A "Lamb" leads the return of Mercer football

Click here to find out why former Furman head coach Bobby Lamb is the right choice to lead a re-started football program at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., courtesy of the Albany (Ga.) Herald.

Football Fun in the Atlantic Sun?

While their current conference may not sponsor football now, there's a good chance that several current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference: Florida Gulf Coast, Kennesaw State, and Mercer, among others, will either start, or consider pursuing some gridiron glory in the not too distant future.  In fact, don't be surprised if the A-Sun decides to toss its hat in the football ring down the road.

Click here to find out what could happen next, courtesy of naplesnews.com.

Eastern Washington wins FCS title

The Eastern Washington University Eagles take home their first-ever national championship.  They won the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title by rallying to defeat the University of Delaware Blue Hens, 20-19, on Friday night. 

Click here for the recap, courtesy of College Sporting News.

Semifinal/Championship Round-Up

On the weekend before Christmas, three national champions were decided in three different divisions, while the finalists for a fourth were determined over two days.  Click on one of the links below to find what happened.

FCS Semifinals

Eastern Washington dethrones Villanova (Associated Press)

Delaware downs Georgia Southern (Wilmington [Del.] News-Journal)

NCAA Division II Championship

Minnesota-Duluth downs Delta State on last second field goal (Duluth [Minn.] News-Tribune)

NCAA Division III Championship (Stagg Bowl)

Wisconsin-Whitewater repeats as national champions (Madison.com)

NAIA Championship

Carroll [Mont.] denies Sioux Falls repeat title (Associated Press)

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THE LIGHTNING ROUND--WEEK 17

Last Week: 7-2 (.778)
This Year: 549-255 (.683)

KEY: Projected winners highlighted in RED.

FCS Playoffs--Semifinals

Friday, December 17

Villanova (9-4) at Eastern Washington (11-2)

Saturday, December 18

Georgia Southern (10-4) at Delaware (11-2)

NCAA Division II Championship--at Florence, Ala.

Delta State (11-3) vs. Minnesota-Duluth (14-0)

NCAA Division III Championship--at Salem, Va.

Wisconsin-Whitewater (14-0) vs. Mount Union (14-0)

NAIA Championship--at Rome, Ga.

Carroll (Mont.)--(14-0) vs. Sioux Falls (14-0)

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Playoff Roundup--FCS Quarterfinal/D-II/D-III Semifinal Recap

FCS Quarterfinals (all articles courtesy of College Sporting News)

Delaware downs New Hampshire

Villanova crushes No. 1 Appalachian State

Georgia Southern eliminates Wofford

Eastern Washington wins in OT

NCAA Division II Semifinals

Delta State drops Shepherd (Associated Press)

Minnesota-Duluth downs Northwest Missouri State (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

NCAA Division III Semifinals

Mount Union outlasts Bethel (University of Mount Union Sports Information)

Wisconsin-Whitewater routs Wesley (uwwsports.com)


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THE LIGHTNING ROUND--WEEK 16

Last Week: 14-7 (.667)
This Year: 542-253 (.682)

KEY: Projected winners highlighted in RED.

Click on one of the highlighted links below to see the playoff brackets for each division.

FCS Playoffs--Quarterfinals

Friday, November 10

New Hampshire (8-4) at Delaware (10-2)

Saturday, November 11

Villanova (8-4) at Appalachian State (10-2)

Georgia Southern (9-4) at Wofford (10-2)

North Dakota State (9-4) at Eastern Washington (10-2)

NCAA Division II Playoffs--Semifinals

Saturday, December 11

Shepherd (12-1) at Delta State (10-3)

Northwest Missouri State (12-1) at Minnesota-Duluth (13-0)

NCAA Division III Playoffs--Semifinals

Saturday, December 11

Wisconsin-Whitewater (13-0) at Wesley (12-0)

Bethel (Minn.)--(12-1) at Mount Union (13-0)

Other Games

Saturday, December 11

SWAC Championship at Birmingham, Ala.

Alabama State (7-4) vs. Texas Southern (8-3)

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Playoff Round-Up--Part 2

Everything went according to script in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals, and NAIA semifinals last Saturday, except for one game.  Click here to find out what that game was, and how that team pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the postseason so far.

Also, take a peek at the updated bracket for the D-III playoffs here, as well as the setup for the NAIA championship showdown between defending champion Sioux Falls and Carroll (Mont.) here.

Playoff Round-Up--Part 1

It was a weekend of upsets, for the most part, in small college football playoff action last Saturday.  Click on the links of below for a brief recap.

FCS Second Round

Villanova overcomes first quarter deficit, stomps Stephen F. Austin (College Sporting News)

Georgia Southern stuns William & Mary (georgiasoutherneagles.com)

North Dakota State goes to 2-0 in playoffs (gobison.com)

New Hampshire ousts Bethune-Cookman (unhwildcats.com)

Updated FCS playoff bracket

NCAA Division II Quarterfinals

Shepherd stomps Mercyhurst (Martinsburg [W. Va.] Journal)

Delta State dumps Albany State (Ga.)--(gostatesmen.com)

Minnesota-Duluth downs Augustana (Sioux Falls [S.D.] Leader)

Northwest Missouri State moves on (KansasCity.com)

Updated D-II playoff bracket

THE LIGHTNING ROUND--WEEK 15

Note:  We did it again.  The second round NCAA Division III playoff contest between Linfield and St. Thomas, won in double overtime by the Tommies last Saturday, was inadvertently omitted from the list of predictions.  RFC regrets the error.

Last Week: 21-4 (.840)
This Year: 528-246 (.682)

KEY: Projected winners marked in RED.

Click on one of the highlighted links below to see the brackets for each division.  All games are played on Saturday, December 4.

FCS Playoffs--Second Round

Western Illinois (8-4) at Appalachian State (9-2)

Villanova (7-4) at Stephen F. Austin (9-2)

Southeast Missouri State (9-2) at Eastern Washington (9-2)

North Dakota State (8-4) at Montana State (9-2)

Lehigh (10-2) at Delaware (9-2)

New Hampshire (7-4) at Bethune-Cookman (10-1)

Wofford (9-2) at Jacksonville State (9-2)

Georgia Southern (8-4) at William & Mary (8-3)

NCAA Division II Playoffs--Quarterfinals

Shepherd (11-1) at Mercyhurst (10-2)

Delta State (10-3) at Albany State (Ga.)--(11-0)

Augustana (S.D.)--(11-1) at Minnesota-Duluth (12-0)

Central Missouri (11-2) at Northwest Missouri State (11-1)

NCAA Division III Playoffs--Quarterfinals

Mary Hardin-Baylor (12-0) at Wesley (11-0)

Wisconsin-Whitewater (12-0) at North Central (12-0)

Alfred (10-2) at Mount Union (12-0)

Bethel (Minn.)--(11-1) at St. Thomas (12-0)

NAIA Playoffs--Semifinals

St. Xavier (13-0) at Carroll (Mont.)--(12-0)

MidAmerica Nazarene (12-0) at Sioux Falls (12-0)

Other Games

NCAA Division II

Pioneer Bowl XII at Columbus, Ga.

Fort Valley State (8-2) vs. St. Augustine's (8-2)

Mineral Water Bowl at Excelsior Springs, Mo.

Pittsburg State (Kan.)--(5-6) vs. Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.)--(8-3)

Kanza Bowl at Topeka, Kan.

Washburn (7-4) vs. Midwestern State (8-3)

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Playoff Roundup--Part 2

The home teams went 6-2 in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, while all four home teams stayed unbeaten en route to moving on in the NAIA playoffs.  Click on one of the links below to read summaries of all of the action.

NCAA Division III Second Round

Whitewater trips up Trine (uwwsports.com)

North Central outlasts Ohio Northern, 28-9 (Patch.com)

Mount Union downs Delaware Valley, 31-3 (Youngstown [Ohio] Vindicator)

Alfred stuns Cortland State (Syracuse.com)

St. Thomas wins in 2OTs (Portland [Ore.] Tribune)

All scores for Saturday, November 27 (d3football.com)

NAIA Quarterfinals

Sioux Falls cruises to semis (Rapid City [S.D.] Journal)

Mid America Nazarene stomps Morningside (Sioux City [Iowa] Journal)

St. Xavier gets by St. Francis (Ind.), 40-21 (sxucougars.com)

Carroll (Mont.) crushes Marian (KPAX)

Playoff Roundup--Part 1

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and unfortunately, so have the postseason dreams of the teams that lost Saturday.  Click one of the links below to find out who will move on, and who will be home for the holidays.

FCS First Round

Georgia Southern crushes South Carolina State, 41-16 (College Sporting News)

North Dakota State cruises in first-ever playoff game (gobison.com)

Lehigh ends Northern Iowa playoff dreams (Des Moines [Iowa] Register)

Click here for bonus coverage from the Lehigh-Northern Iowa contest

Western Illinois outlasts Coastal Carolina, 17-10 (Sports Network)

NCAA Division II Playoffs Second Round

Shepherd wins shootout over Kutztown  (journal-news.net)

Mercyhurst boots Bloomsburg (Mercyhurst College Sports Information)

Albany State (Ga.) holds off Wingate (Albany [Ga.] Herald)

Delta State drills North Alabama (gostatesmen.com)

Minnesota-Duluth wins in OT (Duluth [Minn.] News-Tribune)

Augustana stomps GVSU (Sioux Falls [S.D.] Argus-Leader)

Central Missouri upsets Abilene Christian (missourinet.com)

Northwest Missouri eliminates TAMUK (Corpus Christi [Tex] Caller-Times)

THE LIGHTNING ROUND--WEEK 14--PART 2

KEY: Projected winners highlighted in RED.

Click on one of the highlighted links below to see the playoff brackets for each division.  All games will be played on Saturday, November 27.

NCAA Division III Playoffs--Second Round

Montclair State (10-1) at Wesley (10-0)

Thomas More (11-0) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (11-0)

Ohio Northern (10-1) at North Central (11-0)

Trine (11-0) at Wisconsin-Whitewater (11-0)

Delaware Valley (8-2) at Mount Union (11-0)

Alfred (9-2) at Cortland State (10-1)

Bethel (Minn.)--(10-1) at Wheaton (10-1)

NAIA Playoffs--Quarterfinals

McKendree (9-2) at Sioux Falls (11-0) 

Marian (10-2) at Carroll (Mont.)--(11-0)

St. Francis (Ind.)--(10-1) at St. Xavier (11-0)

Morningside (10-1) at Mid America Nazarene (11-0)

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THE LIGHTNING ROUND--WEEK 14--PART 1

Last Week: 32-16 (.667)
This Year: 507-242 (.677)

Note: The first round NAIA playoff game between Dickinson State (N.D.) and Morningside (Iowa) was inadvertently left off the predictions list for last week.  Also, apologies for the typos in Part 1 of TLR.  RFC regrets both errors.

KEY: Projected winners highlighted in RED.

Click on one of the highlighted links below to see the brackets for each division.

FCS Playoffs--First Round

Western Illinois (7-4) at Coastal Carolina (6-5)

Robert Morris (8-2) at North Dakota State (7-4)

Lehigh (9-2) at Northern Iowa (7-4)

South Carolina State (9-2) at Georgia Southern (7-4)

NCAA Division II Playoffs--Second Round

Shepherd (10-1) at Kutztown (10-1)

Bloomsburg (10-2) at Mercyhurst (9-2)

Wingate (9-2) at Albany State (Ga.)--(10-0)

North Alabama (9-3) at Delta State (9-3)

St. Cloud State (10-2) at Minnesota-Duluth (11-0)

Grand Valley State (11-1) at Augustana (S.D.)--(10-1)

Central Missouri (10-2) at Abilene Christian (11-0)

Northwest Missouri State (10-1) at Texas A&M-Kingsville (10-1)

Other Games

Tuskegee (D-II)--(8-2) at Alabama State (FCS)--(7-3)

(Turkey Day Classic at Montgomery, Ala.)

Grambling State (8-2) vs. Southern (2-8)

(Bayou Classic at New Orleans, La.)

THE LIGHTNING ROUND--WEEK 13--PART 3

KEY: All games are marked in BOLD type.

Click on one of the highlighted links below to see the playoff brackets for each division.

NCAA Division III Playoffs--First Round

Muhlenberg (7-3) at Wesley (10-0)

Montclair State (9-1) at Hampden-Sydney (9-1)

Washington and Lee (8-2) at Thomas More (10-0)

Christopher Newport (6-4) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (10-0)

St. Norbert (7-3) at North Central (10-0)

Wittenberg (10-0) at Ohio Northern (9-1)

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

Franklin (9-1) at Wisconsin-Whitewater (10-0)

St. Lawrence (5-5) at Mount Union (10-0)

Salisbury (7-2) at Delaware Valley (8-2)

Alfred (8-2) at SUNY-Maritime (10-0)

Endicott (9-2) at Cortland State (9-1)

Benedictine (Ill.)--(8-2) at St. Thomas (10-0)

Cal Lutheran (8-1) at Linfield (8-1)

Bethel (Minn.)--(9-1) at Wartburg (10-0)

Coe (9-1) at Wheaton (9-1)

ECAC Bowl Games

Saturday, November 20

Maine Maritime (8-2) at Western New England (8-2)

Franklin and Marshall (6-4) at Washington and Jefferson (8-2)

Framingham State (8-2) at Norwich (8-2)

Lebanon Valley (6-4) at Johns Hopkins (7-3)

RPI (6-3) at St. John Fisher (8-2)

Mount Ida (6-4) at Springfield (8-2)

NAIA Playoffs--First Round

Northwestern Oklahoma State (8-2) at Sioux Falls (10-0)

Azusa Pacific (6-3) at Carroll (Mont.)--(10-0)

Cumberlands (Ky.)--(7-3) at St. Xavier (11-0)

Georgetown (Ky.)--(8-2) at MidAmerica Nazarene (10-0)

St. Francis (Ind.)--(9-1) at Lindenwood (9-1)

McKendree (8-2) at McPherson (10-0)

Marian (9-2) at Ottawa (Kan.)--(9-1)

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THE LIGHTNING ROUND--WEEK 13--PART 2

KEY: Projected winners highlighted in RED.

Game (s) of the week highlighted in italics.

Other games of interest highlighted in BOLD type.

Click on the highlighted links below for the playoff brackets in each division.

NCAA Division II Playoffs--First Round

Bloomsburg (9-2) at California (Pa.)--(10-1)

Shaw (9-2) at Shepherd (9-1)

North Alabama (8-3) at Valdosta State (8-2)

Morehouse (8-2) at Wingate (8-2)

Colorado Mines (9-2) at Grand Valley State (10-1)

Hillsdale (9-2) at St. Cloud State (9-2)

Missouri Western State (8-3) at Northwest Missouri State (9-1)

West Texas A&M (8-3) at Central Missouri (9-2)

First Round Byes: Mercyhurst, Kutztown, Albany State (Ga.), Delta State, Augustana (S.D.), Minnesota-Duluth, Abilene Christian, Texas A&M-Kingsville.

THE LIGHTNING ROUND--WEEK 13--PART 1

Last Week: 25-15 (.620)
This Year: 475-226 (.678)

KEY: Projected winners highlighted in RED.

Game (s) of the week highlighted in italics.

Other games of interest highlighted in BOLD type.

Click on one of the highlighted links below for a schedule of this week's games.

FCS REGULAR SEASON

Saturday, November 20

Villanova (6-4) at Delaware (9-1)

(Blue Hens look to defend top ranking against defending national champion Wildcats!)

Bethune-Cookman (10-0) at Florida A&M (7-3)Montana State (8-2) at Montana (7-3)


(Only their Sunshine State rivals, the Rattlers, stand between the Wildcats and an undefeated regular season!)

Richmond (6-4) at William & Mary (7-3)

(The Tribe take on the Spiders in a game that with possible playoff implications!)



(Grizzlies play host to the Bobcats with more than just bragging rights at stake!)

Yale (7-2) at Harvard (6-3)

Chattanooga (6-4) at Wofford (8-2)

Northern Iowa (7-3) at Western Illinois (6-4)

Stony Brook (6-4) at Liberty (7-3)

Duquesne (6-4) at Bryant (7-3)

Jackson State (7-3) vs. Alcorn State (5-5)

(at Jackson, Miss.)

Sacramento State (6-4) at UC Davis (5-5)

Playoff Picture Roundup--Part 2

The final week of the regular season at the NCAA Division III and NAIA levels produced surprising, and not so surprising results.  Read on to find out what happened.

NCAA Division III

Wabash bashes DePauw (Wabash College Sports Information)

Widener upsets Delaware Valley (Widener University Sports Information)

Cortland State rallies to re-claim Cortaca Jug (cortlandreddragons.com)

Franklin captures HCAC crown (franklingrizzlies.com)

Louisiana College stuns Hardin-Simmons (lcwildcats.net)

All final scores for the week of November 13, 2010 (d3football.com)

NAIA

Marian mauls Walsh (muknights.com)

William Penn rolls past St. Francis (statesmenathletics.com)

Northwestern (Iowa) knocks off Midland (Midland University [Neb.] Sports Information)

All final scores for the week for the week of November 13, 2010 (NAIA)

Playoff Picture Roundup--Part 1

On this, the second weekend in November, there were big upsets, and more uncertainty, as the playoff picture started to clear somewhat.  Click on one of the following links below to find out what happened.

FCS

No. 1 goes down, again! (JMUSports.com)

Delaware drills UMass (masslive.com)

Appalachian State wallops Wofford (Winston-Salem Journal)

Jacksonville State wins shootout over SEMO (Southeast Missourian)

Villanova playoff hopes in doubt after loss (Philadelphia Inquirer)

All final scores for the week of November 13, 2010 (sportsnetwork.com)

NCAA Division II

Mercyhurst blasts Bloomsburg, wins PSAC crown (The Daily Item [Pa.])

Harding stuns North Alabama (Harding University Sports Information)

Colorado Mines wins in triple overtime (Denver Post)

All final scores for the week of November 13, 2010 (sportsnetwork.com)

THE LIGHTNING ROUND--WEEK 12--PART 2

KEY: Projected winners highlighted in RED.

Game (s) of the week highlighted in italics.

Other games of interest highlighted in BOLD type.

Click on one of the highlighted links below to see the schedule for this week's games.

NCAA Division III

Saturday, November 13

Williams (7-0) at Amherst (6-1)

(Ephs, Lord Jeffs meet for the 125th time in the "Biggest Little Game In America"!)

Randolph-Macon (7-2) at Hampden-Sydney (8-1)

(Tigers play host to the Yellow Jackets in the 116th edition of "The Game"!)

Ithaca (6-3) at Cortland State (8-1)

(Bombers, Red Dragons do battle in the 52nd renewal of the "Cortaca Jug" game!)

DePauw (9-0) at Wabash (7-2)

(Little Giants play host to the Tigers in the 117th "Monon Bell" game!)

Endicott (8-2) at Maine Maritime (8-1)

(New England Football Conference Championship Game)

Averett (5-4) at North Carolina Wesleyan (6-3)

Albion (5-4) at Trine (9-0)

Hanover (7-2) at Franklin (8-1)

Washington (Mo.)--(7-2) at Chicago (7-2)

Hardin-Simmons (8-1) at Louisiana College (6-3)

Willamette (7-2) at Pacific Lutheran (7-1)

NAIA

Saturday, November 13

Walsh (7-3) at Marian (8-2)

(Cavaliers, Knights square off in Mid States Football Association Mideast League game with playoff implications!)

St. Francis (Ill.)--(7-3) at William Penn (9-1)

(Statesmen play host to the Fighting Saints with at least a share of the MSFA Midwest League title at stake!)

Northwestern (Iowa)--(7-2) at Midland (Neb.)--(8-2)

(Red Raiders, Warriors do battle for bragging rights, outside chance at a playoff berth!)

Taylor (6-3) at St. Francis (Ind.)--(8-1)

Grand View (6-3) at McKendree (7-2)

Cumberland (Tenn.)--(8-2) at Cumberlands (Ky.)--(6-3)

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