And…here are the real EXTREMELY MEANINGFUL stories…
12:00 ETSU at VMI - Coach Lamb will have his Team prepared to finish the season on a high note. The Bucs are rightfully proud of the turnaround they made this season, but they deeply KNOW they let clearly attainable opportunities for national recognition (not beating #1 NDSU when they had it well within their grasp), challenging for the SoCon Championship (losing heartbreakers to Chatt and Mercer, then being eliminated from that possibility last week vs. Furman), and making a Playoff run (all of those tough losses combined) slip like 4 tiny pebbles from their hooks, um, hands. 2025 starts for ETSU on Alumni Field in LexVegas this week. And, we all too well know that VMI’s Players NEVER quit. Their record or the score of the game are just not things that enter their minds as they play every play of every game as hard as they can through the echo of the whistle. FUBeAR always LOVES to watch the Keydets play. What they lack in talent and depth, they give their all to make up for it with effort. It’s usually not enough, but they sure are fun to watch if one appreciates watching young men fully exercise and display their competitive spirits.
2:00. UTC at AUSTIN PEAY - With their AD on the Playoff Selection Committee, Coach Wright and the Mocs believe (whether that’s right or wrong) that they have a solid shot at an At-Large bid to the Playoffs if they can finish 7-3 vs. FCS Teams. They don’t have a great win, but they do have a 1-score FBS loss and a 1 score loss to a possible Top 5 Seed. And winning a 1st round game Playoff game last year validated the Committee’s selection of the Mocs as one of the “Last 4 IN” in 2023. The Committee likes being validated. That said, the Mocs are just NOT the same Team without QB1, Artopoeus. FUBeAR fears he will not be playing on Saturday, and may not return if the Mocs do make the Playoffs. Perhaps ‘the light will come on’ for Mocs QB2 this week and they’ll impeach the Governors…putting on a BIG show for the Committee. No idea about APSU. Hope they stink it up and get smoked by half a hundred.
3:00. FURMAN at MERCER MU could get a bye with a win. FU tries to end the season on a positive note.
Most pundits believe Mercer would get a Top 8 Seed with a win, as the Bears have done nothing (yet) to shake the confidence the Committee placed in them, slotting them at #8 in their Rankings release of 10/30. At least one noted and well-sourced National FCS pundit has Mercer as the #5 Seed. While Mercer clinched a share of the SoCon Championship (their 1st ever) and the SoCon AutoBid with their win at VMI 2 weeks ago, they, as all Teams do, place a high value of winning the Championship outright, which they would do with a win over Furman. And, they want to show out to force the Committee to move them UP. Mercer began resting Players at VMI and continued that tactic in Tuscaloosa. About 3 Starters on both sides of the ball did not play or played sparingly in those games. TBH, the Mercer @ Alabama game reminded FUBeAR of the Tyson vs. Paul “fight.” Both Teams wanted to look as good as they could while playing their respective roles, and the overarching theme was “no one gets hurt.” Mercer will not rest any Players this Saturday. As we know, nothing would make we Furmans happier than whizzing all over every corn flake in Mercer’s bowl on Saturday. FUBeAR expects the Paladins will play even harder, and even much better this Saturday than they did in Johnson City. This should be a WAR and FUBeAR can’t wait to be in Maconga to watch it!
3:00. WCU at SAMFORD - WCU has NEVER won a SoCon Football Championship. They have been vainly trying to do so since 1976. The Catamounts saw the Paladins whip an ETSU Team that just whipped them. And Coach Bell feels that Mercer only beat WCU (by double digits) because the White Hat called a Holding Penalty that he clearly saw, a holding foul that primarily enabled the positive outcome of the called-back play (a WCU TD) vs. what would have happened if the WCU hadn’t goat-wrestled the Mercer DLman to the ground (a crushing 4th down QB sack). So…anyway…the Catamounts have full faith and confidence that Furman is going to stomp a mud hole in Mercer on Saturday. That means, if WCU also beats Samford, WCU will come in from nearly 50 years of wandering in the wilderness and Coach Bell will be given the key (it’s a Bobby Pin) to the City of Cullowhee. He will be their conquering hero forever! A SoCon Football Championship Trophy will be seen in Jackson County for the 1st time ever. And, WCU peeps, ignoring that Chatt’s AD is on the Committee, still think they have a Playoff shot - and maybe they do. This game is of the utmost importance to Catamount Nation. They will pull out all the stops! Samford ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - an absolute mystery Team this year. So…fun to watch from that perspective. Will they or won’t they show up?? Film at 11.
3:30. CITADEL at CLEMPSON - Coach Drayton has worked a miracle in ChuckTown. He, and his Team, will view this opportunity as their reward for the turnaround season they’ve had. FUBeAR wouldn’t be surprised to see them try to touch the Rock and run down the hill. It will be fun to watch a SoCon Team celebrate the small successes they have in this game, while reflecting on the season they’ve had - Now… let’s beat those sorry-a$$ bellhops 100-0 next year in GVL. They’re already getting too big for their breeches and want to pretend they are better than their overlords even though we whipped ‘em in their own half-a-stadium house just a couple of weeks ago. Silly bellhops.
4:00. WOFORD at SOUTH CAROLINA Blowout #2 - yeah that’s good. They both suck.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,
For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother
