DIVISION 1-A SCORES
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*+x GAME OF THE WEEK x+*
"Gold Standard" Oklahoma vs. Texas (Cotton Bowl; Dallas, TX)
The critics have been all over Texas when it comes to Oklahoma. This is much the same way when people talk about in the pros that Peyton Manning's crew can't knock off Tom Brady's crew. The 20-something Vince Young from my hometown of Houston, TX, is looking to silence the critics and finally take down a ripe-for-the-picking Oklahoma team. Oklahoma took down the Kansas State Wildcats last time out, and are looking to further compound the Austin, TX unit with trouble. But now, this is college football out of the city of Dallas, TX at the SBC Cotton Bowl. These are two Big XII South teams who absolutely hate each other as the crimson of Oklahoma met the burnt orange of Texas. Oklahoma has won the past five meetings. And at long last, the Longhorns got her done in Dallas. There's word that the Texas/OU game may go to Home Games and not neutral turf come 2008. (45-12; Texas)
"The Other Trojan Meat" Troy at North Texas
Tuesday night on ESPN2, as Major Leauge Baseball got into its Divisional Series, somewhere in Texas, college football was being played among two talented teams in the Sun Belt. Troy was pretty famous last year, upsetting the Missouri Tigers of the Big XII back on September 9, 2004. The North Texas Mean Green are the best in Division 1-A's lowest conference, the Sun Belt. The Sun Belt schools can be very close to Division 1-AA status in terms of big schools and and how many seats are ready to be filled. But it doesn't matter how stacked the house is, it's all about the talent on the gridiron in this context. So we are in Denton, TX for this game, just miles away from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The game had blown plays, some bad moments, unnecessary penalties, all to knock off the 4-time defending Sun Belt champions, the Mean Green. This is a big win, but a bigger boost for Troy. Maybe the big dogs of Division 1-A football should take notice of the Sun Belt's talent. (13-10; Troy)
"Turning Red" Miami (of Ohio) at Northern Illinois
Ben Roethlisberger lit up the scene playing for Miami-Ohio. Before his amazing undefeated regular season streak in the NFL (and with the media ripping Big Ben), he led a 9-2 Miami to a win in the GMAC Bowl in 2003. Since then? The Miami-Ohio Redhawks has still ben... uh, been... a great MAC team. They meet against another MAC talent, the Northern Illinois Huskies in Dekalb, IL. At one point after the half, the Huskies led convincingly at 28-7 in favor of NIU. The highly-underrated MAC conference seen Miami of Ohio drive the ball down the field for big yardage to make it 28-17 apart from 28-7 eariler. Later into the game, the Redhawks had to accept this loss despite the fact they tried to make a game out of it. (38-27; NORTHERN ILLINOIS)
"Y B Yellow?" North Carolina State at Georgia Tech
North Carolina. Will you ever find a place with cities like Charlotte, Greenville, Winston-Salem, Asheville, or Raleigh? For racing fans, North Carolina is stock car country. For college sports, it's home to the Tar Heels of North Carolina, and the Wolfpack of North Carolina State. Speaking of the Tar Heels, they recently came off of being upset by UNC for the second straight year. They open up two straight Thursday Night games. This one at the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, then next week at home against Clemson. Speaking of the Yellow Jackets, we are in Atlanta. It is the home to several different celebrities and musicians including Ludacris, WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, Lil' Jon, Ciara, and actress/musician Raven. The Yellow Jackets look to sting NC State in many different ways. They would need plenty of ointment and insect repellant to ward off the Yellow Jackets in case this game gets ugly in GT's favor. Unfortunately, Reggie Ball and his supporting cast would have won the game had it not been for an NC State pick in the End Zone. GT was #24, so they fall at the hands of NC State, who could really use an in-conference win. And they got that win in Atlanta. (17-14; North Carolina State)
"Just Like Basketball" Syracuse at Connecticut
I am starting to have a little more respect for the University of Connecticut, or as it's commonly called, UConn. The Connecticut Huskies had a dream year in the two biggest college sports- football and basketball. In the 2004-2005 post postseason in basketball, the Huskies' male and female teams won the National Championship in the same year. Feeding off the success on the hardwood, the football team made it to their first-ever Bowl Game in the 2004 postseason, beating Toledo 39-10 in the Motor City Bowl. Now they face a team who hasn't been National Champions for a while (the 60s, I believe) in football- the Syracuse Orange. They finished 6-6 last season and got OWNED by Georgia Tech. Two Big East basketballl powerhouses collide on ESPN2 for Friday Night Lights- college style. Syracuse proved abysmal, being down 9-0 at the end of the first 30 minutes. Third quarter, tack on about two touchdowns and two point afters to make it 23-0 in favor of the Huskies. Later on, a UConn FG makes it 26. Syracuse gets a big consolation prize by getting a touchdown and the PAT. Connecticut is now 4-1. Their biggest tests are later this year at West Virgina and against Louisville. (26-7; CONNECTICUT)
"Judgment Day" #6 Ohio State at #16 Penn State
Oh, Joe Paterno... you have a big one on your hands. The mission- take down a tough Ohio State team. Ohio State hasn't been national champions since the 2002 season when they beat Miami (FL) in a triple overtime thriller (I wanted Miami to win). Penn State has done pretty well against mostly cupcake and second-rate teams. This game is going to be huge for Penn State to make a run at the postseason or at the slightest, a potential BCS Bowl bid. The Nittany Lions will have their hands full with the Buckeyes. Hey boys, take down them goal posts! Ohio State BEATEN in State College, PA! (17-10; PENN STATE)
"SEC Superpower Showdown" Georgia at Tennessee
Oh, man. This is a BIG game for both teams. In a game shown on CBS, the Georgia Bulldogs has yet to suffer defeat this season. Tennessee lost a game or two this season but always seem to stay above 0.500. Georgia looks to bring Tennessee down to the ground apart from being beaten previously. Tennessee looks to do the same to Georgia. The Volunteers wish to volunteer to take down the Bulldogs. Luckily for Tennessee, they have all the volunteers they need as the 12th Man will be well over 100K screaming fans in Volunteer Orange. Yeah. Texas A&M isn't the official home of the 12th Man because the Knoxville, TN outfit has their playmakers- all 100,000+ of them. Was home-field advantage enough for the Vols to win? It's Tennessee's puppy dog vs. Georgia's puppy dog. That 100K 12th Man Advantage wasn't enough in this hard-nosed fist fight. (27-14; Georgia)
"Jugheads" Minnesota at Michigan *+x for the Little Brown Jug x+*
The Little Brown Jug is one of the most popular trophies awarded in Division 1-A college football. One side of the jug is actually brown with Minnesota's logo on one side. The other side is blue with the logo of Michigan. People talk about Maroney being the big gamebreaker for the Golden Gophers' offense. Could the Golden Gopher deliver in this game against those ferocious Wolverines? (23-20; PENN STATE)
"The Junction Boys" Iowa at Purdue
I know only one Lafayette- Lafayette, LA. The boys in West Lafayette, IN came off of getting their butts handed to by Notre Dame. Iowa put away Illinois. Now two of the Big Ten's biggest talents square off in this heated matchup between the Boilermakers hosting the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Iowa City, IO boys look to continue their rise up the standings after losing to Iowa State and Ohio State. (-; )
* Wisconsin at Northwestern
Evanston, IL is a scenic city well north of Chicago. On one end, you can see Lake Michigan. If you were very high up, you may be able to see Indiana to your southeast, and Michigan east-northeast. With the scenic Lake Michigan, this was no time to enjoy the waters of one of America's five Great Lakes. It was time to play Wildcats football. The Northwestern Wildcats scampered onto the field trying to knock off the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin isn't easy to take down in the Big Ten. And it didn't seem likely that Northwestern won't stand a chance. Remember, though. Northwestern won at home last season against Ohio State. So they can still get it done in Evanston against any team, big or small.
"Fountain of Talent" Texas A&M at Colorado
We have two of the Big XII South's talent on the road. Texas A&M is 3-1 and on the upswing. Texas A&M never seen a National Championship for what I know. But the are on the road against the 1990 co-National Champions, Colorado. Arguably the most beautiful place to play in the Big XII, Folsom Field plays host to this matchup in Fountain, CO. The 12th Man advantage goes to Colorado in this one. (-; )
"Red Storm" Texas Tech at Nebraska
The other talented Texas team, Texas Tech, were ready to hit it off against Nebraska. Fresh off of upsetting #23 Iowa State, the Cornhuskers are out on a tear to make the most of beating the Texas Tech Red Raiders. In two weeks, the Red Raiders will meet their rivals, Texas. This week, Nebraska will cut down the undefeated Red Raiders to size. Nice try. The Lubbock crew are 5-0, and only one game away from a Bowl Game consideration. (34-31; Texas Tech)
* Houston at Tulane (Tulane's temp home - Lafayette, LA)
The Houston Cougars have a chance to rise above 0.500 as they took on the Tulane Green Wave. Last year, Tulane was one of Houston's victims in Houston's only three wins last season. The Cougars have a load of talent, even with their star QB, Kevin Kolb. With a difficult-enough season for Tulane, Houston has a chance to go above 0.500 and be within three wins on making a Bowl Game for the first time since 2003 (lost to Hawaii in double overtime). The scarlet and white of Houston looked to take on the green and white of the Tulane Green Wave. Tulane will look to keep the Cougars under 0.500. Mission failed as Houston rolled over and trampled the New Orleans boys. (35-14; Houston)
"Cajun Ragin" Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Lafayette
The Florida Atlantic Owls found their way out west to the University of Louisiana in Lafayette. Louisiana is Cajun country, but the ULL squad aren't just regular Cajuns. No... meet the Ragin' Cajuns! The Ragin' Cajuns are looking to further compound FAU's misery. The Owls are 0-5 this season and in big need of a win after losing only a few games last year. The Owls are 0-5, and need a win someplace to avoid a winless season. Thanks to great determination, knowing where to find the end zone, the Owls finally get their first win. (2?-1?; Florida Atlantic)
"Hollywood Walk of Fame" Arizona at USC-Trojans
Los Angeles, California. This is a game between the usually dismal Arizona Wildcats and the USC Trojans. Southern California will never be the same again if Southern California blows this game. Why so? Arizona just isn't a football team. You know, it's like how Georgia is an incredible SEC football team, but their basketball team sucks BADLY. The record-breaking Trojans are inching very close to seeing themselves play in Pasadena, CA next year. It's also the chance for USC to be the first team to three-peat as National Champions. It's never been done. They move one step closer this weekend, but next weekend could be a heartbreaker. No contest this weekend, though. (42-21; SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA)
"California Football Clinic" California at UCLA
The Golden Bears of the University of California are one of the best teams on the West Coast. The Golden Bears faced a lower-ranked team, the Bruins of the University of Calfornia-Los Angeles. So this is an exhibit of football by two different University of California campuses. The only question is, who is the better of these ranked schools? It seemed as though California was the higher-favored team, UCLA got it done in Pasadena. (47-40; CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES)
* Stanford at Washington State
The Stanford Cardinal finished 4-7 last year, beating only San Jose State, Brigham Young, Washington, and Washington State. Washington State had a better year than it's dismal Apple Cup rival, Washington, by winning five games. The more talented team is Washington State, but they didn't see postseason play as they finished 5-6. The road to recovery begins by beating Stanford. (-; )
"Nothing to Win" Maryland at Temple
The Maryland Terrapins crawled their way from College Park, MD to Philadelphia, PA to meet the MAC-bound Temple Owls. Temple beat only two teams last year- Florida A&M and Syracuse. For a winless team so far, that's something to be proud of. Maryland is tough themselves. These Maryland boys are looking to keep a good thing going, and beating Temple will just add another "W" to the win-loss column. (-; )
* Duke at Miami (FL)
Duke sucks. In football, at least. Among their last five Bowl Games, they seen postseason play in 1954, 1957, 1960, 1989, and 1994. Among those games, Duke won against Nebraska 34-7 in the 1954 Orange Bowl, and 7-6 over Arkansas in the 1960 Cotton Bowl. Now for a huge contrast- the Miami Hurricanes have seen postseason play every year so far in the 21st Century, and they are sure that Duke won't be a problem. Or will Duke be a problem for the University of Miami? Time will tell at the Orange Bowl. In the end, this was just a 60-minute long drill for the Hurricanes. (52-7; MIAMI-FL)
"Virginia Thunder" Marshall at Virgina Tech
Marshall continues their Tour of Duty in Conference USA. The Thundering Herd are a very talented bunch out of Huntington, West Virgina. I respect Marshall and their abilities. That talent is going to have their hands full in a big game in a big way. They face the still-undefeated Virginia Tech Hokies. Some people see Marcus Vick going to the Downtown Athletic Club, accepting the Heisman trophy and beating out Matt Leinart (USC-Trojans) and other hosts of talent. To get the nation's attention, they'll have to go through Marshall in this battle of the two Virginias. (41-14; VIRGINIA TECH)
"Orlando Magic" Memphis at Central Florida
Attention Orlando! A pack of tigers are heading your way! These tigers have been reported wearing blue and orange football jerseys and have come all the way from Memphis, TN. No one knows how these tigers escaped from their cages, but they are all converging in the Citrus Bowl... and then, the heroes answered the call... Have no fear, the Golden Knights are here! The Golden Knights rode tall on their horses, carrying shiny blades and strong shields went to battle to try to defeat these tigers and send them back to Memphis. (-; )
* Missouri at Oklahoma State
After a big blow, the Mizzou Tigers had to gather themselves up and play another game. The black jerseys with the gold "M" on the helmet means you're playing the Missouri Tigers at home. Now they have to deal with the Oklahoma State Cowboys of Stillwater, OK. The battlefield is Stillwater, OK. (38-31; Missouri)
"Sweet Revenge" Kansas at Kansas State *+x for the Governor's Cup x+*
The Kansas Jayhawks are better in basketball than football. The Kansas State Wildcats are better in football than basketball. One calls Lawrence, KS home. The other calls Manhattan, KS home. When two teams live in the same state and in the same conference, it usually means one thing- RIVALRY GAME!!! Last year, Kansas State lost to Kansas in Lawrence 31-28. This year, Kansas State is trying to shake off the woes of last season. Both Kansas squads had the identical record of 4-7. This time, Kansas State gets sweet revenge. (12-4; KANSAS STATE)
* Texas A&M at Colorado
Kyle Field will miss Texas A&M for one weekend. The Aggies promise to be pack so the College Station, TX outfit will be sure to have winning momentum when they play Oklahoma State next weekend. Kyle Field normally seats 82,600 maroon-clad TAMU fans, and the pride of College Station met the Colorado Buffaloes, the 1990 co-National Champions. Folsom Field is in a wonderful setting, but this game would be anything but wonderful as these two are put to the test. It was a beautiful end if you're a Buffalo as Colorado beat the Big XII South's Texas A&M. (41-20; COLORADO)
* Illinois at Indiana
There's a fight brewing in Hoosiers' country. The Illinois Fighting Illini called out the Indiana Hoosiers, and these two can't wait to get it on. Only state boundaries seperate these two schools. Nothing, however, could save the basketball school of Illinois from a beatdown. (-; INDIANA)
"Hawkeye of the Storm" Iowa at Purdue
The Iowa Hawkeyes beat the crap out of Illinois. While the black and gold of Iowa had this controversial pink-colored locker room for any visiting team, that room won't be needed until they play Indiana next week. The West Lafayette, IN clique don't take any mess. Purdue was on the ropes against Minnesota and Notre Dame, and lost both of those games. The choo choo train boys welcomed the Hawkeyes railroad company, with the train junction being Ross-Ade Stadium. The Hawkeyes were welcomed to 62,500 Purdue faithfuls. But in the end, the Boilermakers take another big loss to the talented boys from Iowa City. (34-17; Iowa)
"Badger to the Bone" Wisconsin at Northwestern
You got to hand it to Northwestern. They took it to Penn State last weekend and almost handed the Nittany Lions their first loss. While Penn State has its problems with Ohio State on Saturday night, the Northwestern Wildcats welcomed the Badgers out of Madison, WI. This game takes place in the metropolitan area of Chicago, but we are in Evanston, IL, 30 or so miles north of Chicago. (51-48; NORTHWESTERN)
* Cincinatti at Pittsburgh
Anything you can do to help the Panthers get back to their postseason-bound ways, please help. The 1-4 Steel City kitties met another lovable bunch of felines, the Cincinatti Bearcats. These men in black and red met the blue and gold of Pittsburgh at one of the lovliest settings- Heinz Field. Pittsburgh has the most bridges in all of the world. The Panthers need to start building bridges if they want to avoid falling into a deeper chasm than they are in now. Cincinatti came off of losing the Victory Bell to their rivals at Miami University (Ohio), so they need regrouping as well. (38-20; PITTSBURGH)
* West Virginia at Rutgers
Virginia Tech handed bitter rivals West Virginia their first loss. They may have lost possession of the Black Diamond Trophy, but they haven't lost focus. The Mountaineers meet one of college football's oldest teams, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. More than 135 years ago, the first-ever college football game was between Rutgers and Princeton (now a Division 1-AA team in the Ivy Leauge) had their first go all the way back in 1869- only 17 years before Daimler produced one of the world's first major automobiles. To this day, Rutgers are still the pride of New Jersey. (-; )
"Bowling for Bowl Games" Ohio at Bowling Green
Let's leave Ohio State alone and look at the Ohio Bobcats. Ohio has the most Division 1-A teams with 8. Second on the list would be California with about 7. Not much is known about Kentucky, except that their best team is Louisville. Bowling Green aren't any pushovers, though. The Falcons are one of the most talented MAC teams out there. The Bobcats travelled well southwest of Athens, OH to meet the Bowling Green crew. (??-??; BOWLING GREEN)
"Chapel Hill Tar Pits" North Carolina at Louisville
The ACC hosts the Big East. Tar Heel Blue meets Cardinal cardinal. North Carolina got slammed pretty hard in this one. (69-14; LOUISVILLE)
* Fresno State at New Mexico State
(??-??; Fresno State)
* Air Force at Navy *+x for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy x+*
The United States Air Force Academy is home to the Air Force Falcons. The men and women who defend our skies and fly out to attack any oncoming threats are based in Colorado Springs, CO. They are one of three Division 1 military academies. Sometimes, to say that Army, Air Force, and Navy aren't real teams is kind of an insult. Air Force is the only military academy that isn't an Independent. Even though these three schools aren't as committed and rich as... say, Southern Calfornia, Auburn, Michigan, Ohio State, or whoever... they still play to win even if not in the Top 25. Navy is perhaps the most talented on the gridiron among the three military academies. The Midshipmen will carry the pride of Annapolis, MD. Pride well taken as the Midshipmen shown to be the better military service on the gridiron. (??-??; NAVY)
"" Portland State (1-AA) at Boise State
You know, there may be something in common with Portland State and Boise State. You know that the Vikings travelled the high seas to get ready to loot and plunder unsuspecting villages. The Portland State Vikings were ready to take the seas of Bronco Stadium. But another armada of ships are ready for action, those being the Boise State Broncos. These Broncos looked to defend their blue skies as best as they can. It looked like a hellacious upset, but BSU avoided nationwide embarassment. (21-14; BOISE STATE)
* Utah at Colorado State
* Wake Forest at Florida State
14th Straight time beating WF. (41-24; FLORIDA STATE)
* Mississippi State at Florida
(35-9; FLORIDA)
"Vander-re-building" LSU at Vanderbilt
(34-9; Louisiana State)
* Virginia at Boston College
(28-17; BOSTON COLLEGE)
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OTHER DIVISION 1-A WINNERS
INDIANA
KANSAS ST
West Virginia
SOUTH CAROLINA
Maryland
Akron
NAVY
Baylor
Missouri
OLE MISS
PITTSBURGH
UNLV
Texas Christian
UTAH STATE
NEVADA
Iowa
Stanford
BOWLING GREEN
C FLORIDA
E CAROLINA
COLORADO STATE
ARKANSAS
LA TECH
TOLEDO
Sothern Methodist
TEXAS
VA TECH
FLORIDA STATE
BOSTON COLLEGE
Minnesota
Tulsa
Central Michigan
Baylor
OLE MISS (def. The Citadel)
Toledo
Ball State
Brigham Young
BOISE STATE
Fresno State
NEVADA-LAS VEGAS
