“You’re going where?” a friend asked when I informed him of my decision for the big college road trip for 2025.   The question was understandable given that we were among lifelong Penn State fans 2,000+ miles away from the destination of this FCS game.   “I’m going to the Brawl of The Wild…..Montana versus Montana State.” I replied.   The reaction was understandable given the list of previous trips; UCLA at USC, Ohio State at Michigan, Texas vs Oklahoma (twice), Ohio State at

It is conference championship weekend and there is serious intrigue as we head into the last days before the payoff field is set. The Friday night slate holds playoff possibilities that may not be decided until the ACC title game concludes Saturday after 11 pm. If you like sequels this is your weekend. The Mountain West, ACC, Big XII and SEC title games all feature rematches. The first round of the FCS playoffs also has two rematches.   First Down: Friday Night Action: The M

From promoting interim head coaches to macho non-conference scheduling & a big weekend of rivalry games it's all here in the Pigskin Stew Blog.

The SEC slate is filled with cupcakes this week. So, look beyond your FBS horizons and perhaps check out 3 big-time FCS rivalry games that not only represent the latest edition of these rivalries but also the conference championships of their respective leagues.   1 st Down: SEC's Grab Bag: There are a couple of worthy games among the slate non-conference scrimmages…… Arkansas (2-8) at #17 Texas (7-3) 3:30 ABC: This is a week where the Longhorns hope to clean up the droppe

Three Weeks to Go: With just three weeks to go we get into the scoreboard watching season for the conference and playoff chase. We’ve come a long way from the days waiting for the scoreboard announcer to read off “In Scores of Other Games…..” Now we can be at one game while keeping one eye watching another on the phone. Or we can be at home with a tablet, laptop, smartphone and a TV that can split screen 4 ways. You just have to know which games fall into which broadcast win

The First College Football Playoff Rankings are out and Ohio State is number one..... 1st Down: The ACC: Virginia is in the Driver’s Seat but there is a big pack in pursuit.                                                Syracuse (3-6) at #18 Miami (6-2) 3:30 ESPN: The Hurricanes had high hopes starting the season, but two ACC losses have left their conference title and playoff chances in serious jeopardy. The difference in the U’s losses to Louisville & SMU were the 6 inte

Everyone loves a good ghost story and the ghosts of the past. And college football has a history that always looms over the present. The preseason AP Top 25 has 11 ghosts that have completely disappeared from the rankings ten weeks later: #2 Penn State, #4 Clemson, #9 LSU, #11 Arizona State, #12 Illinois, #13 South Carolina, #15 Florida, #16 SMU, #17 Kansas State, #22 Iowa State and #25 Boise State. Those teams have a combined record of 47-38. To be fair Boise State does have

This week there are not as many blockbuster big games as last week. So this is a good week to talk about the conference races but also to highlight what we think is the most interesting story of the year so far in each conference.   1 st Down: The ACC & The AAC: NC State (4-3) at Pitt (5-2) 3:30 The ACC Network: That Pitt finds itself in contention in the ACC is interesting. Pat Narduzzi has them back to the core of what has always made his defensive schemes tough. NC Stat

FRIDAY: Louisville (4-1) at #2 Miami (5-0) 7:00 ESPN: As the season has unfolded, Miami’s most impressive win is now USF. Louisville was rolling until losing in OT to UVA two weeks ago. Both of these teams are coming off bye weeks. Louisville can put the ball in the air on offense but Miami has the ability to get after Louisville QB Miller Moss….. #25 Nebraska (5-1) at Minnesota (4-2) 8:00 FOX: The Huskers have had two comeback wins the past two weeks and the confidence in

“I don’t want Penn State to become the kind of a place where an 8-2 season is a tragedy. You can’t tell kids that a football loss is a tragedy. It’s not.” –Joe Paterno 1971   Given the events of the past two weeks, it’s fair to ask if Penn State has indeed become the kind of place where a football loss is viewed as a tragedy. In two weeks, Penn State went from a top five team to firing a coach who’d had a very good three-year run heading into this fall.   Consider these numbe