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Another week, and another top college football coach has just become unemployed.

Auburn head football coach Hugh Freeze was the latest major college coach to be sent to the showers before the 2025 football season even ends. 

The third-year coach for the War Eagles was booed out of the stadium as Auburn lost an embarrassing 10-3 game to the equally offensively inept 3-6 Kentucky Wildcats.

Auburn (now 4-5) dropped its fourth game in five starts.

Just how bad are the Kentucky and Auburn offenses in 2025?

This week’s SwampSwamiSports.com #1 ranked team at Indiana scores more points per game (46) than both Auburn and Kentucky combined (22 apiece).  Saturday night’s epic offensive struggle between these two sloth-like offenses produced a total of just 13 points.

These two putrid offenses generated just 240 yards apiece while playing football in perfect fall weather conditions in eastern Alabama Saturday night.

Unfortunately for Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, Kentucky’s ten points were quite sufficient to win this game.  Many of the 88,000 witnesses in Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium were chanting for their coach’s head before and after the end of Saturday’s 10-3 loss to Kentucky.

Sunday brought the requested action at Auburn University.

Coach Hugh Freeze will be due nearly $16 million as he became the 11th major college football coach fired this fall.  That’s a new record and represents 8% of the 136 FBS college football coaches.

Auburn’s last winning record (6-5) came during the 2020 COVID-19 season.

Former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn was fired after that 2020 season even though his teams posted a winning record in each of his eight years – including the 2013 national championship.  Malzahn was due $20 million for the early termination of his contract after the 2020 season.

Auburn’s next coach (Bryan Harsin) was also fired after two straight losing seasons in 2021 and 2022.  Harsin’s contract buyout provisions called for more than $15 million to be paid after his dismissal.

Now, it’s coach Hugh Freeze being fired in Year #3 after going 6-7 in 2023, 5-7 in 2024, and only 4-5 in 2025. 

This adds another $16 million to Auburn’s expanding coaching IOU’s.

The total cost of the Auburn’s last three football coaching changes ($46 million) is still cheaper than the $54 million which LSU owes to recently-departed head football coach Brian Kelly.

A trip to Fort Knox will be needed for Kentucky to get rid of its football coach

Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops is breathing a sigh of relief after his 3-6 team left Auburn with a win Saturday night.

He isn’t the most popular guy in the Bluegrass State over the past two years.  The teams coached by Mark Stoops (in his 13th season in Lexington) often struggle on the offensive side of the ball.  The Wildcats posted a woeful 4-8 record in 2024.  They are on track for a repeat performance this season.

If Kentucky fans want to send their football coach packing soon, think twice!

Coach Mark Stoops and his agent deserve an “A+” for contract negotiation skills.

The coach’s contract calls for a whopping $38 million – to be paid in full within 60 days – if Mark Stoops is terminated this season.

The six unbeaten FBS teams were trimmed to a quartet this weekend

Navy’s surprising 7-0 start came to an abrupt ending on Saturday as North Texas (now 8-1) sunk the Midshipmen’s College Football Playoff battleship 31-17 in Denton, Texas.

Georgia Tech’s Rambling Wreck blew a tire in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday night.  North Carolina State scored early and often to end Georgia Tech’s 8-0 start with a surprisingly easy 48-36 victory over the stinger-less Yellow Jackets.

The first loss of the season by Navy and Georgia Tech leaves Indiana, BYU, Ohio State, and Texas A&M as only unbeaten teams remaining within the 136-team major college (BCS) group.

Meanwhile, two teams are vying for “Worst team in the BCS in 2025”

The Bearkats of Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, Texas) and the Minutemen of the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) are both 0-8 this season.

Sam Houston became the “Trick” at Louisiana Tech’s Trick-or-Treat Halloween Homecoming game Friday night in Ruston. The 5-3 Bulldogs shellacked Sam Houston 55-14 to extend the Bearkats misery to eight straight losses in 2025.

U-Mass will play its ninth game of the year on Tuesday night as the Minutemen march into Akron, Ohio to play the oddly named 3-6 Akron Zips.

Akron’s unusual nickname has been around nearly 100 years. A brand of popular rubber overshoes (called “Zippers”) were being manufactured locally by B.F. Goodrich during the 1920’s. A 1927 student-led “name the team” contest ultimately resulted in the team’s current nickname.

Their Tuesday night opponent would like to borrow some of Akron’s zip.  The U-Mass Minutemen are averaging just 11.5 points per game (worst in the FBS) through its first eight games.

Let’s welcome six new teams to the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 for the week ending Saturday, November 1, 2025!

A group of 7-2 teams (Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Utah, Western Kentucky, and Pitt) won their games over the weekend.  They replace Cincinnati, Miami (FL), UNLV, Tulane, South Florida, and Nebraska in this week’s rankings.

The post Auburn puts Freeze on Ice as IU remains our FBS #1 appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

It’s Halloween week!  Those little ghosts and goblins will soon be hitting the streets on Friday evening in search of treats loaded with sugar and calories and carbs (oh, my!).

Be prepared. Be VERY prepared (and try to save a few of the best treats for yourself!)

The sports world has been quite busy this Halloween week.

You’ve already heard that Grim Reaper paid a visit to LSU.

Brian Kelly lost his head…coaching job on the day following Saturday night’s second-half chainsaw massacre at the hands of Texas A&M in Bat-on Boo-ge!

The Tigers’ football coach was dismissed on Sunday.  Texas A&M’s 8-0 football team played their version of the Monster Mash on 5-3 LSU during a terrifying second half on Saturday night.

The Aggies football team turned most of the 103,000 fans in Tiger Stadium into zombies beginning early in the second half as A&M scored 35 straight points in a 49-25 rout of LSU. 

Thousands of LSU’s walking dead woozily retreated from the aptly named “Death Valley” stadium even before the fourth quarter began.

LSU’s newly unemployed former coach may get the last laugh, though.  A ghoulish $53 million contract buyout through the year 2031 must be paid in monthly installments to now ex-coach Brian Kelly.

Halloween at LSU’s Tiger Stadium hasn’t always been this unpleasant

It was Halloween night in 1959 when LSU’s Billy Cannon ran a punt 89-yards for a touchdown against Ole Miss in the Tigers’ 7-3 victory over the Rebels.

The touchdown run and resulting victory propelled LSU to its first national title in football, and Billy Cannon was awarded the Heisman Trophy.

Time for a Halloween Sports quiz!

Q: What college sports team is known as the Demon Deacons?

A: Wake Forest

Here’s another.

Q: Which NFL team’s mascot was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe?

A: The Baltimore Ravens, of course!

Trick-or-Teeth!

Halloween is coming on Friday. In addition to millions of trick-or-treating kids, there are thousands of eager dentists counting the days before their bookings skyrocket.

One Louisiana university and its football team are celebrating a milestone event

Louisiana Tech University in Ruston is celebrating its 100th Homecoming this entire week.  The highlight comes on Halloween Friday as the 4-3 Bulldogs football team will play a rare Halloween night game against 0-7 spooky Sam Houston State.

The Bearkats from Huntsville, Texas are one of just two remaining FBS major college football teams without a victory this season.  Only 0-8 U-Mass has a worse record thus far in 2025. The next game for the “Boo”-Mass Minutemen will be Tuesday night on the road at the 3-6 Akron Zips.

Struggling Sam Houston has been losing by an average of nearly 28 points per game through its first seven outings.

Beware, Louisiana Tech Homecoming fans!  

Rumor has it that the Sam Houston Bearkats may have enlisted the help of a Halloween witch to place a hex on the Bulldogs team for Friday night’s game (7PM kickoff on CBS Sports Network).

There is a scary slate of Halloween-related football to be played this weekend!

Thursday night’s game featured Marshall sneaking into “Ghostal” Carolina.

Checking the pun-filled Saturday football calendar, there are a number of monstrous “mash”-ups being played as the kids spin in sugar-fueled circles after consuming too much Halloween candy.

My Halloween feature game has 1-7 Oklahoma State at 3-4 Kansas (3PM on ESPN+).

The orange and black OSU Cowboys decided to adopt a Halloween theme to their entire football season.  They have laid a Great Pumpkin on Oklahoma State’s loyal fans this fall.  This team has been scary-bad.  Even their coach for the past 21 years, Mike Gundy, was fired a month ago.

Linus, Sally and Snoopy have been waiting years to finally spot the Great Pumpkin.  Hey, Peanuts gang!  Take a visit to Stillwater, Oklahoma this fall to find the real one.

Other Halloween-themed college football games on Saturday include:

The Duke Boo Devils @ Clemson – 11AM

Indiana Boo-siers @ the Maryland Terror-pins– 2:30PM on CBS

Hunchback of Notre Dame @ Boo-ston College – 2:30PM on ESPN

Pur-Boo @ the Michigan WereWolverines @ 6PM

Georgia Tech @ the NC State WereWolfpack – 6:30PM on ESPN2

Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Florida State – 6:30PM

Hawaii RainBoo Warriors @ San Jose State – 9:30PM

You might get a case of the heebie jeebies from these frightening FCS games Saturday:

Fordham tangles in the web of the Richmond Spiders – 1PM

Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils versus Boo-thune Cookman – 2PM

The Northwestern State Demons try to skewer the McNeese Cowboys – 6PM

Then…beware of the Beaver Moon!

Watch out, Washington State!

The unsuspecting 4-4 Cougars are traveling to play their only Pac-2 Conference game against the only other team in their conference.  A nationally televised game against 1-7 Oregon State will kick-off Saturday at 6:30PM Saturday on CBS.

This might just be a (Beaver) trap game!

The homestanding Oregon State Beavers are counting on some positive lunar effects courtesy of the upcoming full moon – aptly called the “Beaver Moon”!

OK, it doesn’t officially occur until Wednesday, but weird things can and do happen in the days preceding a full moon.

But…is anything scarier than this Sunday morning’s time change?

You may THINK you are going to enjoy going to bed Saturday night and finding an extra hour of time waiting for you on Sunday morning.

Don’t fall for it.  It’s a trap!

This weekend’s semiannual time change puts Daylight Savings Time onto the shelf as we return to Standard time.  Sunday morning allows us to “fall back”, right?

It’s actually a gigantic con job.  You may believe that we are receiving a splendid additional hour to use anyway we please on Sunday morning.

Bwa-ha-ha, but NO!

You are guaranteed to feel woozy all day Monday (and perhaps Tuesday and Wednesday) as your body rebels against this unnecessary time change.  Seeing the sun go down at 5PM next week brings a season of wintertime depression to many of us until this evil time change curse is finally lifted next March.

Now…where did I put that Halloween candy before the kids get here on Friday?

Happy Halloween!

The post This Haunted Halloween Week in Sports appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The stunned silence from football fans in Brookings, South Dakota on Saturday night was much like that coming from LSU’s home crowd 1,200 miles to the south in Baton Rouge.

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits were taken to the proverbial woodshed by rival North Dakota State 38-7.  The Bison shut down the Jackrabbits’ potent running game and snorted their way to a 31-7 halftime advantage as the hometown fans in South Dakota sat in shock.

North Dakota State retained the coveted “Dakota Marker” trophy for another year and improved to 8-0.

South Dakota State dropped to 7-1 and hope they will get another shot at NDSU in the FCS Playoffs which begin right after Thanksgiving.

Let’s quickly review the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 ranking methodology

The defending FCS champions from North Dakota State moved up to the #2 position in this week’s SwampSwamiSports.com FCS rankings.  Most sports fans would award the top spot to the unbeaten Bison based on its recent history (and it has been glorious for NDSU) along with this year’s 8-0 start.

However, the 9-0 Tarleton State Texans have posted one more victory already this season.

The Texans went to West Point to start the season and roped a victory over the FBS Army 30-27.

Sure, Army is only 3-4 this season.  It’s likely that this year’s North Dakota State team is quite capable of beating Army this season, too.

That’s exactly the point of my rankings. 

North Dakota State was not able to find an FBS opponent to play this season.  Nobody in the upper division wants to risk getting beaten by the Bison. 

So, NDSU must keep winning, bide its time, and wait for the right moment in order to overcome Tarleton State.

The SwampSwami rankings give credit to the team with the most wins every week. 

When your favorite team has a bye week, there is the chance that another team will play on that weekend, win, and zoom past your team in the standings in next week’s rankings.

The record of your opponents also matter.  Scheduling and beating a series of cupcakes (sorry about that Tennessee Tech) means that an opponent playing tougher competition will receive more credit in the rankings.

Every week, I will review your FCS team’s won-loss record along with the updated records of the teams which your favorite team has played earlier in this season. 

A win over a 3-1 team early in the season will be discounted if that team has faltered to 3-4 recently.

More weight will be given to a team when their “best win” of the season comes on the road, too.

North Dakota State’s curb-stomping of 7-1 South Dakota State on the road Saturday night vaulted the Bison from #6 last week into the #2 spot this week.

Likewise, Presbyterian’s first loss of the year (35-19 at Dayton) dropped the Blue Hose (now 7-1) from #2 to #7 this week.  The 6-2 Dayton Flyers benefited from a victory over a 7-1 opponent.  They vaulted from #24 last week into the #15 spot one week later.

Your favorite team can only beat the opponents on this year’s schedule, though. 

Scheduling and beating tougher competition should count more in the rankings than a team whose wins have come over competition with weaker season records.

Would #2 (8-0) North Dakota State beat #1 (9-0) Tarleton State?  Perhaps, but we must wait for the FCS playoffs in order to find out.

Wacky Races – Let’s review the Conference records heading into November

Big Sky – The Montana Grizzlies (8-0), the UC Davis Aggies (7-1) and Montana State Bobcats (6-2) are all a perfect 4-0 in the conference.  Montana State faces an uphill climb to secure the conference title.

UC Davis will travel to Montana State to play the Bobcats on Saturday, November 15.  A week later, Montana State hits the road to face intrastate rival Montana in the season finale on November 22.

Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) – The Rhode Island Rams (7-2) and Monmouth Hawks (7-1) are both undefeated in conference play.

Villanova lurks one game back in the CAA race at 5-1.  Rhode Island has one tough road game remaining at 4-4 Maine on November 15.  If they should stumble, Monmouth’s toughest remaining opponent should be a November 8 home encounter against 5-4 New Hampshire.

Ivy League – 6-0 Harvard is the lone unbeaten team in the Ivy League through last weekend.

The Crimson are trailed by one game in the Ivy League Conference standings by a quartet including Dartmouth (5-1), Yale (4-2), Penn (4-2), and Princeton (3-3).  Harvard will host Princeton on November 15 and finish on the road with their annual battle against arch-rival Yale on November 22.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) – The MEAC waited until last weekend to begin conference action.  Delaware State (5-3), South Carolina State (5-3) and Howard (4-4) posted opening week victories to tie for first place at 1-0.

The Delaware State Hornets appear to have a slight “home” edge.  They will host both Howard (November 15) and South Carolina State (November 22) at their home stadium in Dover.

Missouri Valley Football Conference – North Dakota State’s win over previously unbeaten South Dakota State last Saturday put the Bison on top of the MVC standings, too.

NDSU is only ½ game ahead of intrastate rival University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks (6-2).  The battle for state bragging rights in football happens Saturday, November 8 in Grand Forks (home of UND).

Northeast Conference – This is the only conference currently without a representative in my SwampSwamiSports.com FCS rankings.

This week’s top team in the Northeast Conference is Central Connecticut (5-3 overall and 3-0 in conference).  The Blue Devils lead by one game over Duquesne (5-4) and Stonehill (3-5).  Central Connecticut will host Stonehill on November 8 and must travel to Duquesne the following weekend on November 15.

Ohio Valley/Big South Alliance – Unbeaten and #8 ranked Tennessee Tech is off and running this season.

The Golden Eagles are 8-0 overall and 5-0 in conference play.  Gardner-Webb (5-3) and UT-Martin (3-5) are one game behind in the conference standings.  Tennessee Tech will host Gardner-Webb this Saturday at 12 Noon (ESPN+) and close the regular season on the road at UT-Martin on November 22.

Patriot League – Lehigh (8-0 and 3-0 in conference) and Lafayette (5-3 overall and 3-0 in the Patriot) are leading by one game over Georgetown (5-3 and 2-1 in conference action).

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks host the Georgetown Hoyas this Saturday (11AM on ESPN+).  Lehigh will conclude its regular season on November 22 by visiting arch-rival Lafayette to battle the Leopards.

Pioneer Football League – The Drake Bulldogs from Des Moines, Iowa lead a very crowded group atop the Pioneer Football League this week.

Drake is 5-2 and 4-0 in conference play.  Just one game behind is a trio of Dayton (5-2 and 4-1 in conference), Presbyterian (7-1 and 3-1 in the Pioneer), and Butler (5-3 overall and 3-1 in conference).  The Drake Bulldogs travel to Butler this Saturday and must hit the road again to face Dayton on November 15.  This conference race may come down the final week to determine a league champion.  

Southern Conference (So-Con) – A three-way race is underway involving Mercer (6-1 and 5-0 So-Con), Western Carolina (5-3 overall but 4-0 in conference) and Chattanooga (4-4 and 3-1 in the league).

This week’s #12 ranked Mercer Bears have a “bear” of a schedule remaining.  Mercer must travel to 5-3 Furman this Saturday (1PM on ESPN+), go to Western Carolina on November 8 and will return home for Chattanooga on November 15.  That’s a tough finish!

Southland Conference – The surging Lamar Cardinals are 7-1 overall but remain in a three-way tie atop the Southland at 4-0 in the league.

The Southeastern Louisiana Lions (6-2 overall and 4-0 in conference) and Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (6-2 and 4-0 Southland) have a chance to grab the league’s crown, too.  Lamar will face Southeastern LA at home on November 8 and then travel to Nacogdoches, Texas to face SFA the following Saturday on November 15.

Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) – 5-3 Grambling’s road victory at Jackson State (now 7-2) last weekend left the SWAC wide open.

JSU fell into a four-way tie with Alabama State, Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M.  All have one loss in the SWAC’s Eastern Division.  On the west side of the conference bracket, 7-2 Prairie View (4-0 in conference) leads by one game over 4-3 Texas Southern.  The Panthers of Prairie View travel to 5-2 Alabama State this Saturday for a 2PM game which could have a major effect on the SWAC standings.

United Football Conference – Can anyone catch 9-0 Tarleton State?

The only team with a reasonable chance is Abilene Christian (4-4 overall but 3-1 in conference).  Timing is everything, right?  The Tarleton State Texans hit the road for a showdown with the Abilene Christian Wildcats this Saturday afternoon at 3PM (televised on ESPN+).   

A total of 24 FCS football teams (conference champions plus at-large selections) are hoping to qualify for the playoffs and a chance to take home this season’s title in Nashville.   

Let’s check out the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 teams for the week ending Saturday, October 25, 2025:

The post FCS Contenders Emerge as Tarleton State keeps #1 spot appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Sometimes it pays to wait a little bit to calculate my SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings.

Within an hour of completing my weekly research to determine this week’s #1 team (spoiler alert – Indiana remains on top), a friend called to ask if I had heard the big news coming out of Baton Rouge.

LSU head football coach Brian Kelly was fired late Sunday afternoon

Anyone who watched Texas A&M (now 8-0) absolutely demolish LSU 49-25 on Saturday night in Baton Rouge knows why Coach Brian Kelly was fired on Sunday.

The Texas Aggies could have and, perhaps, should have won the game by an even wider margin of victory after steamrolling LSU during the second half.

Believe it or not, LSU was downright lucky during the game’s second quarter

Saturday night’s second quarter saw LSU (now 5-3) block a punt out of the Aggies’ end zone for a two point safety to cut the early Texas A&M lead to 14-9.

After LSU defensive back A.J. Haulsy snagged an interception to save a touchdown in the Tigers’ end zone, senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier lofted a 41-yard jump ball which receiver Barion Brown miraculously hauled in for a first down.  LSU then displayed an effective running game (gasp!) to complete a 75-yard drive with a touchdown and grab a 15-14 lead with three minutes left in the half.

Here come the Tigers!

A deflected pass interception by LSU with under two minutes left in the first half was turned into a 30-yard field goal.  The Tigers looked charmed in taking their 18-14 lead over A&M into the locker room at the break.

The 103,000 fans in attendance were getting excited for the second half as the two schools’ exceptional marching bands took the field for their halftime performances.

You may be asking, “So, why would LSU fire its coach after leading at halftime?”

Texas A&M scored an incredible 35 straight points to start the second half.

It was like watching Saturday morning cartoon legend Roadrunner zooming by a stunned Wile E. Coyote.

Over and over and over again.

Rapidly improving Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed danced and raced for ten or more yards anytime he wanted to.  He had 13 carries for an easy 108 yards and two scores.

Speedy punt return specialist K.C. Conception made LSU’s punt return team look like they were in slow motion as he took a punt 79 yards for an easy third quarter score.

Aggies wide receiver Mario Craver raced through and around LSU defenders as if they were tackling dummies on the practice field.

Texas A&M receivers caught only twelve passes in this game.  They rang-up 202 yards on those completions for an astounding 18 yards per reception and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, LSU’s offense, defense and special teams played as if their feet were sinking in quicksand in Tiger Stadium.

Texas A&M’s 18-14 halftime deficit was quickly converted into a massive 49-18 advantage in the fourth quarter. 

The only noise being heard in the vast Tiger Stadium structure during the second half was coming from 10,000 deliriously “whooping” Texas Aggie fans.

LSU’s home crowd had seen enough by the end of the third quarter.  They departed their beloved stadium in droves much to the joyous delight of those giddy Maroon and White fans congregated in the South end zone.

The Fightin’ Aggie Band serenaded the nearly empty stadium with the “Aggie War Hymn” time after time throughout the second half.  A smattering of remaining LSU fans sat in stunned silence as Texas A&M celebrated its first victory in Tiger Stadium since 1994.

Godzilla could not have created more destruction to this LSU football team

Texas A&M played incredible football in the second half.  They were clearly the better coached and more talented team.  The Aggies are deserving 8-0 and a legitimate national championship contender.

On the other hand, LSU (now 5-3) played like an 0-8 team for most of this game.  The lone exception was a brief first half sighting of a rejuvenated Tigers running game sparked by freshman Harlem Barry (9 carries for 59 yards) and sophomore Cade Durham (5 carries for 36 yards).

Unfortunately, 38-year old LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan effectively ignored the running game for nearly the entire second half.

That left the Tigers’ very banged-up and not-so-fleet footed quarterback Garrett Nussmeier as “target practice” for the attacking swarms of oncoming Aggie defensive rushers.

Those watching in the stadium or at home on television cannot remember LSU taking such a dramatic beating – even from Nick Saban’s national championship squads at Alabama.

Saturday night’s “Beatdown in Baton Rouge” reminded me of those early Godzilla movies.  The gigantic beast (Texas A&M) trampled everything in sight and sent thousands scrambling away as the monster took firm control of, in this case, Tiger Stadium.

LSU raised the white flag on its 2025 season as it fired coach Brian Kelly

Sunday’s sudden dismissal of fourth year football coach Brian Kelly will delight many LSU fans.  The upper Midwesterner was a cultural mismatch from Day 1 in Louisiana, but Kelly’s coaching track record indicated that he could eventually win over the fans with a few championship contenders.

LSU’s 5-3 record in 2025 has featured only one win over an FBS opponent with a winning record (4-3 Louisiana Tech).  The Tigers are now 2-3 in the SEC.  Their season-opening win over preseason #4 Clemson (now 3-4) was an early season mirage.

Athletic Director Scott Woodward (who hired Brian Kelly at LSU and, before that, Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M) now owns the dubious #1 and #2 spots on the highest college football coaching contract buyouts ever to be paid.

Ironically, Jimbo Fisher captured $76 million upon being fired at Texas A&M two years ago.  The 64-year old Brian Kelly’s contract calls for an estimated $54 million to be paid from the coach’s ten year contract through the 2031 football season.

Both of those deals were negotiated by the very same Scott Woodward.  Ouch.

The opening paragraph of Sunday night’s press release by Woodward said, “We had high hopes that he (Kelly) would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships during his time in Baton Rouge. Ultimately, the success at the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize, and I made the decision to make a change after last night’s game.”

That statement said that LSU’s football team will be led by current running backs coach Frank Wilson until a permanent replacement is named.

As a result of Coach Brian Kelly’s dismissal Sunday night, LSU football players are now eligible to enter a special 30-day NCAA Transfer portal opportunity.

Any football players who want to play for another school should depart LSU ASAP.  Those opting to leave right now will not be missed next season in Baton Rouge.

Like the 1977 hit song entitled “Smoke from a Distant Fire”, any departing LSU players and coaches may be serenaded with the phrase, “Don’t let the screen door hit you – on your way out!”

Let’s lighten the mood with this week’s latest SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings for the week ending October 25, 2025!

The post IU stays #1, while LSU played Smelly & Fired Brian Kelly! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Raise your hand if you thought Texas A&M would be 7-0 and ranked #3 (by the AP and SwampSwamiSports.com) at this point of the college football season.

That’s what I thought.  Me, neither.

Recent history has shown the Texas Aggies sounding quite confident early in many seasons but then fading away down the stretch.

The brief audio clip entitled “Sad Trombone” has been appropriate when trying to describe the growing frustration about Texas A&M’s late season football struggles for several decades.

Close, but no cigar!

Texas A&M has yet to play in a national championship game since the 1998 playoff era began with the BCS and, later, the College Football Playoffs.

Aggie fans may remind you that former coach Jimbo Fisher’s 2020 team finished 9-1. 

Alas, Texas A&M’s one loss that year came against Coach Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide during the regular season in the SEC West.  Despite that exceptional record, Texas A&M did not play in either the 2020 SEC Championship game or the College Football Playoff title game.

The 2020 season was the infamous COVID year. 

College football games were played in cavernous, mostly empty stadiums.  No more than 20,000 socially-distanced fans were allowed to enter and watch most college football games in person that year.

Prior to 2020, the 1998 Texas A&M team coached by R.C. Slocum played in a non-championship BCS encounter at the Sugar Bowl after winning the Big 12 Conference title.  The #8 ranked Aggies met #3 Ohio State.

Texas A&M lost to the Buckeyes 24-14.  (Time for that “Sad Trombone” tune again!)

Texas A&M’s last national championship came in 1939!

Coach Homer Norton led the Aggies to a 14-13 Sugar Bowl win over Tulane to finish with a perfect 11-0 record.  That team’s incredible defense gave up only 31 points for the entire season!

Texas A&M University is large, loud, and very proud

In the South, we like to tell a few good-natured Texas Aggie jokes.  Here are a few clean ones!

Q: How did the Aggie die from drinking milk?

A: The cow fell on him!

Q: How do you know when an Aggie has been using the computer?

A: There is white-out on the screen!

Texas A&M has the most on-campus students (72,500) of any traditional university in the United States.

The headcount for the school’s massive Association of Former Students is as large as some developing countries. 

According to their website, more than 574,000 remain in contact with the school.  These very proud former Aggies pride themselves on helping other Aggies to find a job in the business world.

The saying of, “Once an Aggie, always an Aggie” is quite true.

For as much pride as Texas Aggies take in their school, the Texas A&M football team has not measured-up to that same level of success.

It’s not that Texas A&M has a history of fielding lousy football teams.  The Aggies have posted only five losing records in the last 41 seasons since 1983.

They have gone through seven different football coaches during the same period.

Texas A&M football fans desperately want the same thing that Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and all other SEC schools desire.  A championship ring earned by the school’s football team would set-off the biggest celebration in College Station, Texas history.

Playing in the shadow of “Texas University”

Most Texas A&M fans truly despise the state’s flagship university located in Austin.

The second verse of the school’s fight song (The Aggie War Hymn) featuring the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band says it best:

“Good-bye to Texas University

So long to the orange and the white

Good luck dear old Texas Aggies

They are the boys that show the real old fight

“The Eyes of Texas are upon you…”

That is the song they sing so well

So good-bye to Texas University

We’re gonna beat you all to

Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem

Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem

Rough! Tough! Real Stuff! Texas A&M!”

The Aggies wisely decided to exit the Big 12 Conference and join the SEC in 2012.

It was time for Texas A&M to get away from that ever-present burnt orange shadow being cast by “Texas University” (that’s what they call that other school in Austin).  The move has been generally positive for Texas A&M as the Aggies have gained more national attention as a part of the SEC since 2012.

However, the Aggies are still seeking their first SEC football title midway through their 14th season in their new league.

Nobody said it was going to be easy for Texas A&M in the SEC.  The Aggies have watched as Alabama (8 times), Georgia (3 times), LSU (2019), and Auburn (2013) took home SEC football championships.

Texas A&M fans desperately want this year’s surprising 7-0 Maroon and White football team to finally break through and earn a spot in December’s SEC Championship game in Atlanta.

Interestingly, the aforementioned rival “Texas University” (along with The University of Oklahoma) left the Big 12 and joined the SEC last year in 2024.

Worse yet for Aggies fans, the Longhorns qualified to play in the SEC title game last December (losing to Georgia) in their very first year of playing football in the league.

Ouch.

This year’s 7-0 Texas A&M team is all about hard work – without the chest-thumping

Texas A&M is all about being big.

The school has a huge campus in College Station which is the size of a small city to educate, feed, and house more than 70,000 students.  A&M students and “former students” are justifiably proud of their academics, the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, the Fightin’ Aggie Band, and much more.

Detractors of Texas A&M feel that many Aggies go a little bit too far in bragging about their school’s accomplishments.  Especially when it comes to football.

Texas A&M regularly finishes in the top five schools nationally when it comes to signing those highly rated high school football recruits.  Yet the Aggies rarely field a national championship contender in college football.

Former Texas A&M assistant coach Mike Elko returned to College Station last year and became the school’s latest head football coach.

His first head coaching job at Duke University produced two successful years.  A 9-4 record in 2022 followed by 7-5 in 2023 were impressive.  However, no one would suggest that coach Mike Elko was on the verge of taking the Duke Blue Devils to the national title game anytime soon.

Mike Elko accepted an offer to return to Texas A&M as the team’s head coach in 2024 to replace the $76 million dollar man (Jimbo Fisher). 

After Coach Fisher returned to Florida to count his contract buyout loot, it was Mike Elko who quickly burst the inflated ego of many A&M football players.

The coach immediately admonished those highly-rated former high school stars that the Texas Aggies poor record in recent years was not a fluke.  Only by working harder than the four and five star recruits playing at Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, and other SEC schools would bring the Aggies a chance to capture their first SEC football championship team. 

The Texas A&M football players bought into the coach’s message.  They have been putting in the work, too.

Coach Mike Elko’s first season at Texas A&M in 2024 produced an 8-5 record (5-3 in the SEC).

This season’s surprising 7-0 start is a testament to the quiet nature of the coach and his current football team.  He says that this year’s 2025 team has been “doing the work”. 

This year’s Aggies have stayed away from the social media chest-beating.  That is in stark contrast to previous seasons where Texas A&M’s football teams failed to back-up their “woofing” on the field with a championship trophy to prove it.  

The entire SEC (well, almost) will be rooting for LSU to beat Texas A&M on Saturday night in Baton Rouge

This Saturday night will find 7-0 Texas A&M traveling to Baton Rouge to play a very desperate team of 5-2 LSU Tigers.

LSU was humbled last Saturday by 6-1 Vanderbilt 31-24 in Nashville.  The Tigers must run the table (Texas A&M, at Alabama, Arkansas, Western Kentucky and at Oklahoma) to have a chance of reaching the 12-team College Football Playoffs.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M stands alone this week as the only unbeaten team in the league.  Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri, Oklahoma, and, yes, Vanderbilt are all lurking at 6-1.

A loss by Texas A&M will create mayhem in the SEC football standings. 

It would also bring intense delight to fans of those other 6-1 SEC teams if LSU ends Texas A&M’s unbeaten season on Saturday night. 

Recent history favors the Bengal Tigers from Baton Rouge. 

LSU has beaten the Aggies six straight times (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023) in Tiger Stadium since A&M joined the SEC in 2012.  (Perhaps Texas A&M might want to keep that “Sad Trombone” tune on stand-by if they lose Saturday night’s game).

A win by LSU would bring some much needed happiness to Louisiana’s very demanding football fans and relieve some of the pressure being felt by Coach Brian Kelly and his Tigers this week. 

A road trip to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama is still looming for LSU in two weeks.

First, LSU must win on Saturday night to stay alive in the SEC race and, perhaps, to save their coach’s job.

Texas A&M must win on Saturday night to continue its quest to win the school’s first SEC football title since joining the conference 14 years ago.  The Aggies have difficult road games remaining at Missouri (6-1) and arch rival Texas (5-2).  

This week’s game is filled with drama and promises to be special.  Kickoff in Tiger Stadium is Saturday night at 6:30PM.  The game will be nationally televised by ABC.  

The National Weather Service in Baton Rouge is predicting a 60% chance of rain throughout the game on Saturday night.

A chance of rain…in Tiger Stadium…on a Saturday night??

Recently retired LSU public address announcer Dan Borne’ would have one word to say about that.  “NEVER!”*

*But, just in case, the 103,000 fans in attendance might want to consider bringing a yellow poncho and something like a plastic yard waste bag to sit on at the game. 

The post Aggies try to lose that Sad Trombone’s tune at LSU appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Have you looked at the NFL standings this week?  Take note that no team has an unbeaten record through seven games of this season.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins were the last team to accomplish that feat for an entire season.

Teammates from that special Super Bowl winner annually break out the bubbly and raise a toast during the weekend when the final NFL unbeaten team bites the dust.

Can you believe that happened in Week #5 this season?  The Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles both lost on the same weekend after racing to a 4-0 start.

On the negative side, the lowly New York Jets are still without a win.

They are 0-7 through last weekend’s games. The J-E-T-S can set a new NFL record for futility this season if they should finish 0-17.  That previous record of 0-16 was last accomplished by the 2017 Cleveland Browns before the league added an additional game beginning in 2021.

My New Orleans Saints are right behind at 1-6.

The team is playing hard (we’ll call it “competing”) every week but losing nonetheless.  Bumbling General Manager Mickey Loomis has (somehow) managed to keep his job.  Former Saints coach Sean Payton left the Crescent City and has already turned around the formerly lame Denver Broncos.

Saints fans are painfully aware that Coach Payton’s Denver Broncos are 5-2 this season and leading the AFC West.  Geaux Broncos!

Most of the NFL’s marquis teams are playing quite well in 2025

You couldn’t write a better script for this year’s NFL second half of the season. Some of the well known football teams in this list will keep rolling.  Others (pay attention, Dallas Cowboys fans) will fade down the stretch.

Let’s start with the NFC and note how some of these iconic teams are faring:

Philadelphia Eagles – Last season’s Super Bowl champions started 4-0, but the wheels started to come off with two straight losses.  Philly just rediscovered its passing game.  The Eagles are now 5-2 and lead the NFC East – again.

Dallas Cowboys – America’s team (love ’em or loathe them) have a porous defense.  However, the Dallas offense is capable of scoring 35 points every time they take the field. 

A 3-3-1 Dallas Cowboys team has kept their enormous fan base energized. Many (perhaps delusionally) wish/hope/believe that the Cowboys could reach their first NFC championship game in 30 years!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The gritty Bucs are 5-2 and are willing to pillage and plunder any and all NFC South opponents. Tampa Bay’s success will keep the fast-growing Florida market happy – especially if the Bucs can mount a playoff run this season.

Green Bay Packers – The only NFC team with just one loss (including that weird 40-40 tie at Dallas) is meeting early-season expectations.

The 4-1-1 Packers from the NFC North are not dominating opponents, but Green Bay’s improving defense keeps them close most every week.

Detroit Lions – America’s favorite NFL underdog team is winning again this season.  Could the 5-2 Lions finally break through and make their first-ever Super Bowl? 

What do you think, Charlie Brown?

Chicago Bears – Don’t forget about the 4-2 Chicago Bears! Rookie head coach Ben Johnson (former offensive coordinator for NFC North rival Detroit) has da’ Bears and their fans believing.  The city of Chicago is starved for a winner.  Are the Bears going to make some noise in the second half of the NFL season and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018?

Los Angeles Rams – Quarterback Matthew Stafford is playing in his 17th NFL season and, as of this week, remains in good form and health.  Lest we forget, the NFC West Rams won a Super Bowl only three seasons ago.  This well-coached 5-2 Rams team helps to keep millions of southern California fans interested in the NFL during the fall.

San Francisco 49ers – The Rams’ nemesis from northern California is also 5-2.  The 49ers have lost key player after player to injury but keep coming back like “The Black Knight” from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Seattle Seahawks – Don’t forget about the darlings of the Pacific Northwest!  The under-the-radar Seahawks are off to a 5-2 start and part of a three-way tie for first in the NFC West.  This race to the finish line should keep Pacific Coast NFL owners and TV partners quite happy for the next two months.

The AFC’s midpoint features more big name teams with intriguing story lines

New England Patriots – Be honest.  Did anyone predict the Patriots to be 5-2 and ½ game ahead of Buffalo in the AFC East at this point in the season?  Former Patriots player-turned-coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye have millions of New Englanders happy about their football team once again.

Buffalo Bills – We were supposed to pencil-in the Bills into next February’s Super Bowl, right?

Buffalo’s 4-2 start has shown that this team is capable of great play at times, but the Bills can look as if they weren’t prepared to play in some games, too.  That suggests a coaching issue.  Like Detroit in the NFC, Buffalo is one of the AFC underdogs which fans would love to see make it into a Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh Steelers – The 4-2 Steelers have been able to keep 41-year old quarterback Aaron Rodgers upright and relatively healthy thus far.  Pittsburgh’s fast start was expected based on a relatively weak early season schedule. 

The bigger surprise comes from their AFC North nemesis Baltimore Ravens.  Baltimore is just 1-5 and has given Terrible Towel waving Steelers fans reason to be optimistic – at least for now.

Indianapolis Colts – The team with the best record in the entire NFL (6-1) is…Indianapolis?  Much like the Detroit Lions of the NFC, the surprising AFC South (?) Colts have captured the imagination of fans who love a good underdog story.  Can Indianapolis maintain this pace for the second half of the season? Doubtful.

Denver Broncos – Last week’s incredible 33-point scoring outburst in the fourth quarter helped Denver beat the New York Giants 33-32.

Perhaps the 5-2 AFC West Broncos have the right mojo this season and could make a deep playoff run.  Second year quarterback Bo Nix has become a great field general for Denver’s Coach Sean Payton. It doesn’t hurt that Denver’s defense has been stellar.

Kansas City Chiefs – The only 4-3 team which I am listing in this story is also one of America’s favorite teams – the Kansas City Chiefs.  Quarterback Patrick Mahomes just added wide receiver Rashee Rice to his increasingly dangerous wide receiving corps. The Chiefs started 0-2 but have won four of their last five games. Watch out, AFC West!

“I (don’t) want to be a part of it – New York, New York!”

The two pro football teams from singer Frank Sinatra’s legendary “city that never sleeps” have not played well in recent years.  Perhaps the football players on Gotham’s two NFL franchises are in need of MORE sleep!

Unfortunately, the nation’s number one television market features two NFL teams which are unlikely to mount a significant second half turnaround. 

Fans of the improving 2-5 New York Giants and the woeful 0-7 New York J-E-T-S hope that their favorite team might, perhaps, play a spoiler role during the November and December home stretch.

It must be incredibly tough for New York City football fans to be (literally) surrounded by good NFL franchises this season.

Check out the records of the NFL teams located closest to “The Big Apple” thus far:

Upstate Buffalo clocks in at 4-2.  Nearby New England leads the AFC East at 5-2.  Less than one hundred miles to the south via I-95, Philly is leading the NFC East at 5-2.

Each of those teams has a good chance to make the NFL playoffs in January.

The last time the New York Jets qualified for the NFL playoffs was the year 2010.  They are on track to post their 10th consecutive losing season.

The New York Giants last qualified for the NFC Playoffs in 2022 (losing in the first round).  Since then, the Giants sank to 6-11 in 2023 and bottomed at 3-14 last year.

No wonder many New Yorkers seem to be so crusty!

The NFL’s “cards” are showing a full-house

This deck is, indeed, stacked.

NFL teams featuring some of the league’s best players like Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen are positioned for a possible playoff run.  Some of the NFL’s most fervent fans (Dallas, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and Denver) are giddy about their playoff chances.

Some of the NFL’s biggest TV markets (Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia) and biggest underdogs (Indianapolis and New England) are excited about their chances to see possible post-season action, too.

It all makes for a winning hand for the NFL’s franchise owners and its numerous TV partners who have paid billions for the media rights to these weekly games. 

Television ratings for the NFL continue to obliterate every other network or cable television show every week.

Don’t forget about those influential Las Vegas and online gambling interests.  The action is going to be hotter than normal coming down the stretch as the NFL’s thoroughbred teams race toward the 2025 playoffs.

Yes, it’s good to be the (NFL) King!

The post NFL and TV Partners Thrilled as Season nears Halfway Point appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

They call it “The Dakota Marker” game. 

This 75-pound traveling piece of granite is currently in the trophy case at North Dakota State University after last season’s 13-9 home victory over rival South Dakota State.  

This heated series began in 2004 when both North Dakota State and South Dakota State were admitted into the FCS football group.

The Bison maintain a slim 11-10 advantage in this series after last season’s home field triumph at the extremely noisy FargoDome.

Coach Dan Jackson’s Jackrabbits of South Dakota State win 86% of their home games, so the very heavy trophy could be returning south by late Saturday night.

This year’s battle of unbeaten 7-0 FCS titans kicks-off Saturday evening at 7PM at the Jackrabbits home stadium in Brooking, South Dakota.  The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

All 19,430 seats at South Dakota State’s outdoor football stadium were gobbled-up months ago.  A ticket to Saturday night’s battle is currently priced at $105. That cost will keep rising this week prior to kickoff.

SDSU’s rugged defensive coach will face-off with NDSU’s creative offensive coach

South Dakota State football coach Dan Jackson played linebacker for the Jackrabbits from 2003-2005. 

The long-time defensive coordinator is in his first season at SDSU after former coach Jimmy Rodgers accepted a higher paying job at FBS Washington State.

North Dakota State’s head football coach is Tim Polasek. 

The 46-year old former college quarterback at NCAA Division III Concordia (Wisconsin) led the Bison to the 2024 national championship during his inaugural season as the team’s head coach.  He was a long-time offensive coordinator at several colleges.

This Saturday’s game is the FCS version of epic major football rivalries such as Michigan vs. Ohio State, LSU vs. Alabama, and Texas vs. Oklahoma.

Beginning in 2011, the FCS national football title has been won by either North Dakota State (10 times) or South Dakota State (twice) in the past 14 seasons. 

Only current FBS members James Madison (2016) and Sam Houston State (2020) have interrupted the two Dakota titans from winning the national championship in football.

The large college FBS usually schedules FCS teams for homecoming games or as an early season cupcake.

The FBS big boys hesitate to schedule a football game against either North Dakota State or South Dakota State!

The NDSU Bison are 9-4 all time against FBS opponents.

Road wins since 2000 have come against Ball State, Central Michigan, Minnesota (twice), Kansas, Colorado State, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Iowa. 

Little ol’ North Dakota State just can’t seem to find another FBS team which wants to play them most seasons.

Likewise, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits have posted successful road wins at FBS major college teams such as Kansas (2015) and Colorado State (2021).

These two football teams have ruined a lot of homecomings for major college football teams already in the 21st century.

Check out these other top FCS games for this weekend!

Presbyterian (7-0) at Dayton (5-2) – 11AM Saturday on You Tube

This is a Pioneer Football League showdown between the league’s top two teams this season.  The Blue Hose of Presbyterian won last year’s match over the Dayton Flyers 28-7 at home in Clinton, SC.  The winner of Saturday morning’s game in Dayton will have the inside track to grab one of the 24 invitations into late November’s FCS playoffs.

Delaware State (4-3) at North Carolina Central (5-2) – 12 Noon Saturday on ESPN+

This battle for MEAC supremacy also has major consequences for the FCS Playoffs in November.  The Eagles of NC Central fly into this home match-up on a four game winning streak.  Delaware State’s Hornets are lighting up the scoreboard with more than 38 points per outing so far in 2025.

Grambling State (4-3) at Jackson State (5-1) – 5PM Saturday on HBCU-TV

One way or another, the Tigers will come out a winner in this always entertaining SWAC battle in Jackson on Saturday evening.  JSU’s Tigers have won four straight games and have raced to 3-0 mark in the SWAC.  Grambling’s Tigers have been inconsistent at times but have shown flashes of exceptional play, too.  The G-Men won a conference road game at UA-Pine Bluff last week and will bring plenty of enthusiastic fans over to Jackson for this annual battle.

Tarleton State is now 8-0 and continues as our #1 team again for the third consecutive week. 

Let’s take a look at this week’s SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 for the week ending Saturday, October 18, 2025:

The post Clash of FCS Unbeatens – N. Dakota State at S. Dakota State appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Another week, and another team tops the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings.

The latest “one and done” #1 team was the Texas Tech Red Raiders. 

I didn’t observe any celebratory tortilla tossing in Tempe on Saturday by visiting fans from Lubbock, Texas.

One week after getting blown out 42-10 on the road at Utah, Arizona State returned home to face an unbeaten 6-0 Texas Tech squad.

The 4-2 Sun Devils were the surprise winner of the Big 12 last season but had already dropped two games in 2025. 

Their chances to repeat as Big 12 champions meant finding a way to score more than the 14 points per game allowed by a very stingy Texas Tech defense.

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt led his team down the field to score a game-winning touchdown with less than a minute to play as ASU took down Texas Tech 26-22.

Math refresher: 11 minus 5 = 6

Eleven unbeaten teams of just one week ago were reduced to six after Saturday’s college football action. 

Down went Texas Tech.

Ole Miss bit the dust at Georgia.

Boise State obliterated formerly unbeaten UNLV.

Memphis was stopped at the UAB one yard line and fell from the unbeatens.

The perfect season for the Miami Hurricanes was blown away by Louisville.

Only six major college football teams remain perfect after the week of October 18.

One of those six teams must take the baton and become the next top team in the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 for this week.

Hoosier Daddy?

Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti snagged a new contract extension for eight years and a whopping $93 million ($11,625,000 per season).  His Hoosiers are now 7-0 and have grabbed the top spot in this week’s rankings.

IU’s 30-20 road victory two weeks ago over now 6-1 Oregon have lifted the Hoosiers above those other five unbeaten teams and into the top spot for this week.

The big money isn’t going to change one thing about Coach Cignetti’s household.  He plans to continue reviewing game film and plotting new plays from the comfort of his 35-year old green vinyl recliner in the family’s den.

The 64-year old coach probably didn’t earn a lot of money during the first 27 years of his career as an assistant football coach.

He said last week, “We bought the recliner when we got married.  The company has offered to replace it, but they don’t make that kind anymore.  It’s untouchable!”

Curt Cignetti finally received his first head coaching assignment at age 50 at a school also known as Indiana University.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania is located in (of course) Indiana, Pennsylvania which is 46 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Coach Cignetti received the top job in 2011 and immediately transformed the team into a winner.  IUP made it to the NCAA Division II playoffs three times during his six seasons leading the Crimson Hawks.

From there, Curt Cignetti moved up into the FCS and took Elon University (east of Greensboro, NC) to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018.  He was tapped to help transition fast-growing James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA) into the NCAA’s top division (FBS) in the Sunbelt Conference.

Unsurprisingly, Coach Cignetti’s teams at JMU also posted winning records in every season from 2019 through 2023.

Indiana University (that other one in Bloomington, Indiana) offered coach Curt Cignetti a chance to turn around the school’s moribund football program.

Prior to Cignetti’s arrival in 2024, the Hoosiers’ football team had fielded winning teams in just three of the past 29 seasons.  Indiana’s new head coach shocked the football world last year as the Hoosiers finished 11-2 and qualified for the 12-team College Football Playoffs.

Indiana is now 7-0 in 2025.  Coach Cignetti’s family is financially secure for generations to come. 

You can be sure that his ancient green vinyl recliner will remain in the family’s den for good luck for many years to come!

Grim Reaper Report – the firing squad just claimed another victim

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier was sent packing on Sunday even after his team squeaked past Mississippi State 23-21 at home Saturday in The Swamp.  His 3-4 Gators were a respectable 2-2 in the SEC standings through last weekend. 

However, Napier’s overall record of 22-23 was indicative of a team which has failed to show improvements midway through his fourth season at the helm.

Billy Napier will receive half the remaining $21.5 million on his University of Florida contract within the next 30 days.  Investing that $10.25 million early Christmas bonus at even 4% interest could provide Coach Napier’s family with a perpetual $420,000 annual annuity.

He becomes the ninth head coach of an FBS program who has been fired since the 2025 college football season began: 

UCLA – DeShaun Foster

Virginia Tech – Brent Fry

Oklahoma State – Mike Gundy

Oregon State – Trent Bray

Arkansas – Sam Pittman

Penn State – James Franklin

UAB – Trent Dilfer

Colorado State – Jay Norvell

Florida – Billy Napier 

Let’s now turn to happier thoughts and reveal this week’s SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings for the week ending October 18, 2025!

The post Hoosier #1 team this week? IU – That’s who! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Tarleton State University probably isn’t the first sports team in Texas when you think of the nickname “Texans.”  The NFL’s Houston Texans (which began play in 2002) were not the first athletics team in the state to adopt that moniker.

However, it is the 6-0 college football Texans which lead the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS small college Top 25 for the second consecutive week.

Where is Tarleton State?

Tarleton State University is located in Stephenville, Texas.  The city and school are 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth via US Highway 377.

Like many Texas public universities, this school’s enrollment has been quickly growing as more people move into the region.

Tarleton State was founded in 1887 after a generous gift from (you guessed it!) John Tarleton.  The college would later become part of the Texas A&M system.

There are now more than 20,000 students enrolled at Tarleton State University.

The agricultural institution’s yearbook was aptly named “The Grassburr” in 1916 for painfully obvious reasons.

The men’s athletics teams were originally given the unique nickname “Plowboys” by W. J. Wisdom.

He was the school’s head coach for football and basketball beginning in 1924.  Coach Wisdom’s Plowboys’ men’s basketball team once held a national record with 84 consecutive wins between 1934 and 1938.

The year 1961 saw Tarleton State become a four year university.  The school decided it was also time to update the athletic teams’ nickname.

The men became the Tarleton State Texans.  The women’s athletic teams adopted the name “TexAnns” from 1961 until 2019.   The women would change over to the “Texans” nickname starting in 2019.

Tarleton State competed in NCAA Division II for several decades.  The Texans moved into the FCS division in 2024 and are their second season as a member of the United Athletic Conference.

Tarleton State is averaging an incredible 47.4 points per game this season.  That is the fourth highest in the FCS this fall.

This year’s 6-0 start has featured a victory over the now 3-3 FBS Army 30-27.  The strength of that win lifted Tarleton into the top position of the SwampSwamiSports.com rankings.

Potential FCS Game of the Week – 5-1 UT Rio Grande Vaqueros at 5-1 Lamar

Let’s remain in the state of Texas and look at what could be a potential FCS playoff elimination game this Saturday afternoon.

The surprising 5-1 Lamar University Cardinals (#12 this week in my rankings) will host upstart Southland Conference foe UT Rio Grande Valley (also 5-1 and ranked #9 this week) in Beaumont, Texas at 3PM on ESPN+.

Lamar’s football fortunes fell on hard times after its last appearance in the FCS playoffs in 2018.  The Cardinals subsequently went 4-8, 2-4 (COVID-shortened 2020), 2-9, and 1-10 in 2022 prior to firing former head coach Blane Morgan.

New football coach Peter Rossomando has invigorated Lamar’s football program by posting a 6-5 record in 2023 and improving to 7-5 last season.  This year’s 5-1 Cardinals were blown out of their opening game by rising FBS star North Texas (now 5-1).

Lamar has rolled-off five straight wins against FCS opponents.  The Cardinals are 2-0 in the Southland Conference and are tied at the top with Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin (both with 4-2 overall records).

The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros’ only loss in 2025 came on the road three weeks ago in a 45-31 track meet at Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond.  The two teams combined for more than 1,000 yards in total offense.

Lamar’s stats are a bit misleading.  The Cardinals’ have scored 143 points in six games and given up 143 on defense.

Excluding the Cardinals’ 51-0 opening game loss at North Texas, Lamar is averaging 29 points on offense and allowing a meager 18 points per game defensively against five FCS foes.

Saturday afternoon’s game in Beaumont should be a dandy!

Will 5-2 Sacred Heart find a way to upset the 6-0 Montana Grizzlies?

Another top FCS game this Saturday features FCS independent team Sacred Heart Pioneers (5-2 and my #22 ranked team) traveling across country to play the team with one of the best home field advantages in the country.

The Big Sky Conference Montana Grizzlies are 6-0 (ranked #6 this week) and win an astonishing 89% of their home games in Missoula.

The team’s 25,000 seat stadium is always filled with very enthusiastic and noisy fans.

Interestingly, Sacred Heart plays its home games in a cozy 3,300 seat stadium in Fairfield, Connecticut.

The intimidation factor for the homestanding Griz is much like LSU’s extremely noisy Tiger Stadium for visiting teams.  Home field advantage for Montana could make for a very difficult road trip for Sacred Heart.

The game kicks-off at 2PM CDT Saturday afternoon and may be seen via ESPN+.

Now, let’s take a look at this week’s SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 teams for the week ending Saturday, October 11, 2025:

The post Texans (Tarleton, not Houston) Remain atop FCS Top 25 appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

One of the oddest traditions in college football happens on Saturdays in Lubbock, Texas.

Thousands of Texas Tech Red Raider fans gleefully launch tortillas into the air like miniature Frisbees.  Some tortillas will fly far enough to reach the football field.

It happens as the game kicks-off and, assuming there are enough tortillas still available, during every other Red Raider kick-off following a score by the home team.

Various stories exist about how this unusual 30+ year tradition came into existence.

The most logical version dates back to the early 1990’s.  That’s when an ESPN announcer reportedly said that “Lubbock had nothing more than Texas Tech and a tortilla factory.”

The NCAA and Big 12 Conference have not been happy with the Texas Tech tortilla tossers.

The refs assessed the home team with 15-yard penalties on two occasions during last Saturday’s 42-17 rout of Kansas.

The Big 12 Conference athletic directors voted 15-1 in favor of disciplining home teams whose fans throw items onto the field of play during games.

Guess which school voted against it?  

Texas Tech students attempted to push back a few years ago as 7,500 signed a Change.org petition requesting a presidential order from President Trump (during his first term) to permit the tortilla toss tradition to continue.

Apparently, the requested executive order (wait for it) fell flat!

Texas Tech fans should (safely, of course) toss a tortilla into the air today in celebration.

That’s because the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 has elevated the Red Raiders into the coveted #1 position in this week’s latest FBS rankings.

This week’s new #1 team is 6-0 with the Red Raiders’ best win of the season coming on the road. 

They soundly defeated 5-1 Utah by an impressive 34-10 margin.

Texas Tech emerged from a massive traffic jam of ten teams with a 6-0 record for games played through October 11.  One one more competitor (Miami, FL) is close behind at 5-0.

The Red Raiders will be tested on the road this Saturday and face 4-2 Arizona State in Tempe.  Kick-off is at 3PM CDT on FOX.

Last week’s only 6-0 team (Memphis) fell back into #5 this week after their bye week.

Game of the week (which almost no one saw): UNLV 51, Air Force 48

This ping-pong match saw six lead changes and 48 points scored – in the fourth quarter alone!

The Runnin’ Rebs scored the go-ahead touchdown with only 39 seconds left.  However, Air Force soared down the field but missed a potential game-tying 40-yard field goal as time expired.

UNLV (now 6-0 and ranked #9 in this week’s SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25) allowed 1-5 Air Force to convert a whopping 32 first downs and rumble for 428 yards on the ground.  The Runnin’ Rebs connected for 377 yards via the air and rushed for another 220 yards to keep pace.

These two defensively-challenged Mountain West teams combined for 1,200 yards of total offense last Saturday.

Penn State begins writing HUGE annual checks to ex-coach James Franklin

I was quite surprised to learn that Penn State fired long-time head coach James Franklin on Sunday after the football team’s disappointing 3-3 start.  The Nittany Lions went 13-3 last season and were eliminated in the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs.

Somehow, the former Vanderbilt coach will find some financial solace in being paid $7 million per year through the year 2031.  His $49 million contract buyout is the second largest ever.

Jimbo “Richie Rich” Fisher was fired from Texas A&M two years ago.

He received a $76 million parting gift from some wealthy AggieLand athletics benefactors.

James Franklin won nearly 70% of his games (104-45) in his dozen years at Penn State.  As I mentioned last week, Nick Saban’s four year coaching record at LSU featured “only” a 70% winning percentage but included one national championship. 

Nick Saban to the rescue at Penn State?

Would Penn State try to lure the soon-to-be 74-year old coach Saban into making one final comeback?

Timing is everything.

Nick Saban has taken a long sabbatical and better understands the new NIL game being played in college football.  He is a native of nearby northern Ohio, too.

The coach just might be a perfect fit for (let’s say) a 5-year gig in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania.

Personal note to Nick Saban – Do it!

You deserve better than having to share the ESPN College Football Game Day desk on Saturdays with that goofball Pat McAfee.  Go for it, Coach!

Let’s unveil this week’s SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 FBS teams for the week ending Saturday, October 11, 2025.  The small college FCS rankings will be published later today.

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