My predictions:
Oklahoma State over West Virginia
Utah over Washington
Wisconsin over Nebraska
Florida State over Clemson - only if the Tigers turn the ball over more than 3 times
I have to tape the Michigan at Michigan State game because I am too nervous to watch
And in my wishful thinking - I would really like to see Wyoming beat Boise State
Great news today regarding the "Holy War" series between Utah and BYU. The teams have signed a contract to extend their current series (which was to 2020) by two years into 2022. I always thought that it was a travesty that they allowed their annual series to temporarily end as the Utes transitioned to the Pac-12.
Maybe some other rivals should follow suit....what do you say Texas/Texas A&M, Oklahoma/Nebraska, Missouri/Kansas, Maryland/Virginia and others?
Something hit me this morning when talking with my good friend and fellow cfb fan, Eric Fowler, that made me say, "I'll have to write about it tonight." Eric - forgive me if I misquoted myself...
Within the last decade (between 2008 and 2011), four "Dakota" teams made the jump to the FCS in Division I: North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and South Dakota State. Each have had a varying amount of success - with the Bison obviously the most successful, having won 5 straight FCS Championships. The Jackrabbits of SD State have been ranked in the top ten the last couple of years, while the other two (North Dakota and South Dakota) have come up a bit short in their quest of reaching the playoffs.
But, if one were to study this week's FCS Coaches Poll they would see all four Dakota teams ranked in the Top 25, as South Dakota just squeezed in thanks to their victory last week over Illinois State. Chances are slim that all four will make the FCS playoffs this year, especially since three play in the brutal MVFC, but it can be said that they have all made a successful transtion to Division I.
Since 1946 the Whittier Poets and the Occidental Tigers have played for a pair of bronzed cleats, worn by 1940 Whittier graduate Myron Claxton, in a rivalry game that has grown to be called the “Battle for the Shoes”.
Rumor has it that prior to the scheduled meeting of the teams in 1939, members of the Occidental football team stole the All-American running backs shoes from the locker room, forcing Claxton to play in his work boots. Even so, Claxton led the Poets to a 36-0 victory.
Following the game Claxton, who was the final draft pick of the Giants in the 1940 NFL draft, went over to the Occidental sideline and retrieved his shoes, “bringing them home”. Seven years later members of the Franklin Society, which Claxton was a member, had the shoes bronzed and the teams have played for the coveted “Shoes” trophy ever since.
Occidental leads the trophy series 37-35 after having won 12 of the last 15 games since 2001.
Might as well make it a trifecta of coaching stories today...
The NSU challenge between Nicholls State and Northwestern State will be interesting for the Colonels. They will be facing two of their former head coaches - Jay Thomas, who directed the program from 2004-2009, and Daryl Daye, who was the head coach from 1999-2003. Thomas is in his 4th season as head coach of Northwestern State, while Daye is in his second season under Thomas, serving as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator.
Another coaching tidbit...
When Montclair State visits Wesley on Saturday, the two winningest active coaches in Division III will be on opposite sidelines. Rick Giancola has 234 wins in 34 years while at Montclair State, and Mike Drass in his 24th year at Wesley has now won 214 games. Ironically they are both in the same conference (New Jersey Athletic Conference) after Wesley joined the conference in 2015 after giving up their independent status.
Learned a couple of things as I researched two coaches in Division III that got their 200th wins last weekend...
Pretty impressive feat I would say, especially since two (Johnson and Lackner) did it at their Alma Maters, and four will do it while coaching one school: Johnson and Lackner, along with Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and Jim Margraff (Johns Hopkins).
Even though I plan on being at Bowdoin's football game tomorrow, I still plan on catching the early afternoon action by recording Wisconsin at Iowa, and later looking for rebroadcasts of Indiana at Northwestern and Cornell at Brown. When I get home, I will be keeping the remote very busy as I jump from game to game from 3:30 to 7:00. Then I will wind up my football day with Ole Miss at LSU, with some OSU-Penn State and OU-TT sprinkled in. I will sleep well tomorrow night!
More interesting tidbits on the Blue Jays and Bullets game tonight...
· Last week’s 45-10 win at Dickinson was the 33rd consecutive Centennial Conference victory for Johns Hopkins. The 33 consecutive CC victories ties the league record, which was originally set by then Western Maryland (now McDaniel) from 1997-2001
· Johns Hopkins claimed its record 11th Centennial Conference title last season with all 11 championships coming since 2002
· This week’s game will be the 13th time Johns Hopkins and Gettysburg have played on Friday night
· Jim Margraff is in his 27th season at Johns Hopkins. He ranks sixth among active Division III coaches with 195 career victories and is a three-time Centennial Conference Coach of the Year
· Barry Streeter enters his 38th season at the helm of Gettysburg's football program. Streeter is the longest-tenured active coach in Division III and his 192 wins place him seventh among active coaches. Streeter has led Gettysburg to three Centennial Conference championships (1983-85) and he has twice been named CC Coach of the Year
It is nice to see the Merchant Marine Mariners having a successful season so far this year. They enter Saturday’s game with #15 Saint Lawrence at 4-2 and 3-1 in the Liberty League. This is their best season since 2003, which was the last time that they had a winning season. Academy life can be rough, but it might be helping them since they need to be mentally tough – especially since their last three games have come down to the final 20 seconds.
As Trinity gets ready to visit Bowdoin this weekend for the 44th meeting in the series, I have to admit that I am watching the weather closely. There will be a party of 3 at that game standing on the sideline, but I am hoping that we won't be shivering from the wind and rain. I can handle one or the other, but both together makes it rough. But I am not going to let the weather put a damper on something that I look forward to all year long...so I might just have to enjoy an extra Halloween Ale.
In the most recent New England Division III Football Poll released on October 17th, as voted by a panel of 12 Head Coaches across New England, the NESCAC did well as it placed five teams in the top 10, led by Trinity at #3. The Bantams were followed closely by co-leader Middlebury at #4 and Amherst, the defending champs, at #6. The other two teams representing the league were Tufts (#8) and Wesleyan (#10). It is hard to compare the NESCAC against any other conference because they don't play anyone outside of their league, but this shows the respect that other coaches around the region have for the play of the 'CAC.
Since ESPN started broadcasting their Thursday Night games in 1991, Virginia Tech has played in 30 of the games. Only Georgia Tech, with 32 appearances, has played more than the Hokies. The Hurricanes best beware tonight because VT is 21-9 on this night of the week, including an 11-5 record in Blacksburg.
I talked about the Big 12 last night and their decision not to expand. That got me to thinking about them and their playoff chances - especially with Baylor, West Virginia, and even Oklahoma all undefeated in conference play. If the Bears or the Mountaineers go undfeated - do they have what it takes to get into the playoffs against potential one loss teams like Louisville, Michigan, or Texas A&M? Or, a one loss conference champion - like Washington? What if the Sooners win out and their only loses are Houston and Ohio State? Of course the Cougar's loss to Navy may have been OU's dagger.
There is a lot of the season left to go, and in two or three weeks this might be a laugher of a thought...
Louisiana Tech RB, sophomore Jaqwis Dancy, has recently been diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma - a very traumatic and emotional time for this young man and his family. Eric Berry, of the Kansas City Chiefs and a survivor of this form of cancer, called Jaqwis to offer his support. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family Jaqwis!
Two head coaches have been fired the last few days. Ironically, each had coached their teams for 3.5 years. Darrell Hazell, of Purdue, was fired despite a 3-3 record this year after compiling a record of 9-33 over his entire tenure. His winning percentage was lower than the Fred Akers-Jim Coletto era from 1987 to 1996. Of course, Joe Tiller arrived in 1997 and became the winningest head coach in Purdue's history.
Also fired was Dave Brock, who was the head coach of Delaware. He compiled a 19-22 record, but this year's team was off to a disappointing start despite being a veteran club. It shouldn't have been a surprise though because K.C. Keeler (now coach of Sam Houston State) was fired as the Blue Hen head coach in 2002 - and he had won a FCS title and made two other National Championship appearances in 11 years. Dennis Dottin-Carter, a graduate of UMaine, was named the interim head coach.
I haver never been a fan of expansion and realignment due to its impact on rivalries, which I won't bother to mention since there are many. But I'm not sure what to think about the Big 12's decision to stand pat. Guess I was hoping for them to get on equal footing with the other power conferences. I wonder if Oklahoma and Texas are really committed to this conference...
I see that Leonard Fournette is probable for the Tiger's game with Ole Miss. A really good game just became much better...
Trophy Games:
Heartland Trophy: Iowa – Wisconsin
Magnolia Bowl Trophy: LSU – Ole Miss
Kuter Trophy: Air Force – Hawaii
Michigan MAC Trophy: Eastern Michigan – Western Michigan
Hoffman Cup: Merchant Marine – Saint Lawrence
The Transit Trophy: RPI – WPI
The Goat Trophy/Cereal Bowl: Carleton – St. Olaf
Wilson Brothers Cup: Hamline – St. Thomas
The Drum: Pomona Pitzer - Occidental
Named Rivalry Games (some with Trophies):
The South’s Oldest Rivalry: North Carolina – Virginia
Battle for the Belt: South Alabama - Troy
Big Three Rivalry: Harvard – Princeton
Battle for the Golden Horseshoe: Cal Poly – UC Davis
Backyard Bowl: Cheyney – West Chester
River Rivalry/Battle for the Paddle: University of Mary – Minnesota State Moorhead
Little Three Rivalry: Amherst - Wesleyan
Another week of college games has begun...
Appalachian State at Louisiana-Lafayette - 8:00 ESPN2
Last year, the Mountaineers beat the Ragin' Cajuns (I love saying that name!) 28-7 in Boone, NC - a game in which Appalachian State's defense dominated. The Mountaineers have also won 14 of their last 15 Sun Belt games dating back to the 2014 season. Meanwhile, LA-Lafayette is looking to even their overall record at 3-3, while getting their second conference win.
An underrated rivalry that has everything that you could want in a series:
But what makes this series so unique is what Toledo has done. In 1961, the University acquired a genuine rocket from the U.S. Army that sits outside their stadium (The Glass Bowl) and is aimed at the 50-yard line at Doyt Perry Stadium - Bowling Green's home field.
A Hudson & Komusin Production
Coming to you live from Portland, Maine