Rare P4 blog 9/9/26

 I like the regional  old time matchups. First time in 20 years  KU hosts the Border War on its home field.  Mizzou leads the series: 58–54–9 

Both Missouri and Kansas won their openers over 1AA teams.

Simmons will lead the Tigers  to a 28-27 win

Iowa will ride Moulton's rushing  production to a win 24-17 win over Iowa St @ Ames IA and win the Cy-Hawk trophy

Iowa leads the series 47-25

Sept 12, 2026

Mizzou got off to a slow start but got in the gear by the 2Q. A. Simmons

QB 292YDS 3TD for the Tigers   in a 38-21 win.

Drinkwitz, the Tigers HC, didn't like the Heroes  & Villians video  that KU made.

Sept 13, 2026

Buhr kicked two FGs  for Iowa in the 4Q to beat Iowa St 16-13.   Jimmy Rodgers , who left Wazoo to replace Matt Campbell, had the Cyclones D in high gear for a rugged matchup.

Campbell took the Penn St job.

Sept 15, 2026

UVA(ACC) vs West Virginia(Big 12) on 9/19, 2026, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC . UVA leads the series 12–10–1. First matchup was in 1898.

MD/VA from their ACC days  is more of a border War.

Hawkins, the WV QB, leads the team in rushing.  Pribula, the Cavs QB, has tossed 5 TD passes.

My gut says WV 24 UVA 23.

Sept 17, 2026

Big cross state game that's not quite a border war, but there's some old time ACC history of  uppity UNC of the Tobacco Road 4  playing Clemson. Plus you have Belichick vs Dabo.

I know its more serious in hoops history.

 NCST, WF, & Duke are the other 3 Tobacco Road teams

Sept 20, 2026

Wrong on the Terps, correct on WVU

Terps' D collapsed the passing  O was fine, in a loss to VT

Hawkins tossed 5TDs for WVU  in a 38-27 win over UVA

UNC D collapsed late in a loss to Clemson, and NCST fumbled in its own end zone late to lose to Vandy.

Sept 29, 2026

Bama /Miss St, two 4-0 teams play this Saturday. Bothwell has 402 yards rushing this season for the Bulldogs.

 It got me thinking about Jackie Sherill's 8-0 team in 1999 before Bama then Arkansas beat them. They tied with Bama for the the SEC West and finished 13th in the AP poll after a Peach Bowl win over Clemson.

FLA(Spurrier) beat Bama(Mike Dubose) in the SEC title game.

Oct 11, 2026

Wow Sooners D kept them in the game with TX, and Avant and the Sooners O woke up late for a 27-24 win

Houston is 5-1 with its only loss to Texas Tech . Weigman to Overmyer(TE) is a nice  Cougars combination that was fantastic in the win over K St yesterday.

Oct 12, 2026

Sunflower Showdown this weekend. Kansas State has won 17 years straight(2009-25). Both teams are 0-2 in the Big 12. My guess:  KU 27 KSt 24 at  Bill Snyder Stadium. Perhaps N. McMillan, KU WR, will make some big receptions.

Oct 17, 2026

Jayhawks hung with KST until midway in the 4Q then ran out of gas. KST KU 24

KU D couldn't stop  J. Jackson 27 CAR 159 YDS, 1 TD 

In a bit of a regional rivalry  Rich Rod 's O outlasted Cincy 45-42

October 25, 2026

Weigman was just ok in Houston's loss to Utah, BYU fell in OT to UCF, & Cincy took care of TT,

In a wild, not pretty game , KU beat Baylor.

Neon's Buffaloes are the only B12 team winless in conference play. WV and both Zonas won

Oct 26, 2026

Cincy plays Utah this week. Satterfield needed that big win over TT.

Rest of O5 bowl picks

 I continue to circle the drain with Bowl Mania picks and am as bad with O5 as with Power 5 picks but here goes.

Iowa State(Big 12) vs. Memphis(AAC) | Liberty Bowl |  Memphis has decent offense, but it may not excel against the Cyclones . ISU 27 MEM 17

No. 23 Liberty(CUSA) vs. No. 8 Oregon(PAC12) | Fiesta Bowl |  Flames will stay it in for three quarters until they flicker out. and can't contain Bo Nix.  Quentin Cooley may reach 100 yards rushing for LU. Oregon 41 LU 27

Wyoming(MWC) vs. Toledo(MAC) | Arizona Bowl |  Cowboys have been erratic. I'll ride with the Rockets. Toledo 31 WYO 24 

Dec 30 2023

Wrong on this one. Iowa St never recovered from going down 19-0 early and lost to Memphis 36-26. 

Both QBs put on a show. MEM S. Henigan 24-34, 364 YDS, 4 TD,

ISU: R. Becht 22-38, 446 YDS, 3 TD

Dec 31,2023

Well, I picked Toledo, but nice way for Bohl, the Wyoming HC, to retire. Glad CW televised it. No time on the clock as the Cowboys hit the game winning FG fora 16-15 win.

Jan 2, 2023

No surprise Oregon rolled LU yesterday. They kept it close in the first half. I t was cool to hear the story of a Flames' lineman who worked hard to rehab from an injury and play in the game. One of the announcers voiced surprise that the kid chose to use his eligibility to play. The other announcer reminded him- it's an NY6 game. I've searched and can't find his name.

Jan 9, 2024

Frank Solich Named to College Football Hall of Fame. Props to him.

22 seasons as a head coach, record of 173-101. 58-19 record in six seasons as Nebraska's head coach from 1998 to 2003. 115 wins as the head coach at Ohio University(MAC).

April 19, 2024

Scouts watched some MAC games. These two getting some notice for rd1 or 2: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo, Marshawn Kneeland Edge W Michigan

rd3 possibles: Malachi Corley WKU WR, Michael Pratt Tulane QB, Luke McCaffrey Rice WR

Javon Solomon, EDGE, Troy (6-1, 246) may sneak into rd3 of NFL draft.

April 25, 2024

Maybe my Saints reach for X'ZAUVEA GADLIN OT from Liberty U in rd6 or 7.

April 26, 2024

At least Philly scouts watched more than P5 games. 22.Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo(MAC)

Luke McCaffrey(Rice-AAC) WR goes to Skins to end rd3. No surprises for non P5 kids.

Corley went to the Jets. Kneeland to the Cowboys . And a Yale kid went to the Chicago Bears: Kiran Amegadjie, OT.

April 28, 2024

#herd:  Ravens got RB Ali in rd5, and Colts got Micah Abraham, CB in rd6. Tyrice Knight, LB, UTEP rd5 to Seattle. Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane went to Packers in rd7.

April 30, 2024

UDFA QB signings: Reed (WKU) to Bears. SJSU Chevan Cordeiro to Seahawks. UTEP QB Gavin Hardison to Dolphins. Troy QB Gunnar Watson to Bills.

I see Rocky Lombardi, NIU signed with the Bengals. He was a Sparty starting QB. Also, Bengals signed Tulane CB Lane Robinson. 

Jax signed UTSA WR Joshua Cephus, first team all Conference-American. Surprised he went undrafted.

June 16, 2024

Broncos RB Blake Watson, a UDFA RB from Memphis U, could win the "Kamara" role in  Sean Payton’s offense.

Not sure why Colorado State(MWC) TE Dallin Holker wasn't drafted, but my Saints are glad to have him  in camp.

 Buccaneers are pleased with UDFA CB, Tyrek Funderburk (Appalachian State)

Aug 2, 2024

CB Reddy Steward ,a UDFA from Troy U, has a good shot of making the Chicago Bears final roster.

Vegas to Diamondhead- those players' first names

I was scanning the 12/23/18 scores of the smaller hoop conferences  and the names JoJo, Fatts, Amauri, Zigmars, and Lamine  leapt off the page.
Jo Jo Zamora scored 28  for N.Mex St  (WAC) in a win over Wash St (Pac12). Of course, I remember Jo Jo White, of Kansas then the Celtics.
Fatts Russell scored 20 for Rhode Island (A10) in a win over Charlotte (CUSA).
Amauri Hardy scored 22  for UNLV (MWC) in its loss to Indiana St(MVC)

Zigmars Raimo (14 PTS, 17 REB, 3 AST) in Hawaii's (Big West) win over Colorado (pac 12) 

Lamine Diane (24 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST ) for CSU Northridge (Big West) in a narrow win over Rider(MAAC)

April 20

Making the transition to  college baseball players' interesting first names.

Alsander Womack

Norfolk St. batting

.463.

Easton Walker has a .82 ERA for BYU.

 Adley Rutschman batting  .420 for Oregon St.  Equon Smith has 32 SB for Jackson St.
Andru Summerall (FAU) scored 29 runs

may 7, 2019

I guess this first name isn't too rare.  #davonJones, a BC  RUNNING BACK grad transfer, will be reunited with former Boston College assistant coach Scot Loeffler, who is now the head coach of Bowling Green (MAC).

may 26,2019

 The spelling of  #CodiePaiva,  Loyola Marymount pitcher (7-5, 1.71 ERA), first name is different. BTW, LMU won the WCC tournament.

june 19

Try learning how to spell this first name as a kid:  Kent St defensive back #QwuantrezzKnight will appeal the NCAA's denial of his waiver request for immediate eligibility, which he says is based on depression he developed while playing at MD.

July 13

 #Tyree Appleby 's name has some commercial potential ,  but he was the Cleveland St (Horizon) best basketball player, and his transfer request may have played a role in yesterday's dismissal of head coach #DennisFelton and his staff in the middle of the only July live period. Felton's resume includes HC stints at #wku and #uga .

aug 20

 Wisconsin football reinstates WR Quintez Cephus after being acquitted on two counts of sexual assault.
 aug 26:  Cephus is practicing and listed behind Pryor on the WR depth chart.
sept 2: Cephus had three catches for 39 yards in a Wisky blowout  49-0 win over USF . Bigger question is USF HC Charley Strong  headed for the exit?
sept 24:  Healthy Houston QB D’Eriq King is going to use the red shirt rule to eventually grad transfer elsewhere in 2020.  Self absorption reaches a new high

May 3 , 2020 

I omitted #pookawilliams, RB for Kansas, in my list. He'll be back for his junior year this season.  He's first Kansas U football player since Gale Sayers in 1963 to reach 2,000 career rushing yards in his first two seasons. BTW, Kansas is renewing a Big 8/ big 12 border war in 2025 with Missouri who left for the SEC in 2011.

August 18, 2020

Jahmi'us Ramsey, a Texas Tech freshman hoopster is expected to be a rd1 pick in the NBA draft. The spelling of his name has me wondering if the clerk hit the ' in error while typing his birth certificate.

Jan 10, 2021

Sometimes checking out these rare first names keeps me in the loop. I caught some action on the Red Zone and noticed that #QuintezCephus saw a lot of action in final four games for the Detroit Lions.

May 8, 2021

#JakubDombek and his Hartford U teammates can't be happy with this. Their reward for winning  the school's first America East championship and first Dance ticket is to learn its dropping all sports  from Division I to Division III. Consultants claim the move will save 9M.

May 9, 2021

Cashius McNeilly, a Texas A&M point guard and a native of Scarborough, Ontario , transferred  to TCU . Maybe he'll change the spelling to $$$$ius to take advantage of  the coming laws that allow college athletes to make money from their name, image, and likeness rights.

May 11, 2021

BTW, Pooka Williams was signed as a FA by the Bengals 

May 27, 2021

"It's the lack of respect for the area that bothers me," Hartford U hoops Coach Gallagher said. "It's the '(Hartford) Whalers Syndrome.'

Aug 9, 2022

Checking back in! Pooka Williams, spent most of last season on the Bengals training squad and played one game in December at kick returner. He's been a returner during 2022 Bengals training camp.

Sept 9, 2022

Some tough games to pick among teams with a long matchup histories took me another odd first name. Jirehl Brock, RB for Iowa St. Iowa/Iowa St and Kansas St /Missouri are some tough games to predict this weekend.

Dec 29, 2022

Jalon Daniels was back for the Jayhawks who nearly completed a huge comeback against Arkansas but fell 55-53 in OT. Texas Tech spanked Ol Miss last night. I was hoping for a 2-0 Big 12 night.

Circling back to the original blog topic, I noticed Pooka Williams only lasted a season with the Bengals and is now in the XFL.

Sept 16, 2025

I grew up a Terps fan but always looked to see if an SWC game was on national TV. This week two former SWC schools matchup. SMU(ACC) @ TCU(Big 12)

I bet the TCU kicker, Nate McCashland , hears comments on his last name. @Robert Ash

Iron Skillet is on.

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