College Football 2005 Week 12: This Means RIVALRY!!!

[JohnBM01]

GTPlanet, do you need a reason why you should care about college football, or just about any team college sports? This week is one of your biggest reasons. Why? This is a chance where many schools around America play games against teams the respective colleges and universities hate. Some of the earlier games like Iowa/Iowa State are non-conference games and are usually played much earlier in the year. This week, though, many in-conference and non-conference games are coming up. Look at the intro.

INTRODUCTION:

College football feeds off of hate and rivalries. It is what makes games fun. Think about it. You attend a school. You meet another school across town, down the street, in another state, in another city, and you absolutely HATE them. People, some rivalries in the past have come down to student bodies fighting each other and damn near trying to burn the other school to the ground. GTPlanet, it's RIVALRY WEEK for many schools. For many others, it's a chance to step up and make a stand. In Division 1-A, some of the games include Ohio State/Michigan, Iowa/Minnesota, the young Penn State/Michigan State rivalry (coined 1993), Florida/Florida State, and that sort of thing. If you've played any "NCAA Football" game on your console, you may know your rivalries already. Then in lower-level football, you have rivalries such as Montana/Montana State, Bethune-Cookman/Florida A&M, Grambling/Southern, and maybe the biggest of them, Harvard/Yale. It's simply called, "The Game."

If you think college football is boring, maybe this week will shift your interest in the right direction.


===
My predictions, now. I'll call out a game, offer three possibilities, then you can comment well before I give out my scores on early Sunday Morning. My predictions are based on what COULD happen, not all-out guesses. Anything can happen in a game, so I've given out three possibilities with at least one result as a win for each team unless the game is a cakewalk.

* Ohio State at Michigan ---RIVALRY GAME---
PREDICTONS:
1: 42-41; Michigan
2: 35-27; Ohio State
3: 21-14, OT; Michigan

* Alabama vs. Auburn ---RG: Iron Bowl---
PREDICTONS:
1: 17-14; Alabama
2: 28-21, OT; Auburn (game winning Touchdown)
3: 34-10; Alabama

* Clemson vs. South Carolina ---RG: Battle for the Palmetto State---
PREDICTIONS:
1: 35-34; South Carolina
2: 35-7; South Carolina
3: 27-24, OT, Clemson (defense holds on 4th Down)

* Michigan State vs. Penn State
PREDICTIONS:
1: 42-10; Penn State
2: 38-35; Michigan State (game winning field goal)
3: 31-28; Penn State (defense holds on 4th Down)

* Fresno State at USC-Trojans
PREDICTIONS:
1: 56-14; Southern California
2: 63-6; Southern California
3: 38-35, 2OT; Fresno State

* Iowa vs. Minnesota *+x for: Floyd of Rosedale x+*
PREDICTIONS:
1: 23-17; Iowa
2: 35-32; Iowa
3: 23-20; Minnesota (game winning field goal)

* Indiana vs. Purdue *+x for: Old Oaken Bucket x+*
PREDICTIONS:
1: 34-28; Purdue
2: 27-9; Indiana

* Illinois at Northwestern *+x for: Sweet Sioux Tomohawk x+*
PREDICTIONS:
1: 35-27; Northwestern
2: 52-0; Northwestern
3: 27-26; Illinois (game winning touchdown)

* California vs. Stanford *+x for: The Stanford Axe x+*
PREDICTIONS:
1: 38-10: California (not even the Stanford band can stop this ownage)
2: 42-31; Stanford
3: 38-34, 2OT; California

* Florida vs. Florida State *+x for: Pride of Florida x+*
PREDICTIONS:
1: 35-28; Florida State
2: 28-21, OT; Florida State (UF turnover in OT seals deal)
3: 34-17; Florida (embarassment!)

* Duke vs. North Carolina
PREDICTIONS:
1: 28-3; North Carolina
2: 34-31, OT; North Carolina
3: 28-27; Duke (2-point conversion late pays off for win)

* Harvard vs. Yale
PREDICTONS:
1: 49-2; Harvard (safety prevents shutout)
2: 42-38, OT; Yale
3: 35-0; Harvard

* Lehigh at Lafayette - nation's longest-running rivalry. More than 140 meetings.
PREDICTONS:
1: 42-7; Lehigh
2: 35-28; Lehigh
3: 21-7; Lafayette

Include your own previews. I put on only a select number of games, so you're free to preview a rivalry or normal game in any level of college football.

 

[JohnBM01]

Now usually, I wait until maybe after 2AM EST (1AM CST) to get all the scores because all the West Coast games may still go on. I may even let them go and just send you all my data. Now, this is only one game that had to be made up thanks to Hurricane Rita's threat.

* Southern Miss at Houston ---made up from Hurricane Rita---
Southern Mississpippi was going to play against the University of Houston sometime back in September. Sadly, Hurricane Rita's threat postponed the game. Now that Hurricane Rita (thankfully) missed Houston, we can get back to normal. And as things got back to normal, the Houston Cougars are only two or so wins away from Bowl Game consideration. Southern Miss is usually solid all the time. Some people say that conferences like C-USA, the MAC, WAC, and such don't have the depth of the major conferences to be National Champions. Surely, the Golden Eagles would be a huge exception to the rule. It isn't easy to beat NFL great Brett Favre's alma mater. He played for them in the 1980s and would rise to stardom, putting Green Bay on the map in the NFL. But let's avoid NFL talk and talk about this game. The Cougars have somewhat of an uphill battle here. Last time, they took the Golden Eagles to Overtime, but came up short. Now, Houston plays at the wonderful Robertson Stadium with 35K Cougar fans. When I came home from the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, the score was 27-17, Houston with maybe 6:23 left in the game. Afterwards, a key fumble by Houston gave Southern Miss hope. Afterwards, they cash in with a nice touchdown strike. Afterwards, onside kick - Golden Eagles cover. Now remember, you cannot advance the ball after an onside kick. And then, one of the dumbest moments of all time. Southern Miss was on a 3rd Down play, about to throw the ball. But as he thrown it, it was a forward pass, he dropped the ball with no one trying to cover or sack the QB, so Cougars scoop up the fumble, and Houston gets a big win against a tough opponent. (27-24; HOUSTON)

 

[JohnBM01]

After this "sampler" game, wait until early Sunday morning to get my latest scores from other games around the country.

DIVISION 1-A SCORES:

*+x GAME OF THE WEEK x+*
"Photo Finish" Ohio State at Michigan ---RIVALRY GAME---
The Big Ten race is pretty tight. Penn State (the game below) leads the Big Ten, and they have a LOT in common from this game. Penn State knocked off Ohio State, but Michigan ended their unbeaten streak to end Penn State's dream undefeated season. Now, it's time for a rivalry that's bigger than most sporting events. The Buckeyes of Ohio State have done pretty well this season. Maybe not like their 2002-2003 National Champion season, but... good. The Wolverines have had a bad season, or at least, not like their usual dominating performance. At one point, they were undefeated at about 3-0, maybe even 4-0... until they played Notre Dame and lost. Since then, they've taken some tough losses and actually have been ranked well out of the Top 25. Let me tell you. Ohio State and Michigan just DO NOT like each other. This is the 102nd meeting of these two Big Ten powerhouses. There was some beautiful weather, but lots of hate in Ann Arbor. That hate increased as Michigan finishes to 7-4 as Ohio State goes to 9-2 and get a share of the Big Ten Championship. (25-21; Ohio State)

* Penn State at Michigan State *+x for: Land Gant Trophy x+*
Now that you've seen the GAME OF THE WEEK score, the reason why that was "GAME OF THE WEEK" is because if Penn State loses this game, the winner of the game above will win the Big Ten title for 2005. Ohio State had to be livid as Michigan State was blanked 17-0 in the first half. Penn State wanted to make a game out of it, but who said that Joe Paterno needs to retire? Think about it. He's 78 years old and still has that fire like in his younger days. He coached his team beautifully this season. Congratulations, Nittany Lions. First-ever BCS Bowl Game berth. (31-22; Penn State)

"Pumping Iron" Alabama at Auburn
Jordan-Hare Stadium can seat many 60 or 80 thousand people. You bet the seats will be filled when Auburn meets their bitter rivals from Tuscaloosa, The University of Alabama. The Crimson Tide had a shell shocker when they lost to LSU in overtime. I may have underrated LSU in that game, but you can bet the Auburn Tigers are going to ruffle the Tide a bit en route to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta, GA. The sweethearts of the Southeast Conference. Alabama lost to LSU, now they took another heartbraker to their bitter rivals in an upset. (28-18; AUBURN)

"Bringing Home the Bacon" Minnesota at Iowa *+x for: Floyd of Rosedale x+*
So Iowa didn't win against Iowa State for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. While that is a big game, there's still another trophy to win possession of if you're a Hawkeye is Floyd of Rosedale. Floyd of Rosedale is a trophy of a pig with a great history behind it. It's obvious that Minnesota may not be the class of the Big Ten this year, but they can still get a BIG win against the Hawkeyes if the Golden Gophers have their way. Well, we have a pack of birds, a collection of rodents... all fighting for a piece of poultry. Isn't college football great? You want great? There was great weather, some great football, and one great and proud owner of Floyd of Rosedale- and that would be the black and gold of Iowa. (52-28; IOWA)

"Coming Out" Fresno State at Southern California
Fresno State made this game close, but couldn't pull America's biggest college football upset. The Fresno State Bulldogs put in a collosal effort, but the USC Trojans were too strong. (50-42; SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA)

"Just Like Basketball" Duke at North Carolina *+x for: Victory Bell x+*
Duke's basketball team knocked off Davidson College. But the Blue Devils' football team (if you didn't know they have a football team) lose to North Carolina. When are you going to step up and beat the Tar Heels, Duke? Not basketball, but football? (24-21; NORTH CAROLINA)

"Where the Rubber Meets the Endzone" Ohio at Akron
We head to Akron, Ohio for a Tuesday night game at the University of Akron's Rubber Bowl. It's not exactly what you think this is. The Rubber Bowl isn't made of rubber. However, you can say that this former automotive capital of America has a collection of sweet sports cars. These sports cars are drenched in navy blue and gold while sporting cleated rubber. Or for the rest of us- the Akron Zips. Okay, so the Zips can't outrun an Enzo, Murcielago, or Veyron, but they met a bunch of guys who think they can outrun them more. The Ohio Bobcats had a great season so far, and a win against these boys would be extremely gratifying. But as the game was played, it was 10-3 in favor of Akron. As the game progressed, she was done. Ohio NEVER scored as Akron treaded the Bobcats left, right, side-to-side, and over the top. Akron rolls to a win with 93 Octane fuel. Dig that, player. (27-3; AKRON)

* Bowling Green at Miami University (Ohio)
Really bad weather played a part in this game. It had to be delayed for about an hour or so as horrible thunderstorms and tornadoes ripped through southwestern Ohio. The action took place in Oxford, OH. There is no Miami in Ohio. Only thing close is Miamisburg, OH. The Miami University Redhawks may not be that recognizable "U" logo with orange and green, but they do have NFL QB Ben Roethlisberger with a dream season last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before Steeler glory, he was a star QB for the Redhawks as he played his final game in the GMAC Bowl in 2003. The Bowling Green Falcons are of Bowling Green, OH (not Kentucky. Of course, that's what I thought initially when I first heard of the school). Bowling Green committed some rare field goals in addition to several touchdowns and three safties as the Falcons blanked and shut out the Redhawks 29-0 at the half. Afterwards, the pounding headache was made much worse, but Miami University got some consolation scores. But that's all they were- consolation. Bowling Green has Toledo next in their rivalry game clash next week. Big win doesn't even describe it. (42-14; Bowling Green)

"Potato Power" Idaho at Boise State
North Carolina is stock car racing country. Wisconsin is dairy country. Idaho is potato country, and its only two Division 1-A schools are ready to square off. Boise State plays on something unique to college football- no, not the Rose Bowl, but the ever-popular Blue Field of Bronco Stadium. The Broncos have had an up-and-down season apart from being almost undefeated last season. This game was ugly with a capital "U." They beat them by double the score. Now, this is a football game, not a basketball game despite the score. (70-35; BOISE STATE)

"Texas Hardasses" Houston at SMU
Dallas meets Houston as Southern Methodist met up against the Houston Cougars. The SMU Mustangs may not be the class49-yard field goal for the Mustangs meant 3-seconds left on the clock. Afterwards, Houston has one more chance to make a Bowl Game by beating Rice. Big win for SMU, but a dissapointing loss after a late rally. (29-24; Southern Methodist)

* UCF at Rice
After a cold front whisped through The Third Coast, temps are getting cooler. In fact, about as cold as about 61 for a high here in Houston. You can be sure that the action gets hotter when it gets colder... EVEN IN HOUSTON! While a much better Houston squad is in Dallas trying to win that game to be Bowl Eligible, Rice's Owls are in a hole. Last week's win over Tulane was Saving Grace for the Owls from having a winless season, but they meet a team that was winless last year- Central Florida. But what an improvement! The Golden Knights of Orlando, FL wanted nothing more but to give Rice more to cry about. Their stadium can seat over 70,000 people, but if the home team isn't winning, then those seats won't be as packed. Houston is about two college teams. Either you are a Cougar lover, or an Owl lover. The annual own-fest between them is next week, but it's time for the Owls to upset the Golden Knights. Could they do it? It was close, but no. UCF pulls it out in Overtime. (31-28, OT; Central Florida)

* Vanderbilt at Tennessee
One down, two to go. Tennessee has underachieved this year, but if they win out, they will make the post season. The Volunteers are nobody's cupcakes. There is one reason why you'd want to win this game and the final game. Remember Tennessee at LSU around Hurricane Rita? Tennessee rallied from a shut out to eventually win the damn thing. I may have underrated LSU, but to do what Tennessee did that Monday night was amazing. The next two games should be easy if Tennessee keeps their head straight. Vanderbilt was undefeated at one point. They go to Wak Forest and win, to Arkansas and win, play at home at Ole Miss, and win against Richmond. However, the Commodores blew all of it losing to Middle Tennessee State of the Sun Belt. Since then, they've shown their true colors- a losing SEC team. This is a battle for pride in the Volunteer State. It's must-win for Tennessee to go to a Bowl Game. And they didn't win. Now, it doesn't matter if they win their final game 100,000 to 0, they aren't going to a Bowl Game. The Volunteers have underacheived. They need a lot of work if they want to push for the postseason next season. (28-24; Vanderbilt)

"Steal My Sunshine" Western Kentucky at Florida International
In basketball, Florida International and Western Kentucky are members of the Sun Belt conference apart from Florida International's Atlantic Sun days. In football, though, the Golden Panthers are a Division 1-A team and Western Kentucky is part of a Division 1-AA conference (Gateway Football Conference? Ohio Valley?). The Hilltoppers met the Miami, Florida-based Florida International University in FIU Stadium. WKU or FIU? Let's find out. It was a Division 1-AA reunion for FIU, but they win this matchup. (38-35; FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL)

* Utah at Brigham Young ---RG: Holy War--- *+x for: Beehive Boot x+*
The pride of Utah is on the line as the Salt Lake City boys go to meet the Provo boys. Last season, the Utah Utes beat Texas A&M, Arizona, Utah State, Air Force, New Mexico, North Carolina, UNLV, San Diego State, Colorado State, Wyoming, and Brigham Young to play in the Fiesta Bowl. Then, they'd defeat Pittsburgh 35-7. One year later... what the hell happened? To say the wind has been taken from Utah's sails is an understatement. The bleeding began when they lost to Texas Christian back on September 15th. Looking to spoil Utah even more are Holy War rivals Brigham Young. The Cougars could snatch up a big win if they get this done. (41-34, OT; Utah)

* Northern Illiinois at Toledo
It has been tough for NIU to win in Toledo, OH. In fact, they never won in Toledo since 1972. If the Toledo Rockets win the game, they are the MAC West champions and face whomever in the MAC Championship game. However, if NIU wins, they must win their final game and hope Toledo loses their game to make it to the championship game. The NIU Huskies have some work to do to make it to the championship game in Detroit(?) GTPlanet, it was a COLD one after a horrible cold front touched off tornadoes and other bad weather, leaving cold weather in its wake. So there were some little things falling from the sky which we like to call, snow flurries. Cold with flurries. Sounds like football weather to me. Doesn't matter if it's a game in the Big House on snow in college, or Adam Vinaterri kicking a field goal in the frezzing and snowing cold, snow is for football. The game seemed close early on, but later into the game, momentum was in favor of the Huskies even as #79 of the offense was ejected from the game after a nice touchdown scramble in power football. It was 21-14 into the 4th Quarter, but NIU was too much. (35-17; Northern Illinois)

* UAB at UTEP
What is the shortest distance between two points? A line. So kids, get a ruler, get something to write with, and draw a line starting from Birmingham, AL to El Paso, TX. That's where this game takes place. UTEP is likely going to the inaugural championship game in C-USA, edging out Tulsa and Houston. (35-23; Alabama-Birmingham)

* Temple at Navy
Temple is getting sick of having their asses kicked each weekend. So do something about it. WIN! That's what Temple loves to do. To say that a winless Temple can still be a postseason contender is like saying last season's San Francisco 49ers can beat New England (38-17; NAVY)

* California at Stanford
(27-3; California)

"Spread the Commonwealth" Virginia Tech at Virginia *+x for: Commonwealth Cup x+*
There is beautiful weather in Charlottesville, VA. Virginia upsetted Florida State in Virginia, and who says they can't spring another upset? Well, some boys from Blacksburg, VA DEFINITELY thinks they can't. (52-14; Virginia Tech)

* Tulsa at Tulane
The misery of the Tulane Green Wave was wrapped up as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane win this one. (??-??; Tulsa)

* Washington State at Washington *+x for: Apple Cup x+*
Like apples? Good. Like Washington Apples? Better. This is a matchup against two underperforming Washington schools. Washington was a pretty good team. Washington State used to be a talented Pac-10 unit capable of upsets. Now, they both do the state of Washington no justice. (26-22; Washington State)

* New Mexico State at San Jose State
The New Mexico State Aggies call Las Cruces, NM home. This Sun Belt crew is winless, believe it or not. San Jose State is a stinky team as well. The Spartans underacheived last season, so they are stinky this season. SJSU is 1-8 heading into this game. Can the Aggies go 1-10 or be winless? Sorry, Aggies fans. Better luck next season. MUCH better luck next season. (27-10; SAN JOSE STATE)

* Clemson at South Carolina
The #19 ranked Gamecocks of South Carolina took a big loss to rivals Clemson. This time, the Tigers and Gamecocks didn't exchange fists. (13-9; Clemson)

"Uncivil Manners" Oregon State at Oregon ---RG: Civil War---
This game is called the Civil War. This game may not be in the American History textbooks, but this Civil War does not involve gunfire, huge fights, or any matter of senseless violence. What the game is, however, is a battle of Oregon's two best schools- the University of Oregon, and Oregon State University. The Ducks have proven to be a good team and are a no excuses bunch. Oregon State is also talented. The These busy Beavers are ready to build a wall and dam up the flood of green and yellow. These two don't like each other. But there was one element for this game- fog. It was tough to see. Last year, there was fog when OSU played the USC Trojans. It was 28-7 with 3:20 left in the Second Quarter as the Ducks were making an ass out of the Beavers. The ultimate punk job was in the works as the Beavers looked like crap. The half finished 28-7 as #10 Oregon was POUNDING their rivals in Corvalis, OR. Late in the game, Oregon State had the ball fumbled twice as Oregon moved up the field. Afterwards, there were two Personal Fouls out of frustration by the Beavers. The end result was a 30-yard play which the Ducks quickly cashed in. Ducks can survive on water, but they can also survive in the fog. Amazing win. (56-14; OREGON)

"Snyder's Last Hurrah" Missouri at Kansas State
Coach Bill Snyder is going to retire after putting Kansas State back on the map after horrible times in the past. The Kansas State Wildcats call KSU Stadium their battleground, and Manhattan, KS as their home. It is sometimes called "The Little Apple." Manhattan, Kansas may not be the other Manhattan in New York, but there's still that never sleeping atmosphere to it... unless of course, you aren't doing KSU athletics. Now, let's talk about more cuddly kittens that can play football. Meow? These are roaring Tigers out of Columbia, MO. The Tigers want to sink their teeth into the underacheiving KSU Wildcats. They did, but the 'Cats didn't give in. These cuddly Wildcats took it to the Tigers. And in the end, let it be Kansas State who plays to win. Meow! Uh... ROAR!!! (36-28; KANSAS STATE)

* LSU at Ole Miss
Not even close. Louisiana State could have put in their cheerleaders and still win this game over the Rebels. LSU's great winning ways continue. (40-7; Louisiana State)

* East Carolina at Marshall
Both teams are 4-6 after this game. The Pirates whipped the Marshall Thundering Herd. (??-??; East Carolina)

* Georgia Tech at Miami
Falcons country meets Dolphins country... college style. In the end, the Miami Hurricanes were edged out by two safeties to the Yellow Jackets. (14-10; Georgia Tech)

* Kentucky at Georgia
(45-13; Georgia)

* Mississippi State at Arkansas
(4?-1?; ARKANSAS)

* Syracuse at Notre Dame
Syracuse has REALLY underacheived as the Fighting Irish gave the Syracuse a black eye, a bloody lip, missing teeth, you know where I'm going with this. (34-10; NOTRE DAME)

* Oklahoma at Texas Tech
Oklahoma was a through and through disappointment as the Sooners fell to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Red Raiders are 10-2 this season. (23-21; TEXAS TECH)

"Stillwater... Still Life?" Oklahoma State at Baylor
Kansas stinks in the Big XII North, Baylor normally stinks in the Big XII South, but this is a dissapointment. The Baylor Bears are anything but cuddly and cute. These Waco, TX boys welcomed Stillwater, OK's Oklahoma State Cowboys. Then, the Oklahoma State crew REALLY disappointed this season losing to (drum roll) Baylor. If that wasn't bad enough, this was a blowout. What the hell is in the water in Stillwater? (44-34; BAYLOR)

* Boston College at Maryland
College Park, MD is the city for this event. The Maryland Terrapins want to give the Boston College Eagles a Terra-ble loss. Didn't happen. In fact, it wasn't really close. (31-16; Boston College)

* Central Michigan at Ball State
In overtime, the Central Michigan Chippewas edged out Ball State by a single touchdown. The Cardinals fell yet again. (31-24, OT; Central Michigan)

* Memphis at Southern Miss
DeAngelo Williams of Memphis made sure the Tigers flashed by the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. (24-22; Memphis)

* Wyoming at San Diego State
Whereas San Diego State is horrible, San Diego State is... a little better actually. They got to meet fellow Mountain West contenders Wyoming. Unlike San Diego, Wyoming is a great unit. The Cowboys are ready to dig a hole to fit San Diego State's season. In the end, Qualcomm Stadium was euphoric as the Aztecs pulled it out. (34-21; SAN DIEGO STATE)

* Northwestern at Illinois *+x for: Sweet Sioux Trophy x+*
Fighting Illini have no place on the football field as they lose this one by not too much. Okay, I gave you SOME credit. Northwestern cleans up in Champaign, IL. (38-21; Northwestern)

* Eastern Michigan at Buffalo
The Eastern Michigan Eagles defeated the Buffalo Bulls after Buffalo got their first-ever win this season. (??-??; Eastern Michigan)

* Louisiana-Monroe at North Texas
North Texas fell down the drain, finishing 2-9 on the year to ULM. The Mean Green weren't mean enough to take down the Louisiana-Monroe Indians. With a win next week, ULM can go over 0.500. (24-19; Louisiana-Monroe)

Not done yet!

 

[JohnBM01]

DIVISION 1-AA AND LOWER SCORES:

"That Damn Good!" Harvard at Yale
It took three overtimes, but Harvard beats Yale for the fifth straight time. The Crimson remain solid against the Yale Bulldogs. Want a famous Yale alum? How about George W. Bush, our president? (30-24, 3OT; Harvard)

* Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M; from Orlando, FL, USA
Let's talk about Florida. Florida A&M is in the same city of a 1-A football powerhouse, and Bethune-Cookman is in a famous city for racing in Florida. Guess the cities. Okay. Florida A&M University is in Tallahassee, FL, and Bethune-Cookman College is in Daytona Beach, FL. This is the Walt Disney World Florida Classic in Orlando, FL's Citrus Bowl. The Florida A&M Rattlers are pretty good in basketball, and their football program is pretty stout as well. The Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman College are looking to make snake meat out of the Rattlers. They did just that, but one problem. The Rattlers refused to stay down, so as they made a game out of it, we're 23-all, and Game On. Overtime is in session. Tack on a 17-yard field goal, and Florida A&M fights back and injects venom into the Wildcats' collective hearts. In the 59-year history of this rivalry, B-C won every game. The winless streak was finally silenced as the Rattlers win in Orlando. (26-23, OT; Florida A&M)

"Long Time, No See" Lafayette at Lehigh ---RIVALRY GAME---
You up for Patriot Leauge football? Cool. This is the story of two Pennsylvania schools, Lehigh and Lafayette. One calls Bethlehem home, the other calls Easton home. These two don't like each other. While Ohio State and Michigan has their 102nd meeting, Lehigh and Lafayette have over 140 games. The Lehigh Mountainhawks Late in the game, it was 4th and 10 for Lafayette as it is 23-19 with 0:38 in the game. Lafayette leads. They needed 10, but got a BEAUTIFUL 30-something trick touchdown. It was so exciting that the announcers were kind of screaming like the 1982 Cal/Stanford game. They didn't get the two-pointer, so we have an exciting finish on the way with 38 seconds left. Lehigh wants to have a share of the Patriot Leauge title with Colgate, but they get INTERCEPTED! Lafayette gets the pick with 13 seconds left, and the Leopards rip a HUGE victory. And in this case, Colgate is the Patriot Leauge champions. The Lafayette coach would be hopping mad if they don't get the NCAA Tourney bid in 1-AA. They beat two Top 20 teams, and then beat longtime rivals Lehigh. Will they get it? Look for my Division 1-AA, 2, and 3 Playoffs thread. (23-19; Lafayette => (Co-Champions of the Patriot Leauge with Colgate)

* Montana at Montana State ---RG: Brawl of the Wild---
Do you know Georgia Tech's fight song? Well, if you know that fight song, Montana's fight song is almost exactly like GT's. The Montana Grizzlies are ranked higher than their rivals as this game takes place in Bozeman, MT. What can you find in Montana? You don't hear too much about Montana, but Bozeman is home to Montana State University. The Fighting Bobcats are the blue team being matched up against the maroon of Montana. It's called the "Brawl of the Wild" to some. It is also considered the Big Sky Classic to many others. Whatever you call it, you can call this an upset as Montana fell to Montana State by 10. (16-6; MONTANA STATE)

"Johnny Demonic" Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State ---RIVALRY GAME---
It's time to talk about an east Texas school, and a northwest Louisiana school, all in the Southland Conference. If your cable provider has FSN Southwest, you may have seen Southland Conference games. In a rare case, there is a television appearance for this conference. Stephen F. Austin is enjoying a winning season. The Lumberjacks have nothing to lose in terms of a winning season. In the event of Northwestern State, they have a chance to be finish at 0.500. The Demons met their rivals out of Nacodoches, TX. This game in a similarly-pronounced city, Natchitoches, LA. Before being inside three minues left in the first half, Northwestern State was pounding the 'Jacks 14-0. But it wasn't until two Demon turnovers gave the Lumberjacks a chance at glory, and they cashed in right into the end zone. (41-21; NORTHWESTERN STATE)

"Race to the Sky" Murray State at Tennessee-Martin
Murray State is expected to shine in basketball, but in football, they've seen better days. The Murray State Racers of the Ohio Valley Conference have underacheived in Division 1-AA. A team that's slightly better is the Skyhawks of Tennessee-Martin. They are 5-5 heading into this game and facing either a winning season with a win, or a losing season with a loss. Whatever the case, the Skyhawks will have a shot at having a winning season by completing Murray State's abysmal season. So let's see who benefitted more from this. Tennessee-Martin put Murray State in the valley of the Ohio Valley. (49-20; TENNESSEE-MARTIN)

"Little Stadium on the Prairie" Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M
Blackshear Stadium is the stadium. Prairie View, Texas is where you can find it. 8:13 in the Second Quarter, and the scoreless game has a three-point spread in favor of the Panthers. But as the game wound down, the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M wiped Prairie View A&M out on their own home field. Blackshear Field won'tbe the same with this beating. It was 31-9, but Prairie View A&M got a consolation touchdown with the PAT to make it 31-16, but they still lose by almost double the spread. Credit PVA&MU for not giving up. This battle of historically-black colleges and universities (HBCU) played in Alabama A&M's favor. (31-16; Alabama A&M)

* Northeastern at Rhode Island
The Northeastern Huskies were 1-9 on the year and pick up a big win against the now 4-7 Rhode Island Rams. (17-14; Northeastern)

* Colgate at Georgetown
With Colgate winning this game, the Colgate Raiders win the Patriot Leauge championship. But they have to share it with the Lafayette Leopards as the Raiders blown out the Georgetown Hoyas. (34-7; Colgate)

* Holy Cross at Bucknell
Holy Cross and Bucknell aren't conference championship contenders as the Crusaders did an unholy number on the Bucknell Bison, who are now 1-10. (51-33; Holy Cross)

* Albany at Fordham
The capital of New York meets New York City. In NYC, the Fordham Rams lose another one. Only this time, they lose in a big shutout to the Great Danes of Albany. (41-0; Albany)

* William and Mary at Richmond
Richmond, VA is the city as this battle of two Virginia schools. Williamsburg, VA is home to the William and Mary Tribe, and Richmond is home to those creepy Richmond Spiders of the Atlantic 10. (41-7; RICHMOND)

* Liberty at Norfolk State
That flame isn't shining any dimmer as the Liberty Flames lose another game. This time, to the now 4-7 Norfolk State Spartans. (34-17; NORFOLK STATE)

* McNeese State at Nicholls State
This is a battle of two Louisiana schools in the Southland Conference. The Colonels of Nicholls State sent the McNeese State Cowboys packing. (39-26; NICHOLLS STATE)

* Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee State
This fight was not even close as Tennessee State got blanked. The Tennessee State Tigers shot blanks, had no execution, and failed to score a point. Now you know how it feels to be Syracuse. The EKU Colonels are now 4-7, and Tennessee State falls to 2-9. (49-0; Eastern Kentucky)

* UC Davis at East Washington
We are talking about East Washington in Cheyney, WA. Cheyney is about just over 10 miles southwest of Spokane. Spokane is familiar to you college basketball fans, because that is the dog pound for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. But back to basketball now, and the Eastern Washington Eagles have done pretty well this season, had it not been for some losses in the season. Smooth sailing ahead for the Washington front as they beat their Californian counterparts. (24-7; EAST WASHINGTON)

"Northbound Traffic" Northern Arizona at Northern Iowa
Flagstaff, Arizona is home to Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks are probably one of the worst teams in the Big Sky. Northern Iowa, however, are quite talented. They are expected to go pretty high in football AND basketball. If you think the Iowa Hawkeyes are talented, the Northern Iowa Panthers are pretty clutch as well. NAU made the long trip to NIU, then they come away with a beatdown. After this game, all the players must have felt pretty damn bad about a score like this. (4?-1?; NORTHERN IOWA)

* Howard at Delaware State
The Delaware State Hornets of Dover, DE stung the Howard Bison pretty bad and pretty hard. (23-7; DELAWARE STATE)

* Maine at New Hampshire
New Hampshire is having a hell of a season as the Wildcats improve to 10-1 in this offensive slugfest between the Black Bears of Maine. (59-47; NEW HAMPSHIRE)

* Coastal Carolina at Charleston Southern
Coastal Carolina has done well, but they got a great upset thanks to Charleston Southern's Cougars. Coastal Carolina accepts this upset as they fall to 9-2. Charleston Southern are (34-27; CHARLESTON SOUTHERN)

* Duquesne at St. Francis
Because there is no football program with St. Francis College in New York, we're talking about St. Francis in Pennsylvania, home to the Red Flash. Red is a hot color, but a blue-colored Duke is just as cool. Red hot or cool blue? Cool blue in a no contest. (44-17; Duquesne)

* Southeast Louisiana at Mississippi Valley State
Only the Mississippi River sepereates Southeast Louisiana and Mississippi Valley State. In Itta Bena, MS, the Southeastern Louisiana Lions improved to 4-6 by knocking off the MVSU Delta Devils. (38-21; Southeast Louisiana)

* Furman at Chattanooga
Let's take a look at Furman of South Carolina and Chattanooga of Tennessee. The Chattanooga Mocs lost in a blowout to the awesome Furman Paladins. Furman is in the Top 10 in the ranks, most likely headed to the post season with this win. (56-33; FURMAN)

* North Dakota State at Southern Illinois
North Dakota... Southern Illinois. North and South. Division 1 newcomers North Dakota State are trying to neuter the Southern Illinois Salukis. This was a good game. The defense was stellar as SIU was simply the better team through and through. (9-0; SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)

* Sam Houston State at Texas State
In Overtime, the Texas State Bobcats sent San Marcos, TX into great happiness as they beat the Sam Houston State Bearkats. (26-23, OT; TEXAS STATE)

* The Citadel at VMI
Virginia Military Institute's Keydets were no match for The Citadel. Both teams have losing records, but The Citadel have something to b... brag about. Yeah. (22-14; The Citadel)

* North Carolina A&T at South Carolina State ---RG: Carolinas Classic(?)---
The North Carolina A&T Aggies are 3-7 so far, trying to go to 4-7. No way that was going to happen since the South Carolina State Bulldogs win this battle by a big margin. (43-27; SOUTH CAROLINA STATE)

* Weber State at Southern Utah
The Division 1-AA pride of Utah is on the line between Ogden's Weber State and Cedar City's Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds of Southern Utah didn't pack enough juice to take down the Weber State Wildcats. SUU is 1-9 as Weber State moves to 6-5. (27-10; Weber State)

* Idaho State at Cal Polytecnical
Idaho State and Cal Poly went at it. Idaho State's Bengals don't take crap, and neither does the Cal Poly Mustangs. Rest assured, this battle of West Coast schools (35-10; CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNICAL)

* Northern Colorado at South Dakota State
Northern Colorado is one of many Division 1 newcomers. The Northern Colorado Bears have done pretty well, maybe not amazingly well. Now enter South Dakota State and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Not exactly a good choice of mascot or nickname, but if you can still win a game, it's all good, play boy. After 60 minutes, the Jackrabbits jacked up a big W. (30-14; SOUTH DAKOTA STATE)

* Massachusetts at Hofstra
Give the Massachusetts Minutemen 60 minutes, and they lose to the Hofstra Pride. What's up with that? (31-10; HOFSTRA)

"Pennsylvania Express" Delaware at Villanova
Blue is my favorite color, and it is obviously the favorite colors of both Delaware and Villanova. The Fighting Blue Hens wanted to take the fight to Villanova University. The Wildcats weren't wild enough to take out Delaware. (38-13; Delaware)

* Princeton at Dartmouth
The Princeton Tigers made this a no contest over Dartmouth College. The Big Green lost big. In fact, the boys in green got blanked. (30-0; Princeton)

"A Story of Contrasts" Savannah State at Hampton
Hampton is the only undefeated team heading into this year, and still are undefeated. The Hampton Pirates convincingly win this one, but the Savannah State Tigers are winless. First 0-28 in basketball, then 0-11 in basketball. I know they are independents, but you need to win a game if you want to make some noise. You dig, players? (44-6; HAMPTON)

* Towson at James Madison
The James Madison Dukes blown out Towson. However, the Tigers get two consolation touchdowns. (55-14; JAMES MADISON)

* Eastern Illinois at Jacksonville State
This was a very close game as the Eastern Illinois Panthers(?) won by two safeties. Jacksonville State may still have a playoff bid, despite the Gamecocks falling to 6-5. (10-6; Eastern Illinois)

* Southeast Missouri State at Tennessee Tech
The TTU Golden Eagles and Southeast Missouri State Redhawks have losing seasons, but one will be a loser no more, at least still under 0.500. (31-24; TENNESSEE TECH)

* Alcorn State at Jackson State
Underachivers Jackson State fell to the Alcorn State Braves. On top of that, the Jackson State Tigers fell to 2-9 on the year. (31-14; Alcorn State)

* Appalachia State at Elon
The Appalachia State Mountaineers beat down the Elon Phoenix by a big margin and improve to 8-3. (52-14; Appalachia State)

* Brown at Columbia
What can brown do for you? You can call this the UPS Bowl since the Brown Bears could do a lot. Such as... blowing out the Columbia Lions. The Lions are 2-9 on the year. Shame on the New York City boys. (52-21; )

* Wofford at Gardner-Webb
Who cares about defense? The Wofford College Terriers made life hell for the Gardner-Webb Running Bulldogs in this offensive shootout. (56-42; Wofford)

* Cornell at Penn
The Cornell Big Red took it to the Pennsylvania Quakers and won. (16-7; Cornell)

* Stony Brook at Marist
Think of a Stony Brook. Doesn't it sound peaceful and beuatiful? What if I told you that this stony brook was home to a pack of hungry Seawolves? Ruined any peaceful thoughts, didn't I? The Marist bunch have some canines of their own. The Red Foxes of Marist wanted to prove their bark is as bad as their bite. Stony Brook is 6-5. If they were in Division 1-A, they'd still get a Bowl Game bid, but the Marist Red Foxes are getting it done from end zone to end zone. (30-28; MARIST)

 

[JohnBM01]

MY COMMENTARY

BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE WEEK
(1) Penn State Caps off Magical Season At first, people wanted Joe Paterno gone. Now, they want him a little longer. Had it not been for that heartbreaker, they would have had a chance to play for the National Championship, maybe. Regardless, a #5 rank for the Penn State bunch isn't bad. Wonderful job by this crew.
Hampton Finishes Undefeated How about the Hampton Pirates? They finished off the horrible Savannah State Tigers to go 11-0. They have a chance to head into the Division 1-AA playoffs and REALLY make some noise if they win it all.

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK
Tennessee Will Not Be In Bowl Game Consideration Tennessee has one win that really gives me joy just thinking about. They are down considerably to LSU. Then they fight back FROM A SHUTOUT and put the game into Overtime. Then, they shocked the Baton Rouge faithful with a loss. What do they do since then? They lose to VANDERBILT. Okay, not as bad as losing to Kentucky, but don't any of you get the feeling that Tennessee should have been much better than what they've shown all year? To me, I think Tennessee DESERVES a postseason appearance after defeating LSU. It seems like the Volunteers shot themselves in the foot several times to turn a good season into a dismal one. Very un-Volunteeer like.

UPSET(S) OF THE WEEK (if any)
#3 Miami Falls to the Boys of Atlanta The Miami Hurricanes seemingly couldn't withstand Hurricane GT. The Yellow Jackets have some studs, and they came alive in this game. The game ended 14-10 as the Atlanta boys, Georgia Tech, got it done.

OWNAGE(S) OF THE WEEK
Boise State Blows Out Idaho Okay, the OWNAGE kind of sucks this weekend, so I'll go with Boise State. Still a lot of points scored on a horrible Idaho Vandals bunch who went from the Sun Belt to a bigger WAC conference. But still...

Idaho = OWNED! (owned 70-35 to Boise State)

OTHER COMMENTS/FINAL THOUGHTS
Congratulations to Joe Paterno and his bunch. * Fresno State did a great job, but don't feel bad about this loss. Not many underdogs (no pun intended) would put up this much of a fight. * I'll post later, but sad news for JNasty... Nebraska-Omaha lost in Round Two of the Division 2 football playoffs to Saginaw Valley. UNO had a First-Round Bye, but failed to put away Saginaw Valley State. * Division 1-AA's playoffs selections are coming up this Sunday. It's time to see who will make up the playoff contingent in Division 1-AA. I like New Hampshire, Coastal Carolina, Hampton, just about any team with a wonderful season.

GTPlanet, just because this week is done doesn't mean that it is the end of college football's regular season. There are sti;; some other games in plenty of conferences and divisions. So stay tuned and check out my highlights!