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.