RFC Throwback Thursday: The Bayou Classic-Grambling vs. Southern 1975

(Video courtesy of the College Football Hall of Fame.)

After a two-week hiatus due to multiple extenuating circumstances, "RFC Throwback Thursday" is back with another video, just in time for Thanksgiving. This week's installment takes us back to November 29, 1975. That was when the Grambling State University Tigers squared off against the Southern University Jaguars in the first-ever Bayou Classic played in what is now the Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans.  

Despite a knee injury suffered by eventual Super Bowl champion quarterback Doug Williams, the Tigers defeated the Jaguars 33-17. Grambling State finished the 1975 season at 10-2 overall and 4-2 in SWAC action, while Southern finished 9-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Both teams finished in a three-way tie for the SWAC championship with Jackson State, which ended its' 1975 campaign at 7-3 overall, although Grambling was forced to vacate its' share of the league title due a scheduling conflict with Prairie View A&M.

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of November 30, 2024-Thanksgiving Edition Part 3 (Bonus Predictions)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

FBS Group Of Five 

Saturday, November 30

UConn (7-4) at UMass (2-9)

Middle Tennessee State (3-8) at Florida International (3-8)

Coastal Carolina (5-6) at Georgia State (3-8)

Southern Mississippi (1-10) at Troy (3-8)

South Florida (6-5) at Rice (3-8)

Old Dominion (4-7) at Arkansas State (7-4)

Central Michigan (4-7) at Northern Illinois (6-5)

UAB (3-8) at Charlotte (4-7)

UTEP (2-9) at New Mexico State (3-8)

FCS

Thursday, November 28 (THANKSGIVING DAY)

Tuskegee (NCAA Division II)-(5-5) vs. Alabama State (FCS)-(6-5)

(Turkey Day Classic at Montgomery, Alabama)

Friday, November 29

Alabama A&M (6-5) at Florida A&M (6-5)

Saturday, November 30

Grambling State (5-6) vs. Southern (7-4)

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Small College Football Playoff Predictions And Brackets 2024: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition (RFC Weekly Predictions-Part 2)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

NOTE: All games are listed in bracket order. Unless otherwise indicated, all scheduled games will be played on Saturday, November 30, 2024.

NCAA Division II Second Round

Interactive Bracket

First-Round Byes: Kutztown, Valdosta State, Ferris State, Colorado State-Pueblo

Slippery Rock (9-1) at Kutztown (11-0)

Ashland (9-3) at California (Pa.)-(8-2)

Miles (9-2) at Valdosta State (10-0)

Virginia Union (9-3) at Lenoir-Rhyne (10-2)

Central Oklahoma (10-1) at Ferris State (10-1)

Harding (11-1) at Grand Valley State (10-1)

Minnesota State (9-3) at Colorado State-Pueblo (10-1)

Bemidji State (9-3) at Western Colorado (10-1)

NCAA Division III Second Round

Interactive Bracket

Wisconsin-La Crosse (8-3) at St. John's (Minn.)-(10-0)

Hobart (9-1) at Susquehanna (9-1)

Wisconsin-Platteville (9-1) at Wartburg (9-1)

Lake Forest (10-0) at Bethel (Minn.)-(9-2)

Endicott (10-1) at Cortland (10-0)

UMass-Dartmouth (10-0) at Springfield (10-0)

Aurora (9-1) at Hope (10-0)

Whitworth (10-1) at North Central (10-0)

John Carroll (9-2) at Mount Union (10-0)

Centre (8-2) at Carnegie Mellon (9-1)

Washington & Jefferson (9-1) at Randolph-Macon (9-1)

King's (10-1) at Salisbury (10-0)

Maryville (9-1) at DePauw (10-0)

Grove City (9-1) at Johns Hopkins (9-1)

Texas Lutheran (9-1) at Linfield (9-1)

Mary Hardin-Baylor (6-3) at Hardin-Simmons (10-0)

NAIA Second Round

Second-Round Pairings and Schedule (courtesy of the NAIA)

Pikeville (6-5) at Keiser (9-0) 

Friends (11-1) at Grand View (10-0)

Southwestern (Kan.)-(11-1) at Indiana Wesleyan (10-1)

Dickinson State (10-1) at Montana Western (9-1)

Georgetown (Ky.)-(8-2) at St. Thomas (Fla.)-(9-1)

MidAmerica Nazarene (9-1) at Morningside (10-1)

Northwestern (Iowa)-(8-2) at Montana Tech (9-2)

Benedictine (Kan.)-(9-2) at Texas Wesleyan (10-0)

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RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of November 30, 2024-Thanksgiving Edition (FBS Group Of Five Regular Season Finale/FCS Playoffs First Round)

Editor's Note: For the remainder of the 2024 (regular) season (and likely beyond), future posts of the "RFC Weekly Predictions" column will be divided into multiple parts. This decision is to focus on more critical games of interest across all of the divisions covered by RFC and to accommodate games involving the FBS Group Of Five that will be played midweek. With that said, let's move on to this week's post (s).

Last Week: 29-25 (.537)

This Year: 777-364 (.681)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

FBS Group Of Five 

Tuesday, November 26

Toledo (7-4) at Akron (3-8)

Kent State (0-11) at Buffalo (7-4)

Thursday, November 28 (THANKSGIVING DAY)

Memphis (9-2) at Tulane (9-2)

(The American Athletic Conference Championship Game-bound Green Wave hosts a Tigers team that's 5-2 in AAC action, with the winner finishing the regular season with 10 wins!!!!!)

Friday, November 29 (BLACK FRIDAY)

Miami (Ohio)-(7-4) at Bowling Green (7-4)

(The Falcons face the Redhawks in a battle of 6-1 squads in Mid-American Conference play, with the winner advancing to the MAC title game!!!!!)

Navy (7-3) at East Carolina (7-4)

(In another AAC game of interest, the Pirates will be looking for their fifth straight win under interim head coach Blake Harrell when they host the Midshipmen!!!!!)

Liberty (8-2) at Sam Houston State (8-2)

(Finally, in a battle of 5-2 teams, the Bearkats battle the Flames with the winner hoping to stay in the hunt for a trip to the Conference USA championship game!!!!!)

Ball State (3-8) at Ohio (8-3)

Oregon State (5-6) at Boise State (10-1)

Texas State (6-5) at South Alabama (6-5)

Saturday, November 30

Jacksonville State (8-3) at Western Kentucky (7-4)

(The Conference USA Championship Game-bound Gamecocks will look to finish league play unbeaten at 8-0 when they host the Hilltoppers!!!!!)

Appalachian State (5-5) at Georgia Southern (7-4)

Marshall (8-3) at James Madison (8-3)

(In two critical Sun Belt Conference clashes, the Eagles play host to the Mountaineers, while the Thundering Herd will take the trip to Harrisonburg, Virginia to battle the Dukes, with the East Division title on the line!!!!!)

UTSA (6-5) at Army (9-1)

Louisiana (9-2) at Louisiana-Monroe (5-6)

North Texas (5-6) at Temple (3-8)

Eastern Michigan (5-6) at Western Michigan (5-6)

New Mexico (5-6) at Hawai'i (4-7)

FCS Playoffs-First Round

Bracket

First-Round Byes (In Order Of Seeding, With The Overall Record In Parentheses)

1. Montana State (12-0)

2. North Dakota State (10-2)

3. South Dakota State (10-2)

4. South Dakota (9-2)

5. UC Davis (10-2)

6. Incarnate Word (10-2)

7. Mercer (10-2)

8. Idaho (9-3)

First-Round Playoff Match-Ups 

Saturday, November 30

UT-Martin (8-4) at #16 New Hampshire (8-4)

Lehigh (8-3) at #9 Richmond (10-2)

#12 Illinois State (9-3) at Southeast Missouri State (9-3)

Drake (8-2) at #13 Tarleton State (9-3)

Tennessee State (9-3) at #14 Montana (8-4)

Eastern Kentucky (8-4) at #11 Villanova (9-3)

Central Connecticut State (7-5) at #10 Rhode Island (10-2)

Northern Arizona (8-4) at Abilene Christian (8-4)

Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.

RFC Weekly Predictions: Week Of November 23, 2024-Part 2 (Small College Football Playoff Predictions And Brackets)

KEY: Projected winners are marked in RED.

NOTE: All games are listed in bracket order. All games scheduled will be played on Saturday, November 23, 2024, unless otherwise indicated.

NCAA Division II First Round

Interactive Bracket

First-Round Byes: Kutztown (11-0), Valdosta State (10-0), Ferris State (10-1), Colorado State-Pueblo (10-1)

New Haven (8-2) at Slippery Rock (10-1)

Ashland (8-3) at Charleston (W. Va.)-(11-0)

East Stroudsburg (10-1) at California (Pa.)-(8-2)

Carson-Newman (9-2) at Miles (9-2)

Virginia Union (8-3) at Wingate (9-1)

Lenoir-Rhyne (9-2) at West Alabama (9-1)

Ouachita Baptist (10-1) at Central Oklahoma (10-1)

Indianapolis (10-1) at Grand Valley State (10-1)

Harding (10-1) at Pittsburg State (8-2)

Minnesota State (8-3) at Augustana (S.D.)-(8-3)

Central Washington (8-3) at Western Colorado (10-1)

Bemidji State (8-3) at Angelo State (9-2)

NCAA Division III First Round

Interactive Bracket

Alfred State (5-5) at Endicott (9-1)

Ursinus (9-1) at King's (Pa.)-(9-1)

Mount St. Joseph (8-2) at John Carroll (8-2)

Maryville (8-1) at Berry (8-2)

Northwestern (Minn.)-(7-3) at Wisconsin-La Crosse (7-3)

Coe (9-1) at Bethel (Minn.)-(8-2)

Mary Hardin-Baylor (5-3) at Trinity (Texas)-(8-2)

Pomona-Pitzer (7-2) at Whitworth (9-1)

NAIA First Round

Press Release (courtesy of the NAIA)

Top Seeds (In Order Of Appearance)

1. Keiser (9-0)

2. Grand View (10-0)

3. Indiana Wesleyan (10-1)

4. Montana Western (9-1)

5. St. Thomas (Fla.)-(9-1)

6. Morningside (10-1)

7. Montana Tech (9-2)

8. Texas Wesleyan (10-0)

9. Benedictine (Kan.)-(9-2)

10. Georgetown (Ky.)-(8-2)

11. Northwestern (Iowa)-(8-2)

12. MidAmerica Nazarene (9-1)

First Round Games

Pikeville (5-5) at Baker (9-1)

Kansas Wesleyan (7-4) at Dickinson State (9-1)

St. Francis (Ind.)-(8-3) at Southwestern (Kan.)-(10-1)

Ottawa (Kan.)-(8-1) at Friends (10-1)

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