Week of 9/21

9/27:

• Despite missing 23 players and four coaches, Virginia Tech looked awfully solid in their victory over NC State. When I heard about how shorthanded the Hokies would be, I thought that the Wolfback might have a chance in Blacksburg. With this performance, I am now looking ffoward to the Hokie-Hurricane game on Nov. 14th.

• In two games, BYU has dismantled two solid Group of Five teams (Navy and Troy) by a combined score of 103-10. Looking ahead in their schedule, the biggest threat to their undefeated season will be the Cougars themselves. I would love to see BYU go toe-to-toe with UCF!

• Best uniforms of the day: Oklahoma State’s throwback uniform dating back to 1987 to honor Thurman Thomas, who will be the first player inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor and the powder blue Ole Miss uniform. The Rebels last wore these uniforms back in 1994, but they were first used in the late forties into the seventies.

9/26:

• Give Chris Klieman and the Wildcats a lot of credit for not giving up when they were down 28-7 more than halfway through the third quarter. The Sooners helped them by making mistakes, but this well coached team took advantage of each error.

• Welcome to the SEC Mike Leach! His “Air Raid “ offense run by Stanford tranfer QB K.J. Costello shredded LSU’s new defense. The Tigers probably couldn’t face a tougher opponent for them with all of the losses (3 returning starters) they had from last year’s team. Thanks to Leach, it appears as though we will have a new champion in 2020.

• The Bearcat defense put on a great show in their 24-10 win over Army. Cincinnati held the Black Knights to 182 yards rushing - more than 200 yards under their season average. They have some challenges ahead of them (at SMU, Memphis and at UCF), but this Bearcat team is going to be tough to knock off.

• Got to give a shout out to the UTEP Miners. Their win over ULM on the road gives them three wins already this fall, which is one more than they have had in the last three years combined! Their schedule might be a bit soft to start the year, but you still must execute and win no matter the opponent.

9/25:

• Both Footballscoop.com (first) and ESPN have now said that the MAC will indeed play this fall, making it ten out of ten FBS conferences playing this fall. With UMass declaring their intention to play as well earlier this week, that seems to leave out only UConn, Old Dominion, and New Mexico State.

• The Georgia State - Charlotte game has been postponed due to……drumroll please…..coronavirus concerns. Both teams have stated that they hope to reschedule this game later in the fall.

• Congratulations to UAB running back Spencer Brown for setting UAB’s record for rushing touchdowns at 36 last night. Brown is also the second-leading active career rusher (3,428 yards) in the FBS behind Clemson’s Travis Etienne (4,208).

• I woke up this morning to hear that the Mountain West will indeed play this year, and start up with the Big Ten. After the Pac-12’s announcement, we are almost FBS complete.

9/24:

• As I am heading off to sleep, the Pac-12 has rolled out their plan to play football this fall. With their Nov. 7th start and seven game schedule, there will be no room for error.

• I am very excited to see Rondale Moore opting back in to play for the Purdue Boilermakers this year. I am looking forward to seeing this highly-skilled wide receiver lace them up for one more year. Now we just need to see Rashod Bateman return to the Gophers. His problemm though, is that he had hired an agent…

• The Missouri Valley Conference has announced their Spring 2021 conference schedule. They are the third FCS conference to reveal their plans for Spring - following the SWAC and Southland conferences.

9/23:

• I really enjoyed the Nick Saban article posted on ESPN yesterday morning. His career was so called “launched” while coaching the Toledo Rockets in 1990. His attention to the smallest of details, and his ability to teach shined through in Saban’s first head coaching assignment.

• Cancelled games for this weekend thus far: Notre Dame at Wake Forest, North Texas at Houston, Tulsa at Arkansas State, and USF at Florida Atlantic. The Cougars and Owls have had multiple games postponed this fall. With their luck - they might start their season when the Big Ten does.

• There is no doubt that almost all schools will be have a significant budget shortfall this year, which will force deep cuts that include loss of jobs, furloughs, and pay cuts. On NBCSports website, they detail Ohio State’s problems this fall with money. The interesting piece I picked up on was Ryan Day’s 5% pay cut. I thought it would be substantial since he will make $5.4 million this year, but the reduction is against his base salary of $850k. Therefore he loses only $42,500. Must be nice…

9/22:

• The Air Force revealed their sharp uniforms for their game against Navy. The “Red Tails” uniform is a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen - the first black military aviators. The unit earned 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and their success helped lay the groundwork for President Truman to desegregate the armed forces in 1948.

• UMass has announced that they will indeed play this fall - with the hope of playing by mid-October. They will announce games as they are confirmed, but it might be hard to find opponents - although they might be able to dip into the FCS. It remains to be scene if UConn joins in the party.

• In the “Good News Department”, TCU QB Max Duggan, like Georgia State QB Mikele Colasurdo, has returned to practicing after missing time with a lifelong heart condition. He had a procedure late last month to address the problem, and now Duggan will be available for the Horned Frogs Big 12 opener this Saturday.

• Two newly scheduled games have gotten me a bit more excited (if that’s possible). It was announced that Southern Illinois will host Southeast Missouri in the “War for the Wheel”, while the U.S. Coast Guard Academy while meet the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY in their annual battle for the Secretaries’ Cup.

9/21:

• Nice to see that the Mountain West feels like they can reinstate their season on 10/24 - the same week that the Big Ten returns to action. The Pac-12 seems to be leaning towards early November for their first games. I can’t help but think that their current plan of six games and a championship game will sink their playoff hopes. As for the MAC, they are still in discussions to come up with a plan - so a start date similar to the Pac-12 makes sense.

• Not a good sign for the Seminoles with head coach Mike Norvell testing positive for COVID. He will be unavailable for Saturday’s game against Miami, but one has to wonder how many of his players will now test positive too. Might be good for the team if their game against the Hurricanes gets canceled.

• Both Alabama and LSU have named their starting quarterbacks for their season opening games this weekend. Myles Brennan, who appeared in ten games last year, will be under center for the Tigers - who are replacing 19 starters from last year’s squad. While Mac Jones takes over the Crimson Tide - though he started the last four games of 2019 after Tua Tagovailoa was injured. Jones posted the second-highest QBR in those games, trailing only Joe Burrow.

Week of 9/14

9/20:

• In the feel good department, Syracuse QB Rex Culpepper threw his first touchdown pass since being declared cancer-free two years ago! Culpepper, who replaced the injured Tommy DeVito, tossed a 69-yard touchdown pass to Taj Harris on his second play of the game.

• Two weeks ago, I was quite impressed with Marshall’s freshman quarterback, Grant Wells, and after the Thundering Herd’s win over Appalachian State on Saturday, I am very impressed with this Marshall team.

• I also like the depth of solid teams in the American Athletic Conference. UCF, Cincinnati, and Memphis are known quantities - but the second tier of teams are good. An example has to be the battle that Tulsa gave Oklahoma State. Throw in Houston, Navy, SMU and Temple - and you have a solid, competitive conference that will be fun to watch.

9/19:

• The new Big Ten schedule has been posted on fbsschedules.com. The regular season runs through December 12th, so the Army-Navy game is going to have more company than just Virginia-Virginia Tech.

• Here are the games I will be streaming on my laptop: Tulsa at Oklahoma State (12:00 ESPN), Appalachian State at Marshall (3:30 CBS), and Miami at Louisville (7:30 ABC). I will also keep an eye on Navy at Tulane (12:00 ABC), UCF at Georgia Tech (3:30 ABC) and Louisiana Tech at Southern Miss (7:30 ESPN2).

• Key Big Ten players opting back in to play this fall: Michigan OL Jalen Mayfield, Ohio State OG Wyatt Davis, Ohio State CB Shaun Wade and hopefully (must obtain a waiver) Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman.

9/18:

• Unfortunately two more games (Florida Atlantic at Georgia Southern and Houston at Baylor) have been postponed - and these were games that I was looking forward to watching. It looks like both games will be canceled unless they want to play in December during championship week.

• It seems all but official that Primetime is coming to Jackson State. This will be a hire that I look forward to seeing, and I’ll be curious to see if this adds to an already strong attendance base.

9/17:

• The Charlotte-North Carolina game has been canceled because the 49ers had one positive test out of 200 taken. Unfortunately, that one was an offensive lineman, and because of contact tracing - almost all of the line is in quarantine.

• On a better note, the Virginia-Virginia Tech has been rescheduled for a second time. The bad news - it is scheduled for December 12th.- the same day as the Army-Navy game.

• It looks like the Montain West and the MAC are doing everything they can to play this fall. It’s possible we will see all FBS Conference playing at some point in the next couple of months.

• Zach Barnett, a columnist for footballscoop.com, wrote a nice piece on North Texas wearing throwback uniforms (complete with the flying worm logo) this Saturday to honor former head coach Hayden Fry. He also coached the Mean Green’s opponent - SMU. What I liked best was Zach’s suggestion that these rivals should ditch the “Safeway Bowl”, and turn this series into the “Hayden Fry Bowl”.

9/16:

• The biggest story that will come out of today is the expected announcement that the Big Ten will play this fall - with the expected return date of October 24th. Now the speculation will be if the Pac-12 joins in at that time - or later in November? Will we see the return of the Mountain West? My guess - we won’t see the MAC.

• If losing to Georgia Tech is not bad enough, Florida State is getting criticism for their fans not wearing masks or practicing social distancing. Not the best of starts in Tallahassee

• I should have added this piece of news a day or two ago - but my attention was caught by the story of Brett Favre endorsing Deion Sanders to be the next Southern Miss head coach. A few weeks ago Sanders was mentioned as a candidate for the opening at Jackson State.

9/15:

• Doesn’t sound like Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo is too happy that Air Force will be able to compete for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. He says that it’s unfair that the Falcons only have to play two games while both Army and Navy play a full schedule.

• Arkansas State had to push back their game with Central Arkansas by three weeks due to their depth at a position group - brought about by coronavirus and other issues.

• Jamain Stephens, who died earlier this month, passed away because of a blood clot in his heart while suffering from coronavirus. This cause of death was provided by his parents, when they shared their grief with CBS News.

9/14:

• Congratulations to Louisiana for their upset over the Cyclones and their subsequent ranking in the AP Poll. It is the first time that they have been nationally ranked since 1943!

• I also must give kudos to Tulane coach Willie Fritz. He has just received a new seven-year contract from the school that will run through the 2026 season. Fritz has had success at each of his stops which include Georgia Southern, Sam Houston State and Central Missouri. He should retire with more than 200 wins.

• Not all FCS vs. FBS match-ups were ugly. We could have had two upsets (Campbell/Georgia Southern and Houston Baptist/Texas Tech) if not for two failed two-point attempts. The Huskies more than held their own against their first-ever Power Five opponent.

• Confirming what I was feeling strongly about all along - the Air Force Falcons will play two games this fall. The Commander-in -Chief Trophy will be presented!

Week of 9/7

9/13:

• In addition to the cancellation of Memphis-Houston, the Virginia-Virginia Tech and BYU-Army have been postponed. Houston has agreed to play at Baylor this Saturday, while Army is looking for an opponent - of which there are six possibilities…

• Not a very good day for the Big 12 on Saturday - especially when it came to facing Sun Belt teams. The conference was 0-3 against the Sun Belt, with the biggest surprise being K-State losing to Arkansas State.

• All was not lost as two quarterbacks were stellar in their performances. Freshman QB Spencer Rattler (Is there a better name combo for touchdowns than Rattler to Rambo?) had four TD passes in seventeen first half attempts while Senior QB Sam Ehlinger had five TD passes against UTEP. I’m already looking forward to the Red River Rivalry game…

9/12:

• It was announced that the Memphis-Houston game was being postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing. A lot of the tests and tracing is tied back to social events outside of football activities, but the most interesting reason given was from a Tiger defensive lineman who accused Arkansas State players. That should stoke up the rivalry a bit - I hope!

• I found myself enjoying the UTSA - Texas State game. Jeremiah Haydel is the real deal as a receiver and punt returner! I felt bad for freshman placekicker Alan Orona, who missed a key PAT near the end of regulation, and then missed a field goal in the second overtime.

• As the Camels led Georgia Southern for almost all of the game, it made sense once I heard that the Eagles were playing without 33 players (eight starters) for various reasons.

9/11:

• Already obvious that the Hurricanes were beneficiaries of the transfer portal. Besides D’Eriq King, who helped Miami’s ground game with his athleticism, two of their better defensive players, Quincy Roche and Jaelen Phillips, were transfers as well.

• Speaking of King, he extended is FBS record streak to 16 straight games with a rushing and passing touchdown.

• Great news regarding Georgia State quarterback Mikele Colasurdo. Late last month he was ruled out for the season with a coronavirus-related heart condition. A follow-up evaluation yesterday showed that he’s not suffering from any type of heart ailment that would prevent him from playing, so he has returned to practice.

9/10:

• Week 2 begins tonight with UAB visiting Miami. Biggest headline for this game has got to be the return of quarterback D’Eriq King. A great story about the very talented quarterback and the struggles he has faced in the last twelve months on ESPN. I’m not a Hurricane fan, but after reading this article - I wish D’Eriq all the best!

• Yesterday I was reading in USA Today that Uga, the live bulldog mascot of Georgia, won’t be on the sidelines because he always draws a crowd. The last time an Uga wasn’t on the sideline, was back in late November of 2009 when Uga VII died suddenly two days before a game.

• I have tried to avoid writing about the Big Ten and all of their issues between athletes, parents, administrators, and even politicians - but if they return to the field sooner than later - I will be thrilled.

9/9:

• Sad news this morning as it was reported that senior Jamain Stephens, a defensive lineman for California University of Pennsylvania, passed away yesterday. The high school he attended announced that his death was related to complications involving COVID-19.

• USA Today Re-Ranked the 76 FBS teams after the completion of the Week 1 games. Without playing a down, LSU dropped 4 places to number 11 (lost two star players who opted out of the season) while Texas A&M staked a claim to the Tigers vacated rank. Week 1 winners (in terms of movement upwards): BYU, Army, South Alabama, and Texas State. And the Week 1 losers: Navy, Middle Tennessee, and Southern Miss.

9/8:

• Last night, BYU absolutely dominated the Midshipmen from the opening kickoff. Expectations for the Cougars, based on their experience, strengths, and cushy schedule, makes one wonder if they can get themselves a playoff spot. Their game against Army now has meaning…

• The Week 2 schedule has taken a hit now that five games have been postponed: North Carolina State at Virginia Tech, Marshall at East Carolina, SMU at TCU, Tulsa at Oklahoma State, and Louisiana Tech at Baylor. LT’s cancellation is no surprise after the players had to vacate campus due to the effects of Hurricane Laura.

• Rice has really shortened their season after postponing games with Marshall (10/3) and IAB (10/10). The Owls will now start their season (maybe) on October 24th against Middle Tennessee.

9/7:

• Middle Tennesse found out that it’s very difficult to prepare for the option attack on short notice. Army’s 19 play, 99 yard drive that took over 12 minutes was quite impressive.

• Didn’t take long for the first coaching casualty of the season. Jay Hopson is out as the Southern Miss head coach after the Golden Eagles lost their fourth straight game going back to last year. Can’t help but think that the Art Briles controversy last year was a contributing factor.

• 2019 Outland Trophy winner, Penei Sewell, has opted out of playing this year - when or if Oregon plays. Sewell will be drafted near the top of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Week of 8/31

9/5:

• Homegrown freshman quarterback Grant Wells of Marshall had a near perfect first drive - 3/3 passing for 48 yards and a touchdown.

9/4:

• Due to coronavirus tests coming back positive for TCU players and staff, the Horned Frogs game on Sept. 11th with SMU has been postponed. I hope that they can find a way to reschedule the 100th game of this special rivalry.

• Last night, UAB opened the 2nd half with 17 unanswered points, propelling them to their 19th straight home win - a Conference USA record.

• Also on Thursday, in an upset, South Alabama handled Southern Miss for their first road win since 2017, ending a 15-game road losing streak.

• While the Big Ten has been put through the ringer regarding postponing their season, the Pac-12 has kept a low profile. Now the conference has announced that they have come to an agreement with a third party that will provide daily testing - which should be available at the end of this month.

• It looks like there is a plan in place for a Winter/Spring football season for all the divisions. No uniform start day, but once a team starts playing they have thirteen weeks to complete their regular season and the regular season must be finished by April 17th.

• No surprise that the media picked Clemson and Notre Dame to finish first and second in the ACC this year, but seeing the likes of Miami and Florida State projected to finish in 6th and 7th just confounds me. Seems like the issue is a combination of recruits and middle-of-the-road coaching staffs.

9/3:

• Tonight we have the return of FBS football! On tap are two games, Central Arkansas at UAB and South Alabama at Southern Miss. A very reduced list of what it could have been tonight, but like any great fan of College Football - I will take it!!!

• Yesterday I read (and enjoyed - as I have all of her posts) Amy Daughters “Breaking Down Week 1 of the 2020 College Football Season” on fbschedules.com. I don’t want to brag, but I like my “Week 1 Games to Follow” post just a bit better…

9/2:

• Without ever throwing a pass for the Bulldogs, quarterback Jamie Newman has decided to skip the season. The graduate transfer from Wake Forest will now start working out for the NFL, while Kirby Smart isn’t so dumb afterall when he pursued JT Daniels…

• Listening to the community, Iowa State has decided to not allow any fans for their home opener against Louisiana. Their original plan was to allow 25,000 people into their stadium, which would have been almost 41% capacity of Jack Trice Stadium.

9/1:

• OU head coach Lincoln Riley has announced that redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler will be the starter against Missouri State on September 12th. He will be the Sooners fourth starting quarterback in the last four years.

• Concerend about the coronavius pandemic, ten UCF players have decided not to play this year. Two of the ten were projected to be starters, but six in total are linemen (either offensive or defensive linemen). That is not good for depth!

8/31:

• Over the weekend LSU star receiver Ja’Marr Chase has opted out of the season and will prepare for the NFL. Chase, who led the FBS in receiving yards (1,780) and touchdowns (20), is the third Tiger (joining Neil Farrell and Kary Vincent) to pass on this season.

• And it didn’t take long before a fourth Tiger said no to playing this year. On Monday, DT Tyler Shelvin announced that he was forgoing the year, and like the others before him, Shelvin will begin preparing for the NFL draft.