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That wonderful but cheesy 1960’s television show Batman! featured pop-up visual exclamations such as “Pow!”, “Zowee!” or “Oof” as Batman and Robin dispensed of the villains every week. My dearly departed ninth grade English teacher (insensitively nicknamed “Juicy Lucy” by students due to her poorly fitting dentures) would correct me at this point. Those one-word exclamations which sound like the actions they represent are actually known as onomatopoeia. Thank you, Dynamic Duo, for helping me to pass English many decades ago! The top two teams in the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 each administered an assortment of onomatopoeias toward their respective opponents last weekend. Top-rated Tarleton State generously spotted United Athletics Conference foe West Georgia an early 6-0 lead in Carrollton, Georgia on Saturday. The unbeaten Texans then pummeled the home team by scoring the next 49 points (“Kapow!”) as they humiliated the wounded Wolves 49-6.  Tarleton State moved to 8-0 as they racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense at West Georgia (now 1-6). The Southeastern Louisiana Lions have a long reputation for being a rugged Southland Conference football competitor.  They have finished with a 9-4 record on three occasions over the past five seasons and played in the FCS playoffs.  SLU traveled to Nacogdoches, Texas on Saturday to face #2-ranked and unbeaten Stephen F. Austin. SFA immediately pounced on Southeastern (“Biff!”) and led 21-7 early in the second quarter. A delighted home crowd of more than 12,000 watched the high-scoring Lumberjacks subdue the Lions 45-24 and improve to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Southland Conference.  Southeastern Louisiana dropped to 4-4. Stephen F. Austin’s 8-0 start is the school’s best in more than 100 years of football. On Monday, Stephen F. Austin’s head football coach Colby Carthel was rewarded with a contract extension intended to keep him (perhaps) in East Texas through 2031. This is his ninth season as the head coach at SFA. The rest of the FCS Playoff field is tightening Tarleton State, Stephen F. Austin, and 6-0 Harvard remained the only unbeaten teams in the FCS this week. Right behind them are four teams with one loss apiece.  Defending champion Montana State is 7-1 along with the Campbell Fighting Camels and Tennessee Tech.  Dayton improved to 6-1. There are 19 more teams which have two losses through last weekend’s games. November brings a number of rivalry games between many of today’s top-rated teams.  The resulting carnage over the final month will create a 24-team FCS playoff field which is bound to include a number of three-loss teams. The Campbell Fighting Camels won a record 7th game on Saturday Congratulations to Campbell University of the Coastal Athletic Association! Those pass-happy Fighting Camels from North Carolina cruised to a 35-6 win over the Maine Black Bears (now 1-6).  Saturday’s game in Orono, Maine (located just north of Bangor) saw the 7-1 Fighting Camels throw for 455 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday. This is the first time in which Campbell University has won seven football games during a football season as a member of the FCS. The road gets much tougher beginning this Saturday.  The Fighting Camels will “hump-it” to New York for an 11AM CDT kickoff against the 5-3 Albany Great Danes. Campbell is 4-0 in CAA league play while UA comes in at 3-1. And the Northwestern State Demons just lost their 8th game of the season Last Saturday’s full moon and a homecoming crowd didn’t help the Northwestern State Demons win their first game of the 2026 football season. The Demons trailed Southland Conference rival Nicholls State 27-24 late in the fourth quarter Saturday in Natchitoches, Louisiana.  They drove the football downfield 71 yards on 12 plays to the Colonels’ 15-yard line with only five seconds left in the game.  Northwestern State’s final pass into the end zone was intercepted by Nicholls to end the football game and sink the Demons to 0-8 this year.  The Colonels improved to 3-5. A dejected Northwestern State head coach Blaine McCorkle told the press afterwards, “You can’t write that script anywhere.  Our guys continue to fight unbelievably hard.” The loss was Northwestern State’s 19th in a row going back to August, 2025. Towson State and VMI are also winless at 0-8 coming into this weekend’s games. FCS Spotlight – Pioneer Football League Upon hearing the names of universities such as Dayton, Butler, and Davidson, my mind immediately says, “Basketball!” Those three schools plus eight others also play football in the FCS Pioneer Football League. The PFL remains the only non-scholarship, football-only conference in the FCS. It was founded in 1993 by a group of Midwestern universities including Butler, Drake, Dayton, and Valparaiso.  The Evansville Purple Aces were the fifth founding member.  That school ended its 75-year old football program in 1997 due to rising costs. The Pioneer Football League later added football-playing schools in the West (University of San Diego), East (Marist in Poughkeepsie, NY), and South (Stetson in DeLand, Florida just north of Orlando). The winner of the Pioneer Football League was finally awarded an automatic bid into the FCS 24-team playoffs beginning in 2013.  The league has yet to produce an FCS champion. Reminder – the PFL member schools do not provide football scholarships. Dayton and the University of San Diego have dominated the Pioneer Football League.  Both schools have won the PFL 12 times during the league’s 33-year history. The Dayton Flyers are 6-1 this fall and tied for the conference lead at 3-1 with Butler, Marist, and the St. Thomas (MN) Tommies. The Pioneer Football League’s tiebreaker to determine a league champion to participate in the FCS playoffs is rather complicated (read it here).  Let’s hope that one team emerges as the outright champion in late November! Now, let’s raise the curtain on the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 teams for the week ending Saturday, October 24, 2026:   The post FCS Top 25 – The Texas Dynamic Duo Dominates appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Last week, James Madison from the Sun Belt Conference was the only 7-0 team in the entire FBS. My SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 ranking system calls for a 7-0 team to be listed ahead of any 6-0 team.  That’s because the 7-0 team has vanquished one more opponent through the most recent weekend of college football action. JMU apparently couldn’t handle the pressure associated with being my #1 team. Appalachian State ambushed the Dukes last Thursday night in Boone, NC.  The Mountaineers rallied in the fourth quarter and kicked a walk-off field goal at the buzzer to down James Madison 34-31.  Appalachian State improved to 5-2 with the victory. Two other unbeaten teams went down to defeat on Saturday. Texas Tech may have believed that they were playing a different Cincinnati football team on Saturday afternoon. Bearcats quarterback JC French IV did his best Joe Burrow imitation while completing four touchdown passes in Cincinnati’s easy 37-24 win over the now 6-1 Red Raiders. The NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals would have have been proud of the offensive output of the local college fotoball team. Cincinnati (the Big 12 Bearcats – not the NFL’s Bengals) improved to 5-2. The other “thud” on Saturday came from formerly unbeaten Brigham Young. Central Florida’s Knights survived a wild fourth quarter finish and vanquished the visiting Cougars 39-31 in double overtime.  UCF improved to 4-3, while BYU dropped to 6-1. There’s joy in Monroe, Louisiana after ULM ended a 14-game losing streak The last time the UL-Monroe Warhawks won a football game was September 25, 2025.  ULM beat Arkansas State 28-16 at Malone Stadium in Monroe. The 2025 Warhawks lost their final eight games of the season.  This year’s 2026 ULM football team started off 0-6.  They were embarrassed after being shut-out at home by arch-rival Louisiana Tech 24-0 last Saturday. The Warhawks seemed on their way to losing a seventh straight game in 2026 at Troy on Saturday.  ULM trailed Troy 14-3 with only three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. That’s when the Warhawks’ offense finally caught fire.  Quarterback Aiden Armenta led the Warhawks on a 75-yard drive and then a six-play, 86-yard final drive to give the Warhawks a narrow 15-14 lead with only 15 seconds remaining in the game. On the game’s final play, Troy attempted to pass and lateral the football several times.  The play ended up going backwards into the Troy end zone. A surprised ULM defender plucked the final lateral out of the air and secured a final touchdown for the jubilant Warhawks.  ULM scored an incredible 18 points in the final three minutes to defeat Troy 21-14 and end its 14-game losing streak. Only Northern Illinois (0-7) remains winless this season within the 138-member FBS group. Raise your hand if you predicted UCLA would be 7-0 at this point in the season I don’t see any hands – certainly not mine! The unbeaten Bruins are 7-0.  They have signature wins at 4-3 Oregon (17-15) and at home against 5-2 Wisconsin (17-7). The newest head football coach at UCLA is a proven program builder. Bob Chesney has become the second consecutive former James Madison University head coach to enjoy incredible success at his next school.  Defending national champion Indiana’s Curt Cignetti also came from the JMU football program. Chesney also spent six years building the Holy Cross FCS program into a national power.  The Crusaders went 29-8 and qualified for the FCS playoffs over his final three years.  Chesney then accepted the James Madison coaching job. The latest football coach for the UCLA Bruins was a former college defensive back. His emphasis on defense has led the team’s turnaround.  Chesney’s improved UCLA defense is allowing less than nine points per game over the past four contests. UCLA’s schedule is quite favorable for a good finish.  The unbeaten Bruins do not have to face Ohio State or Indiana.  They still have tough road tests at 5-2 Minnesota and 4-3 Michigan.  The season ends with a home game against crosstown rival USC (now 6-2). UCLA’s playoff chances are bright – regardless of whether the Bruins remain undefeated. SEC game of musical chairs is now down to two players Only two SEC teams still have just one loss this season.  One of them is Georgia (6-1). That would not be considered a surprise. The other is…Kentucky?  The Wildcats are 7-1 after downing Vanderbilt 34-17 in Lexington on Saturday afternoon.  Kentucky has the upcoming weekend off before traveling south to good ol’ Rocky Top where they will face 6-2 Tennessee. Georgia is coming off a bye week and faces rival Florida on Saturday.  The game is traditionally played in Jacksonville, Florida.  However, the Jacksonville football stadium is currently being renovated. Saturday’s game (2:30PM CDT on ABC) will be played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.  Next year’s match-up will be played in Tampa, Florida. Meanwhile, two other former one-loss SEC teams dropped games over the weekend SEC giant killer South Carolina (which upset Florida in Gainesville in its previous game) came storming back to down Tennessee (now 6-2) 27-24 on a field goal on the game’s final play. Speaking of storming, thousands of South Carolina fans stormed the football field afterwards.  Several altercations broke out.  The SEC fined the Gamecocks (now 4-3 for the year) a whopping $500,000 on Monday for not controlling the post-game foolishness. Texas knocked one-loss Ole Miss right out of the first place tie atop the SEC.  The Longhorns were able to hang-on for a 34-27 victory in Austin on Saturday night. Texas blew an early 21-point lead in this game.  They were able able to execute a six-play “pass-less” drive to retake the lead late in the fourth quarter.  Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning suffered another two pass interceptions in this game to go with a costly fumble. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss matched Manning’s lousy night with three interceptions of his own. Texas and Ole Miss are now both at 5-2.  All four combined losses have come against SEC foes. Got Lobo Fever?  New Mexico is 6-1 for the first time since 1997 The largest home crowd since 2005 lifted New Mexico to a critical 21-16 win over 6-2 North Dakota State.  The Lobos picked-off a Bison pass early in the fourth quarter and returned it for a touchdown to seal the victory. New Mexico improved to 6-1 overall and leads the Mountain West with a 3-0 conference record.  North Dakota State (which is playing in its first FBS season) has now lost two straight Mountain West road games. New Mexico’s only defeat of the season came a very tight 14-6 loss at Oklahoma in September. The Lobos have several tough Mountain West games remaining, but Saturday’s victory was a statement win for the New Mexico football program. You will discover a new team atop the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 this week! We’ll find out if the Miami Hurricanes will be able to remain king of the hill for more than just one week.  The high-scoring Canes travel to play coach Bill Belichick’s defensive-minded 4-3 North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night (6:30PM on ABC). Let’s review the entire SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 College Football rankings for the week ending Saturday, October 24, 2026: The post Top 25 – Miami Hurricanes howl into the #1 Spot appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Let’s face it.  There are six forgotten FBS conferences being shafted under the new 24-team College Football Playoffs format beginning in 2027. Fact:  There are 67 major college football teams in the SEC (16), Big Ten (18), Big 12 (16) and ACC (17) plus Notre Dame.  They will receive 23 of the playoff spots.  That means that 34% of those teams will make the 2027 playoffs. The only stress for those playoff teams will be your team’s seeding.   Fact 2: There are 69 major college (FBS) teams in the so-called “Group of 6” conferences.  Those are the American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-12, and Sun Belt Conferences. They will receive just one guaranteed spot in the 2027 playoffs. Yes, only 1.4% of the “Group of 6” teams (one out of 69) will receive a spot at the Big Boy table.  The lone “Group of 6” team is virtually assured of having a first round road game in the expanded College Football Playoffs. That big payday is sweet, but how many ways must that one paycheck be shared? Why remain in the FBS if this is the BEST deal that your school is ever going to get? Sure, I would love to see a mid-major school like Louisiana Tech or Fresno State win the national championship some day.  It simply won’t happen within the current FBS structure. The Power Four mates of the pirate ship “Gimme Yermoney” shove half of their 138 FBS crew members overboard every season come playoff time.  Arghh! Truth – The Big Boys have the largest football stadiums, the most fanatical and wealthiest fans, and are forking over millions to pay for college football players as they shake down supporters for more and more money. I say “Good for the LSU’s and Alabama’s of college football!”  Go have some fun – while you still can. It seems incredibly wrong that the 138 member FBS gives half of its teams almost no chance to play for or win a national title in football.  How does the smaller-college FCS group of football teams handle their playoffs? The Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) has 128 teams this year.  Their post-season involves a 24-team playoff system which seems well conceived and relatively fair. The 11 FCS conference champions receive an automatic bid.  Simple, eh? Another 13 teams receive an at-large bid.  Those teams are selected by a committee comprised of one athletic director from each of the 11 conferences.  Each at-large team’s record and strength of schedule are scrutinized to find the best 13 teams. So far, so good. The FCS playoffs are conducted over three consecutive weeks from late November into mid-December when the semifinals are played. ESPN (which owns nearly every college bowl game) then shelves the FCS title game for a few more weeks.  That gives the network time to roll-out its slate of mid-level bowl games every day of the Christmas holiday season to sell high-demand holiday advertisements. The FCS title game is scheduled to be played a few days after the major New Year’s Day bowl games have ended. The 69 football schools of the underserved six FBS conferences deserve better! It’s time for these “Super Six” conferences to opt out of the FBS playoffs altogether. They should be allowed to hold their own championship playoff series. Let the “Fab Four” plus Notre Dame keep that 24th seat at their new bloated playoff food trough.  Give it to another whiny mediocre 8-4 team which will likely lose in Round 1 or, for sure, by Round 2. How would the new Super Six Playoffs work? The six neglected FBS Conferences will provide their regular season champions.  Another two at-large teams could be selected by a playoff committee comprised of one representative from each of the six conferences (just like the FCS group does). The committee will then seed the playoff field from #1-8 utilizing a BCS-styled computer formula to determine the relative strength of all eight teams.  Keep the personalities out of that decision. An eight-team playoff would conducted over three consecutive weekends in December. The four first-round games would be hosted by the four top seeds.  Second round (semifinal) games will be held in the same manner. The championship game should take place at a neutral location. I would love to see Shreveport’s Independence Bowl become the permanent host of the Super Six Playoffs title game. This post-season bowl has been around since 1976 and has hosted a large number of mid-major teams.  Shreveport is centrally located and (generally) features rather moderate weather during mid-December. Example – Who would have been playing in the Super Six Playoffs last year? American Athletic Conference (AAC) – 11-2 Tulane Conference USA – 10-3 Kennesaw State  Mid-American Conference – 9-4 Western Michigan Mountain West Conference – 9-4 Boise State Pac-12 Conference – 7-6 Washington State Sun Belt Conference – 12-1 James Madison The two at-large teams would have been 11-2 North Texas (AAC) and 11-2 UNLV from the Mountain West Conference. Proposed seeding and results for the 2025 Super Six Playoffs: Super Six Playoffs match-ups last year would have featured: Round 1 – Saturday, December 13, 2025: #8 Washington State at #1 James Madison #7 Western Michigan at #2 Tulane #6 Boise State at #3 North Texas #5 Kennesaw State at #4 UNLV What about television coverage for the Super Six Playoffs? ESPN holds a monopoly on the television rights for the 24-team FBS College Football Playoffs. They also have a stranglehold on the smaller college FCS playoffs – especially during the semifinals and for the championship game. I am not aware whether ESPN (which has television deals with several of the “Super Six” football conferences during the regular season) can prevent any of these conferences or their teams from participating in such a new post-season playoff proposal.  We’ll let the attorneys figure that one out. CBS (plus corporate affiliates TNT, TBS, and CBS Sports Network), FOX (along with FS1), and NBC (plus CNBC and, perhaps, Peacock) could be possible bidders for the seven game package of December’s new Super Six Playoffs. The games will face stiff competition from ESPN’s own slate of College Football Playoff games.  The Super Six Playoffs may bump-up against the NFL on a few Saturdays, too. No problem.  Bring it on!  Competition is good for all parties. The television ratings bar will be set relatively low for the Super Six Playoffs – at least for the first few years. I believe that there are enough US sports television viewers who might enjoy watching true conference champions competing against one another in a playoff setting.  Don’t forget that Christmas holiday television advertisers would have a new way to reach the coveted (and habitually late-buying) male demographic between ages 25-54, too.   ESPN won’t go for this idea.  The sports conglomerate recently bet billions of dollars to obtain the broadcast rights for the expanded 24-team College Football Playoffs. Peeling off even a few million viewers to watch the Super Six Playoffs could become quite damaging to ESPN.  Failure to meet audience projections for one or more games could cause the sports giant to be on the hook to provide a refund (or future advertising credit) to its sponsors. Could we finally see some sweet revenge for the Super Six conferences! Why not? The Power Four FBS conferences and ESPN never allowed the other television networks a chance to bid on the television rights for the expanded 24-team College Football Playoffs. The market demand to televise the new Super Six Playoffs will be relatively low.  Television ratings will be a small percentage compared to the 24-team College Football Playoffs. Here is a positive thought.  At this very moment, there are investors standing by willing to help bankroll LIV Golf (now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy) to return in 2027 as LIV Golf 2.0. That tells me that there should be some savvy investors and network executives willing to evaluate and, perhaps, bet on this novel idea to add one more layer of college football playoffs soon. The time is now, Super Six.   Let’s fly! The post The Time has Arrived for The “Super Six” Playoffs! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

You have likely heard that the 138 major college football teams in the poorly-named FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) will expand their playoffs from 12 to 24 teams next year. Bowls?  Do bowls even matter now to this group of big time college football teams? The FBS’ new 24-team playoff system is exceptionally unfair to half of the football teams which currently comprise this group of football-playing institutions. The current 12-team playoff structure awards 11 spots to teams in the so-called “Power Four” (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC) conferences plus Notre Dame. Only one playoff spot is guaranteed to the top ranked team from the other six FBS conferences. The “Group of 6” conferences are the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-12, and Sun Belt Conference. They get less respect than Rodney Dangerfield. These “Group of 6” conferences will still receive only one guaranteed spot in next year’s expanded 24-team playoff field. That is a step backwards from having one seat at the 12-team table to getting just one chair at this massive 24-team financial feast being enjoyed by their big brothers in the FBS. Most college football fans are not happy with the new 24-team playoff system LSU (5-2) will visit 4-2 Auburn on Saturday (11AM on ABC).  The loser of this game will watch their playoff chances under the current 12-team model become toast. That will not be the case next year at this time. All of your favorite Big Four college football teams will receive at least three mulligans (losses) through season’s end in November and still make the 24-team playoffs. Last year’s non-playoff bowls included 9-3 teams playing 8-4 squads. They were dispatched to bowl games such as the Pop-Tarts Bowl (no joke), Citrus Bowl, Gator Bowl, Music City Bowl, and the Alamo Bowl. It was a reward for having a very good but not championship-level season.  That criteria will change in just a few months. The new 24-team College Football Playoffs model of 2027 now gives a glimmer of hope to teams formerly destined to play in that season-ending toaster called the Pop-Tarts Bowl. What will happen to the 37 (and counting) non-College Football Playoff Bowl games? The former college football bowl season of twenty years ago has been transformed into a version of college basketball’s NIT post-season competition.  The increasing number of playoff games has diminished bowl games to glorified exhibition games.  A decreasing number of football fans from the two invited teams actually care enough to travel to most of today’s bowl contests. Business partners and long-time supporters of the home city’s bowl care deeply about their local post-season event.  A lot of civic pride and care is involved crafting a week full of activities leading up to the actual football game. However, most of America simply doesn’t care which football teams are playing in what bowl game. The new 24-team Playoffs will yank 12 teams away from the current bowl participant pool That means that six bowl games must now reach lower into a shallow sack of leftover 8-4 teams plus those which finish 7-5, 6-6, and even 5-7 to fill their needs. Remember when we once laughed about seeing 6-6 teams get invited to play in a post-season bowl game? Next year, expect to be told that good ol’ Tick Tock Tech played a really tough schedule. It kept them from finishing 6-6.  They deserve to play in a bowl game even with a 5-7 record! At least the wise and powerful Wizard of ESPN will provide a life preserver to televise the games from this shrinking group of 8-4, 7-5, 6-6, and 5-7 college football teams. ESPN is quite clever. They provide home television viewers with a slate of live college football programming during the year’s most lucrative advertising weeks.  The Christmas holiday season features three weeks of (generally) irrelevant bowl games shown almost daily on one of their broadcast outlets. ESPN earns so much advertising revenue from these mid-level bowl games that they bought 17 bowl games for themselves! A corporate affiliate named ESPN Events has quietly purchased nearly half of the season’s bowl games.  The move insures that the network will have plenty of “live” programming during the holidays (so that they may feature a large number of premium holiday ads as well). ESPN Events owns the upcoming December 18 Boca Raton Bowl in south Florida.  It won’t matter whether 10,000 or 30,000 fans actually buy tickets and show-up at this game.  It’s how many people are watching at home which will matter the most. The network (ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2) will televise all but four of this year’s bowl games.  Upstart CW Network is handling both bowl games being played in San Diego (Poinsettia and Holiday Bowls) plus one other.  CBS continues to feature the Sun Bowl from El Paso, Texas. ESPN carefully tracks how many home TV eyeballs are watching their litany of bowl games. The company must deliver a certain amount of viewers to satisfy corporate advertisers.  They pay a small fortune attempting to reach the reliably-late holiday shoppers called men.  That is especially true in the prime 25-54 buying demographic. The bowl games are cleverly positioned on the network’s schedule to capitalize on meeting peak Christmas season advertising demand. Be assured that ESPN wouldn’t go to this much trouble if the effort wasn’t profitable. Meanwhile, the “Thurston Howell III Wealthy Snob Society” (aka the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC) has morphed into a miniature version of the NFL The 67 schools within the so-called Big Four FBS conferences (plus independent Notre Dame) have become a group of “NFL Lite” football franchises. Those franchises are owned by well funded major universities.  The schools now wink as they assist incoming athletes (utilizing the NCAA’s transfer portal) as they come and go every semester.  The new semester’s athletes are fast-tracked into a class schedule within a matter of days. Compare that to the months it still takes for a traditional college student to successfully transfer from their former school into that same university. These young athletes are eagerly chasing NIL bonus bucks instead of their college degrees.  Mom, Dad, and especially Junior’s agent are advising young quarterback Richie Rich that he can always return to college once his prime football playing days have ended. This assumes that Richie has saved enough of his NIL loot to return to school. Drama?  There won’t be any drama until late October and November in 2027 Remember how much fan interest was generated by this year’s Week 1 match-up between LSU and Clemson?  Six million viewers watched LSU Coach Lane Kiffin’s debut in Tiger Stadium over the Labor Day weekend. How about Week 2’s thrilling comeback by the Texas Longhorns over Ohio State?  That contest drew a record 14 million viewers. Those early September losses by Clemson and Ohio State immediately sent the two teams into an early hole.  Historically speaking, teams with three losses during the 12-game regular season have not made the current playoff field. That will no longer be the case beginning next fall. The (oink, oink) 67 football teams of the Power Four conferences will receive 23 of the 24 playoff slots.  The pressure to get their team into the playoffs should ease for many top college football head coaches. Panic will finally set next season once your favorite Power Four team reaches three losses, though. September and most of the October college football games will not carry significant urgency or impact anymore. Saturday’s match-up between 5-2 LSU at 4-2 Auburn will eliminate one team from this year’s playoff contention.  The Big Ten game on Saturday between 6-1 Indiana at 4-2 Michigan could eliminate Big Blue from the playoffs, too.  There is a lot at stake – at least during this October! Next season, those same October games will not mean a thing except to raise a “It’s time to become a bit  concerned” flag once a Big Four conference team which picks-up its third loss of the season. College football’s regular season will start to feel like the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball.  Many fans (like me) generally ignore regular season competition until the final month of play. However, the head football coaches in the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC love the new 24-team format.  That’s because they won’t be pressured to win ten games during the 12-game regular season anymore. A pedestrian 8-4 record may be good enough to get one or more of the SEC or Big Ten teams into the College Football Playoffs starting next season. The only mid-season drama in 2027 will be the race to become one of the top eight seeds Eight teams (as determined by whom?) will receive a first round bye in 2027.  They will host a home game at their own football stadium in Round #2 after coming off a one-week breather. Meanwhile, the remaining 16 teams seeded #9-24 will square off in Round 1 on the home fields of teams #9-17.  Those winners advance to Round 2 to play a road game at one of the top eight seeds.   ESPN loves it. The sports giant has maintained total control of the television rights to the College Football Playoffs for years to come.  They cleverly offered to re-sell the broadcast rights for a few of the early round games to another network which probably overpaid for those rights. Turner Network Television (TNT) will learn soon enough.  ESPN already knew that they were going to make more money from re-selling the rights to a few early playoff games rather than hoarding them all for themselves. Expect College Football Playoff games (this year and beyond) to take four hours apiece.  There will be longer pre-game shows, halftimes, and post-game shows to sell more ads

Mid-October finally brought a little temporary relief from the oppressive heat this weekend. Two FCS football powers in the Lone Star State of Texas remained red hot. In Stephenville Texas, no one told the visiting 2-4 University of Central Arkansas football team that they were supposed to lose against unbeaten Tarleton State.  The Bears were the designated homecoming opponent for the Texans on Saturday. UCA battled the mighty Texans to a 28-28 tie as the third quarter came to a close. That’s when Tarleton State senior quarterback Kaden Anderson jump-started the home team.  The Texans converted three consecutive fourth quarter touchdown drives and rallied for a 49-35 win.  Kaden Anderson converted 21 of 29 passes for 279 yards and a career-best five touchdowns. Tarleton State advanced to 7-0 and 2-0 in the United Athletic Conference.  UCA fell to 2-5 and 0-3 in conference play. Stephen F. Austin (now 7-0) clobbered south Louisiana neighbor Nicholls State 56-0 in Thibodaux Saturday afternoon.  The Lumberjacks pounded the football for 354 yards on the ground. SFA’s passing game was on fire, too.  Speedy wide receiver Bugs Mortimer snagged three touchdown passes from quarterback Gavin Rutherford.  The Lumberjacks converted four touchdown passes overall in an impressive Southland Conference beatdown. Nicholls dropped to 2-5.  Saturday’s loss marked the first time which the Colonels had been shut-out at home since 2012. Harvard University is now 5-0!  They are the third and final FCS team with an unblemished record after last weekend’s play. The Crimson held its third opponent under 10 points as they vanquished the Holy Cross Crusaders 30-7 in Cambridge Saturday. Harvard’s opportunistic “Crimson Chin” (a “Fairly Odd” reference…go ask your kids) pass defense picked-off two more tosses to bring its season interception total to ten. Holy Cross dropped to 2-5 for the season. Rival Princeton (4-1) travels into the Boston area to challenge Harvard on Saturday (2PM CDT on ESPN+).  Both teams are 2-0 in Ivy League play.  The Tigers should be extra-pumped after learning about their first top ten ranking in the latest SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25! The 2-5 Idaho Vandals do not like Montana’s college football teams The Idaho Vandals are the best 2-5 team in the FCS this season.  They save their best football efforts for when they play any opponent hailing from the state of Montana. Idaho’s five losses have (generally) come in rather close games. The Vandals lost by only four points at 4-4 Cal-Poly, by six vs. 5-2 Lamar, by two points against 4-4 Abilene Christian, and by 11 at 5-3 Weber State.  Idaho also received a substantial paycheck for participating in a 66-14 loss at the hands of unbeaten FBS member Utah. The Vandals from Moscow, Idaho shocked the FCS world a few weeks ago with a thrilling 35-34 home win over defending national champion Montana State.  Idaho scored on the final play of the game and then succeeded on a two-point conversion to send the capacity crowd in the Kibbie Dome into a frenzy. On Saturday, Idaho traveled to Missoula, Montana to play the heavily favored 5-2 Grizzlies. Nearly 27,000 stunned fans watched as the Vandals jumped to a 14-0 first quarter lead.  The Griz battled back to tie this game at 35-35 early in the fourth quarter. That’s when Idaho responded with a 75-yard final touchdown of their own and held on to win 42-35 at Montana. Saturday’s victory brought the coveted Little Brown Stein trophy (which is awarded to the winner of the annual Idaho vs. Montana game) back to Moscow, Idaho. The Vandals have defeated both Montana and Montana State in the same season for the first time since 1989. Elsewhere around the FCS… Lehigh’s unbeaten season came to an end on Saturday. Ivy League member Cornell outscored Lehigh 48-38 as the Big Red captured its first win over a top-five ranked team since 1939.  Cornell improved to 3-2 while the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh fell to 6-1. Alabama A&M’s offense apparently cannot be stopped. The 6-2 Bulldogs from suburban Huntsville are scoring nearly 46 points per game.  They rolled up 669 yards of total offense on Saturday in a 61-31 thrashing of homecoming victim Grambling (which dropped to 4-3). The winless Towson Tigers of Maryland were this year’s designated homecoming guests at 5-1 Campbell University in North Carolina.  A shocked home crowd saw their beloved Camels losing 13-10 going into the half.  Campbell rallied in the final two quarters to take a nervous 24-20 win over the upstart Tigers (now 0-8).  The Campbell Camels have reached 6-1 for the first time in program history.  They are seeking to secure the school’s first FCS playoff berth. The Camels will hump-it to Maine on Saturday to play the 1-5 Black Bears. The Long Island Sharks are only 3-5 overall but lead the wacky NEC (formerly known as the Northeast Conference) at 3-0 this week.  Defending champion Central Connecticut is perched right behind at 2-0 in conference play and is 3-3 for the season.  None of the eight football members of the NEC has a winning record through last weekend’s action. The winless Northwestern State Demons came close to ending its long losing streak but a fourth quarter rally fell short on Saturday. McNeese State feasted on five Northwestern State turnovers to leave town with a 24-21 win over the 0-7 Demons. Nicholls State (2-5) rolls into Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches for a 2PM Saturday kick-off.  Will Northwestern State finally break its 18-game losing streak going back to a 20-10 win over Alcorn State on August 28, 2025? Let’s find out who’s #1 this week in the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 rankings for games through Saturday, October 17, 2026:       The post Unbeatens Tarleton State, SFA, and Harvard (?!!) Battle for FCS Supremacy appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

This season’s top major college football teams seem to be slipping on banana peels during October. Indiana’s 22-game winning streak came to a cruel end on Saturday.  The Hoosiers’ fourth-down final minute pass into the end zone was juggled briefly by usually sure-handed wide receiver Nick Marsh.  His feet were out of bounds after he had gained possession. That gave Ohio State a hard-fought 19-15 road win over the Hoosiers.  Both teams exited the game with a 6-1 record. Indiana had been the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 #1 team coming into last weekend. The AP’s #1 team (Georgia) didn’t fare any better The 6-0 Dawgs trotted to an easy 14-0 first quarter lead at home against 3-2 Auburn.  A combination of three turnovers by quarterback Gunner Stockton plus an incredibly bone-headed penalty on a Georgia defensive lineman during the final minute led to Auburn’s 27-24 win. The Tigers from the eastern Alabama plains capitalized on Georgia’s mistakes and converted a walk-off field goal on the game’s final play. It was Auburn’s first win over Georgia in the past nine attempts. Georgia dropped to 6-1, while Auburn improved to 4-2. The AP’s #1 team two weeks ago (Texas) fumbled its way to a second straight loss Texas lost to rival Oklahoma one week ago on a field goal on the game’s final play.  OU’s win was assisted by an untimely interception by Texas’ highly-hyped quarterback Arch Manning.  Formerly unbeaten Texas dropped to 5-1 and out of the AP’s #1 spot. Saturday’s home game against recently-struggling 4-2 Florida was expected to help get the Longhorns back on track as a favorite to win the national title. Apparently, nobody sent that note to a group of hungry Gators from Gainesville, Florida. Florida’s defense sacked Texas QB Arch Manning five times and forced a crucial fumble on Texas’ final possession of the game.  Florida emerged with a 27-24 win and moved to a 5-2 record. Texas is 4-2 and is on a two game losing streak. The Longhorns must now beat 6-1 Ole Miss on Saturday night (6:30PM CDT on ABC) to preserve hopes of reaching the College Football Playoffs. The SEC is loaded with several very good (but not great) football teams Georgia and Texas weren’t the only top SEC teams to go down to defeat on Saturday. Alabama was 5-0 two weeks ago.  They are now 5-2 after losing to defensive juggernaut Tennessee 26-10 in a game which was much closer than the final score indicated. Bama’s freshman quarterback Keelon Russell took his lumps against a swarming Tennessee Volunteer defense.  He was intercepted twice and fumbled once as Alabama failed to score a point in the second half of this game. Surprising Tennessee is now 6-1 and joins a quartet of SEC one-loss teams atop good ol’ Rocky Top this week.  The Vols are tied with 6-1 Georgia, 5-1 Ole Miss, and…6-1 Kentucky? The Wildcats traveled to rejuvenated Oklahoma on Saturday.  The 3-2 Sooners were coming off a big win over Texas one week earlier. Kentucky capitalized on OU quarterback John “Pine Time” Mateer’s four interceptions which included one pick-six touchdown for good measure. The surprising Wildcats could muster only 14 first downs and a meager 230 yards in total offense at Oklahoma. It didn’t matter. Kentucky’s last three wins have come by a total of just ten points. That doesn’t matter (yet), either. Rookie head coach Will Stein is just 36 years old and is a top candidate for national “Coach of the Year” honors. Don’t forget about Ole Miss! Saturday’s dominating 31-3 win over 5-2 Missouri moved the Rebels to 5-1 in the SEC and into that four-way tie at the top.  Talented running back Kewan Lacy is back on the field after an early-season injury.  His addition makes quarterback Trinidad Chambliss even more dangerous as the Rebels attempt to navigate their own difficult SEC finish. Ole Miss plays at Texas on Saturday night. The Rebels then face consecutive home games against fast-improving Auburn and Georgia. There is little room for error if Ole Miss wants to return to the College Football Playoffs for a second straight season. Congratulations to Brigham Young for ending Notre Dame’s perfect season! The BYU Cougars and their enthusiastic fans were primed to take down the highly-touted 6-0 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday night in Provo. BYU took a 28-24 lead with under two minutes remaining. Notre Dame then rallied and finished the game only yards away from the Brigham Young goal line. An incomplete pass into the end zone was ruled to be the final play of the game. Big 12 officials later admitted that there should have been one second left on the clock. This marks yet another game-ending controversy in college football this season. The AP’s had five of its top seven teams lose.  (Only three of mine lost) I catch some heat for my logical-but-unique SwampSwamiSports.com ranking system.  If you want subjective rankings, stick with the AP’s weekly beauty contest results. Mine are based on simply having the most wins with the fewest losses.  Ties are broken by taking a weekly examination of each team’s best victory of the season.  A road win over a 4-2 squad puts you ahead of another team whose best win came in a home win against a 4-2 competitor. There is only one 7-0 FBS team this week. James Madison now gets the baton as the nation’s top team for the week ending Saturday, October 17, 2026.  The Dukes are closely trailed by impressive 6-0 teams such as #2 Miami (FL), #3 BYU, #4 Texas Tech, #5 UCLA, and #6 Utah. JMU travels to Boone, North Carolina on Thursday night (6PM on ESPN-U) to play Sun Belt rival Appalachian State.  The 4-2 Mountaineers play football in a stadium at nearly 3,400 feet above sea level.  Add a packed stadium filled with exceptionally loud fans, and App State has a chance to upset my new #1 team.  Let’s review the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 College Football rankings for the week ending October, 17, 2026: The post SwampSwami Top 25 – Does Anyone REALLY Want to Be #1? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Did you feel that cooler breeze today?  Six months of stifling Southern heat and humidity featuring temperatures of 90 degrees or above will finally take the bench – for a few days. I am planning to break-out my old-school blade push mower (remember the kind with those spinning blades?) this afternoon. It’s my way of celebrating a late season mowing day without being overly concerned about getting a heat stroke in the process. Sports changes are happening rapidly in mid-October, too.  Let’s jump right in! Ding, Dong, the Dodgers are dead! The Milwaukee Brewers rudely dispatched the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers with a comeback 6-4 win Thursday night. Did anyone predict a 4-0 Milwaukee sweep of the Dodgers?  I didn’t think so. The Milwaukee Brewers are heading into their first World Series since 1982.  They will represent the National League against either Cleveland or Tampa Bay of the American League. Did you know that Milwaukee’s last World Series appearance came as an American League team? That’s right!  This franchise actually began in 1969 as the expansion Seattle Pilots of the American League. Unfortunately, the Seattle franchise found itself in bankruptcy court during Year #1.  Major League Baseball quickly jumped to the rescue. It was moved to Wisconsin and became the re-branded Milwaukee Brewers of the American League in 1970. The Brewers eventually migrated to the National League in 1998 as part of a realignment to balance the number of teams in the American and National Leagues. Welcome back to the World Series, Brew Crew! Meanwhile, LIV Golf’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy is moving along quickly I reported last week that the agent for LIV Golf’s top player had advised that his client was negotiating an exit agreement with the league. Jon Rahm got his wish this week.  LIV Golf granted his release. Rahm signed with LIV three years ago for an estimated $300 million.  Media reports this week state that the 31-year old Spaniard will be walking away from about $100 million remaining under his LIV contract in order to secure his release. Don’t cry for Jon Rahm! My Jethro Bodine 6th grade math skills confirm that LIV has already paid him $200 million under his contract. Add another $80 million for Jon Rahm’s golf tournament earnings on the LIV Golf tour the past three seasons. Rahm would have earned a relatively small percentage of that sizable total if he remained a top talent on the PGA Tour over the same three year period.  Good luck trying to Rahm’s attorney in trying to negotiate even a small percentage of the remaining $100 million of unsecured debt which is part of LIV Golf’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Indications are that Jon Rahm and dozens of other top LIV golfers want to migrate to the DP World (European) Tour beginning in 2027. That is because of Wednesday’s news that the New Jersey-based US bankruptcy court rejected the LIV Golf contracts of 19 more golfers. Those contract cancellations included 2-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (whose deal with LIV Golf was already ending December 31, 2026).  Other top names whose contracts were tossed overboard included Australia’s Cam Smith (2022 Open Championship winner) along with former Masters winners Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson. Post-bankruptcy LIV 2.0 has conditionally secured $300 million in backing from private equity firm BC Partners to finance a reboot in 2027.  However, the league’s new financial partner apparently does not have to part with their money unless LIV 2.0 is able to keep enough top golfers under contract for next year and beyond. The US Bankruptcy Court just made most of the top LIV Golf stars free agents.  Will enough top names be willing to stick around for LIV 2.0 in 2027? We should know more by the end of October.  LIV Golf 2.0 is looking rather unlikely at this point. New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson spoke out about her team’s lousy performance The Saints just completed a three game home stand. They returned from two season opening games on the road at 1-1. The New Orleans Saints then dropped three consecutive home games in ugly fashion to limp out of town with a 1-4 record. New Orleans travels to play the rejuvenated New York Giants (3-1-1) on Sunday afternoon in The Meadowlands. The Saints have now lost 14 of their last 19 home games since early in the 2024 NFL season. WhoDat fans were particularly incensed after Atlanta embarrassed the Dome Team two weeks ago. That occurred during a nationally televised Monday Night Football game.  The Saints were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the reopening of the Louisiana Superdome following the devastating floods and winds of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After an emotional 15-minute pregame ceremony which had the Superdome rocking just like in 2006, those Dirty Birds of Atlanta routed the Saints 45-24. The Minnesota Vikings followed suit one week later.  New Orleans could muster just 144 yards of total offense last Sunday as the Vikings sailed to an easy 23-13 victory.  Minnesota controlled the clock for an incredible 40 minutes last Sunday compared to just 20 for the home standing Saints. Regional automobile dealer Tom Benson purchased the New Orleans Saints football franchise in 1985 for just $64 million.  It is now worth over $8 billion.  Tom Benson passed away in 2018 at age 90.  His wife Gayle has remained in charge of the family businesses. Mrs. Benson (now 79 years old) has stayed in the background after becoming owner of the New Orleans Saints.  She has trusted the Benson family’s long-time management team to continue running the football team. Team president (and New Orleans native) Dennis Lauscha and Saints general manager Mickey Loomis have been key members of that executive team for more than a decade. Gayle Benson was so upset about the recent trifecta of home losses and ugly play that she finally spoke out this week about the sorry state of her football franchise. She declared, “I will not make excuses, and I will not accept this level of performance as our standard.  I am committed to making the decisions necessary to improve this team.  Words will not restore our fans’ confidence.” Tip to Mrs. Benson – Hall-of-Fame quarterback and Saints legend Drew Brees might be a terrific choice if you are planning to clean house anytime soon! College Football – James Madison is leaving the Sun Belt for the American Athletic Conference The winds of change arrived in Harrisonburg, Virginia this week, too. James Madison University announced on Monday that they are leaving the Sun Belt Conference. The Dukes plan to become a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) by no later than the summer of 2028. Prominent football members of the AAC include Tulane, Army, Navy, Memphis, and East Carolina. JMU was a long-time and quite successful member of the FCS (smaller college group).  The Dukes moved up up to the FBS by joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. Then-football coach Curt Cignetti led James Madison to 8-3 and 11-2 records during the school’s first two Sun Belt seasons.  Cignetti then left for Indiana and led the Hoosiers to their first national championship in football last year. It will cost $23 million for James Madison to buy a spot in the AAC. Another $5 million is going to be needed to pay the Sun Belt for the right to exit JMU’s current conference. This isn’t a knock on the AAC, but I don’t see the Dukes’ future conference as being a significant upgrade over the Sun Belt.  Last year’s AAC champion (North Texas) was dispatched to the mid-level New Mexico Bowl to play San Diego State. Is that really worth spending $28 million? Western Kentucky University is likely already waving its famous red towel trying to replace James Madison in the Sun Belt. The Hilltoppers have wanted to leave Conference USA for years.  They were passed-over recently in favor of Louisiana Tech (another former C-USA member). Another intriguing choice to replace James Madison in the Sun Belt Conference might be current FCS member Tarleton State. This fast-growing Texas school has an enrollment of about 21,000 students.  It is located in Stephenville, Texas (less than 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth). The Texans want to move up into the FBS level ASAP and have been seeking an opening with a solid conference.  Tarleton State is part of the Texas A&M system – which is well known for having deep financial pockets. Enjoy your weekend and the cooler weather! The post The October Winds of Change appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Campbell University is a private Christian school located in Buies Creek, North Carolina.  The university is halfway between Raleigh and Fayetteville. Campbell’s football program is now in its 19th season and has never come close to reaching the FCS playoffs – yet. The school’s 5,000 students and mascot Gaylord the Camel are downright giddy as the football team is off to its best start in school history. The Fighting Camels began playing football in 2008 and posted a woeful 1-10 first season.  They have never finished with more than six wins in a season during their 18 years in the FCS.  Campbell finished 2-10 in 2025. The Fighting Camels have lumbered out to a surprising 5-1 start in 2026.  A 52-3 “payday game” road loss at the University of Florida is the team’s only defeat. Campbell just moved up to #6 in this week’s SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 rankings.  The Fighting Camels are 2-0 in the Coastal Athletic Association and ½ game behind conference leader Monmouth (3-0). This Saturday’s homecoming game against struggling 0-7 Towson could boost Campbell to a lofty 6-1 season record. Fighting Camels head coach Braxton Harris is now in his third season. His background as a recruiter appears to be paying dividends this year. Quarterback Camden Sixkiller transferred to Campbell after two seasons at McNeese State in Lake Charles.  The honor roll student-athlete is averaging 280 yards per game via the air with 14 touchdown passes in six games.  Campbell’s offense ringing-up 35 points per game. The hardest part of the team’s schedule lies ahead in November. Campbell will face conference foes Stony Brook (4-2) on November 7, travel to 3-2 Elon, and finish at home against Monmouth (4-2) on November 21. The school’s first trip into the FCS playoffs is still a possibility as this 2026 dream season continues to unfold for the Campbell Fighting Camels. The FCS playoff race is heating up There is one half of the season remaining.  The big race to grab one of the 24 FCS playoff spots is well underway. Remember that the FCS (the smaller-college football group) awards a guaranteed playoff spot to each of its 11 conference winners. That leaves 13 at-large playoff spots to be awarded on the basis of season record and strength of schedule. A group of athletic directors (one per FCS conference) meets every November to determine the at-large playoff teams.  The committee then tries to pair the opening and second round games with teams in geographic proximity to help save on travel costs. Most FCS teams have at least one loss, because they play one or more games per season at a larger division FBS school.  Some teams receive upwards of $1 million from these payday road games.  The money can be a vital component of the schools’ athletic funding. Top teams in the FCS must focus on winning the outright conference championship in order to guarantee a post-season appearance.  Losing two conference games often doom for your favorite team’s playoff chances. Who’s hot right now? Only four FCS teams remain unbeaten entering this weekend’s play. Harvard is 4-0.  Lehigh, Stephen F. Austin and Tarleton State are all 6-0. Several other football teams are on a lengthy winning streak coming into the weekend. Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas) of the Southland Conference has rolled off four straight wins to move to 5-1.  The Cardinals’ only blemish came in their “payday” road game at FBS member UL-Lafayette.  Lamar and unbeaten Stephen F. Austin are both 3-0 in Southland Conference play.  Those two rivals will meet on November 7 in Beaumont. The Butler Bulldogs (Pioneer Conference) have also won four consecutive games and are 5-1 this week.  Butler will host the 4-1 Dayton Flyers at 12 Noon CDT this Saturday.  The winner will immediately springboard into an FCS playoff contention. Morgan State of the MEAC is on their own four-game winning streak and stands at 5-1 overall. The Bears’ only blemish was a 70-7 road loss at FBS University of Arizona.  Morgan State’s brief but very important five game conference schedule will begin in two weeks. East Tennessee State of the Southern Conference has won four straight games.  The 5-2 Buccaneers will host 5-1 Tennessee Tech on October 24 in a battle of the top two teams within this competitive conference. Don’t forget Northern Arizona of the Big Sky Conference!  The Lumberjacks have moved to 5-2 and are part of a four-way tie atop the conference standings.  Northern Arizona is trying to win the Big Sky for the first time since 2003. And who’s not? A quartet of FCS teams is still trying to win their first game of 2026. Utah Tech is 0-7 in its initial season as part of the tough Big Sky Conference.  The Trailblazers from St. George, Utah may not face another team with a losing record until mid-November when they host Eastern Washington (currently 2-5). Towson University is also 0-7.  The Tigers from suburban Baltimore play in the Coastal Athletic Association.  Towson has lost three consecutive games by seven points or less.  A winnable home game against 1-5 Hampton is coming up on Halloween.  Perhaps the Towson Tigers will finally scare up a victory! VMI is 0-6 entering this weekend’s game at 4-3 Wofford. The Keydets from picturesque Lexington in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains seem to have lost their offense this season. VMI has scored seven or fewer points in four of its last five games. In case you were wondering, the origin of the school’s unique nickname of Keydets is unknown.  Most assume that it was likely the word “Cadets” being pronounced with a distinctive southern drawl. Our final winless FCS team is Northwestern State University. The 0-6 Demons from Natchitoches, Louisiana started the season by losing at home to NAIA member Louisiana Christian. It has gotten worse.  Northwestern State’s defense has given up nearly 51 points per game.  That may be terrific in college basketball, but it’s a complete disaster for a football team.  Saturday’s home game against 2-4 McNeese State will be followed by a visit from 2-4 Nicholls State on October 24.  Perhaps the Demons will finally pick-up their first win of the season. It’s time to check the latest SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 teams for the week ending October, 10, 2026:       The post FCS Top 25 – Here come the Fighting Camels! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The Georgia Bulldogs bit previously unbeaten Alabama and drew closer to the top of this week’s SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 rankings. Saturday night’s “Rock ’em, Sock ’em” SEC battle in Tuscaloosa saw the 6-0 Georgia Bulldogs take a hard fought 20-17 win over the Crimson Tide (now 5-1).  Georgia was rewarded by moving up eight places into the #2 spot in this week’s rankings. Georgia is positioned to pounce on the coveted #1 spot if 5-1 Ohio State takes down defending national champion Indiana (6-0) this week.  That Big Ten match-up kicks-off Saturday at 11AM CDT on FOX. Indiana survived a close 20-17 road game against previously unbeaten Nebraska (now 5-1) in Lincoln.  The Hoosiers’ winning streak is now an incredible 22 games.  Their last defeat came on December 20, 2024 in a 27-17 loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoffs. In case you missed last week’s initial Top 25 rankings, Indiana was named my #1 team by virtue of remaining unbeaten for nearly two full seasons.  Until the Hoosiers lose a game, they will remain on top! The unbeaten group of teams shrinks from 15 to just nine Say “Good-bye!” to former unbeatens Alabama, Pittsburgh, North Dakota State, Nebraska, Texas, and Duke. Pitt (now 5-1) was taken down 21-17 at home by Coach Bill Belichick’s fast-improving 3-2 North Carolina Tar Heels.  The Pitt Panthers dropped to #15 this week in the latest rankings. North Dakota State apparently left its offense back in Fargo, ND last weekend.  The Bison uncharacteristically gave up three turnovers to hand UNLV (now 4-2) a 13-7 home victory. NDSU dropped to #13 this week. Texas saw its 4-0 start come to a shocking end on Saturday.  Those pesky 3-2 Oklahoma Sooners rallied to kick a game winning field goal to take a 27-24 win over the Longhorns.  Texas’ killer SEC schedule now features games against 4-2 Florida, 4-1 Ole Miss, 4-1 Mississippi State, at 5-1 Missouri and at 4-2 LSU. Oof! Duke went on the road last week to face struggling Georgia Tech (2-3).  The Yellow Jackets stung the Blue Devils 28-25 on a touchdown with just 54 seconds remaining in the game.  Duke dropped to 4-1 and fell out of the SwampSwamiSports.com rankings this week. LSU now has its back to the wall The LSU Tigers dropped a 35-34 overtime thriller at Kentucky on Saturday night to fall to 4-2 on the season.  Kentucky (now a surprising 5-1 and #22 in this week’s rankings) converted a 2-point attempt in overtime with a wide-open quarterback draw to walk off with the win. LSU wasn’t in my rankings last week when they were 4-1.  The Tigers’ “signature” win was its 51-10 win over a rather mediocre 3-2 Clemson. Why does the Associated Press continue to leave the Tigers in their Top 25 this week? The AP has LSU at #22 and is the only 2-loss team in their poll.  LSU’s two blemishes have been close road losses (32-24 loss at Ole Miss in Week #2 and Saturday’s one-point overtime loss at Kentucky). Those of us who closely follow the Tigers will tell you that LSU’s offensive line simply isn’t doing a good enough job this season.  It was LSU’s weakest link during Brian Kelly’s final year in 2025.  New head coach Lane Kiffin cannot be pleased with the O-Line’s performance in 2026. Here is an example.  Coach Kiffin called a time-out with less than two minutes remaining in the Kentucky game.  He pondered whether or not to roll the dice and try to convert a 4th down and one play at LSU’s 43-yard line.  The Tigers took the statistically safer option and punted the ball.  Kentucky quickly drove the ball downfield as the Wildcats’ erratic kicker finally converted the game-tying field goal. LSU’s remaining SEC schedule is exceptionally tough. Mississippi State (4-1) travels into Tiger Stadium for a rare 11AM CDT kickoff on ESPN this Saturday.  LSU then travels to 3-2 Auburn and returns home for 5-1 Alabama and 4-1 Texas in back-to-back weekends.  The Tigers hit the road again to finish the season at 4-1 Tennessee and at 2-4 Arkansas. The 4-2 LSU Tigers must win all six of their remaining games to grab a spot in the 12-team College Football playoffs.  Will Coach Lane Kiffin be able to engineer a six-game winning streak?  Stranger things have happened. How good is 6-0 Notre Dame?  We are going to find out this Saturday night! The unbeaten Fighting Irish have not played a very difficult schedule in 2026.  Notre Dame has dispatched such football ruffians as Rice (1-5), Michigan State (2-4), and Stanford (2-4).  The Irish also took down 4-1 Wisconsin 41-13 in South Bend during Week #1 of the season. Notre Dame will travel to Provo, Utah this Saturday night to play 5-0 Brigham Young (6:30 PM CDT on ABC). Clear skies with game time temperatures in the low 50’s should have the Cougars’ home crowd revved-up in hopes of ending Notre Dame’s dream of a perfect regular season. The oddsmakers have established Notre Dame an overwhelming 10-point road favorite to win this game. That sounds a bit optimistic to me.  We’ll find out on Saturday night. Battle for the bottom is down to only three teams Only a trio of teams remains without a victory in 2026. Northern Illinois is 0-5 and will take to the road to play at 3-3 Wyoming this Saturday. The Charlotte 49ers are 0-6 and will try to end their 14-game losing streak on Saturday at 2-4 Temple. Our final winless team is UL-Monroe. The 0-6 Warhawks white flag defense (?) has surrendered almost 45 points per game this season. ULM will have a chance to break its losing streak this Saturday night as long-time arch rival Louisiana Tech comes into Monroe for a 7PM game (ESPN+). The Bulldogs are 3-2 and have won two games in a row. However, those two wins came by a total of just three points.  Louisiana Tech beat Army by two points and rallied last week to defeat UL-Lafayette by just one point. This will be the first football game between these two north Louisiana foes since November, 2000.  The two schools are separated by only 35 miles via Interstate 20. Let’s roll-out the latest SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 rankings for the week ending October 10, 2026:   The post Top 25 – Georgia Nipping on the heels of #1 Indiana appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Attention, LIV Golfers! “This is your captain speaking.  Fasten your seat belts as we are now entering some extremely turbulent air…for at least the next few months”. That’s because the attorney for former world #1 golfer Jon Rahm told the Chapter 11 bankruptcy court in New Jersey on Wednesday that his client is not returning to LIV Golf.  Rahm apparently was underwhelmed with the proposed “LIV Golf 2.0” model. Jon Rahm has left the building. Multiple media outlets report that LIV Golf is currently negotiating a release for Rahm which could take effect within a matter of weeks. Jon Rahm signed a multi-year deal to play for LIV Golf beginning in 2024.  The total value of the agreement was estimated at $300 million. For purposes of this story, let’s assume that Rahm has received at least half of that guaranteed amount.  He also pocketed nearly $80 million in LIV Golf tournament earnings over the past three seasons as the top winner since joining the tour. Jon Rahm doesn’t seem to care that much about the money at this moment.  He appears to be wanting a chance to compete more often against today’s elite golfers. Rahm likely misses the competition.  His second place finish at last spring’s PGA Championship reminded fellow golfers that Jon Rahm is still a threat every time (or anywhere) he tees it up. The Spaniard wants to earn a chance to play for the European team in next September’s Ryder Cup matches.  He is most likely to play the 2027 golf season on the DP World (European) Tour.  A win and/or a handful of high finishes next year will earn “Rahmbo” a spot on the Ryder Cup team. Wednesday’s announcement about Jon Rahm leaving was not exactly unexpected to anyone who has followed LIV Golf this year.  The 31-year old golfer seemed to be growing more and more unhappy about LIV Golf’s financial woes over the past season. Adios, Sergio Garcia! Another Spanish golfer has been given his release by LIV Golf this week.  Sergio Garcia was one of the first major stars to sign with LIV Golf five years ago. His signing bonus was for an estimated $40 million. The bankruptcy court quietly granted Garcia the right to skedaddle from financially troubled LIV Golf.  Garcia also wants to earn a spot on next year’s European Ryder Cup team.  He has already played in a few DP World Tour events since LIV’s final tournament in late August. Sergio Garcia posted two wins in five seasons on the LIV Golf tour.  He has been the captain of LIV Golf’s Fireballs four-man Spanish golf team since the league’s inception. Who’s next? Expect issues surrounding LIV Golf’s bankruptcy hearing to get stickier in the weeks ahead. Jon Rahm’s departure makes popular two-time US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and Australia’s Cam Smith (2022 Open Championship winner) the next big question marks for LIV Golf. The 32-year old DeChambeau signed a $125 million deal with LIV Golf five years ago.  His contract expires on December 31.  DeChambeau has indicated a strong desire to remain with LIV Golf if the league successfully emerges from bankruptcy. At the right price, though. Media reports circulated that Bryson DeChambeau was rumored to be seeking upwards of a $500 million financial package to remain with LIV Golf.  That chatter happened before Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced their decision to pull the plug on LIV Golf this year. The Saudi PIF has lost an estimated $6 billion over five years on LIV Golf. Australia’s Cam Smith signed with LIV Golf beginning in 2023.  His signing bonus was for a reported $140 million.  Smith’s contract has at least one more year remaining. Cam Smith is the captain of LIV Golf’s popular all-Australian team named “The Rippers.”  LIV Golf’s annual stop in Adelaide, Australia has been the most successful tournament event for the past two seasons. Cam Smith and his Aussie mates remain very important to LIV Golf 2.0.  The league plans to focus more on its international successes and less time in the US. I owe! I owe!  Through bankruptcy we go! The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) lost billions on its gamble to finance LIV Golf.  They were supposedly done with LIV Golf after the 2026 season ended in late August. Oddly, the PIF later agreed to front LIV Golf another $50 million this fall to keep the lights on during the current bankruptcy proceedings.  That $50 million is considered by the bankruptcy court as a “loan” which will receive top priority for repayment if LIV Golf emerges from Chapter 11. LIV Golf owes a lot of money to its golfers, support and operational staff, vendors, contractors, corporate partners, and even several tax authorities. This week’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy hearing in New Jersey revealed that LIV Golf owed $45 million to its own golfers!  Jon Rahm ($7.5 million) and Bryson DeChambeau ($5.8 million) lead the list of players hoping to receive a percentage of their unsecured claims. Another $20 million is owed to others which have provided tangible goods and services to LIV Golf. Some parties are hoping to receive all or some portion of money owed.  Others (such as the golfers) may be willing to accept an ownership stake in the “new” LIV Golf 2.0 in lieu of receiving cash. There is a lot of wheeling and dealing happening right now.   Let’s meet LIV’s Golf’s Chief Restructuring Officer  His name is David Orlofsky.  He wants the New Jersey Chapter 11 bankruptcy court to believe that LIV Golf was actually on its way up and simply needed more time. He said, “LIV Golf firmly believes that, with appropriate funding and a level playing field with its competitors, its existing operating model would have reached profitability within five to seven years, primarily through continued revenue growth across both the League and its teams…” (Note – Emphasis was added in three of the above phrases) Q – What does he consider to be “appropriate funding?” The Saudis were losing $1 billion per year – every year – for the past five seasons.  LIV Golf’s tournament payouts were far too high.  The costs of taking their golf tournaments around the world were exorbitant, too.  How much more money would David Orlofsky consider to be “appropriate”? Q – What did he mean by a “level playing field with its competitors”? LIV Golf effectively declared “war” on the PGA Tour and the DP World (European) Tour by offering more than $1 billion in guaranteed signing bonuses to secure several of the top PGA and DP World Tour players.  All is fair in love and golf wars, right? LIV Golf cannot whine today that the PGA Tour and the DP World (European) Tour would not open their tournaments to LIV Golf professionals to freely return and play in any event.  Why should they? LIV Golf’s spokesman is, perhaps, taking aim with his “blame gun” at the World Golf rankings. LIV Golf initially played 54 hole tournaments until Year #5 this season. The World Golf rankings organization (which is not owned by either the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour) refused to award points to LIV events because of their 54-hole tournaments (compared to 72) and a reduced field of 54(ish) players featuring no cuts.   So, LIV changed to a 72-hole format in 2026.  The World Golf ranking body responded by awarding points to only the top ten finishers in LIV Golf events starting this year. Q – Does David Orlofsky truly believe that LIV Golf “would have reached profitability in five to seven years”? LIV Golf commendably added several new corporate sponsors in the past year.  The relative value of those sponsors is still rather small compared to those backing the PGA Tour. Did you know that the PGA Tour derives more than 60% of its revenues through television?  LIV Golf earned only 5% of its much smaller revenue pool from television. Now, who’s fault would that be? The bankruptcy court may start to look like a Jersey deli with all of the baloney being peddled by LIV Golf. Jon Rahm made the right move – for Jon Rahm LIV Golf probably could not afford to pay Jon Rahm’s remaining contract value regardless of his relative importance to the upstart golf tour. An amicable divorce appears to be a “win/win” for both parties over the long term. LIV Golf 2.0 may eventually emerge from bankruptcy in a few months.  They will face incredible scrutiny from potential corporate partners, suppliers, vendors, and, of course, the golfers moving forward. The five year run of LIV Golf has been entertaining to watch.  Team competitions within each event have been a big hit with fans and the players.  LIV Golf events have attracted a younger in-person audience than the PGA Tour with more fan interaction and live music while play is underway. However, LIV Golf was irresponsibly extravagant with its spending.  It was an economic disaster from its inception.    Will a restructured LIV Golf 2.0 become successful by focusing on its current niche (playing events in underserved international markets and continuing its team competitions)? Are enough of LIV Golf’s top stars going to stick around so that golf fans will remain interested in their product? Will LIV Golf 2.0 be able to live on a tight budget and, eventually, turn a profit with a new business plan which has yet to be made public? LIV Golf must first escape from the very deep sand trap called “Chapter 11 Bankruptcy” and card no worse than a par on this tricky hole. Easier said than done. The post Uh-Oh! Jon Rahm is leaving LIV Golf appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

SwampSwamiSports.com began to publish our own rankings for the small(er) college Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) last season.  Adding a little competition is always healthy!   It’s our Year #2 and time to become more familiar with the FCS. This year’s small(er) college FCS has 128 football members playing in 13 conferences.  Each champion will receive an automatic bid into the 24-team FCS playoffs in late November and December. However, two of the 13 FCS conferences annually opt out of the FCS Playoffs in order to play in their own championship game. That leaves 11 automatic bids and 13 at-large bids this year. Two of the historically-black colleges and universities (HBCU) conferences conduct their own title game in Atlanta every December and do not participate in the FCS playoffs. Winners of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play in the Celebration Bowl for HBCU bragging rights.  This nationally televised football game reportedly brings more revenue to these two FCS conferences than having to pay for teams to travel around the US in pursuit of the FCS title. The remaining 11 FCS conferences do not play a conference championship game.  Each has its own method of determining a regular season champion in the event of a tie. The conference winner receives an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.  The runner-up may (in some cases) receive an at-large bid depending on their regular season record and final national ranking. There are two teams playing as independents this year Merrimack College (north of Boston) was a former member of the Northeast Conference from 2019-2023 but left in 2023 to become an independent.  Merrimack is 2-4 this season. Meanwhile, Chicago State is currently aligned with the Northeast Conference (which decided to call itself the NEC). The Cougars (currently 1-4) are playing in their inaugural season of college football as an independent.  They will become football participants in the NEC beginning in 2027. Let’s learn a little more about the 13 FCS conferences Big Sky (13 members) The Big Sky’s Montana State Bobcats won the FCS title last year.  Montana State was off to a 4-0 start this season until they visited 0-4 Idaho last week. The Vandals shocked the FCS football world with a thrilling 35-34 win over the defending champs.  Idaho scored a late touchdown and added a 2-point conversion to end the game.  The Big Sky Conference has added two new members as Southern Utah and Utah Tech came onboard this fall. Coastal Athletic Association (13) This Atlantic seaboard conference stretches from the Carolinas through Massachusetts.  The CAA changed its official name from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023.  Former independent Sacred Heart (Fairfield, CT) became the newest member of the CAA beginning this season. Ivy League (8) This well-known conference of exceptional academic institutions does not start playing football until September.  The eight-team Ivy League plays a 10-game regular season (instead of 12) so that their student-athletes can focus more time on (gasp) academics! MEAC (6) Last year’s conference champion was South Carolina State.  The Bulldogs went on to defeat Prairie View A&M of the SWAC in the 2025 Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.  Did you know that the MEAC will become the first FCS conference to sponsor women’s flag football in 2027? Missouri Valley Football Conference (9) Long-time MVFC bully North Dakota State (winner of ten of the past 15 FCS national titles) left the FCS and is now a football member of the Mountain West Conference this fall.  The Missouri Valley Football Conference is usually strong enough to produce at least two teams entering the season-ending 24-team FCS playoffs. NEC (8) The conference formerly known as the Northeast Conference has shortened its name.  That occurred after Chicago State (located hundreds of miles west of the northeastern US) is slated to become a part of the conference in 2027.   Last year’s conference champion was Central Connecticut State. Ohio Valley Conference (8) This conference was known as the Ohio Valley-Big South Football Association through 2025.  It is now known as the Ohio Valley Conference in 2026.  Long-time member Tennessee Tech left the OVC to join the Southern Conference this fall.  Charleston Southern (South Carolina) and Gardner-Webb (North Carolina) will remain as football-playing members of the OVC.  Through last weekend, the OVC did not have a single team with a winning record. Patriot League (10) This Northeastern-based conference has expanded south to include the University of Richmond (2025) along with William & Mary this season.  The Spiders and the Tribe play their annual Capital Cup game in late November.  This long-time series has been played 136 times.  Richmond has a narrow 67-64 edge in the series with five ties. Pioneer Football League (11) This is a far-flung football-only conference which features one member in Florida (Stetson) and another in California (San Diego).  Most of the schools are based in the Midwest. All are private schools except for Morehouse State in Kentucky. Southern Conference (10) The So-Con has been around since the year 1921!  A list of its former members looks like a “Who’s Who” of the current SEC (which was founded 12 years later in 1932).  Tennessee Tech became the newest member of the So-Con this fall after leaving the Ohio Valley Conference. Southland Conference (10) This strong football conference began in 1963 and features schools in Louisiana and Texas.  Last year, Stephen F. Austin won the league’s regular season title and the automatic berth in the FCS playoffs.  Both Southeastern Louisiana and Lamar were selected among the 13 at-large playoff teams in 2025. Southwestern Athletic Conference (12) Some of the most prominent football schools in college football history play in the SWAC.  Grambling, Jackson State, Prairie View A&M, Southern University plus eight other legendary schools have a long and successful history in college football.  Their marching bands also produce some of the most energetic halftime shows in all of college football. United Athletic Conference (8) Do you remember the Western Athletic Conference (WAC)?  It formed in 1962.  A large group of major college football teams played in the WAC over the years until numerous defections caused the conference to drop football in 2013.  The WAC tried football once again in 2021 but failed to regain an entrance into the larger division FBS.  That’s when the football-playing members of the WAC joined with football-playing members of the Atlantic Sun Conference formed the football-only FCS United Athletic Conference.  The “new” UAC welcomed former NCAA Division II West Florida (Pensacola) into their group this fall. Finally, it’s farewell to long-time FCS member St. Francis (PA) – Lessons to be learned The cost of playing college football at the FBS and even at the FCS level has been rising rapidly.   At some point, colleges and universities must make some tough decisions when rising costs exceed the revenues. St. Francis (PA) is a small private university with less than 2,000 students.  It is located in the western Pennsylvania town of Loretto.  The school was a founding member of the FCS Northeast Conference in 1988. St. Francis exited the NEC and the FCS after last season due to rising costs. This school dropped all athletic scholarships and began playing football this fall in the NCAA Division III President’s Athletic Conference.  The team formerly known as the Red Flash also rebranded itself as the Red Wolves to coincide with its move into D-III athletics. In case you might be wondering, the “new” St. Francis Red Wolves are 0-2 through last weekend’s game. It’s time to unveil the first FCS Top 25 rankings for the 2026 football season! If you need a refresher on the methodology used to determine the rankings, please read Monday’s FBS Top 25 rankings for a detailed explanation (click here). The post Time to Unveil the FCS Small(er) College Top 25! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

It’s hard to believe that October marks the 10th season of my college football Top 25 rankings. Last year, we added the FCS rankings for the small college group.  Look for that one on Tuesday. We are almost halfway through a 12-game college football regular season.  The early season results show a large number of excellent teams this year but no clear cut favorite. It appears that there is going to be a true horse race to the finish line this season. Two weeks ago, there were 35 teams with a perfect 3-0 record That number has diminished down to 15 unbeaten teams today.  Eleven are 5-0 with four more squads at 4-0 through last weekend. A big logjam exists with our one-loss teams.  There are 37 (!) teams with one loss through last weekend’s games. Alas, there are only 25 spots available to make the top tier.  Check out the bottom of this week’s rankings to see teams #26-52 this week and find out where your favorite one-loss teams is currently ranked. Read ’em and weep! But first…the weekend highlights! The University of Florida’s unbeaten season came to a screeching halt at Columbia, Missouri on Saturday.  Mizzou shocked the SEC by thrashing the AP’s 8th ranked Gators from start to finish in a surprisingly easy 45-17 win.  The Missouri Tigers racked-up 560 yards in total offense against a stunned Florida defense. Missouri hosts 3-2 Texas A&M on Saturday (11AM CDT on ABC).  The Florida Gators crawled back to The Swamp.  They now have a Saturday 11:45AM kickoff (SEC Network) against 2-3 South Carolina. News flash – Alabama’s running game has emerged out of Intensive Care! Last season’s Alabama Crimson Tide was surprisingly poor at running the football.  Coach Kaylen DeBoer was criticized by Bama fans about the team’s weak rushing attack last season. Alabama is off to a 5-0 start this fall. A much bigger surprise is that Bama is averaging nearly 190 yards per game rushing this season.  Their trio of running backs plus fleet-footed freshman quarterback Keelon Russell have injected life into Alabama’s ground game this fall. The Crimson Tide ended Mississippi State’s 4-0 start on Saturday with a convincing 56-23 beatdown in Starkville.  It gets more difficult on Saturday as 5-0 Georgia comes into Tuscaloosa for a nationally televised SEC battle (6:30PM on ABC). Road trips to 4-1 Tennessee and 4-1 LSU are looming for the Crimson Tide in the weeks ahead. Big Ten stalwarts Michigan and Penn State are sputtering Be honest.  Did you think that both Michigan and Penn State would be 3-2 after five games this season? These two Big Ten schools are sporting new coaches with very impressive resumes. Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham’s former teams at Utah were known for their hard-nosed disciplined play.  Coach Whittingham’s new team at Michigan apparently hasn’t bought-in – at least not yet.  Critical home games against Penn State, Indiana, and UCLA plus road games at Oregon and Ohio State await.  Ouch. Penn State’s new coach Matt Campbell led a turnaround of the Iowa State program during the past decade.  His new squad at Penn State was thrashed 34-13 last week at 3-1 Northwestern. Penn State will now host 5-1 USC this Saturday (6:30PM on NBC) and then travels to play 3-2 Michigan in two weeks. One of these two teams will have to finish 7-0 to reach this year’s College Football Playoffs.  (Hint – not likely!) Welcome into the FBS, North Dakota State! The Bison have thundered to a 5-0 start after leaving the small college FCS this fall.  North Dakota State is now a football-only FBS member of the Mountain West Conference. The green-clad Bison shut-out Mountain West rival Wyoming 28-0 on Saturday inside their extremely loud indoor football facility in Fargo, North Dakota. Upcoming road games to 3-2 UNLV (this Saturday) and at 4-1 New Mexico (October 24) will test NDSU. Update your scorecards – these teams have changed locations North Dakota State (5-0) moved up from the FCS and now participates in the Mountain West Conference. Ditto for Sacramento State (1-4).  They also left the FCS.  The Hornets are a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) beginning this fall. Those two additions have bumped the FBS up to 138 members for this season. Louisiana Tech (2-2) finally exited Conference USA and joined the Sun Belt Conference beginning this fall. Texas State (2-3) left the Sun Belt to become a member of the new-but-not-exactly-improved Pac-12 Conference. Also moving into the Pac-12 this season were long-time Mountain West members Boise State (4-1), Colorado State (2-3), Fresno State (4-1), San Diego State (2-3), and Utah State (1-4).  They joined Pac-12 holdovers Oregon State and Washington State. The Mountain West also added former Mid-American Conference member Northern Illinois (0-4). Important!   Here is the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 rankings methodology: If you are new to this site (welcome!), below are my rules for ranking college football teams on SwampSwamiSports.com: Teams without a loss are ranked higher than any team which has already lost a game. Why should a team with a perfect record be ranked below a team with one loss? A team with five wins is always ranked above a team with four or fewer wins. Why? Because they have earned one more victory than teams ranked below them. Your team’s “best win” is redetermined weekly. I look through each team’s vanquished foes to determine which one now has the best won/loss record through last weekend’s games. It matters who you beat! Preference is given to your team’s “best win” if it came on the road vs. a home win. Ties are broken by point differentials in each team’s “best win”. A win over any FBS team receives preference over wins against an FCS school. When two teams have identical records, a head-to-head win over the team with the same number of losses is ranked higher. All decisions by the administrator of this site (me) are FINAL! Bye weeks affect my rankings, but those will balance out later in the football season.  Without further adieu, let’s reveal the first SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 for the week ending Saturday, October 3, 2026.    The post It’s Year #10 for the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Finally!  Someone at a high enough level in Louisiana politics had the audacity to speak the truth. Louisiana’s three FBS (major college) state universities not named LSU are being brought to task about significant financial deficits in their sports programs. Thank you for your honesty, Dr. Wilbert Pryor of Shreveport! It’s about time that someone spoke up about serious financial problems stemming from trying to compete alongside the financial giants of college athletics. Prior is a Shreveport attorney.  He represents the northwest portion of Louisiana as a member of the University of Louisiana Board of Regents. The UL system governs most of the state’s public universities not directly affiliated with either LSU or Southern University.  Those two Baton Rouge-based universities each have their own supervisory boards to govern operations. Wilbert Pryor knows quite a bit about athletics and football in particular.  The Shreveport native played football at Captain Shreve High School and was a fullback at Vanderbilt University from 1989-1993 while on a football scholarship.   Pryor attended the September 22 budget meeting of the UL System.  A discussion took place about athletic spending deficits at UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe. Each of those schools have athletic shortfalls ranging from $10-20 million apiece. A transcript of the budget meeting was released this week.  Wilbert Pryor spoke his mind on this issue at the meeting. He said what many of us have been thinking for years. Pryor suggested that it may be time for UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and ULM to (gasp!) leave the FBS division in football and return to the lower cost (and lower revenue) small college football group called the FCS. He has now received national media attention and anger from some within the state of Louisiana for speaking the truth. Since the three schools are having trouble keeping expenses in line with athletic revenues, the UL system hired a national audit and consulting firm to investigate. Deloitte will present their findings and recommendations to the UL system board by year’s end. One possible solution?  UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe should step down from the FBS and return to playing football in the lower cost small college FCS group. Let’s review the history All three of these universities competed for years at the small school level formerly known as NCAA Division 1-AA. UL-Monroe (then known as Northeast Louisiana University) won the Division 1-AA football national championship in 1987 with a 13-2 record.  The title game was a thrilling 43-42 victory over Marshall University. The home side of Malone Stadium still proudly displays a banner honoring the 1987 National Championship team. Yes, those WERE the days in Monroe! The Ragin Cajuns of UL-Lafayette (then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana) became the first of these three schools to move into major college football.  They became an independent in 1982. Louisiana Tech dove into the big time football pool in 1987 – also beginning as an independent. Northeast Louisiana University/UL-Monroe exited small college football to join the FBS ranks in 1994. What are the results after decades of competing in the FBS? None of this trio of schools has ever played in a major New Year’s Day bowl game.  They have not participated in the FBS playoffs, either. News flash! Don’t expect anything different over the next 30 years, either. UL-Lafayette has played in eight consecutive post-season bowl games, though.  The Ragin’ Cajuns have participated in a total of 13 bowl games since moving into the FBS in 1982. Louisiana Tech has now played in two straight post-season bowls.  The Bulldogs have also participated in 13 bowl games since joining college football’s upper division in 1987. What about UL-Monroe?  The Warhawks have played in only one bowl game after 32 years of competing in the FBS.   The 2012 Independence Bowl saw the ULM Warhawks lose to Ohio University 45-14. Ouch. These mid-major schools do not pocket significant money from bowl game appearances.  Travel and lodging costs for the team, staff, and band frequently exceed the guaranteed paycheck from the game itself. Home football attendance at all three of these Louisiana schools has, at best, risen slightly during their time at the FBS level.  The average football fan wants their favorite team to perform well on the field and have a chance to win a conference title. With the dramatic rise in NIL payments to, effectively, buy athletes, how competitive will any of these three state universities continue to be at the major college level? The reward for winning the Sun Belt Conference title is a bowl invitation to play in the R&L Carriers (a truck line) New Orleans Bowl in mid-December. None of these three schools envisioned playing in a mid-level bowl game as their dream when moving into the upper tier over 30 years ago. Oh, no!  He’s going to talk about money! All three universities now participate in the Sun Belt Conference Western division. It is, by far, the most economical FBS conference option for this cluster of schools.  Travel to most road games can be made by bus in 6 hours or less. The Sun Belt Conference media contract with ESPN is worth +/- $2 million annually to each member school. The contract covers all Sun Belt sports. UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe each play one or two “money” road games each fall.  These football road games generate far more income than playing a home game with an “average” sized crowd. For example, Louisiana Tech’s recent trip to LSU netted a nifty $1.6 million. Louisiana Tech (with 32,000 football seats in Ruston) would have to sell-out a home game at an average ticket price of $50 to match that kind of revenue. Recent history shows that the Bulldogs are more likely to fetch half of that average ticket price while filling 50% of Joe Aillet Stadium.  That generates about $400,000 in ticket revenue for an average Louisiana Tech home game. However, the rising costs (players, coaches, support staff, travel, etc.) at the FBS level have exceeded the revenues generated by media deals, “payday” road games, and up to six home football games every fall. Thirty years ago, UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and ULM entered the FBS division believing that their upward move would generate increased fan interest.  With more fans in the stands, increased revenues should cover the added costs of travel and game day expenses. Would those three teams make the same decision today? Let’s compare regional rivals Sam Houston State (Huntsville) and Stephen F. Austin (Nacogdoches) in east Texas. Sam Houston won the FCS (small college) National Championship in 2021. The Bearkats decided to move up into the FBS group beginning in 2023.  Sam Houston is now a member of Conference USA. The Bearkats went 2-10 last season and are off to a 1-3 start in 2026. Sam Houston recently spent $60 million to update and renovate Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.  The listed capacity is still about 14,000. Attendance at Sam Houston home games has risen by a few thousand fans per game since the team last played in the FCS small college division.  However, travel expenses required to play at far-flung Conference USA locations are exponentially higher for the Bearkats. Rival Stephen F. Austin opted to remain in the FCS.  The Lumberjacks play in the Southland Conference. SFA won the Southland Conference in 2025 and qualified for the FCS playoffs last December.  The Jacks advanced into the quarterfinal (second) round before losing to eventual national champion Montana State. Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches has a capacity of 14,500. Last year’s average attendance at home games was (sadly) only about 7,000 per game.  Travel to SFA’s Southland Conference opponents is generally within a half-day drive from Nacogdoches. Today, Stephen F. Austin is off to a 5-0 start and ranked #5 nationally in the FCS. Which fan base is happier this fall? What would it look like if one or all three Louisiana schools returned to the FCS? A future FCS conference football schedule might include Louisiana competitors like McNeese State, Northwestern State, Nicholls, and Southeastern Louisiana along with nearby teams in Texas such as Stephen F. Austin and Lamar (Beaumont). Games against such regional foes would likely generate similar (or perhaps higher) fan interest than a typical Sun Belt home game against Georgia State or Old Dominion. A first place finish in an FCS conference (such as the Southland) automatically qualifies for a spot in the 24-team national playoffs each December. There are also 14 FCS “wild card” playoff slots awarded to teams based on their ranking and season record.  A competitive second or even third place conference finish might be good enough to get your team into the FCS playoffs. Of course, moving out of the FBS means the loss of a few million dollars annually in TV/media revenue.  That is a significant financial loss and represents the need for significant belt-tightening in order to reach breakeven. Returning to the FCS will necessitate fewer (and lower paid) coaches, fewer athletic staffers, less scholarships, and nearly “nil” NIL money for athletes. A downgrade in player talent is inevitable.  Then again, will the average fan even notice? No one is forcing UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe to move out of the Sun Belt Conference and the FBS. Each of the trio’s football stadiums can easily handle another 10,000 fans every weekend if supporters want to keep their team playing in the upper division. FBS football has not significantly moved the attendance needle at any of these three state universities.  The stats don’t lie. The upcoming D

It’s hard to believe that the AFC expansion Houston Texans are now in their 25th year in the NFL. The city of Houston was the long-time proud home of the American Football League’s “Luv Ya Blue” Oilers from 1960 to 1996. The Oilers never played in a Super Bowl game.  Terry Bradshaw and his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates eliminated Coach Bum Phillips and the Houston Oilers in both the 1978 and 1979 AFC title games. The Houston Oilers remained quite competitive into the mid-1990’s. However, team owner “Bottom Line” Bud Adams had regularly threatened to move his football team unless the city replaced the 50,000 seat Astrodome with a bigger football facility – financed by Houston taxpayers. The voters said “No”. Bud Adams thumbed his nose at Houston and bid adieu.  He moved his NFL franchise to Tennessee in 1996. The renamed Tennessee Titans moved into a more spacious new football stadium in Nashville – all paid for by local taxpayers. Nissan Stadium in Nashville has a seating capacity of 70,000. Believe it or not, a new domed football stadium for the Titans is now under construction.  It should be ready for the Titans beginning in 2027. Ironically (to Houston pro football fans), Nashville’s new domed football stadium will have a capacity of just 60,000.  That’s a decrease of 10,000 seats!  The stadium may be downsizing, but Titans season ticket holders will see significantly increased prices to generate even more revenue for the city’s NFL team. The city of Houston was left without a pro football franchise from 1996 until 2002. That’s when America’s fourth largest city was granted an NFL expansion franchise.  The new ownership oddly chose the rather generic nickname of “Texans” for the new Houston football team. (Personally, I preferred the nickname “Houston Traffic” because it strikes fear into the hearts of visitors.) The new Houston Texans NFL franchise would not play in the Astrodome (which opened in 1965) either.  A new air-conditioned facility with a retractable roof known as Reliant Stadium opened in 2002.  It has a seating capacity of 72,200. As you might have guessed, football-starved taxpayers in Harris County agreed to foot the $350 million bill to pay for the Texans’ new football stadium.  Go figure. The Houston Texans are 0-24 in Super Bowl appearances Houston’s latest NFL franchise has qualified for the NFL playoffs in each of the past three seasons.  The Texans have made the playoffs nine times in 24 seasons. Contrast that to the lowly New York Jets.  The J-E-T-S have not appeared in the playoffs since 2011 (15 long and miserable seasons). Houston came into the 2026 NFL season as one of the oddmakers’ AFC favorites to make their first Super Bowl.  That’s because the team finished 12-5 last year and made it to the second round of the playoffs on the strength of the NFL’s top-rated defense. After stumbling to an 0-3 start in September, the Houston Texans have dropped to 16th out of 32 NFL teams in chances of playing this season’s Super Bowl. The Texans have started the 2026 season 0-3 – just like last year Houston entered the 2026 season with one of the most fearsome defenses in the NFL.  The Texans were favored to win the AFC South. This 0-3 start by the Houston Texans has sent a shock wave across H-Town during the month of September.  A 36-31 season-opening loss to Super Bowl favorite Buffalo wasn’t totally unexpected. It was a rather lethargic 20-6 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week #2 which raised warning flags.  For the second straight season, the Texans’ offense was struggling to score enough points. Last weekend’s 19-17 loss at the mediocre (1-2) Indianapolis Colts found the winless Texans churning out just 223 yards in total offense. Indianapolis had three turnovers in this game compared to zero for Houston.  That meant that the Texans were gifted a few extra opportunities to score points but failed to take advantage of those chances. Fans of the Houston Texans might say, “Well, we started 0-3 last year and still finished 11-5”! That is true.  But that was also last year’s team. This 2026 Houston Texans squad is rushing the football for just 85 yards per game.  It ranks 29th out of 32 NFL teams. That means defenses don’t have to worry about Houston running backs doing much damage.  It puts more pressure on Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud to perform at a high level every week. Stroud is beginning his fourth NFL season.  His rookie year stats (4,100 yards and 23 touchdown passes) still represent the best season of his young pro football career, though. C.J. Stroud hasn’t exactly been surrounded by top NFL pass receivers in Houston. Former third round draft pick (2023) Nico Collins has blossomed into one of the NFL’s better receivers over the past two seasons.  He has not played a down yet in 2026 due to a hamstring injury.  Collins remains questionable for this Sunday’s critical game against intrastate rival Dallas. Outside of Nico Collins, the Texans wide receivers room is not exactly filled with household names. Does anyone have Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, Jared Wayne, or Jayden Higgins on your fantasy football team?  Didn’t think so. Houston acquired former New England (and LSU) wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in August.  He led AFC champion New England in touchdown catches (six) in 2025. Alas, Boutte has just six catches in the first three games for Houston this season. What’s wrong with Houston’s offense?  Is it quarterback C.J. Stroud, the coaches or simply a lack of top talent? Stroud is now in the final year of his rookie contract with the Houston Texans.  His fully guaranteed four-year $36 million deal (about $9 million per season) makes C.J. Stroud a relative bargain for Houston. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys both earn more than $50 million – per year. Stroud’s career statistics are middle-of-the road.  However, his resume accurately reflects that he has led the Texans into the playoffs in each of his three NFL seasons. Houston and C.J. Stroud failed to negotiate a contract extension during the offseason.  A few quarterback-needy NFL teams (Minnesota, Miami, and the New York Jets come to mind) are likely to offer C.J. Stroud $50 million or more beginning next season. Some wonder whether Stroud has already mentally checked-out this year or is simply struggling.  Regardless, the Houston Texans’ offense has been the team’s boat anchor again this year. Nick Caley is now in his second year as the offensive coordinator for the Texans. His previous experience was primarily as a tight ends coach at both New England and the Los Angeles Rams. It should come as no surprise that Houston tight end Dalton Shultz is currently leading the team in receptions with 19 catches in the opening three games.  The next closest pass receiver (Xavier Hutchinson) has only nine grabs in his first three games. Teams which throw primarily toward their tight end rarely score a lot of points.  It might indicate that the Texans coaches have little faith in their offensive line to provide enough protection time for C.J. Stroud to throw the football downfield. It might also indicate that the team’s coaching staff and quarterback do not have a lot of confidence in the Texans’ wide receiving corps. If the Texans’ offensive players are sub-par, then blame General Manager Nick Caserio Coaches can only work with the talent which the team’s General Manager provides via the draft and free agency. Houston Texans General Manager Nick Caserio came to the team in 2021 after nearly two decades with the New England Patriots.  He was Director of Player Personnel for the Patriots prior to moving to Houston. Patriots fans will tell you that legendary head coach Bill Belichick actually made the final determinations in constructing his team’s roster. On paper, Nick Caserio has been successful with the Texans.  The team has made the playoffs in the last three of his four seasons in Houston. Caserio should be credited with helping to build the Texans’ top-rated defense.  All-Star talent like defensive end Will Anderson, Jr. and former LSU cornerback Derrick Stingley, Jr. anchor an outstanding defensive unit. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans knows a lot about his defense, too. Ryans was once the starting linebacker for the Texans from 2006-2011.  After retiring as a player, he became the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers prior to accepting the head coaching job in Houston in January, 2023. Last season, the Texans defense allowed opponents only 17.4 points per game to rank #1 in the NFL.  The 2025 squad won its final nine regular season games to finish 12-5. Of note, Houston won seven of those final nine games by seven or fewer points. Houston’s offense finished 23rd in the NFL last year by scoring only 38 touchdowns in 17 regular season games (2.2 per game). It’s safe to say that the Houston Texans have been built on defense with hopes that their fragile offense can generate enough points to win games. This week, the rival Dallas Cowboys come to Houston for a pivotal game Last year’s Houston Texans started 0-3 before winning 12 of their next 14 games to finish 12-5.  Can they duplicate that feat again in 2026? The Dallas Cowboys will ride down I-45 into Houston this Sunday (12 Noon CDT on FOX) with a lot at stake, too. Dallas blew a chance go 2-1 last weekend in rather unique fashion.  A questionable kick-off decision resulted in the Cowboys giving Baltimore an opportunity to convert a long downfield pass into field goal position with one second remaining.  The Ravens kicked a 56-yard field goal on the game’s final play handed the Cowboys a 34-31 stomach-turning defeat. The Dallas Cowboys score a lot of points on of

You probably noticed that big full moon over the weekend.  This year’s Harvest moon occurred on Saturday (9/26). According to astronomy experts, the Harvest moon occurs closest to the first day of autumn.  The fall equinox occurred on September 23. Full moons tend to produce some weird occurrences.  This weekend was certainly no exception. A rare September N’orEaster brought rain and win to the eastern seaboard this weekend. Out west, a late September hurricane named Polo with 115 MPH winds is located just west of Baja California.  This storm will decrease in intensity this week and then turn northeastward.  It will (hopefully) bring some much-needed rain into the Southern plains and South Central US states later this week. This weekend’s sports scene was filled with its share of “full moon” moments, too. Houston Astros won the American League West with an underwhelming 81-81 record The race to win the American League West was more like a game of “Hot Potato” this baseball season.  Neither the Houston Astros nor the Texas Rangers seemed to want to win the division title. The Houston Astros finished with a blazing (ha ha) 5-5 closing stretch record to hold off the slightly-more-inept Texas Rangers by one game to finally claim the AL West. Houston won game #162 of baseball’s regular season on Sunday with a 9-0 win at the Athletics of Sacramento.  Texas lost at Minnesota 6-4 to finish the season one game back. Houston has now won the American League West five times in the past six seasons. The Astros will host the surprising Chicago White Sox in a best-of-three opening round playoff series in Houston beginning Tuesday afternoon. Chicago’s White Sox finished 83-78 to claim a Wild Card spot this year.  The ChiSox posted a 24-game improvement from last year’s dismal 60-102 record. This week’s playoff match-up will be available on Peacock (NBC’s $13/month internet site).  It will also be televised on the NBC Sports Network (a cable sports station which isn’t carried by some cable systems). Three major college football players acted like fools this weekend.  Each deserves to wear a dunce hat. The AP’s #1 Texas Longhorns survived a late Tennessee rally to defeat the Volunteers 17-14 on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. That same #1 team had one of their defensive players who – uh – simulated taking a “#1” on the football field Saturday after sacking the Tennessee quarterback.  Defensive end Colin Simmons “celebrated” his quarterback sack afterwards with his personal fake watering job onto the Tennessee turf. This “Texas Tinkle” cost the Longhorns a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Texas coach Steve Sarkesian said afterward, “Unfortunately…we live in a ‘Look at me’ society”. The highly-forgiving coach is not likely to keep Colin Simmons on the bench for the Longhorns’ next game against Oklahoma, though.  That’s what five sacks in one game can do for you. South Carolina Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer has enough problems to deal with.  His Gamecocks fell to 2-2 after an embarrassing 49-18 loss at Alabama on Saturday.  Coach Beamer then had to deal with one of his own players who threw a punch at the helmet of an Alabama football player. Carolina defensive end Dylan Stewart swung his fist and hit the helmet of Bama tight end Josh Ford.  Stewart received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and then raged at his own coaches along the Gamecocks’ sideline. On Sunday, Stewart was suspended indefinitely by the South Carolina football coach. Coach Beamer commendably told the media, “That’s not how we do things around here”. Finally, did you see the dirtiest play in college football this season on Saturday night? Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was running with the football and slid feet first to avoid a direct hit from an oncoming Southern Cal defender.  His surrender didn’t matter to Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens, though.  He lowered his helmet and rammed it directly into the helmet of the Oregon quarterback.  It jarred the defenseless quarterback’s head back into the turf. His late hit was totally unnecessary and extraordinarily dangerous.  Believe it or not, Desman Stephens then started jumping for joy celebrating his own cheap shot dirty play. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore laid still on the field for several minutes.  Emergency personnel carefully placed him into an ambulance where he was evaluated at a Los Angeles hospital.  Moore has been diagnosed with a severe concussion.  Fortunately, MRI and CT scans did not reveal further damage.  His long-term prognosis is uncertain as of Monday. Oregon rallied around their fallen leader.  Former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola came off the bench to lead the Ducks to a 41-27 win at USC.  Oregon improved to 3-1 this year, while USC fell to 4-1. Coach Dan Lanning of Oregon said, “It was a disgusting play.  The energy changed.  A lot of the guys on the sidelines were emotional, including myself”. USC linebacker Desman Stephens was thrown out of the game for targeting and his team penalized 15 yards.  Trojans’ coach Lincoln Riley later suspended Stephens for one game for his juvenile actions. Based on what I saw Saturday night, Desman Stephens should not be allowed to play football at USC or for any other college program.   Michigan’s football team learned about karma during Saturday’s Harvest moon You might remember that Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference appeared to have won their season-opening football game a few weeks ago at Ann Arbor against the Big Ten’s Michigan Wolverines. Michigan’s “Hail Mary” pass into the end zone went incomplete as the clock showed no time remaining.  However, the replay officials reviewed the play (and erred) saying there was still :01 left. That controversial second heave-ho pass attempt by Michigan was caught in the end zone for a touchdown as the Wolverines escaped with a 13-12 win over a bewildered Western Michigan team. On Saturday, the 3-0 Iowa Hawkeyes came into Michigan for an important early season Big Ten encounter. This time, it was the Hawkeyes receiving some good fortune.  Iowa scored the winning touchdown on a 16-yard pass completion on the game’s final play. Iowa’s 20-19 win stunned the huge Michigan crowd of 111,126.  The Hawkeyes improved their record to 4-0, while Michigan dropped to 3-1 after its first “official” loss of the season. The dysfunctional US President’s Cup team rallied on Sunday for an epic comeback win We’ve seen this before.  The American men’s professional golfers struggle mightily to play in team competitions where the two US players must work together to help win a match. The US squad is filled with multi-millionaires who travel in their own private jets and stay in rented homes during golf tournaments.  They seem to rarely socialize with each other during the lengthy PGA season. On the other side, many foreign players (who don’t earn as much money as top PGA stars) seem to enjoy more camaraderie at European, Australian, and Asian Tour events.  They often stay in the same hotels, eat together, perhaps enjoy a toddy or two at the bar, and generally like each other’s company. Americans struggle in team four-ball competition (where each player plays his own ball for the hole with the best score counting).  The Yanks have been downright horrible in the foursomes (where one ball is played from tee by Player 1 and the second shot is played from the fairway by Player 2, etc.). Friday’s second round of the 2026 President’s Cup near Chicago saw the US team lose all five matches in the foursomes competition.  The International team led 7-3 after Friday’s foursome sweep. The International team seemed quite determined this year.  Their last share of the President’s Cup came in the 2003 matches in South Africa.  They had lost ten consecutive matches to the Americans coming into last weekend’s 2026 event at Medinah Country Club near Chicago. Captain Geoff Ogilvie’s team still maintained a 3-point lead entering Sunday’s 12 individual matches. US captain Brandt Snedeker’s squad rallied to post an impressive 9-2-1 record on Sunday. They roared from behind to claim a 17-13 victory over the International squad in the 2026 President’s Cup. The Americans were a woeful 2-7 in foursome (alternate shot) competitions but still found a way to overcome that significant deficit to win this biennial golf event. A 21-year old US rookie who played at Auburn was the only American not to lose a match this week.  Jackson Koivun went 2-0-1 in the President’s Cup including Sunday’s 2-up victory over World #14 golfer Si Woo Kim from South Korea. Koivun said afterwards, “It’s just exciting to call these guys my friends.  Now when I go to tournaments, it’s not ‘There’s so and so’.  I was on a team with them, and we won the President’s Cup”! It marked the first time in President’s Cup history that either team had overcome a 3-point deficit in the final day of singles matches to win. A very relieved US team captain Brandt Snedeker may just keep smiling all week long! 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