Below are the Top 25 rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Sept. 26th, 2021. CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and will have a final ranking after the national championship game in January. South Dakota State remains atop the ranking after Week 4 after the […]
In 2006, I wrote two pieces for the website I-AA.org about a Fordham/Columbia game I attended. The two crosstown Rivals competed for an actual cup, the “Liberty Cup”, and it was a 9/11 themed rivalry game for a time.
The rivalry between the two teams has been alive since 1903. However, this meeting will be the first time that the two will meet under the I-AA umbrella and the first as members of the new Great West Football Conference. Also this year, the two will play for the first time for a trophy: the “Dakota Marker”.
In the Dakotas, there is one fall Saturday every year when each of the states stands still to watch one football game.
The two rivalries garnering this attention, the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux versus the North Dakota State University Bison, and the University of South Dakota Coyotes versus the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits, are partially gone at least for the 2004 season and could be for the foreseeable future.
The game of the week in the MVFC lived up to the billing this past week as NDSU beat Youngstown in overtime, 27-24, see below for the game winning field goal. Elsewhere, UNI surprised SDSU as did SIU over Illinois State. Both WIU and USD continued to roll with lopsided victories over the leagues bottom […]
KNOXVILLE, TN. — With rain gently pelting the Field Turf a couple of hours before game time at the football season opener between Appalachian State and Tennessee at Neyland Stadium, I was taken back to my first visit to this historic venue in 1990. It was a Friday afternoon, in between the NCAA Men’s Basketball […]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was a gorgeous, sun-kissed day seven years ago on a Labor Day Saturday as I made a short trip from a hotel near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport to Michigan Stadium on the opening weekend of the 2007 college football season. None of the 109,218 fans that filled the largest sports […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal Editor’s note: This column was originally published on Jun. 1, 2011 in the College Sporting News, when the announcement of then-OSU head coach Jim Tressel was dismissed over OSU players trading gear for tattoos. David Coulson looked into his career at Youngstown, and gave his thoughts. […]
Since the Ivy League chose to reclassify to I-AA back in the early 1980s, the Ancient Eight has chosen, for “traditional reasons”, to decline participation in the FCS playoffs. But let’s call the ban what it really is – discrimination.
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal Editor's Note: On Saturday, Appalachian State and Furman resume one of the most competitive rivalries in the Football Championship Subdivision, with ASU attempting to win a share of the Southern Conference title and the league's automatic bid to the playoffs at Kidd Brewer Stadium. In a […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal Editor’s Note: This is another in the College Sports Journal Classic series. This article dates to an October, 2008 encounter between Brown and Penn and takes a retrospective look at historic Franklin Field. This story originally appeared on The Sports Network. PHILADELPHIA, […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal Editor’s note: This is an article from Dec. 12, 2009, describing the Foootball Championship Subdivision semifinal showdown between Appalachian State and Montana. This story originally appeared on The Sports Network. MISSOULA, MT. — Jimmy Farris just received some company Saturday afternoon in Missoula, MT. […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor/Managing Partner College Sports Journal Editor’s Note: This is the latest offering in the CSJ Classic series. In this edition, we look back on the greatest football upset in Southern Conference history. On Nov. 19, 1994, coach Bill Stewart brought an 0-10 team into Kidd Brewer Stadium to face […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor/Managing Partner College Sporting News Editor's Note: College Sports Journal is celebrating the release earlier this month of the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame by offering several past articles in its CSJ Classic series. This article originally ran in the College Sporting News on May […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal Editor’s Note: College Sports Journal is celebrating the release earlier this month of the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame by offering several past articles in its CSJ Classic series. This piece was originally published on May 14, 2009 and chastised […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal Editor’s Note: College Sports Journal is celebrating the release earlier this month of the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame by offering several past articles in its CSJ Classic series. The writer is once again, as one of the members of the Football […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal Editor’s Note: This is another article in the College Sports Journal Classic series. This article originally appeared on the College Sporting News website in the summer of 2011 as Dexter Coakley was about to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. BOONE, […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal Editor’s Note: This column was originally published on April 25, 2011 by the College Sporting News and proved to be one of the most popular pieces in the decade-long history of the Football Championship Subdivision website. The introduction to the piece said “The NCAA shows that […]
By Kyle Roth Columnist College Sports Journal FRISCO, TX. — Almost four years ago, a younger, more uncertain version of myself was just a wide-eyed freshman on a charter bus with the Gold Star Pep Band on our way to Minneapolis, MN, traveling to play at the NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament’s first-round match up […]
By Chuck Burton Publisher/Managing Editor College Sports Journal FRISCO, TX. — In a dozen years of watching NCAA Division I Championship Football games, I’ve seen a lot of matchups dominated by defensive linemen and incredible offensive talents. I’ve even seen entire teams be dominated from start to finish. Saturday was the first […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sporting News FRISCO, TX. — North Dakota State took its place among some of the greatest defensive performers in Football Championship Subdivision history on Saturday afternoon, grinding out a 17-6 victory over previously-unbeaten Sam Houston State in the NCAA Division Football Championship game. The Bison (14-1) allowed […]
By Chuck Burton Publisher/Managing Editor College Sports Journal FRISCO, TX. — The FCS National Championship game between Sam Houston State and North Dakota State could be visualized as a battle between Bearkats and Bison, the respective teams’ mascots. When it comes to predicting who the national champions will be on Saturday, however, two […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Two years ago, I will never forget watching Villanova’s team buses pull into their parking spots at Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium. The Wildcats had a Tigger-like bounce to their steps as they paraded onto the field for media day. You could sense the […]
By Kyle Roth Columnist College Sports Journal FRISCO, TX. —Amat Victoria Curam. “Victory Loves Preparation.” It’s one of the recurring motifs of the recent Jason Statham action-flicks, The Mechanic, and it has every bit as much pertinence to the sport of football as it does to being a hit man-for-hire. It’s […]
Editor’s Note: This is another article in a continuing series of articles from past FCS championship games. This is the game story from Montana’s 2001 title victory over Furman. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal CHATTANOOGA, TN. — Like a wild west gunslinger, top-seeded Montana brought a reputation for high-powered offense […]
Editor’s Note: This is another article in a continuing series of articles from past FCS championship games. This is the game story from Western Kentucky’s 2002 title victory over McNeese State. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal CHATTANOOGA, TN.-Veteran coach Jack Harbaugh admitted Friday night that he was unsure if his […]
Editor’s Note: This is another article in a continuing series of articles from past FCS championship games. This is the game story from Delaware’s 2003 title victory over Colgate. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal CHATTANOOGA, TN. — When the I-AA championship football game opened with snow showers blowing into Finley Stadium, it […]
Editor’s Note: This is another article in a continuing series of articles from past FCS championship games. This is the game story from James Madison’s 2004 title victory over Montana. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal CHATTANOOGA, TN. — James Madison won the NCAA I-AA football championship the old-fashioned way Friday […]
Editor’s Note: This is another article in a continuing series of articles from past FCS championship games. This is the game story from Appalachian State’s victory over Northern Iowa in 2005. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal CHATTANOOGA, TN. — With its offense ailing and their championship hopes on the ropes, […]
Editor’s Note: This is another article in a continuing series of articles from past FCS championship games. This is the game story from Appalachian State’s victory over Massachusetts in 2006. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal CHATTANOOGA, TN. — There were some who wondered early in the week whether Kevin Richardson’s sore […]
Editor’s Note: This is another article in a continuing series of articles from past FCS championship games. This is the game story from Richmond’s 2008 title win over Montana. This story originally appeared on The Sports Network. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal CHATTANOOGA, TN. — Richmond found a way to […]
Editor’s Note: This is another article in a continuing series of articles from past FCS championship games. This is the Dec. 18, 2009 game story as Villanova stopped Montana for the national title. This story originally appeared on The Sports Network. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal CHATTANOOGA, TN. — Villanova coach Andy Talley […]
Editor’s Note: This is another article in a continuing series of articles from past FCS championship games. This is the Jan. 7, 2011 game story as Eastern Washington rallied from a 19-0 deficit to beat Delaware 20-19. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal FRISCO, TX. — Eastern Washington didn’t have its Tabasco […]
Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of historical articles that look back at past FCS title games. This story was written on Jan. 7, 2011 as Eastern Washington beat Delaware for the national crown. By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal FRISCO, TX. — When you look at the […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal PHILADELPHIA — Here is a game-by-game synopsis of the previous 33 title games in the history of the NCAA Division I Football Championships, beginning with the first Football Championship Subdivision title clash in 1978, through the 2010 campaign.
By Kyle Roth Special To the College Sports Journal FARGO, N.D. — Within a few hours of Sam Houston State’s ticket-punching victory over Montana, Bearkat fans’ mandated allotment of 4,000 tickets to the game in Frisco, TX, were gone. Barely a day after the Bison dominated Georgia Southern 35-7 and sealed a chance to […]
By Chuck Burton Publisher/Managing Editor College Sports Journal PHILADELPHIA, PA. — In Fargo, North Dakota State is buzzing with excitement as they are headed to the Division I National Championship game after dominating six-time Division I NCAA National Champion Georgia Southern 35-7 this past weekend. And in Huntsville, Sam Houston State eagerly awaits, basically, […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota State did something even Alabama couldn’t accomplish Saturday in the NCAA Division I Football Championship semifinals. The Bison held Georgia Southern’s lethal triple option to just seven points and limited the Eagles to 186 yards rushing on the way […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal HUNTSVILLE, TX. — Tim Flanders was the main man when Sam Houston State built a 21-0 lead in the first quarter of its NCAA Division I Football Championship semifinal game Friday night against Montana at Bowers Stadium. And Flanders was there again at the end […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal PHILADELPHIA, PA. — The last time that Montana ventured into Huntsville, TX. to take on Sam Houston State, the Grizzlies shocked the Football Championship Subdivision — by getting crushed by Sam Houston State, 41-29. On Friday, No. 4 seed Montana (11-2) will return to Bowers […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal STATESBORO, GA. — Five years ago, when Georgia Southern and North Dakota State met for the first time, then-GSU coach Brian VanGorder looked at NDSU after suffering a 34-14 loss at Paulson Stadium with admiration. “I look at North Dakota State and that’s where […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal Editor’s note: This is another in the College Sports Journal Classic series. It was originally published in the College Sporting News on Sept. 8, 2006 after the death of legendary Georgia Southern coach Erk Russell. One interesting historical fact is that in the conclusion, the […]
By Chuck Burton Publisher/Managing Editor College Sports Journal HUNTSVILLE, TX. — It was billed as a shootout against Texas high school all-stars, but only one side’s guns were blazing. Sam Houston State bowled over Montana State’s front seven for an eye-popping 428 yards rushing, cruising to a 21-6 halftime lead and coasting […]
By Chuck Burton Publisher/Managing Editor College Sports Journal FARGO, N.D. — In the end, not having junior WR Ryan Spadola didn’t matter for Lehigh In front of more than 18,000 loud North Dakota State fans, and a fearsome Bison defense, the Mountain Hawks couldn’t overcome the injuries, the noise, and their own miscues in the 24-0 […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal STATESBORO, GA. — Until a couple of weeks ago, Jerick McKinnon was a stalwart in the Georgia Southern triple-option attack. But with the Eagle secondary finding itself more depleted as the season went on, McKinnon was asked to make a difficult personal sacrifice before […]
By David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal MISSOULA, MT. — Jabin Sambrano was a genuine playoff hero at Washington-Grizzly Stadium before Montana’s 48-10 victory over Northern Iowa on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Football Championships. Quarterback Jordan Johnson wrote his name into that pantheon of stars […]
By Chuck Burton Publisher/Managing Editor College Sports Journal FARGO, N.D. — Let’s say you’re a Lehigh player right now. Today, you learned that your star receiver, junior WR Ryan Spadola, was suspended by the NCAA by making an offensive tweet. To call it a distraction would be the understatement of the […]
By Chuck Burton Publisher/Managing Editor College Sports Journal HUNTSVILLE, TX. — It comes as no surprise that a game at Sam Houston State would feature a lot of athletes who played their high school ball in Texas. It might come as a surprise, though, how many of those athletes are suiting up for […]
David Coulson Executive Editor College Sports Journal PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Northern Iowa and Montana are no strangers to the NCAA Division I Football Championships, as two of the powerhouse programs in the Football Championship Subdivision. But when the No. 4-seeded Grizzlies (10-2) and the No. 5-seeded Panthers (10-2) square off Friday night […]
By Chuck Burton Publisher/Managing Editor College Sports Journal PHILADELPHIA, PA. — On Saturday, it was a head-scratching lead-in on head coach Andy Coen’s press conference on Lehigh’s historic 40-38 win over Towson in the playoffs. The consensus from the folks I talked to coming out of the room was: why would you lead the press […]
