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Week 1 in the SIAC August 26, 2006 Skegee/FAMU/FVSU Yet
another HBCU season is among us. Don’t
know about you, but I’m more than ready for some football.
Even though the season doesn’t really begin in earnest until Labor Day
Weekend, there is at least one marquee match-up in week one.
This upcoming season brings with it some really high expectations in
places like Orangeburg, Hampton, Durham, Albany, Tuskegee, and Grambling.
For those of you in SWAC country, I wouldn’t take JSU too lightly.
Don’t be too surprised to see them win five or six games.
Neither would I take FAMU for granted, nor count our old friend down at
BCC out. This is going to be an
interesting season in all of the HBCU conferences plus our independents, and I
can’t wait for it to begin. Let’s
Get It Started: The
featured game of week one is Albany St. traveling to Durham, NC to play NCCU.
This is the best game of the opening week, hands down.
Both teams are picked by many to win their respective conferences, the
SIAC and the CIAA. For NCCU, this
season marks the beginning of the end of their long history in the CIAA, and
their transition to D1-AA, and likely MEAC membership.
They obviously want to go out with a bang.
Even though this game is a toss-up on paper, I have to give the edge to
AlbSU. They aren’t the flashiest team around, but they always get
the job done. They are very well
coached, and are solid on both sides of the ball.
This game won’t be a blowout. It
will be decided by a touchdown, or less. Winston-Salem
St. vs Catawba: Now that WSSU is now a part
of the MEAC, they better represent. They
really need to get off to a good start this season as a new D1-AA program. Both teams were mediocre D-II teams last year.
Three of Catawba’s six victories on last year were against the CIAA,
including a 20-10 victory over WSSU. I’d
like to believe that WSSU realizes the task at hand before them, and will
deliver. KY
Wesleyan vs KY State: Two teams picked to finish
fourth in their respective conferences, the newly formed Great Lakes Conference
and the SIAC. BTW, the GLC is also
home to fellow HBCU’s Central State and Lincoln (MO).
Given the choice, I’d take the fourth place SIAC team over the fourth
place GLC team. That being said,
sometimes PWC competition brings out the worst in our HBCU’s, but I’m going
to stick with KY. State in this one. Lane
vs Lincoln (MO): Should be an easy one for Lincoln. I don’t think that Johnnie Cole is going to have the success here like him and LC did at TnSU and ASU. Hard to make wine from water when there is no water, yeast, or buckets, and your school can’t afford either of the above. Tuskegee
vs Stillman: Two new coaches on both sidelines, plus TU’s first ever visit to Tuscaloosa still equals the same result, a TU victory. Stillman will be a pesky opponent for a quarter, maybe a half, but TU has just too much talent and depth for Stillman. Ft.
Valley vs Clark-Atlanta: Ft. Valley wins, but by a smaller margin than it ordinarily would because of the last minute nature of the coaching change there, and having to get used to a new coach and new system on the fly. CAU simply lost too many athletes, plus continues to be one of the more under budgeted programs in the SIAC. Benedict vs Morehouse: The sixth place SIAC team,
Benedict, taking on the ninth place SIAC team, Morehouse.
DaHouse should be improved over last year, but that may not translate to
no more than three to four victories at most.
Benedict isn’t a world-beater, either, but will have just enough get it
done against DaHouse. Edward Waters vs Johnson
C. Smith: I have a gut feeling that JC Smith will win one game this season, but it won’t be this particular weekend. Our friend Coach El Jay, who is a frequent MEAC Fans poster, has done a good job with the EWC program under some adverse conditions. This is just another audition for a bigger and more high profile job for El Jay.
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