SwampSwamiSports.com presents my first attempt to rank every team playing in the NCAA’s FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) for games played through Saturday, October 4, 2025.

The FBS (large division) schools have the Associated Press (media-based) and AFCA (the coaches) providing their own weekly poll.  Of course, yours truly entered that field several years ago and just published his first rankings for the new season today.

The FCS (formerly called NCAA Division 1-AA) currently features a Coaches Poll and another (media) poll called STAT.

You will be able to see this week’s Coaches’ poll to compare against the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS rankings this week.

How did the FCS Coaches’ Poll have the 2-3 Idaho Vandals at #13 this week?

This FCS Coaches’ Poll apparently gives a lot of weight to teams which have performed well in previous seasons.  Idaho has been a regular in the 24-team FCS playoffs.

Perhaps that is why the 2-3 Idaho Vandals are ranked #13 in this week’s Coaches’ Poll.  They came in at #71 (correct) in mine.

Idaho lost two close games at FBS members Washington State (13-10) and San Jose State (31-28).  The Vandals were beaten at 5-0 Montana (41-30).  Idaho performed well against three tough opponents, but that is still three losses in five games.

Their two wins have come at home by just seven points against 2-3 St. Thomas (Minnesota) and by 14 points over 1-5 Utah Tech.

Let’s see how well Idaho plays the rest of this fall.  If Idaho starts to rack-up the wins, they will move up my rankings in the next few weeks.

The FCS has some really cool team nicknames!

The NCAA’s small college division features 129 teams this season.

Longtime FCS power Delaware (the Blue Hens) moved up into the now-136 team FBS larger school division this season.  They joined Missouri State in becoming members of Conference USA.

I discovered that many FCS teams have some rather interesting nicknames, too.

Today’s initial FCS Top 25 will feature the Mountain Hawks, Jackrabbits, Bison, Paladins (a knight, by the way), Salukis, Hornets, and the Governors.

The lower portion of this week’s FCS rankings will find the Delta Devils (Mississippi Valley State), the Penguins (Youngstown State), the Leathernecks (Western Illinois), the Sharks (Long Island University), two sets of Lumberjacks (Stephen F. Austin and Northern Arizona), and the Fighting Camels (Campbell).

Check it out!

The FCS has fewer unbeaten teams than the large school division FBS

There are fewer unbeaten teams (eight) in the FCS through October 4 as compared to the larger division FBS (15) this week.

That’s because many FCS schools accept one or two invitations per year to travel to the bigger schools and play for a large financial guarantee.  Paydays of several hundred thousand dollars give a boost to smaller schools’ athletics budgets.

North Dakota State has dominated the FCS football group for much of the past two decades.

The Bison have won ten of the past 14 football titles.

Missouri Valley rival South Dakota State Jackrabbits has claimed two national championships during the past three seasons.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference seems loaded again this season with three teams in the initial SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 rankings this week.

There are 13 FCS Conferences plus two teams playing as independents (Merrimack Warriors and Sacred Heart Pioneers).

Let’s provide the rules for the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 rankings:

There you have it!

Each team should stand on its own merit based on this year’s body of work.  By the end of the season, some of the long-time favorites may work themselves back into the upper tier and be worthy of another invitation into the 24-team FCS playoffs beginning the weekend of November 29.

Let’s give credit to this week’s top teams as we unveil the entire 129-team FCS rankings for games played through Saturday, October 4, 2025!

The post FCS (1-AA) Small College Rankings for all 129 teams! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

It’s October and time for the return of the ever-popular SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings! 

This week, I provide a ranking for all 136 FBS (large division) college football teams.

This poll is not like the others.  Wins and losses really matter here.  A victory over a competitive opponent also carries more weight than playing the resume builders.

Don’t come crying if your team already has two losses (Penn State, Notre Dame, Florida State and Texas, for example). 

They aren’t in this week’s Top 25.

Those teams do have time to correct course, win more games, and might (eventually) climb back into the Top 25 before season’s end.  Beating a quality opponent (such as 5-0 Oklahoma this Saturday, Texas fans) actually carries a lot of weight here.

My SwampSwamiSports.com rankings are a snapshot of the season’s results through the end of each weekend of play.  This week’s top group of teams could easily change should a someone lose a game or your past opponents suffer losses, too.

Ohio State is the defending national champion, but the 5-0 Buckeyes are not in the top spot of this week’s initial rankings.  They are in the top five, though.

If you are new to my site (welcome!), here are my rules for ranking college football teams on SwampSwamiSports.com:

So, a 6-0 team this week will trump (at least for one week) any 5-0 team. 

That’s just the way the schedule goes.

The other 5-0 squads are evaluated to determine the record of the best team which they have defeated in 2025.  All unbeaten teams, though, are ranked ahead of those with one-loss.

Teams playing early-season cream puffs will be discounted – regardless of its national name recognition.

My rankings tend to give more weight to mid-majors than the AP and Coaches’ Polls

Yes, this poll gives mid-major teams such as this week’s group of Memphis, North Texas, Navy, and UNLV a boost.  Unfortunately, all they can do is win the games on their schedule.

Speaking of UNLV, the 5-0 Runnin’ Rebs defeated 1-4 UCLA 30-23 back in Week #2.  UCLA fired its coach.  The Bruins apparently turned around and spanked highly-rated Penn State 42-37 last weekend.

The AP still does not list UNLV in its top 25 this week. 

They are #15 in mine.

Last Monday found 20 unbeaten FBS teams remaining.  Five undefeated teams bit the dust last weekend to leave 15 without a loss in the 136 large school division.

There are also three teams who are still searching for their first win. 

Sam Houston and U-Mass are both 0-5, but the Oregon State Beavers are 0-6 and have achieved the coveted #136 ranking at the bottom this week.

Find your favorite school! All 136 FBS teams were ranked this week!

Note – If you are looking for my initial FCS (small college) rankings, I will release those results a little later this evening in a separate post.

Let’s roll into the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 for the week ending October 4, 2025:

The post Return of the SwampSwami College Football Top 25! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

By now you’ve read about last weekend’s ugly fan treatment of the European golf team as the United States hosted the biennial Ryder Cup matches at Bethpage Black Golf Course east of New York City.

It’s one thing to lustily boo your opponent in a sports competition. 

Showering the visiting golfers and their families with *-bombs and alcoholic beverage baths took boorish behavior to a new low last weekend at the Ryder Cup.

For the record, I’m not a Rory McIlroy fan.  I find him a bit too egotistical on the golf course.

Rory did not deserve to be greeted at the first tee at last weekend’s Ryder Cup by thousands of inebriated New York fans with a lusty chorus of “’#$@! you’, Rory!” either.  McIlroy’s wife (who made the mistake of coming to support her husband) received an unexpected beer shower during one round last weekend.

NBC’s audio team did a fabulous job of minimizing the vulgarities and jeering crowds throughout the weekend.  The crew deserves an Emmy for their creative work in keeping the foul language minimized to American viewers at home.

It was downright embarrassing.

The Ryder Cup is a big money grab by the PGA Tour and PGA European Tour

Golf fans paid an incredible $750 (correct!) to buy one of the 50,000 daily tickets sold to the 2025 Ryder Cup.  Reports confirmed that the golf course was so crowded that most fans didn’t enjoy the experience – even if the Americans would have won (they didn’t).

The ticket revenue from this three day golf event amounted to a cool $112.5 million.

The good news?  That $750 daily ticket came with one free sandwich, bag of chips, and a soft drink – at no cost!

Beer was sold for $15 per can.  American golf fans cried in a lot of beer during the first two days of the Ryder Cup. 

It’s safe to say that the worldwide television rights, spectator boxes, practice round passes, refreshments, programs, and other merchandising associated with the Ryder Cup easily generated at least an additional $100 million worth of loot for the PGA Tour and PGA European Tour.

Surprisingly, the 12 European golfers only received complimentary transportation, lodging, and food for their 15-13 win last weekend.  That’s because PGA European Tour needs that boatload of Ryder Cup money to financially prop-up their tour during most seasons.

The US-based PGA Tour handed the American team a $300,000 charitable contribution plus a $200,000 discretionary payment this year.  Most American golfers added the incremental portion to their charity(s) of choice.

It’s good to be a multi-millionaire golfer in the year 2025, isn’t it?

Large passionate home crowds + alcohol = A recipe for problems

The growing issue of fans behaving badly usually involves the combination of large numbers of very passionate sports fans plus alcohol to loosen their inhibitions.  It can make for a very explosive combination.

It’s not a new phenomenon.

A pudgy 22-year old Jack Nicklaus was involved in an 18-hole playoff against western Pennsylvania’s golf superstar Arnold Palmer in the 1962 US Open at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh. 

Arnie was ten years older and at the peak of his golf career.

Local fans showered Jack Nicklaus with untimely “Fat Jack” comments all day throughout the 18-hole  playoff.

Jack Nicklaus (whose father was in the gallery) said afterwards that he was so focused on winning that he didn’t even hear the heckling and jeers.  The coy younger Nicklaus won by three strokes to claim his first major championship.  Arnold Palmer expressed disappointment with the poor sportsmanship displayed by some of his most loyal fans.

The Phoenix Open’s 16th hole has added more fuel to the golf flames

What could possibly go wrong when tournament organizers squeeze 20,000 golf fans into the grandstands surrounding a 180-yard par-3 hole and sell alcoholic beverages all day long?

The now famous 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale (Arizona) golf course has become the show-within-the-show at February’s annual Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Golfers walk into the 16th hole arena much like it is a bullfighting ring.  The loosened-up crowd loudly cheers for good shots but won’t hesitate to lustily boo any golfer who (gasp!) should miss the green on his tee shot.

Many PGA Tour players enjoy this unique hole and play along with the spirited (hic!) crowd.  Other golfers have made it a point to skip this tour event entirely due to the mayhem and circus atmosphere at the 16th hole.

A little bit definitely goes a long way.

Profane – “To treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt; to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use”

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition seems appropriately applied to some of the fans’ behavior at last weekend’s Ryder Cup in New York City.

Remember the movie Happy Gilmore when cocky veteran pro golfer Shooter McGavin hired a heckler to shout a well-known phrase during Gilmore’s backswing?

Last weekend’s crowd at the Ryder Cup made European golfers (Rory McIlroy in particular) feel much the same way – just with more gusto and colorful metaphors.

College home crowds have become more profane, too

College football and basketball fans are notorious for getting carried away with emotion.

Hours of pre-game parties filled with alcohol can inspire some of the home team’s fans to invent some rather creative but profane chants toward opponents.

Duke basketball’s “Cameron Crazies” are true collegiate professionals when it comes to inventing creative chants, heckling, and jeers aimed at the opposing players. 

Some can be downright funny and (begrudgingly) chuckled at by the opponents. Other times, the student section’s chants can turn personal and degrade into the profane variety.

Last Saturday’s Brigham Young University at University of Colorado Big 12 Conference football game turned ugly.  Some CU fans shouted a variety of expletives and religious slurs aimed at the Mormon-based Utah school’s team and its fans.

The Big 12 Conference handed down a $50,000 fine to Colorado on Monday for the profanity hurled toward BYU.

This past spring, the Big 12’s University of Arizona basketball fans also shouted similar “#$@! the Mormons” chants as BYU took a one-point win.

Brigham Young fans aren’t exactly the friendliest bunch at their home games, though.  Ask long-time rival Utah about how competitors can be treated when coming to play in Provo.

Code-of-conducts are being ignored

To its credit, the University of Colorado already had a Code of Conduct in place for its athletic events. A portion of the Colorado code states:

“Guests will enjoy the game day experience free from disruptive behavior including foul, abusive, obscene or discriminatory  language or gestures. Guests found not adhering to these policies are subject to ejection without refund and loss of current or future tickets to all Colorado Athletic events.

You cannot stop a game to identify and eject hundreds or even thousands of rowdy home fans. A chant started by a small group can quickly spread to thousands in mere seconds.

It’s much like seeing a small group of fans get “The Wave” started in a football stadium filled with nearly 103,000 fans.  

Speaking of LSU, one of my sons played trumpet in the LSU Tiger Band years ago. A longtime favorite song (Tiger Rag) had to be discontinued for several years after the student section added a phrase akin to “Dirt Bags” to a section of that song.

LSU’s rendition of the song “Neck” has become so profane that even Mike the Tiger’s ears turn red when he hears the vulgar phrase added by fans to a portion of that song.

In defense of LSU’s current generation of fans, it was 1959 when Tiger fans began chanting the spirited “Go to He**, Ole Miss!” aimed at their bitter rivals from Oxford.

It’s time to use technology to encourage better fan behavior

Nearly every college and professional sports team features one or more large electronic message boards to provide the score, stats, information, and, of course, advertisements.

It would be very easy for sports teams to increase the use of those massive billboards before and during games to remind overzealous fans about the likelihood of being ejected and the home team penalized for profane outbursts.

Perhaps visiting coaches could be permitted to throw a red flag and pull their teams off the field for a few minutes to delay the game until the home team is able to settle down its fans.

The game officials could (perhaps) assess the home team with a time-out or some type of additional penalty/foul due to the unsportsmanlike actions from its fans. The home crowd is most likely to positively respond to a request from their own coaches and players to settle down.

It’s worth a try!

Legendary Deputy Barney Fife could be shown on the video boards with a stern warning to “Nip it in the bud!”

The post Time to “NIP IT!” appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Welcome to October!  Temperatures (for many) will soon be falling into a more comfortable range very soon.

Sadly, it will remain well over 90 degrees in my area for at least another week.  Drat.

Most college football teams have played at least four games thus far.  The college season has been stretched to 12 games, so that means we’re only 1/3 of the way home.  A conference championship game and the 12-team playoff will await the “lucky” survivors.

The Associated Press boldly provided a preseason Top 25 ranking nearly two months ago and now shuffles the deck every week. 

You might remember that preseason poll featured Clemson (now 1-3) as the #4 team.  Ouch!

Here are the AP’s top 5 teams for this week:

The American Football Coaches Association had the same #1-4 teams but elevated 4-0 Texas A&M into their #5 position.  The AP had the Aggies at #6.

Sorry, A&M fans.  It isn’t a big “whoop!” to be #6 right now. 

That’s because there are still twenty unbeaten FBS teams out of the total of the 136 college football teams playing in the NCAA’s upper division!

Any one of these unbeaten teams that could finish at 12-0 would be a virtual lock to participate in the 12-team College Football Playoffs in December.

Let’s meet those 20 unbeatens!  First, the 5-0 teams (alphabetically)

Georgia Tech (5-0) – The AP’s #17 team has been one of the biggest surprises of the college football season.

The Ramblin’ Wreck had to rally in the final two minutes last week, avoid its first accident (loss), and eventually defeated a tough 2-2 Wake Forest team.  G-Tech’s remaining ACC schedule does not include Miami or Florida State, but the Yellow Jackets must face rival Georgia in the final regular season game of the season.

Indiana (5-0) – These Hoosiers appear to be for real.  The AP’s #8 team clobbered formerly unbeaten Illinois 63-10 and will next play at unbeaten Oregon in two weeks.  IU must also travel to AP #7 Penn State in November.  The Hoosiers do not have #1 Ohio State on this year’s regular season schedule.

Iowa State (5-0) – The Big 12 Cyclones are the AP’s #14 team this week.

A favorable schedule shows BYU (currently at #23) and Arizona State (#25) as the only ranked teams blocking Iowa State’s path to an unbeaten season.  The Cyclones’ defense has played exceptionally well in each of the first five games.

Memphis (5-0) – American Conference leader Memphis took down Arkansas (now 2-3) a few weeks ago but has yet to crack the AP Top 25.  These blue-clad Tigers have a very favorable schedule and could run the table.

Missouri (5-0) – Would you believe that Missouri Tigers (the AP’s #17 team) have played their first five games at home?

Mizzou’s sixth game of the season will also be at home on October 11 against 4-1 Alabama.  Missouri’s next six SEC games will find the Tigers traveling to play four of them.  Oof!

North Texas (5-0) – The Mean Green are 5-0?  Indeed, they are!  The American Conference’ second 5-0 team has scored 33 or more points in each game this season (did you catch that, LSU?).  Unranked North Texas does not have a Top-25 team on its remaining schedule.

Ole Miss (5-0) – Coach Lane Kiffin’s team has zoomed out the gate to another impressive start in 2025.

The Rebels took down formerly unbeaten LSU last week to move into the AP’s #4 spot. Back-to-back road games at Georgia and Oklahoma in mid-October will be crucial for Ole Miss to position itself for a playoff spot.

Oregon (5-0) – This year’s NIL champion ($40 million paid to its players) finds #2-ranked Oregon in an excellent position after five games.

An October 11 meeting with unbeaten Indiana is the only remaining Top 25 game on the Ducks’ schedule.

Vanderbilt (5-0) – The good news?  Vandy is 5-0 for the first time since 2008! 

The bad news?  The #16-ranked Commodores must face four Top 25 opponents in its remaining seven games.

There are 11 additional teams which are 4-0 as of October 1

BYU (4-0) – The Cupcake Cougars of the Big 12 have enjoyed several games against lesser competition.  A trio of Big 12 games against rival Utah, at Iowa State, and at Texas Tech will test #23 BYU.  

Houston (4-0) – This other Big 12 team of Cougars narrowly avoided cat-astrophe last Friday night.

U of H rallied from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat winless Oregon State.  A nationally televised game this Saturday night (6PM CDT on ESPN) has unranked Houston playing host to #11 Texas Tech.

Louisville (4-0) – The preseason pastries have now vanished from Louisville’s remaining schedule.  The unranked Cards will host AP #24 Virginia this Saturday (2:30PM on ESPN2) and then travel to play the #3-ranked Miami Hurricanes on Friday, October 17.

Maryland (4-0) – Terrapins aren’t known for being very quick creatures.  Maryland’s first month schedule was incredibly easy, so the AP does not have them ranked yet.

The Terps should move (slowly, of course) up the national rankings should they defeat three Top 25 teams over their next six games.

Miami (FL) (4-0) – It just feels like #3-ranked Miami is ready to hoist a national championship banner in South Florida.  They bought (with the help of pirate-sized NIL loot) top-tier quarterback Carson Beck away from Georgia.  The Canes play exceptional defense and allow less than 12 points per game.  Saturday night’s clash with #18 Florida State (6:30PM CDT on ABC) will be the final game on Miami’s schedule against a Top 25 opponent.

Navy (4-0) – The third team from the American Conference with an unblemished record this week is the Naval Academy.  The unranked Midshipmen could sail through October. Navy must will face a trio of tough road games in November by traveling to North Texas, Notre Dame, and Memphis.

Ohio State (4-0) – Last year’s national champion sits atop the polls much like King Kong on the Empire State Building.

The #1 Buckeyes vanquished Texas 14-7 in the opening week.  The Big Ten schedule for Ohio State is always filled with cream puffs.  A month from now will find the Buckeyes playing Penn State and then traveling to rival Michigan.

Oklahoma (4-0) – Boomer Schooner is sailing along this week with a lofty #5 AP ranking after a fairly easy first month.

Don’t look now, but OU’s final seven games will feature six teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25.  We might consider handing the national championship trophy to Oklahoma if they (somehow) emerge at 12-0 at the end of November!

Texas A&M (4-0) – Former Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher is playing golf somewhere right now and enjoying his $70 million contract buyout.  Second year skipper Mike Elko must navigate his surprising #6-ranked Aggies through four very tough road games (at Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, and arch-rival Texas) during the final six weeks of the season.

Texas Tech (4-0) – The fourth unbeaten team from the Big 12 Conference might have the easiest path to a perfect regular season.

Road games at Houston (this Saturday) and at Arizona State along with a home game against BYU appear to be the biggest remaining hurdles.  The #11-ranked Red Raiders are seeking to ride into the College Football Playoff corral for the first time in school history this season.

UNLV (4-0) – The Rebels are the lone Mountain West team with an unbeaten record.  UNLV has scored 30 or more points in each of its first four games.  A Saturday, October 18 road game at 3-1 Boise State appears to be the biggest hurdle remaining for the unranked Rebels to clear.

Don’t forget about the 11 unbeaten FCS teams!

This year, SwampSwamiSports will provide a weekly Top 25 ranking for both the FBS (large school division) and (new for this year) the smaller FCS grouping of teams.

October 1 finds just 11 of the 129 FCS college football teams without a loss.

There are only four FCS teams with a 5-0 record starting October:

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (Patriot Conference)

Presbyterian Blue Hose (Pioneer Football League)

Tarleton State Texans (United Football Conference)

West Georgia Wolves (United Football Conference)

Four additional teams have a 4-0 mark through last weekend’s games:

Montana Grizzlies (Big Sky Conference)

North Dakota State Bison (Missouri Valley)

South Dakota State Jackrabbits (Missouri Valley)

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (Ohio Valley/Big South)

Three Ivy League teams are now 2-0 as those schools didn’t play a game until September 20:

Dartmouth Big Green

Harvard Crimson

Yale Bulldogs

Will any FBS or FCS team emerge with a perfect record at the end the season?

The 2024 FBS champion Ohio State finished with 14-2 record in January as the winner of the first 12-team College Football Playoffs.

Last year’s FCS winner was North Dakota State – which also finished with a 14-2 season mark.

It is incredibly difficult to navigate 16 (or, possibly, 17) games to a perfect season.  

The number of unbeaten teams will start to dissipate as the college football season continues.

Come back on Monday (October 6) to check out this season’s initial SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings for EVERY FBS and FCS team for games played through Saturday, October 4.  

The post Introducing the Unbeaten College Football Teams! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

What a great weekend of sports!

Golf’s Ryder Cup was held outside of New York City.  The Major League Baseball season ended without the Houston Astros making the playoffs for the first time since 2016.  A number of exciting college and pro football games were played, too.

Can we discuss lunch in Lafayette, LA?

The UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns football team had revenge on their minds Saturday afternoon in the south Louisiana swamp.  Marshall University had trounced the Louisiana Ragins’ 31-3 at Cajun Field in Lafayette last December to capture the 2024 Sunbelt Conference title.

Marshall returned to the scene of last year’s triumph on Saturday in the first Sunbelt Conference game for both teams.

The Herd thundered out to a 34-17 third quarter lead to send a “Haven’t we seen this before?” chill over the home crowd at the recently-renovated Cajun Field.

UL-Lafayette coach Michael Desormeaux then handed the football to his back-up quarterback as starter Daniel Beale continued to struggled.

It was Lunch time in Lafayette!

Redshirt sophomore back-up signal caller Lunch Winfield entered the game and quickly satisfied the crowd of 20,125 hungry Ragin’ Cajun hometown fans.  Lunch (yes, that’s his real name) ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 125 yards and two more scores as UL-Lafayette rallied to take a thrilling 54-51 double overtime win over Marshall.

Lunch Winfield was a high school championship quarterback at Louisiana Class 4-A Lu(n)tcher High School outside of New Orleans.

If the Ragin’ Cajuns (now 2-3) should need a lift at quarterback in a future game, fans will start the “Lunch time!” chant.

Louisiana Tech’s defense feasted on five interceptions to win at UTEP

The Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech moved to 4-1 as the defense scored 12 points on two “pick-6” interceptions returned for touchdowns in a 30-11 win over the University of Texas at El (Intercepted) Paso Saturday night.

Louisiana Tech’s defense has already delivered five defensive touchdowns this season.

UTEP turned the ball over five times on errant passes, while Louisiana Tech (now 2-0 in Conference USA play) gifted four turnovers back to the 1-4 Miners.

UL-Monroe ended a 15-game losing streak to Arkansas State with a 28-16 win

Those pesky Red Wolves from Arkansas State had defeated the UL-Monroe Warhawks on the football field in every season since 2009.

Surprisingly, ULM designated Arkansas State for its homecoming game in 2025.  A crowd of nearly 21,000 celebrated as the Warhawks rallied from an early 10-0 deficit to thrill the homecoming fans with a 28-16 victory over their long-time nemesis from Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Coach Bryant Vincent’s Warhawks (now 3-1) will fly to Chicago for this Saturday’s 2:30PM CDT match-up with Northwestern University (2-2) of the Big Ten Conference.

Yes, LSU’s offense is as bad as we thought

Coach Brian Kelly was offended by a reporter’s post-game question a few weeks ago after the LSU Tigers’ offense looked anemic in a 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech. 

He later apologized and reminded fans that last season’s LSU offensive line had sent three players into the NFL and his new offensive line was still learning.

Ole Miss (now 5-0) rolled to 28 first downs on Saturday versus just 16 for LSU in a 24-19 home victory over the Tigers.  LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier struggled once again and passed for only 197 yards against the Rebels.  The Tigers’ running game was virtually non-existent with just 59 yards on 21 carries (2.8 yards per carry).

LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan’s job is looking shaky after LSU again failed to score more than 23 points against its fourth FBS opponent of the season.  The Tigers (now 4-1) dropped from #4 to #13 in Sunday’s AP Poll.  They have this week off to prepare for South Carolina coming into Tiger Stadium on Saturday, October 11.

Wahoo!  Virginia downed #8 Florida State in double OT

The University of Virginia football team has not posted a winning season since 2019.  Virginia’s football stadium in Charlottesville still had 10,000 empty seats on Friday night as the 3-1 Cavaliers were hosting 4-0 Florida State in an important early season ACC match-up.

This exciting game went back and forth, but Virginia couldn’t put Florida State away in regulation.  Virginia gave up a game-tying fourth down touchdown pass by Florida State during the final seconds of regulation as the Seminoles were able to force overtime.

However, UVa prevailed during the second overtime period and sealed the victory with a fourth-down interception of Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

Coach Tony Elliott was ecstatic as thousands of fans stormed the field immediately following Virginia’s 46-38 double overtime win over Florida State.

“Man, how fun was that? exclaimed Virginia’s head football coach. “That’s what I envisioned when I decided to take the job here!”

NFL – Micah Parsons returned to Dallas Sunday night and nobody won!

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Micah Parsons was traded to Green Bay one week before the start of the regular season.  NBC’s Sunday Night Football game featured Parsons’ new team (Green Bay) coming to Dallas to play the defensively-challenged Cowboys.

The two teams traded offensive punches and finished regulation in a 37-37 tie.  The NFL’s curious 10-minute overtime period saw both teams kick a field goal and the game end in a very unsatisfactory 40-40 tie.  Green Bay dropped to 2-1-1 and Dallas is now 1-2-1.

One of the biggest NFL surprises coming out of this weekend is the AFC North divisional race. 

Pittsburgh (now 3-1) beat Minnesota 24-21 in Dublin, Ireland (aka Pittsburgh East).  The AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens dropped to 1-3 after losing at Kansas City 37-20 on Sunday afternoon.  The Baltimore defense has been a major disappointment through four games.  Ravens QB Lamar Jackson exited Sunday’s game at Kansas City with a possible hamstring injury.

There are 32 NFL teams.  After week #4, there are now just two remaining unbeaten teams at 4-0. AFC preseason favorite Buffalo Bills and the NFC’s defending champion Philadelphia Eagles appear to be on a collision course in February’s Super Bowl if they are to able to maintain form.

Baseball playoffs begin – without the Houston Astros

Tuesday will be the first day of Major League Baseball’s abbreviated Wild Card Series playoffs (best 2 of 3 games).

The American League features the Detroit Tigers at Cleveland (the Guardians…yuck!), while the Boston Red Sox travel to play the New York Yankees.  These two series winners will face the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners beginning Saturday.

The Houston Astros finished in a statistical tie with the Detroit Tigers (87-75) for the final American League wild card spot but lost the season series to the Tigers 4-2.  This will be the first time in nine years that the Astros have missed the playoffs.

The two National League Wild Card series will match the San Diego Padres at the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds traveling to play the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Victors in the Wild Card round will play against the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies starting on Saturday.

Ryder Cup Wrap – The European team played much better than US!

I watched far too much Ryder Cup golf this weekend! 

Awakening before 6AM on Friday and Saturday to cheer the American team to victory resulted in a minor case of sleep deprivation and a weekend of golf-related frustration.

The European golfers led Team USA by an incredible seven points heading into Sunday’s 12 singles matches at famed Bethpage Black.  The golf course (formerly known as one of America’s toughest layouts) played “toothless” for most of the weekend.  American captain Keegan Bradley had the rough trimmed down so far that errant tee shots landing in the rough often provided a more favorable lie than in the middle of the fairway.

The Yanks put on a dazzling rally on Sunday to narrow the final margin to 15-13 in favor of Europe.  Unfortunately, Team USA was unable to overcome that seven point deficit coming into Sunday’s singles competition.

The verbal insults and vulgarity spewed by the New York City crowd toward the European team (Rory McIlroy, in particular) was downright embarrassing.  Unfortunately, this weekend’s rude behavior at the golf matches simply confirmed a continued decline in acceptable standards across America. 

New York City blew its chance to host another Ryder Cup for a number of decades.

The European team would have won this year’s Ryder Cup regardless the golf course venue.

They probably would have beaten the US squad if the matches had been held at your local Putt-Putt golf course.  

European golfers simply enjoy playing in this biennial team competition.  The camaraderie of their squad was apparent from Day 1.

Yes, the better team won the Ryder Cup – again.  Congratulations!  

The post Monday “Lunch Time” – Football, Baseball, and Ryder Cup appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The lead-up to Friday’s opening day matches at golf’s biennial Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black Golf Course outside of New York City has been exceptionally cordial and respectful.

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and American skipper Keegan Bradley have been (gasp!) downright friendly to each other prior to unveiling Friday’s opening day line-up cards in this often-dramatic golf-a-plalooza event.

“Keegan is someone I’ve always rooted for,” said Englishman Luke Donald.

“I feel lucky that Luke is on the opposite side because we send each other texts and joke around,” said US golf captain Keegan Bradley.

Aw c’mon, gents! It’s time to take the gloves off this Friday.  Can you please give us a little more substance to write about?

Europe won the 2023 Ryder Cup event in Rome, Italy with 16 ½ points compared to only 11 ½ for the US squad.  The US must score 14 ½ or more points to win the Cup for the home country this weekend.

This year’s event will be played Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Farmington, New York.  Friday and Saturday will feature 2-man team matches.

Sunday’s big finale will have every golfer on the course in one-on-one competition.

The US squad (which has a 27-15 historical lead in this event) wants to reclaim the Ryder Cup this weekend on their home turf.

Enter Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy

DeChambeau may become “Captain America” at this year’s Ryder Cup if thousands of New York area golf fans have their way.

The winner of two of the past five US Opens has transformed himself in recent years into a gung-ho American fan favorite much like the late Arnold Palmer and Payne Stewart.

Bryson DeChambeau flashes a smile after confidently smashing thunderous drives down the fairways.  He waves and high-fives with golf fans along the gallery ropes between holes.

DeChambeau turned 32 years old two weeks ago.  The Grapevine, Texas golfer claimed the 2020 and 2024 US Open trophies on very difficult golf courses like this week’s venue at Bethpage Black.

Interestingly, Bryson DeChambeau is the only golfer on the American squad who plays on the LIV Golf tour.  He received a reported $125 million bonus a few years ago to leave the PGA Tour.

That has made DeChambeau a media focus as questions surround how well he will relate to his teammates from the PGA Tour.

Europe’s top Ryder Cup golfer, Rory McIlroy, seems ready to go head-to-head with DeChambeau this week.

You might recall that Rory and Bryson were paired together in the final round at The Masters in April.  McIlroy prevailed to win his fourth different major and became a member of golf’s professional career “Grand Slam” club.

Rory McIlroy refused to talk to DeChambeau during the final round at Augusta National Golf Club.  His mental coach suggested that Rory needed to focus on every golf shot and avoid becoming friendly with DeChambeau.

Bryson DeChambeau later told the assembled media at The Masters that he understood, but planned to “Chirp in his (McIlroy’s) ear” if they should be paired together in this fall’s Ryder Cup event.

McIlroy took a swipe back at Bryson DeChambeau this week when he said, “The only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people!”

Hey, Rory!  Is Bryson already getting under your skin a little bit, mate?

Let’s meet the 2025 European Ryder Cup Team (with career Ryder Cup record)

Rory McIlroy (16-13-4)

I thought McIlroy’s overall record would have been a little better than this.  The fiery golfer from Northern Ireland will exhort his teammates to play boldly and turn the tables on the pro-American crowds at Bethpage this week.  If McIlroy plays well, the chances will increase for Europe to spring an upset this week.

Justin Rose (14-9-3)

England’s Justin Rose has been a long-time Ryder Cup fixture for the European team.  He could be the most consistently steady player on either team.  Rose tends to rise to the challenge in the toughest matches.

Tommy Fleetwood (7-3-2)

Fleetwood finally scored his first PGA Tour win last month.  The Englishman is usually a very steady player. Putting under pressure tends to be Fleetwood’s weakness.

Jon Rahm (6-3-3)

He (along with Tyrell Hatton) also plays on the LIV Golf league.  The former World’s #1 golfer from Spain plays golf with a lot of intensity – much like Rory McIlroy.  If he catches fire this week, Rahm’s low scoring could inspire the rest of the team to an upset win.

Tyrell Hatton (5-4-2)

The Englishman, like Jon Rahm, plays with a lot of emotion.  Sometimes that works in his favor and sometimes not.  Hatton’s golf game is solid from tee to green, but he is easily thrown off stride when he makes a poor shot or if the crowd heckles him.

Victor Hovland (3-4-3)

Hovland is one of the best ball strikers in the world.  The Norwegian star’s precision iron shots will make him a preferred partner in the Friday and Saturday team matches.  His putting can be average – especially under the pressure of Ryder Cup matches.

Shane Lowry (2-3-1)

Lowry tends to be a steadying influence for his European teammates.  His game soars when he is able to put the ball into the fairway.  Ireland’s top golfer struggles at times with his putting under pressure.

Robert MacIntyre (2-0-1)

MacIntyre was a European star in the Rome Ryder Cup two years ago.  The Scottish golfer returns to make his second appearance and will face some less-than-friendly American golf fans in the New York area.

Ludvig Aberg (2-2)

Aberg has incredible talent and steadiness for such a young (age 25) golfer.  Aberg’s precision iron game means that the Swedish star is likely to see a lot of action in the Friday and Saturday team matches.

Sepp Straka (1-2)

The streaky Sepp Straka won twice this season on the PGA Tour.  This Austrian golfer is making his second Ryder Cup appearance.

Matt Fitzpatrick (1-7)

England’s 31-year old Fitzpatrick is making his fourth Ryder Cup appearance.  The former US Amateur (2013) and the 2022 US Open champion has lacked consistency at times – especially in his previous Ryder Cup events.

Rasmus Hojgaard – first appearance

This 24-year old Danish golfer has a twin brother (Nicolai) who also plays on the European Tour.  Expect the rookie to sit on the Ryder Cup bench for most of the first two days of this event.

2025 Team Europe’s Ryder Cup record: 59-50-19 (54.1%)

And now, let’s meet Team USA!

Justin Thomas (7-4-2)

The 32-year old golfer surprisingly has the most Ryder Cup wins for this year’s US team.  Thomas played his way out of a multi-year slump in 2025 and been a consistent top-10 finisher.  He plays well to the home crowds and needs to lead by example this weekend.

Patrick Cantlay (5-2-1)

The stoic and slothful Cantlay played well (2-2) in Rome two years ago.  Just don’t expect him to appear fired-up by the New York crowds this week.

Collin Morikawa (4-3-1)

Home court advantage means a lot to Morikawa.  He went 3-0-1 four years ago when the Ryder Cup was last played in the US.

Xander Schauffele (4-4)

He might become the true “X” factor for this US team.  The World’s #3 ranked golfer didn’t win on the PGA Tour this season and may be ready to break out of his slump in this weekend’s Ryder Cup.

Scottie Scheffler (2-2-3)

Expectations are high for World #1 golfer Scheffler (winner of six events this year) to play at a high level in this year’s Ryder Cup in New York.  The Texas golfer stays focused on the task at hand and should be hard to beat this week.

Bryson DeChambeau (2-3-1)

The high-energy DeChambeau will be the crowd favorite for Team USA this week.  Bryson’s long drives need to find the fairways at Bethpage Black for him to have a successful week.

Sam Burns (1-2)

The former LSU golfer from north Louisiana didn’t have the best year, but he finished strong in the final month of competition.  Burns is a terrific putter and may be a highly coveted partner in this year’s Ryder Cup.

Harris English (1-2)

The former University of Georgia standout is making his second Ryder Cup appearance.  This steady golfer might be a good fit to match with a fiery partner like DeChambeau.

J.J. Spaun – first appearance

This year’s US Open champion deserves this reward for a great season.  The New York crowds will embrace this former journeyman who had his best year in 2025.

Russell Henley – first appearance

The steady Henley quietly rose up the world rankings to his current #4 level.  He won Arnie’s golf tournament in March and has been the most consistent player on tour in 2025.

Ben Griffin – first appearance

Griffin won twice on the PGA Tour in 2025.  He probably won’t get many chances to play this weekend, but US crowds will embrace this 29-year old Ryder Cup rookie.

Cameron Young – first appearance

The bearded 28-year old grew up in the vicinity and should be a huge New York crowd favorite.  Young finally won his first PGA event in 2025 and has played well in majors the past three seasons.  He’s ready.

2025 Team USA’s Ryder Cup record: 26-22-8 (54.2%)

And now…SwampSwami’s Ryder Cup prediction!

Interestingly, the overall Ryder Cup winning percentage for this year’s European team (54.1%) is slightly less than the 54.2% winning percentage posted by this year’s golfers for Team USA.

Greater previous Ryder Cup experience could favor the European team in this rather pressurized competition.  Team USA has four rookies, but each of those players earned his way onto the American squad this year.

I believe it will be the surprising US rookies (not the veterans) leading the way to victory in this year’s Ryder Cup.

US: 14 ½

Europe: 13 ½

The post The Ryder Cup Rumble Tees-off Friday! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

It’s still too early to proclaim “It’s over!” for your favorite football team.  This past weekend had more than its share of surprises, though.

Gasping at the results (the good and the bad) seemed to be this weekend’s theme. 

Some college and professional football teams are off and running in this 2025 football season.  They are definitely on a roll.

Other teams have left us scratching our heads at how they could possibly be playing so badly at this point of the football season.

Let’s start with some of the “good gasps” in college football!

Indiana 63, Illinois 10 – Indiana’s blowout win on Saturday night over the formerly unbeaten Fighting Illini was a very big surprise.

Wins over Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and Indiana State had even tried and true Indiana Hoosiers fans wondering how good their 2025 football team really was.  IU certainly answered the call on Saturday!  Transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza passed for five touchdowns as 4-0 Indiana inserted itself into the Big Ten title conversation once again this year.

Texas Tech 34, Utah 10 – The home crowd at Utah is every bit as loud as you’ll hear at any SEC game on a Saturday.

Texas Tech had to insert their back-up quarterback (Will Hammond) into the game in the second half after the starter was injured.  Hammond led the inspired Red Raiders offense to 24 points in the final quarter as Texas Tech (4-0) rolled to an impressive road win.  There is only one AP Top 25 opponent (BYU – at Lubbock) remaining on the schedule for Texas Tech.  Can they run the table?

Ole Miss 45, Tulane 10 – Beating Tulane wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but the Ole Miss back-up quarterback looks to be a better player than the Rebels’ NIL darling 5-star freshman.

Senior back-up quarterback Trinidad Chambliss transferred to “The Sip” from NCAA Division II Ferris State (Michigan).  The former high school basketball star runs the Ole Miss offense like an NBA point guard. Chambliss passed for 307 yards and added another 112 yards on the ground against a solid Tulane football team.  Unbeaten Ole Miss (4-0) hosts #4 LSU this Saturday afternoon at 2:30PM on ABC.  Oh, boy!!!

UL-Monroe 31, UTEP 25 – ULM was coming off of a 73-0 paycheck beatdown at the hands of Alabama two weeks earlier.

A stunned crowd in El Paso’s Sun Bowl watched the Warhawks soar to a 31-7 lead in the third quarter of this game.  The Miners then rallied to close within six points late in the fourth quarter.  It took not one, but two interceptions by ULM (now 2-1) during the final two minutes to secure a 31-25 victory.  The Warhawks’ long-time Sunbelt Conference nemesis Arkansas State rolls into Monroe this Saturday afternoon for a 2PM homecoming game.

Then there were the college football lows…

Syracuse 34, Clemson 21 – The 3-1 Syracuse Orange buried the orange-clad Clemson Tigers Saturday in a five-hour game featuring a 90-minute weather delay during halftime.

Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney is now 1-3 for the first time in his 17-years as the team’s head coach. Syracuse was clearly the better team on Saturday.  Clemson’s offense never seemed capable of completing passes longer than ten yards – even when the Tigers were down by multiple scores in the fourth quarter and the remaining crowd groaned its disapproval.  Syracuse played well, but Clemson is spiraling out of control and needs an intervention this week.

Tulsa 19, Oklahoma State 12 – The 2-2 Golden Hurricane won this annual match-up for the first time in 27 years and its first game in Stillwater since 1951!

Tulsa played well, but Oklahoma State is imploding for the second straight season under veteran coach Mike Gundy.  The Cowboys are now just 1-12 in their last 13 games going back to 2024.  Perhaps Coach Gundy and Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney need to commiserate this week.

UCF 34, North Carolina 9 – If you watched the Tar Heels get trounced in their season-opening home game by TCU, this game looked like an instant replay.

The Knights of UCF (now 3-1) scored early and often in taking a 27-3 lead early in the third quarter.  Carolina (now 2-2) continues to struggle passing the football and added two more interceptions in this game.  UNC’s 73-year old rookie head coach Bill Belichick was able to take another sideline nap in this game.  His Tar Heels get this week off to prepare for a visit from Coach Dabo Swinney’s reeling 1-3 Clemson Tigers on October 4.

NFL – Let’s celebrate a victory by these surprising teams!

Carolina Panthers 30, Atlanta Falcons 0 – Did anyone see this one coming?

Formerly winless Carolina (now 1-2) steamrolled their NFC South rival Atlanta in the biggest NFL surprise of the weekend.  Former overall #1 draft pick Bryce Young was able to watch Atlanta’s young quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. throw two interceptions and get chased around much like Young has endured over his first two NFL seasons.  Atlanta played quite well in a 22-6 win at Minnesota the previous week.  The players and coaches obviously didn’t very prepare for Sunday’s game at Carolina.

Cleveland Browns 13, Green Bay Packers 10 – This result was nearly as surprising as the Carolina win.

Cleveland (1-2) trailed 10-0 at home with a little bit more than four minutes left in the game.  A field goal followed by a Green Bay turnover allowed the Browns to tie the score at 10-10 with two minutes to go.  The Browns then blocked a late Green Bay field goal and converted their own 55-yard game winner on the final play to secure Cleveland’s first win of the season.

Colts and Bolts remain unbeaten!  If you predicted both Indianapolis and the Los Angeles Chargers to be 3-0 at this point in the season, you should be very happy today!

Indy blasted hapless Tennessee 41-20 in Nashville to zoom into the AFC South lead.  The gritty Los Angeles Chargers stayed unbeaten by taking down AFC West rival Denver 23-20.  Quarterback Justin Herbert took the Chargers into the end zone with a touchdown pass with less than three minutes to go and then moved his team into field goal range for the game winning 3-pointer.

NFL lows of the week:

Seattle Seahawks 44, New Orleans Saints 13 – Have you located your favorite Saints paper bag to wear for the remainder of this season?

The winless New Orleans Saints trailed 38-6 at halftime.  That was the most points allowed in a half by New Orleans than in any game since October, 1973.  The Saints were called for 11 penalties, too.  They are now tied with 0-3 Tennessee for the NFL lead in committing the most penalties (31) after three weeks of the season.  Seattle (2-1) scored on a 95-yard punt return and also blocked a punt by New Orleans. It was a total beatdown in Seattle.

Jacksonville 17, Houston Texans 10 – The New Orleans Saints were expected to struggle this season, but the Houston Texans (also 0-3) were predicted to win the AFC South.

Third-year quarterback CJ Stroud continues to regress as he tossed two more interceptions to the Jaguars’ defense on Sunday in J-ville.  Stroud has more interceptions (3) than touchdown passes (2) as Houston’s offensive struggles worsen.  The former Houston Oilers (Tennessee Titans) are also 0-3 and return to H-town for a game this Sunday with the Texans. Someone has to win, right?

Chicago Bears 31, Dallas Cowboys 14 – Dallas dropped to 1-2 with another defensive blooper in Chi-town on Sunday.

The Cowboys’ junior high school pass defense schemes allowed Chicago QB Caleb Williams to complete five passes longer than 25 yards in this game.  Williams had four touchdown passes and nearly 300 yards of offense for the Bears (1-2).  Dallas lost its top receiver, CeeDee Lamb, with an ankle injury early in this game.  Cowboys’ quarterback Dak “Dink” Prescott completed 13 short passes to tight end Jake Ferguson but accounted for just 82 yards.  Prescott also completed two passes to the Chicago Bears’ defense as part of four turnovers served-up by the Dallas offense on Sunday.

Green Bay comes into Big D next Sunday night for a nationally televised game on NBC as both teams are coming off a head-scratching loss.

The post Monday Football Recap – Gasps Galore! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Lurking off the national media’s radar is the smaller college football division known as the Football Championship Subdivision. 

The poorly named FCS is the little brother of the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) where the big money teams of college football play ball.

The quality of football played at the FCS level can be quite good.  Unfortunately, many toil in relative anonymity.  The 32-team NFL selected just 15 former FCS football players (6.7%) this spring out of the 224 young men selected in the league’s seven-round draft.

There is much to like about football games played in the FCS

Ticket prices for FCS football games are generally quite reasonable.  You can walk-up and purchase a general admission ticket for $15-$20 at many schools.  Parking is nearby and likely won’t cost an arm and a leg like it does today at Behemoth U.

There’s usually a home team marching band for your entertainment.  Some relatively reasonably priced concessions are available, too.

Football players in the FCS are some of the best high school players from their states and are quite talented.  The level of effort given by players at this level is every bit as energetic as that shown by the NIL-incentivized players at Large State University.

The FCS has great conferences, rivalries, and history

There are currently 129 NCAA Division 1-AA football teams in today’s FCS.

The Merrimack Warriors from Massachusetts and the Sacred Heart Pioneers of Fairfield, Connecticut are the only teams playing as independents this year.

Those other 127 FCS schools participate in 13 conferences.  Let’s highlight each FCS football conference and provide a little insight about each:

Big Sky Conference (12 teams) – One of the two most dominant football conferences in the FCS, the Big Sky Conference in the Rocky Mountain region has produced the national runner-up in each of the past two seasons (Montana State Bobcats in 2024 and the Montana Grizzlies in 2023).

The “Brawl of the Wild” game every November between the Bobcats and Griz started back in 1897.  Other regular contenders in the Big Sky include the Idaho Vandals and the UC-Davis Aggies.

Coastal Athletic Association (14 teams) – The CAA has most of its teams concentrated in the New England area.  William & Mary (The Tribe) and former CAA member Richmond Spiders (which joined the Patriot Conference this year) play annually in “The Oldest Rivalry in the South.”  This grudge game (also known as the Capital Cup) began play in 1898 and involves two of Virginia’s historical capital cities (Williamsburg and Richmond).

Ivy League (8 teams) – Sure, these are the academic blue-bloods of college football.  The Ivy League is best known for its annual Harvard vs. Yale game, but another rivalry is even older.  Princeton’s Tigers (New Jersey) and Yale’s Bulldogs (Connecticut) began playing football against each other (1873) two years earlier than Harvard vs. Yale!  You might think that a clever name for the series exists (such as the “ACT vs SAT” Bowl).  Nevertheless, the next game in this annual rivalry comes on November 15 at Princeton.

One final note – this year marks the first time in 80 years that the Ivy League has permitted its football champion to participate in the FCS playoffs.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) (6 teams) – This eastern seaboard conference features six historically-black universities with a long history of big rivalry games.  One of them is called the “Battle of the Beltway.”  The Howard University Bison (Washington, DC) and the Morgan State Bears (Baltimore) have played this game since 1899.

Missouri Valley (10 teams) –  Competition is downright fierce in the Missouri Valley football conference. The defending national champion North Dakota State Bison have won ten of the past 14 FCS football titles.  NDSU’s primary Missouri Valley Conference foe, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, have won two of the last three national championships. 

South Dakota State also has a beef with intrastate rival University of South Dakota (the Coyotes).  Their game has been contested annually since 1889 in the heated “South Dakota Showdown” series.

Northeast Conference (9 teams) – Have you ever heard of Mercyhurst (the Lakers), Stonehill (the Skyhawks), and Long Island University (the Sharks)?  How about Duquenes (Dukes), Central Connecticut (Blue Devils), New Haven (Chargers), Robert Morris (Colonels), Saint Francis (Red Flashes) and Wagner (Seahawks).  The Northeast Conference has not been a perennial FCS football power, but they do have some dandy nicknames!

Ohio Valley Conference/Big South Alliance (9 teams) – This blended FCS football conference involves football teams from the Ohio Valley Conference and Big South Conference. Several universities in those two conferences do not have field a football team. The OVC/Big South Alliance began in 2023 and will continue through at least the year 2030.  The conference champion receives an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.

Patriot League (8 teams) – This conference began in 1986 and has schools located in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions.  Two members of the Patriot Conference (the Lafayette Leopards and the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks – both located in eastern Pennsylvania) play in the oldest college football series in the country. “The Rivalry” game dates back to 1884.

Lafayette (which leads the series with 84 wins vs. 73 for Lehigh along with five ties) plays host this year’s grudge match on November 22.

Pioneer Football League (11 teams) – This far-flung conference (which began in 1993) has member schools in nine different states on both the East coast (Stetson in Florida and Marist in New York) and the West coast (University of San Diego).  The remainder of the Pioneer Football League is concentrated in the Midwest and Southeast.  Did you know that the PFL is the nation’s only non-scholarship, football-only FCS conference?

Southern Conference (9 teams) – Founded in 1921, the Southern Conference once was the home of multiple FCS champions including Georgia Southern and Appalachian State.  Those two schools moved up to the FBS level and now participate in the Sunbelt Conference.  SoCon’s two South Carolina entries at The Citadel (Bulldogs) and the 1988 FCS champion Furman (Paladins) have played football against each other 104 times since 1913.  This year’s battle will occur on October 25 at Furman.

Southland Conference (10 teams) – The SLC has (since 1963) served as a springboard for a number of schools which later decided to move into the large-school FBS group.  Former Southland members include current FBS schools such as Arkansas State, Texas State, UL-Lafayette, and UL-Monroe (the 1987 FCS champ) of the Sunbelt Conference.  Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston (the 2020 FCS champ) now play in Conference USA.  Former Southland members North Texas and UT-San Antonio moved into the American Athletic Conference.

Long-time Southland Conference members Northwestern State (LA) University and Stephen F. Austin (TX) still wage battle every November for a giant 7-foot wooden trophy (recently renamed as “The Chief”).  This spirited Piney Woods series originated in 1923 and will be played on November 20 in Natchitoches, LA.

Southwestern Athletic Conference (12 teams) – College football games in the SWAC can be very entertaining, but the marching bands in this particular conference are downright stellar.  Founded in 1920, the SWAC is one of the oldest conferences in the FCS.  The league features historically-black universities located in several southern states.

Louisiana’s legendary Grambling State University (Tigers) and Southern University (Jaguars) always sell-out the Superdome in New Orleans for the annual Bayou Classic match-up.

Fans dare not leave their seat during the halftime “Battle of the Bands.”  This season’s Bayou Classic will be played on November 29.

United Athletic Conference (9 teams) – This 2023 FCS conference is the blending of football-playing teams from the Atlantic Sun Conference and the now-defunct Western Athletic Conference (WAC).  One year from now, the UAC will become the official sports home for all schools participating in this conference.  Most member schools are currently located in the South and Southwest.

The FCS Playoffs – A 24-team system which the big boys should utilize

Two of the 13 FCS conferences have opted not participate in the current playoff system.  The SWAC plays its own league championship game and then sends its winner to face the MEAC champion in the annual Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.

This annual game in December usually determines the HBCU national champion.

The SWAC and MEAC schools apparently reap greater financial benefits from their traditional season-ending game than from the satisfaction of pursuing a national championship in the FCS group of schools.

Other FCS football conferences will place at least one representative into the five-week national championship playoff series.

The FCS 24-team playoffs are comprised of:

That selection committee is comprised of one representative from each of the ten participating conferences.  The committee also determines the top eight FCS playoff seeds – which receive a first round bye in the 24-team event.

Selection Committee members will match-up the 16 teams participating in Week #1 with geographic considerations given to minimize the travel burden of visiting teams.

Below is this year’s FCS playoff schedule.  The first round games get underway on the weekend of Saturday, November 29, 2025:

Week #1 – Eight first round games – Teams #9 – 24 participate (Seeds #1-8 receive a bye in the opening week)

Week #2 – Eight second round games – hosted by Seeds #1-8

Week #3 – Quarterfinals – hosted by the four highest remaining seeds

Week #4 – Semifinals – hosted by the two highest remaining seeds

Week #5 – Finals – to be played at the Vanderbilt University football stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Good luck finding tickets to the title game, though.  Prices (as of today) start at more than $150!

The previous 15 FCS title games have been played in Frisco, Texas (north of Dallas).  Frisco’s stadium (which is primarily used as a soccer facility) is undergoing some major renovations and will not be ready to host the next two FCS title games.  

Nashville gets a chance to shine for the next two years as an audition.  The future location of the FCS title game beginning in 2027 has yet to be determined.

The post Meet the FCS! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Imagine going to school and receiving a weekly report card about your work during that week. 

Micromanaging each student’s weekly effort at school seems like a big waste of time for the teacher, student, and parents.  It would likely have almost zero meaning by the end of the school term.

Welcome to the early season college football polls!  This is where well-intended subjective decisions are made to tell American fans who the top 25 football teams should be.

Every week, the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll their voters to determine their respective top 25 teams.

The Associated Press has about 60 sportswriters and media representatives participating in its weekly college football poll.  We hope that anyone selected for one of those coveted spots will do their homework and provide a relatively unbiased guess as to the top college football teams.

The AFCA poll consists of 67 current college football coaches. 

Can you imagine how much time those emotionally and physically spent football coaches will take on a Sunday morning to do this?  I wouldn’t want to get up early, read how well other college football teams had been doing, and then go cast a vote on the Top 25 by midday Sunday, would you?

Both of these two primary polls advise their members to assign the #1 team with 25 points and then continue downward until the #25 team receives just one point.  The votes are then tabulated, and the polls are released on Sunday afternoons during in the college football season.

How much do we REALLY know after the games played during Week #3?

Some teams have already played one or more games against vastly over-matched opponents (who simply want to receive a big paycheck and hope that no players were injured in the game).  Perhaps a few of those groggy coaches or media members might be impressed by some of last weekend’s blowout wins. 

Most are not.

Let’s take a look at the AP Pre-season Top 25 rankings and see how those teams were ranked after Week #3:

Seven college football teams (Clemson, Arizona State, South Carolina, Florida, SMU, Kansas State and Boise State) have already been bounced out of the AP Top 25.  Some may return prior the College Football Playoffs and a few currently-ranked teams may drop out by season’s end.

Why bother ranking the major college football teams until they have have played two or more major opponents?

The LSU Tigers are ranked #3 this week primarily because of two wins (at Clemson and Florida) over teams considered to be worthy competition.

LSU’s opponent this Saturday finds the Tigers hissing at the Lions of FCS member Southeastern Louisiana.  This weekend’s cat fight in Baton Rouge kicks-off at 6:45PM CDT on the SEC Network.

You can’t blame LSU for scheduling a few cupcakes.  This is what happens when college football teams are now playing 12 regular season games.

Notre Dame (0-2) appeared to have been rewarded this week with a #24 ranking this week after playing their first two games against power schools Miami (FL) and Texas A&M.  The next ten games for the Fighting Irish will feature only one team (#25 USC) ranked in this week’s AP Top 25.

Notre Dame fans will claim their worthiness to be in the 12-team College Football Playoffs if the Irish should vanquish their next ten opponents – regardless of how weak those teams actually are.

The majority of this week’s AP Top 25 teams have played just one quality opponent through the first three outings of the season.

Does Artificial Intelligence know the best teams at this point of the season?

I took the question to one of the so-called geniuses of artificial intelligence today.  X.com’s “Grok” gave me his list of this week’s Top 25 teams. They are remarkably similar to the AP and Coaches’ polls.

However, “Grok” ranked South Carolina at #17 and Vanderbilt at #24.

I asked, “But Vanderbilt completely destroyed South Carolina 31-7 last Saturday night in Columbia, South Carolina!  How can you place 3-0 Vandy below 2-1 South Carolina after last week’s game”?

The AI provided a rambling answer about the strength of schedules and other statistical mumbo-jumbo instead of admitting, “You may have a good point there, SwampSwami!”

AI is not ready to take my place (at least, not yet).

Watch for the return of the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 rankings coming by no later than Monday, October 6!

There simply isn’t enough statistical evidence to determine the best teams in America until college football units have played at least five games on their schedule.

Winners and Losers from College Football’s Week #3

Winners:

Miami Hurricanes – Despite Ohio State’s #1 ranking based on last year’s finish, the 3-0 Miami Hurricanes have dispatched two very good teams (Notre Dame and South Florida) in their first three games.  Miami remains at home for the fourth consecutive game to play the wounded Florida Gators (1-2) Saturday at 6:30PM CDT on ABC.

Vanderbilt Commodores – Quarterback Diego Pavia put on another clinic in Vandy’s 31-7 shellacking at formerly unbeaten South Carolina last Saturday. 

The 3-0 Commodores will host two consecutive mid-majors (Georgia State and Utah State) before heading to Tuscaloosa on October 4 for a rematch with Alabama.

LSU’s defense – It took every one of those five interceptions against Florida’s D.J. Lagway in Tiger Stadium to preserve a close win for the offensively-challenged LSU Tigers.  Coach Brian Kelly has declared that he wants the LSU defense to lead the way this season.  Perhaps moving a few LSU’s talented defenders to the offensive side of the ball might be a good idea.

Georgia Tech – They’re not flashy, but the Ramblin’ Wreck deserved Saturday’s win against a fading Clemson team.

Somehow, 3-0 Georgia Tech does not have to play Miami, Florida State, and SMU on its ACC schedule this year.  Could the Yellow Jackets surprise everyone and win the league?

Louisiana Tech – The 2-1 Bulldogs are on a mission to win Conference USA this season before moving into the Sunbelt Conference next fall (hopefully). 

A 49-14 win over C-USA foe New Mexico State on Saturday was a good start for the Bulldogs.

Losers:

South Carolina – The Gamecocks had a chance to increase their lofty national ranking with a home win over Vandy last Saturday.  Carolina (now 2-1) must regroup quickly in a very balanced SEC this year.

Tennessee – The Heartbreak Kids of college football lost another big game to Georgia – at home.  Vols coach Josh Heupel must rally his troops with a goal of running the table in the SEC and getting into the College Football Playoffs again.

Iowa State – The only 4-0 team in major college football struggled for most of Saturday’s 24-16 win at 1-2 Arkansas State of the Sunbelt Conference.

Three of the Cyclones’ wins have come by less eight points or less.  A win is a win, but Iowa State must improve with a tough Big 12 schedule ahead.

Arch Manning/Texas – We now see why Quinn Ewers was the Texas starting quarterback during Arch Manning’s first two seasons in Austin.  Manning’s passing and leadership skills look questionable as he moves into year #3 in Texas.  The 2-1 Horns may need to bench their quarterback soon, as Arch Manning’s confidence is shaky at best.

Billy Napier – Florida (1-2) played hard at LSU on Saturday night.  The coach didn’t throw five interceptions in the Gators’ 20-10 loss.  Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway (like Arch Manning) may be another over-hyped high school QB who has become rich on NIL endorsement money.

The Gators must rally to win at #4 Miami this Saturday to have any chance of saving Coach Billy Napier’s job.

Good luck with that one!

The post Ignore the College Football polls until October 1 appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The myriad of companies which spent billions of dollars to purchase the television rights for NFL football every week are feeling downright giddy about their investment decisions after Week #1.

Thursday night’s opener featured an NFC East match-up between America’s most beloved and hated team (Dallas) at the defending Super Bowl champions in Philadelphia.

The Eagles won the game 24-20 as neither team was able to score any points after more than a one-hour weather delay during the second half.

Many of us watching the game on NBC hoped that the network would finish-up its commercial allotment during the weather delay so that we could watch the final quarter without significant interruption.

Nope!

The scoreless and sluggish fourth quarter still had NBC taking its usual commercial breaks (though some felt a bit shorter).  This game dragged on for well over four hours as Philadelphia’s slim 24-20 lead remained in jeopardy until the end.

You couldn’t have scripted a better ending – for television and in Las Vegas.  Philly won the game, but Dallas covered the 8-point betting line.

An average of more than 28 million people watched the season-opening game on NBC.

The NBC prime time weeknight line-up over this past summer captured just 10% of that number. That’s right!  NBC drew less than three million viewers to its weeknight line-up from mid-June through August.

ABC and CBS had a similar fate.  All three networks drew fewer weeknight viewers than a cable news network (Fox News) this summer.

My, how times have changed!

A mere 50 years ago, the big three networks featured TV programs like Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, MASH, Three’s Company, and All in the Family drawing 20-30 million viewers every week.

ABC’s new Monday Night Football program lagged far behind the top ten rankings every week.  Fall 1975 television ratings showed ABC’s Monday Night Football in 22th place.

The show was able to draw a 21% ratings share of the TV audience, though.  That meant Monday Night Football’s audience in 1975 amounted to about 15 million Americans (21% of the 70 million TV households).

We have observed how fragmented and fractured the television pie has become in the last 50 years. Cable television led in adding new competitors beginning in the 1980’s.  Additional competition from online streaming competitors has grown significantly in the past decade to further fragment the television market.

Even Friday night’s YouTube TV game from Brazil drew 16 million viewers!

I don’t pay to watch online streaming provider YouTube TV.  Most people don’t.

That didn’t stop 16 million people from watching Friday night’s NFL game from Sao Paulo, Brazil between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers on YouTube TV.

Friday nights are generally considered a TV wasteland.  Many weeknight viewers hit the town for dinner, a movie, or some other entertainment options instead of staying home to watch television.

That makes last Friday night’s NFL game ratings for YouTube TV even more impressive.

NBC’s Sunday night football match-up between Baltimore and Buffalo pulled-in 25 million viewers

Two of the NFL’s likely Super Bowl contenders put on a whale of a show on NBC’s Sunday Night Football debut.

The Buffalo Bills rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter and won the game 41-40 on the final play on a field goal by 41-year old kicker Matt Prater.

He wasn’t even on the Buffalo roster until Thursday last week after the Bills’ regular kicker (Tyler Bass) severely injured his groin and was unable to play.  Matt Prater had been helping coach his son’s youth league football team on Tuesday and ended the week by booting the winning field goal for the Buffalo Bills just five days later.

It was that kind of a game for football fans to watch in the stadium and at home.  NBC’s television advertising staff must have been jumping for joy.

The NFL had delivered yet another thriller on national television in Week #1.

Football is the only television product with the power to attract so many viewers

The ratings giant called football (primarily NFL and, to a lesser extent, college football) serves as a beacon which pulls millions of Americans back together to watch a game on one primary source/network every week.

The NFL’s Super Bowl game averages well over 100 million viewers while being carried on just one television network each February.

Conversely, last summer’s 2024 Presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and Donald Trump drew less than half of that number (51 million).  That debate was carried across a myriad of networks and online platforms for home viewers.

Accordingly, the NFL (by a 2-1 margin) is more popular with Americans than politics.

Perhaps that may be a very good thing!

Why is NFL Football so popular with TV viewers?

In a word, it’s addiction.

Let’s begin with fantasy football.  More than 30 million Americans are playing in a fantasy football league this fall.

Accordingly, that means that 30 million people (like me) are investing some time every week to keep up with the top players and teams.  They must draft players and try to improve their roster in weekly matches against friends, co-workers, or someone else.

Monday night’s Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears game had me checking the television a few times to keep tabs on the outcome.

My top Fantasy Football receiver (Justin Jefferson of the Vikings) needed to score just a few points on Monday night for my team (called SwampGas) to secure a Week #1 victory in a friendly Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football league.

It took until midway in the fourth quarter for the Vikings (and Justin Jefferson) to catch fire.  The former LSU wide receiver scored a touchdown in Minnesota’s 27-24 win over the Bears and to deliver an unexpected victory for my fantasy football team.

Some fantasy football leagues (like mine) are played purely for fun with no money involved on the outcomes.  However, millions of people are playing in cash leagues for (hopefully-for IRS purposes) relatively small amounts.

Having a little money wagered on your fantasy football team definitely creates an addictive property leading more people to watch weekly football games.

Another football-related addiction has been the growth of online sports betting

More and more states are approving online sports wagering as governmental agencies want to tap into every possible source of new revenue.

More than 15% of the wagering on pro football occurs online.  Nearly half of the 50 US states have approved online sports wagering and more are likely to follow.

Those who regularly plunk down their dollars on weekly wagering are more likely to watch the games on television every week to learn either good or bad news.

Finally, the seasonality and weekly nature of football lends itself to regular viewing

September brings somewhat cooler temperatures for much of the country.  The more moderate temperatures tend to bring Americans back outside for a few months before winter settles in.

The weekly cycle of football games brings fans together at high schools, colleges, and professional stadiums to enjoy the improved weather conditions and an exciting game.

Football (unlike baseball and basketball) is only played once per week.  It allows the players a chance to rest from a very physical sport which takes quite a toll.

That same waiting period serves to allow millions of fantasy football players and online betters a chance to regroup for a few days ahead of the next week of games.

From September through January, football serves as a weekly habit as it attracts like-minded people to watch an action-packed sport filled with increasingly familiar names.

The 32 NFL franchise owners are riding this lingering wave of pro football’s popularity.

The owners are smiling all the way to the bank while watching the value of their franchises rise by billions of dollars over the past decade.

The good ship NFL is delivering – for the owners, the fans, and the growing number of people who are earning a living off the league.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earns about $64 million per year.

Admittedly, he seems quite overpaid for what he actually does, but the results of his sports league remain impressive.

Roger Goodell’s 32 billionaire employers have given him positive job reviews for his work over the past decade.

It’s good to be the king!

The post NFL Opening Week made TV Partners VERY Happy appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.