College Football Tickets - a Brief History

College football is just nothing else but American football played by teams fielded by the American colleges. These include teams from American universities, as well as from military academies. College football is very popular among college students, and it is through the American colleges that American Football has gained the stature it has today. College football developed from Rugby, a form of football played in England. Rugby reached North America through the British soldiers stationed in Canada, and became very popular in Canadian colleges.





The first game of ‘football’ played between two American college teams - Rutgers College and the College of New Jersey - was not a form of Rugby but more akin to soccer. This game, which Rutgers won 6-4, was played at College Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on November 6, 1869. Rutgers College is now the Rutgers University; College of New Jersey is now the Princeton University; and College Field is where, today, the College Avenue Gymnasium of the Rutgers University stands.





The first ‘rugby-style’ game of college football in the United States took place in 1875, between teams from Harvard and Yale. The credit of fashioning the game of American Football from rugby, by 1892, goes to the one time captain of the Yale football team – Walter Chauncey Camp. The most significant person in the history of American football, Camp has rightly been called the ‘Father of American Football.’





Camp pioneered the modern elements of scoring – at least most of them, the eleven man team, the traditional seven man line of offensive setup, the four man backfield, and the play from scrimmage. The college football became increasingly popular, and also more violent. After a series of player deaths in the collegiate games, Present Roosevelt, in 1906, threatened to ban the sport.





This caused the formation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which formulated rules to govern the game. It was during these days that college football was the predominant way to American football. College football was where style of play and strategy innovations were made and then passed on gradually to the professional arena.





College football remains very popular, despite the rise and popularity of professional football in America. It is more popular in rural areas, and in the south, due to the lack of professional teams there. College football is very popular in places, such as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia, among others.





The Tickets





College football teams have as large a fan following as do the professional football teams, and their games draw more number of spectators than do the professional teams.





College football tickets are in great demand, and may not be easy to procure. You can safely forget to procure them from the venues of the games – they would be sold out. Your best alternative option - those ticket brokers. Legitimate and professional ticket brokers, such as have a successful history of helping you arrange college football tickets for the games of your choice.

South Alabama Football USA RESPONDS TO FIRST TEST WITH 39-21 WIN OVER NICHOLLS

For weeks, University of South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones has wondered how his team would respond to its first deficit, how it would handle the initial signs of adversity. The program's mentor had to like what he saw on Saturday. The Jaguars twice recovered from a seven-point deficit in the opening 15-plus minutes, and when Nicholls State drew within six after the break answered with a touchdown drive to earn a 39-21 victory over the Colonels Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 23174 at at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. "It speaks to the character of our kids and our coaching staff with the way they coach them. We try to work on that in practice where they don't feel pressure in games," he stated. "I thought that was a great way to respond. Had we not responded like that and they scored another touchdown, then the ball starts to roll their way." Down 14-7 with two-and-a-half minutes to go in the opening quarter, USA scored 20 unanswered points in the second quarter. Myles Gibbon rushed for 16 yards to pick up a first down, but left with an injury following the next play from scrimmage. Brennan Sim entered, and after a rush for nine yards he found Richard Ross down the middle for a 47-yard touchdown pass on the initial play of the second quarter, capping a six-play, 80-yard march. "I felt real comfortable with this team, and I feel like the guys up front made it easy for me to go out and execute," said Sim, who completed 10-of-12 attempts for career-high 185 ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aVLL84cNX4&hl=en

GVSU Lakers Football "A New Era"

For Tickets Call (616) 331-3200



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-u5wrD4PbQ&hl=en

ASU Cafe Fight - God Damned Animals [Alabama State Univ Football Team]

This is why. Who's the blame for this Black Consciousness People, Black Blame Gamers? Who's fault is this? Oh, I know. The White man. They have Powerful Mojo. Hell, I did not even see one in the room and former slave owners reach out from the grave. My Father and Mother attended that college. What the hell happened?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPVzewbh0-Y&hl=en

Capital One Bowl Michigan State vs Alabama Ncaa Football 11

this is a bowl sim of espn's capital one bowl game which features the university of alabama crimson tide againtst the michigan state spartans. simmed in ea sports ncaa football 11.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADHHebTDr-Q&hl=en

Grambling State vs Alcorn State Football 1994

Grambling St. vs Alcorn St. Sept. 3, 1994. The largest attended game in Robinson Stadium History 25347. QB's Kendrick Nord vs Steve McNair battle in a dramatic battle. The two teams combined for 1318 yards total offense, as Grambling rolled up 612 and Alcorn gained 706. Grambling wingback Tyrone Jones caught six passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns, and Curtis"Hail" Ceasar had five catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVVXT0FLsMk&hl=en

NCAA Football 10: Virginia Tech @ Alabama Part 6

Part four of a full game done online. This is the first week of my online dynasty - me (VT) @ Alabama (Hackgolfer).This was my first try with dazzle. I'll be messing around with the settings to try and get better video quality without the lag when I'm capturing. Or, if anyone might happen to know how, feel free to leave a comment. Might try to put up some Madden gameplay as well, when I get that demo tonight.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Pr7AkSE-M&hl=en

College Football - Only 5 Games Highlight First Week, 29 Others Must Win Their Opener

Ah, finally, the first kickoff of the 2008 NCAA college football season opens Thursday (8-28-08) with 14 games scheduled, followed by 2 games Friday, 55 games Saturday, 2 more Sunday and 2 Monday. The most interesting game for the opening night is Buffalo hosting Texas-El Paso (UTEP).

Two years ago Turner Gill took over the Buffalo head coaching job. He only went 2-10 his first year but did defeat Kent State University, the FIRST team with a winning record that the Bulls had defeated in 8 years. Buffalo had been a doormat in the NCAA for far too long.

Gill's Bulls went 5-7 last year and 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference, Buffalo's first conference winning record since the Bulls became a Division I-A school. Gill was named MAC Coach of the Year. Turner Gill was part of 3 national championships as a coach at Nebraska, and his positive influence in Buffalo is becoming evident.

UTEP is interesting because of Mike Price, the former Washington State University head coach who led the Cougars for 14 years, compiling three 10-win seasons (he was 20-5 his last two seasons) and 5 bowl appearances.

Alabama hired Price away from Washington State but he never coached the Crimson Tide due to an off-field incident that resulted in a lawsuit that Price won against Sports Illustrated magazine. Price led UTEP to two consecutive 8-4 seasons and two bowl appearances, but then has had back-to-back 5-7 and 4-8 seasons.

The Buffalo-UTEP game is the most interesting game because either Turner Gill and Buffalo are going to continue to ascend the ladder of success, or Mike Price and UTEP are going to make a comeback. One coach will win and one will lose in this confrontation. We will let you know what happens if you miss the results on the tube.

Here are my choices for the 4 other games of real interest this week, two of which involve teams ranked in AP's Preseason Top 25 Poll.

Nick Saban starts his second year at Alabama (ranked No. 24) by traveling to Clemson (No. 9) for his opener. This was not what he had in mind when he signed on with the Crimson Tide, but then again, this is the Southeastern Conference (SEC), also known as (aka) the suicidially-energized conference. Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference could be trouble with a capital T.

The Big 12's Missouri Tigers (No. 6) will host Illinois (No. 20) from the Big Ten. Coach Gary Pinkel's Tigers went 12-2 last year and stomped Arkansas 38-7 in the Cotton Bowl. Heisman Trophy Finalist Chase Daniel will return as quarterback for the Tigers.

All Daniel did last year was throw for 4,300%2B yards and 33 touchdown passes and compile a QB rating of 147.9 (this is not a typo).

The other two highlight games find Colorado State traveling to Colorado for in-state bragging rights (this is no way to start the season for either team), and Mark Dantonio's Michigan State Spartans traveling to California. As a MSU alum I would to remind Dantonio that he will face much tougher teams than California this season-like Ohio State (No. 2), Michigan, Wisconsin (No. 13) and Penn State (No. 22).

Here are 21 teams ranked in the AP Poll that must win their opener to justify their preseason ranking:

Georgia (No. 1) hosts 1-AA Georgia Southern. Although this is an in-state rivalry, I doubt very much that Georgia is going to lose this game, especially if the Bulldogs plan on winning the BCS national championship game this year.

Ohio State (No. 2) hosts AA Youngstown State. Buckeye Coach Jim Tressel led Youngstown State to 4 National I-AA titles and 6 other playoff berths while coaching at Youngstown State, and he has not forgotten where he came from, giving Youngstown State a huge payday they would not otherwise enjoy.

Southern California (USC) (No. 3) travels to Virginia.

Oklahoma (No. 4) hosts AA Chattanooga. Are you serious, Mate? I would not want to be the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Florida (No. 5) hosts Hawaii. Give some real kudos to Hawaii for taking on a quality, Top 5 team on the road in its opener.

Louisiana State (LSU) (No. 7) hosts Appalachian State. Last year 1-AA Appalachian State had its opener at the Big House in Ann Arbor, upsetting the highly favored Michigan Wolverines. Trust me when I say Appalachian State will not be sneaking up on LSU.

West Virginia (No. 8) hosts AA Villanova. Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia last year for a bigger job at Michigan. Good luck, West Virginia.

Auburn (No. 10) hosts Louisiana-Monroe.

Texas (No. 11) hosts Florida Atlantic. Florida Atlantic just might be in for a thumping.

Texas Tech (No. 12) hosts AA Eastern Washington. Eastern Washington just might find out what an air attack is in college football. Eastern Washington has no chance to win this game. Last year the Texas Tech Red Raiders were No. 1 nationally in passing offense, No. 2 in total offense, No. 4 in pass efficiency offense and No. 6 in scoring offense. The game will be over before it starts. Even prayer will not help Eastern Washington.

Wisconsin (No, 13) hosts Akron.

Kansas (No. 14) hosts Florida International. Florida International could be nothing but road kill after this outing.

Arizona State (No. 15) hosts AA Northern Arizona. Watch out, Sun Devils, these in-state rivalries can be surprising.

Brigham Young (BYU) (No. 16) hosts AA Northern Iowa.

Virginia Tech (No. 17) travels to East Carolina.

Tennessee (No. 18) travels to UCLA. This game marks Rick Neuheisel's debut as the Bruins' head coach following his "problems" and exit from the University of Washington. Neuheisel has some proving to do. Remember a guy named Norm Chow (think Southern California's national championship team)? He is Neuheisel's offensive coordinator. The defensive coordinator is a guy named DeWayne Walker. Let's see if Neuheisel can put together a huge upset and a first-game win for the Bruins, Neuheisel's alma mater.

South Florida (No. 19) hosts Tennessee-Martin. Can you believe that South Florida was actually ranked as high as No. 2 nationally last year?

Oregon (No. 21) hosts Washington. Could Tyrone Willingham's Huskies find a way to win this game, and begin to save his coaching job at Washington?

Penn State (No. 22) hosts AA Coastal Carolina. Yikes, I would not want to be Coastal Carolina.

Wake Forest (No. 23) travels to Baylor.

Pittsburgh (No. 25) hosts Bowling Green. Once again, former NFL coach Dave Wannstedt tries to get his alma mater, the Pittsburgh Panthers, on the map as a major contender this season.

Here are 8 more unranked teams (favored teams first) that had better win their opener if they expect to do diddly squat this year:

Arizona hosts Idaho.

Arkansas hosts AA Western Illinois.

Boise State hosts AA Idaho State.

Boston College travels to Kent State.

Connecticut hosts AA Hofstra.

Kansas State hosts North Texas.

Michigan hosts Utah.

Nebraska hosts Western Michigan.

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

Week 1 South Alabama Football Highlights vs Pikeville College

Highlights from Game One of the 2010 Season vs Pikeville College Win 56-0 Shown to the team at the hotel the night before the Nicholls State Game. South Alabama Football Video Department Will Reid- Editor Jesse Hallford- Editor Kyle Govender- Field Cameraman Alex Clark- TV Shot Cameraman Basia Smith- Assistant Music: "Till' I Collapse" -Eminem "Pretty Boy Swag Remix" -Soulja Boy Feat. Gucci Mane



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHBSXGFTNR4&hl=en

LSU College Football Outlook For 2010

The LSU Tigers are in a bit of a rebuilding stage after they lost to a team in Penn State in their bowl appearance to cap off a disappointing season by recent LSU standards. The people at LSU certainly expected Les Miles and his Tigers to defeat Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions, but some injuries on the defensive line seemed to prevent this from happening in my estimation. The signing of a guy like Cassius Marsh should be able to cure some of the worries LSU fans have about their defensive line going into the future. Les Miles knows he has to reload and make sure some of those top notch recruits he has signed over the last couple of years truly begin to develop and develop quickly.

According to ESPN LSU has signed the number four overall tight end prospect in the country in Travis Dickson out of the state of Mississippi and the number twenty athlete in the country Ronnie Vinson. These are two major recruiting successes that stick out for me. LSU does seem to be holding down their home state fairly well on the recruiting front. They also seem to be getting their share of athletes out of the state of Texas which is always a positive sign out of that football hot bed.

LSU has never been afraid to use their tight end or their full back in unique formations so they expect people like Dickson to be a solid pass catchers as long as a solid all around blocker. Les Miles probably sees an iopening on the recruiting trail and in the Southeastern Conference more generally speaking with Urban Meyer having to take some medical time off in order to recover from heart problems.

The question still remains whether Jordan Jefferson is the answer at quarterback and whether or not LSU has done enough to develop the receivers they need in order to replaces of Early Ducet and even Dewayne Bowe. Jefferson has to worry about the offensive line as several analysts have question whether they are packing the necessary beef up front in order to give a guy like Jefferson time to throw. The fans of LSU want to see more beef on the offensive line and they also know that the Tigers will even have trouble keeping with the speed rushers from a school like Auburn unless there is a vast improvement. If you have trouble with the speed rushers from Auburn you are certainly going to have trouble with the superior athletes of Florida.

Top 3 SEC Football Teams For the 2009 College Football Season

With the 2009 college football season quickly approaching, anticipations are high, especially for fans of the Southeastern Conference. Coming off another national championship, thanks to the commanding Urban Meyer and his Florida Gators, the SEC is a proud conference with a long tradition of championships. If you are looking for a smooth avenue for football betting, you may not wish to look any further than the SEC brand of football.

After all, many preseason football polls have the SEC accounting for four teams in the top ten including Florida, Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss. While Ole Miss Head Coach Houston Nutt has traditionally choked under pressure when expectations are high, the other three teams are consistently rock solid. And before you commence football betting for this season, examine the impact these teams are poised to make on the rest of the college football world.

Alabama: Nick Saban's big move to Crimson Tide country rattled a lot of cages, but none more so than those found in Louisiana. The coach built his legendary reputation on the campus of Louisiana State University, where he brought home a national championship and two SEC championships in his tenure from 2000-2004. After a lackluster professional career with the Miami Dolphins that lasted only one season, he made his triumphant return to the SEC with a different team. The Crimson Tide, in two seasons of Saban tutelage, has already won the SEC Western Division once, and held the #1 team in the nation slot until Florida knocked them from their throne late last season.

LSU: If the LSU Tigers are holding a grudge against Nick Saban, it certainly hasn't shown. Since Alabama's new head coach left the Tigers in 2004, LSU has enjoyed an additional SEC and national championship, thanks in part to coaching stalwart Les Miles. After a disappointing 2008-2009 season that saw the Tigers close with a loss to the talent-zapped Arkansas Razorbacks (in their first year under new head coach Bobby Petrino, no less), you can bet that this is a program itching for redemption.

Florida: It is very hard to do an analysis of these teams without placing the focus on coaching. Saban and Miles are both highly successful coaches, but the real story when it comes to blowing the whistle is with the Florida Gators. In just four years, Head Coach Urban Meyer has won two national championships. And that was after having gone unbeaten in his short time with the Utah Utes. Meyer has developed a reputation as someone who has his teams prepared. His brief career, in addition to the national titles, includes two SEC championships and two Mountain West Conference championships. He has already had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, but will it be enough for the 2009 college football season? Only time will tell.

Agree or disagree with any of the above? Luckily, you will have a chance to prove your football betting skills. And if you want, there are sportsbooks that make it a little easier for you by offering a bookmaker bonus. With a bookmaker bonus, you enjoy rewards simply by placing your bets with an experienced service. You are going to take part in the football betting season anyway, so why not take advantage of the incentives, such as the bookmaker bonus codes you can get from any reputable company?

The road to the national championship goes through the SEC. Get in on the action for Saturdays that are both relaxing and rewarding.

College Football Recruiting - Look Out SEC - Alabama Rates No 1 As Saban Prepares to Go to War

If you think football in the Southeastern Conference is just a game that generates a ton of money for the schools and the NCAA that regulates it in a highly publicized environment, you do not understand what success is about in the SEC.

SEC games are not battles between teams, they are outright warfare with a fight to the last man standing won by heavy artillery (talent). That is why Wednesday's (2-6-08) first day of signing letters of intent by high school seniors was so significant. According to several analysts, Nick Saban and Alabama ranked No. 1 with the nation's best class of talent.

Among Rivals.com Top 50 prospects, Alabama picked up No. 4 Julio Jones, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound wide receiver from Foley (AL); No. 28 B. J. Scott, a 6-foot, 195-pound wide receiver-super athlete from Vigor (AL); No. 30 Tyler Love, a 6-foot-7, 290-pound offensive lineman from Mountain Brook (AL); No. 34 Jerrell Harris, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker from Gadsden (AL); and No. 35 Alonzo Lawrence, a 6-foot-1, 190 pound defensive back from George County (MS).

Add to that distinguished list No. 55 Mark Barron, a 6-foot-2, 202-pound athlete from Mobile (AL) and No. 60 Barrett Jones, a 6-foot-5, 271-pound offensive lineman from Memphis (TN), and no school in America had 7 of the Top 60 Rival.com prospects except Alabama.

Southern Cal had 6 in the Top 60, Ohio State had 5 and Notre Dame had 5. Notre Dame's recuiting class was rated No. 2 by Rivals.com, Ohio State's No. 8 and Southern California's No. 10.

Nick Saban, the highest paid college coach at about $4 million a year, earned his pay. Saban was able to sign 7 of the top 11 prospects in Alabama. Auburn did not have a single recruit among Rivals.com Top 100 prospects; the Tigers came up sucking pond water.

Look for Saban and the Crimson Tide to start a concerted march to a higher place as a current Division 1A powerhouse and national title contender. Should the Top 60 picks stay injury free and reach their potential on the college turf, they will most certainly be playing in the NFL on Sundays.

If you are not stoked about Alabama football you need to live in another state.

Three other schools catch my personal attention because I have ties to Washington, Arizona State and Michigan State.

Ty Willingham's Washington Huskies had the highest Rivals.com pick among these 3 teams with No. 57 Kavario Middleton, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end from Lakewood (WA). Middleton was joined by his teammate, Jermaine Kearse, a 6-foot-2, 175 pound wide receiver.

Washington also signed Everrette Thompson, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound defensive end from Burien (WA); Alameda Ta'amu, a 6-foot-4, 330-pound (yes, 330 pounds!) offensive guard from Seattle; Allen Carroll, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound offensive guard from Oakland (CA); Chris Polk, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back with 4.5 speed from Redlands (CA); and Jordan Polk, 5-foot-10, 170-pound wide receiver with 4.46 speed from Portland (OR).

Washington's catch is being called the best recruiting class since Reggie Williams and Charles Frederick in 2001.

The Huskies also picked up some speed with linebacker Kurt Mangum (4.59), cornerbacks Adam Long (4.45), Anthony Gobern (4.4) and Justin Glenn (4.5), safety Johri Fogerson (4.55), and running backs Demitrius Bronson (4.5) and David Freeman (4.4). Let me be the first to dub Kurt Magnum as Magnum P.I. (Personal Intimidator) and Demitrius Bronson as Death Wish Bronson.

All of this comes as a surprise as Ty Willingham, unlike Nick Saban, does not have a rep as a recruiter. The fact that redstart freshman quarterback Jake Locker started last year and impressed almost everyone with his agility, speed and savvy probably did not hurt a lick.

Scout.com rated Washington's recruiting class as the 14th best among the NCAA's 119 Division 1A schools. Look for the Huskies to finally win more games than they lose next year. If they do not, Willingham may be looking for another job.

Scout.com rated Dennis Erickson and his Arizona State Sun Devils class as the 17th best nationally. Among Erickson's top prospects was Jack Elway, none other than the son of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.

Jack Elway has his father's arm but apparently not his speed. Nonetheless, he comes from an excellent gene pool. In addition to his dad, his mother Janet was an outstanding college athlete as a swimmer for Stanford University.

Here are two facts you may not know about John Elway. 1) He may have played football at Stanford University but he was born and raised in Port Angeles (WA). 2) He had 47 career game-winning or game-tying drives in the 4th quarter, an NFL record.

Mark Dantonio and his Michigan State Spartans (my alma mater, Class of 1966) did not fare as well as Washington or Arizona State. Other than any local coverage in Michigan and a little among Big Ten teams, the Spartans received zero national attention.

That tells me they ended up with the short end of stick, and that is indeed bad news.

Dantonio knows that Jim Tressel and his Ohio State Buckeyes are only going to get better; Dantonio was the defensive coordinator for Ohio State's undefeated (14-0) national championship team in 2002. Tressel also won 4 Division 1AA national championships at Youngstown State, and his won-loss record as head coach at Ohio State is a stunning 83% (73-15).

If Ohio State is not enough competition for Michigan State, Michigan will cause the Spartans headaches as well since Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia to coach the Wolverines next year.

Michigan has won more games than any other team in college football history, and now along comes Rodriguez, who spent 7 seasons at West Virginia compiling a 60-26 record (69%) with 4 Big East titles.

Rodriguez, 1 of only 2 Hispanic head coaches in Division IA football, went 32-5 (86%) his last 3 years at West Virginia. Rodriguez is great for Michigan; for Michigan State he is two legs and bad news. The Spartans may get the snot kicked out of them by Michigan for the next 5 years.

I am praying that Dantonio can find a couple of nuggets among the scrap heap of players that are left over after all of the good programs have used up their scholarship allotments. The Spartans need talent and speed immediately, they do not have nearly enough at the moment.

The justified enthusiasm among Crimson Tide fans at Alabama does need to be tempered by the knowledge that recruiting is not an exact science. While we know that the sun will come up tomorrow, we do not know how these recruits will play out.

What we do know is that coaching can make average players better; Rich Rodriguez is an example. His recent West Virginia recruiting classes were rated mid-30s to mid-50s yet he led the Mountaineers to 2 BCS bowl wins in the last 3 seasons, and he came within 1 win of playing for last year's national title.

We also know that a position player like a quarterback, who touches the ball on every play, can make a team much better. An example this year was Todd Reesing of Kansas who led the Jayhawks to a 12-1 record and an Orange Bowl victory. Reesing was rated a 2-star to 3-star player by the rating services (5 stars is best) yet he became a 5-star player when given the opportunity to do so.

Since many of these kids will become redshirts (meaning they will not play their freshman year) and become redshirt freshman (like Jake Locker of Washington) when they start playing their sophomore year. It may take all of 5 years to determine who among the many players just signed will become tomorrow's stars and NFL draftees.

In the meantime, I will be praying for Mark Dantonio and my Michigan State Spartans. I view myself as an important intercessor as the Spartans have continued to disappoint in recent years. Wherever they have been I do not want to go.

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

University of Hawaii Football

The University of Hawaii at Manoa is the flagship campus in the University of Hawaii System of higher education that sports fans think of when they discuss the football program known both on and off the mainland as the Hawaii Warriors. On January 1, 2008 the Warriors made college football history by coming out of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to become only the third non BCS (Bowl Championship Series) conference school to compete in a BCS game when they took the field against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. While the Hawaii football team disappointingly came up short against Georgia in the 2008 New Year's Day game by a score of 41-10 this event was just a road bump in the rich history of an accomplished program that is determined to persevere for future greatness.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa has more than 20,000 students currently enrolled at the school based in the urban neighborhood of Honolulu (metro population 900,000) known as Manoa. The school that is located in the state capital was founded in 1907 and the football team had its first season in 1909. What is particularly remarkable about both the timing of the establishment of the university as well as the year of the first kickoff is that the island of Hawaii did not become an American state until August 21, 1959 and commercial air travel would not become common place for decades.

Long before the University of Hawaii played in the 50,000 seat Aloha Stadium that it now calls home the College of Hawaii took the field as the "Fighting Deans" and won the first game it ever played. The lopsided 95-5 victory was perhaps to be expected considering the roster of college athletes competed against high school students from McKinley High School in that inaugural contest. The competition would eventually ramp up with the first game against another college being a 14-0 losing effort against the University of Nevada on Christmas Day, 1920.

Over the years the University of Hawaii football program would incur its fair share of ups and downs. Among the low points in the history of the program are the cancellations of the 1912-1914 seasons as a result of World War I and the subsequent cancellations of the football seasons from 1942-1945 following the attack on Pearl Harbor and ensuing World War II involvement. A notable high point in the history of the program was the massive upset of the powerhouse Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, NE in 1955, just one year after Hawaii suffered an embarrassing 50-0 home loss to the perennial power Cornhuskers.

Due to travel budget concerns it was not until 1966 that the University of Hawaii could afford to schedule a full season comprised entirely of collegiate competition. Up until this point sporadic competition was often found in the form of area teams located on the remote set of islands that make up Hawaii.

Throughout the years the Hawaii program would grow due in no small part to its 1979 inclusion in the mid-tier Western Athletic Conference (WAC) which guaranteed that Hawaii would become exposed to an increased national audience. Eventually the Hawaii football program would produce All-Americans, first round NFL draft picks, record breaking quarterbacks, and Super Bowl champions. The January, 2008 Sugar Bowl appearance was a true testament to just how far the University of Hawaii football program has come.

College Football - Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Virginia Tech, East Carolina and Buffalo Win Titles

It was the biggest game of college football regular season play, No. 1 and unbeaten Alabama (12-0) versus No. 2 Florida (11-1) at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta for the Southeastern Conference Championship and the right to play in the BCS National Championship Game.

When it mattered the most, the Florida Gators-led by junior quarterback and last year's Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow-showed up. Tebow was 0-5 in games when his Gators trailed in the second half, but he overcame that statistic Saturday (12-6-08) by throwing the last of his 3 touchdown passes with less than 3 minutes remaining to seal Florida's 31-20 victory.

Despite trailing in the second half, Florida did win the first half 17-10 and also won the second half 14-10. Tebow was 14-of-22 passing for 216 yards and led his team in rushing with another 57 yards. When Florida needed a play the most, Tebow played a big role in making it happen.

The win gave Florida another SEC title under coach Urban Meyer and its second trip in three years to the BCS National Championship Game. The Gators routed Ohio State for the national championship in 2006. Florida will now face No. 4 Oklahoma for the BCS national title in Miami (FL).

Oklahoma staked its claim to face Florida by dusting off No. 19 Missouri, 62-21, for the Big 12 Championship. All you need to know about this game is that it was 38-7 at the half.

The 4 teams in contention for the BCS game during the final two weeks of the season were Alabama, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma. All had one loss except Alabama. Florida, which eventually prevailed over Alabama, had lost at home to Ole Miss 31-30 in its 4th game of the season, and then rattled off 8 wins in-a-row by huge margins before ruining Alabama's run for the national title.

Oklahoma had lost at home to Texas 45-35 in its 6th game, and then routed 6 teams before its big win over Missouri. The Sooners scored 60+ points in their last 5 wins.

The Texas Longhorns won 8 straight before losing on the road to Texas Tech, 39-33. After winning their last 3, they needed Oklahoma to lose to Missouri to have any chance at a title shot.

Elsewhere, No. 12 and unbeaten Ball State (12-0) joined Alabama by losing its first game in the Mid American Conference Championship as Turner Gill's 7-5 Buffalo team took down the Cardinals, 42-24, for the title. In just 3 years, coach Turner Gill has turned around a Buffalo program that was one of the worst in America.

East Carolina (8-4) hung on and hung tough in beating Tulsa (10-2) in the Conference USA Championship game, 27-24. Coach Skip Holtz won 3 games, including victories over Virginia Tech and West Virginia, lost 3 games and then won 5 of his last 6 before beating Tulsa for the title.

Virginia Tech (8-4) went on to capture the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship by beating No. 18 Boston College (8-4), 30-12. Not to be outdone, Southern Cal kept UCLA at bay on the road, 28-7, to win its 7th straight Pac 10 Championship and 4th straight BCS bowl appearance.

With Alabama and Ball State losing their first game, only No. 7 Utah at 12-0 and No. 9 Boise State at 12-0 remained unbeaten among the 119 Division 1-A schools.

In other action, it was No. 19 Pittsburgh on the road over Connecticut 34-10, California at home horsewhipped the winless 0-12 Washington Huskies 48-7, Navy shut out Army 34-zip, Arizona ripped Arizona State 31-10, and No. 13 Cincinnati on the road outlasted Hawaii 29-24.

So it's Florida and Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game, and the other 4 BCS Bowl Games will find Penn State and Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl, Ohio State and Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, Utah and Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, and Cincinnati and Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

Delta State University Football Trevar Deed

Statesmen Football



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnaSd2fUcwI&hl=en

College Football Wrap-Up Week 6 - 3 Unbeaten Teams Fall and South Carolina Upsets Alabama, 35-21

Three unbeaten teams bit the dust this week, and none was bigger than the No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide who showed that South Carolina is not only a very good team, but is tough to beat at home.

The Gamecocks spotted 'Bama a field goal and then South Carolina's Stephen Garcia threw 3 touchdown passes to put the Gamecocks up, 21-3. Garcia would go on to have the best day of his collegiate career, completing 17-of-20 passes (85%) for 201 yards.

When the Tide tried to play themselves back into the game, South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore took over, scoring once on a 9-yard TD pass, and rushing for 2 short-yardage touchdowns while piling up 93 yards on the ground on 23 carriers (4.04).

About all Alabama had to take home with its hurt pride and a 35-21 loss was the fact that its defense had held another runner to less than 100 yards gained for the umpteenth game.

The defense was really all South Carolina's as the Gamecocks sacked Alabama's Greg McElroy 7 times. Their offense shredded the country's top-rated scoring defense, putting the most points on the board since a 41-34 'Bama lost to LSU in 2007.

The win lifted South Carolina from 19th place to 10th in the AP Top 25 Poll.

South Carolina's victory was its first-ever against a No. 1-ranked team. The Gamecocks win snapped defending national champion Alabama's 19-game win streak, and threw the national championship race wide open.

There are now only 13 BCS teams left with an undefeated record. Ohio State, Oregon, TCU, Auburn, LSU, Michigan State and Nevada are all 6-0. Boise State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah, Oklahoma State and Missouri are all 5-0. There are 120 Division 1-A teams.

The second biggest upset of the week was due in large part to sophomore quarterback Ryan Katz of Oregon State. Katz declared himself as a quality Pac-10 QB by completing 30-of-42 passes (71%) for 393 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushing for another score as the Beavers traveled to 9th-ranked Arizona and took down the unbeaten Wildcats, 29-27.

It was a huge win for Oregon State as the Arizona defense had been ranked 2nd nationally, giving up only 230 yards per game.

The Wildcats' Nick Foles, one of the Pac-10's best, completed 35 of 46 (76%) for 440 yards and 3 touchdowns, but it was not enough. Worse yet, Arizona was coming off a bye week and had double the time to prepare for Oregon State's visit. The Beaver victory was their 5th straight against Arizona on its home field.

The third biggest upset was the 17th-ranked Michigan State Spartans, a 4.5-point underdog, upending and then thrashing the 18th-ranked Michigan Wolverines at the Big House in Ann Arbor, so-called because it is the largest football stadium in the country, holding 113,000+ fans.

Michigan State jumped out to a 17-10 halftime lead and then won the 2nd half 17-7, and the game, 34-17. And it was not close at the end.

Michigan's wunderkind, superstar quarterback Denard Robinson, who came into the game on everyone's Heisman list and leading the nation in rushing with an average 181 yards a game for his first 5 games, looked a lot more human when the game was over.

Robinson was held to 86 yards on 21 carries (a 4.1 average per carry) and was intercepted 3 times. This was primarily because Michigan State was the first team Robinson played against this year that actually had a defense.

Meanwhile, Spartan running back Edwin Baker rushed for 147 yards on 22 carries (6.68 ypc) and scored on a 61-yard touchdown dash. I say dash because Michigan State's offensive line opened up a hole that a Mac truck could have driven through.

Michigan State's outstanding freshman, Le'Veon Bell, picked up another 78 yards on 7 carries (11.14 ypc), and scored on a 41-yard run that the offensive line opened up like a crater. Not to be outdone, Michigan State's 3rd outstanding runner, Larry Caper, picked up another 34 yards and scored on an 8-yard run.

Michigan, which had the 2nd-best total offense in the nation at 565 yards per game, was held to 377 yards while Michigan State rolled up 536 yards, 249 rushing and 287 passing. Spartan QB Kirk Cousins went 18-for-25 (72%) for 284 yards and a 42-yard TD strike to Mark Dell.

The Wolverines got a good butt-kicking, the Spartans won their 3rd straight over Michigan, and by doing so Michigan State became the dominate team in the State of Michigan.

The fourth biggest upset saw 12th-ranked LSU travel to 14th-ranked Florida and slide past the Gators, 33-29, in a game Florida will not soon forget. The Gators saw their unbeaten record fall by losing 31-6 last week at Alabama, and hosting LSU was the Gators 3rd ranked opponent in 3 weeks, and proved too much.

The Louisiana gambler, coach Les Miles, rolled the dice again against Florida by keeping the winning drive alive with a successful fake field goal that allowed Jarrett Lee to throw a 3-yard pass to Terrence Toliver for the victory with 6 seconds remaining.

Worse yet, LSU tried to run the same play to the same player, Toliver, on their previous last-second play. It was successfully defensed the first time, but not the second time as Toliver, with a height advantage, made it count.

Last week Miles was criticized for poor clock management in the final moments as Tennessee almost upset the Tigers, but LSU won anyway, 16-14. Miles just smiles, and wins again as opposing coaches pull out their hair in frustration.

The fake field goal by LSU you may never see again. With 35 seconds left and clock ticking, the holder Derek Helton throws a no-look pitch over his head that bounces off the turf and into the hands of place-kicker Josh Jasper who scampers for the first down to keep the winning drive alive. They couldn't pull that stunt off again in the circus.

Nonetheless, LSU is 6-0, fat, sassy, and really lucky. This is college football, folks, expect the unexpected and unanticipated EVERY week - that's why it is so much more exciting and topsy-turvy than pro football.

The fifth upset saw the 23rd-ranked Florida State Siminoles fly into Miami and upend the 13th-ranked Hurricanes, 45-17. The Hurricanes saw a lot of Jermaine Thomas' taillights as he scored a career-high 3 touchdowns (1 passing and 2 running) during the first 21 minutes.

Miami players then spent the rest of their time chasing Siminole Chris Thomspon's rear end as he rushed for 158 yards and logged in the longest run Miami has allowed in its illustrious history - a 90-yard scoring jaunt. It was an easy win for Florida State.

The win lifted Florida State from 23rd place to 16th in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Six other Top 25 teams had impressive victories Saturday.

They included the 5th-ranked Texas Christian University Horned Frogs who ran their record to 6-0 with a 45-zip shut out of Wyoming, and the 24th-ranked Missouri Tigers who stayed unbeaten with their 5th victory, a 26-zip shut out of Colorado at home.

Seventh-ranked Nebraska ran its record to 5-0 as the Cornhuskers traveled to Kansas State and handed the Wildcats their first loss, 48-13. Some thought K-State should have been ranked with a 4-0 mark. Now we see why they were not.

The 2nd-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0) hosted Indiana and reminded the Hoosiers why Ohio State is unbeaten and the premier team in the Big 10, thumping them 38-10, while showing a lot more offensive weapons.

Tenth-ranked Utah went on the road and won convincingly while staying unbeaten in notching its 5th straight victory over Iowa State, 68-27 -- a 41-point margin. The 4th-ranked Boise State Broncos remained unbeaten while hosting Toledo and beating the Rockets, 57-14 -- a 43-point margin.

Eight other Top 25 teams won, but were hardly dominate in doing so. Two of them were lucky to get out of town alive.

The 8th-ranked Auburn Tigers scored 31 points in the first half against Kentucky, and then needed a last-second field goal to nip the Wildcats, 37-34. Eleventh-ranked Arkansas was held scoreless by Texas A&M in the last quarter and slipped out of town with a 24-17 victory.

The 16th-ranked Stanford Cardinal hosted Southern California and darn near lost. Each team scored a touchdown in each of the first 3 quarters, and then USC added a second touchdown in the last quarter with barely a minute to play and took a 35-34 lead.

This happened because Stanford's kicker missed the extra point try after the Cardinal matched USC with its second score in the last quarter. The kicker, Nate Whitaker, redeemed himself with a 30-yard field goal with 4 seconds to play to give Stanford the win, 37-35.

Elsewhere, the 21st-ranked Nevada Wolf Pack had a hardly impressive 35-13 win over an extremely weak San Jose State excuse for a team. Third-ranked Oregon was not much better as the Ducks downed a rebuilding program at Washington State, 43-23.

The 22nd-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys apparently spent more time in the saddle than on the ground as they could only beat an absolutely terrible Louisiana Lafayette team, 54-28. Okie-State gave up 4 touchdowns to a team ranked 172nd out of 120 Division I-A teams. Please don't ask me if they have a defense.

Oklahoma State is now 5-0; little wonder with opponents like Louisiana Lafayette. The Cowboys strength of schedule is currently 118th among 120 teams. In other words, they have played jack and diddly so far. All of this nonsense might stop when they host Nebraska in two weeks.

The 20th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers hosted Minnesota and beat the Golden Gophers (whatever a Golden Gopher is), 41-23. The Badgers were at home and should have won bigger, badder and better. And 25th-ranked Air Force took down a very weak, visiting Colorado State team, 49-27.

I am frankly surprised at how many top-ranked teams this year give up so many points while winning. Very few teams play defense and it is beginning to seem like they all give up a lot of points, except TCU in its last two games, and they have played 5 weak sisters in going 6-0.

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Weightlifting Tips Specifically For Football Players

As a former Collegiate and NFL player, I can attribute much of my success on the field to countless hours I spent in the weight room each week. This article, along with 10 others are going to give a glimpse to each young and aspiring professional football player the type of lifting and conditioning that is needed to be a GREAT player. Much of the information that I will share was taught to me by a number of excellent strength and conditioning coaches, I feel it my responsibility to share this information to help each young player to take their game to the next level.

Making weight lifting an integral part of your daily and weekly personal preparation is a must for every young player dreaming of making it to Division I or the NFL. Much of this has to do with what I like to call, "The Other Guy Syndrome". Each player, Pop Warner to the NFL, has to play against "The Other Guy", both daily during practice and weekly during each game. That "Other Guy" is preparing as hard or harder than YOU to beat and dominate YOU. Therefore, you should always think to yourself during your off season and in season preparation, "What can I do to better prepare myself to beat the 'Other Guy'?" One critical aspect of this preparation is the manner in which you prepare yourself in the weight room.

In this article you will be presented with 5 points that are key reminders and pointers that can assist you in total DOMINATION over the "Other Guy".

#1 You Don't Have to Lift the Most Weights to Be the Best

One major misconception for most young athletes today is that they have to bench press, back squat and general lift a lot of weight to be a GREAT player. That type of thinking is completely FALSE in today's game. Being strong physically and playing strong are two different things. or example, while playing at Utah State University I had a left tackle that was 6'9'' and weighed 330 pounds. He was a very committed to getting stronger and spent a lot f time in the weight room, however, there were Linebackers, Running Backs and Wide Receivers on the team that could out lift him in the bench press by 50-100 lbs and back squat more that 100 lbs. than him. Did this mean he couldn't be a good football player because he wasn't stronger than a Running Back 130 pounds lighter than him? NO!

On the football field he would absolutely crush people. He would drive defensive ends into the ground and completely "pancake" Linebackers on a regular basis. Shear weight lifting strength had nothing to do with his dominance. He was able to do much of it based upon technique and maximum personal strength. No matter how hard he worked he could not get as strong as much of the team. But he was extremely strong for his stature and build.

The key principle here is that you need to push yourself as hard as YOUR potential allows you. Be as strong physically as YOU can. Don't worry about the other guy, or how much they are lifting. Your body is different than anybody else on this planet. Workout so you are maximizing your abilities. If you try to lift too much during a set or workout, you will do more to make yourself less strong than you would thinking it will make you stronger. Always remember this tip: Only workout with an amount of weight that makes it difficult but not impossible to do every rep of a set!

#2 Your Lifting Motion Should Be Slow and Fluid

Another common mistake young athletes make when they lift weights, is they move the bar and weight too FAST. I know that sounds a little strange, but moving the weight fast does LESS to strengthen your body than moving the weight slowly.

The first thing you should do if you feel that the bar and weight is moving too fast, is make sure you are lifting the right amount of weight. Sometimes, you may need to put more weight on the bar. However, be careful you don't put so much weight on the bar you cannot do all the repetitions the set is requiring you to do.

Next, count the downward movement of every repetition for three seconds, for example, "ONE one thousand, TWO one thousand, THREE one thousand". Between the 2nd and 3rd second you can begin to move the bar upwards. This counting method will give your muscles the necessary amount of time to get its maximum output in order to increase strength. Be careful, if you can do every repetition of each set while using this counting method, and not even break a sweat, you need to increase the weight amount. However, if you can only do a portion of the repetitions, obviously you will need to take off some weight.

#3 Do Not Sit Down to Rest Between Sets

This concept was taught to me while I was playing at the University of Wyoming. Many strength and conditioning coaches call this the "Active Rest". Really it is a simple principle, it is a way to train your body to rest and catch your breathe without sitting down. For example, think about during the course of long offensive drive, or a defensive stand during a game, the trainers or coaching staff does not bring out benches and chairs to rest on in between plays. You do that in the huddle while the play is being called in.

In essence, this technique is a way to prepare your body during the course of a game. It is simple but you will notice greater endurance and faster recovery while walking around and standing in between sets.

#4 Be Patient. Results take Time.

I am sure many of you at some point have worked out or done a series of pushups and immediately went to the mirror to see if your muscles have already grown. Unfortunately, after looking into the mirror, you immediately notice really no change has occurred and you get discouraged and quit. Believe me this has even happened to me when I was younger. But through my development through High School college and the pros, I came to realize only through strict dedication and persistence would I see results.

For most lifting programs and even those shared in this website, to notice increase strength and muscle mass, you must be completely dedicated to that program for at least 6 weeks without missing a single workout. For example, if you look at Olympic weigh lifters they start preparing months in advance to achieve personal bests in certain lifts. They know they cannot get stronger by just lifting for a week then maxing out. It can only happen through strict obedience of a work out plan and dedication through the end.

#5 Dedicate Yourself To Weight Lifting Year Round

Unfortunately many young athletes tend to focus on lifting weights only during the season and parts of the off-season. Sometimes, they will take a month off to "recover" or they will do nothing until the official off season program starts in the summer. This form of thinking and mentality is very damaging if a player is wishing to be GREAT.

Weight lifting has many forms, strength building, maintenance, and recovery. All three cycles should be used annually. Through personal experience I recommend that you should take off no more than 1 week of lifting every 6 months. No matter the circumstances you should always be strength training.

Auburn University (AU) Tigers Football Players Taken in the 2010 NFL Draft - Two Selected

There were two Auburn University (AU) Tigers football players taken in the 2010 NFL Draft that was held in New York City in April. The two men from the Alabama based campus selected by National Football League (NFL) Teams are:

• Ben Tate (running back) who was picked by the Houston Texans in the second round with the 58th overall pick
• Walter McFadden (cornerback), selected with the 138th overall pick in the 5th round by the Oakland Raiders

Ben Tate hopes to follow in the footsteps of other successfully Auburn running backs that have entered the NFL in the last few seasons. Most recently that list includes impact players Ronnie Brown of the Miami Dolphins and Carnell "Cadilac" Williams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When football fans go further back in time they notice that the great Bo Jackson was actually a running back product of the Auburn football program.

Ben Tate, born is 1988, is listed as a 5'11" 218 pound back that has a desirable combination of power and speed. Originally from Woodbridge, Virginia Ben grew up in Maryland and attended Stephen Decatur High School where he set a high water mark for the state in terms of rushing yards for a single season with 2,886.

After earning all-state honors his junior season Tate transferred to Snow Hill High School (also in Maryland) for his senior year of high school. As the tailback for the Snow Hill Eagles he led the squad to a second place in the state finish for the football team. Tate chose to follow up his impressive prep football career with the Auburn Tigers after declining athletic scholarship offers from powerhouse football programs the University of Florida and Penn State just to name a couple.

Walter McFadden was selected by the Oakland Raiders to play cornerback and while Walter has no relation to Raiders running back Darren McFadden (a 2008 first round draft pick by Oakland) Walter does have an older brother in the NFL. The older brother of Walter also plays cornerback.

Walter is the younger sibling of Bryant McFadden who played his college football at Florida State University before being selected in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft to play cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bryant was on both Steelers teams that won Super Bowls after the 2005 and 2008 seasons.

The younger McFadden is a 6'0" 177 corner with quick feet and an upside that the Oakland Raiders are excited about. The Raiders expect to find some versatility in Walter as an asset both on defense and on special teams during his rookie season.

George Steinbrenner Coached Ohio State Football With Woody Hayes & Won a National Championship

George Steinbrenner is famously known the world over as the owner of the New York Yankees but very few people realize that in the 1950s George Steinbrenner actually served as an assistant coach under legendary Buckeye icon Woody Hayes at Ohio State University (OSU for short). In fact, George was even part of the 1954 Ohio State national championship team that went undefeated.

The New York Yankees organization that Steinbrenner has owned for decades has been valued by Forbes magazine as a $1.5 billion organization which makes it one of the five most valuable sports teams in the world across all sports. Before making his fortune in the family shipping business he lived a somewhat pedestrian life that included college, a stint in the Air Force, marriage, and a brief spell as an assistant football coach at Ohio State. In some regards George Steinbrenner has had an almost Forest Gump type life that has involved playing on his college football team, joining the armed forces, falling in love, making a fortune, numerous chance encounters with historically iconic figures, and a variety of unique business ventures.

Born in Rocky River, Ohio on the northern edge of the state the area that is now an affluent suburb of Cleveland is the area where George grew up before attending a military school in northern Indiana. After graduating from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1952 and spending a couple of years in the Air Force based in Columbus, Ohio at Lockbourne Air Force Base the Ohio native decided to stay in the area following his honorable discharge in 1954. Over the next two years Steinbrenner earned a master's degree in physical education from nearby Ohio State University.

While doing graduate work at Ohio State George Steinbrenner signed on to help the football team as a graduate assistant where he happened to coach under legendary college football coach Woody Hayes. During the one season that George was with the Buckeyes the team went undefeated with a perfect 10-0 record that included a 20-7 Rose Bowl victory over the University of Southern California (USC) on January 1, 1955.

By capping off a perfect season with a sound Rose Bowl victory Woody Hayes, George Steinbrenner, and the rest of the Ohio State Buckeyes edged out number two ranked UCLA to capture the second football national championship for the Buckeyes ever. In addition to the seven World Series victories (1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009) that George Steinbrenner has been a part of as an owner of the New York Yankees since January 3, 1973 the man who was born back on July 4, 1930 can also claim a college football national championship from the 1954 season with iconic College Football Hall of Fame coach Woody Hayes.

College Football - Any Day That Michigan Loses and Michigan State Wins is a Great Day

Ah "how sweet it is" as Jackie Gleason used to say on "The Honeymooners" comedy sitcom in the late 1960s.

Any day that Michigan loses a football game and Michigan State wins a football game is a great day. When Michigan State beats Michigan (as happened today, Saturday, 10-25-08) it is a glorious day.

That would be because Michigan State had not beaten Michigan at the Big House in Ann Arbor since 1990, 18 years ago. The Spartans finished 8-3-1 that year, became Big Ten Co-Champions at 6-2, and beat Southern California 17-16 in the John Hancock Bowl. The coach was George Perles.

Michigan State's last victory over Michigan was a 26-24 win at home in 2001.

The Spartans huge win Saturday pushed their record to 7-2 for just the 3rd time in 40 years. First-year coach Rich Rodriguez and his Wolverines are having their worst season since 1962, when Michigan finished 2-7 and tied a school record for losses. The Wolverines now have lost 4 games at home this season for the first time in 4 decades, and 4 in-a-row overall for the first time in 41 years.

Michigan, which has college football's winningest program, now has to win its final 4 games-three of which are on the road, including one at Ohio State-just to be eligible to play in a 34th straight bowl game.

Michigan State's victory was even sweeter because a blown call by a replay official gave Michigan a touchdown in the first quarter to tie the game at 7. Had the Spartans not ultimately won, the Wolverines would have benefited from a touchdown it did not score when Brandon Minor's 19-yard catch near the end zone was declared out of bounds.

A replay official upstairs in the stands overturned a correct ruling on the field, giving Minor a TD because his foot hit a pylon on his way out of bounds. The NCAA rule book states that "A player or an airborne player who touches a pylon is out of bounds".

The replay official clearly blew the call, which was so blatant, so stupid and so unnecessary it makes you wonder if the replay official in question is a University of Michigan graduate.

The game was tied at 21 when the 3rd quarter ended. Michigan State's Javon Ringer scored his second TD on a 3-yard run midway through the 4th quarter, and Brian Hoyer's 3rd TD pass meant the Spartans outscored the Wolverines 14-zip in the last quarter, lifting Michigan State to a 35-21 victory over the once-mighty Michigan Wolverines.

Ringer, Michigan State's Heisman candidate, picked up 194 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on 37 carries (5.2 yards per carry). Hoyer was 17-for-29 for 282 yards and a season-high 3 TD passes, one a 61-yarder to Blair White. White finished with 4 catches for 143 yards, an outstanding game for the walk-on junior wide receiver.

The Spartans out gained Michigan 473-252, their highest total in a win at Michigan Stadium in a half-century and their most lopsided victory in the rivalry since they beat Michigan 34-0 at the Big House in 1967.

Michigan State also out rushed Michigan in its victory Saturday, 167-84, a fact that is significant since the team that has rushed for the most yards has won 35 of the last 38 games in their rivalry.

The Spartans next host Wisconsin, a 4-4 team that beat Illinois 27-17 Saturday. Should Michigan State beat Wisconsin and Purdue at home, the Spartans would then be 9-2 when they travel to Penn State for their final regular season game.

After Saturday's victory over the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio and his Spartans deserve to bask in glory for at least 15 minutes before they turn their attention to those nasty Wisconsin Badgers, who will arrive at Spartan Stadium all too soon.

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley