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Week 4: Top 25 Media Poll The Week 4 poll is out and what a wild week it was. Penn State (4-0) remains in control of the top spot, but the Wisconsin Badgers (3-1) dropped from the #2 spot due to their lose to Michigan State. Filling the void at the #2 spot is Oklahoma (3-1), followed by LSU (3-0), Ohio State (4-0), and USC (2-1). The Washington State Cougars fell out of the Top 25 poll, with the UAB Blazers moving up from #38 to #24 following their shocking win over the Miami Hurricanes. There are three games between ranked teams in Week 5, led by a match-up between Penn State and Michigan State.

Week 4: Recap What a great week of games that did not disappoint. Week 4 featured multiple Top-25 matches, and several surprising upsets. In a battle of ranked teams, the #18 Michigan State Spartans traveled to Madison, Wisconsin to take on the #2 Badgers in the spotlight game of the week. While the Badgers (3-1) were the heavily favored home team, the Spartans (2-2) shocked the crowd with a 27 to 13 victory. The other shocking game of the week saw the unranked University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers (3-0) travel to South Beach and beat the #7 Miami Hurricanes (3-1) 27 to 21. Notable individual game performances shown as follows:

Was a tough year and playing the game simply didn't crack the priority list. Just fired up the game for the first time in 7 months, so I will see if I get drawn back into playing.

Boise State 27 --- San Jose State 3 Well, it was fun while it lasted... The Spartans (1-3) were simply over-matched today, and had no answer for the Boise State (3-1) RB tandem of Ronnie Campbell (90 rushing yards) and Fernando Fischer (177 rushing yards and 2 TDs). While San Jose State got out to an early 3-0 lead, it would be the only time they had the advantage and would go on to lose by a score of 27 to 3. The Broncos defense did an outstanding job of shutting down RB John Moreno, holding him to a measly 49 rushing yards on 21 carries. Other problem for the Spartans was the fact that its O-Line could not protect QB Tony Lima from the swarming Broncos defense; allowing 7 sacks, 7 stuffs, and 5 hurries. #thisisgoingtobealongseason

Week 4: Preview of San Jose State v. Boise State The San Jose State Spartans (1-2) travel to play on the blue turf of Albertsons Stadium in a Week 4 match-up against the Boise State Broncos (2-1). The preview analysis favors a Bronco team who, while not playing as well as last year, come into the game possessing a solid offense and a sneaky-good defense. If the Spartans are going to have any chance of winning this game, they will need to find a way to stop junior RB Ronnie Campbell who is averaging 126.3 yards per game on the season. The Broncos are a 17 point underdog in this one -- it should be interesting.

Nation's "Team Defense" Leaders While the offense always seems to get the attention, it is said that it is defense that wins championships. Leading the way through the first quarter of the regular season is a Memphis Tigers defense that is only allowing 227.3 total yards of offense per game. Following close behind are the Florida Gators who allowing 230.7 yards of total offense per game. The Nation's top offensive team -- Notre Dame Fighting Irish -- are ranked 12th in the Nation in Defense; allowing 271.7 yards per game.

Nation's "Team Offense" Leaders While it is still early in the season, several teams are off to dominating starts with their offensive production. Leading the way are the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who are currently averaging 557.3 yards per game in total offense. While ranked fourth with 540 yards per game, the Wisconsin Badgers are leading the Nation with an impressive 36:05 time of possession (ToP) average. There are currently 13 teams who are averaging at least 500 yards in total offense on the season.

Week 3: Top 25 Media Poll The Week 3 poll is out and for the most part, the teams saw very little movement. Penn State remains in control of the top spot, with the Wisconsin Badgers close behind in second place. LSU, Ohio State, and Oklahoma round out the Top 5. The West Virginia Mountaineers were the only team to fall out of the Top 25 poll. The Central Florida Knights jumped into the poll, landing at #20. There are three games between ranked teams in Week 4.

Week 3: Recap While Week 3 did not feature any games between ranked teams, it did not stop from having several exciting upsets. The first of the upsets saw the #7 Georgia Bulldogs (2-1) dropping a home game to Central Florida (2-1) by the score of 48 to 33. Despite coming into the game with one of the Nation's best defenses, the Bulldogs could not stop RB Harold Wilson (253 yards on 28 carries, 2 TD's). The second big upset came when the Florida Atlantic Owls (3-0) dominated #10 Michigan State Spartans (1-2) to get the road victory by a score of 26 to 12. While FAU could not keep up on offense, it was their defense and special team play (fumble return for a TD, a Safety, and a 70 yard punt return) that made the difference. Other notable games/performances include: #11 Notre Dame (3-0) annihilating Temple (2-1) by a score of 58 to 7. #5 Oklahoma (2-1) getting the home victory over the Maryland Terrapins (1-2) by a score of 56 to 7. Troy (2-1) putting up 65 points in its home victory over Georgia Tech (2-1), with a final score of 65 to 10. Auburn RB William Perez rushing for 235 yards on 26 carries. Army ILB Jeffery Oconnor recording 4 sacks, 2 stuffs, 1 pass deflection on his 11 tackle day.

Agreed. It does show its age but still a fun, easily playable game that is relatively stable.

San Jose State 13 --- Old Dominion 3 Well, it wasn't pretty but a win is a win. Playing in difficult conditions, both teams struggled to move the ball throughout the day. Maintaining a 13-0 lead heading into the 4th quarter, the Spartans were able to stop a long Monarchs drive which resulted in a field goal. With the 13 to 3 victory, the San Jose State Spartans move to 1-2 on the season, while the loss dropped the Old Dominion Monarchs to 0-3 on the season. While the Spartans offense did not show much (QB Tony Lima's 140 yards passing 1 TD, and RB John Moreno's 63 rushing yards), the Spartans defense put on a show. Led by standout ILB Anthony Newell (4 sacks, 2 stuffs, 1 pass deflection on 12 tackles), the Monarchs' offense was limited to just 174 total net yards on the day, and were a dismal 1 of 17 on 3rd down attempts. While it was nice to get the first win of the season, the schedule just gets harder from here; playing Boise State next week. #finally

Week 3: Preview of San Jose State v. Old Dominion The San Jose State Spartans (0-2) are on the road again, this time traveling to Norfolk, Virginia for a Week 3 match-up against the Old Dominion Monarchs (0-2). After two consecutive losses, the Spartans are looking to bounce back with their first win of the season. The match-up analysis favors San Jose, along with the better national rankings on both offense and defense. Spartan RB John Moreno is off to a good start this year, and he is looking to add to his early season totals. #thisistheweek.

Week 2: Top 25 Media Poll The Week 2 poll is out and there has been a little shakeup in the rankings. While Penn State remained in control of the top spot, the Wisconsin Badgers jumped up to the #2 spot thanks to the Oklahoma loss. Michigan State also dropped in the poll due to a loss, moving from #5 to #10. The biggest jump up in this week's poll went to Texas A&M, moving 14 spots from #36 to #22 due to their 24 to 14 victory over Michigan State. There are no games between ranked teams in Week 3.

Week 2: Recap Week 2 featured six (6) games between ranked teams. The top match-up saw the #7 USC Trojans traveling to Happy Valley to take on the #1 Penn State Nittany Lions. Before a crowd of more than 107,000 fans, this high-scoring game saw both teams move the ball at will. In the end, the Nittany Lions did just enough to get the 40 to 30 victory. In leading Penn State to the victory, junior RB James Wiggins gained 94 yards on 29 carries, with 2 TD's. In the loss, Trojan DT Joseph Oconnor terrorized the opposition, recording 3 sacks and 2 tackle stuffs on his 9 tackle day. Other notable games/performances include: #20 Virginia Tech Hokies (2-0) getting the upset victory over the #2 Oklahoma Sooners (1-1) by the score of 13-9. Unranked Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0) thumping the #17 NC State Wolfpack 52 to 22. #8 Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) topping the #21 West Virginia Mountaineers 29 to 16. Wisconsin junior RB Michael Hernandez rushed for 204 yards on 30 carries. San Diego State QB Jonathon Rodriguez passed for 439 yards and 3 TD's in the victory.

This is great -- really enjoying following along and seeing how it will turn out. Go Creighton!

Awesome -- look forward to following along.

Georgia Southern 24 --- San Jose State 21 Another blown 4th quarter lead in a game that the Spartans should have won. Holding onto a 21 to 17 lead with only 1:11 left in the 4th quarter, the Spartans defense pinned the Condors offense back to their own 11 yard line. Facing a crucial 3rd and 25 play, Georgia Southern QB David Moffett rolled right and heaved a pass in hopes that it would connect with one of his wide receivers. Here is how the desperation play turned out: QB D. Moffett completes a 89 yard in to WR J. Garcia ****Touchdown!***** Talk about a gut-punch moment. While San Jose State did get the ball back, there was too little time for the team to do anything. Despite the letdown, the team still got a solid offensive performance from QB Tony Lima (296 yards and 3 TD's) and RB John Moreno (82 yards rushing and 1 receiving TD). On the defensive side, the star of the game was ILB Anthony Newell who recorded 13 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 pass deflections in the losing effort. With the loss, the Spartans drop to 0-2 on the season. #ugh!

Week 2: Preview of San Jose State v. Georgia Southern The San Jose State Spartans (0-1) travel to Statesboro, Georgia for a Week 2 match-up against the Georgia Southern Condors (1-0). While the season is still young, the Spartans come into the game ranked #27 in the Nation on offense, but a disappointing #108 National ranking on defense. The preview analysis for this week's match-up shows this should be a close game. While the Condors did not show much in the way of offense during their Week 1 game, their defense looked solid; currently ranked #42 in the Nation. This should be an interesting game -- let's see if the Spartans can bounce back from last week's heartbreak loss.

Week 1: Top 25 Media Poll The Week 1 poll is out and the top 12 spots remained unchanged. In a shocking 22 to 13 road loss to the unranked Indiana Hoosiers, the Clemson Tigers dropped from #13 down to #19 in the polls. The only other change in the Week 1 poll was Central Florida and Virginia Tech trading places at the #20 and #25 spots. The upcoming Week 2 games features several ranked match-ups, including #1 Penn State hosting #7 USC.

Week 1: Recap Week 1 games are over and the season is off to a great start. The featured prime-time match up between the #20 Central Florida Knights and the #25 Virginia Tech Hokies did not disappoint. While the Knights got off to a quick start and had the lead going into the 4th quarter, the Hokies would not be denied. Senior QB Charles Wilkerson was named the player of the game, passing for 213 yards and 3 TD's in leading VaTech to the 35 to 28 victory. Other notable games/performances include: #5 Michigan State (1-0) getting the opening day road win over Missouri (0-1) by a score of 59 to 13. #1 Penn State (1-0) annihilating Bowling Green (0-1) 52 to 7. #2 Oklahoma (1-0) trouncing Tulane (0-1) 62 to 0. Boise State RB Ronnie Campbell rushed for 197 yards in the 31-19 victory over Louisiana Lafayette. Georgia Tech WR Richard Anthony caught 7 passed for 169 yrds and 2 TD's in the 17-16 win over USF. CB Robert Burnett 4 INT's in a 41 to 16 Roadrunner victory over Texas State.

Rice 27 --- San Jose State 26 No other way to put it, this was a heartbreak loss for the San Jose State Spartans. Despite having the ball and the ability to run out the clock, the team found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Clinging to a 26 to 20 lead with 1:21 left in the 4th quarter, the Spartans called a 3rd and 9 run play to RB John Moreno. Here is how the play turned out. RB J. Moreno runs right end for 3 yards He fumbles the ball after a hit by P. Hanson. It's recovered by R. Hill of Rice. He returns it 3 yards to the San Jose State 5. Despite the big day from Moreno (160 rushing yards on 34 carries), this will go down as one that should have been. This team is not talented enough to let a winnable game slip past. #roughstart

Preseason: Top 25 Media Poll The season is about to begin and the preseason Top-25 poll is out. Defending National champs TCU comes into the new season ranked #11, while last year's runner Penn State is ranked #1. Only match-up in Week 1 between ranked teams is #20 Central Florida traveling to take on #25 Virginia Tech. The game between #10 Notre Dame and Navy is always a fun one, no matter the record.

2016: The Start of a New Season With last season over with, it is time to move onto the new 2016 season. I will admit that I did a horrible job recruiting. Because of that, I have turned that duty over to the AI going forward. I also admittedly did a lousy job scheduling my opponents for the 2016 season. I was far too stubborn trying to get out of conference games at home. Because I persisted in only trying to get home games (which the AI kept refusing), I ran out of time and the game assigned them for me. I end up having my three (3) non-conference games on the road & not having a break in schedule. So thanks to my stubbornness, the San Jose State Spartans play 12 games in 12 weeks -- no break. This will undoubtedly take a toll on the team and, I would guess, directly affect the team's ability to win games. #thisshouldbefun

Coaches Leaving So apparently my loyalty to the team was not shared by my offensive and defensive coordinators. I was informed that O-Coach Delmar Higgins and D-Coach Luther Schultz both decided that they deserved more money and were looking for greener pastures. Good luck boys....

Job Offers While I did not expect a Top-25 team to offer me a job, I was somewhat optimistic to at least get a few meaningful offers that might tempt me. In the end, I received two (2) offers; both from a rival Mountain West Conference team. The first offer came from a Nevada Wolfpack team that finished 6-7 on the season and a win in the Famous Idaho Potato bowl. The second offer came from a San Diego State Aztecs team that finished 7-6 on the season and a loss in the Hawaii Bowl. In the end, I did not see any compelling reason to leave San Jose State for either of these teams. I was intrigued by the Aztecs job, but in the end could not leave the Spartans. Sure hope that was a wise decision.