Thursday, November 23, 2023

Week 13 in the O5

 AAC: How about UTSA (8-3 7-0AAC)  @ Tulane (10-1 7-0AAC).  Green Wave D will slow down Frank Harris. TUL 24 UTSA 17.

SMU is also 7-0 in conference play and has too much O for the improving Midshipmen D. SMU 27 Navy 13

CUSA: Two experienced head coaches: Kill's Kids win at home over  Rich Rod's Gamecocks. NMSU 24 Jax St 19

MAC: Little Miami owns the tiebreaker over Ohio and will face Toledo in the title game next week. Their rushing attack will do the job Saturday Miami(OH) 20 Ball St 13.

MWC: San José State (6-5 5-2 MWC) @ UNLV (9-2 6-1 MWC). Rebs will make sure they are in the title game. UNLV 28 SJST 23.  I'm just tossing a coin on their opponent next week.  Boise St /AFA, each 5-2,  play Friday.

Sunbelt: Troy is in the title game. CCU hosts JMU and needs a W to get to the title game. I don't see the Chants sealing the deal. JMU 31 CCU 24. McCloud, the JMU QB, will have a big game.

Nov 25, 2023

Good start for my picks: Tulane 29 UTSA 16. Green Wave D slowed down: F. Harris QB - UTSA 198YDS 1TD 2INT. 

I called this one a coin toss.  Boise 27 AFA 19. Boise gets into the MWC title game if UNLV beats SJST.  

Nov 26, 2023

SMU crushed Navy. Little Mami blocked a FG attempt to hold off Ball St 17-15.

JMU crushed CCU. McCloud threw 5 TD passes. Appy, not JMU(ineligible). plays Troy in SBC title game.

San Jose State beats UNLV 37-31; MWC ends in 3-way tie for first. Computer is sorting out which two teams land in the title game.

NMSU edged .JX St 20-17 and plays Liberty in the CUSA title game.

Nov 27, 2023

Boise State, San Jose State, and UNLV finished the season tied at 6-2 in the MWC standings. None of the three teams appeared in the College Football Playoff Rankings, SJST lost out in the second tiebreaker an average of computer rankings from Anderson & Hester, Colley Matrix and Massey and Wolfe, several of the computers used for the old BCS system. 

Boise St will play at UNLV.

Delaware is moving up to 1A and joining the CUSA.  Blue Hens are about 75 minutes away from me by car. Joe Flacco left Pitt for DE and made it to the NFL.


Thursday, November 16, 2023

Week 12 in the O5

 AAC: UTSA is undefeated in conference play and hosts USF. A healthy Frank Harris at QB has been the key.  UTSA 31 USF 24

CUSA: Jax St make it to 6-1 in conference play with a win over La Tech. JAX 27 LT 20. Rich Rod has done a nice job.

MAC:  Toledo and Little Miami sits atop their respective divisions after the mid-week games. Only game left to pick: Ball St 23  Kent St 16

MWC: San Jose St is coming off a big upset of Fresno St and remains in the race for the title game. K Robinson rushed for 200 yards for the Spartans. in that game.  SJST 28 San Diego St 17

SunBelt: A lot of OOC action for the SBC. this week, but this conference game looks close to even. TX St 23 Ark St 20. I'm not quite sure how Ark St HC Butch Jones has the Red Wolves(5-5, 3-3 SBC)

Nov 18, 2023

UTSA 49 USF 21

PASS F. Harris QB - UTSA 411YDS 3TD ,RUSH 10CAR 112YDS 3TD

Nov 19, 2023

Correct:  Jax St 56 La Tech 17. Ball St 34 Kent 3, SJST 24 SDST 13

Really Wrong:  Ark St 77 TX St 31. Ja'Quez Cross rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns and returned a kickoff 93 yards for TD for Arkansas State, who also got three touchdowns from its D.

Kill's Aggies win over Auburn tops O5 news yesterday.

Appy handed JMU its first loss.

UNLV sits alone atop the MWC at 6-1

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Non-P6 hoops-it's that time of year.

 Procrastination on doing a blog ends with Davidson(A10) knocking off my Terps(B10). Troy(SBC) took Oregon St to OT before falling 81-80, while Marshall (SBC) falls to Radford(Big South). Bryan Antoine converted a four-point play with 1.5 seconds left for Radford in the win over # herd.

Monmouth(CAA) beat WVU(B12)

Interesting action in the MAC/SBC: Coach Groce's Zips beat USM. Akron 72 USM 54

And for my Mewe buddy Arkrazor:  Cal Baptist(WAC) 80 Jackson St(SWAC) 66. Daniels Jr scored 25 for the winners.

This was a good one in the MAC/SBC challenge: Ball St 73 ODU 68 
 C. Jenkins G - ODU 20PTS 6REB
J. Anderson G - BALL 29PTS 9REB

UAB(AAC) beat my Terps.
Nov 21, 2023
Checking back in: UNLV(MWC) gave Florida St(ACC) a scare before losing 83-75. D Thomas Jr of the Rebels is a fun player to watch.
St Josephs(A10)  took Kentucky(SEC) to OT but fell 96-88.
SMU(AAC) beat West Virginia(B12) 70-58 .  Mustangs need to use this season to get ready for ACC hoops next season.
Nov 25, 2023
FAU(AAC) beat TAMU(SEC) yesterday and is off to a 4-1 start coming off last season's Final Four appearance. The loss was to Bryant of the American East conference.
Marshall(SBC) is off to a bumpy 2-4 start including getting pasted by Kentucky(SEC) 118-82 yesterday
Nov 30, 2023
Bowlsby, former Big 12 Commish, will be the interim AD at Northern Iowa replacing David Harris, who left to become the athletic director at Tulane.
Northern Iowa(MVC) is 2-5 this season but they beat Stanford.

Tulane is 5-1. Its only loss was to Bradley(MVC).

How about St Joseph's(A10) beating Nova(Big East). Erik Reynolds II scored 24 points in a road win. 
Dec 5, 2023
Catching up: UNCW(CAA) coach Takayo Siddle steered his team to an 80-73 upset of No. 12 Kentucky(SEC) on Saturday. In 2007 he scored eight points for Gardner Webb in an upset of UK in Rupp Arena.

Appy(SBC) beat Auburn(SEC)

T. Joseph(27PTS 6REB 3STL) for Southern(SWAC) in an upset of Miss St(SEC)
SEC stumbled against non -power 6.
Dec 7, 2023
Big home win for Towson U(CAA).  C. May G 27 PTS, 7 REB in 81-71 win over UMass(A10). Tigers keeps getting better after starting the season losing to Wake Forest, North Texas, and S Dakota St. Towson U is just north of Baltimore City.
UIC(MVC) 55 Jax St(CUSA) 49 Illinois-Chicago is having a decent OOC start. JaxSt could have a bumpy ride in CUSA hoops.
Dec 13, 2023
Sam Houston St(CUSA) edged ULM(SBC) 63-62. Great football debut in 1A, and now their hoops are doing ok. The last time SHS went to the Dance was in 2010 as the Southland champ.

Cal Baptist(WAC)lost 76-55 at Oregon 
Dec 14, 2023
Headed toward conference play. FAU(AAC) has kept in stride after its F4 appearance in the spring. Loss to Illinois. Wins over VTech and TAMU. Now if they beat Zona Dec 23.....
GW(A10) intrigues me at 9-2, the losses were to South Carolina and UIC. They haven't been good in a while so maybe the record is a false positive. James Bishop IV leads the team with 16.9 PPG.
Dec 16, 2023
Zags got more work to do. UConn 76 Gonz 63. In other WCC OOC play San Diego Toreros beat Portland St(Big Sky). SD beat Ariz St (Pac12) a few days ago.


Thursday, November 9, 2023

Week 11 in the O5

 AAC:  Navy lost to Temple last week while Zena and UAB have been putting some points on the scoreboard. UAB wins at home. UAB 31 Navy 20

CUSA: Kill's Kids go on the road this week to WKU. New Mexico St D creates some turnovers in a 24-23 win over the Hilltoppers.

MAC: Toledo looks like a lock in the MACW while Little Miami, Bowling Green, and Ohio battle it out in the East. Those four teams won games earlier this week.

MWC:  Does AFA rebound from being upset by Army last week? Yep, they'll find a way. Hawaii. AFA 21 HAW 17

SunBelt: Texas St heads east to face Coastal Carolina, who's won four in a row. CCU D will slow down Finley. CCU 30 TX ST 24.

Nov 11, 2023

Not among my picks but worth noticing. SMU rolled NTX in AAC play. 

MWC:  UNLV beat Wyoming 34-14: Jayden Maiava threw a touchdown pass and ran for two TDs.

Nov 12, 2023

Wrong: UAB- Coach Dilfer's O was weak. AFA got strafed by B. Schager QB - HAW(176YDS 2TD)

Correct: NMST   Mekhi Miller scored on a pick6. CCU, and I got damn close on the final score. CCU 31 TX St 23

BTW, I noticed 3TDs from Ali in the # herd W.

 Brady Hoke will retire from San Diego St after the season and rumors are flying that TAMU is coming for Cignetti, the James Madison football HC.

Also hearing, but not buying, Chadwell leaving Liberty for Miss. St.

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Week 10 in the O5

 AAC: While it lasts, an AAC matchup between two former SWC teams. SMU 30 Rice 20. SMU QB

P. Stone (2138 YDS, 19 TD, 5 INT) is having a great season.

CUSA: La Tech will give Liberty a scare in Lynchburg, VA, but not prevail. LIB 24 LaTech 23

MWC: I 'll go with Fresno QB Mikey Keene in a home game. FRES 31 Boise St 27

SunBelt: Both teams have struggled. J. Aguilar QB - APP (2173YDS 20TD 6INT) will do enough at home for win over Marshall.  Appy 21 Marshall 16. It will be televised on NFLN.


I didn't pick the game: Gunnar Watson threw 3 TD passes to Chris Lewis for Troy in a 28-10 win over South Bama. Troy is 4-1 in the SBC

Nov 5, 2023

Rice gave SMU a good game. SMU 36 Rice 31

Q. Cooley RB - LIB (23CAR 179YDS 2TD) in a 56-30 win over LaTech, but wasn't as close as I guessed.

Fresno moves to 4-1 in the MWC with a 37-30 win over the Blueturfers

Rough times for the Herd. Appy 31 Marshall 9.

correct on all 4 picks.

Some wild AAC scores: Tulane could only manage 13 points in a win over ECU. Memphis 59 USF 50. Tigers won but their D is bad.





DI Baseball peek in April 2024

 UC Irvine 24-4 (10-2 Big West) Joichiro Oyama 5HR 28RBI 4SB ULL 24-8 (11-1 Sun Belt) LP Langevin has four saves. Eyes on WKU who just kno...