THE LIGHTNING ROUND--2008 DEBUT!!!!

Welcome to the "Lightning Round", the weekly post of predictions available exclusively on Real Football Central! Each week, the "Lightning Round" will predict who will some of the top games in small college football nationwide.

Only teams that are currently competing at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-AA), NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA levels eligible to have their games included on the list of predicted games.

Additionally, games involving current NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-A) programs are ineligible for inclusion on the predictions list. Otherwise, let's get started!

KEY: Projected winners highlighted in RED.

Game (s) of the week highlighted in italics.

Other games of interest highlighted in BOLD type.

FCS

Richmond at Elon

(2007 FCS playoff semifinalist opens season against nationally-ranked Phoenix from the Southern Conference!)

Albany (N.Y) at Massachusetts

Alabama State at Florida A&M

NCAA DIVISION II

Valdosta State (1-0) at Newberry

(Defending national champion Blazers look to start season 2-0!)

Abilene Christian at Northwest Missouri State

(Bearcats host Wildcats in early-season "cat-fight"!)

West Chester at California (Pa.)

(2007 playoff semifinalist Vulcans host Rams in early PSAC test!)

Shaw at Albany State (Ga.)

INTERDIVISIONAL GAMES

Birmingham Southern (D-III) at Campbell (FCS)

(First-ever game for the Campbell Fighting Camels!)

Western Oregon (D-II) at Portland State (FCS)

(The Vikings host the Wolves in this in-state, inter-divisional match-up)

St. Ambrose (NAIA) at South Dakota (FCS)

(The former D-II Coyotes begin their transition to the FCS ranks!)

College Football: St. Xavier making no small plans

Quick! Which college football program in the state of lllinois has the most wins over the past three years? Click the link below for the answer.

Article courtesy of the Southtown (Ill.) Star

Valdosta State dodges rain, crushes Fort Valley State 56-3

Even the furious winds, and heavy rains, from tropical storm Fay couldn't put out the fire for defending NCAA Division II national champion Valdosta State, as the Blazers torched the Fort Valley State University Wildcats, 56-3, at Valdosta, Ga. Saturday night.

Article courtesy of Valdosta (Ga.) Daily Times

Additional coverage:

Fort Valley State struggles in opener against defending champs

Macon (Ga.) Telegraph

Blazers open with impressive win over Fort Valley State

WALB-TV Albany, Ga.

Blazers rout Fort Valley State 56-3

Valdosta State University Sports Information

Also...

CBS/NCAA Cancel Broadcast of FVSU Game

Valdosta State University Sports Information

6 reasons we love football

Macon (Ga.) Telegraph

The first college football game of 2008...

involves the defending NCAA Division II national champion Valdosta State University Blazers from Georgia...as they face their fellow in-state foes...the Fort Valley State University Wildcats. Barring any postponements due to Tropical Storm Fay...as this blog entry is written...the game will be televised live tomorrow (Saturday) night on CBS College Sports, starting at 8 p.m. EDT...

Valdosta State-Fort Valley State Game Notes (Courtesy of Valdosta State University Sports Information)

Northern Sun has big goals

With its rival North Central Conference now defunct, the new-look NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference looks to make a big splash on the national stage.

FULL STORY (Courtesy of inforum.com)

Difficulties behind starting a football program

With Atlanta's Georgia State University starting an FCS football program in 2010, building a winner from scratch seems harder than most people think.

Article courtesy of the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer

UIF-IFL merger results in Indoor Football League

Professional indoor (not arena) football got a potential big boost recently, as the Intense Football League, and the United Indoor Football League, have merged into a 20-team "super-league".

Article courtesy of the Billings (Mont.) Gazette

Mount Laurel is home to new online college sports network

A former co-founder of ESPN has started a new online sports network for college sports fans. And he's an alumnus of NCAA Division III DePauw University (Ind.).

Article courtesy of Cherry Hill (N.J.) Courier-Post

RELATED...

Article courtesy of DePauw University

HBCU Football Preview 2008

Black Sports, The Magazine, has a special of all of the historically black college & university (HBCU) teams in its August issue. Click the link above to read the profiles.