An unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football blog
Game notes Setting the scene And so we meet again. The Rice Owls and Texas State Bobcats collided for the first time as FBS opponents in the 2023 First Responder Bowl. Texas State waltzed away with a 45-21 victory to secure its first-ever bowl win in its first-ever bowl appearance. Two years later, the rematch […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
Game notes Setting the scene The 2025 college football season is coming to a close. When the Holiday Bowl is complete Friday night, there are only three games left on the docket. So it’s time to cherish our waning moments of this great sport until August 2026 rolls around. And the 2025 Holiday Bowl presents […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Monday night will be a historical one for the FCS on many fronts. For the first time ever, the national title game will take place in Nashville with 2-seed Montana State squaring off with Illinois State for all the marbles. The championship has not been played in the state of Tennessee since 2009 when Montana […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Louisiana Tech only had to drive 70 miles on Tuesday afternoon to win their first bowl game in six years as they scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Coastal Carolina 23-14 in the 2025 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. The first quarter was a sloppy one as each team missed a pair of […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
The North Texas Mean Green wrapped up their best season in program history, shattering a school record in wins during a 12-2 campaign. North Texas qualified for the American Conference championship, stood one win away from the College Football Playoff, prevailed in the New Mexico Bowl, and will likely draw a season-ending ranking in the […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
There has never been a postseason run in the FCS quite like the one Illinois State has strung together over the last month. One of the last four teams into this year’s tournament, the Redbirds have handled business over seeded opponents on the road four times to reach the championship game in Nashville next Monday […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
One of the most dangerous positions to be in as a college football team? Facing a Jeff Monken-led Army team in a bowl game. The Black Knights have thrived in the postseason under the 12th-year head coach, and that remained the case Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park in Boston. Former independent and current American Conference […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
The North Texas Mean Green completed their 109th season Saturday evening in Albuquerque, NM. Not a single one of the previous 108 seasons featured more triumphs than the iconic 2025 campaign. North Texas secured a historic 12th victory in the New Mexico Bowl, sliding past San Diego State 49-47 in the highest-scoring bowl game of […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
Last December, the East Carolina Pirates reveled in their moment in Annapolis. With under two minutes remaining against in-state rival NC State, former running back Rahjai Harris scampered 86 yards down the field to secure a 26-21 signature Military Bowl victory for the program, right after Blake Harrell was promoted from interim to full-time head […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
The hometown team finally took the stage in the hometown bowl. It had been 18 years since the Houston Cougars punched a ticket to the Texas Bowl — an era that was two conferences and several head coaching regimes ago. But for the first time under Willie Fritz and for the first time with the […]
about 1 month ago | 4 reads
Game notes Setting the scene Houston and LSU are two of the biggest fanbases residing in the nation’s 4th-largest city, making the 2025 Texas Bowl a perfect crowd matchup. It also pits together two teams that haven’t squared off in a quarter of a century. The Houston Cougars (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) enjoyed a spectacular […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
In the 2025 First Responder Bowl, the game was all about response. The UTSA Roadrunners stared down an immediate 14-0 deficit to the FIU Panthers, as their streak of winning seasons stood in peril. But UTSA rebounded in calm and collected fashion in Dallas, piling on 38 unanswered points in an eventual 57-20 victory over […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Replacing a quarterback is never easy. Replacing one that won the Walter Payton Award is especially difficult. That is the job that Montana State head coach Brent Vigen and his staff were tasked with, though, entering this season. Tommy Mellott was a household name in Bozeman by the time he graduated and rightfully so. Mellott, […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
Game notes Setting the scene The New Mexico Bowl features a battle of clashing styles, involving two of college football’s most improved teams. North Texas (11-2, 7-1 American) aims to build on its winningest season of all-time with its high-flying No. 1 ranked scoring offense, while San Diego State (9-3, 6-2 Mountain West) provides its […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Game notes Setting the scene The Military Bowl welcomes the reigning champions back to Annapolis. Last December, East Carolina won a heated rivalry over NC State, prevailing 26-21 on an unforgettable 86-yard scamper by Rahjai Harris in the final two minutes. This year, the Pirates posted an even better regular season record — their best […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
When the FCS championship game goes down on January 5 it will not necessarily be between a pair of teams that many thought it might be at the beginning of the season. No North Dakota State. No South Dakota State. Instead it will be another team from the Missouri Valley Conference… a team that didn’t […]
about 1 month ago | 3 reads
Game notes Setting the scene Old Conference USA foes reunite in Dallas for a post-Christmas showdown. The FIU Panthers (7-5, 5-3 CUSA) concluded their regular season in scorching fashion, rattling off four-straight wins including one over Jacksonville State to secure their first winning season in seven years. Year one of the Willie Simmons era was […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
The 25th edition of the New Orleans Bowl lived up to its history as Maverick McIvor and Matthew Henry led the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers to defeat Southern Miss, 27-16. Early in the contest, Western Kentucky earned great field position from a botched snap on a Southern Miss punt. However, the Hilltoppers were only able to […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
The 2025 New Orleans Bowl is here, and if the early start to this bowl season is any indication, it’ll be a lot of fun in the Big Easy Tuesday night. The 25th anniversary of the Bowl Season battle between the Sun Belt and Conference USA is looking to be quite the battle between the […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
A historic Tulane season resulted in a conference championship and a seat in the College Football Playoff — just the second team in American Conference history to achieve that combo. However, upon reaching the CFP stage, the moment was quite anticlimactic as Tulane quickly experienced a double-digit deficit and didn’t notch its lone touchdown until […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Jon Sumrall operated in a unique position throughout the month of December. One head coaching job in the modern climate of college football is already a bear to handle, but the fiery 43-year old head coach worked double-duty for three weeks, and it was an arduous situation he willingly signed up for. On Nov. 30, […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
The James Madison Dukes football program is no stranger to playoff atmospheres. JMU qualified for the FCS Playoffs every season from 2014-21, reaching three national championship games and winning one, becoming one of the blue-bloods in their leagues. But James Madison envisioned success beyond FCS championships. The Dukes strived to compete for national championships at […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
The 2025 FCS championship has been set but the Montana Grizzlies will not be a part of it. After starting the season 11-0 and blowing out its first two playoff opponents, it seemed like Bobby Hauck and his Griz were on the fast track to a trip to Nashville and a more-than-legitimate shot at the […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
The magical run run for Illinois State is not done just yet. The unseeded Redbirds have now won four straight road games in these playoffs, the most recent being Saturday night’s __ win at Villanova in the semifinals, to secure its spot in the championship game down in Nashville in two weeks. The victory over […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read
For the third time in five seasons Montana State is heading back to the FCS national championship game. This time, though, the semifinal win felt just a little bit sweeter for the Bobcats and their following. Not only did MSU gather its most lopsided win in its semifinal history, it did so in an unprecedented […]
about 2 months ago | 1 read