Sports Then and Now

The scoreboard tells it all as JMU becomes the second I-AA team ever to defeat a ranked Division I-A opponent.

While the teams at the top of the rankings were able to pull out victories in the second week of the college season, there still were some big surprises and interesting stories during the weekend. Of course the biggest was the shocking upset of Virginia Tech by I-AA James Madison University, but other teams are starting to provide some interesting storylines for the 2010 College Football season.

JMU KNOCKS OFF VIRGINIA TECH AND BOISE STATE IN ONE GAME!

When the James Madison Dukes became the second Division I-AA team ever to defeat a ranked Division I-A team with their 21-16 victory over Virginia Tech, they didn’t just knock out the Hokies, they likely took potential BCS bowl buster Boise State down with them.

Given the overall poor performance of the ACC in the early season, even if Virginia Tech is able to turn things around and run the table within the conference, their power ranking isn’t going to be high enough to give Boise State the boost they are going to need if they hope to score many points for strength of schedule come BCS formula time.

Consider that while Boise State needed a late touchdown to defeat the Hokies by three points at a neutral site, James Madison led for nearly all of the fourth quarter to win by five points in a game played in front of Tech’s home crowd.

With Georgia Tech losing to Kansas, Miami getting knocked around at Ohio State and Florida State getting blasted by Oklahoma, it is very possible that the ACC won’t have a team ranked in the top 20 in the next poll. That doesn’t help Boise State at all as their hope for earning a spot in the BCS title game was in part based on Virginia Tech being considered a top 10-15 team throughout the season and the ACC being given some overall respect.

RICH RODRIGUEZ KEEPS HIS JOB…FOR NOW

Rich Rodriguez is off the hot seat for now.

If nothing else, Michigan’s last minute 28-24 victory over Notre Dame means that Rich Rodriguez will keep his job with the Wolverines for at least another week. Winning at Notre Dame is certainly better than the alternative for Rodriguez and the Wolverines, but it is no guarantee that Michigan will finish the season with a winning record.

Just remember that a year ago Michigan defeated Notre Dame and then went on to a 4-0 start before winning only one of their final eight games. With Massachusetts, Bowling Green and Indiana as the next three opponents, it is very likely that Michigan will be 5-0 when they begin a three week stretch of conference games against Michigan State, Iowa and Penn State.

How they perform in those games will determine if Rodriguez will remain as coach of the Wolverines.

One thing that certainly gives Michigan fans optimism is the great start to the season for sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson. He has been tremendous both running and throwing the ball so far in 2010 and if he is able to maintain that level of play throughout the season then Michigan should be back in a bowl game this season.

REMEMBER THIS NAME

Marcus Lattimore and the Gamecocks could be doing a lot of celebrating over the next three years.

Since Steve Spurrier came to South Carolina in 2005 the “Old Ball Coach” has pretty much been a shell of the former mega-star coach he was at the University of Florida. The Gamecocks are a pedestrian 37-28 in his tenure and have not won more than eight games in a single season.

That could be about to change thanks to one pretty special running back from the small town of Duncan, South Carolina.

You best remember the name Marcus Lattimore as he could spend the next three years making South Carolina fans forget the struggles of recent years.

In just his second college football game, Lattimore rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns against the University of Georgia to help the Gamecocks to an upset win over the Bulldogs.

It is true that Spurrier was best known during his glory days at Florida for piling up big offensive numbers through the air, but his best teams also included a potent running game. Whether it was Errict Rhett or Fred Taylor, the Gators were always stronger when they had a balance between the high-flying passing attack and a powerful running game.

If Lattimore is able to continue performing at such a high level, it will make things significantly easier for quarterback Stephen Garcia and the South Carolina passing attack.

With Florida seemingly not quite as strong as in recent years, this could be the year that Spurrier gets his Gamecocks past his alma mater. There is a lot of work to do between now and their matchup on November 13, but the Gamecocks seem to be off to a strong start.