Week 8 in the SIAC

Oct. 14, 2006

Skegee/FAMU/FVSU

Week 7 Review and Week 8 Prognostications

This was a Saturday where there were few real surprises. OK, I didn’t even expect CAU to win, much less score 43 points, neither did I expect for SCSU to lay the lumber to NSU the way they did. The natural order of things was finally restored to the SIAC, where I correctly predicted that the clock would strike midnight for both Lane and Miles. On top of the SIAC standings is AlbSU with a one-half game lead over Tuskegee. In the MEAC, Hampton just keeps plugging along in first place. It’s looking more and more like everyone is playing for second place. There are several teams still in contention in both the SIAC and the MEAC, with a lot of football left to be played. For the record, I was 8-4, which isn’t really bad, but is below the standard that I set for myself. I was 3-2 in the SIAC, 4-2 in the MEAC, and 1-0 in my predictions of teams that have no direction in where they are headed. Let’s just say that this experience has given me a newfound respect for the Vegas oddsmakers.

Da Review From Week Seven:
Albany St. took a ½ game lead over Tuskegee in the SIAC with a victory over Miles…Tuskegee beat Morehouse like they stole their nickname…Stillman finally beat a conference opponent with their victory over Ft. Valley…Clark-Atlanta not only won, but scored a 40+ point shut-out of George Mason. Kentucky St. knocked Lane out of its share of the SIAC lead. Benedict had a bye week. On the MEAC side of the ledger, Hampton handily defeated Central St…Delaware St. won a squeaker over BCC…WSSU knocked off Howard…Morgan St. handled their business against the hapless Aggies…SCSU won very impressively against NSU…SSU remains stuck in reverse…Comegy has taken his dominance of ASU 300 miles to the west at JSU. The Rattlers enjoyed a bye week.

The co-featured games of week eight:

SC State vs FAMU in Tallahassee:
On last weekend SC State finally played at the level that we expected them to play at during the summer. They finally barked and growled they way to a convincing victory over a much- improved NSU team. The SCSU faithful are so happy, they’ve been running on all fours this week. Believe it or not, SCSU is still in the thick of things in the MEAC, even as bad as they have played so far. FAMU has been off a week, coming off of its AFC victory over TnSU. FAMU is on a three game winning streak of its own. This is a game where the winner remains in contention for the MEAC. The loser is basically eliminated from the MEAC race. Even though FAMU has had three close calls in its three victories, it’s hard to go against the Rattlers in Bragg Stadium. I say Rattlers by a close margin.

Miles vs Lane in Jackson, TN:
Can you believe the fact that both schools still have only one loss in the SIAC? The winner of this game remains in contention for the SIAC title. The loser has a serious uphill battle. I give Lane the slight edge in this game.

Norfolk St. vs Hampton at Hampton (Battle of the Bay Classic): 
NSU effectively eliminated themselves from contention of the MEAC title with their second conference loss at the hands of SCSU. Even though you already know all the clichés that are used in discussing rivalry games, I don’t think this is going to be a game where just anything goes. This will be a closer game than most people think, but Hampton will hold serve at its home port. And no, we won’t be throwing out any record books.

 

SIAC GAMES

Albany St vs Clark Atlanta in Atlanta:
On last week, CAU strolled to a 43-0 win over George Mason for its homecoming victory, while AlbSU shut Miles out 14-0. This week, there will be a market correction in Atlanta. CAU stock will return crashing back to earth. Not only will CAU not score 43 points, they won’t win. AlbSU may not put a lot of points on the board, but they will have at least one more than CAU. That’s all you have to have to register a victory.

Kentucky St. vs Benedict in Columbia, SC:
We have two teams that are headed in opposite directions. KSU is yet another team that’s still in contention for the SIAC crown. For the most part, Benedict has struggled. At the end of the day on Saturday, KSU will still be in contention for the SIAC.

Savannah St. vs Morehouse in Augusta, GA (14th CSRA Classic):
This game should more appropriately be called the Central Sewer River Classic, or the Toilet Bowl. I mean, both teams are circling the drain like in a Drano commercial. The question is which team is going to get the flush? At least Morehouse has won a couple of games, and is capable of scoring points. These are two things that SSU hasn’t really proven that it can do. Take Morehouse in this one.

Stillman vs Alabama A&M in Huntsville:
AAMU wins this game, but could make things much tougher on themselves if they take Stillman too lightly.

Bye Week:
Tuskegee, Ft. Valley

MEAC/SWAC GAMES

NCA&T vs Delaware St. in Dover, DE:
The only good thing about this trip for the A&T faithful is that Dover Downs Casino is right across Hwy.13, about two football field lengths from Alumni Stadium. Last time I visited, they had a pretty good all you can eat buffet overlooking the infield of the racetrack. Oh, I forgot there is a football game that’s supposed to take place. DSU wins comfortably. They won’t need any assistance from their sprinkler system, or any outside forces.

Morgan State vs Howard in Washington:
Forget about it being Howard’s Homecoming. Over the last three weeks, it’s been MSU sharpening its claws and deepening its growl. All of MSU’s losses have come against ranked teams. Da Bears will order their Bison well done with a stuffed baked potato and a Caesar salad. 

Winston-Salem vs Bethune Cookman in Daytona:
BCC has let me down two weeks in a row. WSSU is a dangerous homecoming opponent. BCC holds off WSSU.

Southern vs Jackson St. in Jackson:
How do you let a first year coach come in and run roughshod in your conference? Granted, Comegy isn’t your typical coach, first year or otherwise. What was a very anticipated game is now just that much more anticipated. SU is having an uncharacteristically down year, while that old JSU feeling and tradition is beginning to return to Central Mississippi. JSU just keeps finding ways to win. Saturday won’t be any different.