Wow, this is really something. Look at how Baylor has done in the last seven UCFC games:
Baylor 54, Kansas St. 24
Baylor 52, Texas Tech 45
Baylor 41, Oklahoma St. 34
Baylor 49, UCLA 26 (Holiday Bowl)
Baylor 69, Wofford 3
Baylor 70, Buffalo 13
Baylor 70, Louisiana-Monroe 7
Their offense has just pummeled folks for seven games in a row. Baylor is also the first team to win seven consecutive UCFC games since Alabama did it from Demceber 5, 2009 to October 9, 2010.
Now the Bears have two more weeks to enjoy the Big Gold Trophy before they hose West Virginia on October 5. But the Mountaineers were blown out today by Maryland, losing 37-0 in Baltimore, so they may not be much of a threat.
Baylor runs its record in UCFC play to 21-18-3. Louisiana-Monroe falls to 0-1.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Baylor 35 - 0 Louisiana-Monroe (end of 1st Quarter)
OK, I've seen enough of this game. Baylor had a 41-yard interception return, a 63-yard interception return, and a drive that ended with a two-yard run. So the game is effectively over. Here are the stats for Bryce Petty, the Baylor quarterback, after one quarter:
6-9, 163 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT's, QB rating of 292.1
I'm really anxious to see Baylor play better competition. Couldn't they at least have scheduled SMU?
6-9, 163 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT's, QB rating of 292.1
I'm really anxious to see Baylor play better competition. Couldn't they at least have scheduled SMU?
Baylor 14 - 0 Louisiana-Monroe (8:53 left in 1st Quarter)
I wish I knew more about football, so I could understand why this is so easy for Baylor. It seems like almost all of their possessions end with someone running free about 15 yards behind the defense. This time it was Tevin Reese, who caught Bryce Petty's second TD pass of the game for a 47-yard gain.
Baylor 7 - 0 Louisiana-Monroe (10:17 left in 1st Quarter)
Baylor's first possession doesn't take too long, as Bryce Petty throws a 64-yard pass to Antwan Goodley to open the scoring. Watching Baylor play these games is more like watching a video game than like watching real football.
Baylor v. Louisiana-Monroe
Today the Baylor Bears go for their seventh consecutive win in the Unofficial College Football Championship, as they wrap up one of the worst non-conference schedules I've ever seen. To recap what has happened so far, Baylor opened the season with a 69-3 over Wofford. They then beat Buffalo 70-13. Then they took a week off. Now they take on Louisiana-Monroe, which is 2-1 (they lost to Oklahoma, and beat Grambling and Wake Forest).
Baylor is ranked 19th in the country, and they shouldn't have too much trouble with the Warhawks. It is true that last year, in the only match-up between these two schools, the Bears had a real challenge before pulling out a 47-42 win. But that game was in Monroe, and Baylor has gotten much better since then. Baylor is a 30-point favorite in a game where the over-under line is 74. That would translate into a 52-22 victory for the Bears, which sounds about right. Since Baylor has (another) bye week next week, it appears that the Big Gold Trophy will stay in Waco for at least two more weeks.
Baylor is ranked 19th in the country, and they shouldn't have too much trouble with the Warhawks. It is true that last year, in the only match-up between these two schools, the Bears had a real challenge before pulling out a 47-42 win. But that game was in Monroe, and Baylor has gotten much better since then. Baylor is a 30-point favorite in a game where the over-under line is 74. That would translate into a 52-22 victory for the Bears, which sounds about right. Since Baylor has (another) bye week next week, it appears that the Big Gold Trophy will stay in Waco for at least two more weeks.
Louisiana-Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana is a town of almost 50,000 people up in the northern part of the state. In 1931, a school opened there under the name Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later, it became the Northeast Center of Louisiana State University, and by 1969 it was known as Northeast Louisiana University. That's how I still think of it, but in the late 1990's, for reasons I've never understood, they renamed the regional universities in Louisiana, and NE Louisiana became Louisiana-Monroe. Then, in 2006 the NCAA forced Louisiana-Monroe to stop using the "Indians" nickname it had used for 75 years, and they became the Warhawks.
So the team that I remember as the NE Louisiana Indians is now the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. (They encourage folks to refer to them as ULM.)
For most of their history, the Indians/Warhawks -- well, back then they were just the Indians -- bounced in various lower divisions. They spent 20 years in the National Junior College Athletic Association, then 24 years in NAIA, and then 20 years in I-AA. In 1987, the Northeast Louisiana Indians won the I-AA National Championship, beating Marshall 43-42 in one of the most thrilling title games in I-AA history.
In 1994, they moved up to Division I-A, and they moved into the Sun Belt Conference in 2001. That's where they remain to this day. They have struggled for most of their time in Division I-A, but last year they went 8-4 and went to the Independence Bowl (where they were pasted by Ohio 45-14).
This will be their first chance to play for the Unofficial College Football Championship.
So the team that I remember as the NE Louisiana Indians is now the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. (They encourage folks to refer to them as ULM.)
For most of their history, the Indians/Warhawks -- well, back then they were just the Indians -- bounced in various lower divisions. They spent 20 years in the National Junior College Athletic Association, then 24 years in NAIA, and then 20 years in I-AA. In 1987, the Northeast Louisiana Indians won the I-AA National Championship, beating Marshall 43-42 in one of the most thrilling title games in I-AA history.
In 1994, they moved up to Division I-A, and they moved into the Sun Belt Conference in 2001. That's where they remain to this day. They have struggled for most of their time in Division I-A, but last year they went 8-4 and went to the Independence Bowl (where they were pasted by Ohio 45-14).
This will be their first chance to play for the Unofficial College Football Championship.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Baylor 70 - 13 Buffalo (Final)
So that turned out to be another easy win for the Bears, who have outscored their opponents 139-16 so far this year.
Next week, the Bears are taking a week off (presumably to watch Alabama play Texas A & M). And then they will defend the UCFC on September 21 at home against Louisiana-Monroe.
Baylor's all-time UCFC record is now 20-18-3. Buffalo falls to 0-2 in UCFC games.
Next week, the Bears are taking a week off (presumably to watch Alabama play Texas A & M). And then they will defend the UCFC on September 21 at home against Louisiana-Monroe.
Baylor's all-time UCFC record is now 20-18-3. Buffalo falls to 0-2 in UCFC games.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Baylor 49 - 13 Buffalo (5:10 left in 2d Quarter)
And while I was typing the last entry, Baylor had an 88-yard punt return for their seventh touchdown of the first half. So I'm calling this game for the Bears. We'll do a wrap-up, but don't expect a lot more coverage of this game.
Baylor 42 - 13 Buffalo (6:47 left in 2d Quarter)
While I was typing the last entry, Baylor scored their sixth touchdown of the first half. I'm really looking forward to watching them play a big-time opponent.
Baylor 35 - 13 Buffalo (7:47 left in 2d Quarter)
OK, so I went to Dairy Queen to get a grape Mr. Misty -- although they don't call them that any more -- and by the time I got back, this game was basically over. I don't know whether Baylor's offense is unstoppable, but I know that if it's going to be stopped, it will be stopped by a team with a lot more athleticism than Buffalo.
Uniform watch: This week, Baylor is going with white helmets (with a green BU logo), dark green jerseys with gold numerals, and white pants. I like this look better than the all-green look that Baylor was rocking last week, but I still prefer the gold helmets.
Buffalo has Kentucky-blue helmets, white shirts with blue numerals, and white pants with blue stripes. They look good, except the font on the jerseys is one of those "modern" fonts that, to me, always looks like something you'd see on a car in one of the Herbie movies.
Uniform watch: This week, Baylor is going with white helmets (with a green BU logo), dark green jerseys with gold numerals, and white pants. I like this look better than the all-green look that Baylor was rocking last week, but I still prefer the gold helmets.
Buffalo has Kentucky-blue helmets, white shirts with blue numerals, and white pants with blue stripes. They look good, except the font on the jerseys is one of those "modern" fonts that, to me, always looks like something you'd see on a car in one of the Herbie movies.
Baylor v. Buffalo
Last week, Baylor beat Wofford 69-3 for its fifth consecutive UCFC victory. In each of those games, the Bears have scored at least 41 points. With the big win, Baylor moved up to 23 in the AP's ranking. This week the Bears take on the Buffalo Bulls. The Bulls opened their season last week with a 40-20 loss at Ohio State, and they are basically given no chance in this game. Vegas likes Baylor to win by 28 points, and they expect 70 points to be scored. That would work out to a 49-21 win for the Bears. My guess is that Baylor will go over 50 points, and that they will keep the Big Golden Trophy.
This is the second meeting between Baylor and Buffalo. On September 11, 2010, in Waco, Tex., the Bears pounded Buffalo 34-6, thanks to 297 passing yards from Robert Griffin III.
This is the second meeting between Baylor and Buffalo. On September 11, 2010, in Waco, Tex., the Bears pounded Buffalo 34-6, thanks to 297 passing yards from Robert Griffin III.
Buffalo
According to Wikipedia, the City of Buffalo, N.Y., was named after Buffalo Creek, which runs through it. But no one knows where the creek's name game from. Wikipedia gives various theories, of which my favorite is that the local Native Americans actually called the creek "Beaver Creek," but that this term was mistranslated in a 1784 treaty.
Anyway, Buffalo's fortune was made in 1825, when the Erie Canal was opened. This canal, one of the most important developments in American history, allowed goods to be shipped from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, and vice versa. Buffalo, on Lake Erie, was the western terminus of the Canal, and it boomed. In 1825, there were only 2,400 people in Buffalo. By 1860, there were 81,000. After that, Buffalo boomed, its population growing by leaps and bounds. By 1900, it had a population of 352,000, and was the 8th-largest city in America. Thanks to hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls, Buffalo was the first American city to have widespread electric lighting. In 1901, Buffalo hosted the Pan-American Exposition, an enormous World's Fair. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the most notorious event in Buffalo history, as President McKinley was shot and killed while visiting the fair. Nevertheless, Buffalo continued to thrive in the early years of the 20th century. In the Census of 1930, Buffalo had 580,000 people, and was still the 14th-largest city in the United States.
But the Great Depression, the rise of the Sun Belt, and the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1957 all took a major toll on Buffalo. The city now has a population of only 261,000, making it one of the few American cities to have a lower population now than it did 100 years ago. The Buffalo metropolitan area now ranks 49th in American cities in population, putting it between Birmingham, Ala. and Salt Lake City, Utah.
The University of Buffalo was founded in 1846 as a private medical school. The first chancellor of the school was Millard Fillmore, who became President of the United States a few years later. In 1891, the University of Buffalo added a law school, and it created an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences in 1915. In the early 1960's, the University was taken over by the State University of New York, and became known as SUNY Buffalo or the University at Buffalo. In 2013, U.S. News and World Report ranked UB at 106th on their list of "Best National Universities," and 51st among public universities.
UB played small-college football for most of its history, mostly to little effect. Its high moment game in 1958, when the Bulls went 8-1 and were invited to the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla. -- if they would leave their two African-American players at home. The Bulls turned down the invitation.
In 1970, UB dropped football altogether. But in 1977, the Bulls revived as a D-3 program. They stayed at that level until moving to I-AA in 1993, and to I-A in 1999. They haven't done all that well -- their only win over a school from a BCS conference came in 2002, when they upset Rutgers. They did play for the UCFC on September 20, 2008, but they lost to Missouri 42-21.
Anyway, Buffalo's fortune was made in 1825, when the Erie Canal was opened. This canal, one of the most important developments in American history, allowed goods to be shipped from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, and vice versa. Buffalo, on Lake Erie, was the western terminus of the Canal, and it boomed. In 1825, there were only 2,400 people in Buffalo. By 1860, there were 81,000. After that, Buffalo boomed, its population growing by leaps and bounds. By 1900, it had a population of 352,000, and was the 8th-largest city in America. Thanks to hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls, Buffalo was the first American city to have widespread electric lighting. In 1901, Buffalo hosted the Pan-American Exposition, an enormous World's Fair. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the most notorious event in Buffalo history, as President McKinley was shot and killed while visiting the fair. Nevertheless, Buffalo continued to thrive in the early years of the 20th century. In the Census of 1930, Buffalo had 580,000 people, and was still the 14th-largest city in the United States.
But the Great Depression, the rise of the Sun Belt, and the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1957 all took a major toll on Buffalo. The city now has a population of only 261,000, making it one of the few American cities to have a lower population now than it did 100 years ago. The Buffalo metropolitan area now ranks 49th in American cities in population, putting it between Birmingham, Ala. and Salt Lake City, Utah.
The University of Buffalo was founded in 1846 as a private medical school. The first chancellor of the school was Millard Fillmore, who became President of the United States a few years later. In 1891, the University of Buffalo added a law school, and it created an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences in 1915. In the early 1960's, the University was taken over by the State University of New York, and became known as SUNY Buffalo or the University at Buffalo. In 2013, U.S. News and World Report ranked UB at 106th on their list of "Best National Universities," and 51st among public universities.
UB played small-college football for most of its history, mostly to little effect. Its high moment game in 1958, when the Bulls went 8-1 and were invited to the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla. -- if they would leave their two African-American players at home. The Bulls turned down the invitation.
In 1970, UB dropped football altogether. But in 1977, the Bulls revived as a D-3 program. They stayed at that level until moving to I-AA in 1993, and to I-A in 1999. They haven't done all that well -- their only win over a school from a BCS conference came in 2002, when they upset Rutgers. They did play for the UCFC on September 20, 2008, but they lost to Missouri 42-21.
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