rest of the O5 Bowl games

Dec 27
Bradshaw, Davidon and the rest if the rushing crew will lead #Army to a ten point win over #Northtexas (CUSA) in the Dallas Bowl
Temple won the AAC and had to settle for the #MilitaryBowl.The Owls wil eke out a two point win over improving #wakeforest behind Walker's arm and Thomas' legs.
#Boisest  (MWC) QB #Rypien will have big game over the stumbling  Baylor Bears in the Cactus Bowl.

Dec. 29
Birmingham Bowl:South Florida will miss Coach Taggart and South Carolina, on a seven game winning streak, will contain #quentinflowers for the win
Dec 30
Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl
South Alabama (Sunbelt) vs. Air Force (MWC): Two erratic teams . Air Force pulls out a squeaker . #randyallen  of South Bama is a fun defensive player to watch
Jan 2
 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

I'll be rooting for No. 15 Western Michigan , the undefeated guest from the MAC, to beat No. 8 Wisconsin, but can't see #wmu D withstanding the relentless Badgers rushing attack

Dec 28 review

Army was my only correct pick  yesterday.What happened to thne Wazzou O?

Dec 30 review

Totally wrong on the Gamecocks containing #quentinflowers , who earned MVP honors Thursday with 261 yards passing, 105 yards rushing and five total touchdowns in #USF (AAC) 46-39 win over #southcarolina.

Dec 31 review

If you bet opposite my picks lately, then you're doing well. #AFA  roared back from an early 21-3 deficit to defeat S.Bama 45-21.Maybe this stt says it all. #Worthman, the Air Force QB, completed only 7 of 10 passes but still passed for 207 yards.

Jan 3, 2017 review

#wmu battled the entire game but didn't have enough to overtake Wisky. Incredible effort by #coreydavis on his TD catch. Wis 24 WMU 16

Jan 8 update

I didn't foresee Minnesota as #Fleck 's next move. Can he recruit another WR like #coreydavis, who should be a late first round or early second round NFL draft pick.

random O5 hoop hunches

AAC: It's difficult to gauge Houston who wasn't upset in OOC play but were shaky in losses to Arkansas and LSU of the SEC.
CUSA-  #marshall nearly upset nearby  #cincy (AAC) last night and faces a tough #Pitt squad before they start conference play. BTW #rice only lost by ten to Pitt
MAC: Folks in tire country should feel upbeat about #Akron 's chances this season. The only ugly game was the lossto Gonzaga.Keep your eyes on #Isaiah Johnson,
MWC: If #marcusmarshall keeps sinking treys then #nevada will be worth tracking. #justinjames can score so watch out for #wyoming.
SunBelt: #UTA (Texas-Arlington) is probably still beaming about hooking the Horns a few weeks ago, and also beating North Texas (CUSA) two days later. As #hervey goes, the Mavs go.

Jan 2, 2017

AAC: Cincy pounded Tulane yesterday and Coach Dunleavy  might be wondering why he chose to try to tame the Green Wave in  Nawlins.
CUSA: #ReggieUpshaw  made four 3-pointers and finished with 34 points in a big early season conference #MTSU win over UAB .
MAC: #Akron and #cmu went 10-3 in non-conference play.
MWC: #lobos start of conference play beating #sdst
Sunbelt: #uta gave #coastalcarolina a rude welcome to conference play.  UTA 90 CC 69

Jan 6, 2017

MAC conference play started Tuesday, and Toledo cruised past Buffalo with #jonathanwilliams  scoring 20 plus for seventh straight game. I picked Miami (Ohio) to finish in MAC East basement , and they edged #niu  69-67 with #harouna hitting five treys.

Dec21-26 O5 bowl games

Dec. 21 Poinsettia BYU (8-4) vs. Wyoming (8-5)
Wyoming edges  BYU behind the rushing of Brian Hill, but BYU stays close behind RB JamaalWilliams.
Dec. 22 Famous Idaho Potato Idaho (8-4) vs. Colorado State (7-5)
Idaho is moving to the FBS in 2018 so this may be there last bowl appearance, but I'll take CSU by 10. Each team has a great defensive players , Aikeem Coleman(Idaho) , Kevis Davis (Col St)
Dec. 23 Bahamas Old Dominion (9-3) vs. Eastern Michigan (7-5)
I'll take EMU in the battle of explosive QBs, #Roback (EMU) , David Washington (ODU)
Dec. 23 Armed Forces Navy (9-3) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-5)
I'll take the LT  exciting receivers, Henderson & Taylor, over Navy QB Will Worth.
Dec. 23 Dollar General Ohio (8-5) vs. Troy (9-3)
#Basham, MAC D player of the year, will help Ohio contain Troy QB Silvers for a bowl win.
Dec. 24 Hawaii Middle Tennessee (8-4) vs. Hawaii (6-7)
Stocksill will lead the exciting MTSU offense to a 13 point win over Hawaii ,who haven't played well in  awhile.
Dec. 26 St. Pete Miami (Ohio) (6-6) vs. Mississippi State (5-7)
Ragland, the Miami O QB, is a rising star, will be slowed by a SEC test Bulldogs D, and Fitzgerald will toss two TD in a ten point #missst win

Dec 22 review

Williams (210 yards , 1TD) was a beast  for BYU , but the Cougars needed a last minute INT to preserve a 24-21 victory over Wyoming.

Dec 23 review

What can I say? Wrong on Idaho, wrong on the defenses controlling the game . Idaho 61 Colorado St 50.

Dec 24 review

one for three yesterday:got La Tech correct but was wrong on the MAC schools #emu, #ohio yesterday. I apologize for not noting that Worth of Navy was on crutches .

Dec 25 review

Wrong again: Stocksill was back under center for #mtsu and tossed four TDS, but so did Hawaii's QB Dru. Hawaii also got a great rushing game from Diocemy Saint Juste, 25 carries 170 yards , in its 52-35 win.

Dec 27 review

#missst survived 17-16 because they blocked an xp and a FG . #Ragland and #Fitgerald each threw two TDs.

Dec 17-20 O5 bowl games

O5 teams ( #AAC #CUSA #MAC #MWC  #SUNBELT) are  in most of the pre Xmas bowl games so I'll take a few time.

1) Gildan New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico (MWC) vs. Texas-San Antonio (CUSA)
Coach Bob Davie has  1,200-yard back Teriyon Gipson,  and that should be enough for the Lobos to win at home . Special props to UTSA rookie HC Frank Wilson.  New Mexico 34, UTSA 20
2) Las Vegas Bowl presented by Geico: Houston (AAC) vs. San Diego State(MWC)

Donnel Pumphrey, a Las Vegas native who ranks second nationally in rushing yards (2,018). and was basically ignored all season in Heisman talk will have a big day against the up and down Cougars led by an exciti ng QB Greg Ward. San Diego State 34, Houston 33.

3) Raycom Media Camellia Bowl: Appalachian State (Sunbelt) vs. Toledo (MAC)
 Rockets' have  a tad more rushing  fuel with Kareem Hunt but Mountaineers' Jalin Moore will be solid.  Toledo 23.Appalachian State 16
4) AutoNation Cure Bowl: UCF (AAC) vs. Arkansas State (Sunbelt)
UCF is back in a bowl game under first-year coach Scott Frost , while Arkansas State finished the season well  UCF 16, Arkansas State 15.
5) R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Southern Mississippi(CUSA) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette(Sunbelt)
Food and bathroom breaks will need to be fast or you'll miss  a TD pass from USM QB Mullens.  Elijah McGuire (1028 yards, 7 TDs) anchors a solid Cajuns running game which will have to eat some clock. Southern Miss 31, Louisiana-Lafayette 26.
6) Dec. 19 Miami Beach Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Tulsa
Two QBs with great stats. Tulsa has a little more D and edges CMU 34-33

CMU: RUSH 254-416, 3299 YDS, 23 TD, 13 INT 9

TULsA: Evans 231-397, 3044 YDS, 27 TD, 12 INT

7) Dec. 20 Boca Raton Bowl Memphis vs. Western Kentucky

#wku will miss Coach Brohm but they have #TaywanTaylor , one the best colllege WRs. #memphis has #anthonymiller, one of the  hottest college receivers. wku 36 memphis 29
_________________________________________________________________

Dec 18

Three out of 5 correct on Day.  SunBelt 2-0 AAC 0-2
UNM 23 UTSA 20: Lobos survived a a late fourth quarter rally.
SDST 34 Houston 10 : #Pumphrey showed why he should've been in the Heisman race all season.
USM 28 ULL 21 :How about  USM WR  Staggers'11 catches for 230 yards,
App St 31 Toledo 28  Toledo missed a FG late in the 4Q. Cox (APP) and Hunt (toledo)  are two RBs who will play on Sundays.
Ark St 31 UCF 13 : Ark St duoHansen to Sanders  for three TDs

Dec 20

Tulsa's Evans threw5 TDs in a 55-10 win over Central Michigan. AAC  1-2, MAC 0-2

May 31, 2017

If #appst has another solid season is Coach #Satterfield headed to a power 5 HC job, In three seasons he's 28-10. Perhaps an ACC school?

MAC 2016/17 hoops preview

East Division
1. Akron: Isaiah Johnson, Sr. anchors a veteran squad
2. Buffalo: Blake Hamilton, Sr. is a potential star but will need a lot of help from Conner & Perkins
3. Ohio: Campbell and Simmons Jr  are the keys. If they excel, the Bobcats could steal the East
4. Kent State – Jimmy Hall has a solid game but not sure if there's enough brights Flashes to follow his lead
5. Bowling Green – Falcons may rise above expectations but I don't enough scorers in the lineup
6. Miami – Weather' twins are decent  but  the Redhawks will struggle.

West Division
1. Eastern Michigan: Thompson and Lee show will keep on tthe Eagles atop the West.
2. Central Michigan : Marcus Keene's scoring will keep the Chippewas in contention.
3. Toledo-Williams & Taylor Jr need to be supermen all season.
4. Western Michigan: Rough start but they hung tough against Villanova.
5. NIU  lost to Elon, another downer.
6. Ball State struggled to beat Coppin St , from my areaso I'm  not impressed

Week 14 O5 title games

AAC- Temple 22 @ Navy 31.  Both teams have been playing well, but I don't see the Owls, who lost to Army's triple option earlier this season,  slowing down the Navy triple option.
CUSA: Western Kentucky 41 La Tech 23 Two good receivers named Taylor, but Taywan of #wku will be more of a factor than Trent of #louisianatech.
MAC- Western Michigan 34 Ohio 17. Terrell, Franklin, and  Davis  bring too much offense for Ohio to handle.
MWC: San Diego St 27 Wyoming 16. #pumphrey of #sdst will exploit a a banged up Cowboys D.
SunBelt: Troy 24 Georgia Southern 15  Chunn churns out big yards on the ground  in a tough win for Troy who ties @appst for the Sunbelt crown.

Dec 3

#wmu (13-0), the MAC champs,  should be be picked for the Cotton Bowl. Terrell to Davis was solid again for WMU, but they needed a last minute interception  of Ohio QB Windham, who had tossed three TDs, to survive 29-23.
Dec 4
AAC: Owls shut down Navy's rushing attack.. Props to Temple on the 34-10 win .
CUSA:Even less D than I expected as #wku defeated La Tech 58-44. Also more rushing as Anthony Wales (wku) rushed for 209 yards and four touchdowns.
MWC: Pumphrey & Penny led a strong SDST rusihing attack to a 27-24 win over Wyoming Jake Allen tossed 3 TDs in a losing efffort.
SunBelt: Kevin Ellison threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in  Georgia Southern's win over Troy 28-24. Tro fell out of first as APPST and ark st ended the season tied  for first.
Three out of five for the week  #wmu  #sdst #wku

AAC Hoops 2016/17 preview

1) Houston: Robinson, Gray and Dotson are a potent backcourt., and the Cougars play well all season
2) Connecticut Adams, the PG, is the key for the Huskies to rebound from another shaky November
3) Cincinnati: Will the addition of transfer Kyle Washington and the return of  Evans provide enough O?
4) SMU Jankovich is the HC and he's emphasizing the trey.
5) Temple: Owls miss Decosey, their leading scorer, last season, already.
6) Tulane: I'll role on the dice on  a big improvement with Dunleavy Sr at the helm,  and #melvinfrazier, a local NOLA star, who stayed home
7) Memphis: It will be a rough first season for Coach Tubby.
8) Tulsa- Eight seniors gone from last year's dance entry.
9) South Florida- Transfers  may help a little. #isaiahmanderson, a 6-11 transfer from texas tech may help.
10) UCF Johnny Dawkins first year will be about re-building
11) East Carolina-  Where's the D?

MWC 2016/17 hoops' predictions.

1)  Nevada coached by Eric Musselman  will ride Cameron Oliver and Marcus Marshall to the MWC title.
2) New Mexico has two solid scorers , Elijah Brown and Tim Williams.
3) San Diego St with it's lawfirm-named trio, Kell, Hemsley, and Cheatham, will be in contention all season.
4) Utah St is led backcourt of seniors Jalen Moore (15.2 ppg) and Shane Rector (9.3 ppg)
5) Fresno St will miss Marvelle Harris
6) Boise St is banking big on incoming freshaman James Hobbs.
7) Colorado St A  surprising sixth year for Clavell won't be enough for the Rams to contend.
8) UNLV is pinning its hopes onTroy Baxter Jr., a 6-9 forward.
9) Wyoming lost conference player of the year Josh Adams, and has  new head coach Allen Edwards
10) San Jose State has a steep uphill battle

Week 13 key O5 matchups

AAC: Temple and USF are tied for first in the East.Temple should handle ECU, but USF  will get another  monster game from QB #Quentin Flowers and beat an improved UCF squad. USF lost to Temple a few weks ago.
CUSA: WKU beat ODU a few weeks ago and owns a tie breaker in the East and should handle the #herd. D Washington of #odu will toss a few TDs in a  win over #FIU.
MAC: #westernmichigan will survive a battle from Toledo and move one step closer to the #accessbowl. Terrell to Davis aerial show will be the key for #wmu.
MWC: #wyoming owns the tiebreaker over #boise st in the East  but needs to get by #UNM while Boise plays #afa.. #joshallen will  toss a few TDs and the Cowboys will outlast the Lobos.
SUNBELT: #arkst should handle ull and hold onto first place, while second place #appst  and pound #marcuscox will rush to a win over a #nmst, a team with more offnese than defense.
BTW, #arkst and appst didn't play each other this season.

Nov 26

MAC: #wmu is one win away from a New Years Day bowl game. Woodside and Hunt put up up good numbers for #toledo, but a big rushing day from Bogan plus decent stats from the Terrell to Davis aerial show  pushed #wmu to a 55-35 winand on to next week's title game against #ohio, who owns the tiebreaker over #miamiohio in the East.

MWC: Air Force special teams and D were the  keys on Friday. Tyler Weaver returned a blocked punt 11 yards for a touchdown in the first half, and the Falcon D had a late goal -line stand to beat No. 19 Boise State 27-20 .

Nov 27

Head to head matters
AAC- Temple and USF won yesterday but the Owls are moving on to face Navy in the AAC title game.
CUSA- La Tech played poorly in a loss to USM but face a scorching #wku squad in the CUSA final.
MWC- Wyoming was pounded 56-35 by New Mexico but will limp into the title game against SD St. 
Sunbelt: Wrong about arkst. appst ended their regular season beating the Ags easily 37-7 and are a half game up in first  over  arkst and troy.

Sunbelt 2016/17 hoop hunches

1) Arkansas-Little Rock made big news last spring upsetting Purdue at the Dance  and and also  return five starters including  Erick Neal and Jalen Jones. Wes Flanigan replaces Chris Beard (Texas Tech) as head coach.
2) Ga St: Hollowell & Seymour are tuning up against Auburn , and Purdue which should help them stay near the top in Sunbelt.
3) Ga. Southern- Can Tookie Brown , a budding star point guard, lead them  to a conference title?
4) S. Alabama:  Ken Williams and the Mountaineers beat UNLV and played Tennessee tough this mo
5) UT Arlington Kevin Hervey, a solid PF, returns after missing the second half of last season due to a torn knee ligament.
6) App. St.:Shabazz & Good show will be solid
7) Coastal Carolina: Elijah Wilson will need to use all his skills  to keep his squad in the middle of the pack in their first Sunbelt season
8) Troy: Wesley Person and Jordan Varnado lead a  decent but erratic Trojan squad
10) Arkansas St.- Devin Carter will need to put big numbers
10) UL-Monroe- Senior guard Nick Coppolla will be counted on heavily.
11) UL Lafayette Jay Wright, and BartleyIV, a transfer from BYU, will have a tough time  getting the Cajuns above .500
12) Texas St:. Kevin Gilder-Tilbury and his teamates face a long tough season

Week 12 Other 5 matchups

AAC: UCF and Tulsa need this game to stay in their respective divisional races. Evans will toss Tulsa to 40-30 win.
CUSA: #ODU QB David Washingtomn will lead the Monarch to a win over FAU to keep them within a game of idle #wku.
MAC: #Ohio needs to win at #cmu to keep ahead of Miami (OH) in the East. Maybe #rush tosses a few TDs but Ohio survives.
MWC: look for #pumphrey to rush for 200 yards  for #sdst , and burst the #wyomingcowboys title hopes.
Sunbelt: #troy hosts #arkst to end the tie atop the league.I'll roll the dice on Chunn to have a big rushing game in a #troy win

Nov 16

MAC-Nailed the #cmu  27-20 win over #ohio.  Rush threw two touchdown passes to Tyler Conklin, and Sean Bunting intercepted a pass in the end zone with 34 seconds left.
SunBelt- Good thing I don't bet on my hunches. Chunn was kept in check and #arkst rolled #Troy 35-3. Stellar special team and D play as Chris Humes caught a 31-yard pass on a fake punt and recovered a fumble in the end zone.

Nov 20

AAC- Evans was decent but it was Tulsa's rushing attack: #D'AngeloBrewer ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns, and #JamesFlanders ran163 yards that carried them to a 35-20 win over UCF.
CUSA- Nailed the #ODU game :David Washington threw for 416 yards and five touchdowns in the #odu 42-24 win over #fau.
MWC: #wyoming QB Josh Allen had a great second half and the Cowboys D stopped a two point conversion  attempt by #sdst to win 34-33. #pumphrey , #sdst RB and a dark horse Heisman contender, did not score and rushed for 76 yards.

CUSA Hoops 2016/17

CUSA Prognostication
1. UAB- The Blazers have four starters including William Lee back from a 26-7 NIT team but let's see how new coach Ehsan handles them.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/article112870173.html#storylink=cpy

2. WKU- New coach Stansbury will make the most of a  Pancake Thomas anchoring a six deep rotation.
3. Marshall- Small ball rules and Dantoni's tempo is blazing . Maybe a sprinkle of D and a great season from Ryan Taylor will do the trick.
4. La Tech- Erik McCree is a star on the rise on a solid squad
5. MTSU- Potts and Upshaw Jr return  from the squad thnat upset Sparty in the 2016 Dance
6. North Texas- Jeremy Combs are Mean Green crew are solid but will Coach Benford get consistent play.
7. Charlotte- Look for Coach Price to accelerate freshman Quentin Jackson  to starting shooting guard
8. Rice- I made the mistakes of over-rating Rice football so I'm leary about Owls' hoops.  Props to #Marcusevans, but I ain't buying a CUSA title run
9. UTEP- Six freshmen won't make a dent quick enough.
10  FAU- Coach Curry recruited three freshman, two transfers, and three JUCOs which should propel the Owls to the 8 spot.
11. ODU will have a tough time replacing scorer Trey Freeman
12. UTSA: New coach Steve Henson will rely big man, Lucas O'Brien to keep the Roadrunners from stumbling to the basement.
13. Southern Miss.- Coach Doc Sadler has four returning starters and are ceeeping upward from sanctions -era.
14 FIU- No incoming freshmen and rolling the dice on transfers. I see basement but they could land around 7th

May 24,2017

Post season bashing of the CUSA bugs me. JUCO reference to the CUSA and more:
Found this cheap comment about the Rice hoops which hasn't made the NCAA Dance since 1970. An anonymous coach texted: "They have Ivy League admission standards in a JUCO league. MTSU, WKU, UAB, UTEP all can get ANYONE in school.

"Worthy" week eleven O5 matchups

Huge AAC West matchup as Navy hosts Tulsa  and should ride #willworth to a narrow win over the Hurricanes aerial show,  Evans to Lucas.
CUSA: UTSA has been playing well but  Higgins tossing to Taylor or Henderson will power #louisianatech  to victory.
MAC: #Ragland and Miami (Oh) teammates are sniffing the East title and should #buffalo easily.
MWC: #boisest will travel to #hawaii and barely eke out a win to stay one  game behind Wyomiong in the east. #Rypien will need to toss a least TDs for the road Broncos.
SunBelt: #appst (5-0) travels  #troy (4-0). Look for Silvers to outduel Lamb in a  attle of decent QBs as Troy wins at home .
Nov 13, 2016
AAC: Navy 42 Tulsa 40. Not much D in this one
CUSA:La Tech scored at will in a 63-35 win over UTSA. Higgins tossed four TDs and Higgins ascored three TDs
MAC: #GusRagland threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score but it was , De'Andre Montgomery;s returns of an interception and a fumble for scores that saved #Miami(Ohio) in its 35-24 win over #Buffalo 35-24
MWC: Brett Rypien  BSU (18-22, 338 YDS, 4 TD) in easy  52-16 W @ Hawaii.#boisest moved in to a tie for first in the east with #wyoming ,who lost to #unlv 69-66.
Sunbelt- Chunn rushed for 129 yards and two TDs in a big Troy 28-24 win over #appst.Troy and Ark St are tied at 5-0 atop the conference.
Five correct picks but not all for the correct reasons.

Week 10 O5 matchups

AAC : Temple has slowly recovered from a tough conference loss to Memphis three weeks ago and should handle  the UConn Huskies easily to stay in contention with USF for first in East. Ryquell Armstead will have another stellar rushing game for the Owls
CUSA: Stocksill to James  connection should power MTSU over UTSA to keep pace with WKU in the East.
MAC:  Miami of Ohio has an improving QB named #Gus Ragland who will lead them over CMU
MWC: Josh Allen will lead  the  surprising Wyoming Cowboys  to a win over struggling Utah St and stay undefeated in the East
SunBelt: Arkansas St will eke out a win behind the arm of Justice Hansen  and stay undefeated in conference play

Nov 4 review

I was right on #ArkSt but for the wrong reasons. Arkansas State blocked two kicks and scored on two returns,. and  Johnston White ran for two TDs to beat Georgia State 31-16 last night.

Nov 5 review

Nailed the MAC game: Ragland's 4 TD passes lifts Miami (Ohio) over CMU 37-17
Should've and did get AAC game correct but mildly surprised by the Owls "pitching" a 21-0 shutout.

Nov 6 review

CUSA: So wrong on MTSU. UTSA continued its remarkable season under first year head coach Frank Wilson.   Jarveon Williams ran for 108 yards and three touchdowns as Texas-San Antonio rolled to a 45-25 win.
MWC: Josh Allen passed tossed four touchdowns and Brian Hill rushed for 142 yards to lead Wyoming over Utah State 52-28 . Cowboys are 5-0 atop the East.

Week 9 O5 conference matchups

AAC- Navy, who  has recovered well from loss to AFA two weeks ago,  faces a  shaken USF squad who will need a big-around game from quentin flowers and the home field to pull a squeaker 23-22.
CUSA-  Marshall  will need a big game from the Litton to Clark connection to keep with the Mullens to Staggers aerial show. USM 34 MU26
MAC- Toledo  will remain undefeated in conference play with  a win in their Glass Bowl over Ohio.Woodside, Toledo's QB , will add a few TDs to his current total of 28.
MWC-  A much improved Hawaii team fresh off a big win over AFA will hold off the visiting UNM Lobos with running back Diocemy Saint  Juste  bouncing back with a big game.
SunBelt- Lamb will toss two TDs and lead #appst to a big conference road win at Georgia Southern.
side note:  #newmexicostate will need some help  they  plays an OOC  game at Texas A&M this weekend.

Oct 28 review

Wrong on the MAC: Logan Woodside  TOL (32-46, 438 YDS, 3 TD) put up great numbers , but it wasn't enough as Ohio's rushing attack led by Dorian Brown  OHIO (29 CAR, 212 YDS, 1 TD). Ohio 31 TOL 28.
Correct on #SunBelt:  Lamb had two rushing TDs and Cox and Moore each rushing for over one hundred yards in #appst 34-10 win over #georgiasouthern

Oct 29 review

AAC: USF 52-45 win over Navy was higher scoring game than I predicted, but Flowers was the difference with with two rushing and two passing TDs. Early in the third quarter USF was up 45-14.

Oct 30 review

CUSA: USM 24 #herd 14 Mullens outdueled Linton.
MWC: Blew this pick.  Owens ran for 102 yards and a score and Crosby returned a fumble for a touchdown as New Mexico beat Hawaii 28-21. #Unm is tied for second with #boisest behind #wyoming in the Mountain division.
#pumphrey of #sandiegost still not getting his fair share of #Heisman ink. 223 rushing yards yards against #utahst gives him 1469 yards  and 13TDS this seeason.

.

Week 8 O5 top matchups

AAC: Post-Fuente #Memphis led by QB Ferguson have been better than expected but the improving #Navy squad will survive at home.
CUSA: Erratic #fiu has a better conference record than #louisianatech. , but La Tech will win on the road behind  Higgins arm.
MAC: #wmu should handle #emu on it's way to a possible #accessbowl invitation. Eastern Michigan QB Porter may toss a TD or two to keep them in a game  with Fleck's Broncos.
MWC: #joshallen will toss for 300+ yards on the road and #wyoming will outlast #nevada
SunBelt: #MattLinehan  #IDAHO (132-227, 1589 YDS, 8 TD) vs #appst Jalin Moore  (124 CAR, 660 YDS, 5 TD). I haven't lost my football  mind but can't deny that the Vandals of Idaho are 2-1 in conference play and will take Appalachian st to the brink before losing 24-23.

Oct 22 2016

Pushing #Pumphrey for the Heisman Donnel Pumphrey  #SDSU (24 CAR, 135 YDS, 2 TD) in last night's win over #SJST. 2016 season stats: rushing (1246 yards  , 13 tds)  receiving : 20 receptions for 145 yards.
Oct 23, 2016 Five for five on my picks.
AAC:  Navy 42 Memphis 28 Clawless Tigers D gave up 42. Big game for Navy RB Will Worth
(31 CAR, 201 YDS, 3 TD)
CUSA: LT 44 FIU 24. Higgins to Taylor show was great again , and L Tech played some D.
MAC: #wmu 45 #emu 31. Terrell to Thomphson  aerial show was too much. but Coach Fleck has to be concerned about giving up 31 points, and allowing Roback to toss for 311yards.
MWC-   It was Nevada QB Gangi who tossed for 300 + but the Cowboys found a rushing attack and won 42-34.
SunBelt: Another solid game from  Moore in #appst 37-19 win over Idaho. AppSt is 3-0 in the Sunbelt.

Week 7 O5 conference matchups

Five more hunches:
AAC: UConn's win over Cincy will give  them "mo" but  #USF QB Q #flowers will lead the Bulls to a 27-17 home win
CUSA: #MTSU (Stocksill to James)  will eke out a home win over #WKU (White to Taylor). Who knows maybe one of these squads finds some  D. MTSU 34 WKU 33
MAC : #zachterrell, will lead #WMU, to a big win on the road at Akron which keep them in line for #accessbowl. 29-28.  Woodson will keep it close for the Zips.
MWC: After a brutal non-conference start, Hawaii is now 2-0 in conference and   hosts #unlv. Diocemy Saint Juste will rush the  Warriors to a 27-17 victory over the visitng #Rebels.
SunBelt: Manning (GAS) /Silvers(Troy) shootout  or does Chunn (Troy) run wild at home? Troy 20 #georgiast 17


Cancellations: 
AAC news: The impending crest of the #TarRiver is expected to impact Greenvilleand has caused the cancellation of the ECU/NAVY. #Nov19. #navy @ #ecu makeup day
SunBelt news: #southalabama except 1.5 million to cancel it's Nov 19 game at LSU, which leaves them with an 11 game schedule for now. BTW, USA has upset #mississippist and #sandiegost this season.

October 15 #MWC news
#Pumphrey for the Heisman. He  run for 220 yards and two Tds in #sandiegost win over Fresno St last night.  1111 yards and 11 tds this season

Oct 17 review

AAC: #usf 42 #uconn 27. Coach Taggart continues to dismiss his naysayers. I was spot on about Flowers(16 CAR, 157 YDS, 3 TD)  herding  the #usf  Bulls to victory. #Shireffs threw for 306 yards and two TD for UConn.
CUSA: I was correct on a one point victory but picked the wrong team #mtsu. Brent Stockstill  MTSU(42-54, 434 YDS, 3 TD) had a great game, but #wku rushing game led by Anthony Wales  
(27 CAR, 158 YDS, 3 TD) won out 44-43 thanks to a blocked PAT in OT
MAC: #wmu 41 #akron 0 I was correct on #wmu but  didn't foresee Akron's lack of zip. #JarvionFranklin  WMU (33 CAR, 281 YDS, 1 TD)
MWC: #UNLV had a solid final five minutes with Lexington Thomas scoring on a 34-yard TD run and Pantels kicking the go-ahead field goal . #unlv 41  #hawaii 38. Hawaii QB #drubrown was solid in a losing effort. My one incorrect pick this week.
SunBelt: Manning to Boyd GAS connection was great but  Silvers, the Troy QB,  tossed two fourth quarter TDS for a Troy 31  GAS  21 victory.

week 6 five O5 conference matchups.

AAC- Tulane 21 @ UCF 23 Coach Frost appears to have the UCF Black Knights competitive again.. Milton to Smith connection will help UCF get by the Green Wave who will get a solid rusihing game from Hilliard.
CUSA -I rarely pick La Tech but the home field will help them eke out a 24 -23 win over WKU who will  need  Higgins  to find Taylor often.
MAC- Time to give Eastern Michigan a slight nod, and they'll continue their surpise season with a 19 16 home win over Toledo. Porter to Kilby EMU connection will get two TDs, and their D will slow down Toledo'sKareem Hunt.
MWC- Boise St travels to Lobo-land to avenge a 2015 upset loss.. Maybe New Mexico finds some D, but Gipson's running won't be enough. Rypien will will toss for near 300 yards as Boise will outlast UNM 26 -24.
Sunbelt- Ark St finally gets to play a conference game  but even home field won't save them. Upshaw will lead a decent rushing Georgia Southern rushing attack to a 20-10 win.

Oct 6

Sunbelt pick wrong: Ark St 27 Georgia Southern 26
#kevinellison rushed for for 203 yards and 1 TD for GSU, but that wasn't enough as #arkansasst QB Hansen tossed a game winnning TD to Bayless with nine seconds to go.

Oct 7, 2016

CUSA pick correct. Battle of star wide receivers. #taywantalylor caught two TD for #WKU, but #carloshenderson caught three for #louisianatech . Holtz' crew survived at home: LA Tech 55 WKU 52

Oct 8, 2016

#boisest qb #brettRypien shredded the Lobos for 391 yards and five tds in a 49-21 win over #newmexico.. I was correcft but thought the Lobos had a little more fight in them.

Oct 9, 2016

 #toledo 35 emu 20 wrong on #easternmichigan who  hung in there  but #Toledo QB  #woodside threw four tds . I was 2-2 for the weekend.
Odds and ends: Props to #westernmichigan  who beat #NIU to go 2-0 in MAC play and 6-0 overall. Keeping my eyes on #jalenrhodes who rushed for 165 yards in the #utsa upset of of #usm. How about #navy holding off #houston  and #uconn beating #cincy in @AAC play

O5 week 5 conference matchups

Conference play starts to pick up  in week 5 and here are my hunches for a games of the week.
AAC: USF is steadily improving and Cincy continues to confuse everyone. Cincy won't contain Q. Flowers, USF multi-purpose QB,  USF 22 Cincy 21
CUSA: Stocksill will lead MTSU to a 36 to 26 road win at North Texas, who beat Rice last week,   but that doesn't mean much this season.
MAC: Miami (OH) gave Cincy a scare last week and will need a lot of passing yard if they 're going to upset a solid Ohio squad. Ohio 24 Miami (OH) 16
MWC: Josh Allen is off to a slow start for Wyoming  who will lose a close one at Colorado St  20-19. Maybe  Coach Bobo (CSU) find some answers on O this week?
SUNBELT: App St 27  GA St 22. Jalin Moore, who ran for 257 yards in the App St win over Akron last week will be a workhorse against GSU who nearly upset Wisconsin two weeks ago.
________
Oct 1 MAC note: BYU 55 Toledo 53 in regulation. #kareemhunt 's 146 yds and 1TD rushing wasn't enough for as Toledo lost a last second BYU FG.
____
Oct 2
AAC: USF 45 Cincy 20  Flowers and Mack had two rushing TDs each for #USF
CUSA: MTSU 30 NT 13 Stocksill did enough and the #MTSU D was solid.
MAC:  #OHIO 17 MIAMI(OH) 7. Bobcats did enough to get the W.
MWC:  Big time wrong on this one .Props to Cowboys RB #BrianHill (166 yards 1 TD) in #Wyoming 's  38-17 win over Colorado St
SunBelt: #Appst 17 GA ST 3 It toook quite awhile for either team to score.
Special mention for #southalabama in a big  win over #sandiegost  (MWC) 42-24. #ColeGarvin, a transfer from #Marshall,   came off the bench and threw for three  TDs and 245 yards

week four O5 conference matchups

Lean picking for conference games.
SunBelt: Rogers to Caldwell connection will keep #newmexicost in the game, but Chunn will churn out the rushing yards for a #troy home win.
MW: Meyers passing and Mays running will help #utahstate eke out a home win over #airforce
MAC: No MAC matchup so I'll take the improved Army (independent), once a MAC member, to beat a the waning #buffalo team in an intrastategame
CUSA: Two of the better CUSA squads, MTSU /LaTech will faceoff @ MTSU. Stocksill willput on aerial show in a ten point win over LT.
AAC: No AAC matchup so I'll go with a one-time Big East matchup. #cuse (ACC) visits UConn. Feel like flipping a coin, but  Dungy will  tame  the home Huskies in an Orangemen win 21-20.

Sept 23,2016

Interesting inter-conference matchup: #Western Michigan(MAC) has beaten two Big 10 teams this season and should handle #Georgia Southern(Sunbelt) @ home before starting MAC play. #jamauriBogan will  rush for 150 over a GAS team with a decent D.

Sept 25, 2016 review

SUNBELT- TROY 52 NMST 6 Correct but the NMST didn't get close. Nailed this one WMU 49 GAS 31.
MW-  AFA 27 UTAH ST 20  Wrong on Utah St. AFA rushed for 213 yards.
MAC- Picked the wrong military academy this week. BUFF 23 ARMY 20  in an overtime game.
CUSA- MTSU 38 LA TECH 34. Stocksill threw for less yards  (356 yatds , 2t ds) than Higgins (504 yards , 3 tds) but led MTSU in 20 point comeback win .
AAC SYR 31 UCONN 24 Dungy threw for over 400 yards.

week 3 four O5 conference game previews

It's too late to highlight the Houston/Cincy #AAC  matchup so I'll go with Tulane, who has defeated Navy the last 4 times they've hosted them.  Battle of two ground attacks.Dontrell Hilliard will rush for nearly 100 yards today.  Tulane 15 Navy 13 
It's tough to find in conference matchups except for the AAC  so I'll  do CUSA OOC 2fer .Troy (SunBelt) coming off  nearly upsetting Clemson will put up a battle but Mullins and the USM Golden Eagles (CUSA) will soar at home 39 -27. Marshall (CUSA) will survive at home against the visiting Akron Zips (MAC) led by QB, Thomas Woodson.. Herd 22 Akron 19 

Was the New Mexico Lobos(MWC) bowl appearance last year an aberration? Coach Davie's high hopes were dimmed last week by the loss to in -state rival New Mexico St (SunBelt). Lobos running back Gipson will be carrying the rock often in a tough 23 20 loss @ Rutgers (B10)

9/18/16

Rutgers' was my only correct pick,  and  I was so wrong on the #Herd. Troy recovered from their tough loss to Clemson and beat USM and may be a force in the Sunbelt which is getting more difficult to gauge. South Bama lost to ULL and hasn't won since upsetting Miss.St. Ga St nearly tipped Wisky over. New Mexico St scored 42 on Kentucky in a loss.
Western Michigan(MAC) trounced Illinois.
#heisman for #Pumphrey of #sandiegost who rushed for 220 yard and 3 tds in a win over NIU

Week 2 quick jabs in the O5

MWC: Boise St and San Diego St outlasted ,respectively PAC12 opponents, Wash St and Cal. Speciap props to the #Aztecs #Pumphrey who rushed for 281 yards against Cal
MAC: I know USF is improving but NIU  looked ragged in defeat yesterday. CMU got the benenfit of  asleep at the "wheel" officiating to upset OK st (Big 12)
AAC: Big regional win for ECU  over NC St (ACC) in a topsy turvy game. Navy got the benefit of UConn's poor clock management. Cincy handled Purdue (Big 10) and is off to a solid start.
CUSA: Shaky week! No losses to 1AA schools but no wins against  1A OOC opponents. Stocksill threw for nearly 400 yards in the MTSU' loss to Vandy (SEC) .
SunBelt-  Troy threw a he!! of a scare into Clemson (ACC) in a tough 30-24 loss.How about those Aggies of New Mexico St defeating intrastate rival New Mexico (MWC) 32-31. Ags  are doing ok as they wait for Larry Rose III, their star RB, to return to the lineup. South Bama  upset Miss St last week but Georgia Southern  gave them a sunbelt slap 24-9.

9/14/16

A little off the field news: On Tuesday, #UNLV (MWC) announced that the Feritta family,who recently sold their stake in the UFC, has donated $10 million to help build the school a new indoor football practice facility.

4/26/17

Post season  follow up: Oklahoma State's #AlamoBowl championship rings count the week 2 loss to #cmu (MAC) in week 2 as a win . NCAA didn't reverse  the result. Central Michigan won the game.

O5 slaps the Power 5

Group of 5 or what I call the Other 5 rocked the Power 5 which should but won't be a lesson to the NCAA to stop subdividing the 1A into two  levels.

AAC- Houston stunned the  Oklahoma Sooners(Big12) and staked a claim for a shot the pigskin final 4.
CUSA- Louisiana Tech took Arkansas (SEC) to the bitter end before falling 20-14. Southern Miss roared back to beat Kentucky(SEC) 44-35
MAC- Western Michigan hung on for dear life and eked out a win at Northwestern 22-21
SunBelt: beware of the glare that must've stunned the kickers. App St kicker, Michael Rubino, missed an extra point and a field goal allowing Tennessee (SEC) to escape with an OT win. South Alabama escaped with a win at Miss St(SEC) when their kicker. Westin Graves, missed a cheap shot in the final seconds.
C'mon NCAA let the boys play and slow down on creating four or five super conferences. You can't control everything.

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May 25 2017

Memo to the Big 12: If the # Sunbelt can do it why can't you? In 2018 , the Sunbelt  with ten teams will have a conference championship game
East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Troy
West: Arkansas State, Louisiana, UL-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State

Oops Big 12 is playing a championship game in Dallas in 2017.my apologies

CUSA football 2016

CUSA is  the most discussed conference at the Other  5 community. USM is getting a lot of hype this 2016 pre-season, but I'm not jumping that train. Instead I'll get on the Rice Owls limb.
EAST
1) Marshall- All signs point to a great Herd  D led by Durant. Can Litton continue to light up the O?
2) FIU: QB McGough will step up in his sophomore season.
3) W. Kentucky: Replacing Doughty will slow down the Hilltoppers in Septemebr
4) FAU: Trey Hendrickson, Owls DE, will get his fair share of sacks.
5) M. Tenn. St. Injury bug has hit the WR corps.
6) Old Dominion: Looks for some strong play from Monarchs LB, T.J. Ricks.
7) Charlotte:Kevin Olsen may be the QB answer

WEST
1) Rice- Stehling will play well enough at QB and the Owls develop a rushing game and surprise in the West.
2) Southern Miss- Coach Monkton's exit will hurt , but QB Mullens will keep them in contention.
3) Louisiana Tech: Trent Taylor and Carlos Henderson. are a nice WR/TE tandem, but QB situation is shaky
4) North Texas :  Alec Morris, Bama QB transfer,  could provide some sparks.
5) UTEP : Shaky QB situation
6) UTSA-Post Coker era starts, Cavill, a transfer WR should be fun to watch.

9/2/16

My Rice  limb cracked quickly -WKU crushed them last night. FIU collapsed after the first half in a loss to Indiana/

MAC football 2016

East
1) Akron looks better. The addition of transfers of Natson and Ball on offense should keep the Zips in contention.
2) Bowling Green:  Darrion Landry, a JUCO transfer, will be an asset as Knapke tries to replace Matt Johnson at QB
3) Ohio- Maybe Wyndham does enough to keep the Bobcats in the middle of the pack.
4) Miami (Ohio)- Maybe Bahl makes a huge leap at QB
5) Kent St- Flashes are young and not looking golden .
6) Buffalo will miss Licata

WEST
1) W. Michigan: Terrell to Davis connection will help Fleck's  Broncos eke out the division title
2) Northern Illinois is solid in three phases of the game, particulary with lurry in the secondary.
3) Toledo has Kareem Hunt running  behind a talented OL.
4) Ball St.- Jury is out on QB Riley Neal
5) C. Michigan: Cooper Rush is an improving QB but is that enough.
6) E. Michigan:  Maybe  a win or two but not ready to escape the cellar

AAC 2016 football predictions

Who knows what the AAC will look like in 2017 so here's a look at this season. It appears  I haven't bucked the pundits much.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC
EAST
1) South Florida: Coach Taggart  may have finally turned the Bulls around and look for the Flowers  to Adams  connection to score big points.
2) Temple: Quarterback P.J. Walker and running back Jahad Thomas provide the scoring and Owls D is solid
3) Cincinnati Coach Tommy T's Bearcats were erratic last season despite having two solid QBs, Kiel and Moore, and may not have found any answer to the  teams' turnovers' problems.
4) Connecticut:Huskies O needs a huge dose of Viagra.
5) East Carolina-  New HC Scottie Montgomery, a Cutliffe disciple, will try to mobilize the Pirates.

6) UCF: New HC Scott Frost will hit some speed bumps installing the Duck attack

WEST
1) Houston: It's hard to see anyone topping Coach Herman's Cougars, but there secondary may be a huge weak spot. Greg Ward leads a potent offense.
2) Tulsa: QB Dane Evans will keep the Golden Hurrican on Houston's heels.
3) Navy will miss Keenan Reynolds
4) SMU: Head Coach Morris heads in year 2 and still seems short of  prime Mustangs.
5)Tulane- Rebuilding again - this time with Coach Willie Fritz

6)Memphis: Coach Fuente is now at VTech and Paxton  is in the NFL -could be long first season for new Head Coach Norvell

9/16/16

I know Ward had a big night for #Houston's Offense, but it was the Cougars D who did a stellar job against Cincy last night.

12/28/16

 and #Uconn ends their season by rehiring "the Edsel" , a HC  who left them immediately after the 2011 Fiesta Bowl, without flying home with the team or ever addressing his players about the departure. His last years with my Terps were terrible. Gotta be a better coach out there  

A peak of 2016 MWC football

MOUNTAIN
Colorado St. Coach Bobo turns the corner this season and guides an explosive offense led by QB Nick Stevens.
Boise St. is the pundits darling, but I'm not sold. QB Rypien will get his numbers.
New Mexico Coach Davie got the Lobos to a bowl game behind some exciting play by a versatile QB, Lamar Jordan.
Utah St.: If the Aggies had a better D, I'd pick them to grab the division title.
Air Force  won't repeat it's surprising 2015 division title run
Wyoming  Cowboys will struggle again

WEST
San Diego St. Coach Long D and a solid rushing attack will help the Aztecs repeats as MWC champs.
UNLV- Sanchez Rebels were a bit of a surprise and should be in contention most of the season
San Jose St: QB Kenny Potterhad the highest MWC completing % in 2015. Spartans may be turning the corner.
Nevada visits Notre Dame on Sept 10, a good test for the Wolfpack and the MWC
Fresno St.- New coordinators won't be enough
Hawaii- No pot of gold over the Rainbow this season.

SD St edges Colorado St in the MWC title game.

Aug 26

Long plane ride for Hawaii/Cal game in Australia today, then Hawaii plays Michigan at Ann Arbor, MI on Sept 3, Who made this schedule?

Aug 27

Cal  51 Hawaii  31 . David Webb, a transfer from Texas Tech, didn't miss a beat (4 passing TDs, one rushing TD) replacing Jared Goff, 1st round pick of the LA Rams. It's going to be a long season for Hawaii's D

9/3/16

Colorado St, my pick to win the MWC Mountain division  , got crushed by Colorado in the intrastate rivalry game . Rams Coach Bobo nailed it 

"It's embarrassing. Totally embarrassed our name," 

9/3/16 

Peek at 2016 SunBelt football

Jeremy Lamb, the Appalachian St QB, is  getting a lot of hype,but do Arkansas St  and Georgia Southern  have enough to prove the Sunbelt pundits wrong. New Mexico with Larry Rose at RB should climb out of the cellar and finish in the middle of the pack. Maybe South Alabama's Xavier Johnson at return specialist shocks a few teams. And,  how about this name Dee Liner, the Bama transfer starting at defensive tackle for Arkansas St.
Games to look for:
Miami (Fla.) at Appalachian State, Sept. 17: App St stays close for three quarters but Richt's Canes will win by at least twelve points. BTW, App St opens the season at Tennessee.
New Mexico at New Mexico State, Sept 10. Larry Rose runs wild on his NMST home field and the Ags give the improving Lobos a hell of a scare.
ULM at Georgia Southern –Sept 17 Garrett , the ULM QB, leads the Warhawks  to a road win.
My pre-season rankings
1. Appalachian State

2. Arkansas State

3. Georgia Southern

4. Louisiana-Lafayette

5. Troy

6.  New Mexico State

7 Louisiana-Monroe

8. South Alabama

9. Georgia State

10.  Idaho

11. Texas State

Aug 17, 2016

Big news. Larry Rose, one of the top 2015 RBs, underwent sports hernia surgery and is considered questionable for the Aggies' season opener against UTEP.

Aug 25, 2016

 New Mexico State’s starting QB, Tyler Rogers turned himself in last Friday on a warrant that had been issued for him Aug. 14.  The junior was booked on one count of misdemeanor charge of battery against his girlfriend. Ags road just got bumpier.

9/2/16

App St kicking woes , missed extra point and FG, cost them dearly in their OT loss at Tennessee. He!! of a night for Marcus Cox.

9/3/16

 South Bama knocks off Miss St, who missed an easy FG in the final seconds . Sunbelt has given the SEC he!! this week.

9/9/16

Sunbelt won't knock off any big boys this week . ULM faces an angry Oklahoma squad. Same for Ark St at Auburn. Troy at Clemson and  Idaho at Washington will be ugly for the underdoogs

2016 Week 1 can O5 take down Big 5 teams

   SunBelt: Appalachian St  went to and won it's first bowl game last season and the Mountaineers march into Knoxville as a 22 point dog. Maybe Marcus Cox, a tailback on the Doak Walker watchlist, can keep them in the game I don't see them  duplicating their  2007 upset of Michigan @ Ann Arbor.
MWC: Hawaii  host Cal in August then travels to Michigan where the Rainbows will be lucky to score ten points. Fresno St may put a scare in the slow starting Nebraska Cornhuskers
MAC: Bowling Green Linebacker Austin Valdez may need to make ten tackles in the first half half to keep the Falcons competitive  @ Ohio St. Miami (Ohio) decent D-Line will keep them in the game until the third quarter @ Iowa. Western Michigan won the MAC West last season  and has Corey Davis a great WR. Look for a  mild upset @Northwestern.
AAC: Houston hosts Oklahoma- now this could be a good game between two pre-season top 10 teams. Two transfers , Duke Catalon, an RB from Texas, and Ra'Shaad Samples, WR from OK St, could help the Cougars pull off an upset of the Sooners.
CUSA- Louisiana Tech will struggle against the rising Arkansas Razorbacks. I'm curious if Southern Miss has improved enough to give Kentucky a hard time. Charlotte will be overwhelmed at Louisville

8/7/16

 Louisiana Tech starting quarterback Ryan Higgins was arrested early Friday in Ruston on a DWI charge. If Holtz suspends him for Game 1 , Arkansas  should cruise.

O5 PLAYERS IN 2016 NBA draft.

Weak night for the O5 teams in the 2016 NBA draft- three players taken in the second round
MWC: Two from UNLV #38 Patrick McCaw 6' 7 guard to the Bucks then traded to GSW where his solid defensive skills and overall agility should  be a good fit.
 #41 Stephen Zimmerman Jr , a 7' center to Orlando. If Orlandom has patience, the kid might help them
AAC:#56 Daniel Hamilton UConn 6/7 F/G went to Denver then traded to OKC. He'll need to improve his trey % may see a lot of NBDL time

June 26, 2016

FA summer league signings by O5 teams
Nathan Boothe Toledo(MAC) Miami Heat

Shawn Long Louisiana-Lafayette (SunBelt)  76ers

James Webb III Boise State(MWC) 76ers

James Kelly      Marshall(CUSA)       Hornets

October 15, 2017

A year later: #mccaw  will be getting more minutes at small forward for #gsw. #zimmerman was waived by the #magic this summer and picked up by the Lakers. #hamilton will likely bounce back and forth from the Thunder to the NBDL.

O5 Geography matters: martial re-alignment.

Hypotheticals to stir sports chatter:
 Find a way to get UMass into the AAC. I'd love this one for hoops more than football reasons. Tulsa to the Big 12 which won't take back Houston & SMU who go back to the CUSA. Tulane, too.
FIU and FAU exit the CUSA and return to the SunBelt.
Rutgers back to AAC  replaced by in the B10 by NIU from the MAC.

Return Marshall to the MAC  and  great matchups with the Ohio schools


New Mexico St from the SunBelt to the MWC. Wouldn't N.Mex St/New Mexico be a great conference and intrastate game? Move Idaho from Sunbelt to an Independent as  they are heading to1AA status.


For new readers: O5, the Other five 1A football conferences = AAC, MAC,MWC, CUSA,  &SunBelt

June 21, 2016

You can find UMass and other teams in

always looking for a new owner or two who will pay attention to their roster weekly

Seven weeks til 2016 automated draft.

1)acc ,b10,sec, aac, independents Aug 12

2)PAC12, B12,CUSA,SUNBELT, MAC, & MWC Aug 14

Free Fantrax leagues. Email me vaporbust4@gmail.com if you're interested and specify if which one(s) you want to join.

June 28, 2016

Let's try a reverse! How about Vanderbilt to the CUSA?

July 1 , 2016

Not often I can mention my Terps in an O5 blog .Teldrick Morgan will start for Terps.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/06/28/new-mexico-states-leading-receiver-joins-maryland-as-grad-transfer/comment-page-1/#comment-262983

July 3, 2016

Now I can include Coastal Carolina in Sunbelt blogs. CCU joined the Sunbelt Conference on 7/1/16 for all sports except football, which begins a two year entry process in 2017. Coastal Carolina’s first football season in 2017 will also mark affiliate members Idaho and New Mexico State’s final season in the Sun Belt. CCU football becomes eligible for SBC championship and bowl play in 2018.

Note to new readers: 05= AAC, CUSA,MAC, MWC, SBC. O5

July 19 ,2016

Bit surprised to see Houston looking at the PAC12. University of Houston athletic director Hunter Yurachek met last month with Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott  as the school tries to attract interest from Power Five conferences.

AAC would miss houston

JULY 21,2016

Possible AAC raid continues: Big 12 focusing on  USF which  resides in the nation’s 11th-largest media market, according to Nielsen an will $5 million from the state — when it was awarded ‘emerging preeminence’ status by the Florida Board of Governors Strategic Planning Committee.

July 29,2016

Justin Timberlake, a Memphis native, is pushing hard for Memphis to leave the AAC for the Big 12.If it occurs where does the AAC turn?

September 28, 2016

Latest on B12 expansion "mess"

1) concern about how Houston would impact football recruiting in that area Texas.
2) West Virginia is believed to have reservations about elevating Cincinnati to "power five" status.
3) Oklahoma's wavering: Borens's favorite in expansion was BYU, which is now viewed as radioactive because of its stance on LGBT and Title IX issues , but it does have the backing of the Big 12's TV partners, especially ESPN.

October 19, 2016

#Houston, #Cincinnati and #BYU and eight other finalists spent $$$ for nothing as the #Big 12  will remain at ten teams.

1/15/17

#coastalcarolina baseball will shake up the Sunbelt

2/17/17

#Liberty U football is moving up to 1A They will transition this season and become Independent in 2018. #sunbelt conference could be a good landing spot. #ianmccaw is the current AD and was  the Baylor AD during the #Briles' scandal years. And their opening game this season is at #Baylor.

3/25/17

#wichitast wcould be a great hoops addition to AAC. They could fill the slot left by Navy not playing hoops in the AAC.

4/5/17

#WichitaState, a member of the Missouri Valley Conference since 1945, is closer to joining the #AAC as its 12 th hoop team for the 2017/18 season

4/6/17

It appears the MVC will recruit #Valparaiso  to leave the Horizon League and fill Wichitast 's spot

4/18/17

#wichitast will phase in a new contract with #underarmor among its sports programs and their asst HC #chrisjans took the #newmexicost hoops job. #jans had a good 2014/15 season  as the #bowlinggreen HC before being fired for off court shenanigans.
MVC is also targetting #murrayst

4/20/17

First Wichita St now Cincy  adding a hoops home &home with UCLA. #aac is looking up

5/6/17

#coastalcarolina jumps to 1A Sunbelt with a brutal non-conference game Sat, Nov 4
@Arkansas.

5/11/17

Vaparaiso replaces #Wichitast in the #MVC and .#murrayst and #omaho top the list to replace Valpo in the Horizon. I'm not buying  #GrandCanyon of Phoenix, Arizona as  a remote possibility . The economics of travels  is enough of a deterrent for this small Midwestern league.

6/22/17

AAC is  stepping up it's hoop game. UConn to renew it's rivalry with Nova (Big East). #wichitast ,new kid in the AAC, has a competitive OOC schedule including #okst, and #baylor. Also #marquette and #notredame are possible #Maui Invitational opponents.

7/1/17

#summit hoops down to eight teams as Horizon League replaces Valpo with #IUPUI. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis pledges to  expand its hoops budget.

9/4/17

Liberty's upset of Baylor yesterday sparked a repost of my February comments:" #ianmccaw is the current  #liberty AD and was  the Baylor AD during the #Briles' scandal years. And their opening game this season is at #Baylor."

1/23/18

Will #newmexicostate makes another bid to join the #mwc.The honeymoon is over for #wichitastate in #aac hoops. #Valparaiso is 2-6 in its first season in MVC.

2/24/18

#valparaiso is 5-12 in conference play in its first #MVC season..#northernkentucky has a one game lead on wright st in the #horizon. IUPUI is in the middle of the Horizon pack. #wichitast  trails #cincy by a game in the #aac

5/4/18

 #NorthAlabama starts its move to 1A sports, including hoops but not football, this fall. UNA will play in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

5/18/18

#Liberty U is joining the Atlantic Sun for hoops but hasn't found a 1A conference for football. How about the Sunbelt Conference?

7/2/18

 It's official #Liberty is 1A and #Idaho has dropped to 1AA. Liberty Flames will also play a rare in-season home-and-home set against New Mexico State.

7/15/18

#Liberty will be next in line to fill any vacancy left open by the #AAC and Sunbelt for the  AutoNation Cure Bowl for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. There are provisions in place to allow the Flames ,playing in their first 1A season, to be included in the postseason in the event there are vacancies to fill.

1/12/19

Dusting off an old blog: #westvirginia had and may still have reservations about Cincy moving to Power 5 football status. Maybe FSU, Fla,, and Miami (FL) feel the same way about UCF
 Moving to hoops but staying in the area .
#NorthernKentucky moved to 4-1 in the Horizon league, edging Wright State 68-64 on Friday night.
Liberty  is 2-0 and Northern Alabama is 1-1 in conference play in their first seasons in the Atlantic Sun. 

3/11/19

#Liberty edged Lipscomb to win the Atlantic Sun Dance ticket  AND i'M STILL CAMPAIGNING FOR THE fLAMES TO JOIN THE sUNBELT, but maybe they're shooting for the AAC.

3/12/19

 Drew McDonald (18 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST) led Northern Kentucky to a 64-63 win and they'll face Wright St , a winner over Green Bay, in the Horizon T final.

3/13/19

How about NKU punching the Dance card? Dantez Walton (15 points and 14 rebounds) and Drew McDonald(13 points,  eight rebounds, and five assists) led The Norse to a 77-66 victory over Wright St. in the Horizon title game.

3/18/19

NKU travels to Tulsa, OK to face  Texas Tech, who is probably still pissed about the B12T loss to WVA ,and Liberty travels to San Jose, Ca to face Miss St..

3/20/19

BWampler scored 17 points for Wright St in an NIT rd1 loss to Clemson.

3/23/19

How about Liberty U  stunning Miss St? It wasn't good for my bracket,but a he!! of night for  C. Homesley(LIB) (30 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST),  Northern Kentucky was beaten soundly by Texas Tech.
T. Sharpe (NKY) (23 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST)

3/31/19

How about #Lipscomb , who finished second to Liberty in the ASUN, advancing to play Wichita St in the NIT semi-finals? #GarrisonMathews scored 44 points for Lipscomb in a 94-93 victory over North Carolina State.
 April 3, 2019 #Lipscomb 71 Wichita St 64:  Garrison Mathews LIP - G  (34 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST). Big win for the ASUN member who'll face Texas in the NIT final.
 June 23, 2019:  uconn wants to move to the Big East in 2020 and will likely be going Independent for football. Why not Liberty U as a full member of the AAC? Perhaps a local conference rivalry with #eastcarolina will develop?
July 2 :Arkansas State (Sunbelt), and Old Dominion (CUSA)  have been mentioned as possible AAC CANDIDATES
july 5:  James Madison is  interested in moving up to FBS to take UConn’s spot in #AAC
july11:  Liberty lands former Auburn QB Malik Willis and he'll be playing for Head Coach #hughfreeze, former Ol Miss HC.
july 17:  Aresco, AAC Commish, on REPLACING uCONN. we're not making phone calls but we'll receive them,

jAN 4 2020

 Reviving. It seems odd that the CUSA, which has a few Bible felt schools, has been bothered by Liberty U's evangelical system, and rejected it's bids and $$$ to join them. I've heard the Sunbelt is in talks with Liberty again..
It remains puzzling the James Madison  is stuck on joining the AAC or remaining in 1AA.

March 9, 2020

Liberty U (Atlantic Sun) hoops is going to the Dance again. Hey Sunbelt or AAC- it's time to invite them to your conference for hoops and pigskin.

May 16, 2020

 Liberty may be staying an Independent for awhile, but they're finding tougher opponents. Liberty added road trips to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia to its 2023-24 schedules .

June 1, 2020

Floyd Little ,the Denver Broncos sixth overall pick in the 1967 draft and an NFL Hall of Famer, is battling an aggressive cancer. I looked back at those Syracuse years when he was part a great group of running backs including Jim Brown and Ernie Davis and discovered that Syracuse was an Independent in football until 1991. Times have changed and Cuse didn't have #Liberty U's religious "baggage", but I bet those folks in Falwell country have studied Notre Dame and Syracuse football history as Independents.

July 17, 2020

St. Thomas , a private university in St. Paul, Minnesota, is jumping to 1A and  will compete in the Summit League in 19 of their 22 sports, including basketball.  The Tommies won the 2011 and 2016 NCAA Division III men's basketball championships. The school's football program is expected to join the Pioneer League  Subdivision.  

Aug 23, 2020

Liberty U revised it's schedule and updated information for ticketing for the five home games.

 Sept. 19 at Western Kentucky
Sept. 26 vs. FIU – 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 vs. North Alabama – 6 p.m.
Oct. 10 vs. Louisiana-Monroe – 6 p.m.
Oct. 17 at Syracuse
Oct. 24 vs. Southern Miss – 6 p.m.
Nov. 7 at Virginia Tech
Nov. 14 vs. Western Carolina – 2 p.m.
Nov. 21 at NC State
Dec. 5 at Coastal Carolina

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/article90826982.html#storylink=cpy

UMass football left the MAC--why?

 UMass left MAC football apparently because the MAC wanted them to be an all sports member. A lot of chatter about them going to the AAC, but if they couldn't hack the MAC, they won't fare better in the AAC.  Perhaps, the Sunbelt , who've turned them down once,  downgrading to AA, or eliminating the  football program. Minuteman have a brutal schedule this year including three solid SEC  teams.

2016 U Mass schedule
at Florida Gators (SEC)
Boston College Eagles
FIU Golden Panthers
Mississippi State Bulldogs (SEC)
Tulane Green Wave (HC)
at Old Dominion Monarchs
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
at South Carolina Gamecocks (SEC)
Wagner Seahawks
at Troy Trojans
at BYU Cougars
at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

It  appears to be a tougher road than  their MAC days to become bowl eligible.

June 12, 2016

Sunbelt, who turned down UMass a few years ago, could use another team as they move toward a 2018 title game, but travel would be brutal with N Mex St and Idaho in the conference. Minutemen better find some $$$$ if they want to join the AAC.
 I would like to see UMass in the AAC for hoops reasons.

June 15, 2016

UMass has scheduled regional games with BC on the schedule this season and UConn next. Interesting tidbit: UMass and Boston College series started1901 but they only  played a total of 24 contests. BC lead the overall series 19-5 and have won eight straight.

June 21, 2016

You can find UMass and other teams in

always looking for a new owner or two who will pay attention to their roster weekly

Seven weeks til 2016 automated draft.

1)acc ,b10,sec, aac, independents Aug 12

2)PAC12, B12,CUSA,SUNBELT, MAC, & MWC Aug 14

Free Fantrax leagues. Email me vaporbust4@gmail.com if you're interested and specify if which one(s) you want to join.

July 28, 2016

UMass on the road @BYU and @ Hawaii to finish the regular season-that's nuts and I doubt if they'll fly back home between games.

may 18, 2017

Some of the same teams as on the @UMass 2016 schedule plus @Tennessee. Heavy southern flavor, particularly the Sunbelt.

Sat, Aug 26 vs Hawaii

Sat, Sep 2 @ CO CAR

Sat, Sep 9 vs Old Dominion

Fri, Sep 15 @ Temple

Sat, Sep 23 @ Tennessee

Sat, Sep 30 vs Ohio

Sat, Oct 14 @ South Florida

Sat, Oct 21 vs GA Southern

Sat, Oct 28 vs Appalachian St

Sat, Nov 4 @ MS State

Sat, Nov 11 vs Maine

Sat Nov 18     @ BYU

July 13, 2017

Is #umass leaning toward the SunBelt? Would their hoops teams stay in the Atlantic 10?

sept 16 2017

When you're an Independent and #Irma hits: To fill the vacated matchup with #usf , #UMass willplay #FIU in Miami on Dec2.  if FIU doesn't qualifies for the #cusa title game

Jan 20,2018

#Umass has a heavy southern 2018 schedule which includes ending its regular season @  #UGA. I still suspect the Minutemen land in the SunBelt and may fill the void left by the departure of New Mexico St to the  small group of 1A indies.  It would be cool to see NMST land in the #MWC.

Feb 13 2018

Is #newmexicostate mens  hoops making a strong case for  the entire sports program to move to the #mwc? Ags are heating up #WAC hoops.

April 21, 2018

#umass is still afloat in 1A football, and it may be time for them to  consider joining the Sunbelt. Heavy southern flavor in the #Minutemen  2018 football schedule. #AAC would be cool for hoops
Sat, Aug 25 Duquesne
Sat, Sept 1 Boston College
Sat, Sept 8 Ga Southern
Sat, Sept 15 FIU
Sat, Sept 22 Charlotte
Sat, Sept 29 Ohio
Sat, Oct 6 USF
Sat, Oct 20 C. Carolina
Sat, Oct 27 UConn
Sat, Nov 3 Liberty
Sat, Nov 10 BYU
Sat, Nov 17 Georgia

April 27, 2019

Walter A. Bell IV , the new UMass HC replaces Whipple , who is is now the OC at Pitt U . Will the 1A independent form their own league? Umass   travels to Army and hosts BYU and Liberty , three 1A Independents,  this season.

May 21, 2019

 Buffalo (MAC), UMass will start a six-game series starting in 2022.

					BYU