College Football 2007 - Week 4: Prelude to Fall (Sep 16 - Sep 22)

[JohnBM01]

Welcome to a new week of college football as Fall/Autumn is approaching. There are some people who prefer Summer rather than Fall. Fall is for football. Fall is the time of year when non-evergreen trees have golden leaves fall from the trees. Ladies fond of short-shorts and thong sandals (more commonly known as "flip-flops") will have to start covering up as colder times are not very far away. Fall is a magical season. For most who couldn't care less about football, it means that November isn't too far away as college basketball will start up in November. Basketball can wait. We got some college football as well as players making the grade on the field, in the classrooms, and in life. This past Saturday meant some insane upsets and big wins. Who would have thought that Mississippi State would beat Auburn at Auburn? The Bulldogs are supposed to beat Auburn in men's basketball, not football! Who would have known that Utah would creamate UCLA 44-6 and denying them a single touchdown? Duke sucks, but the Blue Devils made Northwestern look like total asses. Anything can happen. Make all the picks you want. Nothing's guaranteed. So let's start a new week. Tomorrow is a new day, and next week is a new week.



--- Last Week... ---

Michigan Starts a Winning Streak for the First Time in 2007
Michigan and Notre Dame were playing to go 1-2 this season. I think the Michigan boys think Notre Dame is overrated garbage. Michigan made a HUGE statement by beating Notre Dame and beating them in a 38-0 blank job. A beating like this should be illegal in every state. However, it's legal in Michigan against a hated school. They'll get Michigan State this week in the Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.

Kentucky is 3-0 and RANKED!
Kentucky's win over Louisville puts them into the Top 25 at #21. Maybe they were in the Top 25 at the time I typed this up (in the 12PM CDT hour), but the current AP doesn't have Kentucky ranked. I saw just about all of the game, and it was an exciting game. The Wildcats beaten Louisville for the first time since 2002. A reborn Kentucky squad will wear their white colors as they will play their first road game as they meet Arkansas. Arkansas lost at Alabama. So there's some incentive to Arkansas looking to beat Kentucky for an upset. Andre' Woodson is their most successful quarterback for the 'Cats since Tim Couch.

Louisville Falls to #16
Louisville wants to be National Champs so bad that they'll beat Kentucky like Kentucky were Duke (more on them later). But the 'Ville didn't do that? What are Louisville's colors? Red. What color usually means anger? Red. The Cardinals were disappointed they lost at their blue-clad rivals from Lexington. The loss drops them down to about #16 in the Top 25.



Top 10 of the Associated Press FBS Top 25
1. Southern California
02. Louisiana State
03. Florida
04. Oklahoma
05. West Virginia
06. California
07. Texas
08. Ohio State
09. Wisconsin
10. Penn State

* = lost game in the previous week





--- NFL Focus ---
As a note, I may start covering Monday Night Football action in my NFL Focus. Here are a few games that were played on Sunday:

Houston Meets a Potential Playofff Concenter
* Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers
Houston stumbles very early, getting scored two touchdowns on in the early stages. Kris Brown hits his 100th field goal as the Texans led 17-14 at around 2:17 left in the First Half. Amobi Okoye graduated from the University of Louisville and got his first sack of the season. I'm sure Okoye had to be ticked off that Louisville lost at Kentucky last night. It was the halftime score here. With 11:16 left in the Third Quarter, Houston gets two touchdowns- one on offense, and another on Special Teams to make it a 31-14 lead at this point. A truly reborn Houston team comes to form. Carolina got a surprise touchdown to make it 34-21 as Steve Smith evaded several gang tackles from the Texans to finally get their first points of the Second Half at 4:26 left in the game. Houston makes a number of firsts. It's the first time they start 2-0, first time winning more than three games in a row, and first win against an NFC team since 2004 at Chicago. H-Town gets Indianapolis next week at Reliant Stadium. (34-21; Houston Texans)

The Bay Area Meets the Gateway to the Midwest
* San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams
(17-16; San Francisco 49ers)

An Ohio Rivalry Becomes a Firefight
* Cincinatti Bengals at Cleveland Browns
Brady Quinn didn't start. I don't think the local product, Quinn, had one snap in this game. I wonder how Quinn felt about Notre Dame losing 38-0 on Saturday. Regardless, his team still won over the Cincy Bengals. It was basketball on grass, even since there are no NBA teams in Cincinatti. Not a lot of basketball in Cincy unless you're talking about the University of Cincinatti Bearcats or the Xavier University Musketeers. Regardless, this looked more like a basketball game than a football game. (51-45; CLEVELAND BROWNS)

Bucs Ready to Exorcise the Saints
* New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
And they did just that. They fell apart here. New Orleans had an inspired season last season with the re-opening of the Louisiana Superdome. The Saints didn't get to lead in this game as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (31-14; TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS)

Pittsburgh Rocks Some Old School Colors to Give a New School Beatin' to Buffalo
* Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh had their old colors (I like today's black and gold better). Buffalo's never beaten the Steelers at Pitt since 1975. Maybe those foul-looking (at least to me) uniforms ruined Buffalo's focus. The Pittsburgh fans cheered on Kevin Everett to return safely. (26-6; PITTSBURGH)

Brett Favre Wants to Pass John Elway for Most Wins by a Starting QB
* Green Bay Packers at New York Giants
Brett Favre passes John Elway for most wins by a starting quarterback with 149 wins. (35-13; Green Bay Packers)





John's Student Lounge{/B]

I have no real extras except that my thoughts and prayers go out to Colin McRae's family and friends. He was one of the best as well as my only motor of interest for rally racing. This is absolutely saddening.


No games take place until Thursday. Division 3 doesn't kick off until Friday this week. Reply on! If you have a Myspace account, I may start reporting my Winners and Losers in bulletins. You saw it here first, but you may see my stuff in Myspace bulletins regarding college football and my winners and losers. Visit the link in my signature and have a look. Week 4 is underway!

 

[JohnBM01]

We can wait until this week's games start. For now, I want to take a look at a school I'd like to profile. This is courtesy of one of GTPlanet's Moderators, (and someone I respect) Kent.

John's Profile School: Southeastern Louisiana University (all info courtesy of Wikipedia)
Where is the city of Hammond, Louisiana? You know it's in Southeastern Louisiana if you simply follow the name of this school. Hammond is about 55 miles north northwest of New Orleans. It can be found in the Tangipahoa Parish of Louisiana. Just go northbound on Interstate 55. It is a urban public university that competes in the Southland Conference for most of its athletics. Their colors are green and gold and are known as the Lions. This is a school that reinstated football since 2003. They play their football at Strawberry Stadium. As you seen last week, I given Southeastern Louisiana OWNAGE OF THE WEEK honors for smashing Kentucky Wesleyan open 79-7 at home.

Being part of the Southland Conference, they play against teams like McNeese State, Northwestern State, Central Arkansas, Texas State, Stephen F. Austin State University, Sam Houston State, and schools like that. Their non-football counterparts include Texas-Arlington (considering to reinstate football), Texas-San Antonio (looking to start football and maybe be in FBS in a few years), Lamar University (I was once a student there), and the awesome basketballers at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Lions have played three games so far and are 1-2. They lost 35-14 at New Mexico State and 62-0 at Kansas. This home win against the Panthers of Kentucky Wesleyan College (Division 2) is their first win as well as being undefeated at home. This Saturday, they will take on Tulane University of Conference USA. That's right. Across I-55 southbound and going east on I-10. There are not any famous alumni that I'm aware of from this school.


That would be all. Maybe I'll add some extra material in a future post.

 

[JohnBM01]

I am now looking to get PTI podcasts. As the deal goes, Northwestern's Wildcats lost at home to Duke. Michael Wilbon said that Duke played hard, but Northwestern committed too many penalties. I HAD to hear the podcast of PTI for this.

EXTRA: John Will Try to Vote for the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Week
Each week, I'll try to participate in doing the Pontiac Game Changing Performance. I'll be sure to talk about what plays I liked most. I'll try to discuss which one I picked and why.

The Pontiac Game Changing Performance is an honor given to schools after an amazing performance the previous week. $5,000 goes to the general scholarship to each winning school. One school will get $100,000 for the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year. Only recent Pontiac I care about is the Solstice and Solstice GXP. Most others... I wouldn't want to be near the other Pontiacs, especially that ugly-ass G6 GXP.

THIS WEEK'S NOMINEES:
* Ohio State's 68-yard TD pass over Washington
* Texas' 46-yd TD run clinches win at Central Florida
* Kentucky's 57-yard TD pass with 28 seconds left in Wildcat rally over Louisville
* Alabama gets a touchdown pass to beat Arkansas at home

I voted: KENTUCKY'S 57 YARD TD PASS
The way Kentucky broke down the pass coverage to find a wide-open Wildcat downfield was really amazing. If people think Kentucky's still the same basketball school that can't win a football game even if their lives depended on it... well, think again. What's the best way to start a road trip? Beat your rivals at your house. I saw a lot of the game to actually sense a change in the tide.



--- If They Played Today... ---
I'd like to introduce "If They Played Today" to talk about dream football matches if they were played today or tonight. Please note that "dream games" don't necessarily mean something like Southern California vs. Ohio State, for example. It is instead a sort of "what if?" deal regarding two different teams. Whether or not the teams are scheduled to play each other is purely coincidental. I think some of you might like this. To kick things off, I'll just pick a few teams based on some of the people who come in to read my threads and posts. So let's do this:

If They Played Today: Michigan at #16 Louisville
* Michigan {Wolverines} at #16 Louisville {Cardinals}
Michigan came off of making Notre Dame cry like babies. Louisville were saddened that their potential at National Championship glory was shattered by some boys in blue at Kentucky. Well, the 'Ville can focus on another team that believes in blue- Michigan. This would be a test of strength for Louisville as well as a measure of if Michigan really is losing it. My prediction would be that Louisville would win the game, only at a more traditional score. I'm sure that Louisville won't put up 50+ points against a team like Michigan... even how Michigan is looking this year. Considering that Ryan Mallett would start for the blue and maize, I don't know if his execution can hang with the spitfires at Louisville. PREDICTED SCORE: (35-34; Michigan)

If They Played Today: Kentucky at #7 Texas
* Kentucky {Wildcats} at #7 Texas {Longhorns}
Kentucky was on a natural high after ending their 4-year losing streak to Louisville. Let's pretend that instead of Kentucky travelling to Arkansas for SEC play... that they took on Texas at D.K.R. Memorial Stadium. It's Kentucky's flagship university vs. the flagship university of my home state. And Kentucky gets a taste of Texas. Everything from good old Texas barbeque to the fields full of cattle and other livestock. This would be a great test for Andre' Woodson and his boys. Kentucky would have a tougher schedule playing Louisville at home... then this game at Texas. Could the Wildcats top my home state's Longhorns? Well, Texas could have been upset at Central Florida's new stadium. However, they squeaked away with the win at UCF. Had this been Texas under Vince Young, Kentucky would lose 70-3 like Texas did to poor Colorado at the 2005 Big XII Championship game. I'd give a little edge to the Wildcats here. The only area of concern is if Kentucky will be composed enough and make as many smart plays as possible while trying to draw out the rowdy fans in Austin, Texas. If Kentucky can: PREDICTED SCORE: (33-31; Kentucky). But if they can't: PREDICTED SCORE: (35-20; ##7 TEXAS)

If They Played Today: #3 West Virginia at Washington
* #3 West Virginia {Mountaineers} at Washington {Huskies}
Morgantown meets Seattle. Let's say that West Virginia makes their way out to Seattle to meet the Huskies under their big man on campus- Jake Locker. Is Washington built enough to take on a power like West Virginia? Washington's still stinging after their loss to Ohio State on Saturday. The Huskies will have a tough time trying to contain both Pat White and Steve Slaton. I am hopeful that they can hang with the Mountaineers. As far as beating them? Probably isn't likely. If you couldn't take out Ohio State, West Virginia will probably be less of an uphill battle. Washington trying to beat West Virginia will seem more like making a mountain out of a molehill (no pun intended). It can be tough playing at the University of Washington and their beautiful stadium. PREDICTED SCORE: (42-28; #3 West Virginia)

If They Played Today: #2 LSU at #?? Georgia Tech
* #2 LSU {Tigers} at #?? Georgia Tech {Yellow Jackets}
Are Georgia Tech national powers? This game may be a barometer for how real Georgia Tech is. Nothing like a hot night of college football action in Atlanta. Choice for Georgia Tech is a sharp guy. He was part of that potent offense that helped run up the score and stats in their match at Notre Dame during Week 1. Could he be the game breaker that will leave Yellow Jacket fans reluctant to take down the goal posts and storm the field? Not if LSU has their way. The Tigers want a National Champion and bring Baton Rouge into uproar when LSU gets another National Championship. It could be target practice for LSU for all I know. However... PREDICTED SCORE: (35-28, OT; #?? GEORGIA TECH)


And that would be all. Check, please!

EXTRA: Could New Stadiums Trigger Possible New College Football Programs?
I'm talking about major cities playing host to college football games. Think about NFL stadiums past and present. The San Francisco 49ers will play their home games in the city of Santa Clara, CA in a few years. A new stadium is in the works on Manhattan Island(?) for a New York City NFL team rather than have the Jets and Giants call East Rutherford, NJ home field. The University of North Carolina-Charlotte is considering college football. Charlotte does have that wonderful stadium that's played host to the game nowadays called the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The University of Maryland is considered more like a Washington D.C. area place, but no real Washington D.C. schools (in FBS at least). Georgetown will need to find some sort of incentive to join FBS and find some sort of real football players who'll actually WIN games for Georgetown and not fall on their asses. San Francisco is a beautiful city, but there are no metropolitan-area schools with football since the University of San Francisco and San Francisco State University dropped their football programs. If USF (U. of San Francisco) went into the Bowl Subdivision and played at Monster Park or someplace, would there be a market for college football in San Francisco other than the Emerald Bowl at Giants Stadium? Interest would be low since this would be a small Catholic school trying to fund a full-fledged FBS team for representing metropolitan San Francisco.

So could some markets be represented with such new NFL-type stadiums? You be the judge.





--- John's Student Lounge ---
Welcome to my student lounge. You need to rest every now and then here at GTPlanet University. So let's just do some extras now.

Signs that Annoying Ads are Trying too Hard
Ever look around on sites like... I don't know... Myspace- and notice some of the stupid ads wanting you to accomplish some task and win a ringtone or something? Nowadays, all the ice melting, belly-slapping, and gorilla escaping has had some dumb additions to them. Now with some of those stupid ads, you can calculate the name of your secret lover. I don't take part in these stupid ads. It's why I have Adblock for Firefox and some blocking add-on for Opera (the browser I'm using nowadays at home). It's one bad thing about using public computers at schools and stuff- whatever you block on your home PC, you have to deal with it all over again on campus. This even includes those dumb ass ads that have smileys. You know the ones that when you roll your mouse over them and the thing says "hello!" The lame dopes who come up with these have no life and/or imagination. They want to try to simply ask for stuff that isn't part of some elaborate debate. Like for example, there was a recent ad-survey asking if you like Michael Vick. Also recently, there's a Flash deal that wants you to click on some button. It used to be the fart button (which is completely immature and absurd). Now, there's this "love button." So please... don't take part in any of these stupid ads or stupider surveys. That's why you download ad blockers.

...Which Brings Me to Something Last Week or So...
I've been thinking recently of something mentioned on "Pardon the Interruption" once. There was some sort of virtual game in which you thrown virtual baseballs at either Alex Rodriguez or Gary Sheffield. Some people just make little bullcrap games whether for Flash or for cheap thrills. Play some REAL games for a change. Try your favorite console game or even some of the Yahoo games. You know, something legit.



Thanks for reading this report. Feel free to comment on anything you like, even previews of upcoming games and such.

 

[JohnBM01]

Time to get busy. Thursday Night in college football is like Monday Night for the NFL. Tonight's match is #20 Texas A&M at Miami. Aggies look to remain unbeaten while the Hurricanes will defend their house from the maroon-clad crew from College Station. These results and more in my next report.

 

[JohnBM01]

It's time to start Week 4 action as well as look ahead to Fall. We have Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for football. The leaves will be in the process of turning brown or gold. Isn't Fall beautiful? Fall can also be hell for some teams, especially for teams that don't want to fall this weekend to any team. The marquee game for tonight is Texas A&M making a trip to Miami. But not to drive Ferraris or hit on the South Beach girls. They're there to potentially hammer the U.





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

Miami Hopes to Survive Tropical Storm Aggie
* #20 Texas A&M {Aggies} at Miami {Hurricanes}
We got a match in South Beach. We got a Big XII school up against an ACC school that was once a powerful Big East school. This is not Miami's first rodeo in a Big XII/ACC match. They did miserable against Oklahoma. Could they do better against another Big XII school? We'll find out. One has to imagine that as the Orange Bowl may near demolition, you still cannot subdue the fans that believe in The U. Do you believe in the U? Let's meet 'em. The Orange Bowl has been told to be tough to get to. Despite the fact that the Orange Bowl in Coral Gables has a sweet view of Miami, Dolphin Stadium doesn't add much in terms of an exotic locale. There was a baseball game at Dolphin Stadium where there were as many as 375 fans in the stands. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine what Miami's going to get themselves into? The Hurricanes may still end up being better than the NFL's Miami Dolphins franchise. Now let's meet some Texans. Houston's closest Big XII school is Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. The former National Champions are ready to head into Miami and move up the ranks. The maroon-colored Aggies are going to do their best to blow away the Miami Hurricanes. And that 12th Man Advantage? Well, it's not in their favor here. Let's throw down, boys and girls! Miami led 24-0 after 30 minutes of play. The game ended as Miami doubled up and embarassed Texas A&M. They blanked them for three quarters until Texas A&M got some consolation. (34-17; MIAMI) *** upset and disappointing loss ***

OFF-TOPIC
Patrick Nix's wife, Krista, was due to have her baby tonight. A joke by the ESPN commenting crew was that Miami wanted to beat Texas A&M badly and quickly so they could focus a bit more on her going into labor. I personally want to congratulate the Nix couple on giving birth to their baby boy. I wonder if the newborn can say "beatdown," because that's what Miami did.


Western Kentucky Gets Their First State of One of Their Future Sun Belt Opponents
* Western Kentucky {Hilltoppers} at Middle Tennessee State {Blue Raiders}
Here's a FoolKiller special. Western Kentucky is ready to meet their Sun Belt opponents when they begin being members of this conference in 2009. WKU brings their winning men's basketball tradition to FBS. However, don't expect WKU to be some cupcake. This was one of the best schools in (then) Division 1-AA by winning the championship in 2002. But the of-the-moment Sun Belt school is Middle Tennessee State. Murfreesboro. That's the name of the city in Tennessee where you can find MTSU. This school knows that blue is beautiful. Even their athletics programs know that blue is beautiful. So they are the Blue Raiders and ready for action. The team I talked about for most of this report is next. Western Kentucky University is situated atop a hill in Bowling Green, Kentucky. You go from the base up to the university. It's a school that has seen graduates like Romeo Crennel(?), the Muckrakers, and Nappy Roots. They call their mascot Big Red, but don't be surprised if he looks like one of the creatures Ronald McDonald hangs out with. Their mascot is lovable, but the Hilltoppers are anything but. It's your first Sun Belt test, WKU. Can you get her done against a tough Sun Belt opponent? Let's see. If Western Kentucky rocked FCS, they already fired their first shot in the air against the Sun Belt. Be warned to all Sun Belt football teams. Western Kentucky is coming and ready for takeoff. Look what they did to Middle Tennessee State. (20-17; Western Kentucky) *** big win ***





--- Division 1: Championship Subdivision Scores ---
I want to present you some black college football to start this section.

Racers Ready to Go Into Top Gear to Take Down Some Golden Fowl
* Murray State {Racers} at Tennessee Tech {Golden Eagles}
(48-24; TENNESSEE TECH)

America's Best Black College Football Team Meets Some Bears
* Morgan State {Bears} at #12 Hampton {Pirates}
You ready for some black college football? Get into the experience. We got #12 Hampton ready to make a playoff push and become the only other historically-black school to win the National Championship since Florida A&M in 1978. We got Morgan State... trying to survive or make it close. A line on Morgan State would show that they would be multiple touchdown underdogs. Let's meet Morgan State. Morgan State University can be found in Baltimore, MD. They are a team that aren't really good in football, worse in men's basketball. The Bears are going to cross a state border to take on their counterparts in VA. Welcome to Hampton, Virginia. And welcome to college football's hottest FCS black college football team. Hampton University is an extremely potent team capable of almost anything. Too bad this hasn't resulted in National Championships. The Pirates know their day is coming. The fourth quarter saw both teams tied at 17. This was more exciting than the Texas A&M/Miami game. Guess what? WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME! Hampton's touchdown meant this team would remain strong. (24-17, OT; #12 HAMPTON)


EXTRA: Better HBCU Conference - SWAC or MEAC?
Two conferences best known for black college sports are the SWAC and the MEAC. SWAC schools are usually along the Gulf Coast and include Texas and Arkansas. MEAC schools are mostly along the Atlantic coastline and include Florida A&M in Tallahassee. What's the better black college conference? I'm supportive of the SWAC because we have Texas Southern as well as my future sister-in-law being a Southern University graduate. I can likely say that I hear more about good SWAC teams than good MEAC teams. The MEAC does have three impressive schools- Hampton, Florida A&M (former National Champions), and even Bethune-Cookman. South Carolina State is a very good team as well. I'm in SWAC country, but I think the MEAC has some of the more hard-nosed competition. But of course, it's your call.





--- Division 2 Scores ---
If you chose Division 2, why not find out how they did today?

* #12 Carson-Newman at Dixie State (35-13; #12 Carson-Newman)
* West Alabama at Henderson State (38-6; HENDERSON STATE)




(no Division 3 scores)





John's Student Lounge

Ever Heard of Breaking Benjamin and "Diary of Jane?"
I admit not being a real rock music fan. You can tell me all day about groups like Plain White T's, Daughty, Sugarcult, and groups like that. I'm not a rock music guy. I do, however, have some exceptions. I played "NASCAR 07" earlier this year. Maybe my favorite song from the game's soundtrack was "Diary of Jane" by Breaking Benjamin. I was able to find a video on YouTube, then eventually on IGN with a trailer/music video featuring the Pennsylvania group known as Breaking Benjamin. "Diary of Jane" is a rock song with a number of nice guitar notes as well as some good vocals. Check out this video that features NASCAR 07 footage as well as the song itself: < http://media.music.ign.com/media/691/691015/vids_1.html >. There should be some links where you can actually download the video and check out "NASCAR 07" and "Diary of Jane" in the background. The song sounds more like a theme song before a major sporting event. I usually have an ability to paint images and scenarios in my mind as I think of how songs sound. "Diary of Jane" sounds more like a race starting on Saturday evening and will wind its way into night. Since this song is in NASCAR 07, I'm envisioning a Saturday evening race with the Coca-Cola 600, Pepsi 400, or some sort of night race about to take place.


And the Pontiac Game Changing Performance Goes To...
...Alabama's TD pass in closing seconds was the winning enty by 65%. I voted for Kentucky. They got 24%. Reason why I didn't vote for Alabama was because I didn't see all of the game and that beating a ranked Arkansas team wasn't too much of an accomplishment (no disrespect) compared to beating a Top 10 school. Kentucky's win over Louisville at home with that awesome pass play by Andre' Woodson was simply amazing. I still questioned if they went for two instead of the extra point. Kentucky probably didn't get the bonus money for two reasons: (1) more people were watching the Arkansas/Alabama game, and/or (2) most college football fans don't care about Kentucky even though Kentucky's improved. I still think Kentucky still has to improve in composure. Their only downfall is their composure. If they step up like they did against Louisville, Kentucky may actually do CSTV's Greg Amsinger proud and be SEC East or overall SEC champs.

By the way, Andre' Woodson got the AT&T ESPN All-American Player of the Week honors. His boys are ranked for the first time since 1984. How far up the ladder can Kentucky go? We'll see in the coming weeks and months.



The Friday Night match is Oklahoma at Tulsa. Is an upset abound? Find out in my next report.

 

[JohnBM01]

Tonight's FBS match pits a 3-0 Oklahoma team playing at Tulsa. Tulsa has a 2-0 record. Someone's going to remain unbeaten. Question is... who? I'll have the latest when I complete my report.

 

[JohnBM01]

Friday Night tailgate time. Some of the Gulf Coast states may be impacted by the impact of Tropical Depression 10 this weekend. You got the boys of Friday Night tearing up the high school scene. However, we got some college boys that want to duke it out on Friday so they can see some great action for Saturday. Let's get this Friday Night party started! Get a soda. Get a beer. Get some chips. Eat some leftovers. It's college football time!





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

Texas A&M Lost on the Road... Will Another Big XII Road Team Fall?
* #4 Oklahoma {Sooners} at Tulsa {Golden Hurricane}
Only 121 miles seperate Norman from Tulsa. This one is all about Oklahoma. We have a Big XII power playing at... dare I say... a mid-major. A basketball version of this game (since Tulsa isn't a good men's basketball team would be Oklahoma vs. Oral Roberts). It's not a rivalry like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, but it's an in-state match against Oklahoma's premiere university going up against Oklahoma's only non-BCS football school. Oklahoma's bound for great things. These boys wear crimson and cream and are ready to cream all the teams on their schedule... even Texas. Even Oklahomaa State. Could a Sooner stop a natural disaster from happening? Not if they don't have their way with Tulsa. The Tulsa boys wear a nice color of blue, but they gold for a reason. They want to show America that they are golden. In fact, they are the Golden Hurricane and are ready to rampage Oklahoma's season. The weather folks in Tulsa are probably predicting hurricane impacts on Oklahoma's great season. Get ready for some bad weather... that makes for a great football team. The ESPN2 crew were Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, and Bob Davie. Tulsa punched in the first touchdown. Oklahoma responded and looked to pull away as the game wore on. That pulling away led to a beatdown Tulsa will never forget. (62-21; #4 Oklahoma)





--- Division 1: Championship Subdivision Scores ---

The Explorers Are Exploring Some Sort of Way to Win Ball Games
* The College of New Jersey {Lyons} at La Salle {Explorers}
The La Salle Explorers did Philadelphia terrible as they took a heartbreaking loss to the Lyons. (13-12; The College of New Jersey)





(no Division 2 scores)





--- Division 3 Scores ---
* Widener at Rowan (41-0; ROWAN)




John's Student Lounge
I hope everyone will remain safe and content as rainy and perhaps bad weather comes forth this weekend. I also hope the two students shot at Delaware State University will be able to recover. I have a special sort of extra.

How Do You Remember or Honor a Good Friend of Yours?
Think back to some people who really touched your life in a positive way. I'm talking about friends of yours, former girlfriends/boyfriends of yours. How do you remember and honor those friends of yours who really stood out and cared for you for as long as you known them? To those of who you are in a relationship or are married... do you seem to make time to talk with your lover/spouse and remind him/her how much being with him/her means to you? Reason I'm bringing this stuff up is because there was a friend of mine who I once known at my community college four years ago. She was very friendly and respectful. We never dated or anything. But just seeing her around campus and being able to offer her kind words made me feel better inside. No better feeling in the world than knowing someone who makes you feel thankful to be alive. This can be a long-time friend, a longtime lover who you've never dated or wanted to marry, or the love of your life who you are happily married and have some great children. How do you honor people whom you love about as much as life itself? I'm single, but have known some lady friends of mine who have been very respectful and kind to me as I've been friendly and kind to them in return throughout my life. Kind of makes you want to cry some happy tears each day because someone out there really cares about you and respects you lovingly. Think about those who are usually lonely and don't know what getting to meet someone special or inspiring feels like. I just say that for some of my friends that I know personally, I'm more than thankful to have met such people in my life.



Okay. You ready for college football this weekend? Prepare the barbeque, get some of your favorite beverages, and get ready to enjoy Week 4 action. Here are some of this weekend's matches:

* Iowa at #? Wisconsin
* Penn State at Michigan
* #21 Kentucky at Arkansas
* #15(?) South Carolina at #2 LSU

Be sure to drop by when I have this report complete!

 

[Thiele]

What footy is this?, i assume it's gridiron.

 

[JohnBM01]

Yes. This is (mostly) NCAA football. Gridiron American football played by colleges and universities around America. I'll have the majority of my results in soon for this thread. This includes these quick headlines:

* Kentucky's first road test and first SEC test
* Does Michigan still own Penn State?
* Did Louisville take their losing frustrations out on Syracuse?
* Will Notre Dame go 0-4 for the first time in school history?
* A huge upset in FCS

I'll have these and more when I finish my report.

 

[JohnBM01]

Here's the final day of Summer for 2007. We're heading towards Fall. Some teams don't want to hear their school's name... and "Fall"... in the same sentence. We have potentially rough weather for the better part of the Gulf Coast States and a good amount of the Rocky Mountain states. Let's see how this Saturday played out.





Week 4: Saturday Synopsis
Tropical Depression 10 will impact most of the Gulf Coast states while there is a great chance of rain for most of the Rocky Mountains and some Pacific Coast states. A very long home-game winning streak was snapped in a Big East showdown. A number of teams played in some conference matches as they want to go into the Fall/Autumn season with a win. Hawaii and Kentucky are some of the schools ranked for the first time in a while. A massive FCS upset took place as a popular FCS team fell to a somewhat inferior FCS team. Division 2 saw a potent Top 10 team lose to a road team. And in Division 3, the Top 5 all won their games.



Geaux Tigers... or Geaux Gamecocks? (GAME OF THE WEEK)
* #15 South Carolina {Gamecocks} at #2 LSU {Tigers}
I'm choosing this one as the Game of the Week. I kind of Kent for not mentioning LSU last week. I'll do him better with this game. So we're cool, alright? Yeah. NEVER get on a Moderator's bad side. Let's see if the Bayou Bengals get her done over Steve Spurrier, who is 5-1 at Tiger Stadium. I think this is a GTPlanet battle of TwinTurbos94 (South Carolina) and Kent (LSU). South Carolina first. Steve Spurrier is 5-1 because of his days with Florida. Spurrier no longer sports blue and orange, but garnet and white. Columbia, SC is a great place to play football. However, LSU wanted to meet South Carolina in Baton Rouge. Tropical Depresison 10 may have made landfall, but that's not the only storm the Gamecocks will have to face. They'll meet the pride of Louisiana- Louisiana State University. The purple and gold kitties are ready jump all over South Carolina, eventually p*ssing off TwinTurbos94 and his beloved Gamecocks. Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson had the call for this CBS match. The Tigers made sure South Carolina be denied of any upsetting of the LSU Tigers. (28-16; #2 LOUISIANA STATE)


Louisville Couldn't Beat Kentucky, So They'll Take On Another Basketball Power
* Syracuse {Orange} at #16 Louisville {Cardinals}
You have to think Louisville's been having nightmares and wanting to crush somebody on the football field. I'm sure they had to take all the taunts from Lexington's crazies. Syracuse can't wait to get the taste of losing out of their mouths. Think of having a terrible nightmare and wanting to take your frustrations out against anything in your path (except friends and family, of course). That's how Louisville feels. They know that Papa John's has Louisville's back. They have to feel like an easy is abound as medicine came in the form of Syracuse University. ...or would that medicine be poison? Let's meet the visitors. Syracuse was once a National Champion or at least had a share of the title. You go to Syracuse to play any sport except football. The Orange usually don't mind being crushed and served for breakfast. I'm a guy who takes two chewable Vitamin C tablets along with a glass of orange juice each morning. Louisville's next. "How could Louisville lose to Kentucky? KENTUCKY, people! Come on now! You going to lose to Appalachian State next?" Okay. So Louisville lost to Kentucky last week. Not the end of the world and not the end of this season. Louisville is usually a strong team. In the past, Louisville's been Kentucky's b*tch on the football field. The 'Ville are looking to see their Cardinals fans cheer them on to win this game. I was on the road with my parents when I listened to my portable radio. I heard some shocking news. Syracuse has the worst offense in the nation, but they made beating Louisville look very easy despite this score. I can't really remember the last time Louisville lost two straight games. Pucker up... because you can kiss Louisville's 20-game home winning streak goodbye.[/B] (38-35; Syracuse) *** upset and disappointing loss ***

Louisville looks to be heading down the tubes. Maybe their powerful offense is softening as their team is losing. I'll talk about Kentucky at Arkansas later in this report.



Here are two games televised on College Sports Television. Let's find out who were the winners and losers.

One in a Row! Can Duke Continue?
* Duke {Blue Devils} at Navy {Midshipmen} (46-43; NAVY)

Houston Tries to Go 2-1 as They Meet Some Winless Rams
* Colorado State {Rams} at Houston {Cougars} (38-27; HOUSTON) <<< surprised I didn't cover Houston in detail?



Let's dial things down with an extra.

EXTRA: Pride Stickers
Look closely on the helmets of some teams. You'll notice some stickers on the back side of the helmet. More stickers, more pride. I'll cover the Georgia Bulldogs later in this report. However, I noticed the dog bones for UGA. I wanted to read online about pride stickers for football players. I learned from a USA Today article that these are to reward great performances on the football field. I learned it from this link: < http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2006-10-26-helmet-stickers_x.htm >. Ohio State has helmets usually covered in pride stickers. Talk about earning your stripes... have you earned your pride stickers yet?


Houston Nutt Can't Wait to See His Boys Upset Kentucky
* #21 Kentucky {Wildcats} at Arkansas {Razorbacks}
Kentucky's unbeaten and ranked. I mentioned last year that Arkansas was the little SEC school that could. This is Kentucky's first first road game as well as their first SEC game. So the SEC is ready to get underway like a neck-and-neck race. In fact, let's have some fun with this score. Let's pretend this game is a race. We got a crimson-colored car representing Arkansas, and a blue car representing Kentucky. The drivers? You could say Darren McFadden for Arkansas and Andre' Woodson for Kentucky. Let's meet the two schools. There are no major race tracks in Arkansas that I know of. But there were, Arkansas sure wants to beat Kentucky in a major way. The Fayetteville, AR boys have their own Indy Car in the form of Darren McFadden. The Razorbacks want to send Kentucky back to Lexington and McFadden to New York City for Heisman. They also want to show how overrated Kentucky is despite knocking off (then) #8 Louisville at home. Let's meet Kentucky now. Kentucky made sure to fill up their race cars with plenty of fuel. Maybe they were fueled 100% fuel grade ethanol, like Dario Franchitti's wife- Ashley Judd (a Kentucky alum). Kentucky's 3-0 and never looked better. The Lexington outfit were still laughing their butts off at the sight of Louisville losing last Saturday and now this one. The state of Kentucky has Kentucky Speedway with its high speed capabilities. Kentucky would love to keep their momentum going. But will people in Lexington sports bars and restaurants be making a toast... or crying when the Wildcats take on Arkansas at THEIR place? Grab some sodas. Get a beer. And let's get it on. The last time these two met was in 2003 in a wicked seven overtime game that lasted 4:56:00. If this was a race, you could say that Kentucky has had a tough time overtaking Arkansas. Kentucky a chance to pull closer, so to speak. But at the half, it's Arkansas ahead 20-14. Kentucky would actually lead heading into the 4th Quarter by a score of 21-20. However, Arkansas would retake the lead on a safety with 11:51 left in the game. Then, Kentucky lost their good karma as Arkansas returned the safety kickoff for a touchdown. Kentucky got called for an illegal block below the waist. So the touchdown stood. The 6+1 meant Arkansas now leads 29-21. It means that Kentucky needs a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to tie here. We may head into Overtime if that does happen. Maybe seven overtimes like last time! They got the touchdown, but not the two-points. So it's 7:59 left in the game as Andre' Woodson fails to cash in the two-point conversion. This is a real neck-to-neck race. Kentucky would know about neck-and-neck races with the Kentucky Derby in that state. The laps are winding down as Kentucky wants to go 4-0 for the first time in a while (or for the first time). Kentucky picked up a great touchdown to a Wildcat downfield in double coverage. As an analogy, this is like those old light gun shooting games in which you have to shoot an enemy in-between two hostages. Okay, a vulgar analogy, but good enough. Kentucky got 6+1... no. 6+2. Kentucky led the game with the TD regardless, but they now lead 35-29. And Kentucky takes the lead! Arkansas is seeing Kentucky's tail lights as they try to catch up. Kentucky lost 71-63 in 2003 in seven overtimes in their last meeting. Arkansas' drive stalled after the Wildcat touchdown. It's 2:02 left as Kentucky's motoring away. Andre Woodson is making Lexington and Radcliffe Kentucky look great right about now. Arkansas probably blown a cylinder or a header as "O' Kentucky Home" was playing in Arkansas. The Arkansas crowd aren't very happy. And I'm sure my friend, FoolKiller couldn't be any more proud to be a fan and an alum of a 4-0 football program. Coming out of the final quarter, the checkered flag flies as Kentucky motors their way to the Finish Line to improve to 4-0. They took some hard hits, but that's nothing compared to the hit Kentucky gave Arkansas in the win-loss column. (42-29; #21 Kentucky)

SIDE NOTE
Bob Davie of the ESPN crew noted that it is not a disrespect for Kentucky to be more of a basketball power than a football one. He still believes you have to be great in ALL of your sports. I think so too. Kentucky's built their amazing status in basketball. They only trail UCLA for most National Championships in basketball. Just because a team is better in basketball doesn't mean their football team can be marginally better. Not to mention that a football power can excell in basketball as well.

Kentucky wins, Louisville loses. Have to feel good if you love your Kentucky Wildcats and despise your Louisville Cardinals.


Believe in Blue... and Maize
* #10 Penn State {Nittany Lions} at Michigan {Wolverines}
First two games= beaten. Appalachian State stuns the 100,000-something people at the Big House. One game changes everything- shutting out and embarassing Notre Dame. Now they need to take down Penn State to show there's still plenty of fight left in Michigan. Penn State has plenty of fight. The Nittany Lions never afraid to mix things up against some Michigan boys. This one's going out to Joey D. I got your boys covered in this one. I heard most of this game on my portable radio. Ann Arbor has been on an emotional low as Appalachian State and Oregon came in and knocked them around some. The win against pathetic Notre Dame makes Michigan feel like they can right the ship. The Wolverines are ready to pull to an even 2-2 record. That is, if they can knock off Penn State This was not an offensive showcase, but the Wolverines got the win. Skies were sunny, and so are Michigan's coming days as they get a win streak going. (14-9; MICHIGAN) *** big win and upset ***

The Boys of Hartford Meet Some Steel City Boys
* Connecticut {Huskies} at Pittsburgh {Panthers}
I don't know too much about Pittsburgh, and even less about Hartford, CT. I do know that Max Powers wants me to report some good news about Pittsburgh beating Connecticut. I am only a messenger. So it's my job to report my findings regardless of how the final score ends up. So let's meet the teams starting with Connecticut. Connecticut may not have Emeka Okafor ditching his basketball outfit for a helmet and armor, but they do have one of the better football programs for basketball powers. Connecticut made their first bowl game a few years ago. The Huskies have a very nice looking Husky logo. Good doggie! Who cares about dogs when you have some rowdy cats made out of steel? The University of Pittsburgh would love to be National Champions again someday. If there was a playoff system, Pitt would probably be looking at creaming a bunch of jive turkeys to be champs. Pittsburgh has one of my favorite basketball arenas- the Petersen Events Center. They also have some Panthers that can't wait to hammer Connecticut. Let's see who made the trip to Home Depot to sledgehammer the other team. I tuned into this game after the Kentucky at Arkansas match. What I saw shocked me- CONNECTICUT leading Pittburgh 34-7 with 11 minutes to go. Lot of the seats at Hines Field were empty. Past 5 minutes left in the game, the Pitt boys got a touchdown and extra point. So it's 34-14. Down by 20. This was total embarassment as Pittsburgh fell on their faces. Well, better look forward to Steelers' football if the Steelers play at home this Sunday. (34-14; Connecticut) *** disappointing loss ***

I was thinking about Penn State in 1977 when they took on Kentucky. So let's go Old School here.

OLD SCHOOL: Kentucky at #4 Penn State (Class of 1977)
Kentucky picked up their first win over a Top 10 team last Saturday. The last time Kentucky got a win over a Top Ten team, it was Pennsylvania State University. I wasn't born in in 1977 (I was born in 1983). The United States of America was 201 years old. And on October 1, 1977; Kentucky hit the road to meet a #4-ranked Penn State team. Kentucky's brighest star was QB Derrick Ramsey while Penn State had Chuck Fusina and Booker Moore. In the end, the Wildcats beat the Nittany Lions 24-20 that game. By the way, Kentucky would finish the 1977 season with a 10-1 record and finished 6th in the AP Poll. Believe it or not, Kentucky would lose only to... Baylor (21-6 loss that year). Fran Curci was the coach of the Wildcats during this time. They didn't go to a Bowl Game despite being unbeaten in SEC play. I wonder what the 1977 Wildcats would say about the Kentucky Wildcats 30 years later with the kind of success they are having? I didn't know that Paul "Bear" Bryant used to coach for Kentucky, though he's better known for his success coaching Alabama. Some of my facts came from Wikipedia as well as < http://wildcatzone.com >.


Notre Dame Has to Win at Some Point
* Michigan State {Spartans} at Notre Dame {Fighting Irish}
A beautiful, sunny day greeted football fans in South Bend, IN. In over 120 or so years of UND football, the blue and gold never started 0-4. EVER. Notre Dame makes history as the Fighting Irish go 0-4 for the first time in school history. The Spartans ran away with this one. Only saving grace for Notre Dame is that they scored their first offensive touchdown of the season. (31-14; Michigan State) *** disappointing loss ***

Atlanta's Finest Meets Some Potent Cavaliers
* Georgia Tech {Yellow Jackets} and Virginia {Cavaliers}
Welcome to Virginia. Welcome to the city of Charlottesville. And welcome to this ACC match. GT and UVA are ready to get this party started. Georgia Tech is in Atlanta, GA. These boys from the "Dirty South" are ready to play dirty and fight clean. (28-23; VIRGINIA)

A Good Team Loses Badly
* North Dakota State (FCS) {Bison} at Central Michigan {Chippewas} (44-14; North Dakota State) *** disappointing loss ***

Saban Who?
* #22 Georgia at #16 Alabama (26-23, OT; #22 Georgia) *** upset ***

The Battle of Southeastern Louisiana
* Southeastern Louisiana at Tulane (35-27; TULANE)

Look up many more scores from the Football Bowl Subdivision by following this link: http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/scoreboard/1A/2007/week4





--- Division 1: Championship Subdivision Scores ---
We have a HUGE win to start off this batch of FCS scores. I'll cover a few games and then give you some other scores.

Ain't No Puppy Love Here
* #1 Appalachian State {Mountaineers} at #23 Wofford {Terriers}
Let's kick off FCS scores with this match. Appalachian State isn't high on success when they beat Michigan.
Michigan's day couldn't be any better as the Mountaineers' 17-game winning streak was snapped by Wofford. Wofford put somewhat of a whopping on Appalachian State. (42-31; #23 WOFFORD) *** #1 Seed upset!!! ***

DID YOU KNOW...
...that this loss makes Appalachian State 0-1 in conference play for 2007?


Other FCS Scores ( more at: http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/scoreboard/1AA/2007/week4 )
* Cornell at Yale (51-12; YALE)
* Bethune-Cookman at Norfolk State (38-31; NORFOLK STATE)
* Winston-Salem State at South Carolina State (20-7; SOUTH CAROLINA STATE)
* North Carolina Central at North Carolina (27-22; North Carolina Central)
* at Eastern Kentucky at Jacksonville State (31-20; EASTERN KENTUCKY)
* Richmond at Bucknell (45-14; Richmond)
* Georgetown at Holy Cross (55-0 HOLY CROSS)
* VMI at Lehigh (37-6; LEHIGH)
* North Carolina-Pembroke at Jacksonville (55-10; JACKSONVILLE) <<< UNC-Pembroke's first football season
* Robert Morris at Morehead State (9-8; Robert Morris)
* Northern Iowa at Drake (RIVALRY GAME?) (45-7; Northern Iowa)





--- Division 2 Scores ---
I'll just breeze through these scores. Maybe your team is featured. If not, visit: < http://www.d2football.com/scores/2007-09-22/ >.

* #5 Nebraska-Omaha at Augustana (36-23; #5 Nebraska-Omaha)
* #1 Grand Valley State at #25 Michigan Tech (48-6; #1 Grand Valley State)
* Lincoln at Langston (46-7; LANGSTON)
* Virginia State at Livingstone (30-7; Virginia State)
* West Georgia at #11 Newberry (64-9; #11 NEWBERRY)
* #6 Valdosta State at Arkansas Tech (28-27; #6 Valdosta State)
* #24 Missouri Western at #10 Pittsburg State (39-32; #24 Missouri Western) *** upset ***
* #20 Northwood at Ashland (54-24; ASHLAND) *** upset ***
* #2 North Dakota at Western Washington (63-42; #2 North Dakota)
* Texas A&M-Commerce at #17 Tarleton State (24-7; #17 TARLETON STATE)
* Fort Valley at Tuskegee (34-3; TUSKEGEE)
* Kutztown at Slippery Rock (45-9; SLIPPERY ROCK)





--- Division 3 Scores ---
Same deal for this one. Read on.

Division 3 Top 10 Results
* Muskingum at #1 Mount Union (62-0; #1 MOUNT UNION) <<< Mount Union College's last loss: 10/22/2005 vs. Ohio Northern
* #2 Mary-Hardin Baylor at Texas Lutheran (48-0; Mary-Hardin Baylor)
* Wisconsin-Eau Claire at #3 Wisconsin-Whitewater (27-0; #3 WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER)
* Concordia-Moorhead at #4 St. John's (of Minnesota) (52-21; ST. JOHN'S-MN)
* #6 St. John Fisher at Ithaca (37-16; #6 St. John Fisher)
* Montclair State at #7 Wesley (27-26; Montclair State) *** upset ***
* #8 Central at Loras (17-14; #8 Central)
* Hope at #9 Wheaton (42-7; #9 WHEATON)
* Heidelberg at #10 Capital (42-10; #10 CAPITAL)

Other Div. 3 Scores
* St. Olaf at Augsburg (70-31; St. Olaf)
* Eureka at Concordia (70-0; CONCORDIA) <<< Concordia of Wisconsin *** ownage ***
* Coe at Buena Vista (17-0; Coe)
* Benedictine (IL) at Concordia (IL) (21-10; CONCORDIA (OF ILLINOIS))
* Ripon at Illinois College (48-17; Ripon)
* Wooster at Case Western Reserve (30-17; CASE WESTERN RESERVE)
* Mississippi College at McMurry (47-14; Mississippi College)
* Oberlin at Washington and Jefferson (56-26; WASHINGTON AND JEFFERSON)
* Howard Payne at Texas College (33-27, OT; TEXAS COLLEGE)





--- John's Winners and Losers ---

BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE WEEK
Michigan Regains Their Stride With a Statement Win - More a big win than an upset, Michigan turned the corner as the Wolverines win a low-scoring game against the #10 Penn State Nittany Lions.

OTHER BIG WIN CONSIDERATIONS: Georgia on the road; Kentucky at Arkansas


MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK
(3-way tie) Notre Dame Goes 0-4, Louisville Loses a Football Game Against Another Basketball Power and Pittsburgh Off-Key Against Connecticut - Let me start. (1) Michigan State got the job done against Notre Dame after they failed to do so last year. Michigan State's next match is vs. Michigan. (2) Louisville's heading down the tubes after losing to Kentucky last week. Now, they can't beat Syracuse? What the bloody hell? I can't remember the last time Louisville lost successive games. (3) Pittsburgh expected and easy win, only to get beaten easily. Pittsburgh could lose to Connecticut in basketball, but this is completely sad. I'd give it to just Notre Dame, but I HAVE to mention the other two disappointing losses.


UPSET(S) OF THE WEEK (if any)
[Appalachian State] Mountaineer Nation in Shock - The black and gold of Appalachian State fell to the Wofford Terriers. This was an Appalachian State team that beat the Michigan Wolverines at the Big House in Week 1. Wofford picked up a huge win at home 42-31 against the nation's #1 FCS team. Again, I follow all four NCAA divisions of football. Don't think I'm keeping my eyes only on FBS. This was an upset of a #1 team. That's big news in ANY division of NCAA football.


OWNAGE(S) OF THE WEEK
Eureka Handed a 70-0 Beating to Concordia (of Wisconsin) - Ten touchdowns. One good team. One team sent to purgatory and obliterated. So...

Eureka = OWNED by Concordia (of Wisconsin) 70-0!





No extras this time around. I hope you enjoyed Summer 2007. Next is Fall. Week 5 thread on the way to be titled "Dawn of Fall." Stay tuned! Thanks for reading my report. Hope I didn't mess up any reports real bad...

 

[Joey D]

As always, great work on the reports John. I enjoy getting up on Sunday mornings and reading your reports from the various NCAAF the day before.

I was impressed with Ryan Mallet's performance as the Wolverine's QB yesterday, in just one week I've seen an improvement. I don't really want Henne to come back because this kid is impressing me that much. I mean being a freshman right out of high school and getting throwing into the ring with a whole other caliber of player and actually performing well is quite a feat. I look forward to the future to see what becomes of Mallet, I think Michigan did a very smart thing by recruiting him

 

[TwinTurbos94]

I'm Glad Miami and Florida won, though UF had their first "close call of the year". But that's going to happend with this awsome conference called the SEC.This also prooved that If Miami has a good year They are going to be a front runner next year.


South Carolina Is still a team to watch. I seriously think they are going to break the top 10 this year and get their highest ranking in school history.

 

[JohnBM01]

Thanks for the love, Joey D. I'm still preparing the introduction for next week's games. So I'm just in here to see what kind of feedback I'm getting. Congratulations to your Wolverines. Glad my reports can be of enjoyment. Maybe since I'm not stat-crazy and completely casual, I'm able to provide a more unique aspect to scores.

Glad you enjoyed my material. I only cover as many teams as I can. Week 5 thread on the way!

 

[FoolKiller]

Louisville Couldn't Beat Kentucky, So They'll Take On Another Basketball Power
* Syracuse {Orange} at #16 Louisville {Cardinals}
You have to think Louisville's been having nightmares and wanting to crush somebody on the football field. I'm sure they had to take all the taunts from Lexington's crazies. Syracuse can't wait to get the taste of losing out of their mouths. Think of having a terrible nightmare and wanting to take your frustrations out against anything in your path (except friends and family, of course). That's how Louisville feels. They know that Papa John's has Louisville's back. They have to feel like an easy is abound as medicine came in the form of Syracuse University. ...or would that medicine be poison? Let's meet the visitors. Syracuse was once a National Champion or at least had a share of the title. You go to Syracuse to play any sport except football. The Orange usually don't mind being crushed and served for breakfast. I'm a guy who takes two chewable Vitamin C tablets along with a glass of orange juice each morning. Louisville's next. "How could Louisville lose to Kentucky? KENTUCKY, people! Come on now! You going to lose to Appalachian State next?" Okay. So Louisville lost to Kentucky last week. Not the end of the world and not the end of this season. Louisville is usually a strong team. In the past, Louisville's been Kentucky's b*tch on the football field. The 'Ville are looking to see their Cardinals fans cheer them on to win this game. I was on the road with my parents when I listened to my portable radio. I heard some shocking news. Syracuse has the worst offense in the nation, but they made beating Louisville look very easy despite this score. I can't really remember the last time Louisville lost two straight games. Pucker up... because you can kiss Louisville's 20-game home winning streak goodbye.[/B] (38-35; Syracuse) *** upset and disappointing loss ***

Louisville looks to be heading down the tubes. Maybe their powerful offense is softening as their team is losing. I'll talk about Kentucky at Arkansas later in this report.

Watching this game, Louisville players didn't even look like they cared. It was a sad performance at best. Maybe all the stories that Kragthorpe just doesn't push and work up his players are true. From what I saw, even when a punter kicked the ball, maybe ten yards, and then walked back to the sideline, ball bouncing back past his feet, Kragthorpe said some stuff and then just let it go. Someone needs to motivate Louisville and from what I can see it isn't being done.

Houston Nutt Can't Wait to See His Boys Upset Kentucky
* #21 Kentucky {Wildcats} at Arkansas {Razorbacks}
Kentucky's unbeaten and ranked. I mentioned last year that Arkansas was the little SEC school that could. This is Kentucky's first first road game as well as their first SEC game. So the SEC is ready to get underway like a neck-and-neck race. In fact, let's have some fun with this score. Let's pretend this game is a race. We got a crimson-colored car representing Arkansas, and a blue car representing Kentucky. The drivers? You could say Darren McFadden for Arkansas and Andre' Woodson for Kentucky. Let's meet the two schools. There are no major race tracks in Arkansas that I know of. But there were, Arkansas sure wants to beat Kentucky in a major way. The Fayetteville, AR boys have their own Indy Car in the form of Darren McFadden. The Razorbacks want to send Kentucky back to Lexington and McFadden to New York City for Heisman. They also want to show how overrated Kentucky is despite knocking off (then) #8 Louisville at home. Let's meet Kentucky now. Kentucky made sure to fill up their race cars with plenty of fuel. Maybe they were fueled 100% fuel grade ethanol, like Dario Franchitti's wife- Ashley Judd (a Kentucky alum). Kentucky's 3-0 and never looked better. The Lexington outfit were still laughing their butts off at the sight of Louisville losing last Saturday and now this one. The state of Kentucky has Kentucky Speedway with its high speed capabilities. Kentucky would love to keep their momentum going. But will people in Lexington sports bars and restaurants be making a toast... or crying when the Wildcats take on Arkansas at THEIR place? Grab some sodas. Get a beer. And let's get it on. The last time these two met was in 2003 in a wicked seven overtime game that lasted 4:56:00. If this was a race, you could say that Kentucky has had a tough time overtaking Arkansas. Kentucky a chance to pull closer, so to speak. But at the half, it's Arkansas ahead 20-14. Kentucky would actually lead heading into the 4th Quarter by a score of 21-20. However, Arkansas would retake the lead on a safety with 11:51 left in the game. Then, Kentucky lost their good karma as Arkansas returned the safety kickoff for a touchdown. Kentucky got called for an illegal block below the waist. So the touchdown stood. The 6+1 meant Arkansas now leads 29-21. It means that Kentucky needs a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to tie here. We may head into Overtime if that does happen. Maybe seven overtimes like last time! They got the touchdown, but not the two-points. So it's 7:59 left in the game as Andre' Woodson fails to cash in the two-point conversion. This is a real neck-to-neck race. Kentucky would know about neck-and-neck races with the Kentucky Derby in that state. The laps are winding down as Kentucky wants to go 4-0 for the first time in a while (or for the first time). Kentucky picked up a great touchdown to a Wildcat downfield in double coverage. As an analogy, this is like those old light gun shooting games in which you have to shoot an enemy in-between two hostages. Okay, a vulgar analogy, but good enough. Kentucky got 6+1... no. 6+2. Kentucky led the game with the TD regardless, but they now lead 35-29. And Kentucky takes the lead! Arkansas is seeing Kentucky's tail lights as they try to catch up. Kentucky lost 71-63 in 2003 in seven overtimes in their last meeting. Arkansas' drive stalled after the Wildcat touchdown. It's 2:02 left as Kentucky's motoring away. Andre Woodson is making Lexington and Radcliffe Kentucky look great right about now. Arkansas probably blown a cylinder or a header as "O' Kentucky Home" was playing in Arkansas. The Arkansas crowd aren't very happy. And I'm sure my friend, FoolKiller couldn't be any more proud to be a fan and an alum of a 4-0 football program. Coming out of the final quarter, the checkered flag flies as Kentucky motors their way to the Finish Line to improve to 4-0. They took some hard hits, but that's nothing compared to the hit Kentucky gave Arkansas in the win-loss column. (42-29; #21 Kentucky)

GO BIG BLUE!!!​

Well, I would like to thank Arkansas for keeping Kentucky in this game. In that fourth quarter every time I thought we were finished they would get a penalty and give us a first down.

One thing about this game; I watched it at my brother's house. My brother does not watch sports. He didn't know Kentucky beat Louisville until Monday. With Kentucky down by 8 and 11:50 on teh clock my brother says, "It's all over." When I say there is plenty of time he attempted to argue. This only seconds after I had to explain what a safety was to him. Then even after Keenan Burton makes that amazing catch in double coverage my brother asks me to show statistics of how many people come back in teh last quarter. That was when I told him to quit watching because he had become an anoyance. I suggested he go to Kentucky's Women's Football Seminar.


Anyway, it is a great time to be a wildcat fan. I actually heard a Louisvilel fan say, "Well, at least basketball is around the corner." I have been saying that every yar since I started watching football and this year I nearly missed my chance to get tickets to Big Blue Madness because I wasn't paying attention to basketball news.

I am guessing that Kentucky will have 8 wins in the regular season, 9 if they stay healthy, and 10 or less if they can really turn it on.

Speaking of healthy, Kentucky was down to their fourth string running back, a freshman named Locke. He cut up Arkansas's defense like he was a pro. He wasn't as good as McFadden, but he did not play like a guy who didn't expect to play that day. His entrance into the game was so unexpecetd that after his first posession they then put air into his pads, because they hadn't done it yet.

That was beautiful and I now have very bright hopes for this kid in two or three years.