NCAA football, 2013-14

[PDH]

Wyoming's D - last year a towering 117th in the nation - didn't actually look that bad.  They might be in the top 100 this year.

Wyoming's O - now that was good to see.  Brett Smith, the Wyo QB is on pace to be the best in Wyoming history, and there seems to be a running game.

A damn shame to lose to Nebraska, and there aren't any moral victories.  I hope to Hod that this team plays this way the rest of year and gets 7 or 8 wins...

Still, the loss sucks.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Hey UTSA won @ New Mexico.     http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?id=332430167  I'm not too sure they're going to win many more this season though.  Oklahoma State is next, followed by Arizona in two bodybag games right before their C-USA schedule starts with UTEP and Houston.

UIW was properly welcomed up to 1AA from D2 with a 58-7 beat down.  Ouch.  http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=332412110

[CountDeMoney]

LOL, Towson beat UConn on the road, for a $275K payout.  Maybe they can afford some more DPRK flags for campus.

[sbr]

Yeah, Buffalo didn't look completely inept against them. And from what I know about Buffalo, that is not a good sign.

They started an undrafted free agent from wazzu for gods sake.

[Valmy]

Texas stunk it up for a bit in the first half before deciding to get serious and set a new record for total yards of offense.  Probably nothing much to read into since New Mexico State is horrible.  Even the defense looked like they could tackle which probably says volumes about NMSU rather than Texas.

Next: The Mormons in Mormonville.

[CountDeMoney]

Boston College brings back live bald eagle mascot after 47 years

In an effort to reconnect to its past, Boston College has brought back a symbol of America that has not been seen at an Eagles home football game in 47 years.

Through a partnership with Zoo New England, the school will have a live eagle mascot at all of their home football games at Alumni Stadium this fall. On game days, a 9-year-old bald eagle will be at the Flynn Recreation Complex on campus for fans to view and photograph. Boston College is asking fans on social media to come up with a name for the eagle via the Twitter hashtag #NameBCsEagle. The name will be announced when Florida State comes to Boston during Parents' Weekend on Sept. 28.

The last time Boston College had a live eagle mascot was from 1961 to '66 after three students lobbied to secure one, which resulted in a partnership with Franklin Park Zoo in Boston. The eagle resided at the zoo, which is owned by Zoo New England, except on game days. The current eagle also will live at Stone Zoo in Boston and then be transported to the campus for game days.

"It is time that we bring back some of our old traditions and create new ones," Boston College athletic director Brad Bates said in a statement. "We are fortunate to have a majestic and imposing mascot, and showcasing an eagle in ways that are inspiring and educational will provide an exceptional opportunity for our fans while connecting with our history."

"The bald eagle has been downlisted (from the endangered list) because of the conservation programs to bring it back, and that has simplified the process,'' Zoo New England president and CEO John Linehan told TODAY.com. "It's a great opportunity to showcase a magnificent bird to a whole new audience. It has such a great conservation success story, and it shows what people can do in bringing endangered species back when they set their minds to it.. Sometimes the conservation world can be full of frustrations and failures, but this is one of those great examples of success."

The new mascot will be kept on a handler's arm or on a stand at the Flynn Recreation Complex, and educational materials about the bald eagle will be distributed. The yet-to-be-named eagle is part of a live bird educational program at Stone Zoo and is used to working with bird handlers, according to Linehan.

The use of the live eagle mascot at Boston College was discontinued in 1967 after the death of the first mascot, named "Margo,'' in August of 1966. Sensitivities about a captured animal's welfare and stricter regulations against capturing endangered species resulted in the school employing a human mascot wearing an eagle suit.

The bald eagle, which is the national bird of the United States, was removed from the endangered species list by the federal government in 1995. Permits are still required to keep them in captivity in the U.S.

[katmai]

UDub comes in numbah #20 after thrashing of Boise St.

[Ed Anger]

I'm glad Boise state lost. 

[Berkut]

Isn't everyone?

[derspiess]

LOL, Towson beat UConn on the road, for a $275K payout.  Maybe they can afford some more DPRK flags for campus.

And it wasn't even close.  Villanova was up on BC in their game at halftime, and William & Mary was ahead of West Virginia for most of that game.  Could have been a trifecta for the CAA

[MadBurgerMaker]

The numbers are staying on the Horns helmets for the entire year.  The players were 90% for it, apparently. 

I thought they looked pretty good.  The little Bevo head on the front of the jerseys wasn't so bad either. 

[grumbler]

Isn't everyone?

Not Drew Sharp, the Sportsweasel for the Detroit Free Press.  He still has BSU ranked in the Top 25.  Michigan, on the other hand, received no votes from him at all - and it's his alma mater!

[Ed Anger]

WTF

[grumbler]

BTW, if there is anyone here still not following Stuffing the Passer, the season 5 premiere is up, and is brilliant. http://houserockbuilt.blogspot.com/2013/08/stuffing-passer-season-5-premiere.html

[grumbler]

WTF

Not the sharpest (get it?) tool in the shed.  He once wrote an entire column blasting Rush Limbaugh, based on the fake quote somebody put in the Limbaugh bio on wikipedia.  At any non-British paper but the Freep, he'd have been fired years ago.