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Sports Commentary

  1. 2d ago

    FCS Top 25 – Lamar ends SFA’s Dream Season

    The winning streak is over. Stephen F. Austin’s school record 9-0 start came to a halt on Saturday in Beaumont, Texas. Four turnovers by the Lumberjacks (two fumbles and two interceptions) proved quite costly in a 45-28 loss to Southland Conference foe Lamar University.  The Cardinals improved to 8-2 for the season. Lamar seized the momentum early and held a 17-7 halftime lead over the high-scoring Lumberjacks.  SFA pulled within three points at 17-14 early in the third quarter.  The Cardinals quickly answered with a touchdown of their own. Lamar never trailed in this game. Both teams are now 6-1 in Southland Conference play. Lamar now holds the head-to-head tiebreaker to determine the conference champion. The Cardinals will host 3-7 East Texas A&M on Saturday and close the regular season with a tough road game at 5-5 McNeese in Lake Charles. SFA travels to 4-5 UT-Rio Grande to play the Vaqueros this Saturday.  The Lumberjacks will host winless Northwestern State (0-10) on Thursday, November 19 to end the regular season. Both Lamar and SFA are likely to earn a spot in the upcoming 24-team FCS playoffs with two more wins. Tarleton State reaches 10-0 with a most unusual victory The term “stats are for losers” was absolutely right when describing Saturday’s game between visiting Abilene Christian and unbeaten Tarleton State. The 10-0 Texans (the only unbeaten team remaining in the FCS) raced to a 14-0 first quarter lead and never trailed in this game.  It’s a good thing they got off to a fast start. Abilene Christian kept the football for the vast majority of this rather odd United Athletic Conference game. The visiting Wildcats controlled the ball for an astounding 43 ½ minutes of this game compared to only 16 ½ minutes for the victorious Texans.  ACU rolled-up 25 first downs compared to just 14 for Tarleton State. Final score?  Tarleton State 40, Abilene Christian 27. Texans quarterback Kaden Anderson passed just nine times during this game.  However, he completed seven of those passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns. It was the seventh game of the season in which top-ranked Tarleton State tallied 40 or more points. It’s a So-Con Showdown this Saturday in Tennessee! There’s a new kid in town trying to make-off with the So-Con football title in their first year in the conference. The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles flew the coop from its long-time roost in the Ohio Valley Conference beginning this season.  Southern Conference football teams are now finding out that 9-1 Tennessee Tech is a force to be reckoned with. Enter Mercer. The 8-2 Bears have been a frequent representative of the So-Con in the FCS playoffs.  They must travel to Cookeville, Tennessee (east of Nashville) on Saturday to play the surging Golden Eagles. Kickoff is at 1:30PM CST on ESPN+. Tennessee Tech averages 36 points per game this year.  Mercer’s defense is #6 in the FCS and has allowed only 16 points per outing. Something’s gotta give. Both of these teams qualified for the FCS playoffs in 2025.  This should be a terrific match-up! It’s a trap (game)!  Campbell’s Fighting Camels travel into uncharted waters Campbell University’s football team has been one of the best feel-good stories of the 2026 FCS season.  The Fighting Camels improved to 8-2 on Saturday after taking a 45-38 home victory over Stony Brook (now 5-5). Campbell has been playing in the FCS since 2008 and has never won more than six football games in the regular season – before this year. The 2026 Fighting Camels are now involved in the school’s first football title chase in the Coastal Athletic Association.  Campbell is one game behind CAA leader Monmouth (also 8-2) with two games left to play. A regular season home finale showdown against the Monmouth Hawks is less than two weeks away.  A first-ever conference title and berth in the FCS playoffs may be on the line. But don’t lose sight of this week’s important game, Campbell fans! Elon University (located near Greensboro, NC) and Campbell are about 90 miles apart.  The 5-5 Phoenix have won six or more games every year for the past five seasons. Elon’s freshman running back Kamerin McDowell-Moore is having one heck of a rookie season.  He is #3 in the entire FCS with 1,353 rushing yards in just ten games this year. On the other side of the ball, Campbell quarterback Kamden Sixkiller is leading the FCS in passing with 3,016 yards through ten games. Something’s gotta give on Saturday in North Carolina! Elon will be trying to wreck Campbell University’s dream of winning its first conference title and making its initial FCS playoff appearance with an upset win this week. Did someone just mention the word “Fighting”? Grambling State University has a long history of successful football teams. Legendary coach and strict disciplinarian Eddie Robinson may be turning over in his grave if he knew how his former school’s football team has been conducted itself over the past two years. In November, 2025, a halftime brawl broke out at Grambling’s Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium in a game against Bethune-Cookman. When the dust cleared, 18 Grambling players were suspended and nine from Bethune-Cookman.  GSU was fined $40,000.  Bethune-Cookman was hit with a $25,000 fine for participating in last November’s amateurish slugfest. History repeated itself in north Louisiana last Saturday.  This time it was a different opponent. The 4-5 G-men lost at home to 6-3 University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions in a close 35-32 game. Numerous Grambling and UAPB football players then got into a large post-game brawl on the field for several minutes. This year’s pugilistic carnage scorecard totaled 14 two-game suspensions for Grambling players plus nine similar suspensions for UAPB’s faux boxers. Both schools were slapped with a $25,000 fine for failure to control their football players. And where is Grambling is traveling to play this Saturday? Yes, the Fighting Tigers from Grambling will face-off with 2025 sparring partner Bethune-Cookman (now 5-5) at Daytona Stadium in Florida. The opening bell is slated for 12 Noon CST. Let’s swing through the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 for the week ending Saturday, November 7, 2026: The post FCS Top 25 – Lamar ends SFA’s Dream Season appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  2. 2d ago

    U talkin’ to me? Utah and UCLA grab top two spots in Top 25

    You never know what is going to happen in college football each weekend.  Last Saturday’s games included a few expected nail-biters along with a couple of quite unexpected blow-outs, too. Last week’s top-ranked Miami was K-O’ed by Notre Dame 31-24 on Saturday night in South Bend.  The Hurricanes dropped out of the top spot in this week’s latest SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25. The Fighting Irish (now 8-1) led 24-3 early in the third quarter before the Miami offense awakened late.  Miami committed two turnovers in what was, otherwise, a statistically-balanced game. Notre Dame will close November with three ACC competitors.  Boston College (4-5) and 7-2 SMU each visit South Bend over the next two weeks.  Notre Dame then travels to Syracuse (4-5) on the final weekend of the regular season. A College Football Playoff berth is certain for the Irish with two victories in the final three games. Miami’s final three contests will be more difficult but all played at home.  Duke (7-2), Virginia Tech (6-3) and Boston College must travel to south Florida to play the Canes. Utah wins the “Holy War” over rival BYU 28-20 The so-called “Holy War” between Brigham Young and the University of Utah produced another thriller in Salt Lake City on Saturday. Utah quickly jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead.  Brigham Young then responded in the second quarter to lead 20-14 at halftime. BYU quarterback Bear Brockmeier had three of his four interceptions happen during the second half to quell possible scoring drives.  Utah capitalized and scored 14 second half points to win 28-20 and improve to 9-0. Brigham Young fell to 7-2 with the loss.  The Cougars must defeat 6-3 Baylor, win at 3-6 Kansas, and take down 5-4 Cincinnati on the final weekend to make their case for the playoffs. UCLA’s passing game produced big results as Bruins improved to 9-0 UCLA senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach completed only nine passes in Saturday’s 34-20 road win at 5-4 Minnesota. Two of those passes went for 75-yard touchdowns in the second half to wide receiver Aiden Mizell.  UCLA produced a remarkable 303 yards via the air on just nine pass completions. Minnesota battled unbeaten UCLA to a 10-10 halftime tie.  UCLA’s #7-ranked defense came to the rescue in the second half as the Golden Gophers (now 5-4) were held to just 296 yards of total offense. UCLA will host 6-3 Illinois on Saturday.  The Bruins then hit the road at struggling 5-4 Michigan and return home to play crosstown rival USC (7-2) in the regular season finale.  The College Football Playoffs are a certainty if the Bruins win two of their final three games. LSU Coach Lane Kiffin’s 4th down gambling costs Tigers in loss to Alabama One of my favorite tunes by legendary rock group Blood, Sweat, and Tears was “Go Down Gambling!” That’s exactly what happened in Baton Rouge after the new head coach of the LSU Tigers went 0-4 on fourth down gambles against SEC rival Alabama.  Bama’s defense morphed into a Crimson Wall inside the 20 yard line as 7-2 Alabama beat LSU 31-13. LSU (now 6-3) moved up and down the field with ease at times of this game.  They also failed to cash-in with touchdowns in the red (scoring) zone on all but one occasion. Coach Lane Kiffin opted to gamble on fourth down four different times.  Alabama stopped the Tigers on each occasion and scored the game’s final 21 points over the final 16 minutes of this game. LSU’s chances in the College Football Playoff sank to nearly zero after the embarrassing loss on national television. The Tigers must beat 7-2 Texas this Saturday in Baton Rouge (6:30PM on ABC).  Then LSU must win road wins at 7-2 Tennessee and 3-6 Arkansas to close the season.  A 9-3 LSU must hope that other highly-ranked teams will go into a November slump. All of that is quite unlikely, but weird things sometimes occur during the final weeks of the football season. Did anyone get the number of that red bus in Oxford, Mississippi Saturday night? Georgia came into Oxford and absolutely crushed Ole Miss on Saturday night. The Bulldogs (now 8-1) scored four unanswered touchdowns to roll to a 28-0 halftime advantage over the stunned Rebels and their equally shocked home crowd. Georgia’s defense allowed just 252 total yards.  The loss may have scuttled Ole Miss’ playoff chances along with the Heisman Trophy hopes of their quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Georgia now faces a tough home game against 6-3 Missouri on Saturday.  The Dawgs then travel to play vastly improved South Carolina (6-3) in Columbia before hosting intrastate rival Georgia Tech (2-7) to end the regular season. A win over either Missouri or South Carolina will likely punch a playoff ticket for Georgia. Kentucky serves-up three turnovers in a lopsided 34-6 loss at Tennessee The Kentucky Wildcats came into Knoxville with a gaudy 7-1 record built on near-flawless offensive performances.  Tennessee was at home with its playoff backs to the wall on Saturday. Much like Alabama did against LSU, the Tennessee defense failed to allow touchdowns whenever Kentucky moved into scoring range. The Volunteers then capitalized on three rare Kentucky offensive turnovers and closed the game by scoring 21 fourth quarter points.  Tennessee is now 7-2 after its win in a game which was closer than the final score indicated. Kentucky trailed only 13-6 coming into the deciding fourth quarter. Louisiana Tech is basking in the Sun (Belt, that is) The Bulldogs just opened-up a two game lead in the Sun Belt Western Division after clobbering Troy 41-17 on the Trojans’ home field Saturday.  Louisiana Tech surged to 7-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 conference mark in its inaugural Sun Belt football season. Tech’s defense continued to lead the way. Bulldog defenders created four fumbles (including a 67-yard scoop-and-score touchdown) and pilfered an interception in the school’s latest win. Louisiana Tech is home for both Southern Miss (3-6) and Arkansas State (3-6) over the next two weeks.  They will travel to Statesboro to play Sun Belt East leader Georgia Southern (5-4 overall – 4-1 in conference play) on Thanksgiving weekend. Here is the latest SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 for the week ending Saturday, November 7, 2026: The post U talkin’ to me? Utah and UCLA grab top two spots in Top 25 appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  3. 6d ago

    LIV Golf to Liquidate – Hello, Korn Ferry Tour?

    LIV Golf’s attempt to resurrect itself into a version 2.0 was officially flushed down the Ty-Dee bowl Thursday morning in a New Jersey bankruptcy courtroom. According to early reports, the $300 million of financial support promised by private equity firm BC Partners was withdrawn this week.  A re-launch under the name of LIV Golf 2.0 was being planned. More than 50% of the top LIV golfers failed to commit to participating in this proposed lower-cost new business plan for the struggling golf tour. TV’s Golf Channel quickly rolled out its analysts to discuss the past, present, and future for golfers who jumped to play in the five year old golf league. Former PGA player Brandel Chamblee (Golf Channel’s LIV Golf basher-in-chief) eloquently discussed this morning how LIV Golf had done irreparable damage to the great game of golf over the past five seasons. How, Brandel? The golfers receiving those huge signing bonuses to move to LIV Golf did quite well financially. Yes, they chose to take up-front money and play in fewer events than grinding it out weekly on the PGA Tour.  It was their decision.  They should bear any future consequences. LIV Golf offered a tournament purse which was nearly double of an average weekly PGA Tour event.  There were no cuts in LIV’s smaller field events.  A last place finisher in a LIV Golf event would still take home $50,000.  LIV Golf spent money like the proverbial drunken sailor for five straight years. LIV Golf’s Jon Rahm won about $80 million in tournament earnings over the past three seasons. That amount is in addition to estimated $300 million signing bonus he received. PGA Tour golfers also benefited from the existence of LIV Golf. LIV Golf poached dozens of players away from the stodgy long-time golf tour.  In response, do you remember that the PGA Tour announced a merger with LIV Golf during the summer of 2023? Months passed with no word about those merger talks. In early 2024, the PGA Tour announced they had acquired $3 billion worth of funding from a private equity investment partner named Strategic Sports Group. The PGA Tour utilized some of that money to finance an increase in certain tournament payouts and to fund a new long-term incentive program encouraging PGA Tour players to stay put. Apparently, that proposed merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour was officially dead. The DP World Tour has benefited from LIV Golf’s existence. Several prominent LIV golfers have participated in various DP World Tour events in recent years.  Many LIV golfers have applied or will apply to become full-time members on the DP World Tour beginning in 2027. Golf fans around the world have benefited from LIV Golf.  Events were played in long-ignored golf-starved venues such as Adelaide, Australia and South Africa.  LIV Golf drew a much younger audience to its tournaments. Who would have thought that golfers and fans would enjoy hearing music while the players are on the course. LIV Golf’s unique 4-man team competition encouraged each player to remain focused on team goals even if that individual golfer had no chance of winning the singles title on Sunday. I was a big fan of LIV Golf’s shotgun starts.  All golfers began play at the same time and under the same weather conditions.  The PGA Tour should consider doing the same – twice per day. The biggest losers were Saudi Arabia’s investors Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund flushed an estimated $6 billion to fund LIV Golf’s player signing bonuses and the over-inflated tournament purses during the past five seasons. The Saudi PIF assets are more than $1 trillion.  Even those massive losses posted by LIV Golf will cost their investors a mere .6% overall. That’s a blip on the financial radar. LIV Golf’s recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy hearing in New Jersey showed assets of $100-$500 million but liabilities of $500 million to $1 billion.  My worst case scenario (assets of $100 million and liabilities of $1 billion) means there might be as little as ten cents on the dollar available to creditors as LIV Golf winds-down the business. The Saudi PIF invested another $50 million this fall to finance LIV Golf’s continued operations during the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.  The bankruptcy court will order the repayment of that $50 million as a preferred creditor. Most creditors are unsecured.  They will share whatever is left over after the secured creditors are taken care of.   That likely means pennies on the dollar for unsecured claims during the wind-down of LIV Golf. That list includes dozens of LIV golfers, countless vendors and a host of other service providers who performed work for the company and were not paid.  They are part of the unsecured creditor class. What are the options for LIV Golf tour players now? The DP World Tour advised LIV golfers on October 12 that they must choose to participate entirely with their tour in 2027 or stick with LIV Golf 2.0 next season.  There will be no more jumping from one tour to another within the golf season. That announcement led to a thundering herd of popular former LIV golfers signing-up for the DP World Tour in recent weeks.  Several LIV golfers with European roots are hoping to play well enough in 2027 to earn a spot on the Ryder Cup team. It is much more complicated (of course) for LIV golfers wanting to return to the US-based PGA Tour. It seems like the long-time golf tour wants to inflict varying amounts of “punishment” on any former PGA Tour golfers who had the gall to leave for LIV Golf up to five years ago.  The PGA Tour will use their microscope to examine each player’s transgressions and establish some form of required penitence. The PGA Tour has already negotiated a couple of “deals” in the past year.  They have allowed former major champions such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed to return from LIV Golf – under certain conditions. Koepka’s plan involved writing a $5 million check to charity and not participating in any of the PGA Tour’s new limited field “Signature” events.  Those events had never taken place before LIV Golf arrived. Brooks Koepka ended his first year back with just one top ten finish in 16 PGA Tour events played.  He finished #94 in FedEx Cup points. Patrick Reed’s route back to the PGA Tour required a full year of waiting in exile. He spent 2026 on the DP World golf tour.  Reed won two events on that tour this year. He has been cleared to return to the traditional PGA Tour beginning in January. A number of popular American golfers who participated in LIV Golf events want to see what is required to return to play on the PGA Tour soon. However, PGA veterans such as Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and others have spoken negatively about the break-away group of golfers who vamoosed to take the money offered by LIV Golf. The PGA Tour appears to be trying to appease its current players while realizing that fan favorites such as Bryson DeChambeau will bring thousands of additional fans to several of its tournament stops. Isn’t there a reasonable way to resolve this?  Of course!  Read on. Win/win idea – Allow LIV Golf stars to participate on the PGA’s Korn Ferry Tour in 2027 and 2028! This plan makes so much sense. The Korn Ferry Tour is owned by the PGA Tour.  It is a successful developmental league for up-and-coming golfers and a few former stars wanting to earn a chance to return.  Golfers finishing in the top 20 at season’s end receive a promotion to the PGA Tour for the following golf season. The 2026 Korn Ferry Tour schedule featured 25 events. All but four of its tournaments featured a total prize money of $1 million.  First place netted $180,000 in the majority of tournaments.  Most Korn Ferry events feature large fields of 140 or more golfers. In other words, Korn Ferry Tour golfers compete just as hard but for substantially less money as the PGA Tour’s players. Most Korn Ferry Tour events in 2026 were held in medium-sized US markets such as Knoxville, Tennessee, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Amarillo, Texas. Can you imagine the boost in local interest and ticket sales if former LIV Golf stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, and Bubba Watson were entered in the field?  Golf fans in those communities would get a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a few of golf’s major champions in person at their local Korn Ferry Tour event in 2027. Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, and other former LIV Golf stars should be given priority status to enter any Korn Ferry Tour event in 2027 and 2028.  If one or more former LIV golfer finishes the season in the top 20, he will have earned a spot back on the PGA Tour in the following season.  For the sake of fairness, any non-LIV golfer bumped out of the top 20 would still receive his PGA Tour card over the next two seasons.   Former LIV golfers who fail to reach the PGA Tour (via the Korn Ferry Tour) after the 2027 and 2028 seasons will lose their priority entrance status in future years. You’ve gotta prove that you still have game! The PGA Tour golfers can breathe easier knowing they won’t have to see or compete against former LIV Golf stars in 2027.  If a LIV golfer does earns a spot from a top 20 Korn Ferry Tour season in 2027 or 2028, his return will be based on recent merit. Most golf fans want to see the best players competing while in their prime. Forget the spiteful financial punishments such as Brooks Keopka was forced to make.  Most of the LIV golfers have plenty of money to cover almost any fine concocted by the PGA Tour. They simply want to PLAY GOLF! Make the LIV Golfers earn their way back onto the PGA Tour by performance – just like everyone else must do! The post LIV Golf to Liquidate – Hello, Korn Ferry Tour? appeared first o

  4. Nov 4

    FCS – Santa Arrived early as Harvard handed Dartmouth FIVE Gifts

    Last Friday night’s ESPN prime time FCS college football game from Hanover, New Hampshire featured earlier-than-expected Christmas holiday colors and gift exchanges. The unbeaten 6-0 Harvard Crimson visited the Big Green of Dartmouth in what was a difficult battle for those of us dealing with red-green colorblindness. Harvard junior defensive back Xaden Benson was overcome with holiday joy. He received three interceptions courtesy of Dartmouth’s woeful (5 of 12 for 42 yards and 3 interceptions) passing game. In the spirit of the season, Harvard reciprocated with five holiday gifts for the Dartmouth defense in return. Crimson quarterback Charlie Smith completed 23 of 37 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns.  He also completed five passes to the Big Green’s defense as Dartmouth handed Harvard its first loss off the season by a 24-14 score. Harvard dropped to 6-1 overall and is now in a three-way tie for first place in the Ivy League.  Dartmouth (5-4), Princeton (5-2), and Harvard are all 3-1 in conference play after last weekend’s games. Dartmouth travels to Princeton on Saturday (11AM CST on ESPN+).  Harvard will host 4-3 Columbia at 12 Noon. Don’t look now, but South Dakota State is on a roll! The 7-2 Jackrabbits won the FCS national championship in both 2022 and 2023. This season got underway with a tough 34-18 loss at FBS Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois.  The Northwestern Wildcats have been quite impressive.  They are 6-2 in the Big Ten Conference and have been ranked in the Top 25 for much of the season. South Dakota State trails Missouri Valley Football Conference leader Youngstown State by only ½ game.  The Jackrabbits defeated the Penguins 27-20 earlier this season and hold a tie-breaker advantage. Saturday’s convincing 31-21 win over arch-rival South Dakota (now 7-3) has given SDSU a clear path to the Missouri Valley Football Conference title. The Jackrabbits must travel to 4-4 Northern Iowa for a game this Saturday at 1PM (ESPN+).  Their two remaining regular season games are at 4-5 Southern Illinois and at home against 2-7 Indiana State. Southland Conference Showdown in Beaumont, Texas happens this Saturday The red-hot 9-0 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks chopped down another opponent on Halloween in Nacogdoches, Texas. SFA won its 18th consecutive regular season game by obliterating Houston Christian (now 4-5) 37-6. Wide receiver and return specialist “Lightning” Bugs Mortimer returned a punt for a touchdown to spark the Lumberjacks’ latest victory.  The speedy wide receiver now has seven touchdowns this season. SFA will load the busses for a 2½ hour road trip to play long-time Southland Conference foe Lamar University in Beaumont this Saturday. The Cardinals are 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Southland Conference action. They are coming off an impressive 52-23 road win at 4-5 UT-Rio Grande last Saturday. Lamar sophomore wide receiver and kick-off return specialist Blake Thomas took the second half kick-off 97 yards for a touchdown to break open this game.  Thomas won the Southland Conference “Special Teams Player of the Week” award. The Cardinals’ only conference loss came in a 34-31 defeat at Southeastern Louisiana. A sell-out crowd is possible at Lamar’s 16,000 seat football stadium Saturday for this Southland showdown.  Kickoff is at 3PM with television coverage available on ESPN+. The So-Con has four teams with just one conference loss! Tennessee Tech’s first season as a member of the Southern Conference (So-Con) has been quite successful. They were long-time members of the Ohio Valley Conference prior to the 2026 football season.  The Golden Eagles have soared to a 8-1 overall record (5-1 in conference) with just three regular season games to go. However, that one loss may loom large by season’s end.  Tennessee Tech lost to So-Con member 4-5 Western Carolina by a surprising 44-20 margin in October. The Chattanooga Mocs are in hot pursuit. They are 6-3 overall and 5-1 in the So-Con.  The Mocs’ only conference blemish came at the hands of Tennessee Tech in a 24-9 home loss. Mercer (7-2 overall – 4-1 in conference) and East Tennessee State (6-3 overall and 4-1 in the So-Con) are poised to make a November challenge, too. The Mercer Bears’ lone conference blemish was a surprising 20-13 loss to 2-7 Furman. ETSU’s only defeat in the So-Con came in a 24-17 loss to Tennessee Tech. Tennessee Tech currently has the inside track.  The Golden Eagles will host long-time So-Con football power Mercer on Saturday, November 14.  A Mercer win would create even more chaos in this year’s So-Con title chase. Towson finally wins! The Towson Tigers became a winner last weekend!   This suburban Baltimore school opened the 2026 season with eight consecutive losses.  Towson wasted no time last Saturday as they vanquished Coastal Athletic Association foe Hampton. The Tigers pounced on Hampton (now 1-8) from the opening kickoff in taking a 30-6 halftime advantage.  The visiting Pirates were the ones being forced to walk the plank during this lopsided 44-13 game. Congratulations to Towson for breaking through with its first win of the season! That leaves Virginia Military Institute and Northwestern State University (LA) as the two remaining FCS teams without a win this season.   The Keydets and Demons are both 0-9. VMI has scored the fewest points in the FCS (just 74 in nine games). Northwestern State has given up the most points in the FCS this season (424 in nine games). Ouch and double ouch!   It’s time to visit the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 for the week ending Saturday, October 31, 2026. The post FCS – Santa Arrived early as Harvard handed Dartmouth FIVE Gifts appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  5. Nov 3

    Miami Survives “Bill Belichick Bowl” to Remain #1

    Legendary former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s second year at the University of North Carolina is showing signs of improvement. His 4-3 Tar Heels were at home on Saturday night to play the unbeaten and #1-ranked Miami Hurricanes.  Miami was an overwhelming 14-point road favorite. The Hurricanes were fortunate to escape Chapel Hill with a 38-35 victory on Saturday night.  Miami apparently forgot to pack their defense for the trip to Carolina. North Carolina only had to punt once in this high-scoring back-and-forth game.  Tar Heels quarterback Billy Edwards, Jr. tossed four touchdown passes and 341 yards to keep Carolina within one touchdown for much of this game. Miami improved to 8-0 and will travel to South Bend, Indiana for this Saturday night’s showdown with 7-1 Notre Dame.  Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels dropped to 4-4. Utah Utes rise to #2 under their rookie head coach Long-time Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham told his former employer that he was retiring following the 2025 season.  The legendary coach took the Utes to 17 post-season appearances during his 21 years at the Salt Lake City university. The 66-year old former NFL linebacker surprised the college football world in December, 2025 by signing a 5-year contract to coach the Michigan Wolverines. Utah quickly tapped long-time defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley to take the head coaching position.  Scalley played defensive back for the Utes 20 years ago. His very unusual coaching resume shows professional experience at only one school – his alma mater. Morgan Scalley began working at Utah as a graduate assistant.  He continued to move up the ladder under Coach Whittingham. The 47-year old Scalley was the team’s defensive coordinator for the past ten seasons. Utah’s defense is quite stingy again in 2026 under their rookie head coach.  The Utes rank #15 out of 138 FBS teams by allowing just under 16 points per game. Utah is 8-0 heading into Saturday morning’s 11AM CST kick-off on ABC against Big 12 and long-time rival 7-1 Brigham Young.  The so-called “Holy War” game between the state of Utah’s two largest universities began in 1896. A win by the visiting BYU Cougars could send the Big 12 title race into a three-way tie for first place (along with Texas Tech) as each team would have one conference loss. Time to say good-bye to the annual Alabama vs. LSU football game The SEC’s growth into a 16-team conference has caused a number of changes with traditional rivalry games. LSU and Alabama have played football against each other in consecutive years since 1964.  Bama leads the all-time series with LSU with a 58-27-5 record.  The Crimson Tide has won three games in a row. Recent Southeastern Conference scheduling changes will pair these two long-time rivals only once every four years beginning next season. That is only one aspect which makes this Saturday afternoon’s 2:30PM game (ABC) in Baton Rouge so intriguing. Both teams enter the game at 6-2.  The loser is likely eliminated from the College Football Playoffs in December due to the large number of two-loss teams still available. Coach Lane Kiffin’s Tigers have been on a roll recently.  LSU obliterated Auburn 38-17 on the Plains a little more than a week ago.  The Tigers shut-out Mississippi State 31-0 the week prior to that. LSU’s offense (#7 nationally) and defense (ranked #16 nationally) are peaking at the right time. Alabama Coach Kalen DeBoer’s detractors want nothing less than for his Crimson Tide football team to walk into Tiger Stadium and quickly K-O LSU on Saturday. Good luck with that, Bama fan! Sunshine and 75 degrees in Baton Rouge plus several hours of pregame tailgating should have 102,000 LSU fans very much primed for Saturday’s kick-off. Indiana vs. Minnesota – What were the chances of seeing two 60-yard field goals in the final minute of a college football game? The Minnesota Golden Gophers trotted out their field goal kicker to try a 60-yarder with about 25 seconds left in the final quarter against defending national champion Indiana.  It cleared the uprights as the Gophers jumped with excitement in taking a 16-13 lead with just 19 seconds to go on Indiana’s home field. IU then quickly completed a long pass to reach the mid-field area with almost no time left on the clock.  Seldom-used senior placekicker Paddy McAteer (yes, he is from Ireland) came onto the field and blasted a game-tying 60-yard field goal of his own to send the game into overtime at 16-16. Indiana scored a touchdown on the first play of overtime.  Minnesota then failed to convert on fourth and goal during its overtime possession. Indiana (now 8-1) prevailed 23-16. It was one of the most improbable finishes I have ever seen. Afterwards, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti cracked a rare smile and said, “This is entertainment, so I thought we’d bring some entertainment to this game!” Get your TV remote ready for big college football games this weekend! How about this line-up of early November key games on Friday and Saturday?  Check your batteries in your TV remote! Friday night warm-ups for Saturday’s all-day event include: 6:00 PM CST 6-2 Virginia Tech at 6-2 SMU (ESPN) – Let’s find out whether the Hokies or the Mustangs are for real! 7:00 PM 5-3 Nebraska at 5-3 Illinois (FOX) – Can the Huskers win a big road game? 8:00 PM 7-1 New Mexico at 3-5 Nevada (CBS Sports Network) – Just because I haven’t seen New Mexico play this year! 9:15 PM 4-4 TCU at 6-2 Arizona (ESPN) – TCU coach Sonny Dyke’s job is on the line.  Arizona must win to have any playoff chances. Saturday’s impressive line-up of games with meaningful playoff implications include: 11AM CST 7-1 BYU at 8-0 Utah (ABC) – Get ready for battle in the “Holy War” game! 8-0 UCLA at 5-3 Minnesota (FOX) – Will Minnesota bounce back after a tough loss at Indiana? 6-2 Texas at 6-2 Missouri (ESPN) – The loser can forget about the playoffs. 2:30 PM 6-2 Alabama at 6-2 LSU (ABC) – The team which makes the fewest mistakes wins this game. 5-3 Cincinnati at 6-2 Houston (FOX) – Cougars must win and run the table to make the playoffs. 5:15 PM 7-1 Kentucky at 6-2 Tennessee (ESPN) – It will be VERY loud Saturday at good ol’ Rocky Top! 6:30 PM 8-0 Miami (FL) at 7-1 Notre Dame (NBC) – Is Notre Dame for real or just media hype? 7-1 Georgia at 6-2 Ole Miss (ABC) – Will the Ole Miss defense rise to the occasion? 6-2 Iowa at 6-2 Northwestern (FOX) – The loser in this game has no playoff chances. 6-2 Air Force at 5-3 Army (CBS) – This is a treat for families with ties to either of these military branches. 8:30 PM 5-3 West Virginia at 7-1 Texas Tech (ESPN) – Watch out, Red Raiders!  Those Mountaineers have been sneaky good in a few games. Now, it’s time to unveil the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 teams for the week ending Saturday, October 31, 2026: The post Miami Survives “Bill Belichick Bowl” to Remain #1 appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  6. Oct 30

    Halloween Weekend Sports Takes

    Several of my recent posts have been covering the exciting college football season.  Other sports and sports-related stories had to be (temporarily) pushed to the back burner.  Let’s get caught up on a few stories today! Congratulations to the World Series Champion Milwaukee Brewers! The Brewers left no doubt in Game 5 at the Tampa Bay Rays.  Milwaukee built a 4-0 lead on Wednesday night and cruised to a 4-1 victory to bring Wisconsin its first World Series title.  The Milwaukee Brewers won the most regular season games (103) than any team in Major League Baseball this year. Former Brewers catcher and long-time announcer Bob Uecker passed away in 2025.  The long-time reserve major league catcher-turned-comedian would have been quite proud of his hometown baseball team finally winning a World Series title for Milwaukee. Big payrolls don’t necessarily buy titles The new World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers won the title without having a massive payroll.  Their $169 million championship team ranked #19 out of 30 Major League Baseball organizations this year. American League champion and World Series runner-up Tampa Bay’s payroll was about $110 million in 2026. That’s 27th overall. The Los Angeles Dodgers ($400 million), New York Mets ($356 million), and the New York Yankees ($342 million) watched the World Series at home just like the rest of us. A diagnosis of CTE is on the rise with former NFL players Results from a recent study revealed that 75% of NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.  It is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disease frequently found among athletes participating in high-impact head contact sports such as football and boxing. Researchers at Boston University, Mass General Brigham Hospital, and the Concussion and CTE Foundation reviewed a total of 2,362 cases.  Within that total, 369 were former pro football players who donated their brains to become part of the study. Nearly 94% of that subset showed CTE. CTE has four stages of severity.  The early stages are difficult to diagnose.  Later stages generally are associated with memory loss, dementia, and mood disorders. David Toms is becoming an excellent pitch man for the PGA Champions Tour! It now costs $30 million if your city wants to host a big-time PGA Tour event featuring the game’s top stars.  Even a lesser PGA event (where many fans won’t know 90% of the field) will still cost a cool $15 million in prize money to have them play a tournament in your fair city. 13-time PGA Tour winner David Toms recently reminded golf fans that the PGA Champions (Senior) Tour is a significantly better economic option.  A “mere” $6 million brings well-known senior golf stars like Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Zach Johnson and Stewart Cink into your local community. The 59-year old Shreveport resident brings plenty of golf credibility.  He won the 2001 PGA Championship and the 2018 US Senior Open title, too.  The LSU grad made a very good case for corporate sponsors to consider bringing a senior golf tournament to their hometown. One other benefit for having a PGA Champions Tour event is that the older golfers have actually learned how to smile on occasion and acknowledge the local fans. LIV Golf – Bankruptcy update The clock continues to tick on LIV Golf as their Chapter 11 bankruptcy hearings continue in New Jersey.  Time is of the essence.  Failure to meet a few upcoming critical deadlines will trigger an order to immediately wind-down (end) operations of LIV Golf by the bankruptcy judge. Two prominent LIV golfers (both winners of a major championship) just added their names to the growing number of players opting out of the proposed LIV 2.0 next year.  Louis Oosthuizen and Graeme McDowell will look to the DP World (European) Tour next season for a chance to play. Losing major stars is rapidly making LIV Golf 2.0 less attractive to investors and world golf fans. One issue worth mentioning during the bankruptcy hearing involves the perceived value of LIV Golf’s $3 billion worth of net operating losses.  Who would have imagined that running up nearly $1 billion per year in annual losses would have any future value? The good news is that any future taxable earnings could be reduced by utilizing some of the massive net operating losses. The bad news?  A reboot touted as LIV Golf 2.0 would actually need to post a profit in order to benefit from any of the $3 billion worth of tax losses being carried forward. It’s quite possible that the words “profit” and “LIV Golf” have never been used in the same sentence together over the past five seasons. The UFL moved out of Birmingham and Houston and into…where??? Spring football’s United Football League (UFL) skedaddled from two long-time markets in Birmingham, Alabama and Houston, Texas after the 2026 season ended.  Those two franchises have been relocated to Pawtucket, Rhode Island and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The new Rhode Island Breakers UFL team will play in Pawtucket’s Centreville Bank Stadium (a soccer venue) with 10,500 seats in 2027. Watch out for the Colorado Stampede!  The other relocated UFL franchise will play next spring at Weidner Field.  That facility is a brand new 8,000 seat soccer stadium located in downtown Colorado Springs. The UFL has not been able to draw enough fans to fill-up traditional football stadiums.  Billionaire owner Mike Repole began to downsize every UFL team’s venue into smaller soccer arenas. A relatively small crowd in a soccer stadium will look better on television than having the same 10,000 people spread around a 40,000 seat football stadium. I still don’t see how the UFL will be able to break even by selling-out such tiny stadiums for their football games.  Yes, the rental costs are lower.  However, team revenue is extremely limited by playing in such small venues. The St. Louis BattleHawks have been playing in an indoor football stadium which was the former home of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams. This domed facility has some weekend scheduling conflicts during the upcoming 2027 UFL season.  League owner Mike Repole is giving thought to downsizing the UFL’s popular BattleHawks into a smaller arena for their football games beginning next season. Be careful, Mr. Repole! Health update on WWE wrestling legend Ric Flair The 77-year old legendary professional wrestling star was recently diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg.  He posted a note on social media one week ago saying that he will undergo a procedure soon to address the blood clot. Later on that same day, Ric Flair had a rather nasty fall coming out of a Tampa, Florida restaurant.  The accident caused a scary injury to one of his eyes along with several cuts on his face.  Flair was treated at a local hospital and released.  The long-time favorite former WWE star has been recuperating at home this week. Perhaps Ric Flair was out on the town stylin’ and profilin’ just like during his younger days. At age 77, Ric Flair may want to consider a more age-appropriate nightlife.  How about something safer such as deciding on his favorite flavor of ice cream and settling down on the couch to watching sports on television? Woooo!  Love that Blue Bell Pralines and Cream, baybee! Happy Halloween!   The post Halloween Weekend Sports Takes appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  7. Oct 27

    FCS Top 25 – The Texas Dynamic Duo Dominates

    That wonderful but cheesy 1960’s television show Batman! featured pop-up visual exclamations such as “Pow!”, “Zowee!” or “Oof” as Batman and Robin dispensed of the villains every week. My dearly departed ninth grade English teacher (insensitively nicknamed “Juicy Lucy” by students due to her poorly fitting dentures) would correct me at this point. Those one-word exclamations which sound like the actions they represent are actually known as onomatopoeia. Thank you, Dynamic Duo, for helping me to pass English many decades ago! The top two teams in the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 each administered an assortment of onomatopoeias toward their respective opponents last weekend. Top-rated Tarleton State generously spotted United Athletics Conference foe West Georgia an early 6-0 lead in Carrollton, Georgia on Saturday. The unbeaten Texans then pummeled the home team by scoring the next 49 points (“Kapow!”) as they humiliated the wounded Wolves 49-6.  Tarleton State moved to 8-0 as they racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense at West Georgia (now 1-6). The Southeastern Louisiana Lions have a long reputation for being a rugged Southland Conference football competitor.  They have finished with a 9-4 record on three occasions over the past five seasons and played in the FCS playoffs.  SLU traveled to Nacogdoches, Texas on Saturday to face #2-ranked and unbeaten Stephen F. Austin. SFA immediately pounced on Southeastern (“Biff!”) and led 21-7 early in the second quarter. A delighted home crowd of more than 12,000 watched the high-scoring Lumberjacks subdue the Lions 45-24 and improve to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Southland Conference.  Southeastern Louisiana dropped to 4-4. Stephen F. Austin’s 8-0 start is the school’s best in more than 100 years of football. On Monday, Stephen F. Austin’s head football coach Colby Carthel was rewarded with a contract extension intended to keep him (perhaps) in East Texas through 2031. This is his ninth season as the head coach at SFA. The rest of the FCS Playoff field is tightening Tarleton State, Stephen F. Austin, and 6-0 Harvard remained the only unbeaten teams in the FCS this week. Right behind them are four teams with one loss apiece.  Defending champion Montana State is 7-1 along with the Campbell Fighting Camels and Tennessee Tech.  Dayton improved to 6-1. There are 19 more teams which have two losses through last weekend’s games. November brings a number of rivalry games between many of today’s top-rated teams.  The resulting carnage over the final month will create a 24-team FCS playoff field which is bound to include a number of three-loss teams. The Campbell Fighting Camels won a record 7th game on Saturday Congratulations to Campbell University of the Coastal Athletic Association! Those pass-happy Fighting Camels from North Carolina cruised to a 35-6 win over the Maine Black Bears (now 1-6).  Saturday’s game in Orono, Maine (located just north of Bangor) saw the 7-1 Fighting Camels throw for 455 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday. This is the first time in which Campbell University has won seven football games during a football season as a member of the FCS. The road gets much tougher beginning this Saturday.  The Fighting Camels will “hump-it” to New York for an 11AM CDT kickoff against the 5-3 Albany Great Danes. Campbell is 4-0 in CAA league play while UA comes in at 3-1. And the Northwestern State Demons just lost their 8th game of the season Last Saturday’s full moon and a homecoming crowd didn’t help the Northwestern State Demons win their first game of the 2026 football season. The Demons trailed Southland Conference rival Nicholls State 27-24 late in the fourth quarter Saturday in Natchitoches, Louisiana.  They drove the football downfield 71 yards on 12 plays to the Colonels’ 15-yard line with only five seconds left in the game.  Northwestern State’s final pass into the end zone was intercepted by Nicholls to end the football game and sink the Demons to 0-8 this year.  The Colonels improved to 3-5. A dejected Northwestern State head coach Blaine McCorkle told the press afterwards, “You can’t write that script anywhere.  Our guys continue to fight unbelievably hard.” The loss was Northwestern State’s 19th in a row going back to August, 2025. Towson State and VMI are also winless at 0-8 coming into this weekend’s games. FCS Spotlight – Pioneer Football League Upon hearing the names of universities such as Dayton, Butler, and Davidson, my mind immediately says, “Basketball!” Those three schools plus eight others also play football in the FCS Pioneer Football League. The PFL remains the only non-scholarship, football-only conference in the FCS. It was founded in 1993 by a group of Midwestern universities including Butler, Drake, Dayton, and Valparaiso.  The Evansville Purple Aces were the fifth founding member.  That school ended its 75-year old football program in 1997 due to rising costs. The Pioneer Football League later added football-playing schools in the West (University of San Diego), East (Marist in Poughkeepsie, NY), and South (Stetson in DeLand, Florida just north of Orlando). The winner of the Pioneer Football League was finally awarded an automatic bid into the FCS 24-team playoffs beginning in 2013.  The league has yet to produce an FCS champion. Reminder – the PFL member schools do not provide football scholarships. Dayton and the University of San Diego have dominated the Pioneer Football League.  Both schools have won the PFL 12 times during the league’s 33-year history. The Dayton Flyers are 6-1 this fall and tied for the conference lead at 3-1 with Butler, Marist, and the St. Thomas (MN) Tommies. The Pioneer Football League’s tiebreaker to determine a league champion to participate in the FCS playoffs is rather complicated (read it here).  Let’s hope that one team emerges as the outright champion in late November! Now, let’s raise the curtain on the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 teams for the week ending Saturday, October 24, 2026:   The post FCS Top 25 – The Texas Dynamic Duo Dominates appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  8. Oct 27

    Top 25 – Miami Hurricanes howl into the #1 Spot

    Last week, James Madison from the Sun Belt Conference was the only 7-0 team in the entire FBS. My SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 ranking system calls for a 7-0 team to be listed ahead of any 6-0 team.  That’s because the 7-0 team has vanquished one more opponent through the most recent weekend of college football action. JMU apparently couldn’t handle the pressure associated with being my #1 team. Appalachian State ambushed the Dukes last Thursday night in Boone, NC.  The Mountaineers rallied in the fourth quarter and kicked a walk-off field goal at the buzzer to down James Madison 34-31.  Appalachian State improved to 5-2 with the victory. Two other unbeaten teams went down to defeat on Saturday. Texas Tech may have believed that they were playing a different Cincinnati football team on Saturday afternoon. Bearcats quarterback JC French IV did his best Joe Burrow imitation while completing four touchdown passes in Cincinnati’s easy 37-24 win over the now 6-1 Red Raiders. The NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals would have have been proud of the offensive output of the local college fotoball team. Cincinnati (the Big 12 Bearcats – not the NFL’s Bengals) improved to 5-2. The other “thud” on Saturday came from formerly unbeaten Brigham Young. Central Florida’s Knights survived a wild fourth quarter finish and vanquished the visiting Cougars 39-31 in double overtime.  UCF improved to 4-3, while BYU dropped to 6-1. There’s joy in Monroe, Louisiana after ULM ended a 14-game losing streak The last time the UL-Monroe Warhawks won a football game was September 25, 2025.  ULM beat Arkansas State 28-16 at Malone Stadium in Monroe. The 2025 Warhawks lost their final eight games of the season.  This year’s 2026 ULM football team started off 0-6.  They were embarrassed after being shut-out at home by arch-rival Louisiana Tech 24-0 last Saturday. The Warhawks seemed on their way to losing a seventh straight game in 2026 at Troy on Saturday.  ULM trailed Troy 14-3 with only three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. That’s when the Warhawks’ offense finally caught fire.  Quarterback Aiden Armenta led the Warhawks on a 75-yard drive and then a six-play, 86-yard final drive to give the Warhawks a narrow 15-14 lead with only 15 seconds remaining in the game. On the game’s final play, Troy attempted to pass and lateral the football several times.  The play ended up going backwards into the Troy end zone. A surprised ULM defender plucked the final lateral out of the air and secured a final touchdown for the jubilant Warhawks.  ULM scored an incredible 18 points in the final three minutes to defeat Troy 21-14 and end its 14-game losing streak. Only Northern Illinois (0-7) remains winless this season within the 138-member FBS group. Raise your hand if you predicted UCLA would be 7-0 at this point in the season I don’t see any hands – certainly not mine! The unbeaten Bruins are 7-0.  They have signature wins at 4-3 Oregon (17-15) and at home against 5-2 Wisconsin (17-7). The newest head football coach at UCLA is a proven program builder. Bob Chesney has become the second consecutive former James Madison University head coach to enjoy incredible success at his next school.  Defending national champion Indiana’s Curt Cignetti also came from the JMU football program. Chesney also spent six years building the Holy Cross FCS program into a national power.  The Crusaders went 29-8 and qualified for the FCS playoffs over his final three years.  Chesney then accepted the James Madison coaching job. The latest football coach for the UCLA Bruins was a former college defensive back. His emphasis on defense has led the team’s turnaround.  Chesney’s improved UCLA defense is allowing less than nine points per game over the past four contests. UCLA’s schedule is quite favorable for a good finish.  The unbeaten Bruins do not have to face Ohio State or Indiana.  They still have tough road tests at 5-2 Minnesota and 4-3 Michigan.  The season ends with a home game against crosstown rival USC (now 6-2). UCLA’s playoff chances are bright – regardless of whether the Bruins remain undefeated. SEC game of musical chairs is now down to two players Only two SEC teams still have just one loss this season.  One of them is Georgia (6-1). That would not be considered a surprise. The other is…Kentucky?  The Wildcats are 7-1 after downing Vanderbilt 34-17 in Lexington on Saturday afternoon.  Kentucky has the upcoming weekend off before traveling south to good ol’ Rocky Top where they will face 6-2 Tennessee. Georgia is coming off a bye week and faces rival Florida on Saturday.  The game is traditionally played in Jacksonville, Florida.  However, the Jacksonville football stadium is currently being renovated. Saturday’s game (2:30PM CDT on ABC) will be played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.  Next year’s match-up will be played in Tampa, Florida. Meanwhile, two other former one-loss SEC teams dropped games over the weekend SEC giant killer South Carolina (which upset Florida in Gainesville in its previous game) came storming back to down Tennessee (now 6-2) 27-24 on a field goal on the game’s final play. Speaking of storming, thousands of South Carolina fans stormed the football field afterwards.  Several altercations broke out.  The SEC fined the Gamecocks (now 4-3 for the year) a whopping $500,000 on Monday for not controlling the post-game foolishness. Texas knocked one-loss Ole Miss right out of the first place tie atop the SEC.  The Longhorns were able to hang-on for a 34-27 victory in Austin on Saturday night. Texas blew an early 21-point lead in this game.  They were able able to execute a six-play “pass-less” drive to retake the lead late in the fourth quarter.  Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning suffered another two pass interceptions in this game to go with a costly fumble. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss matched Manning’s lousy night with three interceptions of his own. Texas and Ole Miss are now both at 5-2.  All four combined losses have come against SEC foes. Got Lobo Fever?  New Mexico is 6-1 for the first time since 1997 The largest home crowd since 2005 lifted New Mexico to a critical 21-16 win over 6-2 North Dakota State.  The Lobos picked-off a Bison pass early in the fourth quarter and returned it for a touchdown to seal the victory. New Mexico improved to 6-1 overall and leads the Mountain West with a 3-0 conference record.  North Dakota State (which is playing in its first FBS season) has now lost two straight Mountain West road games. New Mexico’s only defeat of the season came a very tight 14-6 loss at Oklahoma in September. The Lobos have several tough Mountain West games remaining, but Saturday’s victory was a statement win for the New Mexico football program. You will discover a new team atop the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 this week! We’ll find out if the Miami Hurricanes will be able to remain king of the hill for more than just one week.  The high-scoring Canes travel to play coach Bill Belichick’s defensive-minded 4-3 North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night (6:30PM on ABC). Let’s review the entire SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 College Football rankings for the week ending Saturday, October 24, 2026: The post Top 25 – Miami Hurricanes howl into the #1 Spot appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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