Gameday Week #1

Top of the Mornin' To Ye!  

The first Saturday of the 2014 college football season has arrived! While ESPN's College Gameday broadcasts from Fort Worth, Texas, in preparation for tonight's match-up between the #1 Florida State Seminoles and the Oklahoma State Cowboys (8:00 PM Eastern, ABC), the Penn State Nittany Lions have been playing the Central Florida Knights in Dublin, Ireland, for the last couple of hours.  Penn State currently leads UCF 13-10 with less than three minutes left in the third quarter.

There are plenty of exciting games coming up later today, even though conference seasons for many teams don't start for a few weeks.  At Noon we have the long-awaited rematch between Appalachian State and Michigan.  The last time these two teams met was in 2007, the season opening game where Appalachian State upset Michigan, 34-32.  Michigan is heavily favored to win this year, but as the 2007 game demonstrated, upsets can happen.  At the same time, in Baltimore, Maryland, Michigan's great rival, Ohio State, is playing Navy at M&T Stadium, the home of the Ravens.  Ohio State will be without their starting quarterback, Braxton Miller, as he is out for the season with an injured shoulder.  J.T. Barrett, a redshirt freshman, will start as the Buckeyes QB.  Navy, by contrast, will start Junior Kennan Reynolds, who, during his sophomore season, set an NCAA record last year for rushing touchdowns with 31.  Look for a very competitive game here. 

At 3:30 PM, Atlanta's Georgia Dome will host the West Virginia Mountaineers vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide.  Alabama is favored by 26 points, and head coach Nick Saban will be starting fifth-year senior Blake Sims at quarterback.  His backup will be Junior Jake Coker, who transferred from Florida State over the summer.  As for West Virginia, the Mountaineers hope that a victory here will reinvigorate a program that finished last season with a 4-8 record.

Other major non-conference games being played this afternoon include a PAC-12-ACC match-up between UCLA and Virginia (noon, ESPN), a Sun Belt-ACC game between Georgia Southern (the former FCS team that upset Florida last season) and North Carolina State, a Big Ten-PAC-12 contest between California and Northwestern, an SEC conference game between Arkansas and Auburn, and an ACC-SEC season opener between Clemson and Georgia.

As for this evening, for those of you who would like something other than Florida State vs. Oklahoma State, the networks have the following games:

At 7:30 PM Eastern, FOX will televise a rematch between Fresno State and USC.  Last year, USC defeated Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl, 45-20.  Can the Bulldogs pull off a victory this year? 
USC is favored by at least 20 points.  Today's game will be Steve Sarkisian's debut as USC's head coach. 

Speaking of first-season head coaching debuts, Charlie Strong's Texas Longhorns will play the North Texas Mean Green in Austin.  Though Texas is a 26-point favorite, they will be playing a North Texas squad that had nine wins last year.  The Longhorn Network will telecast the game at 8:00 PM Eastern. 

Finally, at 9:00 PM Eastern, Wisconsin and Louisiana State will play the first in a two game neutral site series.  Tonight's game, in which ESPN has the telecast, will take place at Houston's Reliant Stadium.  It should be a very competitive game, both teams are ranked and each has a legitimate shot at winning their respective conference divisions.  LSU is a six-point favorite.  Next year, both teams will play in Green Bay's Lambeau Field.   

I will be posting updates on my Twitter feed throughout the day and final scores on this website.  Enjoy the afternoon, everybody!!

Week #1 College Football Scores

NCAA FBS (DIVISION 1-A) Final Scores for Week #1


Thursday, August 28th

#21 Texas A&M upsets #9 South Carolina, 52-28.         Box Score
Louisiana-Monroe holds off Wake Forest, 17-10.                   Box Score
Minnesota annihilates Eastern Illinois, 42-20.                         Box Score
Akron shuts out Howard, 41-0.                                                Box Score   
Northern Illinois manhandles Presbyterian, 55-3.                   Box Score
Central Michigan squeaks past Chattanooga, 20-16.               Box Score
Utah destroys Idaho State, 56-14.                                            Box Score 
New Mexico State defeats California Polytechnic, 28-10.      Box Score
#18 Ole Miss shuts down Boise State, 35-13.                         Box Score
Tulsa holds off Tulane, 38-31.                                                 Box Score
Rutgers lances Washington State, 41-38.                                 Box Score
#19 Arizona State pounds Weber State, 45-14.                        Box Score
Temple routs Vanderbilt, 37-7.                                                 Box Score
San Jose State routs North Dakota, 42-10.                               Box Score


Friday, August 29th

Brigham Young de-fangs Connecticut, 35-10.                        Box Score
Syracuse defeats Villanova in double overtime, 27-26.          Box Score
#8 Michigan State thrashes Jacksonville State, 45-7.              Box Score
Western Kentucky strikes down Bowling Green, 59-31.        Box Score
Colorado State trounces Colorado, 31-17.                               Box Score
Texas-San Antonio de-claws Houston, 27-7.                           Box Score
Arizona runs roughshod over Nevada-Las Vegas, 58-13.       Box Score


Saturday, August 30th

Penn State narrowly escapes Central Florida, 26-24.               Box Score
Pittsburgh shuts out Delaware, 62-0.                                        Box Score
Michigan mauls Appalachian State, 52-14.                              Box Score
Iowa survives Northern Iowa, 31-23.                                       Box Score
#5 Ohio State sinks Navy, 34-17.                                             Box Score
Alabama-Birmingham pounds Troy, 48-10.                             Box Score
Kentucky routs Tennessee-Martin, 59-14.                                Box Score
Illinois holds off Youngstown State, 28-17.                             Box Score
#7 UCLA squeaks by Virginia, 28-20.                                      Box Score
North Dakota State trounces Iowa State, 34-14.                       Box Score
Georgia Tech wrecks Wofford, 38-19.                                      Box Score
Purdue edges Western Michigan, 43-34.                                  Box Score
North Carolina State barely beats Georgia Southern, 24-23.    Box Score
Indiana takes down Indiana State, 28-10.                                 Box Score
Air Force soars past Nicholls State, 44-16.                               Box Score
Ball State shuts down Colgate, 30-10.                                      Box Score
Nevada edges Southern Utah, 28-19.                                        Box Score
Boston College drills Massachusetts, 30-7.                              Box Score
#2 Alabama survives West Virginia, 33-23.                              Box Score
Marshall thunders past Miami (OH), 42-27.                             Box Score
Old Dominion outlasts Hampton, 41-28.                                  Box Score
#17 Notre Dame grinds down Rice, 48-17.                              Box Score
#22 Nebraska overwhelms Florida Atlantic, 55-7.                   Box Score
California holds off Northwestern, 31-24.                                Box Score
Maryland thrashes James Madison, 52-7.                                 Box Score
#24 Missouri mauls South Dakota State, 38-18.                       Box Score
#11 Stanford shuts out California-Davis, 45-0.                         Box Score
Virginia Tech defeats William & Mary, 34-9.                    Box Score
#12 Georgia overwhelms #16 Clemson, 45-21.                        Box Score
Duke takes down Elon, 52-13.                                                  Box Score
#23 North Carolina puts out Liberty, 56-29.                             Box Score
Ohio narrowly beats Kent State, 17-14.                                    Box Score
Eastern Michigan scrapes by Morgan State, 31-28.                  Box Score
Toledo rockets over New Hampshire, 54-20.                            Box Score
Middle Tennessee hammers Savannah State, 61-7.                   Box Score
Bethune-Cookman beats Florida International, 14-12.              Box Score
San Diego State pounds Northern Arizona, 38-7.                      Box Score
Memphis shuts out Austin Peay, 63-0.                                       Box Score
South Florida holds off Western Carolina, 36-31.                     Box Score
#4 Oklahoma throttles Louisiana Tech, 48-16.                          Box Score
Texas Christian stomps Samford, 48-14.                                    Box Score
Texas Tech rides past Central Arkansas, 42-35.                        Box Score
Arkansas State overshadows Montana State, 37-10.                  Box Score
Louisiana-LaFayette overpowers Southern, 45-6.                     Box Score
Texas State shuts out Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 65-0.                      Box Score
#20 Kansas State mauls Stephen F. Austin, 55-16.                    Box Score
#15 Southern California destroys Fresno State, 52-13.              Box Score
Mississippi State shuts out Southern Mississippi, 49-0.             Box Score
Texas-El Paso undermines New Mexico, 31-24.                        Box Score
Texas strong-arms North Texas, 38-7.                                        Box Score
East Carolina humiliates North Carolina Central, 52-7.             Box Score
#1 Florida State survives Oklahoma State, 37-31.                      Box Score
#13 Louisiana State escapes #14 Wisconsin, 28-24.                  Box Score
#25 Washington squeaks by Hawaii, 17-16.                               Box Score
#3 Oregon annihilates South Dakota, 62-13.                              Box Score


Sunday, August 31st



Monday, September 1st

The Season Begins - Week #1 Game Schedule

Hello Everybody.  I apologize for the delay in updating my blog.  Because of a long workday yesterday I was not in a position to post this update.  Despite the delay, here is the schedule for the first week of the College Football Season!!  Life is Great Once Again!! 

As with last year, I will be on this website on Saturdays, as well as on Twitter, posting real time game updates and answering any questions about the day's games.  Or if you just want to say hello and talk about your favorite teams and players or start a debate about a NCAA football-related topic then that is by all means welcome and encouraged.  If there is an important game on either Thursday or Friday, I plan to be online for those days as well.  Enjoy the evening and I will see you all Tomorrow evening for the Boise State-Ole Miss Game!  (I don't get the SEC-ESPN Network in my area so I will be unable to watch the Texas A&M-South Carolina game).


Today's News Stories

UNC Head Coach Larry Fedora suspends four players from the opening game for rules violations.  Full story here.

Virginia Tech gives Head Coach Frank Beamer a two-year contract extension.  He will remain head coach of the Hokies until 2019.  Full story here.

Texas Christian Head Coach Gary Patterson has announced that the Horned Frogs will play two quarterbacks:  Trevone Boykin and Matt Joeckel.  Full story here.

A Maryland Judge has ordered NCAA president Mark Emmert to testify in the wrongful death lawsuit of player Derek Sheely.  Full story here.


NCAA FBS (Division 1-A) College Football Schedule - Week #1

All Times Eastern


Thursday, August 28th

6:00 PM
#21 Texas A&M at #9 South Carolina - SEC-ESPN Network 

7:00 PM
Wake Forest at Louisiana-Monroe - ESPNU
Eastern Illinois at Minnesota - Big Ten Network
Howard at Akron
Presbyterian at Northern Illinois
Chattanooga at Central Michigan

7:30 PM
Idaho State at Utah - PAC-12 Network

8:00 PM
Boise State vs. #18 Ole Miss - ESPN (Neutral Location - Atlanta, Georgia)
Cal Poly at New Mexico State
Tulane at Tulsa - CBS Sports Network

9:15 PM
Temple at Vanderbilt - SEC-ESPN Network

10:00 PM
Rutgers at Washington State - FOX Sports 1
North Dakota at San Jose State

10:30 PM
Weber State at #19 Arizona State - PAC-12 Network


Friday, August 29th

7:00 PM
Brigham Young at Connecticut - ESPN

7:30 PM
Jacksonville State at #8 Michigan State - Big Ten Network
Villanova at Syracuse
Bowling Green at Western Kentucky - CBS Sports Network

9:00 PM
Colorado State vs. Colorado - FOX Sports 1 (Neutral Location - Denver, Colorado)
Texas-San Antonio at Houston - ESPNU



9:30 PM
Nevada-Las Vegas at Arizona - ESPN


Saturday, August 30th

8:30 AM
Penn State vs. Central Florida - ESPN2 (neutral location - Dublin, Ireland)

12:00 PM
#5 Ohio State at Navy - CBS Sports Network 
#7 UCLA at Virginia - ESPN
Delaware at Pittsburgh
Appalachian State at Michigan - ESPN2
North Dakota State at Iowa State - FOX Sports 1
Indiana State at Indiana - ESPNNEWS
Northern Iowa at Iowa - Big Ten Network
Western Michigan at Purdue - ESPNU
Troy at UAB
Tennessee-Martin at Kentucky - SEC-ESPN

12:05 PM
Youngstown State at Illinois - Big Ten Network

12:30 PM
Wofford at Georgia Tech
Georgia Southern at North Carolina State

2:00 PM
Colgate at Ball State
Nicholls State at Air Force

3:00 PM
Southern Utah at Nevada
Boston College at Massachusetts

3:30 PM
West Virginia vs. #2 Alabama - ABC/ESPN2 - Check Local Listings (Neutral Site - Atlanta, GA)
Rice at #17 Notre Dame - NBC
Florida Atlantic at #22 Nebraska - Big Ten Network
South Dakota State at #24 Missouri - ESPNU
James Madison at Maryland - Big Ten Network
California at Northwestern - ABC/ESPN2 - Check Local Listings
Duquesne at Buffalo
Hampton at Old Dominion
Marshall at Miami (OH)

4:00 PM
Arkansas at #6 Auburn - SEC-ESPN Network
UC Davis at #11 Stanford - PAC-12 Network
Montana at Wyoming
Portland State at Oregon State - PAC-12 Network    
William & Mary at Virginia Tech - ESPNNEWS

5:30 PM
#16 Clemson at #12 Georgia - ESPN

6:00 PM
Liberty at #23 North Carolina
Elon at Duke
Ohio at Kent State
Morgan State at Eastern Michigan

7:00 PM
Louisiana Tech at #4 Oklahoma
New Hampshire at Toledo
Savannah State at Middle Tennessee
Bethune-Cookman at Florida International
Northern Arizona at San Diego State - CBS Sports Network
Idaho at Florida - ESPNU
Austin Peay at Memphis
Western Carolina at South Florida
Samford at TCU
Central Arkansas at Texas Tech
Montana State at Arkansas State
Southern University at Louisiana-Lafayette
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Texas State

7:10 PM
Stephen F. Austin at #20 Kansas State

7:30 PM
Fresno State at #15 USC - FOX
Southern Miss at Mississippi State - SEC-ESPN

8:00 PM
#1 Florida State vs. Oklahoma State - ABC (Neutral Location - Arlington, Texas)
Texas-El Paso at New Mexico
North Texas at Texas - Longhorn Network
NC Central at East Carolina - ESPNNEWS

9:00 PM
#14 Wisconsin vs. #13 LSU - ESPN (Neutral Location - Houston, Texas)

10:30 PM
South Dakota at #3 Oregon - PAC-12 Network
#25 Washington at Hawaii - CBS Sports Network


Sunday, August 31st

7:00 PM
Utah State at Tennessee - SEC-ESPN

7:30 PM
Southern Methodist at #10 Baylor - FOX Sports 1


Monday, September 1st

8:00 PM
Miami (FL) at Louisville - ESPN     
 

Florida State #1 in Preseason AP Poll

The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll, which was released earlier today, has ranked Florida State the #1 team in the country.  Like in last month's Amway Coaches Poll, the Seminoles also received the substantial majority of first-place votes (57 out of 60).   As for the rest of the rankings, it appears that teams from the SEC secured approximately one-third of the places in the AP's preseason poll, with Alabama leading at #2.  The PAC-12 is also well-represented, with six teams including two (Oregon #3 and UCLA #7) in the top ten.  Defending Sugar Bowl Champion Oklahoma lands at #4, but the Sooners are just one out of three teams from the BIG XII to be ranked at this point in time.  The Big Ten has four teams, with Ohio State and Michigan State both ranked in the top ten.  And even though the ACC has the #1 team, there is a gap of fifteen places between Florida State and the next ranked ACC team, #16 Clemson.  Notre Dame is on this list at #17 as the only ranked independent team.

Also, I apologize for the lack of updates on both this site and on my twitter feed.  I recently had a major change in my work schedule and as a result, I have not been in a position to devote as much time to this blog as I would like.  However, with the start of the season in less than two weeks, I plan to make the time necessary to perform regular updates.  Starting next week, the daily update schedule will be the same as it was last season: 

Sundays will be rankings (AP and Coaches Poll) and maybe a special comment. 

Mondays will be College Football Playoff Rankings and Jerry Palm's Bowl Projections, but those will not be posted until halfway through the season. 

Tuesdays will feature the weekly schedule and links to news stories. 

Wednesdays and Thursdays will be off days, or special comment.

Friday will the first day in which final scores will be posted. 

Saturday will be Gameday analysis and final score updates. 

Breaking news stories will be posted on the day they are announced. 


2014 PRESEASON ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 

RK	TEAM	RECORD	CONFERENCE
1	Florida State (57)	0-0	ACC
2	Alabama (1)	0-0	SEC
3	Oregon (1)	0-0	PAC-12
4	Oklahoma (1)	0-0	BIG XII
5	Ohio State	0-0	Big Ten
6	Auburn	0-0	SEC
7	UCLA	0-0	PAC-12
8	Michigan State	0-0	Big Ten
9	South Carolina	0-0	SEC
10	Baylor	0-0	BIG XII
11	Stanford	0-0	PAC-12
12	Georgia	0-0	SEC
13	LSU	0-0	SEC
14	Wisconsin	0-0	Big Ten
15	USC	0-0	PAC-12
16	Clemson	0-0	ACC
17	Notre Dame*	0-0	INDEPENDENT
18	Ole Miss	0-0	SEC
19	Arizona State	0-0	PAC-12
20	Kansas State	0-0	BIG XII
21	Texas A&M	0-0	SEC
22	Nebraska	0-0	Big Ten
23	North Carolina	0-0	ACC
24	Missouri	0-0	SEC
25	Washington	0-0	PAC-12

 Numbers in parentheses indicate amount of first-place votes

*starting this season, Notre Dame will play 5 games per year against ACC opponents.