It was on November 6th, 1869, that Rutgers and Princeton played the very first college football game “on the banks of the Raritan” as the Rutgers fight song says. One of the things I love about college football is how far back its history goes.
It feels odd to think that Ulysses S Grant was in the White House when Continue reading
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Balladeer’s Blog’s fans get things done! ESPN has agreed to air the NAIA College Football Championship Game this year! The game will be broadcast on the “U” on December 19th at 3pm ET. Teams to be determined, of course, since the regular season is still going on.
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* HEADLINES *
LANGSTON RULES THE WORLD – Once again an NAIA football team has upset a team from NCAA Division TWO! For newbies to these levels that is like when a 1AA team upsets a 1A team. The LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS played host to D2’s OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE STATE AGGIES yesterday. The Lions demonstrated how football is played in the NAIA by crushing the Aggies 38-17.
NUMBER FOUR TAKES A FALL – The NCAA Division Two’s 18th ranked DELTA STATE STATESMEN took on the visiting number 4 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA LIONS in what is always one of the most hard-fought games in the Gulf South Conference, often called “the SEC of D2”. Coach Todd Cooley navigated his Statesmen to a 33-28 win in an Instant Classic. Continue reading
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NAIA – 1. MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS ### 2. GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS (Defending Champions) ### 3. CARROLL COLLEGE FIGHTING SAINTS ### 4. NORTHWESTERN (IA) COLLEGE RED RAIDERS ### 5. FAULKNER UNIVERSITY EAGLES ###
NCCAA – 1. KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS ### 2. GREENVILLE COLLEGE PANTHERS ### 3. UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN (MN) EAGLES ### 4. WARNER UNIVERSITY ROYALS ### 5. NORTH GREENVILLE UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS ### Continue reading
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* HEADLINES *
SPIRIT OF NINETY-ONE – The NAIA’s 14th ranked LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE BLUE RAIDERS welcomed the BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY BLAZERS yesterday and treated their guests like they might as well have stayed at home. Head Coach Chris Oliver had his team red-hot on both sides of the ball as the Blue Raiders scored 10 offensive TD’s and THREE defensive TD’s. Lindsey Wilson led 63-7 at Halftime on their way to an unbelievable NINETY-ONE to FOURTEEN final score. The Blue Raiders were just 9 points short of the Century Club Award that Balladeer’s Blog hands out to BASKETBALL teams that hit 100 or better!
A PAIR OF NUMBER TWO’s FALL – In the NAIA the 20th ranked MIDAMERICA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY PIONEERS toppled the number 2 team in the nation – the BAKER UNIVERSITY WILDCATS. It took Overtime but the Pioneers won 34-27 on Homecoming! ### And in the NCAA Division Two the 2nd ranked HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY REDDIES were stunned in their own house, falling to the unranked HARDING UNIVERSITY BISON in a 28-24 Instant Classic.
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With the publication of the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings less than a week away, a number of key Week 9 matchups take on even greater importance, with nation’s top-ranked teams looking to catch the eye of the CFP selection committee.
No. 1 Mississippi State has risen to the top of the national rankings following three straight wins over top 10 teams, and will be looking to improve on their perfect 6-0 record when they travel to Kentucky to take on the Wildcats.
The Bulldogs, who opened the season outside the Top 25, are pegged as early 13.5-point road favorites over Kentucky in college football betting odds published at bettingsports.com. Mississippi State is currently riding a nine-game winning streak and have rewarded bettors with a 9-1 record ATS in their last 10 games, but will need a win to keep ahead of the other two undefeated teams vying for CFP consideration.
No. 2 Florida State, SU winners in their last 23, head into a bye in Week 9 at 7-0 following a 31-27 win over No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday night. While the Noles have padded their SU record, they have been a disappointment to bettors, covering the spread just once in their last eight dating back to last season’s national championship Continue reading
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* HEADLINES *
NUMBER ONE TAKES A FALL – The 15th ranked PITTSBURG (KS) STATE GORILLAS traveled to face the top ranked Defending Champions of NCAA Division Two football – the NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS. The Gorillas combined heavy-hitting with unexpected trickery (including recovering two on-side kicks at the least expected moments) to compile a 28-10 lead by Haltime. That became 35-10 in the 3rd Quarter before the Bearcats added a garbage time TD in the 4th. Pitt State won 35-17 as QB Anthony Abenoja passed for 318 yds and 3 TD’s.
INFLICTING SOME PAIN(E) – The PAINE COLLEGE LIONS are playing their first season of intercollegiate football in about half a century this year. Yesterday for Homecoming this 2nd Edition of the Lions notched their very first win by defeating the EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE TIGERS. After a scoreless 1st Quarter the visiting Tigers took a 14-0 lead in the 2nd before Paine tied up the game at 14-14 by the Half. That became a 21-14 Lion advantage in the 3rd and ultimately a 38-14 blowout win for Head Coach Greg Ruffin. Continue reading
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With 7 weeks already gone in this year’s college football calendar, the league is starting to shape up as strong teams rise to the top while the weaker ones fall further behind to the leading pack. And then there are the average teams that are not far from the leaders, but also not too distant from those lagging behind, giving both the leaders and those behind something to smile about. As the games in Week 8 begin, many, if not all, teams will be looking for a win, either to stay ahead of the rest or to play catch up to the leaders. For the following three matchups, however, the college bets are bound to be exponentially high because the stakes of the games are equally, making them the top three games of Week 8. Below are these top games in descending order:
GAME 1: #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. #2 Florida State Seminoles
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014
TIME: 8:00 PM ET
VENUE: Doak Campbell Stadium (Tallahassee, Florida)
Simply put, this matchup has all the hallmarks of a game-of-the-season written all over it. Continue reading
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NJCAA – 1. EAST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE LIONS (Defending Champions) ### 2. IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE REIVERS ### 3. TRINITY VALLEY CARDINALS ### 4. HUTCHINSON COLLEGE BLUE DRAGONS ### 5. MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST BULLDOGS ###
6. SCOTTSDALE COLLEGE FIGHTING ARTICHOKES ### 7. ARIZONA WESTERN COLLEGE MATADORS ### 8. SNOW COLLEGE BADGERS ### 9. ASA COLLEGE AVENGERS ### 10. CLC- BRAINERD RAIDERS ### Continue reading
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* HEADLINES *
THE ROYALS RULE THE WORLD – The NAIA’s WARNER UNIVERSITY ROYALS played host to the NCAA Division TWO’s KENTUCKY WESLEYAN COLLEGE PANTHERS and, as NAIA teams are so inclined to do, upset the higher division team. Royals Head Coach Rod Shafer, the master of preparation, had his team firing on all cylinders and sent the Panthers home with a 48-45 loss in an undeniable Instant Classic!
NUMBER TWO TAKES A FALL – In the NCAA Division Two the FORT LEWIS COLLEGE SKYHAWKS toppled the 2nd ranked team in the nation – the CSU-PUEBLO THUNDERWOLVES. The Skyhawks trailed the Thunderwolves 10-7 in the 1st Quarter and 16-14 at Halftime. When the 3rd Quarter ended FLC held its first lead 17-16 but CSUP retook the lead 22-17 in the 4th. Continue reading
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