College Football 2005 - Week 1: Back to School!

[JohnBM01]

Hello, everyone. My name is John M., GTPlanet member and big college football fan. After a successful attempt to give out college football scores and (some) highlights, I'm back at it for a new season... uh, semester of college football. To get enrolled into college 'ball, you don't need ridiculously high SATs or GPAs, just follow along.

Now here's the format in which I'm doing these scores and highlights.

I will normally begin with an introduction, usually highlighting on key stories to look for on that given week. After the introduction, I'll quickly make the second post of the thread, highlighting on Division 1-A scores. The way I do scores is like this. I first come up with a nice title for the game, be it serious or funny. You can't have a game without two teams playing to win, so I note the teams playing in the game, usually in the order of [Away Team at/@ Home Team]. During Bowl Game season, I'll just simply note teams who will play in the game. Afterwards, I will provide my highlights or just come up with a story. At the end, I'll note who won the game. If the away team won, the college/university will be displayed in lowercase (example: 21-7; Auburn). If the home team won, the college/university will be displayed in CAPTIAL letters (example: 28-14; TEXAS). In the case of acronyms, I'll spell out their long version and follow the same format (examples: 31-28 California-Los Angles; 31-28 CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES).

In another post, if I have scores from games from Division 1-AA to Division 3, I will include them. Of course, you are able to come up with your own results for teams I don't mention. I try to design these threads to talk about mostly Division 1-A and some Division 1-AA, but if you want to talk other college football stuff, go ahead.

Later on, I Will usually end the thread with my picks for the biggest win, most disappointing loss, biggest upset (if any), and my personal favorite- OWNAGE of the week. Biggest win is concerned with who pulled off the biggest victory, usually under pressure or against a tough opponent. Most disappointing loss is awarded to the team who had to accept a difficult defeat from a certain opponent. Either that, or who would have, could have, and should have won, but couldn't. Upset of the week is awarded to the team who comes into a game as the underdog, but wins under extreme pressure. OWNAGE of the week is awarded to the team who completely clobbers an opponent. Usually the "OWNED!" goes to the team who lost by a huge margin. New this year, I'll come up with a sort of lifestyle or weird moment in each week of college football. Just to jazz things up.

Having said that, let's start a new semester of college football, you dig?

 

[JohnBM01]

INTRODUCTION:

If 2004 was any indication of just how insane college football can be, 2005 should be a bronco buster of a season. Before the 2004-2005 Bowl Games were underway, five teams were undefeated- U. Southern California, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah, and Boise State. By the end of the season, there were a total of three teams who finished undefeated- U. of Southern California (National and Defending Champions), Auburn, and Utah. Boise State fell to Louisville with a wild finish, and Oklahoma lost to the USC Trojans in a no-contest. In addition, how about LSU barely surviving against the Pac 10's Oregon State? How about North Carolina, of all schools, beating Miami (FL) by a single field goal? Last year's Red River Shootout was almost all defense with a 12-0 shutout, blanking Texas. Texas almost lost to a Big XII football underachiver, Kansas. But had it not been for a wild 4th and 18 conversion inside two minutes, they would have been upset at Kansas. Welcome two newcomers to Division 1-A football- Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University. Both Sun Belt schools may be small and new to the big dogs in Div. 1-A, but FAU had a lot of wins. Auburn were highly-favored in the nation by being an undefeated unit, but many feel the national title game should have been between USC and Auburn. So like the pros say during the first week of a season: "we're all undefeated again." That's right. In Division 1-A, over 120 schools are all undefeated until they play their games. Then sometime later, it will be conference play.

NOTE: The following games have been postponed thanks to the horrible Hurricane Katrina:
North Texas at LSU
Tulane at Southern Miss
Southern at McNeese State
Nichols State at Utah State
Jacksonville at Southeast Louisiana
Alcorn State at ???
Texas Southern vs. Prairie View A&M (postponed because there isn't enough stadiums available for play with a stadium big enough to house people and players)

(Games in BOLD have been cancelled. Division 2 and lower haven't been included. Source: ESPNEWS)

I'm going to admit. This is about the most work I've done in talking about the games! Get ready for a lot of highlights and mentioned games.

 

[JohnBM01]

DIVISION 1-A

*+x GAME OF THE WEEK x+*

"Lying, Cheating, and Steeling" Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
Heinz Field is in a very lovely setting of America's Steel City. Not only do the Steelers play here, but also the Pittsburgh Panthers. Had this been college basketball, these would be two Big East schools, but instead, it's an Independent vs. the Big East. Many predict ND will start 0-6, but if they knock off Pitt, it's a shot heard 'round the world... well, just America. Well, Notre Dame is for real, beating Pittsburgh in hostile territory. (42-21; Notre Dame)

"Football Getaway" USC (Southern California) at Hawaii
Win a national title, win a Heisman, and relax in Hawaii. Does this sound right to you? No. Hawaii wants to not only wake up the Trojans, but the Warriors want to make a capital upset. That upset was too good to be true as Hawaii faced reality- the Trojans can't be stopped in Hawaii. (63-17; U. of Southern California)

"Redemption or Bust" Oregon at Houston (at Reliant Stadium)
The Houston Cougars finished 3-8 last season as Oregon finished 5-6. Both teams both play in kind of average conferences. Both teams looking to rebound from respective bad seasons in Conference USA and the Pacific 10. When I came home from school, it was about 7 minutes into the 2nd Quarter. Houston led 21-17. The game was entertaining all until Houston ran out of energy to mount a comeback. They should have an easy go against Sam Houston State. SHSU is a Div. 1-AA team who completely blew out their opponent on the same night Houston and Oregon played. (38-24; Oregon)

"Good Knight!" Central Florida at South Carolina
Poor Golden Knights. They finished 0-11 last year, having played for two seasons in the MAC conference. They now return to Conference USA in hopes that they will be a much better team from their 0-13 fiasco. The Orlando-based UCF went to SEC country to face the Gamecocks of South Carolina with Steve Spurrier at head coach. By coming into Conference USA and facing an SEC team, they face Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks, and speaking of game... UCF had no game against South Carolina. Next for UCF is at South Florida, while South Carolina travels to Georgia. (24-1?; SOUTH CAROLINA)

"Vander-Built" Vanderbilt at Wake Forest
Winston-Salem, NC is home to Wake Forest and the Demon Deacons. Tennessee's Vanderbilt is coming off of two wins last season Mississippi State and Eastern Kentucky, both home games. Wake Forest also needs improvement with a 4-7 finish in the ACC. They didn't get the improvement as they accept a tough loss to the Commodores. Not a way to start the season if you're a Demon Deacons fan. (??-?? Vanderbilt)

"Them Blasted Gophers!" Minnesota at Tulsa
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane is a newcomer to Conference USA. While my heart is with all affected with ... #22 for Minnesota ripped a beautiful 73 yd touchdown run to make the Golden Hurricane the Fool's Gold Hurricane. That persistence led them to just about an easy win. Almost no sweat, eh Golden Gophers? (??-??- Minnesota)

"Stampede" William and Mary at Marshall
If I'm not mistaken, I've remembered seeing the College of William and Mary's football field on TV before. It's quite lovely! Been around for maybe 2 or 3 centuries and just a lovely place. But, this game isn't lovely, however. They meet the Marshall Thundering Herd, looking to wipe out the Tribe of Div 1-AA. This is a home game to a Div. 1-A team, so this will NOT count as a Div. 1-AA highlight.

"Up, Up, and Away!" Western Illinois at Toledo
The Leathernecks of Western Illinois (1-AA) faced the Toledo Rockets of the MAC. They finished an impressive 9-4, beating Miami (Ohio) in last year's MAC Championship game. This game wasn't even close. Be warned, Toledo is told to be a dark horse. (7?-1?; TOLEDO)

"Soaking Up the Sun Devils" Temple at #20 Arizona State
Independent school Temple went southwest to Arizona State University to battle the Sun Devils. The Sun Devils is perhaps the best football program in Arizona, edging out even the Arizona Cardinals of the pros. Speaking of pros, Arizona State did a pro-fessional job against the Temple Owls, blowing them out 63-13 in a home stand that wasn't even close. (63-13; ARIZONA STATE)

"Snoop Doggie Doggs" Connecticut at Buffalo
I normally bash schools who are better in college basketball than college football, but Connecticut's Huskies have put together quite an effort. In 2004, the Huskies in basketball became the first program to win the Men's and Women's National Title in the same year. Why is this important to note? It is because UConn is building up its program on the heels of their college basketball success. The 2-9 Buffalo Bulls of last season are looking at a lot of regrouping after Connecticut completely BLANKED the Bulls. (38-0; Connecticut)

"Amphibious Assault" TCU vs. Oklahoma
Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, USA recently joined the Mountain West to match wits with Utah, Air Force, Colorado State, and all them. Boomer Sooner! Their opponents are the Oklahoma Sooners. What happened? TCU were supposed to be beaten 63-0. That didn't happen thanks to stout defending and fresh legs on both sides of the ball. They stole the show, never to return it back. (17-10; Texas Christian)

"OH, boy!" Miami OH at Ohio State
A MAC powerhouse takes on a Big Ten powerhouse at the good old Horseshoe in Columbus, OH. Ohio State beat their in-state opponents in a not even close deal. (34-14; OHIO STATE)

"Blaze of Glory" U. of Alabama-Birmingham at Tennessee
The UAB Blazers of Conference USA faced SEC powerhouse Tennessee. With a lot of off-season trouble for the Tennessee Volunteers, they must now perform to the tune of a new season. Beating Alabama-Birmingham is a nice start for the Volunteers. It was close, though. (17-10; TENNESSEE)

"Blue Pastures on the Other Side" #18 Boise State at #13 Georgia
After a weird ending which un-undefeated Boise State, they try to regroup after a wonderful season. Away from their highly-popular blue turf, I don't know... do bulldogs and broncos play together? Well, they don't in Athens, GA, where Georgia hopes to make blue mashed potatoes out of Boise State. The talented BSU Broncos got picked off twice in their first two possessions. Georgia led 14-0 after two Boise State picks. The Broncos had to play against the rowdy Bulldog nation in Athens. They got blanked at the half, not to mention trailing a staggering 31-0. What was an interesting matchup is now a blowout/shutout, folks! Consolation did very little for Boise State, however. (48-13; GEORGIA)

"Yellow Jackets on a Swarm" Georgia Tech at Auburn
Auburn's still upset to not play for the national title last season, so they are going to take their aggression out on Georgia Tech of the ACC. GT did make it to a Bowl Game last year, so they are looking to do much better (23-14; Georgia Tech)

"Beware of Dog" Northern Illinois at #4 Michigan
The Huskies of Northern Illinois (MAC) faced one of the best programs in the Big Ten at Ann Arbor. NIU Huskies want an upset, Michigan wants a tune-up match for their in-conference games. Whose needs were met in full? It was 27-10 for Michigan at the half. NIU's Huskies had no answer to the Wolverines in the end. (33-17; MICHIGAN)

"Mid-America Madness" Indiana at Central Michigan
Indiana's Hoosiers didn't have a great season last season, finishing 3-8. Eastern Michigan's Eagles finished 4-7 last year. Indiana hasn't been to a Bowl Game since 1993, losing to Virginia Tech in a blowout (40-25, Virginia Tech) in the Independence Bowl. Eastern Michigan hasn't been to a Bowl Game since 1987, beating San Jose State 30-27 in the Las Vegas Bowl. As these two hit it off in Michigan, Indiana is looking at a 14-3 lead over C. Michigan at the half. The game ended with Indiana on the right track in the Big Ten. (20-13, Indiana)

"Play Your Cards Right..." Ball State at #11 Iowa
Ball State. Must give you an idea that they know how to play any kind of ball. Sadly, you'd be wrong. Ball State finished 2-9 in their MAC conference. They need a boost, but where they're trying to get one may be a... bit of a problem. GTP, they're playing Iowa! Are you kidding me, player? Iowa finished 10-2, fresh off of upsetting LSU in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, FL, USA. That 30-25 win has them as being the ultimate dark horse in the Big Ten. Thirteen BS Cardinals were suspended with NCAA investigation, so they may come up short even with the Hawkeyes playing host to the Cardinals. Before the half, Iowa scored over 7 touchdowns against a vulnerable Ball State offense. Afterwards, Ball State is sent home crying thanks to the Iowa Hawkeyes blanking them. (56-0; IOWA)

"Brute Utes" Arizona at Utah
Friday night lights! Arizona isn't a football school (in my view), but they face last year's lovely story of the Utah Utes. Utah isn't going to have its big names, so the question now is, can Utah re-prove themselves after a stellar season last season? They'll have to prove it against the second-worst Pac-10 team last year, Arizona. Beautiful Rice-Eccles Stadium plays host to this matchup. In the second play of Utah's opening drive, there was the first-ever Instant Replay, not to mention Utah throwing a red challenge flag. Only the Mountain West can have Coaches' Challenge as Utah won on an incomplete pass. Arizona's defense was pretty solid and pretty tough, even considering they led the nation in fumble recoveries (19). This game was VERY entertaining! Wild touchdowns and insane plays made the game exciting as Utah pulled it off against the Wildcats. The streak is 17 games. Anyone want to step up? (27-24; UTAH)

"Don't Gator-Hate!" Wyoming at Florida
Don't hate the Gator. Hate the game. If you step into Gainesville and you're a Gator-hater, you bound to get chomped. Would Wyoming learn this the hard way? Wyoming made it to a Bowl game, beating UCLA of the Pac-10. Florida lost to in-state rival Miami (FL) in last season's Peach Bowl. The Wyoming Cowboys and the Florida Gators both finished 7-5 last season. Urban Meyer led his men in Gainesville to shut out Wyoming 17-0 at the half. (32-14; FLORIDA)

"Bearing Down" Baylor at SMU
Henry Ford probably wouldn't know what it would be like to ride a Mustang. Such a sweet American car. For Southern Methodist moving from the WAC to Conference USA, they are only one of three Texas-based schools in Conference USA this year. In 2003, they lost EVERY GAME, but finished 3-8 the next season. This season, they play against a team who upset Texas A&M in in-conference play, Baylor. Baylor also beat North Texas (Sun Belt) and Texas State (Southland, 1-AA). Which Texas institution pulled off the win? That would be the , thank you very much. (-

"Swan Song" Florida Atlantic at Kansas
Both Kansas and Kansas State finished a dismal 4-7. You already know I don't have Kansas making any real waves in the Big XII, much less the Big XII North. The team they play against 1-A newcomers Florida Atlantic. They didn't make it to a Bowl Game despite winning a majority of their games.

"Fountain of Truth" Colorado State vs. Colorado
Let's take a ride to beautiful Fouin This annual non-conference game is a battle between two of Colorado's best talent, the 2004 Big XII North Champion Colorado, and the lowly Colorado State Rams who finished 4-7 last season. The game was at 3:30 PM EDT as the University of Colorado and Colorado State University went at it. With 30 or so seconds left, CSU deadlocked it at 28-all and game on. Colorado must step up. Nine seconds left and and the Colorado kicker out of Georgetown, TX, knocked down a 40+ yard field goal to make it 31-28 for the defending Big XII North Champions.

"Screw with the Horns and..." University of Louisiana-Lafayette at Texas
Here's a long title and nickname- the Louisana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. Okay, it's still not as bad as the IUPUI Jaguars in college hoops (Indiana University- Purdue University- Indianapolis Jaguars), but the Ragin' Cajuns mean business despite their 4-7 finish last season. Surely, the Ragin' Cajuns are playing with heavy hearts as Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana. Texas, on the other hand, is looking to perhaps go undefeated and FINALLY beat Oklahoma in Dallas later this season. Here is a fact- Louisiana-Lafayette hasn't been to a Bowl Game since 1970's Rice Bowl, losing to the Tennessee State Tigers 25-26. This game? What you expect? (60-3; TEXAS)

"Into the Tiger's Den" Texas A&M at Clemson
Clemson is prospective of another Bowl Game invite. The one-time National Champions faced a Texas-tough Texas A&M. The Aggies had a great season last season, but their success was short-lived as Clemson knocked off an improving Big XII Texas A&M. (25-24; CLEMSON)

"Fear the Illini" Rutgers at Illinois
Meet the Scarlet Knights of the Big East. Rutgers played the first-ever college football game against Princeton. The team has been around for a danged good while. Could the Scarlet Knights of the round table defeat the Fighting Illini? Regulation solved nothing. But in OT, the Illini pulled it off, winning by three. (33-30; OT; ILLINOIS)

"Evanston Excellence" Ohio at Northwestern
Two teams with cats as mascots are the Ohio Bobcats of the MAC, and Northwestern of the Big Ten. All the while, this wasn't the only [MAC at Big Ten] game. If Ball State @ Iowa was any indication, then this would mean that Northwestern would win, right? If you answered yes, pat yourself on the back on a job well done. (38-14; NORTHWESTERN)

"No! Not Again!" Washington vs. Air Force (Qwest Field; Seattle, WA, USA)
We have football in beautiful Qwest Field. Tyrone Willingham is behind the Big W in the Great Northwest. But in a big Hail Mary, Air Force downed the Huskies as Washington's horrid losing streak continues thanks to the Falcons. (20-17; Air Force)

"Sleeping with the Fishes" UCLA at San Diego State
The UCLA Bruins play at the beautiful Rose Bowl when at home. But when facing San Diego State, you play in Chargers country- Qualcomm Stadium. The Aztecs of SDSU want to make the most out of upsetting the Pac-10's Bruins. The Bruins made the Aztecs completely extinct. (44-21; California-Los Angeles)

"WAR!" Bowling Green at Wisconsin
When you think Wisconsin and football, you normally think of Brett Favre who put Green Bay on the map. In fact, there's even a University of Wisconsin with a campus in Green Bay. But there's one catch- no football program. So you go to the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, USA. Bowling Green wanted to challenge Wisconsin, and in a very entertaining contest, Wisconsin pulled it out to win. But I got mad respect for Omar Jacobs' efforts in leading the Bowling Green Falcons in an upset attempt that got botched. (56-42; WISCONSIN)

"Welcome to the ACC!" Boston College @ Brigham Young
ACC at Mountain West now. Newcomers Boston College representing the ACC as BYU repped the Mountain West. Boston College won in a game I didn't think would be a blowout. (20-3; Boston College)

"Sweet Dreams in East Lansing" Kent State at Michigan State
Michigan State is one of the best football clubs in Div. 1-A football as they met MAC team Kent State. The Golden Flashes met the Big Ten's MSU Spartans. (49-14 MICHIGAN STATE)

"Blue and Crimson" Middle Tennessee@Alabama
The Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee had a lot to play for by beating Alabama. The Crimson Tide is one of the most established college football teams in America. The game played out in Tuscaloosa as the Tide welcomed the Blue Raiders. The Blue Raiders got covered in crimson in this beatdown. (26-7; ALABAMA)

"JoePa Faux Pas?" South Florida at Penn State
Joe Paterno's been around. No, really. With more than 40 years at Penn State, it's pretty obvious that if you love what you do, stay in the game. Big East newcomers South Florida faced the Big Ten's Penn State as the game was played in Beaver Park, PA. It was 17-7 in favor of Penn State at the half. It would be disappointing if PSU lost to South Florida, and they didn't disappoint with a not-even-close win. (??-??; PENN STATE)

"No Sproles? No Problem" Florida Internatioinal Kansas State
Kansas State is looking to rebound after a 4-9 season. They are feeling mighty fine in this home stand against 1-A newcomers Florida International. The Golden Panthers had no answers for the KSU Wildcats. (35-21; KANSAS STATE)

"The Pride of Maryland" Maryland at Navy
The Terrapins of Maryland took on the Navy Midshipmen. Maryland represents College Park, MD and the ACC. Navy is an Independent, and the best of the three military academies (Navy, Army, and Air Force) based in Annapolis, MD. Terrapins may be turtles, but these weren't slow turtles as they knocked the Midshipmen into next week. They came, they saw, they won. (23-20; Maryland)

"Tiger Cruise" Missouri at Arkansas State
Columbia, MO isn't a bad place to be in, but you have to see some other places. Henceforth, they play against one of the teams probably appealing the decision to use their Native American nickname, the Arkansas State Indians. Arkansas is a Sun Belt team while Mizzou is a Big XII team. If last year is any indication, Missouri got upset by another Sun Belt team, Troy. The Tigers were a top 25 team until that misfortune last year. Now, they play Arkansas State. Deja Vu? No way! (44-17; Missouri)

"Black-Eyed Black Bears" Maine at Nebraska
This game was almost a joke as Maine held the Cornhuskers to a low-scoring game. The blowout still would be pretty obvious. (25-7; NEBRASKA)

"Attack of the 'Clones" Illinois State at Iowa State
The Indiana State Sycamores of the Gateway Football Conference took on the ISU Cyclones of the Big XII. It seems like the Cyclones completely blew away Illinois State. Ames, IA, USA had a lot to cheer about. (-; IOWA STATE)

"Bronco Busters" Western Michigan at Virginia
The Virginia Cavaliers fought like soldiers and didn't give an inch to the Western Michigan Broncos. (31-19; VIRGINIA)

"Yee-Haw!" Montana State at Oklahoma State
The Fighting Bobcats took on the Oklahoma State Cowboys. This is Big Sky vs. Big XII. Big XII wins by five. (15-10; OKLAHOMA STATE)

"The Buzz" Sacromento State at California
Sacromento State of the Big Sky met the Pac-10's California Golden Bears. Those bears of Berkley, CA did their job and looked, well... golden. The Sacromento State Hornets didn't stand a chance. They were lucky to get the kicker involved. (41-3; CALIFORNIA)

"Leave it to Beavers" Portland State at Oregon State
The Portland State Vikings wanted to pillage Oregon State on the football field. They wrote a check they couldn't cash. (41-14; OREGON STATE)

 

[JohnBM01]

DIVISION 1-AA and lower (quick scores and some highlights)

Of course GTPlanet, I'd like to introduce Division 1-AA schools and such in an effort to open your eyes to the nation of college football. Quite a few Div. 1-AA schools won't play thanks to Hurricane Katrina's horror. So, let's do it.

"" Colorado Mines at Northern Colorado
No. Colorado beat down this other team I've never heard of. (52-31; NORTHERN COLORADO)

"No Need to Get Technical..." Tennessee Tech at Chattanooga
In-State opponents Tennessee Tech and Chattanooga went at it. In overtime, the Golden Eagles couldn't put away the Mocs. (30-23; OT; CHATTANOOGA)

"Itsy Bitsy Spiders" UMass at Richmond
This should be a battle between two programs in the Atlantic 10. The UMass Minutemen needed only 60 minutes of fame to crush the Richmond Spiders.

"Bacon, Anyone?" Bacone at Sam Houston State
Sam Houston State of the Southland Conference recently celebrated its 125th birthday, meaning they've been around maybe a decade later than the birth of college football. I believe Bacone is a Division 2 school, because I've never heard of them. Or maybe it's a Division 1-AA team I don't really know about. But if you're one of the Bearkats of Sam Houston State, you'll be happy to know your team made Bacon out of Bacone. Anyone want seconds? Sam Houston State will hit it off next week against the University of Houston. (- SAM HOUSTON STATE)

"Detroit Dervish" Hampton vs. Jackson State (Ford Field; Detroit, MI, USA)
This is a Black College Football matchup (courtesy of BET) between Hampton's Pirates and the Jackson State Tigers. Jackson State represents the SWAC while Hampton is part of the ??? Conference.

"Pirating to Victory" Hampton def. Jackson State
The Tigers fell to Hampton's Pirates. (20-7; Hampton)

"Religious Engagement" Sacred Heart def. Holy Cross
This is a battle between two religious-type institutions as Sacred Heart met Holy Cross. Sacred Heart's good religion defeated Holy Cross.

"Bulldog Tamers" Albion over Butler
Never heard of Albion, but they beat the Butler Bulldogs.

"Soaring High" Georgia Southern over Northeastern
The game went into overtime as Georgia State made the home team sit down and be quiet with a nice field goal. (-; OT; Georgia Southern)

"Hornet Throwdown" Delaware State at Florida A&M
Florida A&M played host to Delaware State. The Hornets beat the Florida A&M Rattlers in Daytona Beach, FL. (21-17; Delaware State)

"Exploring for Answers" Wagner def. La Salle
The Wagner Seahawks of Staten Island, NY, USA faced off against the La Salle Explorers, beating them and laughing to the bank. (-; Wagner)

"" Charleston West Virgina def. Morehead State

"" Davidson def. by VMI
I believe their nickname is the Keydets. Call them what you will, this MAAC school defeated

"Grizz on the Prowl" Ft. Lewis def by Montana
Big Sky champs and 1-AA National Champion runners-up Montana took the fight to Fort Lewis and the Grizzlies made short work of Ft. Lewis.

"" Winston-Salem at Howard
Winston-Salem def. by Howard

"Fly Like an Eagle" Dayton ovr Tiffin
The Dayton Flyers played as the Away Team against Tiffin. The Flyers blanked Tiffin in this matchup. (38-0; Dayton)

"Going Coastal" Coastal Carolina at Elon
Coastal Carolina's nickname are the Chanticleers. Not chandeliers, chanticleers. A chanticleer is another name for a... rooster. These roosters did pretty well against the Elon Phoenix. (17-10; Coastal Carolina)

"" Union Kentucky at Gardner-Webb
Union Kentucky couldn't put away the Gardner-Webb crew.

"Bite out of Bison" Georgetown vs. Bucknell
Georgetown beat the Bucknell Bison by a field goal in overtime. (19-16; OT; Georgetown)

Union NY vs.

"More Woes" Benedict at Savannah State
Savannah State's basketball program went winless with a 0-28 record. Can their football program fare any better? Well, they have to do it against Benedict. Benedict gave the football program at Savannah State some woes as the Tigers are 0-1 to Benedict.

"High Above" Appalachian State at Eastern Kentucky
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels didn't have what it took to beat the Mountaineers. (24-16; Appalacian State)

"Mad Dogs!" Alabama State at. South Carolina State
SWAC meets the MEAC as the Alabama State Hornets battled the South Carolina State Bulldogs. With the game shown on ESPN2, South Carolina State played great football to beat the Hornets. (??-??; SOUTH CAROLINA STATE)

"Devilish Delta Devils" Mississippi Valley State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils faced off against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, and the Delta Deviles pulled off one... hell of a victory. (30-17: Mississippi Valley State)

"Use the Force, Dukes" Lock Haven at James Madison
The defending 1-AA National Champions start their season in sweet fashion. The Dukes are 1-0. (56-0; JAMES MADISON)

"Spartan-Mannered" Virginia State at Norfolk State
The Norfolk State Spartans had no answer to the Virginia State offense. (34-6; Virginia State)

"Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!" Concord at Liberty
Liberty for all as they beat Concord 17-6. (17-6; LIBERTY)

"Feeling Foxy" Lafayette at Marist
The Red Foxes were blown out by Louisiana's Lafayette program. (40-21; Lafayette)

"Wild Wild Western Connecticut" Western Connecticut State
I've heard of Central Connecticut State, but not Western Connecticut State. Regardless, all you need to know is that they beat St. Peter's by the final of 37-13.

"Dawg Pounding" Alabama A&M at Tennessee State
The Bulldogs of Alabama A&M went to Tennessee to meet the Tennessee State Tigers. Cats and dogs, but if you had to choose,a puppy would be nice, as Alabama A&M beat Tennessee State. (27-14; Alabama State)

"Charleston in Charge" Charleston Southern at The Citadel
I believe these are two South Carolina programs. The Citadel Bulldogs had the last laugh. (28-14; THE CITADEL)

"Crusade for Justice" Valparaiso at Wisconsin-Lutheran
Indiana's Valparaiso Crusaders wanted to take a bite into Wisconsin-Lutheran. And they got the job done winning convincingly. (17-3; Valparaiso)

"Good Doggie!" Wofford(H) def. Georgetown College
Georgetown is famous in basketball with the Georgetown Hoyas of the Big East. Georgetown College couldn't stop the bleeding from the Wofford Terriers. (34-24; WOFFORD)

"Kings of the Jungle" West State Colorado(?) at Weber State
I believe Weber State is in Ogden, UT, USA. To prove that there is another proud Utah group, let it be Weber State. Why? Read the score to find out why the Weber State Wildcats rule. (61-0; WEBER STATE)

"Dakota Dreamin'" Wisconsin-Lac(?) at South Dakota State
If there are two states I don't know about or hear much about, let it be the Dakotas. So learn your lesson. Don't mess with South Dakota State. (42-13; SOUTH DAKOTA STATE)

"Icy to Hot" New Hampshire at Univ. of California-Davis
It must be a HUGE transition to go from New Hampshire's weather to UC Davis. The New Hampshire Wildcats had no trouble adjusting to a different climate. (17-13; New Hampshire)

"Torreo Torrent" Azusa Pacific at San Diego
The San Diego Torreos had no problem with Azusa Pacific. (30-6; SAN DIEGO)

"Smiling Bobcats" Delta State at Texas State
The Southland Conference is where you'll find the Texas State Bobcats. By winning this game, Texas State has something to brag about. (32-25; TEXAS STATE)

"Cooked Well Done" Elizabeth at Bethune-Cookman
NASCAR fans know Daytona Beach for the Daytona International Speedway, but if you attend college, it's probably Bethune-Cookman for you. B-C got it done bigtime. (34-7; BETHUNE-COOKMAN)

"Grabbing Life By the Horns" Fordham at Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Rams did their job against the Fordham Rams(?). (34-20; RHODE ISLAND)

 

[JohnBM01]

After my highlights, I make my own personal picks as to what is the biggest win, the most disappointing loss, (if any) the biggest upset, and OWNAGE of the week. New this year, if there's a funny moment or interesting tidbit, I'll call it the "ENTERTAINING MOMENT OF THE WEEK." So read on.

First of all... that was a LONG list of highlights! I worked pretty hard to get as many games as possible.

BIGGEST WIN OF THE WEEK:
Georgia Tech def. Auburn It's a big win over the ranked Auburn Tigers. This is a feel-good moment for a group like the Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets are a good football team out of Atlanta, GA, but probably wouldn't stand a chance against Auburn in normal circumstances. Auburn can redeem themselves later this year when they play Georgia in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. That is, in terms of Georgia schools vs. Auburn.

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS:
Boise State def. by Georgia My pick is kind of a hard one, so I chose Boise State losing to Georgia. Boise State is a solid program. They may run away with the WAC, but Boise State not only have lost two straight, they've also been brought down a bit. I don't think the trend will continue, as I see them making it into a Bowl Game this year.

UPSET OF THE WEEK:
Boomer Sooner Doomer! I know TCU is solid, but when I woke up after a little nap, I was surprised as hell as Texas Christian beat them by a touchdown and a PAT. I'm sorry. If you beat the runners-up of a National Champion and you're not one of the top schools in the nation, you upset a damn good team! So congratulations to Texas' own TCU.

ENTERTAINING MOMENT(S) OF THE WEEK:
TBS's College Football package came off with a 6-camera view of the Colorado/Colorado State game. It was so interesting to see the game in different angles with the Dish Network. I don't know if it was on DirecTV or not, but anytime you can see a game from a number of different perspective, it's fun. * In the GT @ Auburn game, some people came to the game dressed up. Men had dress shirts and women had dressy dresses. If it's hot in Auburn, it must be pretty weird to show up in style!

OWNAGE OF THE WEEK:
Ball State shut out by Iowa I usually devote this for the biggest margin of victory. But with all the trouble Ball State was in, I'd give this honor to Ball State.

Ball State = OWNED (by Iowa)!

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I tell you. I never thought I would generate this many games and highlights. I don't know if I'll come up with pages and pages of highlights again, but you can bet I'll put in as many games as I can recall. The first week is just to get back into the college football spirit to compete for one-way passes to Pasadena, CA's Rose Bowl game next year.

 

[Max E.]

ashame about bowling green loss to wisconsin. wisconsin's question mark backs certainly answered with exclamation points and bowling green's sorry excuse for a d was appaling. i knew it would be a teack meet, i just thought the green would come out on top. 56-42 was the final score but incase anybody missed the actual game, omar jacobs hit partridge right in the breadbasket witha 40 yard touchdown pass that would have made the score 56-49 with 6 minutes left. this forced a 4th down forced throw by jacobs resulting in an int. if partridge just hauled that pass in, jacobs numbers would have been:

31-51 for 500 yards and 6 td's vs. 0 int's

with the drop and subsequent int due to said drop he still ended up with 30-51/ 448/ 5/ 1 more than respectable for any qb against ANY d. he looked even better than i thought he would to be honest. he's definitely the best qb in the country not just for his physical ability and marino-like quick release, but for his uncanny knack to find the open guy in a hurry. BG will still win the MAC, but so much for BCS aspirations. you just can't win ballgames no matter how good your offense is if your D can't stop anybody.

EDIT: @ JohnBM01: most dominant performance of the week would definitely have to be TCU's defense's dominance of adrian peterson. aside from one drive they kicked the ever loving $hit out of him. infact, the whole TCU defense just dominated old commode. that ranks a bit above iowa spanking lowly ball state IMHO.

 

[Iceman]

ashame about bowling green loss to wisconsin.

What's that?

Watched the badgers game yesterday and I think they need to shore up their D just a tad. Alsmost 100 total points

 

[Max E.]

that defense went up against the best quarterback in the country yesterday man, cut em some slack. you should be just plain thrilled that with davis gone. question marks calhoun and stanley brought such a good game. the offensive line had a question mark or two as well coming into the year losing 3 starters. even though BG's D is obviously crap, they worked extremely well as a unit. plus, you gotta love the helmets.

 

[Iceman]

Heh, if they don't win by 30 I'm not satisfied

 

[Max E.]

i could have played for wisconsin if only being in class meant more to me than smoking weed

 

[Event]

I really wish I could have been at the Rutgers @ Illinois game. I heard it was fantastic! But, I wanted to come home for the weekend, too, and I know that we don't have the best team... I think Zook will have the Dusty Baker effect: He'll give the team confidence, but that will only go so far. Soon, his magic will wear out, just as Baker's did.

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

sooners loss, HAHA.
i'm still laughing!

 

[JNasty4G63]

OWNAGE OF THE WEEK:
Ball State shut out by Iowa I usually devote this for the biggest margin of victory. But with all the trouble Ball State was in, I'd give this honor to Ball State.

Ball State = OWNED (by Iowa)!

BIG TIME!!! My Hawks are going to be REAL tough this year. Granted, Ball State looked like a Junior High team out there, but still. We put up 49 in the first half!!! Thats a lot of points no matter who's playing. Its going to be a good year for us.

GO HAWKS!!!

Hilg

 

[JohnBM01]

Thanks for all the replies. Now, the reason why I didn't include Sunday Night's games, Monday night's battle between FSU and Miami is because that's a new week. Maybe by this coming Saturday night or early Sunday morning, I'll get to those scores.

Many people had Notre Dame at 0-6, maybe 1-5. But when the game was played, ND basically blew out the Pittsburgh Panthers at beautiful Heinz Field. I'll tell you this, though. If Notre Dame upsets Michigan, I'm going to see an eye doctor when I look at the final score. * As far as Oklahoma goes, I think ESPN's Sportscenter had a look at the most overrated teams in college football, and Oklahoma was one of them. Texas would, could, and probably should win the Big XII South after Oklahoma been winning like Michael Schumacher when he won race after race. The phrase sports reporters avoid in talking about great teams who can't beat certain teams is "can't win the big one." Oklahoma lost to LSU in 2004, and USC in 2005. If they make it to the national title game, it would be pretty uncertain how they would fare against their opponent (whomever they may be). * Speaking of Texas, they played Louisiana-Lafayette, taking the rage to the Ragin' Cajuns. This may be Texas' big break at long last. * Auburn had a rough go at Jordan-Hare this past Saturday, but I think they will bounce back. I think Auburn will make it to Atlanta for the SEC title game. That is, unless Tennessee or Georgia does much better than Auburn. If I had to choose which of these two, I'd predict Tennessee to return to the SEC Title game and probably get a big boost in morale and in the rankings. Speaking of rankings, everyone stays where they are until Week 4. Then we'll see who makes it all the way.

BEHIND THE SCENES Now, I get most of my scores from the ESPNEWS channel. To make sure I get my scores right (especially Division 1-AA and lower), I've now taped the highlights when the NCAA Football scores are shown. It's usually tough to take down all of them at once. I'm normally not going to see all of the highlights or get a few scores wrong. It is my apologies if indeed this happens. I just love college football, and love to talk college football to GTPlanet. College football has an aura and an atmosphere not even the most exciting NFL games can provide. Anyhow, any more comments on the first week of action?

 

[Klostrophobic]

Will Blackmon played WR for Boston College and caught 8 passes for 100 yards! That's damn good for a corner back, I say.

 

[JohnBM01]

I don't know too much about Division 1-AA, but I think the ESPN networks are kind of opening up to Division 1-AA and lower games now. I wished my satellite provider (Dish) had ESPNU, because you know I'll be all over the college football and basketball scenes. Let me talk a little bit about Division 1-AA.

In Division 1-AA games, there is a big difference they offer as opposed to their 1-A counterparts- a playoff system. Approximately 80 programs comprise 1-AA in college football. The most popular (and perhaps most prestigious) is the Ivy Leauge. Ivy Leauge consists of colleges and universities such as Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, just to name a few. Other conferences include SWAC, Big Sky, Southland, Atlantic Ten, MEAC (Mid-East American Conference), and the MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) among others.

In talking 1-AA, the conference I kind of know best is the SWAC conference, because I graduated from high school at the Middle College for Technology Careers on the campus of Texas Southern University. TexSU is a SWAC school a few streets down from the University of Houston. This past season, the TSU Tigers won absolutely NO games. They are easily one of the worst in the SWAC now. Better teams in conference include the Alabama A&M Bulldogs, Grambling State Tigers, the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, and the Southern Jaguars (Baton Rouge, LA). I see Southern rebounding from losing to their bitter rival Grambling State from last season's Bayou Classic. * James Madison University is the defending 1-AA National Champions, but other teams with great efforts include the Montana Grizzlies, and even JMU's rivals, the College of William and Mary Tribe. * Some of the good Southland Conference teams include the Sam Houston State Bearkats, Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, and McNeese State. I don't know the best west coast teams, so I'll stop at that.

Carry on.