The College Sports Journal

Big Sky Conference Previews: Conference Week 2 Quick Picks

The Big Sky is a pendulum of normal games to chaotic endings many would not have suspected. What will we get Saturday? Despite the Northern Colorado betting line being the highest at 12.5 underdog, I think every team this week has a legitimate shot of winning their perspective game.

Group of Five Sagarin Top 25 Saturday Game Predictions 10/5/19

The Group of Five schools have several byes this week but also some very compelling match-ups  There are several intriguing match-ups this Saturday with three Top 25 Sagrain head-to-head games.   I will offer my predictions on all the Sagrain Top 25 teams match-ups this week. The game of this week happened on Friday with UCF falling.

College Sports Journal Ohio Valley Conference Previews: Week of 10/5/2019

Just when you thought Jacksonville State was going to run away with the OVC title again, Austin Peay blew them out last week.  The conference appears to be a toss up with three or four teams with a shot at the title. The order will probably change week after week for the rest of the year. The biggest surprise so far has been Tennessee Tech who is out to a 4-1 start. A win this week solidifies them as a contender as well.

College Sports Journal Missouri Valley Football Conference Game Previews: Week of 10/4/2019

The Missouri Valley Football Conference gets into conference action for the first time this week.  And what a first week we have!!  Two Top 25 match-ups highlight this week.  The first is top ranked North Dakota State visiting Illinois State in a 2015 national championship rematch. The other three games in the league play are.

College Sports Journal Southern Conference Previews: Week of 10/5/2019

Last week’s Southern Conference slate was headlined by an exciting 4OT game that saw Samford outlast The Citadel 61-55. Samford has rattled off three straight wins after a slow start. The SoCon looks to be shaking down into three distinct tiers with Furman, Samford and The Citadel as the top tier.

College Sports Journal Ivy League Previews: Week of 10/5/2019

This week we see a primetime Ivy League matchup in actual prime time, as undefeated Dartmouth and undefeated Penn face off under Franklin Field’s lights.

Intense Colgate/Lehigh Rivalry Sees Raiders And Mountain Hawks Trying To Start League Play On Right Foot

To Colgate fans, Lehigh is returning to the scene of the crime this weekend.

That’s because the Raiders’ last Patriot League conference loss came to Lehigh on their home field, Andy Kerr Stadium, two years ago back on October 7th, 2017.

Group of Five Heavy Hitter Friday Preview 10/4/19

The big game not only of Friday night but really in all of the Group of Five has UCF visiting Cincinnati.  This was the preseason top two squads in the media (and my picks) for the American Athletic Conference’s East Division.  The two teams met in Orlando last year with UCF blowing out the Bearcats.

College Sports Journal Colonial Athletic Association Previews: Week of 10/5/2019

Villanova and James Madison appear to be on a collision course for an epic showdown next weekend after both posted impressive victories over ranked teams last weekend. The winner of that game on 10/12 will be in the CAA driver’s seat. But neither can get too far ahead of themselves since both of them have tough games this week.

Group of Five Heavy Hitter Thursday Preview 10/3/19

Two Group of Five games highlight this Thursday with two of the four teams really needing a win to get on the right track towards a bowl bid.  The first game of the night is Georgia Southern at South Alabama in a Sun Belt Conference cross-divisional contest.  The second game starts a half hour later.

OPINION: SB 206, And Upcoming Copycat Name/Image/Likeness Bills, Will Wreck College Sports. Here’s How.

The Pac-12 is right.  What this bill really is doing is opening up a spigot of money from well-financed actors, and putting it in the pockets of lawyers and sports agents, not athletes.

BOXTOROW Polls: Aggies continue as top 10 in HBCU football; 10/1/2019

The North Carolina A&T Aggies continue to hold the top spot in HBCU football as the newest rankings of the BOXTOROW Coaches and Media Polls were released on Monday. The Aggies received all of the first place votes in both polls.

College Sports Journal Top 25 Rankings, 10/1/2019

We finally had our first crazy weekend of the FCS season. Eight of last week’s top 25 fell, but we saw the reemergence of a one time national power. Montana travelled to UC Davis and easily stopped the Aggies in a game that was never close. The Grizzlies look like they, along with Montana State and Weber State, are the class of the Big Sky.

Big Sky Conference Week 5 Review

Last year, the CAA was the conference of chaos, but the Big Sky is making its case for that title this year. Eastern Washington has been a rollercoaster team, the middle tier is growing with improvement, and even Northern Colorado made a triumphant return to the win column. For anyone who thinks they know it.

The Week That Was: Highlights of the Five Top FCS Games, Week Ending 9/28/2019

A week ago, UC Davis was being lauded for giving top-ranked North Dakota State a true run for their money at their place.  Last week, thanks to a sneak Grizzly attack, Aggie fans have to wonder whether they can still make the playoffs.

College Sports Journal FBS Group of Five National Players of the Week-Sept. 30

Five players including Omar Bayless from Arkansas State, Jack Abraham from Southern Miss, Shakif Seymour from Toledo, Benny Walls from Tempe, and Savon Scrarver from Utah State have been selected as the College Sports Journal All-Stars for the week ending Sept. 30, 2019 from the NCAA Division I FBS Group of Five schools. The honorees.

Missouri Valley Football Conference Week 5 Review

Week 5 was a slow week in the MVFC with just two teams in action this week.  However, there was one big game to finish out the MVFC-Big Sky Challenge.  Northern Iowa traveled to Weber State in a battle of Top 10 ranked teams.  Youngstown State was the other team in action this week in.

College Sports Journal Sagarin FBS G5 Top 25–Sept. 28

Here are the Top 25 FBS Group of Five (G5) rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Sept. 28th, 2019. UCF remains the top ranked team this week as the Knights have held the spot since the preseason poll.  CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and.

College Sports Journal Sagarin FCS Top 25 – Sept. 28

Here are the Top 25 FCS rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Sept. 28th, 2019.  North Dakota State continues to hold down the top spot as the Bison had this position since the preseason. CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and will have a final.

Lehigh Guts Out A Win For Tom Gilmore’s First as Mountain Hawk Head Coach

On a hot, humid late September afternoon at Murray Goodman Stadium, Gilmore won his first football game as head coach, finally outlasting visiting Merrimack 10-3 in a game where defense and special teams were the order of the day.

Lightning Can’t Slow Down Appalachian State In 56-37 Win Over Coastal Carolina

One of the longest days in Appalachian State football history gravitated well into the evening as the Mountaineers opened their Sun Belt Conference opener against Coastal Carolina.

But even a two-hour and three-minute lightning delay couldn’t slow down the ASU attack in the 56-37 victory over the Chanticleers.

Highlights: CSJ FBS Group of Five Top Five Games and Recap of Week 5

Week 5 saw many of the Group of Five conferences getting into conference action.  This week I will go through each of the five conferences to give a highlights from each conference, as well as the five G5 independents. Overall, the Group of Five lost two undefeated team with UAB and Navy falling out of.

QUICK RECAP: This Time, Defense and Special Teams Translates Into Lehigh Victory, 10-3 over Merrimack

It wasn’t the sort of game for the NFL’s Red Zone channel. It wasn’t for people who love power rushing, precision passing, or turnover-free ball. But it was a win that the Lehigh Mountain Hawks will happily take. The Lehigh Mountain Hawks had six sacks and kept Merrimack out of the end zone, and rode.

College Sports Journal Northeast Conference Previews: Week of 9/28/2019

A brand-new rivalry is spawned in the NEC and a league tilt between St. Francis (PA) and Bryant feature this week.

College Sports Journal Patriot League Previews: Week of 9/28/2019

League play starts next week, but the teams of the Patriot League need some help in out-of-conference this week if at all possible.  As a conference, the Patriot League is a combined 4-20 out of conference, with one of those wins coming against a Division III school.  With an FBS school, several daunting Ivies, and a CAA school, fans of Patriot League schools are hoping for upsets this week.

Big Sky Standings Post Non-Conference and Previews

The non-conference standings are not indicative of how the whole season will go, but it gives an innate sense of how well the team is prepared. Other factors include first glances at new coordinators, injuries during games and persisting, chemistry between new rosters, and a little bit of luck. While no Big Sky teams have.

College Sports Journal Ohio Valley Conference Previews: Week of 9/28/2019

Jacksonville State, as usual, is carrying the banner for the OVC. The only other team having real success in the non-conference portion of the schedule is Tennessee Tech. Other than those two teams, the OVC has shown very poorly against non-conference opponents.

Colin Gary, A Perfect Kick, And A Possible Turning Point for the Campbell Camels

Campbell coach Mike Minter just wanted his kicker to have a fair chance to score the winning points. With an accurate snap and clean hold, Minter believed in Colin Gary’s leg even if the stats – 4 of 11 in his career, 1 of 2 on the night, career-long of 37 yards – said otherwise.

Group of Five Sagarin Top 25 Saturday Game Predictions 9/28/19

The Group of Five schools are now starting to get into conference action.  There are several intriguing match-ups this Saturday but none that are the definite game of the week.  Because of this, I will offer my predictions on all the Sagrain Top 25 teams match-ups this week. Looking at this Top 25 rankings there.

College Sports Journal Southland Conference Previews: Week of 9/28/2019

1/3 of the way through the season, there are still a large number of Southland teams in contention for the league title. What was already thought to be a crowded field has only gotten more crowded with the level of play of Southeastern Louisiana.

College Sports Journal Southern Conference Previews: Week of 9/28/2019

The Southern Conference continues to confound the rest of the FCS world. As soon as you think a team is heading in one direction, they turn it the other way. Samford looked lost early in the year, but now has two big wins in a row. ETSU lost to VMI, but turned around and picked up a win over Austin Peay. VMI couldn’t continue the momentum from their victory over ETSU, losing to lowly Robert Morris.

College Sports Journal Missouri Valley Football Conference Game Previews: Week of 9/28/2019

This week, most of the Missouri Valley Football Conference teams have a bye week but two teams are still in action.  One of the games this week is a match-up of two Top 10 teams in the final Big Sky-MVFC matchup with Northern Iowa visiting Weber State.  The MVFC has already won this year’s challenge.

Group of Five Heavy Hitter Friday Preview 9/27/19

A week ago there probably wasn’t a Group of Five game worthy of a game of the night but that was before San Jose State rattled into Fayetteville, Arkansas and defeated the SEC’s Razorbacks 31-24.  This week, those Spartans travel to Colorado to face Air Force.  The Falcons themselves come into this off a road.

Show-Me Game Looms for Lehigh Mountain Hawk Football Against Merrimack

In the end, the matchup this weekend will be a show-me type of game, one that might set the trajectory for both programs.

College Sports Journal Ivy League Previews: Week of 9/28/2019

The Ivy League had a hugely successful opening weekend, as many expected.  As a whole the Ancient Eight went 6-2, the only losses coming from a missed two-point conversion attempt by Penn at Delaware, and a furious Harvard rally falling short to San Diego.  This week the Ivy League seems poised to have another great week, and additionally league play is starting with two early-season conference tilts.

College Sports Journal Colonial Athletic Association Previews: Week of 9/21/2019

Villanova showed that they are not to be forgotten in the CAA race in 2019. The Wildcats went toe to toe with the best offense in the conference – Towson – and came away victorious. Daniel Smith has been spectacular through four games with 13 touchdowns passing and four more rushing. Most teams in the CAA are getting into conference play from here on out so the path to the playoffs is going to start to clear up.

Group of Five Heavy Hitter Thursday Preview 9/26/19

Two undefeated American Athletic Conference West Division face off in the only Thursday Division I football game of the night.  Navy visits Memphis in the Liberty Bowl.   Both teams have high-scoring offenses, but take differing approaches. Navy runs the triple option attack, while Memphis prefers to throw the ball.   Navy and Memphis are two of.

FCS Playoffs ‘Til I Die: Your Somewhat More Relevant 2019 FCS Playoff Projection, Week of 9/21/2019

It would be nice if Eastern Washington would stop making my sample FCS Playoff brackets look so foolish. The first playoff bracket of the season, I had the Eagles in the field as a seed, mostly on the backs of their potential to win the Big Sky.  Two losses and a 1-3 record later, I’m.

BOXTOROW Polls: Aggies continue as top team in HBCU football, 9/24/2019

The North Carolina A&T Aggies remain No.1 in the BOXTOROW Coaches and Media Polls for the fourth straight week. The Aggies’ reign as the top team in HBCU football goes back to Week 10 of the 2018 season. In the coaches poll, the most significant moves up were made by No. 5 Arkansas-Pine Bluff and.

College Sports Journal Top 25 Rankings, 9/17/2019

North Dakota State faced down their first real test of the season and survived. UC Davis give the Bison all they could handle, but in the end, NDSU’s defense saved the day. In what turned out to be the game of the weekend, Villanova showed that their 3-0 start wasn’t a fluke with a 52-45 OT win over Towson.  Most teams will be into conference play from here on, so look for the crème to really rise to the top.

College Sports Journal Big Sky Conference Reviews: Week of 9/21/2019

The non-conference portion of the schedule is mostly over for the Big Sky with a few exceptions such as UNI vs, Weber this week, Idaho State travels to BYU in November, and a few North Dakota games. So far, the Big Sky is not off to as hot a start as many believed they would.

It’s No Upset: Appalachian State Beats North Carolina 34-31

When Akeem Gaither-Davis partially blocked Noah Ruggles’ 56-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the game, the Mountaineers completed their first win over a Power-Five conference team for the first time since the historic 34-32 stunner over Michigan.

College Sports Journal FBS Group of Five National Players of the Week-Sept. 23

Five players including Josh Love from San Jose State, Bryant Kobeck from Toledo, Elijah Mitchell from Louisiana, Demetrius Taylor from Appalachian State, and Bailey Hale from Lousiana Tech have been selected as the College Sports Journal All-Stars for the week ending Sept. 23, 2019 from the NCAA Division I FBS Group of Five schools. The.

The Week That Was: Highlights of the Five Top FCS Games, Week Ending 9/21/2019

Without question the top FCS game of the week was the battle of FCS powerhouses in the Fargodome.Returning home after 47-22 victory the week before against Delaware, the heavily-favored Bison had a very tough battle against visiting UC Davis, ultimately winning 27-16 after scoring a late touchdown to finally put the game in the win column for North Dakota State. 

Missouri Valley Football Conference Week 4 Review

The Missouri Valley Football Conference did well in Week 4 in going 6-3 against its non-conference schedule in Week 4.  That included going 5-0 against the Big Sky Conference in the MVFC-Big Sky challenge.  The league guaranteed a winning mark against the other strong western US conference as it now sits at 6-3 with one.

College Sports Journal Sagarin FBS G5 Top 25–Sept. 21

Here are the Top 25 FBS Group of Five (G5) rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Sept. 21st, 2019. UCF remains the top ranked team this week as the Knights despite its road loss at Pittsburgh this week.  CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and.

College Sports Journal Sagarin FCS Top 25 – Sept. 21

Here are the Top 25 FCS rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Sept. 21st, 2019.  North Dakota State continues to hold down the top spot as the Bison had this position since the preseason. CSJ will show weekly rankings from the Sagarin rankings throughout the season and will have a final.

Highlights: CSJ FBS Group of Five Top Five Games and Recap of Week 4

Down goes UCF.  The Knights lost for the first time in the regular season in 26 games Saturday with its one point loss at the ACC’s Pittsburgh.  This opens the Group of Five up for another team to break UCF’s two year run on the New Year’s Six bowl bid. Another AAC team in Temple.

College Sports Journal Northeast Conference Previews: Week of 9/21/2019

Another interesting week awaits us in the NEC, featuring a battle between a NEC title contender and a Pioneer Football League contender.