Who's up for a challenge?
Right: Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards. (ASU SID photo)
One of the most impressive memories of last year's collegiate football season was Appalachian State -- the perennial power in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision -- upending Michigan, which was ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll to open 2007. With the victory, the Mountaineers become the first Division I FCS squad to defeat a nationally-ranked Division I Bowl Subdivision team.
Six Division I FCS teams will have a chance to join the 2007 Appalachian State squad in football history, including this year's ASU team, as they face Division I FBS Top 25 squads to open the season.
Appalachian State will travel to No. 7 LSU, pitting the national champions of both divisions against each other on Aug. 30, while top-ranked Georgia hosts Georgia Southern, and Youngstown State visits No. 2 Ohio State for a pair of instate showdowns. No. 8 West Virginia plays Villanova, No. 12 Texas Tech tangles with Eastern Washington and No. 16 BYU battles Northern Iowa for a fun-filled Saturday with lots of upset potential.
Follow all the game scores on the NCAA.com scoreboard here.
SPINNING THEIR WEB: After putting together the most successful in school history, the University of Richmond football program will be immediately put to the test as the Spiders open the season at No. 15 Elon on Aug. 30 for the lone battle between Top 25 teams this weekend.
Richmond is used to facing top competition. Last year, no other team in the FCS had more wins against Top 25 opponents than UR. The Spiders defeated six Top 25 teams before falling to eventual national champion (No. 5) Appalachian State in the NCAA semifinals.
The fourth-ranked Spiders won a school-record 11 games last season, and return 16 starters -- a strong foundation for first-year head coach Mike London. UR set 13 school records last season, including most points, rushing yards and total offense. After serving as an assistant coach for the last 20 years, including the last six as the defensive coordinator at Virginia, London becomes a head coach for the first time, and is the first alumnus to lead UR in over 40 years.
A NEW ERA: Stony Brook begins the 2008 season as a member of the Big South Conference as the school continues to full-scholarship FCS program.
The competition will be a little tougher than usual as a member of a full-scholarship FCS football league, but the opportunities will be worth the investment. Beginning in 2010, the Big South champion will earn an automatic big to the NCAA FCS playoffs.
"When we took over two years ago we looked at the future and put a plan together," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "That plan was a three to five year one that as we increase our scholarship levels, we will be able to improve our talent level and depth in the program to be able to compete at the highest level in FCS. I think we've made major strides in our first two years within those areas and I think we're excited about the opportunity that the 2008 season is presenting to us."
The Seawolves start the new era against Colgate on Aug. 30 with a squad that will return 41 lettermen and 22 seniors. They will play five games against league opponents this season.
