College Football 2007 - Week 6: Full Throttle (Sep 30 - Oct 6)

[JohnBM01]

It's the final day of September as we work our way into the first weekend of October. This week is called "Full Throttle." It's a week in which I start somewhat of a new tradition. I'll focus on Formula SAE as well as all your favorite college football matches.

Introduction
College football can be like racing. Think of a great amount of teams all competing to be part of the Top 25. About 119 teams comprise the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA football. Only 25 can be among the best of them all. There is no playoff (at least, not yet) in the NCAA's highest division, but there are a number of teams looking to upstage the higher teams in making magic happen. Just like in competitive motorsports, every team will suffer their own setbacks and even get some damage done to their seasons. The biggest and brightest hope for the aforementioned teams is to make that run to be a winner. Meanwhile, the Top 25 are treating football like it's a race around Talladega or Daytona. All the teams are hoping to make that stretch run to stay in the hunt. Just like Daytona or Talladega, however, you can never rule out the possibilities of "The Big One" happening. The Big One in NASCAR is when one car gets crashed or wrecked... then collects several other cars with that one unfortunate car. Some teams in the race for supremacy in the NCAA are having their garden variety of struggles. But is the race for dominance in the NCAA like a NASCAR oval? Absolutely not. It seems more like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only so few of the aforementioned teams can be the dominators in LMP1. You may have some LMP2's ready to take on the big dogs. Everyone else? More like privateers and GT entries. The race is never over. If you're using Le Mans as a reference, you could say that we are heading towards 4AM- halfway through a wild season.



--- Last Week... ---

Judgement Week
Look at what South Florida started. Their upset of West Virginia means that plenty of teams could be on upset alert. Likely so, many teams were. A handful of upsets and big wins occured in all four divisions of NCAA football. I had a tough time picking out which upset would be the biggest of the week. So what I did was hand out upset honors to South Florida not only because it was the first upset of the week, but it was because West Virginia were all out to make a potential National Championship run. It was a tough time picking an upset.

Tears Falling from Notre Dame's Eyes as They Fail to Win Again
Notre Dame sucks, but not THIS bad. Even Duke won a game this season. Notre Dame is one of the winningest college football programs in history, and you know it has to be utter disappointment when one of the nation's winningest programs can't even land a "W" in the win-loss column. The Fighting Irish are absolutely terrible this season. Michigan's turned the corner; Notre Dame has yet to. They are by far one of the most disappointing teams this season. Their next three opponents are UCLA, Boston College, and their rivalry game against Southern California.

Texas Was Due for Defeat
I got nothing against Texas. This team just hasn't been dominating like when Vince Young was under center. The Longhorns were upset by Kansas State. But to me, this was just a disappointing loss the way Kansas State dominated Texas in Austin.

New Standard Set by Andre' Woodson
Radcliffe, KY's Andre' Woodson went over 325 pass plays without being picked off. The streak ended at 325 as Woodson made a bad throw to a Florida Atlantic defender. Granted the Owls are MUCH better than their Miami counterparts at Florida International University, the Wildcats still got it done when they had to. Later in this report, find out how high up Kentucky got ranked in the latest AP Top 25 polls.

LSU is New #1 Team
Think the University of Southern California are overrated pieces of trash? Your wish has been granted, especially if you're an SEC fan. The AP rankings are on the way later in this report. The Tigers routed their in-state opponets at Tulane. The voters may have thought that Southern California should have easily beaten Washington. Either way, LSU's #1. Who could beat LSU in football's toughest collegiate conference? We'll see as the weeks and months.





AP FBS Top 25 (as of 1:55 PM CDT)
01 - Louisiana State*
02 - Southern California*
03 - California*
04 - Ohio State*
05 - Wisconsin*
06 - South Florida*
07 - Boston College*
08 - Kentucky*
09 - Florida
10 - Oklahoma
11 - South Carolina
12 - Georgia
13 - West Virginia
14 - Oregon
15 - Virginia Tech
16 - Hawaii*
17 - Missouri*
18 - Arizona State*
19 - Texas
20 - Cincinatti*
21 - Rutgers
22 - Clemson
23 - Purdue
24 - Kansas State
25 - Nebraska

* = currently unbeaten





If They Played Today: #1 Mount Union (Div. 3) vs. #1 Grand Valley State (Div. 2)
Pretend Mount Union and Grand Valley State played each other. The Purple Raiders of the Ohio-based Mount Union College would head north to meet Michigan's Grand Valley State in Division 2. The Lakers of GVSU are a sensational team. If Grand Valley State could, they could play in Division 1 if they wanted to. These are two of the winningest programs in the NCAA. Both schools have long winning streaks. But let's say these two meet each other in a regular season game. I usually have games as being at a certain school. However, let's make this a neutral-site game. Who would win? If you ask me, Mount Union could upset Grand Valley State. This is a lower-division version of 2005 USCal vs. 2005 Texas. This game could go either way, but I think Mount Union could pull an upset. Is it possible that two #1's from two different divisions could collide and put on an impressive game? You bet. I think Mount Union would pull the upset. But again, this could go either way. (42-35, OT; #1 Mount Union)





EXTRA: How Do You Like Endzones Decorated in Checkers?
This is my motorsports-inspired week of college football. Some endzones to some schools have checkered displays. Even my user-created team in EA Sports' NCAA Football series has a checkered endzone in my traditional blue and gold colors. Just like in motorsports, your main goal is to cross the finish line in P1. You have to admit- it's pretty cool to rush your way into the end zone for the touchdown. It's pretty cool because you're your own race car if you're rushing or carrying out a wonderful pass play. It's also pretty cool that you could run into the endzone that has a checkered design to it. I think some checkered designs are in other sports as well. I can best remember checkered designs around something like with the University of Tennessee's basketball court that has checkered designs around where the two basketball goals are. Some people would probably argue that checkers are better made for sporting venues rather than Vans' slip-on sneakers (as well as knock-offs of the popular Vans sneakers which I don't particularly like anyways. I'm not a skate or rock person as I usually associate these shoes with these two subcultures).





NFL Focus

Matt Schaub Returns Home to Atlanta... but in Different Colors
* Houston Texans at Atlanta Falcons
This was sad for me because Houston had a chance to bring it down to seven points... but the Texans shanked a 20+ field goal kick on the left hash as the Texans lost to the Falcons. I was pretty ticked off that the Texans couldn't cash in that field goal when the really needed it. Even worse, it's in a domed stadium. I'm not critical of kickers, but he has to be a playmaker when his team needs him. It was a terrible loss for Houston. On the bright side, Bobby Petrino picks up his first NFL win in the regular season. (26-16; ATLANTA FALCONS)

Rams Got Their Own Heads Butted in Dallas
* St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys
The St. Louis Rams are 0-4 as they picked up only one touchdown. Tony Romo and his Cowboys made five touchdowns. St. Louis is 0-4 while Dallas is 4-0. (35-7; DALLAS COWBOYS)

Brett Favre Looks to Make History
* Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
And Favre did just that. The Green Bay Packers knocked off Minnesota. The Vikings only accounted for 16 poinst as Green Bay bettered them by only a touchdown. So not only do the University of Minnesota lose at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the Vikings do too. Ouch. Brett Favre now has 58,705 passing yards. His next target is Dan Marino's 61,361 career passing yards. He may just become the Michael Schumacher (in terms of success) of the NFL. (23-16; Green Bay Packers)

Detroit Wants to Make Chicago Irrelevant
The Detroit Lions set an NFL record for most 4th Quarter points as they knocked off the Chicago Bears at lovely Ford Field. (37-27; DETROIT LIONS)

Other NFL Scores...
* New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (17-14; BUFFALO BILLS)
* Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins (35-17; Oakland Raiders) <<< Miami Dolphins winless; next game at Houston





--- John's Student Lounge ---

Lewis Hamilton Wins Japanese Grand Prix
Call it boring because of pounding rain, mist, and time behind the pace car. At least the teams still soldiered on since F1 cars can race through such terrible conditions (unlike some American motorsport that enjoys putting themselves over Formula One despite the fact F1 cars are more advanced and faster and race on much better tracks). It was a race that was all mist, rain, wet tires, and more. Absolutely terrible weather on a terribly-modified Fuji. Th e facilities looked great, but Herman Tilke didn't have to screw up the original character of the Fuji track.

Craig Biggio Plays Final Game
I couldn't care about Major League Baseball because my Astros were well out of the playoff race. They had a terrible season. However, Houston's 20-year veteran, Craig Biggio, played his final game as he will retire this season as well as knocking in 3,060 hits in his career. He's appeared in six playoff season appearances as well as the magical 2005 World Series run that they got blanked in the series sweep. This has been one of the best seasons for the Astros as Biggio has had an amazing season. I saw the game in which he landed hit #3,000. In the heat of the moment, Biggio tried to make it a double, but got called out as he was tagged. He finishes with 3,060 hits and the admiration of his loving fans for the more than 20 years serving our Houston Astros. Been with the team since he wore the classic rainbow uniforms for the Houston Astros all the way up to the Brick Red colors of the Houston Astros. The New York state native been a GREAT service for our team. Him and Jeff Bagwell combined as two of the key components of the "Killer B's" that made up my hometown MLB team. It would have been much better if the Astros made the playoffs and had another inspired run. As far as the final game for the 'Stros, they beat Atlanta 3-0.





Time to start a new week. You want to help make this thread happen?

 

[JohnBM01]

Here are some other ranking results. Pick the division of your choice:

* http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/scoreboard/1AA (FCS)
* http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/polls/polls/divii-afca (Division 2)
* http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/polls/polls/diviii-afca (Division 3)

I may have a report on a sad incident at the University of Memphis involving an on-campus shooting that has classes cancelled there.

 

[JohnBM01]

Let's take a look at some of the upcoming matches because this week will see football start on Tuesday. I'll only mention the FBS matches between Tuesday and Friday. So here they are:

Tuesday
* Memphis at Marshall

Wednesday
* Rice at Southern Mississippi

Thursday
* Kentucky at South Carolina

Friday
* Utah at Louisville





Now, I have a tragedy to report.

Taylor Bradford (21; DL, Memphis) Shot and Killed
I'm sad to report that Taylor Bradford was shot and killed on Sunday night. As a precaution, classes were cancelled at the University of Memphis. The Tigers aren't having one of their better seasons, and it's only going to get worse because they will be without the services of the Defensive Lineman. Despite this huge loss for Memphis, they will play their game against Marshall. Strangely enough, they'll have to play on the road for a Tuesday night game at Marshall University. Bradford was shot in his body. He was a resident of Nashville, TN. Before his tour of duty in Memphis, he played two seasons for Samford University in FCS in the state of Alabama. Reports indicate the shooter could have been a current or former teammate that specifically targeted Taylor Bradford. He was 21 years old.



It leads me to this:

EXTRA: How Safe Are Students?
The Virginia Tech massacre claimed the lives of about 32 students including the assailant taking his own life. There had been shootings at campuses like Delaware State University, St. John's University in New York City, and now the University of Memphis. Gun violence on campuses can't be completely averted. However, you can do as much as you can to limit these from becoming habit. Something scary I seem to notice in rough events like these pertain to just how much a trend seems to unfold. Or let's look at a much less fatal sort of trendsetter. There was that Pistons/Pacers brawl back in 2004(?) in the Detroit area. The rivalry game against Clemson and South Carolina ended up in an on-field brawl. So the really scary thing about all this has to do with the kind of "monkey see, monkey do" attitude. How safe are schools from this kind of shooting violence? About as safe as schools try to make the place safe. You can never be absolutely sure how safe, but schools can certainly do their best to protect the lives of students and faculty alike. I just hope safety and protection are improved across the board for every school in times like these.





Well, let's get back to business. Memphis will meet Marshall on the road as the Tigers will play with heavy hearts.

 

[FoolKiller]

AP FBS Top 25 (as of 1:55 PM CDT)
01 - Louisiana State*
02 - Southern California*
03 - California*
04 - Ohio State*
05 - Wisconsin*
06 - South Florida*
07 - Boston College*
08 - Kentucky*
09 - Florida
10 - Oklahoma

* = currently unbeaten

I never thought I would see that. The question is: does defeating Florida Atlantic really earn us a spot in the top ten? We will find out this week.

On Rich Brooks' call-in show this week someone asked when Kentucky football was ranked higher than basketball, the assumption being the basketball team won't be in the top ten preseason, and the answer from both Coach Brooks and the host, Tom Leach, was, "I don't know."

Thursday
* Kentucky at South Carolina

The excitement is building. Steve Spurier was talking trash in the preseason saying that he thought they were pretty good to beat Clemson, then Kentucky did it. Now he says we are a dangerous team with a threatening offense. When Steve Spurier makes his comments Coach Brooks just laughs along. They are old buddies from when Brooks was an assistant on the 49ers team that Spurier played for. The question is: Who will be laughing Thursday night?

I believe two keys will win this game for the cats.

1) Time of Possession - Our offense must wear down the defense. We have great running backs, and three will be healthy. Run it down their throats and where them out or any hope of making up mistakes will be shot. We can't make a fourth quarter comeback against this defense if they are rested.

2) Defense - Get the ball back to the offense as much as possible and stop SC from scoring. If we don't have to make a comeback we don't need to worry about their defense as much. Our defense has improved game after game and it is time they showed they are a top ten defense.

What I want to see: Derrick Locke as a kick/punt returner. He has national high school track records and he can run a 40 easily under 4.5. He showed Arkansas that their tough defensive line could be split as easily as paper. I want him to show the fans in Columbia what kind of time he can run 100yds in.

EXTRA: How Safe Are Students?
The Virginia Tech massacre claimed the lives of about 32 students including the assailant taking his own life. There had been shootings at campuses like Delaware State University, St. John's University in New York City, and now the University of Memphis. Gun violence on campuses can't be completely averted. However, you can do as much as you can to limit these from becoming habit. Something scary I seem to notice in rough events like these pertain to just how much a trend seems to unfold. Or let's look at a much less fatal sort of trendsetter. There was that Pistons/Pacers brawl back in 2004(?) in the Detroit area. The rivalry game against Clemson and South Carolina ended up in an on-field brawl. So the really scary thing about all this has to do with the kind of "monkey see, monkey do" attitude. How safe are schools from this kind of shooting violence? About as safe as schools try to make the place safe. You can never be absolutely sure how safe, but schools can certainly do their best to protect the lives of students and faculty alike. I just hope safety and protection are improved across the board for every school in times like these.

One has to look at college campuses. Kentucky has over 35,000 students and faculty. I live in Frankfort, KY with a population of around 15,000. Frankfort has more violent crime and shootings than a dozen college campuses which places the ratio much higher, but no one is freaking out.

The media coverage is increasing much more than the violence. 30 years a go a guy went into a water tower in Texas with a gun to wait for the switch between classes. These things have been happening for years. The problem is what the media reports. A random crime, like a student getting shot during a mugging (happened while I was at UK) doesn't get reported. These crimes are predictable and avoidable. I walked home at night all the time but I always used main streets with lights and sidewalks. I knew where to avoid. A crazy kid shooting classmates in broad daylight is not predictable and avoidable. Then again, neither is a man that kills his family and then himself. Murder suicides happen daily and many of them are due to the same kind of snapping that happened at West Virginia. Why don't those get news coverage for a month? Because they happen a lot. I bet if we added it up and compared the numbers you would find that students are safer in school than at home.

Are students safe? Yes.

 

[JohnBM01]

There will be a moment of silence before tonight's game with Memphis at Marshall. I believe in some sort of motivation to win when something like this. Imagine losing one of your team's best players... then the rest of the team wins the game, or at least tries to keep the game close in a losing effort. It doesn't happen all the time, but I have that sort of fairytale inspiration. It makes coaches happy in ANY sport when backup and replacement players still get the job done even in the abscence of more potent players.

So having said this, it's time to see if Memphis can win at Marshall. FBS action begins tonight, FCS action begins this Thursday, Division 2 action takes place Wednesday, and Division 3 action takes place this Friday. Come back to this thread for results of the Memphis/Marshall match.

 

[JohnBM01]

Tuesday Night Football! Tuesday Night Lights! I may seem festive, but there is a much different feeling for tonight's game.

NOTE: I apologize for mismatching who the Home Team is and who the Away Team is.





Memphis Will Play for Taylor Bradford
* Marshall {Thundering Herd} at Memphis {Tigers}
No mortal lives forever. I can attest to how it feels when one of your best friends or teammates get killed. Memphis is far removed from when a player by the name of DeAngelo Hall was running the ball up and down the field taking Memphis to victory. Now, Graceland is looking more like Disgraceland, especially with a once-potent team that's now pretty much a pathetic joke. You have to hand out some respect for Memphis since this will be their third game in 11 days. I've devoted this week to a motorsports influence. So what do you do when a season isn't going well and still room for improvement? You motor on like there's still hope. For both Memphis and Marshall, these are two teams that are struggling with badly-set cars as they try to push ahead to have a great season. Think of a Formula One car on three wheels and needs to head to the pits to try to have a strong finish. That's Memphis. One of the wheels Memphis lost was Taylor Bradford. The Tigers still have a healthy engine and a potent driver lineup. What needs to happen is for Memphis to simply motor along and make the most of this seemingly bleak season. Marshall, on the other hand, are a team that's experienced plenty of gremlins as they are the Notre Dame of Conference USA- winless. The boys from Huntington, West Virginia traveled to Southwestern Tennessee. The Thundering Herd are a bunch of thunderstorms that have yet to scare anybody. Memphis had a blowout lead that was blown in a New York Mets moment over the weekend. So maybe Memphis is the team for Marshall to pick up win #1. A moment of silence was given before this game even got off of the ground. Memphis came out in their special all-blue colors in which Memphis' Reflex Blue on their jerseys and their pants. Blue is beautiful. Memphis blue is bright and radiant, unlike their season so far. Memphis couldn't find the endzone. They even had a beautiful long pass that was dropped. So only team that found pay dirt was Marshall. But even that touchdown wasn't enough as Memphis led 9-7 at the half. Memphis would get themselves quite a surge even after Marshall takes her to the house. Memphis now leads 17-14 heading into the 4th Quarter. First drive of the Fourth Quarter, Memphis makes it home and cashes in the extra point. Memphis is now rocking Graceland at the Liberty Bowl. Memphis just pulls together and likely dedicated this win to the loving memory of Taylor Bradford. It's a real big win even though Marshall is a completely inferior team. (24-21; MEMPHIS) *** big win ***

DID YOU KNOW...
...that Memphis has carried the following names before being the University of Memphis: West Tenneessee State, Memphis State College, Memphis State University... all eventually leading to the University of Memphis in 1994?



EXTRA: Losing Someone to Violence
Allow me to confess to what it's like to lose a friend or a teammate. I've known a friend of mine named Raul Mendoza. He was a very likeable guy at my high school as well as a very respected person. He was one of my fellow alums to my high school (called the Middle College for Technology Careers @ Texas Southern University). It wasn't until last year in March or April when I learned that as many as four men attacked Raul and killed him. The day after, I felt completely at a loss. You lose a best friend that you've known and loved for as long as you known him/her, you're going to be pretty damn upset that someone killed or badly injured your best friend. This could even involve family members and lovers being killed or attacked. And a friend of yours IS familiy, especially if you are very close to him/her. I even contacted friends of mine in my Myspace network talking about the life and times of Raul. The thing I kept saying- he was a hell of a man. A good friend of mine. Part of my senior class for my Class of 2001. We had only 15 seniors in my high school graduating class, and he was one of the pure standouts. I was 15th out of 15 seniors (yet Most Improved Student), I think he was 6th out 15. It can hurt like hell losing a very loved person to the violent actions of some other guilty party. There's nothing you can do to revive a loved one. An experience like this is a mix of sadness and anger. Sad he/she is gone, angry at the ones who committed the killing. Even more so if it's a former friend of yours or a current good friend of yours that takes out one of your other best friends. Life can be difficult.





(no FCS games reported)





(no Division 2 games reported)





(no Division 3 games reported)





Kentucky = Overrated?
Is Kentucky ranked too high? They are #8 in the nation at this point under the leadership of Andre' Woodson. And I can pretty much say that Kentucky's amazing performance last season basically saved Rich Brooks' ass. Are they #8 in the nation? Here's a highlight that flows through my mind at times thinking about Kentucky this season:

(crowd cheering) "...Andre' Woodson has a man WIDE OPEN! TOUCHDOWN!" - Louisville at Kentucky in Week 3; ESPN Classic

A lot of people who know Kentucky probably believe Kentucky is highly overrated. For those who say that, they did what they couldn't do in four years- beat Louisville. Louisville wanted a National Championship, and Kentucky slammed them to the ground like a spinebuster from "Double-A" Arn Anderson, Triple H, or Batista. There's still some work for the Wildcats, but they are showing great promise. They are trying to show America that they are more than a basketball school. The popular line I'm using is that Andre' Woodson has to be the field general, and his troops (his teammates) have to execute the plays as scripted by Commander Rich Brooks. Some are saying Kentucky can be #8... and no higher. But I'll tell you this. If Kentucky beats Florida and LSU, they are going to be much higher. Maybe a Top 5 team. Are they ranked too high?

This Saturday's game will be a conflict between two my loyal fans- FoolKiller with Kentucky, and TwinTurbos94 with South Carolina. The last little friendly rivalry was in the basketball forums when FoolKiller's Wildcats took on my hometown Houston Cougars. The 'Cats pounded my hometown's favorite breed of felines all the way to a lackluster season for the Cougars which was supposed to be their all-out attempt to make the NCAA tournament. My beloved Cougars ended up losing the C-USA men's tournament game against Memphis' basketball team. So we'll see how the FoolKiller/TwinTurbos94 matchup goes with their two favorite teams.



EXTRA: If Notre Dame Actually Finishes Winless, Who's to Blame?
Notre Dame has its worst start in a century and lots of change. Pretend Notre Dame finishes this season 0-12. Who's going to be fully responsible? The players for not producing? The coach for not being the enforcer of the team? Or simply a lackluster season? Everyone is due to struggle no matter how dominant on is. Maybe since this is Notre Dame everyone's expecting Notre Dame to probably make the postseason or be extremely close... just to fail to make the postseason. I have been comparing this year's Notre Dame to last year's Colorado. I'd like to believe Notre Dame is having a seriously bad start. But it will seem more like the players would be to blame if Notre Dame goes winless.




--- John's Student Lounge ---

A Strange Fellow I Met Today
Okay. Some of you might be irked about this. So let me tell you this story. I had a very early dismissal from my Art History Class around 11:20 AM CDT. I was just taking a little walking break when I went to one of the men's bathrooms at my community college. When I headed in there to wash out this drink bottle I've had, I think I and some other guy were about to go in when I saw something strange. There was someone that I thought was a lady. This mystery person has flowing blonde hair, a gren T-shirt, some average blue jeans, and some white sneakers with some kind of lavender or off-pink accents. I was thinking that this was a girl that didn't know she was in the men's bathroom. Turns out, he was a guy! He was even combing his long hair (I'll admit. For a guy, he has some nice, flowing, long hair). His face was a little feminine, but still manly. I'm 6'0". He was taller than me by maybe 3 to 6 inches. I got to ask for his name and everything. Before I left him, I said this: "I'm sorry that I confused you for some cute SoCal girl!" So I'm like... yep. I've seen everything now. Any of you came across a guy who looks a lot like a girl, believed that guy was a girl... all to find out he really is a guy? What about confusing girls for guys and paying the price?

Dario Franchitti Wants to Make His Mark in NASCAR
David Stremme will be replaced by Dario Franchitti. The beloved Scot signed a multi-year agreement to Chip Ganassi's NASCAR program. I will say this. Dario is a GREAT race car driver. I wish him all the best.

NASCAR Nationwide Grand National Series?
Close sources report that Nationwide Insurance could become the new title sponsor of NASCAR's Grand National Series. For more than 20 years, the Busch brewing company has been the titlebearer of NASCAR's Grand National Series, which is typically the gateway into Nextel Cup. I'm not sure what the name of the series will be like. Hopefully, more information will be provided soon.





That would be all. This motorsports-inspired week of scores will continue with action from Divisions FBS and 2. We have a black college football match on Wednesday with one of the best in Division 2 black colleges- Tuskegee. I believe they'll take on Johnson C. Smith. Meanwhile, more Conference USA action will take place on Wednesday as Houston, TX's Rice University will go out and play the defending C-USA East Champs, the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. I'll also have Division 2 highlights. Thank you for reading.

 

[FoolKiller]

Kentucky = Overrated?
Is Kentucky ranked too high? They are #8 in the nation at this point under the leadership of Andre' Woodson. And I can pretty much say that Kentucky's amazing performance last season basically saved Rich Brooks' ass. Are they #8 in the nation? Here's a highlight that flows through my mind at times thinking about Kentucky this season:

I know I said that I don't think the Florida Atlantic win earned Kentucky the #8 spot and I stick by that. I think they are there as the eighth of the unbeaten teams. We are the lowest ranked unbeaten team. That is the only reason we are in the top ten. If three other teams had remained unbeaten then we would be #11.

Now, do I think that we are #8? Yes. We are good. I have not seen anything to make me think they aren't good. Their biggest weakness is a habit of taking 10 minutes to really get their head in the game. Their ability to overcome this I credit completely to Coach Rich Brooks. He gets on them and gets them motivated. The problem is that we have the number one team in the nation next week and that slow start is all it takes to get killed.

Speaking of Coach Brooks; he agrees with my assessment of the ranking. On his call-in show Monday night he said that he wasn't sure if we deserved #8 and that this week's game against South Carolina will prove if we are actually #8 or not. I agree with this. If we lose before facing LSU and Florida we will drop down the rankings nearly as quick as Louisville did. The voters in the polls can't deny an unbeaten team a rank after five games, but the fact that they ranked us lowest of the unbeaten teams says they don't think we will sustain it.

To use your racing analogy; our machine has been shown to be well built and it has allowed us to get into the front of the pack, but now that we are there our driver has to really show his skills to stay there. We are at the point where we find out if we can run against the Schumachers, Franchittis, and Earnhardts. Right now we look like Danica Patrick, where no one will deny that we are good, but there are a lot of questions as to whether we can do any better. Like Danica, the only way to silence the questions will be to win.

This Saturday's Thursday's game will be a conflict between two my loyal fans- FoolKiller with Kentucky, and TwinTurbos94 with South Carolina. The last little friendly rivalry was in the basketball forums when FoolKiller's Wildcats took on my hometown Houston Cougars. The 'Cats pounded my hometown's favorite breed of felines all the way to a lackluster season for the Cougars which was supposed to be their all-out attempt to make the NCAA tournament. My beloved Cougars ended up losing the C-USA men's tournament game against Memphis' basketball team. So we'll see how the FoolKiller/TwinTurbos94 matchup goes with their two favorite teams.

Fixed the day for ya.

Twin, My fantasy team beat yours and now my college team will do the same. And I am hoping for the same point spread: 27.

A Strange Fellow I Met Today
Okay. Some of you might be irked about this. So let me tell you this story. I had a very early dismissal from my Art History Class around 11:20 AM CDT. I was just taking a little walking break when I went to one of the men's bathrooms at my community college. When I headed in there to wash out this drink bottle I've had, I think I and some other guy were about to go in when I saw something strange. There was someone that I thought was a lady. This mystery person has flowing blonde hair, a gren T-shirt, some average blue jeans, and some white sneakers with some kind of lavender or off-pink accents. I was thinking that this was a girl that didn't know she was in the men's bathroom. Turns out, he was a guy! He was even combing his long hair (I'll admit. For a guy, he has some nice, flowing, long hair). His face was a little feminine, but still manly. I'm 6'0". He was taller than me by maybe 3 to 6 inches. I got to ask for his name and everything. Before I left him, I said this: "I'm sorry that I confused you for some cute SoCal girl!" So I'm like... yep. I've seen everything now. Any of you came across a guy who looks a lot like a girl, believed that guy was a girl... all to find out he really is a guy? What about confusing girls for guys and paying the price?

You can't always be smooth, but your beer should be.


I've occasionally made the mistake, but I never got myself in a situation where I found myself embarrassed because of it. I always wait to see the face first.

 

[JohnBM01]

Thanks for correcting me. This little FoolKiller vs. TwinTurbos94 deal will kind of add some spice to offering scores. Your favorite team vs. someone else's favorite team. This will really help perhaps bring more people to my threads as I report on who won.

We got action for Divisions FBS and Division 2. I'll have those results in my next report.

 

[JohnBM01]

You know guys? I'm very sorry. There was supposed to be a game between Johnson C. Smith at Shaw in Division 2. My best guess is probably the game was cancelled for bad weather. So I will not have that score for you in this report. What I WANT to do is touch up on Wednesday night's match. So here you go:





--- Division 1: Bowl Subdivision ---

One Team Will See Daylight After Weeks of Darkness
* Rice {Owls} at Southern Mississippi {Golden Eagles}
This is the second-successive night of Conference USA action. This involves two struggling teams. As the brother of a Houston graduate, Rice stinks naturally. Southern Mississippi is having some injury troubles. The winner of this game will be the one who simply doesn't fall apart like a badly-made car. Rice brought their jalopies to Hattiesburg, MS to meet Southern Mississippi. Rice is definitely southern as they are 0-4 heading into this match. The Owls need to pump out some extra ponies to beat a supercharged Southern Mississippi. Southern Miss, however, has lost some of its power steering. The Hattiesburg boys hope they didn't blow a header as they stand at 2-2. The Golden Eagles look ready to take down Rice. So who's going hard and who's going home? Rice actually blew out Southern Mississippi. And despite the fact that USM made it real close, it just wasn't enough. (31-29; Rice)





(no FCS games reported)





(no Division 2 games reported)





(no Division 3 games reported)





Well... tomorrow night is Thursday night- kind of like Monday Night Football- college style. Tomorrow night's match is FoolKiller's Kentucky Wildcats playing at TwinTurbos94's South Carolina Gamecocks. It's going to be a little GTPlanet rivalry among some of my loyal readers. FoolKiller's confident his boys will win on Thursday night. We heard from the Kentucky boy. Care to counterattack, TwinTurbos94? Go ahead. Tell Kentucky how (or why) South Carolina will beat the 5-0 Wildcats. Of course, keep it clean with this friendly rivalry.

 

[JohnBM01]

The weekend is here... unless you're taking weekend classes. It's college football the way you love it. We got three matches in three different divisions. The marquee match for tonight is Kentucky at South Carolina. Today marks 50-year anniversary of Sputnik I's launch. I say it's time we launch some college football. You down? Then let's go!





--- Division 1: Bowl Subdivision Scores ---
Conference USA had their ESPN fun. Now it's the SEC's turn with two dark horses.

Can Kentucky Be 6-0 for the First Time Since 1950? Or Will South Carolina Overrate Kentucky?
* #8 Kentucky {Wildcats} at #11 South Carolina {Gamecocks} --- FoolKiller vs. TwinTurbos94 ---
We got a major sportscar race taking place in Georgia this Saturday. In the meanwhile, we have an SEC battle in Columbia, SC. This match is a Top 15 battle where America will get to see Kentucky on college football's version of Monday Night Football- Thursday night. Here is a battle that's more like the Audi R10 TDI (Kentucky) going up against the Porsche RS Spyder (South Carolina). The race for the SEC East is truly on. So let's meet South Carolina first. The University of South Carolina is running great. The Columbia, SC outfit is ready to take out a big dog. If anything, the Gamecocks are more like the Porsche RS Spyder in the ALMS- potent, full of energy, and capable of great things. They look ready to tell Kentucky how overrated they are to be ranked #8. Beat Florida Atlantic and elevate your position? Keep in mind that we had a whole bunch of upsets on Saturday. About 5 teams in the Top 11 were knocked off last week. Let's meet Kentucky. The Lexington, KY outfit is more like an Audi R10 TDI. Unlike the Audi's troubles this season, Kentucky's been (to the surprise of cynics) winning. That's right. Football. Kentucky has yet to overshoot a corner on their way to 6-0. The Wildcats are wild enough to be 6-0 for the first time since 1950. It's been over 57 years since Kentucky's been this hot. However, South Carolina has owned Kentucky since 1999. Who'll win this race? It's SEC action. It's FoolKiller's Wildcats playing at TwinTurbos94's Gamecocks. Let's get it on.

* South Carolina dictated the pace early with a touchdown on a Kentucky turnover. The 6+1 was money, so Columbia's favorite birds are up 7-0. The two teams traded field goals starting with Kentucky and then South Carolina. It's 10-3 after one quarter. * Kentucky cashed in a touchdown a bit early in the second quarter. Woodson was picked off in the endzone. He doesn't get picked much- this is only his second interception. If Kentucky was on fire, South Carolina put them out mercifully. Both teams now share a 5-1 record. Looks like TwinTurbos94's boys won this one. (38-23; #12 SOUTH CAROLINA) *** upset! ***

SIDE NOTE
Kentucky wants you to believe in blue. South Carolina wants you to "believe, acheive, and be cocky." ...doesn't go right, don't you think? I'm sure cockiness isn't a class offered at South Carolina.

MY THOUGHTS...
For Kentucky... Your team got off to a smokin' hot start. Unless you were incredibly favored to win or feel like this game would be a piece of cake, you all have nothing to be ashamed of. You all played hard... just didn't win. It's the SEC. Kentucky's schedule doesn't look very good the next two games. Just stay focused and don't give in or feel like a magical season has come to an end. Not every lower-tier BCS team can be the 2004 Utah Utes or the 2004 Auburn Tigers as far as a magical season sustained. I still think Kentucky's going to a Bowl Game. They may just make a January bowl if they can keep the pressure going and win at all costs. And for FoolKiller? Sorry I couldn't report any good news from this game. Again, I'm only a messenger.
For South Carolina... Congratulations. You beaten a highly-favored Kentucky team. You would probably say overrated by them being #8 in the standings. But keep in mind- you fought a much more talented and focused Kentucky team. You took on a potential Heisman QB and took out that field general and his troops. Now you get to take on North Carolina next. Then Vanderbilt... then Tennessee. And for TwinTurbos94? Looks like your boys won. Congratulations.






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

Killer Hornets on a Swarm
* Bethune-Cookman {Wildcats} at #20 Delaware State {Hornets}
Kentucky and South Carolina are beating each other's brains out. So let's see what these HBCU's are up to. I didn't know that Bethune-Cookman has since changed its name from Bethune-Cookman College to Bethune-Cookman University. Regardless, the Delaware State Hornets still took down the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats hard. (24-10; #20 DELAWARE STATE)

Two Breeds of Fowl Will Clash
* Tennessee-Martin {Skyhawks} at Jacksonville State {Gamecocks}
(27-24; JACKSONVILLE STATE) <<< Jacksonville in Alabama





--- Division 2 Scores ---

Black College Football Battle Between Border States
* Kentucky State {Thoroughbreds} at Lane {}
My little registry of college teams doesn't have either Kentucky State or Lane College. I do know that these are two black college football teams ready to go at it. It's Kentucky State meeting Tennessee's Lane College in this SIAC match. This is a match between two teams that just HATE each other. Let's meet Lane College first. Lane College can be found in Jackson, TN. I know this because Jacoby Jones of the NFL's Houston Texans was an overlooked player from Division 2. He's one hell of a runner (and I hope he can start against the Miami Dolphins this weekend). Lane College is looking for one heck of a win. The Dragons of Lane College will meet some boys from up north. They'll be wearing their home blue and white. Meanwhile, Kentucky State's coming to town. Kentucky State is based in the Bluegrass State's capital of Frankfort. Frankfort, Kentucky made the trip down to Jackson to uh... slap around the boys in blue and white. Kentucky State has beaten Lane College the past four years Kentucky State is the Bluegrass State, but these guys wear green, gold, and white. The Thorobreds are ready to stampede all over Lane College like they've done before. Lane College is 3-1 overall, and Kentucky State is 1-5 overall. Who'll win this SIAC match? Let's find out. The Dragons finally beaten Kentucky State after the Thorobreds had their number for the past four years. (35-24; LANE)

SIDE NOTE
Murray State of FCS call themselves the Racers. One of their other nicknames is the Throughbreds. I incorrectly inputed "Panthers" as their mascot. I believe Kentucky Wesleyan College (which FoolKiller dislikes) is known as the Panthers.

* West Georgia at Harding (49-31; HARDING)
* Central Oklahoma at East Central (24-21; Central Oklahoma)





(no Division 3 scores)





Sorry to all of you. I was getting tired while I was covereing some scores. Well, Kentucky got upset by South Carolina. Will Utah upstage Louisville? That will be tonight's match as the Mountain West meets the Big East. Friday results coming up whenever I make them available. So stay tuned!

 

[FoolKiller]

Can Kentucky Be 6-0 for the First Time Since 1950? Or Will South Carolina Overrate Kentucky?
* #8 Kentucky {Wildcats} at #11 South Carolina {Gamecocks} --- FoolKiller vs. TwinTurbos94 ---

<snip>

* South Carolina dictated the pace early with a touchdown on a Kentucky turnover. The 6+1 was money, so Columbia's favorite birds are up 7-0. The two teams traded field goals starting with Kentucky and then South Carolina. It's 10-3 after one quarter. * Kentucky cashed in a touchdown a bit early in the second quarter. Woodson was picked off in the endzone. He doesn't get picked much- this is only his second interception. If Kentucky was on fire, South Carolina put them out mercifully. Both teams now share a 5-1 record. Looks like TwinTurbos94's boys won this one. (38-23; #12 SOUTH CAROLINA) *** upset! ***

I am giving SCs win to the fans and and Coach Spurrier. Every time Kentucky adjusted to match his tactics he would readjust and it would take Kentucky another couple of possessions to get back in the game. Then the SC fans just made it hard on our offense. Woodson keeps looking, to me, like Peyton Manning, calling audibles every other play and pointing out coverage to his linemen. But when you are away from home and the crowd is loud not everyone hears your audibles clearly, then the timing is off, positioning isn't where it should be, and blocks get missed. These things lead to turnovers, which is exactly what killed Kentucky. Take away those two defensive TDs on fumble recoveries and you have a one point game. Then take away the poorly timed pass intercepted at the goal line and Kentucky wins by 6. Then take away Little's wide open run that ended in a fumbled hand off and Kentucky wins by 13.

The fans won this one for South Carolina. Kentucky never gave up, but the hostile territory kept them from being able to hold it together.


Was it an upset? That depends. If you go by rankings, yes. But in the pre-game radio show they said that the spread was 3 1/2 points in favor of South Carolina. So, it depends on who you ask was favored.

SIDE NOTE
Kentucky wants you to believe in blue. South Carolina wants you to "believe, acheive, and be cocky." ...doesn't go right, don't you think? I'm sure cockiness isn't a class offered at South Carolina.

You know, for all of Steve Spurrier's jabs in the off season year after year (Hey he's allowed. He was assistant to Bill Curry at UK), he showed himself to be a true gentleman last night in the last possession of the game. They had run the ball down to the two yard line, burning the clock, and once the refs spotted the ball there were 17 seconds left on the clock. The South Carolina players were wanting to go for one more score, just to be cocky. Steve Spurrier looked at the clock and then waved them off in a true show of sportsmanship. He was shaking Rich Brooks' hand as the clock ran out instead of risking injury to his players just to put points on the board in an attempt to embarrass Kentucky.

And for FoolKiller? Sorry I couldn't report any good news from this game. Again, I'm only a messenger.

In Sparta all men are responsible for the words that come from their mouths, even a messenger.

You took on a potential Heisman QB and took out that field general and his troops. Now you get to take on North Carolina next. Then Vanderbilt... then Tennessee.

Wait a tic. What's with this cupcake schedule for the next three games? Let me look at Kentucky's next three games: LSU, Florida, and then we get a break with Mississippi State. The month of October is a hard month for Kentucky.

I hope that Kentucky gets fired up from this loss to put a bruising on LSU at home. And while I never want a player to get hurt, maybe LSU taking just enough of a beating from Florida tomorrow to not be playing at full capacity. You know, a few bad bruises that leave them sore or unable to practice fully.

 

[Studentdriver]

John, the reason we want to "believe, achieve, and be cocky" is because that's the name of our mascot.

I'm in the marching band here at USC (sadly did not get on TV last night) and I would agree with FoolKiller that the crowd was a big factor. I'm amazed at how loud Williams-Brice Stadium can get considering it's a pro-style stadium rather than a bowl stadium.

 

[JohnBM01]

Tomorrow is the Petit Le Mans. On a weekend where we'll see one of the finest sportscar races in the world, a whole bunch of teams will get ready to play. This week is my motorsports contribution, so a number of teams will all be chasing for the checkered flag in some decisive games. Before we get to some of Saturday's games, it's Friday Night Lights- college style.





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

Laugh Now... But Cry Later?
* Utah {Utes} at Louisville {Cardinals}
Louisville fans probably tuned in to last night's Kentucky/South Carolina match. Louisville's proud Kentucky lost. However, Louisville has to meet Utah. Maybe people around Lexington will hope Louisville pay for laughing at Kentucky's loss in South Carolina last night. Louisville and Kentucky. Can they EVER get along? Anyhow, let's meet these two. Utah is the race car that had to have been serviced several times. They are 2-3 trying to outrun Louisville. The Utes' biggest fear is to have Louisville run the Salt Lake City, UT school out of Louisville. Here's the home team. Louisville isn't the capital of Kentucky, but it is the capital of horse racing in the Bluegrass State. It's where you'll get to see the Kentucky Derby as well as a variety of other sporting events. Louisville has some Louisville Sluggers for sale. Just too bad there aren't too many sluggers for the Cardinals as they have been downgraded severely. Louisville took a serious crash when Kentucky beat them in the Battle of the Bluegrass. They saw the Governor's Cup go to the Lexington outfit. Along with that loss, they'd lose to Syracuse the week after. Let's see who wins this encounter. Rev 'em up, and let's burn rubber. Utah was leading 14-0 after one quarter. They even led 21-0 until Louisville hit paydirt. Utah had four touchdowns to end the first half, but missed the PAT on the fourth TD. So it's 27-7 to end the first half of play. This was a high-scoring game. However, the result is different. You could say that Utah gave Louisville a taste of their high-scoring/blowout medicine. I bet Louisville hated the taste of that as well as this loss. (44-35; Utah) *** big win ***





(no FCS Games Reported)





--- Division 2 Scores ---
Check your rear view mirrors. You got a Division 2 score coming at you!

* Southern Connecticut at Assumption (33-17; Southern Connecticut)





--- Division 3 Scores ---
We got an upset. Check it out!

* New Jersey at #19 Rowan (10-7; The College of New Jersey) *** upset! *** <<< TCNJ are 4-1 and unbeaten (2-0) in the NJAC (New Jersey Athletic Conference)(?). Their only loss was to Muhlenberg in a 15-0 shutout on Week 1.





John's Student Lounge

A Note on Saturday's Scores
I'm semi-committed to both Petit Le Mans and college football. I always say that motorsports are my favorite sports before any traditional sports. My love of racing is about as much as college football. Remember that I became a football fan in 2002 when the Houston Texans started their first season. So it isn't like I'm uncommitted. I'm just not going to be able to see a lot of games (except for the NASCAR break).

Game of the Week: #9 Florida at #1 Louisiana State
I will name this as the Game of the Week because this is a true hard-nosed conference. Some say it's not the best conference in America. Some say this isn't the deepest of conferences. One thing's for DAMN sure- these two teams will duke it out in the double-tough SEC conference. You're going to see some fireworks as Florida tries to knock off the #1 team in the land- LSU.

Almost Time to Hoop it Up!
A lot of colleges and universities are getting ready for a little Midnight Madness. As of the date of this post, most have already started. The schools involved in these events include both football and non-football schools. For those of you who only care about football, some non-football schools that are quite good on the hardwood include Gonzaga, Saint Joseph's, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Winthrop, Marquette (1977 men's national champs),

Motorsports Week: Formula SAE Links
Let's talk Formula SAE a bit. It's fitting since we are talking about college sports, namely college football. I'll use this time to talk about a few schools that have Formula SAE programs. I'll show off a few links for tonight's scores. Then for Saturday, I hope to talk about Formula SAE competition from some of the completed races. And of course, show off some more FSAE programs. So here are some links to some schools that participate in Formula SAE:

* University of California: http://fsae.berkeley.edu/ (I've always been fond of California's Blue and Gold. That is, if not West Virginia or even Marquette)
* Louisville: http://louisville.edu/speed/rso/sae/fsae/
* Utah: http://www.mech.utah.edu/fsae/index.html

Don't worry if I didn't include your favorite school. I'll get on some of the more popular (at least on GTPlanet) schools mentioned in my Saturday report. Maybe even some international (meaning non-American. May show some Canadian love or even talk about Helsinki Polytechnical). I may also talk about the results of FSAE competition from this year. I'll even let you know what American schools succeeded. This is one week where I really get to mix things up and have people share their love of college football as well as racing. So check in on Saturday to see what other material I may come up with.



The big match tonight is in Baton Rouge, LA. We got #9 Florida at #1 Louisiana State. I usually call Urban Meyer a magician. Well, can he pull some magic on the road with his Gators? Find out tomorrow!

 

[JohnBM01]

It's about time for some football on Petit Le Mans weekend. Get those engines revved up because college football is coming your way in full song. Last week was an upset-packed week. So let's see who will win the games served up for tonight. This is my motorsports tribute to college football, so expect to see some motorsports themes in my reports.

I was unfortunately unable to view as much of the ALMS race at Petit Le Mans as I would like. Still, I will carry motorsports themes for my scores.


Saturday Synopsis - Week 6
An unlikely upset occured in Los Angeles along with a huge win in a Los Angeles suburb for FBS. FCS saw a previously-unbeaten team taste defeat. The bitter taste would be felt for several more teams in addition. Divisions 2 and 3 saw all Top 5 teams for both divisions escape cleanly to end this week. The key for this week lied in conference play. Some rivalries took place among conference games including the Red River Shootout and the Battle for the Governor's Cup in Kansas.





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

Florida's Ready to Take Down Some Louisiana Kittens (GAME OF THE WEEK)
* #9 Florida {Gators} at #1 LSU {Tigers}
This is our game of the week. The battleground will be Louisiana State University as Florida's ready to come in and slap around the #1 team in the nation. Florida slapped them around long enough until the Tigers took the lead late in the game and led for good the rest of the way. The closing moments were absolutely tense as LSU improves to 6-0 for the first time since 1973. (28-24; #1 LOUISIANA STATE)


LSU's been ranked the #1 team in the nation. The Versus Network labeled another team as #1 in the nation. Maybe they got the memo that LSU's the #1 team in the nation. That team VS. ranked at #1 without looking at the latest polls would happen to be...

--- Los Angeles Double ---

Los Angeles Double: These Men of Troy Rule Los Angeles
* Stanford {Cardinal} at #2 USCal {Trojans}
Time to go play football. Kicking off my double of college football in the greater Los Angeles area is Stanford meeting the University of Southern California. One team is a pathetic joke while the other has seen some Heisman talent go on to the NFL and did pretty well (especially recently). Two teams ready to go at it. USCal is purely the

Late in the game, Stanford pulled in a touchdown, and the Versus announce crew accidentally said, "TOUCHDOWN USC!" Then corrected it with "Stanford Touchdown." Believe it or not, I was somewhat hoping for an upset because I do believe in close games and even picking some upsets whenever they are available. I had a devilish eye for an upset... and got it! Nobody wants to lose to Stanford, but unfortunately, USCal suffers their first home loss since September 29, 2001. Versus thinks USCal is Number 1. So to them, this is a #1 upset. To many others (especially SEC types), this overrates USCal severely. (24-23; Stanford) *** upset! ***

Los Angeles Double: Win a Game! Can Notre Dame Finally Turn the Corner?
* Notre Dame {Fighting Irish} at UCLA {Bruins}
UCLA's taken some beating and banging, but they still remain a fairly decent team. Notre Dame's Fighting Irish put the Bruins hard into the outside wall. Winless no more. (20-6; Notre Dame) *** big win ***


So if you do the math... BOTH Los Angeles schools lose! Only way it would be three schools is if Loyola Marymount still had a football team and play in FBS. USCal, UCLA, and Loyola Marymount are Los Angeles' three Division 1 schools.

-end "Los Angeles Double"



Here are two Big XII rivalries now.

No Bigger Than This Big XII Rivalry- Two Teams Seperated by the Red River
* #10 Oklahoma {Sooners} vs. #19 Texas {Longhorns} --- RIVALRY GAME: Red River Shootout --- (28-21; #10 Oklahoma)

PERSONAL NOTE
I hope this remains a neutral site game. It's much more intense when it's decided on neutral ground.


The College Football State Championship of Kansas
* Kansas at #24 Kansas State {Wildcats} --- RIVALRY GAME: Battle for the [Kansas] Governor's Cup --- (30-24; Kansas) *** upset! and disappointing loss ***

DID YOU KNOW...
...that Kansas is 5-0 with this win?



Houston Wants to Meet Rice Next Week With a Win in Tuscaloosa
* Houston {Cougars} at Alabama {Crimson Tide}
Lee Corso had Alabama on Upset Alert. The Crimson Tide weren't buying that as they took care of the Houston Cougars. I knew Houston couldn't pull this off. I knew Houston wouldn't win this game. I wasn't expecting it to be this close. This win for Alabama looked as close as the 2006 Indy 500. (30-24; ALABAMA)

The Butch Davis Bowl in Chapel Hill
* Miami {Hurricanes} at North Carolina {Tar Heels}
One is a football school. The other is a basketball school. Let 'em go at it. And we will. The Orange Bowl may be nearing demolition, but Miami hopes their season isn't demolished as they head into Chapel Hill. The Hurricanes aren't their usual selves lately. They usually win big games and extend long winning streaks. This Miami team will head out to Chapel Hill to take out North Carolina. North Carolina's blue crew are the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels egded out the Hurricanes and made Miami pay for coming up to Chapel Hill talkin' all that bull. You dig? (33-27; NORTH CAROLINA)



--- Big Ten Tailgate ---
Here is a pack of Big Ten games, or at least involving other Big Ten teams. We start with a big upset.

Madison's Lovable Rodents Meets Some Upstarts from Champaign
* Wisconsin {Badgers} at Illinois {Fighting Illini}
It's the dougiemeats special. Speaking of meat, Illinois would love taking Wisconsin to the meat grinder. In light of my motorsports week, both of these teams have Formula SAE programs. The Madison, WI boys represent the University of Wisconsin. The Badgers seem to be ready to make a big postseason appearance. Part of that postseason appearance relies on beating the big teams in the Big Ten. One of the newer ones is Illinois. The University of Illinois has a long name of "The University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign." I usually think of the non-football school known as the University of Illinois-Chicago as far as other University of Illinois schools. Illinois is 4-1 thanks to the Fighting Illini who stay in intense dogfights. Ron Zook took his Florida experience to Champaign and took down a Big Ten power. (31-26; ILLINOIS) *** upset! ***

Ohio State Keeps on Keeping On
* #4 Ohio State {Buckeyes} at Purdue {Boilermakers}
What's up, Columbus? It's time I talk about your Ohio State boys. So let's get it. THE Ohio State University can be found in Ohio's capital of Columbus. These boys are looking quite nice. The Buckeyes can do amazing things on the football field. They have to look down the other end of the field to meet Purdue. Purdue University can be found in West Lafayette, IN. Kyle Orton was the guy who made Purdue relevant in recent times. Now, the Boilermakers are ready to throw a haymaker at Ohio State and derail Ohio State from the catbird seat. Nice try, Purdue. Try again next time. (23-7; #4 Ohio State)

I Bet You Don't Know What Team is 5-1 Right Now
* Minnesota {Golden Gophers} at Indiana {Hoosiers}
Two schools with unique nicknames are ready to go at it. Think of this like a drag racing match. You know... you stage in one lane while the guy (or girl) in the other lane is doing the same. But when the staging lights go to green, you better make sure to take off forcefully and don't red light. Minnesota and Indiana are ready for a 60-minute thrill ride. Minnesota used to be one of the proudest Big Ten football schools. Now, the only Division 1 football school in the state of Minnesota are looking to get Minneapolis on their feet... as the Minneapolis faithful hope for positive tidings. Gophers are usually good at diggging holes into the ground. The Golden Gophers are in a foxhole with steep sides. They'll need to go to Bloomington, IN to meet some boys who are under the radar. Indiana University is off to an under-the-radar 4-1 start. The Hoosiers can go 5-1 and leave Minnesota in the dust. Indiana improves to 5-1 and may well be on their way to a Bowl Game. That is... unless they have a New York Mets or 1970s' Philadelphia Phillies collapse. (40-20; INDIANA)

Fading Back in the Pack... Iowa Tries to Hang On
* Iowa {Hawkeyes} at Penn State {Nittany Lions}
You have to love it when Joe Paterno coaches up his boys in Happy Valley. People are saying that both of these team are real disappointments this season, especially Iowa. So let's see who'll win this one. Iowa City, Iowa is home to the University of Iowa. It's also home of a potent team that's pretty much been reduced to a Big Ten cupcake. They aren't Mississippi State or Stanford- just a once-great team that's having a rough season. Perhaps a Hawkeyes' win on the road will help ease the tensions. Disallowing a win are the Penn State University kitties. Penn State are looking at a 3-2 record as the Nittany Lions look to top their conference opponents. The spread was 20 as the Nittany Lions kept up the great work. Iowa is in need of a serious pit stop. (27-7; PENN STATE)

OFF-TOPIC
Ever wonder what the Nittany in "Nittany Lions" is about? Find out by checking out this Wikipedia entry: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nittany >.


"I Am Wolverine. I am Meeting Perhaps the Worst Team in my Home State."
* Eastern Michigan {Eagles} at Michigan {Wolverines}
How about a game of "Who Am I?" Answers will follow from this Big Ten Network game. Who am I? "I am the school that suffered two early setbacks, but has since averted danger and played quality football- the way we are." I would be Michigan. One would think that losses against Appalachian State and Oregon (both at home) would mean that Michigan's heading down the tubes. The breakthrough for the Wolverines came when they knocked off an also-winless Notre Dame team. Now let's meet their opponents who'll be locked into the Big House. Who am I? "I'm usually the worst football team in FBS in the state of Michigan. We are known by a type of fowl and can get hammered by two schools representing different parts of Michigan." I would be Eastern Michigan, and I would be hating that I'm taking a trip to the Big House. The Eagles have to stay focused and try not to get mauled by Big Blue. In the end, Michigan wins in unimpressive fashion, but a win is a win nonetheless. Multiples of 11 produced the scoring margin. (33-22; MICHIGAN)

The Other Big Ten Michigan School Involved in a Firefight
* Northwestern {Wildcats} at Michigan State {Spartans}
From Ann Arbor to East Lansing. The Midwest is known in racing circles for their sprint car racing on short tracks and dirt ovals. You could say this was a wheel-to-wheel battle in East Lansing. Northwestern University can be found in Evanston, IL and overlooking Lake Michigan. Evanston is a suburb of Chicago. The Wildcats of Northwestern are ready to get wild alright. They'll have to find their way into East Lansing to meet the Michigan State crew. Michigan State University wears green and white. They are an army of Spartans who don't want to be trojan horsed by Northwestern. Unfortunately for Michigan State, Northwestern State picks up a big win in knocking off Michigan State on the road. (48-41, OT; Northwestern)

-end "Big Ten Tailgate"


Other FBS Scores...
* #13 West Virginia at Syracuse (55-14; #13 West Virginia)
* #12 Georgia at Tennessee (35-14; TENNESSEE) *** upset! and disappointing loss ***
* #6 South Florida at Florida Atlantic (35-23; )
* Arizona at Oregon State (31-16; OREGON STATE)
* Alabama-Birmingham at Mississippi State (30-13; MISSISSIPPI STATE)
* North Carolina State at Florida State (27-10; FLORIDA STATE)
* Fresno State at Nevada (49-41; Fresno State)
* Tulane at Army (20-17, OT; ) <<< Army is now 3-3 *** disappointing loss ***
* Iowa State at Texas Tech (42-17; TEXAS TECH)
* #25 Nebraska at #17 Missouri (41-6; #17 MISSOURI)
* UNLV at Air Force (31-14; AIR FORCE) <<< at the Wings Over Houston Air Show; I'm devoting this one to the USAF





--- Division 1: Championship Subdivision ---
I have two Louisiana matches lined up to start off FCS scores. Check them out.

Hammond, Louisiana Ready to Take Flight in Southland Conference Play
* Stephen F. Austin State {Lumberjacks} at Southeastern Louisiana {Lions}
I'll give Kent some credit here in my motorsport-inspired week. Hammond, LA is the place to be for this match. SLU picked up OWNAGE OF THE WEEK honors earlier this season. Let's see if they can give Stephen F. Austin something to cry about. Stephen F. Austin are all ready for some all-out action. The boys from Nachodoches, TX are in gear and ready to take the green flag. The Lumberjacks want a great start in Southland Conference play. Guess what? So does Southeast Louisiana. The Hammond, LA outfit is north of Lake Ponchetrain, and looking to be north of their competition in the Southland Conference. I don't know too much about motorsports in Louisiana, but I do know there are some Lions there that can be tough to handle. Kind of like giving a kid a Formula One car to go around Monaco. Speaking of tough to handle, Stephen F. Austin couldn't take

Southern University Looks to Remain Unbeaten
* Alabama A&M {Bulldogs} at Southern {Jaguars}
Staying in Louisiana, we now go to Baton Rouge. It's black college football by two of the best college football teams in the SWAC. I usually consider Alabama A&M as the best HBCU in the SWAC conference. These boys from the Magic City of Birmingham, AL look ready to trade paint with Southern University. Let me advise you that I'm talking about Southern University in Baton Rouge, not Southern University in New Orleans. The Jaguars that Southern loves are more like the XJ-R9s that won Le Mans in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Unfortunately, Southern's win streak has been snapped at the hands of the awesome HBCU school known only as Alabama A&M. They are the SWAC's version of Hampton. (33-2?; Alabama A&M) *** big win ***



Bison Ready to Pound Some More Jive Turkeys
* California-Davis {Aggies} at North Dakota State {Bison}
You don't hear much about the Dakotas. The Dakotas do have two Division 1 schools that are going to play. North Dakota State are a bunch of hard-charging and enduring players. The Bison have been taking down teams this season like the Audi R8's domination in sportscar racing. California-Davis are going to have a rough time. The Aggies are their own hard-chargers, but not as impressive. North Dakota State was unbeaten last week. They remain unbeaten. 5-0! The guy who praised NDSU should be smiling from ear to ear with this win. Ear-to-ear smile... kind of like those Meez models on meez.com. (35-16; NORTH DAKOTA STATE)

Can the Eagles Whack Some Hares?
* South Dakota State {Jackrabbits} at Georgia Southern {Eagles}
Georgia Southern will meet South Dakota State. South Dakota State is the least impressive of the two Dakota schools in FCS. The Jackrabbits aren't too bright in taking on their opposition. The Eagles of Georgia Southern will look to make Statesboro, GA get up and cheer. Georgia Southern improves to 4-1 in a high-scoring shootout. (41-38; GEORGIA SOUTHERN)

Toreros Look to Stay in Tip-Top Shape
* San Diego {Toreros} at Valparaiso {Crusaders}
The University of San Diego Toreros are great in football as well as baseball. These boys batted a home run over Valparaiso's Crusaders. San Diego is 5-0.


Can the University of San Diego be National Champions Someday?
The University of San Diego could be National Champions someday. They seem to do very well in football. I'd love to see them win the FCS championship someday while they still have an extremely talented team. It may not be possible, but I'd love to see them win the championship. The University of San Diego is a small religious school kind of like most other schools in the non-football West Coast Conference. In fact, it's the ONLY football-sponsored school that plays in the West Coast Conference for basketball. I believe they now play in the Great West Football Conference. Not sure.



I was at the Wings Over Houston Air Show and saw a great number of American military aircraft. This will allow me to create a pack of Patriot League action. So let's go do it.

Patriot League Pack
* Holy Cross at Brown (48-37; Holy Cross)
* Lehigh at Fordham (28-18; FORDHAM)
* Georgetown at Pennsylvania 42-13; PENNSYLVANIA)
* Bucknell at Colgate (28-24; COLGATE)
* Columbia at Lafayette (29-0; LAFAYETTE)

-end "Patriot League Pack"


Other FCS Scores...
* Illinois State at Missouri State (58-41; MISSOURI STATE)
* Jacksonville at Dayton (49-3; DAYTON)
* William and Mary at Villanova (63-24; VILLANOVA)
* Northern Colorado at Idaho State (26-14; IDAHO STATE)
* Florida A&M at Winston-Salem State (27-23; WINSTON-SALEM STATE)
* Northern Arizona at Portland State (44-43; Northern Arizona)
* Southern Utah at Montana State (7-3; MONTANA STATE)
* Eastern Washington at Montana (24-23; MONTANA) <<< Montana is 5-0
* Stony Brook at Albany (24-23; ALBANY)
* Hampton at Princeton (48-27; Hampton)





--- Division 2 Scores ---
Let's blast through these scores. Think of this as a blast down the Hunaudieres in an LMP1 racing machine.

* Northeastern State at #16 Abelene Christian (58-7; #16 ABELINE CHRISTIAN)
* Minnesota-Duluth at Augustana (34-7; Minnesota-Duluth)
* #17 Newberry at #13 Catawba (28-18; #13 CATAWBA)
* #20 South Dakota at #25 Central Washington (45-40; #25 CENTRAL WASHINGTON) *** upset! ***
* George Mason (not a full NCAA football team) at Clark Atlanta (21-14; CLARK ATLANTA)
* Slippery Rock at East Stroudsburg (31-24; Slippery Rock)
* Lock Haven at Edinboro (70-19; EDINBORO) *** ownage ***
* #24 Hillsdale at Indianapolis (34-30; INDIANAPOLIS) *** upset! ***
* Tiffin at Kentucky Wesleyan (35-17; Tiffin)
* #10 Carson-Newman at Mars Hill (49-28; #10 Carson-Newman)
* Bemidji State at Mary (10-7; MARY)
* #1 Grand Valley State at Mercyhurst (59-7; #1 Grand Valley State)
* North Dakota at Minnesota State (38-34; #2 North Dakota)
* Winona State at Minnesota State-Moorhead (42-41; Winona State)
* Panhandle State at Northwestern Oklahoma (NAIA) (56-0; NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA) *** disappointing loss ***
* Texas A&M-Commerce at Southeastern Louisiana (41-39, 3OT; Texas A&M-Commerce)
* #14 Tarleton State at Texas A&M-Kingsville (31-21; #14 Tarleton State)
* Morehouse at #22 Tuskegee (33-10; #22 TUSKEGEE)
* Webber International at North Carolina-Pembroke (31-21; NORTH CAROLINA-PEMBROKE)
* #4 Chadron State at Western New Mexico (21-0; #4 Chadron State)

*** Special Recognition ***
I would like to personally recognize Danny Woodhead for breaking the all-division all-time rushing record. He had the all-division single-season record of 2,756 yards last year. He got the needed 121 yards to surpass the 7,000-something record of old. My congratulations to him.





--- Division 3 Scores ---
One more division to go before Winners and Losers are determined. Strap in, because you're going for a ride!

* #1 Mount Union at #9 Ohio Northern (44-0; #1 Mount Union)
* #18 St. Olaf at #4 St. John's (MN) (30-29; #4 ST. JOHN'S OF MINNESOTA)
* Wisconsin-La Crosse at Wisconsin-Eau Claire (31-29; WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE)
* Augsburg at #11 Wartburg (14-13; Augsburg) *** upset! ***
* #12 Trinity (TX) at Rhodes (27-13; RHODES) *** upset! *** <<< Trinity University in San Antonio, TX
* #25 Redlands at Occidental (28-21; OCCIDENTAL) *** upset! *** <<< Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA
* Western New England at Massachusetts-Dartmouth (34-14; MASSACHUSETTS-DARTMOUTH)
* Minnesota-Morris at Maranatha Baptist (48-18; Minnesota-Morris)
* Curry at MIT (52-20; Curry)
* Methodist at Averett (34-6; Methodist)
* Colby at Wesleyan (23-14; WESLEYAN)
* Utica at Mount Ida (29-27; Utica)
* Worcester State at Maine Maritime (13-7; MAINE MARITIME)
* La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer (26-20, OT; POMONA-PITZER)
* Lewis and Clark at Menlo (51-14; MENLO) <<< Lewis and Clark have longest Division 3 losing streak (20+ games)





--- John's Winners and Losers ---
Let's see who made tonight's list.

BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE WEEK
(team) Notre Dame Ends Winning Futility - 1 in a row! About damn time. Where was this all season? Was Notre Dame good, or did UCLA break down? How does winning feel, Notre Dame?

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK
#12 Georgia Shows Very Little Effort at Tennessee - 35-14. That's not Georgia football, and especially not against Tennessee. Do remember that Tennessee has that Neyland Stadium. A packed house full of orange and white... 'nuff said.

UPSET(S) OF THE WEEK (if any)
Stanford Stuns #2 Southern California - The dopes on the Versus Channel has it that Stanford beat the #1 team in the nation (USCal to them). The REAL #1 won a close game. Versus' #1 didn't win. Nobody wants to lose to Stanford, especially upper-tier schools. But it happened...

OWNAGE(S) OF THE WEEK
Edinboro Blows Lock Haven's Doors Off with a 70-19 Embarassment - We're not talking Edinboro, Scotland (birthplace(?)) of Dario Franchitti). We're talking Edinboro. A school from a city I don't even know where it is. I do know we have a beatdown. So...

Lock Haven = OWNED by Edinboro 70-19!





No extras this time, except for my Formula SAE salute.


--- John's Student Lounge Special: Formula SAE ---
I'll display as many schools as I can. Here are a number of proud universities and colleges that participate in Formula SAE:

(football schools)
Kentucky: http://www.engr.uky.edu/~sae/
Texas: http://www.longhornracing.org/
Texas A&M: http://www.tamusae.org/
Texas Tech: http://iamot.coe.ttu.edu/
University of Southern California: http://www-scf.usc.edu/~scracer/
California-Davis: http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~fsae/
Illinois: http://mechse.uiuc.edu/clubs/sae/formula/
Virginia Tech: http://www.vtmotorsports.com/
Louisiana State: http://tigerracing.lsu.edu/
Auburn: http://eng.auburn.edu/organizations/SAE/AUFSAE/news.htm
Georgia Tech: http://www.me.gatech.edu/gtmotorsports/
Pittsburgh: http://www.engr.pitt.edu/fsae/
Washington: http://students.washington.edu/auto/
Western Washington: http://www.wwufsae.com/
Wisconsin: http://www.uwracing.com/
Michigan: http://www.engin.umich.edu/soc/sae/Formula/home.htm
Michigan State: http://www.egr.msu.edu/fsae/
Ohio State: http://www.formulabuckeyes.com/


(non-football schools)
Wichita State: http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=formulasae
California Polytechnical-Pomona: http://www.csupomona.edu/~fsae/

(international schools)
McGill: http://fsae.mcgill.ca/en/indexen.htm <<< McGill Racing Team car featured in "Live for Speed" series with the MRT5
Imperial College (London, England): http://www.cgcu.net/icracing/
Calgary (Calgary, Alberta, Canada): http://www.ucalgary.ca/fsae/
Toronto (Toronto, Ontario, Canada): http://fsae.utoronto.ca/
British Columbia (???, British Columbia, Canada) http://www.formulaubc.com/
Helsinki Polytechnic (Helsinki, Finland): http://www.formula.stadia.fi/en/index.htm
Sophia University (???, Japan): http://www.sophia-racing.com/
Kokushikan University: http://k-racing.eg.kokushikan.ac.jp/
Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan): http://www.formula-kart.org/
Monash University (, , Australia): http://users.monash.edu.au/~fsae/
Saginaw Valley State: (http://www.svsu.edu/clubs/fsae/index.html
Michigan


Formula SAE Competition Winners
FSAE West 2007: Texas A&M
Formula Student (Germany): University of Stuttgart
Formula Student (United Kingdom): RMIT University
Formula SAE: Wisconsin





And there you have it. Hope you've had fun. The theme for next week's scores will do with stars and space as I come up with Week 7 entitled: "Shining Stars." See you then!

 

[FoolKiller]

Laugh Now... But Cry Later?
* Utah {Utes} at Louisville {Cardinals}
Louisville fans probably tuned in to last night's Kentucky/South Carolina match. Louisville's proud Kentucky lost. However, Louisville has to meet Utah. Maybe people around Lexington will hope Louisville pay for laughing at Kentucky's loss in South Carolina last night. Louisville and Kentucky. Can they EVER get along?

NEVAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was a high-scoring game. However, the result is different. You could say that Utah gave Louisville a taste of their high-scoring/blowout medicine. I bet Louisville hated the taste of that as well as this loss. (44-35; Utah) *** big win ***

It makes Kentucky's loss easy to take. we didn't look good, but at least we win the most expected games.

 

[Joey D]

I didn't get a chance to watch the Michigan game because of it being on the Big Ten network...God I really do hate that, I've done several rounds with Comcast over it and I did mange to get them to knock $10 off my bill a month. But anyways I was expecting a bigger victory from Michigan but meh a win is still a win. What really gets me is Michigan State's loss, that was unexpected and I think everyone who thought MSU was going to walk everyone this season is sadly mistaken.

Once again great write up 👍. +Rep because I can actually do it this time.

 

[JohnBM01]

I actually had to change up one of the links. I gave a link to the University of Illinois FSAE program when I accidentally posted a link that goes to California Polytechnical-Pomona. I changed that. On top of that, the new week's thread is posted. Thanks for reading and commenting.