NCAA 128: Battle to ONE (2011 Football Replay)

[StLee]

Lee’s 2011 Season What-If Mega Tournament

"In the beginning, God created college football. And it was good." - Anonymous

INTRODUCTION

Technology is an amazing thing. And so is a creative mind in our world of possibilities. Hi, again, guys and gals interested in another of those “what if” dynasties. This time I am turning the BCS on its heels and making the entire NCAA football experience one big tournament. But it’s not that simple.

I imagined that I could eventually find a sports simulation where the NCAA would have 128 teams and I could set up eight super conferences to compete for the ultimate championship. Well, that has yet to happen, though I believe it will one day. In the mean time, I decided to create my own simulation using whatifsports.com.

THE SET UP

Welcome to an alternative NCAA Football 2011 season! In this world, some of the FBS’ newest teams decided to join early. Therefore, let’s welcome the newest members of the FBS: the University of Massachusetts, Old Dominion University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Georgia Southern University, Georgia State University, the University of South Alabama, Texas State University-San Marcos, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. These seven programs are fine additions to the 2011 alternative season.

Because the NCAA has realigned, there are now eight super conferences of sixteen teams each aligned in regional brackets in a clocklike order: West, Northwest, North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South Central, and Southwest. Each conference is divided into two divisions.

THE SCHEDULE

For the season, each division plays a round-robin style schedule of seven games. After those games are played, teams are ranked 1-8 in their divisions and play the equivalent ranked team of the other division in a placement playoff. Therefore, in the West Conference, the top teams of each division will play for the conference championship. The second place teams will play each other, the third, etc. Once all games are played, each team will be individually ranked 1-16 in their conference and then placed into the Mega Tournament to crown football’s top team.

Therefore, before entering the Mega Tournament, each team will have played 8 conference games.

THE TOURNAMENT
In the Mega Tournament, all 128 teams will be placed into eight sixteen-team brackets and through elimination make it to the College Elite Series, where the last eight teams will battle it out for college football’s ultimate crown, The Golden Sphinx.



Each team will play four games in the Mega Tournament, giving every team a 12-game schedule for the season. Only the winner of each of the eight brackets will move on.

Those eight regional champions will then play in the College Elite Series, a single-elimination fight for the Golden Sphinx. Only ONE team can be crowned National Champions!

[StLee]

CONFERENCE ALIGNMENTS



SPECIAL NOTE

I am using Whatifsports.com to run this simulation. For this play through, I will not keep extensive statistics to save time, though I may plan to replay it and keep extensive stats. However, I am just “testing” my NCAA 128. HOWEVER, if any of you are reading this dynasty and particularly interested in stats of certain players and/or teams, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I have simmed ahead a bit, but since I am using whatifsports.com, I can rewind if need be, too.

THE DICE

For the added teams, I decided to use a system of dice rolls to determine where they would stand. There is no way to create generic teams or even use current Division I-AA teams on whatifsports.com, so I had to find a way to sim those teams' games.

The first dice roll was a win potential roll (1-6). The second was an equivalency roll (1-6) where I would determine how many years back I would go to find a team with the same number of wins as the team’s win potential. That equivalent team will be used for the new team’s simulation, and the equivalent team cannot be in a BCS conference (to limit actual wins in this simulation).

These were the roll results:
UMass – Win potential (WP) = 6. 2008 equivalency (e). Sim team (ST) = BGSU.
Old Dominion – WP = 1. 2008 e. ST = SMU.
UNCC – WP = 4. 2006 e. ST = UCF.
Georgia St. – WP = 6. 2006 e. ST = Arkansas St.
Georgia Southern – WP = 4. 2009 e. ST = San Diego St.
South Alabama – WP = 5. 2010 e. ST = Kent St.
Texas St. – WP = 5. 2007 e. ST = Buffalo.
UTSA – WP = 4. 2010 e. ST = FAU.

Therefore, when UMass plays, I will use the 2008 Bowling Green team for simulations. I hope this is clear!

[StLee]

COLLEGE ELITE SERIES

I decided to make the College Elite Series on neutral sites using the old bowl tier of highest grossing games. The only change is that I added the Golden Sphinx Bowl, which will be played in Nashville.

Golden Sphinx Bowl, Nashville, Tennessee (Championship Game)
Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, Louisiana (Semifinal Game 1)
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California (Semifinal Game 2)
Fiesta Bowl, Tempe, Arizona (Quarterfinal Game 1)
Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida (Quarterfinal Game 2)
Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas (Quarterfinal Game 3)
Capital One Bowl, Orlando, Florida (Quarterfinal Game 4)

I am still considering doling out bowl spots to teams that are not in the College Elite Series to allow a 13th game. What do you think?

LAST NOTE BEFORE I POST SIM RESULTS

At first, I started simming games and then writing a brief recap of the top players in the game (300+ yard passers, 100+ yard rushers or receivers), but it was taking too long where it would take me over a week to play each round of the season. Therefore, I won't throw those away for the game recaps I wrote in Round 1 (I am using the word "round" instead of "week"), but I will not continue those types of write ups except for three reasons:
1) Great games, like really close games or amazing stats/scores
2) The College Elite Series and other important eliminator and ranking games
3) Games where readers request more information

Otherwise, I will only post the quarter-by-quarter score along with the final.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN. THE BATTLE FROM 128 TO 1 STARTS NOW!

[StLee]

Round 1 - West Conference (Not "Division," as it states above)

Arizona 49 at USC 52
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USC squeaked by the Wildcats by outscoring Arizona 17-7 in the 4th quarter. Matt Barkley led the Trojans charge by completing 30 of 46 passes for 358 yards, with 4 TDs and 2 INTs. The player of the game, however, was Nick Foles who connected on TD passes with 6 different players and finished 30 of 49 for 394 yards. Curtis McNeal had a big day for USC, rushing for 138 yards on 17 carries, with 3 TDs.

Arizona State 35 at UNLV 21
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The Sun Devils rode on the backs of Jamal Miles and Cameron Marshall to rush for 223 yards and win at UNLV. Miles finished with 97 yards on just 7 carries and 2 TDs. Marshall added another 92 yards on 25 carries and a TD.

Fresno State 21 at UCLA 24
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UCLA got a late field goal by Tyler Gonzalez to eek out a victory at home. The Bruins were led by Johnathan Franklin who rushed for 113 yards on 17 carries and a TD. Kevin Prince was 14 of 20 for 224 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTS. Derek Carr led the Bulldogs with 360 yards passing (26 of 39) and 3 TDs.

San Diego State 41 at San Jose State 23
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Ryan Lindley threw for 3 TDs on 24 of 38 passing and Ronnie Hillman ran for 168 yards and 2 TDs as the Aztecs ran away from San Jose State. Matt Faulkner was 28 of 49, 334 yards with a TD and 3 INTs.

Washington 39 at Stanford 34
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The Huskies scored the last nine points of the game to pull the upset at Stanford. Chris Polk ran for 145 yards and a TD. Keith Price was 26 of 42 for 284 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Andrew Luck was only 15 of 30 for 203 yards with a TD and 2 INTs. Stepfan Taylor led the Cardinal with 97 yards rushing and 2 TDs.

Washington State 44 at California 41, 2 OT
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In the second OT, Andrew Furney kicked a 42-yard field goal to give Washington State n upset win at the Golden Bears. Marshall Lobbestael led the way for the Cougars by going 31 of 52 for 377 yards with 4 TDs and 2 INTs. Zach Maynard led California by going 36 of 48 yards for 415 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs.

Hawaii 19 at Oregon 59
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The Warriors never threatened as Oregon was able to take an early lead and pull away in this one. Darron Thomas was 18 of 24 for 304 yards and 4 TDs. LaMichael James added 171 yards rushing and 2 TDs, including a 69-yard romp early in the game. Hawaii was led y Bryant Moniz who went 24 of 42 for 297 yards with 2 TDs and an INT.

Nevada 20 at Oregon State 38
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The Beaver were able to build a 20-10 halftime lead and cruise for the victory over the Wolf Pack. Sean Mannion was 28 of 43 for 403 yards with 2 TDs and an INT to lead Oregon State. Malcolm Agnew added 119 yards rushing and a TD, and James Rodgers had 101 yards on 6 catches. Cody Fajardo led Nevada with 227 passing yards and a TD. His primary targets were Rishard Matthews (5-104( and Kolby Arendse (2-87-1).

[StLee]

Round 1 - Northwest Conference

Boise State 51 at Utah State 21
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The Broncos scored 5 first-half TDs and held Utah State scoreless in the second half to secure the road win. Kellen Moore led Boise State with 380 yards passing, 4 TDs, and an INT. Robert Turbin was the Aggies’ top performer, rushing for 103 yards and a TD.

Idaho 10 at Utah 48
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The Utes jumped out to an early 17-0 lead and never looked back in routing the Vandals. Jon Hays threw for 341 yards and 4 TDs but threw 3 picks. John White ran for 125 yards and a TD for Utah.

Air Force 34 at BYU 38
Oops. Forgot to save the box score!

After an Air Force field goal for a 34-31 lead, the Cougars’ Josh Quezada ran it in to give BYU the win. The Cougars were led by the rushing of JJ Di Luigi (14-104-2) and Michael Alisa (12-102). Asher Clark led the Air Force rushing arsenal with 155 yards and 2 TDs.

Colorado 41 at Colorado State 7
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The Buffaloes steamrolled their in-state rivals for the easy victory. Tyler Hansen threw for 348 yards and 3 TDs and Rodney Stewart ran for 196 yards and 2 TDs to lead Colorado. The Rams did not have much offense except for the rushing of Chris Nwoke (17-90-1).

Iowa 31 at Northwestern 24
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The Hawkeyes broke a fourth-quarter tie by scoring 14 points to lead them to a victory over the Wildcats. Marcus Coker dominated the game, rushing for 228 yards on 35 carries and 2 TDs. James Vandenberg added 268 yards passing, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. Dan Persa threw for 315 yards, 3 TDs, and an INT. Rashad Lawrence led Northwestern with 4 catched for 113 yards and a TD.

Iowa State 3 at Missouri 34
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The Tigers dominated the Cyclones with a controlling 31-point victory at home. James Franklin passed for only 138 yards but connected on 2 TDs. Kendial Lawrence led Missouri with 124 yards rushing. The Cyclones were held to only 203 yards of total offense in the game.

Minnesota 19 at Wisconsin 49
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Wisconsin’s high-powered offense racked up 542 yards on its way to a dominating victory over Minnesota. Russell Wilson was the game’s MVP with 317 yards passing (22 of 28) and 5 TDs. Montee Ball rushed for 148 yards and 2 TDs. MarQueis Gray led the way for the Golden Gophers on 138 yards rushing.

Wyoming 9 at Nebraska 7
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The Cowboys pulled off a shocking victory at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers could not get anything going offensively, scoring their only points in the fourth quarter. Neither team had much going on offense, with Rex Burkhead (30-139) the only player to gain over 100 yards on the day.

[StLee]

Ball State 34 at Cincinnati 38, 2 OT
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The Bearcats answered a Ball State field goal with a touchdown to pull off the win in two overtimes. Cincinnati led 24-0 at halftime but could not hold on to the big lead, going into overtime tied 24-24. Keith Wenning led the Cardinals by going 20 of 38 for 296 yards with a TD and INT. Isaiah Pead led the Bearcats with 116 yards rushing and 2 TDs.

Indiana 23 at Toledo 56
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In a high-scoring game, the Rockets kept scoring to stay far ahead of Indiana. Adonis Thomas rushed for 136 yards and 3 TDs and Terrance Owens added 263 yards passing and 2 TDs for Toledo. Edward Wright-Baker was 20-36, 300 yards, 2 TDs, and 3 INTs for the Hoosiers.

Ohio State 10 at Louisville 42
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The Cardinals scored the first 21 points and then cruised to victory over the short-handed Buckeyes. Teddy Bridgewater led the way for Louisville, going 26 of 36 for 341 yards and 3 TDs. Dan Herron was the only bright spot for Ohio State, rushing for 81 yards ad a TD.

Purdue 7 at Miami (OH) 28
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The Red Hawks broke a 7-7 halftime tie, outscoring Purdue 21-0 in the second half. Zac Dysert led Miami with 319 yards passing and 3 TDs. Nick Harwell was his main target, catching 10 passes for 180 yards and a TD. The Boilermakers were led by Ralph Bolde who rushed for 93 yards and a TD.

Western Michigan 27 at Illinois 17
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The Broncos built a 14-3 halftime lead and went up 27-10 late to hold on over Illinois. Alex Carder passed for 312 yards, 3 TDs, and an INT to lead Western Michigan. Jason Ford led the Illini with 127 yards rushing and 2 TDs.

Eastern Michigan 16 at Notre Dame 31
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Notre Dame overcame a 6-3 halftime deficit to score four second-half TDs in the win. Cierre Wood led the Irish with 163 yards rushing and a TD. Tommy Rees was 23 of 39 for 289 yards, 3 TDs, and 3 INTs. Michael Floyd had 9 receptions for 137 yards and a TD. Javonti Greene led the Eagles with 134 yards rushing.

Central Michigan 17 at Michigan 42
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The Wolverines jumped out to a 21-0 lead on their way to an easy victory over Central Michigan. Fitzgerald Toussaint led the way for Michigan by rushing 20 times for 164 yards and 3 TDs. Ryan Radcliff threw for 341 yards, a TD, and 2 INTs for the Chippewas.

Northern Illinois 24 at Michigan State 44
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The Spartans pulled away in the fourth quarter of what was a tight game until then. Kirk Cousins dominated the game for Michigan State, throwing for 389 yards and 4 TDs. Jasmin Hopkins led the Huskies with 104 yards rushing and 2 TDs.

[Izulde]

Your image links appear all be broken.

[sterlingice]

Love the concept. Couple of thoughts

1) Where in Nashville is there a Golden Sphinx? I've been to the Parthenon and it seems like it would have been there and maybe I completely missed it.

2) Maybe highlight the biggest game in the region and give it a little bigger writeup. Maybe give us a full paragraph or two on the most exciting game in the region: kindof like the first weekend of the NCAA tourney. Sure, there are highlights of every game but the one that was close late gets a lot more play.

SI

[StLee]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Your image links appear all be broken.

Hmm... I don't know what the problem is. They appear fine from this end. I used the attachments feature of the forum.

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Love the concept. Couple of thoughts

1) Where in Nashville is there a Golden Sphinx? I've been to the Parthenon and it seems like it would have been there and maybe I completely missed it.

As far as I know, nowhere. I was trying to think of something besides the Crystal Football as a championship trophy. I started doing a search, and during that search got the idea for a Golden Sphinx. I found the image in Google search and went with it.

I picked Nashville as a place with a good stadium that wasn't a location of one of the major bowls. I considered the Giants/Jets' stadium, too, but just went ahead with Nashville. Better weather and decently centrally located.

Originally Posted by sterlingice

2) Maybe highlight the biggest game in the region and give it a little bigger writeup. Maybe give us a full paragraph or two on the most exciting game in the region: kindof like the first weekend of the NCAA tourney. Sure, there are highlights of every game but the one that was close late gets a lot more play.

SI

I like this idea and it gives me a good way to sim all the games and still get to write about the action. I'll make a wrap-up paragraph for the round for each conference and then have a featured game from each conference where I can display more graphics (assuming they work!) and words. I'll do more of this starting in Round 2 since I already have my mini write ups for all of Round 1. I will, however, give one digest feedback of best games and features for Round 1.

Thanks for the feedback!

[StLee]

Army 8 at Bowling Green 27
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The Falcons jumped out to a 24-0 lead on their way to victory. Anthon Samuel led BGSU with 178 yards rushing and a TD. Jared Hassin rushed for 106 yards for the Black Knights.

Buffalo 13 at Boston College 34
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The Eagles outscored Buffalo 24-3 in the second half to secure the win. Andre Williams ran for 115 yards and 3 TDs to pace the Eagles, while Chase Rettig added 244 yards passing and a TD. The Bulls were led by Chazz Anderson who threw for 263 yards and a pick.

Syracuse 23 at Connecticut 31
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UConn jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first and held on the rest of the way to top the Orange. Johnny McEntee passed for 308 yards and 2 TDs and Lyle McCombs rushed for 133 yards and 2 TDs for the Huskies. Antwon Bailey rushed for 126 yards for Syracuse.

Rutgers 27 at Massachusetts 22
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The Scarlet Knights avoided the upset, scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 13-yard Jawan Jamison run with two seconds left. Jamison paced Rutgers with 122 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Chas Dodd added 2 more passing TDs on 288 yards. Jonathan Hernandez rushed for 106 yards and a TD for the Minutemen.

Akron 9 at Penn State 36
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The Nittany Lions held Akron to field goals and scored touchdowns in their stead for the easy home victory. Silas Redd led the way with 178 yards rushing and a TD. Matt McGloin added 2 TDs on 225 yards passing for Penn State.

Kent State 18 at Pittsburgh 14
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Freddy Cortex kicked four field goals, including scoring the only six points of the second half in giving the Golden Flashes a road win over Pittsburgh. Spencer Keith paved the way for Kent State, throwing for 229 yards, a TD, and an INT. Tino Sunseri led the Panthers with 226 yards passing, a TD, and an INT. Kevin Harper missed all three field goal attempts for the difference in the game.

Ohio 13 at Temple 27
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Temple took a 17-6 halftime lead and held off Ohio. Matt Brown rushed for 133 yards and a TD for the Owls. The Bobcats were led by Donte Harden who rushed for 126 yards in the game.

Maryland 10 at West Virginia 30
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The Mountaineers overpowered Maryland behind the arm of Geno Smith (23 of 36, 298 yards, TD).

[StLee]

UNC-Charlotte 15 at North Carolina 23
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The Tarheels jumped out to a 23-0 lead through three quarters ad survived a late surge by the 49ers. Bryn Renner threw for 326 yards and a TD for North Carolina but added 2 INTs. Giovani Bernard rushed for 125 yards and a TD.

Duke 3 at North Carolina State 31
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The Wolfpack pounded Duke early and often in an in-state matchup. James Washington led North Carolina State with 99 yards rushing and a TD. Sean Renfree threw for 270 yards for the Blue Devils, but he was picked off 2 times.

East Carolina 13 at Clemson 31
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The Tigers jumped out to a 14-3 halftime lead and then dominated the second half for the win. Tajh Boyd passed for 288 yards and 2 TDs and Andre Ellington rushed for 145 yards and a TD for Clemson.

Wake Forest 27 at South Carolina 38
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A game expected to be a low-scoring game instead turned into a bit of a high-scoring affair. The Gamecocks outscored Wake Forest 21-10 in the second half for the 11-point difference. Connor Shaw threw for 250 yards and 3 TDs and added another 48 yards on the ground. Tanner Price led the Demon Deacons with 390 yards passing and 3 TDs.

Virginia 27 at Navy 13
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The Cavaliers outscored the Midshipmen 13-3 in the fourth quarter for the two-touchdown difference. Navy rushed for 252 yards in the game.

Virginia Tech 27 at Florida International 13
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The Hokies took a 17-0 lead and cruised to the win. David Wilson rushed for 136 yards and 2 TDs to lead Virginia Tech. Wesley Carroll passed for 259 yards but threw 3 picks for the Golden Panthers.

Marshall 23 at Florida State 38
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The Seminoles scored 21 second-quarter points and cruised in the second half for the win. Devonta Freeman overcame the poor passing day for EJ Manuel by rushing for 122 yards and 3 TDs. Marshall’s Rakeem Cato threw five picks in the game.

Old Dominion 24 at Miami (FL) 31
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The Hurricanes got a rushing TD from Mike James with just over a minute left to down the upstart Monarchs. Lamar Miller led Miami in rushing with 112 yards and 2 TDs. Taylor Heinicke led Old Dominion with 368 yards passing, 3 TDs, and 3 INTs. Nick Mayers added 7 catches for 119 yards and 2 TDs.

[StLee]

Georgia 31 at Florida Atlantic 15
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The Bulldogs struggled on the road in beating an over matched Florida Atlantic team. Aaron Murray threw for 238 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. Isaiah Crowell rushed for 108 yards and a TD. Alfred Morris paced the Owls with 239 yards rushing and a TD.

Georgia State 16 at UCF 34
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The Golden Knights kept the pedal to the metal in beating Georgia State. Jeff Godfrey passed for 244 yards and 2 TDS for UCF.

Georgia Tech 31 at Florida 52
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Florida outscored the Yellow Jackets 31-14 in the second half to pull away in their home debut. The Gators outrushed Georgia Tech 353-350 and passed for another 272 yards. Chris Rainey (21-174-2) and Mike Gillislee (9-147-1) each rushed for over 100 yards for the Gators. Jeff Demps added two more rushing TDs. David Sims led the Yellow Jackets with 113 yards rushing. Tevin Washington rushed for 2 TDs.

Georgia Southern 23 at South Florida 48
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The Bulls scored at least one touchdown every quarter and led the whole way to beat the Eagles. BJ Daniels led the way for South Florida, throwing for 351 yards, 4 TDs, and an INT. Jaybo Shaw passed for 380 yards for Georgia Southern with 3 TDs and 3 INTS.

Kentucky 10 at Vanderbilt 24
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The Commodores took a 14-0 lead into halftime and held off the Wildcats for the home win. Zac Stacy rushed for 104 yards and 2 TDs for Vanderbilt.

Western Kentucky 21 at Troy 24
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The Trojans stormed out to a 24-7 lead and held on for the victory. Corey Robinson passed for 306 yards and 3 first-half TDs to lead Troy to the win. Bobby Rainey was the most outstanding player for the Hilltoppers, rushing for 145 yards and a TD.

Tennessee 13 at Alabama 37
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Bama rode the legs of Trent Richardson to cruise past the Volunteers. Richardson had 124 yards rushing and 2 TDs. He also added 2 more TDs on 3 catches. Tennessee was held to only 212 total yards in the game.

Middle Tennessee 24 at Auburn 36
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The Tigers overcame a 21-19 MTSU halftime lead and scored the last 17 points in the win. Barrett Trotter passed for 320 yards, 3 TDs, and an INT in the win. Logan Kilgore led the Blue Raiders with 317 yards passing and 3 TDs. Malcolm Beyah caught 7 passes for 137 yards and a TD.

[StLee]

LSU 34 at UL-Lafayette 17
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LSU trailed late in the first half, but scored with 28 seconds left and then never looked back in the road victory. The Tigers’ Jordan Jefferson passed for 274 yards and 3 TDs along with 1 INT. Blaine Gautier led the Ragin’ Cajuns with 229 yards passing and 2 TDs.

Louisiana Tech 21 at Houston 55
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The Cougars scored 42 first-half points to cruise to the easy victory. Case Keenum passed for 428 yards, 4 TDs, and an INT. Patrick Edwards led Houston in receiving with 114 yards on 7 catches. Justin Johnson added 5 catches for 101 yards and 2 TDs. Michael Hayes added to the Cougars trifecta with 108 yards rushing and a TD. In the loss, the Bulldogs’ Colby Cameron passed for 294 yards, 2 TDs, and an INT.

Tulane 17 at Rice 31
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Rice overcame a 10-0 first-half deficit and outscored the Green Wave 21-7 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. Nick Fanuzzi passed for 238 yards and 2 TDs, and Tyler Smith rushed for 128 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Owls. Ryan Griffin passed for 298 yards, a TD, and an INT for Tulane.

UL-Monroe 10 at Texas A&M 53
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The Aggies scored 40 second-half points on their way to a blow out victory. Ryan Tannehill threw for 349 yards, 4 TDs, and an INT to lead Texas A&M. His leading receivers were Jeff Fuller (4-114-3 TDs) and Ryan Swope (7-101). Cyrus Gray added 136 yards rushing and 3 TDs. Jyruss Edwards was the brightest spot for the Warhawks, rushing for 128 yards.

Arkansas 21 at South Alabama 9
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The Razorbacks took a 21-3 halftime lead and held the Jaguars to a couple of second-half field goals. Dennis Johnson was the player of the game, rushing for 103 yards and 3 TDs in the win. Tyler Wilson complete 23 of 38 passes for 316 yards. Jarius Wright had 124 yards receiving on 7 catches. CJ Bennett struggled for USA, going 14 of 36 for 174 yards and 2 INTs.

Arkansas State 13 at Memphis 24
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In a slight upset, the Red Wolves came up short in Memphis thanks to a bad day by Ryan Aplin. He threw for 265 yards, a TD, and 2 INTs. Billy Foster led the Tigers with 40 yards rushing and a TD and 3 catches for 53 yards.

UAB 20 at Ole Miss 45
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Ole Miss jumped out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and cruised to the win over the Blazers. Randall Mackey threw for 330 yards, 5 TDs, and an INT for the Rebels. Jeff Scott added 112 yards rushing for Ole Miss. UAB was led by Greg Franklin’s 123 yards rushing and a TD.

Southern Miss 14 at Mississippi State 28
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The Bulldogs scored 21 second-quarter points to propel themselves to a win. Vick Ballard led the Bulldogs with 189 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Austin Davis led the Golden Eagles with 285 yards passing, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs.

[StLee]

Baylor 45 at Texas State 31
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The Bears overcame a 24-7 first-half deficit by scoring 24 straight points and then the final 14 points of the game. Robert Griffin III led the way for Baylor with 297 yards passing (22 of 27) for 6 TDs and an INT. Kendall Wright had 143 yards receiving on 10 catches and 4 TDs. Terrance Ganaway added 145 yards rushing for the Bears.

UTEP 21 at Texas Tech 38
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The Red Raiders opened with a 21-0 first-half lead before being tied at 21 with UTEP after three quarters. However, Texas Tech outscored the Miners 17-0 in the fourth to gain the win. Seth Doege led Texas Tech with 386 yards passing, 2 TDs, and an INT. Alex Torres had 6 catches for 120 yards and a TD.

UTSA 41 at New Mexico 3
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Welcome to Division I-A football, Texas-San Antonio! The Roadrunners steamrolled the hosting Lobos behind the rushing attack of Evans Okotcha. Okotcha rushed for 184 yards and 4 TDs to lead UTSA.

Texas 42 at New Mexico State 16
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The Longhorns took a 35-7 halftime lead in their road win. Malcolm Brown led Texas with 153 yards rushing and a TD.

Kansas 7 at SMU 51
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Jared Williams started off hot and led the way with 175 yards and 2 TDs in the Mustangs’ home win. JJ McDermott did not have a great day for SMU but still passed for 310 yards (20 of 30), 2 TDs, and 3 INTs. Cole Beasley was McDermott’s top target with 6 catches for 109 yards.

Kansas State 21 at TCU 33
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The Horned Frogs pulled away in a tight game with 13 straight fourth-quarter points to get the win over Kansas State. Ross Evans was the Most Outstanding Player of the game, connecting all four of his field goal attempts for TCU to make the difference in the game.

Tulsa 14 at Oklahoma 41
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The Sooners jumped out to a 17-0 lead and cruised for the easy win over the Golden Hurricane. Landry Jones was 20 of 28 for 300 yards and 3 TDs. His top target was Kenny Stills who caught 7 passes for 113 yards. Roy Finch added 117 yards rushing and a TD for the Sooners. Tulsa was led by Trey Watts who rushed for 98 yards and a TD.

North Texas 17 at Oklahoma State 45
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The Cowboys scored 21 straight second quarter points and dominated the scoreboard to get the home win. Brandon Weeded was 25 of 36 for 268 yards, 6 TDs, and an INT. Joseph Randle rushed for 130 yards for the Cowboys. Lance Dunbar was the leader for the Mean Green, rushing for 133 yards and a TD. Derek Thompson threw for 306 yards, a TD, and 2 INTs.

[StLee]

National Game of the Week: Arizona 49 at USC 52, West Conference
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National Player of the Week: Nick Foles, QB, Arizona


National Top 5:
1. Oregon, 2. Oklahoma, 3. Alabama, 4. Florida State, 5. Wisconsin

West Conference:
There were several tight games, with Oregon earning the only win by more than three scores. In the 52-49 loss to USC, Arizona’s Nick Foles earned player of the week honors with 394 yards passing and 6 TDs. Despite his effort, USC looks to be built to score points on offense. The Ducks look to be the class of the conference, though, and will be tough on both sides of the ball all season.

West Conference Top Three:
1. Oregon, 2. USC, 3. Oregon State

Northwest Conference:
The Northwest Conference might not be one of the more highly regarded conferences in the nation, but there was lots of good QB play in the first round. Wisconsin’s transfer QB, Russell Wilson was the conference player of the week, throwing for 317 yards and 5 TDs. He was closely contested by Boise State’s Kellen Moore. Missouri showed some outstanding defense in their dominant 34-3 victory over Iowa State.

Northwest Conference Top Three:
1. Wisconsin, 2. Boise State, 3. Missouri

North Conference:
The North Conference may be one of the most hotly contested conferences, especially with QB play like Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater who threw 3 TD passes in Louisville’s 42-10 domination of Ohio State. Despite Bridgewater’s outstanding play, at least one player did better. Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins was the player of the week, throwing for 389 yards and 4 TDs.

North Conference Top Three:
1. Michigan, 2. Michigan State, 3. Notre Dame

Northeast Conference:
The Northeast Conference will probably be regarded as the weakest conference in the nation, but there were some good football games played in the first round. Rutgers struggled with Massachusetts, but found a way to get a road victory with just two seconds left. Penn State and West Virginia got easy victories as they were expected to do. No player stood out in the week, so our editors have selected Rutger’s Jawan Jamison as player of the week, thanks to his 122 yards rushing and 2 TDs, including the game-winner with just two seconds left.

Northeast Conference Top Three:
1. West Virginia, 2. Penn State, 3. Connecticut


East Conference:
There were few surprises in the East Conference, though new teams to Division I-A, Old Dominion and UNC-Charlotte, played well against superior foes. South Carolina’s Connor Shaw was named player of the week, throwing for 250 yards and 3 TDs and rushing for 48 yards.

East Conference Top Three:
1. Florida State, 2. South Carolina, 3. Clemson

Southeast Conference:
The story of the Southeast Conference in Round 1 was the rushing attacks. Georgia Tech, Florida, and Alabama all showed dominating rushing games. Alfred Morris of Florida Atlantic had an outstanding week, rushing for 239 yards and a TD. However, the player of the week was Alabama’s Trent Richardson. He rushed for only 124 yards but had 2 TDs on the ground and added another 2 TDs receiving.

South Central Conference:
The 1-2 punch of Arkansas and LSU may be tough for other teams in the conference to overcome, but neither the Razorbacks nor Tigers dominated the first week of the season. The surprise of the week was in player of the week Randall Mackey of Ole Miss, throwing for 330 yards and 5 TDs in the Rebels’ 45-20 win over UAB. Houston’s Case Keenum also had a big day, passing for 428 yards and 4 TDs in the Cougars’ 55-21 win over Louisiana Tech.

South Central Conference Top Three:
1. Arkansas, 2. LSU, 3. Texas A&M

Southwest Conference:
The Southwest Conference looks to be the offensive powerhouse conference of the nation, with all winning teams scoring at least 33 points. Robert Griffin III took player of the week honors with his 6-TD performance in Baylor’s 45-31 win at Texas State. Although all games finished with at least a 12-point deficit, the Kansas State-TCU game remained close until late. Kansas State looks to have a decent defense, but they will have a tough time containing the high-scoring offenses in that conference.

Southwest Conference Top Three:
1. Oklahoma, 2. Texas, 3. TCU

[StLee]

I am going to take the plunge into direct links to the whatifsports.com site. If this works smoothly, I will only need to graphically edit the eight new teams' games since they don't appear on whatifsports.com.

After all games are posted each round, I will post my digest.

Here's are the first two games from the West Conference:

San Jose State 20 at Arizona 27


UCLA 18 at San Diego State 48

[StLee]

This works for me, so I will post box scores and play-by-play for the remaining games... Sorry! I am working my way through this and have lots of ideas for my second play through already.

However, let's continue with this play through.

UCLA 18 at San Diego State 48

UNLV 7 at Fresno State 23

USC 28 at Arizona State 33

Oregon State 28 at Washington 34

Oregon 42 at Nevada 21

California 22 at Hawaii 14

Stanford 55 at Washington State 12

[StLee]

Colorado State 20 at Boise State 45

BYU 50 at Colorado 27

Utah 34 at Air Force 3

Utah State 34 at Idaho 50

Nebraska 28 at Iowa 35, OT

Wisconsin 41 at Wyoming 20

Missouri 31 at Minnesota 10

Northwestern 7 at Iowa State 24

[StLee]

So, I checked my page on my phone as I do sometimes and discovered that posting the quarter-by-quarter links is redundant since they are available inside the box score. Therefore, I can move through a few more sims faster and then work towards my weekly wrap up.

Here are the North Conference results for Round 2:

Miami (Ohio) 21 at Ball State 18

Louisville 14 at Purdue 26

Toledo 21 at Ohio State 45

Cincinnati 41 at Indiana 17

Michigan State 29 at Western Michigan 17

Michigan 13 at Northern Illinois 30

Notre Dame 42 at Central Michigan 41

Illinois 10 at Eastern Michigan 32

[StLee]

UConn 10 at Rutgers 27

Boston College 7 at Syracuse 27

Bowling Green 17 at Buffalo 38

West Virginia 38 at Akron 9

Temple 23 at Maryland 6

Pittsburgh 26 at Ohio 27, OT


Penn State 28 at Kent State 9

UMass 13 at Army28

Rd 2 umassatarmy.JPG

Rd 2 umassatarmystats.JPG

[StLee]

Clemson 27 at Wake Forest 17

North Carolina State 28 at East Carolina 24

North Carolina 31 at Duke 10

Miami 6 at Virginia 27

Florida International 31 at Marshall 17

Navy 10 at Virginia Tech 23

South Carolina 17 at UNC-Charlotte 0

Florida State 48 at Old Dominion 10

[StLee]

South Florida 24 at Georgia 38

UCF 19 at Georgia Tech 21

Auburn 33 at Kentucky 13

Alabama 54 at MTSU 7

Troy 17 at Tennessee 34

Vanderbilt 28 at Western Kentucky 21, OT

Florida 34 at Georgia Southern 24

Florida Atlantic 31 at Georgia State 6

[StLee]

Rice 17 at UL-Monroe 24, OT

Texas A&M 13 at LSU 27

Houston 51 at Tulane 17

UL-Lafayette 29 at Louisiana Tech 30

Mississippi State 14 at Arkansas 36

Ole Miss 34 at Southern Miss 37

Memphis 23 at UAB 30, OT

South Alabama 10 at Arkansas State 34

[StLee]

NMSU 10 at Baylor 48

New Mexico 14 at Texas 52

Oklahoma State 55 at Kansas 28

Oklahoma 28 at North Texas 7

TCU 37 at Tulsa 24

SMU 34 at Kansas State 10

Texas Tech 35 at UT-San Antonio 30

Texas State 34 at UTEP 37

[StLee]

A few of the divisions could come down to the wire. However, we still have a lot of season to go.

Here are the standings after two rounds:

[StLee]

WTF?!? I am going back to look over box scores and stats, and I see that whatifsports flushes games after a few days. Dammit... I am just going to keep the scores of the round and move on.

Lesson learned that I have to keep a snapshot of each game myself.

[sterlingice]

That's what it looks like. I wonder if each account has a limit or something

SI

[StLee]

The box scores there are definitely on a timed basis, so I cannot access box scores after a few days. Because of that, I am going to try to steam through the conference round robins as much as possible for this first play through (I do plan to have more play throughs, especially when I have more time!) and give more detailed postings of the playoffs. I have been quite busy lately, but I want to complete at least one round per week.

So, here goes Round 3...

[StLee]

USC 26 at San Diego State 24
Matt Barkley completed a desperation pass to Robert Woods from 30 yards out at the buzzer.

Arizona State 31 at Fresno State 51
Robbie Rouse rushed for 121 yards and 2 TDs and caught 4 passes for 78 yards and another TD.

Washington 14 at Oregon 41
LaMichael James dominated the game with 224 yards rushing and 2 TDs and caught 3 passes for 48 yards.

Washington State 44 at Hawaii 41
Rickey Galvin caught a 9-yard pass from Marshall Lobbestael with just one second left to give the Cougars the win in Hawaii.

Other scores:

Arizona 10 at UCLA 24

UNLV 3 at San Jose State 29

California 20 at Oregon State 45

Stanford 44 at Nevada 30

[StLee]

Boise State 39 at BYU 21
Doug Martin rushed for 217 yards and 2 TDs and caught 2 passes for 21 yards

Utah 23 at Colorado State 28

Utah State 44 at Colorado 17
Robert Turbin rushed for 208 yards and 3 TDs

Idaho 6 at Air Force 37

Iowa 21 at Wisconsin 31

Missouri 13 at Nebraska 3

Northwestern 31 at Wyoming 41
Alvester Alexander had 76 yards rushing and 2 TDs and 3 catches for 84 yards and a TD.

Iowa State 0 at Minnesota 16

[StLee]

Ball State 45 at Louisville 14
Jahwan Edwards had 203 yards rushing with 2 TDs and 17 yards receiving with a TD.

Toledo 28 at Miami (Ohio) 27, OT
Mason Krysinski missed two field goals for the Red Hawks and an extra point in OT.

Cincinnati 40 at Purdue 7

Indiana 13 at Ohio State 24

Western Michigan 19 at Michigan 38

Notre Dame 20 at Michigan State 30
Kirk Cousins was 26 of 36 for 355 yards and 2 TDs.

Illinois 17 at Northern Illinois 20

Eastern Michigan 38 at Central Michigan 31, OT

[StLee]

Army 16 at Connecticut 36
Lyle McCombs rushed for 192 yards and 2 TDs and caught 4 passes for 34 yards.

Boston College 30 at Massachusetts 14
Chase Rettig passed for 256 yards and 3 TDs.

Bowling Green 24 at Rutgers 21

Buffalo 40 at Syracuse 20

Akron 10 at Temple 37

Pittsburgh 10 at West Virginia 27

Penn State 41 at Maryland 9

Kent State 3 at Ohio 16

[StLee]

UNC-Charlotte 6 at Clemson 43
Tajh Boyd was 18 of 30 for 267 yards and 2 TDs and ran for 39 yards.

North Carolina State 13 at South Carolina 20, OT
The Gamecocks trailed 13-0 with 7 minutes left, but scored two touchdowns before the end of regulation, the second a Brandon Wilds reception with just 19 seconds left. In overtime, Wilds scored on a 14-yard run.

Duke 10 at East Carolina 28

North Carolina 21 at Wake Forest 17
Bryn Renner threw for 334 yards on 24 of 35 passing with 3 TDs.

Virginia 20 at Florida State 27

Florida International 34 at Miami (Florida) 41
Jacory Harris passed for 327 yards and 4 TDs.

Navy 32 at Old Dominion 22
Navy’s Ryan Paulson had 4 sacks

Virginia Tech 41 at Marshall 20

[StLee]

Georgia 20 at Florida 40
John Brantley threw for 331 yards and a TD.

Central Florida 10 at South Florida 29

Florida Atlantic 13 at Georgia Southern 39
Jerick McKinnon rushed for 164 yards and 2 TDs and caught 3 passes for 19 yards and a TD.

Georgia State 20 at Georgia Tech 31

Kentucky 6 at Alabama 43
Trent Richardson rushed for 215 yards and 2 TDs and caught 3 passes for 33 yards.

Troy 12 at Auburn 27
Barrett Trotter was 27 of 53 for 454 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs.

Western Kentucky 3 at Tennessee 62
Tyler Bray was 36 of 48 for 506 yards and 7 TDs. *

Vanderbilt 28 at MTSU 16

[StLee]

LSU 45 at Rice 20
Spencer Ware rushed for 129 yards and 2 TDs.

Houston 31 at Texas A&M 28
Case Keenum was 25 of 37 for 325 yards and 4 TDs.

UL-Lafayette 30 at UL-Monroe 6

Louisiana Tech 28 at Tulane 20

Arkansas 38 at Ole Miss 19
Tyler Wilson threw for 284 yards and 4 TDs.

Memphis 13 at Mississippi State 35

South Alabama 12 at Southern Miss 47
Desmond Johnson rushed for 125 yards and 3 TDs.

Arkansas State 25 at UAB 23
Derek Lawson caught a 19-yard pass from Ryan Aplin with 1:34 left to lift the Red Wolves over UAB.

[StLee]

Baylor 40 at New Mexico 17
Robert Griffin passed for 273 yards and 4 TDs and ran for another 35 yards.

Texas Tech 7 at New Mexico State 16

Texas State 9 at Texas 54
Malcolm Brown rushed for 143 yards and 2 TDs and caught a pass for 17 yards.

UTEP 30 at UT-San Antonio 27
Dakota Warren kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired to give the Miners the road victory.

Kansas 3 at Oklahoma 57
Roy Finch rushed for 259 yards and 5 TDs.*

TCU 42 at Oklahoma State 56
Brandon Weeden was 37 of 57 for 570 yards, 7 TDs, and 3 INTs.*

SMU 26 at North Texas 16

Kansas State 30 at Tulsa 27
Anthony Cantele kicked the game-winning field goal from 30 yards out with 2:55 left in the game.

[StLee]

We are nearly through the halfway point of the conference divisional slate, and we are starting to see a few conferences take shape, though many conferences are still muddled.

The East Conference looks to be the conference shaping up for its top contenders in a nice, orderly fashion. Five teams are currently 3-0 in that conference, and another five are 0-3, showing who the haves and have-nots are.

Two divisions have no undefeated teams through three games. The West Conference Division 1 currently has five teams all tied for first at 2-1: Arizona State, Fresno State, San Diego State, UCLA, and USC. We also would not count out Arizona at 1-2. Similarly, the Northeast Conference Division 1 has five teams at 2-1: Boston College, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Connecticut, and Rutgers.

The North Conference has one team each in its divisions at 3-0. Cincinnati leads Division 1 and Michigan State leads Division 2 after its win over previously unbeaten Notre Dame.

The National Player of the Week came down to three outstanding players. Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden was 37 of 57 for 570 yards and 7 TDs, but he also threw 3 interceptions in the Cowboys’ 56-42 win over TCU. Roy Finch of Oklahoma had a big day by rushing for 259 yards and 5 TDs in the Sooners’ 57-3 win over Kansas. The best day, however, was Tennessee’s Tyler Bray. He was 36 of 48 for 506 yards and 7 TDs with no interceptions in the Volunteers romp over Western Kentucky, 62-3.



Here are our conference-by-conference rankings, followed by the season standings:

West Conference: 1. Oregon, 2. Stanford, 3. USC
Northwest Conference: 1. Boise State, 2. Wisconsin, 3. Missouri
North Conference: 1. Michigan State, 2. Michigan, 3. Notre Dame
Northeast Conference: 1. West Virginia, 2. Penn State, 3. Rutgers
East Conference: 1. Florida State, 2. South Carolina, 3. Clemson
Southeast Conference: 1. Alabama, 2. Florida, 3. Georgia
South Central Conference: 1. Arkansas, 2. LSU, 3. Houston
Southwest Conference: 1. Oklahoma, 2. Oklahoma State, 3. SMU

Standings after Round 3.JPG

[StLee]

Due to having some deadlines to meet at work and being busy with my wife's birthday and trying to celebrate American Thanksgiving in Korea, I will not have the time to update the season this week. However, I will try to catch up and get ahead of schedule sooner than later. I hope to determine my national champion replay around the same time the BCS Championship game is played.

[sterlingice]

It can just be a vacation week. No need to speed up

SI

[StLee]

Arizona 31 at San Diego State 28
Leading Passer: Nick Foles, Arizona, 28-49, 369-3-2
Leading Rusher: Ronnie Hillman, SDSU, 25-109
Leading Receiver: Juron Criner, Arizona, 7-130-2

San Jose State 27 at Fresno State 21
Leading Passer: Derek Carr, Fresno State, 22-37, 289-3-1
Leading Rusher: Robbie Rouse, Fresno State, 31-126
Leading Receiver: Jalen Saunders, Fresno State, 5-142-2

UCLA 29 at Arizona State 27
Leading Passer: Brock Osweiler, ASU, 23-38, 269-1-0
Leading Rusher: Johnathan Franklin, UCLA, 17-113-3
Leading Receiver: Gerell Robinson, ASU, 6-104

UNLV 13 at USC 47
Leading Passer: Matt Barkley, USC, 27-38, 311-2-2
Leading Rusher: Marc Tyler, USC, 19-123-2
Leading Receiver: Phillip Payne, UNLV, 3-109-1

Washington 24 at Nevada 31
Leading Passer: Keith Price, Washington, 17-31, 257-1-2
Leading Rusher: Chris Polk, Washington, 25-158
Leading Receiver: Rishard Matthews, Nevada, 6-142-1

Oregon State 43 at Hawaii 23
Oregon State’s Sean Mannon put on a passing clinic in the third quarter, connecting on touchdown passes of 8, 25, and 26 yards in leading the Beavers to a blowout win on the road against Hawaii.
Leading Passer: Sean Mannon, OSU, 30-42, 373-4-1
Leading Rusher: Malcolm Agnew, OSU, 19-127
Leading Receiver: Billy Ray Stutzmann, Hawaii, 6-102-1

Oregon 47 at Washington 44
After a Marquess Wilson receiving touchdown with 1:09 left tied the game, Oregon drove down the field and Alejandro Maldonado connected on a 23-yard field goal with no time left to give the Ducks the edge on the road.

The Cougars took a surprising early 14-3 lead on Oregon and held on to a 21-13 halftie lead. After falling behind 28-16, the Ducks started to take control by scoring two late TDs in the third quarter for a 30-28 lead.

The fourth quarter was back and forth, with the lead changing five times before Oregon’s game-winning field goal.

Leading Passer: Marshall Lobbestael, WSU, 26-46, 420-5-2
Leading Rusher: LaMichael James, Oregon, 27-170-2
Leading Receiver: Marquess Wilson, WSU, 8-134-1

California 27 at Stanford 31
Trailing 24-17 going into the final quarter, Cal scored 10 straight, including Giorgio Tavecchio’s 40-yard field goal with 6:53 left to give the Golden Bears the lead. However, the Cardinal were able to find a way to win on Stepfan Taylor’s 5-yard run with 55 seconds left.
Leading Passer: Zach Maynard, Cal, 23-30, 378-1-0
Leading Rusher: Stepfan Taylor, Stanford 24-85-1
Leading Receiver: Keenan Allen, Cal, 8-109


West Conference Report:
The top three teams in the conference kept up their winning ways, though both Oregon and Stanford had scares against inferior opponents. The keys in the two close games came from outstanding QB play, something there is no shortage of in the West Conference.

Washington State's Marshall Lobbestael was 26 of 46 for 420 yards with 5 TDs and 2 interceptions. Cal's Zach Maynard did not have as impressive of a day, but he did help the Golden Bears in a late loss to the Cardinal. Maynard finished 23 of 30 for 378 yards with a touchdown toss.

Oregon State's Sean Mannon also had some outstanding quarterback play in the Beaver's 20-point win at Hawaii. Mannon threw for 373 yards on 30 of 42 passing, with 4 TDs and an interception.

The West Player of the Week award goes to UCLA's Johnathan Franklin. The back carried the ball 17 times for 113 yards. His three rushing touchdowns made the difference in the Bruins; 29-27 road win at Arizona State.

[StLee]

Boise State 30 at Colorado 24
The Broncos got quite a shock in Boulder, falling behind 17-6 late in the third quarter before mounting a come back. Kellen Moore passed for two late TDs and D.J. Harper ran in from 15 yards out to give Boise State a lead it would not relinquish midway through the fourth quarter.
Leading Passer: Tyler Hansen, Colorado, 24-43, 276-1-1
Leading Rusher: Doug Martin, BSU, 24-178
Leading Receiver: Paul Richardson, Colorado, 5-74

Colorado State 21 at Air Force 27
Leading Passer: Tim Jefferson, AFU, 10-16, 154-0-0
Leading Rusher: Asher Clark, AFU, 21-156-1
Leading Receiver: Joshua Freeman, AFU, 5-62

BYU 51 at Idaho 14
Leading Passer: Jake Heaps, BYU, 18-32, 196-2-1 and Brian Reader, Idaho, 17-40, 196-0-1
Leading Rusher: JJ Di Luigi, BYU, 17-132-1
Leading Receiver: JD Faisley, BYU, 5-54-1

Utah 20 at Utah State 34
The Aggies trailed 20-13 at halftime, but scored all 21 second-half points to earn the win over state rival Utah.
Leading Passer: Jon Hays, Utah, 18-31-222-0-3
Leading Rusher: Robert Turbin, USU, 26-152-1
Leading Receiver: Eric Moats, USU, 3-65

Iowa 44 at Wyoming 21
Leading Passer: James Vandenberg, Iowa, 20-35, 349-4-0
Leading Rusher: Marcus Coker, Iowa, 27-108-1
Leading Receiver: Marvin McNutt, Iowa, 6-129-1

Nebraska 28 at Minnesota 21, OT
The Cornhuskers needed OT to earn their first win of the season. The Golden Gophers trailed 21-11 in the fourth quarter, but a field goal and then touchdown with 37 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 21. Rex Burkhead changed Minnesota’s fortune in overtime, though, when the Nebraska back scampered 20 yards for a touchdown. Minnesota then went 4 and out to seal the Nebraska win.
Leading Passer: MarQuies Gray, Minnesota, 11-16, 238-2-0
Leading Rusher: Rex Burkhead, Nebraska, 28-149-2
Leading Receiver: Da’Jon McKnight, Minnesota, 4-91

Wisconsin 38 at Iowa State 19
Leading Passer: Jared Barnett, ISU, 16-31, 183-0-0
Leading Rusher: Montee Ball, Wisconsin, 23-215-3
Leading Receiver: Darius Reynolds, ISU, 4-71

Missouri 31 at Northwestern 14
Mizzou had 296 rushing yards.
Leading Passer: Dan Persa, Northwestern, 16-28, 191-1-0
Leading Rusher: Jared Culver, Mizzou, 6-97-1
Leading Receiver: Jeremy Ebert, Northwestern, 5-78-1



Northwest Conference Report:

Boise State, Wisconsin, and Missouri continued their strong play, all picking up victories to improve to 4-0. On the other hand, a team expected to compete, Northwestern, has now dropped to 0-4, including its blowout loss at the hands of Missouri.

Quarterback play was not outstanding in the conference, with the one exception being Iowa's James Vandenberg. He was 20 of 35 for 349 yards with 4 touchdowns in the Hawkeyes' 44-21 win at Wyoming.

Vandenberg's performance was not as good as this week's Northwest Conference Player of the Week. Wisconsin's Montee Ball ran wild in the Badgers' 38-19 win at Iowa State. Ball rushed for 215 yards on just 23 carries and had three touchdowns to help Wisconsin blow out the Cyclones.

[StLee]

Ball State 16 at Purdue 41
Leading Passer: Caleb TerBush, Purdue, 14-28, 272-3-0
Leading Rusher: Ralph Bolden, Purdue, 18-107-2
Leading Receiver: Briggs Orsbon, Ball State, 6-94

Miami (OH) 20 at Ohio State 34
The Red Hawks took a 20-19 lead with 9:09 left on a 58-yard reception by Nick Harwell from Zac Dysert. However, the Buckeyes answered to score the game’s final 15 points and earn the victory at home.
Leading Passer: Zac Dysert, Miami (OH), 22-46-353-3-2
Leading Rusher: Erik Finklea, Miami (OH), 16-113
Leading Receiver: Nick Harwell, Miami (OH), 10-222-1

Louisville 41 at Indiana 34
The Cardinals survived a close call at Indiana, scoring the game’s last 10 points.
Leading Passer: Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville, 23-37, 251-3-2
Leading Rusher: Stephen Houston, Indiana, 18-143-1
Leading Receiver: Josh Chichester, Louisville, 5-76-2

Toledo 23 at Cincinnati 27
The Bearcats jumped out to a 20-6 halftime lead, but fell behind 23-20 late in the fourth quarter before Munchie Legaux connected with DJ Woods on a 2-yard pass with 34 seconds left.
Leading Passer: Terrance Owens, Toledo, 26-44, 390-1-2
Leading Rusher: Isaiah Pead, Cincy, 21-116
Leading Receiver: Eric Page, Toledo, 11-128

Western Michigan 10 at Northern Illinois 20
Leading Passer: Alex Carder, WMU, 18-33, 208-1-1
Leading Rusher: Jasmin Hopkins, NIU, 17-78-1
Leading Receiver: Jordan White, WMU, 8-86-1

Michigan State 56 at Central Michigan 27
Edwin Baker blew up for the Spartans’ last five touchdowns in the blowout win at Central Michigan.
Leading Passer: Kirk Cousins, MSU, 21-31, 407-2-1
Leading Rusher: Edwin Baker, MSU, 16-112-5
Leading Receiver: Brian Linthicum, MSU, 4-96

Michigan 27 at Eastern Michigan 13
The Eagles took a 10-0 lead and held a 13-10 lead in the fourth quarter before the Wolverines were able to overpower them.
Leading Passer: Denard Robinson, Michigan, 7-14, 78-1-0
Leading Rusher: Fitzgerald Toussaint, Michigan, 23-138-1
Leading Receiver: Jeremy Gallon, Michigan, 2-34-1

Notre Dame 30 at Illinois 17
Leading Passer: Tommy Rees, Notre Dame, 30-51, 343-1-1
Leading Rusher: Cierre Wood, Notre Dame, 27-152-2
Leading Receiver: Michael Floyd, Notre Dame, 10-148


North Conference Report:
Division 2 is shaping up into an exciting race as we pass the midway point of the regular season. Michigan State leads the division with a 4-0 record, but they will have to travel to Michigan in their last game. Michigan, Notre Dame, and Northern Illinois all trail the Spartans with 3-1 records.

Their was a lot of offensive power in the North Conference this week, with 7 of the 8 winners scoring at least 27 points. Northern Illinois was the lone exception in its 20-10 win over Western Michigan.

There were lots of candidates for North Conference Player of the Week this week, but it is hard to deny the performance of Edwin Baker in Michigan State's 56-27 road win at Central Michigan. Baker rushed 16 times for 112 yards, but the big story was his 5 rushing touchdowns.

[StLee]

Army 10 at Rutgers 42
Leading Passer: Chas Dodd, Rutgers, 24-36, 403-2-0
Leading Rusher: Jawan Jamison, Rutgers, 27-130-2
Leading Receiver: Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers, 10-154-1

Massachusetts 14 at Syracuse 33
Leading Passer: Ryan Nassib, Syracuse, 20-26, 304-3-1
Leading Rusher: Antwon Bailey, Syracuse, 28-136-1
Leading Receiver: Julian Talley, UMass, 5-105

Connecticut 37 at Buffalo 10
Leading Passer: Johnny McEntee, UConn, 17-29, 304-2-0
Leading Rusher: Lyle McCombs, UConn, 30-109-1
Leading Receiver: Lyle McCombs, UConn, 3-77

Boston College 47 at Bowling Green 28
Leading Passer: Chase Rettig, BCU, 21-36, 260-3-1
Leading Rusher: Anthon Samuel, BGSU, 23-150-1
Leading Receiver: Eugene Cooper, BGSU, 6-69-2

Akron 20 at Maryland 45
Leading Passer: Danny O’Brien, Maryland, 32-48, 315-3-2
Leading Rusher: Davin Meggett, Maryland, 24-115-1
Leading Receiver: Keith Sconiers, Akron, 4-100

West Virginia 40 at Ohio 23
Leading Passer: Geno Smith, WVU, 24-37, 336-2-0
Leading Rusher: Donte Harden, Ohio, 21-191
Leading Receiver: Tavon Austin, WVU, 7-91

Temple 28 at Kent State 10
Leading Passer: Chester Stewart, Temple, 8-12, 120-1-0
Leading Rusher: Bernard Pierce, Temple, 33-118
Leading Receiver: Sam Kirkland, Kent State, 5-38

Pittsburgh 10 at Penn State 27
Leading Passer: Matt McGloin, PSU, 21-42, 257-1-4
Leading Rusher: Silas Redd, PSU, 30-158-2
Leading Receiver: Devon Smith, PSU, 4-62-1



Northeast Conference Report:
The Northeast Conference failed to deliver any exciting games with the lowest margin of victory of the eight games being 17 points in two games.

The biggest story of the week is that West Virginia, Penn State and Temple are all 4-0 in Division 2, and all three will face each other in the coming weeks. In Round 5, Penn State will travel to Temple, West Virginia travels to Penn State in Round 6, and Temple hosts the Mountaineers in the final round.

Boston College, Connecticut, and Rutgers are all 3-1 in Division 1, with the Eagles having to play both Rutgers and Connecticut in the final two rounds.

For player of the week honors, the award goes to Rutgers' Chas Dodd. He was 24 of 36 for 403 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Scarlet Knights' 42-10 win over Army.

[StLee]

UNC-Charlotte 13 at Wake Forest 34
Leading Passer: Tanner Price, WF, 23-35, 324-1-1
Leading Rusher: Brandon Pendergrass, WF, 26-92-3
Leading Receiver: Chris Givens, WF, 7-116-1

South Carolina 41 at East Carolina 27
Leading Passer: Dominique Davis, ECU, 23-53, 245-2-6
Leading Rusher: Brandon Wilds, S. Carolina, 17-167
Leading Receiver: Justin Hardy, ECU, 7-105

Clemson 24 at Duke 41
In a huge surprise, the Blue Devils outmuscled Clemson for the home victory despite Sammy Watkins gaining 188 total yards and scoring 2 TDs.
Leading Passer: Sean Renfree, Duke, 31-53, 410-2-1
Leading Rusher: Sammy Watkins, Clemson, 5-121-2
Leading Receiver: Conner Vernon, Duke, 7-103

North Carolina State 13 at North Carolina 37
Leading Passer: Bryn Renner, UNC, 15-25-232-0-0
Leading Rusher: Giovani Bernard, UNC, 25-185-2
Leading Receiver: Dwight Jones, UNC, 5-94

Virginia 55 at Old Dominion 20
Leading Passer: Michael Rocco, UVA, 23-37, 293-5-1
Leading Rusher: Perry Jones, UVA, 22-134-2
Leading Receiver: Nick Mayers, ODU, 8-161

Miami (FL) 16 at Marshall 36
Leading Passer: Rakeem Cato, Marshall, 21-34, 260-2-1
Leading Rusher: Lamar Miller, Miami, 22-129-1
Leading Receiver: Troy Evans, Marshall, 3-53-1

Florida State 16 at Virginia Tech 17
The game of the week ended on quite a dud. Virginia Tech took the lead with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard David Wilson run. Danny Coale then ran in for the two-point conversion to give the Hokies a 17-10 lead at home. However, the Seminoles answered with a touchdown of their own with just 1:09 left when Devonta Freeman ran in from 3 yards out. Florida State had a chance to tie with the extra point, but Dustin Hopkins missed it wide right, and Virginia Tech held on to win at home.

Leading Passer: EJ Manuel, FSU, 16-28, 270-1-1
Leading Rusher: Devonta Freeman, FSU, 22-180-1
Leading Receiver: Rodney Smith, FSU, 5-116

Florida International 31 at Navy 17
Leading Passer: Wesley Carroll, FIU, 29-34, 314-3-0
Leading Rusher: Alexander Teich, Navy, 21-122
Leading Receiver: Wayne Times, FIU, 5-55-1



East Conference Report:
Round 4 was highlighted with the big disappointment and the big upset.

The big disappointment came at the hands of Florida State losing by a point thanks to a missed extra point attempt, giving Virginia Tech the inside track to winning Division 2 with a 4-0 record.

The big upset came at Duke where the Blue Devils blew out Clemson 41-24. Clemson has been in a battle with North Carolina and South Carolina, and now the Tigers will have to win out to win the Division 1 title.

There were lots of finalists for the East Conference Player of the Week Award, including Wake Forest's Brandon Pendergrass, Clemson's Sammy Watkins, Virginia's Michael Rocco, and Florida International's Wesley Carroll. However, the player most deserving of the award this week is Duke QB Sean Renfree. He did not have outstanding stats, going 31 of 53 for 410 yards with 2 TDs and an interception, but he did guide the Blue Devils to a huge upset victory over Clemson.

[StLee]

Georgia 56 at Georgia Southern 24
Leading Passer: Aaron Murray, UGA, 14-25, 190-2-1
Leading Rusher: Isaiah Crowell, UGA, 30-254-4
Leading Receiver: Kentrellis Showers, GSU, 2-78-1

South Florida 13 at Georgia Tech 40
Leading Passer: Tevin Washington, GT, 3-4, 73-1-0
Leading Rusher: Orwin Smith, GT, 11-149
Leading Receiver: Stephen Hill, GT, 2-68-1

Florida 50 at Georgia State 0
The Gators scored early and often at Georgia State, jumping out to a 24-0 first-quarter lead and a 37-0 lead at halftime before cruising to the victory.
Leading Passer: John Brantley, Florida, 33-47, 470-3-1
Leading Rusher: Chris Rainey, Florida, 24-81-1
Leading Receiver: Chris Rainey, Florida, 5-81-1

UCF 41 at Florida Atlantic 17
Brynn Harvey rushed for 160 yards on 18 carries and 2 TDs and caught 2 passes for 18 yards and a TD to lead the Knights to an easy road victory.
Leading Passer: Jeff Godfrey, UCF, 15-26, 233-3-1
Leading Rusher: Alfred Morris, FAU, 27-191-1
Leading Receiver: JJ Worton, UCF, 4-72-1

Kentucky 16 at MTSU 19
Logan Kilgore connected with Tavarres Jefferson on an 8-yard TD with 6:19 left to give the Blue Raiders a win over Kentucky.
Leading Passer: Morgan Newton, UK, 11-21, 194-2-0
Leading Rusher: Benjamin Cunningham, MTSU, 18-128-1
Leading Receiver: Malcolm Beyah, MTSU, 6-71

Auburn 23 at Tennessee 41
Leading Passer: Tyler Bray, UT, 24-35, 309-3-0
Leading Rusher: Tauren Poole, UT, 24-154-2
Leading Receiver: Onterio McCalebb, Auburn, 5-99-1

Alabama 52 at Western Kentucky 0
Leading Passer: AJ McCarron, Alabama, 27-46, 370-2-1
Leading Rusher: Trent Richardson, Alabama, 27-97-1
Leading Receiver: Brad Smelley, Alabama, 5-103

Troy 27 at Vanderbilt 34
The game went back and forth throughout, before Vanderbilt finally came away with the victory in overtime on a 1-yard reception by Jordan Matthews, his second touchdown of the game.
Leading Passer: Corey Robinson, Troy, 29-56, 378-3-0
Leading Rusher: Zac Stacy, Vandy, 23-75
Leading Receiver: Eric Thomas, Troy, 6-75-2


Southeast Conference Report:
Vanderbilt remains the biggest surprise of the Southeast Conference by moving to 4-0. However, their schedule gets considerably tougher with matches at Alabama and then at home against Auburn and Tennessee.

Florida and Alabama also remained undefeated in the conference with shutouts in Round 4. Florida went to Georgia State and cruised to a 50-0 victory. Alabama also went on the road to blow out Western Kentucky 52-0. In the last two weeks, the winless Hilltoppers have been outscored 114-3, showing that they are grossly overmatched in the Southeast Conference this season.

There were no real surprises in Round 4 other than Middle Tennessee State's 19-16 victory over Kentucky. Kentucky was expected to be competitive for the middle of Division 2, but they currently sit at 0-4 along with Western Kentucky.

There were no shortage of great offensive performances this week, with five quarterbacks topping 300 yards, including Florida's John Brantley who threw for an uncharacteristic 470 yards. However, the top performer in the conference and player of the week is Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell. He ran 30 times for 254 and 4 touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 56-24 win at Georgia Southern.

[StLee]

LSU 20 at UL-Monroe 0
Leading Passer: Jordan Jefferson, LSU, 19-29, 288-1-0
Leading Rusher: Spencer Ware, LSU, 21-71-1
Leading Receiver: Odell Beckham, LSU, 4-66

Texas A&M 42 at Tulane 21
Leading Passer: Ryan Griffin, Tulane, 25-43, 305-2-0
Leading Rusher: Cyrus Gray, TAMU, 23-198-5
Leading Receiver: Ryan Swope, TAMU, 8-82

Rice 14 at Louisiana Tech 31
Leading Passer: Colby Cameron, LTU, 19-34-248-2-0
Leading Rusher: Lennon Creer, LTU, 32-152-2
Leading Receiver: Hunter Lee, LTU, 3-75-1

Houston 50 at UL-Lafayette 17
Leading Passer: Case Keenum, Houston, 26-31, 347-2-0
Leading Rusher: Alonzo Harris, ULL, 20-73-1
Leading Receiver: Javone Lawson, ULL, 5-86

Arkansas 31 at Southern Miss 20
Leading Passer: Tyler Wilson, Arkansas, 25-36, 373-4-2
Leading Rusher: Dennis Johnson, Arkansas, 16-59
Leading Receiver: Jarius Wright, Arkansas, 7-126-2

Mississippi State 38 at UAB 33
The Bulldogs scored with 1:37 left on a 59-yard Vick Ballard run to edge the Blazers in Birmingham. Ballard’s game-winning run was his fourth touchdown of the game.
Leading Passer: Chris Relf, MSU, 17-26, 255-1-3
Leading Rusher: Vick Ballard, MSU, 20-186-4
Leading Receiver: Arceto Clark, MSU, 4-81-1

Ole Miss 17 at Arkansas State 33
Leading Passer: Ryan Aplin, ASU, 17-24, 233-2-0
Leading Rusher: Jeff Scott, Miss, 15-70-1
Leading Receiver: Dwayne Frampton, ASU, 6-81

Memphis 7 at South Alabama 30
Leading Passer: CJ Bennett, USA, 17-28, 279-3-0
Leading Rusher: Jerrell Rhodes, Memphis, 13-93
Leading Receiver: Billy Foster, Memphis 4-87



South Central Conference Report:
Two 4-0 teams in Division 1, LSU and Houston, are all set to meet in Round 5 for what could be for the division crown. LSU showed its defensive prowess by shutting out in-state school UL-Monroe. Meanwhile, the Cougars continued their offensive barrage with another 50-plus point performance, their third of the season, in a 50-17 win at UL-Lafayette.

In Division 2, Arkansas cruised to yet another win to move to 4-0. The Razorbacks are thought to have the easiest path in the nation towards earning a #1 seed in the tournament. If things continue as they are, Arkansas should be 7-0 when they face off against either LSU or Houston.

There's no denying that the Tigers of Baton Rouge will have their problems next week. Once again, Case Keenum of Houston is the South Central Conference Player of the Week. He earned his keep this week by connecting on 26 of 31 passes for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns.

[StLee]

Baylor 38 at Texas 45
The game was back and forth until late in the fourth when Texas scored 14 straight to take a 45-31 lead. Baylor scored meaningless points with 7 seconds left for the 45-38 final.
Both teams had some great offensive performances coupled with poor defense. Each team had a 100-yard rusher. Terrance Ganaway led the Bears with 158 yards rushing on 23 carries and a touchdown. The Longhorns were led by Malcolm Brown with 162 yards on 23 carries.
Each team also had a great QB performance. Robert Griffin completed 17 of 21 passes for 364 yards and 4 TDs, but he did have a costly interception. Case McCoy outplayed Griffin by going 16 of 24 for 353 yards, 4 TDs, and no interceptions.
Leading Passer: Case McCoy, Texas, 16-24, 353-4-0
Leading Rusher: Terrance Ganaway, Baylor, 23-158-1
Leading Receiver: Kendall Wright, Baylor, 5-116-1

New Mexico State 30 at UTSA 34
The Roadrunners scored the winning touchdown with 4:27 left when Eric Soza connected with Jake Wanamaker on a 5-yard pass.
Leading Passer: Matt Christian, NMSU, 23-41, 353-2-0
Leading Rusher: Evans Okotcha, UTSA, 26-161-1
Leading Receiver: Todd Lee, NMSU, 4-89-1


Out of time for the day. I'll continue the Southwest Conference tomorrow.

[sterlingice]

NO! Right before I could miss another Kansas loss!

SI

[StLee]

NO! Right before I could miss another Kansas loss!

SI

Not this week!

New Mexico 3 at UTEP 28
Leading Passer: Nick Lamaison, UTEP, 21-35-231-2-0
Leading Rusher: Leilyon Myers, UTEP, 14-86-2
Leading Receiver: Ty Kirk, NM, 6-57

Texas Tech 48 at Texas State 24
Texas Tech racked up nearly 500 yards in doubling up the Bobcats. Seth Doege went 24 of 40 for 255 yards and threw 3 TDs, two to Eric Ward. Eric Stephens only rushed for 54 yards for the Red Raiders, but he ran for three scores to help Texas Tech improve to 3-1.
Leading Passer: Shaun Rutherford, TSU, 26-37-324-2-0
Leading Rusher: Marcus Curry, TSU, 29-115
Leading Receiver: Eric Ward, TTU, 6-74-2

Kansas 38 at North Texas 22
Leading Passer: Derek Thompson, NT, 17-33-206-1-0
Leading Rusher: James Sims, KU, 23-172
Leading Receiver: Lance Dunbar, NT, 3-54

Oklahoma State 48 at Tulsa 35
Joseph Randle rushed for 134 yards on 19 carries with a TD and caught 3 passes for 27 yards and a TD to lead the Cowboys in their road win on a day when Brandon Weeden’s turnovers kept the Golden Hurricane in the game.
Leading Passer: Brandon Weeden, OSU, 30-46-461-3-3
Leading Rusher: Ja’Terian Douglas, Tulsa, 12-167-1
Leading Receiver: Justin Blackmon, OSU, 10-142

Oklahoma 34 at Kansas State 29
The Sooners took a 24-13 lead into halftime and got just enough in the second half to hold off the Wildcats.
Leading Passer: Landry Jones, OU, 18-30-243-2-1
Leading Rusher: Roy Finch, OU, 25-145-1
Leading Receiver: Chris Harper, KSU, 1-83-1

TCU 64 at SMU 34
In a high-scoring affair, the Mustangs went into halftime with a 31-28 lead. However, TCU outscored SMU 36-3 in the second half for the blowout win. Casey Pachall led the way for the Horned Frogs by going 21 of 31 for 304 yards and 3 TDs. The Mustangs were paced by the play of quarterback JJ McDermott, who threw for 447 yards, 4 TDs and 2 interceptions. He had three players with around or over 100 yards receiving. Darius Johnson led the way with 7 catches for 166 yards and 2 TDs. Cole Beasley had 8 catches for 133 yards and a TD> Der’rikk Thompson added 5 receptions for 89 yards and a TD.
Leading Passer: JJ McDermott, SMU, 26-51-447-4-2
Leading Rusher: Waymon James, TCU, 12-86-1
Leading Receiver: Darius Johnson, SMU 7-166-2



Southwest Conference Report:
Did someone say defense? We didn't think so!

Except for the 28-3 UTEP win over New Mexico, every other Southwest Conference game featured the winner scoring at least 34 points and four losers scoring over 30. Kansas State just missed out on that category by scoring 29 against Oklahoma.

With the flux of scoring, we have real battle on our hands determining this week's player of the week award. Maybe listing the finalists might help us decide.
RB Evans Okotcha, UTSA, 26-161-1
QB Case McCoy, Texas, 16-24, 353-4-0
QB Robert Griffin, Baylor, 17-21, 364-4-1
QB Matt Christian, NMSU, 23-41, 353-2-0
RB James Sims, KU, 23-172
QB Shaun Rutherford, TSU, 26-37-324-2-0
RB Ja’Terian Douglas, Tulsa, 12-167-1
RB Joseph Randle, OSU, 161 total yards, 2 TDs
WR Darius Johnson, SMU 7-166-2
QB JJ McDermott, SMU, 26-51-447-4-2
QB Brandon Weeden, OSU, 30-46-461-3-3

It's hard to decide based on the high number of offensive numbers, but not that hard. We're going to go with the young QB who helped his team gain sole possession of first place. Therefore, the Southwest Conference Player of the Week Award goes to Chase McCoy of Texas.

With three weeks to play, and the Longhorns' big win against Baylor and the power saw that is Robert Griffin, Texas and Oklahoma are on track to meet each other for the Southwest Conference championship. Of course, the Sooners must get past in-state rival Oklahoma State, but at least one traditional classic could determine who goes in as a one seed in the NCAA 128 Tournament.

[StLee]

Call this an evolving dynasty as I am still working on getting my foothold on design and what to put as output. Screen grabbing each and every game is just too cumbersome, and really, the "regular season" does nothing but grant each team a seed in the tournament. EVERY team will make it to the postseason tournament, so it only really matters in the end. Of course, there could be some matchup problems for some teams, but we'll see when we get there!

Here is the Round 4 Wrap Up:

We are four weeks in, and some divisions are starting to take shape while others are just as jumbled as they were in the first week. A few teams definitely made statements this week, winning big games to give them an edge in their divisions.

Texas is one of those teams. Though they do not play in a strong division, the Robert Griffin-led Baylor Bears were expected to be strong contenders to take Division 1 of the Southwest Conference. Instead, Texas stands a game ahead of Baylor with a 4-0 record, thanks to Case McCoy's play in a 45-38 Longhorns' win.

Another team that put itself into good position to take the division crown is the East Conference's Virginia Tech. The Hokies edged Florida State 17-16 thanks to a missed extra point attempt in the last minute of the game that would have sent the game to overtime. Instead, Virginia Tech now holds a one game lead over the Seminoles.

The most interesting conference four weeks in is the Northeast Conference. In each division, three teams are tied for first place heading into the stretch. In Division 1, Boston College, Connecticut, and Rutgers all sit at 3-1. They also have three more teams right behind them at 2-2. Penn State, Temple, and West Virginia are all 4-0 in Division 2, and those three teams will play each other in a round robin elimination in the coming weeks.

This week's National Player of the Week Award will be determined from the eight conference winners. They are:
West: RB Johnathan Franklin, UCLA, 17-113-3
Northwest: RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin, 23-215-3
North: RB Edwin Baker, MSU, 16-112-5
Northeast: QB Chas Dodd, Rutgers, 24-36, 403-2-0
East: QB Sean Renfree, Duke, 31-53, 410-2-1
Southeast: QB John Brantley, Florida, 33-47, 470-3-1
South: QB Case Keenum, Houston, 26-31, 347-2-0
Southwest: QB QB Case McCoy, Texas, 16-24, 353-4-0

And the National Player of the Week Award goes to...

Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin

Here are our conference-by-conference rankings, followed by the season standings:

West Conference: 1. Oregon, 2. USC, 3. Stanford
Northwest Conference: 1. Wisconsin, 2. Boise State, 3. Missouri
North Conference: 1. Michigan State, 2. Michigan, 3. Notre Dame
Northeast Conference: 1. West Virginia, 2. Penn State, 3. Rutgers
East Conference: 1. South Carolina, 2. Virginia Tech, 3. Florida State
Southeast Conference: 1. Alabama, 2. Florida, 3. Georgia
South Central Conference: 1. Arkansas, 2. LSU, 3. Houston
Southwest Conference: 1. Oklahoma, 2. Oklahoma State, 3. Texas


NCAA 128 Standings: