With the NFL Draft coming up later this week it seemed like a perfect time for a college football piece! In the past Balladeer’s Blog has treated readers to lists of cool-named college sports teams or cool logos for such teams. I even ran a list of the Top 6 D2 College Football Stadiums last year. This new list will examine football helmets for Continue reading
Category Archives: college football
FOUR OF THE COOLEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL HELMETS
Filed under college football, Cool Helmets
NAIA COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPS DEFEAT THE NCAA FOOTBALL CHAMPS AGAIN
For the second year in a row the college football champions of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics have defeated the football champions of NCAA Division 3 college football. The Saint Xavier University Cougars, the gridiron pride of Chicago, won Balladeer’s Bowl II by having my readers vote for them nearly two to one over the NCAA’s team, the Whitewater Warhawks. The Warhawks fall to 0-2 in Balladeer’s Bowl appearances, having lost to the NAIA’s CC Fighting Saints last year.
The Cougars from Rich Koz-land received Continue reading
Filed under college football
BALLADEER’S BOWL II – THE NAIA CHAMPS VS THE NCAA D3 CHAMPS
It’s time for the 2nd edition of Balladeer’s Bowl, the annual event where I pit the NAIA college football champs against the champs from NCAA Division 3. The outcome is decided by votes from you readers. This year the NAIA is represented by the pride of Rich Koz-land AKA Chicago, IL, the St Xavier University Cougars (helmet at left). The Cougars pulled off the very difficult task of winning the title in their very first appearance in the championship game. Plus they had to do it by defeating the CC Fighting Saints, the dominant NAIA football dynasty of the past decade.
Making their second appearance in Balladeer’s Bowl are the NCAA D3 champs, the Whitewater Warhawks. The Warhawks once again defeated the Mt Union Purple Raiders for a Threepeat in D3 titles. Last year the Warhawks lost to the 2010 NAIA champs, the aforementioned CC Fighting Saints, by a two to one margin in the voting. Will it be a 2nd straight victory for the NAIA team in the most illustrious Bowl of the season? Get your votes in and I’ll announce the winner next Tuesday, January 3rd. To keep the voting honest and prevent multiple votes by the same people you can vote by Continue reading
Filed under college football
2011’s COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS
SXU Cougars QB Jimmy Coy, Offensive Player of the Game
Sad to say, the college football playoffs and bowls for the divisions covered by Balladeer’s Blog are all over now, except for some All-Star Games. The SXU Cougars won the NAIA football championship in the latest game of Saturday night, giving the Cougars and their head coach Mike Feminis their first national title. It’s not at all true that when Feminis hoisted the trophy over his head that he cried out “This one’s for Dianne!” (As in Zajdell, a Cougar of a different kind)
Anyway, to wrap up this year’s gridiron action here’s a final nod of recognition to the 2011 champions and the teams they played in their title matchups.
NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ) – Champions – SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY COUGARS Runners up – CC Fighting Saints
NCAA Division 2 – Champions – PITTSBURG (KS) STATE GORILLAS Runners up – Wayne State Warriors
NCAA Division 3 – Champions – WHITEWATER WARHAWKS (Threepeat) Runners up – Mt Union Purple Raiders
NJCAA – Champions – EAST Continue reading
Filed under college football
SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY COUGARS DETHRONE THE CC FIGHTING SAINTS FOR THE NAIA TITLE; GORILLAS TAKE D2 CROWN
The ST XAVIER UNIVERSITY COUGARS dethroned the defending NAIA college football champions the CC FIGHTING SAINTS in a 24- 20 game for the ages. I throw the term “Instant Classic” around with giddy abandon here at Balladeer’s Blog, but there’s no denying the fact that this game lived up to that label. Both teams played focused, virtually mistake- free football that the attendees in Rome, GA will be telling their grandchildren about. The Cougars lost to the Fighting Saints in the semi- finals last season but Continue reading
Filed under college football
THE REAL CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL: 2011
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE ROME FOR THE HOLIDAYS – That’s Rome, GA, where the NAIA college football championship game is once again being played. I’ve taken to describing NAIA football as “a league full of Tim Tebows” to help appeal to people who are sick and tired of the cheaters, felons and alleged child- abusers of NCAA Division 1 football. Besides, anyone fed up with the NCAA’s endless power plays and the way it goes after the minnows while letting the sharks roam free should embrace this alternative brand of collegiate athletics.
Today’s championship game finds the Saint Xavier University Cougars making their first- ever appearance in the title matchup. Their opponents, the CC Fighting Saints, are the current ruling dynasty in NAIA football, having won 6 of the last 9 championships, and Continue reading
Filed under college football
COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND KICKS OFF TONIGHT
The final 3 championship games of the year for the divisions of college football covered by Balladeer’s Blog will be played tonight and tomorrow. NCAA Division 3 gets things started tonight in Salem, VA, where the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl will see the 7th straight clash between the Whitewater Warhawks (helmet at left) and the Mount Union Purple Raiders.
Yes, remarkably, both teams have survived the D3 playoff field of 32 teams for 7 YEARS IN A ROW, emerging when the dust settles to square off for the national championship. The teams have won 3 titles each in the preceding 6 years, so this is the rubber game of the match (so far). Adding to all that drama is the fact that Continue reading
Filed under college football
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RESULTS FROM DECEMBER 10TH
CCCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
BORING HELMETS, EXCITING GAME – The defending CCCAA champs, the MT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE MOUNTIES, fell to the CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO RAMS in a thrilling finish followed by an unfortunate brawl. The final score of 52-42 doesn’t do justice to how exciting the game was. At first it looked like the Rams might win in a blowout as they seized a 28-7 lead with half-time approaching, but a pick-6 by the Mounties made it 28-14 instead. In the 2nd half the shootout was on, and with 6:40 left in the game CCSF led “Mount SAC” by a score of 38-35. The Rams added another TD with 3:53 left but the ever- tough Mounties responded with 7 points of their own at the 2:47 mark. With just 41 seconds left in the game the 45-42 CCSF lead became 52- 42 and an unfortunate fight resulted. Both teams, after all, have a lot of players who may well transfer to Division 1 schools next year (rimshot). The Mounties failed to score in the time remaining and 52-42 was the final.
NCAA DIVISION 3
SEVEN IN A ROW – Yes, for the 7th straight year, it will be the WHITEWATER WARHAWKS, the defending champs, taking on the MT UNION PURPLE RAIDERS in the NCAA Division 3 Championship Game, better known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. The teams have split 3 titles each during that run so this will be the rubber game of the match, at least until the 2012 Stagg Bowl probably finds these same 2 juggernauts clashing yet again. Whether you’re excited about this rivalry or yawning about it, let’s review yesterday’s semi-finals.
The WESLEY WOLVERINES deserve huge props for the fight they gave the Purple Raiders in their own house. The Wolverines actually led 14-13 at halftime, which by itself must have been very disconcerting for the Mt Union fans who are used to seeing their team dominate from kickoff to the Continue reading
Filed under college football
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GAMES FOR DECEMBER 10TH
The only down-side to Christmas drawing nearer is the fact that it means we’re down to fewer and fewer college football playoff games and Bowl games in the divisions covered by Balladeer’s Blog. The NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) championship game, to be played between the defending champion CC Fighting Saints and the St Xavier University Cougars, won’t be until next Saturday, the 17th. Today we have 1 division’s championship game plus semifinal matchups in 2 others for a total of just 5 games for the day.
Last Saturday saw the crowning of the NJCAA Football Champions as the Arizona Western College Matadors fell to the East Mississippi Lions in the El Toro Bowl. A few Saturdays back the National Christian College Athletic Association’s football season came to an end with their signature event, the Victory Bowl, which saw the Campbellsville Tigers defeat the Greenville College Panthers.
Anyway, let’s all relish the few remaining games as the 2011 college football season approaches its end.
CCCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
The Mount San Antonio College Mounties, the Continue reading
Filed under college football
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF AND BOWL RESULTS DECEMBER 3RD
NAIA SEMIFINALS – The ST XAVIER UNIVERSITY COUGARS came into Indianapolis determined to make up for their lone regular season loss. That loss came at the hands of the MARIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS who, by virtue of their win in that game became the number 1 team in the polls and the top seed in the playoffs. SXU sank to the 5 seed but after today’s sweet revenge advance to the championship game in Rome, GA on December 17th. SXU came out on top 30-27 in this post-season Instant Classic.
Meanwhile, in the other NAIA semifinal the defending champions, the CC FIGHTING SAINTS, proved as potent as ever, embarrassing the visiting GEORGETOWN (KY) TIGERS by a score of 35-3. The score was 14-3 at halftime but apparently the Fighting Saints were just toying with Georgetown like a cat playing with a mouse. The Hellions from Helena have won 6 of the past 9 NAIA football titles and the SXU Cougars will have a difficult time dethroning them. But who knows? St Xavier put itself on the national football map for good in 2006 by upsetting CC in Helena, so maybe they have a decent shot in a neutral stadium in Rome, GA.
NJCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
EL TORO BOWL – The EAST MISSISSIPPI LIONS won their 1st national championship in any sport yesterday in a 55-47 shootout win over the ARIZONA WESTERN COLLEGE MATADORS. The Continue reading
Filed under college football
Balladeer's Blog 