Week 11 in the O5

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

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

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

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

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

Nov 11, 2023

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

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

Nov 12, 2023

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

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

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

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

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

Week 10 in the O5

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov 5, 2023

Rice gave SMU a good game. SMU 36 Rice 31

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

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

Rough times for the Herd. Appy 31 Marshall 9.

correct on all 4 picks.

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

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 8 in the O5

  I can't resist a military matchup. AFA (MWC) will remain undefeated when they visit a slowly improving Navy(AAC) this Saturday. E Michel will rush for 100 for AFA. AFA 27 Navy 19

MWC: Rebels stay hot at home. Maiava has a solid game at QB. UNLV 30 CSU 20

MAC: Two teams that are 3-0 in MAC play. I'll roll with Gabbert slightly over Finn in an aerial show. Miami O  24 Toledo 21.

Sunbelt- Plenty of tough matchups this weekend. GA St looks hot.  Marcus Carroll will rush for nearly 100 yards.  GA St 23 ULL 20

Oct 22, 2023

E. Michel 22 ATTs, 69 YDs didn't reach 100 yards, but AFA handled Navy 17-6.

UNLV needed 6 FGs to outlast CSU 25-23

Gabbert was injured during the game. Toledo 21- MO 17. My only incorrect pick.

Carroll rushed for 110 yards. GA ST 20 ULL 17. 

Other results: Tulane got a big AAC win at home over NTX. Pratt tossed 3TD passes. San Diego St lost to Nevada 6-0. in MWC action.

Oct 24, 2023

It's Tuesday in the CUSA, and I'll go with "Do it all" Pavia leading New Mex St to a close win at Ruston, LA. NM ST 23 La Tech 21. Coach Kill has the Aggies in gear.

Well Pavia was so-so, but his team won NM st 27- LA Tech 24. Bachmier, who leftt Boise, was the Bulldogs QB.

In other CUSA action, Liberty(8-0) beat WKU 42-29.

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 6 in the O5

 MWC: Hard to resist making a guess on Fresno St at Wyoming. Kenne, the Fresno QB, has nearly 1500 passing yards but Cowboys will slow him down and Waylee will rush for over 100 yards. WYO 25 FRES 24.

AAC: Long road trip for NTX to Navy, but they'll squeak out a win. NTX 17 Navy 16. I'm not sold on the new Navy HC Newberry.

MAC: Both teams have upset P5 teams. I'll roll with Gabbert and the Redhawks. Miami O 27 BG 22

CUSA: Sam Houston will remain winless after its visit to Liberty.  LIB 30 SHSU 13.  Liberty's win will move it to 3-0, the same record as surprising Jax St.

SunBelt: Marshall is 5-0 and looking strong, but NC St(ACC) held Louisville to 13 points last week. NCST  15 MU 13.

Oct 6, 2023

I thought SHSU was going to get its first W, but the Flames D stiffened. LIB 21 SHSU 16. Nice game for Q. Cooley RB - LIB 17CAR 106YDS 1TD

Tulane AD Troy Dannen is headed to UW.

Oct 8 2023

4 of 5:  Navy was my incorrect pick. Surprised that Miami O shutout Bowling Green, and how high scoring the NC State 49 /Herd 42 game was.

AAC action that surprised me by the score: UTSA 49 Temple 34.  UAB 56 USF 35
Week6 surprises: MiamiO 5-1 and SDST Aztecs(2-4) 

Fewer Independents in NCAA sports

 I thought Army/BC series had more games. Army won the first nine games from 1917-1959. I'm trying to figure out why the series froze after the 1919 game and didn't return until 1959. BC leads Army 25-13 in the series. They have not played since 2013. I'll go with Castellanos and the Eagles winning 22-20 at Army. 

Oct 8, 2023

T. Castellanos QB - BC 31CAR 142YDS 4TD saved the day BC 24 Army 21

UConn beat Rice(AAC) despite the younger McCaffrey having 100yards receiving and 2 TDs .

Notre Dame lost to Louisville (ACC), and UMass got whacked by Toledo(MAC).

Oct 14, 2023

Troy is a tough SunBelt team and will escape with a narrow road victory of Army.

USC may lack a defense, but Notre Dame can't outscore the Trojans.

The Minutemen of UMass will be down by 24 at Penn St in the first 15 minutes.

Oct 15, 2023

Troy shutout Army 19-0, and UMass got blanked 63-0 by Penn St.

Wow was I wrong on Notre Dame who rolled USC 48-20. I guess all the Caleb Williams QB hype can slow down. His stats: 199YDS 1TD 3INT.

Oct 21, 2023

UConn /USF will be close, and it would be a tie in the old days. USF has regressed since hanging tough with Bama in a loss.

Army visits LSU and hopes it's not a 60-10 loss.

In hoops Chicago St, the last 1A independent, opens at Bowling Green on Nov 6.

Oct 22, 2023

USF survived 24-21, and I got darn close on that Army score. LSU 62 Army 0.

Oct 27, 2023

New England flavor in Independents. UMass is the right tonic for Army coming off the blowout loss to LSU. Army 21. UMass 16

Mora JR's Huskies are going in reverse after showing some promise last season. BC 27 UConn 20

Notre Dame should handle Pittsburg but won't cover the line of 20.5. ND 31 Pitt 20

Oct 29, 2023

Two out of three ain't bad. Wrong on Army and its anemic O.

UConn stayed in the game but lost to BC. Neither team looked good. 

Notre Dame crushed Pitt 58-7.

Nov 3, 2023

Notre Dame by 6 over Clemson.  Does Dabo have any tricks left?

UConn won't stay with Tennessee past the first quarter.

Army /AirForce. Army gets strafed by the Boys in the sky.

UMass plays Merrimack and should win over a lower division opponent. I'm looking for Jack Kerouac's(RIP) hunch. He mentioned the mighty Merrimack River in his early notes and novels about Lowell.

Nov 5, 2023

Dabo has some tricks left: Clemson 31 ND 23. I changed my mind just before kickoff and took Clemson in a Yahoo pickem but was wrong in this blog.

My other incorrect pick was AFA. Army brought them back to earth Army 23- AFA-3 

Tenn 49 UConn 3

UMass 31Merrimack 21

Nov 7, 2023

Rough start for Chicago St Cougars hoops: Bowling Green(MAC) 70  Chicago State 41.

Wesley Cardet Jr.posted 12 points and four assists for the Cougars.

Nov 16, 2023

Who knows what to make of an Army team that lost to UMass but beat Air Force? Coastal Carolina(SBC) 24 Army 17.

UMass can't handle Liberty O. Liberty(CUSA) 34 UMass 13

Notre Dame 38 Wake Forest(ACC) 27

UConn 30 Sacred Heart 10.  

Hoops: Cardet scored 23 for Chicago St in a win over S. Indiana. Cougar are 1-3 . Losses to Bowling Green, Mercer, and CS- Northridge.

Nov 19, 2023

Wow, Army beat CCU 28-21. Incorrect on that, right on the rest.

Nov 24, 2023

Minutemen up 38-36-2 in the series with UConn. I thought Mora Jr would have made more progress at UConn. UMass 31 UConn 30

 Fighting Irish remember being upset last year by Stanford. ND 35 Stanford 23. Perhaps NND listens to Rockne audio during pre-game.  Rockne started a plan of ending every season with a game in CA to aid West Coast recruiting efforts.

Nov 26, 2023

ND crushed Stanford yesterday. UConn beat UMass: C. Edwards

RB - CONN 19 CAR 102YDS  2TD

A. Simpson WR - MASS 6REC 107YDS

In Hoops: Chicago St (2-6) beat Morgan State 84-83 on Nov 22. Jahsean Corbett cored 18 points for Chicago State in a 84-83 win over Morgan State in the third-place game of the Mayan Division of the Cancun Challenge.

Dec 9, 2023

Since Army upset Air Force they've been on a roll. I'm taking them to beat Navy 20-19 today at Gillette Stadium and win the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Tysun Riley rushed for 112 yards in the win over CCU. Look for more of the same from him today. If Navy, who lost to AFA earlier this season, wins then it's a three-way tie.

Navy leads the all-time series 62-54-7

Dec 10 2023

Army 17 Navy 11. Army LB Kalib Fortner scored on a fourth-quarter strip sack and then helped keep Navy QB Tai Lavatai out of the end zone with 3 seconds left.

Belichick spoke to the Midshipmen on Friday night and pulled on a Roger Staubach-era Navy helmet for a TV pregame show to predict the winner.

Dec 12, 2023

Chicago St. hoops beat Stetson and lost to St Thomas. Now a win over Northwestern tonight would be wild. 

They play at UTEP in January at the Don Haskins Center, El Paso.

Dec 23, 2023

Well, Chicago St upset NW(Big10) on Dec 12, then beat UTRGV(WAC) and Bethune (MEAC), but Wisky was too much for them last night. WIS (Big10) 80 CHIC St 53. Badgers held Wesley Cardet Jr to 10 points.

Jan 1, 2024

Chicago St hoops lost to California Baptist(WAC) 74-62 and then to DePaul(BigEast) 70-58 last week.

Notre Dame cruised past Oregon St 40-8 in the Sun Bowl.

Jan 11, 2024

Cougars showing some plus signs. Still think they should apply to join the Summit Conference.

 Jan 2: loss to Kansas State 62-55

Jan 3: loss to Oklahoma State 72-53

Jan 7: loss to UTEP 74 69

Jan 10: win over FDU(NEC) 75-74 w/o Wesley Cardet. A Neal led Chicago St with 14 points.

Feb 10, 2024

J Corbett(21pts, 11reb) was not enough for Chicago St in a 65-60 loss to Duquesne(A10) on Jan31. Today's opponent: S.Carolina St(MEAC).Time to join the Summit or OVC.

Feb 26, 2024

MAC board voted to add UMass as an all-sports member beginning in 2025-26, Well, I've been saying it for about 7 years in various blogs.

UMass was in the MAC as a football-only member from 2012-15. They remained in the A10 for other sports.

UMass Ice hockey plays in the Hockey East Association, separate from any A-10 to MAC move. 

March 23, 2024

I thought the CIT had faded into oblivion after Marshall won it in 2019 Sorry gang,  but it's the CBI occurring. Chicago St got invited to the CBI and faces UC -San Diego (Big West) today. Will Cardet leads the Cougars with 18.1 PPG

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

 C ST 75 Northwestern 73

March 24, 2024

Will Cardet (30pts, 4ast) for the Cougars in a 77-75 win over UCSD and plays the winner of Fairfield(MAAC)/Ark LR(OVC).

march 25, 2024.  : W Cardet scored 25 for Chicago St but they they lost to Fairfield 77-74

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