Thu Aug 28 11:26:06 2008

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Around FCS: Are You Ready For Some Football?

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - I'm not usually one for the raspy, bellowing Country vocal tones of Hank Williams Jr., but this is one day each year when putting Hank in the CD drive is appropriate.

He had it right when he asked "Are you ready for some football?"

It might not be Monday night, but a Thursday night opening to the FCS season is good enough for me.

We jump right out of the blocks on the opening night with some interesting games to watch.

I am anxious to see North Dakota State, now fully playoff eligible and ranked No. 2 in The Sports Network Top-25 poll, take on Austin Peay. I can't wait to see how new quarterback Nick Mertens will fit into what should be another, high-powered, bone-crushing offense.

I also hear that those Bison are fast and tough on defense. It could be a long night for an Austin Peay program that was one of the biggest surprises of 2007, but has lost some key components to its offense.

Another top-25 team that is playoff eligible will also be playing on Thursday night. South Dakota State is just as anxious as North Dakota State to jump out of the gate and start trying to qualify for the postseason.

The No. 19 Jackrabbits have a much tougher debut, opening at Iowa State. But who knows? Maybe SDSU can take down the Cyclones just like Northern Iowa did last season.

South Dakota State turned in one of the more fascinating opening games of 2007, losing to Western Illinois in a remarkable four overtimes. If the Jackrabbits have to play that long on Thursday night, here's hoping they win this one.

Eastern Kentucky, a program that knows quite a bit about playoff football as the first multiple championship team in the FCS ranks, also has a challenging opener on Thursday night at Cincinnati.

ESPN analyst Mark May created a firestorm among FCS fans on Wednesday when he questioned Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly about how the Bearcats were obviously looking ahead to their next game against Oklahoma.

To his credit, Kelly didn't take the bait and instead praised the No. 20 Colonels. I guess Mark May wasn't paying attention to any of those FCS upsets last season, particularly when Appalachian State knocked off Michigan.

No. 18 Eastern Illinois faces Central Michigan, the defending Mid-American champion, on Thursday. I doubt that CMU has forgotten what happened the last time it played an FCS school.

North Dakota State 44, Central Michigan 14.

It wasn't just an FCS win, it was an FCS humiliation for a team that played in a bowl game at the end of the season.

Hopefully, Eastern Illinois, favored by many to win the Ohio Valley Conference this season, will bring home another FBS scalp.

There will be more David vs. Goliath matchups on Saturday, with every college football fan waiting to see who will be the next giant killer.

Appalachian State has been getting the most attention as it prepares to take on LSU in a rare battle between a defending FCS champion and a defending BCS champion.

After witnessing ASU's season opener in Ann Arbor last season, I'm not about to tell Armanti Edwards, Jerry Moore, or any of the other Mountaineers that they are not capable of pulling off another upset.

Last year, Michigan talked all off-season about winning a national championship. This year, it has been Georgia making similar noise. So wouldn't it be great to see Georgia Southern, the poster child of FCS tradition with those six national championship banners, put those Dawgs back into their Dawg house?

Last time I checked, Georgia only had ONE national title and the Bulldogs didn't have to go through a playoff field to win it. They only had to win the Sugar Bowl.

Another game I can't wait to keep tabs on is No. 10 McNeese State's visit to North Carolina. Ironically, North Carolina has ducked efforts by Appalachian State to play a game with the popular in-state upstart.

At the same time, LSU doesn't answer calls from the folks in Lake Charles, La. A lot of us would rather see these compelling in-state rivalries developed, but instead Appalachian State and McNeese State have to hop on airplanes to get their respective money games.

So how about making the Tar Heels pay in more than a fiscal way? I'd love nothing more than to see receiver/returnman Steven Whitehead return to FCS with a vengeance and team with quarterback Derrick Fourroux to take down the boys in Chapel Hill.

Probably the most winnable of these early FCS-FBS matchups is No. 6 James Madison's trip to beleaguered Duke. The last time the Blue Devils took on a team from JMU's league, the result was a shutout loss to Richmond.

With a new coaching staff taking over at Duke, James Madison is hitting Durham, N.C. and Wallace Wade Stadium at the perfect time.

Another possible upset is No. 14 Cal Poly and its high-powered offense going against San Diego State. Don't forget that the Mustangs beat San Diego State a couple of years ago.

I'm sure the Aztecs haven't forgotten.

Other things to look for on the opening weekend of the football season:

How will Pat Grace do at quarterback when No. 3 Northern Iowa takes on Brigham Young?

Can No. 7 Eastern Washington pull off an upset against Texas State, a program whose fans and writers have been trash-talking the Eagles for months? How will EWU look in Beau Baldwin's coaching debut?

Who will emerge at Delaware to take the place of quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Omar Cuff as the Blue Hens open against Maryland?

Can No. 12 Youngstown State give its former coach Jim Tressel a present by beating the Buckeyes in Columbus? Other long shots among the ranked teams are No. 21 Villanova's trip to West Virginia and No. 25 Western Illinois playing at Arkansas.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB

How about a shout out to North Dakota, South Dakota, Bryant and Campbell who start play in FCS this weekend?

North Dakota doesn't waste any time jumping into the fray with a game at Texas A&M on Thursday night. South Dakota takes it a little easier with a home game against Ambrose.

Take a good look at the two quarterbacks for UND (Danny Freund) and USD (Noah Shepard) if you get to see these games.

Bryant will face a stiff challenge on Saturday from Central Connecticut State. But I guess there are few more appropriate ways to break into FCS than by having to defend against the Erk Russell/Paul Johnson-birthed Georgia Southern option that CCSU runs.

Campbell plays its first college football game Saturday in 58 years when it hosts Birmingham Southern. A large crowd is expected in Buie's Creek, N.C. for the Fighting Camels' (yes, the Fighting Camels) opener.

Good luck to all of the newcomers to FCS.

GAME OF THE WEEK

I'll be attending the lone game with top-25 teams facing each other when I travel to see No. 4 Richmond meet No. 15 Elon.

Former Spider player Mike London will be making his debut as the Richmond coach in a heavyweight matchup between the Spiders and the Phoenix.

The Spiders have aspirations of winning a national championship a year after reaching the semifinals and they have the balance between offense - with players like quarterback Eric Ward, running back Josh Vaughan, receiver Kevin Grayson and returnman Justin Rogers - and defense with Sherman Logan, Lawrence Sidbury, Jr., Eric McBride and others, to make another title run.

Elon features one of the top pass-catch duos in the country with Scott Riddle at quarterback and Terrell Hudgins at wide receiver. The Phoenix has also been working on its running game and trying to improve its depth on defense.

It should be a great opening game.

From TV land, I'll be watching on Sunday when Hampton and Jackson State meet in the MEAC-SWAC challenge from Orlando, FL.

It will be interesting to see the Pirates, long one of the top teams in the MEAC, with a new coach, veteran defensive coordinator Jerry Holmes. Holmes replaces Joe Taylor, who has moved on to rebuild the Florida A&M program.

The Pirates have dynamic returnman/receiver Jeremy Gilchrist, top-notch cornerbacks Sam Pope and Jackie Bates and dominating guard Dennis Conley among others.

Jackson State, in its third year under Rick Comegy, is another talented squad. Keep an eye out for cornerback Domonique Johnson, the defensive MVP of the Tigers' SWAC championship win over Grambling last December.

It will be an exciting weekend-plus of football.

Are you ready for some football?

I am.