O5 Bowl Games Saturday Dec 23

Arkansas State Red Wolves(SBC) vs Northern Illinois Huskies(MAC) Can you say erratic.? Ark St 28 NIU 27

Troy(SBC) vs Duke (ACC) Both teams head coaches have moved on. I'll take Troy in a 24-23 upset.

 Georgia St(SBC) vs Utah St(MWC). Georgis St hasn't won since October and that won't change. Utah St 23 GAST 16

James Madison(SBC) vs Air Force(MWC) McCloud, the JMU QB, will play despite entering the transfer portal. .JMU 30 AFA 22

South Alabama(SBC) vs Eastern Michigan(MAC). EMU doesn't have enough O. South Bama 20 EMU 13

Coastal Carolina(SBC) vs San Jose State(MWC). Ok, I'll ride with Cordero and the hot SJST Spartans

Dec 24, 2023 

1-5 yesterday.  South Bama pummeled EMU 59-10J. Pritchett WR - USA 8REC 127YDS 2TD

Now for my incorrect picks: Duke stymied Troy's O. NIU kicker scored a TD. 

F. Brock RB - GAST 24CAR 276YDS 1TD

E. Michel FB - AFA 35CAR 203YDS 2TD

Vasko tossed 3 TD passes for CCU.

Feb 15, 2024

Georgia State postponed the rest of its spring practices and its spring game on March 7. Panthers started spring practice on Tuesday Feb 13,  two days before coach Shawn Elliott stepped down to become an assistant at South Carolina. Flip side of the NIL portal!

Feb 24. 2024

Dell McGee  is the new G ST HC 

Auburn (2013) Analyst

Georgia Southern (2014) RB coach

Georgia Southern (2015)

Assistant HC & RB coach

Georgia Southern (2015)

Interim head coach

Georgia (2016–2018)

Assistant HC & running backs coach

Georgia (2019–2023)

Run game coordinator & RB coach

Georgia State (2024)Head coach

Week 9 in the O5

 MWC: Is UNLV for real? Yes, I'll take Maiava to lead the Rebels to a 30-24 win over Keene and Fresno St.

MAC: Intrastate battle! E.Michigan needs this to stay in the MACW race to remain in the hunt. Lots of field goals. EMU 19 WMU 15

Sunbelt: More intrastate action, this time in VA. James Madison holds off a pesky ODU squad 27 -21. McCloud gets it done for the Dukes.

AAC: I remained intrigued by Coach "Biff" Poggi and his Charlotte squad will pull out another squeaker, They beat ECU 10-7 last Saturday. This week CHAR 17 FAU 13.

Oct 28, 2023

Very wrong on Charlotte: FAU 38 CHAR 16. Coach Tom Herman has FAU at 3-1 in AAC play.

Oct 29, 2023

Well the Rebels were restrained 31-24. Keane tossed 3 of his 4 TD passed in the 3Q for the Bulldogs. Maiva threw 2 td passes and 2 INTs for UNLV.

I was also wrong the MAC game WMU 45 EMU 21. J. Buckley (RB - WMU)25CAR 138YDS 2TD

J. Jackson (RB - EMU) 9REC 111YDS 1TD

And finally, my only correct pick. JMU 30 ODU 27.  J. McCloud(QB - JMU) 340YDS 3TD 2INT. Elsewhere in the Sunbelt Troy handled TX ST. Appy outscored USM 34-14 in the second half for a 48-38 win.

In AAC action Tulane made their fans sweat but survived Rice 30-28

Oct 31, 2023

Ok, Maction Tuesday returns tonight. NIU is riding three game winning streak. I'll take them to beat CMU 27-17 tonight. Lombardi will toss a td pass for the victors.

Wrong again: NIU was lackluster for nearly 3 quarters, but the O comeback led by Lombardi wasn't enough. CMU 37 NIU 31

Week 7 in the O5

 Tuesday and Wednesday football started earlier this season, but I don't get to my weekly blog until Thursday so no CUSA games left to pick.

AAC:  Big respect for Tulane but can't go against Henigan and the Tigers at home. MEM 31 TUL 30.

UAB and UTSA are coming off much needed wins. Zeno will return to his birthplace San Antonio Saturday and toss two TD passes for the Blazers. UAB 30 UTSA 27

MWC: Both teams are coming off blowout losses. SDST to AFA and Hawaii to UNLV. Aztecs steal one on the road with Mayden tossing a TD pass. SDST 22 Hawaii 20

MAC: Brown has a good game running the ball for NIU, but home field won't be enough. Ohio 24 NIU 20

SunBelt: Brin has some big passing stats and will lead the GA Southern to a huge road win in Harrisonburg. GA S: 27 JMU 24

Oct 14, 2023

M. Hughes RB - TULN 26 CAR130YDS 1TD, and the Green Wave D shut down Memphis in the 4Q for a 31-21 win.  I'm 0-1 to start the week.

Oct 15, 2023

Let's see if I got any right yesterday. Just one!

 Terribly wrong on GA SO who were pummeled by JMU. UAB didn't do much better against UTSA. Ohio lost to NIU. 

However, I was right on San Diego St who beat Hawaii 41-34. Lucky Sutton ran for 2 TDs, and McCuin added pick-6 to help for the Aztecs. In other MWC news. Colorado St beat Boise St as the clock expired. UNLV (5-1 2-0 MWC) pounded Nevada and is a team to keep your eyes on.

I thought the #herd were coming back when Ali scored on a long pass play to end the 3Q to narrow its deficit to 27-24, but GAST outscored them 14-0 in the 4Q.

Oct 17, 2023

I'll toss in a Tuesday game here.  Rich Rod's Jax St squad ekes out a 24-23 win over WKU tonight. Players to watch: A. Reed QB - WKU 1665 YDS 14 TD 3INT

RUSH: M. Jackson RB - JVST 104CAR 578YDS 4TD

Well, it was Z. Webb QB - JVST (28CAR 146YDS 1TD) who was a big factor in a close game, JAX 20 WKU 17.  

Liberty beat MTSU and South Bama demolished USM.

Week 10 early MAC slate

 It's November so we have Tuesday and Wednesday games.

Buffalo(5-3 4-0 MAC) got off to a rough OOC start but has feasted in MAC play. and will get a narrow road win at Ohio(5-3 3-1 MAC). Cole Snyder is on a roll for the Bulls, and I'm not overlooking Rourke'

s season for the Bobcats. Buff 31 Ohio 30

• Ball State(4-4 2-2 MAC) gets back to winning at Kent State(3-5 2-2 MAC). Paddock tosses 2 tds for the 
• Cards in a win. Ball St 24 Kent 17

Central Michigan(2-6 1-3 MAC) at Northern Illinois(2-6 1-3 MAC). NIU 17 CMU 16. Whoever has the ball last wins

Western Michigan (3-5 2-2 MAC) at Bowling Green(4-4 3-1 MAC) Jaison Patterson, a big RB from Jacksonville, FLA has been getting into gear for BG. BG 27 WMU 19

Nov 2, 2022

Tuesday split: Wrong on Buffalo who lost to Ohio 45-24, but Ball St roared back from a 13-0 first quarter deficit to beat Kent St 27-20. Carson Steele rushed for 192 yards and a TD, and Paddock tossed 2 Tds for the Cards in the victory 

Nov 3, 2022

Wednesday split: Wrong on NIU who didn't score until the second half. WMU 35 NIU 22

Bowling Green won a low-scoring game. BG 13 WMU 9. The Falcons move into a 3-way tie for first in the East with Buffalo and Ohio

Ball St trails Toledo by a game in the West.

Nov 8, 2022

Week 11 and full slate of early games has me scrambling. I under-valued Ohio last week but not this week. Rourke will toss two TD passes for Ohio in a 28 -20 win over Miami(Ohio)

Nov 9

Rourke tossed 3 TD passes in Ohio's 37-21 win so I got that one. In other news, Toledo got a big 28-21 win over Ball St, despite Steele rushing for 198 yards and 3 TDs for the Cards.

Nov 11, 2022

Ohio has a one game lead over Buffalo and Bowling Green in the East,while Toledo has a two game lead over three teams.

Hovering over Chi-town area college hoops

 Impotent Evansville scored 12 +19 in an 82-31 MVC loss at Loyola of Chicago. L of C is tied with NIU for the MVC lead and I'm sure they'd like another MVC title before they join the Atlantic 10 next season. SIu rolled Illinois St 90-69 in other MVC action.

Earlier blog on Chicago hoops: https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2021/02/chicago-hoops-weak-depaul-and-more.html

Feb 25, 2022

Zion Griffin had 21 points as UIC turned back Green Bay 81-77 in Horizon action , and Clev St fell to Detroit Mercy, which used to be the U of Detroit when Spencer Haywood and Dick Vitale were there. 

Feb 27, 2022

NIU outscored LoC 15-9 in OT for a 102-96 win and the MVC regular season title.

Feb 28, 2022

Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 39 points as DePaul(14-14, 5-13 Big East) turned back St. John's 99-94  while UConn kept GTown winless in the Big East. 

March 2, 2022

 Kevin Johnson scored 21 points for UIC in an 80-69 win over Milwaukee in the first round of the Horizon League Tourney. Flames won their final three regular season games in the Horizon and could be a spoiler.

March 3, 2022

That Liberty kid went off again for DePaul again last night in a win over Marquette. If they beat UConn, a loser to Creighton last night, on Saturday, you can expect the Blue Demons(15-14, 6-13) to upset someone in the Big East T.

Chicago St(WAC) follows up its upset of NMST with a 62-53 loss to Cal Baptist in conference play.

MARCH 4, 2022

UIC lost to Purdue- Fort Wayne in the HorizonT

Ill St beat Indiana St to advance in the MVCT

March 5, 2022

MVCT: Loyola of Chicago cruised by Bradley so we may see the nuns in the stands at Dance again. Ill St lost to UNI and SIU lost to Drake.

LoC faces UNI, and Drake faces Missouri State today.

March 6, 2022

DePaul gave UConn a tough game but could not stop Sanogo (26 PTS 11 REB 1 AST) under the basket.. UConn 75 DEP 68

Lookout for the nuns : Loyola of Chicago handled UNI easily and will face Drake in the MVCT final.

March 8, 2022

 WAC tournament tips of at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, NV.  B. Betson(14.3 ppg)  and his Chicago St(7-24, 3-15) teammates face UVU in what  may be one of its last one WACT s as they look for a conference closer to Chicago.

Wright State(20-13, 15-7) faces Northern Kentucky(20-11, 14-6) in the HorizonT final

March 20, 2022

Wright St won the play in game over Bryant and gave Arizona a hard time in the first half before  getting rolled.

Loyola of Chicago lost to Ohio St.

Illinois played a ragged game and was lucky to survive Tenn-Chattanooga

In the NIT, UNI got rolled by BYU

Sean Miller escaped the mess in Arizona and reportedly turned down South Carolina to return to Xavier(Big East)

March 21, 2022.

Houston rolled Illinois, who looked ragged.

Missouri is reportedly close to hiring Dennis Gates of Cleveland State(Horizon). He's had some solid seasons but not awesome for a smaller conference.

March 22, 2022

Ryan Pedon , ex Ohio State assistant coach, who was the No. 2 pick for the Cincinnati job a year ago, is the new Illinois State HC. I didn't recall him being that close to Cincy job last off-season.

May 23, 2022

After stumbling at Georgia, Tom Crean could be headed back to the state of Indiana. Evansville has him on its list. He compiled a 190–66 record at Marquette (.664) and 166–135 record at Indiana (.551). 

July 9, 2022

Chicago St remains in limbo since leaving the WAC. It won't survive in 1A hoops as an Independent.

Crean didn't get the Evansville gig. David Ragland joins Evansville following a 1-year stint as an assistant coach at Butler University.

O5 bowl games Dec 17, 2021-more HC hires

 Bahamas Bowl: Middle Tennessee(CUSA) vs. Toledo(MAC). I'm surprised both teams made a bowl game , but the young fellas get a trip to Bahamas. Koback rushed for 1274 yards and 15 TDs and he'll continue to be a beast in a 24-17 Toledo win over MTSU.

Cure Bowl: Northern Illinois(MAC) vs. Coastal Carolina(SunBelt). I've been down on NIU and up on CCU often this season and got burned. Into the fire again.  CCU 28 NIU 27. McCall's arm over NIU's rushing attack.

O5 Coaching hires

Colorado State: Jay Norvell moves from Nevada to another MWC team. I guess this is about $$$

FIU: Mike MacIntyre: He's had a few HC gigs, but last season's stint as Memphis DC wasn't inspiring.

Fresno State: Jeff Tedford returns after a few years away.

ULL: Michael Desormeaux gets a promotion from OC to replace Napier.

Temple:  Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton becomes HC at the Philly school. Lotsa luck!

Dec 18, 2021

I split on the games. Koback had a great day rushing for Toledo, but MTSU had an answer each time in a 31-24 win.

McCall made adjustments on the fly and CCU's D made plays in key moments ,and hung on to a 47-41 win with NIU near the goal line but out of time.

Nevada(MWC) hired Ken Wilson (Oregon ILB coach). His assistant coaching history includes a long stint under Doug Ault at Nevada.

Jan 29, 2022

Buffalo U HC Linguist needed help quickly so he hired Florida's Greg Knox who finished up as Gators HC after Mullen was fired.  He also hired. Texas A&M's Brandon Bailey to the Bulls' staff.

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.

Mackin Tuesday in week 11

 Ok, I didn't guess on a MAC game last week and haven't reviewed any of its Tuesday and Wednesday games in weeks.

Miami(Ohio) needs this game to stay with a game of Kent St in the East. The focus will have to be on D after suffering a 35-33 defeat to Ohio in the Battle of the Bricks last week. RedHawks will keep McDuffie under 100 yards rushing.  M(O) 19 Buff 17.

Was Ohio's win last week  the spark they needed? It won't be enough this week against Ben Bryant's passing .He's thrown for 2190 YDS and 13 TDs.  EMU 30 Ohio 20

Akron fired its HC Arth . Look for WMU's rushing attack led by Tyler to have a big game . WMU 26 Akron 13.

Nov 10, 2021

Well 2 out of 3. I was wrong on EMU . Ohio jumped out to an early lead and got a 34-26 win.

Akron gave WMU a late scare with a huge second half but the Broncos rallied late. Sean Tyler WMU(16 CAR, 147 YDS, 1 TD) had another huge game.

Brett Gabbert M-OH(21-28, 351 YDS, 4 TD ) was the dude in 45-18 win over Buffalo.  I 'll be back tomorrow with a blog on the rest of the O5.

Nov 11, 2021

Wednesday night  review :   Rocky Lombardi and NIU  edged Ball  St 30-29 on a last second FG and moved to 5-1 in the MAC to stay one game ahead of  CMU in the MACW.                                      Rocky Lombardi NIU 23-38, 264 YDS, 1 TD

Jay Ducker NIU         24 CAR, 155 YDS, 1 TD                                                                               Toledo blew out Bowling Green and CMU beat Kent State.

Nov 16, 2021

Miami (Ohio) has a chance to win the MAC East in a crazy season which includes narrow conference losses to EMU and Ohio. I'll stay on the Gabbert train and take M(O) to beat Bowling Green  33-30 tonight in week 12. BTW, BG beat Minnesota(B10) while Miami (Ohio)lost to the Gophers in September.

Nov 17, 2021

 I was close on the MO total and am surprised the Falcons could only score one TD . MO 34 BG 7. This kid,  Jack Sorenson, M-OH(4 REC, 111 YDS, 1 TD) has had a lot of big games in 2022).

Nov 18, 2021

NIU needed OT to escape with a W over Buffalo.

O5 Conference play in week 8

 A late start this week spared me from picking Coastal Carolina, who was upset 30-27 in SunBelt play   last night by App St.. Appy made some corrections after being crushed by ULL last week.

Sunbelt: So, I'll roll with ULL  to remain undefeated in conference play with a 34 -20 win over Ark St.

MAC:  Jay Ducker won't repeat  go for 210 yards like he did last week for NIU but he'll get over a 100 to keep NIU undefeated in MAC play. NIU 26 CMU 23

MWC: The undefeated SDST Aztecs are coming off a shaky win over SJST and should slow down Air Force RB Brad Roberts enough for a 20-16 win.

CUSA: C. Reynolds,  who has passed for 1314 YDS and 15 TD, will lead Charlotte a 34 29 win over FAU.

AAC: The "Tuned" up Cougars will handle the  Pirates this week.  HOU 37 ECU 31 Clayton Tune will toss a few TD passes for Houston.

Oct 22, 2021

Off to a rocky start 1-1. Charlotte was outplayed by FAU who was too fast for them everywhere  in a 38-9 win. I was right on ULL but it took a he!! of a rushing performance from these two Cajuns: C. Smith 24 carries 238yards 2 TDs . M. Johnson 17 carries 150 yards 2 TDs. ULL 28 Ark St 27

Oct 24, 2021

I finished 4-1. NIU get a last minute FG to get by CMU  39-38. Houston need a defensive TO to survive ECU 31-24 in OT. SDST held off AFA 20-14.

MACkin into 2020 hoops

Coach Groce rode his success with Ohio to a B10 job at Illinois which didn't go well ,and now it appears he has #Akron on the rise. #XeriusWilliams scored 23 to lead Akron(13-3, 3-0) past Ball St(9-7,2-1). 75-60 just when I thought the Cards were playing well. Akron's OOC losses were close ones to Louisville, West Virginia, and by 13 to Liberty. Kent St(12-3,2-0) and Central Michigan(9-6,2-0) are the other MAC teams undefeated  in conference play. 
Buffalo(10-6, 1-2 )  beat Miami (OH)(7-9, 0-3 ) 83-78 for its first MAC win this season.

Jayvon Graves BUFF (25 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST) . Dalonte Brown M-OH (18 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST)

jan 19

 Marreon Jackson hit seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 36 points for Toledo in a 99-89 win over Akron(4-1), which is the Zips first MAC loss. Bowling Green(4-1) nipped NIU 66-64 to  move into a tie with Akron atop the MAC East
  Ball State(4-1) used balanced scoring in its defeat of Miami (Ohio) 71-62 to remain atop the MACW.

Jan 25

 #DannyPippen had 20 points for Kent State(4-3) in a 70-66 win over Buffalo(4-3) which ended their three game losing streak . Akron and Bowling Green  sit atop the East with 5-1 records while Ball St(4-1) leads the West.

Jan 29

  Gabe Grant's blocked a shot with ten seconds to go  to preserve  Buffalo(5-3) 77-74 win over Akron(6-2). Troy Simons scored 21 points in Kent St(6-3) win over Toledo. Troy Diggs scored 25 point for Bowling Green (7-1) in a win over Ball St  to take sole possession of first in the East.

Feb 1

  Justin Turner scored 23 points and Dylan Frye added 17  for Bowling Green(8-1) in a 78-77 win over Buffalo(5-4) while Kent St(6-3) edged Akron(6-3). CMU(4-2) and NIU(5-3) are tied for the first in the West.

Feb 6

 Dallas Morgan scored  29 points for  Central Michigan(6-2) in a 92-82 win over Bowling Green(8-2), the East leader,  and moved into a tie for first in the West with NIU(7-3), a winner over Toledo. Ball St (6-3)is a half game back in the West.

Feb 8

Buffalo's win over CMU(6-3) gave NIU(8-3) the chance to gain ground in the West and they did with a narrow 57-54 win over Kent St.  Eugene German NIU - G (27 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST)

feb 12

Akron(8-3) got a big win over Bowling Green(9-3)  in the East battle while Ball St(7-4) gained ground in the West its win over NIU(8-4) . Loren Cristian Jackson scored 28 points for Akron.

feb 15

 Loren Cristian Jackson scored 31 points for his third 30-plus for Akron(19-6, 9-3 MAC)in a 80-67  win over CMU(13-11, 6-5 MAC) . Buffalo(16-9, 7-5 MAC) who defeated Toledo last night. Akron is tied with Bowling Green for first in the East while Buffalo is 2GB. CMU fell  further behind  NIU(8-4) and Ball St (7-4) in the West.

feb 22

Buffalo (7-5) got a big win over Kent St in a wild OT game last night to stay within striking distance of East leaders Akron , and Ball St  who are tied at 10-3.

feb 29

 Loren Cristian Jackson scored 35 points for Akron(12-4) in an 85-73 win over Buffalo which mioves them into a tie for first with Bowling Green in the East.

march 7

Akron hung on against feisty Kent St while Buffalo beat Bowling Green,  which enabled the Zips to win the East and also nab the the 1 slot in the MACT. Ball St trounced NIU to tie for first in the West and get the three seed. BG is the 2 and NIU is the four. Top 4 earned round 1 byes.

Dec 23-26 O5 bowl games

BAD BOY MOWERS GASPARILLA BOWL- #herd  has a  decent D and Knox, a solid RB, but they won't keep pace with the Black Knights O. UCF(AAC) 38 Marshall (CUSA) 27
SOFI HAWAI'I BOWL- Zach Wilson will get back in gear and toss a few TD passes against Hawaii in a squeaker. BYU 27 Hawaii(MAC) 26
WALK-ON'S INDEPENDENCE BOWL Which Canes squad blows into Shrevport? The one that lost to FIU(CUSA) or the one who beat ACC opponents, UVA and Louisville? I suspect the Canes D will contain J'Mar Smith and beat Louisiana Tech (CUSA) 26 -17
QUICK LANE BOWL: I don't underrate the ACC as most of the national pundits do and like Pitt to roll over Eastern Michigan(MAC) 31-16. Kenny Pickett will toss two TD passes for the Panthers and the Pitt D will contain EMU QB, Mike Glass III.

dec 24

I got close on the Herd's point total and picked the game correctly. UCF 48 Marshall 25 . Knights controlled this game except for the 3rd quarter.

dec 25

BYU fought back from Hawaii's fast start to to only trail 31-24 at halftime and fell 38-34. Big game for  Cole McDonald HAW (28-46, 493 YDS, 4 TD) Incorrect pick on this one .

dec 27

I end up with a 2-2 split in this batch of picks
Canes get blanked by La Tech 14-0. The U has issues and J'Mar smith did enough for the Bulldogs on O. 
Pitt 34 EMU 31. Glass tossed for 311 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 83 yards and a TD for EMU, but he also threw punches at the end, too. Pickett completed 27 of 39 passes for 361 yards and 3 TDs, including the game winner to Taysin Mack with 47 seconds to go.

Jan 14, 2020

 Washington St  names Hawaii's Nick Rolovich head coach. Rolovich runs an Air Raid type offense similar to the one runby Mike Leach, the man he's replacing.
Feb 4: Here's a rare move: #ObiObialo , #herd Wr, transfers to Oklahoma.

feb 13, 2020

The first ever BYU football game in the state of Illinois will not come in DeKalb. NIU has scheduled it for SeatGeek Stadium, a soccer venue is in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview.

feb 22, 2020

 Marshall's(CUSA) game vs. East Carolina(AAC), originally scheduled for Sept. 5 in Greenville, NC, has been moved to Aug. 29 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium(ECU home field) as a feature game in Week Zero. The game will honor the the 50th anniversary of the airplane crash on Nov. 14, 1970,when so many #herd players and coaches died on a return trip from playing ECU.

march 19

Marshall(CUSA) and UNLV(MWC) will be on Notre Dame's 2022 schedule.  Rare matchups

april 22, 2020

All the doom and gloom from Covid 19 and  the Independence Bowl  lands Radiance Technologies as its new title sponsor.

June 18, 2020

I'm pretty sure this is a first:  University of Kentucky moved its  2020 opener against Eastern Michigan(MAC) from Sept 5 to Sept 3 to avoid a conflict with the Kentucky Derby.

Week 10 Five pack-Other 5

Sunbelt: Georgia Southern has a solid running game and has played well lately but App St behind the passing of Zac Thomas and the running of D. Evans will pull off a 27-23 victory.
AAC: SMU Mustangs travel to Memphis . Can the Mustangs  contain the passing of Brady White or will they suffer their first loss? Memphis D isn't much better. Buechele will outduel White in a 40-39 SMU win.
CUSA: The passing of Reynolds and the running of Lemay have made Charlotte competitive and they 'll give MTSU a good game but fall 30-28
MAC: Slim schedule: Harbison has solid running game for NIU in a road win at C.Michigan.
MWC: Patrick Obrien will lead the  resurgent Colorado St  Rams  to a 40 26 win over the  fading UNLV Rebels. UNLV has struggled since upsetting Vandy

Nov 1

One game , one pick wrong.  Ga Southern's option attack was decent in the first half then got two touchdown runs of 68 and 55 yards from #wesleykennedy  in the third quarter to give them a 24-7 lead. GS 24 AppSt 21.

Nov 3

Wrong on SMU  NIU
Buechele and White each tossed three TDs  in a wild game in which Memphis survived a late SMU rally for a 54-48 win.
CMU had too much O for NIU . Ward and Lewis rushed 281 yards for CMU in a 48-10 win
Correct on  Colorado St and Charlotte
# AnthonyHawkins returned  the opening kickoff for 99 yard touchdown for CSU who went on to a 37-10 win over UNLV.

The rushing duo of C. Lewis(104 yards 2TD) and A.McAlister (103 yards  1TD) led Charlotte to a 34-20 win over MTSU

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.

O5 title games

AAC- #MEMPHIS is hot and #ucf will miss Milton.Tigers lost by 1 to UCF in October. Henderson/Patrick rushing attack willl be the ley in a 27-26 win.
CUSA: UAB lost to MTSU 27-3 last week and will lose again 17-13, this time. MTSU QB Stocksill remains the man
MAC: Ok , Buffalo has home field but NIU QB Childers will step up in 19-17 win
MWC: I don't think the Fresno D will contain Boise St QB Rypien and  RB Mattison for long on the blue turf. BSU 30 Fresno 20
Sunbelt:  APP St D will step up in a narrow 17-16 win over visiting ULL.
dec 1: #childers woke up in the second half and led #NIU back from a 29-10 deficit to a 30-29 win over Buffalo. Tears and Brown made nice TD catches for the Huskies  in the 4th Q
dec 2: UCF found a little defense and their O roared back for 56-41 win over Memphis. UAB won the seasaw battle 27-25 with MTSU. Stocksill struggled in the the 4th Q against the UAB D. I picked the wrong week to jump off the Fresno train. Fres 19 Boise16 OT. How does  Boise only score  16 points when Mattison rushed for 200 yards? Niu was my only correct pick.
dec 14 : Ok, I also got App St pick right as they beat the ULL 30-19 in early December, and yesterday their HC #Satterfield took the Louisville job- that's a huge step.  #Drinkwitz, the NC St OC became the 21st football coach in #appst history.

Dec 19, 2018

Ok so I've been lukewarm on the CUSA in bowl mania and am 2-1. I was correct on MTSU losing to App St and NTX losing to Utah St , but was wrong for not taking UAB who blew out NIU so  I'll roll the dice on Marshall D to slow down USF  tomorrow and win a squeaker.

Dec 20

A.J. Ouellette  (29 CAR, 164 YDS) led the #ohio O while it's D blanked #sdst  (MWC) 27-0. Nice win for the MAC.

Dec 21

Herd D did enough and the O  led by Keion davis on the ground (94 yds, 2 TDS) was solid in a 38-20 win over USF. He!! of a night receiving for Randall St. Felix 6 rec 165 yds 2TDS

dec 22

Rough friday for the #MAC:. Toldeo lost to FIU and WMU was trounced by BYU. Some poor D
in the FIU game but it was entertaining. BTW the announcers noted that Butch Davis, the FIU HC,
was the last head coach to get the Browns to an NFL playoff game.

dec 23

Troy (Sunbelt ) beat #Buffalo handing the MAC another loss. Sawyer Smith tossed for 320 yards and 4 TDs leading the Trojans over the Bulls
42-32 win over the Bulls. Ohio is the only MAC bowl winner. La Tech (CUSA) handled Hawaii (MWC) 31-14

dec 28

It's been a tough bowl season for most of the AAC. Houston got rolled over by Army. 
Memphis fell apart at the end against Wake Forest. 
Temple was handled by Duke .USF lost to Marshall. Tulane beat ULL for the sole conference win. 
Cincy plays Va Tech and UCF faces LSU.

dec 30

MWC bowl record is 3-2  after Nevada found some o in Ot and won 16-13. Still not sure why the Boise St /BC bowl game wasn't rescheduled.

dec 31

#MichaelWarren ran for a career-high 166 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:29 left to carry Cincy (AAC) past VT 35-31

jan 11. 2019

 #Temple (AAC) raided the MAC last night and hired #NIU HC Rod Carey. Former NIU star Thomas Hammock,  the Ravens RB coach., is a top candidate to replace Carey.

july 10 , 2019 

 Gov #Ige signed a law  that starts the process of redeveloping the 44-year-old Aloha Stadium into a mixed-use sports and entertainment district. Maybe one day #Hawaii will  win the MWC West and host a MWC football title game?

July 16

 #sawyersmith goes from leading #troy to a bowl win over Buffalo to vying for the starting QB job at Kentucky (SEC) via the grad transfer route.

July 20 

In April 2019 #FenwayPark in Boston annnounced it will host  anew 2020 college football bowl game between ACC,AAC teams and two months later the UConn, the closest AAC team announced its leaving that conference.

Week 11 O5 impact games

Picking the hot team usually backfires in the Sunbelt , but I'll go with Troy behind the running of  B J Smith (138 CAR, 860 YDS, 10 TD) in a squeaker at Ga Southern on Saturday.
MAC: #NIU is 5-0 in MAC play and will ride Childers arm to a home win over Toledo.
MWC: Brett Rypien  Boise St (222-328, 2779 YDS, 24 TD)  host a Fresno St D that has only given up 36 points in  five conference games this season. Who bends?  Fresno 20 BSU 19
CUSA: Southern Miss is coming off a narrow win over the #herd and will stumble a bit at UAB. Spencer Brown has a big rushing day for the Blazers.
AAC: I'm not seeing USF recovering from it's bad loss to #tulane. Cincy's D will contain the Bulls in a 24 16 win
___
Nov 8: Childers scored two rushing TDs and tossed  one in the #NIU 38-15 blowout of Toledo. Also Miami O edged Ohio and Buffalo rolled Kent St.
Nov 10: I was wrong as  the Fresno D couldn't handle #AlexanderMattison 
(30 CAR, 144 YDS, 2 TD)  and Rypien (269 yards passing, TD) in a 24-17 loss to Boise St. BSU moved to within a half of game USU, who they face in two weeks, in thne MWCM.
Nov 11: Werts was involved in all three Ga Southern TDs, but that wasn't enough as #troy rolled to a 35-21 win. #spencerbrown  scored on a 17 yard TD run in OT in UAB's 26-23 win. #michaelwarrenII rushed 154 yards and three TDs in Cincy's 35-21 win over USF.  4-1 for the weekend.
Surprises in the standings: SMU tied for first with Houston in the AACW. NTex-3rd in the CUSAW. Akron descendingtoward the MACE cellar. SDST falls into a tie for 2nd in the MWCW after being upset by UNLV yesterday. ULM atop the Sunbelt West.

Florida Matchups in O5 play Sept 21-22

#fau  (CUSA) will rely heavily on rushing yards from Singletary in an upset bid at #ucf (AAC), but  I don't think the Owls will contain Mckenzie the UCF QB for long.  UCF 30 FAU 20
#fiu (CUSA) doesn't have enough O to stay with Miami Fla  in their first mmeting since the brawl twelve years ago. Yes, I know FIU is averaging 40 plus points a game but that was against Umass , ODU, and Indiana. Miami 34 FIU 16
#NIU (MAC) travels to FSU (ACC) and faces a Noles team that's a mess. Marcus Childers will toss a TD pass  and keep the Huskies in the game but they'll fall 20-17.
For new readers O5 , the Other 5 , is my label for the non -power football conferences., #aac, #cusa, #mac, #mwc , #sunbelt
sept 22: This says it all about UCF 56 FAU 36 . McKenzie Milton  UCF
21-32, 306 YDS, 3 TD , Devin Singletary  FAU 25 CAR, 131 YDS, 3 TD
sept 23:  FIU QB Morgan tossed two  TDs to Worton for FIU in the the 4Q but that was too little, too late to recover from a 31-0 deficit.Miami 31 FIU 17. NIU QB Childers passed for two and rushed for one TD but that was far from enough in a 37-19  defeat to the Noles

MAC 2018 Football predictions

East
Ohio  averaged 39.1 points a game last season and has a potent rushing attack led by A.J. Ouellette
Akron needs an improved D to repeat in the East
Buffalo will rely on Jackson to Johnson aerial show
Miami (Ohio)- Solid D but questions linger about the offense
Bowling Green St Yep, Carl Pelini is out of the shadows and running the D
Kent State -Another long season


West Division
Northern Illinois QB Childers takes the Huskies to the head of the pack
Central Michigan will rely on a solid D until the young offense gets into gear.
Toledo: Woodside's replacement at QB ?
Eastern Michigan- A lot rides on who replaces Roback at QB.
Western Michigan - Will a healthy Wassink return to form at QB?
Ball State  QB Riley Neal  and RB  James Gilbert  are healthy and will need stellar seasons  to improve a squad that averaged 17.9 points a game

sept 2

Rough weekend for #MAC football.  Ohio barely escapes Howard U (DC). Kent St was headed to a big win over Illnois until they were outscored 28-7 in the second half in aq 31-24 defeat. #wmu showed some fight scoring 35 in the 2nd half of a 455-42 loss to Cuse.  #bowlinggreen got stomped by Oregon Ducks 58-24. #Ragland threw for the 357 yards and 3 TDs in Miami of Ohio  35-28 home loss to #Marshall. #CMU went scoreless in the 2nd half of their 35-20 loss to Kentucky, #NIU scored once in the 4th quarter in a 33 -7 loss to Iowa, Buffalo, Toledo,  and EMU beat 1AA schools. Akron game was cancelled.

sept 7

#CMU , who was so-so against UK in a loss last week hosts #kansas who lost to 1A Nichols St last week. Maybe the #MAC beats a B12 team this week.

sept 9

Kansas had an easy day against CMU,  but how about #EMU  eking out a tough win over Purdue of the B10. In defeat Ball St hung tough with Notre Dame and NIU played a decent game against Utah of the Pac12.
Against the AAC: Miami O was shutout by Cincy , but Buffalo beat Temple.
WMU and Bowling Green were trounced by respectively , Michigan (B10) and MD (ACC).
Akron and Kent St won against their 1AA opponents.

oct 6 , 2018

Toledo may struggle  against BG if Guadagni isn't healty enough to play QB. Ohio is tricky and may trounce Kent St. Akron over Miami O. NIU over  Ball St. EMU over WMU.

Oct 7,2018

Some rusty picks yesterday , particularly underestimating Miami O with Ragland leading them to a 41-17 win over Akron. Wassink and WMU edged EMU.

O5 bowl picks Dec 24-

Yes, my hunches have been lame, but I'll keep rolling the fake dice.
Hawaii Bowl: #fresno (MWC)  D will do enough for a win over Houston (AAC).
Quick Lane: #uni  (MAC) has had a decent season , but Duke's O will rule the day.
Independence: #fsu D will dominate USM (CUSA)
Military: Surprised UVA got a bowl bid. #Navy will represent the AAC well in  35 -19 victory
Home Loans: New Mexico St wins it's last game as a Sunbelt member behind the rushing of Larry Rose. Theyll be an Independent 1A team next year, but I suspect a future move to the MWC.  NMST 40 Utah St 33
Liberty: Ferguson  throws a few TDs  for #memphis who'll represent the AAC well in a win over Iowa St.
Peach: #UCF (AAC) will score but  not enough against #Auburn . AUB 31 UCF 20
Merry Christmas
Dec 25: McMaryion threw for 341 yards and a TD  in #fresnost 33-27 win over Houston .  Fresno had a pick 6 ,and Houston blocked a FG and returned it for TD
Dec 27: Nailed the  Quick Lane Bowl as Daniel Jones  (27-40, 252 YDS, 2 TD) led Duke to a 36-14 win over NIU.
Dec 28: USM was up 6-0 early in the 1st quarter, but Blackman tossed 4 TDs and the Noles rolled to a 42-13 victory.
Dec 29: UVA returned the  opening kickoff for a TD then didn't score again, while Navy's QB Abey  attempted one pass but scored five rushing TD's in a 49-7 win. 
Dec 30:  #larryrose rushed for a the winning TD in OT to give NMST a 26-20 win over Utah St 26-20 in the battle of Aggies. BTW, NMST last bowl win was over Utah St in the 1960 Sun  Bowl. 5 for 5 so far in this block of games.
Dec 31:  Close game and no scoring in the 4th quarter. ISU 21 memphis 20.First incorrect pick in this blog. Nice game  A. Lazard10 REC, 142 YDS, 1 TD of Iowa St.
Jan 1: .Picked the last two wrong- 5-2  for this set. #UCF 34 AUB 27 . UCF QB #milton 's  (13 CAR, 116 YDS, 1 TD) (16-35, 242 YDS, 2 TD). Bg win for the #AAC .

April 18,2018

Maybe some investment in the #sunbowl, will spark the #Utep football program back to a bowl game in a few seasons? Sun Bowlwill get its first major renovation since 1982 with UTEP investing $10-15 million to add premium seating, install a new press box with luxury boxes and renovate the concourses throughout the stadium.
May 24, 2018
Another good move by the #sunbowl folks: The Sun Bowl game will be moved back to December 31st for the 85th edition of the with a 12 p.m (traditional time slot). Mountain Time kickoff on CBS.

6/7/18

#bama discovers the #MAC. #cmu open at #Bama Sept. 2, 2023, in what will serve as the season opener for both teams and the first matchup ever. Bama faces #kentst , who they defeated 48-0 in 2016,  in 2020

6/8/18

 Las Vegas Bowl will retain its partnership with the Pac-12 but will end its long-running alliance with the Mountain West Conference. In place of the #MWC, is looking to the SEC in 2020.

6/29/18

I mentioned this in a #MWC baseball blog a few months ago, and now #unlv football  introduced an all-you-can-eat ticket package.  For $79 you get tickets to UNLV’s games against UTEP (Sept. 8), Fresno State (Nov. 3) and Nevada (Nov. 24) and all the hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and soft drinks you can devour. I'm working on  my pre-season  prognostications.

6/30/18

I didn't say much about this when the news was released this spring but I wish CBS would go deeper in its  #cusa coverage. 

"Beginning with the 2018-19 season, CBS Sports Network will broadcast nine football games plus the C-USA Football Championship and eight men’s basketball games per year, as well as the C-USA men’s basketball championships semifinals and men’s and women’s basketball championship games"

7/4/18

Ok, I know #navy was an Independent not yet in the AAC  when  #JesseIwuji played football for them (2006-09)  and  now races in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West. Props to him for  pulling a family from a burning vehicle on California I5.

7/12/18

#SunBelt will play an 8-game schedule, so each team will play all but one of  the conferences members, and the division winner with the highest CFP raning hosts the Sunbelt championship game. If no team is ranked, the tiebreaker move to the BCS standings.
EAST
Appalachian State
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Troy

WEST
Arkansas State
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
South Alabama
Texas State

7/16/18

Decent #sunbelt story : #nealBrown , #TroyU head coach , sent a 2017 Sunbelt championship ring to the family of #NathanHarris, a former Troy football player who died  in a motorcycle accident in Alabama two years ago.

7/17/18

#AntwanDixon , a 5-foot-8, 173-pounder who caught 26 passes for 355 yards and one touchdown for #KentState as a freshman in 2015, is returning to the gridiron after a successful bone marrow transplant Dixon received 14 months ago from his father Anthony Dixon

7/18/18

#BillMallory is the only one coach to win the #MAC at two different schools, #niu #miamiohio. Their future matchups will  be played for the Mallory Cup. Huskies hold a 9-8 edge in the series

7/20/18

 Tyre Brady, Marshall (CUSA)  & Trevon Brown, East Carolina (AAC) are two of a few O5 guys on the 2018 Biletnikoff Award watch list.

7/21/18

 #SunBelt named Arkansas St QB #JusticeHansen and #AppSt defensive back #CliftonDuck as their 2018 preseason offensive and defensive players of the year . I guess it's time to research and make my pre-season prognostications.

7/22/18

The John Mackey (one of my favorite Baltimore Colts) Award  pre-season list for TE. Mountain West (six) and Sun Belt (five)  AAC (4) and MAC (4)  CUSA(3) Here's a few: Bates (Boise), Becker (Miami O) Harrison (FAU).

7/25/18

#MWC championship football game will be hosted the team with the best conference winning percentage. The first tiebreaker will be head-to-head record. If the teams don't meet in the regular season, CFP rankings and computer rankings will determine the host.

7/26/18

MAC media poll  members think #ohio will win the  East and the league championship. They like #NIU in the West.

7/27/18

Navy (AAC) QB #MalcolmPerry , #McLaneMannix , Nevada (MWC), #IsaiahHarper , Old Dominion (CUSA) are among a few O5 players on the Paul Hornung List (Versatility). Hornung was a RB who threw passes at Kentucky high school, Notre Dame, and a great Green Bay Packer.

O5 WEEK10 ending Nov 5

AAC- #ucf  will maintain it's lead in the East and survive Hicks passing. in a 27-26 win over #smu
CUSA: Time to give some attention to the resurrected #uab squad. Look for #erderly to keep tossing TD passes  in a 28-19 win over #rice
MAC: In a battle for the West, Woodside's passing will lead #toledo over #niu 23 -16.
MWC: #joshallen  and the #wyoming Cowboys rustle the #csu rams 33-29.
Sunbelt: #Idaho is not leaving the #sunbelt and 1A football quiely and will battle #troy to the end but fall 24-23. Look #silvers to shine big tossing a few TDs for Troy.

Nov 3

Woodside threw for 361 yards but  #TerrySwanson  (29 CAR, 116 YDS, 3 TD) did the scoring in a 27-17 win over #niu.
Chunn's rushing (18 CAR, 113 YDS, 2 TD)  was the key in Troy's narrow 24 -21 win over #Idaho

Nov 5

#milton threw for 412 yards and 1 TD as #UCF survived #smu
Yes, #erderly was awesome tossing three TDs and so was #spencer brown rushing for 3 TDs in #uab 52-21 win over #rice.
#KellenOverstreet 's rushing TD with 4:21 remaining lifted Wyoming to a 16-13 win .
Five for five this week

O5 week 9 ending Oct 29, 2017

AAC: #tulane woke up too late in their loss to #usf and will lose 30-27 to #Memphis  who will focus on keeping #hilliard and the greenwave rushing attack in check.
CUSA: #Kiffin has the Owls O hootin and #wku  D is suspect. #fau 35 #wku 23
MAC: #emu keeps hanging inthere but not getting the W. #niu. particularly the D, has been playing solid football. #NIU 20 #emu 17
MWC: #Boise appears to have turned the corner, but Ags Qb jordanlove is tossing the ball well/ Utah St 22 Boise St 21
Sunbelt: The South Bama  Jags keep rolling. #dallasdavis tossed the ball a lot in the win over #ulm and will do it again in 23 -20 win over georgiast

Oct 27

It took  #niu awhile to wake up and #emu missed three FGS in regulation. NIU 26 EMU 20.. Both QB were solid. Roback(EMU) 22/44 262 1TD.  Childers(NIU) 23/40 2782TD.
Who can figure out South Bama? Manning to Way connection takes #georgiast to a 21-13 win over #USA.  1-1 in my picks so far.

Oct 29

#memphis led by #rileyferguson had too much O for Tulane in a 56-26 win
#fau fell behind in the middle of game but #singletary rushed for 244yards and 4TD in a 42-28 win over #wku.
#boise st got a nice game from QB Rypien in a 41-14 blowoutof Utah St
4-1 for the week.