Ok, so it may be shameless self promotion on my part, but the early consensus is that it does. Some interesting thoughts in my latest at GoMids.com.

With the United States finding itself in arguably the greatest economic recession since the Great Depression, the value of a football scholarship has become much more than a luxury for hundreds of American families; it has become a necessity. Yet for a university like the Naval Academy, does the country’s economic downturn hold previously unforeseen recruiting benefits?
According to some it does, as both the prospect of a free college education and post graduate job security have attracted more high school football recruits to consider taking their skills to the likes of Army, Navy, and Air Force. Count Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo amongst those who say they have seen an upturn in interest for the three programs since the economy went south last year, as the second year headman recently testified to his belief that the poor economy had “opened up doors” for his own team in recruiting bigger, faster, and stronger athletes.

“I think the economy has helped us,” said Niumatalolo during a recent interview. “Before [the economy went south] there were people who would not even talk to us. There were some parents who would say ‘my son is not going to a military school’ but now they are like ‘hey this might not be a bad option.’ I think that has opened up other doors that in prior years were closed.”

While recruiting experts aren’t certain of the exact level of increased interest on the part of recruits in attending service academies, they do admit that Niumatalolo’s assessment stands to reason given the country’s current economic circumstances. Not only does the incentive of a free education make sense in winning parents over to the idea of sending their sons to a service academy, but the recruiting “sells” commonly associated with schools like Army and Navy take on increased significance given the prevailing job market for college graduates. This dynamic, say experts, gives schools like Army and Navy a “leg up” in recruiting forward thinking young men to the gridiron, as more recruits realize that a degree from similar academic institutions may not automatically assure them of immediate post graduate employment.

 I think it is a dynamic to keep an eye on over the next few years. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying a return to the days of Army and Navy notching up national titles is immanent - but may could see a rise in win totals for all three schools in the near future.


Thursday, October 30th
South Florida at Cincinnati 7:45 pm ESPN



Friday, October 31st
Wofford at Appalachian State 8 pm ESPN2



Saturday, November 1st
Wisconsin at Michigan State 12 pm ESPN
Northwestern at Minnesota 12 pm ESPN2
Michigan at Purdue 12 pm Big 10 Network
Brown at Penn 12 pm Versus
Air Force at Army 12 pm ESPNU
Kansas State at Kansas 12 pm Fox Sport Net
San Diego State at Wyoming 2 pm Mountain West Sports
Pittsburgh at Notre Dame 2:30 pm NBC
Oregon at California 3:30 pm ABC
Florida State at Georgia Tech 3:30 pm ABC
Iowa at Illinois 3:30 pm ABC
Iowa State at Oklahoma State 3:30 pm ABC
Florida vs. Georgia 3:30 pm CBS
Clemson at Boston College 3:30 pm ESPNU
Temple at Navy 3:30 pm CBS-CSN
Washington at USC 6 pm Fox Sport Net
BYU at Colorado State 6 pm Mountain West Sports
Tennessee at South Carolina 7 pm ESPN2
Louisville at Syracuse 7 pm ESPNU
Nebraska at Oklahoma 8 pm ESPN
Texas at Texas Tech 8 pm ABC
TCU at UNLV 8 pm CBS-CSN
Utah at New Mexico 9:30 pm Mountain West Sports
Arizona State at Oregon State 10:15 pm Fox Sport Net



Sunday, November 2nd
East Carolina at Central Florida 8 pm ESPN


Thursday, October 16th
Florida State at NC State 7:30 pm ESPN
BYU at TCU 8 pm Versus

Friday, October 17th
Hawaii at Boise State 8 pm ESPN

Saturday, October 18th
Georgia Tech at Clemson 12 pm ESPN
Purdue at Northwestern 12 pm ESPN2
Connecticut at Rutgers 12 pm ESPNU
Texas Tech at Texas A&M 12 pm Fox Sport Net
Wisconsin at Iowa 12 pm Big 10 Network
Nebraska at Iowa State 12:30 pm Versus
Colorado State at Utah 2 pm Mountain West Sports
Kansas at Oklahoma 3:30 pm ABC
North Carolina at Virginia 3:30 pm ABC
Ohio State at Michigan State 3:30 pm ABC
Ole Miss at Alabama 3:30 pm CBS
Pittsburgh at Navy 3:30 pm CBS-CSN
USC at Washington State 3:30 pm Fox Sport Net
Michigan at Penn State 4:30 pm ESPN
San Diego State at New Mexico 6 pm Mountain West Sports
Arkansas at Kentucky 7 pm ESPNU
Oregon State at Washington 7 pm Versus
Missouri at Texas 8 pm ABC
LSU at South Carolina 8 pm ESPN
Virginia Tech at Boston College 8 pm ESPN2
Indiana at Illinois 8 pm Big 10 Network
UTEP at Tulsa 8 pm CBS-CSN
Air Force at UNLV 10 pm Mountain West Sports


Thursday, September 18th
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alcorn State 7:30 pm ESPNU
West Virginia at Colorado 8:30 pm ESPN



Friday, September 19th
Baylor at Connecticut 8 pm ESPN2



Saturday, September 20th
East Carolina at NC State 12 pm ESPN
Iowa at Pittsburgh 12 pm ESPN2
FAU at Minnesota 12 pm Big 10 Network
Ohio at Northwestern 12 pm Big 10 Network
Troy at Ohio State 12 pm Big 10 Network
Temple at Penn State 12 pm Big 10 Network
Central Michigan at Purdue 12 pm Big 10 Network
UCF at Boston College 1 pm ESPNU
Akron at Army 1 pm ESPN Classic
Arizona at UCLA 3 pm Fox Sport Net
Wyoming at BYU 3 pm Mountain West Sports
Florida at Tennessee 3:30 pm CBS
Notre Dame at Michigan State 3:30 pm ABC
Virginia Tech at North Carolina 3:30 pm ABC
Miami-Florida at Texas A&M 3:30 pm ABC
Rutgers at Navy 3:30 pm CBS-CSN
Utah at Air Force 4 pm Versus
Idaho at Utah State 4 pm Altitude
South Florida at FIU 5 pm ESPNU
Wake Forest at Florida State 7 pm ESPN2
Ball State at Indiana 7 pm Big 10 Network
Rice at Texas 7 pm Fox Sport Net
LSU at Auburn 7:45 pm ESPN
TCU at SMU 8 pm CBS-CSN
Georgia at Arizona State 8:15 pm ABC
Fresno State at Toledo 8:15 pm ESPNU
Iowa State at UNLV 9 pm Mountain West Sports


Thursday, September 11th
North Carolina at Rutgers 7:30 pm ESPN
Tennessee Tech at SE Missouri 7:30 pm ESPNU
SW Minnesota State at Minnesota-Duluth 8 pm FOXN, SportsSouth


Friday, September 12th
Kansas at South Florida 8 pm ESPN2



Saturday, September 13th
New Hampshire at Rhode Island 12 pm CN8
Temple at Buffalo 12 pm ESPN Plus
NC State at Clemson 12 pm Raycom Sports
Navy at Duke 12 pm ESPNU
Lafayette at Illinois 12 pm Big 10 Net
California at Maryland 12 pm ESPN
Florida Atlantic at Michigan State 12 pm ESPN2
Iowa State at Iowa 12:05 pm Big 10 Net
Washington State at Baylor 12:30 pm FSN
Nevada at Missouri 12:30 pm FSN
UAB at Tennessee 12:30 pm Raycom Sports
East Carolina at Tulane 3 pm WITN-TV
Air Force at Houston 3:30 pm CBS-CSN
Georgia at South Carolina 3:30 pm CBS
Michigan at Notre Dame 3:30 pm NBC
UCLA at BYU 3:30 pm Versus
Oregon at Purdue 3:30 pm ABC
Penn State at Syracuse 3:30 pm ABC
Arkansas at Texas 3:30 pm ABC
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech 3:30 pm ABC
Massachusetts at James Madison 3:30 pm CN8
Hawaii at Oregon State 4 pm FOX NW
Western Kentucky at Alabama 7 pm CTSN PPV
Middle Tennessee St at Kentucky 7 pm ESPN Game plan
Stanford at TCU 7 pm Mountain West Sports
Memphis at Marshall 7 pm Comcast SE
Auburn at Mississippi State 7 pm ESPN2
New Mexico State at Nebraska 7 pm FSN-PPV
SMU at Texas Tech 7 pm FSN
Virginia at Connecticut 7:30 pm ESPNU
Oklahoma at Washington 7;45 pm ESPN
Arizona at New Mexico 8 pm CBS-CSN
Ohio State at USC 8 pm ABC
Bowling Green at Boise State 8 pm ESPN Game plan
North Texas at LSU 8 pm TigerVision
Arizona at New Mexico 8 pm CBS-CSN
Utah at Utah State 8 pm KJZZ-TV
UNLV at Arizona State 10 pm FSN-AZ
Wisconsin at Fresno State 10:30 pm ESPN2


Thursday, September 4th
South Carolina at Vanderbilt 7:45 pm ESPN


Friday, September 5th
Navy at Ball State 7 pm ESPN



Saturday, September 6th
Ohio at Ohio State 12 pm ESPN
Miami-Ohio at Michigan 12 pm ESPN2
Eastern Illinois at Illinois 12 pm Big 10 Network
Eastern Michigan at Michigan State 12 pm Big 10 Network
Marshall at Wisconsin 12 pm Big 10 Network
Northern Colorado at Purdue 12 pm Big 10 Network
FIU at Iowa 12 pm Big 10 Network
Connecticut at Temple 12 pm ESPNU
New Hampshire at Army 1 pm ESPN Classic
BYU at Washington 3 pm Fox Sport Net
Air Force at Wyoming 3:30 pm CBS-CSN
Oregon State at Penn State 3:30 pm ABC
Ole Miss at Wake Forest 3:30 pm ABC (ESPN2)
Cincinnati at Oklahoma 3:30 pm ABC
San Diego State at Notre Dame 3:30 pm NBC
West Virginia at East Carolina 4:30 pm ESPN
Texas A&M at New Mexico 5 pm Versus
Louisiana Tech at Kansas 7 pm Fox Sport Net
Murray State at Indiana 7 pm Big 10 Network
South Florida at Central Florida 7 pm ESPN2
Minnesota at Bowling Green 7:30 pm ESPN2
Miami-Florida at Florida 8 pm ESPN
Rice at Memphis 8 pm CBS-CSN
UNLV at Utah 8 pm Mountain West Sports
Texas at Texas-El Paso 10:15 pm ESPN2


Thursday, August 28th
Vanderbilt at Miami-Ohio 7:30 pm ESPNU
Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech 7:30 pm ESPN360
Charleston Southern at Miami-Fla. 7:30 pm ESPN360
NC State at South Carolina 8 pm ESPN
Wake Forest at Baylor 8 pm Fox Sport Net
South Dakota State at Iowa State 8 pm FCS Central
Oregon State at Stanford 9 pm ESPN2

Friday, August 29th
Temple at Army 7 pm ESPN Classic
SMU at Rice 8 pm ESPN

Saturday, August 30th
East Carolina vs. Virginia Tech 12 pm ESPN
Syracuse at Northwestern 12 pm ESPN2
Maine at Iowa 12 pm Big 10 Network
Western Kentucky at Indiana 12 pm Big 10 Network
Youngstown State at Ohio State 12 pm Big 10 Network
Coastal Carolina at Penn State 12 pm Big 10 Network
Akron at Wisconsin 12 pm Big 10 Network
Hawaii at Florida 12:30 pm ESPN360
Ohio at Wyoming 2 pm Mountain West Sports
USC at Virginia 3:30 pm ABC (ESPN2)
Utah at Michigan 3:30 pm ABC
Oklahoma State at Washington State 3:30 pm Fox Sport Net
Towson at Navy 3:30 pm CBS-CSN
Delaware at Maryland 3:45 pm ESPNU
Appalachian State at LSU 5 pm ESPN
Northern Iowa at BYU 6 pm Mountain West Sports
TCU at New Mexico 6 pm Versus
Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech 6:45 pm ESPN2
Northern Illinois at Minnesota 7 pm Big 10 Network
Boston College vs. Kent State 7:30 pm ESPNU
Alabama vs. Clemson 8 pm ABC
Michigan State at California 8 pm ABC
Illinois vs. Missouri 8:30 pm ESPN
Washington at Oregon 10 pm Fox Sport Net

Sunday, August 31st
Hampton vs. Jackson State 2 pm ESPN2
Kentucky at Louisville 3:30 pm ESPN
Colorado vs. Colorado State 7:30 pm Fox Sport Net

Monday, September 1st
Fresno State at Rutgers 4:30 pm ESPN
Tennessee at UCLA 8 pm ESPN

There’s Ohio State and USC. Georgia traveling to the desert to take on Arizona State. And who can forget about the always competitive Red River Rivalry that has long crowned not only the Big XII champion, but given one team a shot at the National Championship?

It’s no secret that these are the kinds of games fans and analysts are already salivating over as we find ourselves a little more than a month away from the start of the 2008 college football season. Yet beyond the hoopla and buildup of these monumental out-of-conference contests and long-circled conference showdowns, the road to a national championship is forged through the weekly grind of conference games against seemingly lower competition. Known to many as “trap” or even “landmine” games, these are the contests that go under the radar every year, and are frequently overlooked as fans and media members make their preseason predictions. Yet perhaps now more than ever, as the twelfth game format transforms the landscape of scheduling, these games have the chance (some may even argue the propensity) to rock-the-boat of title hopefuls and throw the entire BCS race upside down.

We of course saw this on numerous occasions last season. From South Florida’s unlikely early season run being deflated against what many considered a down Rutgers team to West Virginia’s infamous collapse against a mediocre Pitt club in the Backyard Brawl, 2007 was filled with an any-given-Saturday conference mentality that seemed to reshuffle the Top 10 on a nightly basis. Even eventual National Champion LSU was not immune, losing to a pair of 8-5 teams in Arkansas and Kentucky which many people expected them to beat.

So what does 2008 hold in store? If you’re asking me I’d tell you likely more of that same, although perhaps not with the same frequency we saw in 2007. Nevertheless, here are seven under-the-radar games which could present unforeseen problems for this year’s national title contenders, and possibly affect the race to get to the BCS National Championship Game.

Florida at Miami (September 6^th)- It’s not that Randy Shannon is going to have Miami in the Top 15 this year. Frankly, I have serious reservations about the Hurricanes even achieving bowl eligibility this season. Yet for all the challenges Miami should face in 2008 (see: quarterback play) the Hurricanes supposedly remain not only one of the most talented teams in the country, but one of only a few teams with the defensive speed to be able to matchup with Urban Meyer’s scheme. If Shannon can get the Hurricanes to play to win (that is to say play some offense) and Miami can get even a little better offensive line and quarterback play, than this should be a much closer matchup than many people might have originally thought.

Georgia at Kentucky (November 8^th)- Your classic “sandwich game,” Georgia could very well find itself #1 in the nation if Mark Richt’s team can get past Florida in the preceding week. Yet with an SEC finale against what figures to be a title contending Auburn team on the 15^th the Bulldogs could be susceptible to looking past coach Rich Brooks’ Kentucky Wildcats, who may analysts feel could challenge Vanderbilt for last place in the SEC East this year. Kentucky’s offense will likely take a step back from 2007 with the loss of QB Andre Woodson, RB Rafeal Little, and pass catchers Keenan Burton and Jacob Tamme, but with eight returning starters on a defense which held Georgia to a season low 99 passing yards last season the Wildcats have more than enough talent and confidence to give Matt Staford and company fits.

Ohio State at Michigan State (October 18^th)- Everyone wants to talk about Ohio State’s early season showdown with Southern California- and rightly so. Yet the expectation has been that if the Buckeyes can get past the Trojans on September 13^th than it’ll be smooth sailing for the scarlet and red until the season finale against Michigan. Personally, I think that notion is worth a “not so fast my friend.” If any Big 10 team has the capability to stun Ohio State it’ll be the Spartans, who will have the benefit of getting the Buckeyes coming into East Lansing a week before Ohio State’s Homecoming showdown with Penn State. Remember that Michigan State hung around with the Buckeyes last season, eventually falling 24-17 despite being an 18 point underdog on the road. With the bruising Javon Ringer back at running back and a full year under QB Brian Hoyer’s belt expect a more explosive Spartan offense with the ability to stick with Ohio State once again in 2008.

Southern California at Arizona (October 25^th)- A perennial contender when it comes to the National Title, Southern California has dominated the Pacific-10 conference under headman Pete Carrol, who is 76-14 through seven seasons at USC. Arizona meanwhile has struggled under Mike Soops, who has failed to get his team past the 6-6 hump in his four seasons in Tucson. Sounds like a sure-thing, right? Maybe, but USC has slipped up against mid to low level Pac-10 teams the past two seasons and Arizona looks to be much better offensively this year. The Trojans had to stage a second half comeback to overcome the Wildcats in a 20-13 win last season, but with 10 returning starters on offense and another year in Sonny Dykes’ system I think the Wildcats will have the ability to hang around late in the game this year. Keep in mind that Stoops’ 2006 team dashed Cal’s National Title hopes in 2006 with a late season win. Can lightning strike twice?

Texas Tech at Oklahoma (November 15^th)- Seldom is there a more important game for Oklahoma than the annual Red River Rivalry with the University of Texas, but looking into 2008 the late November matchup with Texas Tech may present the more important contest in the Sooners’ presumed run at a National Title. Not that Bob Stoops will have his team looking past the Red Raiders, who stunned then 3^rd ranked Oklahoma in Lubbock last year. Still, not everyone is buying into Texas Tech, which despite returning a loaded offense still has yet to breakthrough and capture a Big XII title until headman Mike Leach. Yet with three starters lost from a secondary that gave up 420 passing yards to Tech in last year’s game, I look for the Sooner defense to struggle even more so against Graham Harrell and company in 2008, possibly opening the door for a late season upset opportunity.   

Clemson at Duke (November 15^th)- Now that the initial shock has worn off from seeing “Duke” and a “National Championship” in the same post, let’s discuss this one. Some may scoff at the notion of Clemson as a realistic National Title contender, but then again who realistically thought Boston College would be in position to vie for the BCS Title before a late season collapse last year?  There isn’t much precedence for Duke to beat an ACC team (much less the most talented ACC team) but that fact alone gives the Blue Devils and new Head Coach David Cutcliffe the ability to sneak up on the Tigers, who will be coming off what could be an energy depleting road game at Florida State. Duke has better talent than most people around the country realize, and with seventeen returning starters more than enough experience to start wining games right away. If the team can catch on to Cutcliffe’s scheme and coaching style, the Blue Devils should be in a position to surprise at least one unlucky ACC team in 2008.

BYU at TCU (October 16^th)- I’d be lying if I said that hearing the national media types assess BYU’s schedule this year hasn’t caused me the occasional chuckle. Sure, matchups against Washington and UCLA are huge, but putting the Huskies or Bruins on a pedestal above the likes of TCU or Utah seems almost laughable. Texas Christian is coming off of a somewhat disappointing season, but the Horned Frogs return fifteen total starters from a team which finished the year strong last year. QB Andy Dalton should be better, and despite the loss of both starting defensive ends the Horned Frogs should be stout on defense as usual. Gary Patterson coached teams tend to play with a chip on their shoulder, and having been dethroned from the top of the conference the past two seasons they’ll be primed to pull out all the stops against the Cougars.  

Aside from covering college football for Inthebleachers.net, Adam Nettina works as the Mid-American Conference analysts for the brand-spankin’ new CollegeFootballNews.com blog team, and the host of the weekly college football themed Under Center Show. You can read his weekly column at CollegeFootballNews.com.

Rutgers fans rush the field after Thursday night victory over Louisville

Thursday is the only other day that college football should be played, beside Saturday of course. I understand that some of the Non-BCS Schools need TV exposure and will play on Monday, Tuesday, or even Friday. As the schedules are slowly coming out; here are the 2008 games (so far) that have been slated to play on Thursday night. We’ve seen some great games the past few years on Thursdays: Rutgers upset of Louisville, Louisville beating West Virginia, Boston College coming back to beat Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium are a few that come to my mind. No network is given, but as we all know they are usually on ESPN or ESPN2.

August 28
NC State at South Carolina
Oregon State at Stanford

September 4
South Carolina at Vanderbilt

September 11
North Carolina at Rutgers

September 18
West Virginia at Colorado

September 25
Southern Cal at Oregon State

October 2
Pittsburgh at South Florida
Memphis at UAB

October 9
Clemson at Wake Forest

October 16
Florida State at NC State

October 23
Auburn at West Virginia

October 30
South Florida at Cincinnati

November 6
Maryland at Virginia Tech

November 13
Virginia at Miami (Fla)
Buffalo at Akron

November 20
Miami (Fla) at Georgia Tech

November 27 - Thanksgiving
Texas at Texas A&M

December 4
Louisville at Rutgers

Thursday, November 15th
Oregon at Arizona 9 pm ESPN

Friday, November 16th
Hawaii at Nevada 11 pm ESPN2

Saturday, November 17th
Ohio State at Michigan 12 pm ABC
Northwestern at Illinois 12 pm ESPN
Syracuse at Connecticut 12 pm ESPN2
Tulsa at Army 12 pm ESPN Classic
Missouri at Kansas State 12:30 pm NBC
Duke at Notre Dame 2:30 pm NBC
LSU at Ole Miss 3:30 pm CBS
Iowa State at Kansas 3:30 pm ABC
California at Washington 3:30 pm ABC
Miami-Florida at Virginia Tech 3:30 pm ABC
Penn State at Michigan State 3:30 pm ESPN
Northern Illinois at Navy 3:30 pm CSTV
Western Michigan at Iowa 3:30 pm Big Ten Network
Wisconsin at Minnesota 3:30 pm Big Ten Network
Purdue at Indiana 3:30 pm Big Ten Network
NC State at Wake Fores 4 pm ESPNU
Oklahoma State at Baylor 7 pm Fox Sport Net
Southern Miss. at UTEP 7:30 pm CSTV
West Virginia at Cincinnati 7:45 pm ESPN
Boston College at Clemson 7:45 pm ESPN2
Oklahoma at Texas Tech 8 pm ABC
Louisville at South Florida 8 pm ESPNU