Playoffs in full swing

The play-in games are over and now the crowning of the champion begins.

I have to say there are some really interesting match-ups.  South Dakota State gets a shot at its arch-rival  North Dakota State.  NDSU won this year, but a second shot should be fun to watch even if I think NDSU ought to come out on top.

Eastern Washington hosts Wagner, and Montana State hosts Stony Brook.  I actually think Stony Brook with their Walter Payton award finalist has a chance here.  Cal Poly travels to Sam Houston State to round out the Big Sky involvement.

Coastal Carolina comes into Old Dominion.  Give the obvious edge to ODU.  But New Hampshire has to travel to Wofford in probably the most interesting game of the afternoon.  Wofford has their own Walter Payton finalist, but is a newer power program.  This clash ought to be entertaining.  How healthy Wofford is should be a factor.  Can their starting QB Brian Kass go, or is he still hampered?

The other SoCon games include Appy State taking on Illinois State.  It is hard to pick against the experience of App. St. and the fact they are at home.  Georgia Southern also has a home game versus Central Arkansas.  A couple of high powered offenses here, but it is crazy to ever pick against Georgia Southern.  They are the winningest program in I-AA playoff history.

I have to say that I am excited.  The fun starts at 2pm eastern time, and next week while you are bemoaning the lack of BCS football, join in the FBS fun as the winners move on.

PLAYOFFS!!!!

Yes, it is playoff time.  The field is set and this year no one conference dominated the selection.  Thus, we can say that the CAA is down (only three teams in) the Big Sky is up (three teams in), the SoCon is the same (still three teams in), and Missouri Valley is officially a power conference (three teams this year).

All that at the opening round games are today.
Colgate plays at Wagner today.  Colgate from the Patriot League and Wagner won the NEC.  Both a bit of a surprise, and these conferences usually play in the opening round.  Both are 8-3, so I am going to give the edge to the home team and go with Wagner.

Coastal Carolina plays at Bethune-Cookman.  Coastal Carolina won the Big South and Bethune Cookman won the MEAC.  Bethune-Cookman has more experience in the playoffs and I think plays in a better conference.  Coastal had some rough out of conference losses this year.  I am picking Bethue-Cookman.

Eastern Illinois plays at South Dakota State.  Eastern Illinois comes from the Ohio Valley Conference, and SDSU is from the Missouri Valley.  SDSU at one time led the MVC this year, but collapsed a bit when they got into the meat of their schedule including a loss to their rival NDSU.  It was an amazing year for SDSU, but I am a bit surprised they got in.  So, I am going upset here, Eastern Illinois takes down SDSU.  As an aside, let me just say that SDSU has made the jump to Division I and has excelled.  They came up a few years ago with NDSU.  Their athletic are very good.  Women's volleyball and basketball have made the tournament and now so has football.  Amazing job.

Villanova takes on Stony Brook.  Villanova is a team from the CAA, and Stony Brook another from the Big South.  Now I said earlier that the MEAC is probably better conference than the Big South, and I think it is, but the Big South is on its way up and Stony Brook is the class of the Big South.  Stony Brook has playoff experience, and had Syracuse beat earlier this year.  Villanova does still have some people from their national championship, but I am going with Stony Brook.  Villanova has had big wins, but lost winnable games at home against Richmond and Townsen.  This one could go either way.

Don't forget the Bayou Classic.  I know that neither Grambling or Southern had a very good season, but it is usually a good game and the half time is always the best in the nation.  Check it out.

What an unbelievable week

I did not get up a preview, and for that I am sorry.

NDSU is still my pick to win it all, and would be my number 1 in the nation despite the surprise loss.  They took out there anger this week with a huge win.  South Dakota State dropped its first tough conference game and gave up its grip on the top spot in the Missouri Valley.  Wofford  rebounded from its Georgia Southern defeat to take down Appalachian State at Appy.

The Sports Network has Eastern Washington in the top spot followed by Georgia Southern and then NDSU.  James Madison drops all the way to 9 after the surprise loss to Richmond, who jumps onto the poll at 25.  Sam Houston at 5, Leigh at 8, Stony Brook at 10, and Cal Poly at 11 all got first place votes.

The Coaches Poll is the same in the top three with Eastern Washington sitting a top it all.  Those are the only three teams getting first place votes and James Madison dropped to 10.  Villanova makes its first appearance on the Coaches' Poll, and Harvard is featured at 24 while Richmond has not shown up on this poll.

The coming days will see bigger and bigger match ups.  Eastern Washington vs. Montana State looms in the future as does a Cal Poly team that will get a shot at both.  Lots of room for movement up and down, but the playoffs is starting to take shape.  How many teams make it from the CAA is one of the big questions and how many from the Missouri Valley?  Does Missouri Valley go three deep this year? Could it go four?

We will see.

Week 7 Preview

This is a big week for the FCS.  Pretenders will be separated out and the conferences will come into focus.

Let us start with Youngstown St. vs. Illinois St.  Both teams have one loss, and still in the hunt for the Missouri Valley title.  Youngstown is coming off that amazing loss to NDSU.  Both teams are ranked, but a loss here by Youngstown will virtually knock it out of the conference race and make a long string of must win games to stay in the playoff race.

Eastern Washington travels to Montana St. to see who ought to be ranked second nationally.  Montana St holds that honor now.  The winner is in control of the Big Sky, but neither team has played Montana, so it is not a lock.  The winner will have a clear path to homefield in the playoffs, and that is no small thing.

Wofford vs. Georgia Southern is another battle of top 10 ranked schools.  Wofford is 5-0, but really only has one decent win.  Georgia Southern had an early stumble, but has been rolling lately.  The winner is in control of the SoCon, but if Wofford wins, then Georgia Southern is going to have to win several big games (including App St) to ensure playoff appearances.  This is a big test to see if Wofford is for real.

We can't forget NDSU vs. Indiana St.  NDSU should not lose in the Fargo Dome, but Indiana State is having a nice year at 4-2.

Central Arkansas vs. McNeese St. is an important game in the Southland conference.  Both teams have one loss in conference and another would finish their hopes.  Central Arkansas is the team I favor, but they are playing at McNeese, so this will be a game to watch.

And before we give the Big Sky to the Montana St or Eastern Washington winner, we ought to stop and remind ourselves that Cal Poly is undefeated.  That ought to continue as they host Northern Colorado.

The CAA has a trio of games to watch.  William and Mary at James Madison ought to end with Madison winning, but rivalry games cannot be taken for granted.  Villanova rolls into Old Dominion and tries to dethrone the undefeated Monarchs in a battle for the top of the conference.  And New Hampshire hosts Richmond in a game that has playoff implications.

One other game of ranked teams should not be forgotten either is Samford hosting App St.  The Mountaineers have not looked dominate this year and Samford has looked pretty good.  They both have one loss in conference, and the loser could be on the outside looking in come playoff time.  The SoCon usually sends three teams, the loser of this game would be sitting in fourth.

Enjoy the great games.  Things are heating up!

NDSU vs. Youngstown wrap

For those of you who did not get to watch the NDSU v Youngstown State game, you missed an amazing performance by NDSU.  They dominated both sides of the ball.

What really stood out to me was the dominance of the NDSU line.  They were able to open holes for Crockett to run, and then he made the second level miss.  When Jensen went to pass, he had all the time in the world.  I do not remember even a knock down.  On the other side of the ball, NDSU was hitting Kurt Hess over and over and over again.  The first drive by Youngstown had NDSU off balance.  It was a nice mix of run and pass and they gained some big yards on what I think was a zone read.  They got to the goal line and they brought in their bruiser and he went to work.  The passes were pretty good, but even a few of those in the first drive were on the run.  After that drive, the running game went away, and the passing was always rushed, and they hit the quarterback over and over.  I am not sure why Youngstown did not try some more option or screen passes because the line was coming and it did not stop.  That led to interceptions and punts.  

Youngstown is not as bad as they looked last Saturday.  NDSU is hard to beat in the Fargo Dome.  But, if they can get that kind of running from Crockett, then NDSU is going to repeat because Jensen is a good quarterback, and the defense is nicely balanced.  

I expect another banner this year for Coach Craig Bohls and the Bison.  

Week 5 Things Heat Up

Things are starting to get very interesting.  Good teams are starting to play one another, and the wheat is  going to be separated from the chaff.

In the Big Sky we see some important match ups.  One is the surprising North Dakota squad taking on Cal Poly.  North Dakota is at home so this could be real good.  Montana State tries to remain undefeated on the road at Southern Utah.  And Northern Arizona continue their search for a title by hosting Portland St.  Both favored teams ought to win.  But the real match up the week in the Big Sky is Montana versus Eastern Washington.  Montana may have been looking forward to this game last week.  If Montana loses it will be very hard for them to win the Big Sky.

Big Sky team Stony Brook has a chance for a win over an FBS team.  Army hosts Stony Brook.

The CAA has a bevy of great games today.  New Hampshire's heart breaking loss they host Delaware, so it does not get any easier.  However, New Hampshire showed they can play, so don't count them out.  Old Dominion's come back now has to be followed up against Richmond at Richmond.  Now, let us not forget about Villanova.  They are a recent national champ, and they play Maine at Maine.  Also as a side note, William and Mary plays Georgia State.  One of those teams will get their first win.

The MEAC is still wide open, but you can never miss a South Carolina State against Norfolk State game.  This one is in South Carolina, so we will see how they look this year.  The loser could be in real trouble.

In the Missouri Valley, the surprise conference this year, Northern Iowa continues their brutal early season schedule.  They host #1 ranked North Dakota St.  Let us not forget that the Missouri Valley has another undefeated team that no one is talking about: Illinois State.  They travel to South Dakota.

The NEC has Albany at Monmouth.  This should weed out a team at the top of this conference.

The OVC features Eastern Kentucky going to UT Martin.  I think Eastern Kentucky will pull it out, but this is the game to watch.  Arkansas Pine Bluff comes to visit the undefeated Tennessee St.  SE Missouri St goes to Jacksonville State.  Last gasp for Jacksonville State.

Patriot League leaders Leigh host Fordham.  Important game, but Leigh ought to win.

The Southern Conference sees its wild season continue.  Citadel hosts Chattanooga in a winnable game.  Wofford visits Elon in another winnable match to keep those two atop the league.  Georgia Southern hosts the third Samford, who is still undefeated.  That is the game I am most interested in.  Can Samford do it on the road.  Will Georgia Southern recover?  App State has had a horrible season, but they continue it against Coastal Carolina, a game they ought to win, but it does not help them in conference.

The Southland is heated as well.  Sam Houston State won Thursday night out of conference in a big way to show they are not dead yet.  Central Arkansas should win this Saturday as should McNeese St.  So the big show downs in this conference wait a week.

Enjoy the big games.

Week 4

Man an amazing week last week as Citadel proved it was for real after drubbing App. St.  It kind of makes you think anything is possible.

The Big Sky ought to go as planned with Montana and Montana St hosting games.  Eastern Washington should have no trouble at Weber St.  The big game is Sacramento State hosting North Dakota.

Old Dominion hosts New Hampshire in a big early season show down.  Delaware goes to William and Mary, and the rest of the CAA should go according to plan.  The winner of ODU and New Hampshire will have a leg up on making the playoffs over the rest of the conference.

North Dakota St. returns to action, but is playing out of conference and should have no problems.  The big game is Youngstown St. hosting Northern Iowa.  Northern Iowa has lost two close games to BCS teams, and Youngstown is undefeated.  It might be a bit early to say this, but it has the feel of a must win for Northern Iowa.  You can hope that three teams get in the playoffs from the Missouri valley and a 1-3 record looks bad even if two of the losses are to BCS schools.  They would still have to play NDSU and hold serve against everyone else.  UNI needs this game.

The Southern Conference is wide open.  And with Wofford taking the week off it gives the spot light to teams like Elon who is 2-1 and taking on a reeling Georgia Southern at 1-1.  Let us not forget undefeated Samford at Western Carolina.  They ought to remain undefeated.  UTC and App St. are both in most wins with 1-2 records.  Surprising Citadel takes a shot at NC State for a possible BCS upset.

Sam Houston St. goes to Central Arkansas in what should be a good match up.  McNeese St should win keeping that eventual showdown exciting.

Leigh should beat Liberty keeping their post season hopes alive.  Stony Brook comes back to conference after their near upset of Syracuse.  They should win too.

Enjoy the games!

Week 3 Preview

Oddly for a third week, there are not a lot of marquee kind of games.

We should start with the best possible upset of a BCS school and that is Northern Iowa vs. Iowa with Stony Brook at Syracuse not all that far behind.  Baylor is going to win, but I am interested to see how Sam Houston State does against them.

As far as conference battles go, they have yet to really heat up.  The Southern Conference does see Wofford hosting Western Carolina.  Should be a Wofford victory and a chance to take SC lead with the early season losses of Georgia Southern and App. St.  Which brings up the interesting game now of App. St. hosting Citadel, who is currently undefeated with a win over Georgia Southern under its belt.  App. St. is coming off of its close win over Montana, so we will see how this one plays out.  Is Citadel for real?  Can they slay Goliath two weeks in a row?  We shall see.

Big Sky will see SF Austin come up to Montana St.  That  could be a good game.  Sacramento State plays Northern Colorado to see who has the outside chance of competing for the Big Sky crown.

The big boys in the CAA should roll making the only really interesting game the William and Mary v.  Towsen game.  Both teams have yet to win, so one of them will get on the right side of the ledger this week.

Most of the Ivy League schools actually start playing now, so we will see how that shakes out.

North Dakota State has the week off, so the spotlight belongs to Youngstown State and its showdown with Albany of the NEC.  Both are undefeated, but look for Youngstown to put up a win here.

The Southland conference is kind of waiting to see the McNeese State v. Sam Houston St. game.  McNeese should win this week to keep their undefeated season alive.

And for those looking for the Bayou Classic later in the year, both Grambling and Southern are 0-2.  Southern was shut out Thursday night by Miss Valley State in a 6-0 loss.  Grambling tries to avoid 0-3 against Alabama St.

Enjoy the games!

Week 2 Preview

The big game is a no doubter this week.  Montana at App St.  Two of the winningest programs go head to head.  I am looking forward to it.  Montana won last week, but App was playing in the FBS.  I have to give the slight edge to Montana.  App State is still adjusting to life without star wide out Quick.  I think that maybe the difference.

Jacksonville State gets a chance at revenge on Chattanooga.  Last year UTC hosted Jacksonville State and ended hopes of an undefeated season early.  It showed Jacksonville St was not ready for title contention.  This year Jacksonville State gets to play host.  Maybe they are ready this year.

Sam Houston State has yet to play a game, but they should be fun to watch in their debut.

Of course Delaware and Delaware State ought to be watched for the rivalry alone.  Because it is not going to be a good game.  Blue Hens in a rout.

One interesting note is Savannah State.  I hope that got good money this year because after getting humiliated 85-0 against OKST, they go to play Florida State.  They are 70 point underdogs.  They had better score this week.

Top ranked North Dakota State goes to play Colorado State, who beat Colorado last week, so it should be a good game.  NDSU could pull of another FBS upset.  Four teams did it last week, who will do it this week?

Youngstown State, the beater of Pitt, plays Valparasio, so we get to see how they deal with success.

So another week with a lot of games that may not give us an actual idea of how it is going to shake out, but this week has that one monumental game.  It should be on ESPN3.  6:30 eastern, 5:30 central.

Week 1 2012

Four teams beat Division IA teams, and a few more got close.

UT Martin beat Memphis 20-17.  I don't think this is going to mean much in the long run, but good for UT-Martin.  Did not see it coming.

McNeese State beat Middle Tennessee State.  This could mean something.  McNeese St. has been just on the outside the last couple of years, but this year they may be ready to reappear in the playoffs.

Eastern Washington's win over Idaho (20-3) was thorough and convincing.  Eastern Washington is going to probably make the playoffs and could win the Big Sky.  They have rediscovered their run game and it ran all over Idaho.

Youngstown State beat Pittsburgh 31-17 for the biggest upset.  One has to think that this spells good things for Youngstown.  However, I would note on piece of caution.  Pitt stinks.  And the Missouri Valley is loaded.  It is a good sign, but they are overrated in most polls right now.  Sports Nation has them 6th.  They could lose 3 games in conference.

Northern Iowa also moved up despite a loss to Wisconsin.  It was a close game, but Northern Iowa did most of their scoring late.  Their quarterback looked really good, but I don't think Wisconsin was taking them seriously after the early lead.  Northern Iowa could beat Youngstown, but at #8, I think they are also overrated.

William and Mary was close against Maryland losing 6-7.  W&M put up 6 in the first quarter, and then was shut down.  Maryland's scoring drive looked to be against a tired defense that had no strength left in their arms to bring men down.  Don't expect too much out of W&M despite the good showing.  Maryland is no good.

I did get to watch a lot of the NDSU game.  They should be ranked #1.  Brock Jensen was excellent.   The running game is there.  And the young defense showed it was very tough and that NDSU is going to be a serious threat to repeat.

One other interesting note.  Georgia Southern beat a lower division school 58-0.  They put up 555 yards of offense . . . all on the ground.  They did not complete a single pass.  The starter was 0-5, and the rest threw 3 more passes into the ground.  Swope had his 100 yard game, but sat a lot o this game.  I think there is reason for concern.  You have to be able to complete a pass.  They are not going to put up 555 yards on the ground against App St or Wofford.

Football time

It is that time of year again.  College football.  This is week 1, and it will be a slow start for the FCS.  It is hard to tell who is going to be good when they are playing FBS teams or some are playing Division II teams.  But there are a few major matchups to watch and it is always fun to predict the FCS upset of the FBS.

Furman at Samford is a Southern Conference game that has real implications.  Furman is trying to climb back into the mix for playoff spots, and needs to overtake Wofford to do so.  Wofford is going through a QB change, so this is their chance.  A must win game on the road to start the season.

App State is at East Carolina.  I think this could be one of the FBS upsets.  Everyone is ready for App state, but East Carolina is not all that good.

Richmond and William and Mary are both taking on ACC opponents.  And Delaware beat a Division II school, so no real indicator there.  The game to watch in the CAA is already over.  Towsen, who had  a great year last year and is ranked, lost to Kent St. 41-21.  Also South Carolina State beat down Georgia State at Georgia State.  The 33-6 score was a surprise and might mean South Carolina State is back.

Big Sky is all playing weird teams except Montana playing South Dakota.  Montana ought to win.  They had a great year last year, but are picked below Montana State by a lot of people.  Should be interesting to watch.  Also is Eastern Washington back as they beat Idaho 20-3 at Idaho.  It is a running attack this year for Eastern Washington with Quincy Forte leading the way sharing the load with Jordan  Talley.  It could be a very interesting year in the Big Sky.

And of course North Dakota State starts their defense off the national title against Robert Morris.  Not a push over team, but a game NDSU should win.  Returning starter Brock Jensen pilots the running attack and is backed by a big time defense.  They are my pick to repeat this year, but they have a pretty tough schedule.  It is a junior heavy team, in fact, they only have 7 seniors on the whole team.  So, we will see if they are up for the challenge.

SoCon Signing Day

The SoCon had three teams in the playoffs: Georgia Southern, App State, and Wofford.

Wofford had a decent signing day with 16 kids: 8 offense and 8 defense. They basically recruited to replace what they lost as they got a QB and three D-lineman. However the signing I am most excited about is Ray Smith an undersized RB. At 5'7" Smith is little, but he is the All-Time leading rusher at Dorman High School right there in Spartanburg, SC. Dorman has a nice history, so it is no small feat. With the running attack Wofford's offense normally has this guy could be great down the road.

Wofford's problem is that they have to replace Mitch Allen at QB. He had nice burst running, but his real genius was his decision making. All signs point to Brian Bass replacing Allen at QB, and Bass actually has a better arm (in my opinion), so maybe more throws are in the work, but not many. The question is going to be will Bass be able to make decisions in the options as well as Allen. How far will the drop off be? Bass still has Breitenstein and Johnson to run the ball, so the offense should not fall to pieces, but it will need to get used to a new pilot. A bigger problem is the complete loss of the Defensive line. Depth at the line will need to be developed and a new group has to keep the pressure up front or Wofford will be run all over by the other teams.

App State signed 19, but has to replace even more than Wofford. DeAndre Presley and Brian Quick are both gone (with invites to the NFL combine by the way), and even if Presley got benched last year it is a big loss. Quick is the type player that cannot be just replaced. However, they got several highly rated signings by Rivals. 3-Star ratings for Dante Blackmon (DB) and Quatterrio Morgan (RB). 2 Star ratings for Jamie Colmar (OL), Tysean Holloway (RB and in school for spring practice), Malachi Jones (WR), Aaron Krah (DB), John Law (LB), and Paul Maglorie (QB). It is a nice looking class, but this year may not be their year to contribute much. What exactly will Appy be able to do on offense is a big concern, but they should still make the playoffs. Just maybe not win the SoCon this year.

Georgia Southern won the SoCon last year, and could this year as well. However sheer number wise, this team lost the most, including Jaybo Shaw. They recruited 24 players this year. That is high. But their class was good. Matt Dobson is a three star QB recruit. Lenard Govan also has 3 stars, but where he will play is up in the air. A good RB but played WR and TE and all over on Defense as well. Tre Griffen is a three star on some place and two in others (LB), Irvin Huggins (DB) is in the same boat. Vegas Harley 3 stars (QB), Patrick Flowe is a two star LB recruit. So is Deshawntee Gallon (DB), Tay Hicklin (DB), and Gray Redding (DB).

It looks like Georgia Southern will be back in power soon.

Signing Day - Sam Houston State and NDSU

It is time to look at some of the big news from the FCS and that is recruiting. Now, signing day is a little different in the FCS as big star athletes seldom come to the FCS, so not as many immediate impact players are coming. But still as NDSU proved good signing classes still lead to titles. We will look at some FCS power houses, but no reason not to start with the title game participants.

NDSU is the champ and so they are up first. And they had a very good class, but they also have a few holes to fill in their line up. NDSU has 18 players on the way with a 19th (Devon Dwiddle from a community college) probably on his way. Craig Bohls has said that four or five guys can play right away from this class and one would have to think that it includes Jack Plankers a 6'7" 290lbs O-Lineman. That kind of size is rare and it can make a huge impact with their running game up there. Brett Pierce a 6'6" 250lbs DE could be another. Bohl continues to take players from NE as well getting Sam Hahn a 6'6" 260lbs OL, who the university of Nebraska tried to get as a walk-on, but he took the scholarship from NDSU instead. QB Derek McGuinnis from Crete, NE signed as well. Bo Liekhus a safety from Bellevue, NE also signed with NDSU.

NDSU needed the most help at Running back, but Dwiddle will be the only one in the class. Dwiddle has had knee problems in the past (at K-State), but seems healthy now. Apparently John Crockett might be eligible academically. Interesting who will be the RB up in Fargo.

Sam Houston State has a lot of players returning, and so almost none of these 16 players will see much time and most will be red shirted. Although for the future you may want to keep your eye on Roclain Drain a 6'4" 255lbs O lineman and Steven Hicks the only RB in the group. The one exception to not playing this year may be Quaylon Ewing-Burton a DB transfer from Boise State.

The Big problem that Sam Houston State is going to have is the loss of the Offensive Coordinator and the O Line coach to New Mexico. The Bearkats had a potent offense, and now they will have to learn a new one. How smoothly that goes is a big factor in Sam Houston challenging again for the title.

Congrats to NDSU

Unbelievable game! NDSU dominated on defense and that propelled them to a title.

More later.