. So have fun!

This is Saturday's edition of my college football scores. How do you like your college football? At Noon? In the afternoon? In the evening? Or at night? No matter how you like your college football, I'll give you scores and witty commentary. I came home from the Wings Over Houston Air Show earlier this afternoon. Some of the scores I've heard weren't really as crazy as in the past. The World Series will kick off between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The American Le Mans Series close out 2006 at Laguna Seca. And while you're in the Football forum, you're here for college football. Take a look at my general synopsis to get a general idea as to who beat who.





WEEK 8 - SATURDAY SYNPOSIS
Perhaps not a wild weekend, but certainly a number of teams have played themselves hard. A powerhouse team in 1-AA falls for the second-straight week. Divisions 2 and 3 saw some big wins and bigger upsets as the Top Ten in Division 3 did not lose a game.





DIVISION 1-A GAMES
I don't really know what game I would consider "GAME OF THE WEEK" for Saturday. So let me give you a Double Feature to start things off. Then, I'll check in with the two brawlers from last Saturday to see how they did in their next game. More of the same? Read on and be enthused. Teams #3 Southern California and #6 Florida had a Bye Week.

--- Big Ten Championship Preview(?) Duet ---
"A Buckeye for a Buckeye" Indiana at #1 Ohio State (GAME OF THE WEEK - Double Feature!) (RIVALRY: Battle for Illibuck)
To begin this Double Feature of my GAME OF THE WEEK, we check in with Indiana and Ohio State. Ohio State has long been a football power while Indiana has been more of a football cupcake. They are perhaps next-to-last in Big Ten football for the worst football team in conference. Wouldn't it be special if Indiana's football team can have as dominant of a form as their 1976 men's basketball team? The boys from Bloomington, IN shocked Iowa last week. I doubt the Hoosiers will muscle their way around Ohio State. Let's meet the #1 team now. Ohio State is dominant (or at least good) in just about every sport they play. They even have a nice little Formula SAE race car made by their engineering department. They call their FSAE racing program as "Formula Buckeyes." And speaking of formulas, the Buckeyes SURELY have a formula for winning since they are unbeaten including that game (or lack of a game) at Texas. This wasn't much of a game either as Ohio State turned Indiana into oatmeal. Had your breakfast, kiddies? (44-3; #1 OHIO STATE)

"Dances With Wolverines" Iowa at #2 Michigan (GAME OF THE WEEK - Double Feature!)
Let's send a call to Michigan. The city we're talking about is Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor, MI is about 40 miles west southwest of Detroit. American Iron is made in Detroit, but American Football Iron is manufactured and processed in Ann Arbor. Let's see if the Michigan boys can slap around JNasty4G63's Iowa boys. I'm sure girls "heart" Iowa boys. And why not? Black and gold is a catchy color combo. Most ladies like a guy in black. That's the base color for Iowa when they do their games. But they have to wear the road whites instead. Football by the Iowa Hawkeyes is anything but overrated. Maybe not as surprising anymore, but still a great team. They need to be greater than great in knocking Michigan from grace. Losing is not a tradition of Michigan football even with their horrid season last season. They made no more than 40 consecutive bowl games in their time. They are the #1 unit in most consecutive Bowl Game appearances. And the Wolverines know they're going to the postseason after racking up a lot of wins up to this point. Iowa tried to make Michigan sweat, but the Wolverines were the ones turning up the heat while Iowa was cooked to a crisp unfortunately. Sorry, Iowa. But find out if 1-AA's NORTHERN Iowa can win their game later in this report. (20-6; MICHIGAN)


--- Miami Double ---
Miami at Duke/Duke at Miami
(-; Miami/MIAMI)

Florida International
I don't know if Florida International played or not. I do know that their men's soccer team lost at the Kentucky Wildcats. (-; )

-end "Miami Double"



"Believe in it, Baby!" Michigan State at Northwestern
Michigan State had a chance to knock off Notre Dame... and they failed. They tried to get an easy money win against Illinois... that didn't work. So what's a flattened team to do? These boys are ready to invade the alma mater of Brent Musburger (long-time sports announcer) and Michael Wilbon (ESPN, "Pardon the Interruption")- Northwestern University. The Michigan State Spartans need some sort of hope in knowing that they can beat teams without falling apart after sustaining a lead. They'll need to demonstrate the ability to win and KEEP winning starting this weekend. Northwestern University is in the greater Chicago area in a city called Evanston. You get to see Lake Michigan in the distance somewhere around Northwestern. The Wildcats wear purple with pride. Who got it done? Read on. Northwestern lead 38-3 over Michigan State in the Third Quarter. But the Spartans came back and came back BIG. They went from 38-3 to the final of 41-38. So to all of you who thinks that football is usually a done deal and normally doesn't have incredible comebacks, this game will make you think otherwise. My hat's off to Michigan State. This will really save a head coaching job in East Lansing. This becomes the biggest Division 1-A comeback in NCAA history. Talk about 35 unanswered points! And it's a great story whether it's football or basketball. (41-38; Michigan State) *biggest win nominee*

* Washington at #?? California
This game is going out to kylenhat, a proud guy wearing purple and gold. But will Washington's colors run when they meet California? Let's meet Washington. The University of Washington is VERY far from their National Championship form through most of the early 1990s. They won a share of the National Title against Miami in 1990. Sixteen years later, Washington really isn't on a national scale anymore in football. They came off of the past two seasons in which they won a grand total of three(?) games. The fans who flock to beautiful Husky Stadium in Seattle want to see their Huskies give California a talkin' to. But we won't be in Seattle for this one. We're headed to Berkley, CA, about 20 miles northeast of beautiful (and one of my favorite American cities) San Francisco. But it won't be so beautiful if Washington makes California feel completely overrated. The Golden Bears of California are ready to have Washington for lunch. That appetite had to wait as Washington pulled out some amazing heroics to take the game into Overtime. Most Hail Marys don't give you a chance to win. Only Boston College and Doug Flutie can do the Hail Mary to perfection, right? Washington shown a little 1984 Boston College by connecting a freaky Hail Mary completion. Even though Washington should get credit for prolonging the game and having a chance to take California right out of National Championship eligibility, California still was better than Washington on this day. (31-24, OT; #?? CALIFORNIA)

* #1? Oregon at Washington State
(-; WASHINGTON STATE) *upset!*

"Some Assenbly Required" #? Louisville at Syracuse
The Commonwealth of Kentucky provides one of their finest teams (maybe even THE finest) playing in the Big East to take on lowly Syracuse. I bet some boys in Lexington would absolutely laugh at Louisville if they lose to Syracuse. An analogy of Louisville getting beaten by Syracuse would be the ever-popular "you got beat by a girl!" comment. So let's see if Louisville gets a win or a loss. The University of Louisville's motto is "Dare to be Great." In the fields of entertainment, medical work, and a lot more, Louisville hasn't dared to be great- they are. This game is nothing more but an open-book mid-term for Louisville. And to make passing credit, the Cardinals will need to ace this test to the best of their ability. This would be a serious test if it was for Louisville if this was basketball. But basically, Syracuse is the Stanford of the East. Well, maybe that should be reserved for Duke. Syracuse University calls the Carrier Dome as their home. They play almost everything from football to basketball to lacrosse under the Carrier Dome. This is the house Orange built. It's home sweet home. It's home sweet home even if Louisville helps remind Syracuse of what losing feels like. Louisville is still unbeaten. Will it all change on November 2nd when they play West Virginia? (-; Louisville)

"Back to the Past" North Dakota State at Minnesota
Something's wrong with Minnesota. They are really having a down year. Perhaps it's the loss of Lawrence Maroney to the NFL. Or perhaps Minnesota isn't what they used to be. Maybe a win over North Dakota State will give them some confidence. I grant you that I know very little about North Dakota State. There's only two things I know- they are known as the Bison, and they shocked Wisconsin in men's college basketball last season at Kohl Center. Now for the ones I DO know about. Minnesota has been falling off the map faster than Ashlee Simpson's stardom in music. They are in need of some help. The Golden Gophers are not clicking like they used to. This win will certainly help with Minnesota's confidence even if it wasn't a usual 1-A thrashing of a 1-AA team. (10-9; MINNESOTA)

"To Kill a Yellow Jacket" #13 Georgia Tech at #12 Clemson
ESPN College GameDay was in the house at Clemson. It's the first GD show from Clemson, SC in its 20th Anniversary. So this should be a magical deal for Clemson. The 1981 National Champs play host to Georgia Tech in this ACC match. The pride of Atlanta, GA is Georgia Tech. You can even see parts of downtown Atlanta when you see Georgia Tech play at home at their stadium. But the Yellow Jackets are going to see another downtown- a city of purple and orange ready to boo GT right out of South Carolina. The 1981 National Champions is a school known as Clemson University. I misspelled it as "Clemenson" University when I was just a true freshman to understanding college football. Don't misspell or misinterpret that the Tigers are for real. Clemson wants in on the ACC championship game in December in Jacksonville, FL. But before they worry about the game at Alltel Stadium, they need to beat Georgia Tech in Death Valley. Clemson will need to go to church Sunday morning because they sinned in blowing out the Yellow Jackets. (31-7; #12 CLEMSON)

* #19 Rutgers at Pittsburgh
Rutgers has been rejuvenated in recent times. They have been the Big East doormat for a long while. Rutgers University was where college football was born. Without Rutgers, there probably wouldn't be college football or maybe even pro football. Rutgers needs a gut check. Maybe a trip to Pittsburgh will test the State University of New Jersey. It's a challenge the Scarlet Knights will gladly take. But they'll have to do it against Tyler Palko and his kitties. Pittsburgh is home to the Steelers, Penguins, 76ers, Pirates... and also the Panthers. These kitties are lead by Palko's offense. Is Palko going to New York City for the Heisman ceremonies? Not if he has a stinky game against Rutgers. I had my concerns for Rutgers in this game, but the Panthers simply doubled up Pitt. (20-10; Rutgers)

"Better and Better" UTEP at Houston
UTEP is a sophomore to Conference USA. But ever since they joined, things got a lot interesting in C-USA even with the coming of other ex-WAC schools such as Rice and Southern Methodist. The UTEP Miners won the 1966 National Championship in men's basketball when they started five black players to beat all-white Kentucky. Their story has been redone in the movie "Glory Road." UTEP just hopes to be on that road to glory by beating Houston. You know it's a great honor when I virtually welcome you to my hometown. Houston, Texas is what I call America's most underrated city. We have so much that not a lot of people know of. We have car shows, big concerts, world-class attractions and sporting arenas, and a lot more. My brother's alma mater is the University of Houston. The Cougars are looking to end a disappointing 3-game losing streak. It began with a close loss at Miami, which snowballed into losses against Lousiana-Lafayette and at Southern Mississippi in successive weeks. Three's a crowd. Houston wants a win. And they got the win. Big ups to the Coogs in this one. Their next win makes them Bowl eligible. It would also mean that Houston head coach, Art Briles, will have taken Houston to three Bowl Games in four seasons. Next win makes them eligible. (34-17; HOUSTON)

* Rice at Central Florida
Rice was a door mat for football. They were a guaranteed win team. Times are changing now. The outlook of college football tends to change every now and then. Rice has more spunk than ever before. Just look at their performance against Houston. Though Rice didn't win that game, at least they shown onlookers that Rice is for real. The Owls are far below .500. It still doesn't mean that they are sorry. They still are sorry, just not COMPLETELY sorry. UCF was sorry in its day before exploding last year onto the scene. UCF are known as the Golden Knights. Their fortress is the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL. Orlando makes them within distance of Walt Disney World. I'm sure Mickey and Minnie Mouse hated to see Houston's own Rice smash UCF by 11. But it's the truth. (40-29; Rice)


OTHER SUCH SCORES:

* North Carolina State at Maryland (-; MARYLAND)
* Tulsa at Memphis (35-14; Tulsa) <- Memphis is now 1-6. BIG disappointment this year compared to last.
* Buffalo at Ohio (-; OHIO)
* Alabama at #1? Tennssee (16-13; #1? TENNESSEE)
* Mississippi at
* Boston College at Florida State (-; Boston College)
* UNLV at BYU (52-7; BRIGHAM YOUNG) *ownage nominee*


* Middle Tennessee State at Louisiana-Monroe
I apologize for calling Louisiana-Monroe's team as the Indians. I learned last night that their new nickname is the Warhawks. They still are far from the .500 club, but so is Middle Tennessee State. Middle Tennessee State is home to a pack of Blue Raiders.





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
We got two upsets to kick off the 1-AA scores.

"Trouble in Paradise" New Hampshire at Northeastern
New Hampshire is a wonderful team. They enjoyed #1 status for a great while including a shocking win over Northwestern of the Big Ten earlier this season. But last week... their world was in trouble. They were blown out by James Madison. Now the New Hampshire boys have to deal with Northeastern. Don't confuse Northwestern with Northeastern. There is a Northwestern State in Louisiana in 1-AA. But we're talking about Northeastern in... Connecticut, I believe. The New Hampshire Wildcats of Durham, NH had to deal with Northeastern. Where there's cats, there's usually dogs as well. So a pack of Northeastern Huskies were ready to take a bite out of a fallout of one of 1-AA's best teams. And in the end, New Hampshire needs to find a Jiffy Lube or an Auto Zone or something because they need a tune-up. (-, OT; NORTHEASTERN) *upset!*

"" #11 Hampton at South Carolina State
We're going to South Carolina. The 1-A teams had their fun. Now it's time for 1-AA to have theirs. And boy have they SPOKEN out loud today! This is a battle of two historically-black colleges and universities (HBCU) in Hampton and South Carolina State. South Carolina State can be found in the hometown of WWE star, Shelton Benjamin. That South Carolina city would be Orangeburg. The Bulldogs don't have the firepower that South Carolina or Clemson have, but can still win whenever possible. I consider Hampton as the #1 HBCU involved in football. Hampton knows how to win games. I don't think they've won a championship in 1-AA to show for it. There was only one HBCU to win the National Championship in 1-AA, and that's Florida A&M (<- their game is next!) back in 1978. The Hampton Pirates would surely love to win the 1-AA playoffs and win a title.

* Florida A&M at Norfolk State
(-, OT; Florida A&M)


Now, let's turn things over to see how Kentucky folk play football.

--- Kentucky Pack ---
* Eastern Kentucky at Southeast Missouri State (27-21; Eastern Kentucky)

* Western Kentucky at Southern Illinois
Two teams wear two different shades of red for this game. But only one team's red colors will show through and burn up the other. Let's see which red team got it done. Welcome to Carbondale, IL- home of Southern Illinois University. This should be a match in the Pioneer Football Conference. Had this been basketball, this would be Sun Belt at the Missouri Valley Conference. But we have Western Kentucky of Bowling Green, KY, and Southern Illinois of Carbonbale, IL. First off, Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois seems to be on of those schools that seems to excel in just about every sport. SIU plays in the Missouri Valley Conference for basketball. The MVC has been pretty good at knocking power teams on their bottoms. But in football, the Salukis are just as good on grass as they are on the hardwood. A saluki is a type of Persian dog. Now for Western Kentucky. Not many people know about Western Kentucky except for their widely popular mascot. Western Kentucky is in the Kentucky city of Bowling Green. The 2002 National Champions are ready to (in using baseball speak) take Southern Illinois deep. And believe me, that's what Hilltoppers are there to do to their competition. Take 'em deep, beat 'em down, win games. A win here makes WKU above the .500 mark. When I got home, Western Kentucky was going to lose to Southern Illinois. But somehow, they pulled out the win to go 4-3. Good job, boys. (-; Western Kentucky) *big win nominee*

* at Morehead State
One of the worst 1-AA teams is Morehead State

* Jacksonville at Murray State at (20-10; Jacksonville)

* Cumberland at Austin Peay
I know NOTHING about Cumberland except that it's a Kentucky school. But in Overtime, they shocked the Governors of Austin Peay State University. (27-26, OT; Cumberland) *upset!*

-end "Kentucky Pack"



* San Diego at Drake
The University of San Diego is 6-0 heading into this game. Can they make it 7-0 when they meet Drake? San Diego excels in football, basketball, and baseball. Their football is really looking good for perhaps the best 1-AA California team. Meet San Diego. They are the Toreros. They can surely play football to be 6-0 at this point. Drake is one of the pure disappointments of 1-AA football at large. The Bulldogs can be found someplace in (I believe) Des Moines, IA. Or is it Butler in Iowa?

--- RAPID FIRE ---
*Holy Cross at Lafayette (38-28; Holy Cross) <-brawled last week
*Dartmouth at Columbia (20-7; Dartmouth) <-brawled last week
* Cornell at Brown (28-7; BROWN)
* Marist at Duquesne (40-10; DUQUESNE)
* Gardner-Webb at Liberty (27-24; Gardner Webb
* Mississippi Valley State at Texas Southern (20-16; Mississippi Valley State)
* Southern at Alcorn State (26-10; ALCORN STATE)
* Appalachian State at Georgia Southern (27-20; Appalachian State)
* William and Mary at James Madison (RIVALRY) (31-17; JAMES MADISON)
* Towson at Villanova (21-13; Towson)






DIVISION 2 GAMES
Due to oversleeping, I'll only provide a few scores. Visit: { http://www.d2football.com/scores/2006-10-21/ } for many more scores from today.

* #22 Winona State at Bemidji State (28-7; BEMIDJI STATE) *uspet!*
* West Georgia at Arkansas-Monticello (20-14, 2OT; West Georgia
* Millersville at California (PA) (41-0; CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA)
* South Anselm at Bryant (41-0; BRYANT)
* Lenoir-Rhyne at Carson-Newman (21-3; CARSON-NEWMAN)
* #3 North Alabama at #14 Delta State (17-10; #3 North Alabama)
* #7 Northwood at #1 Grand Valley State (45-7; GRAND VALLEY STATE)
* Paul Quinn at #24 Henderson State (71-19; #24 HENDERSON STATE) *ownage nominee*
* Kentucky State at Miles (21-20; Kentucky State)
* #9 Nebraska-Omaha at Minnesota-Duluty (38-14; #9 Nebrsaka-Omaha)





DIVISION 3 GAMES
Due to oversleeping, I'll only provide a few scores. Visit: { http://www.d3football.com/schedule.php?year=2006&week=8 } for many more scores.

* #1 Mount Union at Baldwin-Wallace (14-0; Mount Union)
* Mississippi College at #6 Mary-Hardin Baylor (41-14; #6 MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR)
* #17 Springfield at #14 St. John Fisher (55-38; #17 Springfield) *upset!*
* Methodist at #20 Ohio Northern (16-6; Methodist) *upset!*
* Emory and Henry at #21 Bridgewater (21-17; Emory and Henry) *upset!*
* Case Western Reserve at Washington University (13-6; WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY)
* SUNY-Maritime at Newport News (41-0; NEWPORT NEWS)
* Greensboro at Averett (62-21; AVERETT)
* Earlham at Kenyon (33-30, OT; KENYON)
* Albright at FDU-Florham (39-35; FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE AT FLORHAM)





JOHN'S WINNERS AND LOSERS

BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE WEEK
Michigan State Trails 38-3 to Northwestern, Engineers Incredible Comeback to Win 41-38 - This win is the largest deficit to win in Division 1-A football history. They put up 35 points after getting just a field goal. This HAS to be the equivalent to the Kentucky/LSU match that's regarded as one of the biggest comebacks in basketball. And I think this game is an example that you NEVER give up even if the game is a blowout. If you can still engineer a comeback to have some hope, play your butt off to get that big win.

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK
Oregon Can't Contain Wasshington State - Washington State isn't a great team as they've been some time in the past, but this is pretty sad for the Duckies.

[B}UPSET(S) OF THE WEEK (if any)
#4 West Texas A&M Shocked at Home vs. #20 Abeline Christian[/B] - Not as many interesting upsets, so I went with the game on Thursday. It is ALWAYS a great feeling to bash the brains in on a certain school in your state that's better than you.

OWNAGE(S) OF THE WEEK
@24 Henderson State Beats Down Paul Quinn 71-19 - The big ownage job was done by Henderson State in Division 2. Altogether now...

Paul Quinn (of the NAIA) = OWNED (71-19 by #24 Hendeson State)!





JOHN'S EXTRAS

--- KNOW YOUR LOGOS? ---
Take a look at this website: http://www.sportslogos.net/sport.php?s=6

That is a link consisting of a number of different team logos including alternative ones. This specific link takes you to a collection of college sports logos. Feel free to look around the different universities and colleges sorted by name. Some schools have had pretty nice logos. Some had some UGLY ones. Heck, some may have ugly logos today. There are even some logos to commemorate anniversaries. Only anniversary one I can recall was the logo celebrating over 100 years of University of Kentucky basketball (1903-2003 then). Give it a look-see.


I Don't have too many more extras to share since I overslept in trying to give you scores. Take care, everyone!