Championship Game weekend, December 4, 2010

We now have snow on the ground in the hard to melt places, and the college football regular season is about to end. The craziness of bowl assignments is being made. Today is also the day of conference championship games, and the last time that some conferences will maintain their current configurations. The Big Twelve probably won't play a championship game next year because they will have too few teams. So here goes:

Rivalry and Trophy Games: James Brooks of ASU blocked an extra point attempt to put the game in overtime, and blocked another to win the game in second overtime as Arizona State beat Arizona 30-29 in the Duel in the Desert to claim the Territorial Cup. Pittsburgh dropped Cincinnati 28-10 to take the Paddlewheel Trophy. #2 Oregon came on strong in the fourth quarter of their Civil War game against Oregon State to claim the Platypus Trophy, the Pac 10 crown, and a spot in the BCS championship game by a 37-20 score. Washington became bowl eligible and claimed the Apple Cup by defeating Washington State 35-28.

Conference Championship Games: #1 Auburn walloped #18 South Carolina in the SEC Championship game 56-17 to earn a spot in the BCS championship game. Central Florida took the Conference USA championship by defeating SMU 17-7. #12 Virginia Tech overcame #20 Florida State 44-33 to claim the ACC Championship and a spot in the Orange Bowl. #10 Oklahoma edged #12 Nebraska in the last Big 12 championship game 23-20 to claim a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.

Other Games of Interest: Miami capped a successful run, even without Zac Dysert of Ada, by defeating #24 Northern Illinois 26-21. Illinois helped the bowl resume of Fresno State by losing to the Bulldogs 25-23. #23 West Virginia kept eliminated Pitt as the Big East representative in the BCS by rolling over an outmanned Rutgers team 35-14. Connecticut claimed the Big East BCS slot by edging South Florida 19-16 on a 50 yard field goal in the last minute of play. #9 Boise State finished their season on a high note by steamrolling Utah State 50-14.

Bowl Destinations: Oregon vs. Auburn in the BCS championship game. Oklahoma to the Fiesta Bowl. Wisconsin vs. TCU (probably) in the Rose Bowl. Virginia Tech to the Orange Bowl. All three service academies will play in bowl games this year. Air Force gets the Independence Bowl, Navy the Poinsettia, and Army the Armed Forces.

November 27, 2010

As the season winds down, and the winds and snow increase, it is time for rivalry and trophy games and for conference standings to be determined. As of Thursday, it is officially time to be thankful for many good things, especially for America's plenty, for those who defend us, and for college football.

Division III: #7 ONU lost to #5 Illinois Central in Illinois to end the ONU experience in the Division III playoffs. Congratulations to the Polar Bears on making it to the second round.

Rivalry and Trophy: In the Backyard Brawl, West Virginia dragged Pitt, which had been leading the Big East, back to the pack 35-10. #2 Auburn squeaked past #11 Alabama 28-27 in the Iron Bowl to claim the James E. Foy, V-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy. #16 Va. Tech overwhelmed Virginia 37-7 to retain the Commonwealth Cup. In the Sunshine Showdown, Florida managed only 64 yards passing and only 276 total yards in losing to #22 Florida State 31-7. Florida's 7-5 record in their worst under Urban Meyer, and Florida State will play next weekend in the ACC championship game against Virginia Tech. There is no trophy for the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry game. However, winning Ohio State players get little gold football pants on a necklace for beating Michigan. #8 Ohio State earned their little gold pants this year and a share of the Big Ten title by pummeling Michigan 37-7. #14 Missouri dominated Kansas 35-7 in the Border Battle to claim the Indian War Drum and the Lamar Hunt Trophy.

Rivalry and Trophy, The Sequel: Indiana edged Purdue 34-31 in overtime to avoid losing all of their conference games, and the Hoosiers also grabbed the Old Oaken Bucket. Minnesota, which had played so badly that its head coach had been fired in mid season, finished the season on a high note by upsetting #24 Iowa to claim Floyd of Rosedale, a bronze statue of a pig. #10 Michigan State fended off a late Penn State rally to claim a Big Ten co-championship and the Land Grant Trophy. In a driving rain, Notre Dame defeated Southern Cal to take the Jeweled Shillelagh. Notre Dame finished with a 7-5 record. #25 Mississippi State won the Egg Bowl and the Golden Egg Trophy in defeating Mississippi 31-23. #18 South Carolina will face #2 Auburn in the SEC Championship game after taking Hardee's Trophy by defeating Clemson 29-7.

Unexpected and Unheard of: #19 Nevada came back from a 24-7 deficit to upend the BCS title hopes of #4 Boise State 34-31 in overtime. #7 Wisconsin clinched a share of the Big Ten championship and solidified their hold on the Big Ten's BCS bid with a 70-24 humiliation of Northwestern. Maryland upended #23 North Carolina State 38-31 to end NC State's chances of playing in the ACC championship.

Our Teams, Triumphant: Arizona State kept faint bowl hopes alive with a 55-34 beatdown of UCLA behind their backup quarterback.

Ranked: #1 Oregon trailed at halftime but exploded in the second half to overwhelm #21 Arizona 48-29. #4 TCU blasted helpless New Mexico 66-17. #12 Arkansas upended #5 LSU 31-23 in Little Rock. #9 Oklahoma State hosted #13 Oklahoma in the battle for the Bedlam Bell. Bedlam it was, as the teams scored 40 points in the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma emerged victorious 47-41. Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Texas A & M are all tied with 6-2 records in conference. One of them will represent the Big 12 South against Nebraska in the title game.

We Wish It Was Really a Rivalry: #15 Nebraska overwhelmed Colorado 45-17 in Lincoln. #17 Texas A & M whipped Texas 24-17 to take the Lone Star Showdown trophy. Texas, one year after competing in the National Championship game, went 5-7, and is not even bowl eligible. North Carolina retained the Victory Bell by defeating Duke 24-19. Now in basketball, this is a real rivalry.

Depression: Vanderbilt's coach Caldwell had resigned earlier in the week, but Vandy's players could not honor him with a win. Instead, Vandy finished 2-10 with a 34-13 defeat at the hands of Wake Forest.

Division I-AA (FCS) Playoff News: William and Mary earned the #2 seed in the FCS playoffs and will play Dec. 4 against the winner of Georgia Southern vs. South Carolina State.

Undefeated and Untied This Week: Georgia State, Illinois, William and Mary, Army, Navy, Peabody Conservatory, Emory.

The Other Football: The US Women's Soccer Team qualified for the FIFA World Cup by defeating Italy 1-0 and winning the 2 game qualifying series 2 goals to nil.

November 20, 2010

This weekend features some rivalry games, games that shape the race to the ACC championship

game and games played in major league baseball parks.

Division III Playoffs: #7 Ohio Northern set a school record by intercepting 7 Wittenberg

passes en route to a 37-14 victory over the Tigers at home. Next up, #5 North Central of Illinois.

Go Polar Bears.

ACC Doings: NC State (5-2 in the ACC) did what they could to keep their Atlantic Division

title hopes alive by defeating instate rival North Carolina 29-25. Maryland (4-3) ceded its Atlantic

Division hopes to to Florida State (6-2) 30-16. Florida State clinched the win by returning an

interception 95 yards for a touchdown in the last minute. #14 Virginia Tech whipped #24

Miami 31-17 in Miami to claim the Coastal Division title and a spot in the ACC championship

game. Clemson became bowl eligible by defeating Wake Forest 30-10.

Trophy and Rivalry: In the I-75 rivalry, Toledo topped Bowling Green 33-14. Wyoming pummeled Colorado State 44-0 in the Border War to claim the Bronze Boot. #7 Stanford held onto the Stanford Axe by dominating Cal 48-14. #15 Mizzou shut out Iowa State 14-0 to claim the Telephone Trophy. Illinois claimed the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk by clubbing Northwestern 48-27. Illinois and Northwestern played the game at Wrigley Field, the home of baseball's Chicago Cubs, and the field was so short that all offensive series went the same direction on the field (west). #6 (I-AA) William and Mary blew out #18 (I-AA) Richmond 41-3 to claim the Capital Cup, the Colonial Athletic Association championship, and an automatic bid in the Division I Football Championship Series playoffs. Lehigh defeated Lafayette 20-13 in their 146th meeting. Lehigh and Lafayette have played more games against each other than any other pair of college football teams.

Our Teams Triumphant: Florida picked on I-AA Appalachian State and defeated them 48-10. #8 Ohio State scored a late touchdown to slip past #21 Iowa 20-17 in Iowa City. Notre Dame established itself in football in 1912 by defeating #1 Army with tricky forward passes to fleet end Knute Rockne. Notre Dame, in green jerseys, kept the tradition of defeating Army alive 27-3 at Yankee's Stadium. West Virginia kept its Big East hopes alive by defeating Louisville 17-10 in a rugged defensive struggle.

Ranked vs. Ranked: #13 Arkansas edged #22 Mississippi State in double overtime 38-31. #9 Nebraska lost a defensive war to #18 Texas A & M 9-6.

Surprises: #11 Michigan State had to come from behind in the fourth quarter to edge Purdue 35-31. Colorado, rejuvenated under interim coach Brian Cabral, followed tailback Rodney Stewart's 195 yards rushing to upend Kansas State 44-36. Bring on Nebraska!! Rice (3-8) devastated East Carolina (6-5) 62-38. Oregon State, which had suffered through a disappointing season marked by injuries to key players, upended #20 Southern Cal 36-7. Ole Miss gave #5 LSU a real battle before succumbing 43-36 at LSU.

Sighing and Sad: Georgia State had amassed several wins over a schedule of rather weak teams. #10 Alabama was a little too much for Georgia State, though, 63-7. Michigan again failed to play defense and lost to #6 Wisconsin 48-28. Virginia, slumping as usual at the end of the season, lost to Boston College 17-13. Georgia Tech became bowl eligible at Duke's expense 30-20. Tennessee defeated Vandy 24-10.

Military: Air Force finished a successful regular season at 8-4 by putting down the Rebels of UNLV 35-20. Navy warmed up for their annual match with Army by clobbering Arkansas State 35-19.

Women's World Cup: Alex Morgan, the youngest member of the US Women's National Team, scored the goal in extra time to defeat Italy 1-0.

Undefeated and Untied This Week: Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Arizona State, University of Northern Colorado (Mercifully, the season is over for this 3-8 team.)

November 13

High School: The last two seasons, Ada's playoff run ended when the could not beat Delphos St. John's. This year, after a first round victory, Ada faced St. John's yet again, and with predictable results. St John's 42, Ada 14. Congratulations Bulldogs on a fine season.

Division III: Tenth-ranked Ohio Northern ended their regular season by winning a 35-14 duel with the Student Princes of Heidelberg. Randolph-Macon ended their season with a 31-28 loss to traditional rival Hampden-Sydney. Washington U finished their season with a 13-10 defeat at the hands of conference rival University of Chicago.

BCS Intrigue: The big story of the week was whether Cam Newton, Heisman trophy frontrunner and key to #2 Auburn's chances of reaching the national championship, had asked for illegal benefits in choosing the college he would star for this season. Would Auburn take a chance and play a player who might prove to be ineligible? Newton accounted for four touchdowns for Auburn, and they defeated Georgia 49-31. #4 TCU, apparently suffering an emotional hangover after defeating Utah last weekend, squeaked past San Diego State 40-35, in a performance that will not strengthen their bid to play in a BCS game. #1 Oregon edged Cal 15-13.

Triumphant: #20 Missouri got back to its winning ways by taking advantage of a sloppy performance by Kansas State 38-28. Colorado, led by interim head coach Brian Cabral, whipped Iowa State 34-14. Michigan rolled over Purdue 27-16. After allowing Penn State to rule the first half, #8 Ohio State came back with a vengeance to take down the Lions 38-14. #16 Virginia Tech swamped North Carolina 26-10. Northern Colorado handled Portland State 35-30. Richmond rammed Rhode Island 15-6. Miami of Ohio kicked a field goal on the last play of the game to defeat Bowling Green 24-21. Miami is co-leader of the Eastern Division of the MAC and is bowl eligible, a turn-around for the recently downtrodden Red Hawks.

Trophy Games: Maryland claimed the Tydings Trophy by defeating Virginia 42-23 in Charlottesville. Maryland can appear in their first conference championship game by winning their final two home games with Florida State and NC State. #3 Boise State vandalized Idaho 52-14 to claim the Governor's Cup.

News of the Weird: Northwestern took down #13 Iowa 21-17 by scoring a touchdown in the last 2 minutes. The Northwestern QB that threw the winning touchdown pass then tore his Achilles tendon in running to celebrate with his teammates and is finished for the season. Minnesota, 1-9 before this weekend and led by an interim head coach after their head coach was fired, upended Illinois 38-34. #6 Wisconsin annihilated Indiana 83-20. Notre Dame tripped #15 Utah 28-3.

Too Bad, So Sad: Kentucky humbled Vanderbilt 38-20 and became bowl eligible. Boston College beat Duke 21-16. #7 Stanford, which usually relies on its high-scoring offense, won a defensive struggle with Arizona State 17-13. After systematically put itself in playoff contention and even gaining the #1 ranking in Division I-AA, William and Mary lost to James Madison 30-24. #22 South Carolina ended #24 Florida's chances at playing in the SEC championship game by defeating the Gators 36-14. (Spurrier's revenge?)

Pentagon Papers: Navy edged Central Michigan 38-37. Air Force bombed New Mexico 48-23. Army trounced Kent State 45-28.

Undefeated and Untied This Week: Emory, Peabody Conservatory, Georgia State (resting up to play Alabama next weekend).

November 6, 2010

There were a few good scores, especially in the high school and Division III news, but this week's entry is not for the faint of heart.

High School: After a 9-1 regular season, last night Ada faced 9-1 Leipsic in Ada in the first round of the playoffs. Ada had two takeaways, including an interception for a touchdown by cornerback Konnor Baker. Baker, also Ada's QB, passed for almost 250 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for almost 100 yards in Ada's 45-35 victory. Next up for Ada, Delphos St. John's.

Division III: Bridgewater made only 7 first downs on the day, but several long scoring strikes permitted BC to hold off a furious Randolph Macon comeback and to defeat Randy Mac 31-26. #11 Ohio Northern helped Wilmington continue their season-long losing streak by a 44-6 score. Washington U pulled a close upset over Case Western 14-13. Washington has one of the best records in its football history at 7-2.

Ranked: In a battle of rugged defenses, #4 William and Mary (of I-AA) defeated #8 (I-AA) New Hampshire 13-3 in New Hampshire. #4 TCU devastated previously undefeated #8 Utah 47-7. #19 Oklahoma State pounded #22 Baylor 55-28. #17 Arkansas pillaged #18 South Carolina 41-20. #10 Stanford trampled #13 Arizona 42-17.

Trophy Games: Air Force won the Commander in Chief's Trophy with a convincing 42-22 whipping of Army at West Point. Air Force broke a streak of 7 CIC Trophies in a row for Navy with this victory. Central Michigan claimed the CMU-WMU Rivalry Trophy by overcoming Western Michigan 26-22. In the most recent edition of the Saban Bowl, homestanding #12 LSU defeated #5 Alabama 24-21. Clemson upset #23 NC State 14-13 to claim the Textile Bowl Trophy.

Our Teams on the Upside: #20 Virginia Tech scored on a late kickoff return to overcome Georgia Tech 28-21 Thursday night at home. Georgia State continued their successful first season by defeating Lamar 23-17. Richmond edged James Madison 13-10.

Say What?? Texas Tech held #11 Missouri to under 100 yards passing and won the Tech homecoming game 24-17. #9 Nebraska had to intercept Iowa State's pass on a fake extra point in overtime to edge the Cyclones 31-30. North Carolina's eligible players (the few, the proud) defeated #24 Florida State 37-35 in Tallahassee. Texas A & M used better rushing and a 100 yard kickoff return for a TD to stun #11 Oklahoma 33-19. Kansas State warmed up for Missouri by mauling Texas 39-14. Judging by record, this is the worst Texas team in at least 15 years.

This Veil of Tears: The Vanderbilt Commodores were extremely gracious hosts for Florida, losing 55-14. Maryland led for most of the game, but Miami scored with just seconds on the clock to defeat the Terps 26-20. Illinois is the alma mater of legendary linebacker Dick Butkus, met Michigan is the alma mater of Charles Woodson, the only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, but apparently neither school plays defense these days. The score was 31-31 at halftime, and, in the highest scoring game in Big Ten football history, Illinois failed to complete a 2-point conversion to lose to the Wolverines 67-65 in triple overtime. Duke, which had led most of the game, scored with less than a minute on the clock to upset Virginia 55-48 in another low-scoring defensive struggle. Colorado allowed Kansas to score 35 unanswered points in the last 11 minutes of their game to succumb 52-45. Northern Arizona chopped down Northern Colorado 21-14.

Too Late, Even with Falling Back to Standard Time: Arizona State missed a late field goal to fall short at Southern Cal, 34-33. Young Colorado State lost to San Diego State 24-19.

Other Points of Interest: Penn State's head coach, 83 year old Joe Paterno, claimed his 400th career victory as the Nittany Lions overcame Northwestern 35-21. Paterno is the only Division I-A coach with 400 victories. #1 Oregon squeaked past Washington 53-16.

Navy Department: Navy set a school scoring record in the process of shocking (and awing) East Carolina 76-35.

Undefeated and Untied This Week: Emory, Peabody Conservatory, #8 Ohio State

Halloween

High School: Lima Central Catholic beat Ada to claim the Northwest Conference championship Friday night, 35-21 in Ada. The win by the Thunderbirds ended a 29 game winning streak for Ada, a streak of 23 straight conference wins, and a streak of 22 straight home victories. Both teams are expected to make the high school playoffs that begin next week.

Division III: Washington U defeated Carnegie Mellon 20-13 in overtime in their conference opener (on Halloween weekend?). #11 Ohio Northern ruined Marietta's homecoming 45-6.

Trophy Games: Florida edged Georgia 34-31 in overtime at the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. In overtime, Georgia threw an interception that Florida returned to the Georgia 4 yard line. Florida's punter was then able to kick a field goal to enable Florida to claim the Okefenokee Oar. Boston College slipped past Clemson 16-10 to claim the O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy. Butler clubbed winless Valparaiso 48-0 to take Hoosier Helmet Trophy.

New Things Can Be So Upsetting: Virginia took an early lead over #22 Miami and held on for a 24-19 upset in Charlottesville. Virginia took a big step toward restoring football respectability with this win. UConn upset previously ranked West Virginia 16-13. North Carolina State put themselves back in the ACC race with a 28-24 upset of #16 Florida State when FSU was unable to score at the end of the game. Alabama Birmingham 50, Southern Miss 49. (Now figure out whether it was football or basketball. Answer below.)

Hail to the Victors Valiant: Illinois stomped Purdue 44-10 at Champaign. Syracuse took another step in their magical mystery tour by whipping Cincinnati 31-7. Syracuse is now 6-2, bowl eligible, and a contender in the Big East race. Maryland performed the turtle stomp all over Wake Forest 62-14. Maryland is now 6-2 and a contender for the ACC championship. Zac Dysert led Miami to a 21-9 victory over Buffalo. Colorado State bullied winless New Mexico 38-14. Arizona State took advantage of hapless Washington State 42-0. #10 Ohio State overwhelmed helpless Minnesota 52-10 as seven different Buckeyes scored touchdowns.

Really Rank: #14 Nebraska used a 300 yard rushing performance by Roy Helu, Jr., to hold off #7 Mizzou 31-17 in Lincoln. #18 Iowa dominated previously undefeated and #5 ranked Michigan State 37-6 to keep the Big Ten race open. BCS #1 Auburn pillaged Mississippi 51-31.

Sighing: Notre Dame's last minute comeback ended in an interception as Tulsa upset the Irish 28-27. #3 in I-AA William and Mary led North Carolina for 3 quarters before succumbing 21-17. Vandy served as a speed bump for #19 Arkansas, absorbing a 49-14 beating. Villanova defeated Richmond 28-7. Undefeated South Alabama held off a determined Georgia State comeback to defeat Georgia State 39-34 in Mobile. South Dakota skinned Northern Colorado 34-6. San Diego State outpointed Wyoming 48-38. Penn State overcame defenseless Michigan 41-31.

Pentagon Papers: In a battle of long, gray lines, Army rolled over VMI 29-7. Duke ran out to a 24 point lead over Navy and then barely hung on to win 34-31. #8 Utah defeated Air Force 28-23. If Air Force defeats Army next week, Air Force will be the winner of the Commander in Chief's trophy.

And the Answer Is: Football. In hockey, the Avalanche buried the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 at the Pepsi Center.

World Series Update: Texas won their first home game of the series 4-2, but San Francisco still leads 2 games to 1.

Undefeated and Untied This Week: Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Randolph Macon,

Weekend of October 23

This weekend we have a guest blogger, Hannah Tanner, age 1. Hannah says:

This weekend, my grandpa, the usual blogger in this space, visited my mom and me in Maryland. Between playing with me and working, he did not have time to pay much attention to college football. The biggest news, grandpa tells me, is #1 Oklahoma going down to #11 Mizzou 35-27 at Missouri's homecoming. The Tigers made all of their friends and alums proud this week. The second biggest news, grandpa says, is #4 William and Mary edging #1 Delaware at W & M homecoming 17-16. Some weird stuff happened including Syracuse upsetting #20 West Virginia. Some things remained the same, though, as Ada High clobbered another opponent and Ohio State pummeled Purdue.

Grandpa will probably be back next week. My mommy says that it is bed time, and she turns off the lights on me, so good night.

Weekend of October 16

The leaves are turning colors (including my favorite reds), the weather is cool, and pro hockey has started. Also, it is time for big conference football matchups and time to gauge how teams are doing.

High School: Ada High is ranked #6 in Division VI in Ohio, and they left their paw prints all over the Mustangs of Allen East 55-0 at Allen East. QB Konnor Baker was nearly perfect for the Bulldogs, completing 18 of 21 passes for 410 yards and 5 TDs.

Division III: #13 ONU used long touchdown passes to down Baldwin-Wallace 41-21. Washington U edged College of Wooster 14-13. In a battle of compound-named schools, Washington and Lee upset #20 Randolph Macon 42-28. W & L controlled the ball, rushing for more than 400 yards against the Yellow Jackets.

Trophy Games: In the battle for the Keg of Nails, Cincinnati's Bearcats came from behind to strangle the Cardinals of Louisville 35-27 at Louisville despite over 200 yards rushing from Louisville's Bilal Powell. In the Sunflower Showdown for the Governor's Cup, Kansas State overcame their recent loss to Nebraska with a vengeance, swamping Kansas 59-7. In a mild upset, Rice claimed the Bayou Bucket by defeating Houston 34-31.

Ranked vs. Ranked: #18 Wisconsin upset #1 Ohio State 31-18 in Madison. Wisconsin took an early 21-0 lead and then held on against an Ohio State comeback to claim the win. #12 Arkansas and #7 Auburn set an SEC record for total points scored in a non-overtime game as Auburn outscored the Hogs 65-43. Defense? What defense?

Our Teams Triumphant: QB Blaine Gabbert threw for over 300 yards and 3 TDs to lead #21 Missouri to a 30-9 triumph over Texas A & M. #25 West Virginia overcame South Florida 20-6 in a tight defensive struggle to open their Big East schedule. Colorado State unloaded on UNLV 43-10. Notre Dame routed Western Michigan 44-20. Zac Dysert passed for 399 yards and 3 touchdowns as Miami downed Central Michigan 27-20. Virginia Tech clubbed Wake Forest 52-21. Georgia State had to go to overtime to defeat North Carolina Central 20-17. #20 Richmond's fourth-string quarterback threw a touchdown pass in the last minute of play to defeat #8 Massachusetts 11-10 at the UMass homecoming game.

Veil of Tears: #13 Michigan State overcame Illinois 26-6. Georgia clobbered Vandy 43-0 between the hedges. Maryland outgained Clemson, but Clemson returned a kickoff for a touchdown and whipped the Terps 31-7. Baylor knocked down a Colorado pass in the end zone as time expired to hold off the Buffs 31-25 in Boulder. North Carolina, despite having its three of its best players declared permanently ineligible during the week, took this year's renewal of the South's Oldest Rivalry by defeating Virginia 44-10. Eastern Washington defeated Northern Colorado 35-28. Mississippi State ground out a 10-7 upset of #22 Florida by rushing the ball and keeping the ball away from Florida's ineffective offense at the Swamp.

The Unexpected: Texas, which had disappointed its fans with losses to Texas Tech and Oklahoma, upset #7 Nebraska 20-13. East Carolina upended North Carolina State 33-27 in overtime. Kentucky tripped up #10 South Carolina 31-28. Eastern Michigan, which had amassed one of the longest current losing streaks in Division IA, defeated Ball State 41-38. Jake Locker threw 5 TD passes as Washington overcame #24 Oregon State 35-34 in double overtime when Oregon State's two-point conversion attempt failed. Washington has also beaten Southern Cal this year, so watch out for the Huskies.

Other Games of Interest: #15 Iowa kept its Big Ten title hopes alive with a 38-28 whipping of Michigan in Iowa City. Pitt, whose season has been disappointing so far, recovered nicely against Syracuse by defeating the Orange 45-7 at Syracuse. Undefeated #3 Boise State, #4 TCU, and #6 Oklahoma all won by big margins, so expect them to be in the top five teams in the first BCS poll coming out this Sunday evening. Division III volleyball: #1 Washington of St. Louis defeated #2 Emory three games to two in the UAA tournament in Massachusetts.

Department of Defense: #23 Air Force's furious fourth quarter comeback fell short as San Diego State upset the Falcons 27-25. Rutgers edged Army 23-20. Navy defeated SMU 28-21.

Politcally Correct Mascots and Incongruities: Ole Miss had kicked its old, plantation-owning mascot to the curb in 2003 and finally chose a new mascot this week. In a close vote, choosing against Admiral Ackbar of Star Wars fame (a fictional rebel), Mississippi's students chose a black bear to be the new symbol of the Rebels. I understand why the old mascot had to go. I am just not sure about the new symbol of being a "Rebel." I do not understand what the bear is rebelling against, though. Global Warming? Zoo rules against feeding the bears? It is certainly not rebelling against the southern dress code for football games, because it is dressed in a blue blazer and tie on football days. William and Mary's new mascot, Griffin, is a mythical beast with the head and wings of an eagle combined with the body of a lion. I wonder why this has been chosen as a symbol of the Tribe of William and Mary. Of course, the former name of Indians was offensive to native Americans. But is the Griffin a creature that lives in tribes? I doubt it. Again, the disconnect between name and new mascot. At least this symbol can only offend members of mythical creature guilds and others who live in fantasy lands.

Undefeated and Untied This Week (In football): Emory, Peabody, Arizona State, William and Mary.

Weekend of October 9

High School Department: #6 Ada crushed Crestview 63-7 in Ada Friday night. Konner Baker threw for 327 yards and 7 touchdowns in the game.

Division III: Washington U upended #19 Wabash 24-20. #25 Randolph Macon overwhelmed Catholic U 56-28. #13 ONU had a successful homecoming, outmuscling the Crusaders of Capital 44-10.

Trophy Games: Paul Bunyan Trophy, #17 Michigan State put a dent in #18 Michigan 34-17. Denard Robinson threw 3 interceptions, and Michigan State dominated in the trenches in the win. In the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe and the Slab of Bacon, #20 Wisconsin chopped up a (literally) defenseless Minnesota team 41-23. In the Ram-Falcon Trophy game, #25 Air Force took an early lead over Colorado State and never lost control of the game, winning 49-27

Happy Times: Illinois made the homecoming at Happy Valley unhappy by clubbing Penn State 33-13. #2 Ohio State rolled over Indiana 38-10 as Terrelle Pryor passed for more than 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jim Tressel has amassed 100 victories as Ohio State's head coach. Virginia Tech scalped Central Michigan 45-21. Notre Dame held off a Pitt rally to win 23-17. West Virginia put down the Rebels of UNLV 49-10. #24 Missouri shut out Colorado 26-0. #4 William and Mary rammed Rhode Island 26-7. Georgia State crushed Savannah State 55-21. Vanderbilt was on the winning side of a blow out for a change, dominating helpless Eastern Michigan 52-6. Arizona State had to overcome unfamiliar weather--rain--to defeat Washington 24-14 and break a 3-game losing streak.

Stunners: #19 South Carolina toppled the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide 35-21 in Columbia, putting the top spot in the polls in play. Oregon State upended #9 Arizona 29-27. #8 Auburn just escaped from Lexington with a victory over Kentucky 37-34. #23 Florida State romped over #13 Miami (Florida) 45-17.

With Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth: Georgia Tech took down Virginia 33-21. North Carolina, with its variable cast of characters, overcame Clemson 21-16. New Hampshire blanked Richmond 17-0. Sacramento State whomped Northern Colorado 42-7. Cincinnati limited Zac Dysert to 165 yards passing and bounced Miami of Ohio 45-3. With the help of a couple of very close officials' calls in the last minute of play, #12 LSU edged #14 Florida 33-29 in the Swamp at Gainesville.

Ranked Powers: #7 Nebraska neutered the Wildcats of Kansas State 48-13. Freshman QB Taylor Martinez rushed for 4 TDs and nearly 250 yards against the Kittens. #5 TCU trounced Wyoming 45-0. #3 clobbered a poor Washington State squad 43-23. #4 Boise State romped over Toledo 57-14.

Military Affairs: Army rolled over Tulane 41-23. Navy's running attack slipped past Wake Forest's passing 28-27.

Undefeated, Untied This Week: Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Maryland.

Weekend of October 2

The High School Years: Ada squeaked past Paulding 63-6 as Konner Baker had four touchdowns and Kellen Decker scored two others. Ada is still undefeated and leads the Northwest Conference.

Division III: Randolph Macon clipped Emory & Henry 34-22. #8 Ohio Northern lost 27-0 to D III powerhouse Mount Union 27-0.

Trophy Games: #8 Oklahoma whipped #21 Texas in the Red River Shootout 28-20, winning the Red River Trophy, Governors' Trophy, and the Red Hat. Oklahoma also has to be the favorite to win the Big 12 South. There was a huge upset in the battle for the Old Wagon Wheel as Utah State crushed BYU 31-16 Friday night on the Merlin Olsen field at Utah State. Utah State may even be in position, a rare event for USU, to contend for the Beehive Boot, the trophy for the best team among Utah, Utah State, Weber State, and BYU. In the Holy War, Notre Dame defeated Boston College 31-13 for the Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl and the Ireland Trophy.

Our Teams, Gleeful: #7 ranked William and Mary whipped #1 Villanova 31-24. The Tribe jumped out to a 21-0 lead and then held on to claim the victory at home. Virginia Tech ended #23 NC State's season-long winning street 41-30, overcoming an early 17-0 NC State lead to retake their earlier status as an ACC favorite. Terrell Pryor overcame a thigh injury and led the comeback for #2 Ohio State as they defeated Illinois in the conference opener for both teams. Zac Dysert led Miami of Ohio to a 27-21 win over Kent State in a MAC matchup. Georgia State continued their opening season success by defeating Morehead State 37-10. Denard Robinson rushed for more than 200 yards, passed for more than 200 yards, and accounted for 5 touchdowns as #19 Michigan swamped Indiana 42-35. Robinson is the first to both rush for 200 yards and pass for 200 yards in the same game twice in a season. Maryland exorcised Duke 21-16. Colorado forced a Georgia fumble to stop a potentially game-winning Georgia drive in the final 2 minutes and held off the Bulldogs 29-27. Richmond stung Costal Carolina 41-19.

Gloom and Doom: Florida State defeated Virginia 34-14. A dominant running game enabled UConn to overcome Vandy 40-21. #5 TCU shut out CSU 27-0. Oregon State edged Arizona State 31-28. Northern Colorado lost to Montana 30-7.

Say What? Games: #24 Michigan State upended #11 Wisconsin 34-24. #12 LSU barely squeaked by a weak Tennessee team 16-14. Baylor plucked the Kansas Jayhawks 55-7. Washington edged #19 Southern California 32-31.

Totally Ranked: #1 Alabama drowned the #7 Gators 31-6. The #4 Oregon Beavers dammed Stanford 45-31. #17 Iowa defeated #22 Penn State 17-3 in Iowa City.

Armed Forces: Air Force became the favorite to take the Commander in Chief's Trophy by defeating Navy 14-6 in a defensive battle. Air Force had not defeated Navy since 2002. Army lost to Temple 42-35.

Undefeated and Untied This Week: Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Wash U, West Virginia, Missouri.

Weekend of Sept. 25, 2010

High School: The Bulldogs stomped the Pirates of Bluffton High at Bluffton 42-6 behind five touchdown passes from Konnor Baker. The Bulldogs rolled up 601 yards of offense on the way to the victory.

Division III: #10 ranked Ohio Northern shut out Muskingham 36-0 at home. #25 Randolph Macon piled up 45 points in the first half and cruised to a 48-14 triumph over Frostburg State. Washington U whipped Westminster College 36-6 at home.

How the Mighty Are Fallen: UCLA took the ball from Texas 4 times in the first half, rushed for more than 260 yards, and whipped the #7 Longhorns 34-12 before a dismayed crowd in Austin. #19 Miami of Florida dominated the Pitt Panthers Thursday night 31-3. Pitt was nationally ranked before the season began, but no longer.

Trophy Games: #4 TCU trampled the Ponies of SMU Friday night 41-24 in the battle for the Iron Skillet. In the Battle of the Bell, Marshall edged Ohio U 24-23.

Our Teams, Victorious: Most of the Big Ten was playing out of conference patsies today, and #21 Michigan was no exception, clobbering hapless Bowling Green 65-21. Denard Robinson, their star QB, suffered a minor knee injury in the game. #2 Ohio State devastated a feckless Eastern Michigan team 73-20. Terrell Pryor completed 4 touchdown passes for OSU, ran for a TD, and then caught one. Virginia Tech evened their record at 2-2 by shutting out conference rival Boston College 19-0. Maryland rolled over Florida International 42-28. Virginia massacred the Keydets of Virginia Military 48-7. Missouri rolled over Miami of Ohio 51-13 despite 20 of 27 passing by Zac Dysert. William and Mary scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to overcome Maine 24-21. Georgia State made played its first road game vs. Campbell, and rode a strong special teams performance to a 24-21 win. #9 Florida chewed up Kentucky 48-14 in the Swamp. Colorado State edged Idaho 36-34.

Unexpected: Toledo, expected to be Purdue's easy victim, defeated the Boilers 31-20. Tennessee barely edged Alabama-Birmingham 32-29.

Top 25: #1 Alabama had all they could handle on the road against #10 Arkansas, but the

Tide eventually rolled 24-20. #17 Auburn defeated #12 South Carolina at home in a mild upset

35-27. Four late Gamecock turnovers helped kill their chances. #15 LSU relied on defense and

special teams to overcome a determined #22 West Virginia team. #3 Boise State defeated #24 Oregon State on the blue turf in Boise 37-24. #11 Wisconsin destroyed Austin Peay 70-3. #5 Oregon took advantage of 7 Arizona State turnovers to overcome the Sun Devils 42-31 in the desert.

Our Teams, with Tears: Notre Dame, stumbling through a stretch of ranked opponents, lost to #16 Stanford 37-14. Owen Marecic scored a touchdown on a running play and, seconds later, scored another on an interception. Two way scoring like Marecic's is really rare these days. Northern Colorado served as sacrificial victim for #25 Michigan State 45-7. Richmond fell to 1-2 after losing to Delaware 34-13 at home.

Department of Defense: Air Force scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to overcome Wyoming 20-14. Army cast out the Duke Blue Devils 35-21.

Undefeated and Untied This Week: Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Navy, Vanderbilt, Colorado, Illinois.

Weekend of September 18

High School: The Ada Bulldogs continued their winning ways with a defeat of Toledo Christian 48-35 at home. Konnor Baker threw for more than 200 yards and 3 touchdowns and Kellen Decker ran for more than 200 for the Dogs.

Division III Doings: #11 Ohio Northern ripped #18 Otterbein 34-10 in the conference opener for the Bears. Randolph Macon blasted Shenandoah 42-14 behind 5 TD passes from the Randy-Mac QB. The Washington U Bears visited #6 Wittenberg but should have stayed home, because they absorbed a 37-7 whipping.

Ranked vs. Ranked. #24 Arizona outlasted a comeback by #9 Iowa to upset the Hawkeyes 34-27 in the only matchup of ranked teams of the weekend.

The Unexpected Can Be So Upsetting: Southern Mississippi uprooted the Jayhawks of Kansas 31-16 Friday night. Also on Friday, Nevada Reno upended Cal 52-31 in Nevada. Massachusetts, a member of the same Division I AA conference as William and Mary, gave Michigan all that the defenseless Wolverines could handle before succumbing to superior force 42-37. Vandy drowned the Ole Miss Rebels 28-14 and won their first conference game since 2008. Missouri scored a touchdown with just over a minute to go to edge visiting San Diego State 27-24. #16 Auburn edged Clemson 27-24 in overtime. Clemson had tied the game at 27 with a field goal that was disallowed by a penalty, and then Clemson missed the second try at the 3-pointer.

As Expected: Illinois overcame Northern Illinois 28-22. #2 Ohio State's defense grabbed 5 turnovers from Ohio U and led the Buckeyes to a 43-7 shellacking of the Bobcats. Colorado started slowly but came on in the second half to defeat Hawaii 31-13 in Boulder. #10 Florida overcame a sluggish start to defeat Tennessee 31-17 in Knoxville. Virginia Tech trailed East Carolina in the third quarter but came on strong to win 49-27. #12 (Div. I AA) William and Mary beat Old Dominion 21-17. The Richmond Spiders beat Elon 27-21.

The Powers that Be: #1 Alabama edged Duke 62-13. #8 Nebraska rolled over Washington 56-21 as their defense held pro prospect Jake Locker of the Huskies to less than 100 yards passing. #4 TCU 45, Baylor 10. #5 Oregon pulverized Portland State 69-0.

Hooray For: Miami of Ohio, on the strength of 3 TD passes by Ada grad Zac Dysert, unloaded on Colorado State 31-10. Arizona State had an extra point blocked in the fourth quarter that prevented them from tying the score on #11 Wisconsin in Madison. Final score: 20-19 Badgers. Northern Colorado whipped Idaho State 35-21.

Oh, Woe Is Me: #21 West Virginia shelled Maryland 31-17. North Carolina, still playing without 12 suspended players, lost to Georgia Tech 30-24. Georgia State lost a heartbreaker to Jacksonville State, the #4 ranked team in Division I AA, 34-27 in overtime in Atlanta. Notre Dame lost a heart-breaker in the first overtime 34-31 when Michigan State scored a touchdown on a fake field goal to outmatch the field goal that Notre Dame had kicked.

Military Affairs: #7 Oklahoma had to hang on to edge Air Force 27-24 in Norman. Army shelled North Texas 24-0. Navy torpedoed Louisiana Tech 37-23.

Undefeated This Week: Peabody Conservatory, Emory, Virginia (resting up before their arduous battle with VMI).

And From the Diamond: The Rockies crushed the Dodgers 12-2. It is September, so, of course, the Rockies are making a run (from behind) for the playoffs.

College Week 2, Sept. 11

On this day, we should share a moment of silence for those who died on 9/11, and for the first responders and others who did their best to save others.

High school report: Ada faced a their toughest opponent of the year so far last night, Columbus Grove. Ada jumped out to a quick lead, but Grove fought back and were driving late in the game to come back when DB Ty Jolliff intercepted a long Grove pass to secure the victory. Ada's Bulldogs outscored the Columbus Grove Bulldogs 38-20.

Division III. The Rhodes College Lynx defeated the Washington U Bears 14-10 at Rhodes. Does that make Wash U Rhodes kill? A touchdown pass in the last minute of play powered Randolph Macon to a 41-37 win over #19 Johns Hopkins.

Big Games: Several ranked teams face ranked opponents this weekend, racheting up their level of competition. #1 Alabama had no trouble handling #18 Penn State 24-3. #2 Ohio State exploited four interceptions thrown by #12 Miami in defeating the Canes 36-24. Terrell Pryor had almost 350 yards of total offense in the victory. #7 Oklahoma, coached by Bob Stoops, massacred #20 Florida State, whose defensive coordinator is Mike Stoops, 47-17. Maybe Bob knows something about Mike's playbook. Michigan took a 21-7 halftime lead against Notre Dame and then held on to take the game 28-24 at South Bend. Michigan QB Denard Robinson had over 500 yards of total offense, producing more than 200 yards passing and 200 yards running. #24 South Carolina beat visiting Georgia, ranked #22, 17-6. South Carolina, coached by passing guru Steve Spurrier, relied on a strong ground game from Marcus Lattimore to overcome the Dawgs.

Trophy Games: #23 West Virginia barely avoided an embarrassing loss and managed to claim the Governor's Cup in the Friends of Coal Bowl by beating Marshall 24-21 in overtime at Marshall. #9 Iowa stormed Iowa State 35-7 to take the Cy-Hawk trophy.

Upsets: Kansas, which last week lost to North Dakota State, upended #15 Georgia Tech 28-25 at Lawrence. South Dakota of Division IAA upset Minnesota 41-38.

Indigestion from Eating Cupcakes: #13 Virginia Tech, which had been expected to contend for the ACC championship, lost to Division IAA James Madison 21-16. This defeat, reminiscent of Michigan's disastrous loss to App. State in 2007, probably marks the end of Tech's national title hopes and also damages the BCS case of Boise State. Boise State usually only plays one or two strong teams per year, and Virginia Tech was projected to be the strongest team on Boise's schedule.

Our Teams in Victory: #8 Florida relied on several interceptions to "snap back" from their bad performance last Saturday to defeat a South Florida team coached by Skip Holtz 38-14. Florida is still having trouble on offense, so future prospects could be dimming. Clemson clobbered hapless Presbyterian 58-21. The Miami Redhawks defeated Eastern Michigan 28-21, so Zac Dysert of Ada finally won one. Maryland shelled Morgan State 62-3. Missouri ripped McNeese State 50-6. (For those of you who wonder where McNeese State is, it's in Louisiana.) Toledo edged conference rival Ohio U 20-13. Nationally ranked William and Mary massacred the Keydets of VMI 45-0. Illinois took down IAA Southern Illinois 35-3. Arizona State warmed up for Wisconsin by dumping on Northern Arizona 41-20 in Tempe.

Veil of Tears Dept.: In Colorado's first opportunity to take on a Pac 10 team since deciding to join the conference, the Buffs got mauled by the Cal Bears 52-7. Lambuth acted like the lions, and Georgia State became the lambs in GSU's first football defeat, 23-14. Vanderbilt held down #19 LSU in the first half but were eventually overwhelmed 27-3. Northern Colorado lost an offensive struggle to Weber State 50-47. #16 Southern Cal scored early and then hung on to overcome Virginia 17-14 in L.A. Colorado State took it on the chin (and on all other parts of the body) from Nevada Reno 51-6.

Other Games of Interest: Mountain West power and national #4 TCU trampled Tennessee Tech 62-7. #6 Nebraska vandalized Idaho 38-17. The #5 Texas Longhorns gored Wyoming 34-7. The Fordham Rams outbutted the Rhode Island Rams 27-25. Oklahoma State just nipped Troy 41-38.

Is It Basketball Season? Wake Forest outscored Duke 54-48 in the ACC basketball opener for both schools. Oops, it really was a football game.

Pentagon Papers: Air Force provided another reason for BYU to leave the Mountain West Conference, tripping the Cougars 35-14. Hawaii swamped Army 31-28 at West Point. Navy edged Division IAA Georgia Southern 13-7.

Undefeated and Untied This Week: Peabody Conservatory, Emory, #11 Ohio Northern, #3 Boise State.

2010 Football Season, Labor Day weekend

It's a First: The first Division III football game of the season began at 3 PM on Thursday, September 2, and I was an eyewitness. The 11th ranked (Division III) Ohio Northern Polar Bears defeated the Wisconsin River Falls Falcons 35-21 at Dial-Roberson Stadium in Ada. ONU trailed 15-14 at halftime, and the teams were tied at 21 before ONU took advantage of Falcon turnovers to score the last two touchdowns. In other Division III action this weekend, Randolph Macon slaughtered Methodist 54-14. Washington U St. Louis put out the Knox College Prairie Fire 34-3.

Premiere: Georgia State played its first football game Thursday night and defeated Shorter 41-7.

Streaking: The Ada Bulldogs continued their conference winning streak, now at 17 games, and the Spencerville Bearcats continued their conference losing streak, now at 12 games, as Ada annihilated Spencerville 70-20 at Spencerville. Ada led 28-0 when Spencerville earned their first first down. Ada led 56-0 at halftime, and it was all over but the shouting.

Hopes Dashed: #15 Pitt had cherished hopes of winning the Big East and contending for national glory. Those hopes took a beating Thursday night at the hands of Utah, 27-24 in overtime at Pitt.

Overreaching and Underachieving: The "Right Reverend" Houston Nutt at Ole Miss obtained the services of Jeremiah Masoli, the quarterback dismissed by Oregon for misbehavior. The NCAA first denied Masoli permission to go to Ole Miss, but Masoli eventually won on appeal. One would normally assume that Ole Miss could handle a Division I-AA opponent like Jacksonville State, but not so. Jacksonville State won 49-48 on a two-point conversion in the second overtime.

Rivalry Games: Many major college teams take this first weekend of the season to fatten their records on patsies. The only reason that some of these teams are not playing the Little Sisters of the Poor is that the Sisters don't field a team. There are, however, a few rivalry games on this opening weekend: Temple beat Villanova 31-24, a game that was closer than the final score, to take the Mayor's Cup. Kentucky defeated Louisville 23-16 to take the Governor's Cup. Mizzou came from behind to overcome Illinois 23-13 in the Arch Rivalry game. Colorado beat Colorado State 24-3 to take the Centennial Cup. In the Crab Bowl Classic on Monday, Navy dominated the statistics, but they lost several fumbles near the Maryland goal line and lost to Maryland 17-14. Maryland was able to stage a final goal line stand, and Navy failed to score from the one within the last minute to allow Maryland to clinch the win.

Our Teams Triumphant: In the debut of coach Brian Kelly, Notre Dame defeated Purdue 23-12. Northern Colorado edged Adams State 54-0.

Sighs and Other Depressed Sounds: #4 William and Mary (I-AA) took an early lead, but allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lose to unranked Massachusetts 27-24. Vandy failed to convert a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter and lost to Northwestern 23-21 in the SAT game of the day.

Real Matchups: All of that extra practice must have paid off for Michigan, who beat Connecticut 30-10. UConn had been expected to contend for the Big East title, so either Michigan is back of UConn was overrated. #6 TCU skinned the #24 Oregon State Beavers 30-21. In one of the real battles of the weekend, East Carolina outscored Tulsa 51-49 on a last second Hail Mary to the tallest receiver on the field. In what was probably the highlight game of the weekend, #3 Boise State edged the #10 Va. Tech Hokies on Monday night 33-30. Boise State trailed for much of the second half, but they were able to score the touchdown to go ahead with about a minute to go and then hold off the Hokies. If they beat Oregon State in a couple of weeks, Boise State may be in position to contend for the national championship.

Patsy Pummeling: #2 Ohio State enforced their will against Marshall 45-7. Terrell Pryor's passing was quite impressive against undermanned Marshall. Wake Forest was destined to beat Presbyterian, and the only question was the final score, which was 53-13. #13 Miami of Florida crushed the Rattlers of Florida A & M 45-0. #4 Florida, despite having trouble with the snap from center to shotgun QB and a host of other mistakes, bested Miami of Ohio and Ada-native QB Zac Dysert 34-12. #25 West Virginia climbed all over Coastal Carolina 31-0. #9 Iowa pasted Eastern Illinois 37-7. Virginia stepped on the Richmond Spiders 34-13. #5 Texas boiled Rice 34-17. #11 Oregon may have inflicted the worst beating of the weekend over New Mexico 72-0. #1 Alabama rolled over San Jose State 48-3. Arizona State burned Portland State 54-9.

Revenge of the Patsy: North Dakota State 6, Kansas 3. Turner Gill, the new Kansas coach, needs to return to the drawing board. #7 Oklahoma barely withstood a Utah State comeback 31-24.

Pentagon: Air Force shocked and awed Northwestern State of Louisiana 65-21. Army marched past Eastern Michigan 31-27.

Sins of the Fathers and Sons: #14 Southern Cal, on probation for 2 years for misdeeds that took place under former coach Pete Carroll, surfed past Hawaii 45-36. #18 North Carolina missed d13 players (9 starters), including their best defensive players, for a variety of academic and agent-related misdeeds when they face #21 LSU in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Saturday night at the Georgia Dome. LSU led for most of the game, but North Carolina kept fighting and made it close, losing 30-24.

Still Undefeated: Georgia State (see above), Peabody Conservatory, Emory.

2010 Football Report, Week 1

Big excitement for Ada folks this Friday night. While driving from Findlay to Ada on I-75 after dinner and shopping, my wife and I passed the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile. My wife had never heard of the vehicle, and I had only seen it on TV. Ohio may really be the Heart of It All, since we have been visited by the Wienermobile.

Other big excitement--the opening game of the 2010 football season for Ada High. I was following their game on radio when I passed the Wienermobile, and it sounded like Ada might win. By midway in the second quarter, the Ada Bulldogs led their county rivals from Hardin Northern 49-0 on the way to a 69-7 opening blowout. New quarterback Konnor Baker threw 6 touchdown passes in the victory. Go Dogs!

College football begins next weekend, so those who follow this blog for college football news must wait another week. Ohio Northern will play the first Division III game of the season next Thursday afternoon at home in Ada.

College Conference Rearrangement: After much summer speculation over whether the Big 12 would be dismantled and whether this year would mean the advent of the 16 team super-conferences, there was actually little change in the BCS conferences. Nebraska, miffed at the influence of Texas in the Big 12 and seeking greater TV revenue, will move from the Big 12 to being the 12th team in the the Big 10 in 2011. (Twelve team conferences are allowed to have divisions and to offer the TV networks a championship football game between the two division winners. The Pac 10 (or 12) and the Big Ten become big winners here at the expense of the Big 12.) I found it interesting that the Big Ten chose Nebraska rather than Missouri or its other candidates--Texas, Pitt, Rutgers, etc. In choosing Nebraska, the Big Ten has chosen to remain faithful to its midwest roots, skipping the opportunity to try to penetrate Texas or the New York TV market via Rutgers and/or Syracuse. In choosing Nebraska, the Big Ten also showed that football power and economics are more important than other sports or academics, because Missouri is probably stronger in basketball than Nebraska and is also probably a stronger academic institution.

Texas is an interesting player in all of this. Both to keep its rivalry with Texas A & M and for in-state political reasons, it will be difficult for Texas to move to another conference without taking A & M, at minimum, with it. Apparently, the Pac 10 was interesting in allying with Texas, but Texas legislators were allegedly trying to force whatever conference that took Texas to also take Texas A & M, Texas Tech, and Baylor. The Pac 10 wanted Colorado rather than Baylor, so a deal with Texas was not possible. So the Pac 10 will become a 12-team league by 2012 by picking up Utah from the Mountain West Conference in 2011 and Colorado from the Big 12 in 2012. (Numerical conundrums are rampant because of these changes. The Big Ten will continue to be called the Big Ten despite having 12 teams. Perhaps the Big 12 will continue to be the Big 12 despite having only ten teams.)

The conference that has seen the most change, and the most serious threat, has been the Mountain West Conference. The Mountain West, not more than 20 years old, includes Air Force, Colorado State, Wyoming, San Diego State, Texas Christian, New Mexico, and Nevada (Las Vegas). Until this year, its consistently prominent members were Utah and Brigham Young. When Utah announced that it would move to the Pac 10, BYU began to consider its options, since Utah has been BYU's big rival for many years. After Utah's announcement, the Mountain West need to act to ensure its own survival, and so it added Boise State. Boise State (the school with the blue football turf) has been phenomenally successful in football in the relatively weak Western Athletic Conference, and so the Mountain West will be a step up for Boise State. When BYU began to look at leaving the MWC to be independent in football and joining the WAC for other sports, the conference acted again, adding two more WAC schools, Fresno State and Nevada (Reno). The Mountain West's strategy seemed both to strengthen itself and to limit BYU's options by nearly destroying the WAC, the conference to which BYU would move. BYU's plan had to change. BYU ultimately decided to become independent for football and to join the West Coast Conference, a league primarily known for basketball whose best known sports school is basketball power Gonzaga. The Mountain West has lost two of its most prominent schools, but has emerged intact and strong through its additions. The big loser in all of this has been the Western Athletic Conference, which will be left with only six schools (Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, Utah State, New Mexico State, and San Jose State) and with long and expensive trips required for competition. It will be interesting to see if the WAC can survive at all.

Bad banners: One of our neighbors has taken to flying a University of Nebraska flag on the front of her home. Ada does not have strong land use laws, or I'm sure that this eyesore would probably have been removed by now. Since Nebraska will be joining the Big Ten, this banner will also be an eyesore not just to me but also to the fans of Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and the schools that most people around her root for. I have tried to find some positive value to this flag, and I may have succeeded. Since Colorado is on its way to the Pac 10 (12?), it does serve as a reminder that in the future, Colorado (Pac 12) could face Nebraska (Big 10) in the Rose Bowl.

Big 10 Expansion

There have been a lot of reports in the media about the Big Ten possibly expanding by including Notre Dame, Rutgers, Pitt, Missouri, Nebraska, or others. The Southeastern Conference will almost certainly respond by expanding, probably at the expense of the Big 12 or ACC. Colorado, my alma mater, has been linked to the Pac 10, and the Pac 10, if it decides to significantly expand, will probably raid the Mountain West or WAC. One of my friends, a Pitt alum, is certain that the Big Ten will pursue Pitt. Pitt adds no major TV markets to those the Big Ten already reaches by way of Penn State. I think that the Big Ten will much more likely pursue Rutgers, Syracuse, and Missouri to add the TV markets of New York, St. Louis, and Kansas City.

It seems to me that the biggest prize for an expanding conference, and both the Big Ten and the SEC will probably be interested, is Texas. In size and academic pedigree, Texas would fit with the Big Ten. Geographically, Texas shifting from the Big 12 to the SEC probably makes the most sense. Texas would probably strengthen the desirability of either conference to the big networks. It will be fascinating to see if changes actually occur. If the Big Ten and the SEC expand, it will probably happen at the expense of the Big 12, Mountain West, Big East, and WAC. It will be interesting to see of those leagues survive and in what form.

Of course, it could be that all of this is just summer fancy to keep media types occupied until football starts again next season. If you are interested, probably the best analysis of all of these schools has been in this column by Andy Staples at Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/05/12/expansion-candidates/index.html . His follow up column on lessons from the collapse of the sixteen team WAC is also interesting. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/05/20/16-team/index.html

Enjoy!