DIVISION 1-A SCORES
*+x+* GAME OF THE WEEK *+x+*
"North vs. South" Texas Tech at Texas ---RIVALRY GAME---
Texas is the second-largest state in America, and the largest in the Lower 48. So what happens when you got one team in northern Texas that's tough this year, agsainst a team in... let's call it south central Texas? You got a rivalry. Both teams clobbered their opponents. Texas Tech whipped Kansas State in every direction, and Texas did the same to Colorado. But the Red Raiders have their eyes set on upsetting the Longhorns. Both teams have a lot riding on this game, because both are undefeated, and a loss takes them down in the ranks. Texas has to beat Texas Tech if they want to remain the Big XII's powerhouse this season and potentially meet USC (granted that USC is #1 and undefeated). The state of Texas is getting REAL rowdy right now! It seemed like a slow start for the Longhorns, but don't tell them that they need to pick it up. They got her done in Austin, and in a BIG way. (52-17; TEXAS)
"A Little Help Here, Please?" Virginia Tech at Maryland
Virginia Tech is still undefeated. They didn't win last weekend. They didn't win, though. After all, they had a Bye Week. Marcus Vick and company lead the Hokies into the "Old Line State," Maryland. The city of mention is College Park, some distance north northeast of Washington D.C. Only school closer to D.C. would likely be the U.S. Naval Academy. The Terrapins were ready to Terra-pin down the Hokies and hand them loss #1 on the season. That COULD have happened several times as Maryland picked off VT several times, but couldn't find the endzone after forcing turnovers. Maryland tried to capitalize, but with their starting QB getting whacked and out of the game, the team was mostly powerless. And it almost seemed like there were more VT fans than Maryland fans at Byrd Stadium. VT- STILL undefeated. Any questions? (28-9; Virginia Tech)
"The Year of the Tiger" LSU at Auburn
Cat lovers, do I have a game for you! You want cute kittens? Well, look elsewhere. Ever seen a tiger squat down in a 3-point stance? Run for a long pass play? Perform a Triple Option? Well, meet the tigers of Baton Louge, LA and of Auburn, AL. The Bayou Bengals are looking to stop Auburn's win streak as Auburn tries to return back to the top ranks after going 11-0, but not playing against USC. With the game played at Jordan-Hare Stadium, these two teams went at it hard. Then late in the game Auburn tried to connect a 49-yard field goal to win inside of 10 seconds in regulation. The kick almost made it, but it was hooked to the left close to the uprights. In the end, LSU prevented a huge upset from happening. (20-17, OT; )
* UCLA at Oregon State
After surviving a scare in the state of Washington, the Bruins of UCLA have a potentially tougher task ahead of them- Oregon State. The Beavers are a solid team who takes no prisoners in their football playing. Wouldn't it be strange if UCLA was undefeated and if USC were too? December 3rd, the pride of Los Angeles would be on the line among two undefeateds if this was true. December 3rd can wait- we got to worry about this weekend, player. Halloween isn't here yet, but Oregon State, despite their talent, lost to another talented program in a blowout. (55-28; CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES)
"" Florida State at Duke
I like Miami-FL more than Florida State, but FSU is one of the best teams not only in Florida, but in the nation. Being #4 in the nation before being in Charlottesville, VA, you know the Seminoles had a lot riding on this game- especially a bigtime Bowl Game. I feel for Florida State. Fear not, though. They have a chance to make up for it all by playing... Duke. Duke isn't expected to even be a contender for the ACC championship, unless of course, everone else just SUCKS. The Blue Devils want to beat the Seminoles so bad. The Blue Devils may get it done against FSU on the hardwood on the Coach K court, but can they get her done in football? (55-24; Florida State)
"After the Storm" Penn State at Illinois
Bless Joe Paterno's heart, as well as the many devoted Nittany Lions fans. It was a heart stopper as it was one second left for Michigan to upset Penn State. Michigan needed a win so that they don't submarine the rest of the season. It isn't common to see Illinois get pounded by talented teams. Illinois is simply a basketball school. And I bet they wouldn't even stand a chance in the Big Ten as long as Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin are showing them what makes a football team great, especially a Big Ten football team. (63-10; Penn State)
"" Ohio State at Indiana
Indiana and Ohio are pretty close by. On one end, you got Bloomington, IN. On the other, you have Columbus, OH. One has been national champions several times including a Fiesta Bowl victory over Miami (FL). The other has been national champions too... only in basketball. The Buckeyes leave Columbus for IU. I'm sure the Buckeyes want to waste the Hoosiers so bad that instead of Hoosier tires, they changed to some other tires. Indiana has some hot rods, all running on Hoosier rubber, looking to run over a couple of Buckeyes all the way to the End Zone. Did it happen, or is Indiana ready to face reality? Well, trailing 14-3 isn't really reality. The Hoosiers just want to get to a Bowl Game and do their best. Both teams are 4-2. So, one team will be three games over 0.500, and the other will be one over 0.500. (41-10; Ohio State)
"Iowa City Street Fight" Michigan at Iowa
Hawkeye faithful, you have quite a task at your hands. Those mangy Wolverines knocked off Penn State and have some momentum to win. And they are coming to Iowa City, IA, looking to quiet the Iowa faithful in Kinnick Stadium. On the other hand, Iowa is looking to chant to Michigan: "over-rated!" This game will be played by the players, not the fans. This is even though Iowa's 12th Man will give the Hawkeyes the advantage in this one. Question is, can the players still perform even if they don't need the 12th Man? In the second quarter tied 7-7, Iowa puts together a lovely drive going about 11 of 12 in passing by Iowa QB Drew Tate. Iowa has a 22-Home Game winning streak on the line, trying to make it 23. Some shaky officiating has unnerved the Iowa City, IA faithful. It was a shootout as the Hawkeyes looked to keep their Home Winning Streak alive. The game had to go to extras, but in the end, Iowa City felt a tragedy. Iowa's record is now 5-3, and are sixth in the Big Ten standings. (23-20, OT; Michigan)
"Litmus Test" Houston at Mississippi State
With a chance to move into Bowl Game consideration, the Houston Cougars blew it down the stretch trailing by only one. Memphis needed a win so that their season doesn't become a complete disappointment. But now, they face the Mississippi State Bulldogs. MSU isn't exactly an SEC powerhouse, but the SEC is all competition, all the time. If you're not looking to get with the program, you should leave the SEC for some other conference. Cats and dogs in Stakrsville, MS. Who was the better of the two? I had my doubts with Houston, but the Cougars pulled through and got a win. (28-16; Houston)
"Point of No Mercy" Temple at Clemson
Clemson should win this one. Are they a disappointment if they don't win? Not exactly. If Temple wants to be a MAC contender, they need to win games against tough competition because the MAC is no cupcake conference in football. The Owls are basically underdogs in all their games from here on out. The Clemson Tigers, former 1981 champions, need a win badly to salvage something from this season. It is 17-0 at the half with Clemson blanking Temple in South Carolina. (37-3; CLEMSON)
"Who Let the Blue Tick Hounds Out?" Alabama at Tennessee
Are you excited about SEC football? No? Here's a good reason why you should reconsider. Alabama is undefeated so far, and they make their way into Neyland Stadium to meet Tennessee. The Volunteers have a BIG game on their hands. Remember last year? Tennessee welcomed Auburn, and despite the hard-nosed play and all the screaming Tennessee orange fans, the Volunteers still came up short to the undefeated Auburn Tigers of 2004. Tennesse doesn't get Auburn in this game, but they get Auburn's biggest rivals, the Alabama Crimson Tide. And oh... did I mention that the Crimson Tide are undefeated? A win here would shock Tuscaloosa. If Alabama wins, they win a bigtime road game and stay undefeated and possibly will go further than the SEC Championship game in Atlanta, GA. CBS got the game. (3-6; ALABAMA)
"4th Quarter Knockout" BYU at Notre Dame
Utah's stumbling, so it may be possible for Brigham Young University to cash in. College footballers may not get paid like their pro counterparts, but they'll feel like a million bucks when you go on the road as underdog, just trying to knock off a bigtime program this year. The BYU Cougars are ready to meet the blue and gold. You go from Utah to Indiana, in an effort to worsen the wounds and battle scars the Fighting Irish took against the USC Trojans last week. (49-23; NOTRE DAME)
"Zoo in the Desert" Oregon at Arizona
GTPlanet, let's go to Arizona. The city- Tuscon. The day? Saturday. Saturday in Tuscon, AZ, you get to see two members of the animal kingdom square off. First off, the University of Oregon. The boys from Eugene, OR have walked their way into Arizona. These Ducks are looking to stay ranked and get some good results in Pac-10 play. Oregon is quite talented, maybe not on superpower status, but more of a Pac-10 sleeper. Meanwhile, let's meet a football team that's anything but. The Wildcats of Arizona rule Tuscon and certainly will NOT allow any Ducks to run all over them into the end zone. (-; )
* California at Washington State
Berkley, CA may be home to California, but Pullman, WA is home to Washington State University. If you are a WSU student, you sincerely HATE the boys from Seattle (University of Washington). If you're a California student, you really have your problems with Stanford. These two teams would meet each other in an anything-goes shootout as the Golden Bears try to stay golden, and the Washington State Cougars to upset Cal. (-; )
* Florida International at Troy
The men of Troy don't just reside in Los Angeles, in fact, there are Trojans in Alabama. Meet Troy, a Sun Belt talent that refuse to lose. They welcomed a team from Miami, FL, the Florida International (18-13; TROY)
"Can't Catch a Break" Tulane at UCF (moved from Saturday to Friday)
Tulane can relate to hurricane concerns after this year has been a horrible year for Louisiana. The good news is that Wilma isn't expected to turn west into Texas and Louisiana. The Green Wave will be welcomed by the UCF Golden Knights as Florida is under fire from Wilma's wrath. (-; )
"Xtreme Blazin" Southern Mississippi at UAB
Let's talk borders. No, not the book store, but the borders within these two Conference USA teams. Mississippi on one side, then Alabama on the other. Southern Mississippi is a lovely place to play football, but the Golden Eagles must migrate to Birmingham, AL to meet UAB. The UAB Blazers are a tight-knit unit who proudly welcomed the Southern Miss crew into their aerospace. These are two talents competing in Alabama, but who outshone the other in this Friday Night match? ESPN had the coverage as the black and gold of Southern Miss met the green and gold of UAB. For UAB, they had a chance to stay alive in Conference USA East. Despite UAB's wonderful comeback in all of the second half, Southern Miss pulled away and left the Blazers in the dust. (3?-2?; Southern Mississippi)
"Bearing Down" Louisville at Cincinatti
Louisville came off of a triple-overtime thriller in Morgantown, WV, losing to the Mountaineers. The Cardinals now welcome another Big East goer, the Cincinatti Bearkats. I may not know much about the city of Cincinatti, but I do know that they are a pretty good unit who play in a pretty nice stadium. This was one of three of ESPNU's games covered this Saturday. The talent level seems to favor Louisville, but only slightly. (46-22; Louisville)
* Florida Atlantic at Arkansas State
I know Florida Atlantic must be playing with some heart this weekend, because Florida is having its problems with Hurricane Wilma's forthcoming. It is one of those deals in which it's more than a game. It is a feeling of pride for the Boca Raton boys to go into Arkansas State and beat the Indians. These Owls haven't had a great season unlike last season. (??-??; ARKANSAS STATE)
"Ring My Bell" Nebraska at Missouri *+x+* for the Victory Bell *+X+*
GTPlanet, let's talk about Columbia, MO. Why? It's because the Rivalry Game between Nebraska and Missouri is all for a big bell. On one side is an "N" for Nebraska, then there is an "M" on the other for Missouri. These are actually two Middle of the Road Big XII teams. The Cornhuskers seen the promised land ten years ago in the 1995 season. (41-24; MISSOURI)
* Southern California at Washington
Washington is led by Tyrone Willingham as this team calls scenic Husky Stadium home, in Seattle, WA. As scenic as the stadium is, their 1-5 record isn't lovely. If they want to make an improvement, they will have to beat their opponents coming up. So Washington, here's your next opponent: Southern California. That's right. The #1 team in the nation are looking to blow out Washington lovingly. The Trojans are still undefeated, and many people don't think the Washington Huskies will knock off the Trojans. Let's see if they are right. (51-24; Southern California)
* Northwestern at #22 Michigan State
Northwestern may not be a Big Ten powerhouse. However, they can be completely capable of upsets. Remember when Northwestern upset Ohio State in Evanston, IL last year? Then this year, Northwestern knocked off unbeaten Wisconsin. Now they have to pull the dupe against the once unbeaten Michigan State Spartans. The Northwestern Wildcats are within the Chicago area as they headed northeast to East Lansing, MI. You boys in Ann Arbor are loving this, because your rivals, Michigan State was trailing 21-7 at the end of the First Half. Northwestern's looking to pull the trick again. As it turned out, another upset happened. (49-14; Northwestern)
* Syracuse at Pittsburgh
Syracuse has only one win this season. They are the Arizona Cardinals of the Big East. I guess you can say that the Pittsburgh crew are like the San Francisco 49ers of the Big East. Regardless, both teams stink this season. Both teams need to make something happen to save their respective seasons before things burn up in smoke. The Orange would love nothing more but to ruin the Panthers' season even more. Wish granted? Or hallucination? (37-14; PITTSBURGH)
* #22 Virginia at North Carolina
(7-5; NORTH CAROLINA)
* North Carolina State at Wake Forest
(-; North Carolina State)
* Arkansas at Georgia
(23-20; Georgia)
* East Carolina at Memphis
The East Carolina Pirates were ready to scoop up some booty... not to mention kick some as well, especially against the Memphis Tigers. The Tigers came off of beating Houston last weekend in America's Space City, now at home, they got more reason to be proud as they beat an up-and-coming Pirates team. (27-24; Memphis)
* SMU at Tulsa
(-; TULSA)
* TCU at Air Force
Texas Christian may just be the best team in northern Texas other than Texas Tech. The Horned Frogs travelled to Colorado to meet the Air Force Falcons of the Air Force Academy. This was not even close. (48-10; Texas Christian)
* Rutgers at Connecticut
A 2-point spread was the difference as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights gave the Connecticut Huskies a close loss. (2?-2?; Rutgers)
* Purdue at Wisconsin
Last season, the Purdue Boilermakers had their sensational QB, Kyle Orton. Now drafted in the NFL, the Boilermakers want to make short work of the boys who call Camp Randall Stadium home- Wisconsin. (31-20; WISCONSIN)
* Vanderbilt at South Carolina
(-; SOUTH CAROLINA)
* Arizona State at Stanford
Arizona State is one of the most talented teams in all of the Pac-10. Arizona State went from Tempe, AZ to Palo Alto, CA. Things look a little golden, since Palo Alto, California is only less than 50 miles south of beautiful San Francisco. The Sun Devils were ready, willing, and able to take down the Stanford Cardinal. As this game turned out, it was a hell of an upset in the Pac-10 as the Cardinal whipped their neighbors from the next door state to California, Arizona. (-; STANFORD)
* North Carolina State at Wake Forest
(2?-1?; WAKE FOREST)
* Baylor at Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Sooners are completely overrated this year, losing big games, especially against Texas earlier this year, then last year to the USC Trojans. Baylor upset Texas A&M last year, but the Bears have a chance to really tick off the Sooners. That didn't happen, considering how Baylor tried to keep it close. Three bad passes in Second Overtime helped Baylor lose in Norman, OK, as the Sooners avoided embarassment. (37-30, 2OT; OKLAHOMA)
* Utah at UNLV
(-; Utah)
* Navy at Rice
(-; Navy)
* Fresno State at Idaho
(40-10; Fresno State)
* Northern Illinois at Kent State
Ever heard of Kent, OH? (34-3; Northern Illinois)
* Louisiana-Lafayette at Middle Tennessee State
(??-??; Louisiana-Lafayette)
* Army at Akron
Army is one of the worst teams in college football. The Black Knights had championship glory in 1944, 1945, and 1946. Since then, they stink. The Akron Zips, on the other hand, are a... so-so MAC team. The game's played the Rubber Bowl. You know what? I'm not going to provide some silly story, so, I'll let you look at the score. If your jaw drops or feel indifferent, don't worry. It's normal. (20-0; Akrron)
* Boise State at Utah State
(-; Boise State)
* Marshall at UTEP
Wow. It's a while to go from Huntington, WV to El Paso, TX. It's also a while if the Thundering Herd of Marshall get their asses handed to the UTEP Miners. (31-0; TEXAS-EL PASO)
* North Texas at Louisiana Tech
The Ruston, LA boys welcomed the displaced Tulane Green Wave players to Ruston to play while the Superdome is still being rebuilt. (40-14; LOUISIANA TECH)
* Miami University (Ohio) at Central Michigan
(-; Miami-Ohio)
* Texas A&M at Kansas State
Gig 'em, Aggies! And the Texas A&M Aggies did just that to the KSU Wildcats. (-; Texas A&M)
* Oregon at Arizona
(28-21; Oregon)
* Oklahoma State at Iowa State
Whatever talent Oklahoma State has left was diminished incredibly. The Cowboys lost bigtime last Saturday, so now they meet the Iowa State Cyclones. (37-10; IOWA STATE)
* Buffalo at Toledo
(38-15; TOLEDO)
