College Football 2007 - Week 11: Love to Hate

[JohnBM01]

This is RIVALRY WEEK, GTPlanet! Welcome to antoher week of college football. My motto for Rivalry Week is usually, "who do you hate?" You CAN'T hate me because I'm just here to report on colleege football and provide random nonsense at times.





Introduction
Imagine two people talking...

"Hey, man. What school do you go to? (insert school here) What? You go to that piece of s:censored: school? Their sports teams are pathetic, their professors are crap, the school is boring... I don't see how you can go to a crap school like that. You know what? I can't take this any more. Bring on your pathetic school, and we'll beat yours no questions asked. If you're game, so are my boys. Your team better pray all night long before this weekend's game. Pray that we don't beat them down by 30 or more. Good luck, chump!"

You play college sports to make way for a championship. However, you play for a more imporant reason- to show a rival school who's better. Some rivalries, like Kentucky/Louisville and Houston/Rice have already taken place. While this isn't the only week rivalries take place, it's the kind of week highlighted by intense rivalries. You may have read in my reports about teams who "just flat out DON'T like each other." Well, you're bound to meet plenty in this week. This is what makes college sports more exciting than pro sports. You have rivalry trophies of varying kinds. Teams share stuff like marching band drums, megaphones, a wide variety of trophies, and such.





Last Week...

Ohio State and Michigan Meet Sunday, Sang the Blues Together Yesterday
Michigan lost at Wisconsin, and Ohio State lost at home to Illinois.

Rock... Chalk... Jayhawk... K... U...!
Kansas been doing nothing but win games. There was no doubt Kansas was going to be a well-coached team. Trouble is, no one expected Kansas to rule the Big XII other than teams like Oklahoma and Missouri. The Jayhawks went from doormat to dominant. I've been a bit critical of Kansas football over the years, but I admit this is their best season in a while. NOBODY thought Kansas would have this kind of run. Mark Mangino is God to Jayhawk football fans. They'll keep him under contract for as long as Mark Mangino can keep delivering the goods.

How Other Basketball Powers Have Faired
Early on, the big story was Kentucky with Andre' Woodson under center. He's likely to be a an NFL prospect, but Woodson's stock may drop on Draft Day. What about another basketball power finding their stride- Connecticut? They've been underrated. Almost as if Connecticut's great season means very little compared to Kansas. Or almost as if people are buying Kansas football... but not Connecticut football. Still, the Huskies know they aren't a football power. They're still having a great season even if their record doesn't fully show it.





Here are your Top 25 in the BCS...

BCS Bowl Rankings
01 - Louisiana State
02 - Oregon
03 - Kansas!
04 - Oklahoma
05 - Missouri
06 - West Virginia
07 - Ohio State
08 - Arizona State
09 - Georgia
10 - Virginia Tech
11 - Southern California
12 - Florida
13 - Texas
14 - Virginia
15 - Clemson
16 - Hawaii/Hawai'i!
17 - Boston College
18 - Boise State
19 - Illinois
20 - Tennessee
21 - Michigan
22 - Cincinatti
23 - Kentucky
24 - Connecticut
25 - Wisconsin





(no FBS games reported - starts )





(no FCS games reported - starts )





*** end of Division 2 regular season - no more regular season reports ***





*** end of Division 3 regular season - no more regular season reports ***





--- NFL Focus ---
My Texans had the week off. The Patriots didn't play. Here are some games from other teams playing. So let me begin with a Texas team on the road.



Cowboys Want to Remain Unbeaten in Road Games
* Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (31-20; Dallas Cowboys) <<< now 5-0 on the road and 2-0 in road games against NFC teams

Good News for Rams Fans...
* St. Louis Rams at ??? ??? (37-29; St. Louis Rams) <<< St. Louis' first win of the season

Two Big Cities Seperated by 10-25 Miles Clash in the Steel City
* Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (31-28; PITTSBURGH STEELERS)

"Pack it Up, Pack it In... Let me Begin... Green Bay Came to Win... Battle Me, That's a Sin!"
* Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (34-0; GREEN BAY PACKERS) <<< just wanted to do a little "House of Pain"; Adrian Peterson injured

McNabb's Looking Better
* Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins (33-25; Philadelphia Eagles)

Titans Try to Stop the Hot Jaguars[/B}
* Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans (28-13; Jacksonville Jaguars)

T.J. Houshmandzadeh for President?
* Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (21-7; Cincinanati Bengals)





Announcement: Ladies and gentlemen, I can assure you that I'm working on my postseason thread to cover all four divisions of NCAA Football. It's on the way, promised.

 

[JohnBM01]

You're free to talk rivalry action. I'll just pass a little time and introduce you to a feature university system. (Then) #12 Michigan was knocked off on the road at Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin is the ONLY football school in Division 1. Makes you wish Marquette reinstated football for FBS or Wisconsin-Green Bay to institute football in FCS. Here's your chance to read up about the University of Wisconsin System and all the member schools:


John's Profile State: University of Wisconsin System
Okay. So there's only one college football team in Division 1 for Wisconsin. But there are many more Wisconsin schools in football in Division 3. Only University of Wisconsin System university without football in Division 3 is Wisconsin-Superior. The two links I'll provide for each web site consist of the school's main website along with the athletics website link.

Football Schools:

The University of Wisconsin-...
...Madison (flagship campus): http://www.wisc.edu and http://www.uwsuper.edu/athletics/
...Whitewater (Division 3): http://www.uww.edu and http://www.uww.edu/athrec.html
...La Crosse (Division 3): http://www.uwlax.edu and http://www.uwlax.edu/athletics/
...Stout (Division 3): http://www.uwstout.edu and http://www.uwstout.edu/athletics/sked.html <<< WI's Polytechnic University
...Stevens Point (Division 3): http://www.uwsp.edu/ and http://athletics.uwsp.edu/
...Eau Claire (Division 3): http://www.uwec.edu/home/ and http://www.uwec.edu/athletics/
...Oshkosh (Division 3): http://www.uwosh.edu/ and http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/
...Platteville (Division 3): http://www.uwplatt.edu/ and http://www.uwplatt.edu/athletics.html
...River Falls (Division 3): http://www.uwrf.edu/ and http://www.uwrf.edu/sports/

Non-Football Schools:

The University of Wisconsin-...
...Milwaukee: http://www4.uwm.edu and http://www4.uwm.edu/athletics/index.cfm ( http://uwmpanthers.cstv.com/ - host site )
...Green Bay: http://www.uwgb.edu and http://www.uwgbathletics.com/
...Parkside (Division 2): http://www.uwp.edu and http://www.uwp.edu/athletics/
...Superior (Division 3): http://www.uwsuper.edu and http://www.uwsuper.edu/athletics/


There you have it, the University of Wisconsin System. I'm going to look at a few big rivalry matches sometime this week. So please take care, everyone!

 

[FoolKiller]

Good News for Rams Fans...
* St. Louis Rams at ??? ??? (37-29; St. Louis Rams) <<< St. Louis' first win of the season

All I can say is thank God for the Dolphins.

 

[JohnBM01]

Congratulations to your Rams, FoolKiller. I wanted to get that across even though this isn't an NFL thread. So it's actually good some of you college football types actually don't mind my NFL Focus segments in my reports.


Here's a quick rundown of FBS action through Friday:

Bowl Subdivision:
* Toledo at Ball State (tonight!)
* Akron at Miami University (WED)
* North Texas at Arkansas State (THU)
* #2 Oregon at Arizona (THU)
* Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan ---RIVALRY GAME --- (FRI)
* #13 Hawaii at Nevada (FRI)

Championship Subdivision:
* Sam Houston State at Texas State (THU)



So I'll be sure to have these results for you. Now, Division 2 and 3 are done for with regular season action. The playoffs start this Saturday for both Divisions 2 and 3. So check out my Postseason thread for results on how Division 2 and 3 schools go.


EXTRA: Why I Think FBS Doesn't Have a Playoff System Right Now
It's Week 11 for most college football types. I've thought of a reason why you don't see a playoff system in FBS, and it comes down to scheduling. College football starts much earlier for Division 2 and maybe even Division 3. They seem to have their schedule determined so that FCS and FBS can run their postseason action without any real interruption from Divisions 2 and 3. This coming Sunday, the Selection Show will be on ESPNU at 3:30 PM EST. The FCS National Championship game will be on December 14th. I don't think the NCAA will really let lower-level divisions take away from the FBS teams all that much.

Get a calendar out. I think I said that the BCS title game will be on November 7th in New Orleans. Between December 15th and January 7 is about three weekends. Early January usually signals the NFL Playoffs. There's probably some scheduling deals that shouldn't be conflicted if the NCAA wants to come along with a playoff that doesn't really interfere or conflict with other NCAA football playoffs or even the NFL playoffs. A true playoff isn't possible until about maybe 2011 at the latest/earliest. A playoff can be done, but how would you schedule it? What would be the host sites? How many regions or brackets? How many teams should be invited? Should there just be two games played at the National Championship Game site on one day, then winners play for a National Championship the next? This fifth BCS Bowl kind of provides a hint towards a POSSIBLE playoff scenario. The Sugar Bowl will be the National Championship site this season. Imagine that instead of one game played in New Orleans that night, there would be a game before the night match involving two more teams worthy of National Championship contention. Take the top 4 in the most recent BCS ranks: LSU, Oregon, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The first match would pit Kansas against Oregon, and the second match would include LSU vs. Oklahoma. The winners of these two matches will get to play for a National Championship the week after. The problem with this? College basketball's playoff system has been truly successful because of underdogs knocking off big teams. What if Boise State, Troy, Navy, or any other good non-BCS school have unbeaten seasons? Can any non-BCS school play for a championship? I'd like to see them play for a title, but the problem is that there isn't as much depth compared to the big teams. Then too, there isn't as much parity in college football as there is in college basketball.

Let's analyze playoff systems now. FCS playoffs consists of 16 teams, Division 2 has 24 teams in a playoff, and Division 3 has 32 for their playoffs. * Certain conferences don't have automatic bids for playoffs. And I believe (not sure) Independents aren't allowed in the FCS playoffs. That's why you're probably not going to see schools like North Dakota State or any Ivy League school get accepted to the playoffs. The school or conference will need to have ceratain requirements. Conferences eligible to automatically send teams to the playoffs include the Big Sky, Colonial, Gateway, MEAC, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, and Southland conferences. You can learn more about the FCS playoff system by reading this PDF file (latest Adobe Acrobat required): < http://www.ncaa.org/library/handbooks/football/2007/2007_d1_football_handbook.pdf >. There is also this link: http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=82975 * Division 2 has 24 teams advancing. The #1 and #2 seeds of each leg of the six-team bracket will have a First-Round Bye. * Division 3's playoff system would be my dream to satisfy big schools and mid-majors alike. Division 3 is a free-for-all pitting 32 of the nation's finest teams all competiting for the championship.

You may extend the playoff discussion in my Postseason thread, or you can just comment here.



I'll be back with results from Toledo and Ball State later tonight. Have a great day, everyone.

 

[Joey D]

Michigan v. Ohio State should be quite the game, I can't wait for this weekend!

 

[JohnBM01]

Hate is in the air... isn't it beautiful? Well, hate is healthy if there's a school you play for and love, and meet a school you hate on some sporting ground. The legal and safe way to vent your hate for another school is to play sports and play like a good sport. All eyes are on the Michigan/Ohio State game. Rivalry action will intensify this weekend with a garden variety of rivalries. So get ready for some college football. If you like the state of Ohio, I got a good one for you this Wednesday. But for now, here's college football in your eye!





--- Divison 1: Bowl Subdivision Scores ---

A Battle of Underacheivers Takes Place in Muncie
* Toledo {Rockets} at Ball State {Cardinals}
The first of two MAC games to be showcased tonight and tomorrow night begins in Indiana. The city of Muncie, IN is home of Ball State University. That's where we are for this game. Toledo first. It's obvious I like a good combination of blue and gold. Toledo is one of my favorite blue and gold combinations other than California, West Virginia, Canisius College, North Carolina A&T, and schools like that. Their mascot is the same as my favorite NBA team- the Rockets. This Rocket club doesn't have T-Mac, Yao Ming, Chuck Hayes, or anybody like that. These are some blue and gold boys that are normally very talented. But they've sort of underacheived this season. The most usual underacheivers are at Ball State. Ball State has (to me) the ugliest Cardinal logo for any team. How come their Cardinal logo couldn't look like Louisville? like Saginaw Valley State? like (non-football school) Lamar? Ball State is usually the lamest duck in the MAC. It's not likely Ball State will go to Detroit to play for the MAC Championship. So they're playing for pride against some Ohio boys. Get this rock rollin'! Toledo led 17-13 after one quarter of play. The score at the half was one Barbara Walters can appreciate: 20-20. There seems to be a sort of jinx for Toledo playing at or against Ball State. Toledo's Rockets had the same result as my Houston Rockets tonight- losing on the road. This was a beating. (41-20; BALL STATE)

SIDE NOTE
I'm sorry... Ball State picked up Bowl Eligibilty with this win. So Toledo's been the underacheivers. Just that Ball State is USUALLY a lame duck.




(no FCS scores: Sam Houston State @ Texas State this Thursday)
The playoffs for FCS will have their selection show this Sunday. I'll have the results of all the teams invited to this year's Big Dance of FCS in my postseason thread.





--- John's Student Lounge ---
I love you people. So why not share some nonsense with me?

History Imploded in Las Vegas
A piece of Las Vegas history is now a pile of rubble. That was the Frontier Casino and Hotel played host to stuff like Elvis' first concert in Vegas. This was the second bit of history destroyed in Las Vegas. It's reported that a brand-new, multi-billion dollar casino will be in its place. The Frontier Casino and Hotel had been around for more than 60 years.


Visited The Men's Warehouse for my Rental Tuxedo
For my brother's wedding, I had a chance to put it on. The guy told me to take my time as I tried to put on my lovely tuxedo... boy, did I ever! I haven't worn a tuxedo since about 1999. I'm renting a lovely tuxedo by Joseph and Feiss International. Maybe I'll post pictures of me in my rental tuxedo on my Myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/johnbmarine). I'll likely announce it when I have available pictures. I'm thinking about being a sports announcer or cover some motorsports on TV, so I'd like a good-looking outfit for when I greet the masses (granted I get this far).


Want to Meet Some "Interesting" Ladies?
Here are some YouTube videos I came across:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=091ugdiojEM (Cute J-Girl Robot in Tokyo, Japan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbFFs4DHWys (Actroid Female Robot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtuioXKssyA (Actroid DER2 - Real Humanoid Robot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlPqcbb_fnU (ACTROID DER)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScESGbZcWu4 (Mina - Sexy Robot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZheiyEt_eo (Sexy Robot Speaks)

One person best decribed these: "so real, it's scary." And yes... all the acting robots from these YouTube video ARE ALL ROBOTS!!! The Actroid DER and DER2 have cute voices. Don't ask me about why the song from the "sexy robot" videos has a man coughing as part of the beat line. If there was any indication that robots will completely rule after mankind's done, these are some strange indications. And for you single guys, they're androids! Even if you're drunk off of some kind of booze, they are still androids. Don't ask them out or anything like that.

I may update my blog and add these links. Just goes to show you how amazing (and sometimes, how weird) Japanese technology can be.

T-Mac Welcomes Another Member of the McGrady Family
My Houston Rockets were out playing at the Memphis Grizzlies. Around 5:10 EST, Tracy McGrady became a father of his second child, Laycee Aloa McGrady. I believe Aloa was the name of T-Mac's late mother. Congrats to T-Mac. He ended up scoring 41 points. I value the services of Chuck Hayes (Kentucky), Shane Battier (former Memphis Grizzly; Duke), Luther Head (Illinois), and of course... Yao Ming. All 7'6" of him. My boys are going to host the L.A. Lakers tomorrow night, Phoenix on Friday, and San Antonio on Saturday. Despite the good work by the Rockets, they fell 105-99. The losing trail may be on when L.A. (Lakers; Tomorrow), San Antonio (FRI), and Phoenix (SAT) at Toyota Center.


Lloyd Carr to Hang it Up After Ohio State/Michigan Game?
Reports indicate that Lloyd Carr may retire after the Ohio State/Michigan game (or more likely after their Bowl game). If this comes true, Les Miles may be the brightest candidate to coach Big Blue. Carr's win/loss record against Ohio State hasn't been an amazing one. He's in fact 1-5 against Ohio State.


Don't Criticize Big XII Officials... or You May Be Fined 10 Large
Texas Tech coach, Mike Leach criticized the officials in the Texas Tech/Texas game... and got fined $10 large. The $10,000 fine is the largest-ever fine in Big XII history. He made a negative comment regarding one of the referrees or replay officials being from Austin





Akron and Miami University play Wednesday night. Come back to this thread when I have that report ready. You college football fans may feel welcome to key in on certain upcoming matches this week if you please.

 

[FoolKiller]

Regarding conferences fining coaches for complaining about officials: I think it is utter BS. There is nothing unsportsmanlike in saying you think there was a (or many) bad call, especially when it changes the momentum and/or outcome of the game. Apparently the only way to complain publicly is to file a complaint with the conference.

If I were a coach I would do two things: 1) I would get a petition among all the coaches to remove this stupid rule. 2) I would file an official complaint regarding every call I think was bad, with video from the broadcast, so that my thoughts are made publicly known without getting fined and the conference has to spend hours every week making an official comment on it.


Also, if I had the money I would still make the comments. A coach owes it to the players and the fans to stand up for making sure there is a good game. Every single call has the potential to change the outcome, so a coach has a professional and personal interest in making sure they are all good.


All that said, when the coach becomes insulting, or insinuates a conspiracy/cheating then he should be fined because he is now going beyond disagreeing with the officials and is making scandalous claims without any evidence to back it up. If he does have evidence that should be presented to the conference and full league (NCAA) before any media gets involved. I say both the conference and league because officials work for the conference and a conference could benefit financially by having its top tier teams remain top tier and not have an upset victory to a conference nobody, so they would easily have an interest in cheating.

Note: I am saying it could be possible, not that Kentucky has repeatedly gotten bad calls in football for years (even though they have) as part of a huge SEC conspiracy (which I doubt has anything to do with the bad calls). The reason why I won't buy into a conspiracy is because this year the SEC is all in turmoil with only one or two truly bad teams (and bad in the SEC is good by many other standards) and SEC teams are littered all throughout the rankings. The SEC is getting much more now than they ever were with just Florida or LSU going after a BCS bid, which is also still happening.




Moral of my story + tangent: Let the coaches make professional comments to the fans and players who need to see he supports them.

 

[JohnBM01]

I edited one of my extras. The one on "Want to Meet Some Interesting Ladies?" has been updated. Tonight's match is Arkon at Miami University in this Ohio clash. I'll check in with you all once it's done.

Have a great day, everyone!

 

[JohnBM01]

Ready for some Ohio football? I got it! Come and get it, players!





--- Division 1: Bowl Subdivision Scores ---

Zips and Redhawks Ready for a 10-Yard Fight... Turn 'em Loose!
* Akron {Zips} at Miami University {Redhawks}
There is no Miami, Ohio to my recollection. I know there's a Miami in either Texas or Oklahoma... but not in Miami. The University of Miami is the Florida school. This is the Ohio school in Oxford, OH.
At 11:16 left in the game... both teams were SCORELESS! Either it's good defense, or terrible offense. Nobody can score (just like my luck meeting women, but that's another story). I then turned to the Lakers/Rockets NBA game that went to halftime. Between 11:16 left and 9:00 left, Miami drew first blood. They cashed in a touchdown plus the complimentary PAT. So it's 7-0 as the Redhawks led the visiting Zips. The game ended in a defensive shootout with Miami out on top. (7-0; MIAMI UNIVERSITY)





(no FCS games reported - starts tomorrow night)





--- John's Student Lounge ---
Always an interesting time here at the GTPlanet University student lounge. Here's some random chatter from me.

Always Check Your Milk!
People... I tried to buy a bowl Cocoa Krispies along with a plastic bottle of milk. The kind folks at the bookstore proudly have me a spoon for me to have some cereal with. I poured the milk on the cereal, and instead of the milk going to the bottom of the bowl and moistening the cereal, some of the milk basically stayed on the cereal! I tried to stir it up, and it still wouldn't go down. So I was like... "you know, I guess I'll eat this." I tried to take one swallow... and realize how foul the milk tasted. So rather than go back to the bookstore to get a better bottle of milk and another bowl of Cocoa Crispies, I threw both the cereal and the milk away. I immediately drank some clean water from the nearby water fountain. I probably made the mistake of not smelling my milk beforehand to see if it was fresh. I didn't take in a whole lot of the foul milk. The milk was set to expire next Wednesday. It still ended up smelling and tasting foul. So PLEASE make sure that any beverages you purchase (like milk or orange juice) are in great quality. I hear the people who drink bad milk or something can have problems ranging from stomach problems to even diahhrea. So PLEASE be careful when purchasing or consuming any foul beverages.



FBS and FCS will go at it Thursday night. As many as three matches are on the card- two in FBS and one in FCS. I'll have the Thursday report when my report is done.

 

[FoolKiller]

Always Check Your Milk!
People... I tried to buy a bowl Cocoa Krispies along with a plastic bottle of milk. The kind folks at the bookstore proudly have me a spoon for me to have some cereal with. I poured the milk on the cereal, and instead of the milk going to the bottom of the bowl and moistening the cereal, some of the milk basically stayed on the cereal! I tried to stir it up, and it still wouldn't go down. So I was like... "you know, I guess I'll eat this." I tried to take one swallow... and realize how foul the milk tasted. So rather than go back to the bookstore to get a better bottle of milk and another bowl of Cocoa Crispies, I threw both the cereal and the milk away. I immediately drank some clean water from the nearby water fountain. I probably made the mistake of not smelling my milk beforehand to see if it was fresh. I didn't take in a whole lot of the foul milk. The milk was set to expire next Wednesday. It still ended up smelling and tasting foul. So PLEASE make sure that any beverages you purchase (like milk or orange juice) are in great quality. I hear the people who drink bad milk or something can have problems ranging from stomach problems to even diahhrea. So PLEASE be careful when purchasing or consuming any foul beverages.

Funny you mention this. In an attempt to recover from drinking last night (112oz of beer mid-week is a bad idea) I stopped by a gas station this morning to buy orange juice and chocolate milk. I was halfway to the register when I thought to check the date on my milk. Fortunately, it was good, but had it been bad I imagine my semi-hungover state would have had me take a huge swig before noticing.

 

[JohnBM01]

Tonight's action takes place in FBS and FCS.

--- FBS Preview ---
* The Mean Green of North Texas look to mean business despite their lethargic season. Can a trip to Arkansas State help as they meet the Indians?

* Oregon's Ducks may be sugar sweet in wanting to go to the New Orleans for the National Championship. Find out if Arizona's Wildcats avert their plans to play in New Orleans tonight.


--- FCS ---
* The Bearkats of Sam Houston State are going to head southwest to meet the school formerly known as Southwestern Texas State- Texas State. See if the Bobcats prove to be the better felines in this Texas-style shootout. It's Huntsville vs. San Marcos!



I'll have this report for you all when I have it complete. And if you're lucky, you might get some more extra nonsense from me. Isn't life great?

 

[JohnBM01]

A bunch of games are on tap for Saturday... then you have Ohio State at Michigan. That will be my GAME OF THE WEEK. To tide you over until then, three matches took place on Thursday. Find out who won each of these games.




This Should be Easy...
* #2 Oregon {Ducks} at Arizona {Wildcats}
I didn't see all of this game. #2 remains an unlucky number because the Oregon Ducks got almost embarassed on the road as the Arizona Wildcats beat them by two scores. (34-24; ARIZONA) *** upset! ***

North Texas Seeks Second Win in Dying Season
* North Texas {Mean Green} at Arkansas State {Indians}
You know, there seems to be some glaring quality of the Sun Belt in football. The glaring quality is that the teams are all part of FBS. Trouble is, they are the lowest-quality FBS conference in America. It's basically FBS 101. Does that mean it's a terrible conference? Not at all. There are still some great teams that play in this conference like Middle Tennessee State and Troy. Arkansas State is pretty surprising themselves. The Indians are trying to inch closer towards Bowl Eligibility. Meanwhile, the Mean Green of North Texas now have nine losses and only one win. Arkansas State didn't do North Texas any favors. (31-27; ARKANSAS STATE)





--- Division 1: Championship Subdivision Scores ---
It's the only weekday FCS match! Let's see how this one went.

Cat Fight in Texas
* Sam Houston State {Bearkats} at Texas State {Bobcats}
The Bobcats had the early edge, but Sam Houston State would rally after being blanked in the Third Quarter to beat Texas State. (29-28; Sam Houston State) *** big win ***





The wedding around my way will really mess up any chance if I can distribute a regular report for FBS and FCS. What I may do is set up a post as a placeholder. And if I can set up a full report on Saturday action, I'll replace the placeholder post with my true report. Please note that you can still discuss the past week's action if I'm working on an updated report from the past week. I usually make any changes to reports I haven't completed for the past week before working on the next week's thread. So in other words, you can still comment on this week's thread once I have a full report ready to deliver. But when the thread for the next week is available, you can still discuss the past week in my new week thread. Or after I've finished an incomplete Saturday report, you can go back to the previous thread to offer comments from the past week.

We got more college football madness on the way for Friday. Stay tuned to see what happened.

 

[FoolKiller]

Weddings suck anyway, unless you are hoping to snag a bridesmaid. I say skip it.


Anyway, what is up with this season and all the upsets, especially at #2?

I'm not complaining, mind you, as my team played spoiler to LSU, but it has been crazy this year.

 

[JohnBM01]

GTPlanet, I'm not sure how I'm going to do this. I came back from an extremely long day out. My parents and I left the house around 11:30 AM CST and came back home at Midnight. There's a college football match between undefeated Hawaii at Nevada. I have to be at my brother's wedding for Saturday evening. This feels like a 48-hour Saturday. Try to bear with me.



Announcement on Friday and Saturday Games
I've decided on how I want to do this. I will set up posts as basically placeholders. I will provide all of you my sources for my scores so you can see how your favorite teams did on the specific day. I will NOT cover playoff games from Divisions 2 and 3 just yet. That probably won't be updated until maybe Sunday or Monday.

Having said this, I will start preparing my Friday make-up report once I get home from the wedding later tonight (since it's Saturday as of this post). Thank you all for reading. Hope all of you have an amazing weekend.





--- Division 1: Bowl Subdivision Scores ---
Due to the lateness of this game, I will provide you a link to my sources. Just come into this thread, click on the link to see how your favorite team did, and offer comments if you like.

Hawaii is #16 Trying to be #1 at Nevada
* #16 Hawaii {(Rainbow) Warriors} at Nevada {Wolfpack}
(UPDATE) Hawaii is still unbeaten. (28-26; #16 Hawaii)





(no FCS games reported - starts Saturday)





--- John's Student Lounge ---

John Rides in a Chrysler 300... and it Has a Hemi!
My parents rented a Chrysler 300 with an available Hemi engine and Sirius Sattelite Radio. I thought this was an excellent car when I first seen it in pictures and in going to the Houston Auto Show. Sitting in the backseat of this thing was pretty cool to say the least. I got to enjoy the nice backseat ride as well as some of the different amemnities this car provides. It's a wonderful car to be completely honest. The instrument gauge console has its own compass, air temperature readings, what station you're listening to, and the amount of miles you've put up on the car. This is a real big American sedan that's competely classy. Great car.

A Childhood Love Revisited... for the PlayStation 3
I played "Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga" for the PS3 when I was at a Wal-Mart. I've played some of these before, but never truly got into these much. The pairing of Lego with Star Wars makes this a fun title. I've been curious as to why Lego doesn't come off with some other franchises. I'd be interested in some other franchising deals. Here are some weird ideas of mine. How about Lego Excitebike (like the NES version)? Lego Football (imagine tackling somebody real hard in this game!)? Grand Theft Lego? Lego River City Ransom? Super Lego Brothers? Imagine the possibilities!



I'm going to make ready for my brother's wedding. So what I'll do is that if I can make my report and complete it before Sunday at 7AM EST, then I'll update my Saturday post as well as maybe update the Friday report. You can congratulate my brother, wish me well at the wedding of my brother... anything you like. I actually had a preview of Ohio State/Michigan and even Notre Dame/Duke or Duke/Notre Dame lined up for this report. But due to all the hectic activity, I'm just closing it out here. Have a great weekend. Enjoy RIVALRY WEEK!

 

[JohnBM01]

NOTE: This post will be updated in the future.

My brother's going to tie the knot today. I'm a groomsman for my brother, so I'm unable to provide my full commentary. This goes to show you that even I have a life. Things happen. So do rivalries. There's at least some team you hate SO bad. Rivalries are the key here, but there are plenty of good conference matches as well. Rivalries are why you play college sports. You are willing to defend your school's honor while dishonoring the other team. Play like a true sport, but deep down inside, you want the other team to lose so bad it hurts. So you ready to kick off this Saturday? I knew you were.





SATURDAY SYNOPSIS: Week 11
This week was the first week of rivalries of all divisions of college sports. Division 2 and 3 were in Playoff mode.





--- Division 1: Bowl Subdivision Scores ---
Ohio State and Michigan... Need I Say More? (GAME OF THE WEEK)
* #9 Ohio State at #23 Michigan {Wolverines} --- RIVALRY GAME ---
It's almost a no-brainer that it's party time when Ohio State and Michigan go at it. Ohio State and Michigan hate each other in all facets of life, in all sports... they just hate each other and have hated each other for what... at least a century. Not only is this one of the biggest rivalries in sports (not just college), it's also the biggest rivalry that doesn't have a special name or some trophy on the line. So these two play for pride EVERY DAY. One has to believe that Michigan would like to beat Ohio State to show that Michigan's resurgence isn't going for not. The Wolverines may not have the services of Lloyd Carr after this season upon rumors of retirement. Ohio State lost only once. And Buckeyes don't lose too often. Ohio State laughed all the way to the bank because their effort in beating Michigan was money. (14-3; #9 Ohio State)[/I]


Someone Will Win Themselves a Sweet Trophy in Illinois
* Northwestern {Wildcats} at #19 Illinois {Fighting Illini} --- RIVALRY GAME: Battle for the Sweet Sioux Tomohawk ---
This is the battle for the Sweet Sioux Tomohawk. Someone's going to get scalped here, and I'm not talking about a visit to your favorite barber shop. Let's meet the two teams. Northwestern University is the alma mater for people like "Pardon the Interruption's" Michael Wilbon and long-time announcer Brent Musburger. The school is in Evanston, IL overlooking Lake Michigan. It's payday for Illinois as Illinois knocked off their Chicago-area rivals. (41-22; #19 ILLINOIS)

DID YOU KNOW...
...that Atlanta rapper, Chris Bridges (Ludacris), was born in Champaign, IL? Wonder what Luda' thought of this game...


Kentucky Ready to Show Last Season's Win Was No Fluke
* #23 Kentucky at #? Georgia
Last season... our own FoolKiller was in Braselton, GA for the Petit Le Mans as Georgia hit the road to meet Kentucky. He wore his blue Kentucky shirt among a pro-Georgia crowd. Kentucky wins 24-20 last season. UGA can't wait to get payback. Kentucky wants to beat them again. This time, the felines will have to play at Georgia to meet their canines. So let's get this started! Basketball is religion at Kentucky. So I'm sure Billy G. wished Kentucky well and told them to return to Lexington with a football win. Winning has been tough for Kentucky in the past. Andre' Woodson has been the wildest Wildcat leading his Wildcats into Athens, GA. Georgia can't believe they lost to KENTUCKY of all teams! ...or at least that's the mood in Athens, GA. Kentucky's supposed to be an easy win, right? Last season was last season. Now it's time for the Bulldogs to rule Sanford Stadium- the ultimate Dog Pound. Let's see if the Dawgs tamed some Wildcats. The game was televised on Lincoln Financial Sports. Kentucky tried to keep it close late, but pick up their fourth loss of the season. It's not going to be easy when Kentucky meets Tennesee next week. So tell me more about this game, if you can, FoolKiller. (24-13; #? GEORGIA)


Florida Takes a Break from the SEC to Meet the Best Sun Belt Team in Florida
* Florida Atlantic {Owls} at #?? Florida {Gators} (52?-20?; #?? FLORIDA)


'Villes Collide in This Volunteer State Bowl
* Vanderbilt {Commodores} at Tennessee {Volunteers} --- RIVALRY GAME ---
Knoxville. Nashville. (25-24; TENNESSEE)


Call This Game the Toilet Bowl Because of Two Crappy Teams Playing
* Duke {Blue Devils} at Notre Dame {Fighting Irish}
Notre Dame is described by Pardon the Interruption's Tony Kornheiser as "the University of Football in America." Yeah, SOME university with this kind of season. Both of these teams are like forgetting to flush the toilet- stinky! Well, nothing these two teams aren't familiar with. Duke's a basketball school while Notre Dame is just getting by in life in football. Remember that Michigan and Notre Dame were 0-2 until Michigan POUNDED their asses. This game is just as bad. Duke beat Northwestern way back, then Notre Dame beat UCLA. So who's the better team? There is a such deal with better teams when two sorry teams play. The Duke Blue Devils want to win this Loser Bowl as much as Notre Dame's Fighting Irish. One team will get to win again while the other just wants to wish to push the Reset button. (28-7; NOTRE DAME)


Missouri Looks Forward to Kansas, but Plays in the Little Apple
* #6 Missouri {Tigers} at Kansas State {Wildcats} (49-32; #6 Missouri) <<< looks like Missouri can't wait to overrate Kansas

Iowa State is a Natural Disaster While Kansas Skies are Crystal-Clear
* Iowa State {Cyclones} at #3 Kansas {Jayhawks} (45-7; #4 KANSAS)

Here is a link to my FBS scores. Click here to see how your favorite team did: < http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/scoreboard/1A/2007/week12 >. I'm going to include what I have because I need to start a new week of college football soon. So PLEASE click on the following link to see how your favorite team did.







--- Division 1: Championship Subdivision Scores ---
Two smart-ass schools kick off the FCS scores.

THE Game
* Harvard {Crimson} at Yale {Bulldogs} --- RIVALRY GAME: The Game ---
This is simply The Game. It's a battle of smart-ass schools: Harvard University and Yale University. Yale has been undefeated. They can't POSSIBLY be upset by Harvard. That's because the Bulldogs have been good little doggies in meeting Harvard. Not many of us have a 4.0+ GPA in high school and a 1600 on the SAT (hell, I got about an 820 or 850 in my SAT's). Smart people go to Harvard. Guys that may one day rule the world with their intelligence and playing Fall Out Boy CD to the point where we want to intentionally hang ourselves go to Harvard. Harvard wants to color Yale in Crimson. Harvard's smarties outsmarted Yale in stunning fashion. Yale's no longer unbeaten. Beating Yale isn't rocket science after all! (37-6; Harvard) *** upset! and disappointing loss ***

The State Championship of the Dakotas
* North Dakota State {Bison} at South Dakota State {Jackrabbits} --- RIVLARY GAME ---
In Thundar we trust... but the Bison didn't have enough lightning to beat their Jackrabbit counterparts at South Dakota State (29-24; SOUTH DAKOTA STATE)

Very sorry, High-Test.


Here is a link to my FCS scores. Click here to see how your favorite team did: < http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/scoreboard/1AA >.





NOTE: Division 2 and 3 playoff scores will be covered in my postseason threads... NOT here. So read the postseason thread for any playoff action. FCS playoff brackets will be determined this Sunday.





--- John's Winners and Losers ---
Winners and losers time. Did your school make the cut? Nominate your selections for each of the four categories as I have my selections.

Please remember that Winners and Losers only concerns regular season action.

BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE WEEK
Texas Tech Does the Big XII South a Favor - I was personally heading to the reception at my brother's wedding. I saw this game on a TV screen at the University of Houston's Hilton Hotel. Texas Tech was stunning Oklahoma. Never count out Texas Tech. Texas and Texas Tech at two of the finest Big XII schools in Texas other than Texas A&M. The Red Raiders knocked off Oklahoma and stunned the #4 team in the land.

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK
Yale Shows Very Little Effort in Losing to Harvard - I called it the battle of smart-ass schools. It didn't take rocket science or brain surgery to beat Harvard. Yale was unbeaten and made beating Yale completely easy. So the rest of FCS couldn't beat Yale, but Harvard made it look terribly easy.

UPSET(S) OF THE WEEK (if any)
Another 2 Bites the Dust - Oregon was probably superstitious of the #2 ranking. Maybe they need to make it a tie for #3 so that a number two doesn't have to lose again. I think Oregon is much better now compared to when I first got into college football. It isn't always a disappointment to lose to Arizona. It's an upset if you're highly-ranked and lose to Arizona.

OWNAGE(S) OF THE WEEK:
Citadel B:censored:slaps VMI 70-2 - The Bulldogs of The Citadel took good care of VMI and their pathetic sports programs. It's best to say that VMI is the Army of FCS. Alright, people... sing-a-long!

Virginia Military Institute = OWNED 70-2 by The Citadel!





--- John's Student Lounge ---
Another week comes to a close. Let's talk extras now.

John's Wedding Story
You guys are my friends on GTPlanet. My brother got married to a good friend of my family. I was a groomsman wearing a stylish tuxedo. I was wearing a Joseph and Feiss rental tuxedo that we rented from The Men's Warehouse. The slogan is, "you're going to like the way you look, I guarantee it." Well, I loved my tuxedo. It took place on the main campus of the University of Houston. We had ourselves stuff like pictures and all. We even had a "crazy picture" in which us guys had to do the Captain Morgan deal. Those who know the graphic on Captain Morgan bottles know that Captain Morgan raises his right leg and points upward ahead. We were cracking up like crazy. Acting a fool. You know how it is.

We then headed out to the Hilton Hotel on the campus. This was a hotel structure on campus for Hotel Management majors. We headed into this beautiful ballroom on the second floor. A DJ was at the party announcing who we were by way of bridesmaid and groomsman. The bridesmaid I was with was joking that I needed to wave at the crowd as I went in. So the whole thing kind of felt like the start of a basketball game where players are announced from the P.A. announcer. I felt like I was a celebrity. I then went on to have a pretty good salad. I don't eat mushrooms, but there were some rather tasty mushrooms for my salad. The real deal was this delicious chicken dinner we had. Yours truly LOVES chicken. My brother and his new wife (and my new sister-in-law) hit the dance floor to some old school love jams. I'm talking Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers (who I love), Luther Vandross, and more. A bit later, I got to socialize a bit. I got to know some people close to my mother's job and my stepfather's job. I even got to know some of my brother's friends and co-workers. One lady put a picture of me and my brother at the wedding and decided to put it up on her Myspace page.

The thing I best took away from this wedding was the garter toss. The lucky guy who picks it up is said to be the next to marry. They wanted all the single guys to go for it. I basically hit the deck like I was a basketball player... and I got the garter belt! I took a few pictures holding the garter belt in the air. From there, we just continued to have a good time as Mmidnight came around.

So all in all, I had a great time. I feared this would be some nightmare where my mother would just get mad at me all night. But it was very fun and enjoyable.





I'm still working on next week's thread. May have to release it Monday.





Next week's thread will be announced in my updated report or in next week's thread. I'll be sure to link back to this thread so you all can see the updated report. I CAN tell you that the WINNERS AND LOSERS will all be in FBS and FCS as Division 2 and 3 action will be reported in my Postseason thread. Makes it easier on me and hopefully fun for you. Thanks to all of you who have been reading my reports all season and making contributions where needed.

 

[High-Test]

Well, NDSU lost today. Huh. That's the end of that season, folks.

 

[JohnBM01]

You know what they say... throw out the record books when it's a rivalry game. Look on the bright side, High-Test. It means that FCS now knows what they are dealing with when North Dakota State is in their schedule. You can't win them all in the very competitive realm of FCS. So congratulations on a great season of Bison football.

I'm back from the wedding about an hour ago. You'll see my report Sunday night for Saturday action. This is the third week I'll have to settle for Sunday to report on Saturday action. Next week's thread will be called "Feasting Frenzy" in honor of Thanksgiving next week.

I'll report on Saturday action Sunday night. You're still free to discuss the action that did happen today.

 

[Joey D]

As expected Michigan lost, but I think they did decent this season, of course I would have loved to seen them head off to the Rose Bowl but there is always next year.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Saturday report has been updated. I have to get next week going, so PLEASE look at the links to my sources in the meanwhile.

 

[FoolKiller]

Kentucky Ready to Show Last Season's Win Was No Fluke
* #23 Kentucky at #? Georgia
Last season... our own FoolKiller was in Braselton, GA for the Petit Le Mans as Georgia hit the road to meet Kentucky. He wore his blue Kentucky shirt among a pro-Georgia crowd. Kentucky wins 24-20 last season. UGA can't wait to get payback. Kentucky wants to beat them again. This time, the felines will have to play at Georgia to meet their canines. So let's get this started! Basketball is religion at Kentucky. So I'm sure Billy G. wished Kentucky well and told them to return to Lexington with a football win. Winning has been tough for Kentucky in the past. Andre' Woodson has been the wildest Wildcat leading his Wildcats into Athens, GA. Georgia can't believe they lost to KENTUCKY of all teams! ...or at least that's the mood in Athens, GA. Kentucky's supposed to be an easy win, right? Last season was last season. Now it's time for the Bulldogs to rule Sanford Stadium- the ultimate Dog Pound. Let's see if the Dawgs tamed some Wildcats. The game was televised on Lincoln Financial Sports. Kentucky tried to keep it close late, but pick up their fourth loss of the season. It's not going to be easy when Kentucky meets Tennesee next week. So tell me more about this game, if you can, FoolKiller. (24-13; #? GEORGIA)

Sadly (or is it fortunately?), I cannot as my honey-do list had me power washing the house and deck while this game was playing and I didn't want to risk a radio close enough to hear over the power washer because of the water. I came in and checked ESPN to see it was a loss. I will know more tonight after Coach Brooks' call-in show.

 

[JohnBM01]

Miserable weather conditions here in Houston. Covering college football doesn't give you too many breaks. I hope I can interest you in some Saturday action. It may be cold and wet here in Houston, but I hope I can show you some red hot games. Read on and be enthused.





SATURDAY SYNOPSIS:
Most of the remaining games in Division 1 are either rivalries or conference matches. A handful of rivalries were stil on the fight card for Saturday including a decisive Big XII battle. Each team will need to put on a great show if they want to be #1 in the nation after LSU's loss last night to Arkansas. It was la noche triste (the night of sorrow) for LSU as plenty of other Top 25 teams are now loving life. FCS is in playoff mode, but there is a key match in Louisiana dedicated to a coaching legend that will honor one of the all-time coaching greats in college football.





--- Division 1: Bowl Subdivision Scores ---
I will begin with the GAME OF THE WEEK. This one's for you, High-Test!

Kansas City (MO) Comes Alive with a Match for the Big XII North
* #2 Kansas {Jayhawks} vs. #4 Missouri {Tigers} --- RIVALRY GAME: Battle for the Marching Drum --- (GAME OF THE WEEK)
No one expected Kansas to dominate. No one expected Kansas to be undefeated so far. Kansas is perhaps the Wake Forest of 2007 in regards to a team that's usually a doormat... until this season. Missouri has only one loss, but they feel THEY should be the Big XII North champs and not the birdies from Lawrence, KS. This series is tied 53-53-9. Why don't we go at it again? There are no more ties in college football, so I can 200% guarantee that someone will make this series 54-53-9 all-time. But who gets it done? Ahh... that's why you came here, my friends. So allow me to entertain you. Kansas University (or the University of Kansas) has been sick and tired of being a doormat. They've never looked better. Something inside of me still thinks that I shouldn't buy this Kansas season. I've been saying to myself that the Jayhawks will need to beat Missouri, win the Big XII Championship, AND the National Championship for me to truly say this season isn't a fluke. Or to show that this is the ultimate Cinderella. The clock for Kansas is at 11:55 PM with midnight not too far away. Now Missouri. Columbia, MO is home to the University of Missouri (sometimes called "Mizzou"). This may easily be the best Division 1 football team in Missouri since there's no college football in the greater St. Louis area. Missouri, unlike Kansas, has only one loss. They know that another loss could take them out of National Championship consideration. So the Tigers would love nothing more than to feast on some birds. Maybe the Tigers had turkey for Thanksgiving, but would love to feast on some Jayhawk meat. This is the first time this rivalry was settled in Kanass City since 1945. Let's get this thing on! It's dedicated to GTPlanet's High-Test. Missouri blanked Kansas 14-0 after one half. But Kansas got onto the board halfway into the Third Quarter. Missouri thought while Kansas was good, they were due for a beating. They led 34-28 with about 19 or so seconds left in the game. Missouri was able to pick up a safety even with Kansas' faint glimmer of hope. Midnight was due to come for Cinderella, and in so, put Kansas in rags. It was still an impressive run for a team that's usually a doormat in football. Missouri was just better for a longer time. Now Hawaii is the only unbeaten this season. (36-28; #4 Missouri) *** upset! and big win ***[/I]

JOHN'S PERSONAL COMMENTS
I've said that Kansas has to beat Missouri to earn my full respect. Then too, also win the Big XII North and perhaps the National Championship as well. I do think Kansas has had an amazing season. I'm sure Kansans believe every season should be like the kind of season Kansas is having right now. It's not always that a team can be unbeaten. It IS possible, however, that a team used to being beaten down can all of a sudden have an outstanding season. Congratulations on an amazing season. It isn't in my best interest to say this to Jayhawk fans, but you've lost to a better team. And believe me. This really could have gone either way. I thought Missouri was being a bit too cute with plays and such. What they did in the end was execute. Kansas' red zone offense was usually suspect as the ABC commentary of Brent Musbuger and Kirk Herbstreit talked about. `







I want to take you all to two Commonwealth states in succession, starting in Virginia.

Boston College Awaits the ACC Coastal Winner
* #8 Virginia Tech {Hokies} at #16 Virginia {Cavaliers} --- RIVALRY GAME: Battle for the Commonwealth Trophy ---
Welcome to Charlottesville, VA. This rivalry match will decide the ACC Coastal. (33-21; #8 Virginia Tech)
(-; )


Tennessee Can Clinch the SEC East... if Kentucky Doesn't Shock Them
* #18 Tennessee {Volunteers} at Kentucky {Wildcats}
Kentucky's chances of going unbeaten are like the chances Paris Hilton wins a Grammy in music or an Emmy in acting. They haven't been the same since losing to Florida after knocking off LSU earlier this season. Nobody said Kentucky is lethargic. In fact, they can reel in a big fish in this battle of border schools. That's right. It's northern Kentucky against western Tennessee. Lexington vs. Knoxville. We start with Tennessee. The University of Tennessee has a long history of great football. Whoever can forget teams like the Sugar Vols of the 1990s? Peyton Manning under center? All the championships Tennessee has amassed? That's because they Volunteer to win every day and every game. Now for Kentucky. Kentucky knows they are out of the SEC East picture. They've had no problem playing underdog to teams like... say, Louisville and LSU. Just like race horses who run the Kentucky derby, the Kentucky Wildcats will need to just play for pride. I know they're going to a Bowl game, but they'd like it to be the SEC Championship game as the SEC East champs. Greg Amsinger of CSTV's "Crystal Ball" had Kentucky going to the SEC Championship game as the SEC East. Time to give FoolKiller and other fans the results of this game. Kentucky was down through the game, but forced Overtime. In the Second Overtime, #50 for Kentucky picked off Tennessee. So the 70,000-something Kentucky fans at Commonwealth Stadium are about ready to get hot on a cold Saturday in northern Kentucky. The boys in blue didn't get the First Down in their possession, so it's a 35-yard kick for Lones Seiber and for the win. The kick is up, and... NOT GOOD! He shanked the kick. So what do you know? The kick was blocked as Tennessee tried to run her back into the endzone. But, it's three overtimes now! I don't know when was the last time there were consecutive days of Triple Overtime or more. We had one last night with Arkansas beating (then) #1 LSU. How will THIS one end? Tennessee is playing to go to Atlanta next week for the SEC Championship game, while Kentucky is playing to send a message to the rest of the SEC about Kentucky football. Last time Kentucky did Triple Overtime, they beat #1 LSU at home. An Unsportsmanlike Conduct after the 3OT meant Tennessee has to start from the opposing 40-yard line. One play, 40 yards. No problem (unless you're Kentucky). They get two points afterwards, so Kentucky must get a touchdown and get the 2-point conversion to force a Fifth Overtime. Win or lose, Kentucky should be given a hell of a lot of respect. Kentucky tried as hard as they could, but they didn't get the win they were hoping for. I personally think Kentucky has nothing to feel bad about. It's not like they were playing for SEC East supremacy. They just got edged out by a good Tennessee team. And with this win, Tennessee is the SEC East champs even if Georgia beaten Georgia Tech. (52-50, 4OT; #19 Tennessee) *** big win ***

OFF-TOPIC AND PERSONAL COMMENTS
I still question why Kentucky didn't just go for the field goal after they picked off Tennessee. It would have sent the Lexington faithful going home happy. Maybe hit the sports bar and knock back a drink or two. I was actually hoping Kentucky would shock Tennessee. You don't want to end the regular season with a loss. This has been a breakthrough season for the Wildcats.


Floridians Unite in a Heated Rivalry
* Florida State {Seminoles} at Florida {Gators} --- RIVALRY GAME: Battle for the ---
(-; F)

Nothing Peachy About this Peachtree State Rivalry
* Georgia {Bulldogs} at Georgia Tech {Yellow Jackets} --- RIVALRY GAME: Clean Old Fashioned Hate ---
Athens and Atlanta. Time to kick off another rivalry. You know two teams hate each other when the rivalry is called "Clean Old Fashioned Hate." You know two schools absolutely DO NOT like each other when they hit the field.
With 11:07 left in the game, Georgia was bulldogging G.T. 31-17. Georgia is a winner as they are eyeing the Sugar Bowl. Speculation of Georgia Tech's coach being fired may or may not materialize. We'll see in the coming weeks. (31-17; #6 Georgia)

DID YOU KNOW...
...that Atlanta has at least 55 things with "Peachtree" in their names?

SIDE-NOTE
Bonnie Bernstein had a mock interview with Georgia's bulldog. You could actually hear some of the doggie stuff it was saying. I may not like dogs all that much, but I'll admit Georgia's live bulldog mascot is a nice little doggie. It seems like the doggie had a red eye because of scratching it too much. The pup is named UGA VI. UGA VI is going to be fine.



Bruins Behaving Badly... The USCal/UCLA Match
* Oregon {Ducks} at UCLA {Bruins}
UCLA plays their home games north of Los Angeles. They play at the beautiful Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. The UCLA Bruins can play spoiler to
With 5:30 left in the game, 16-0 was the score as UCLA was beating Oregon up and beating up badly. UCLA is not a very good team, but this was pathetic. Bring on Southern Cal, I guess. (16-0; CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES) *** upset! and disappointing loss ***


Big East Pride on the Line Between a Surprise Team and a Potent Team
* Connecticut {Huskies} at West Virginia {Mountaineers}
No threat of an upset here. Connecticut's Huskies couldn't motor past West Virginia. All the Mountaineers have to do is win against their powerful-turned-pathetic Backyard Brawl opponents, Pittsburgh, next week to perhaps play for a National Championship. (66-21; #? WEST VIRGINIA) *** ownage ***[COLOR]




Two Schools Down the Street from Each Other Collide on a Rainy Day
* Texas Southern {Tigers} at Houston {Cougars}
I'm not sure whether to label this a home game or an away game for Houston. Reason being is because Houston and Texas Southern both play at Robertson Stadium for their home games. The weather report for Houston, Texas? About 50 degrees Farenheit, breezy, rainy, and cold. Texas Southern is up first. Texas Southern University is is Houston's only historically-black school. I've been on the campus of Texas Southern before for an alternative magnet program called the Middle College for Technology Careers. I've seen a good portion of the campus in my two years in that hellhole of a high school program. The Tigers have been in a hellhole themselves. I respect Texas Southern because they are a hometown team, but I really dislike Texas Southern. I'm sorry. Now let's learn a little more on the University of Houston. The University of Houston was founded back around 1927. It is a wonderful learning institution. I've had the privledge to go around the University of Houston for a variety of deals, including my brother's wedding last weekend. I even saw fireworks go off as Houston knocked off Marshall last weekend. The Cougars look for plenty of fireworks in this one. Houston will see coach Art Briles take his Cougars to another bowl. That would make it four Bowl Games in five seasons. What a difference he has made for a team that went 0-12 back in 2002 or so. The Texas Southern Tigers had absolutely no answer for a much better Houston squad. Houston has to hope that Rice upsets Tulsa for Houston to return to the Conference USA title game. (59-6; HOUSTON)

Bad Weather Abound on the Other Side of Town
* Tulsa {Golden Hurricane} at Rice {Owls}
Great. Last thing Houston needs is more bad weather. An upper-level disturbance made its way into Houston touching off colder temperatures, a lot of rain, a threat of flooding, and some embedded thunderstorms. Rice is going to have to fight off Mother Nature to win this one. Rice is David with a slingshot while Mother Nature (and Tulsa) is Goliath. Yeah, some David alright. The Owls couldn't do Houston a favor, so the Golden Hurricane are your C-USA West champs. That's okay. Houston and Rice can ALWAYS settle the score in football next September or October whenever their respective schedules are released. (-; Tulsa)


Notre Dame Tries to Avoid Their First 10-Loss Season in School History
* Notre Dame {Fighting Irish} at Stanford {Cardinal}
Two of America's worst teams this season are ready to tangle some distance southeast of the greater San Francisco area. (-; )

Western Kentucky Meets a Sun Belt Cupcake
* Western Kentucky {Hilltoppers} at North Texas {Mean Green}
Western Kentucky had the Mean Green beat, but North Texas toppled the Hilltoppers late. A big win for an insignificant school (in the Sun Belt at least). (27-26; NORTH TEXAS)


OTHER FBS SCORES:
* Buffalo at Kent State (30-27, OT; Buffalo)
* Arkansas State at Southern Mississippi (16-10; SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI)
* Oklahoma State at #10 Oklahoma (49-17; #10 OKLAHOMA)
* Duke at North Carolina (20-14, OT; NORTH CAROLINA
* Utah at #23 BYU (17-10; #23 BRIGHAM YOUNG)





--- Division 1: Championship Subdivision Scores ---
FCS is in Playoff mode, but there was one non-playoff match that took place. Check her out.

Dedicated to the Legacy of Eddie Robinson: the Bayou Classic
* Southern {Jaguars} vs. Grambling State {Tigers} --- RIVALRY GAME: Bayou Classic ---
It's been a week since my brother got married. In honor of his new wife and my new sister-in-law, I dedicate this game to not only Eddie Robinson, but also my sister-in-law, Angela. The Southern Jaguars got the edge over their hated Tiger rivals. (22-13; )





--- John's Winners and Losers ---
A week of football is done. Let's look at who won and who didn't. Pick up a huge win. Fall on your bottom. Beat a highly-ranked team. Beat down the other team beyond recognition. All these will earn you a spot here. I only cover FBS and the lone FCS match. No playoff action in these remaining weeks of college football. Check my Postseason thread. I need to update it with Bowl Game information. But, here are your winners and losers for regular season play.


BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE WEEK
Kansas' Undefeated Run Ends Thanks to Their Rivals From Columbia (MO) - I've said all along that Kansas isn't going to hae my full respect unless they beat the Missouri Tigers. I'm not trying to put anybody down. Think about when no one expected Wake Forest to dominate the way they did last season.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
* Dennis Franchione Leaves in Style by Beating Texas A&M in Style
* North Texas Beats a More Powerful Soon-to-be Sun Belt Football Team
* We Are Virginia Tech! And We are ACC Coastal Champions!

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK
Oregon's Ducks Became Lame Ducks Against UCLA - UCLA's full of surprises, aren't they? First they get their asses handed to by Notre Dame... then UCLA hands Oregon their asses. So much so that they FAIL TO GET ON THE SCOREBOARD! Pathetic. How can you expect to compete for a Pac-10 title and have this kind of performance?

UPSET(S) OF THE WEEK (if any)
Razorbacks Feast on #1 LSU Tiger Meat - Two SEC games had to be settled in at least three overtimes. This one on Friday was the big stunner. The losses of LSU and Kansas will mess up the Top 25 even more.

OWNAGE(S) OF THE WEEK
Texas Southern a Soggy Mess After a 59-6 Beatdown - Thanks for coming! Texas Southern got slapped all the way back down the street to Texas Southern University. So here goes:

Texas Southern = OWNED 59-6 to Houston!





--- John's Student Lounge ---

John (Forced) to Go to a Liquor Store
Here in the Houston area, we have a specialty liquor store chain called Spec's. The amount of liquor to purchase was astounding. I was somewhat attracted to the Japanese sake at the store. Lots of alcoholic drinks the world over are at this place. Mommy had to take me in with her to the place. This all happened during Black Friday.

"Too Cold to Look Cute?"
The title of this extra related to when my family and I were done Black Friday shopping. It was about the 55-50 degree range. Some ladies weren't really bothered and decided to wear stuff like flip-flops, capri pants, and stuff like that. I never understood tucking jeans into boots... as a fashion statement. Some ladies think it's bitterly cold and that there's piles of snow everywhere in the Houston area that you HAVE to tuck jeans into boots with the kind of weather we've had here. I wouldn't tuck jeans into boots if I were a lady. If I'm not overly freezing, I wouldn't go out to get Arctic Boots just to tuck into jeans and impress some people at the mall (again, if I were a lady).

Got my First Evo Magazine Last Week
I don't think I reported this in my extras from last week. The latest edition of Evo that was at the Barnes and Noble store was a sort of comparison test between the latest Lancer and the latest Impreza. I still say that Europe gets all the REALLY cool cars. There were a lot of Shell oil stuff in there, usually related to their diesel program and stuff. There was even a nice ad of a beautifully-styled Ford Mondeo. If only we can get some beautifully-styled economy cars that look closely to European Ford models that have passed all U.S. crash safety regulations, then maybe we can get rid of the screw job Ford of America did to the latest Focus. The clean styling of some or most European cars may be boring to most Americans, but I've always been a man of style when it comes to cars and even women (how did we get to THIS point?).





Next week's thread name is undecided. You'll see what I'll come up with when next week's thread will be available. Please take care, everyone!

 

[Kylehnat]

Apple Cup: Wazzu beat Washington because the Huskies' secondary seemed to disappear at inopportune times .

 

[JohnBM01]

I saw that result and didn't report it. Washington seemed to look great early in the season until they've somewhat fallen off the pace. I always thought Washington could always beat Washington State even if drunk and in their sleep. So the Huskies will have to play for pride. Good news? You have a chance to knock Hawaii from the unbeatens if you beat Hawaii next week or so.

How do you assess the 2007 season for the Washington Huskies?

 

[Kylehnat]

The record is deceiving. They've played well against vastly superior opponents, only to run out of gas late in games. Jake Locker gives us reason to be optimistic, though. If he can become more accurate on 10-15 yard passes, he'll be unstoppable.

 

[High-Test]

Kansas City (MO) Comes Alive with a Match for the Big XII North
* #2 Kansas {Jayhawks} vs. #4 Missouri {Tigers} --- RIVALRY GAME: Battle for the Marching Drum --- (GAME OF THE WEEK)
No one expected Kansas to dominate. No one expected Kansas to be undefeated so far. Kansas is perhaps the Wake Forest of 2007 in regards to a team that's usually a doormat... until this season. Missouri has only one loss, but they feel THEY should be the Big XII North champs and not the birdies from Lawrence, KS. This series is tied 53-53-9. Why don't we go at it again? There are no more ties in college football, so I can 200% guarantee that someone will make this series 54-53-9 all-time. But who gets it done? Ahh... that's why you came here, my friends. So allow me to entertain you. Kansas University (or the University of Kansas) has been sick and tired of being a doormat. They've never looked better. Something inside of me still thinks that I shouldn't buy this Kansas season. I've been saying to myself that the Jayhawks will need to beat Missouri, win the Big XII Championship, AND the National Championship for me to truly say this season isn't a fluke. Or to show that this is the ultimate Cinderella. The clock for Kansas is at 11:55 PM with midnight not too far away. Now Missouri. Columbia, MO is home to the University of Missouri (sometimes called "Mizzou"). This may easily be the best Division 1 football team in Missouri since there's no college football in the greater St. Louis area. Missouri, unlike Kansas, has only one loss. They know that another loss could take them out of National Championship consideration. So the Tigers would love nothing more than to feast on some birds. Maybe the Tigers had turkey for Thanksgiving, but would love to feast on some Jayhawk meat. This is the first time this rivalry was settled in Kanass City since 1945. Let's get this thing on! It's dedicated to GTPlanet's High-Test. Missouri blanked Kansas 14-0 after one half. But Kansas got onto the board halfway into the Third Quarter. Missouri thought while Kansas was good, they were due for a beating. They led 34-28 with about 19 or so seconds left in the game. Missouri was able to pick up a safety even with Kansas' faint glimmer of hope. Midnight was due to come for Cinderella, and in so, put Kansas in rags. It was still an impressive run for a team that's usually a doormat in football. Missouri was just better for a longer time. Now Hawaii is the only unbeaten this season. (36-28; #4 Missouri) *** upset! and big win ***[/i]

Section 325, row 6, seat 5. Right above the KU 45 yard line. I bought a KU hat at WAL*MART right before. To offset the Mizzouness of my Dad.

It was AMAZING. I've made my pilgrimage to Arrowhead. I'm a little disappointed that KU lost, but it was a great game. I'm really glad I got to go.

And.. I've been pondering a transfer to KU for a few weeks now. I can get in state tuition, and Fargo is too damn far away right now. I don't really like Fargo, and my major has changed from Architecture to Sociology and French, and KU makes far better sense for my major. Plus I would be closer to my family. Odds are I could get some pretty sweet scholarships too. I like my classes, but life outside of classes has been dull at best. I've been very friendly and outgoing, but I'm not connecting with people. Huh.

I was in a great mood until I heard the Raiders won at Arrowhead. Damn. Ah, it's just a game. I was on I-35 all day. (I've stopped off in Minneapolis)


EDIT: Oh! Mizzou's kicker, Jeff Wolfert, Graduated from my high school three years ago. It was cool hearing his name over the loudspeakers at Arrowhead.