O5 Bowl Games Dec 31

 Sun Bowl: Central Michigan 27 Wash St 24.  CMU has Lew Nichols, the leading rusher in the country, but its weak passing D that will be tested by Cougars QB Jayden de Laura.  This is the first meeting between the schools. If my guess is correct, the Pac 12 will go winless this bowl season.

Cotton Bowl: I'm rooting for Cincy big time, but the Crimson Tide D will probably give Ridder he!!

Bama 28  Cincy 20.

I have no idea why ESPN didn't re-slate the Sun Bowl in its Bowl Mania but did adjust the Gator Bowl. Maybe because the Sun Bowl is on CBS?

Jan 1, 2022

CMU 24  WSU 21. Nichols had a solid game, and the CMU D played a good first half. Delaura was benched in the second half and Gabels led WSU to some scores.

Cincy stayed in the game through three quarters, trailing 17-6, but had no answers for Young and Robinson.

Cincy OC Denbrock ,who worked with LSU coach Brian Kelly at Notre Dame (2010-16), will become the LSU OC.

Jan 4, 2022

USF extended most of their head coaches' contracts, including football coach Jeff Scott, men’s basketball coach Brian Gregory, and baseball coach Billy Mohl. Scott is 3-18 in two seasons. Gregory is 62-73 in five seasons. Not sure what all that is about.

Jan 6, 2021

Memphis(AAC) offensive coordinator Kevin Johns is the new OC at Duke. Just a few years ago Memphis was a school that would've been a candidate to go P5.

Jan 9, 2021

Charlie Batch, a former NFL qb, said his employer , GameAbove Capital, would pay Caleb Williams $1 million for one season with Eastern Michigan(MAC). 

Jan 12, 2022

Clayton Tune  and Alton McCaskill are staying at Houston. CBS sports' analysts are slotting Houston as the 2022 preseason favorite in the AAC over Cincinnati.  I'm sticking with the Bearcats as the favorite until I see otherwise. 

ULL(SunBelt ) is getting raided hard. Napier took a lot of coaches to UF and just poached RB, Montrell Johnson, from his old team

O5 Title games 2021

CUSA: I'm taking the hot team WKU led by Zappe who has tossed 52 TD passes. WKU 37 UTSA 31

MAC:  Kent St has a stellar rushing attack led by Marquez Cooper.  Kent St 26 NIU 19

MWC: Tough one to call, but I'll go with Bonner tossing a few TD passes against a solid Aztecs D for the win. Utah St 27 SDST 22

SunBelt: App St has climbed out of a rough September and finished nicely. ULL lost Coach Napier to FLA. App 23 ULL 22

AAC: Cincy keeps the heat on the CFP voters and squeaks by a solid Houston team. 26-24. Bearcats rushing attack led by Ford will carry the day.

Dec 3, 2021

Wrong on pick 1. UTSA couldn't slow down Zappe who threw for 577 yards and 4 tds, so they outscored WKU 49-41 with a big day from SINCERE MCCORMICK (36 carries for 204 yards and 3 TDs).

Dec 4, 2021

I split on yesterday's games. Correct on Cincy and Utah St. and wrong on App St and Kent St.

Utah St and Bonner pierced the Aztecs D in a 46-13 blowout win.

 Cincy rode the Ford(18 carries, 187 yds, 2 TDs) to a 35-20 victory.

Appy couldn't stop Lewis in the first half and never got its own O into gear. ULL 24 App 16. BTW, Napier coached for ULL yesterday.

NIU blanked Kent St in the first half and won 41-23.

BTW, remember Joe Moorhead who Miss St fired as its HC in 2019 and Oregon made its OC in 2020? He's the new HC at Akron.

O5 regular season winds down

 Cincy visits a decent ECU squad and will not cover the 14 point spread but will remain undefeated. The Bearcats D held Mordecai(SMU) in check last week and will slow down Ahlers. CIN 30 ECU 20. Next week Cincy will face Houston, whose only loss this season was to Texas Tech(B12), in the AAC title game.

Zappe (WKU) has tossed 48 TD passes, and Ali has scored 20 rushing TDs for Marshall. I don't think the Herd D will be able to contain Zappe. WKU 31 MAR 23 in a game that decided who plays UTSA in the CUSA title game next week.

I'll take the Gabbert to Sorenson connection to lead Miami (O) to a 27 -25 win over Kent St and a ticket to Detroit to face NIU in the MAC title game.

Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State have a shot to play in the MWC title game next Saturday. SDST wins and they're in. The Aztecs D will take charge in a 19-16 win over Boise St .

ULL Ragin' Cajuns will play App St in Sun Belt championship game next Saturday. Coastal Carolina's mid-season stumble kept them out of next week's game, but look for McCall to toss a few TD passes in a 31-10 win over South Bama this Friday.

Nov 27, 2021

Cincy took its time getting in gear while ECU played some fired up D early. Cincy 35 ECU 13.

SDST O played the first half against Boise St like they were hungover but found enough caffeine in the second half for a 27-16 win. They better bring more against Utah St in the MWC title game.

Nov 27, 2021  evening

Wells injury was obviously a factor, but that was brutal second half for Marshall who got zapped 53-21 by WKU.   Miami O lost to Kent St in OT 48-47 in a wild one. Gabbert and Sorenson were great for M(O), but Cooper and Williams rushed for close to  to 300 yards for Kent St. McCall and CCU needed OT to beat South Bama 27-21. 4-1 on my picks. 

BTW what happened to UTSA who got clobbered by NTX

Nov 29, 2021

Jax State to hire Rich Rodriguez, ULM OC, as head football coach ahead of 2023 FBS move to the CUSA

Fresno has a HC opening with the departure of Kalen DeBoer to UW(PAC12). Most of his resume is 1aa and NAIA then this:

2017–2018 Fresno State (OC/QB) 2019 Indiana (OC/QB) 2020–2021 Fresno State (HC)

Dec 1, 2021

La Tech hired Texas Tech's interim HC Sonny Cumbie as its next football coach, but Cumbie will coach TT in the bowl game.

O5 vs Independents in week 5

 Coan is probable  for ND but Ridder is ready for Cincy (AAC). Bearcats  tear out a close one 27-25.

Utah St(MWC), who  barely avoided being shutout by Boise St last week in a 27-3 loss, will lose 30-16 to BYU,  who has beaten three Pac 12 teams this season.

UAB(CUSA) has played well except for the trouncing by Georgia, but I don't think they 'll be able to contain  Malik Willis, the Liberty QB. LIB 31 UAB 24

Ball St (MAC) will have trouble containing Army's QB Christian Anderson, their leading rusher. Army 26 Ball St 17.

Toledo(MAC) will win 33 28 at UMass.

San Jose St(MWC) will host New Mexico St and win 22 -19

Oct 2

BYU's running game made a big difference in last night 's 34-20 win over Utah St. Plus they have 6'6 TE - #IsaacRex

Oct 3

Ball St 28 Army 16.The only wrong pick  was Army. Ball St jumped out to an early 21-0 lead and Army never made it back. 

LIB 36 UAB 12 here's Wallis stat line :  Yds-Pa287 TD-Pa1 Yds-Ru144 TD-Ru2

Cincy 24 ND 13 : Big day  for Ridder plus the Bearcats D was stellar

Toldeo 45 UMass  7 

SJST 37 NMST 31. Spartans won  w/o   the injured Starkel at QB.

Tough start for O5 at the 2021 Dance

Wichita St (AAC) couldn't take advantage of scoring lulls by Drake(MVC) and lost 53-52.

 #AppSt (Sunbelt) couldn't convert late  and lost to Norfolk St(MEAC) in a tale of two halves:  J Forrest lead Appy with 18 Points                                        

March 20, 2021

I thought NTX(CUSA) would crumble after they couldn't seal the deal in regulation, but they outscored Purdue 17-8 in OT for a 78-69 victory. Javion Hamlet was stellar for the Mean Green providing 24 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST. Too bad I didn't have enough faith to pick them in rd1.

MWC had a rough day :SDST lost to Cuse and Utah St lost to Texas Tech.

Houston (AAC) rolled Clev St.

March 21, 2021

B. Vander Plas(17pts 5reb 4assists) led Ohio(MAC) to a 62-58 upset of  UVA(ACC) .

Ohio has won its last three NCAA first-round Dance games - beating Georgetown in 2010 and Michigan in 2012.

March 23, 2021

Ohio's O ran out of steam against Creighton yesterday. Dwight Wilson III was the top Bobcat scorer with 12 points in a 72-58 loss to Creighton. Nova crushed NTX(CUSA) on Sunday so the only O5 team to reach the Sweet 16 is Houston(AAC). Q. Grimes (22 PTS, 9 REB, 1 AST) led the Cougars to a 63-60 win over Rutgers on Sunday and they face Cuse in the next round.

March 28, 2021

Houston's D led by Dejon Jarreau   held Buddy Boeheim to 12 points on 3-for-13 shooting, including 1 for 9 from 3-point range in a 62-46 win over Cuse.

March 30, 2021

Dejon Jarreau had another stellar night playing D for Houston. This time he held  Ethan Thompson, the Oregon St forward, who was named the most outstanding player of the Midwest Region, to  11 points on 3-for-12 shooting, in the Cougars 67-61 victory.

April 4, 2021

LAST O5 team falls. Marcus Sasser had 20 points for Houston is a 78-59  F4 loss to Baylor, whose tough D made the difference.

While Mick Cronin's, the former Cincy HC, UCLA squad  played the Zags tough  but lost in the other F4 matchup, his replacement at Cincy , John Brannen, was given paid leave as the school looks for  a way to complete a for-cause dismissal.  Only four scholarship players are slated to return and six have entered the transfer portal.  Is the rift between Brannen the players real or are these kids spoiled brats?

April 10, 2021

Brannen  is owed a 5M buyout and he and his lawyers are not getting nasty in public about his dismissal from Cincy.. One strong guess for his replacement is UCLA assistant Darren Savino, who was a longtime assistant under Mick Cronin at Cincinnati.

April 15, 2021

Cincinnati(AAC)  hired Wes Miller, who has been at UNCG for 10 seasons, as its next men's basketball head coach. Over the past five seasons, he has led the Spartans to three regular-season championships and two Dances. He was an assistant at High Point and at Elon, each located in North Carolina, before becoming HC at North Carolina-Greensboro of the Southern Conference. Let's see how he does in the Rust Belt.

april 20, 2021

CUSA news: Joe Golding has been named the new coach at UTEP after a decade at Abilene Christian which included the upset over Texas in the first round of this season's Dance.

Heading toward O5 conference tourney time in 2021

 Central Michigan( 7-15, 3-12 MAC) got 26 points from Caleb Huffman scored  and  then Meikkel Murray made a go-ahead put-back with 2.3 seconds left  for the 81-79 upset of Toledo(19-7, 14-4 MAC)

Buffalo(13-7, 11-5 MAC) edged Akron(14-7, 12-6 MAC) 80-78

It's looking like Memphis may be the team who could upend Houston and Wichita St in the AAC tourney. Memphis (15-6, 11-3 AAC ) defeated South Florida(8-11, 4-9 AAC) 73-52 for its sixth straight winand they'll face Houston on Sunday in the final regular season game.

March 4

Trey Wade scored a career-high 23 points on 9 of 12 shooting for Wichita State in a 78-70 AAC win over Tulane 78-70. That's 6 straight Ws for the Shockers.

In the MWC SDST got by UNLV in a so-so performance, while Colorado St  defeated  UNM and is the hottest MWC team heading into the conference tournament.

March 5

UTEP(12-11, 8-8 CUSA) accepted a call to play a game at # 13 Kansas(B12) and built an early 15 point lead before crumbling in the final 12  minutes of the game in a 67-62 loss. Bryson Williams led the Miners with 23 points and 13 rebounds. 

FAU crushed MTSU 80-50.

March 9

Michael Almonacy scored a career-high 32 points with six 3-pointers for App St in its 80-73 upset of Georgia State  to win the Sun Belt Conference championship and return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2000. The Mountaineers were in the Southern Conference and coached by Buzz Petersen during the 1999/2000 season.

March 12, 2021

MWCT: Nevada popped Boise St bubble hopes and SDST barely survived Wyoming .

MACT:  Top seeds move forward: Akron, Buffalo, Ohio, and Toldeo

AACT-  Tulane got by Tulsa, and I bet their HC, Ron Hunter, thinks he can pull off one of those miracles  that his GA St squads pulled off in the SunBeltT for years.

mARCH  14, 2021

Cincy edged Wichita St  and if they beat Houston in  AACT, a bubble team possibly SMU will feel the pain. 

Jason Preston scored 22 points for Ohio in a 84-69 victory  over Buffalo, which was trying for a record third straight MAC title.

North Texas beat WKU 61-57 in overtime on Saturday night to win the CUSAT title game and earned its first Dance ticket since winning the Sun Belt tournament in 2010.

San Diego State beat Utah St 68-57 victory  to win the MWC title and secure the league's Dance ticket.

march 15,2021

Belmont, Furman,  and two CUSA teams, Marshall and UAB, are listed as replacement teams for the NIT.

March 18 2021

 NIT: Hollingsworth (21 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST)led Western Kentucky(CUSA) to a 67-63 win over St Marys while Toledo(MAC) lost to Richmond

March 21, 2021

NIT: La Tech does the CUSA right with a win over OL Miss. Buffalo (MAC) lost to Colorado St (MWC) and Memphis (AAC) beat Dayton.

March 23

NIT down to 8 teams.  Four matchups on 3/25 including  two CUSA teams LAtech vs WKU.  Thde only game w/o an O5 team is Richmond(A10) /Miss St(SEC). Colorado St(MWC) faces NC St(ACC) and Memphis(AAC) plays BoiseSt (MWC).

I was bit surprised to see the CBIT is going on in Florida and Coastal Carolina(SunBelt) plays Stetson today.

March 25,2021

Darryl Polk Jr. had 19 points and five steals for  Pepperdine in an 84-61 romp over Coastal Carolina in the CBI final.. Pepperdine finished fourth in the WCC, which Gonzaga ruled.

March 26, 2021

NIT down to four teams: In a battle of CUSA teams Kalob Ledoux scored 20 points, making 6 of 7 3-pointers for Louisiana Tech in a 72-65 win over Western Kentucky 72-65  and will play Mississippi State, a winner over Richmond, on Saturday in Texas.

Colorado ST (MWC) got by NC St and will play Memphis(AAC), a winner over Boise St(MWC).

March 28, 2021

The NIT final is set, and it will be Memphis(AAC) vs Mississippi State(SEC) on Sunday for the title. Memphis rolled Colorado State(MWC) 90-67 and  Mississippi State rolled  Louisiana Tech(CUSA) 84-62.   Ben Howland has a decent stint at Miss St since 2015(116–81 )(.589)

La Tech will face CSU in a matchup for third place.

March 29 , 2021

It wasn't a blowout but Memphis  was in control most of the game in a 77-64 win over Miss St  for the NIT title. Boogie Ellis MEM - G (23 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST)

La Tech  defeated  Col St 76-74 for 3rd place  on a buzzer beater by Kenneth Lofton Jr. LT - F(27 PTS, 13 REB, 3 AST)

April 1, 2021

Coaching news, no foolin: MAC:Akron Zips extend head coach John Groce through 2026 season. He's had more success in the MAC with Ohio and Akron, then the seesaw years at Illinois(Big 10). Ariz St assistant Rashon Burno is on his way to NIU

MWC news: New Mexico hired Richard Pittino quickly after Minnesota fired him, but I don't see it as a good fit. UNLV promoted Kevin Kruger, Lon's son, to HC.

April 7, 2021

This happens from time to time. UTEP(CUSA) head coach Rodney Terry is stepping down and will join Beard's staff at TX. He was a Texas assistant under former head coach Rick Barnes from 2002–11.

April 8, 2021

San Jose State(MWC) replaced Jean Prioleau with  Tim Miles who had some success  at Nebraska(2012-19), a hard gig.

In the MAC Central Michigan fired Keno Davis and Eastern Michigan fired Rob Murphy .

April 13, 2021

E. Michigan(MAC) hired Stan Heath as its new men's basketball coach.

He's an an EMU alum and has previously the coach at Kent State, leading that program to the Elite Eight in 2002. He also guided Arkansas to the NCAA tournament in 2006 and 2007. And did the same at USF in 2012 when they were in the Big East.

April 15, 2021

For years I saw a concrete slab with the Marshall Thundering Herd logo on it standing  in the side yard of a house I'd walk by every two weeks, then a few months ago it was gone. Today, it was back up but in the front yard.  It looks something like this but with more color  and a bull. 

O5 championship week ending Dec 19

 AAC: Cincy(8-0, 6-0 AAC) hosts Tulsa(6-1, 6-0 AAC) and will need to shake off some rust from the month layoff to slow down Zach Smith's passing . I suspect the Bearcats will rely on a solid rushing attack more than Ridder's arm for a 23-21 victory.

CUSA: Marshall(7-1, 4-1 CUSA) hosts UAB(5-3, 3-1 CUSA). Rice  blanked  the #herd two weeks ago and the lost to UAB. Johnston, the UAB QB,  will toss two TD passes, in a 20-15 win . 

MAC:  Buffalo (5-0) led by Jared Patterson's 1625 rushing yards and 18 TDs faces Ball St  led by Plitt's 1674 passing YDS and  13 TDs at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. Last team with the ball wins. Buff 37 Ball St 36.

MWC: Boise St(5-1, 5-0 MWC) faces San Jose St (6-0) in Vegas. Most folks expect a Bachmeier/Starkel shootout but I'll go with  a huge rush game from Tyler Nevens giving SJST a 24 -20 victory of Boise St

SunBelt: The QBs, McCall of CCU(11-0, 8-0 SUN) and Lewis of ULL(9-1, 7-1 SUN), will  entertain us, but McCall will toss late TDs to keep his guys undefeated . CCU 31 ULL 27

dec 19

Sunbelt game was cancelled, and AAC and MWC games are today. I split on the other two. Wells, the #herd QB, matched Johnston's 2 TD passes for UAB with 2 TD passes, but Marshall's D couldn't stop Spencer Brown who rushed for 149 yards. UAB 22 Marshall 13

I didn't foresee Ball St knocking off Buffalo  38-28 and holding Patterson to 47 yards rushing. Blitt tossed three TD in for the Cards victory.

dec 20

Correct on both games yesterday: Cincy eked out a 27-24 win over Tulsa. SJST used some rugged D, and an aerial attack led by Starkel to defeat Boise St 34-20 for the MWC crown.

MWC is back and more O5 picks for week ending Oct 24

 Can App St shed the rust  and beat Arkansas St on a Thursday night? Yes, I'll take Zac Thomas, the App St QB, over the Bonner/Hatcher platoon  of Ark St. APP 26 Ark St 20.

Wyoming behind its QB Sean Chambers pulls out a 20-17 road victory at Nevada. 

Cincy travels to SMU in a battle of two top 25 teams. Cincy has enough D to rope in the Mustangs O and win 24-23.

Taggart's Owls won't  slow down the Wells/Knox show in Huntingdon, WVA. Marshall 30 Fau 20 

Oct 23

The rust flew off APP St in a 45-17 victory of Ark St. App St QB, Zac Thomas, tossed four TD passes and ran for one. 

Oct 24

I didn't pick this game but needed to mention that #ChrisSmith ran a kickoff back 100 yards for a ULL(Sunbelt) TD in a 24-20 win over UAB(CUSA).

Oct 25

Heck of  battle in Nevada with  Charlie Strong tossing for 420 yards nd 4 TDs including the game winner in OT. NEV 37 WYO 34. BTW, Chambers, the Wyoming QB, went down early with a bad fibula injury.

SMU's D was weak, as expected , and could not contain Cincy QB, Desmond Ridder who tossed one TD pass and ran for 3TDs while gaining 179 yards on eight carries. Cincy 42 SMU 13.

#herd got it done again. Wells tossed two TD passes and Knox rushed for 101 yards in 20-9 win over FAU.

3-1 this weekend. I was wrong on Wyoming.

O5 clashes with the Independents on Sept 26, then TXST game

 Army brings a strong a rushing attack to Cincy(AAC), but the Bearcats have a decent rushing attack led by by Gerrid Doaks and will pull out a 26-25 squeaker.

Troy carries the Sunbelt flag to Provo to face BYU in what looks like a battle of two solid QB .Gunnar Watson may tosses more  passes than Zach Wilson in this matchup, but the BYU rushing game will push Wilson and the BYU squad to a 30-27 win.

Liberty's D looked shaky in the second half in its win last week over WKY , and FIU (CUSA) hasn't played a game. Willis , the ex-Auburn QB, will do just enough to get Liberty a home W. LIB 30 FIU 19.

Then there's a matchup you'd never consider . TX St(Sunbelt)  visits BC(ACC) in Chestnut Hill, MA. The Vitt to Haydel connection will give BC he!!, but the home teams pulls it out in the end. BC 34 TXSt 29

Sept 27

I was 4-0 but I thought Troy would have given BYU a tougher game. Wilson threw for 392 yards and 2 TDs, and was more of the gunner than Gunnar Watson who threw for 162 yards for Troy. FIU ran the opening kickoff back for  TD and Norton rushed for 148 yards and two TD for FIU, but their D couldn't stop Willis, Mack, and Stubbs who led Liberty to the win.Army/Cincy was a defensive game until late in the 2nd quarter when Ridder got Cincy in gear and led them to a 24-10 win.

BC rallied  from 14-points down  to tame the Texas State Bearcats 24-21

 

 

AAC 2020 pigskin and hoops memos

NCAA rejected former basketball coach Kevin Ollie’s appeal over UConn violations. Here's one violation that appears to be petty when you see all other big time scandals in college sports: improper pickup games at which student managers kept statistics for coaches. This occurred before UConn left the AAC for the Big East in hoops.

Some NBA mock drafts have JAMES WISEMAN who played in a few games for Memphis going first overall to the Golden State Warriors. And his Memphis teammate Precious Achuwa going to the Spurs as the 11th overall pick.

Notre Dame / Navy(AAC) football game is being moved from Dublin ,Ireland to Annapolis, MD at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. It will the first time the rivalry game will be played in this venue.

I'm curious as to how Jeff Scott, former  Clemson OC, does in his first season as the USF HC .

June 6, 2020

Oklahoma’s Ryan Jones is fifth P5 transfer added by East Carolina this spring, but not all of the transfers have been regular starters. Jones, a native of Charlotte, NC, played LB  the last two seasons , but he's joining the Pirates to play in a WR/TE role; a position that he was originally recruited for by OU.

June 7, 2020

Here's one possible reason James Madison football didn't  move up to 1A and join the AAC:  It didn't want to be erratic in the way  Old Dominion(CUSA) has been since moving up to 1A. Plus moving from the CAA to AAC in hoops would've been a huge move.

June 10, 2020

I saved a list from a print newspaper of interesting non -conference battles in 2020. This one could be a barn-burner. Cincy (AAC) visits Nebraska (B10) on 9/26/20.  Nebraska beat Cincy in 1906 for 1-0 series edge. JD Spielman, Nebraska's leading wide receiver from the 2019 season will enter the transfer portal. He's been dealing with a "personal health matter" , whatever that means. Cincy will need to fill the void of Michael Warren III moving on to the NFL.

June 13 2020

Memphis(AAC) and Mississippi State(SEC) have added more future matchups. Miss St has won 12 in a row and leads the series 27-10.  Memphis won at 45-35 at Miss St in 1993 under Coach Chuck Stobart and were in the CUSA Conference. Jackie Sherill was the Miss St HC.

Isaac Bruce  was a WR on that Memphis St squad and went on to a long NFL career with the Rams. 

june 18, 2020

 Fran Dunphy, who retired from coaching hoops at Temple in 2019, is back working for the school as acting AD  after Patrick Kraft left the post to become the new AD at BC.

June 28, 2020

Syracuse(ACC)  visits Independent UConn for a football game in in 2022. In 2012 they were  members of the Big East, but Cuse moved to the ACC, and UConn became a part of the AAC in 2013.

July 8, 2020

 Ruffin McNeal, who was the HC of East Carolina from 2010-15 during its move from the CUSA to the AAC, has been hired as a special Asst at NC St.

July 15, 2020

 I found this in a article about starting Tulsa safety Cristian Williams ,who was  popped for  a DUI and suspended In bringing back Head Coach Montgomery for a sixth season,  Tulsa made it clear that it’s a bowl game or bust in 2020.  I haven't read of a change in that thinking since the pandemic started.

July 16, 2020

Moussa Cisse, a power forward regarded as a potential first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, committed to Memphis . Last season he moved from NYC to Memphis to play high school ball. Did Coach Hardaway keep his distance. Is this another possible "Wiseman" scandal?

July 18, 2020

Army and Navy(AAC) ADs: ‘If there’s only one game we’re going to play, it’s the Army-Navy game’. This needed to be said.

Oct 9, 2020

 The investigation  of Gregg Marshall's Wichita State(AAC) basketball  program, which started after seven players transferred out is nearly over. He's been accused of shoving some players, particularly Shaq Morris, and of not being a nice guy around campus. I bet he survives for this season but faces a huge hurdle in recruiting.

Nov 18, 2020

Gregg Marshall resigned from Wichita St and agreed to a settlement of $7.75 million to be paid over the next six years. Assistant coach Isaac Brown will be the interim HC.

Nov 19, 2020

 Wiseman from Memphis of the AAC goes 2nd overall to GSW in the NBA draft. Edwards from Georgia(SEC) went 1st.

Jan 21, 2022

I started this blog mentioning Kevin Olie, former UConn hoops coach when they were in the AAC, and yesterday an arbitrator awarded him 11M from UConn for improper firing. His membership in the American Association of University Professors union was a factor in the decision.

May 7, 2022

I pulled up this old blog when I saw that Wichita State(AAC) fired its athletic director Darron Boatright. My initial reaction was it must be tied in some way to the sloppy way hoops Coach Marshall left there in 2020. However , most of the chatter is about how Boatright was slow to get on the NIL "fundraising" train. Funny world.

What's left of O5 bowl games

SERVPRO FIRST RESPONDER BOWL:  WKU(CUSA) has a knack  for pulling games out thanks to a solid D. WMU (MAC) has plenty of O Jon Wassink WMU (222-371, 2904 YDS, 19 TD), LeVante Bellamy WMU (248 CAR, 1412 YDS, 23 TD) . I'll roll with the Hilltoppers D.
WKU 19 WMU 17
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL: #23 Navy(AAC) will get rushing TDs, but Kansas State QB Skylar Thompson will get in gear for a KSU 30-28 win
NOVA HOME LOANS ARIZONA BOWL: Wyoming(MWC) takes advantage Georgia State's (Sunbelt) weak D in a 26 -13 win . Valladay rushes for a 100+ for the Cowboys.
TICKETSMARTER BIRMINGHAM BOWL: Boston College vs #21 Cincinnati(AAC). I love Cincy in this onewith Michael Warren rushing for 125+ in  a 33-20 win.
FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL: Ohio(MAC) Nevada(MWC) Rourke by ground and air leads the Bobcats to a 27-23 win.
LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWL: Southern Mississippi(CUSA) Tulane(AAC)  He!! of a regional matchup being played in Fort Worth, TX. McMillan lifts the Green Wave to a 31 -29 win over USM
LENDINGTREE BOWL: ULL(Sunbelt) Miami (OH)(MAC) The Redhawks flying pattern is erratic so I'm banking on the the Cajuns QB, Levi Lewis to lead ULL to a 37 -20 win.
dec 30- Correct on WKU but just barely. The Hilltoppers  were given the final play after a five-yard defensive substitution penalty by WMU and made a FG with no time on the clock. Before that they made a FG with 1:36 on the clock. WKU 23 WMU 20
Jan 1- I was wrong on Navy who got a last second FG to beat KSt 20-17. Valladay did better than I guessed with 204 yards rushing and 2 TDS against GaSt. Freshman QB Levi Williams was a bit wild but was involved in four TDS. Props to Ellington , the Ga St QB, who accounted for 236 yards and two touchdowns despite playing with a torn right ACL. WYO 38 GA St 17

jan 3

I'm not sure why BC was there. Cincy dominated the entire game in a 38-6 win. 

jan 4

 They dumped fries on Ohio Coach Solich after the Potato Bowl win over Nevada and he ate one. LOL

jan 4 afternoon

On a roll lately as the bowl season winds down. Green Wave started slow but crested by the 3rd quarter.  J. McMillan(13-18, 215 YDS, 3 TD)had a great game for Tulane in the 31-13 win over USM

Jan 7

I went 6-1 in this bunch of games . Levi Lewis, ULL QB, tossed for 246 yards and 2TDs in a 27-17 win over Miami O.
Final O5 conference bowl standings. AAC(4-3) cusa(3-5), mac(3-4) MWC(4-3) SUNBELT(3-2)

March 30

 Not much news but I saw this: Georgia State lands Noel Ruiz, a grad transfer and FCS All-American kicker from NC A&T .

May 29, 2020

   Wyoming (MWC) will square off Sept.  25, 2021, at UConn. And this came about because of the Georgia/Clemson game announced earlier this year.  While I try to figure out why, I noticed that UConn has scheduled some big $$ future games, UNC, Michigan, and Ohio St, in its Independent future.

June 20, 2020

For you southern boys: Duke’s Mayo replaces Belk as a Bowl sponsor of the annual game in Charlotte which features an ACC team versus a team from either the Big Ten or SEC. Kentucky(SEC) beat Virginia Tech(ACC) 37-30 in the Belk Bowl on 12/31/19.

July 6, 2020

Here's the final payout for the MWC schools allowing Clemson & UGA to play in the "Kickoff" game. Clemson will pay Wyoming $1.1 million, and Georgia will cut San Jose State a $1.8 million check

O5 Title games 2019

AAC: Rematch of last week's game won 34-24 by Memphis. Coach Fickel will focus  on special teams to prevent another  Claybrooks KO return for  Memphis, but Memphis will eke out a narrower win 17-16 over Cincy.
CUSA: UAB at FAU UAB has shifted into a higher gear lately, but FAU hasn't lost since the Marshall game on Oct 18. FAU QB Robison will throw 2 TD passes in a 34 -22 win
MAC: Mami (OH) vs Central Michigan: Red hawks were flat in a 41-27 loss to Ball St while  the Chippewas rolled Toledo  49-7 last week.  Kobe Lewis will rush for 100 plus yards  in 28-23 CMU win over Miami O.
MWC: Hawaii at Boise St - Hawaii has a big time passing attack but Boise St will match it and  and win  30-20. I expected Highgtower, a Boise St WR, to have a big game.
Sunbelt:ULL at App St: Both teams have solid passing and rushing attacks . App St gets a pick six and wins a close one AppSt 20 ULL 19
Dec 4: On a side note: Mike Bobo parts ways with Colorado St (MWC)
Dec 6-More MWC news:  Tedford to step down at Fresno St. He was 22-6 in his first two years with a No. 18 finish in the final AP poll in 2018. He was 4-8 this season.
Dec 7: Coaching rumors :Kiffin from FAU to OL Miss. Norville from Memphis to Florida St . I just don't see how Kiffin merits an SEC gig.

Dec 8

Antonio Gibson came up big for Memphis, particularly in the game winning drive. His stat line for the game  130 yards rushing  and 1TD and 32 yards receiving and one TD . MEM 29 Cincy 24
Robison tossed 4 TD passes in for FAU in a 49-7 romp over UAB. 
Boise St D held Hawaii to ten points and got two TD passes from Jaylon Henderson in a 31-10 win
App St jumped out a big halftime lead and then hung on at the end. Levi Lewis tossed four TD passes for ULL during the comeback effort. App 45 ULL 38.
My sole incorrect pick was CMU, who couldn't overcome a solid Miami Ohio D in a 26-21 loss.

Dec 9

South Florida hires Clemson OC Jeff Scott as new head coach. Bobo, ex Colorado St HC,  is the new OC at S.Car. I'm stunned the App St HC got the Missouri gig, that's a huge leap.

dec 12

Taggart, ex FSU Hc, takes the FAU job.  Addazio, ex BC HC, takes Colorado St job  

april 28, 2020

   Troy (Sunbelt) and UAB(CUSA) , two schools in Alabama  separated by less than 140 miles., will play a home and home series later this decade.

June 12, 2020

CMU  (MAC) announced future matchups with Michigan St (B10) and this caught my attention:
Sparty  own an 8-3 advantage over the Chippewas.  The three wins for the CMU Chips came in 1991, 1992 and 2009.

AAC HOOPS 2019/20 predictions

Houston guard DeJon Jarreau leads a solid squad but that BYU loss stings
Memphis: Wiseman(suspended til January) but a successful return should keep the Tigers in the Dance picture. Quinones is a decent guard
Cincinnati has a new HC, John Brannen, and Jarron Cumberland is still a Bearcat
Temple-New HC  McKie inherits guard Quinton Rose and some other solid players
USF is led by guard Laquincy Rideau and is receiving a lot pre-season hype. I'll wait and see.
Wichita St needs a lot from Dexter Dennis early in the season
UConn-  Bouknight and Gilbert form a dynamic backcourt.
UCF is going to miss Tacko
Tulane -New HC Ron Hunter has a lot riding on incoming transfer KJ Lawson
Tulsa- DO or die time for Coach Haith
ECU- A lot rides on the JUCO transfers
SMU- Erratic team. Darius McNeil has the potential to be a solid lead guard

Nov 23

 I posted the blog in the morning and by nighttime Houston lost to Oregon . Cincy barely survived Illinois St. UConn lost to Xavier, a team they'll face more often when they return to the BigEast next season. And East Carolina blew out the same Evansville squad that beat Kentucky earlier this season. Also Coach Hunter, formerly of GA St, Tulane squad beat MTSU. Temple beat USC.

dec 28

 Fabian White Jr. and Caleb Mills scored 19 points each in Houston's (AAC) rally to a 75-71 win over No. 21 Washington(PAC12) in the  Diamond Head Classic. It could be an important part of the Cougars resume for March Madness

jan 4, 2020

Houston took care of business with a 78-63 win over UCF, but the WTH happened to Temple last night. They only scored 17 in the first half of  70-44 loss to Tulsa, who was led by
J. Horne( 23 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST)

jan 5

 Yesterday's results from the new SEC/AAC SCHEDULING Alliance of four games a season. Hammond had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Georgia in a surprise 65-62 win over Memphis. Wichita St crushed Ol Miss 74-54. Kendric Davis scored 24 points and Tyson Jolly added 21 for SMU in a 92-81 win over Vandy. On Dec 8 Houston beat South Carolina 76-56. AAC 3 SEC 1 this season

jan 12

AAC standings tighten with Tulsa's big 63-61 win over Houston. Coach Ron Hunter's move from Ga St of the  Sunbelt to Tulane and  has been erratic. In their last five games they've defeated Cincy and Temple but lost to Memphis, Uconn, and Towson(CAA).
Wichita St is the lone undefeated team in AAC play

Jan 16

Quinton Rose scored 19 points for Temple who handed Wichita St its first AAC loss this season.
Brandon Rachal scored 21 points for Tulsa in a 65-49 win over ECU. Houston beat SMU 71-62. wICHITA, tULSA, and Houston are tied at 3-1 with Cincy atop the AAC.

 jan 23

WTH to Memphis?  Jeriah Horne (21 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST)  led Tulsa to an 80-40 rout of Memphis.
Cumberland cousins helped Cincy beat Temple 89-82. SMU crushed ECU  84-64. Tulsa is in first place, ahalf game up on Cincy and Houston.

jan 29

Jarron Cumberland (28 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST)  led Cincy in a 65-43 pounding of SMU.

feb 2

 The Bearcats moved into a tie with Houston for second place in the AAC after coming back from fifteen point deficit to beat the Cougars 64-62. Both teams trail first place Tulsa who defeated Wichita St 54-51 thanks to a solid game from  Elijah Joiner (22 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST).

Feb 9

Cincy(8-3) lost an OT game to UConn while Houston(9-2) crushed Wichita St to take over first place.Tulsa(7-3) was upset by UCF.(4-7) was led by Darin Green Jr. (26 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST) .

feb 17 

Tre Scott (14 PTS, 12 REB, 1 AST) was key factor in Cincy's OT win over ECU and UConn put a damper on Memphis Dance hopes with a 64-61 win. Wichita St handled Tulane. SMU's upset of Houston on Saturday allowed Cincy to move into a tie for first.

 feb 20

Yes, the Cincy loss to UCF hurts them some, but SMU has to be off the bubble with a loss to cellar dweller Tulane.  Tulsa fell to third place with 76-43 loss to Houston. Memphis edged ECU.

feb 23

Memphis upset of Houston(11-4)  made the battle for first more interesting. Tulsa (10-4)   and Cincy 10-4) are .5 GB. Martins Igbanu scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds for Tulsa in its 79-57 blowout of SMU. Cincy plays Wichita St today

feb 29

How is it that Cincy is being considered  an out for the Dance. The AAC is a decent hoops conference and deserves a minimum of three Dance tickets. Cincy , Houston , and Tulsa are tied for first in the AAC at 11-4.

Week 13 O5 picks- division time

MACW has two idle teams  tied at 5-2( WMU and CMU)  so I'll roll with a MAC East game .  Miami O owns H2H tiebreakers with the rest of the East including Ohio who will  get back on the winning track against Bowling Green tonight 27-19 behind  another solid all-around game game from their QB  O'Rourke.
AAC: I'm not sold on Temple's two QB, Russo and Centeio, system and don't think they have enough O to stay with Cincy who lock up the East with a win.   Cincy 34 Temple 22
CUSA: Chris Reynolds, Charlotte's QB, has been putting up big numbers, but the herd D will find a way to keep them in the game and get Marshall to a narrow 24-23 road win and keep them on pace with FAU in the East.
MWC: Utah St moves in to tie with Boise for the Mountain with a win.  Home field and Jordan Love's arm will be the keys in a 44-43 shootout win over Boise St.
Sunbelt: Ark St trails ULL by a game in the Wesr , and Georgia Southern trails App St by a game in the East. Hatcher's a hot QB and he'll the Red Wolves to a 30-29 over  another solid QB- led team  GSU Eagles who will get big numbers from Werts.

Nov 20

 Wow,  Ohio 66 BG 24. O’Shaan Allison rushed for 175 yards which included touchdown runs of 54, 7 and 53 yards, Nathan Rourke accounted for four TDs, three passing, one rushing.
Nov 24
Saturday split leaves me 3-2 for the week
Well, Reynolds was the man and the #herd went limp in the second half . Char 24 MU 10
Less than I expected, and a blocked extra-point attempt turned into Cincinnati's decisive points in 15-13 win over TU.
I was way off Boise.  Holani (16 CAR, 178 YDS, 2 TD) led the way in the BSU 56-21 blowout of USU.
 Ark St 38 Ga SO 33- Huge Game from Hatcher

Layne Hatcher ARST 19-24, 354 YDS, 4 TD
Shai Werts GASO 18 CAR, 151 YDS, 1 TD

• Hey how about Butch Davis' Panthers beating Miami FL. FIU (CUSA) 30 The u 24

Week 6 heavy AAC and one MAC

OOC matchups are still filling the schedule,  but  there are some intriguing conference matchups so I'll detour to the AAC this weekend.
UCF travels to Cincy in an AAC East matchup. Knights nip the Bearcats at Nippert 24-23 behind a strong rushing attack led by McCrae and Killins. Ridder, the Cincy QB, will keep this a close game.
Evans and Johnson  will keep the Warhawks(Sunbelt) in the game for a half but Memphis behind the passing of Brady White will get the road win. Memphis 30 ULM 20.
Navy 's QB, Malcom Perry, is having a solid season, and he'll do enough for the Midshipmen to to prevail over the visiting AFA Falcons (MWC). Remsberg and Birdow are a nice one-two punch in the AFA rushing attack and will keep this game close.
In MAC play I look for NIU to recover from a tough OOC schedule and beat Ball St 26  to 19. May Bowers, the NIU QB, will out-perform his QB opponent , Drew Plitt.

oct 5

 I was close on the score but wrong on the winner. UCF QB Dillon Gabriel threw three INTs and the last one a Pick 6 by Ahmad Gardner cost them the game . CU 27 UCF 24

oct 6

I nailed the rest of the AAC games . Perry rushed for 111 yards and 2 td in the Navy 34-25 win over AFA. Kenneth Gainwell's last name fit (14 CAR ,209 yards, 2 TDs)for Memphis in it's 52-33 win over ULM.
I was close on the score but wrong on the victor in MAC game.  Caleb Huntley (35 CAR, 157 yards, 2TD) had a solid game for Ball St in a 27-20 win over NIU.

Week 3 Other5 OOC four Matchups

 Cincy Bearcats (AAC) will be fired up after the Buckeyes beat down  and will take it out on intrastate opponent Miami (OH) in a 333 16 victory. Brent Gabbert, the Redhawks QB will be passing the ball often.
CUSA is off to a rough start  so let's see if playing  Independent schools helps.
UTSA(cusa) hosts Army(IND) coming off an OT to Mich at Ann Arbor. Home field won't be enough for the Roadrunners who will derailed by Hopkins and the Cadets 30 -19.
Charlotte should get healthy against a UMass squad that lost SIU,a 1AA squad, last week. Benny Lemay will rush for 150 for Charlotte in a 27-20 win over the Minutemen.

South Alabama(Sunbelt) hung with Nebraska two weeks and beat a 1a opponent last week , but  the schedule gets tough again when they visit Memphis(AAC). USA will rely heavily on Minter rushing the ball , but the Memphis aerial show led by Brady White will prevail 34 -22

sept 15

Bearcats took their time getting in gear but  went onto a 35-14 win over MiamiO.
USM hung on to beat Troy  while Charlotte pummeled UMass, and Army handled UTSA.
Shoutout to #chrisReynolds tossing two TD passed for Charlotte.
In games I didn't pick. Easterm Michigan (MAC) upset Illinois(B10), and Marshall (CUSA) hung on to edge Ohio(MAC).

2019 AAC Football hunches

American Athletic East Division
UCF Knights - Coach Heupel has QB battle between Winbush, the ND transfer, and Darriel Mack.
Cincinnati Bearcat will be nipping at the Knights' heels led by 1k yards rusher Michael Warren.
South Florida Bulls-Big year for Taggart. Has he lost his touch?
Temple Owls will rely heavily on a solid D.
East Carolina Pirates: Rebuild continues
Connecticut Huskies- The Edsels are descending to AA.
West Division

Houston Cougars-Coach Holgorsen will have these guys scoring 40 plus points a game
Memphis Tigers will miss RB Darrel Henderson 
 SMU Mustangs- Dykes herd take a big step up. D appears solid.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane may not be so golden.
Tulane Green Wave D is decent but may not get them into the West race.
 Navy Midshipmen will slightly improve from a poor 2108 season
Aug 15:  #houston /OK game will be on in prime time Sunday Sept 1.
Aug 22:  UConn schedules home and home with BC for 2022/23 They've met 14 times previously. BC leads the series 12-0-2. The Eagles took the most recent meeting 39-16 in 2017.
Aug 24:  #Tulsa tailback Corey Taylor II thinks he and his teammates will rush for over 200 yards against Michigan St.. High hopes indeed!
Aug 28: Arkansas (SEC) will host Cincinnati(AAC) on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022 in Fayetteville, AR. It's a one game deal and the first football matchup between the schools. AAC needs more  games against P5 teams. 
Aug 30: Big  Bearcats win over UCLA (Pac12) : Mildly surprised Warren rushed for less than a hundred yards.  Tulane Green Wave buried FIU (CUSA) 42-14. McMillan tossed two TD passes and Dauphine rushed for two TDs.
Sept 2: Yes, I know OK is a good team but Holgorsen's team , as usual, lacks Defense. King , the Cougars QB, was their offense.

AAC 2018-19 HOOP Predictions

1. Houston: Corey Davis Jr-it's your time.
2. Cincinnati minus Clark but the Bearcats are still solid. #jarroncumberland 's time
3. Memphis- Coach Hardaway here we go !
4. UCF- Will Coach Dawkins finally get the Knights in gear
5. UConn- Hurley-time . Is #jalenadams another Kemba?
6. Wichita State- A bit of a shock as they need to replace eight players who played in 30 games last season
7. Tulsa- Coach Haith- where's the D?
8. Tulane- Can Coach Dunleavy summon up some D?
9. SMU- off to a shaky start
10. Temple- Rebounders please apply
11. East Carolina-  Freshmen Center Roci Quinton may help them climb out of the cellar.
12. South Florida- David Collins scored 21 in a narrow loss to Georgetown. Maybe there will a Bulls rush?

dec 9, 2018

#tulsa hung on last night for a 47-46 win over #16 KSt. Earlier in the week they beat OK St giving them a 2-0 week over the Big 12. Houston beat OkSt last night, but Oklahoma (B12) pounded Wichita St.

dec 21, 2018

#houston is 11-0. Last night they beat Utah St  (MWC) 60-50 in matchup that doesn't occur often. Cincy (9-2) will probably be the Cougars toughest foe when AAC  starts soon. Bearcats lost to Miss St then crushed UCLA this week.

jan 6, 2019

 Aubrey Dawkins scored  23 points to lead UCF over UConn. Curran Scott hit a trey as the buzzer sounded giving Tulsa a 78-75 victory over USF.  And, I had to read this one a few times, Obasohan's last-second block on Saturday helped #ecu hold off Cincy 73-71

jan 10, 2019

Some of my cellar picks are playing well.  #quintonrose (22 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST) led Temple over over Houston and USF beat Tulane.

Jan 17, 2019

Both head coaches got tossed in Tulsa's win over Uconn. Wichita St got by UCF for it's first AAC win . Houston and Temple  moved to 4-1 in AAC play with wins over respectively, SMU and ECU.

Jan 28, 2019

My pre-season top 3 are doing  ok. Cincy came back to beat Temple  while Houston beat Tulsa to keep them tied for first at 7-1. Memphis moved to 5-2 pounding UCF.

feb 3, 2019

Cincy moved to 8-1 in AAC play with a 73-68 win over SMU. #JarronCumberland scored 24 points for the victors.Temple (6-3) stay in contention with a 75-67 win over Tulane.

feb 8

Houston  beat  Memphis 69-64 and Cincy beat UCF(6-3) to remain tied for first at 9-1 in the AAC.  David Collins hit two  3-pointers in the final 72 seconds for USF in its win over SMU.

feb 11

Houston(10-1) held Cincy (9-2) to 33% FG shooting in  a 65-58 win. Aubrey Dawkins scored 26 points for Central Florida(7-3) in a 71-65 win over SMU. USF (7-4) beat ECU in OT.

feb 15

D. JARREAU (18 PTS, 3REB, 7 AST) led Houston to a win over UConn while Tulsa pounded Tulane. Top four teams get a rd1 bye in AACT.

Houston    11 1 .
Cincinnati    9 2
UCF 8 3
Temple 8 4
South Florida  7 5
Memphis  7 5
Wichita St. 5  6
Tulsa     5 7 .
Connecticut 4 8
SMU     4 8
East Carolina 2-10
Tulane     0 11 

feb 20 

Houston 12- 1 .Cincinnati 10- 2 UCF 9 3 Temple 9 4.My gut says the AAC IS ONLY GETTING THREE dance tickets and Houston and Cincy are in regardless of AACT results

FEB 24

UConn made a he!! of a late run at Cnncy but lost 64-60  and UCF pounded SMU 95-48. Meanwhile Memphis has moved up to bubble status for the Dance.
Houston    13 1 .Cincinnati    12 2 UCF 10-4 Temple 10 4 Memphis  9-6 South Florida  7-7

feb 28

Top three teams won. Cincy(13-2) barely survived SMU 52-49 while Houston(14-1) rolled over ECU 99-65. UCF(11-4) got 18 points from Fall in a 75-63 win over USF.

March 3

UCF (22-6, 12-4 American) moved a step closer to a dance ticket with a 69-64 win over # 8 Houston.  Collin Smith had a solid night for UCF: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST. # 24 Cincy beat Memphis(18-12, 10-7 American) 71-69.

March 8

BJ Taylor(22 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST) led UCF to a big 58-55 win over Cincy while Houston beat SMU. I think Temple , a winner over UConn, is still on the bubble while UCF earned a Dance ticket last night. Houston   15-2 .Cincinnati    14-3 UCF 13-4 Temple 12-5 

March 17

Memphis gave Houston a battle but fell while Cincy beat Wichita St setting up today's AACT title game. 
Temple remains on the bubble and UCF should get in the Dance.
March 17 evening
Great game from Cumberland in Cincy's stunner over HU. UCF got in and Temple plays Belmont in a play-in game

March 25

  #AAC has had a decent post-season. Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 and UCF was a tip-in away from beating Duke to make the 16. Cincy's rd1 loss was surprising and Temple's play-in loss to Belmont wasn't. Wichita St beat Clemson to make the final 8 of the NIT.
April 1: Depaul lost game 1 to USF 83-81 in the best of CBI final series three series.


Eli Cain DEP - G 19 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST


David Collins USF - G 23 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST


April 3: Wichita St lost to Lipscomb 71-64 in the NIT. D Dennis led the Shockers with 13 points


aPRIL 4: #depaul survived some sloppy play at the end of regulation to defeat USF 100-96 in OT. Paul Reed was big for the Blue Demons ( 28 PTS, 16 REB, 2 AST), usf (aac) PLAYS GAME 3 ON THE ROAD IN cHICAGO - Big move by Houston:  Kelvin Sampson  signed a 6yr, 18m contract extension to remain with the Cougars through the 2024-25 season. He  had been the primary candidate for the Arkansas job.
april 6  DePaul played sloppy ball in stretches and lost  77-65 at home to USF(AAC) in the final game of the 2019 CBI.  David Collins led the Bulls with 19 points.
 

april 10

 Here's some potential candidates to replace Cronin: Matt McMahon, Murray State head coach. Erik Martin, former Bearcat and assistant on Huggy's staff. Darren Savino, associate head coach for UC since 2010. John Brannen, Northern Kentucky University HC. And then there's Nick van Exel former Bearcat star and an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies (NBA).

april 15

Cincy didn't look to far to replace Cronin.  #JohnBrannen had been the Northern Kentucky HC for four seasons, leading the Norse to two NCAA Dances and two regular-season Horizon League titles over the past three seasons.

May 1

 SEC and AAC have agreed to a scheduling alliance in men's basketball beginning in the 2019-20 season.  Four schools from each conference will participate in two-year, home-and-home series,and no matchups have been scheduled yet. How about Houston/LSU ?
Aug 14- Follow-up on Kevin Ollie The arbitrator in the dispute between UConn and Kevin Ollie has ruled that the former basketball coach is protected by a union contract. UConn argument that Ollie’s personal contract superseded the union deal has been nixed and its case has become tougher.

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Week 12 O5 impact games

AAC:  Cincy will find a way to slow down McKenzie and win on the road at UCF.  I expect  another big rushing game from the Bearcats Michael Warren II. Half expecting the Green Wave of  Tulane to upset Houston and move into first in  AACW- I couldn't resist  two hunches .
CUSA: A lot of  non-conference games this week so I'll go with J'Mar Smith to toss a few TD passes for La Tech at USM
MAC: #niu  D will hold off  the hard to gauge Ragland bunch from Miami (Ohio) in a low scorer.
MWC:  It's now or never for the erratic SDST  Aztecs who won't win at Fresno.  Look for  McMaryion to step up his play a and toss a few TDs for fresno.
Sunbelt:  Caleb Evans and the ULM Warhawks will  win a nailbiter at Ark St and increase their lead in West.

Nov 15, 2018

Those erratic Redhawks proved me wrong with its D getting a pick 6 in 13-7 win over NIU . NIU retained a two game lead in the West, thanks to the WMU loss to Ball St.  Ohio blew out East leader Buffalo and is tied with Miami O for second in the East.

Nov 16

Tulane hung with Houston for one quarter then the Cougars  cut down the Green Wave for a 48-17 win. Another wrong pick.  On a side note NTX edged FAU 41-38  in CUSA play.

Nov 17

Memphis (4-3) beat #smu and has a shot at the West  as it faces Houston (5-2) next week. Yep, that's an obvious choice for next week's blog

Nov 18

Really thought Cincy would do better than losing to UCF 38-13. Fresno D blanked the Aztecs in the second half of a 23-14 win (my only correct picks). And I was wrong on #usm again. #stevenanderson rushed for a late USM TD in their 21-20 win over La Tech.

O5 in Ohio 9/22/18

The Tulane (AAC)  Green Wave  will recede quickly in Columbus  to the  Bucknuts who will have the reserves in by the 4th quarter. Ohio St 51 TUL 16
Ohio (MAC) barely beat Howard (1AA) and got smacked by UVA so I see them falling at Cincy (AAC) 34 -17.
It's now or never for Miami (Ohio ) HC Chuck Martin in a MAC matchup at Bowling Green, Ohio. MO will  remain winless and not contain  Doege who will toss a few TD passes to his fellow BG Falcons in 28-20 victory.
#nevada (MWC) visit #toledo (MAC) at the Glass Bowl in an aerial contest between NEV QB
T. Gangi 55-100, 753 YDS, 6 TD, 4 INT and TOL QB M. Guadagni 24-37, 487 YDS, 5 TD, 1 INT.
Nev 34 TOL 33
Sept 23: Yes, I under-estimated most of the MAC teams yesterday,particulary Toledo  who rode 6TDs, four passing, two rushing passes from Mitchell Guadagni  to a 63-44 win over Nevada. Ohio had Cincy on the ropes until late in the 4th Q in a 34-30 loss. 
Ragland tossed two TDS and ran one one in a MO's  38 -23 conference win over BG.
Tulane scores its six points in the 2nd Q in a 49-6 loss to Ohio St