Rutgers Football Gameday!

While every Rutgers fans saw the schedule come out, even after a 2-10 year a lot of fans went "Oooh, we start with Washington, a top ten team, we'll get a great idea where we ar----OH GODDAMMIT, WHAT IS THIS EASTERN MICHIGAN SCHOOL AS A HOME OPENER!!!??"

Sure, a program that until last year laid moribund for 25 years and until last year hadn't been to a  bowl game since 1987. Eastern has been what Rutgers fans feel they are now, a losing program in a tough conference (Don't sleep on the MACtion!) with no way up. Rutgers fans, for their contempt at the game probably all feel, even a weak RU team, is going to roll EMU. B1G vs MAC right? Walkover.

In the words of a college football guru, "Not so fast my friends."

Rutgers better get a lead. Eastern will NOT be outworked in Piscatawy today, it's the whole schtick the program revolves around now. They play HARD for 60 minutes. They won a lot of games last year in the 4th quarter. They condition. Hell, the fact they've changed Rynearson Stadium to "The Factory" tells you how this program sees itself. They went down to Baton Rouge last season, controlled Leonard Fournette and darned near tipped LSU on the road. Honestly, the hard work mantra DID work last year and continues to. A program with zero identity for 30 years now has one. RU is going to find Eastern a tough, and annoying team to play. EMU is also one of those dangerous MAC squads as they have upperclassmen who have experience. Brogan Roback is a quality QB. They have receivers who catch they ball. If EMU gets a lead they will run the ball until the sun goes down. Their offense if effective yet low-risk. EMU played in a bowl game last year (lost by 3) but this is now a program that believes in itself and these kids will run through any wall for head coach Chris Creighton, who was on many voters' short lists for national coach of the year honors.

Now, is EMU as good as we see from MAC school Western Michigan who played in a Big 8 bowl and almost upset #4 USC last weekend? No, they're not. Not yet certainly and Rutgers should have an advantage in player personnel, face it, the B1G lures better players. RU head man Chris Ash has to know he's got an issue today. He HAS to win this game. Lose to a MAC school, no matter their standing, and the bottom falls out of this Scarlet Knights season and the positives taken from the toe-to-toe with #8 Washington last week are all but forgotten. Ash has to put his best players in the best position to control and dominate a game. His ballers have to ball better quite simply. Gus Edwards and the RU backfield have to punish EMU up front and take the clock game Eastern wants to play away from them. RU should be running for 150-200 yards today, but will they? Can the offensive line keep Kyle Bolin upright and looking downfield and grind down the clock? That'll be the key. EMU will move, and will score but Rutgers needs to keep this game 'in front of them'. Rutgers will need their best effort in a long time today, perhaps similar to the tussle they game Michigan State a couple years back when MSU came in #4 in the land and RU almost beat them.

Rutgers better be up for this game because Eastern would LOVE to put a B1G scalp in their trophy case just like rivals Western Michigan and Central Michigan have in their pockets over the years.

Jersey City Desk Fearless Forecast (Alumni Edition)
Eastern Michigan 28
Rutgers 24

Again RU fans, this Brogan Roback is good and you'll be calling him bad names all day is Johnny's guess.

When your alma mater plays in a bowl game once every 29 years, YOU TAKE THE DAY OFF!

And that's what Johnny's done today. His alma mater, Eastern Michigan, the most moribund of college football programs over the last, look at that, 30 years, is playing today in the Bahamas Bowl vs Old Dominion (1pm ESPN). When Johnny says Eastern's been bad for his Jersey City readers who may know very little of EMU, they've been 1-11, 2-10 every year bad for 30 years. One year they did hit 6-6. 4-8 have been great years in Ypsilanti. Today though the 7-5 Hurons (Johnny's not using the other name) have defied the expectations of everyone in college football but those in the EMU locker room will play in their first bowl game since the 1987 California Bowl, won by EMU over San Jose St. 30-27, but of course you remembered that without Johnny reminding you, yes? That's some big motivation and excitement for Johnny's old pals back in Ypsilanti.

So a hale and hearty Let's Go Eastern who do come into the game underdogs but that's fair; ODU and EMU have played a couple times the last four years with ODU winning both in high scoring and low scoring games. Still, it's why they play the games! Hell, Jon Snow won at Winterfell and he had a smaller army. Maybe Auburn will show up like The Vale and play EMU's fourth quarter and pull it out.

Let's talk some weekend pigskin....

First off those college scores. Only 2-3 weeks left for teams to secure bowl bids and set up conference championship battles.

Michigan State 40
Purdue 37
Don't know how Sparty, who was dominated on the stat sheet, pulled this one off but it gives them 6 wins and lands them in a lower tier bowl. That bowl could jump a notch with a win over Penn State next Saturday in East Lansing.

Wisconsin 45
Michigan 24
Unless Michigan finds a way to beat #10 Ohio State next weekend, Michigan Athletic Director's super genius hire of Rich Rodriguez will go up in smoke a second straight year. No win for Michigan, it's home for the holidays.

Pitt 27
Notre Dame 22
Pitt withstood a late Irish charge and won the game and raised their record to 9-1. Charlie "Front Butt"® Weis will be looking for a new home next year

Florida 24
South Carolina 14
The Cocks just couldn't get it done.

Alabama 31
Mississippi State 3
The Crimson Tide keep heading for that SEC title game showdown for all the marbles in a couple weeks with Florida

TCU 55
Utah 28
Horned Frog fever is sweeping the nation

Western Michigan 35
Eastern Michigan 14
EMU continues to be THE worst 1-A team in the land. We believe they are the first team to 10 losses, nice job Ron English, in over your head.

Louisiana-Monroe 21
Western Kentucky 18
Well WKU we see is still 0-10 just like Eastern but WKU is playing UP a division for the first time this year

Lehigh 35
Fordham 28
Well all that's left for Lehigh is to beat down hated Lafayette next weekend and finish tied with them in the Patriot League standings

Holy Cross 28
Lafayette 26
Ha ha Leopards, no title for you

Chattanooga 31
Citadel 28
The Citadel blew this one, they were up 21-3 at the half.

Pennsylvania 17
Harvard 7
In the battle for Ivy League supremacy it's Penn!

Today's Jersey City Desk Game of the Week
The battle of the 'Fords:
Samford 27
Wofford 24


Now let's hit the pro-game:

The Giants have a timely bye-week this week which comes at a good time so Tom Coughlin can yell at the defense for and extra week. They have been sieves of late, ALL of them. The Jets it would appear who are over at the Meadowlands this afternoon (fans are already arriving and getting their drink on) would appear to have the NFL equivalent of a bye-week as Jacksonville rolls into New Jersey. They pretty much eat suck and blow so again, expect at least a 14 point Jets win. Yes, we said this same thing about the Buffalo game.

Other games of interest find Cincinnati at Ketchup Field to play the Stoolers, of course there is that Indianapolis vs New England game this evening so many guys with man-crushes on Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will be talking about all day. Dallas at Green Bay has some intrigue to it as well. But as we all know, THE biggest game of the weekend is the Monday Night Football game between evil Baltimore (Boo hiss, why isn't Ray Lewis in jail?) and the pure as driven snow (and a cool 1-7) Cleveland Browns team, just hoping to keep losing til draft day. The Browns travel to Detroit next week for the inside track on the first draft pick, so don't miss that one.

Sunday football thread

Well pigskin fans it's a full on weekend of head knocking fun.

The Giants are out in San Diego at 4:15 in a game one has to wonder if the Giants rebound from their recent atrocious play or if the Chargers can exploit some open spots from the tight-ends behind the linebackers to the flats the Giants have seemed baffled by in how to defend the last little while. Our guess is a fourth quarter Giants victory.

The Jets enjoy the week off as this is their BYE week for the season. It comes at a very very good time.

Yesterday's college football action was excellent stuff. Michigan State won while Michigan had their bowl hopes thrown into great peril by fudging a game at home to Purdue. Michigan MUST beat Wisconsin on the road and Ohio State at home the following week or no bowling in Ann Arbor for the second straight year.

In the Big East, leaders Cincinnati stayed perfect but by barely withstanding a furious UConn charge winning 47-45. Johnny doesn't care HOW perfect Cincinnati finishes the season there is NO WAY IN HELL the NCAA will allow them to play in the National Championship game. They'd jump a one loss team over them faster than you can say Jack Robinson.

Stanford ended Oregon's wild run 51-42, Ohio State dominated Penn State 24-7 while USC looks human more each week squeaking by Arizona State 14-9.

Of course Lehigh lost to Holy Cross 24-20 to continue their abysmal season and speaking of abysmal seasons, Northern Illinois kicked the living crap (and there wasn't much living crap left in EMU they've been beaten so badly all year) out of Eastern Michigan 50-6.

Let the NFL games begin!!!!

Don't forget kids, tomorrow is 'National Wear Your School Colors to Work Day'

The penultimate Hallmark holiday to sell clothing, tomorrow, the Friday before the kickoff of the college football season, is wear your colors to work day. Johnny is not on the sauce, its a real event. Rutgers lists it here, the Florida Gators know it too, as well as the Arkansas Razorbacks. So get out there and support which ever team it is you support and tell the boss it's more than casual Friday, it's get hyped because it's college football season.

Oh, Johnny's favorite team? That would be a tie between his alma mater Eastern Michigan University and those Spartans of Michigan State...

Let's welcome EMU to the 2009 season


And of course, the famed Spinning of the S in East Lansing. These Spartans look like they could have a real impact at the top of the Big Ten this season