DIVISION 1-A SCORES
(some scores courtesy of:
http://statistics.ncaafootball.com/...age=cfoot/scores/live/scoreboard.aspx?season= )
*+x GAME OF THE WEEK x+*
"Texas Justice" Texas at Texas A&M
All rise! The Big XII presiding. You may be seated. Texas and Texas A&M represent two of the Big XII's Texas talent. The Longhorns of Texas met up against the Aggies of Texas A&M. It was a matchup in which you had to beat three things: Texas A&M, TAMU's 12th Man, and the critics. While there were some gaps exposed in Texas' offense according to sportscasters, the Longhorns remained dominant even under rough times. (40-29; Texas)
* Toledo at Bowling Green *+x for: The Peace Pipe x+*
Smoking isn't allowed in talking about a game like this, but on the line is a Peace Pipe trophy. Some of you will immediately think "Kentucky?" Well, this is Bowling Green, OH. It is in northwestern Ohio, and Toledo is only north northeast of Toledo. So obviously, if you want to scramble into opponent territory, they are only about 25 miles away. Toledo doesn't need cars. In fact, the Rockets can rocket themselves right into Bowling Green. As these Rockets touch down (no pun intended) in Bowling Green, these Rockets hope to file missles dead at the Falcons. Not Atlanta- Bowling Green Falcons. These two northwestern Ohio schools took themselves on in Bowling Green, OH. The first half didn't solve anything as the two were deadlocked at 7. Inside of two minutes left to play, a Toledo touchdown connected put the Rockets within one. Afterwards, the PAT connects, so it is anyone's game down the wire. That Peace Pipe is on the line, and neither team wants the other to win. (44-41, 2OT; Toledo)
"MAC Whackin'" Western Michigan at Northern Illinois
Let's look to De Kalb, IL. If you are a native of the greater Chicago area, De Kalb is about 30 to 40 miles west of the greater Chicago area. This game has great implications on who will play in Detroit for the Mid-Amercian Conference championship game. The Western Michigan Broncos have been quite a turnaround story. So much so, that they will go to a Bowl Game no matter what the result of this game is. Northern Illinois is also going Bowling, but they have a little business to attend to first and foremost. Those darned Huskies were hungry for some Bronco meat for lunch. This was a Wednesday afternoon game, since apparently, this game is too good for Wednesday night. Of course, there was all sorts of basketball action taking the airwaves, including the Great Alaska Shootout. Back to the gridiron on a cold, windy afternoon, and we are looking at a 28-7 blowout by the NIU Huskies, and afterwards, the Huskies kept on moving while Western Michigan was stuck in Neutral on a steep uphill. NIU wins big in this MAC matchup. (42-7; NORTHERN ILLINOIS)
* Marshall at Memphis
Green and blue. Grass and the sky. Not much college football going on since postseason play selections are close to being made. The Marshall Thundering Herd have sort of disappointed in their first C-USA foray. Memphis came back strong after being sub-0.500. And the Tigers want to make some noise for post season play. The Thundering Herd can only prepare for next season with a lot of work to do to get back to winning form. (26-3; MEMPHIS)
"Third Coast Players" Rice at Houston *+x for: Administaff Bayou Bucket x+*
Enough about other American cities, let's talk about MY hometown for once! Houston, TX. America's 4th largest city with over 4,000,000 people living in one of Texas' largest cities, if not THE largest. It's also home to three known college football schools with two in Division 1-A, then one in Division 1-AA. This is the 1-A scores, so we are talking about my city's answer to teams ranging from Temple to Southern California- Houston and Rice. These two cross-town rivals have played for the Bayou Bucket for sometime since maybe 1962. Earlier, you seen the pride of Los Angeles, now it's about Houston and the "Third Coast." The Rice Owls won only one game so far, and the ultimate shocker would be if Rice gets a magical win against Conference USA longtimers Houston. The Houston Cougars lost in a heartbreak to also dismal SMU and have only one last chance to make a postseason apperance since 2003. Houston and Rice aren't exactly USC vs. UCLA, but for Rice- their season is over. For Houston, all they need to do is beat Rice and they get a Bowl bid. No sweat for this blowout victory. (35-18; HOUSTON)
"Dessert in the Desert" Arizona at Arizona State *+x for: Territoral Cup x+*
The Big Game. Cal/Stanford uses that name for their rivalry. This game isn't really a "BIG" game, considering that Arizona sucks and their Tempe counterparts have underacheived this season. The Sun Devils have a chance to impress, and they do it against the team to beat UCLA this year- Arizona. For the Wildcats, the win against UCLA was a big one, but they still are nowhere near as talented as Arizona State has been. In football, at least. You know, considering that ASU is picked to bomb in the Pac-10 in basketball, at least give the football program some life. After losing to cupcake Arizona, Arizona State got some hellacious comeback thanks to a chip shot field goal. (23-20; ARIZONA STATE)
* Nebraska at Colorado
The Big XII North is basically wrapped up about as much as the Big XII South is. Colorado is one of the Big XII's biggest talent. Or for many, the only real talent in the Big XII now that Kansas State bombed the Big XII North since their beautiful 2003 season. The Buffaloes are going to bring an ugly Nebraska program to beautiful Folsom Field. The Cornhuskers haven't been at their absolute best since their 1995 National Championship run. It wasn't predicted that Nebraska would dominate, but Colorado's lack of offensive spunk left them with only 3 points to show for their effort. Not good. Later in this post, pay attention to the Iowa State at Kansas game to know the fate of Colorado in its chances to meet Texas in the Big XII Championship Game. (30-3; Nebraska)
"Lost Treasure of Palo Alto" Notre Dame at Stanford
Notre Dame's looking to pick a fight. They CAN pick a fight because they are the Fighting Irish, damn you! Their fight takes them into Palo Alto, CA. Palo Alto is not far from the beautiful city of San Francisco, but it is also home to Stanford. Stanford a school that's not for everyone. I may even call it the Harvard or Yale of the West Coast. The Cardinal, however, aren't smart enough in football to beat out teams like Texas, Ohio State, or even Southern Cal. You know the drill. Ninety yards. Two endzones. Sixty minutes of play and Overtime if needed. So, let's do this. Let me remind you. The field Stanford plays at will be taken down and be virtually gone. Where the Cardinal will play ball next year on out depends. So you'd have to think for Stanford's sake, Notre Dame is the villain here. The game is deadlocked at 14, so the First Half didn't solve anything. In the second half, you had to imagine that Stanford had to be playing inspired football since this was a last crack at a memorable win for the Stanford public to enjoy. Stanford had to take this tough loss as they had Notre Dame on the ropes. (38-31; Notre Dame)
"Three-Wheel Motion" Kent State at Akron *+x for: Wagon Wheel x+*
This match is for the Wagon Wheel. In this battle between two rival schools in Ohio, Ohio will win the game no matter who wins. The Golden Flashes of Kent are in need of a win because they are 1-10 heading into this rivalry game matchup. Now, let's go from A to Z and meet Akron. The Akron Zips look to down their rivals that they are hosting this year. We have more football out of Ohio. When it was inside of 9 minutes in the 3rd, the lead was 14-3 for Akron. Akron pulled away bigtime and Kent State died out longer than 2005 Syracuse in this beatdown. Maybe Kent State was missing a few of its wheels in this game. (35-3; AKRON)
"You Do the Hokie Pokie" North Carolina at #5 Virginia Tech
One team is on the rise, as they go to a team who was once unbeaten. At the half, VT led the Tar Heels 6-3. At this point, you may be thinking "how come the score isn't 21+ to 0?" The only answer is that North Carolina is doing what some basketball schools fail to do- show life in football. Whatever glimmer of hope there was for North Carolina was short-lived as the Hokies uprooted the Tar Heels. (30-3; VIRGINIA TECH)
* Arkansas at LSU
Late in the game, this game seemed close as Arkansas was close to landing the big upset and leave Baton Rouge in tears. Heading into one minute left in the game, a big pick on 4th and 18 for the Razorbacks ends up in a Tiger interception to win the game. The big news for LSU is that they survived one hell of a scare. (19-17; LOUISIANA STATE)
"Corral in Coral Gables" Virginia at Miami
Nobody comes into the Orange Bowl and calls out Miami. Apparently, Virginia came knock-knock-a-knockin' on the Uniersity of Miami's front door. "Hey 'Canes! Let's play some football already!" Ask and ye shall receive. The Miami Hurricanes are ranked #10 and don't lose too often or too frequent. When you see the green, white, and orange, you know you're looking at a Category 5 hurricane coming your way. These boys in Coral Gables, FL are looking to welcome some visitors up north. No, not Canada- but Charlottesville, VA's Virginia Cavaliers. (25-17; MIAMI)
"The Biggest Little Wolfpack in the World" Fresno State at Nevada
The Fresno State Bulldogs think they can just go into Reno, NV and blow out the Nevada Wolfpack. Bulldogs and wolves are types of canines, and it doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that Fresno State is looking for bigger and better recognition to America. To Fresno State University, they should be as respected and revered as Southern Cal, Texas, and that sort of deal. Come on, they took on the USC Trojans and had the upset in the bag. Believe it or not, Nevada has been quite successful in college football, winning Big Sky title after Big Sky title before moving up to the WAC. On top of that, they've been undefeated about 3 or 4 seasons. It was 24-16 at the Half as Nevada had #16 Fresno State on the ropes. That 12th Round Knockout wasn't the clock being frozen, but that Nevada took advantage of some sloppy play by Fresno State, which led to an upset of the #16 team. (38-35; NEVADA)
* Florida State at Florida
Bobby Bowden couldn't be happy at his Florida State Seminoles. They've lost two in a row, hoping not to lose a third-straight time overall and a second-straight time to Florida. The Gators welcomed their bitter rivals from Florida's capital to The Swamp in Gainesville. The Gainesville Gators chomped away at Florida State in such an unbelievable, unfathomable way. They've had big wins, but this was the nail in the coffin for the Seminoles as they prepare to meet Virginia in the inaugural ACC title game in Jacksonville, FL. (34-7; FLORIDA)
"Old-Fashioned Steeet Fight" Georgia at Georgia Tech ---RG: Clean-Old Fashioned Hate---
Let's look at a battle between two friends... yeah, right! The magic of rivalry games lie in the fact that two teams absolutely hate each other. Athens, GA is home to the University of Georgia. But you have to go into 'da ATL to meet the Georgia Institute of Technology, or better known as Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs (14-7; Georgia)
* Syracuse at Louisville
Whether or not Syracuse wins this game, the Orange still aren't going Bowling. Louisville surely is as the Cardinals completed Syracuse's horrid season with a blowout loss and a sad trip back to the bus. (41-17; LOUISVILLE)
"Backyard Barnburner" Pittsburgh at West Virginia
It's a Thursday night matchup in Morgantown, WV. Both teams need a win to play in some big postseason games. Let's look at both sides of this. The Pittsburgh Panthers were nothing like their season a year ago, and very much un-Panther like to see this unit just fall apart. Their first win was over Youngstown State. Easy one, right? If there is a shining star in Big East football since Miami and Virginia Tech left, let it be the West Virginia boys. The Mountaineers don't take crap from anyone, and even they underacheived a bit. For the WVU boys, Pittsburgh is on the ropes. A knockout punch is needed by the Mountaineers to win against these boys. The count was 21-13 in favor of the Mountaineers at the half. Since then, Pittsburgh's offensive motor shut down. WVU isn't done yet. If they beat South Florida next week, they will be the Big East champions. (45-13; WEST VIRGINIA)
"Scrambled Over Easy" Mississippi at Mississippi State ---RG: Egg Bowl---
Unless you're Southern Miss, Mississippi hasn't been a 1-A football state this season. Mississippi and Mississippi State play host to one popular rivalry, the Egg Bowl. The Mississippi (or better known as Ole Miss) Rebels hooked up with basketball standouts Mississippi State for yet another time. It doesn't matter who wins. Both teams aren't going to a Bowl Game. The Rebels wished Eli Manning was still a Rebel and not a NY Giant. They REALLY felt that way as the Mississippi State Bulldogs made egg yolk out of the Rebels. Both teams finished 3-8 after the Egg Bowl. No postseason play- pride was much greater than a postseason spot in this one. Good luck next year, boys. (35-14; MISSISSIPPI STATE)
* Oklahoma State at Oklahoma ---RG: Bedlam Game---
So Oklahoma doesn't suck at all... Oklahoma's Sooners put a hurtin' on the boys from Oklahoma State. The Cowboys, that is. Oklahoma's still Bowl eligible despite a horrid season. (42-14; OKLAHOMA)
* Iowa State at Kansas
With a win here, Iowa State can win that trip to Houston to play in the Big XII Championship game in Houston next week. If Kansas rips an upset, Colorado will win the Big XII North and play Texas next week in the Championship Game. For the most part, the Kansas Jayhawks doesn't disappoint... oh wait, we're talking football. Regardless, they still aren't a football school. (24-21, OT; KANSAS)
* Middle Tennessee State at Troy
The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders take down the Troy Trojans in this Sun Belt clash. (17-7; Middle Tennessee State)
"Cajun Cookoff" Louisiana-Lafayette at Louisiana-Monroe
This game is all about Louisiana. It's ULL at ULM. Louisiana-Lafayette is home to a bunch of Ragin' Cajuns. These Ragin' Cajuns can't wait to beat down their rivals all the way to the end zone. Louisiana-Monroe are home to a bunch of Indians. It is all about Louisiana pride in this one. Surely, Louisiana felt too much pressure from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, so there should be a lot of pride for this year by both teams. Regardless- Louisiana wins. But which campus? (-; L)
* South Florida at Connecticut
(15-10; CONNECTICUT)
* UAB at East Carolina
Alabama-Birmingham is a talented team. Too bad that talent didn't generate into a Blazer beatdown of the East Carolina Pirates. (31-23; EAST CAROLINA)
* UTEP at SMU
Southern Methodist came off of a big win against the Houston Cougars last week. SMU prevented Houston from clinching a Bowl Game bid. Now, it's about SMU looking for two straight bigtime wins, this time against ex-WAC team UTEP. The SMU Mustangs of Dallas, TX met up against the boys from El Paso, TX. The Miners of UTEP may play against UCF for the Conference USA title. The Miners have some explaining to do as they lose by 13 to one of Texas' worst college football teams. (40-27; SOUTHERN METHODIST)
* Tennessee at Kentucky
Tennessee's disappointing season ends with a blowout of the Kentucky Wildcats. (27-8; Tennessee)
* Boise State at Louisiana Tech
Boise State is one of the shining stars of the WAC Conference. Fresno State (the other big talent) has its hands full of Nevada, and the Broncos get Louisiana Tech. LA Tech's Bulldogs are a great team themselves, making another postseason appearance. However, that postseason appearance will have to include a big loss to the Broncos. (30-13; Boise State)
* Arkansas State at North Texas
North Texas has really disappointed this year. Now the Mean Green's misery is complete as the Arkansas State Indians clean up in Denton, TX. (31-24; Arkansas State)
* Maryland at North Carolina State
North Carolina State is struggling this season. The Wolfpack have been a bit of a letdown. In the process, they also let down the Maryland Terrapins. Of course, those are the letdowns that matter. (20-14; NORTH CAROLINA STATE)
* Cincinatti at Rutgers
The Cincinatti Bearcats looked like a junior college team up against a Top 5 Division 1-A team. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights slain the Bearcats... right in the heart. (44-9; RUTGERS)
* Tulane at Southern Miss
Tulane was credited the Courage Award for enduring through a tough season being displaced by the hurricanes. You have to feel for the Tulane Green Wave all season long. It almost seems like they could have have cancelled the season and just try to rebuild lost ground. However, the Green Wave from New Orleans, LA (26-7; SOUTHERN MISS)
* Utah State at New Mexico State
(24-21; Utah State)
* Florida International at Florida Atlantic
It was 52-0 inside of 3 minutes left. There was a consolation touchdown for the Florida International Panthers, but Florida Atlantic's Owls were too much. (52-6; FLORIDA ATLANTIC)
* Idaho at San Jose State
The Idaho State Vandals completed their first WAC season and in a dismal manner to the San Jose State Spartans. (28-16; SAN JOSE STATE)
