Mocked out- O5 possibles in NFL rd1 2023

 It's looking thin for the O5(non P5) teams in RD1 

AAC : Tyjae Spears, an RB from Tulane, and Reese, a WR from SMU, are getting some chatter.

Independents: Blake Freeland, an OT from BYU

Division II: Cody Mauch, an OT from North Dakota.

April 10, 2023

I saw some notes about DeWayne McBride, an RB from UAB, to Cincy in rd3. I suspect he may go to some team late in rd2.

I forgot about Keaton Mitchell(ECU) explosive RB but only 5"9 184. He had some huge games last season and a few busts. Not sure if anyone is taking him as early as rd2.

 Josh Whyle (Cincy TE)  dropped down to a rd5 pick in mocks.

April 15, 2023

Jalen Moreno-Cropper- Fresno State is a solid wide receiver with decent speed. BTW, Davante Adams played at Fresno.

Brodric Martin a, DL from Western Kentucky, is moving up to possibly rd2 in some mocks. Big boy, a space-eater.

Saints are looking at Karl Brooks(EDGE) from Bowling Green(MAC)  I find it odd that a 300lb dude is listed at Edge, but he's impressing scouts.

I still think Laborn(Marshall U) is worth drafting but he'll probably not go until the rd6 or 7 if that.

April 29, 2023

Pick 55 Rashee Rice(SMU) goes to the Chiefs and is the only O5 player drafted in the first two rounds.

RD5: Haener QB from Fresno, Saldiveri G from ODU to the Saints.

Pick 48 Division II: Cody Mauch, an OT from North Dakota, went to TBay.

April 30, 2023

TE: Whyle(Cincy)  lasted to rd 5 and went to Tenn. Kuntz(ODU) lasted rd7 and went to Jets

QB: Tune(HOU) rd5 to the Cards

RB: I missed this one Spears(Tulane) to Tenn in rd 3. McBride (UAB )rd7 to Vikes, and Lew Nichols III (C.Michigan) rd7 to the Packers. 

BTW, Karl Brooks , DE from Bowling Green , went in rd6 to the Packers. He's one to watch.

Surprised Laborn from Marshall didn't get drafted , but he was signed by the 9ers as a UDFA.

May 3, 2023

Circling back to my earlier thoughts. Blake Freeland (BYU-OT) last until rd 4 when the Colts took him. BTW, the Colts camp might be one of the most entertaining and not necessarily from a positive angle.

May 11, 2023

Quick look at UDFA.  Seahawks signed Ahlers, a decent, tough QB from ECU(AAC). Solid backup material.

Vikes sign Beauplan, ILB from Marshall(SunBelt)

Chiefs sign Deneric Prince, an RB from Tulsa(AAC)

Bengals signed UDFA from Miami (OH) WR Mac Hippenhammer . What a last name!

Aug 11, 2023

Keaton Mitchell, a UDFA RB from ECU, has a great chance of making the Ravens roster.

Spears , a rd3 pick by the Titans, is playing well this pre-season and flashing the same skills he did at Tulane.

Aug 20, 2023

9ers cut Laborn. Hope my Saints ink him.

McBride, rd7 pick from UAB, may get cut. Shaky camp with Vikings.

Aug 25, 2023

So a female co-worker comes in to work a

nd says a guy from my little school in West Virginia made the Bears as a backup QB. 

Nic Jones, a DB and rd7 pick from Ball St, will make Chiefs squad. Prince, an RB from Tulsa may make Chiefs practice squad.

Sept 30, 2023

Beauplan(Marhall) exits Vikings with an injury settlement.

Keaton Mitchell(ECU) on Ravens IR

Blake Freeland(BYU) may start for the Colts against the Rams.

Previous blog: https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2022/04/mocked-out-o5-possibles-in-nfl-rd1-2022.html

Top dogs in the 05 -week 10

 Ok, I covered the MAC so now I'll focus on conference leaders in the other four conferences.

AAC: Tulane may get a battle at Tulsa for a while, but Spears will rush for over 100 yards and keep the Green Wave undefeated in conference play. Tulane 34 Tulsa 24

CUSA: No team has slowed down UTSA(4-0 in CUSA) QB Frank Harris for long. UTSA 30 UAB 27

MWC:  Boise St  (5-0-MWC) plays an OOC game against BYU, who is desperate to beat someone. Taylon Green has been solid since becoming the starting QB. and I'd love to call this one a tie if they were still allowed.  BYU 26 Boise St 24 at the buzzer.

SunBelt: Coastal Carolina and Troy are each 4-1 and lead their respective divisions. Troy Trojans will march into ULL and come out with a 17-14 win with the help of a pick6.

CCU hosts App St and survives a scare 24-21. McCall looks solid again for the Chanticleers.

Nov 4, 2022

 Lot more points scored than I guessed in last night's CCU  35-28 win over Appy. McCall threw 2 TD passes and no picks.

Nov 5, 2022

5-0 for the weekend

Spears was a beast again for Tulane in a 27-13 win over Tulsa.

UTSA needed double OT to defeat UAB 44-38. Harris had another great game for the victors.

Hall to Nicau connection saved the day for BYU in a 35-28 win over Boise ST. 

Troy outscored ULL 16-0 in the 4Q for a 23-17 win.

O5 vs Independents in week 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sept 10, 2022

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

Sept 12, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

Oct 27, 2022

Seven weeks later: 

StunBelt teams are beating each other up.

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

Oct 29, 2022

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

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

 

1A Independents start to dwindle in 2023

 I'm chuckling at how quickly USC agreed to swap BYU for San Jose St on its football schedule in 2023 since BYU needs to make room for Big 12 conference games in 2023. BYU was 5-0 against  Pac12 football teams in 2021, including a win over USC.

BYU hoops made be in for a ruder awakening when it exits the WCC .

In other news : Notre Dame opens  @Ohio St and also will play BYU in Vegas later in the 2022 season.

Liberty plays Arkansas, VTech, and Wake Forest this upcoming season.

Previous blog: https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2021/01/1a-ncaa-independents-and-geography-2021.html

May 12, 2022

Another 2023 football swap: Liberty needs to free up space for CUSA games in 2023 so South Carolina(SEC) agreed to drop them and add Jax St, who needs non -conference games in its first 2023 CUSA season.

I'm curious to see if New Mexico St can carry its WAC basketball success to the CUSA. It's football team has some schedule changes to make for 2023.

Would Gonzaga block adding Seattle(WAC) to WCC to fill BYU's spot?

May 26, 2022

Shifting gears to baseball: BYU is a fourth seed in the WCC tournament and faces an uphill battle to upset  1 seed Gonzaga (ranked 10 in the country). Cougars will need a serious upgrade to be competitive in Big 12 baseball.

 Liberty is in the ASUN semi-finals and should be in decent shape when they join the CUSA.

New Mexico State, another future CUSA member, upset Sam Houston to remain in WAC Winner's Bracket.

May 27, 2022

BYU fell to Loyola Marymount 5-1 in a single-elimination game. Today's WCC matchups.

May 28, 2022

I have new favorite a first name. #ThreeHillier hit two home runs for Liberty in a win  over EKU to advance and face Kennesaw State in the ASUN championship game on Saturday for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

NMSU advances to first WAC Tournament baseball championship game since 2018 with stunner over Sacramento State and faces winner of Grand Canyon /Abilene Christian game.

May 29, 2022

Liberty lost and will wait for a possible at-large bid.

New Mexico St won and gets the automatic bid. He!! of a "Cinderella" WACT for the Ags.

June 5, 2022

Liberty was eliminated by Central Michigan (MAC) 3-2 in extra innings. Three Hillier had two hits and scored a run for the Flames in the loss.

NMST was eliminated by Vandy in the CWS.

July 10, 2022

UConn decided that hoops was king and ran back to the Big East ,exiting the AAC and relegating pigskin to Independent status. Huskies HC Jim Mora's goal is to join the ACC. You got a lot of work to do, and it starts with three games in 2022 against ACC teams in Syracuse, Boston College and NC State. Plus, if the ACC ever considers you, it's going to want all sports. You ain't getting the "Irish" treatment. 

July 12, 2022

I've wondered why New Mexico St has kept its football going and found a somewhat big name in its history. Charley Johnson who had a decent NFL career as a QB. He coached briefly for NMST after they fired Hal Mumme in 2008. NFL playing career :

St. Louis Cardinals (1961–1969)

Houston Oilers (1970–1971)

Denver Broncos (1972–1975)

Sept 25, 2022

The Edsel sank UConn pigskin after letting my Terps down. I doubt if Jim Mora Jr can save them. NC St abused them yesterday.

Liberty found enough O to beat Akron. Dae Dae Hunter 18 carries, 118 yards, 1TD for the Flames.

UMass may be considering downgrading to 1AA or quitting pigskin after a 28-0 loss to Temple.

BYU beat Wyoming. Notre Dame beat the no defense Tar Heels.

New Mexico St 45 Hawaii 28. Rare easy lei for the Ags.

Oct 2, 2022

 Freeze O machine doesn't miss a beat. Liberty 38- ODU 24.

How about those Huskies? Devontae Houston rushed for 105 yards. UMass gave E.Michigan a scare but lost 20-13 

BYU handled UTAH St.

 NMST lost 21-7 to FIU(CUSA). Ags hoops team is going to like the move to the CUSA more than its football team. 

Oct 4, 2022

BYU on NBC this week for a visit to Notre Dame. The Hall to Hill connection will give BYU a big road win.

Oct 9, 2022

Mora Jr has UConn looking like a team. UConn 33 FIU 12. Maybe the Cusa will take them for just football since UConn is a hoops first school and they're staying in the Big East.

 ND 28 BYU 20 to give ND 7-2 lead in the series. Liberty took care of UMass, and Army got trounced by Wake Forest

Oct 13, 2022

I doubt if the MAC wants to deal with UMass as a member again, and UConn would be interesting for football only. This weekend UMass hosts Buffalo while UConn travels to Ball St.

An angry Arkansas(SEC) makes an infrequent visit to BYU. Notre Dame hosts Stanford(Pac12). NMST hosts New Mexico(MWC)

Oct 16, 2022

Big Independents, ND and BYU had rough days. Liberty escaped Gardner -Webb.

UConn didn't score in the second half and lost to Ball St. UMass still doesn't know Defense is one of the three parts of football and lost to Buffalo 34-7.

NMST 21 NM 9 in the Rio Grande Rivalry or Battle of I-25.

Oct 20, 2022

Mormons land in Falwell country for an interesting matchup. Liberty got within one of Wake Forest in its only loss but hasn't played as tough as a schedule as BYU. Dae Dae Hunter is an exciting offensive player for the Flames, but he won't be enough. BYU 34 LIB 27.

BTW, Notre Dame hosts UNLV(MWC) in the first matchup ever between these football teams. ND should recover from the bad loss to Stanford. ND 30 UNLV 17

Oct 22, 2022

Wow BYU got killed in Falwell country. They got a lot of work to do before they play a Big 12 schedule. BYU 14 @ Lib 41 F

Dae Dae Hunter Yds-Rc31 Yds-Ru213 TD-Ru1

Notre Dame beat UNLV 44-21. Pyne threw 2 td passes for the Irish

Oct 30, 2022

BYU keeps losing, this time to ECU(AAC). In New England, UConn beat BC, while UMass lost to New Mexico St.

Notre Dame dominated Syracuse and hosts Clemson next week. The game will be on NBC.

Shifting gears to Independent hoops. Chicago St was unable to land in a small, midwestern conference after leaving the WAC and managed to put together a 2022/23 schedule that includes Delaware St, an hour from my home, and Marshall.

Hartford left the America East conference, despite some recent success, as part of its move to Div III.

Oct 31, 2022

No. 23 Liberty is ranked in the AP football poll for the first time since 2020.

Nov 3, 2022

Interesting weekend with the Independents. 

Liberty may fall right out of the top 25 after it visits Arkansas.

Clemson needs to beat Notre Dame to stay in contention for the F4.

Army/AirForce will be close and is occurring at Arlington TX

BYU needs to beat Boise St if it wants to go bowling.

UConn reaches .500 with a W over UMass.

Nov 4, 2022

Man, I'm stunned that Liberty hung on and beat Arkansas 21-19, particularly after Hunter, one of their best O players was injured in the 1q. AFA beat Army and UConn beat UMass.

Hall to Nicau connection saved the day for BYU in a 35-28 win over Boise ST. Notre Dame deserves props for kicking Clemson's butt and the Tigers were exposed

O5 Bowl games Dec 18, 2021

 A long day of games that starts at 11AM EST. My predictions cores

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl 

Western Kentucky(CUSA) 34 vs. Appalachian State(Sunbelt) 24.

I don't foresee Appy scoring enough to keep up with Zappe, the WKU QB who's tossed 56 TD passes this season.

PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl 

Fresno State(MWC) 27 vs. UTEP(CUSA) 17

Haener will toss two TD passes against the Miners who lost four of their last five regular season games

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl 

BYU 31 vs. UAB(CUSA) 28

These are the two players to watch: UAB: D. McBride(176 CAR, 1188 YDS, 12 TD)

BYU: T. Allgeier (249 CAR, 1414 YDS, 20 TD)

LendingTree Bowl 

Liberty 30 vs. Eastern Michigan(MAC) 20

Has Coach Freeze found some way to ease the pressure on  Liberty's QB Willis? Yep, enough to beat the Eagles.

Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl pres. by Stifel 

Oregon State(PAC12) 27 vs. Utah State(MWC) 24

This is a tough one. Ags with QB Bonner are hot, but the Beavers have an explosive RB in BJ Baylor (1259 yards and 13 TDS)

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

ULL(SunBelt) 26 vs. Marshall(CUSA) 24

This is basically a home game for the Cajuns. Nip and tuck all the way with Lewis, the ULL QB, finding a way to get them the win

Dec 19, 2021

App got Zapped big time, and WKU cruised in the second half to an easy win

I got the score (31-28) right, but the winner wrong in the UAB win over BYU. Also, both starting RB nearly reached 200 yards each rushing. BTW, UAB has come a long way from almost losing football to  moving to the AAC.

UTEP started off strong but Fresno re-grouped and hung on.

EMU was out of it midway through the second quarter. Willis had another strong game for Liberty but I'm still not sold on him as a QB on Sundays.

Utah St RB, Calvin Tyler Jr, got some revenge on his former team, the Beavers.

Solid day for Lewis in the Cajuns win, and it appears only Ali (160 yards, 3TDs)  showed up for the  Herd.

4-2 for the day. I was wrong on BYU and Oregon St.

Western Kentucky 59, App State 38

Fresno State 31, UTEP 24

UAB 31, BYU 28

Liberty 56, Eastern Michigan 20

Utah State 24, Oregon State 13

Louisiana 36, Marshall 21

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.

1a NCAA Independents and Geography 2021

 I've been keeping track of  the 1A independents since 2016,  and it's time for a fresh blog but this a nice reference point https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2016/06/o5-geography-matters-martial-re-alignemt.html  

After  watching the big dogs not give Liberty U  a chance play a P5 team in a bowl game instead matching them up against undefeated CCU (Sunbelt) in what turned out to be an exciting LU win, it's time for the Sunbelt to add Liberty as a member in all sports  and maintain a growing, southern rivalry with Coastal Carolina. LU plays hoops in the Atlantic Sun conference.

Would be Army jump to the AAC for football only and join Navy , which is football only there now?

UMass got to play a few games this year as an Independent perhaps a return to the MAC  (football only) is in order. I'd suggest the CUSA but traveling to west Texas could be a pain in the butt. Perhaps UMass will remain a mercenary Independent which is the likely outcome for its neighbor UConn .

New Mexico St would be a cool addition to MWC if  the Aggies keep football.

Big 12 could use BYU for football only.

Jan 12, 2021

While reviewing Liberty U's hoop schedule I came across Bellarmine U, a new ASUN member and a private Catholic college in Louisville. KY. This will be the Knights first season in 1A.

Jan 17, 2021

The 2021 BYU football schedule  is heavy with Pac 12 teams, Zona, ASU, Utah, WSU, and USC, and reminds me of Notre Dame's dalliance with the ACC before Covid.

If UMass were to find an O5 conference for football, it would  be interesting to see if the hoops team would leave  the A10, a  strong basketball conference.

Feb 2, 2021

It's not a big shock but Notre Dame football is Independent again. Next season's schedule looks tough enough. I like seeing the matchup with Cincy and also Wisky

feb 23,2021

Bellarmine(13-5, 10-2 ASUN) and Liberty(18-5, 9-2 ASUN) are atop the Atlantic Sun and have a back to back set on Feb 26, 27 to finish the season.

march 6, 2021

What a crazy way to  make the Dance? Liberty will face North Alabama in the ASUN tournament championship game Sunday, but punched its Dance ticket because UNA is ineligible for the NCAA tournament because it's transitioning to 1A.

 Bellarmine, another ineligible team, went 1-7 in its final eight games of the regular season and lost to Stetson in ASUN rd1

March 20, 2021

Liberty put up a good fight but lost to OK St 69-60. Elijah Cuffee had a solid day with 16 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST  for the Flames, but Cunningham and Anderson III were too much for the Flames to handle.

April 9, 2021

Liberty U goes back to having a so-so competitive football schedule in 2021, but I'm intrigued by the "Freeze Bowl" matchup at Ol Miss.

                                               

 

May 6, 2021

Since UConn has gone independent in football and left the AAC, the two most northern AAC teams are Cincy U and Temple which should give  the AAC more reason to invite Liberty U to join the conference for all sports. I'm not sure if they're ready for a Christian university with  big money and solid athletic facilities. ECU  isn't too far from Lynchburg, VA  and could become a regional AAC rival.

May 22, 2021

What jumped out at me was Army playing Wisky, which doesn't occur often and the Army /Air Force game is in Arlington Texas.

June 5, 2021

While reading the CBSSN  football schedule, which has solid coverage of the military academies, I was stunned to see UConn, an Independent, will be televised nearly every week. The Huskies were terrible in  the AAC and haven't improved since their exit.

These games featuring an Independent look to be good ones:

Friday, Oct. 1 BYU at Utah State(MWC)

Saturday, Oct. 2  Liberty at UAB(CUSA)

Saturday, Oct. 23 Wake Forest(ACC) at Army

June 20, 2021

Good move: CBS Sports and Army football agreed to a multi-year extension through the 2028 season

Also, CBS Sports will carry eight Black Knights football games this season.

July, 2, 2021

BYU athletes seeking to profit off of their name, image and likeness still must follow the university's honor code standards, which means they can't enter business partnerships with alcohol, tobacco and  coffee vendors. 

July 19, 2021

J J Holloman who had eight catches for 108 yards and a touchdown for FIU in 2020 is transferring to Liberty. He was a four-star recruit out of high school and spent two years with Georgia before being dismissed from the program in the summer of 2019, Freeze has a tough nut to crack there.

Aug 5, 2021

Has Notre Dame gone too far? Between now and 2:30 ET on 9/11/21, fans who want to watch the Irish play Toledo(MAC) must subscribe to Peacock Premium streaming service.

I've read a ton of complaints about how frustrated fans of the Olympics have been  about the disjointed NBC/Peacock approach.

BTW, New Mexico St travels to ALBUQUERQUE, NM  to face #NewMexico of the #MWC  on 9/11/21

August 28, 2021

Will the Big 12 take the religious route to recovery buy adding BYU, at least for football ,and Liberty for all sports?

Liberty football has two P5 opponents this season, Syracuse and Ol Miss and improved a great deal in hoops.

 BYU has the brand.

UConn shutout by Fresno St 45-0.  Are Huskies headed for a lower division or out of football?

Sept 6

Notre Dame survived a big scare from Florida St last night.

Edsall does the right thing and announces he 'll retire from UConn after the season.

Edsall move out day is now. Lou Spanos, The UConn DC,  will take over for the rest of this season.

Sept 26, 2021

 UMass got clobbered by Coastal Carolina, and U Conn played a decent game w/o  the Edsel in a 25-23 loss to Wyoming.

Liberty lost 28-21 to Syracuse, who has a shot in the wacky ACC. Another great game  for Malik Willis LIB (14-19, 205 YDS, 3 TD), Hey Auburn folks have you noticed how well this kid has played since he left you?

New Mexico St continues to not include D in its game plan.  Hawaii 41-NMST 21.

Now for undefeated I s: Rip Van Notre Dame woke up and scored 31 unanswered points in the 4Q in a 41-10 win over Wisky.

Baylor Romney(20-25, 305 YDS, 3 TD) BYU's QB led the Cougars to a 35-27 win over USF(AAC).

Christian Anderson (15 CAR, 236 YDS, 2 TD ) in a 23-10  Army win over Miami(Ohio) of the MAC.

Oct 17, 2021

Tough weeks for the Independents. Liberty lost to ULM(Sunbelt) and BYU lost to Baylor(B12) a week after losing to Boise St(MWC).

Army gave Wisky(B10) a good fight but lost 20-14, a week after losing to Ball St (MAC).

Oct 18, 2021

I like MTSU(CUSA) in a rare matchup with UConn on Friday night. Middle Tennessee is 2-0  against UC with wins in 2000 & 2001 when they were in the Sunbelt and UConn was an Independent. The Huskies tried to lose to Yale on Saturday but survived with a W and appear to be headed to 1AA or no football.

Oct 23, 2021

Returning  to a running theme in these "Independent" blogs: James Madison(1aa) is being heavily recruited to step up to 1A and be apart of the Sunbelt conference's expansion into Va(ODU)/WVA(Marshall).

Oct 30, 2021

Coach Mendenhall brings UVA  to play at BYU, his former employer. Look for BYU to beat the erratic Cavs by 5 points and build its resume as it steps up to B12.

Willis and the Liberty Flames will win big vs UMass. Will any conference accept Falwell's school?

UNC has been disappointing and could help its season by beating Notre dame today, but I suspect the Irish will eke out a W.

Nov 4, 2021

Ok guys, the Freeze "Bowl"  @ Ol Miss is on this week. Willis will have a decent not great day for Liberty,  but Kiffin's Rebels can't lose this home game. Miss 38 LIB 26

Nov 6, 2021

 Liberty is getting a conference in 2023 , it's the USA. You mentioned this coming at O5 group. Liberty and New Mexico State will be joining along with two other schools, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State. who are moving up to 1A. That takes it to nine:  UTEP, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, and Western Kentucky , however wku and MTsu are talking to the MAC.

 So the SHS' move to the WAC will be short, if it all ,and NMST hoops leaving the WAC will be a plus for the CUSA.

Nov 11, 2021

I guess Uconn wants to stay 1A. Jim Mora joins the UConn program immediately as a hands-off assistant coach, to begin his evaluation and recruiting, and officially become the HC on Nov. 28, the day after the season finale vs. Houston. Interim UConn coach Lou Spanos,  was Mora’s defensive coordinator at UCLA in 2012-13.

Nov 26, 2021

Liberty has struggled a bit as opponents focus on mainly stopping Willis, and Freeze will need some creative thinking for a home win over Army on Saturday.

UConn will lose to Houston and be lucky to stay within 20 points of them. 

UMass/NewMexico St: If ties were allowed, this game would qualify. Minutemen get a final second FG to win.

ND has too much talent for the wingless Stanford Cardinals

BYU makes it 5-0 against the Pac 12 this season with a win over USC.

Nov 28, 2021

Liberty continues to stumble and Army is now 8-3. I guess defense was outlawed in New England yesterday. UH 45  Uconn 17  and NMST 44 UMass 27. ND rolled Stanford and BYU got by USC by 3

Dec 3, 2021

Wow, in the first visit of an SEC team to Liberty Arena, Missouri got waxed.

Darius McGhee scored 20 points and Shiloh Robinson scored a career-high 15 in the Flames 66-45 win over the Tigers. LU (ASUN) may have a seamless move to the CUSA for hoops.

Dec 7, 2021

BYU was 5-0 against the Pac 12, which included a win over Rose Bowl bound Utah, and the best bowl game they could get was against UAB, who finished behind UTSA in the CUSA West. BYU's two losses were to Baylor and Boise St.

Dec 12, 2021

It happens from time to time in Army /Navy series when the "dog" turns the tables. Navy 17 Army 13.  It was 7-7 early in the 1Q then offenses came to a slowed down. Navy shutout Army in the second half.

dec 22, 2021

No doubt Mizzou(SEC) is watching the tapes of how Navy held Army to 13 points on Dec 11. 

Armed Forces Bowl: Army (8-3) vs. Missouri (6-6). 

Army is favored against an SEC team so I'll go with that. Army 20 Missouri 19

Dec 23, 2021

How about Army coming back from a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter to defeat Mizzou 24-22 on Cole Talley's last second 41 Yd Field Goal?

March 9, 2022

Conference seeding matters. Liberty was 2 seed in the ASUNT, but 1 seed Jax St(ALA) wound up with the Dance ticket. CJ Fleming scored a career-high 27 points, Dylan Penn added 22 and 1A newcomer Bellarmine defeated Jacksonville(FLA) 77-72 in the ASUNT but is not eligible for the Dance since it is in the second season of a four year transition to 1A.

Liberty and Jax St(ALA) will be heading to CUSA in 2023 for all sports.

April 19, 2022

I know the transfer portal makes one dizzy, but this one struck me as a bad one for former Notre Dame and Cincy HC Brian Kelly. Corey Kiner, a former Mr. Ohio Football who finished second on LSU in yards rushing in 2021, is transferring to Cincy.

April 21, 2022

2022 Liberty Football Schedule

Flames ain't backing down from the bigger boys. Akron is  a rare trip to  Ohio for LU

Sept. 3 at Southern Miss

Sept. 10 vs. UAB

Sept. 17 at Wake Forest

Sept. 24 vs. Akron

Oct. 1 at Old Dominion

Oct. 8 at FIU

Oct. 15 vs. Gardner-Webb

Oct. 22 vs. BYU

Oct. 29 at UMass

Nov. 5 at Arkansas

Nov. 19 vs. Virginia Tech

Nov. 26 vs. New Mexico State

May 1, 2022

Perhaps this is why Kelly took the LSU job? 2022 draft: 

Notre Dame — 2 (Independent) Hamilton to the Ravens,  Kyren Williams -Rams

BYU — 1 (Independent) Tyler Allgeier RB to Falcons

Liberty — 1 (Independent) Willis to Titans

UConn — 1  (Independent) Travis Jones -Ravens

Army bowl-less for now and more on Independents.

 Yes, the Covid mess continues to wreak havoc, but how can Army not have  bowl opponent when every healthy team is getting an invitation,  Liberty(9-1) gets to play undefeated Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt) in the Cure Bowl and while it's an interesting regional match up why is neither team playing a P5 opponent.  CCU wins a nailbiter 34-33.

BYU should beat an explosive UCF (AAC) squad 54-51 in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Dec 23

Zach Wilson  tossed for 425 yards and 3 TDs in BYU's 49-23 thrashing of UCF and definitely moved up to a round 1  pick in 2021 NFL draft.

Dec 27

Liberty fumbled the ball on the goal line blowing a chance  to win in regulation, then blocked a Coastal Carolina FG attempt in OT to hang on for a 37-34 OT win. The QBs were great:  Grayson McCall CCU (21-32, 318 YDS, 3 TD) ,  Malik Willis LIB (21 CAR, 137 YDS, 4 TD)

And  how about CCU WR, Jaivon Heiligh (13 REC, 178 YDS).

One and one so far.

Jan 1, 2021

I didn't  pick a winner on the Army/WVU game.  Austin Kendall threw 2 TD passes in the final 19 minutes during West Virginia's comeback from a 21-10 deficit. WVU 24 Army 21.

Cheers for !A Independents in Covid 2020

In August, 2020 Liberty(9-1) and Coastal Carolina(9-0) of the SunBelt agreed to a game on Dec, 5, 2020. In a battle of productive QBs, Willis will get the better of McCall   and give CCU it's first loss. The pollsters will quickly boot CCU from the top 20 while giving respect to the B10, and Pac 12 despite those two conferences late starting the season late not playing a lot of games. They couldn't wait to give Liberty the boot from the top 25 in some  polls after a narrow 15-14 loss to NC St (ACC).

BYU has hustled to find opponents all season and while they haven't had the toughest schedule, they're undefeated but out of the Final Four frame. Cougar managed to get a final game against San Diego St (MWC)

I've been keeping track of some exciting 1a players here Rare 1A PIGSKIN MATCHUPS

dec 3

Props to BYU football for filling the slot created when Liberty U bailed out of its game with CCU due to Covid problems. ESPN Gameday matters, and they get a battle of the undefeateds. I like BYU in a squeaker.

dec 5

Chant for the Chanticleers. It wasn't the QBs yesterday but CJ Marable, CCU RB, who rushed for 132 and 2 TDs . Coastal Carolina(10-0) 22   BYU(9-1) 17. Props for both teams for making this game happen. 

dec 9

Is Boise St planning to go Independent in football before moving to a P5 conference? Head coach Bryan Harsin began pushing school officials in September to explore an exit from the MWC. 

Dec 10

BYU recovers from the tough loss at CCU and beats San Diego St 31-20. Army has a big rushing game in a 29 -22 "home" win over Navy.

dec 13

dec 13

Army blanked Navy 15-0. San Diego St  was up 14-7 after one quarter of play but never scored again in a  28-14 loss to BYU, who got 3 TD passes from Zach Wilson

dec 16

Army hosts another military academy this week and will rush by AFA 27-19.  #TyhierTyler , the Army QB, will rush for over 100 yards.

dec 20

Army beat Air Force 10-7 on a fourth and goal TD in the 4th Q  and won Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.

Rare 1A pigskin matchups, Independent style

 No. 22 #Marshall (4-0, 2-0 Conference USA)  scheduled a Nov. 7 home football game against Massachusetts, their first meeting since Marshall(then a MAC member) beat UMass 49-20 in 2001 when the Minutemen competed in the Atlantic 10 (1AA). The Herd should romp over the Minutemen who lost to Georgia Southern 49-0.  UMass  can be classified as a schedule filler.

A more intriguing matchup  is an intrastate Virginia battle between Liberty(5-0), led by Malik Willis, visiting VT(4-2) of the ACC. VT beat Liberty in 2016

And I'd be ignorant if I forgot to mention  BYU and Boise St ,  who were  once in the MWC together for a year or two. 

I like Liberty and BYU to win and give Independents more respect this season

Nov 7

BYU(8-0) demolished Boise St 51-17. Zach Wilson threw for 359 yards and two TDs and rushed for a TD.

Nov 7 afternoon

Wow what a wild ending  to the Liberty game. VT called a time out  with 11 seconds to go negating the  block of a FG attempt and a  return for a TD, then let  the Flames  get a first down and kick a FG. LIB 38 VT 35
Marshall destroyed UMass 51-10. Knox rushed for 118 yards and  two TDs for the Herd. 

Nov 16: I wonder if Sankey's SEC freeze on Freeze is still in effect. Apparently this stopped Bama from hiring Freeze as an ASST a few years ago. So folks may want to relax on all the chatter about HF leaving taking the South Carolina job.

Nov 17

 Army was snakebit by Tulane last week, and I suspect Werts and his Georgia Southern (Sunbelt) mates will carry some venom into West Point and pull off a 19-17 win. Taggart's FAU bunch should have fun with UMass, and BYU will take care of N. Bama.

Hugh Freeze's coaching stock will soar higher with a win over NC St (ACC) behind  Malik Willis: 122-180, 1645 YDS, 15 TD   98 CAR, 700 YDS, 9 TD 

Nov 21

UMAss 's only score was a safety in a 24-2 loss to FAU(CUSA) . The Minutemen have scored 12 points in three games this season.

Nov 22

BYU had no problems with N.Bama, but I was  was wrong on two squeakers. Army roared back to edge  Ga Southern 28-27. Close call by the refs on whether GA SO got the ball spiked in time for a last gasp long FG attempt. NC ST blocked a Liberty FG attempt to survive 15-14.

Nov 26

 Liberty should handle UMass easily tomorrow. I wonder if the Freeze chase has cooled down since the loss to NCST.

Nov 28, 2020

Willis train rolls on for Liberty in a 45-0 shutout of UMass.  He rushed for 63 yards and a TD, and passed for 223 yards and 3 TDs 

Sept 22, 2022

UMass to hold Pride Day when Liberty football visits this week. Coach Freeze will have the Flames O ignited, and they'll get past this crap: UMass to hold Pride Day when Liberty football visits.  BTW, LU's field hockey team played at Northwestern in field hockey on Sept. 9, when the Wildcats set that day as their Pride Game. Do you see a trend?

 

 

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

 

 

1a independents squeeze lime in the corona

 My blog from 2016 with information on Independents has grown long and unwieldy. https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2016/06/o5-geography-matters-martial-re-alignemt.html 

Army and BYU matchup for the first time on the football field on 9/19/20. Army has added a few Sunbelt matchups and also has a game with Tulane (AAC).  Liberty U has peppered it's schedule with ACC, CUSA, and Sunbelt opponents.

Notre Dame has joined the ACC for football for this season no matter how they parse the wording.

I can only wonder how  about future football re-alignment and how Independent treat the upcoming hoops season.

Aug 26

Tom Holmoe, the BYU AD who quickly adjusted the Cougars 2020 schedule, played DB for the 49ers in the 1980s, coached for Bill Walsh at Stanford, and later George Seifert for the 1994/95 SB champ Niners.

Sept 1

 Is ODU going to  leave 1a after canceling it's 2020 season while the rest of the CUSA plays. Is Liberty U a candidate to replace them in the CUSA?

Sept 6-Wow, Army demolished MTSU 42-0. They rushed for 340 yards with S.McCoy scoring three TDs.

Sept 13- Army handled ULM. Perhaps they're in the national title hunt ?

Sept 22-  Willis, a transfer from Auburn, played a solid game at QB, and  the Liberty Flames' rushing attack was in gear in a 30-24 win over WKU. FIU (CUSA) is next up for Liberty. Army has a tough one against Cincy (AAC), and BYU plays Troy of the sunbelt , which is an improving conference.

Oct 11: BYU and Liberty are undefeated. Cougars(4-0) beat UTSA , and the Flames(3-0) beat ULM 40-7.

Oct 20:  BYU(5-0) should handle TX St(Sunbelt) behind QB Zach Wilson and Liberty(5-0) will need a huge game from Willis and a lot of O to get by S.Miss(CUSA). Army (5-1) will handle Mercer(1-AA). Army's only loss was to a solid Cincy (AAC) team.

Oct 25. I sound like a broken record raving about  Willis, the transfer from Auburn, who rushed for 97 yards and 1 TD, and passed for 345 yards and 6 TDs in a 56-35 win over USM. Army and BYU won their games easily.

 

Pacific Northwest hoops chatter in the summer of 2020

Gonzaga center Filip Petrusev signed with Mega Bemax, a pro team in Serbia. He led the Zags in scoring (17.5 points) and rebounding (7.9 boards) in 2019/20 and was WCC Player of the Year I've read some articles claiming that it's not that big of a loss. I call bullsh^t on those opinions.

The Zags are in Spokane which is over 200 miles from Seattle, but Portland U is  right in the heart of the mess.

If the current civil unrest persists, a few members of the WAC, particularly Chicago St and Seattle U may not be cool places to play.

In the Pac12 Wash St is far away from Seattle but UW is nearby. Both Oregon schools are about 90 minutes by automobile from Portland.

In the NBA, the Trailblazers are in the Orlando , Fla bubble for the finish of the 2019/20season, but could be affected for the start of the 2020//21 season.

july 30, 2020

Maybe Seattle is waking up and it will be safe for UW to play sports.: "Defunding the police is a radical experiment that will hurt the vulnerable.” This is what some callers to the Seattle City Council meeting said, and also 20K of signatures have been collected to Stop the defunding.

Aug 1

WAC shortened the eligibility period from four years to two years for transitioning teams to participate in tournaments. This allows California Baptist to be eligible for the 2021 tournaments at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Dixie State and Tarleton State will be eligible in 2023.

Aug 4

The Russell Rule received a blessing from it's namesake Bill Russell. WCC members will be required to include a minority among the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach opening within their athletic departments.

Aug 13, 2020

 The Pac-12 will consider a return to  hoops play after Jan. 1, 2021. If they play it will probably be conference only games.

Aug 14, 2020

WAC: Men's and women's basketball and men's will be postponed through the end of October pending Board discussion on winter athletics competition.

 

Aug 19, 2020

And now more mixed signals as the pre-season top-two teams Gonzaga and Baylor make an agreement to schedule a game for 2020-21 season.

Feb 3 2021

#tarletonst 's only WAC win is against Utah Valley. Cal Baptist is 3-3 in  conference  play.

Feb 4, 2021

For now, Grand Canyon (6-0 WAC) with new coach #BryceDrew has supplanted NMST(0-2 WAC) as top dog in the conference.  So far they haven't missed Dan Majerle.

Sept, 10, 2021

An interesting bi-product of the Big 12's football move to bring in BYU could change WCC hoops. BYU football may be able to join the B12 as soon as 2022  since it is an independent for football that plays the rest of its sports in the WCC. If/when BYU leaves WCC hoops, will they recruit from the WAC to remain at  10 teams? Perhaps, they'll pursue Seattle U.

Oct 6, 2021

 New Mexico St , whose favored by many to win the WAC despite Grand Canyon winning the WAC 2021 title has a nicer travel schedule with the new Texas teams in the conference this season.

 Jan. 13: vs. Tarleton

Jan. 15: vs. Abilene Christian

Jan. 20: @ Sam Houston State

Jan. 22: @ Stephen F. Austin

In OOC play they face  Washington St  of the Pac 12  this season. 

Feb 8, 2022

I don't think anyone saw this quick of a turnaround for Zona after Tommy Lloyd was named its head coach last April after serving as an assistant coach at Gonzaga(WCC) for the last 22 seasons. Zona upset UCLA a few days ago and is #4  overall.

Feb 11, 2022

I caught some Pac 12 action last night. Zona beat Wazzoo. Oregon beat Stanford. Man, I hate the color scheme of the Ducks hardwood. 

Zags better keep their eyes on USF, Bill Russel's old school. The Dons beat Pepperdine 105-61 in WCC action.

June 6 2024

Wazzoo: Early Apple Cup(WSU/UW) on Sept 14 for football. Wondering whether the schools will continue playing  each other in hoops.

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.

Dropping a dime on Independents Week 5

  #Byu Cougars and #utah Utes have agreed to take a two-year "Holy War" break in 2022 and 2023, allowing Utah an opportunity to schedule a home-and-home series with an SEC opponent.
This weekend an erratic BYU squad visits Toledo(MAC), who got a monster game from Bryant Koback (228 yards rushing) last weekend . Toledo 29 BYU 28
Notre Dame  will recover from a tough loss to UGA and defeat the visiting UVA Cavs 30-20. Cavs were not impressive in a 28-17 win over ODU (CUSA)
UMass hosts Akron(MAC) in a battle of bad defenses. Perhaps an aerial show AKR 36 Umass 35
Liberty will contain Tuioti, the Lobos QB, and pull out a close one at home. LIB 20 UNM 19
New Mexico St scored  55 last week at UNM and lost. Fresno  St (MWC)has played power 5 schools, USC and Minnesota, tough in losing efforts Fre 34 UNM 22

Sept 27:

Tying into this blog: UCF(AAC) football schedules future non-conference games with Boise State (MWC ) and  BYU(Independent)

Sept 29

 Koback was ok (88yds, 1TD) and Toledo got a late pick which led to rushing TD from Seymour to beat BYU 28-21
T. Jones Jr rushed for 131 yards and 3 TDs in Notre Dame's 35-20 win over UVA
I was wrong  on the outcome but close on the score Umass 37 Akron 29. It wasn't much off an aerial show. Z. Gibson (Akron)173 YDs, TD M Curtis Umass 173YDS 2TDs ,INt
Not too far off: Liberty 17 UNM 10 . S. Calvert threw form306 yards and 3TDs for the vistors.
J Cropper rushed for 118 yards and a TD on eight carries  for Fresno St in their 30-17 win over NMST.

oct 17, 2019

 Army will survive a visit to Atlanta this week (8) and edge Georgia St in the battle of rushing QBs. Hopkins (Army) , Ellington (Ga St)

oct 21

It was Ellington's arm with three TD passes, and then a final stand by the Panthers D that held off Army for a 28-21 win .

Going out West for some hoops---why?

 #PAC12 hasn't received much respect this season and after watching parts of UW's ,the top team in the league with an 11-1 record, narrow win over a pesky WSU (3-9) squad, I get it. Utah(8-5) looked  as if it was ready for a good run , but they lost to ASU(8-5). Stephen Thompson Jr. had 22 points and Oregon State (8-4) swept the Civil War series against Oregon(6-6). UCLA(6-7), who may be worse since firing Coach Alford, was blown out by Stanford(7-6) 104-80. USC (7-6) beat Cal(0-13). Maybe four teams  , UW, , OSU,ASU, and UTAH get Dance tickets.
In the WCC, Gonzaga(12-0) is gong Dancing regardless of how they do in the conference tournament #byu (18-10, 10-3), who defeated Loyola-Marymount yesterday, may be in line for an at large ticket, but they haven't fared well against big name OOc teams with losses to Houston and Miss St, but they beat intra-state rival Utah. San Francisco and St Mary's have to win the WCCT for a dance ticket.

feb 18

Tough times in the desert:  Colorado (16-9, 7-6 Pac-12) sends Arizona (14-12, 5-8 Pac-12) to its 7th straight loss, 67-60.

feb 21

Then Colorado(7-7) turned around and lost to WSU(4-9) 76-74. Utah(8-6) scored only 18 points in the second half of a 62-45 loss to UW(12-1). ASU(9-5) got 16 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST from Rob edwards in a 80-62 win over Stanford (7-7)

feb22

Is it Pac 12 parity or mediocrity? UCLA(7-7) edged Oregon St(8-5), USC(8-6) blew out OU Ducks(6-7), and Zona(6-8) kept Cali winless in P12 play. Top 3 remains at UW, ASU, and Oregon St.
In the WCC Zaga rolled Pepperdine.  BYU(10-4) lost to San Fran (9-4). St Mary's (9-4)  won while holding Pacific(3-10) to 32 points.San Diego(6-7) kept Portland winless in WCC play

feb 24

 Matisse Thybulle had 17 points, six steals and five blocked shots  for UW(13-1) in its win over Colorado(7-8). Beavers (9-5)  beat the Trojans. Utah (9-6) beat WSU, and UCLA beat Oregon.
In the WCC BYU's 34 point lost to Zaga probably means they need to win the WCCT to get an at large ticket . St Mary's beat San Diego to  move to 10-4 in WCC play while  San Fran fell to 9-5 with a loss to Santa Clara.

march 1

This can't help the Pac 12 get more dance tickets.  Darius McNeill scored 19 points and Connor Vanover had 18 to help the California(1-15) snap a 23-game losing streak in Pac-12  play by beating No. 25 (overall) Washington(13-2) 76-73 on Thursday night. Oregon St (9-6) lost at the buzzer to Zona(8-8)  while ASU (10-6) lost 79-51 to Oregon (7-8). That's a rough night for the top 3 Pac12 teams. UCLA (9-7) beat USC(8-8) and Stanfords (8-8) crushed WSU(4-11)
IN the WCC the Zags beat Pacific while Saint Mary's(20-10, 11-4 WCC)kept it's thin Dance chances alive with a 65-48 win over Portland

march 3

Jordan Ford had decent numbers for St Mary's, 19 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, but the Gaels wilted in the secod half of a 69-55 WCC loss to Gonzaga.  More goofiness from the P12 .Cali beat WSU for it's second win in a row. Zona follow up a solid win over Oreg. St with a 73-47 loss to Oregon , while Utah's descent continued with a 71-63 loss to Colorado. What a mess after UW (13-2).  see blog

Arizona State	10-6		19-9
Oregon State	9-6		17-10
UCLA	9-7		16-13
Utah	9-7		15-13
Colorado	8-8		17-11
Oregon	8-8		17-12
Stanford	8-8		15-13
USC	8-8		15-14
Arizona

Independents week 9 quick glance

Book  a win for Notre Dame over a  Navy(AAC) team  that's had some struggles this season
UMass  Offense will carry the day is a high scoring  40-30 win over UConn (AAC) . Andrew Ford,  UMASS QB (1366 YDS, 9 TD) will have a good day in the regional contest.
#army will make it 3-0 against the MAC this season and edge EMI 23-20.

Freshman   BYU  QB  #zackwilson  will do enough for the Cougars  to beat visiting  NIU (MAC) 26-19.

 New Mexico St will  get a road win at TX St, a weak Sunbelt team. NMST 12 TXST 9  -- a battle of field goals

Oct 27

Nice grind out win for Army. weird to see emu not throwing to the end zone in the final minute.

Marquis Young came alive late  (148 yards rushing) scoring the wiining TD in a Umass 22-17 win over Uconn. two for two, so far.

Oct 28

Wilson threw for 208 yards but couldn't find the end zone in BYU's 7-6 lost to NIU.
Book was solid at QB and Dexter Williams rushed for 142 yards and 3 TDs in ND's 44-22 win over Navy.
Willie Jones III threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third  as TX St pulled away early from NMST and held on for a  27-20. 3-2 for the weekend

Nov 1 Week 10

Army ' out rushes AFA and wins at home 29-20. Liberty (4-3) stays in line for a bowl shot with a big rushing game from Hickson . Lib 33 Umass 30. Rypien will lead  Boise St  by BYU in what should be a MWC game. Notre Dame  gets a tough game from Northwestern but will pull away late in a 40-30 win. Dexter Williams has been leading a solid rushing attack. NMST shouldn't lose to Alcorn St.
Nov 4: Four out of five  this week. I didn't foresee Umass outlasting Liberty 62-59. Hickson had a solid rushing game for Liberty, but #Comis threw for 540 yards, four TDs, and Young rushed for 148 yards.. Byu fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and lost 21-16. Army got out to an early lead and hung on for a 17-14 win. ND survived a Wildcats scare behind Book's arm with a 31-21 win. NMST 52 Alcorn St 42

11/06/18

Week 11 Quick hits. Notre Dame should handle the worsening FSU Noles. Coach Taggert may be thinking I should've never have left USF for Oregon then returned  to the state of Florida.. Army should handle 1AA Lafayette.
I underestimated UMass last week against Liberty so I'll roll with their  O  against visiting  BYU.
Liberty has their moments  and Hickson may have another solid rushing game , but I don't see  them winning at UVA.

11/11/18

Book-less and ND was fine with Wimbush at QB and Dexter W rushing for 202 yards in a 42-13 pounding of the Noles. Army won, and Hickson did his best for Liberty in a loss to UVA.  BYU found some O  and outscored UMass 28-6  after the first quarter on their way to a 35-16 win over UMass. three of four for the weekend.
Nov 15: Week 12  quick peeks: Book is back for ND and they'll hold off Syracuse 34-33. Liberty will hang for awhile with Auburn but lose. Umass will get crushed by Georgia. BYU should beat NMST easily but may let it get close before eking out a win. Army will beat Colgate (1AA)

11/18/18

Book and the O played as expected in a 36-3 win over Cuse. Props to ND  defense. Liberty was blanked 53-0 and NMST played a decent first quarter in a  45-10 loss to BYU. Bit surprised UMass scored 27  in a loss to UGA.  Army won

11/21/18

ND should handle #USC in LA.  BYU  is a mediocre team and won't get by #utah, the leader of Pac 12 South. Curious  as to how Utah and Utah St are have surpassed BYU in football quality. Hickson will bounce back and rush for 100 plus as host Liberty  evens the series against NMST and makes up for the September loss.
Whipple is out as UMass HC

dec 8, 2018

 #army will make it 3 in a row over Navy today.  #byu lost to NIU of the MAC this season and now is going to the the Blue Turf in Boise to face  W. Michigan  in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in about two weeks.

dec 9

Army (10-2)  beat navy 17-10 yesterday  making it three years in a row, and captured  the #cic cup.
dec 22: I'm so tempted to take #army over #houston in the Lockheed Bowl today . Maybe I'll toss a coin? #byu crushed #wmu yesterday

dec 23

#army QB, K. Hopkins Jr. rushed for 170 yards and  5 TDs in a 70-14 blowout of Houston.  Big props to Army, but Houston hasn't been the same since the Coach Applewhite/Ed Oliver jacket confrontation

June 6, 2019 

I'm pretty sure #Army left the CUSA in 2004 ,and Marshall joined the CUSA in 2005 so it's cool to see Army, and Marshall agree to home-and-home starting in 2025.

1A Independents 2018

It's my annual piss & moan about why these schools should be in a conference, and I'll include my favorite matchup against another Independentt football school.
Notre Dame with one foot in the ACC plays only teams in conferences so I'll highlight its opening week game vs Michigan.
New Mexico St and BYU, two teams that belong in the MWC, faceoff at BYU  on Nov17.
Liberty  with all your $$$ give the Sunbelt a boost, and why the hell are you playing New Mexico St twice.
Army- you should've stayed in the MAC- faces Liberty on Sept 9.
UMass , the AAC beckons, particularly for hoop reasons, and you have a nice regional match up against UConn (AAC) on Oct 27. The next week you play Liberty.

aug 1, 2018

#BYU faces five P5 schools Arizona  California, Wisconsin, Washington, and Utah. Cal is the only one of those teams traveling to Provo.

aug 19, 2018

New Mexico St is selling tickets for as low as $3 for first home game on national TV (ESPN) in a decade. #wyoming (MWC) is coming to #LasCruces for an Aug 25 matchup.

aug 26

#NMST falls at home to Wyoming 29-7  Nico Evans ran for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries to help #wyoming beat 29-7. That's one way to replace Josh Allen. attendance 20,322

aug 29, 2018

#Army coach Jeff Monken named Kelvin Hopkins Jr. the starter at quarterback in the opener at Duke. He takes over for Ahmad Bradshaw, who led the Black Knights to consecutive winning seasons for the first time in three decades.

aug 31 2018

NMST was up 10-7 early against Minnesota, and I noticed that #FrankSpaziani, the former the DC then HC at BC, was their Defensive Coordinator. It went downhill for the Ags from there. Minn 48 NMST 10
sept 1: #army passed for more yards (197) than rushed (168) in a 31-14 loss to Duke
sept 15: #army hosts  #hawaii and their rushing attack  eating up the clock may be the best way to slow down the Rainbows' aerial show but they'll losea squaeker 24-21.
sept  29, 2018:  Plenty of road work for the Independents this weekend.
#army travels to Buffalo (MAC): Bulls Tyree Jackson's arm will do enough to edge Army 24-23 in an intrastate battle
#umass travels to Ohio (MAC).  Look for Ohio to slow down their former MAC foe and pull out a 28-27 win.
#Liberty  travels to New Mexico (MWC): Lobos 19 Liberty 14
#BYU travels to UW (Pac12) Another tight game . UW D gets a pick 6 and wina 23 -20
Notre Dame hosts Stanford (PAC12):  Maybe a special teams play turns the gave for the Irish. in a 27-26 win.

Sept 30, 2018

Props to #army and I was 100% wrong on Jackson's arm. Army 42 Buff 14
 The Bobcats roared into gear in the second quarter and never looked back in 58- 42 win over UMass.  N. Rourke, the Ohio QB, tossed three TD passes and rushed for a TD.
I was wrong on the amount of O and the winner as  Jones, the Libert QB, threw  for 417 yards and three TDs in 52-43 win over the Lobos.
UW defense was stingier than I guessed and Browning had a solid game for the Huskies in a 35-7 win over BYU.
ND defense was solid and Book threw four TD passes in a 38 -17 win over the Cards. Three out of 5 correct picks

oct 7, 2018

UMass got trounced  by USF. Notre Dame smacked  VTech, and #Nmst with 4 td passes from Josh Adkins, outlasted  #Liberty 49-41
Oct 13, 2018 7:52AM EST
INDEPENDENTS (FBS) W L
 Notre Dame                        6 0
 Army                                   3 2
 BYU                                3 3
 Liberty                               2 3
 New Mexico State       2 4
 Massachusetts               2 5

Oct 20,2018

Alabama adds New Mexico State to its 2019 and 2021 home football schedule.

Big game for #army (4-2) today to stay in the bowl game hunt as they host Miami (Ohio).

oct 21, 2018

G. Ragland (30-53, 329 YDS, 4 TD) effort for Miami O wasn't enough as Coach Martin's decision to go for a two pint conversion in OT backfired in a 31-30 loss at Army. Woofolk and Thomas led the strong Army rushing attack.