The great thing about college football, is that everyone talks themselves into the idea that their team has a chance. For every upset, every Division 2 team hanging with the big boys, for every TCU and Boise State, it gives you a hope that your team can do that. And all it takes is that one victory, that one moment, that can turn a program around. Boise State fans recall a history of upsets, but beating big, bad Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl became their moment. TCU had their moment when they beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Florida State ultimately didn’t go wide right against Miami. Sometimes those signature wins define your program. Sometimes, a big win (or tie, yes they had those once) turns out to be a fluke.
What remains to be seen is what happens to those giant killers of the 2012 season. Texas State beating Houston, Western Kentucky beating Kentucky, those may be a catalyst or they may prove to be nothing. All of this leads me to one of the most fascinating teams of 2012, the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Yes ladies and gentlemen, the Warhawks (yes, I had to Google it). It’s so obscure, that if you type Warhawks, you get the squiggly red line underneath it telling you it’s a misspelling.
A lot of small school schedule “Play for Pay” games. These are games where the small school gets paid a vast sum of money to travel to play a larger, presumably more talented team. The small school makes enough money to support their annual athletic budget and the larger school gets a home game (where they would make a lot of money from tickets, concessions, parking, etc.) and an easy win. These games happen all the time. What doesn’t happen very often, is the little guy not getting the message about the easy win. In week one, Louisiana was paid approximately $950,000 to play a “home” game in Little Rock, Arkansas against the #8 Razorbacks. The Warhawks pulled the second biggest upset ever. The next week, they played Auburn in Auburn, and lost in overtime. This week, they finally get a home game (Friday night) and it’s against the Big XII’s Baylor. Baylor is undefeated and on the cusp of the top 25. Can the Warhawks play another BCS team tough? I’m not sure, but it’s my Game of the Week.
Other Games I’ll Be Watching:
Missouri at South Carolina: Two of the highest powered offenses in the SEC face off in what should be a very entertaining game.
LSU at Auburn: Bet the house on the Tigers. Guaranteed.
Kansas State at Oklahoma: This might determine the Big XII champion. K State is sneaky good and OU is battling injuries.
Clemson at Florida State: A lot of people are touting Florida State as a national champion threat. If they win this one, they won’t face a serious challenger until the Virginia Tech game in November.
* All of the above opinions are from Dustin. He’s just one guy. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Gameday Cloth. So, take it out on him, okay?
