#jmu football championship

[wagerhome-blog]

Future Favorites as College Basketball Begins

The college basketball season for both men and women began on Monday, and two unusual upsets highlighted opening night. The best women’s basketball team in the land, the LSU Tigers, were easily handled by the Colorado Buffaloes, 92-78. Frida Foremann of Colorado led the upset with 27 points and seven 3-pointers. Angel Reece, who was the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player when LSU rolled to the national championship last spring, had just 15 points on 15 shots. It was the first time a women’s defending national champion lost on opening night since 1995. On the men’s side the No. 4 ranked Michigan State Spartans lost to James Madison, 76-74 in overtime, making it just the first time a top-five team lost to an unranked opponent on opening night since 2005. That team that lost in 2005 was Michigan State. This was the first November home loss for the Spartans since 1986, and just the second time in school history that James Madison has beaten a ranked team.

Men’s National Championship Favorites

- Kansas (+1000) - Duke (+1100) - Purdue (+1100) - Kentucky (+1200) - Arizona (+1400) - UConn (+1400) - Michigan State (+1800) - Marquette (+1800) Kansas has made head coach Bill Self the highest paid coach in the nation, and the Jayhawks are the favorites to win another national championship. They won it in 2022, but last year they were knocked out in the second round by Arkansas. UConn is the defending national champion, and the Huskies are tied with Arizona for the fifth shortest odds to begin the season. The Wildcats won the Pac-12 Tournament last year and were awarded a two-seed, but they were bounced in the first round by the 15th-seeded Princeton Tigers. Michigan State has fallen to +1800 after their loss to JMU in East Lansing.

Women’s National Championship Favorites

- UConn (+400) - LSU (+450) - Iowa (+900) - Utah (+950) - South Carolina (+1100) - UCLA (+1400) - Indiana (+1500) - Ohio State (+1800) LSU has dropped behind UConn as the early favorites to win the women’s national championship. UConn holds the record with 11 women’s national championships, and this season they have Page Bueckers. She was the AP, Naismith, and John Wooden Player of the Year in 2021, but missed all of last year with a torn ACL. She headlines a great battle for this season’s player of the year, with Reece from LSU and Caitlin Clark of Iowa. Reece is the preseason SEC Player of the Year, and Clark is the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. Reece and Clark, and LSU and Iowa, played in the finals last year of the highest rated NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in history.

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[thecollegefootballguy]

2019 FCS Playoff Primer: National Championship Game

#1 North Dakota State 15-0 (8-0) vs #2 James Madison 14-1 (8-0)

Here we are, it’s a familiar feeling. If you’d put money down before the season on which two teams would be participating in the FCS Championship Game, this would have been the most common pairing. Maybe it disappoints people to see the usual suspects cropping up again, but these are the two best and most deserving programs to be here.

North Dakota State needs no introduction. The Bison are the most impressive dynasty of the 2010′s at any level of college football from Power 5 to the NAIA. NDSU find themselves in their eighth national championship game in nine years, now guided by their third coach in that astronomical span.

The craziest thing is that this might be the best North Dakota State team of the bunch. The Bison absolutely murdered everybody they played in the regular season apart from a touchdown victory over rival South Dakota State in Brookings. In the Playoff, Illinois State was the only team to get under NDSU’s skin in a rematch that still saw the Redbirds only score 3 points. North Dakota State beat up on Montana State 42-14 in the semifinals to punch their ticket to Frisco for the third straight year.

We all remember the lone blip in the Bison’s otherwise immaculate Playoff record from 2011 to the present day. In 2016, James Madison surprised favored NDSU 27-17 in Fargo in the semifinals and held off Youngstown State to secure the only national title since 2010 that wasn’t won by the Bison. Oh yeah, and just because it bears mentioning, this JMU team is also on their third coach since their extended Playoff streak began in 2014. Very impressive.

The Dukes have shown a similar dominance this year. JMU lost to FBS West Virginia to kick off the season, but obliterated everybody else in their path in the regular season, save an overtime road win over Stony Brook in the first week of October. James Madison has been even scarier than North Dakota State in the Playoff. The Dukes have won their three tournament contests by a combined 113-35. In the semifinals, JMU easily beat Weber State 30-14. The Wildcats were perhaps the only team with a similar resume to James Madison and NDSU.

It all comes down to this. The unequivocal two best teams in the FCS fighting it out in Frisco, Texas this Saturday.

[casorasi]

JMU, UR, W&M continue to wait for NCAA verdict regarding fall championships

No matter the verdict, Football Championship Subdivision programs would like to be made aware of one so they can proceed. JMU, UR, W&M continue to wait for NCAA verdict regarding fall championships

[therealteemorris]

Meant to post this over the weekend, but even with the weekend done and dusted, we are still a #DukeNation. #football #JMU #championship #GoDukes #DukeDogPride

[uslivestreamonline]

YSU vs JMU championship live stream

YSU vs JMU championship live stream

Hell-oa !! self-control, how to watch YSU vs JMU live stream fcs championship foot#ball Game online, season 2017. this biggest university of athletics game in usa is NCAA Football. You are mostly invited to – watch all ncaaf games in different TV Channels Like NAT TV, NCAA Network, Watch ESPN, ESPN, FOX, CBS, SKY, NBCSN, TNT, Star Sports Or Any TV Channels Online.you can watchYSU vs JMU Live…

[kitstanwood]

Hi everyone ☺️ I'm a #2014 #JMU graduate with a degree in Business Management concentrated in Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship along with Computer Information Systems. So proud of the JMU football team for winning the National Championship against Youngstown State 28-14. Forever a Duke Dog💜💛 #Jamesmadisionuniversity (at Lake of the Woods, Virginia)

[thecollegefootballguy]

2019 FCS Playoff Primer: First Round

The FCS Playoff starts tomorrow! Let’s check in on how the first round is set up and all of the big games from the small schools.

Just to keep track, the conference bids are as follows:

Big Sky/MVFC: 4 teams CAA/Southland: 3 teams Big South/OVC/Southern: 2 teams NEC/Patriot/Pioneer: 1 team 1 FCS Independent

#24 North Dakota 7-4 at #19 Nicholls State 8-4 (7-2)

North Dakota managed to nab an at-large as a football independent. The Fighting Hawks went 7-4 against a schedule mostly made up of their old Big Sky conference mates. Their big win over Montana State helped catapult UND into the Playoff. North Dakota is in their second ever FCS Playoff, having made a prior appearance in 2016 as members of the Big Sky where they lost in the second round to Richmond.

Nicholls State tied Central Arkansas atop the Southland standings but the Colonels were able to earn the automatic bid by beating the Bears 34-14 in October. This is Nicholls’ sixth ever appearance in the FCS Playoff and third in a row. NSU will attempt to build on last season, where they made it to the second round before falling to Eastern Washington.

The winner of this game has the unfortunate luck of drawing overall #1 seed North Dakota in the second round.

#13 Illinois State 8-4 (5-3) at #12 Southeast Missouri State 9-3 (7-1)

Illinois State finished tied for 3rd in the MVFC alongside South Dakota State, whom the Redbirds beat 27-18 to help secure their playoff berth. ISU probably would have earned a first round bye if they hadn’t lost to Youngstown State last week. It’s a real shame, the loss also cost Illinois State home field advantage. The Redbirds are in their eighth FCS Playoff and first since 2016 when they were bounced by Central Arkansas in the first round.

Southeast Missouri State had a very good season, tying Austin Peay for the Ohio Valley championship. The Redhawks enter with a six game winning streak. SEMO are looking to build on last season where they made the second round before losing to Weber State. It’s only the Redhawks’ third ever FCS Playoff selection.

The winner will play 8 seed Central Arkansas in the second round.

#16 Furman 8-4 (6-2) at #18 Austin Peay 9-3 (7-1)

Furman enters the Playoff perhaps a bit underrated. The Paladins finished second in the Southern Conference but only lost 2 games against FCS opponents. Furman are in their 18th Playoff, their first since 2017 which saw the Paladins fall to rival Wofford in the second round.

Austin Peay won the OVC’s automatic bid to the tournament by beating Southeast Missouri State in the regular season 28-24. The Governors are making their first ever appearance in the FCS Playoff, and it’s not a surprise why. Head coach Mark Hudspeth led Louisiana-Lafayette to several Sun Belt titles in his time in the FBS.

The winner of this contest will face 4th seeded Sacramento State in the second round.

#17 Central Connecticut 11-1 (7-0) at #25 Albany 8-4 (6-2)

Central Connecticut had their best season in recent memory. The Blue Devils went undefeated against the FCS and secured their second ever bid to the Playoff after 2017 when they lost to New Hampshire in the first round. The NEC Champions will have a tough road to advance, despite going undefeated in conference play they’ll be on the road the whole time.

Albany finished second in the CAA behind Playoff regular James Madison. The Great Danes managed to sneak in with a bit of help from the schedule, they missed both the JMU Dukes as well as Villanova. Either way, Albany finds themselves in their second ever FCS Playoff after losing in the first round to rival Stony Brook in 2011.

The winner will play 5 seed Montana State in the second round.

Holy Cross 7-5 (5-1) at #14 Monmouth 10-2 (6-0)

Holy Cross won the Patriot League outright despite losing to runner-up Lafayette. The Crusaders come into the tournament as big underdogs and have a tough road ahead of them. Holy Cross are in their third ever FCS tournament and first since 2009. They haven’t yet won a Playoff game in program history.

Monmouth finally broke out in 2019, getting past conference favorite Kennesaw State to win the Big South’s auto-bid to the tournament. The Hawks only lost to FBS Western Michigan and to Montana, who earned a first round bye as one of the eight best teams in the FCS. Monmouth is in the Playoff for the second time ever after their 2017 loss in the first round to Northern Iowa.

The victor in this game will unfortunately have to play 2 seed James Madison.

San Diego 9-2 (8-0) at #6 Northern Iowa 8-4 (6-2)

San Diego once again represents the Pioneer League in the FCS Playoffs after winning the conference handily. The Toreros are playing their fourth straight Playoff and fifth total. They have a bad draw against Northern Iowa.

The Panthers finished 2nd in the FCS Playoffs and were controversially denied a first round bye. UNI has only lost 3 games in I-AA, all to Playoff opponents. Northern Iowa is a fixture in the tournament, and are making their 20th appearance all-time.

The winner plays 7 seed South Dakota State next week.

#15 Kennesaw State 10-2 (5-1) at #11 Wofford 8-3 (7-1)

One of the better matchups of the first round. Kennesaw State was the Big South favorite before falling to Monmouth in the regular season. The Owls have made their 3rd straight FCS Playoff after starting the program in 2015.

Wofford has won the Southern Conference with a 24-7 win over in-state rival Furman. The Terriers have won their last 8 FCS games and are in their 3rd straight Playoff (10th overall). Last season Kennesaw State defeated Wofford in the second round to knock the Terriers out.

The winner here will play 3rd seed Weber State.

#8 Villanova 9-3 (5-3) at Southeastern Louisiana 7-4 (6-3)

I’m not well versed enough in the FCS Playoff to know why Villanova (who could have been given a first round bye), don’t even get home field advantage against Southeastern Louisiana. After starting the season unranked, the Wildcats leapt all the way to 5th in the FCS before losing three straight. ‘Nova steadied the ship and found their way into the Playoff for the first time since 2016. The Wildcats have a strong history in the FCS, having made the tournament 13 times and going deep through most of the 2000′s, including winning the title in 2009.

Southeastern Louisiana were picked to finish 8th in the Southland Conference but have managed to make a spot for themselves in the 24 team tournament. The Lions nearly secured the automatic bid but fell to rival Nicholls State to end the year. SELA is making only their third ever bid to the FCS Playoff and first since 2014 when they lost to Sam Houston State.

The winner will have to travel to Missoula to face 6 seeded Montana.

[giantbananas]

Texas bound to watch some championship JMU football!!

[casorasi]

James Madison football team picked to win CAA

CAA voters view the Dukes, with 12 starters back from a 14-1 team, as heavy favorites in the CAA. JMU, which won the 2016 FCS title and lost in the championship game last season, received 21 of 24 first-place votes.… James Madison football team picked to win CAA

[athlonsports]

The FCS playoffs appear to be setting up as a showdown between North Dakota State and James Madison in the championship.

  Everybody else, come and get them.

  Yeah, easier said than done.

  With conference champs still basking in the glory and 24 teams in the playoff field, there's optimism everywhere, even if NDSU and JMU have been ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, since the preseason.

  Here's the Athlon FCS Power Poll following Week 13 games and heading toward the postseason:

  Read the full story on Athlon Sports

[uslivestreamonline]

YSU vs JMU FCS Championship live stream

YSU vs JMU FCS Championship live stream

Hell-oa !! self-control, how to watch YSU vs JMU live stream fcs championship foot#ball Game online, season 2017. this biggest university of athletics game in usa is NCAA Football. You are mostly invited to – watch all ncaaf games in different TV Channels Like NAT TV, NCAA Network, Watch ESPN, ESPN, FOX, CBS, SKY, NBCSN, TNT, Star Sports Or Any TV Channels Online.you can watchYSU vs JMU Live…

[auburnfamilynews]

This time of year is all about expectations. Unlike that other team across the state, Auburn fans want and expect the other major sports to do well. 2017–2018 didn’t feature any national championships, but every sport save softball exceeded expectations. No, Auburn football didn’t end on a high note and watching Alabama’s Tagovailoa connect with Smith on 2nd and 26 in overtime (COME ON GEORGIA, IT WAS SECOND AND TWENTY-SIX!!!) was a totally fitting ending to the football season for grizzled Auburn fans. No, basketball didn’t make it to the final four, nor did softball or baseball play in Oklahoma or Omaha. And women’s basketball slid significantly this year, failing to improve on a 17–15 record and an NCAA bid. 

On Monday we took a look at what success might look like for the Auburn football program. Today, we want to examine what might success in the other major sports programs at Auburn look like for 2018–2019?

As mentioned, women’s basketball slid slightly from 2016–2017 where it played in the NCAA tournament, losing to NC State. This past season, Terri Williams-Flournoy’s sixth club fell to 14–15, lost to the Lady Vols in the first game of the SEC Tournament, and weren’t offered a berth in the NCAA tournament. Despite the losing season, Coach Flo received a contract extension. While having only one twenty-win season, Coach Flo has led the Tigers to 19 wins multiple times and had the program on the cusp of turning the corner until this year’s downturn. With the SEC having traditional powerhouses, the issue has been conference wins. Williams-Flournoy has no winning records in the SEC. Success in 2018–2019 is simply getting to 9–7, which could likely mean an NCAA bid.

The softball team went through tremendous change in the off-season, starting with completely rebuilding a coaching staff due to internal issues. Some of the fallout led to a head admin. assistant Meredith Jenkins being removed by new AD Allen Greene. Along the way, Auburn lost the best player in program history, and one of the best players the sport has ever known, in Kasey Cooper. However, the killer blow to the season was losing catcher Carlee Wallace to Baylor amid the scandal that involved relationships between players and coaches.

After staff resignations and retirements, the number one coach on the board, Mickey Dean, was brought in from James Madison. While Dean worked wonders with JMU, especially with pitching, pitching wasn’t an issue at Auburn—hitting was. Auburn’s bats were in a two-year slump, and Dean and fellow coach Eddy Kettelhut couldn’t work miracles. Pitching kept Auburn in most every game this past season, but it wasn’t enough to make the Women’s College World Series. It should be noted that Auburn ran across Florida State in Tallahassee. Auburn couldn’t win on the road, and FSU ended up winning the National Championship.

Gone from the 2017 roster are outfielder Victoria Draper, ace pitcher Kaylee Carlson, and catcher Courtney Shea. Will Makayla Martin live up to the billing as the ace? The infield is set going into the season. How will the outfield shake out? More importantly, whose bats will improve enough to get them on the field and can the rest of the entrenched starters improve enough to give the pitching staff more run support? What is success in 2018–2019? The easy answer is making it back to Oklahoma City. 

Baseball coach Butch Thompson had one of the tougher jobs, if not the toughest, at Auburn when he took over a languishing program mired in controversy thanks to Sonny Golloway. To many, it seemed Thompson was likely a stop-gap measure to stabilize the program before a bigger name could be wooed. Nobody told Thompson. The 2015–2016 squad went 23–33 before a surprise showing of 37–26 in 2016–2017. Then in 2018, Thompson got Auburn to super regional play, where the Tigers lost to top seeded Florida, but not before posting a 43–23 record and had MLB’s number one over-all pick in pitcher Casey Mize.

Projecting baseball, outside of the blue bloods, is such a hard thing to do, especially with baseball’s looser rules on drafting young players. Auburn has quality young pitchers and a ton of young players. Case in point came about when second baseman Luke Jarvis decided to leave Auburn after a terrific season.

What does success look like to Thompson’s Tigers? Auburn has to be better against middling SEC teams and has to be more competitive against the top programs such as Florida, Mississippi State, and Arkansas. The Tigers were 15–15 in conference but did so by sweeping bad teams while struggling to close out series against competitive teams. Sure, beating Florida was nice and winning the series against Mississippi State was great, but Arkansas swept Auburn as did Kentucky and Ole Miss. If Auburn can secure a winning SEC record, it would be an incredible season and set up Auburn for the tournament. 

The basketball program had an interesting year. Leading up to the season, Auburn began offering buy-backs for season tickets thanks to the FBI probe into the college game and the arrest of Chuck Person. On the outset, Auburn was predicted to finish 4–14 in the SEC with Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy out for the season. All the round ballers did was defy every expectation, win the SEC and play in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 15 years. With a healthy Bryce Brown and Anfernee McLemore on the floor, who knows how far Auburn could have gone.

But, Auburn is loaded for bear this coming season, and the sky is the absolute limit. Of all Auburn sports, this is the one where Auburn can make some serious noise. Now, winning a national championship in basketball is harder, in my opinion, than in football. But Auburn has the pieces at least to challenge. Aside from losing Mustapha Heron and a few other transfers that were bench players for Pearl, Auburn reloads with the best returning back court in the SEC with Jared Harper and Bryce Brown.

Auburn has Austin Wiley to lock down the minutes in the paint, and McLemore and Horace Spencer will spell him. McLemore will likely play a big four for Auburn this season, challenging Chuma Okeke for playing time. Danjel Purifoy is a legit inside-out player for the Tigers on the wing. The good depth should carry the Tigers to another good year. An even better year than last season. So, success would be a second SEC championship, a deep run in the SEC Tournament, and a Final Four appearance. While a Sweet Sixteen appearance would be acceptable, it would be tough to accept less.

The post Defining Success for Auburn’s Other Major Sports in 2018–2019 appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.

from Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog http://trackemtigers.com/defining-success-for-auburns-major-sports-in-2018-2019/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=defining-success-for-auburns-major-sports-in-2018-2019

[thecollegefootballguy]

2019 Top Games of the Week: Week 1

College football properly kicks off this weekend. Week 1 is a five day running party from Thursday to Monday featuring some pretty cool games and a bunch of terrible mismatches. There seem to be fewer high profile matchups this year, which is a bit disappointing, but the rest of the month makes up for it.

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. #19 Wisconsin at South Florida (Friday 8/30/19)

Yeah, it isn’t the best week after the few high profile games. Wisconsin is looking to reestablish themselves as the top dogs in the Big Ten West. To build up some good press they’re gonna travel to South Florida and try to wreak havoc on a Bulls team that limped into the end of 2017.

9. Virginia Tech at Boston College (Saturday 8/31/19)

As a celebration of the new ACC Network kicking off, we’re going to see one of the league’s “premier” rivalry games early on. Personally I think this is a pretty cool game to showcase, if for nothing else than both teams really could use the win. Virginia Tech could definitely be a contender in the Coastal division, but the Hokies just can’t seem to get all their ducks in a row since Justin Fuente’s first season. It’s starting to feel like the partnership might not work. Speaking of, Boston College is desperate to win more than 7 games a year and are having a tough time raising the ceiling in the ACC Atlantic. This could be a good year to take that next step, but the Eagles might not have the personnel to do it.

8. Virginia at Pittsburgh (Saturday 8/31/19)

Believe it or not, but Virginia was picked by the ACC media to win the Coastal division. I’d love for this to happen, I’m just going to remain skeptical until I see the Cavaliers demonstrate they can win something like 9 games this year. UVA will get off to the right start with a win over Pittsburgh, the defending division champs.

7. Fresno State at USC (Saturday 8/31/19)

This is the schadenfreude game of the week. If this game had been played last year, Fresno State would have bowled over USC. But in 2019 the Bulldogs have lost some of their key players, and the Trojans can’t be THAT bad two years in a row. Right?

6. Ole Miss at Memphis (Saturday 8/31/19)

As far as I’m concerned Ole Miss is the underdog, SEC be damned. Memphis is poised to have a big season and the Rebels are dysfunctional enough not to have the benefit of the doubt.

5. Northwestern at #25 Stanford (Saturday 8/31/19)

The defending Big Ten West champion is taking on one of the PAC-12′s most consistent winners. Pretty good for Week 1 tbh. This is also a big revenge game for Stanford. Northwestern inexplicably beat the Cardinal in 2015, spoiling a Playoff bid for their last truly great team.

4. Houston at #4 Oklahoma (Sunday 9/1/19)

I probably have this one listed too high. But what if?!?! Dana Holgorsen left the Big 12 but the Big 12 can’t leave Dana Holgorsen behind. Houston is turning a new page and Oklahoma is breaking in a new (but very proven) quarterback. But hey, everybody suffers some growing pains.

3. Boise State vs Florida State in Jacksonville, FL (Saturday 8/31/19)

This one has disaster written all over it. Florida State should be better than last year, it’s hard to imagine the Seminoles any worse, but playing Boise in Week 1 has proven to be a very dangerous prospect for many a Power 5 squad. If the Broncos win this one their path for a NY6 bowl will be wide open.

2. #14 Utah at BYU (Thursday 8/29/19)

The Holy War is never not interesting. These teams just hate each other and always play tense, exciting games. Utah has higher expectations than usual and BYU should be improving. Plus it’s college football on a Thursday night, it’s been a while since you’ve seen that.

1. #16 Auburn vs #11 Oregon in Arlington, TX (Saturday 8/31/19)

Both teams have a lot riding on this game. Oregon is getting national attention as a favorite to win the PAC-12 for the first time since the Ducks collapsed in 2016. Meanwhile, Auburn is probably one more 8-4 season away from firing Gus Malzahn, so this is an absolute must-win for the Tigers. Oh yeah, and it’s the replaying of that oh-so-controversial 2011 BCS National Championship Game that saw the Oregon robbed in favor of Cam Newton’s team of destiny.

-

5 G5 Games of the Week

5. Toledo at Kentucky (Saturday 8/31/19)

Kentucky was the darling of 2018, but the Wildcats lost a lot of their best players. Toledo is used to upsetting P5 opponents. Let’s see what happens.

4. Georgia Southern at #6 LSU (Saturday 8/31/19)

50% chance that LSU wins easily. 40% chance Georgia Southern gets under LSU’s programming but the Tigers outmuscle the Eagles for the win. 10% we get the upset of the season.

3. Purdue at Nevada (Friday 8/30/19)

Purdue has been a good story but hasn’t actually been that good outside of the Boilermakers’ demolition of Ohio State last year. Nevada is slowly morphing back into a competent G5 team.

2. Utah State at Wake Forest (Friday 8/30/19)

Utah State lost Matt Wells but regained Gary Andersen, so the Aggies could pick right back up where they left off last season and menace P5 opponents. Wake Forest is another sad sack made good story, so I have mixed feelings about this one.

1. UCLA at Cincinnati (Thursday 8/29/19)

I think everybody’s picking Cincinnati here. The Bearcats are declaring their intentions to show up at the Cotton Bowl here.

-

FCS Games of the Week

This is the week that a ton of the FCS plays against the FBS, so there are heaps of upset opportunities here which I’ll cover briefly.

14. Delaware State at #22 Delaware (Thursday 8/29/19)

Of course, there’s the in-state rivalry that should be considered as well.

...

13. #21 Elon at #20 North Carolina A&T (Saturday 8/31/19)

The only ranked vs ranked matchup in the FCS in Week 1. It’s a cool regional game between respectable teams.

...

12. #23 Sam Houston State at New Mexico (Saturday 8/31/19)

11. #16 Indiana State at Kansas (Saturday 8/31/19)

10. #15 Illinois State at Northern Illinois (Saturday 8/31/19)

9. #14 Montana State at Texas Tech (Saturday 8/31/19)

8. #13 Colgate at Air Force (Saturday 8/31/19)

7. #12 Nicholls State at Kansas State (Saturday 8/31/19)

I mean, at least one of these teams have to win this one. Godspeed, Kansas.

...

6. #8 Weber State at San Diego State (Saturday 8/31/19)

5. #5 UC Davis at California (Saturday 8/31/19)

4. #3 South Dakota State at Minnesota (Thursday 8/29/19)

3. #2 James Madison at West Virginia (Saturday 8/31/19)

This is where it starts to get real scary. I bet each one of these FBS AD’s is really nervous about their game. They learned not to schedule North Dakota State anymore, but really, how much easier is JMU or South Dakota State?

2. #18 Northern Iowa at #21 Iowa State (Saturday 8/31/19)

#4 Eastern Washington at #13 Washington (Saturday 8/31/19)

Oh yeah, here’s where we get a real threat. We’ve got ranked FCS vs ranked FBS with in-state angles. Delicious. The FCS could actually effect the FBS Playoff race here, especially the EWU-UW game.

[diehardsports-blog]

Why you should cheer for the FCS

By Catie Harper (photo is mine, too)

There’s no denying that the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) are the kings of college football. Meanwhile, the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) is often an after thought — especially in the minds of the NFL and its fans. For some unknown reason, people think that FCS football is similar to JV football at the high school level, but that’s far from the truth.

https://twitter.com/Glennvega135/status/974847062113177600

To the people on Twitter (who, let’s face it, probably haven’t watched an FCS game) why is the FCS such a joke? The athletes who head to an FCS school after high school probably weren’t heavily recruited, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t talented.

There have been six FCS players who have gone on to be named the MVP of the Super Bowl, multiple hall of famers and over 20 first round draft picks. While, yes, these players don’t go to the big dogs like Alabama and Ohio State, they’re still talented and producing at both the college and professional level.

When you look into what specific players who made it to the NFL, you may be surprised to find that a lot of big names have their roots in smaller schools. Here’s a list of four FCS players who have made or are making a name for themselves in the NFL:

#1 Charles Haley — James Madison University

What a lot of people don’t realize is that up until Tom Brady won his fifth Super Bowl last year, the only player to win five rings hailed from a school in the FCS. The JMU legend Haley spent 12 seasons in the NFL recording 500 tackles, 100.5 sacks and 26 forced fumbles. Haley was named to the Pro Bowl five times and also earned the Defensive Player of the Year twice. His success on the field didn’t only earn him five Super Bowl rings, it also earned him a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame.

#2 Jerry Rice — Mississippi Valley State University

You can’t call yourself a football fan and not know who Jerry Rice is. Through a whopping 20 seasons in the NFL, Rice won three Super Bowls, went to the Pro Bowl 13 times, racked up over 100 NFL records and found himself in the Hall of Fame. Rice had arguably one of the greatest NFL careers out of all wide receivers, and, yes, he’s an FCS product.

#3 Walter Payton — Jackson State University

Let’s start off with this: A football player from an FCS school has a highly touted award named after him. Along with the award, Payton played 13 seasons, won a Super Bowl, a MVP title and a Hall of Fame nod. Payton highlighted the underdog mentality throughout his life working hard both on an off the field to achieve all of the success he experienced in his 45 years of life.

#4 Carson Wentz — North Dakota State University

If you want a current NFL star from an FCS powerhouse, you don’t have to look very hard. Carson Wentz through two seasons in the big league has been nothing less than stellar. Through two seasons, the second of which was on pace for a MVP title before a season ending injury, Wentz has thrown for 7,078 yard and 49 touchdowns — and he also has a nice Super Bowl ring.

It’s not just those four athletes that have made an impact on the NFL, there are numerous others. Just this past week, 19 FCS players were drafted into the NFL and many others signed as undrafted free agents. The kids coming out of the FCS are the ones who have a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. A lot of the time they were passed over when it came to be recruited out of high school, so they’re determined to make their presences known on the big stage.

SB Nation published an article a few months ago about how the world was falling in love with the “underdog Eagles” and everything in the article is true. America loves the underdog. Maybe it’s because the country was once an underdog itself, or maybe it’s just because this country loves watching the powerhouses lose. But, whatever it is, the FCS players are underdogs. If they get their chance, America will fall in love with them. They’re driven, talented and ready to bare the workload to make it to the top.

So, to the NFL and its fans: give the underdog a shot. What’s the worst that can happen? You win a Super Bowl or two?

[casorasi]

JMU's Houston earns second VaSID Coach of the Year honor

Following a second-straight trip to the FCS national championship game, James Madison football coach Mike Houston was voted the Virginia Sports Information Directors Coach of the Year on Friday. JMU's Houston earns second VaSID Coach of the Year honor

[junker-town]

GT’s younger options and news on 6 other coaching changes

Here are some inside updates on Louisville, Boston College, Maryland, Colorado, and some interesting Group of 5 gigs.

1. Charlotte vs. East Carolina

One of the sport’s youngest and most intriguing Group of 5 jobs took a turn this week when James Madison head coach Mike Houston interviewed with the 49ers (the school offered Houston the job during the interview) and agreed verbally on Wednesday morning. Charlotte immediately called off its search and didn’t finish interviewing its other candidates.

Meanwhile, East Carolina finalized plans to fire head coach Scottie Montgomery on Wednesday night — and chase Houston, a name on ECU’s radar since his JMU team beat the Pirates by 20 in 2017.

Houston has long wanted to return to his native North Carolina and positioned Charlotte and ECU against one another. Meanwhile, Charlotte returned to evaluating other candidates, most notably Austin Peay head coach Will Healy and Kentucky offensive coordinator Eddie Gran.

Friday, Charlotte AD Mike Hill announced “we withdrew a contract offer” to Houston.

If Houston doesn’t land at ECU, one name to watch would be Oklahoma assistant head coach Shane Beamer, as well as former Tennessee head coach Butch Jones, who worked for current ECU interim AD Dave Hart in Knoxville.

2. Georgia Tech?

Multiple outlets have reported that San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt will interview for the open Georgia Tech job. Whisenhunt played for Georgia Tech, but the former Cardinals and Titans head coach hasn’t coached in college since 1996.

Other names to watch are Appalachian State’s Scott Satterfield, Georgia native and former GT recruiting coordinator Geoff Collins, and Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott.

In the college ranks, there’s a massive amount of interest in the Tech job, albeit with the understanding that Tech lags behind its ACC peers in facilities and fundraising, and has a flexbone roster that would need overhauling. Whereas strict academic requirements and local apathy have turned off others, many young coaches from the Southeast feel like GT could be reinvigorated to better recruit and represent the greater Atlanta area.

3. Welp, Louisville

After losing a highly publicized back and forth with Purdue’s Jeff Brohm, Louisville has to regroup and find a hire to sell as next-best to alumni and fans. Brohm was the obvious, unanimous pick in the inner circle of UL boosters, and there’s no consensus replacement.

We previously reported Troy’s Neal Brown, Appalachian State’s Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell, and Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker as being on the backup list.

4. Boston College’s next offensive coordinator is going to be a pressure-packed hire.

So far, it looks like Steve Addazio will get a seventh year as head coach. If he does, he’ll be doing so with a new offensive coordinator. Scot Loeffler somewhat surprisingly got hired by Bowling Green as its head coach.

Addazio has a decision to make to replace Loeffler, and it’s going to be crucial for his future heading into next season.

5. Colorado won’t get Matt Wells. So who’s up next?

As the Buffs continue their process to replace Mike Macintyre, they’ve evaluated Vanderbilt’s Derek Mason. Broncos coach Vance Joseph has been contacted to vet Mason. The two share an agent, and Joseph was a member of CU’s 1990 national championship team.

Ohio State offensive coordinator Ryan Day is one of the most sought-after assistants in the country. He turned down an SEC coaching job last year. If he wants, Day could have the opportunity to interview at Colorado and/or Maryland. However, Football Scoop reports Day is receiving an “unwritten understanding” that he’ll eventually replace Urban Meyer.

6. Speaking of Maryland ...

It remains clear that some around the program still heavily favor former Terps offensive coordinator Mike Locksley. Neither he nor Day will interview anywhere before their conference championship games are done. But it’s important to understand who actually wants Locksley at Maryland.

Support primarily comes from boosters who are willing to bet big on his recruiting prowess locally. School administrators like president Wallace Loh and athletic director Damon Evans are not so head over heels. From our notes roundup earlier this week:

There are said to be residual feelings to sort out between Locksley and athletic director Damon Evans, because Locksley didn’t get the job when it went to Durkin in December 2015. Locksley had been Maryland’s interim head coach and had a loud camp of backers, the same ones now urging the school to hire him. Evans was the No. 2 person in the Maryland athletic department then and deeply involved with the coaching search. But fences can be mended if both parties want Locksley at Maryland now.

If Locksley does go back to College Park, current Bama wide receivers coach Josh Gattis is a prime candidate to join him on his staff.

7. Utah State

The most attractive element to USU for potential head coaches is that Wells was given time to recover from multiple bad seasons (the Aggies won 19 games in Wells’ first two seasons, then won six, three, and six) and rebuild to a 10-win season, which got him a Big 12 job. AD John Hartwell’s one major FBS hire was Neal Brown at Troy, so he’s one for one so far.