College Football 2006 Week 2 (9/3 - 9/9): Hit the Ground Running

[JohnBM01]

This is your Week 2 thread presented by me. Last week was the start of something beautiful- college football is back. Good to see college football season return, but you still need to execute wherever possible. There is a saying in the NFL in the first week of competition. That quote goes like this: "We are all undefeated again." Let's look at last week's action:

LAST WEEK...
* (PLAYING FOR WALKER) - The death of Northwestern coach Randy Walker meant that the game between Northwestern at Miami University would mean that the game means much more than a "W" or an "L." It was about both sides playing in his honor. Northwestern would win the game.

* ("OLD 'BALL COACH" OFF TO GOOD START) The South Carolina Gamecocks gave Mississippi State a shutout loss. Okay, so it's Mississippi State. But it still feels good to get a win any way you can. Steve Spurrier is undefeated right now.

* (1-AA TEAMS UPSET 1-A TEAMS) This is why I say that every game is important. A game that should be easy money doesn't mean that it is going to end up as easy money. Just ask Colorado, New Mexico, and especially Duke. They all respectively lost to Montana State, Portland State, and Richmond. My "Most Disappointing Loss(es) of the Week" was infact Duke's loss to Richmond in a shutout. Duke couldn't find the end zone or kick it between the posts. I know Duke isn't America's best football team, but they represent the ACC- one of America's finest football conferences. It's why I took an offensive side on Duke's loss to Richmond. Even the worst 1-A teams should be able to give non 1-A teams a thrashing. Kansas State ALMOST lost to 1-AA Indiana State (or was it Illinois State?). Duke needs help. I know I talk about Kentucky as a basketball power without a good football team, but Duke is worse.

* (LET THERE BE LIFE!) John David Booty and his Trojans knocked off Arkansas on the road. Sportscenter and the College Gameday crew sort of thought that Southern California would be upset by the Razorbacks. That didn't happen. The Trojans are looking good right now in delivering the heat to other teams.

-end

Week 2 action will begin with a rivalry game in the Battle for the Bluegrass. This is the game I'll try to see from start to finish, so I'll provide a lot of content for this game including facts. So I hope my Kentucky/Louisville report is to your liking.

WEEK 2 - SUNDAY SYNOPSIS
The start of Week 2 means that any teams that haven't played yet are in for some action. Rivals in the Bluegrass State will try to one-up one another in their heated rivalry match. There is also action in Texas as well as in the American Southeast.





DIVISION 1-A GAMES
"Kicking Bluegrass and Taking Names" Kentucky at #13 Louisville (RIVALRY GAME - "Battle of the Bluegrass")
FoolKiller, this one's for you. Kentucky is the Bluegrass State and our first stop for today's Sunday games. Two teams with proud basketball lineage are ready to collide on the hardwood made of grass. Let's talk about the two schools. Last season in basketball, Louisville was mostly winning some cupcake games. That proud winning streak would all come to and end as 10,000+ plus screaming Kentucky fans made Louisville red turn blue. On fears that Kentucky may not make the NCAA Tournament and that Louisville could be a serious threat, Kentucky advanced quite far in the tournament as Louisville had to settle for the NIT. Louisville has two National Championships in basketball, but Kentucky has seven. But in football, Louisville has had Kentucky's number a lot of times in recent years. Louisville is a post-season team while Kentucky hasn't seen too many winning seasons as of late. But if fans of Kentucky basketball love their sports, they should love a game like this. Here are some facts on both teams' football stadiums. The Away Team is Kentucky. The Wildcats' football version of Rupp Arena is Commonwealth Stadium. Commonwealth Stadium can seat up to 67,530 Kentucky fans. And I must say that according to "NCAA Football 2007," the stadium looks quite lovely. Grass is Natural at Kentucky. It would be funny if Kentucky's grass was colored like the blue grass of Boise State. That would be sort of an overkill on "blue grass," but just for fun. Now Louisville. Louisville's stadium is Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. It can seat over 45,000 people. The style of the stadium is a bit like a horseshoe where you the stands seem to be all interlocked, but without one section. One of the end zones has a big building there instead of grandstands. Despite the fact that Louisville is better now, Kentucky holds the series record at 10-8-0. They first played between 1912 and 1924. It was rekindled back in 1995. The last time Kentucky won was in 2002 when they won 22-17. Louisiville has won the game since 2003. Will Louisville make the series 10-9-0? Andre' Woodson is from Radcliff, KY. Brian Brohm is a local product from Louisville. So both QBs are from Kentucky, only that the local product REALLY has to deliver at home. Find out with me with Sunday Night college football!

ESPN had the call for these two rivals. Kentucky wants to upset Louisville at Papa John's. The Louisville Sluggers wants to make Wildcat pizza out of Kentucky... again. Rich Brooks is 100-134-4 in four seasons. 29-8 is Petrino, and Louisville has lost only once at home under Petrino. Louisville's race horses put up a touchdown with the combo of run-pass-run. Ninty seconds and change later, Louisville scores. Add a second TD 10 minutes later at no extra charge. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Kentucky did a GREAT job of making sure Louisville didn't get 3 trips to the house in the first quarter.

Second Quarter now as Kentucky's blue helmets sparkle beautifully under the lights. Looks like those pretty blue colors are like a sky blue color under the lights. Pretty. How about this- Kentucky can play power football! Too bad their passing defense couldn't cover with 14:14 left in the first half as Louisville gets six more plus the complimentary PAT. 21-0 now. One guy in a Kentucky shirt held up a sign saying "We're going to lose BIG!" with the "L" and "big" in Cardinal Red. Kentucky was already losing big, now they were losing worse as Louisville got in another rushing touchdown. It's 28-0 with 10:58 left in the First Half as the ESPN announcers put it best= "there may be some long faces in Lexington." Kentucky's first five drives end in punts. Brian Brohm is trying to fill the shoes of Stefan LeFors. And if you think "Stefan LeFors" sounds like a hockey player's name, you're not the only one who thinks that. Kentucky had an interception, only to have it bounce out of their hands. First field goal for Louisville... and Kentucky ices the kicker (that kick would have counted if no timeout). Nice mind games by UK. The icing didn't work because Louisville still landed the kick. 31-0 it was. Shutout in the making? Hell no! Burton for Kentucky cashed in a beautiful 73-yard scamper to make it 31-6. The PAT would make it 31-7. Kentucky STILL has a lot of work to do to climb back and make the upset. It CAN be done. Just look at Tennessee last year when they beat LSU AT LSU last season. Less than one minute left in the half, Kentucky forces a fumble and gets the ball back. First turnover of the game! Now add a Defensive Pass Interference call on Louisville. Now Kentucky can make money here. A controversial Pass Interference was added on the next down. It's a Big Ten crew. A fumble by the QB led to a BEAUTIFUL 42-yard pass play which resulted in a Kentucky timeout. Where was this kind of offense early on, Wildcats? TOUCHDOWN KENTUCKY! The blue folks were cheering while the red folks were having some stomach problems. Ashton Cobb of Kentucky put on a BIG hit on Louisville. Louisville led 31-14 at the Half. Win or lose, Kentucky is playing their hearts out. They want to beat Louisville so bad it hurts. Their basketball team already beat Duke. Now it's the football team's turn.

Around 11:27 left in the Third Quarter, a scary incident happened as Michael Bush of Louisville took a big spill and had a reported broken leg. Kentucky fails a very early 4th Down Conversion. They make up for it by sacking Brohm. Cards drew their trump card and Royal Flushed Kentucky with a touchdown plus the point after. The botched 4th Down ends up hurting Kentucky. Now it's 38-14 with 6:08 left in the 3rd Quarter. After a touchback for Kentucky, one play = 80 yards. #12 went STRAIGHT to the house and it was again a 17-point lead. Again, even if Kentucky loses this game, they shown they can play in critical matches. A Kentucky defender dropped a shoe but was still clutch in defending. A report indicates that the tibula(?) has been broken as Michael Bush is done for the season. I wasn't paying attention to the game for a bit, and Stripling gets a 38-yard touchdown run to make it 44-14. The extra point made it 45-14; Cardinals. Kentucky may be running on fumes (NASCAR expression). Kentucky's race horses are losing steam to Louisville's thoroughbreds. And always remember- PAY ATTTENTION TO GAMES! You never know what can happen in only a few seconds to a few minutes. Now we have a little basketball here- a held ball between Louisville and Kentucky to end the Third Quarter. Louisville was down even as Kentucky thought they got a second turnover. Remember that the ground cannot cause a fumble. On to the final quarter.

Kentucky nearly had a pick as a Louisville WR bobbled the ball as another Kentucky defender could have made a one-hand grab. Credit Louisville's defense even if this is a blowout. Kelsey for Kentucky was slow getting up. Did Louisville make it 48-21? No. The Louisville field goal kicker shanked the kick to the left. So there's SOME confidence for Kentucky to rally again. Louisville made Kentucky fumble the ball for their first turnover in the end zone for what seems like a touchdown the other way. After the review, Louisville led 51-21, and an extra point means that Louisville doubled up Kentucky. And this may be over. I know I may be too nice, but I think it could very well be over. Louisville will have to play like Duke or Savannah State in order for Kentucky to come back and win. What Louisville can do, Kentucky can do better! Kentucky went from San Francisco, CA to Atlanta, GA for a touchdown. The excessive celebration means that Kentucky's happiness wouldn't be complete. Now it's 52-28 with 8:12 left. Kentucky never lead the game. Hunter Cantwell took over for Brohm. Is Cantwell supposed to be a closer for Brohm? Brohm can't do a complete game? Regardless, the Cardinals still have Kentucky's number. I doubt Kentucky's going to win with 3:52 left in the game and down by 31. I quickly chalked up a win for the Louisville side. Louisville keeps the Governor's Cup. Better luck next year, I guess. But don't overlook Kentucky's defense. They shown me something and deserve a lot of respect. I said that Kentucky had to BRING IT to win. They did, but not enough of "IT" to get IT done. Next for Kentucky is Texas State. I forgot who Louisville had next. (59-28; LOUISVILLE)

*** Later in this report, I'll provide more comments about Louisville and Kentucky. Read my "John's Extras" to see more. ***



"Southern Smoke" Memphis at Mississippi
Memphis, TN and Oxford, MS are seperated by not much. Conference USA's Memphis meets the SEC's Ole Miss (or I just use "Mississippi"). Memphis won't have DeAngelo Williams running all over the field. So will Memphis fight it out? Tigers have fight. They'll need a lot of fight to give Mississippi some migrane headaches. The Rebels are the second-worst SEC basketball team
The score was deadlocked at 14. Memphis failed to execute including one turnover. They then lose down the stretch. (28-25; MISSISSIPPI)

"Big XII? Big Deal!" TCU at Baylor
This is the first year without their clutch field goal kicker. Their kicker was tragically killed between the start of the new season and the Houston Bowl (now going to be called the Texas Bowl). It's a battle of Central Texas and
Under 10 minutes left in the game, TCU led 17-7. This would mean that Texas Christian actually needs more attention, even if they're playing Baylor. Hell. Kansas smashed Houston in last year's Fort Worth Bowl. But who gave a damn about Kansas (maybe say the same for Houston)? TCU wins at Baylor. It means that TCU, since joining the Mountain West Conference, has beaten a Big XII school on the road for two straight seasons. Maybe next year, they can up the ante and play Texas or Texas Tech. Maybe even Colorado or Kansas State. Perhaps Oklahoma State. Hell of a good job by TCU. Both TCU and Baylor will play 1-AA schools next. (17-7; Texas Christian)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
(No known games took place)

DIVISION 2 GAMES
* Fayetteville State at Virginia Union
The VUU Panthers have lost a game pretty bad. (25-12; Fayetteville State)

* Shaw at North Carolina Central
The Eagles of North Carolina Central defeated Shaw University. (21-12; NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL)


Central State played at NAIA school, Urbana. The the Divsion 2 school lost at Urbana by a score of: (37-26; URBANA).





DIVISION 3 GAMES
(No known games took place)





JOHN'S EXTRAS
Here is where I just offer some extra comments either related or not related to college football.

--- EXTRAS ON LOUISVILLE AND KENTUCKY ---
The University of Kentucky's motto is "Dream - Challenge - Succeed." One thing Kentucky is looking to do is continue to provide breakthroughs in medicine. Even the U. of Kentucky President says that University of Kentucky is the flagship university in the Kentucky Commonwealth. Louisville has all kinds of successes in the medical and media fields. I've heard a familiar song played in the game after Louisville scores a touchdown. It was a song by recording artist, Young Jeezy. I don't know the specific song, but it's track #5 for the Atlanta boy's latest album. Keenan Burton and Michael Bush are good friends despite the fact that Kentucky and Louisville absolutely HATE each other.

--- WHAT IF THE NON-BIG EAST FOOTBALL SCHOOLS PLAYED IN THE BIG EAST? ---
The Big East is a mega-conference in basketball. Only four Big East basketball schools have football teams not in the Big East including Notre Dame, Villanova, and Georgetown. It would be interesting to see what would happen if all three played in the Big East as they do in most other sports. Notre Dame is a 1-A independent. I was going to launch a thread on if they should remain independent, but I think their unique Independent status gives them the ability to play against anyone in the nation. Notre Dame would probably kill all the Big East schools if they were a Big East participant. Villanova and Georgetown would need larger football fields and more people to get some football prowess. Villanova and Georgetown are two somewhat good schools in 1-AA football. The Villanova Wildcats are led under Jay Wright in Men's Hoops. They play in the Atlantic 10 in football and will go to the CAA after the 2006 season. Georgetown is a participant of the Patriot League in football. A Georgetown 1-A football unit would mean that it would be the only 1-A football school in the greater Washington D.C. area unless they play at where the Washington Redskins play (which is in Maryland).

Now let's pretend the Big East non-football schools had teams. * Only one whose football team was sacked most recently was St. John's. St. John's was a MAAC participant. If they were in 1-A, they could create their own football field or use an NFL stadium. There's supposed to be a plan to have either the New York Giants or Jets play in the greater New York City area without having to use New Jersey. I'll have to read more about St. John's former football team to know more about them. The team was retired around 2002. * Providence College would have some pretty cool uniforms since Providence makes black and silver look cool. They can wear all-black and have silver trim with silver helmets. Can Providence get a deal to erect a wonderful stadium to seat about 45,000 people or so? Unless you want the only football in Providence to be at Brown University. * Seton Hall University is in South Orange, NJ. I heard that it's near the greater New York City area. So this could be the grounds of a rivalry with fellow New Jersey university, Rutgers. * Marquette has a football team, but only on the club football level. I'm talking about a full-on NCAA field. It is a little sad that Wisconsin-Green Bay doesn't have a football team when they are completely in the shadows of wonderful Lambeau Field. But in Milwaukee, Marquette and Wisconsin-Milwaukee are crosstown rivals. So imagine if both teams had football units. Marquette would probably challenge Wisconsin for bragging rights in Dairy Country. * And finally, there's DePaul. Not RuPaul, DePaul. One of the 28 American Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU)- DePaul. The Blue Demons reside in Chicago, IL and play their basketball in Rosemont, IL.

So it's a little Just for Fun. The Big East could be a mega-conference in both basketball and football. Would they STILL be overrated in football as they were in basketball? There's no playoffs in 1-A football, so to say that there would be plenty of chances for the Big East to win this hypothetical 1-A championship would be strange.

--- WHAT MICHAEL BUSH'S LOSS DOES FOR LOUISVILLE ---
Louisville's Michael Bush has been sidelined for the season during the Kentucky/Louisville game. He left with 3 touchdowns and three-figure yard totals. This will leave Louisville shaken for future matchups especially at #12(?) Miami and against #5 West Virginia. Louisville's rise to power in the Big East will mean that others will have to step up to keep the Cardinals into having a BCS Bowl berth. Of course, the Big East still has some BCS Bowl berths on the line for the Big East champ. But then...

--- WHO IS MORE DESERVING OF A BCS BID IF THE BIG EAST ISN'T WORTHY OF ONE? ---
There may be three little conferenece that COULD have a chance to play in a bigtime bowl game. I have three possibilities:

(1) The Mid-American Conference (MAC). The MAC is the Missouri Valley Conference of 1-A football. Remember when Ben Roethlisberger was piloting Miami University to a wonderful season and a stellar GMAC Bowl performance? The MAC is known as the Cradle of Coaches. Some say that the MAC lacks the sort of depth that the major conferences have.

(2) Conference USA. Memphis was ranked pretty high in the nation last season when they had DeAngelo Williams making lots of magic on the field. It would be possible if a C-USA team could upset someone from the Big XII, Big Ten, ACC, or whatever. The participants of the inaugural C-USA tournament last year were Tulsa and Central Florida.

--- THE BATTLE OF THE BLUEGRASS TROPHY ---
The Governor's Cup weighs 110 lbs. and costs $23,000. It took nine days to create it. Winning the Battle of the Bluegrass - priceless. There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's college football.



--- TOMORROW... ---

Florida State and Miami go at it in a heated battle. All three ESPN networks (ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU) will have full coverage in three different perspectives. Stay tuned, players!

 

[JohnBM01]

WEEK 1 SYNOPSIS
Basketball has seen 2005-2006 champs. Baseball has seen 2005-2006 champs. Now it's time to usher in a new year with a sport that brings MANY collegiate die hards together- college football. Week 1 has generally been seen as a collection of tune-up games. We'll see about that since this week's games will perhaps see the big one as California takes on Tennessee. Prospects are high for Notre Dame, Auburn, California, and even reigning champions, Texas. Preseason rankings mean nothing at this point as the road to Bowl Games will begin. College football is BACK ON CAMPUS!!!
=
This is the Monday report for Week 2 of college football. The Battle of the Bluegrass was decided, Mississippi scrambles Memphis' brains, and Texas Christian let Baylor know what time it is. We have a game coming up that's bigger than all three games combined- Florida State at Miami. It's a Sunshine State battle as these two hated rivals are ready to go at it. It's the battle of Tallahasse and Coral Gables. Florida State won last time. Who'll win this year?



WEEK 2 - MONDAY SYNOPSIS
The big game was Florida State at Miami. Florida State will head into the greater Miami area in an effort to give Miami a thumping they'll never forget for as long as "The U" remains active.





DIVISION 1-A GAMES
"What U Gonna Do When the 'Canes Run Wild on You?" #11 Florida State at #12 Miami (RIVALRY GAME)
People have their own preferences as to what's the biggest rivalry in all of college football. My personal preference is Michigan and Ohio State. Every college football fan has a rivalry game that is very important to them. People can make their choices on what's the best rivalry in college sports. Duke vs. North Carolina. Texas vs. Oklahoma. California vs. Stanford. Alabama vs. Auburn. Lehigh vs. Lafayette. Army vs. Navy. You go from there. But in the state of Florida, nothing like Florida State and Miami (with the exception of Florida State vs. Florida) is the holy grail of rivalries in the Sunshine State. The weather was predicted to have a 60% chance of rain with about winds between 5 and 10 miles per hour. So Miami won't have a perfectly clear night tonight. Maybe the sun will shine tomorrow once Florida State and Miami are done beating each others' brains out. Speaking of brains, it's a no-brainer to know that Florida State and Miami absolutely hate each other. What else do you expect when you're a big school up against another big school? It may be raining in Miami, but that's because the Hurricanes are looking to blow Florida State out of the Orange Bowl. Scattered thunderstorms was forecasted for Miami. Florida State has heard enough of listening to Miami fans say they are going to be beaten badly in Miami. So let's see if the Seminoles can shut them up in this big game. They don't like each other. Let's settle it on the field.

Former ESPN Sunday Night Football announcer Mike Patrick and Todd Blackledge had the call for ESPN's wall-to-wall coverage of this game. I will personally watch the majority of the game on ESPN, then switch over to ESPN2 for some extra coverage. With 9:02 left in the First Quarter, Florida State was on the board with a field goal. Florida State has been notorious with bad field goal kicking... just not this time.

The second quarter saw a 4-yard TD by Miami with about 13:00 left. The PAT made things 7-3 in favor of Miami. It takes a lot to try to outsmart the other. Don't think you'll play either side and have a field day blowing the other teams' brains out. Miami would score again some time later with a field goal. The half ended with Miami leading 10-3.

I didn't note the third quarter, so I think there wasn't any scoring there.

Now in the 4th, Florida State ties things up at 10. It's 10 all, and game on. Florida State got in a field goal through the 4th. A punt from FSU went out of bounds at the 8 yard line. Now they have to execute their two-minute offense with about 4 minutes left. If Texas' two-minute offense got them to victory and a Nationa Championship, imagine what Miami can do. Now Miami punted and gave Florida State plenty of reason to be happy with 2:20 left. New clock rules mean that things GREATLY works for the Seminoles. Miami then discombobulated... or fall apart for the rest of us. The Hurricanes held the 'Noles to Fourth Down with 1:15 left. Now Miami needs to capitalize and execute- something they have done before and won five National Championships including one in the year I was born (1983). Now it's 1:15 left with Miami driving. They are 12-4 in games decided by three points or less in the Miami/Florida State rivalry. 3rd Down, and the Miami QB forced a bad throw with Seminole picking the ball off... GAME OVER! Insert coins to continue. You won't believe it. No lo vas a creer. Miami has fallen on the wayside after this crushing loss. (13-10; Florida State)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
(No known games reported)




DIVISION 2 GAMES
(No known games reported)




DIVISION 3 GAMES
(No known games reported)




JOHN'S EXTRAS
--- HAPPY TRAILS, OLD FRIEND... ---
We recently lost the great Crocodile Dundee. I heard he was attacked by a sting ray a few days ago, and I think it got him in the heart or so. He was influential in getting people (especially children) to appreciate wild life. The Queensland (Australian state) native will be greatly missed.

--- WILL MIAMI BOUNCE BACK AFTER THIS LOSS? ---
I've always believed in Miami. Hurricanes' football is an exceptional thing. I will say that they really have to avoid losing to crappy teams in order to get to a bigtime Bowl Game. I think they will do that because losing is not their forté. It may be for Duke and Temple, but not the University of Miami. Miami football isn't dead. Miami last the Miami/FSU game by three points was back in 1971.

--- AN INJURY AND AN ARREST ---
Michael Bush (no relation to Reggie Bush) has been reported to be out for about 6-8 months. That's just about a whole season. Louisville's campaign against the rest of the nation just lost a big weapon. T. Brown for Texas was arrested with marijuana possession and another such crime. Texas needs nothing bad to happen when they get to play against Ohio State on Saturday night in prime time.


--- THIS THURSDAY ---
A number of games will be coming up. Stay tuned.

 

[FoolKiller]

DIVISION 1-A GAMES
"Kicking Bluegrass and Taking Names" Kentucky at #13 Louisville (RIVALRY GAME - "Battle of the Bluegrass")
FoolKiller, this one's for you.

So, Kentucky didn't do as bad as I expected, but they didn't do as well as I hoped. After watching this game I know three things: 1) We need a new coach. A co-worker said he wouldn't be surprised to see Coach Brooks go and Joker Phillips (offensive coordinator) take over halfway through the season. I would love to see this. 2) We need a quarterback. Woodson can throw the ball, but he makes some bad decisions and can't get away from defenders when the pocket breaks down. And then what was up with the fumble and pickup toss? I mean, that was the luckiest and sloppiest succesful play I have ever seen. As for Pulley, the boy couldn't read a receiver to save his life. He can run, but unfortunately Louisville had that shutdown. 3) We don't have any kind of lines. Our lines on both offense and defense sucked. I can't count the number of times Woodson got sacked and there was never a hole or even a decent block for our runners, keeping the raunning yards under 20. You can't win if you can't run. Then the defensive line left holes big enough for me to run through. It's as if they were trying to help Michael Bush get a Heisman.

If UK plays like this the rest of the season then they won't win much of anything. I've seen high school teams play better. They are not the quality of an SEC team and if it weren't for the basketball team we wouldn't be there.

Louisville is suffereing a huge loss with Michael Bush going out, but if they red shirt him and he decides to stay and Brohm stays for his final season then they could be incredible again next year. However I wouldn't be surprised to see Bush go pro despite this injury and Brohm going with him. Despite being a UK fan I can see the talent in Bush and I wish him a full recovery and great professional career.

Speaking of Bush I was glad to see Keenan Burton run over to check on his friend. It shows that despite a rivalry childhood friendships never end. The two have been playing football together since they were old enough to pick up a football. They went their different ways in college but the friendship never ended.

Now on to my non-team realted gripes. Is it just me or has officiating just gotten worse over the past few years. I thought that both of Louisville's pass intereference calls were BS at best. I didn't see it. And then if Keenan Burton showed unsportsmanlike conduct then the entire Louisville bench was beiong unsportsmanlike I mean, he made a T with his arms, who cares? And if taking his helmet off on his way off the field counts then they need to watch all the players during posession changes a bit better. Then there were two reviewable plays, one which was overturned and the other that was obvious. This is a problem I have noticed for the last couple of years in the NFL and NCAA (including basketball). I know a bad call here and there is expected but I find myself and my friends disagreeing with multiple calls every game.

ESPN, I hate you. Ever since UK basketball games started being shown on ESPN I have realized how horrible they are. They almost ruin the game experience. The announcers never shut up and they repeat themselves non-stop. I get it, you used to play/coach and now you think you know everything. Don't forget you never won a championship and questioning a high-quality/championship team makes you sound like a total git. If you know so much then where's your ring, buddy? John Madden talks too much for my tastes, but he is refreshing compared to some of the ESPN guys. As ESPN continues to grow I have come to fear that I may only enjoy sports in person in the future.

 

[morganhead]

what did you guys think of notre dame-georgia tech? personally, i didn't watch a majority of it even though i am a irish fan, but the offense better get into high gear. i have no idea what was the problem, but brady quinn, for some reason, seemed-and i really hate to say this, but it's true-rattled. seriously. they better fix their o-line problems for penn state this week, or else they won't make it out of notre dame stadium alive


if ND can make it out of sept. undefeated, they will win the national championship

 

[dougiemeats]

what did you guys think of notre dame-georgia tech? personally, i didn't watch a majority of it even though i am a irish fan, but the offense better get into high gear. i have no idea what was the problem, but brady quinn, for some reason, seemed-and i really hate to say this, but it's true-rattled. seriously. they better fix their o-line problems for penn state this week, or else they won't make it out of notre dame stadium alive


if ND can make it out of sept. undefeated, they will win the national championship

They struggled a bit, but they made some good decisions in the end of the game. I'm not a big fan of the Irish, but I don't want to see them lose... yet

It's nothing against Notre Dame, but I went to a Catholic high school, and we tried to imitate everything about the team. From our school song, to our helmets, to the sayings on the back of our shirts. I got tired of it

 

[JohnBM01]

I'll just come off with random notes here.

So you got love for Kentucky and Western Kentucky, FoolKiller? Maybe I'll cover some more Western Kentucky games per your interest. As I say, I'd like to come up with as many scores as possible for as many different fans and students as possible. I mostly cover NCAA schools. I still want to try to grow an audience so that it doesn't seem like it's just me posting and you all reading without making comments. I thought Kentucky had some pretty good defense. They just need to keep the good job up and execute better. I think they are on the right track. They just need to execute better and maybe get some better pass defense. They have to get SOMETHING done so that they won't struggle especially in SEC play. We pretty much know that Kentucky's going to get their butts handed to teams like Georgia, LSU, Auburn, and most of the other SEC powers. They just need to match the other teams' respective paces and better what they are dealing to Kentucky. This is just Week 1. Kentucky's campaign is nowhere near over. I'm going to try to follow Kentucky this year to see how they do. It's actually the first SEC team I wanted to follow since I followed Tennessee a few years ago.

As far as the Notre Dame/Georgia Tech game goes, I just flipped over to the ESPNU replay, and I noticed something. There was a Personal Foul as GT gave some helmet-to-helmet contact to a Notre Dame offender. The Yellow Jacket gets the foul, and someone throws a water bottle at the ref's feet or legs or something. It was clear helmet-to-helmet, so who's to argue? The jive turkey made the hit and was flagged for it. Let the kid pay for his tomfoolery. And please... don't throw stuff at the ref like he was Jeff Gordon at Talladega a few years ago.

So Notre Dame is going to host Penn State this weekend? The hope is that Penn State didn't lose too much on offense and defense to where they have somewhat of an advantage. And in the abscence of drafted stars, new stars must emerge. I'm telling you. Penn State is on a roll. I think they will remain on that roll as long as they don't come off with some huge fork in the road.

I'll provide a little preview of some interesting games coming up. Maybe you would like to discuss how these games could go:

THURSDAY - Oregon State at Boise State
Ahh, yes. Bronco Stadium with the most unique football field in all of American football. Where else are you going to enjoy blue-colored grass and playing football on it? I probably see Oregon State winning this game, but it doesn't mean that I see Boise State as a complete cupcake. Boise State is a good team. Their only competition in the WAC is against Fresno State. Boise State vs. Fresno State is usually the best WAC matchup all year.



FRIDAY - Pittsburgh at Cincinatti
Both of these Big East teams have sort of struggled in recent times. Both of their basketball programs are sensational. Their football is very good as well. Cincinatti used to be in Conference USA. They've basically blown away most of their competition in C-USA. I'm actually a bit torn on this matchup. I'd like to think that I slightly favor Pittsburgh. The winner will be 2-0 in this matchup just like with the Oregon State and Boise State game.



SATURDAY
Colorado vs. Colorado State - Unlike Colorado, Colorado State played and beaten a 1-AA team. The Colorado unit is likely the first 1-A team since Stanford to lose to a 1-AA school (Stanford lost to California-Davis last year). Colorado has to get themselves together when they play the boys in green and gold- Colorado State. I think this is a game Colorado must win in order to take not as much flak in the sports media. Colorado is a good team. They just need to win this game to return to being a... well, fairly good team. I say that the game will be decided by no more than a touchdown.

#15 Georgia at South Carolina
There are just some matches in which you don't want to see either team lose. I like Georgia better than South Carolina in football. I like their chances of winning this game. Steve Spurrier and his boys will need to make some magic happen in order to beat Georgia. I can recall last year or two years ago when Georgia played in Columbia, SC. South Carolina put a safety on Georgia, but Georgia still won. The Bulldogs will have to play their finest if they want to turn the Gamecocks into fresh poultry available at your favorite grocery store.

#25 Texas Tech at UTEP (Texas-El Paso)
It's the battle of West Texas. While the much bigger game is in central Texas, this battle is going to be pretty interesting. And dare I say, I can imagine a UTEP upset. I don't think Sonny Cumbie is back with Texas Tech. UTEP just needs to play solid, fundamental football if they want to shock the Red Raiders at the Sun Bowl. It's said that across the Rio Grande of the Sun Bowl is Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Texas Tech is hoping that their 2006 campaign doesn't go south. I might pick an upset.

Tulane at Houston; and Rice at UCLA
I'm highlighting both of Houston's 1-A schools. (1) I think Houston QB Kevin Kolb will need a solid performance if he wants a chance at being the ultimate dark horse. He also needs his Cougars to commit less fouls on the field. Tulane's Green Wave may get a surprise win, but I really think that Houston will need to get something going. I generally believe that Houston football is still pretty far from the older days. The last time Houston was ranked in the AP poll was in 1990 when they were ranked as high as 10th in the nation. It gets better for the Coogs because they were ranked as high as 4th in 1976 (back then, the AP poll was Top 20. It would be expanded to 25 since 1989). Some people here think Houston football is slowly getting back up the paces. They just need some more good wins to make something happen. (2) Rice is a pretty bad team, but they've shown great life when they played their rivals from about 4.8 miles apart. Rice is on a pace to maybe go to a Bowl Game. Rice has shown to be able to hang with the big teams. Now they need to prove it at the beautiful Rose Bowl. It won't be so beautiful if they don't get her done in Bruin Country. Rice's schedule gets much worse after UCLA. I think they have to welcome Texas as well as play against Florida State. They are going to be VERY busy the next few weekends.

I'll have some other looks ahead if I get to them.

 

[FoolKiller]

So you got love for Kentucky and Western Kentucky, FoolKiller? Maybe I'll cover some more Western Kentucky games per your interest.

Yeah, Western Kentucky is kind of a family tradition. My mom went there, my brother went there, and I started to go there. Out of the three of us I am the only one that moved on to other things. My mom didn't like my moving to UK but I found a major I could actually get interested in and despite the school being three times larger I had better student/teacher relationships.

Besides, how can you not love this furball?

The pic is clickable for Big Red's history.

Before you ask what he is: He is the cousin of McDonald's Grimace, at least that's what we tell everyone.

I thought Kentucky had some pretty good defense.

Yeah, after they broke Michael Bush's leg.

They just need to keep the good job up and execute better. I think they are on the right track. They just need to execute better and maybe get some better pass defense. They have to get SOMETHING done so that they won't struggle especially in SEC play.

I wish I had taped teh game, because I can't remember if I saw one good hit. It seemed like it almost always took 3 or more guys to bring Louisville's guys down, sometimes as many as seven or eight. It would only take one if they would hit him and not grab at his jersey like they're afraid they might get hurt. I don't care how big Michael Bush is, if you hit him hard in center mass he will go down. If you just try and stand in his way, yes, he will bowl you over.

We pretty much know that Kentucky's going to get their butts handed to teams like Georgia, LSU, Auburn, and most of the other SEC powers. They just need to match the other teams' respective paces and better what they are dealing to Kentucky. This is just Week 1. Kentucky's campaign is nowhere near over.

I am predicting Kentucly will win 1 SEC game. It is funny you listed three good teams but you forgot our two rivals, Florida and Tennessee. These are teh guys I would most like to beat, in basketball and football, but have the least chance of beating in football.

My hopes against everyone else this year is that we can get our running game going. Little is a great runner, when he can find a hole.

I'm going to try to follow Kentucky this year to see how they do. It's actually the first SEC team I wanted to follow since I followed Tennessee a few years ago.

Good luck. We barely even get local TV coverage. Last I heard I can only catch this Saturday's Texas State game on the radio. If it is on TV it will be delayed at like 1:00 AM.

 

[Max Powers]

FRIDAY - Pittsburgh at Cincinatti
Both of these Big East teams have sort of struggled in recent times. Both of their basketball programs are sensational. Their football is very good as well. Cincinatti used to be in Conference USA. They've basically blown away most of their competition in C-USA. I'm actually a bit torn on this matchup. I'd like to think that I slightly favor Pittsburgh. The winner will be 2-0 in this matchup just like with the Oregon State and Boise State game.

I'm going to have to go with Pittsburgh on this one, they beat Cincinatti last year, and their team has only improved since then. Pitt really surprised me in their opener vs. Virginia, especially on the defensive end. Their defense (especially at linebacker) is very fast this year, and basically shut down Virginia's offense. As for QB, they've got Tyler Palko starting for his 3rd and final season, he is my favorite NCAA QB and I would love to see him end his college career on a good note. Their depth at WR was also questionable going into this season, but so far their young receivers have shined. This should be a good game.

 

[JohnBM01]

Week 2 action continues as I have for you some more games. I fell asleep and nearly missed the first half of two games played Thursday night.

WEEK 2 - THURSDAY SYNOPSIS
Three divisions of NCAA football seen blowout wins. Only one of them has taken place on the road. The NFL season may well and truly be underway tonight as the Dolphins play at the Steelers. For college football fans, should they REALLY care if the NFL is in session? Most won't care. Some just love their college action and couldn't care less if the NFL sees teams beating each others brains out. Those who like college and at least somewhat likes the NFL will be rewarded with some critical matches come Saturday. The games listed below are just a start of what to expect this weekend.





DIVISION 1-A GAMES
"Blue is Beautiful" Oregon State at Boise State (GAME OF THE DAY)
Boise State is celebrating over 20 years of using that blue turf. As I say, it's one of the most unique footbll fields in America. Some people usually rag on college football since it isn't like the NFL where there's more recognizable talent. One thing non-professional groups have is that you can have some fun in lower leagues. So I hope you love the color blue, especially if you love teams that wear blue. College sports teams in blue include (not limited to) Boise State, Kentucky, Michigan, Lipscomb, Georgetown, Connecticut, Rice, Creighton, North Carolina, Duke, Gonzaga, and all them. Just enjoy Boise State Bronco football. The Broncos will stampede against Oregon State. Their troubled kicker, Serna, is part of the Oregon State unit. Can the Beavers dam up Boise State's chances of breaking through? We shall see. The game was on ESPN as Chris Fowler and former Ohio State QB, Kirk Herbstreit, had the call. When I first tuned into the game, it was about 11:00 left in the Third Quarter as Boise State led Oregon State 28-14. Don't take anything away from Oregon State. They are a great team. They are just in there with a merciless band of fans. Those fans were REALLY jacked when Boise State got in a rushing touchdown by Ian Johnson with about 2:35 left in the Third Quarter after Boise State forced an Oregon State fumble. This Rushing TD gets I. Johnson over six rushing touchdowns in only two games. The new BCS rules give teams from conferences like the WAC to compete in postseason play as long as they are either in the Top 16 and past a BCS Champ, or some other rule. So Boise State wants a win like this to stand. To give you a basketball analogy as to how rowdy this crowd is, think of if Georgetown's basketball team played against a Missouri Valley team. Think of Georgetown up against Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, or even Wichita State. Boise State is WACKY! Tonight was the Ian Johnson Show. His fifth rushing touchdown ties a school record for most touchdowns in a single game by a Boise State Bronco. He left the game with five touchdowns and 240 rushing yards. He also left behind mass destruction for Oregon State's chances of winning this game. Oregon State has now lost about five straight non-conference road games. Boise State is 2-0 now. Boise State is the Gonzaga of college football in terms of a powerful program on the west coast or northwest. (42-14; BOISE STATE)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
"Sky High" Urbana at Tennessee-Martin
We have 1-AA action starting with Urbana of the NAIA sanctioning body meeting the NCAA Division 1-AA's Tennessee-Martin. I know nothing on Urbana, so I'll forego any introduction of them. Tennessee-Martin can be found in the Volunteer State. Martin, TN are full of bird lovers. That is because Tennessee-Martin believe in one specific kind of fowl- the Skyhawk. The full roster for the Skyhawks took the field as this Ohio Valley Conference unit are looking to make some magic in their home state. That was completely easy for them here. (28-0; TENNESSEE-MARTIN)





DIVISION 2 GAMES
The only know of this game is because it was on CSTV (College Sports Television). If you're a WWE fan that hates Vince McMahon's corporate team, former WWE Announce, Johnathan Coachman, was the co-announcer for the first game entry for Thuesday. If you're a DX fan, then you likely hate people like Coachman.

"She's a Mo' House" Lane at Morehouse
This battle is between Lane College and Morehouse College. Lane College is looking to take down Morehouse College. The Dragons are looking to show who's king of the SIAC as their outfit is in Jackson, TN. I believe I know who the Maroon Tigers of Morehouse College know who's better. Two teams think they're good... now we need to see who IS good. The call was taken by unpopular WWE personality, Johnathan Coachman and former Florida State QB, Chris Rix. Wait a minute... Chris Rix as an announcer? Someone on GTPlanet was talking about how Chris Rix was a complete idiot. So we have a somewhat unpopular duo here calling this game of black college football. After one half, it was Morehouse getting their asses handed to thanks to the Dragons. Lane was leading 20-3 over Morehouse at the half. Then as the First Half was over, one of the time-honored traditions of college football ensured as it was the Battle of the Bands. If you don't like black college football, at least the Battle of the Bands is something to watch. These Battle of the Band sections are among some of the best things to observe in a football game. With 6:45 left in the Third Quarter, Morehouse was given new life when they banged in a touchdown to make things 27-17. Down by two scores. Footbal is all about momentum. Either you have it, or you don't. And if you don't, you're in some deep crap. The QB scrambled his way into the endzone and scoring at around the 5:49 mark in the 4th Quarter. The Dragons now were blowing out Atlanta's Morehouse College 41-23. Make it 48-23 as an interception went the other way for six plus the PAT. So we move on to about 2:26 left in regulation as Lane are ready to get out of Atlanta with a blowout win. Patrick Slay of Lane College was in a lot of pain later. Lane took more pain- in the form of a Morehouse rushing touchdown. Add a 2-point conversion, and Morehouse makes it 48-31 with 0:48 left in the game.

* Central Oklahoma at Abeline Christian
Texas' Abeline Christian beat their Oklahoma counterparts from Central Oklahoma. (24-18; ABELINE CHRISTIAN)

* Eastern New Mexico and Northeastern State
Eastern New Mexico got pounded VERY hard. Spare the field goal team because this was an all-touchdown blowout courtesy of Northeastern State. (42-7; NORTHEASTERN STATE)





DIVISION 3 GAMES
(No known games were reported)





JOHN'S EXTRAS -my comments and extras-

--- AN INTERNET VOYAGE TO ALASKA ---
GTPlanet, I've done some reading online on Alaska and if there is any football in Alaska. Alaska and Vermont are the only two states without a current football team on any level of NCAA play. I did a search on the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Some of you college basketball fans know about Alaska-Anchorage if you heard of the Great Alaska Shootout. The Great Alaska Shootout is a basketball tournament that's like the Maui Invintational. Division 2 basketball is really unique because you have three teams from three places you wouldn't see Division 1 action at. Those three places are Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Anyhow, the only known football in Alaska is mostly in the college ranks. But there is a such thing as the Anchorage Football Stadium. It looks like a high school football field, but remember about Division 2- D2 Stadiums usually have much fewer grandstands and fewer people than most BCS schools. The University of Alaska system consist of rivals, the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves and the Alasaka-Fairbanks Nanooks. They both play in Division 2's Great Northwest Athletic Conference. I usually just wonder what it would be like if there actually was football in the great frontier. I initially was looking to see if the University of Alaska system actually fielded a football team so I could edit my "Former Glory" thread in the Football forum. But, no college football team was ever founded in Alaska. I tend to know about Alaska-Anchorage more than Alaska-Fairbanks. The Seawolves' men's basketball team were responsible for upsets against teams like Wake Forest in 1993 and Notre Dame in 1999 in Overtime.

--- HAVE YOU BEEN READING SOME OF MY OTHER COLLEGE FOOTBALL DISCUSSIONS? ---
I'm just wondering... do some of you like my little discussions on teams that once fielded football teams? I actually enjoy trying to read about past football teams so that I can further enhance my love of college football to you all. I'm learning more about college football and its past. I actually want to know about these different teams I see in college basketball. There is a little-known 1-AAA division which features non-football schools. And when I hear of teams that once fielded football action, that gets me interested. It gets me interested because I would know that teams without football teams now have had some football prowess. I'd like to know how they did in football, even if they had a horrible team. A number of campuses retired those teams mostly because of financial issues in funding a football team.

--- UTSA FOOTBALL UNDER CONSIDERATION ---
While Campbell University is looking to enter football in about 2 years, one of the nation's youngest universities is looking to consider football. That university is UTSA- the University of Texas-San Antonio. UTSA is home to the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners. I've been to San Antonio a few times. It's a very nice city. Only football I know in San Antonio is the Trinity Tigers in Division 3 football. UTSA says that they are in the consideration phase of football. If a team is fielded in San Antonio, we may expect to see the AlamoDome being used for college football action. You may recall that the AlamoDome is usually used for the Mastercard Alamo Bowl. Some of you may also remember the poorly-officiated 2005 Alamo Bowl when Nebraska upset Michigan. How young is Texas-San Antonio? I believe that three years from now, the University of Texas-San Antonio will celebrate over 40 years of existance. I think George Mason is younger than UTSA by a few years. So in a few years time and if the football deal is complete, look out for Texas-San Antonio to have some fun in perhaps the Southland Conference.

--- THE NEW CLOCK RULES ---
As I've stated before, I don't like the new clock rules all that much. The NCAA is trying to make football games more like basketball games in terms of the length of time it takes to have a game done and complete. I think some of the biggest drama in games is that you have very little time left, trailing to the other team by a short margin, and taking all the time you need to engineer a last-minute victory. The newer clock rules make it so that you really have to be in a hurry with whatever package you want to implement. I think these new rules are more of a disadvantage on offense than defense or special teams. They also are a disadvantage to teams trailing late because they need as much time as possible to engineer a comeback. Think about if your team is trailing and need a touchdown to take the lead. You have to quickly execute your two-minute offense. It also means that your wide receivers and everyone know their assignments and know what to do in order to not lose the game by a ludicrous margin. But that's just me. How do you feel about these new clock rules?



--- NEXT TIME... ---
Two schools with great basketball programs see their football teams square off in a game where picking a favorite isn't going to be too easy. Pittsburgh leaves beautiful Hines Field to go play against Cincinatti at Nippert Stadium (or is that where Cincinatti's Bearcats play?). Who will win? That's next time. But for now, comment at will. And thanks for reading!

 

[morganhead]

my finak score for ND-PSU?


ND, 45-21

 

[JohnBM01]

Friday Night Lights, players! It's Friday Night action. If I get other scores to other divisions, then I will show you those scores as a good friend. Can I be a good friend and give you some scores? Then let's do this!



WEEK 2 - FRIDAY SYNOPSIS
The big match in Division 1-A is a Big East matchup pitting (no pun intended) two teams based in two big cities. We have Pittsburgh and Cincinatti. Pittsburgh will play in the Buckeye State against former C-USA unit, Cincinatti. The game could be a brand-new rivalry to be dubbed as the "River City Rivalry." If the rivalry really kicks off, then the winner will certainly get a lead in the series matchup. A scoreless game led to lots of scoring and a late rally which didn't materialize into a win.





DIVISION 1-A GAMES
"River City " Pittsburgh at Cincinatti ((Future) RIVALRY GAME - The River City Rivalry)
This is a Big East battle among two schools in two big cities. We have one in the New England sector playing in the Midwest. Cincinatti used to be a pretty good Conference USA power. Now it is trying to make it big in the Big East. Cincinatti's basketball team had to deal with Bob Huggins not calling the shots. Both teams are from NFL cities, so it's the home of the Steelers at the home (city) of the Bengals. Let's meet Pittsburgh. I believe Pittsburgh is a city which has the most bridges in the world. Over 73 or so bridges can be found in Pittsburgh. The University of Pittsburgh is looking to build plenty of bridges over their competition. But the Panthers need to negotiate Cincinatti properly. Now let's look at one of the youngest Big East teams with Cincinatti. It may not be the old show "WKRP in Cincinatti," but more of the University of Cincinatti ready to show their strength on the field. White, black, and red is a nice combo. Don't you think so too? Cincinatti surely thinks so. The Bearcats would love to prove that Bearcats are better than Panthers. I'm going to research online if there is a such thing as bearcat. Anyhow, let's do this game.

Turner picked up a beautiful 15-yard touchdown pass with about 1:49 left in the first half. This came off of a Pittsburgh pick-job of Cincinatti. A chip shot PAT made things 7-0 in favor of the Steel City kitties. Pittsburgh would pick up another 6+1 to make it 14-0 in favor of Pittsburgh. Backup QB Mr. Davila for Cincinatti had a horrible night. With 8:33 left in the Third Quarter, Pitt got a safety. Add a Pitt touchdown 33 seconds later plus the Extra Point (albeit a bad snap for the PAT). Now it's my current age to nothing in favor of Pittsburgh! It's 23-0 for the Panthers. Or would it be? A controversial Offensive Pass Interference wasn't called against Pitt when a Pittsburgh WR pushed off a defender to get the score. It was a Big East officiating crew. Cincinatti sees Pittsburgh muff a punt to where it would be a (I'm sick of this car company and this award, but I'll say it because I have to) Pontiac Game-Changing Performance for the Bearcats. The blank job was denied as the QB scrambled to the end zone. Or WOULD it be a TD? The blank job was in the hands of a Wannstedt (Pitt) Coaches' Challenge. Wannstedt wins his challenge and doesn't lose a timeout. He took his NFL experience to college after being a Miami Dolphins(?) head coach. So now it's 2nd and Goal. Now Cincinatti tried to win with power football... and won. That's six plus the extra to make it 23 (my age) to 7. This is National Geographic brought to life as the Bearcats are ready to rally with only 15 minutes of regulation left. Third Quarter ends with a 23-7 count in favor of Pittsburgh. With 10:02 left, H.P. Blades stripped Cincinatti clean and got the football back for the Panthers. Pittsburgh's defense has been lacerating Cincinatti's offense. Cincinatti does have one defender by the last name of Nakamura. You don't see too many Asians in college football. One of the finest Asians on offense was likely Timmy Chang for Hawaii. One of the finest Asians on defense is likely Dat Nguyen who played for Texas A&M. But one of Cincinatti's big uglies on defense is Nakamura. Pittsburgh is playing some hard-hitting defense. No, literally. Pittsburgh landed some BIG hits on Cincinatti. The Panthers are playing more like their NFL counterparts (the Steelers in case you don't care about the NFL). With 4:35 left, Cincinatti makes it 26-13 with a nice two-minute offense. Speaking of two, Cincy went for two and now trail 26-15. The Bearcats are still down by about two scores. Unless they are planning to make a football version of Kentucky vs. LSU, Pittsburgh is still in good company. This game also featured a lot of cursing by the coaches and some players. Cincinatti's late rally failed as Pittsburgh had the ball and control of the clock. After Pittsburgh failed to put away Cincinatti after Cincinatti's out of timeouts, a nice punt gave Cincinatti one last shot. That last shot ended up in a Panther interception returned for a touchdown. An extra point to go with the Touchdown means that it's GAME OVER with 4 seconds left. It's like leading by seven in basketball with this much time left. Pitt wins in a blowout. So my prediction was right. Pittsburgh has Michigan State next, and Cincinatti has to go to Virginia Tech (get ready, JFM92_GTRacer!). We'll see next week if these two teams can win their respective next games. (33-15; Pittsburgh)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
"Not Again..." The College of New Jersey at La Salle
La Salle met The College of New Jersey. I think last year, La Salle disappointingly lost to TCNJ. Well, the Explorers lost to them again as the Lyons(?) of The College of New Jersey win by three. (24-21; The College of New Jersey)





DIVISION 2 GAMES
"Assuming the Obvious" Assumption at Stonehill
Assumption made Stonehill kiss the canvas and take a 10-second count. The game ended as a KO in favor of Assumption College. (16-3; Assumption)

"Dirty Birds" Southern Connecticut State at Bentley
I think I know of Bentley a little more than Southern Connecticut State. I also think that Bentley University is known as the Falcons. Too bad the Falcons didn't take down Southern Connecticut State at home. (19-13; Southern Connecticut State)





DIVISION 3 GAMES
"Who Framed Framingham?" Framhingham State at Nichols
Nichols put a first-class pounding on Framingham State. (31-12; NICHOLS)





JOHN'S EXTRAS
--- IS THERE A SUCH THING AS A BEARCAT? ---
I did some online searching in finding out if there is a such thing as a bearcat. And if so, what is one? Prepare to be enticed with education, players! This website tells you what a Bearcat is:

http://gobearcats.cstv.com/genrel/081706aae.html

(All text derived from the website I've posted above) The story tells you of a football game played between the University of Cincinatti and the University of Kentucky back on Halloween of 1914. According to the story of the bearcat, there was a Cincinatti fullback named Leonard K. "Teddy" Baehr. There was also a male Cincinatti cheerleader named Norman "Pat" Lyon had came up with a chant that went like this: "They (Kentucky) may be Wildcats, but we have a Baehr-Cat on our side." The Cincy crowd cheered on Baehr against the Wildcats. In the end, Cincinatti beat Kentucky 14-7. On November 3rd, John "Paddy" Reece (must have had a LOT of nicknames back then!) drew up (taken from website) "a bedraggled Kentucky Wildcat being chased by a creature labeled 'Cincinatti Bear Cats." Interesting stuff, huh? A number of current teams would call their team the Bearcats including non-football school Binghampton, Sam Houston State (Bearkats), Central Arkansas, non-football school Lander, and Williamette. The website I posted also notes a more general definition of a bearcat. The term "bearcat" is a synonym for the giant panda. The loose translation of "bear-cat" is from the Chinese term, "pandaxiong mao." This discovery was first in print in 1889. Six years later in 1895, a naturalist named H.N. Ridley talked about a cat in Malaysia called the "binturong-a" is called the "bear-cat."

So is there a such thing as a bearcat? Surely the University of Cincinatti will tell you so! It's a pretty interesting site I posted. Go check it out.


--- OLD DOMINION'S PROGRESSION TO RE-ESTABLISH FOOTBALL ---
Michelle Wallace of College Sports Television (CSTV) reported that Old Dominion has made some nice singings in an effort to reinstate football at Old Dominion University. The unit out of Norfolk, VA is looking to return to football for the 2009 season. College coaching legends George Walsh and Dick Sheridan are looking to be advisors as Old Dominion makes a push to return to football. Welsh and Sheridan combine for a total of 19 Bowl Game appearances. They will be part of a press conference this coming Tuesday alongside ODU president Roseann Runte and athletic director Jim Jarrett. More information can be found at { http://odusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/oldd-m-footbl-body.html }, and follow their push to return football back the Norfolk unit at { http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/oldd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/060106_footballbrochure } ( <- you will need Adobe Acrobat for the second link). The ODU football team will make their return by playing at Foreman Field on the campus of Old Dominion University. It seats about 20,000 people and is the home of ODU's women's field hockey team.

It would be convenient for Old Dominion to return to football to the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association). Remember that the Atlantic 10 will no longer sponsor football after this season. The Atlantic 10 will give their football sponsorship to the CAA after this season. The Old Dominion Monarchs currently play in the CAA for basketball. CAA members which have schools with current football teams include Towson, The College of William and Mary, Delaware, James Madison, and Hofstra. The colors for Old Dominion are blue and gray. The Monarchs never had a football team since the 1940s. I'll try to come up with a "Former Glory" entry on Old Dominion when I get a chance to put something together.


--- FRIDAY NIGHT DEBATE ON ESPN: Should there be a coaches' poll? ---
ROD GILLMORE: College coaches SHOULD have a poll. They should be voting. Not confident on coaches voting their own teams. Coaches do watch other games and vote for them. Do they REALLY have too much time on their hands?

TREVOR MATICH: Coaches should NOT vote! Administrator would be angry if not voting for home team. Ethical problem appears. Some wouldn't vote for a team in their own conference.

ESPN FANS:
43% Yes
57% No

But what do YOU think?





--- TOMORROW ---
Another Saturday, another great day of action. The big matchup is Ohio State at Texas. Also on tap:

* the Georgia Bulldogs playing in South Carolina
* Notre Dame plays Pennsylvania State
* Colorado plays against rivals, Colorado State after Colorado's disappointing loss to Montana State
* Oregon challenges Fresno State on the road
* Texas Tech takes on Texas-El Paso

See you then! Even before I get scores in, you're free to talk about the games and how they play out even before I get my scores in. Get involved! You love college football. So why not talk about it in threads like this?

 

[JohnBM01]

This Saturday is one Saturday closer to Saturday college football! I'm John. We have a big match coming up in Austin, but there are also games of greater or lesser significance. See if your favorite team is in this lineup of games.



WEEK 2 - SATURDAY SYNOPSIS
The big match in 1-A is Ohio State and Texas. One of the other big issues is if Duke, New Mexico, and Colorado can rebound after losing to 1-AA teams. Along with the many different games that have taken place, PLENTY of games have been decided by narrow margins including games involving teams. Get your favorite razor or shaver and PLENTY of shaving cream because you will see plenty of close shaves. There were also a handful of blowouts including another 1-AA upset of a 1-A team. There were even 1-AA teams BEING upset by non 1-AA opponents. It's only Week 2 of the new season, and already are some exciting games!





DIVISION 1-A GAMES
Let's begin with my home state of Texas and a critical match between #1 and #2. The defending National Champs are looking to be in the title hunt yet again. We continue on with two big in-state and non-conference games. Both of those games will be the the great Rocky Mountains. This will be one of the first game reports in which I'll have some specials. I have a few "packs" of games available for you, including how Kentucky and Louisville did. I'll call it the "Bluegrass Special." So go ahead... pick a game!

"Everything's Bigger in Texas" #1 Ohio State at #2 Texas (GAME OF THE WEEK)
ESPN College Gameday anaylst, Lee Corso, put on a Texas helmet with a Hook Em plush doll. Texas has that beautifully large flat screen TV so people in can enjoy Texas football. Usually when Lee Corso puts on attire from another team, it means that he picks that specific team to win. Lee Corso is the Dick Vitale of college football, only (in my personal view) funnier and more colorful. I asked a lady in Pearland, TX as to who will win the game between Texas vs. Ohio State. The lady I talked to said that she'll take Texas despite that this game is going to be deceptively close. And it's the same thing I told her. She was wearing a Longhorns shirt. Can the Longhorns go 2-0 against Ohio State? "Not so fast, my friend!" Ohio State is #1 in the nation as they are looking to stay there after coming out of Austin. The Buckeyes will not have Vince Young under center for Texas, so they'll need their key players. Remember that two of Texas' players will not start. New stars must emerge in their place. ESPN on ABC is on tap. The wonderful voices of Northwestern alum Brent Musburger, the handsome former Ohio State QB Kirk Herbstreit, and Mr. Bob Davis had the call for this game.

An all-defense game saw Ohio State pick up a HUGE fumble on 1st and Goal after Texas was looking to put the first points on the board. Texas coach, Mack Brown, challenged the fumble and lost easily. Could that come back to haunt Texas? Ohio State gets another 6+1 to make it 14-7 in favor of the Buckeyes. That's how the First Half finished. Let's do another half.

Texas got the ball back to start the 2nd Half. Ohio State was pulling away with an extra field goal. Ohio State blanked the Longhorns in the Second Half for a horrible loss. This was a great game with a lopsided victory... just not as bad as last year's Peach Bowl between Miami and LSU. (24-7; #1 Ohio State)



--- Mountain High, Valley Low Special ---
We go up high first, then come back down.

* Colorado vs. Colorado State (RIVALRY GAME: Rocky Mountain Showdown - Invesco Field at Mile High; Denver, CO)
Colorado hates Colorado State. Colorado State hates Colorado. Put the game on neutral field, and you have the Rocky Mountain showdown. You cool with that, players? I hope you are. Both teams played against 1-AA schools. Colorado State beat Weber State, but Colorado lost to Montana State. Can the Buffaloes of Boulder beat the Rams of ???? Let's find out who'll win- the black and gold, or the green and gold. Time think about maybe moving some people around. They can't afford to keep losing. I told you that Colorado needs to get their game into high gear, and look what happens- they lose again. Colorado is 0-2 in disappointing fashion. Is Colorado the new Kansas of Big XII North? (14-10; Colorado State)

* New Mexico at New Mexico State (RIVALRY GAME: Battle of I-??)
Let's go to the Land of Enchantment. How much do you know about New Mexico? I'll admit that I don't know a lot myself. All I do know is that New Mexico is going south to Las Cruces, NM to meet their rivals at New Mexico State University. The Lobos of New Mexico want to leave Las Cruces with a win. A touchdown decided this game as the both the Lobos and the NMSU Aggies are 1-1 to start the year. (34-28; New Mexico)

-end, "Mountain High, Valley Low"



* #19 Pennsylvania State at #4 Notre Dame
Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions rolled into South Bend, Indiana with a somewhat improbable mission- beat Notre Dame With 3:51 left in the game, Notre Dame was beating Penn State's asses 40-something to 10-something! Can you believe it? The Fighting Irish won this game and put up more of a fight than JoePa's Nittany Lions. Notre Dame is money while Penn State was chump change. (41-17; NOTRE DAME)

"I See F... Do U-C-F?" Central Florida at #?? Florida
Not even close. Florida's Gators bit the crap out of UCF's Golden Knights. (42-0; FLORIDA)

"Vitamin 'Cuse" Iowa at Syracuse
Drew Tate is banged up, so Iowa will have to do without Tate in going to the Carrier Dome. Let's talk about Syracuse. Wait a minute, what's that funny smell? (big sniffing) Yeah... let's talk about Syracuse! Syracuse is teh roxXoXors! They should have played for a National Championship. But no... everyone had to pick Texas. Everyone had to pick Southern California. Everyone had to go for Penn State. Why? The Syracuse Orange is better than all three of them combined! Iowa ain't gonna upset Syracuse at home. Who them jive turkeys think they is? (stopped sniffing) Damn! What the hell was I sniffing? Oh what... I typed ALL of this? I actually said "teh roxXoXors?" I actually said that Syracuse is better than Texas, Southern California, and Penn State... COMBINED? Maybe I lied about Syracuse, but I'm not going to tell any lies on Iowa. You love football? Then you love Iowa. The Hawkeyes aren't going to upset Syracuse if they beat them. It will just be business as usual in beating the Big East's worst football team. Or could the 'Cuse shock Iowa in the Carrier Dome? The Carrier Dome has all kinds of sports played there including basketball and lacrosse. The game was all-defense when with about 19 seconds left in regulation, Syracuse cashed in a field goal after a botched snap. They probably could have faked the field goal and went for a hellacious upset. So... REGULATION SOLVES NOTHING! Bring on overtime! Two three-point kicks mean that we have double overtime. Iowa got a touchdown in 2OT... can Syracuse? Syracuse actually didn't suck in overtime. Iowa's been racking up all kinds of penalties with Defensive Pass Interference. Syracuse didn't get her done in playing Power Football. Iowa survives a scare. (20-17, 2OT; Iowa)

"Fall Cleaning" Florida A&M at Miami
The Florida A&M Rattlers are one of the best HBCU's in America. Too bad they were cupcakes compared to Miami. The Hurricanes took a bite out of these cupcakes and made a BIG statement against them. FAMU is usually a good team. They fall to 0-2 after this loss. (51-10; MIAMI)

* #16 Virginia Tech at North Carolina
The skies weren't clear, but the blue sky was kind of like the blue around the University of North Carolina. This one is for my buddy JFM92_GTRacer who loves his Virginia Tech boys. Let's see if his boys take care of business in Chapel Hill. Let's look to North Carolina first. I say that North Carolina is the best basketball power in football. I couldn't believe when UNC beat Miami and North Carolina State in one season. What North Carolina has in basketball they also have in football. Don't expect the Tar Heels to be equally impressive in football as they are in hoops. Now we have the complete opposite. Virginia Tech is one of the finest football programs in the land, but their basketball is damn near abysmal unless you're probably talking about their women's basketball team. The Hokies are going to do what they do best- knocking teams on their asses. Is North Carolina down for the count? It's the 12th Round, baby! Go for the knockout! VT was knocking out North Carolina with a score of 21-3 after three quarters. North Carolina has a pretty nice football field. Most basketball purists would know of UNC's basketball arena more than football. UNC's stadium isn't exactly The Big House or Buckeye Stadium, but I'll give them credit. Meanwhile, give VT credit for getting a big win. (35-10; Virginia Tech)

* Illinois at Rutgers
NEWS FLASH: Don't overlook Rutgers! The Scarlet Knights have held their swords high and look to attack Illinois. Illinois wants to improve their status in the nation because the Fighting Illini hate to lose on the field. They hate and are sick of losing. So can they turn it around in the State University of New Jersey? Rutgers led 30-0 at the Half. Rutger's Scarlet Knights cleaned Illinois' clocks, leaving them in a pile of blue and orange. Makes nice Jello, eh? ^_^ (33-0; RUTGERS)

* Auburn at Mississippi State
Mississippi State held scoreless in their last game against South Carolina. Mississippi State's problems are going to get much worse as Auburn is coming to town. Mississippi State is first. MisSU calls Starksville, MS their home as this school has a good basketball program.
10:26 left as Mississippi State is losing to Auburn 24-0. Auburn went on to win in a no-contest. Mississippi State fails to score ANYTHING after Week 2. I better hope their next opponent is either a cupcake or a non Division 1-A team. Hell, if their next game is something like Savannah State or Temple and they lose in a shutout, somebody needs to be fired. (34-0; Auburn) *disappointing loss nominee*



--- Bluegrass Special ---
I will provide you some Division 1-A love with two of Kentucky's best teams.

"Cooking with Louisville" Louisville at Temple
Louisville is one of the most explosive offenses in America while their counterparts enjoy being scored on. The boys in red are looking to cater to us, GTPlanet. The Cardinals are ready to bring to us fried Temple. That is, the Temple Owls, one of the sorriest excuses for a football team in Divison 1-A. Want to know how Owls taste? Louisville did a great job taking their cooking show on the road and giving Temple plenty of missing teeth. (62-0; Louisville)

* Texas State at Kentucky
Now let's look at the loser of this year's Louisville/Kentucky game. We go to the Big Blue of the SEC with Kentucky. Kentucky didn't have a great outing at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. The Wildcats hope to have better luck in taking on Texas State. Texas State is a proud Southland Conference football team that made the 1-AA playoffs last year. I think it was Texas State's first playoff appearance. They may be cupcakes, but the Bobcats know they have their work cut out for them heading into Commonwealth Stadium, which can seat about 60,000 Wildcat fans. Wildcats and Bobcats. What's your favorite kitten? I'm sure my buddy FoolKiller is wanting to know what happened. What happened? Who won? Many games around the nation was close shaves. (41-7; KENTUCKY)

So both of Kentucky's two powers win against cupcake opponents. Good job to both schools. Did Western Kentucky defeat Eastern Kentucky on the road? Find out in my 1-AA scores.
-end, "Bluegrass Special"



* Troy at #9 Florida State
They are sort of next door neighbors in terms of states. We have Troy of Alabama up against Florida State in Florida. Should be easy? Not so fast. With 8 minutes left in the 4th Quarter, Troy was leading 17-10 over Florida State! Remember a few years ago when Troy (formerly Troy State) upset a ranked Missouri at home? This Sun Belt crew is looking for some postseason love in a BIG way. Florida State came back with about 6:12 left in the game. A late pick by Florida State helped Florida State avoid being upset. Close shave! The Trojans came up short of the upset as the Florida State Seminoles rampaged on to a win. (24-17; FLORIDA STATE)

* #18 Clemson at Boston College
East coast action coming up as Clemson takes on Boston College. It's the 1981 National Champs playing on the road. Boston College doesn't have Doug Flutie anymore, but the Eagles are still some of the toughest fowl to every soar into the skies.
Boston College blocks the extra point by Clemson. The Eagles put in their PAT and win. This was absolutely killer. (34-33, 2OT; BOSTON COLLEGE) *upset!*

* Washington at #15 Oklahoma
The half ended with a 13-13 deadlock. But it was Boomer Sooner afterwards. The Washington Huskies leave Norman, OK with a 1-1 win-loss count. (37-20; OKLAHOMA)

* Florida International at South Florida
South Florida is 2-0 as the Bulls beat the Florida International Golden Panthers from Miami. (21-20; SOUTH FLORIDA)

* Florida Atlantic at Kansas State
The Sunflower State saw Kansas State take on Florida Atlantic. The Wildcats were purring and roaring while the Florida Atlantic Owls weren't very wise. I think the scoreboard person had a tough time giving FAU a score of some kind. (45-0; KANSAS STATE)

"Gold Rush" Minnesota at #23 California
Cal lost at Tennessee last week, but can the boys in blue improve to 1-1? They'll have a tough opponent as Minnesota makes a stop in Northern California. Berkley, CA is not too far from beautiful San Francisco. It's also where you can find the University of California's main campus. Only three University of California schools host football currently- California, California-Los Angeles, and California-Davis. The Golden Bears have a golden chance to tame the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Who would prevail? It was tied 7-7 after one. California gets in 6+1 to get the Berkley side up and active. But lo and behold! Minnesota goes coast-to-coast to score! They go from Monteplier, VT all the way to Seattle, WA. Minnesota gets frequent flyer mileage for 99-yard touchdown scamper! They cashed in some of their flight reward points to get an extra point. So it's 14-14. California can't stretch their legs just yet because Minnesota still thinks they are flying first class over #23 California. I didn't see the rest of the game. Last week, Tennessee upstaged California. Look what California does in return to Minnesota. They beat them and beat them BADLY. Holy freaking crap! Minnesota is a great team. So some may question, "they can beat Minnesota, but not Tennessee?" The NoCal boys let Minnesota know what time it is. (42-13; CALIFORNIA)

* Air Force at #11 Tennessee
Another close shave came into form as the Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC NEARLY was upset by the Air Force Falcons. (31-30; TENNESSEE)

* Eastern Washington at #6 West Virginia
Want to see an ass-pounding? Come to Morgantown, West Virginia. There you will see birds and people at the peak of their success. West Virginia needs to stay on top and not let go for anyone. Reaching the top is what a Mountaineer does. They need to STAY on top since they are the Big East's biggest thing now. Eastern Washington had to travel WAY out of Washington. The city of Cheyney in Washington is where EWU is. They could have taken a bus, flown a plane, or flown in the skies themselves. Regardless of how they got to WVU, the Eagles rule the skies in the northwest. But then, WVU ruled them. West Virginia is 2-0 giving Eastern Washington the long trip home. This time, the "Long Road Home" actually applies. (52-3; WEST VIRGINIA)

"Major Miners" #24 Texas Tech at UTEP
The Big XII is heading into a Conference USA school.
The 3rd Quarter is seeing a close shave in the making as UTEP leads #24 Texas Tech by 1- 25-24. It was 46 seconds left in the Third Quarter. I smelled an upset brewing for this one, and it may take center stage if all keeps up. The 4th Quarter began with a very quick Field Goal. UTEP was up 28-24 when the 4th Quarter started. Can you believe this? Texas Tech's 24 points was all in the Second Quarter. In the fourth quarter, Texas Tech had no timeouts left, yet the Tex. Tech QB tried to call one and got a Delay of Game call on them. A field goal makes this game closer than ever. It was 7:10 left in regulation as Texas Tech put in a touchdown and went for two. Now the score is 35-28 as a result of the 6+2. UTEP had one play from scrimmage after Texas Tech's punt... and the Miners got picked off. Texas Tech could pull away. Texas Tech had no timeouts and plenty of confusion. The confusion led to a horrible field goal kick. Now UTEP has some life. How much life left is the question. UTEP tied the game with 59 seconds left in regulation. It's 35 all, and Game On. No timeouts left for Texas Tech. This is a GREAT game! We're going to Overtime... or are we? UTEP got flagged for a Personal Foul (Hands to the Face, Roughing the Passer) and has one untimed down. Illegal participation by UTEP gave Texas Tech a chance to win with a 51-yard field goal. Will he get it, or is there Overtime? WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME!!! Texas Tech didn't score, but when they thought they did, they get a Holding Penalty AND an Unportsmanlike Conduct of celebration. They are now backed up to about midfield! They got 4th and 15 and decide to kick a 49-yard field goal. The field goal hit the upright in midair, but banked positively to give Texas Tech an esacpe win. Texas Tech were VERY fortunate to win this game because this was like a high-stakes basketball game in the closing moments. What a heartbreak for the Miners. They had the win coming, but just couldn't win in the closing stages. Give credit to both sides. (38-35, OT; Texas Tech)



--- Houston Two-Pack ---
Let's meet Houston's two 1-A schools.

* Tulane at Houston
Houston saw some light rain falling and slightly cooler temperatures. Houston hopes their forecast is for Kevin Kolb to be a BIGTIME dark horse for the Heisman. The dreary weather in Houston didn't dilute the spirit of Houston as they welcomed perhaps football's most popular university all of last year- Tulane University. A year has passed since Tulane had to go to all kinds of campuses to enjoy their football. The Green Wave are ready to match up against Houston's big red. Houston is 1-0 as they had a serious dogfight against Rice last weekend. They won by 1 that game. The Cougars hope to go 2-0 and not go 1-1. Houston's quick C-USA swing ends tonight as they will play 1-AA's Grambling State next week. Houston managaed to win this one greatly. Their Bowl Game hopes can be fulfilled if they win four more games. (-; HOUSTON)

* Rice at UCLA
Rice University stinks at football, but not anymore. Rice looks to be improved as they make a trip into Southern California to meet UCLA. As part of this Houston Pack, we look at Rice. The Rice Owls are much improved despite the fact they lost to Houston last week. The UCLA Bruins are looking to start some trouble. The old Rice would be shut out by them. This new-look Rice is scoring... just not winning. (26-16; CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES)

-end, Houston Two-Pack


"Wildcat Bowl" New Hampshire at Northwestern
Hockey power and 1-AA football power New Hampshire likely didn't expect to take on Northwestern. They went to Northwestern as the Wildcats tried to take down Northwestern's Wildcats. Northwestern is the alma mater of Brent Musburger (sports announcer) and Michael Wilbon (co-host on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption"). The Northwestern Wildcats lost a sad one. Yet another 1-AA upset of a 1-A team. Sad... (34-17; New Hampshire)

* Georgia at South Carolina
South Carolina is 1-0 on a shutout win... then the Bulldogs of Georgia shuts up and shuts down South Carolina's Gamecocks. Funny how things change. (18-0; Georgia)

* Massachusetts at Navy
Navy's Midshipmen win a close one as the Massachusetts Minutemen lose by one. (21-20; NAVY)

* Buffalo at Bowling Green
Overtime not enough? Try three! That's how many Overtimes it took when the Bowling Green State Falcons finally pulled it out over the Buffalo Bulls. (48-40, 3OT; BOWLING GREEN STATE)

* Miami University at Purdue
This game had to be settled in Overtime. The Purdue Boilermakers steamrolled over the Redhawks of Miami University. (38-31, OT; PURDUE)

* Nicholls State at Nebraska
The Nebraska Cornhuskers dominated this game like their National Championship team in 1995. The poor saps that lost were the Colonels of Nicholls State. (56-7; NEBRASKA)

* #20 Oregon at Fresno State
A late rally by Fresno State did not pay off as Oregon's Ducks held on to win over the Bulldogs. (31-24; Oregon)

* Akron at North Carolina State
The Zips get a BIG win over the Wolfpack of North Carolina State. (-; )





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
We begin with Black College Football. Just the way you love it- hard-hitting and real.

--- John's Black College Football Report ---
* Howard at Hampton
The Hampton Pirates can be thought of as the Texas or Ohio State of Black College Football. They are simply the most crushing team to play against. The only exception is if you're talking about the only HBCU (historically-black colleges and universities) to ever win the National Championship- Florida A&M. Hampton's opponents come from our nation's capital, Washington D.C. And that's Howard University. The Bison are looking to avoid being turned into fried ribs in Hampton. Nuh uh! That didn't happen! It's easy money for Hampton. (42-?; HAMPTON)

* Texas Southern at Alabama State
This game was VERY close. The Texas Southern Tigers do something they rarely do- win. And they got a big one here against the Alabama State Hornets. Has the curse been lifted from Texas Southern University? (10-9; Texas Southern)

* Mississippi Valley State at Southern
Not to be confused with Texas Southern or Georgia Southern, Southern University of Baton Rouge, LA is home to some hungry Jaguars. I wonder if the taste of fried Delta Devils will cure any hunger? Mississippi Valley State was tamed completely in this one. (31-1; )

* Savannah State at Bethune-Cookman
Okay. Both of their logos look pretty bad, especially Savannah State. Guess what? So did the Tigers after Bethune-Cookman College smashed them hard- Wildcat style. (55-6; BETHUNE-COOKMAN)

* VMI at Norfolk State
The Spartans of Norfolk State got themselves a sweet win over the Keydets of Virginia Military Institute. (32-19; NORFOLK STATE)

* Grambling State at Alabama A&M
Two of the SWAC's best schools squared off in Birmingham, Alabama. The homeside saw the Bulldogs take a sad loss to the Grambling State Tigers. (30-27; Grambling State)

* St. Francis at Delaware State
This game features St. Francis and Delaware State. Please note that I'm talking about St. Francis of Pennsylvania, not St. Francis College of New York, which doesn't have a football team. The Delaware State Hornets took the batteries out of the St. Francis Red Flash. (63-28; DELAWARE STATE)

-end, John's Black College Football Report


* Western Kentucky at Eastern Kentucky (RIVALRY GAME)
Georgia smashed Western Kentucky last weekend. Now that they are back playing a 1-AA team, can WKU knock off EKU and get their season back together? It's a critical matchup in Kentucky. Earlier this week, Louisville and Kentucky had their Battle of the Bluegrass. This is the Battle of the Bluegrass for the state of Kentucky in 1-AA. Sadness filled the air after WKU lost to Georgia. Sure, it's a 1-AA team up against a 1-A power. But still, any loss is a sad loss regardless of how it ends and how big the loss is. The Hilltoppers are ready to give their Eastern Kentucky rivals something to cry about. Western Kentucky is in the Pioneer Football Conference in 1-AA football while Eastern Kentucky is in the Ohio Valley Conference in both football and basketball. The EKU unit aren't as popular as Western Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky doesn't have a lovable and furry mascot like WKU does. In fact, I can recall a Mascot Challenge in which The Hilltopper mascot was up against the big 1-A mascots like Brutus and Sebastian (Miami Hurricanes). The EKU Colonels are looking to make WKU's problems worse. This is for my buddy FoolKiller who wants to see his Hilltoppers win along with Kentucky. Unfortunately, the Colonels got the last laugh. And you know what they say about the one who laughs last. (26-21; EASTERN KENTUCKY)

* Central Connecticut State at Georgia Southern
This is an upset in my view. The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils took care of the Georgia Southern Eagles winning by 4. (17-13; Central Connecticut State) *upset nominee*

* Glenville State at Liberty
I have no idea who Glenville State is. Neither does Liberty... especially considering how the Flames torched Glenville State real good. (31-7; LIBERTY)

* Fort Lewis at Idaho State
Do you know your multiples of 12? Multiply 12 times 1 and you get Fort Lewis' score. Multiply 12 times 4 and you'll see how many points the Idaho State Bengals put up in this game. For homework, how many more points did Idaho State put on Fort Lewis? Class is dismissed. (-; )

* West Virginia Tech at McNeese State
West Virginia Tech's Golden Bears were Fool's Gold compared to McNeese State. The Cowboys hung West Virginia Tech out to dry. (76-0; McNEESE STATE) *ownage nominee*

* Northern Colorado at Portland State
The Portland State Vikings are 2-0 after they upset New Mexico last weekend. The Northern Colorado Bears couldn't get into the End Zone, so they settled for a consolation 3. (45-3; PORTLAND STATE)

* Dixie State College at San Diego
I don't know Dixie State, so let's go to San Diego. The Toreros of San Diego have a great baseball team. Their football team knocked Dixie State College out of contention.(-; )

* Central Arkansas at Illinois State
I believe that Central Arkansas is a 1-AA member now for the Southland Conference. I'm not really sure, though. I know they are the Bearcats. But I also kbow that the Redbirds of Illinois State were just too good for Central Arkansas. (18-3; ILLINOIS STATE)

* Lafayette at Bucknell
Our final 1-AA game I've selected has the Leopards of Lafayette College blank the Bucknell Bison. A loss like this may NEVER happen in basketball. (31-0; Lafayette)








DIVISION 2 GAMES
I will select some scores courtesy of { http://www.d2football.com }.

---RAPID FIRE---
NOTE: In some other thread, I was talking about how there is no such thing as a Kentucky State in talking about Kent State of the MAC. I deeply apologize for not knowing there is a Kentucky State. To show that there is a such school as Kentucky State, that entry will come first. I will follow up with the defending Divsion 2 champs, Grand Valley State.

* Albany State at Kentucky State (21-7; Albany State)
* Ashland at Grand Valley State (30-24; GRAND VALLEY STATE)
* Adams State at West Texas A&M (31-11; WEST TEXAS A&M)
* Benedict at Clark Atlanta (27-18; Benedict)
* Bowie State at Johnson C. Smith (14-13; Bowie State) <- pronounce "Bowie" as in "buoy"
* Bryant at American International (20-7; AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL)
* Concordia of Alabama (NAIA) at Stillman (32-13; STILLMAN)
* Dakota State (NAIA) at Central Missouri (52-0; CENTRAL MISSOURI) *ownage nominee*
* Findlay at Northwood (29-6; NORTHWOOD)
* Fort Hays at Colorado School of Mines (31-24; COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES)
* Fort Valley at Valdosta State (31-3; VALDOSTA STATE)
* IUP at Cheyney (33-6; Indiana University of Pennsylvania) <- no relation to the Big Ten's Indiana
* Lenoir-Rhyne at North Carolina Central (38-16; NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL)
* Nebraksa-Omaha at Northwest Missouri (31-0; NORTHWEST MISSOURI)

* Games not played at certain division schools are not classified as Division xxxx games. One such game saw Arkansas Tech play at NAIA school, Texas College. Arkansas Tech won: (33-21; Arkansas Tech)

* Another Division 2 game at an NAIA school saw the Beavers of Bemidji State go to Minot State. The game ended: (30-9; Bemidji State)




DIVISION 3 GAMES
As many as possible... so here you go! More scores at: { http://www.d3football.com }

* Anderson at DePaux (25-13; DePAUW)
* Delaware Valley at Fairleigh Dickinson University-College at Florham (19-7; Delaware Valley)
* Rensselaer Tech at Endicott (27-7; Rensselaer Tech)
* Brockport State at Salisbury (21-3; Brockport State)
* Washington and Lee at Franklin and Marshall (21-7; FRANKLIN AND MARSHALL)
* Johns Hopkins at Randolph-Macon (21-14; Johns Hopkins)
* North Carolina Wesleyan at Southern Virginia (42-7; North Carolina Wesleyan)
* Ohio Wesleyan at Catholic (34-33, OT; CATHOLIC)
* Massachusetts Maritime at Massachusetts Tech (19-0; Massachusetts Maritime)
* Carnegie Mellon at Grove City (28-0; Carnegie Mellon)
* Rhodes at LaGrange (37-0; Rhodes)
* Wabash at Franklin (45-38, OT; FRANKLIN) <- in case you were getting sick of shutouts
* Black Hills State at Wisconsin-Eau Claire (20-0; WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE)
* Westfield State at Western New England (31-3; WESTERN NEW ENGLAND)
* Hiram at Bethany (42-7; BETHANY)
* Louisiana College at Millsaps (41-38; Louisiana College)
* Martin Luther at Waldorf (24-17; WALDORF)
* SUNY-Maritime at Salve Regina (21-15; SALVE REGINA)
* Ohio Northern at Millikin (28-14; ) <- Ohio Northern was the one to break Mt. Union's winning streak.
* Coast Guard at Marchant Marine (21-7; MERCHANT MARINE)




JOHN'S NOTES


WEEK 2 HONORS AND AWARDS
A week is done as I'll offer personal commentary on each game. I've sort of stepped up my emotional content, as some of you all may recall from when I did the Most Disappointing Loss on Duke. Let's see who made the cut for the best and worst honors.

BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE WEEK:
(1)California Beats the %@$% out of Minnesota at Home - This is a feel-good story for the boys in blue. They get their butts handed to in Tennessee, but they smash a great Big Ten school in Cali. This smash job will likely improve their rankings. This is a BIG win whether you like California or not.
(2) Texas Southern is 2-0 Texas Southern was one of the lamest ducks the past few years. Now they've beaten... hello- TWO SWAC teams! They beat their Prairie View A&M rivals in Houston and took down Alabama State on the road. I'm still far from believing that Texas Southern is for real. They need to play against teams Southern, Grambling State, Hampton, you know, the bigtime black college teams. Hell, maybe even play Appalachian State, Montana State, Massachusetts, James Madison, Furman, the big 1-AA schools.

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK:
(1)Mississippi State Fails to Score ANYTHING for Two Straight Weeks - There neeeds to be some coaching changes or some firings taking place because Mississippi State can't afford to keep losing in shutouts. They are doing the SEC severe injustice. You can't play in a competitive conference and go TWO STRAIGHT GAMES in shutout losses. Nevermind that they played South Carolina and Auburn. What if they played Florida Atlantic and Slippery Rock? With all due respect to South Carolina and Auburn, I'm sorry... YOU CANNOT LOSE SEC CONFERENCE GAMES IN SHUTOUTS!!! The Bulldogs need to be VERY ashamed of themselves for two-straight subpar performances. How exactly can you be in the SEC and make a name for yourself and not capitalize on all oppurtunities? It's the same reason why Temple was part of the Big East and didn't last as long as they did. It's the same reason why Central Florida played in the MAC conference and got their asses handed to. Mississippi State needs to take a long look in the mirror, stop crying, get out on the motherf:censored: field, play their asses off, and play FOOTBALL. If they lose three straight games in shutouts, I hope they never make it to the postseason because you can't play like that, much less in the SEC.
(2) Colorado Loses Again - I told you that Colorado Needed to get their act together, but they didn't. They lost to Colorado State. CSU is now 2-0. Reverse the win-loss count for Colorado. This is not the way to play football, especially for the defending Big XII North Champions.
(3) Not So Much Texas' Loss, But How they Lost - Texas doesn't have their big guns from last year and the year before. They don't have the two suspended players... still they lose and in a blowout. I'm not going to go ripping on Texas simply because Texas is a much better team than this. This was a true test for the Longhorns, and they didn't get it done. Can you believe it? Again, not that Texas lost, but how they lost.

UPSET(S) OF THE WEEK (if any)
(1) Boston College Takes Down #18 Clemson at Home - Boston College upsets #18 Clemson in a Double Overtime thriller. You can tell that Clemson will lose that high ranking they got.
Georgia Southern Loses to Central Connecticut State - Georgia Southern is a great 1-AA school. Just too bad that Central Connecticut State's Blue Devils were better this day.

OWNAGES OF THE WEEK
McNeese State Puts a 76-0 Hurtin' on West Virginia Tech and Louisville Fried Temple Well Done 62-0
McNeese State and Louisville are getting some OWNAGE love from your's truly. They put a BIG hurtin' on (respectively) West Virginia Tech and Temple. So it is my honor to do this:

(1) West Virginia Tech = OWNED!!! (by McNeese State = 76-0)
(2) Temple = OWNED!!! (by Louisville 62-0)





--- JOHN'S NOTES ---
This had to be one of the wildest Saturdays on record. It's only Week 2, and already we see games decided by close margins and few upsets. The NFL's coming up, but not without an exciting Saturday of football action. Some people like college football because there isn't as much of the pro lifestyle that gets in the way of having fun on the football field. I prefer the collegiate atmosphere because of the unity of the fans and the emotion put into each game. Both of which far exceed the NFL. The NFL is great, but college football is something near and dear to me. Nothing like the collegiate atmosphere. And I hope you enjoyed this Saturday. Next week, one of the matchups pits Nebraska going to Southern California next Saturday.

Comment on, and thanks for reading!

 

[JNasty4G63]

Iowa survives a scare. (20-17, 2OT; Iowa)

Oh man, that game was terrible. I have never wanted Tate back more than now. I mean, don't get me wrong, Manson was good for the most part. But, a couple stupid interceptions, and we let them right back in it. Same with the silly penalties at the end. UGH. Overall, I happy we won. But man, we need Tate back, and soon. We have Iowa State next week, and no matter the rankings, that is always a BIG GAME. Lucky for us, its at home at Kinnick. And, I think Tate will be back, so we'll have to see. Overall, I can't complain too much. We're 2-0 to start the season, and look pretty good.

Hilg

 

[Evolution.]

OSU: 2 and 0 baby! 2 and 0!

 

[JNasty4G63]

OSU: 2 and 0 baby! 2 and 0!

Yea, we've got you guys in a few weeks. Seeing how OSU played last night, I'm very happy the game is at Kinnick. It should be a good game though.

Hilg

 

[Max Powers]

Pitt didn't dominate like they did last week, but they played a solid game and beat Cincinatti. Palko tossed 3 more TD passes with 0 interceptions. He is still slipping underneath the Heisman radar, but he will be there soon if he keeps up the way he is playing right now.

Penn State got dominated, which pleased me mightily (I despise PSU, OSU, and most of the big 10) but unfortunetely OSU won against a good Texas team led by a shaky Colt McCoy. It really shows you how important Vince Young was to that team. As much as I hate OSU, I must admit that they're solid this year, but I still think Brady Quinn and Notre Dame are a better team.

 

[JohnBM01]

Here is a little-known fact about me. Sometimes, I play favoritism. I even look for an upset at times. A little bit, I thought Syracuse was going to shock the crap out of Iowa like the electric chair. So I might go for your favorite team, but I sometimes kind of look to start a little trouble. I kind of want some drama to unfold at times. Just depends on what teams are out there and what's it like. Sometimes, the team that I hope win the game (like I did for Iowa) ends up losing. Thankfully (oh no, a damned Enzyte commercial), Iowa survived a close shave. * I really thought Texas could have played a better game. I think Texas dropped all the way from #2 in the nation to #8 in the nation. Some of it may also be on the Texas players who got into some trouble with the fuzz (70s term for the police). * Pittsburgh is really starting to look good now because they went about 0-4 to start last year. Their shutout against Youngstown State kept them out of the winless column. I think Pittsburgh will have a great year, but only as long as they keep up the good work and not have any monkeyshines down the road. Pitt REALLY is going to be tested because they get Michigan State at Hines Field. Pittsburgh has to hope that they can get it done in Steeler nation.

I am currently getting together my Week 3 thread of college football action. My contribution for honoring September 11th is to take a look at America's service academies and the Patriot League. I want to try to get as much info as possible on how America's service academies and the Patriot League are doing. So stay tuned.

 

[dougiemeats]

I watched the Syracuse, Illinois (OK, I turned it off after a while), Notre Dame, and Ohio State games.

Syracuse, Syracuse! I couldn't believe that they couldn't get past the defense after 7(?) tries! I was looking for the upset and came away disappointed, but it was still an exciting game.

The Illinois game was so ridiculous I can't even talk about it right now. (ATHF anyone?) Anyways, we're a young team, and hopefully we can turn around and not let this season turn out the same as last year.

Notre Dame impressed me (although I missed the second half... there was a huge ultimate frisbee game on the quad that I couldn't miss). Much improved since the Georgia Tech game.

..and how about Troy! I only saw highlights, but man, I wish they could have pulled off the huge upset. That would have been unbelievable.

 

[FoolKiller]

--- Bluegrass Special ---
I will provide you some Division 1-A love with two of Kentucky's best teams.

"Cooking with Louisville" Louisville at Temple
Louisville is one of the most explosive offenses in America while their counterparts enjoy being scored on. The boys in red are looking to cater to us, GTPlanet. The Cardinals are ready to bring to us fried Temple. That is, the Temple Owls, one of the sorriest excuses for a football team in Divison 1-A. Want to know how Owls taste? Louisville did a great job taking their cooking show on the road and giving Temple plenty of missing teeth. (62-0; Louisville)

* Texas State at Kentucky
Now let's look at the loser of this year's Louisville/Kentucky game. We go to the Big Blue of the SEC with Kentucky. Kentucky didn't have a great outing at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. The Wildcats hope to have better luck in taking on Texas State. Texas State is a proud Southland Conference football team that made the 1-AA playoffs last year. I think it was Texas State's first playoff appearance. They may be cupcakes, but the Bobcats know they have their work cut out for them heading into Commonwealth Stadium, which can seat about 60,000 Wildcat fans. Wildcats and Bobcats. What's your favorite kitten? I'm sure my buddy FoolKiller is wanting to know what happened. What happened? Who won? Many games around the nation was close shaves. (41-7; KENTUCKY)

So both of Kentucky's two powers win against cupcake opponents. Good job to both schools. Did Western Kentucky defeat Eastern Kentucky on the road? Find out in my 1-AA scores.
-end, "Bluegrass Special"

OK, so not only was the Kentucky game not televised but my mom got married Saturday (that just sounds weird) and I couldn't even listen to the radio. I only caught the final score on my way home. I am glad Kentucky won and won handily, but it was a AA school. Next week we start conference play against Ole Miss and then we play <gulp> Florida after that. When we beat Florida or Tennessee then I will be satisfied. For now I will be happy that we have improved enough to not struggle against AA teams.

But as a comedian said about UK the other day, you know it's bad when teams want you for their homecoming game.

[RANT]Now on to the University of Showing Off and Running Up Points, I mean Louisville. This game was early enough for me to catch the first half on the radio while driving to the wedding. Louisville is up 30 some odd points and there are 50 seconds left in the half. With a lead like that you can burn the clock, end the half, and head to the locker room. OR, you can call a timeout and use them like you are desperate for some points, or I guess practice your two-minute drills. The radio announcer for Louisville even commented that Bobby Petrino is the kind of coach that enjoys scoring so much that he would use his timeouts to stop the clock just so he can score more points.

You know, I am the kind of guy that sees no problem with continuing to score as the game progresses. If your guys can just keep finding the end zone then do it. Don't hold back. But when you start stopping the clock to drag the game out you are not only running up a score but you are risking your 1st string players to injury and just trying to show off at that point. I have only seen that kind of thing done once before, when I was playing a video game and I wanted to win bonuses for highest score. I'm never putting real people at risk or just trying to show off. OK, once I did it to show off to my dad, but it was a video game.

Some Louisville fans tried telling me that it was to create a better cushion. The college football comeback record is 31 points. It would have to be a record comeback at that point. I still cannot see how it was justified. Maybe if someone saw something I didn't, but the radio announcers made it sound like it was to save time for another score, when in my opinion he should have taken a couple of knees and went in. [/RANT]


As for Western Kentucky, they are used to not doing great. They have moments and individual seasons but it has been a long time since they were able to be called great. Not having seen the game or any highlights I can't coment, but I can say that I'm glad no one made Sportscenter by making a bonehead move this week.