By Chuck Burton

Publisher/Managing Editor

College Sports Journal

NORFOLK, VA. — Old Dominion's and Norfolk State's football stadiums are separated by a mere 4.2 miles, yet they have never played each other.

But this Saturday, the Monarchs and Spartans will be playing in the perennially sold-out Foreman Field in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championships.

Fittingly, the game is being billed as the "Battle of Norfolk", and anticipation in the city is sky-high. "The community has just exploded with support," a fan told the Virginian-Pilot. "People are fighting for tickets."

Read more: FCS Playoffs Create A New Battle of Norfolk

By Chuck Burton

Publisher/Managing Editor

College Sports Journal

PHILADELPHIA, PA — To say that the folks at Tennessee Tech and Central Arkansas are excited about their first-round NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff game this weekend would be an understatement.

For the Bears, it will be the first Division I postseason game ever for Central Arkansas, having only become eligible for the playoffs for the first time last year.

As for the Golden Eagles, their first OVC championship since 1975 has them looking for something else: their first-ever score in a postseason contest.

Read more: First-Time Playoff Participants Tennessee Tech, Central Arkansas Square Off

By Chuck Burton

Publisher/Managing Editor

College Sports Journal

In this special CSJ classic, Chuck Burton talks a little bit about the special upset that almost happened between Central Arkansas and Louisiana Tech

earlier this season.

PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Central Arkansas almost lived the dream this past Saturday night.

Clint Conque's Bears had their FBS opposition on the ropes in Ruston, LA.

As Louisiana Tech, a member of the Western Athletic Conference of FBS, was deep in Central Arkansas territory in an attempt to break a 35-35 deadlock, senior safety Jerrel McKnight scooped up a fumble and took it to the house, giving the kids in white and purple a touchdown lead with just over two minutes to play.

It was a stirring sight for those who have followed FCS football for a long time. Central Arkansas, only recently having even become a full-fledged Division I program, giving Louisiana Tech, a team that once made the I-AA National Championship game (1984 in a 19-6 loss to Montana State), but now a part of a fringe FBS conference that may be in the process of falling apart, all they could handle.

Read more: Louisiana Tech Struggles To Survive A Bear Attack