Week 5 OOC with a dash of military style

 Navy(AAC) travels to Colorado to face Air Force(MWC). Navy beat ECU last week for its first win, but I don't they have enough offense to keep up with the AFA ground force led by Brad Roberts. AFA 31 Navy 23

Army(1-2) hosts Georgia St(0-4) this week in a series that started in 2019 and is tied at 1-1. Both teams have scored a lot of point this season but this one will be low scoring. Army 17 GA St(SunBelt) 16

MTSU, who is coming off a big win over Miami(FLA), hosts UTSA in a CUSA matchup that will likely feature an aerial show MTSU C. Cunningham (85-120, 1000 YDS, 7 TD, 3 INT) /UTSA F. Harris (104-154, 1310 YDS, 10 TD, 2 INT). MTSU 34 UTSA 31

I'm sure both Ohio and Kent St  are glad that P5 part of their schedules is in the rear-view mirror. I'll roll with K. Rourke (102-147, 1195 YDS, 9 TD, 2 INT) to lead the Bobcats to victory in a MAC matchup. Ohio 30 Kent St 20

Oct, 2, 2022

1-3 this week

Military defenses played better than I expected in the AFA 13 Navy 10 game. However, Army 's D couldn't stop T. Gregg (16 car, 124 yds, 1TD) GA ST 31 Army 14.

Harris threw for 414 yards and two TDs for UTSA in a 45-30 win over MTSU

Cooper rushed for 240 yards and Cephas caught 13 passes for 246 yards for Kent St in a 31-24 win over Ohio.

CUSA notes: Reed threw for 406 yards and 3 TDs but it wasn't enough to get WKU to a win over Troy. Troy 34 WKU 27.  How about some Rice news. Rice 28 UAB 24. The Owls stats weren't big, but Ari Broussard ran for two touchdowns, and Treshawn Chamberlain scored on a fumble return.

Week 4: O5 OOC 4-Pack

 Once upon a time Houston(AAC) and Rice(CUSA) were SWC members. Houston will get a much needed win but it won't be easy. McCaffrey will catch a lot of passes for the Owls, but it won't be enough. HOU 31 Rice 26.

Both QBs have decent numbers in the North Texas(CUSA)/Memphis(AAC) matchup, but Aune won't outduel Henigan. MEM 34 UNT 23

Both teams are off to rocky starts.  D. Finn will have a solid game carrying the ball for Toledo, but the Aztecs outkick them at home. SDST(MWC) 15 TOL(MAC) 13

I'm not seeing USM pulling a  Stunbelt-style upset against the surprising Green Wave(AAC) who are coming off a 17-10 win over Kansas St (Big12). Neither team has a player with incredible numbers. Perhaps a pick 6 turns the game around. TUL 19 USM 16.

Sept 23, 2022

Road party for Coastal: CCU 41-G State 24 

Air Force crushed Nevada, and Boise St lost to UTEP, who may be a threat in CUSA play this season.

Sept 25, 2022

Owls gave the Cougars a scare, but Houston prevailed 34-27.

NTX couldn't restrain the Tigers. MEM 44 NTX 34

I got darn close on picking the final score correctly on the SDST 17 Toledo 14

Zach Wilcke threw a pair of touchdown passes, and the USM D got a pick 6 in a 27-24 win over Tulane. I was correct on a pick 6 but wrong about which team got that and a win.

3-1 for the week.

App St got a taste of its own "stun" medicine and lost to James Madison, a new SunBelt member.

Big CUSA win by MTSU over Miami (FLA).

Week 3 O5: Hot or not

 I can't ignore three hot SunBelt schools, App St, Marshall, and Georgia Southern, this week. I think the trio may come out of the gate slow but get in gear by the second quarter of their respective games.

App St will get a big game out of running back C Peoples in a 30-19 home conference win over Troy.

Marshall will ride freshman phenom K. Laborn to a 31-16 win at Bowling Green(MAC).

Georgia Southern will have to slow down C Brown to pull out a close road win. GS 24 UAB(CUSA) 22

Air Force has relied on a strong running attack to get off to a 2-0 start but face a tough conference road game at Wyoming. Peasley will throw 3 TDS for the Cowboys and hand AFA a 27-24 loss.

I covered the AAC in a blog on ACC history and SMU losing a close one to MD(Big10)

Sept 17, 2022

Peasley only tossed one TD pass, but the Cowboys slowed down AFA in a 17-14 win.

Sept 18, 2022

The "Stun" belt had a few holes poked in it this weekend, on OOC play with Marshall falling in OT to BG and Georgia Southern getting handled by UAB which made me 2-2 in my picks. Laborn's fumble out of the end zone for a touchback was a killer for Marshall.

In other OOC play USA was held scoreless in the fourth quarter in a one-point loss to UCLA, Ark St fell to Memphis, ODU fell to UVA, SMU lost to MD, and ULL lost to Rice.

Yes, I'm 63 and miss the ACC

 Terps were a solid ACC team the last time they faced SMU, who was in the SWC, in football. Terps won  7-0 in 1961 and 14-6 in 1962 to lead the series 2-0. SMU was coached by Bill Meek in 1961 and Hayden Fry in 1962. Terps were coached by Tom Nugent both seasons. The 1961 Terps beat Penn St which remains a big deal in this part of the USA.

I'm looking for MD(B10) to eke out a home win 20-19 with a solid game from Baby Tua against SMU(AAC).

earlier blog: https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2020/07/yes-im-60-and-miss-acc.html

Sept 18, 2022

15 penalties but the Terps persevered to take a 3-0 series lead over SMU. Thanks, Roman Hemby 16 carries, 151 yards, 1TD in a 34-27 win.

Georgia Tech is a mess with blowout losses to Clemson (41-10) and OL Miss (42-0) this season.

Wake Forest survived Liberty 37-36 when the Flames didn't convert a two pointer.

Cuse edged Purdue but the jury remains out on the Carriers.

Oct 15, 2022

Boeheim usually gets on my nerves but I'm with him on the Big Ten, which finished 9-9 in the 2022 Dance. The ACC finished 14-5 and sent three teams to the Elite Eight.

"At the end of the day, you play for the [NCAA] tournament," Boeheim said Friday at his team's media day. "You can say what you want about the Big Ten. They sucked in the tournament. 

Nov 25, 2022

It's good to see the Terps continue to schedule games against other Maryland 1A schools. They beat Coppin St(MEAC) yesterday, a small inner-city school in Baltimore City. Juan Dixon, one of the key members of the Terps 2001-02 title team, is HC of Coppin St.

BTW, MD hosts UCLA this season. I recall when Lefty Driesell got a little ahead of himself calling MD the UCLA of the East in the 1970s.

Dec 9, 2022

It feels weird to type: Friday, Dec. 30

Duke's Mayo Bowl: Maryland(Big10) vs. NC State(ACC)

Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Someone waking up from a nine-year coma thinks why are two ACC teams matched up in a Bowl Game?

I'll stick with my Terps who showed me something in a loss to Ohio St. Baby Tua has been solid. MD 24 NC St 20

Dec 15, 2022

UCLA kicked our butt from beginning to end last night in hoops. UCLA 87 MD 60. Hope we get it together before UCLA joins the Big 10. Cal Board of Regents got $$$ concessions and OK'd the UCLA move.

Dec 31, 2022

What a wacky world! Gary Hahn, the NC St radio announcer since 1991, was suspended for saying this while relaying the score of the Sun Bowl, "down among all the illegal aliens in El Paso, it's UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6.". 

BTW, Pitt(ACC) beat UCLA 37-35 in game of scoring streaks in which it also rained at times while the sun was shining brightly. Sun Bowl has been a constant must -see TV game for me since I was a kid, and is now one of the few bowl games not televised by ESPN. It's on CBS.

Now back to the NC St game. Terps 16 Wolfpack 12

Jan 29, 2023

Yep, a Terps hoops conference win over Nebraska and being respectful about RIP Billy Packer are sure signs times have changed. BP was such a Tobacco Road (UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, & NC St) homer, I'd mute the TV on regional ACC telecasts.

Feb 26, 2023

UNC gets a big win over UVA to keep its Dance chances alive. FSU upsets Miami. And it still feels weird to type Pitt may be the best team in ACC. Panthers crushed Cuse, and it sure appears Boeheim won't be able to cry his way into the Dance.

My Terps play Northwestern in a battle for second place in the Big 10. No one saw that coming during Xmas season.

Feb 27, 2023

Terps crushed NW and are two GB of Purdue in the B10. 

Louisville (2-16) upset an erratic Clemson squad to get it's second ACC win.

RIP, Terry Holland , the hoops coach at UVA. Some great battles on and off the court between Terry and and Lefty(MD). Lefty nearly got Moses Malone(Petersburg VA) ,but Moses joined the ABA. Terry got Ralph Sampson from Harrisonburg, VA.

May 10, 2023

RIP: Denny Crum. Great college coach for Louisville. He was an assistant for Wooden at UCLA.

The two Louisville national titles in 1980 and 1986 came when the Cards were in the Metro Conference. Kenny Payne, the current Cards HC played on the 1986 team. 

Sept 1, 2023

Rare for this Terps' fan to concur with UNC bosses on Tobacco Road, but I do on NO to expanding the ACC into a transcontinental conference. It won't improve anything. 

Sept 16, 2023

Terps were down 14-0 to UVA in a renewal of former ACC regional rivalry and came back to win 42-14. The matchup was usually played on the final regular season Saturday. Next year the game will be at UVA.

Dec 7, 2023

SMU, a future ACC team. barely misses being in a NY6 bowl and ends up in the Fenway Bowl playing BC. It feels weird to type that in an ACC blog.

Jan 30, 2024

I'm unsure why the ACC takes so many algorithmic hits. Right now, it appears UNC, Duke, and UVA, would make the dance. FSU, Wake Forest, and Miami(FLA) are being ignored. 

Feb 16, 2024

RIP Lefty Driesell- rarely a dull moment

O5 vs Independents in week 2

UCF(AAC) is favored against Louisville(ACC) who lost to Cuse so I'm shifting gears looking for close games or upsets.

UTSA(CUSA) 27 @Army 23.  Roadrunners have a long road trip, but they but they took Houston to 3OT before losing last week.  

Toledo(MAC) 26 UMass 17. Minutemen won shatter any records at the Glass Bowl, but they'll hang around.

UTEP(CUSA) 20 New Mexico St 19. in a border war at the Sun Bowl. Tyrin Smith will get 100 receiving yards for the Miners.

Liberty 19 UAB(CUSA) 17. Coach Freeze will pull out a home field W.

I tip my hat to Marshall(SunBelt), but they won't last long against an angry Notre Dame squad.

Sept 10, 2022

Cards blank UCF 13-0 in the second half for a 20 -14 W. UCF has got some work to do before entering Big 12 play next season.

Sept 12, 2022

Four for four and darn close on the final score differences except for Toledo who clobbered UMass 55-10.

UTSA 41- Army 38 OT; LIB 21 UAB 14;  UTEP 20 NMST 13

Stat lines that impressed: McBride (UAB) 20  carries, 177 yards, 1TD

Frank Harris (UTSA) threw for 359 yards and 3 TDs

Shout out to my buddy from Ashland, WV:  Khalan Laborn rushed for 163 yards and a TD in a 26-21 #herd win over Notre Dame. Also, Georgia Southern, another Sunbelt team, knocked off Nebraska and Appy upset TAMU. 

Oct 27, 2022

Seven weeks later: 

StunBelt teams are beating each other up.

Liberty is having another decent season and just crushed BYU, who will look to recover with a home game against ECU(AAC). Cougars, watch out for Ahlers', the Pirates gritty QB.

Oct 29, 2022

 I thought the Cougars would find enough O to get by ECU so-so D. Ahlers rushed for two TDs for ECU in a 27-24 win over BYU.

BTW, Ahlers reminds me a little of Bobby Douglas, a former Kansas QB who played for the Chicago Bears in the 1970s