Game Of The Week.... #18 Cal Poly (0-0) at Troy (0-0)
I just can't believe that the start of the 2005 college football season is less than a month away. A 2005 season in which each Great West Conference football team will no longer be taken lightly inside the realm of Division I football. Last year the Great West Conference was on a mission for respectiblility. A successful 2005 season for Great West Conference members quite possibly could bring some prestige.
Week one of the 2005 campaign features an intriguing matchup between the Mustangs of Cal Poly and the University of Troy Trojans... A game featuring a 'newbi' to the DI-A ranks, Troy, and a definite DI-AA Top 20 team, Cal Poly. So what's the difference between the lower ranks of DI-A and the upper ranks of DI-AA? My guess would be not very much.... but then again that 20 extra scholarships makes it easier to find that 'diamond in the rough'. So based on that assessment, Troy has the early edge. Troy also has the speed edge on offense and the home field advantage. I'll call the teams even for defensive speed, but defensive talent goes in the Troy column. Blow out advantage goes to Troy, but Cal Poly has enough ability to make this game interesting for the Trojans.... Troy 35, Cal Poly 13
The Truth is.... Arkansas-Monticello (0-0) at North Dakota State (0-0)
Gene Taylor did a nice job in scheduling a game at the beginning of the season with mediocre Division II team. Why do I say this? May I say.... No Matt Gorman. No Dwight Summerville. No Brian Erenberg. No Jared Essler. No Allen Burrell. No Johnny Frank. No Isaac Snell. No Travis Ware. No Nick Zilka. And definitely no Rob Hunt available. Lots of question marks fill the Bison lineup. The Bison face no shortage of talent but a shortage of quality minutes on the game field. Personally, I find it easy to get excited about the 2005 NDSU football season. But then reality peeks its head through the door and drops a few names in my lap, such as Mike Brower, Jeremiah Wurzbacher, Nick Schommer, Nick Compton and many more redshirt/true freshmen. Coach Bohl and the entire coaching staff has their work cut out for them this fall camp. I'm just like every other Bison fan... I read the message board, the papers, and talk to friends about the Bison. From doing so, the feeling I get is that the Bison are better than, "an extra slice of cheese on your Whopper". Geez, even our own Bison Insider Top 20 lists the Bison at #16. That's great and all, but this years' Bison team scares the "holy life" out of me. Why? For the most part, young and unexperience lines on both sides of the ball. As I'm travelling the Metro Twin Cities area officiating high school football, coaches always tell me that the game is won 'upfront'. So I believe, the Bison offensive and defensive line play will be the difference between a 6-5 or 11-0 record this fall. I'll take the latter, but would settle for 9-2. I'm still excited about the upcoming NDSU football season, but yet I'm trying to stay humble knowing what makes the difference between an average football team and a great football team.
But back to the season opener for the Bison against Arkansas-Monticello.... Not much to say. This game will be over before halftime. The Bison will win this game on pure football athleticism and talent. If I was a betting man (cough, cough...) I'd good with a bigger margin than my prediction. But I'll once again stay humble.... North Dakota State 47, Arkansas-Monticello 10
My Other Winners....
#12 New Hampshire 29, UC Davis 21
Northern Colorado 42, Colorado Mines 6
South Dakota State 33, UW-LaCrosse 13
Idaho State 28, Southern Utah 24
#2 Montana 45, Fort Lewis 3
San Jose State 41, #3 Eastern Washington 27
Utah State 30, Nicholls State 18
Oklahoma State 49, Montana State 13
Weber State 35, Western State 17
UL-Monroe 31, #15 Northwestern State 10
#14 Northern Iowa 47, Drake 17
#8 Southern Illinois 27, SE Missouri State 18
Eastern Kentucky 28, #19 Appalachian State 27
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