Nothing is Better Than College Football Every Day!

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February 21st:

  • Got to be honest - wish I were making more progress on all things regarding my favorite sport, but I have divided my attentions a bit more than in the last couple of years. Guess it makes me a more well-rounded individual. Hahahaha

  • In regards to transfers - I have resorted to looking at team websites when I get chance since there isn’t a list pulled together like last year. Maybe later in the spring or early summer there will be one after Spring transfers, but I wanted to update things a bit sooner than that.

  • Not only is Nebraska canceling their spring game (other teams are as well - Texas and USC to name a couple), but their home-and-series with Tennessee is off the books. Maybe it will come back if the Big Ten and SEC come to a scheduling agreement.

  • The Mountain West has released their conference schedule, leaving the MAC, AAC and Sun Belt as the only FBS conferences still holding back. As for the FCS, the MEAC might be the only one holding off - but I’m thinking it’s because teams in that conference are scrambling to fill up the non-conference schedule.

  • Stonehill just posted their schedule - after adding three new opponents (Yale, Penn, and Sacred Heart). I’m surprised that the Skyhawks didn’t add a Division II opponent since they have just moved up to Division I the last couple of years.

  • Something you don’t see very often, a Division I team scheduled a three-game series with a Division II opponent. Dayton and Thomas More, who have met only once before - in 1992 when both schools were Division III, will be meeting each other for the next three years.

February 19th:

  • Started my morning by adding a couple of FCS vs. Division II matchups (Lincoln (PA) at Duquesne and West Liberty at Robert Morris) brought about by the NEC releasing their conference schedule.

  • 247Sports posted a piece on what they feel will by the toughest college football environments in 2025. The only surprising place to me was Lavell Edwards Stadium.

  • Just when I thought I found the best website for transfer information (On3) - I start poking around 247Sports transfer portal information and I find that they include some Division I athletes that are moving down to Division II - players I don’t find in On3’ site. It’s never easy…lol

  • Five teams appear to have both Top 10 Recruiting and Transfer Classes (per Athlon Sports) - and one of the teams is Auburn…

  • Stumbled upon a big Division II non-conference game on September 13th: Grand Valley State at Pittsburg State. The Gorillas have another great non-conference game versus the reigning Division II National Champion Ferris State.

  • When LSU visits Clemson at Memorial Stadium on August 30th, it will be the first regular season matchup for the two Tiger teams after four postseason meetings, which includes the 2020 CFP Championship Game (LSU leads the all-time series 3-1).

February 18th:

  • I know that it had been quite a while since I had gotten my thoughts together - or even spent a good chunk of time working on my various documents, but I really lost track of time since it has been more than a week…

  • Got a quick reminder as to where my head has been when I had been thinking that if I got at 30 visits a day this month, I would hit a new high for February - 900 visits. I had forgotten that 30 visits a day this month would only get me to 840. Ugh.

  • Definitely intrigued with the hiring of Matt Patricia by the Buckeyes.

  • After leading Buffalo to a 9-4 record last year, Pete Lembo got a year added to his contract as well as a raise from the school. I was skeptical with the hiring since Lembo hadn’t been a head coach in almost a decade, but he knows how to coach based on his 121-69 career record at four schools.

  • Within the last week, there have been some head coach positions filled in Division III, but those hiring have created new openings at Bluffton, Franklin & Marshall, and St. Scholastica

  • Jacob Henry, son of wrestler Mark Henry, has been added to Oklahoma’s football roster as a walk-on defensive lineman. Can’t wait for him to throw running backs to the ground!

February 10th:

  • Congratulations to the Eagles for their Super Bowl win over the Chiefs! Personally - I’m glad that Kansas City didn’t get their third straight Super Bowl win…

  • For those who have won both a National Championship and a Super Bowl - which one is sweeter?

  • Cooper DeJean continues to make plays - whether it was for the Hawkeyes or now the Eagles. I’m not surprised that he found his way into the starting lineup.

  • After clearing snow for most of the morning, I got some solid time in on my website. I updated six documents over the course of the day, which led to some changes on the website - primarily coaching changes and Division II teams playing FCS opponents.

  • I like the four-game “Legacy Series” agreed to between Alabama A&M and Tennessee State. These schools first met in 1930 (Tennessee State leads the all-time series 21-8), but their last matchup was in 2010 - so they were due to meet again.

  • Now that the Ivy League is allowing their teams to participate in the FCS playoffs this fall, will the NESCAC follow suit and have their teams play in the Division III playoffs?

February 9th:

  • Six former Georgia teammates are a part of the Eagles successful defense - and five of them should be contributors today (the sixth is on the injured reserve list).

  • Power 4 teams with the fewest scholarship players lost to the transfer portal: SMU (4), Clemson (5), Northwestern (5), Duke (6) and Kansas (7).

  • Updated FBS payouts to FCS teams ($500k or more). Grambling State is the big winner this year as they get to play in the Horseshoe while collecting $1M from Ohio State. Overall though - I think that payouts got a bit smaller this year as opposed to last year.

  • I was looking at my Composite FCS Preseason Top 25 for 2024 and discovered that seven of those teams listed ended up with losing records: Southern Illinois (4-8), Sacramento State (3-9), Furman (3-8), Albany (4-8), Weber State (4-8), Eastern Illinois (3-9) and North Dakota (5-7)

  • On the flip side, these seven FCS teams ended up in the Top 25 despite preseason expectations: UC Davis, Mercer, Rhode Island, Abilene Christian, Lehigh, Northern Arizona, and Tennessee State.

  • According to many, it looks like new Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion is doing well with both high school recruits and incoming transfers. How that translates on the field (Maryland?) is TBD…

February 8th:

  • Earlier this week, the Big 12 announced their conference schedule for 2025! Soon after, CUSA, Southland (FCS) and the Pioneer League (FCS) released their schedules. That leaves four Group of Five conferences (MAC, Mountain West, AAC, and Sun Belt) and a handful of FCS conferences that need to make known their schedules.

  • In addition to conferences revealing schedules, a flurry of teams made their weekly schedules known. NC Central is one of those teams, and I have to say that I like what information they provide for each game.

  • Looks like Maryland did well with their 2025 recruiting, but results are needed on the field - and being predicted to finish 16th or 17th in the Big Ten doesn’t cut it.

  • Ohio State has bounced back after losing their coordinators, by giving Day a new contract and handing over play calling duties to Brian Hartline.

  • UAlbany is looking for a new head coach after Greg Gattuso tendered his resignation after being head coach of the Great Danes for eleven seasons. Gattuso will return to his alma mater, Penn State, to be a DL consultant.

  • In other coaching news, Bob Stitt has been hired for his second stint as head coach of the Colorado School of Mines. That makes him the fourth head coach that I know of who will be returning for a second stint with a school.

February 4th:

  • Surprised to see ESPN post a story about a head coach hiring at a Division II school (West Alabama), but Scott Cochran is a unique story.

  • Will Alabama’s hiring of Ryan Grubb as offensive coordinator lead the Crimson Tide back to the top? Smart move I think because it puts a successful tandem back together again as he has worked with Kalen DeBoer in the past.

  • Ohio State has now lost both coordinators when Chip Kelly announced that he will be returning to the NFL. The Buckeyes might just poach Miami’s offensive coordinator…

  • Failed to mention it last week, but I like many of the ACC weeknight matchups. NC State has three of them - as they will play East Carolina, Wake Forest and Florida State during the week. And Louisville has their two biggest matchups (Miami and Clemson) scheduled for either a Thursday or a Friday night.

  • The Big 12 announces their schedule today, but a couple of games have leaked out - one of them being the rematch of the Alamo Bowl taking place on 9/27 when Colorado hosts BYU.

  • We know about which teams exceeded expectations in 2024, but how about a few teams that disappointed…Group of Five teams: Appalachian State, San Diego State, Wyoming, Fresno State and Troy. Power 4 teams: Florida State, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Utah, Oklahoma.

  • Sometimes, getting an old series record correct between two teams can be a challenge. For example - Tuskegee and Alabama State have been playing since 1901, and their series results don’t match - which isn’t uncommon. But, when Tuskegee says that the 2024 matchup is the 105th meeting between the schools, and they have 106 results (64-38-4) - that’s when the headache begins…

February 2nd:

  • Slow day for visits yesterday - must have been the Royal Rumble that distracted any potential followers…

  • How great was it that Tiger Bech’s younger brother Jack caught the winning pass in the Senior Bowl? Can’t help but believe that there is divine intervention from time-to-time.

  • Yesterday, Richmond officially joined the Patriot League - though I’m not sure why it wouldn’t happen in July. The Spiders announced their 2025 schedule as well, which includes in-state foes and regional opponents - and wraps up with the 136th edition of "Oldest Rivalry in the South".

  • Richmond’s leads the rivalry with William & Mary 66-64-5 after winning the last two matchups, and 15 of the last 19 meetings with the Tribe.

  • I read somewhere that someone was claiming that Syracuse has the toughest schedule next year. Granted they play Tennessee out-of-conference, and they play Clemson, SMU, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL) and Notre Dame all on the road, but I’m thinking that Oklahoma has a rougher go of it next year.

  • It’s too bad that Nebraska is thinking about canceling their spring game this year, but if fact they are worried about teams poaching some of their players based on what they see in the game, I can’t say that I blame them…

February 1st:

  • I was very pleased with the visits to this site this past month. Was hoping for modest growth over January 2024, but got over 2800 visits - which was an 18% increase when comparing it with last January.

  • Spent a chunk of time yesterday working on the Division II tab - which I will continue to add to and update.

  • Oklahoma State and Mike Gundy reworked his contract. Seems to me like it’s more friendly to the Cowboys so that they can phase Gundy out if the Cowboys don’t bounce back from a poor year.

  • Notre Dame released their schedule for 2025. I like almost all of their matchups - either from a historical standpoint or intriguing (especially Boise State visiting South Bend).

  • I like how it’s a big deal when conference schedules are announced. FBSchedules has a post indicating that the Big 12 will be releasing their conference schedule this Tuesday (Feb. 4th).

January 31st:

  • Finished the FBS tab in my Coaching Info spreadsheet - 136 coaches down, 547 to go. My February will be occupied doing as much of this sheet as possible.

  • 2025 FCS-Division II matchups are not done yet because scheduling is still going on, but I did update and enter what I have found for games between these two divisions.

  • Not a very exciting matchup for most, but Cal and San Jose State have agreed to a future home-and-home series that begins in 2028. Meeting for the first time since 1996, these teams first played in 1899, and Cal leads the overall series 29-6.

  • Last year’s biggest payout I saw from a FBS school to a FCS opponent was $760k (LSU to Nicholls). This year, Ohio State is being Grambling State $1 million to visit Columbus!

  • Looks like I will have to add “The Buddy Way” to my watchlist for this weekend. And to think he was the quarterback for Dartmouth when I saw my first college football game in person…

  • Five FBS Head Coaches will be looking for their first-ever college football win: Zach Kittley (Florida Atlantic), Bill Belichick (UNC), Charles Kelly (Jacksonville State), Dowell Loggains (Appalachian State), and Tony Gibson (Marshall)

  • Impressive to see that Bob Chesney has coached and won at all levels of NCAA football: Salve Regina (III), Assumption (II), Holy Cross (FCS) and James Madison (FBS).

  • Next year Brian Kelly should get to 300 wins as a head coach after 35 years and five locations. If he doesn’t get to 300 victories he might be looking for his next coaching gig…

January 30th:

  • Elation over seeing the result of the Maryland-Wisconsin game this morning quickly turned to sadness after learning about the plane/helicopter crash over the Potomac River. Having been in that area numerous times, I am familiar with how busy that airspace is on a daily basis. My heart aches for the victims, their loved ones, and all those affected by this tragedy.

  • My somber mood was lifted this morning after seeing a video on ESPN of Cal’s equipment manager preventing a helmet theft after a big win. Unfortunately the student found out that Trevor Skogerboe has a background in wrestling. It was a perfect take down!

  • As my family can attest I have been tempted more than once to grab a helmet since we get so close to the sideline at Bowdoin games. After seeing this I plan on keeping my hands in my pockets.

  • Former UMaine great John Huard passed away yesterday. He’s the only Black Bear to be elected into the College Football Hall of Fame and for a time was the head coach at Maine Maritime Academy (1987-1993). I will have to track down his football card in my collection…

  • Not sure if this is accurate or not, but rumor has it the Dillon Gabriel threw a pass at 74.9 mph at Tuesday’s practice for the Senior Bowl. Wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that pass! Looking into this more - it was initial air speed, and that number ranks 8th among 48 quarterbacks to appear at the Senior Bowl in the last eight years.

  • It is true that Gabriel will honor each of the schools he played for when he wears a helmet with the logos of Oregon, Oklahoma and UCF this Saturday at the Senior Bowl.

  • Georgetown released their 2025 schedule - and one of their non-conference games is a matchup with Morgan State, which makes it intriguing since the two schools are from Washington and Baltimore. It’s believed that this is the second game of a home-and-home series that got started in 2021.

  • Was surprised to see this morning that Grambling State and Jackson State will meet in Las Vegas in late October. I know that they have been longtime SWAC rivals (having first met in 1952), and the SWAC has great attendance - but is this the right venue for the game? Attendance figures will tell the tale…

  • In another HBCU matchup that was just announced, Florida A&M will play Howard in the 2025 Orange Blossom Classic. These teams actually played in the inaugural Orange Blossom Classic back in 1933 - in front of 2,000 fans at the Black’s Only Ballpark in Jacksonville, FL.

January 29th:

  • Started the morning by adding the latest coaching hiring…Bentley (MA) has hired CJ Scarpa to takeover for Saj Thakkar, who left the Falcons for the opening at Davidson just over a month ago.

  • With the Scarpa hiring, sixteen Division II head coach opening have been filled, leaving six openings.

  • Also added the September 20th game between Abilene Christian and Austin Peay - a matchup between the 2023 and 2024 UAC Champions. Last year’s matchup was won by ACU, on the road, 35-34.

  • Five-star Maryland commit Zion Elee is going out on some visits to other schools - surprise. Guess I won’t be seeing him in a Terp uniform in 2026…

  • Penn State is hoping to copy the Buckeye’s 2024 season blueprint by throwing NIL money at key players to keep them out of the NFL Draft. Then they hire Jim Knowles to be their new defensive coordinator.

  • So far Sacramento State has signed 20 FBS transfers for the 2025 season. It won’t necessarily guarantee them more success because three FCS teams brought in 20+ FBS transfers in 2024 – and all three lost more games than year before (2 of them lost 5 more games).

  • Just updated the FBS Coaching changes for 2025 and the AAC is the conference with the most coaching changes with five, followed by CUSA with four. And the SEC is the only conference without any new head coaches for the upcoming year.

  • I also added two new FBS coaches to my Youngest Head Coaches - FBS blog. Won’t say which ones because I want you to check out the blog. LOL

  • And regarding the Mountain West…in the last two offseasons, there have been a total of nine head coach changes. Two others (Jay Norvell and Timmy Chang) have just completed their third seasons with their current teams. Then there is Troy Calhoun, who will be entering his 19th season with Air Force…

January 28th:

  • We now know two Black Friday matchups for next fall: Iowa at Nebraska and Georgia at Georgia Tech. Happy to see the Clean Old-Fashioned Hate rivalry game moved to Friday - where it belongs.

  • After falling off of UMass’ schedule, Boston College and UConn will now play this fall on October 18th. The teams also announced another three games, but the series won’t resume until 2029.

  • Nice to see Washington State add former Pac-12 opponent Arizona to their schedule, but it would be better if the Cougars added either Oregon or Cal.

  • I read somewhere that Texas Tech supposedly has the easiest schedule in the Big 12 next season - but it’s based on opponent’s W-L pct. from 2024. Looking into the Red Raiders schedule a bit more I see that they have a very easy non-conference schedule which skews things a bit. Their conference schedule includes visits to Arizona State, Kansas State and Utah, as well as a home game against BYU. Doesn’t look very easy to me…

  • When Chattanooga visits Memphis on August 30th, the Mocs will be looking for their first win over the Tigers since a 14-13 win back in 1956. Memphis leads the all-time series 12-5.

January 27th:

  • Didn’t seem possible a year ago, but Florida could be one of the top four teams in SEC - ahead of Alabama and Tennessee. The reason for that: DJ Lagway.

  • On3 ranked who they thought would be the Top 25 quarterbacks in 2025. Three qbs were ahead of Arch Manning: Sam Leavitt, Drew Allar, and DJ Lagway. LaNorris Sellers rounded out the Top 5.

  • When the Longhorns visit Columbus on 8/30, we will see which team reloads the fastest. Texas has to replace their top receivers and four offensive linemen, while the Buckeyes will have a young defense. Will Manning be the difference?

  • I didn’t realize how challenging the Irish schedule will be in through September. They go to Miami (FL), host Texas A&M and then travels to Arkansas at the end of the month.

  • I didn’t realize how hard hit Purdue was in the transfer portal. The Boilermakers lose a combined 287 starts!

  • Meanwhile, Southern Miss made out by hiring Charles Huff. He brings with him six starters from Marshall, and another 7 solid starters from various FCS and Group of Five teams.

  • Kansas got a commitment from Columbia wide receiver Bryson Canty - who put up solid numbers this past season. He had 43 receptions for nine touchdowns in 2024 for the Ivy League co-champions.

  • Chattanooga just released their 2025 football schedule, and most of the games will be worth following this fall. I also like the Mocs announcement format - which I printed for future reference…

  • I also discovered a Division II out-of-conference game that will appear in a future blog: Sioux Falls at Black Hills State.

January 25th:

  • These last couple of days that I took off from writing down thoughts, I realized that even though I don’t type them out, college football is still an every day thing for me - as I think about it, talk about it, and read about it every day.

  • The ACC is teasing their schedule before the full release on Monday. Their Week 1 schedule is pretty impressive as it stretches across all five days - from Thursday through Monday. I really like the back end as Miami hosts Notre Dame and Virginia Tech takes on South Carolina in Atlanta on Sunday - and then North Carolina hosts TCU on Labor Day.

  • Schedules are still being finalized for some teams in the FBS - as they scramble to find opponents in the FCS. Meanwhile, FCS teams look in their division for final opponents - as well as lower Divisions and NAIA.

  • The Early Entry deadline for the NFL Draft has passed - and 70 players have added their name the the draft list hoping to play in the NFL next year. Back in 2021, 130 players announced their intention to enter the draft, so the NIL era is keeping kids in school longer.

  • And it looks like Texas Tech is winning the Transfer Portal contest as they have brought in 10 4-star players, while only losing one (WR Micah Hudson). Ole Miss is close behind as they have added 6 4-star players without losing one.

January 22nd:

  • Last night I was thinking that it was time to leave the 2024 season behind and look forward to 2025, but then I realized that the information I have been gathering in my spreadsheets will require some references to this past season. For example, some teams hit milestones that are worth mentioning.

  • The last few days I have decided to set aside my Games to Follow spreadsheet and jump into the All-Time Records (W-L-T-Games Played) and Coaching Records spreadsheets. A smart decision I think because schedules on the lower levels are still being pulled together and a lot of conference schedules haven’t been released yet.

  • It’s paying off since I have already updated the All-Time Records document - with conference realignments to boot. And this morning I started dealing with the Coaching Records sheet. This one is a time consuming - but certainly worth the effort. Good stuff that I would be stupid not to use. lol

  • Have we seen the last of Lee Corso? Guess we have been saying that for quite a few years, but it just feels different this year. If it is - the memories he created will always be enjoyed over and over on video!

  • While looking for the video on ESPN of Lee’s headgear picks for OSU and Notre Dame (wow - he looks young at the start!), I came across the video on Tiger Bech, who was killed in the terrorist attack in New Orleans. A tearjerker that is inspirational…

January 21st:

  • Congratulations to Ohio State for winning the National Championship last night! Well deserved and well earned! A tough path following their loss to Michigan, but they met every challenged head on and succeeded…

  • Notre Dame has nothing to hang their heads about. After losing to Northern Illinois in week 2 most everyone wrote them off, but the Fighting Irish won their next ten regular season games - and then beat three very tough playoff opponents.

  • Hadn’t thought about it - but all five national champions in college are from the Midwest: Ohio State (census bureau considers state of Ohio as being in the Midwest), North Dakota State, Ferris State (MI), North Central (IL) and Grand Vieew (IA).

  • Georgia had a down year after their recent successes, but the Bulldogs still won at least eleven games for the seventh straight year.

  • Army won the AAC in their first year in the conference - one of only 4 teams to EVER do it.

  • SMU won 11 games in back-to-back years for the first time ever.

  • UNLV appeared in the AP Top 25 for the first time ever.

  • INDIANA was ranked 10th in the final AP Poll of 2024.

  • Other teams that had surprisingly great seasons: BYU, Arizona State, Syracuse, Marshall, UConn, Jacksonville State, Navy, Illinois and South Carolina.

  • Who’s ready for 2025???????

January 20th:

  • Big night tonight - the conclusion of the new CFB playoff. To be honest, I’m not sure who I want to win - I’m just hoping for an exciting game! When all is said and done, both schools can say that they earned the title.

  • This is the third consecutive season the teams will meet but only the ninth meeting all-time between the programs. Notre Dame won the first two games of the series, in 1935 and 1936, and Ohio State has won the last six games.

  • Both Ohio State and Notre Dame are Top 5 among FBS schools in national titles according to NCAA.com, as the Fighting Irish are looking for title number 14 and the Buckeyes would love title number 9.

  • Ohio State has not trailed yet in their playoff games and with a win tonight they will get their 5th win over a Top 5 team.

  • Looks like we are going to have a battle between Wisconsin and Miami (FL) based on Badger defensive back Xavier Lucas. No doubt that tampering occurs quite often, but this formal complaint might be the first of many depending on how it goes. Here’s hoping that Bucky the Badger takes care of Sebastian the Ibis - though both mascots are really cool.

  • Interesting to see that Mike Murray stepped down as head coach of Elmhurst so that he could return to his alma mater to become the assistant coach at Illinois Wesleyan under new head coach Jared Williamson. Their relationship goes back almost twenty years.

January 19th:

  • Hadn’t thought too much about it, but NCAA football playoff games for the most part have to be scheduled around the NFL. It’s too bad that the big boys can’t bend the (unspoken?) rules a bit.

  • Looks like Texas wants the NFL to keep their hands off of Steve Sarkisian as they got him signed to a new contract. Colorado is probably hoping to do the same thing, while I wonder if USC wants the pros to take Riley off their hands.

  • Not only does Week Zero have a solid FCS game (Mercer-UC Davis), but Iowa State will be taking on Kansas State in Ireland. One of the top contenders in the Big 12 is going to get a leg up on everyone else before the season gets truly started.

January 18th:

  • I was very satisfied with my work yesterday, as I stayed very focused and wasn’t distracted by squirrels. Started by doing a couple updates to my coaching changes spreadsheets and Games to Follow spreadsheet, but then spent a big chunk of time updating my All-Time Records spreadsheet. Got through 3 Divisions!

  • Was thinking that UMass was moving to the MAC in 2026 - but it’s actually this upcoming season, so I did some quick cutting and pasting. The Minutemen still have to cut a couple of non-conference games, and though it’s not official - I read that it will be Boston College and UConn. Wish it had been Missouri and Iowa!

  • On Thursday I added the SMU at Clemson and Arizona State at Iowa State games to my list of games to keep an eye on in 2025 since they were conference championship games in 2024.

  • Another game that got added: TCU at North Carolina on 8/30. A solid matchup that also happens to be Bill Belichick’s first game as head coach of the Tar Heels.

  • When the FCS Kickoff was announced a while back, I noticed the matchup but didn’t get overly excited because there wasn’t a history between the teams. That is something I am trying to get past because the Mercer vs. UC Davis game is going to be a great matchup. Both teams had surprising seasons in 2024 - as both ended up being ranked in the Top 10.

  • Richmond will move from the CAA to the Patriot League, opening the 2025 season at defending champion Lehigh, which eliminated the Spiders in the 2024 playoff first round.

  • The CAA used to be one of my favorite conferences - but with James Madison, Delaware and Richmond leaving for other conferences, it’s just not the same conference. It feels watered down…

  • And sticking with the FCS to wrap up - the Southern Conference (Mercer was the champion in 2024) has had a different champion for the last six years. To keep that going one of these teams will have to win in 2025: Chattanooga, Western Carolina or The Citadel.

January 17th:

  • While in my research mode yesterday, I got frustrated with finding little, if no information on Division II and III players transferring up to Division I. Guess I will have to table it for now and wait until teams announce their recruiting successes later this winter. Probably means that I will have to go a route I have done before - visit teams’ websites, one by one.

  • This morning I saw that Holy Cross announced their 2025 schedule. They have a lot of historic rivalries with local teams, so they also have a great non-conference schedule. Also, having Richmond as a new conference member gives the Crusaders another solid matchup year-in and year-out.

  • When I saw the release of the Holy Cross’ schedule and noticed that there were a couple of comments, I couldn’t help myself - I had to read them. I suddenly found out that I’m not the only one out there who keeps up with the details of this wonderful sport! Evan seemed to know how many FCS and FBS teams still needed non-conference games to complete their schedules. I was impressed!

  • Can’t help but wonder if there are going to be a couple more openings for a head coach in the FBS ranks. Will Colorado and/or USC be searching for new head coaches this winter?

  • Sorry to see that Bob Nielson is retiring after being a head coach since 1989 at six different schools. After leading South Dakota to one of its best seasons in school history, Nielson has decided that he has had enough. During his time as a head coach at Ripon, Wartburg, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Minnesota-Duluth, Western Illinois and South Dakota, Nielson won 239 games, as well as two Division II national titles at Minnesota-Duluth.

  • Didn’t take long for the Coyotes to name Nielson’s successor: Travis Johansen - their defensive coordinator since 2019.

  • While in South Dakota…with Jimmy Rogers leaving the Jackrabbits to become the head coach at Washington State, 24 players have left the program (22 to FBS programs) - seventeen of them following Rogers to play for the Cougars. We’ll see what type of program he developed in Brookings…

  • Not so bad - Idaho has lost 15 players since Jason Eck left the Vandals to go coach at New Mexico. Seven players are joining him to play for the Lobos.

January 16th:

  • My thought this morning was I better get my ass in motion, because unless thoughts and ideas write themselves you have nothing. So today I sent home 9 documents full of info and data that need an eye for detail and then a keyboard.

  • Guess I did have one other thought…seeing that Quinn Ewers turned down substantial NIL money to transfer got my attention - especially after Carson Beck left Georgia. Seems that he wanted to end his college career as a Longhorn, and he wanted to leave Texas in good standing. Left me impressed…very impressed.

January 15th:

  • Former UNLV/Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka just announced his commitment to James Madison. Having thrown for over 6,000 yards during his career, he will have to compete for the Dukes starting job with Alonza Barnett III, who threw for 2,598 yards and 26 touchdowns this past season.

  • Former Texas WR Johntay Cook II, who committed to the Washington Huskies less than a month ago, is already back in the transfer portal. It appears that the parting was mutual. Sounds like someone to stay away from…

  • Texas State is losing quarterback Jordan McCloud, but they have received two commitments the last couple of days from hopeful quarterbacks: Gevani McCoy from Oregon State via Idaho (who backed off UIW) and Holden Geriner - former 4-star QB from Auburn.

  • The NFL announced the 2025 Senior Bowl participants, and though it was an impressive list of talent there were only four FCS players on the roster (RB Marcus Yarns - Delaware, OL Jackson Slater - Sacramento State, OL Grey Zabel - North Dakota State, and Edge Rusher David Walker - Central Arkansas). Another name I noticed was Rayuan Lane III - who played safety for the Midshipmen.

  • Have gone over a couple of early Top 25 polls for this fall, and two things I noticed: SMU is ranked too high (around Top 10) as their schedule is tougher (Pitt, Duke and Virginia out, Clemson, Miami, Syracuse in) and the Big 12 is going to be anyone’s guess again as one poll has BYU ranked #8 - and another doesn’t have the Cougars in their top 25.

  • Since the Ivy League is prone to multi-team ties for its titles, I wonder what the tiebreaker methodology will be for a team or teams to advance to the FCS playoff. Two-ways should be solved with head-to-head since all teams play each other, but in the case of a three-way tie, does it go to the highest-ranked member?

January 14th:

  • Not surprised to see a couple (Lock Haven and Elmhurst) of coaching changes yesterday after I posted my latest number of new coaches for 2025. Both resignations were because the head coaches are taking different positions.

  • Early entry declarations continue with Texas feeling the latest hit as talented receiver Matthew Golden is moving on to the NFL.

January 13th:

  • ESPN has a couple of good reads today regarding this past bowl season and quarterbacks who will be playing for new schools this upcoming fall.

  • Just finished up my Winning and Losing Seasons spreadsheet that now included the recently completed 2024 season. Should be coming out with a couple of new blogs with the info found here.

  • And yesterday I got 2025 coaching changes posted for all divisions. The FBS blog is new since I have always done the Longest Tenured FBS Coaches sheet - which I have updated this season.

  • Seems like the top 2 available transfer quarterbacks looking for new homes still for 2025: Matthew Sluka (UNLV via Holy Cross) and Devin Brown (Ohio State).

  • We haven’t even played this year’s championship game, and the odds for next year’s winner are already out. Top 5 teams: Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State.

January 12th:

  • I know that the 2024 season isn’t over yet, but how about this one tweak for the 2025 playoff format: For a team to get a bye, they need to be ranked in the Top 8. If a conference champion is outside this ranking, then their reward is to host a first round game, no matter their ranking.

  • A sixteen team playoff won’t fly with me because if you can’t get yourself ranked near the Top 10, then be prepared to play in a solid bowl game.

  • Also, I don’t like conference championships, but it would be awfully hard to eliminate them since conferences are so big now and the top 2 teams may not have played each other during the regular season.

  • With the semifinals being played during the week, I wondered how attendance would be at the games. Got my answer - college football fans are the best.

  • Notre Dame’s independence paid off (literally) this year, as they have received $20 million from the CFP and they don’t have to share a penny with anyone.

January 11th:

  • Impressive strip and sack - but what a bounce! Not sure anything will deny the Buckeyes this year.

  • Tennessee, Oregon, and now Texas - can’t tell me that Ohio State doesn’t deserve this chance at the championship.

  • The two finalists were both ranked outside the top 4, so it’s likely that both of them would have been left out of the playoffs if last year’s playoff format was being used.

  • Mercer released their 2025 schedule yesterday. Last year in its first season under head coach Mike Jacobs, Mercer won the SoCon championship outright for its first title in 92 years.

  • E. J. Warner (son of Kurt Warner) announced that he will be playing at Fresno State in 2025 after leaving Rice when his head coach Mike Bloomgren was fired.

  • Yesterday afternoon I was doing some housecleaning on my Games to Follow spreadsheet. In previous iterations, I had FBS-FCS matchups mixed between my FBS tab and my FCS tab. This year, all those games will be found under one roof - the FCS tab. And when that is done, I will move all FCS-Division II games to my Division II tab.

  • Just added the Auburn-Baylor matchup on 8/30/25 to my spreadsheet for two reasons: First - it’s a solid SEC-Big 12 game, and secondly, former Tiger quarterback Walker White is looking forward to facing off against his old team. He’ll be doing everything he can to help the Bears beat the Tigers.

  • My interest in the Colorado football got started when former Patriot head coach Chuck Fairbanks took over the Buffs in 1979. Though he wasn’t successful, his firing led to Bill McCartney getting hired - who got Colorado their only national championship in 1990, though they had to share it with Georgia Tech. McCartney’s success made the Big 8 more than just a two team conference.

January 10th:

  • Just finished up going through the schedules for Big Ten and SEC teams since those conferences have posted their 2025 conference schedule. I also spent time on their future non-conference games, seeing what we get to look forward to in the coming seasons!

  • Notre Dame’s season continues all the way to the championship game thanks to their win over Penn State. I like the Irish defense and look forward to them matching up against either team that’s playing tonight.

  • Didn’t take long for Carson Beck to commit after entering the transfer portal. And wasn’t surprised at his destination.

  • I see that Michigan State picked up a solid Division II wide receiver. Rodney Bullard has played the last three seasons at Valdosta State and his 2024 stats: 42 receptions, 1,001 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns.

  • Texas and Ohio State are meeting for the fourth time ever. The Horns hold a 2-1 series advantage over the Buckeyes with the most recent game coming in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl - a game Texas won, 24-21.

  • The Longhorns have played in the most Cotton Bowls of any program (23), but are making their first appearance since 2003.

  • Ohio State is the only school to have played in either a College Football Playoff game or a New Year’s Six bowl game every year of the 10-year, four-team CFP era.

  • Texas and Ohio State will open the 2025 season against each other on Saturday, Aug. 30, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

January 9th:

  • Notre Dame and Penn State are meeting for the 20th time, with the series tied at 9-9-1. The two teams have met in the postseason once previously, the 1977 Gator Bowl (a 20-9 Irish win).

  • In the last matchup in 2007, Penn State won 31-10 as the held Notre Dame to 0 rushing yards on 26 attempts and 144 total yards.

  • Was surprised to see that both teams have been ranked on only seven previous occasions in the series.

  • Notre Dame sits tied-fourth with 960 all-time victories and No. 4 with an all-time winning percentage of .732 while Penn State sits No. 7 in all-time victories (943) and No. 9 in winning percentage (.691).

  • Sun Belt conference members now know their conference opponents as of today for the 2025 season, but it doesn’t do me any good at this time if they don’t have dates. I still have to work my way through some other conferences though…lol

  • Interesting to see that quarterback TJ Finley is moving once again - this time to Tulane. He has also had stops at LSU, Auburn, Texas State, and Western Kentucky. Wonder where he is getting his diploma?

  • And Kahlil Benson and Louis Moore are returning to Indiana after a year away. Wonder what they know? Hahahaha

  • With Luke Lehnen has started every game at quarterback for four years at North Central, it’s time that the Cardinals to change quarterbacks. Something they aren’t used to as they have had two starting quarterbacks in the last eight seasons.

  • Nice get in the portal for Oregon…former Tulane running back Makhi Hughes is a stud. In two seasons with the Green Wave, Hughes gained 2,779 yards on the ground and 24 touchdowns.

  • Saw an early 2025 Power Rankings for the Big 12. BYU is projected to be on top, followed by Arizona State and Iowa State. Surprisingly, Utah is projected to finish between 8th and 10th place. Of course the 2024 Power Rankings proved to be useless…

January 8th:

  • This morning started out fast in terms of working on my Games to Follow spreadsheet before work got in the way. Next thing I know it is almost 6:00pm! Ugh.

  • Was disappointed to see that Nebraska won’t be playing Wisconsin next year, but that disappointment went away when I realized that Penn State was added to the Cornhusker schedule.

  • Meanwhile Northwestern has UCLA and USC on their schedule next fall. Doesn’t seem possible that it’s been thirty years since their epic bowl games against these former Pac-12 teams.

  • Touching back on North Dakota State’s FCS title - what’s most impressive about the run is that it has happened with four different head coaches at the helm.

  • It was just announced today that Tarleton State and McNeese have scheduled a home-and-home series in 2026 and 2027. These non-conference matchups might have an impact on one’s playoff resume…

  • Working on plans to enhance my Division II and III tabs with more entries. Still trying to figure out how to expand my New England Teams tab…

January 7th:

  • Congratulations to North Dakota State for winning their 10 FCS title in the last 15 years! Unfortunately Cam Miller ended his career with 11,999 total yards - one yard short of hitting 12,000.

  • The Bobcats must be feeling the sting now that the Bison have eliminated them from the FCS playoffs four times since 2018.

  • While talking FCS, it was just announced that former South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski has announced that he will be playing for Iowa in 2025.

  • I enjoyed watching the two Ivy League videos that ESPN posted just before noon - one was a season review and the other was a quick clip of the postseason awards ceremony.

  • After being fired, re-hired and then retained by three different Florida Atlantic head coaches since mid-November, Roc Bellantoni has accepted an offer from Auburn to be their Outside Linebackers Coach.

  • Announced today: Pitt and Duquesne will play this fall for the first time in 86 years. The Panthers and Dukes first met on the gridiron in 1901 and last played in 1939, which resulted in a 21-13 victory for the Duquesne, but Pitt currently leads the overall series 5-2.

January 6th:

  • Congratulations to North Central for their win over Mount Union to claim their third Division III National Championship in three years.

  • Congratulations to Cardinal quarterback Luke Lehnen, who ended his career with 162 touchdown passes - which ties John Matocha’s all-divisions record. The former Orediggers quarterback was only able to enjoy the record to himself for one year.

  • Tonight we should see a great game between Montana State and North Dakota State for the FCS Championship.

  • The Cats are looking for their first national championship since 1984, when they beat Louisiana Tech 19-6.

  • Meanwhile the Bison are hoping to claim their 10th FCS championship in the last fourteen years.

  • Montana State is riding a school-record 15-game winning streak and with a victory would become just the second team in modern college football history to finish a season 16-0, joining North Dakota State’s 2019 national championship team.

  • This is North Dakota State’s 38th postseason appearance and 15th straight dating back to 2010. The Bison have advanced to the quarterfinals or beyond all 15 years in the FCS playoffs.

  • The Cats and the Bison have met in six playoff games, the most recent five (including the 2021 Championship game) have been won by North Dakota State.

January 5th:

  • Strange to wakeup this morning and not have anything to think about late games since the only game yesterday started late morning.

  • It’s official - Northern Illinois will become a part of the Mountain West, football only, in 2026. From 1993 to 1995 the Huskies were a part of the Big West conference with UNLV, Nevada, and San Jose State.

  • Ex-Gamecock quarterback Robby Ashford transferring over to Wake Forest got me to thinking about LaNorris Sellers, the current South Carolina quarterback. I’m thinking that the Gamecocks will have a legitimate chance to make the playoff in 2025, but they will have to survive a tough schedule.

  • I see that Indiana’s schedule will be a bigger challenge for them in 2025: Illinois, at Iowa, at Oregon, at Penn State, Wisconsin. I can see a solid bowl team - but no playoff.

  • Mount Union owns an NCAA-record 13 national championships, but the Purple Raiders have not won a Stagg Bowl since 2017. They lost to North Central in 2022.

  • The Cardinals are appearing in the Stagg Bowl for the fifth straight season. North Central has won two of the previous four, losing to Cortland last year.

  • Mount Union's head coach Geoff Dartt owns multiple national championship rings as a player and assistant coach. This year he hopes to win his first Stagg Bowl as a head coach.

  • North Central head coach Brad Spencer carries a career 43-1 record into Sunday's game. His only loss came against Cortland in last year's championship game.

January 4th:

  • I know that there are two “Bowl Games” left to play, but to me the 2024 Bowl Season ended earlier today with the Bahamas Bowl.

  • Buffalo won their fourth straight bowl game, and the Bulls won nine games in a season for just the third time in program history.

  • Not surprised to see the Gophers beat the Hokies last night as VT had 14 new starters for the game - seven on each side of the ball.

  • Nice to see P. J. Fleck get a mayo bath!

  • And Max Brosmer capped a solid year for the Gophers after transferring from UNH. Would be nice to see him drafted by the NFL.

  • Another CAA quarterback that had transferred up to the FBS after a great year at Albany, Reese Poffenbarger sat behind Cam Ward at Miami (FL). In December, Poffenbarger announced that he was transferring to North Texas after the Mean Green starting quarterback in 2024 Chandler Morris moved on to Virginia. Wonder what he is thinking after Drew Mestemaker’s performance against Texas State…

  • Spent a chunk of time pouring through On3’s transfer portal, and came up with a couple of ideas regarding new info to post on the website regarding transfers. Still waiting to get a good look at what players are moving up from both Division II and Division III…come on Athlon Sports.

  • Tomorrow night North Central takes on Mount Union for the Division III Championship…8:00 pm, ESPN

January 3rd:

  • Meant to do this 2.5 hours ago - but I got wrapped up in watching the North Texas - Texas State game. Mean Green freshman quarterback, Drew Mestemaker, is making his first start in four years!

  • Missed getting my thoughts out yesterday, but it was a sad day at work that left me numb until getting home today.

  • Five days ago I printed off my agenda for 2025, which is a continuation from this past year. It was six pages long. Easy to predict that I won’t get through all of it - and some of it will be carried over into 2026. lol

  • Going back to Wednesday for a moment…how beautiful is the Rose Bowl? My favorite game of the year, it even exceeds the Army-Navy game!

  • The Buckeyes looked awfully sharp - both in play and in appearance. Great threads! Seen them many times in Pasadena…

  • Notre Dame are a team to be reckoned with as they have played awfully well since losing to Northern Illinois.

  • Love the semifinal games! Four historical programs are left standing and my prediction is that two midwestern schools will be playing for the title…

  • For those who say that the byes should be done away with, haven’t bowl games always been played with significant gaps between games? I have no issue with expanding to 16 teams. And the seeding? maybe it will change for 2025, but shouldn’t Oregon be ready for OSU - whether it is in the quarterfinals or the finals? To be the champion, you have to bring your A-game each week this time of year.

  • If only Ole Miss hadn’t stubbed their toes against Kentucky or Florida. They could have been a tough out in the playoffs - or they could have been wiped out like the Ducks or Tennessee.

  • Back to the North Texas-Texas State game for a moment…these teams are meeting for the 40th time, with the Mean Green leading the all-time series 29-7-3. They have shared the same conference three times: Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Lone Star Conference and the Southland Conference.

  • This evening Minnesota will make its 25th all-time bowl appearance when they take on Virginia Tech for the first time. The Golden Gophers are 12-12 in their history in bowl games, but they have won seven straight bowl contests, which is currently the longest bowl winning streak in the country.

  • Lastly, it was announced today that Tarleton State will be hosting Chattanooga next season. The Mocs, who just missed out on the playoffs this year, will be paid $50k for the game. They could be getting paid to beat the Texans, a team that did make the playoffs in 2024.

January 1st:

  • Happy New Year! Time flies and I still have no idea where it goes!

  • Seems a bit strange that there are only three college football games today - but they are all super matchups!

  • Back to how time flies by - I can’t believe that there are only four non-playoff bowl games left to play.

  • Was happy to wake up and see that Penn State beat Boise State - thus setting up a game for the Nittany Lions against either Georgia or Notre Dame. No matter the matchup, I am looking forward to it already.

  • Was also happy to see that the Penn State defense kept Ashton Jeanty from topping Barry Sanders FBS single-season rushing record.

  • The Buckeyes would also like to prevent Dillon Gabriel from getting the FBS record for career touchdown passes, currently held by Case Keenum. Of course a win over the Ducks is their number one priority.

  • Didn’t take long to get involved in the Texas-Arizona State game! The Longhorns have made some big plays early, but I think that the Sun Devils are going to make it really tough for them.

  • Happy to see the Sun Devils wearing their Sparky helmets - have always liked them best. And of course, the Longhorns look sharp in their white uniforms!

  • The last time Georgia and Notre Dame played in the Sugar Bowl: 1981. I remember that game well!