College Football 2008 (Aug 24 - Aug 30): A New Semester

[JohnBM01]

This is the second week of college football. Week 1 was quiet because Valdosta State vs. Fort Valley State was cancelled. College football fans will be happy for this week not only because the season really kicks into gear. It is, however, for college football fans to enjoy football action while the NFL is mostly inactive. Most of the games are mostly tune-up games (unless you count Kentucky at Louisville). However, it will be a week you don't want to start with a loss. Remember Michigan's first game of last season against Appalachian State? Yeah, THAT game. Appalachian State stunned Michigan at the Big House. They'd then lose miserably to Oregon. You don't want to start the season with a loss. So you play as hard as you can to start the season off right. During this week, we will get a first-hand look at how all the colleges and universities will start the season to hopefully spread their wings towards a potential championship.

This is the first week of college football for just about every college and university going at it. Now is the time to look forward to the upcoming season. Will you look forward to the new season even with my best efforts? Welcome to school! Welcome (back) to college football!



A link to my college football coverage will be in my signature so you can look at the latest thread I have to offer to you all. Between now and then, you are free to speculate, ask me some questions, or anything like that. The new week is underway.

 

[JohnBM01]

Any games played on Sunday will be included in next week's thread. Here are some of the upcoming matches that will take place this week:

* Appalachian State at LSU
Can the Tigers tame the Mountaineers? Logic says that if Applachian State can take down a game Michigan squad at their home, they can beat anyone anywhere. I wonder if they could beat Tennessee or Ohio State at their houses. Applachian State may well jump their way to FBS if they knock off LSU. But they'd have to wait until about 2011 when the moratorium on teams advancing to higher conferences will be removed.

* Utah at Michigan
The state of Utah has two contenders for BCS Busters. The overwhelming favorite is BYU. However, BYU's rivals will get locked up in the Big House against a pack of vicious Wolverines. The Utah Utes aren't under the coaching of Urban Meyer, but can these Utes shock Michigan like Appalachian State did last year? If Michigan does lose, I'm curious as to when was the last time Michigan lost consecutive opening day games. I don't think Michigan will lose this one. This game may be decided by no more than 10 points. Running Back Mr. Grady will not play as punishment of a DUI arrest.



Those are only two matches that I'm aware of this weekend. Care to preview with me of any other games? Feel free to drop some replies here.

 

[JohnBM01]

GTPlanet, I have an update for you regarding Valdosta State and Fort Valley State. Here is a score I found on d2football.com:

* Fort Valley State at Valdosta State (56-3; VALDOSTA STATE)

Next D2 action is this Thursday. As many as 24 games are coming up for Division 2 football. Here are some of those Thursday matches:

* Fairmont State at Clarion
* Carson-Newman at Concord
* Virginia Union at Stroudsburg
* Indianapolis at Kentucky Wesleyan
* West Texas A&M at Mesa State
* Southern Arkansas at North Alabama



--- John's SEC Talk ---
Now on to FBS. Everyone's talking about Georgia being the team to beat. Georgia is usually a great team year after year, but I don't know about Georgia being in the BCS National Championship game. I think if Georgia makes it to the BCS National Championship Game, it will be successive years in which the SEC has advanced to the title game. I am always supportive of the SEC. Why people still bad mouth the SEC or think it's completely overrated is beyond me. Hey, they beat a Big Ten power and seven-time National Champ twice!

I personally think Georgia and LSU may battle among themselves for SEC supremacy. Some say that South Carolina could be an underdog in the SEC. Some take Florida to be a viable threat. Really, the four SEC teams I've mentioned can all be viable threats. I'm interested to see if Kentucky can be on their winning ways with Joker Phillips calling the shots. Darren McFadden (Arkansas) moved on to the Oakland Raiders, and Andre' Woodson (Kentucky) moved on to the New York Giants. Which of these two could be better than the other, and will that team be a viable threat for the SEC Championship?



ESPN Classic will be airing some classic games from this past season. As of this post, they are showing #2 South Florida at Rutgers back on October 18 last year. We all know what happened to #2-ranked teams this past season. Let's hope #2 isn't the unluckiest number in all of college football!

 

[JohnBM01]

Here is a look at Campbell University's football schedule for this reinstatement of college football:

@ = road games
* = conference matches

8/30 - Birmingham Southern <<< having some financial troubles, halted football momentarily
9/6 - @ Methodist
9/13 - @ Jacksonville*
9/20 - San Diego* <<< this will NOT be easy even though Campbell has home field advantage
9/27 - @ Carthage College
10/4 - @ Dayton* <<< a favorite to be in the FCS playoffs
10/11 - Butler*
10/18 - @ Drake*
11/1 - Davidson*
11/15 - Valparaiso*
11?22 - @ Morehead State



Utilizing College Football Reference ( http://cfreference.net ), Campbell reinstated football for the first time since 1939. The Fighting Camels have never played more than two games each season. Their first season of football was in 1929. My grandmother was born about five years before Campbell's first season of football. So this will be Campbell's eleventh season of football. It won't be an easy return, though. Key games to make a huge "welcome back" party are against two favorites that may easily make the FCS playoffs. They host the Toreros of the University of San Diego. Only advantage- AT Campbell. Now look at Dayton. Key phrase: AT Dayton. The Flyers will give the Camels lots of problems. And unless either San Diego or Dayton have miserable seasons, both of them should win easily over Campbell. Even San Diego and (especially) Dayton could beat Campbell in men's basketball.

Learn more about Campbell's first ten seasons by following this link: < http://cfreference.net/cfr/show/2846 >. With Hurricane Gustav advancing, I wonder if any games may have to be played sooner. The college football fun begins for real this Thursday. Hope your favorite team has a great season!

 

[JohnBM01]

Get ready for these games to take place tomorrow:

* #23 Wake Forest at Baylor
* North Carolina State at South Carolina
* Oregon State at Stanford
* Vanderbilt at Miami University
* South Dakota State at Iowa State


The following FCS matches will take place this weekend as well:

* East Central at Sam Houston State
* Gardner-Webb at Tennessee Tech
* Texas A&M-Kingsville at North Dakota <<< TAMUK the alma mater of the late Gene Upshaw
* Austin Peay State at North Dakota State <<< former school of GTPlanet's High-Test
* Lambuth at Murray State





There will be lots of games for Thursday. Almost as if the best way to show that college football is back is to make an entire mess of games to be played for tomorrow night. I'll share as many games as I can for Thursday. This is my first season of covering college football not as a student. So this will give me more time and less pressure to make reports. I'll tell you what... DO NOT miss a moment here!

 

[Joey D]

I'm interested to see how U of M does this weekend, although I won't be overly surprised if they don't pull off a win. Even if they win though I don't think it will be a complete blow out. I'll be cheering them on for sure. I'm hoping for the best from Rich Rodriguez and I hope he can continue the magic that Lloyd Carr carried (even though he sort of lost his touch towards the end). Of course as always I'll be following DT #97 Will Johnson since he is a home town boy who graduated from Lake Orion High School.

The last time I'm aware of Michigan lost an opening day game was against Norte Dame in the 1998 football season. Last consecutive loses was the 89 and 90 seasons openers with U of M losing to Norte Dame both times.

 

[JohnBM01]

Well, it's nice to know that your favorite college team has a hometown player from your high school. I'm sure he'll represent Lake Orion High with the utmost honor. While you're here, I have a few predicted scores for Utah's date with Michigan:


John's Predicted Scores for Utah @ Michigan:
* (44-10; MICHIGAN)
* (24-28; MICHIGAN) <<< late rally by Michigan
* (24-21; Utah) <<< game-winning field goal by Utah
* (35-28; MICHIGAN) <<< 3 touchdowns in the second half while shutting out Utah in the second half
* (28-27; Utah) <<< blocks potential game-winning field goal kick (shades of Mich. vs. App. St.)



I think your Wolverines have nothing to worry about. While Utah is a potent team, I don't think they are the 2004 Utes that went undefeated and didn't play for a National Championship. Urban Meyer isn't the coach, and Alex Smith isn't the quarterback. I'm actually a little surprised Michigan picked Utah for Game 1. They could have taken on Eastern Michigan or Toledo. Or maybe at the most, they could have hosted Maryland. I think Michigan's going 1-0 to start the season. Maybe I'm wrong. I still think Michigan football is still quite capable. I don't see them in the National Championship game. They MAY make a BCS Bowl. The likelyhood is either a late December or a non-BCS January bowl (like the Capital One Bowl from earlier this year). The most unlikely scenario for me would be Michigan losing to Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Ohio State to finish with only five wins.



Could Tropical Storm Gustav Threaten?
Tropical Storm Gustav is not going to ruin any games for Saturday among Gulf Coast states. Sunday games could be slightly threatened. Any Monday games may be threatened, however.



Sun Belt Upset?
ESPN's "College Football Live" had a question asking if a Sun Belt team could make an upset this season. A pick made was Florida Atlantic's game at Texas. That's a pretty gutsy pick because I think Florida Atlantic is a very good football program out of the highly unregarded Sun Belt Conference. The school based in Boca Raton, FL has been the better of Florida's two Sun Belt schools even upsetting Hawaii in their first season in FBS. Miami's Florida International appears as hopeless as ever. You know you're a bad program when Temple and Duke are ranked ahead of you.

Having said all of this, I want to have a good look at Western Kentucky this season as they blend into FBS. The 2002 FCS champions will try to have a winning run in their FBS campaign when they will be joined by South Alabama in a few years. I love the matchup of Western Kentucky and South Alabama in men's basketball, but with two virtual unknowns coming to FBS, it will be interesting to see how they stack up when both programs come alive.



Welcome, North and South Dakota!
North Dakota State lost only one game last season while I never really followed South Dakota State. But now, the University of North Dakota and University of South Dakota will be in FCS ready to mix it up with their respective in-state rivals. I know the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota have a great football program. I know that the Coyotes of South Dakota are a competitive team as well. Really, these are the only two schools that represent their real region. I'd love to see North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and South Dakota State take on teams from the Big Sky as well as some of the better Midwest programs. I like a North Dakota State/Montana matchup. North Dakota and Southern Illinois would be a great match as well.





I'll try to get as many scores from Thursday's matches as I can. You just hang in there as I will make my first true game reports for this new season! By the way, in my last segment regarding the Dakotas, for some reason, I kept wanting to type "Notre" (as in Notre Dame) as opposed to North. I don't know why...

 

[JohnBM01]

The ESPN matches for tonight are as follows:

ESPN: North Carolina State at South Carolina
ESPNU: Vanderbilt at Miami University



And here's a heads-up for you: tomorrow is College Colors Day! So before heading out the house tomorrow, make sure you're wearing your favorite school's colors! I'll be back with my game report from as many games as possible.

 

[JohnBM01]

My first game report was supposed to be last Saturday. But unfortunately, the game was cancelled (as I thought). Now it's the first Thursday of college football. You ready for college football? I got your fix! So you don't care about NFL Preaseason football? Here are some games that matter. College football is BACK, baby! I'm John Marine. Welcome to my fourth or fifth season of college football on GTPlanet!


40-second play clock after each play; 25-second clock

On top of this, the horsecollar tackle will result in a 15-yard Personal Foul.





Division 1- FBS
We're all undefeated again. I'll be working with a new experimental format for game headlines. Have a look...


Columbia, South Carolina ~ Are the Gamecocks Game Enough Against a Game Wolfpack?
* North Carolina State {Wolfpack} at South Carolina {Gamecocks}
This was the feature match on ESPN for Thursday night. A rain-soaked field at the University of South Carolina is home to this matchup of the SEC hosting the ACC. The Wolfpack are trying to regain their stride of a few years ago when they were in the Top 25. It's now up to this pack of wolves to feast on Gamecock meat. This game is dedicated to TwinTurbos94 and Studentdriver. Two quarterbacks made their debuts for both squads. The game was scoreless after one quarter. Russell Wilson had a horrific injury as he took an unintentional knee to the head. South Carolina drew first blood on a 29-yard field goal after NCSU had a terrible snap that the QB fumbled. It was a turnover fest. NSCU basically took a knee to go into the second half with a chance to knock off the Gamecocks. It's cool when you have a guy named Captain for the Gamecocks. This Captain fellow is a talented player as he's the captain of this offense on special teams. South Carolina got picked off several times in this game. Wilson has a concussion as he's in the hospital for further examination. South Carolina turned on the offense as they led 13-0 after three. Lots of fumbles and interceptions throughout the game. The bleeding continued for North Carolina State. But unlike the hit song by Leona Lewis, they weren't bleeding love. This was a laceration of getting hammered by South Carolina. Whoever would have thought a flock of gamecocks can take down a pack of ravenous wolves? South Carolina has to take on Georgia, and then a brutal stretch of five straight games against tough opponents to end the season. South Carolina hits the ground running with a shutout victory over North Carolina State. It wasn't a pretty game. (34-0; SOUTH CARLINA)

OFF-TOPIC (1): This game marked the debut of "Ask Dr. Lou." It's this call-in deal where Lou Holtz offers his advice for people wanting advice on certain aspects. It replaces Lou's Pep Talk from last season. Some people have said that Lou's Pep Talk was a bad luck maker. Maybe this will work.

OFF-TOPIC (2): Columbia, South Carolina has this park with a beautiful fountain. I get hypnotized and relaxed by watching water fountains as they shoot up water beautifully. I even like making a wish by throwing a few pennies in a fountain for good luck.


Oxford, Ohio ~ Redhawks Welcome the Commodores
* Vanderbilt {Commodores} at Miami University {Redhawks}
Miami University has a nice men's basketball program and a lovely hockey arena. Miami University is the alma mater of Ben Roethlisberger, a young man who would go on to win a Super Bowl for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's a proud Redhawk who represented his school in the National Football League. Future Redhawk NFL hopefuls will need to host Vanderbilt University. The Commodores are sick of being the bridesmaid of the SEC and want to change that starting this season. The Nashville-based Vanderbilt make their way up to Oxford, Ohio for this match. This match was on ESPNU in high definition. The game was in high definition, and so was Vandy's win over the Redhawks. (34-13; Vanderbilt)

Miami, Florida ~ Hurricanes Prepare for Life After the Orange Bowl
* Charleston Southern {Buccaneers} at Miami {Hurricanes}
The Miami Hurricanes played their last game at the famed Orange Bowl. They now call Dolphin Stadium home for the 'Canes. While one Buccaneer team plays in the NFL against my Texans in their final Preseason game, the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern University will match wits against one of the Sunshine State's finest teams. Miami would consistently have winning seasons and even won as many as 32 successive games. This is now a Miami team trying to work their way back up the ladder to reclaim their status as a football powerhouse, and it begins tonight against Charleston Southern of the FCS division. Miami swept away the Charleston Southern Bucs all the way back to South Carolina. (52-7; MIAMI) *** ownage! ***

Atlanta, Georgia ~ Yellow Jackets on a Swarm in Hot-Lanta
* Jacksonville State {Gamecocks} at Georgia Tech {Yellow Jackets}
While South Carolina and North Carolina State scrambled each others' brains in Columbia, South Carolina; Georgia Tech is hosting Jacksonville State. Now let me remind you that Jacksonville State is in Alabama and not Florida. Jacksonville State is a school considering joining FBS in a few years. The Gamecocks of Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama are all ready to take on Georgia Tech. Pulling surprises against Georgia Tech at GT's house isn't going to be easy. Be sure you spray yourself with insect repellant when the Yellow Jackets come with the blitz and with their passing attack. Even still, these Yellow Jackets will sting you hard even if you are wearing insect repellant. Wear all the Off! you want... it isn't going to help you win against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets stung Jacksonville State all game long. Hope they can find a cure for being stung by Yellow Jackets that wear shouler pads and cleats! (41-14; GEORGIA TECH)

Buffalo, New York ~ Bulls Ready to Mine Gold Against the Miners
* Texas-El Paso {Miners} at Buffalo {Bulls}
The Buffalo Bulls made the UTEP Miners look like an FCS team after this beatdown. (42-17; BUFFALO)

Ypsilanti, Michigan ~ Eagles Ready to Soar High and Defend Home Turf
* Indiana State {Sycamores} at Eastern Michigan {Eagles}
Eastern Michigan University spells "emu." However, the birds that rule this roost are the Eagles. Indiana State came to EMU looking for a win. The Sycamores could probably beat Eastern Michigan in basketball, but they couldn't beat Eastern Michigan in football. Cupcakes for Eastern Michigan as their lovely fight song filled the air countless times. (52-0; CENTRAL MICHIGAN) *** ownage! ***

For more results, visit this link: < http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/scoreboard?w=1&c=all >





More scores to come. But first, an Extra.


EXTRA: The First Day of Collge Football
Remember when school began again? Remember how you couldn't wait to see your friends again from after the Summer Break? The college football break seems severely long. Remember that after the BCS National Championship game and all the All-Star Games, the season is over. You can probably follow college basketball while college football is off. But college sports are incredible. No overpaid drama queens and not a lot of boring stuff. Some people don't like college football compared to the NFL all that much. But when you consider that this is the best showcase of future NFL talent, you want to pay attention to college football. I don't want to read or hear about how boring college football is or how it's not as intriguing or worth watching as an NFL game. I still watch my Texans and even a few Sunday and Monday Night games. However, I enjoy college more because it's fun. Pro games are... pro games. Who doesn't enjoy a little option play or some trickery to knock off a higher-ranked team? You came for college, and I thank you for it.



Now for some more games from around the nation. The knocking of heads continues!


Hartford, Connecticut ~ Huskies Host Hofstra
* Hofstra {Pride} at Connecticut {Huskies}
The University of Connecticut doesn't have to be a basketball school. Theese boys can be football stars as well. The Huskies are good doggies (35-3; CONNECTICUT)

Cincinnati, Ohio - Kentucky Fried Colonels? Not Even Colonel Sanders Could Cook a Recipe to Take down Cincinnati
* Eastern Kentucky {Colonels} at Cincinnati {Bearcats}
Fed up with the Cincinnati Bengals always getting into trouble? Maybe the Bearcats who call beautiful Nippert Stadium home can tickle your fancy. Eastern Kentucky can be found in Richmond, Kentucky. The Colonels sent their merry men into Cincy to try to fluster the Bearcats. Did it work? Let's find out. Cincinnati's off to a great start as they pounded EKU. Kentucky Fried Colonels... or should I say Ohio Fried Colonels? Is there a such thing as Ohio Fried? Just look at the score. (-; CINCINNATI)

Waco, Texas ~ Art Briles' First Test in Making Baylor Relevant
* #23 Wake Forest {Demon Deacons} at Baylor {Bears}
Sick of going nationwide sometimes. Now I welcome you to MY home state of Texas. This is my first Texas report of the new season, and it involves Baylor. Now you're probably asking... who cares about Baylor? That would be a valid question. Am I just using this space for useless filler? No. Art Briles brought Houston to relevance (somewhat). So now, he wants to make Baylor relevant. The Bears have been a Big XII South doormat for as long as I can remember. I'm a fan of Art Briles personally. He brought my Cougars to an amazing 10-win season in Kevin Kolb's final year at the University of Houston. If Art wants to make magic with Baylor, he needs to take down #23 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons haven't been a great team until some time a few years ago when they met Louisville in a BCS Bowl Game. Now the Winston-Salem, North Carolina school wants to test Baylor in their attempt to become relevant. With 11 minutes left in the first half, Wake Forest led 17-0. Uh-oh! Not good! The half ended 20-6 as this Baptist university in Waco was losing to Wake Forest. At 4:31 left in the game, Wake Forest was ahead 41-13. Art Briles will have to learn from this as and adjust to this, especially when Big XII play rolls around. (-; )

SIDE NOTE 1: Anyone who saw this game on FOX Sports Southwest... ever notice the new graphics for FSN games? I think they are even changing from "Fox Sports Net Southwest" to "Fox Sports Southwest." It's a new, more interesting graphics package with the score and everything at the upper left of the screen. It was shown on FS Southwest.

SIDE NOTE 2: Wake Forest will return home next weekend to take on Mississippi. They have a new "Deacon Tower" at BB&T Stadium. It's a state-of-the-art facility that


Ames, Iowa ~ Cyclones Ready to Rip Apart Some Jackrabbits
South Dakota State {Jackrabblts} at Iowa State {Cyclones}
Welcome to Ames, Iowa and the only Iowa school in the Big XII. (-; )

Palo Alto, California ~ Stanford Hates Being the Pac-10 Doormat... So They Want to Do Something About it
* Oregon State {Beavers} at Stanford {Cardinal}
Palo Alto, California is our next stop on this fantastic voyage of college football. We miles away from San Francisco for this one. The Beavers of Oregon State and Cardinal of Stanford were deadlocked 17-17 after the first half. The Stanford Cardinal appear to no longer be a doormat... at least for this game. They're still the worst Pac-10 school in California. (36-28; STANFORD)






Division 1: FCS Scores
Games taking place at FCS stadiums will be featured. You all don't mind going on an FCS tour, do you? Let's go for a little tour of FCS.


Cookstown, Tennessee ~ What's Cookin' in Cookstown? Hopefully Not Their Golden Eagles!
* at Gardner-Webb {Bulldogs} at Tennessee Tech {Golden Eagles}
This is my first report of the new season involving a historically-black university. Tennessee Tech's Golden Eagles matched up against Gardner-Webb and their [Running] Bulldogs. Either two field goals or a touchdown was all Gardner-Webb could muster against the Golden Eagles. (28-6; TENNESSEE TECH)

John's Feature State(s): North Dakota and South Dakota
Let's see how these two states faired in competition (excluding South Dakota State's evisceration at Iowa State)...


Fargo, North Dakota ~ Bison Try to Go Unbeaten Unlike Last Season
* Austin Peay State {Governors} at North Dakota State {Bison}
High-Test was our proud NDSU representative. Now that he's going to Kansas, I still want to follow those green and gold guys. The Bison will be humbled by the appearance of the University of North Dakota in FCS. They welcome the Governors of Auestin Peay State University based in Clarksville, Tennessee. You may remember Austin Peay State making March Madness this past Spring all to get crushed by the Texas Longhorns. (46-6; NORTH DAKOTA STATE)

Grand Forks, North Dakota ~ There's a New UND in Town! Welcome to the Party!
* Texas A&M-Kingsville {Javelinas} at North Dakota {Fighting Sioux}
How about a warm welcome to the University of North Dakota to FCS? You may remember the Fighting Sioux if you follow NCAA Hockey. They are a tough program in hockey matching up against teams like Wisconsin, Colorado College, Michigan, Notre Dame, and other heavyweights in Division 1 NCAA Hockey. Now the Fighting Sioux are FCS independents. Texas A&M-Kingsville probably got a wish from the late Gene Upshaw- play hard every game. The Javelinas are a Division 2 team making a house call to the University of North Dakota. The Javelinas got burned bad by the Fighting Sioux. (40-14; NORTH DAKOTA)

OFF-TOPIC/PERSONAL NOTE: My thoughts and prayers go out to the late Gene Upshaw as well as family and friends who have known and loved him.


* The University of South Dakota will play on Saturday against St. Ambrose. Check out my Saturday report to see how the Coyotes do against St. Ambrose.

-end of Feature States



Murray, Kentucky ~ Racers Ready to Romp Against Lambuth
* Lambuth {???} at Murray State {Racers}
Murray State University can be found in Murray, Kentucky. These Bluegrass State representatives wear blue proudly. They are known as the Throughbreds in some sports, but are best known as the Racers. That's Racers as in horse racing. As I learned from my GTP friend, FoolKiller, it's fighting words when you hate horse racing in Kentucky. The Racers will meet Lambuth. I have no idea as to who they are. So they are either NAIA, NJCAA, or some other collegiate conference. Thanks for coming, Lambuth! Murray State trampled all over Lambuth. (41-17; MURRAY STATE)

Cullowhee, North Carolina ~ Shorter Steps into the Catamount Den
* Shorter {???} at Western Carolina {Catamounts}
I learned that Shorter College is a historically-black school. I know nothing more about them than that they are a historically-black school. I know very little about Western Carolina as well except that they are the Catamounts. Western Carolina took care of Shorter College as Shorter came up... well, short. (35-0; WESTERN CAROLINA)

Visit < http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/scoreboard?w=1&c=iaa_all > for more FCS scores.





Division 2 Scores
I don't spend too much time in Division 2 since I don't get to review these scores very much. This will just be a breeze-through of scores. A few ranked teams went at it. Feel free to take a look at the scores I have for you all.

* #5 Carson-Newman at Concord (77-14; #5 Carson-Newman) *** ownage! ***
* St. Cloud State at Augustana (13-10; AUGUSTANA)
* Indianapolis at Kentucky Wesleyan (40-14; Indianapolis) <<< FoolKiller would be proud
* #12 Chadron State at Mary (37-17; #12 Chadron State)
* Glenville State at Lock Haven (30-0; Glenville State)
* Saint Anselm at Kutztown (35-0; KUTZTOWN)
* #9 West Texas A&M at #21 Mesa State (23-20; #9 West Texas A&M) <<< WTAMU in Canyon, TX; 10+ miles south of Amarillo
* Colorado School of Mines at #22 Washburn (27-3; #22 WASHBURN)
* Southeastern Oklahoma State at Tarleton State (51-10; TARLETON STATE) <<< Tarleton State is alma mater of the late Marvin Zindler for ABC Channel 13
* Southern Arkansas at North Alabama (57-14; NORTH ALABAMA) <<< University of North Alabama MAY join FCS in the future





(no Division 3 scores)
Although the first game starts on Saturday, it involves Birmingham-Southern going to Campbell. Campbell is an FCS school, so no results from this game will be under the Division 3 scores.





I figured I'll preview a few matches now.


--- John's Previews ---

* Tennessee at UCLA
UCLA claims the monopoly of Pac-10 supremacy in Los Angeles will end with UCLA winning the Pac-10. To call out USCal like UCLA has makes you think their coach was sniffing crack. Only way a monopoly of football supremacy in Los Angeles were to end is if Loyola Marymount brought back football and ends up somehow being better than USCal and UCLA combined. UCLA hosts Tennessee at the beautiful Rose Bowl. They may have a chance to knock off Tennessee. However, I got Tennessee in this one. Get the results of this game in next week's thread on Monday.

* Prairie View A&M vs. Texas Southern (State Farm Labor Day Classic - RIVALRY GAME)
A member of my family is a proud PVAMU Panther. So I have some love for Prairie View A&M in this black college football matchup. Texas Southern shocked Prairie View A&M on a late field goal last year or so. Prairie View A&M had their first winning season since 1976. I'm inclined to say that Prairie View A&M will continue their run of good fortune by taming the Texas Southern Tigers.

* Southern at Houston
My sister-in-law's alma mater vs. my brother's alma mater. I'm a Houston fan. Kevin Sumlin is the new head coach taking over for Art Briles. He's the first black coach in Houston Cougar football history. The defense has been changed to a 3-4 defense as they'll be passing the football more. While this is a good SWAC team against a potent C-USA team, the Cougars would probably little or no problem in breaking down Southern. The Jaguars of Southern University can still put a surprise effort together. It will be tough for the Jags to pull a win over the Houston Cougars.

* Florida Atlantic at Texas
The Longhorns will host the Owls at DKR Memorial Stadium. The potential Sun Belt upset involves this school potentially upsetting Texas. I don't think the upset will happen. The Longhorns will probably win by at least two touchdowns unless the FAU Owls make things interesting late.





That's as many Thursday scores as I could provide. Check in Friday for Friday results. And please remember... if you want to discuss ANYTHING from the past day's games... DO NOT wait for my report. Just come into the thread and drop some replies regarding the day's action. I may even look at posts in my abscence and edit my full report to include those notes. See you tomorrow!

 

[Studentdriver]

Thanks for the dedication, John.

This was my first game in the student section as I had marched last year. Quite obviously, I'm a bit hoarse. Tommy Beecher, the starting QB, was absolutely atrocious. He suffers from a lack of touch and some of the worst tunnel vision I've ever seen. He stares down all of his receivers. The D did a great job however, and Chris Smelley was on go from the moment he stepped into the game.

Stats for the SC QBs:

Beecher: 12/22, 106 yds, 0 TD, 4 INT, 5 sacks
Smelley: 5/5, 92 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT, 0 sacks

 

[JohnBM01]

Here are two matches slated for later tonight:

* Temple at Army
* SMU at Rice <<< ESPN match

The match between Appalachian State at LSU has been moved to 11AM EDT because of safety concerns with Tropical Storm Gustav. I wonder if this earlier shift may impact how both teams perform in this game.



Stay tuned for my Friday report!

 

[JohnBM01]

Did you remember to wear your college colors today (even if you don't come from a football school)? Friday football is ready to rule your TV screen. I'm here to give you results from games across the nation from various divisions of NCAA football. You all ready to go get this? Then let's do it!





Division 1: FBS Scores

Houston, Texas ~ Houston vs. Dallas... Not Just for the NFL or NBA Anymore
* Southern Methodist {Mustangs} at Rice {Owls} --- Conference USA ---
Conference USA opens its doors for full-contact football with this Friday night match on ESPN. Southern Methodist University can be found in Dallas, Texas. This religious-type school has had some amazing seasons in the 1980s. Can these Mustangs take Rice out of the sky? Rice University is a private university northwest of the Texas Medical Center and not too far away from the Museum District of Houston. Believe it or not, I once wanted to go to Rice for my college studies. Then again, I'm a Houston guy as opposed to Rice. The Owls are maturing as a football team. The University of Houston used to play their home games at where Rice currently plays. This, of course, was back when Houston was part of the amazing Southwest Conference. The SMU Mustangs are game... is Rice? Let's see. June Jones probably could have stayed at Hawaii with this beating he had to take. Rice bolted ahead even despite SMU leading early and trying to make a game of it. Rice rockets to a victory. (56-27; RICE)

West Point, New York ~ Report for Duty: Army's Ready for Football at 1600 Hours (EDT)
* Temple Owls} at Army {Black Knights/Cadets}
The United States Military Academy is ready for football as they host Temple. Army is based in a beautiful setting- West Point, New York. I want you all to look up West Point online and try to find some pictures of this place. It's a beautiful location with all the Fall foilage and stuff. While the location of the U.S.M.A. is lovely, Black Knights' football hasn't been lovely since winning three National Championships back in the 1940s. Temple University is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I believe it used to be either an night school or an all-women's school in its past. Maybe their most famous alumni is comedian Bill Cosby. The Owls of Temple are about the only school that has cherry red as a main color. Temple led 14-0 on this ESPN Classic match after one quarter. Four touchdowns by Temple in this game between two cupcakes was the margin of victory as Army fell flat on their faces. (35-7; Temple)



EXTRA: UGA VII Set to Debut Saturday
While I'm not a dog lover, the little UGA VII will debut. Just hope the little fellow doesn't take a dump on or pee on logos of Auburn or Florida...

EXTRA: Rivalries I'm Looking Forward to This Season
I'm into just about any rivalry. Here are some I'm looking forward to:

* Kentucky/Louisville (Battle of the Bluegrass) <<< begins Sunday (next week's thread)
* Texas/Oklahoma (Red River Shootout ("Red River Rivalry" nowadays since "shootout" seems so offensive)
* Houston/Rice (Battle for the Bayou Bucket)
* Pittsburgh/West Virginia
* Michigan/Notre Dame, Michigan State, and (especially) Ohio State
* USCal/UCLA
* California/Stanford
* Washington/Washington State
* Army/Navy
* Auburn/Alabama (Iron Bowl)
* Georgia/Florida

EXTRA: Dolla' Dolla' Bills, Y'all!
Jim Tressel wants some provisions in his contract so that the Ohio State coach can receive about $3.5 million dollars for next year to become the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. Some people (maybe some Michigan types) will think that Tressel is overpaid for a coach that has last two straight BCS National Championship games. Tressel may be banking a few extra million if he makes it and WINS the national title.





Division 1: FCS Scores

San Diego, California ~ Two Religious Private Schools Square Off
* Marist {Red Foxes} at San Diego {Toreros}
This match was slated for 10:00 PM EDT (7:00 PM PST) and pits two schools from two different conferences complete with private religious schools. MAAC has ended football as most of the schools have just either disbanded football or went to different conferences. The Red Foxes of Marist College come all the way from Poughkeepsie, New York. They went from the cold of New England to the warmth of far southern SoCal. Because San Diego State can't win football games, I give you the University of San Diego. This school is wonderful in football and highly competitive in baseball. San Diego's men's basketball team made it into March Madness this past season knocking off Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference championship game. The Toreros can easily make the FCS playoffs with their impressive offense. Can these Toreros defend home turf? You bet they did! Toreros on a roll as they go 1-0 to start the season. (40-22; SAN DIEGO)





Division 2 Scores

Waltham, Massachusetts ~ Bentley Ready to Get Continental GT on Millersville
* Millersville {Marauders} at Bentley {Falcons}
No creature comforts here. This Bentley can only relax when the season ends. The Falcons aren't a pack of luxury cars, but they have a twin-turbo offense ready to run over any team in their path (except maybe Grand Valley State). Millersville University is home of the Marauders. And just like the Mercury Marauder re-introduced earlier this decade, the Marauders got sacked hard. Bentley motors away to a 1-0 start to the season. (35-22; BENTLEY)




(no Division 3 this week)





The first Saturday of college football this season is tomorrow. Are you ready? My GAME OF THE WEEK this week will be #24 Alabama's visit to #9 Clemson. More teams will play on Saturday including the following teams:

* South Florida
* West Virginia
* Michigan
* LSU
* Appalachian State
* Houston
* Texas
* Illinois
* Missouri
* Pittsburgh
...and much more! (¡y mucho mas!)

This will be the season debut of ESPN College Gameday on Saturday as well as any action on CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV). Whole mess of games coming up. If you love college football and have nothing really special to do this Saturday, stay home and enjoy some college football! Get your chips. Get your favorite drink (non-alcoholic or alcoholic). Maybe go tailgating. College football is back. Are you?

 

[Joey D]

You bet I'm ready! I've got my Michigan polo shirt on and only 7 hours to go till U of M takes the field. I love this time of year.

 

[Joey D]

Michigan disappointed me, they really could have rallied and won that game. Oh well there is always next time.

 

[JohnBM01]

It's about time. Saturday football is back! No NFL? No problem. They start their season next season. But a bunch of colleges nationwide will want to take the spotlight.


August 30th -Saturday Synopsis:
* potential upsets complete in FBS
* Rich Rodriquez's debut at Michigan
* Heisman hopeful injured
* Hurricane Gustav threatens some games
* upsets aplenty in Division 2 including one Top 5 school in D2





--- Division 1 FBS ---
I want to stay in the American Southeast for this pack of games before branching out across the rest of the nation. The first two games take place in major cities.


Atlanta, Georgia (at the Georgia Dome) ~ Scheduling Cupcakes for Week 1 is Soooo Overrated...
* #24 Alabama vs. #9 Clemson *** GAME OF THE WEEK ***
Atlanta is usually ACC country for Georgia Tech. The Georgia Dome screams SEC Championship. Unlike the SEC Championship game in basketball this past season, there's no worrying of lightning striking the Georgia Dome and putting a hole in it. The Crimson Tide of Alabama want to show that Clemson is overrated. And Mission Accomplished. Clemson's Tigers may have Thunder and Lightning, but they were merely static cling to Alabama. (34-10; #24 Alabama)



Because Houston is such a miserable and terrible city (at least according to the East and West Coast people who want to use Houston to attack on in sports), I'm here to show my hometown is a GREAT city. Can't take the heat? Get out of Houston. This game is a game I attended personally. It's my first visit to a University of Houston game of any kind of any sport. On August 30th in 1836, the city of Houston was founded. So this is my Happy Anniversary special:


Houston, Texas ~ Opening Day for Houston Cougars on the Anniversary of Houston's Founding
* Southern {Jaguars} at Houston {Cougars}
This game has family ties for me personally. My sister-in-law is a Southern University graduate while my brother is a University of Houston graduate. And I aspire to go to the University of Houston for my Bachelor's Degree. It's all about pride in this one even though it's an FCS school playing at an FBS school. Houston creamed Grambling State and Texas Southern in the past. How will they do against Southern? Southern... well, went south. They were denied the end zone for the entire sixty minutes. Chase Keenum's offense was more than enough to stymie Southern from pillar to post. (55-3; HOUSTON)

LATER IN THIS REPORT: Find out how Texas Southern did against Prairie View A&M at Reliant Stadium.

EXTRA: John on Location - University of Houston
This was my first-ever game I've seen at Robertson Stadium including my first University of Houston game I attended. The sun was going down as the temperatures were still pretty warm. I had to wear sunscreen (and ended up paying the price for putting sunscreen on my eyelids as I was constantly stopping my eyes from watering or itching). You get to see games in a brand-new way when you attend them live as opposed to seeing them on TV. So I was more used to seeing a TV feed from the Press Box. Not in this game. I really felt like a fan having a nice view of the action. Going to a game and seeing it on TV are two totally different experiences. I'm more accustomed to TV feeds showing the action accurately. It was a fun game even though it was a blowout. The experience was certainly fun.


Let's stay in the American Southeast with more scores. Speaking of Baton Rouge...

Baton Rouge, Louisiana ~ First Michigan... LSU Next on the Hit List?
* Appalachian State {Mountaineers} at #7 Louisiana State {Tigers}
This game was moved up to an 11:00 AM EDT start time with fears of Hurricane Gustav charging into the Gulf of Mexico. It was supposed to be a 4:00 PM local time start. It's "Geaux Tigers" as one of Baton Rouge's favorite breed of feline hit the football field. Looking at them on the other side of the field is the Appalachian State Mountaineers. The Mountaineers will try to do what they did to Michigan last season- knock off LSU. The earlier start time because of Hurricane Gustag can play a significant role as to who knocks off who in this game. Either way, a win is a win. Who'll start 1-0? We shall see. Appalachian State fell flat on their faces. Ouch. (41-13; #7 LOUISIANA STATE)

OFF-TOPIC: Most SEC types learned something- you can beat Michigan AT Michigan with any team... but an SEC team won't falter and fall apart against an upstart like Appalachian State. This, at least in the minds of SEC fans. This would be the case for SEC fans to say that the SEC is lightyears ahead of the Big Ten.


Athens, Georgia ~ Georgia Stands Up To the #1 Hype Against a Great FCS School
* Georgia Southern {Eagles} at #1 Georgia {Bulldogs}
Let's get one thing straight. Georgia will win this match... but WHICH Georgia school? The northern city of Athens, Georgia? The southern Georgia city of Statesboro, Georgia? Georgia goes easy before taking on the pressure of the SEC later in the season. I'm a little skeptical of Georgia being #1. That's not to say I hate them because I respect Bulldogs football. These doggies don't roll over and play dead. They just run you over like a runaway dump truck as they know how to take out the trash against the other jive turkeys that Georgia plays. Georgia Southern University has a powerful FCS team, but the Eagles have stumbled a bit in recent times. A trip to Athens isn't going to help Georgia Southern go 1-0 to start 2008. A trip to Savannah State guarantees a 1-0 start for Georgia Southern... but not Georgia. So get ready for a Peachtree State throwdown! The Georgia Bulldogs weren't peachy in tranquilizing the Eagles. (45-21; #1 GEORGIA)



We now go elsewhere around the nation starting in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor, Michigan ~ Michigan Tries to Start Better Than They Did Last Year
* Utah {Utes} at Michigan {Wolverines}
I'm sure my GTP (and Facebook) friend Joey D is sick and tired of all the hating people gave Michigan after losing to Appalachian State and getting pounded at home against Oregon. One of the Michigan Wolverines graduated from Joey D's high school. Let's see if the Lake Orion High School grad does his Wolverines justice. The blue and maize went up against some boys in scarlet red. No, not Ohio State- Utah. The Utah Utes come from Salt Lake City, Utah. With a weekend of motorsports to hit Belle Isle in Detroit, these two teams have their engines ready to take the green flag on the 2008 season of college football. Michigan starts this season like they did last season- losing. It's extremely early to hit the panic button for Michigan at this point. Ironically, Appalachian State won by two over Michigan last year. They lose by two in this one. Beginning of the end? Let's hope not. (25-23; Utah)

PERSONAL NOTE: People think Michigan are really vulnerable and that they are overrated. Almost as if they are the New York Yankees of the Big Ten. I never doubted Michigan as I still think they will be solid performers. They didn't win, but I'm sure they'll get it together. Will they get it together soon enough so that they can rack up more wins? We'll see as the season progresses.


Columbus, Ohio ~ You Win Some, You Lose Some...
* Youngstown State {Penguins} at #2 Ohio State {Buckeyes}
Ohio State clobbered the Penguins in a shutout, but the OhSU Buckeyes saw its Heisman hopeful, Chris "Beanie" Wells" had a foot injury during the game. (43-0; #2 OHIO STATE)


Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ~ Steel City Kitties Ready to Pounce on Some Falcons
* Bowling Green State {Falcons} at Pittsburgh {Panthers}
Time to give Max Powers some love as we're talking football from lovely Heinz Field. Barack Obama is on the campaign trail in states like Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh wants to make change we can believe in... in college football speak, at least. The Panthers had another dazzling season in men's basketball and hope to translate that to their football team. Bowling Green State hasn't been very good since Omar Jacobs went to the NFL. The Falcons want to play with passion and with courage as they make their way into Pittsburgh. Welcome to Panther country, players! The Big East's Pitt Panthers weren't very big when Bowling Green State came to town. (27-17; Bowling Green State)



Greensboro, North Carolina ~ A Brand-New VT Readies for Impact in North Carolina
* #17 Virginia Tech {Hokies} at East Carolina
A big win was had by East Carolina as the Pirates looted and plundered their way to a victory over a game Virginia Tech Hokie squad. (27-22; EAST CAROLINA),

Berkley, California ~ Golden Bears Don't Want to Come Silver Against Michigan State
* Michigan State {Spartans} at California {Golden Bears}
(38-31; CALIFORNIA)

Charlottesville, Virginia ~ An Easy Road Here... Goes South When Ohio State Comes to Los Angeles in Two Weeks
* USCal {Trojans} at Virginia {Cavaliers}
(52-7; #3 Southern California)

St. Louis, Missouri (neutral) ~ Illinois and Mizzou Ready to Clash Once Again
* Illinois {Fighting Illini} vs. #6 Missouri {Tigers}
Illinois was a Big Ten doormat while Missouri was a bridesmaid of the Big XII North. Kansas and Missouri had a spirited clash at Arrowhead Pond last year for the Big XII North crown. Missouri took down Mark Mangino's club in an epic battle. Now, the Tigers of Missouri want to start strong. They'll have to do it against a Fighting Illini program that is not going down without a fight. Or are they still known as the Fighting Illini? Let's get on with the game. Missouri was too much for Illinois, plain and simple. It was an offensive shootout in which the score resembled a low-scoring college basketball game. (52-42; #6 Missouri)

Evanston, Illinois ~ Northwestern Preps for an Orange Attack
* Syracuse {Orange} at Northwestern {Wildcats}
This is the first game this season called by one of the few female Play-by-Play announcers as Pam Ward called this game. We got the pathetic Syracuse University going up against a Northwestern University program that lost to Duke last year at home (much to the disapproval of PTI's Michael Wilbon). The Northwestern Wildcats are ready to crush the Syracuse Orange. They want Vitamin C that a gallon of orange juice and a few chewable Vitamin C tablets won't do. The boys in purple give Syracuse a familiar feeling- losing. (30-10; NORTHWESTERN)


Finally, a house call to kylehnat with these two state of Washington reports:

Eugene, Oregon ~ Washington Can't Turn the Corner...
* Washington {Huskies} at #21 Oregon {Ducks}
(44-10; #21 OREGON)

Pullman, Washington ~ Cougars are on the Brink Without Alex Brink
* Oklahoma State {Cowboys} at Washington State {Cougars}
(39-13; Oklahoma State)

Wow... BOTH Washington schools lose this week. Hope their respective seasons turn around.

These are NOT all of the FBS scores. Find MANY more here: < http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/scoreboard?w=1&c=all&refresh=0 >.





--- Division 1: FCS Scores
Because of being at the Houston vs. Southern game and having a late dinner, I'll have to work to display as many results as I can.


Houston, Texas (at Reliant Stadium) ~ Texas' Only Two SWAC Schools Collide in this Black College Football Rivalry
* Texas Southern {Tigers} vs. Prairie View A&M {Panthers} *** Labor Day Classic ***
Welcome to beautiful Reliant Stadium. It's home to the Houston Texans of the NFL. It hosted some local high school football games including Madison High School, which produced Vince Young. I've been to this stadium to see a match between Prairie View A&M and Southern a few years ago. A member of my family is a dentist who graduated from Prairie View A&M. So I'm sure she'd want to see her Panthers take care of business. The Panthers have had their first winning season since 1976. Texas Southern is trying to make some waves in FCS as the Tigers want to prove they are the coolest SWAC cats in Texas. Let's kick off the Labor Day Classic! A margin of 20 points decided this fierce battle. The Panthers keep on keeping on. (34-14; Prairie View A&M)

Division 1 FCS: RAPID FIRE
Sorry if I don't include your favorite team! More results here: < http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/scoreboard?&w=1&c=iaa_all=all&refresh=0 >

* Monmouth at Rhode Island (27-24; RHODE ISLAND)
* Western Oregon at Portland State (31-14; PORTLAND STATE)
* Southeastern Louisiana at Alcorn State (34-28; Southeastern Louisiana)
* Bryant at Central Connecticut State (42-35; CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE)
* Texas College at Mississippi Valley State (38-0; MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE)
* Assumption at Sacred Heart (42-21; SACRED HEART)
* Johnson C. Smith at North Carolina A&T (44-12; NORTH CAROLINA A&T)
* Alabama State at Florida A&M (30-20; FLORIDA A&M) <<< FAMU only HBCU to win FCS championship (1978)
* Tennessee State at Alabama A&M (34-13; Tennessee State)
* Mars Hill at Furman (62-14; FURMAN)





--- Division 2 Scores ---
More RAPID FIRE as I want to just get on with next week.

* #1 Valdosta State at #19 Newberry (14-9; #1 Valdosta State)
* Bloomsburg at #15 Ashland (49-42; Bloomsburg)
* St. Augustine's at Catawba (14-7; St. Augustine)[/COLOR]
* #24 Minnesota-Duluth at Concordia-St. Paul (40-0; #24 Minnesota-Duluth)
* Lane at Kentucky State (32-16; Lane) <<< Lane College the alma mater of Houston Texan, Jacoby Jones
* #25 Winona State at Michigan Tech (26-21; MICHIGAN TECH) <<< Winona State won as many as 58 or so men's college basketball games in a row until non-football school, Barton College, beat them in the closing moments of the 2007 Division 2 Men's National Championship

* Wayne State (Nebraska) at Nebraska-Kearney (28-12; Wayne State of Nebraska)
* #8 Abeline Christian at #4 Northwest Missouri (44-27; #8 Abeline Christian)
* Lincoln (of Missouri) at West Virginia State (67-13; WEST VIRGINIA STATE





A new change to my college football reports is that my Winners and Losers will now be its own post. I'll have that for you shortly.

 

[JohnBM01]

Here are my Winners and Losers to start the new season....



John's Winners and Losers

BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE WEEK:
Stanford Goes 1-0! No... This Isn't a Typo - Stanford pulls ahead 1-0 to start the season. They knocked off Oregon State. It could be a fluke win to some people, but we'll see just how "for real" Stanford is. They may just be the next Kansas if they keep up the good work.

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK:
UTEP Blasted by Buffalo in a Pathetic Performance - I could have given this to Michigan, but I'm giving this dishonor to the University of Texas-El Paso. The Buffalo Bulls are usually a terrible team. Only thing terrible was this minor performance by the Miners. You don't have a talented team that loses 42-17 to a cupcake. You just don't!

UPSET(S) OF THE WEEK (if any)
#8 Abeline Christian Embarasses #4 Northwest Missouri State (Division 2) - How do you make a statement? Beat a Top 5 team by 17. Abeline Christian established themselves VERY well in this match. Nice for a Texas school to represent my home state with a big win like this.

OWNAGE(S) OF THE WEEK
#5 Carson-Newman Delivers a 77-14 smashing of Concord (of ??) (Division 2) - Carson-Newman crushed Concord. Okay, people. Sing along with me!

Concord = OWNED 77-14 by Carson-Newman!!!



Common vocabuluary now use "PWNED!!!" rather than "OWNED!!!" I still like "OWNED!!!" better.





Sunday action is coming up. Now whatever happens next week in my reports depend on Hurricane Gustav. The key matchup for Sunday is Kentucky's visit to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium as one of these Kentucky schools will start 1-0.

 

[Studentdriver]

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK:
UTEP Blasted by Buffalo in a Pathetic Performance - I could have given this to Michigan, but I'm giving this dishonor to the University of Texas-El Paso. The Buffalo Bulls are usually a terrible team. Only thing terrible was this minor performance by the Miners. You don't have a talented team that loses 42-17 to a cupcake. You just don't!

I hate to break it to you, John, but you're a bit behind the times with this one. UB went 5-7 last year with a share of the MAC East title and have 18 returning starters. Their senior quarterback Drew Willy has started since his freshman year, has the longest interception-less streak in the nation, and has a shot at being a finalist for the Unitas Award. He's a good shot for the Draft in April. Also, their starting tailback James Starks is a likely All-Conference player and a huge fantasy favorite. Add to that a head coach in Turner Gill who turned down the head position at Nebraska last offseason and you've got a team who's favored by many to win the MAC.