College Football Week 4: (9/17 - 9/23): Hello Fall!

The offical first day of Fall/Autumn is this Saturday. Should be fun to see Saturday football go through a season normally associated with football. Football is a pure Fall sport. It means that the boys (and girls) of winter will get ready for Midnight Madness as well as the different basketball tournaments. But we're talking about football here. Last week saw the same old same old... or was it? Was it business as usual when Clemson shocked #9 Florida State in Tallahasee? Was it business as usual when #2 Notre Dame was upstaged by #11 Michigan? And was it business as usual when Texas Christian beat Texas Tech in a field goal shootout? There were certainly upsets abound. Could this week be any different after Seperation Saturday? It could, but it could not. We shall see.

NOTE: This week, I will have to visit a dentist this Thursday. The chances of me getting in these scores on time for this week's games as well as certain extras may be in jeaprody for this week and maybe next week as well. By Thursday, there will already be games to report. I may also miss time in college this week and early next week at best. I'm hoping you all can add some of your own scores and comments to share about the week in college football.

Now let's look at some news and notes.

* Louisville QB, Brian Brohm, is expected to miss 3-6 after undergoing thumb surgery. The last thing anyone can hope for (on ANY team) is long-lasting injuries.

* For the first time in about 107 weeks, the Miami Hurricanes are unranked. Larry Coker may be on the clock for sure after dropping their rivalry game against Florida State as well as at Louisville. The future isn't looking too bright for the five-time National Champions.



JOHN'S EXTRAS
This is where I make random posts either about college football or not about college football. I may even profile a certain university or college like I've done with Kentucky, Louisville, Mount Union, and stuff like that.

St. John's welcomed Providence College. This batch of reports will be on St. John's University and Providence College, but not necessarily on the game they played. By the way, St. John's won 1-0 in Overtime.



--- ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY (PART 1/2) ---
ESPNU shown a college soccer game between Providence College and St. John's University. St. John's was another one of those universities which fielded a football program. Their final snaps under center was in 2002. The St. John's Red Storm played in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference for football, but they play in the Big East for most other sports. I haven't done a "Former Glory" report on St. John's because I don't have as much info as I need to actually make a report. St. John's has a history of producing great soccer players since many of their alums made it to the MLS. Whether or not their soccer field hosted football in the past there is unknown. St. John's University is in the Queens bourough of New York City. Either they play at or are based in Jamaica, NY.



--- ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY (PART 2/2) ---
I don't really like their new logo. I liked the old one better. Judge for yourself:
Old:
New: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:New_stj.jpg



-St. John's Profile
Official Name: St. John's University
Motto: Educatio Christiana Animae Pertectio ("Christian Education Perfects the Soul")
Location: Jamaica, NY (in the Queens borough of New York City)
Established: 1870
Nickname/Mascot: Red Storm (once known as the Red Men)
Colors: Red (Scarlet) and White
Website: http://www.stjohns.edu; Athletics: http://www.redstormsports.com/

Basketball Conference: Big East
Basketball Arena(s): Carnesecca Arena (some games played at Madison Square Garden)
Seating Capacity: 6,008
Rivals: Syracuse, Connecticut
Soccer Field: Belson Stadium

Last Football Season: 2002

FAMOUS ALUMNI:
Ron Artest - Sacromento Kings (is he still there?)
Lou Carnesecca - Hall of Fame St. John's Coach
William J. Casey - Director of the CIA
Mario Cuomo - New York Governor
Mike Francesa - Sports caster
Raymond W. Kelly - NYPD Commissioner
Darryl "D.M/C/" McDaniels - co-founder of Run DMC
Al McGuire - Men's basketball coach and commentator
Harvey Pitt - Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Frank Viola - basebal player
Ron Silver - Tony Award winning actor



-Providence Profile

Official Name: Providence College
Motto: Veritas
Location: Providence, RI
Established: 1917
Nickname/Mascot: Friars
Colors: Black and Silver
Website: http://www.providence.edu; athletics at: http://www.friars.com/

Conference in Most Other Sports: Big East (MAAC in lacrosse)
Basketball Arena: Dunkin' Donuts Center (also called "The Dunk")
Seating Capacity: 12,993 for basketball; 14,500 for hockey

Last Football Season: in the 1970s (attendance issues and budget)

FAMOUS ALUMNI:
Joe Mullaney - coach who invented the Zone Defense
Rick Pitino - Louisville men's basketball coach
Doris Burke - ESPN Announcer
Patrick J. Kennedy - 1991 member of the House of Representatives for Rhode Island
John O'Hurley - Seinfeld
Lenny Wilkens - all-time winningest NBA Coach in history
Otis Thorpe - NBA basketballer
Billy Donovan - coach for the 2006 Division 1 National Champions Florida's men's basketball





--- MEET CENTRAL ARKANSAS ---

Here is a look at the latest 1-AA independent, Central Arkansas:


-Central Arkansas Profile:

Official Name: Central Arkansas
Motto: "The Center of Learning"
Location: Conway, AR
Established: 1907
Nickname/Mascot: Bearcats
Colors: Purple and Gray(?)

Conference: (1-AA Independent, but could go to Southland Conference)
Football Field: ???
Seating Capacity: ???



--- FAVORITE NFL COMMERCIALS ---
The emphasis on these threads is on college, but I just want to share one of my favorite NFL commercials. There is a Southwest Airlines commercial whereas one guy is in a supermarket. One of the clerks turns on the light to signal that a certain checkout counter is open. Then the guy says "I'm open over here" in a normal voice. The guy with the shopping cart passes a pineapple into that checkout lane and hit the clerk in the chest. It's my favorite NFL commercial. But yeah. It's football season!



--- THIS WEEK... ---

I know of only one game this week so far:

* Houston at Miami
Miami was smashed by Louisville on the road. Back home at the Orange Bowl, Miami will try to climb back into the Top 25 by taking on the University of Houston. Kevin Kolb and his boys are looking to go 4-0 with a HUGE signature win. If Houston's male basketball team could beat LSU on the road an Arizona at home to have an interesting resumé, then the Houston Cougars will need to win in South Beach to really skyrocket their position in the rankings. While Miami has been flustered with a 1-2 record, I doubt the Coogs can blow away the Hurricanes. I may review this game later in the week.

PREDICTED SCORES:

31-7; MIAMI
28-21; Houston
20-17; MIAMI

So Miami couldn't beat Louisville. I think they WILL beat Houston as much as I'd like to see a Houston team get a BIG win. A win by Houston will mean that times are changing in the Bayou City. For Houston to shine, Kevin Kolb will have to have an inspired game like when Brett Favre threw four TD passes after losing one of his parents to cancer (his team played against Oakland that Monday Night).


It's a new week. What are you looking for in this week's games?

JohnBM01

It means that the boys (and girls) of winter will get ready for Midnight Madness as well as the different basketball tournaments.

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AAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!! UK Midnight Madness tickets go on sale at 8:00 AM on Sept. 30. For those who don't know what that means: It is Petit LeMans day! I am going to be in Braselton, GA and the tickets are only being sold in KY. My friend is taking his laptop, so I am hoping that the free high speed Internet in the room works fine so I can order my tickets. Last year all but a few thousand were gone in 30 minutes. What's a cat fan to do?

Oh, and to let you know what Midnight Madness means around here; fans are allowed to wait outside the box office no earlier than 8:00 AM Wednesday September 27! I've seen this. There is a line around the block of people camping by noon. Can you imagine camping on a sidewalk for four days just to watch a practice?

* Louisville QB, Brian Brohm, is expected to miss 3-6 after undergoing thumb surgery. The last thing anyone can hope for (on ANY team) is long-lasting injuries.

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It sounds painful. This could end the Cardinals' hopes of a championship.

--- FAVORITE NFL COMMERCIALS ---
The emphasis on these threads is on college, but I just want to share one of my favorite NFL commercials. There is a Southwest Airlines commercial whereas one guy is in a supermarket. One of the clerks turns on the light to signal that a certain checkout counter is open. Then the guy says "I'm open over here" in a normal voice. The guy with the shopping cart passes a pineapple into that checkout lane and hit the clerk in the chest. It's my favorite NFL commercial. But yeah. It's football season!

Click to expand...

That is good but I prefer an NFL related, but not for NFL ad. I like the one with Shaun Alexander where he is making a smoothie and has a weiner dog running around his feet barking at him. When he squeezes a lemon some juice squirts in his eye and he stumbles backwards, tripping over the dog. Then before he gets up his cell phone rings and when he answers it it is a Sprint ESPN report saying that in an off-field incident involving a lemon and a weiner dog Shaun Alexander has injured his leg and is questionable this week. During the report he starts looking out his window and around the room.

It's a new week. What are you looking for in this week's games?

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Kentucky plays Florida and I think that an upset woudl be great. I know better though.

Alright, you bring up Kentucky. Here's the status report as of right now on what I said in the College Football preview:

"I think the Wildcats will win against Texas State, Ole Miss, Central Michigan, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Louisiana-Monroe. That is a total of six wins- just enough to go to a Bowl Game." -"JohnBM01" on August 21, 2006

As of right now- two down, four to go. Let's look back on the schedule I posted:

2006 Kentucky Wildcats (Remaining) Football Schedule
09/23 at #7 Florida TBD
09/30 C Michigan 6:00 PM <<<
10/07 S Carolina 7:00 PM
10/14 at #8 LSU 8:00 PM
10/28 at Miss St TBD <<<
11/04 #15 Georgia 1:00 PM
11/11 Vanderbilt 1:00 PM <<<
11/18 La Monroe 1:00 PM <<<
11/25 at #23 Tennessee TBD
(all times Eastern Time)

( <<< = remaining games I picked Kentucky to win)

FoolKiller, are you SURE that you don't see any other potential upsets? I have Kentucky going 6-5 in the regular season. Are you sure that they can't go be 7-4 or better?



Now for some news and notes:

MAURICE CLARETT'S MISERY IS COMPLETE - Maurice Clarett... Ohio State star in beating Miami in Triple Overtime for the National Championship. Four years later, he's a bona fide criminal. He's going to be locked up in the pokey for at least 3 1/2 years for pleading guilty of plea bargaining and carrying a concealed weapon.

PACIFIC-10 IN TROUBLE - Some Pac-10 officials and some of the Instant Replay crew have been suspended for one game with the Oklahoma at Oregon game because of two reviews with 1:12 left in the game.

MIAMI NOT PART OF TOP 25 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1999 - After losing to Florida State and being smashed by Louisville, Miami is no longer part of the Top 25 for the first time in over 109 appearances. Miami is likely going to see Larry Coker on the hot seat. It's simply un-Hurricane like to lose this often. Miami may get a chance to get their winning back underway when they get Houston in their next game. That's right- our scarlet and white.



This past weekend saw Iowa retake the Cy-Hawk Trophy. My profiles segment will feature the losing school first, and then the winning school.





--- JOHN'S EXTRAS ---

-Iowa State Profile (Cy-Hawk Trophy Losers)
Official Name: Iowa State University
Location: Ames, IA
Motto: "Becoming the Best."
Established: 1858
Website: http://www.iastate.edu/ ; Athletics:

Collegiate Conference: Big XII
Nickname/Mascot: Cyclones; Cy the Cardinal
Football Stadium:
Seating Capacity:
School Colors: Cardinal and Gold

DID YOU KNOW...

(1.) ...that Iowa won the first game of the Cy-Hawk Series in 1977? They won 12-10. Iowa State would win one year later by a score of 31-0.

(2.) ...that Iowa State has been to nine Bowl Games? They lost four straight bowls since 1971 (lost to LSU in 1971, Georgia Tech in 1972, North Carolina State in 1977, and Texas A&M in 1978). They won over Pittsburgh 37-29 in 2000, and Miami University 17-13 in 2004.

(3.) ...their men's basketball team never advanced past the Elite Eight? Their only Elite Eight appearance was a loss against eventual National Champion, Michigan State. They were eliminated from the first round five times. They would make the semi-finals of the NIT and lose to Rutgers.



FAMOUS ALUMNI:
* George Washington Carver - first African-American student and faculty member; musician, artist, orator, atheltic trainer, and student leader.

* Clarence Chamberline - aviation pioneer
* Eugene B. Ely - aviator who made first take-off and landing of aircraft from ship
* Jerry Junkins - CEO of Texas Instruments
* Tom Latham - US Representative (R) of Iowa
* Tim Floyd - men's basketball coach and first to three-consecutive 20-win seasons
* Dan Gable - NCAA Wrestling Champion and 1972 Olympic Gold Medalist, later coached Iowa's wrestling team.
* Johnny Orr, most successful coach for the men's basketball teams of Iowa State and Michigan
* Darryl Peterson - NCAA All-American and former pro wrestler
* Kelvin Cato - NBA Player
* J.J. Moses - NFL Player (still with the Houston Texans?)
* Sage Rosenfels - NFL Player
* Seneca Wallace - NFL Player





-Iowa Profile (Cy-Hawk Trophy Winners

Official Name: The University of Iowa
Location: Iowa City, IA
Motto: ""
Established: 1847
Website: http://www.uiowa.edu/ ; Athletics:

Collegiate Conference: Big Ten
Nickname/Mascot: Hawkeyes; Herky the Hawk
Football Stadium: Kinnick Stadium
Seating Capacity: 70,585
School Colors: Black and Gold

DID YOU KNOW...
(1.) ...that The University of Iowa was the first-ever public university in the state of Iowa?

(2.) ...that it was founded 59 days after Iowa became a State?

(3.) ...also holds grudges against Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale) and Wisconsin (Heartland Trophy)? The Iowa/Wisconsin rivalry has been around since 2004. Iowa won BOTH games against Wisconsin.] so far.

(4.) ...that Sports Illustrated rated the Iowa athletics program as one of the top sports dynasties of the 20th Century?



FAMOUS ALUMNI:
* B.J. Armstrong - former NBA Point Guard (Chicago Bulls)
* Tom Arnold - actor (Roseanne, True Lies), and host of FSN's "The Best Damn Sports Show Period"
* Tom Brokaw - NBC news Anchorman and editor of NBC Nightly News
* "Downtown" Freddie Brown - G for the Seattle Supersonics. Part of the 1978-1979 Championship team.
* Dallas Clark - tight end for the Indianapolis Colts
* John Cochran (not to be confused with Johnny Cochran) - broadcast journalist and correspondant
* Wayne Duke - former and retired Big 10 commissioner (served 1971-1989)
* Tim Dwight - KR for New England Patriots. Also a WR.
* Robert Gallery - OT for Oakland Raiders
* Lou Holtz - assistant football coach, and only football coach to take six different schools to Bowl Games. ESPN college football analyst (also a pretty funny one. About as good as Lee Corso on ESPN and Brian Jones on CSTV)
* Nate Kaeding - NFL Place Kicker for San Diego Chargers
* Nile Kinnick - 1939 Heisman winner. Football stadium at Iowa named after him in 1972.
* Greg Morris - played Barney Collier in the "Mission Impossible" TV series
* Don Nelson - former NBA player for Boston Celtics and coach for Dallas Mavericks
* Kay A. Orr - first woman Governor of the United States. Republican.
* Eddie Robinson - winningest coach in football history for Grambling State.
* Coleen Rowley - Time's 2002 Person of the Year. Instrumental in bringing in terrorist suspect Zacarias Moussaoui and agency missteps in the September 11th attack on America. She's looking to be part of Congress for Minnesota's 2nd District.
* Bob and Mike Stoops - football player and coach. Coaches Oklahoma and Arizona respectively.
* Ted Waitt - founder of Gateway computers









Let's continue discussion of last week and preview this week. By the way, I love that Mobile ESPN commercial with Shaun Alexander.

[UPDATE] Hey guys... I saw the encore of Oklahoma at Oregon. The review crew and instant replay officials didn't notice that Oregon illegally touched the onside kick which the ball DID NOT go 10 yards without being touched. On ESPN on ABC announcer noted that it was a horrible call. Oregon would have lost 33-27 to Oklahoma had this call not been made. Thing about the play is that it was a bit tough to tell if the ball actually crossed 10 yards. But, you're not going to see the specific officiating crew or instant replay officials in this week's games.

JohnBM01

Alright, you bring up Kentucky. Here's the status report as of right now on what I said in the College Football preview:

"I think the Wildcats will win against Texas State, Ole Miss, Central Michigan, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Louisiana-Monroe. That is a total of six wins- just enough to go to a Bowl Game." -"JohnBM01" on August 21, 2006

As of right now- two down, four to go. Let's look back on the schedule I posted:

2006 Kentucky Wildcats (Remaining) Football Schedule
09/23 at #7 Florida TBD
09/30 C Michigan 6:00 PM <<<
10/07 S Carolina 7:00 PM
10/14 at #8 LSU 8:00 PM
10/28 at Miss St TBD <<<
11/04 #15 Georgia 1:00 PM
11/11 Vanderbilt 1:00 PM <<<
11/18 La Monroe 1:00 PM <<<
11/25 at #23 Tennessee TBD
(all times Eastern Time)

( <<< = remaining games I picked Kentucky to win)

FoolKiller, are you SURE that you don't see any other potential upsets? I have Kentucky going 6-5 in the regular season. Are you sure that they can't go be 7-4 or better?

Click to expand...

OK, here is the deal. My team is in the SEC and while I prefer basketball this whole football thing bothers me. I look at the games that we can easily win and I wonder who loaded up that cupcake schedule. Last year's schedule only had 3-4 teams that we were expected to beat and now we suddenly have six?

That said, any upsets I want better have a number in front of their name. That would make me oh, so happy. If I had to choose the team I want Florida or Tennessee. I would be happy with S. Carolina though.

I also want to admit that I have given our QB Andre Woodson a hard time (not on here so much). The man can't read a defense for his life, but to his credit he can read his receivers. Now if he would learn how to scramble. But, I heard some surprising stats this morning on the radio. He has thrown for 10 TDs so far this season. He is tied for second in the nation. You pay more attention to stats than I do. Can that right? Then to make me eat my words a bit more, he was named SEC player of the week.

Maybe I have been hard on the Cats this year, but it will take the whole season to change my attitude. Give me credit though. I have given three years to Rich Brooks to work on the team. I have accepted the play for what it is and have been patient. As I told a co-worker, this is the year I judge Brooks. I got fed up last year and had some negative things in my sig, but this is truly when I am watching and judging him. I think that he was a bad choice from the beginning but I have been hoping to be proven wrong. This season will determine whether I go from a disgruntled fan to an angry fan or not. But in the end, I am still a fan.

Despite my complaints I have UK magnets on both rear fenders of my car, a decorative UK playe on the front, and an official UK license plate on the back. I used to do flags but they fall apart to quickly. I am still a fan.

I will never be like Miami fans calling for a new coach after a 9-3 season. They sound like UK basketball fans.

By the way, I love that Mobile ESPN commercial with Shaun Alexander.

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Why do I keep spelling his name Sean? I do it all the time.

[UPDATE] Hey guys... I saw the encore of Oklahoma at Oregon. The review crew and instant replay officials didn't notice that Oregon illegally touched the onside kick which the ball DID NOT go 10 yards without being touched. On ESPN on ABC announcer noted that it was a horrible call. Oregon would have lost 33-27 to Oklahoma had this call not been made. Thing about the play is that it was a bit tough to tell if the ball actually crossed 10 yards. But, you're not going to see the specific officiating crew or instant replay officials in this week's games.

Click to expand...

Don't even get me started on the quality of officiating over the last few years. I could type a few thousand pages on that.

Here are some of the many matchups courtesy of the brand-new http://www.espnu.com :

--- WEEK 4 MATCHES (DIVISION 1 ONLY) ---
Thursday Night:
* Virginia at Georgia Tech
* Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee Tech

Friday Night:
* Northwestern at Nevada

Saturday
*** 1-A
* Wisconsin at #6 Michigan
* Cincinatti at #11 Virginia Tech
* North Carolina at #19 Clemson
* #14 Iowa at Illinois
* Howard at Rutgers
* #24 Pennsylvania State at #1 Ohio State
* Iowa State at #7 Texas
* Rice at #19 Florida State
* Connecticut at Indiana
* UTEP at New Mexico (RIVALRY GAME)
* Florida International at Maryland
* Florida Atlantic at South Carolina
* North Carolina Central at Southern
* Kentucky at #5 Florida
* Hawaii at #25 Boise State
* Oklahoma State at Houston

There are many more upcoming matches of mention. I just brought up these games to give you an idea of what this coming weekend will bring. I know FoolKiller will be looking forward to when Kentucky leaves to go to Gainesville, FL to meet the Gators. As mentioned, I'll keep a close eye on how Kentucky fares this season. It is the team I'lll be watching this season to see if they can emerge and have a winning season. College hoops fans know that Florida's the defending Divsion 1 National Champions. I'm sure fans in Gainesville will be gearing towards this game against the Wildcats.


In today's profile, I'll introduce you to the University of Houston. Houston has two critical games starting with this week against Oklahoma State. Then, they go to the University of Miami. Houston will need to beat BOTH of them if they want to be the next 2004 Utah Utes. They can go 5-0, 4-1, or 3-2 depending on how these two games go. So let me introduce you to this city's biggest learning institution.


-Houston Profile

Official Name: The University of Houston
Motto: "Learning. Leading."
Established: 1927
Location: Houston, TX
Website: http://www.uh.edu ; Athletics: http://uhcougars.cstv.com/

Athletic Conference: Conference USA
Football Field: Robertson Stadium
Seating Capacity: 35,000 approx.
Nickname/Mascot: Cougars; Shasta
Colors: Scarlet Red and Albino White

DID YOU KNOW...

(1.) ...that Houston was ranked as high as 4th in final the football polls in its past?

(2.) ...the mascot, Shasta, was once a live animal at Cougar games?

(3.) ...that Houston's male basketball has been to over five Final Fours? They even played in the National Championship game twice, but lost to North Carolina State (1983) and Georgetown (1984).

(4.) ...that the men's basketball coach, Tom Penders, is nicknamed "Turnaround Tom?"

(5.) ...that Houston has over 16 National Championships? Unfortunately, all of them in golf (12 men's, 4 women's).

(6.) ...that football coach Art Briles has taken the Cougars to two Bowl Games in only three seasons? Their records were 6-6.

(7.) ...that Houston has never been to the NCAA Basketball tournament since 1992?

(8.) ...that Houston won the Formula SAE championship in 1984? My brother worked on a Mini Baja for Houston, but it was never completed for what I know.

(9.) ...that their architecture program was one of a few (or maybe just one) colleges/universities to win the top architecture honors more than once?



FAMOUS ALUMNI:
* Carlos Jimenez - Professor at the Hines College of Architecture at U. of Houston
* Star Jones - former co-host of "The View"
* Lil' Wayne - Cash Money Records hip-hop arist
* Master P - hip-hop artist, actor, director, producer, and athlete. Also one of the most successful entrepreneurs.
* Jim Nantz - CBS broadcaster
* Dennis and Randy Quaid - both are TV and film actors (D. Quaid dropped out)
* Paul Wall - rapper, DJ, promoter, jewelery store proprietor (dropout)
* Jeff Banister - had a perfect 1.000 career batting average.
* Ben Weber - 2002 World Series champs.
* Gary Weiss - 1981 World Series champs.
* Woody Williams - 1993 World Series champs; 2003 all-star.
* Clyde Drexler - Hall of Fame basketball player and one of NBA's 50 Greatest. Part of "Phi Slamma Jamma."
* Louis Dunbar - Harlem Globetrotters.
* Hakeem Olajuwon - NBA's 50 Greatest.
* Tom Landry - Hall of Fame coach
* Carl Lewis - track and field legend, 10 olympic medals (9 gold and 1 bronze)

* Phi Slamma Jamma...
...Guy V. Lewis - basketball player and coach of Houston Cougars. Hoffheinz Pavillion's court is named after him.
...Clyde Drexler (mentioned earlier)
...Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon (mentioned earlier)

* Fred Couples - 15 PGA victories and first American to reach #1 rank. Won one Masters.
* Steve Elkington - 10 PGA victories and 1995 champion.
* David McClanahan - President and CEO of CenterPoint Energy
* Karen Katz - President and CEO of Neiman Marcus
* Aylwin Lewis - President and CEO of K-Mart
* Kenneth Lay - former CEO of Enron.
* Richard Rawson - President of Administaff. Administaff sponsors the trophy Houston and Rice play for in football.
* John O'Quinn - highest-paid lawyer in Texas
* Ted Poe - Harris County judge

[UPDATE] I completely forgot one of the most important famous alums:

Andre Ware - 1989 Heisman winner and first African-American to win Heisman

Hope I didn't upset any Cougar fans by not mentioning him. I went by Wikipedia and picked certain names.


Let's continue discussion on this week's games or look back on last week.

JohnBM01

FAMOUS ALUMNI:
* Fred Couples - 15 PGA victories and first American to reach #1 rank. Won one Masters.
* Steve Elkington - 10 PGA victories and 1995 champion.

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Wow, for a second there, I thought this was one of the golf forums I'm always at. HA, thats funny. Freddy is the man, by the way. I met him a few years ago down in Scottsdale. Total class act. And Elk, he has what just about everyone in golf considers to be the picture perfect golf swing. Those damn Aussies, they just kick ass at golf. Oh, and not that they are BIG names, and I'm sure no one but me cares, there are a few more PGA members from U of H....

- Bruce Lietzke
- John Mahaffey
- Billy Ray Brown

Texas is always spitting out great golfers. Learn to play in the winds of Texas, you can play anywhere. Lots of talent down there.

Hilg

NOTE: I'll begin with report with some sad news. Hall of Famer Frank "Muddy" Waters recently died. My condolences to the Waters family for this tragic loss. He was a Hall of Fame coach for Michigan State.

Now I'll just come across some random stuff.

* GETTING INTO THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON
FoolKiller[/B], I don't know if this is your first season getting into college football full-time or not, but I just want to make college football and making reports on it fun.

I don't have bigtime stats. If you want stats, ESPN is your meal ticket. I will make some references to certain stats and figures. I have the biggest resource available to me with my reports- the Internet. I now don't rely on ESPNEWS and stuff alone for scores. In fact, I now go to certain websites to learn the scores of the day's/night's games. You all can expect to see my scores whenever I get as much information as possible to distribute to as many people as possible. Even if my house had suitable grounds for high-speed Internet, I still prefer getting my reports in the next day in the early morning. This is especially key for West Coast games. What would be the point of covering as many games as possible if I don't give the West Coast some love? I'll stay up as late as about 1AM or 2AM Central (Standard or Daylight) Time to try to catch the scores so I can report them. If I feel that I can't come up with interesting comments, then I'll either shorten the report or do RAPID FIRE. I'll provide the same light-hearted comments like I do with my basketball scores. I'm not going to innundate you too much with particular players, bigtime stats, or anything like that. I have games to cover for all of you. I'm not paid or told to do any of this. Hell, I can just take a week off so that NOBODY gets their scores. But I want to get people involved in college football. I love the game, and I want you to share my love. I've taken my love to a new level by giving you extra games. You'll see more 1-AA scores in my report. You'll even see Division 2 and Division 3. I don't follow the NAIA or NJCAA much because all I know is the NCAA. All most people see is the NCAA. So I want you to enjoy it all from me. I wish I was more educated about football. I have just enough knowledge of football to get by. Even when I was younger, my game (believe it or not) was basketball. I can't run deep to catch the ball on a Vertical passing play. The game I felt most capable of playing is basketball. I considered my strengths in speed and in stealing. I actually didn't get into football until 2002. I'm still learning the game.

But I still want to be neutral as possible at times. I even look for some interesting references to use and try to make games interesting. Looking for references usually means using my noggin. Take last week. I called the Mississippi at Kentucky game as "Lexington's Legends." The reference I used was a minor league baseball team with Single-A Lexington. They are known as the Lexington Legends, and it was one of the stops that Roger Clemens made in his pitching rehab assignments. Roger had a chance to pitch for Lexington while his son, Koby, was batting for the Legends. I also know of the Lexington Legends because it's one of the minor league clubs by the Houston Astros (which I think are done for 2006). Then too, [the University of] Kentucky is legendary for its basketball program. So in a way, these are the collegiate legends of Kentucky.


* SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GETTING ON... BRENT MUSBURGER?
An article posted on espnu.com shown something about USoCal having some kind of beef with the wonderful Brent Musburger. The Northwestern alum is one of the most classical voices in all of announcing. He is usually found covering the best in college football and college basketball. And other than Brad Nessler, he's one of my other favorite announcers. USoCal's beef with Brent Musburger is that Musburger commented about how John David Booty (Southern California, QB) spotted one-on-one coverage and gave the "hang loose" sign when he talked with J.D.B. The school made a statement saying that it was an "egregious breach of trust." Musburger said it was "a misunderstanding of intentions as he regrets the confusion." The source is: { http://www.espnu.com }.



JOHN'S EXTRAS
--- PRONOUNCE YOUR SCHOOLS RIGHT ---
There was a shooting incident involving about five members of the Duquesne men's basketball team. All of them are okay as suspects are quickly being turned in by police. I don't know how this affects the football team if any. This specific bullet of my extras involves pronouncing schools. So the different aspect of this deal is how to pronounce the name of this Pittsburgh, PA school. I've heard "Duquesne" by announcers and heard how it's pronounced. It is pronounced more like "doo-kane" and not "doo-kes-knee" like I've done in the past. Another one I've mispronounced at times was Towson University in Maryland. It's pronounced more as "tao-sun" and not "tow-sun." And I'm always inclined to pronounce Notre Dame like I was talking about Le Catedral de Notre Dame in Paris, France. But it's usually pronounced like "note-ur daym" by many people.



--- LATER TONIGHT... ---
There will be known action in Divisions 1-A through 3. The marquee matchup in Division 1-A is when Virgina (lost to Western Michigan in an upset) makes a trip into Atlanta to meet Georgia Tech. That's right! Cavaliers at the Yellow Jackets. * Division 1-AA sees a matchup against Eastern Kentucky's Colonels meeting the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech. There is also a Division 2 matchup pitting Michigan Tech going to meet the defending Division 2 champs, Grand Valley State. Can the GVSU Lakers get her done against Michigan Tech? These and more in my reports.

Do remember that I'll have to see the dentist today. So there MAY be a delay in getting scores in between now and the end of Saturday.

Yesterday was Thursday, right? I had my dentist visit, and I thought it was going to be as worse than what I thought it would be. But I'm back to serve for a football-crazy nation. Allow me to present you with the scores I was able to pick up for you all.



WEEK 4 - THURSDAY SYNOPSIS
A majority of Thursday night's games were played on the East Coast as well as in the Midwest. Nothing says East Coast like ACC Football, but there were also games with Division 1-AA's Ohio Valley Conference, and with the GLIAC in Division 2. The closest game played Thursday was in Tennessee as Tennessee Tech University played to upset Eastern Kentucky.





NOTE: I completely fell asleep when I tried to watch the Virginia @ Georgia Tech game. I ended up missing that score as well as the Division 1-AA game on ESPNU and the Division 2 game on CSTV. So don't expect too many long details from me this time around.

DIVISION 1-A GAMES
"Tech-Nical Difficulties" Virginia at Georgia Tech
Welcome to the hometown of people you can find like Brad Nessler, Michael Vick, Ludacris, Chris Benoit, and more- Atlanta. Atlanta, GA is Braves Country, Hawks Country, Thrasher Country, and let's not forget it's Falcons country. There are also a number of colleges and universities in the NCAA in Atlanta. Perhaps the best of them all in Atlanta is the Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech for short. There are some other schools like Clark Atlanta and the non-football (but considering football) school known as Georgia State. GT came into this game with some throwback colors in hopes of taking down a pretty good Virginia team that's stumbled as of late. Can GT cash in? They may be known the Yellow Jackets, but they aren't yellow in playing football. The boys from Charlottesville, VA are up next. Their fight song sounds similar to Auld Lang Syne (the song usually played to ring in the new year). These Cavaliers may not be from Chevrolet, but they are hoping to be an American Revolution in college football. Can the Charlottesville boys get it done in Atlanta? Georgia Tech blown out the Cavaliers. All the Cavs would get is a consolation 6+1. G. Tech rolls. (24-7; GEORGIA TECH)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
"A Golden Opportunity" #24 Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee Tech
This is a game for the Ohio Valley Conference. This game is really important for both teams as they don't want to go 0-1 in conference. It's a battle of Kentucky's EKU and TenTU from the Volunteer State. The Colonels of Eastern Kentucky are #24th in the nation heading into this game. They can't afford to lose here as they try to match up against the different 1-AA powers. Tennessee Tech University is thinking upset here. It's an upset that could happen if the Golden Eagles can fly away from the grasp of Eastern Kentucky. This HBCU (historically-black colleges and universities) did just that and picked up a BIG upset win. (24-14 TENNESSEE TECH)





DIVISION 2 GAMES
* Michigan Tech at Grand Valley State
These are two conference rivals in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Grand Valley State is more like one of the latest dynasties in Division 2. And remember, Grand Valley State has NOTHING to do with the Grand Valley Speedway in the Gran Turismo series. The Lakers represent the GLIAC with great pride and respect. It also means that they have to deal with teams from elsewhere... including Michigan Tech. The Michigan Tech Huskies are trying to give GVSU a BIG scare. Didn't happen, player! Lakers got her done... BIG. (41-20; GRAND VALLEY STATE)

---RAPID FIRE---
* Henderson State at West Alabama (31-10; Henderson State)





DIVISION 3 GAMES
(no reported games)





And that's all. No extras here. More action is on the way for Friday. And I apologize for oversleeping.

Welcome to the Friday edition of my weekly college football reports. The talk outside of football is on Tokyo Game Show footage of GTHD with a certain car company bringing up all the attention. This football thread is all about action played on Friday before we make ready for the first official day of Fall/Autumn. And if you're a football fan like I'm a football fan- Fall is for Football (unless you like Arena Football). So let's start something!





WEEK 4 - FRIDAY SYNOPSIS
No Division 1-AA or 3 games will take place. So don't expect any Division 3 scores in this report. As for the other two divisions of NCAA football, it was a great night to be the home team. Only one game was decided by only one score out of the three played.




DIVISION 1-A GAMES
"The Biggest Little Surprise in the World" Northwestern at Nevada
The first city many people will think about with Nevada is Las Vegas. What happens in Las Vegas... you know the rest. And it's okay to recall Las Vegas. You can race through Las Vegas in Project Gotham Racing 3, you can play through Las Venturas in "GTA: San Andreas," and you can save Las Vegas from terrorism with the upcoming "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas." Did you know that Nevada is known as the Silver State? Did you know that Carson City, NV is the capital of Nevada? Reno is not very far from the capital city. Reno is north of Carson City out in western Nevada. The team looking to give Nevada a wild ride is Northwestern University. This is a battle between two universities that start with the letter "N." I called this "The Biggest Little Surprise in the World" for one reason- Nevada is 1-2. I thought Nevada had racked up a few wins. Apparently not. Nevada is 1-2 as Northwestern is the reverse- 2-1. Let's look at these two in greater detail. The Nevada Wolfpack were part of the Big Sky a long while ago. They picked up a Big Sky championship or two in their foray. This humble little university has a football stadium in a mountainous setting. Nevada is only one game out of a 0.500 percentile. Northewestern is 1 over 0.500. The Wildcats are heading into Nevada looking to stay on pace. A Nevada win can be huge while a Northwestern loss can be crushing. Which "N" will get it done- Nevada or Northwestern? So let's do this.

Reno distributed beautiful skies for a Friday evening of college football. Northwestern led early with a touchdown. Afterwards, Nevada came in with guns ablaze as they cashed in on all or most Wildcat miscues. There were plenty of reviews which took place in this game in the wake of the Oregon/Oklahoma controversy. The Wildcats had no answer for the boys in navy blue as they put on a big hurtin' on this Big Ten crew. Both teams now are at a 2-2 win-loss count. Nevada plays against their rivals from Las Vegas next week. That will be the rivalry battle for the Fremont Cannon. Speaking of cannons, they blasted away Northwestern. They were blasted all the way back to Evanston, IL. (31-21; NEVADA)





DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
(No Division 1-AA games were reported)





DIVISION 2 GAMES
* American International at Southern Connecticut State
Southern Connecticut State picked up a nice win over American International. (20-12; SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE)

"Creature Comforts" Merrimack at Bentley
The Bentley Falcons win by three over Merrimack at home. (24-21; BENTLEY)





DIVISION 3 GAMES
(No Division 3 games were reported)





JOHN'S EXTRAS
Here is a list of games in the "Who's Number 1?" on college football's greatest upsets:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S GREATEST UPSETS

20.) #12 Stanford vs. #1 Ohio State (1971 Rose Bowl - Stanford)
19.) Washington at Oregon State (1985 - 21-20; Oregon State)
18.) #1 Alabama Georgia Tech (1962 - 7-6; Georgia Tech)
17.) Stanford at California/California at Stanford (1986 - ??-??; California)
16.) #1 Michigan State vs. #5 UCLA (1966- California-Los Angeles)
15.) Oklahoma vs. Kansas (2003 Big XII Championship; 35-7; Kansas State)
14.) Notre Dame at Army (1913- Notre Dame)
13.) Columbia at Army (1947- -; Columbia)
12.) #1 Notre Dame at Southern California (1964 -; SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA)
11.) Boston College at Notre Dame (1993 38-23 Boston College)
10.) Ohio State vs. Miami (2003 Fiesta Bowl - 3OT, Ohio State)
09.) Nebraska vs. Texas (1996 Big XII Championship Game 37-27; Texas)
08.) #1 Ohio State at #12 Michigan (1969 - 14-12; MICHIGAN)
07.) Holy Cross vs. Boston College (1942 (at Fenway Park) 55-12; Holy Cross)
06.) Temple at #10 Virginia Tech (1998 - 28-24; Temple)
05.) #5 Miami vs. #1 Nebraska (1984 Orange Bowl - Miami)
04.) Notre Dame at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon) (1926 - 19-0; CARNEGIE TECH (now CARNEGIE MELLON))
03.) Centre College at Harvard (1921 - 6-0; CENTRE COLLEGE)
02.) Notre Dame at #2 Oklahoma (1957 - 7-0; Notre Dame)

01.) Army vs. Navy (1950 - 14-2; Navy) <- the upset that would never have happened



Is it possible we're going to see some key upsets this Saturday? Some may take place. Tomorrow will mark the 40th Anniversary of the game marked as "The Game of the Century" when Michigan State and Notre Dame played in a game that ended as one of the teams basically ran out the clock for a 10-10 tie. Thank goodness now because there are no more ties in college football. They can now be decided in multiple overtimes unlike the sudden death Overtime in the NFL. There was even a classic football game between Florida and Florida State which ended up in a tie. Who would have won that game if 1966 Notre Dame played against 1966 Michigan State? That's something you EA Sports gamers can enact with the NCAA Football series.



--- HEY, ALABAMA! ---
The University of Alabama will be celebrating over 175 years of existance this season. So allow me to profile the university with one of my favorite fight songs other than "Rocky Top," the University of Alabama.


-Alabama Profile

Official Name: The University of Alabama
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Established: 1831
School Colors: Crimson and White
Nickname/Mascot: Crimson Tide; Big Al

Football Field: Bryant-Denny Stadium
Seating Capacity: approx. 90,000 (seating upgrades made during off-season)
Conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC)

DID YOU KNOW...
(1.) ...that the youngest university of the University of Alabama system, Alabama-Birmingham, was established back in 1969?

(2a.) ...that Crimson Tide football began in 1892?
(2b.) ...that it is one of the oldest football clubs in America?

(3.) ...that Alabama has won 21 SEC titles and 12 National Championships?

(4.) ...that their bitter rival, Auburn, won the very first Iron Bowl game in 1893? The game was played in an unusual time of year for football- February 22, 1893. Now football is a staple for Fall and is considered a Fall sport. Alabama leads the series 38-31-1. Auburn has won the Iron Bowl in successive years since 2002.

(5.) ...that legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant has the most national championships for a team by a single coach? His overall record was 242-46-9 as he led his Crimson Tide titles six times between 1961 and 1979.

(6.) ...that Alabama's men's basketball school has NEVER been to the Final Four?


FAMOUS ALUMNI:

Mark Childress - author of "Crazy in Alabama"
Herper Lee - author of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and a Pulitzer Prize winner. Attended, but did not graduate.
Robert Horry - NBA Player. Currently with San Antonio Spurs. Won NBA Championships.
Maurice "Mo" Williams - Milwaukee Bucks
Shaun Alexander - Seattle Seahawks player.
Mark Anderson - Chicago Bears player.
Brodie Croyle - Kansas City Chiefs.
Patrick Hape - Houston Texans player (never heard of him!)
Roman Harper - New Orleans Saints
Saleem Rasheed - Houston Texans player (never heard of him either!)
Joe Namath - New York Jets. NFL Legend. Retired.
Bart Starr - 2-time Super Bowl MVP for the Green Bay Packers. Retired.
Derrick Thomas - Kansas City Chiefs player. Retired.
Dominque Canty - Houston Comets (WNBA) player. Formerly part of the Detroit Shock.
W. W. "Foots" Clements - CEO of Dr. Pepper.
John K. McKinley - Chairman of Texaco.
Forrest Gump - fictional hero of the movie by the same name.
Jim Nabors - Actor.
Vivian Malone Jones - first African-American graduate of U. of Alabama. Died last year.
Rece Davis - ESPN Sports analyst
Robert Van de Graff 0 physicist and inventor of the Van de Graff generator
Jimmy wales - Wikipedia founder. <- where I'm giving you these crazy facts in profiles!!!

-end



And so there is your Alabama profile. Included in the Alabama system are a number of different universities and colleges. Conference USA fans may know of Alabama-Birmingham, which has gone from Division 3 to Division 1-A in only one or two decades. There is also a non-football school with the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers in Division 2. Alabama is really one of the most solid packages in all of college football.



--- HAPPY TRAILS, F-14 TOMCAT! ---
The Navy officially retired the F-14 Tomcat because of high costs to maintain them all. It's one of the more classic fighter jets of all time. So happy trails, F-14! Thank you for serving our nation from the skies.





--- TOMORROW... ----
Wet weather is expected here in Houston, especially later tonight. So I don't know how the Oklahoma State/Houston game will go. Rice will visit Florida State this weekend. And as for the rest of the nation...

* Penn State beat Ohio State in Pennsylvania last year. Can they beat the Buckeyes in Buckeye Stadium? 110,000+ will pack the house. Can they do it?

* Kentucky is 2-1. Can they make it 3-1 when they play in The Swamp against Florida?

* Can the Louisville Cardinals win on the road in the Little Apple? It's those Louisville Sluggers looking to Grand Slam the Kansas State Wildcats out of Manhattan, KS!

* Notre Dame lost to Michigan last weekend. Will they get a Michigan sweep when Michigan State comes to town? And will they knock Notre Dame out of National Championship contention?

* Oklahoma State and Houston are unbeatenat 3-0 all. Who will escape 4-0 in Houston, TX this Saturday night? Oklahoma State looking to rebuild while Houston's looking for a big win. Who will get what they want?


This and many more games forthcoming.

24 - 7 Hawks

Well, we're off to a great start. As good as I could hope for. Had a scare a couple weeks ago when we went to Syracuse. But, got past that. And, we got past our recent schedule nemesis, Iowa State. And now, this week, we start off our Big Ten schedule with a good, tough win on the road at Illinois. Not that they are REAL good this year, but a win in the Big Ten is good, no matter who it is.

BUT, that brings us to next week. In one weeks time, my Iowa Hawkeyes will be hosting the #1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Kinnick Stadium. That will be THE test of the year. OSU is playing some of the best football of anyone this year, and are always tough. But, we do get to play it at home, so that helps. It looks like Tate is playing well, and is fully healed, so there should be no excuses. Great if we win, but if we lose, its no ones fault but ours.

I hope, win or lose, its a good game. If we lose, but put up some scores, and make a fight out of it, I'll be happy. I mean, you can't get too upset if the #1 team beats you. Thats why they are #1. So, I'm hoping for the best, and I really do think we have a shot to win. Should be exciting.

GO HAWKS!!!!


Hilg

Welcome to Saturday and the first official day of Fall/Autumn! For some of our GTP members, it's the start of Rosh Hashanah in American time. But I'm glad you're here to join the discussion. You know how we do things- a whole nation of games ranging from Division 1-A to Division 3 of NCAA action. If you have a love of college football, I'm here to share that love with you. The synopsis for Saturday's games is a general overview of what happened in college football this Saturday. Take a good look. Then, see how things REALLY went down.





WEEK 4 - SATURDAY SYNOPSIS
The official first day of Fall/Autumn means that it's time for some exceptional action from around the nation. It may also be a bad day since Fall is here. Teams may FALL this Saturday along with the leaves. Pigments in leaves will change while ranked teams may fall from grace. Inclement weather impacted most games especially ranging from the Midwest to the Southeast. Some games have been suspended by rain or even negatively impacted by the weather. An SEC team prevents an upset while another GETS upset on the road. A Division 3 game was cancelled because of the weather. The weather played a HUGE role in most games from as far west as Houston to as far east as Gainesville.

NOTE: Whether or not I can get these scores in for you depends on how bad the weather gets because severe weather was expected here in Houston around 9PM CDT. These scores may come later than usual.





DIVISION 1-A GAMES

Let's begin with one of the best conferences in all of college football- the Big Ten.

WARNING: Because of inclement weather and not enough time to try to get all scores in as soon as possible, most scores I have compiled will come by way of RAPID FIRE.


--- The Big Ten Pack ---

"Back That Thang Up" #12 Notre Dame at Michigan State (GAME OF THE WEEK)
One year ago... Michigan State pulled off a wicked win at Notre Dame in Overtime. They came out after the win and stuck their flag into the soil of Notre Dame. Last week... Notre Dame was shocked and outclassed by Michigan. This week... Michigan State will have to back up their supposed dominance of Notre Dame by whipping them in East Lansing. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be up against the elements- both with a hostile Michigan State crowd and with reported bad weather around most of the Midwest. Hopefully, Michigan State can be bad weather for Notre Dame. Michigan State has a lot to live up to after driving their flag into the grounds of Notre Dame. The Spartans need to back up their antics of last year by spanking Notre Dame again. This has been a pretty intense sort of rivalry. It is also the 40th anniversary of the fateful game that ended in a 10-10 tie. The game ended with one of the teams playing for a tie and not going for the win. It was the "Game of the Century" then. The best game this century so far is the 2006 Rose Bowl between Texas and Southern California. Will this game be a classic? Let's find out together!

Through most of the bad weather, I had to listen to the remainder of the game on the radio. I was shocked in the very end because Notre Dame really picked up a key win and avoid a Michigan Big Ten sweep. (40-37; #12 Notre Dame)


* #24 Pennsylvania State at #1 Ohio State
JoePa's boys meet Tressel's boys.
Penn State kicked to lead at the half. Ohio State made what was a game into a big beating. Penn State isn't the same as they were last year. Ohio State rolls as they look forward to keeping their #1 ranking when they play against Iowa next. We'll see if that happens next week. (28-6; OHIO STATE)

"Chop, Chop, Chop" Wisconsin at Michigan
The score was a 10-10 deadlock at Halftime. The Michigan Wolverines pulled away, leaving the Wisconsin Badgers in the dust. (27-13; #6 MICHIGAN)

* Minnesota at Purdue
This is West Lafayette, IN, home to Purdue University. Joe Tiller's boys are looking to go 4-0. The last time Purdue was VERY successful was when Kyle Orton was under center. They welconed the spirit of Minneapolis- the University of Minnesota. The Purdue Boilermakers are looking for that key victory in further embarassing the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. The Half ended with Purdue leading 10-7. Later on, the problematic Golden Gophers aren't looking like the Golden Gophers of old. They are now 2-2 and lost their Big Ten opener. (27-21; PURDUE)

* #14 Iowa at Illinois
I think we can agree on one thing. Iowa and Illinois have two pretty good men's basketball teams. We can agree on something else- Illinois stinks in football. Maybe Bruce Webber should coach the football team to give them at least 0.01% of hope. Iowa's looking like a million bucks after winning back the Cy-Hawk Trophy. The Hawkeyes need to make it a million and one to stay fresh in the Big Ten. Remember that later this season, Iowa will have to take on Michigan. So they need to give some hurtin' to all teams they face. Illinois is one of the worst Big Ten teams in all of football. The Fighting Illini will try to reel in a big fish by shocking Iowa. Who'll get the dupe as dougiemeats will look to see his boys get their fair share of retribution. Who's going to get their cut of the deal? Iowa meets Ohio State next week, but at the half, Iowa led 21-0. Illinois lost again. They are 1-3 while Iowa has yet to lose. Bring on Ohio State! (24-7; Iowa)

* Connecticut at Indiana
Connecticut is one of those basketball schools that's sort of on the rise in football. UConn made a Bowl last year (I believe) with their great play on both sides of the ball. The Huskies now look to keep a good thing going. They aren't too much of a cupcake anymore. Now they meet a team who would be better if their basketball team or cheerleaders play- Indiana. Can you belive that Indiana lost to Southern Illinois!? Credit Southern Illinois, but even the Hoosier basketball team can beat Southern Illinois. (14-7; Connecticut)

-end "Big Ten Pack"



Kentucky has seen some horrible weather as people had to use canoes and be involved in high water rescues. The city of Louisville has seen some HIGHLY inclement weather. So it's probably a good thing that Louisville doesn't have to play at home to be soaked with monsoonal rains. The next game is Louisville looking to come home to a drenched Louisville with a win at Kansas State. Then, the boys of Lexington are on the road into VERY hostile territory. The next two are about Kentucky.

--- Wildcat Pack ---
"The Little Wonders of the Little Apple" #9 Louisville at Kansas State
Some seriously bad weather transpired in Louisville, KY with more bad weather expected before Noon EDT. Louisville's been pounded with rain this Saturday. It's probably a good thing they didn't play at home because the game would have been a complete washout. The Cardinals can simply fly away into Manhattan, KS. You know that Louisville has to play for some pride when out on the road. Now let's meet Kansas State. Kansas State is a team rebuilding itself over the years. K-State once played in a BCS Bowl against Ohio State. Now the Wildcats need to try to get back to a glorious position after the wodnerful Mr. Snyder was under the helm for KSU. Weather was partly cloudy or partly sunny with some wild winds. No basketball score at the half so far for Louisville as they led 10-0. Someone's going to be un-undefeated after this one. And past the second half, Kansas State ran out of steam. Louisville is still winning games even if they are beating them by incredulous margins. Blowout win here. Lee Corso had Kansas State potentially upseting the Louisville Sluggers (NOTE: I know they are the Louisville Cardinals, but I call them the "Louisville Sluggers" for fun). Louisville won the game, but have to be concerned with the horrible weather back home in Louisville. I'd say this is a feel-good win to give Louisville football fans something to cheer about while Mother Nature is wreaking havoc. (24-6; #9 Louisville)

"Look Out Below!" Kentucky at #5 Florida
The other Kentucky power on the road is the University of Kentucky. They have a BIG SEC match against Florida in The Swamp. Inclement weather pounded the state of Kentucky as bad weather. So you could say that both Louisville and Kentucky can brighten the day of college sports fans in Kentucky with wins. The Kentucky Wildcats are looking for a BIG win after I've picked Kentucky to go to a Bowl Game this year. Kentucky is also the team I'll keep a close eye on this season, just to see how far they progress and how well they do. I appreciate having these conversations with UK grad, FoolKiller. Just want to say thanks. Unfortunately, they will need to watch out in Florida. I better know Gainesville for drag racing. However, there are still the fans in Gainesville who would love nothing more than to see their football team carry the same results of the men's basketetball team- National Champions. The Gators were kind enough to welcome Kentucky to The Swamp. But when the tourism ended and the coup de gras was forthcoming, it was time for National Geographic to come to life. Kentucky also needs a feel-good win because of some of the bad weather in Lexington. It's been reported that over 4 inches of rain fell with parts of I-64 and 1-75 flooded. Thankfully, this isn't Katrina or Rita catastrophe. Kentucky has never won in Gainesville since 1979. Can they win there 27 years later? Kentucky's defense is going to keep UK in the game. In fact, UK's "D-fence" sacked the Florida QB on 4th Down in the First Quarter. 1:40 left in the 3rd Quarter saw Florida lead the 'Cats 19-7. I still think that Kentucky played pretty well. Tim Tebow (QB, Florida) came into the game for Florida. That means trouble for the Kentucky kitties. That trouble was the LAST thing Kentucky needed as they are now 2-2 after this loss. Have to hope the Wildcat men's basketball team can pounce Florida since the footballing Wildcats couldn't get it done. (26-7; FLORIDA)

* USoCal at Arizona
Arizona sucks. Or at least the University of Arizona's football team. They can be the Temple of the West Coast. Their problems aren't going to be any better when John David Booty brings his boys into Tuscon, AZ. The University of Southern California is a team no one wants to screw with. No Leinart or R. Bush, no problem. The Trojans can give anyone a tough time. USoCal brings Los Angeles to any city they go to. It is one of three different Division 1 universities based in Los Angeles, CA. Only one of the three doesn't have a football team anymore- Loyola Marymount University. Now let's give Arizona some attention. I think the most recent National Championship they have won was in softball earlier this year against Northwestern. The Arizona Wildcats have a big game on their hands. They can't blow this one if they want an upset. This is the only Wildcat Pack game in which the Wildcats in question is the home team. Home field advantage meant VERY LITTLE since Arizona had little to cheer about. (20-3; Southern California)

-end "Wildcat Pack"



--- Florida Sun Belt Pack ---
Let's take a look at Florida's two Sun Belt Schools. Florida Atlantic and Florida International as they will be on the road.

* Florida Atlantic at South Carolina
We begin with Florida Atlantic in this two-pack. (45-6; SOUTH CAROLINA)

- RAPID FIRE -
* Florida International at Maryland (14-10; MARYLAND)

-end "Florida Sun Belt Pack



"Night of Destiny" Oklahoma State at Houston
Kevin Kolb will be under one of their two big matches on his way to being a Heisman longshot. This is a battle of two 3-0 schools. These two used to be Missouri Valley Conference rivals WAY back when. The last time these two met, Oklahoma State b:censored:slapped Houston from one end zone to the other by a 35-0 count. That was back in 1987 at the legendary Houston Astrodome. Now 19 years later, they meet again as Houston will try to return a favor that's 19 years in the making. This series is tied 8-8-1 overall and 4-4-1 in Houston.
With 1:26 left in the First Quarter, Kolb tied for second in all-time passing in Houston Cougars history with a wonderful long ball for the score. Oklahoma State responded on the next drive with a play-action pass of their own. End result was money. Two field goals, two play-action TD passes, and we're even at 10 only a few miles away from the wonderfully-renovated downtown Houston. Second quarter action now ensues. Oklahoma State picks up a score and PAT to make it 17-10 in favor of Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State tied earlier, now Houston ties with the 6+1. With 10 seconds left in the First Half (I heard this over the radio), The Cougars were faced with a big choice to make- kick for points tied at 17, or try to get a TD pass into the end zone to make it 24-17 pending the extra point? Kolb broke U. of Houston history with an exceptional TD score on a circus catch. The 6+1 made it 24-17 at the half. This score would carry into the Second Half. After the Halftime break, the Houston Cougars picked up a HUGE win. They are now 4-0, but it may all come to an end next week because they have to go to Miami to meet the Hurricanes. This was a fight. But next week will be a war. (34-25; HOUSTON)

"Hog Wild" #23 Alabama at Arkansas
Kirk Herbstreit had this game as the upset alert for Saturday, so let's see of the hogs can get it done. Kirk H. was right! Double overtime was what it took for the Alabama Crimson Tide to go down to the boys of Fayetteville, the Arkansas Razorbacks. (24-23, 2OT; ARKANSAS) *upset!*

* The Citadel at Pittsburgh
Cats and dogs here in the Steel City. Pittsburgh is looking to continue their good fortune as they give Hines Field something to cheer about. The Panthers have had a much better record up to this point than they had last season. They can keep it going by matching up against The Citadel. The Citadel is a military academy in South Carolina. Make a commitment to service while being a proud Bulldog. Who's ready to get something started as the Steel City kitties get ready to throw down? Panthers roll. No doubt about it. (56-7; PITTSBURGH)

* Tulsa at Navy
America's team is the United States Naval Academy. They are America's team because these are true patriots that know how to play football an WIN while they are at it. Can they keep the winning going when Tulsa comes to town? The Midshipmen of Navy are looking to launch a torpedo right into the heart of Tulsa's 53-man roster. But they will be up against Mother Nature. The Golden Hurricane are ready to smash right into the boys of Annapolis, MD. Navy is the second-best 1-A independent behind Notre Dame. I quickly learned the results when I was looking at the day's scores. And in the end, Tulsa shocked Navy in Overtime. I think Navy won a game in Overtime before, now they lose one. (24-23, OT; Tulsa)

* Cincinatti at #11 Virginia Tech (20-13; #11 VIRGINIA TECH)

* Iowa State at Texas (37-14; TEXAS)

"I Love my Lady Luck" Colorado at #4 Georgia
Colorado is winless after three games. Their work isn't going to get any easier when they have to go into the Dog Pound. Colorado brought along Ralphie for some good luck. Ralphie is a female buffalo to hopefully help the 53-man Buffalo roster looks to get something going. Colorado has had a good offense holding Georgia to 13-0 into the 4th. Georgia could get a big loss and give Colorado a BIG win. But they game back to win. Georgia rallied from behind to win. Georgia is 4-0 while Colorado is the reverse- 0-4. Raplhie didn't mean crap to this close loss. (14-13; #9 GEORGIA)

* UCLA at Washington
Washington has fallen to the way side. Beautiful weather graced wonderful Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The beauty of the skies in Seattle meant pounding rains for UCLA. (29-19; WASHINGTON)

* Buffalo at Auburn
The Buffalo Bulls are really turning into a MAC lame duck as non-MAC school, Auburn University, spanked the Bulls. Big win for the Tigers. (38-7; AUBURN)

* Temple at Western Michigan
Temple sucks. As unbiased as I try to be, they suck. They would be a better fit in Division 1-AA so that they can challenge Savannah State University for Division 1's worst football team for any university. Or maybe the Owls can shut me up with a win in Western Michigan. Unlike Temple, the Western Michigan Broncos can win something. Like they did here. No sweat. (41-7; WESTERN MICHIGAN)

- RAPID FIRE -

* Howard at Rutgers (56-7; RUTGERS)
* Marshall at Tennessee (33-7; TENNESSEE)
* Ohio at Missouri (31-6; MISSOURI)
* UTEP at New Mexico (26-13; NEW MEXICO)
* #4 West Virginia at East Carolina (27-10; West Virginia)
* Troy at Nebraska (56-0; NEBRASKA)
* Kent State at Bowling Green (38-3; Kent State)
* Utah at San Diego State (38-7; Utah)
* Utah State at BYU (38-0; BRIGHAM YOUNG)
* Miami University at Syracuse (34-14; SYRACUSE)
* Arizona State at California (49-21; CALIFORNIA)
* North Carolina at Clemson (52-7; CLEMSON)
* Middle Tennessee State at Oklahoma (59-0; OKLAHOMA)
* Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan (24-17, OT; Central Michigan)






DIVISION 1-AA GAMES
We begin with some history to be potentially broken.

WARNING: Because of inclement weather and not enough time to try to get all scores in as soon as possible, most scores I have compiled will come by way of RAPID FIRE.

"Standing Among Legends" New Hampshire at Dartmouth
GTPlanet, some Division 1-AA history is about to be made if the University of New Hampshire can surpass the great Jerry Rice in touchdown receptions in 1-AA action. The University of New Hampshire played against one of the lame ducks of the Ivy League with Dartmouth College. I try to bring Division 1-AA into perspective because I don't want to cover just 1-A. So let's meet New Hampshire. The University of New Hampshire has some of the best college sports programs in New England. Perhaps even in the nation. New Hampshire has seen success in picking up victories in especially football and hockey. The New Hampshire Wildcats is one of those teams you don't want to mess with. They are so much of a threat that they knocked off Northwestern University of the Big Ten. Yes. You read right. UNH's Wildcats beat Northwestern's Wildcats. But can they beat Dartmouth College? As I've said in the past, Dartmouth College is the home to a very famous alum among racing announcers because it is the alma mater of Speed Channel anchor and Formula One commentator, Bob Varsha. The Big Green are looking to paint their colors all over the blue and gray (or white?) of New Hampshire. The game was a blowout, but the key here is New Hampshire's David Ball has officially tied Jerry Rice for all-time number of receptions in Division 1-AA. They are tied at 50. New Hampshire doesn't lose many games, so I can make a 95% prediction that New Hampshire will surpass Jerry Rice next week unless they have a Bye next week. (56-14; New Hampshire)

"No Fly Zone" Austin Peay State at Dayton
Time to get your wings on because it's time to fly away here. Dayton, OH is where we are for this game. Austin Peay State will match up against Dayton as the Ohio Valley Conference meets the Atlantic 10(?). Austin Peay State can be found in Tennessee. I think it's Johnson City, TN to be exact. The Governors are looking to lay down the law in the Buckeye State. Dayton won't have much of that. The Dayton Flyers are looking to give the Governors something to cry about. Dayton really gave Austin Peay State some trouble in this win. (28-23; DAYTON)

* Bucknell at Richmond
This would be a good match even in basketball. The Richmond Spiders turned a game into a blowout. They decided that they aren't going down without making barbeque out of the Bucknell Bison. Bring some extra napkins. (48-21; RICHMOND)

* Mississippi Valley State at Jackson State
Mississippi Valley State is about to see one of its all-time best WR have the record books change maybe next week. I'm talking about Jerry Rice. MVSU could have used J. Rice because the Delta Devils couldn't stop the Jackson State Tigers. (29-24; JACKSON STATE)

* Delaware at Rhode Island
The Blue Hens were on the road as they were able to defeat the Rhode Island Rams. You can listen to their fight song if you have "College Hoops 2K6" and have Rhode Island as the home team. It's a pretty nice fight song. (-; Delaware)

- RAPID FIRE -

* Monmouth at Colgate (17-12; Monmouth)
* Sacred Heart at Duquesne (24-21; DUQUESNE)
* La Salle St. Francis (24-21; La Salle)
* Drake at Valparaiso (21-7; Drake)
* South Dakota State at Nicholls State (24-17; South Dakota State)
* Sacromento State at Montana (59-14; MONTANA)
* Eastern Washington at Montana State (19-10; Eastern Washington)
* Central Connecticut State at Albany (19-14; ALBANY)
* Morgan State at Hampton (26-7; HAMPTON)
* Northern Arizona at Idaho State (33-27; Northern Arizona)
* Alabama State at Alcorn State (33-28; Alabama State)
* Western Illinois at Northern Colorado (42-28; Western Illinois)
* Norfolk State at Bethune-Cookman (22-21; BETHUNE-COOKMAN)
* Towson at Hofstra (33-30; Towson)
* Alabama A&M at Texas Southern (19-14; Alabama A&M)
* North Carolina Central at Southern (27-20; North Carolina Central) *upset!*





DIVISION 2 GAMES
Thought the Grand Valley State vs. Michigan Tech game was all that took place this week? Get ready for a WHOLE LOT more games!

WARNING: Because of inclement weather and not enough time to try to get all scores in as soon as possible, most scores I have compiled will come by way of RAPID FIRE.

- RAPID FIRE -

* Assumption at Bryant (45-21; BRYANT)
* Augustana at Nebraska-Omaha (59-28; NEBRASKA-OMAHA)
* Bowie State at Livingstone (7-3; LIVINGSTON)
* Arkansas Tech at Valdosta State (51-14; VALDOSTA STATE)
* Charleston at West Virginia Weslayan (19-17; [University of] Charleston)
* Clark Atlanta at Lane (17-13; LANE)
* Colorado School of Mines at Chadron State (57-0; CHARDRON STATE)
* Concordia-St. Paul at Mary (22-19; Concordia-St. Paul)
* East Central at Midwestern State (63-14; MIDWESTERN STATE)
* Northwestern State at West Texas A&M (14-10; WEST TEXAS A&M)
* Northern Michigan at Saginaw Valley (37-35; SAGINAW VALLEY)
* Slippery Rock at Kutztown (34-10; SLIPPERY ROCK)






DIVISION 3 GAMES

WARNING: Because of inclement weather and not enough time to try to get all scores in as soon as possible, most scores I have compiled will come by way of RAPID FIRE.

- RAPID FIRE -

* #1 Mount Union at Muskingum (62-0; #1 Mount Union)
* #3 Wisconsin-Whitewater at Wisconsin-Oshkosh (17-3; Wisconsin-Whitewater)
* #5 Capital at Heidelberg (65-7; #5 Capital)
* LaGrange at #8 Bridgewater of Virginia (58-21; BRIDGEWATER OF VIRGINIA)
* #11 Ithaca at #25 St. John Fisher (34-10; #25 ST. JOHN FISHER) *upset!*
* #17 Whitworth at Wisconsin-Stout (14-13, 2OT; #17 Whitworth)
* Texas Lutheran at #13 Mary-Hardin Baylor (31-9; #13 MARY-HARDIN BAYLOR)
* Johns Hopkins at St. Lawrence (21-20; ST. LAWRENCE)
* Case Western Reserve at Wooster (21-7; WOOSTER)
* Franklin and Marshall at Carnegie Mellon (34-14; CARNEGIE MELLON)

* A game between #6 Hardin-Simmons and Louisiana College was cancelled due to bad weather (I believe).





JOHN'S HONORS AND DISHONORS

WARNING: Because of inclement weather and not enough time to try to get all scores in as soon as possible, most scores I have compiled will come by way of RAPID FIRE.

DUE TO THE BAD WEATHER IN HOUSTON, ALL HONORS WILL BE POSTPONED UNTIL TOMORROW.




JOHN'S EXTRAS

--- WHAT IF HOUSTON WAS PART OF THE BIG XII ALL THIS TIME? ---
The Big XII consists of 12 schools. Here they are:

- Big XII North
Kansas
Kansas State
Nebraska
Colorado
Iowa State
Nebraska

-Big XII South
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State

The Big XII was created in 1996 as Houston wasn't even part of the Big 8 back then. Houston has had a great deal of football history I don't think Baylor has incredible amounts of history. To me, they are the worst Big XII South schools in football. In fact, THE worst in the Big XII South. Let's take a look at Texas cities with Big XII schools in them. Texas - Austin, Texas A&M - College Station, Texas Tech - Lubbock, and Baylor - Waco. Houston hosted the Big XII Championship game when Texas smothered Colorado 70-3 in last year's Big XII game. The only redeeming quality for Baylor is that their women's basketball team is pretty good. Houston probably has more history in sports than Baylor. Houston's academics are pretty damn good. But imagine if Houston took Baylor's place to make a new Big XII? But then, the Cougars will need to match wits against some of the bigtime Big XII schools especially when conference play takes form.



I'll talk about my winners and losers in my next weekly thread. A Divsion 2 game will be played on Sunday, so those scores will be delayed.

JOHN'S WINNERS AND LOSERS

BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE WEEK
(1) Notre Dame Rallies From Behind to Win in East Lansing - This has to be the biggest win of the week I thought (and wanted) Michigan State to take down Notre Dame at Michigan State. When I heard that Michigan State led about 37-27, it was some upset news I thought I would report. However, the Spartans fell asleep as Notre Dame won. Remember that I was unable to see the game because of the bad weather here in Houston. So this was pretty much respect-worthy for this team to fight back and win.
(2) Houston Beats Oklahoma State in Houston - The University of Houston put on a stellar show in trying to stop the high-powered Oklahoma State offense. The Cowboys had two things working against them- potentially bad weather and a Cougar lead, especially in the 4th Quarter. I say this is a big win because the Houston Cougars not only knock off a Big XII team, but they also have some momentum going into Miami. This game is going to be critical next week for Houston. The least they could do is win a big game at home against a team from a tougher conference. And they did just that. Regardless of what happens this coming Saturday, this is the best the Cougars have looked in some time. They can REALLY state their claim if they go on the road and upset Miami.

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE WEEK
Army Beats Baylor in Overtime - I don't think I had this score posted. Army defeated the abysmal Baylor Bears with a 17-14 win in Overtime. Come on now. ARMY, Baylor! Baylor really doesn't know football, seems like. It's sad. I bet they'd lose to Temple as well if this keeps up.

UPSET(S) OF THE WEEK (if any)
#25 St. John Fisher shocks #11 Ithaca - The Cardinals of St. John's Fisher shocked the Ithaca Bombers with a wicked 34-10 blowout. It is a HUGE win to knock off a higher-ranked team.

OWNAGE(S) OF THE WEEK
Oklahoma Neuters Middle Tennessee State 59-0 - The Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State is a tight-knit unit. Unfortantely, they were no match for the Sooners of Oklahoma.

Middle Tennessee State = OWNED (by Oklahoma 59-0)!



I apologize for the late honors.

JohnBM01

Kentucky has seen some horrible weather as people had to use canoes and be involved in high water rescues. The city of Louisville has seen some HIGHLY inclement weather. So it's probably a good thing that Louisville doesn't have to play at home to be soaked with monsoonal rains. The next game is Louisville looking to come home to a drenched Louisville with a win at Kansas State. Then, the boys of Lexington are on the road into VERY hostile territory. The next two are about Kentucky.

Click to expand...

Due to this weather I got in very late Friday night/Saturday morning and then spent some time helping clean up some minor water leakage in an in-law's basement. So, I didn't catch ony of the Louisville game and only the second half of the Kentucky game. Due to this I don't have much to say about either game but will say what I do have to say.

First, as for the weather. Don't go out to a bar/club when they are calling for bad weather. We left at 12:30 AM Friday night in Louisville to head home in Frankfort (45 miles) and got home at 3:00 AM. It was a rough drive and after hitting standing water that I couldn't see TWICE my wife is having to get her sparkplugs replaced today. Fortunately that was the worst issue we had. I feel we would have been stranded the second time had there not already been a car stuck that I saw at the last minute and had to swerve (to higher ground) to miss. Both times we hit water I was quick enough to think to hit the gas and plow through as at that point the only other option was to get stranded.

In the end everyone I know in Kentucky is fine and my wife calmed down about her car once she realized it will just cost her $50 to get new spark plugs and wires. I know Jordan lives in the area somewhere, so I hope he faired as well as I did.

On to the games.

Congrats to Louisville. I have no idea how the game went but I hear it went well.

I caught the second half of the Kentucky game. In the first ten minutes of game time I saw something like 5 fumbles, combined between both teams. What was up with that? After seeing highlights of the first half it has occured to me that you are right, JohnBM01. Kentucky has a good chance at a bowl bid. Looking at the remaining schedule they could very well finish 6-6 and possibly 7-5 depending on how well South Carolina and Georgia are playing. We could keep both of those close and even create an upset. The Cats just need to keep it together and play as well as they have been lately.

GO CATS!!!