I have a confession.

There were no power rankings last week.

I wish I had some elaborate explanation. Family emergency. Internet outage. Investigative suspension.

Nope.

I forgot. Matthew Piras reminded me.

So here we go. You get two weeks of Southern Conference football shoved into one article.

As I write this, I realize how much I missed writing my unbiased takes on the SoCon.

While I was away, ETSU went to Charleston, spotted The Citadel 10 points, then beat them 34-16. The Bucs followed that performance with an undefeated bye week and now sit alone at 3-0 in the Southern Conference.

Mercer keeps winning, although I’m still not buying the hype.

Wofford has quietly become interesting.

VMI remains a humanitarian concern.

And Tennessee Tech still lost 44-20 to Western Carolina.

I didn’t forget that part.

Let’s rank them.

1. ETSU (5-2, 3-0 SoCon)

Beat The Citadel 34-16, then bye

First place.

Undefeated in the Southern Conference.

Seven straight SoCon wins dating back to last season, the longest conference winning streak in program history.

Things are getting suspiciously enjoyable.

The Citadel actually went up 10-0, which briefly had me preparing for one of those afternoons.

Then ETSU remembered they were better.

The Bucs outscored them 34-6 the rest of the way. Special teams blocked a punt for a touchdown, TJ Peyton ripped off an 85-yard touchdown run, and what looked annoying became comfortable pretty quickly.

Then came the bye.

No turnovers. No injuries. Nobody scored on us.

Excellent performance.

Now ETSU heads to VMI at 3-0 in conference play.

Two losses … one doesn’t count … one was to a top-25 ranked team in Campbell. Remember when I unfollowed Barstool ETSU because of their overreactions after game 1? Ha.

Anyways, I’m going to say something I haven’t been able to say much over the years:

ETSU controls its own destiny in the SoCon.

Please don’t make this weird.

2. Wofford (5-3, 4-2 SoCon)

Beat Elon 16-0, beat VMI 41-14

Wait.

Is Wofford good?

Since losing that ridiculous game to Tennessee Tech, the Terriers have beaten Furman, shut out Elon and hammered VMI.

That’s three straight wins.

I spent September trying to figure out what Wofford was. Apparently Wofford was also trying to figure out what Wofford was.

They may have reached an agreement.

I still don’t completely trust them, but they’re 4-2 in the conference and trending in the right direction.

Welcome to No. 2.

Please don’t make me regret this.

3. Chattanooga (4-3, 3-1 SoCon)

Beat Samford 19-3, then bye

Chattanooga responded to scoring three points against ETSU by holding Samford to three points.

Very mature.

The Mocs won 19-3, got back in the win column and then had a week off to contemplate what ETSU did to them.

They’re still 3-1 in conference play and absolutely in the SoCon race. Remember, their loss to Tech doesn’t count against them in the SoCon standings. Crazy, but true.

I still have the same question, though.

If somebody stops the run, then what?

ETSU asked that question.

We’re still waiting on Chattanooga’s answer.

4. Mercer (6-2, 3-1 SoCon)

Beat Western Carolina 17-14, beat Samford 31-21

I know Mercer is ranked.

I know they’re 6-2.

I know they’ve won four straight.

Everyone relax.

Western Carolina went to Macon and lost 17-14. Then Mercer beat a 1-6 Samford team by 10.

Congratulations.

Should we alert the Vatican?

The Bears are obviously solid. They play defense, they run the ball, and they keep winning football games.

They also benched Jaylen King. I’m sorry, Jaylen.

But I’m just not seeing this terrifying national powerhouse everybody keeps trying to sell me.

They’re ranked. They’re winning.

Fine.

I remain whelmed.

5. Western Carolina (3-4, 1-2 SoCon)

Lost to Mercer 17-14, then bye

Honestly, Western’s stock didn’t drop much for me.

That’s fine.

If anything, it strengthens my belief that Western is much better than the record looks.

They followed the 44-20 public execution of Tennessee Tech by going to Mercer and losing by three.

They’re 3-4, but we’ve seen them absolutely cook offensively, embarrass Tech and take Mercer to the wire on the road.

They’re dangerous.

Also, every respectable Western performance continues to make ETSU’s 58-31 win look hilarious.

So I support their continued development.

6. Furman (2-5, 1-2 SoCon)

Lost to Tennessee Tech 20-15, then bye

Furman.

I asked you for one thing.

One.

They went to Cookeville and lost 20-15.

Five points.

You couldn’t find six more points for me?

I still don’t think Furman is nearly as bad as 2-5 suggests. They’ve beaten Mercer and played several close games against good teams.

But eventually “better than their record” just becomes your record.

The bye came at a good time.

Please return with offense.

7. The Citadel (2-5, 0-3 SoCon)

Lost to ETSU 34-16, lost to Texas A&M 41-0

The Citadel led ETSU 10-0.

That’s the positive.

Then ETSU outscored them 34-6.

Then they went to College Station and Texas A&M beat them 41-0.

That’s less positive.

I’m not going to analyze the A&M game. They went to an SEC stadium, collected a check and returned home.

That’s commerce.

The bigger issue is 0-3 in the SoCon.

They’re such a weird team. They beat an FBS school?!

8. Samford (1-6, 1-3 SoCon)

Lost to Chattanooga 19-3, lost to Mercer 31-21

Remember when Samford beat VMI 45-7 and I thought maybe something had changed?

Something had not changed.

They scored three points against Chattanooga and then fell behind Mercer 21-0 roughly seven minutes into the game.

That’s generally considered a poor opening strategy.

They did battle back and make the Mercer score respectable.

Unfortunately, “made the loss more respectable” is becoming a fairly important part of the Samford résumé.

They’re 1-6.

Not ideal.

9. VMI (0-7, 0-3 SoCon)

Bye, lost to Wofford 41-14

The bye week was encouraging.

VMI allowed zero points.

Then football returned.

Wofford won 41-14.

VMI actually led 14-3. It was so cool. It made me smile.

ETSU comes to Lexington next.

I love VMI. I love the triple option. Ashley Ingram remains my guy.

But this is now less of a football season and more of a prolonged character-building exercise.

And unfortunately, I need ETSU to contribute to the character building this weekend.

This actually breaks my heart. I love these guys.

Nothing personal.

10. UNCG (0-0)

Still undefeated.

Still hasn’t allowed a point.

And unlike Tennessee Tech, UNCG did not lose by 24 to Western Carolina.

Consistency matters.

11. Tennessee Tech (6-1, 3-1 SoCon)

Beat Furman 20-15, beat Eastern Kentucky 49-20

Oh, they’re 6-1 now?

That’s wonderful.

I’m happy for them.

Tech survived Furman by five and then beat Eastern Kentucky in a nonconference game.

EKU actually may suck. They also attempted less than 10 passes. It’s football. They’re setting the sport back.

Apparently this has restored everyone’s confidence.

Unfortunately, I possess object permanence.

I remember Cullowhee.

I remember 44-20.

I remember 53 rushing yards.

You can’t just put a blanket over that game and tell me the object disappeared.

Halloween is looking veeeery interesting.

This Week

ETSU is 3-0 in the Southern Conference.

That’s really the headline after our accidental two-week sabbatical.

Western Carolina scored 31 on ETSU.

Chattanooga scored three.

The Citadel scored 16.

Three conference games. Three wins. And now the Bucs come out of a bye with VMI waiting in Lexington.

Handle business.

Elsewhere, Mercer is 6-2 and ranked, and I’m apparently supposed to be terrified.

I’m not.

Wofford might actually be good, which is a sentence I did not expect to type a month ago.

And Tennessee Tech has won two straight since Western Carolina beat them 44-20.

Sorry.

Hadn’t mentioned that in a few paragraphs.

As for the rankings:

1. ETSU
2. Wofford
3. Chattanooga
4. Mercer
5. Western Carolina
6. Furman
7. The Citadel
8. Samford
9. VMI
10. UNCG
11. Tennessee Tech

ETSU is alone atop the Southern Conference.

Mercer is overhyped.

UNCG remains undefeated.

Tech remains eleventh.

We’re back.

I’ve been hearing about Tennessee Tech since August.

4-0. Top 10. Respect the Golden Eagles.

Western Carolina beat them 44-20.

Hahaha Matthew Piras, this one’s for you!

Meanwhile, ETSU welcomed Chattanooga to Johnson City and completely erased the offense that had been running through the SoCon.

Three points.

The Bucs are undefeated in conference play.

What a Saturday.

1. ETSU (4-2, 2-0 SoCon)

Beat Chattanooga, 14-3

The Bucs are 2-0 in the Southern Conference.

And honestly, this should’ve been 21-3. ETSU appeared to score another touchdown in the second quarter, but Trey Weary was ruled out of bounds.

Was he actually out?

I’ve reviewed the available evidence as an entirely impartial ETSU alumnus and determined absolutely not.

Refs against the Bucs?

Wow. Ref show.

Thankfully, it didn’t matter.

Chattanooga had spent two weeks running for around six yards per carry. Everybody knew what was coming.

ETSU held them to 108 rushing yards and 183 total yards.

They didn’t know what to do.

That’s what I loved about this game. Chattanooga wasn’t unlucky. They weren’t giving the ball away. ETSU just took away the thing they wanted to do and made them spend three hours trying to invent something else.

Nothing arrived.

And that’s what makes the last two weeks so encouraging. ETSU beat Western Carolina 58-31 in a shootout, then turned around and suffocated Chattanooga 14-3.

Different games. Same result.

Two rivalry trophies.

2-0 in the SoCon.

The Citadel is next, and after what they did Saturday, that’s not a game to sleepwalk through. I’m nervous.

2. Mercer (4-2, 1-1 SoCon)

Beat VMI, 54-3

Mercer did something to VMI that probably requires a permit.

658 yards. More than 400 on the ground.

54-3.

There isn’t much analysis needed here. Mercer showed up in Lexington, knocked down the doors and left.

The Bears have now won two straight since losing to Furman, and this looked much more like the Mercer team everybody expected coming into the year.

Now Western Carolina comes to Macon.

That is going to be a great game.

Mercer just steamrolled VMI. Western just steamrolled the allegedly unstoppable Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.

Winner stays right in the middle of the SoCon race.

3. Western Carolina (3-3, 1-1 SoCon)

Beat Tennessee Tech, 44-20

HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Excuse me.

Western Carolina, I owe you an apology.

ETSU beat you 58-31 and I thought you might be bad.

Turns out ETSU might just be good.

Western welcomed undefeated, nationally ranked Tennessee Tech to Cullowhee and beat them by 24.

534 yards.

298 rushing.

Five forced turnovers.

Tech rushed for 53 yards.

I’ve had longer walks through Costco.

And this wasn’t Western barely surviving at home. They went up 17-0, watched Tech briefly make it interesting, then basically said, “Okay, that’s enough of that,” and finished the job.

That’s a hell of a response after getting embarrassed in Johnson City.

Now Western gets Mercer.

Win that one and suddenly the Catamounts are right back in the middle of everything.

Also, please do.

Every Western Carolina win increases the value of our 58 points.

I’m building a portfolio here.

4. Chattanooga (3-3, 2-1 SoCon)

Lost to ETSU, 14-3

So apparently Chattanooga’s offense has a weakness.

You can stop it.

For two weeks, the Mocs were running through everybody. Then they came to Johnson City and averaged 3.5 yards per carry.

Once ETSU took away the run, Chattanooga looked like someone had unplugged the controller.

75 passing yards.

Three points.

The part that would concern me if I were a Chattanooga fan is there never really seemed to be a Plan B.

Run game isn’t working?

Interesting.

Have we considered running it again?

I still think Chattanooga is a solid football team. Their defense certainly did enough to keep them in this game.

But the blueprint exists now.

Stop the run.

Make them throw.

5. Wofford (3-3, 2-2 SoCon)

Beat Furman, 32-25

I am officially done trying to understand Wofford.

Chattanooga beat them 41-7.

Then they had Tech down 35-21 before blowing it.

So naturally they went to Furman and won.

Wofford threw for more than 300 yards, because apparently that’s something Wofford does now. Remember when they only ran the ball? And DOMINATED?

The Terriers jumped out early and actually held on this time, which feels like growth after the Tech game.

They’re also sitting at .500 overall and .500 in the league, which feels incredibly appropriate.

This team changes identities every Saturday.

I’m done asking questions.

See you next week when Wofford attempts to run the wishbone.

6. Furman (2-4, 1-1 SoCon)

Lost to Wofford, 32-25

Well, Furman changed offensive coordinators.

They scored more points.

Unfortunately, Wofford also scored more points.

That’s an issue.

There were some encouraging signs from the offense under new OC Drew Dudzik. Furman moved the ball better and showed a little more life than it did against Richmond.

But falling behind 22-8 in the first quarter at home isn’t ideal.

The frustrating part is I still don’t think Furman is bad. They’ve beaten Mercer and played two ranked teams close.

They’re just 2-4, which is generally an inconvenient way of demonstrating that.

Now Furman heads to Tennessee Tech.

Paladins.

I need you.

Not for yourselves.

Not for Greenville.

For me.

7. The Citadel (2-3, 0-2 SoCon)

Beat South Carolina State, 34-31

The Citadel makes absolutely no sense.

They’re winless in the SoCon.

They’ve also beaten an FBS team and now a ranked South Carolina State team.

Sure.

The Bulldogs went on the road and won this one on a field goal as time expired. They also ran the football extremely well, which has officially gotten my attention with ETSU coming to town.

This is exactly the type of game I hate.

ETSU is feeling good. We’re talking about being undefeated in conference play. The Citadel is sitting there at 0-2 in the league while casually beating teams they’re apparently not supposed to beat.

Any time you pay a military school, you know it won’t be easy.

Could be a great game in Charleston next week.

8. Samford (1-4, 1-1 SoCon)

Lost to UAB, 33-14

Samford actually led 14-13 at halftime.

Then UAB remembered it was the FBS team.

Fine.

I’m not spending much time analyzing an FBS loss, especially after Samford finally showed some life against VMI the week before.

The Bulldogs now get back to conference football, which is where we’ll actually figure out whether that VMI game meant anything.

I remain cautiously aware of Samford’s existence.

That’s progress.

9. VMI (0-6, 0-2 SoCon)

Lost to Mercer, 54-3

I love VMI.

Mercer had 658 yards.

I still love VMI.

Mercer rushed for more than 400.

Love is not always rational.

At some point, though, I’d like Ashley Ingram and the boys to experience joy.

Just once.

One Saturday where I check the score and don’t immediately put my phone down.

We’re going through something right now.

10. UNCG (0-0)

Still undefeated.

Still hasn’t allowed a point.

And unlike Tennessee Tech, UNCG did not lose by 24 to Western Carolina this weekend.

Consistency matters.

11. Tennessee Tech (4-1)

Lost to Western Carolina, 44-20

Oh no.

What happened?

I was told this was a top-10 football team.

I was told 4-0 meant something.

Then Tennessee Tech went to Cullowhee and got stuffed into a locker.

Tech turned off commenting on their final score on X and Instagram? How soft can you be?

Hahaha, welcome to the Southern Conference!

Western had 534 yards.

Tech rushed for 53.

Five turnovers.

44-20.

This wasn’t a heartbreaker. They got smoked.

And this is why I’ve been making fun of the résumé all season.

Wofford had Tech down 14 in the fourth quarter a week ago. But everybody kept pointing at 4-0 like they had dominated every game.

Then Tech played Western Carolina.

44-20.

I was actually at a wedding while all of this was happening.

Beautiful ceremony. Two people committing their lives to each other. Family. Friends. Love everywhere.

And Tennessee Tech was losing by three touchdowns.

Sometimes the universe reminds you that love is real.

The same Western Carolina team ETSU had down 44-7 a week earlier, by the way.

Very unfortunate.

I’ve enjoyed it tremendously.

And before anyone accuses me of being a hater, I would like to remind everyone that I’ve been completely transparent about being a hater.

There has been no deception here.

Furman comes to Cookeville next.

Perhaps Tech bounces back.

Or perhaps Furman does something very funny.

This Week

ETSU is 2-0 in the Southern Conference.

The Bucs scored 58 on Western Carolina and then held Chattanooga to three points. One week the offense carried them. The next week the defense did.

That’s starting to look like a pretty complete football team.

Western Carolina at Mercer should be excellent. That winner is going to have a lot to say about how crowded the top of this conference gets.

And Furman heads to Tennessee Tech.

Furman, buddy.

You have the opportunity to do something special.

As for the rankings:

1. ETSU
2. Mercer
3. Western Carolina
4. Chattanooga
5. Wofford
6. Furman
7. The Citadel
8. Samford
9. VMI
10. UNCG
11. Tennessee Tech

Ayye biased much?” – Yao Tao Piras

ETSU is undefeated in the SoCon.

Tech lost by 24.

UNCG still doesn’t have a football team.

And they’re still ahead of Tech.

Best week of the season.

We have two weeks of football now, which is plenty of information to confidently determine that I understand nothing about the Southern Conference.

The Citadel lost to Wofford by 28 and then beat an FBS team.

Wofford is 2-0 despite being outgained 438-208 Saturday.

Western Carolina rushed for one yard.

Chattanooga threw for 37.

Tennessee Tech keeps winning, which feels unnecessary.

And Campbell is good.

Campbell is not in the SoCon, so they cannot be ranked here. Unfortunately, they’ve spent the first two weeks beating SoCon teams, so we do need to discuss them.

They scored 49 at ETSU and then beat No. 24 Western Carolina 28-19 while putting up 528 yards.

We’re done pretending this is complicated.

Campbell is good.

Wake up.

1. ETSU (1-1)

Beat Tusculum, 48-14

Slow start.

Don’t care.

It’s hard to convince college kids that playing a Division II team in Week 2 is the most important event of their lives.

Eventually ETSU remembered it was supposed to win by a lot and did exactly that. The Bucs scored touchdowns on all four second-half possessions and finished with 484 yards.

Mason Mims continues to look good: 242 yards and three touchdowns. Through two collegiate starts, he’s thrown for 615 yards and five scores.

TJ Peyton added 121 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.

Also:

Billy Taylor!

Welcome back.

The former ETSU defensive coordinator returned to Greene Stadium, this time as Tusculum’s head coach. He was a huge part of some really good ETSU teams, so it was genuinely great seeing him back in Johnson City. He is one of the most genuine and good humans I’ve ever been around.

Hope you enjoyed the visit, Billy.

Please enjoy Greeneville, they’re luck to have you.

My only real concern was Tusculum rushing for 212 yards. That’s probably not something we want to make a habit of with North Carolina coming next.

But ETSU won 48-14.

I’m not launching a federal investigation.

ETSU remains No. 1.

Obviously.

2. Mercer (2-0)

Beat Presbyterian, 62-3

Much better.

Last week Mercer led East Texas A&M 23-0 at halftime and spent the second half attempting to lose a game it had already won.

This week they simply scored 62.

That’s more efficient.

Jaylen King accounted for six touchdowns.

Yes.

That Jaylen King.

King started 10 games at quarterback for ETSU in 2024 before going to Florida State and eventually resurfacing at Mercer.

He was also ETSU’s quarterback the night No. 2 North Dakota State came to Johnson City.

ETSU led 35-23 with less than two minutes left.

We lost 38-35.

I was there.

Saddest I’ve ever been after a football game.

I don’t really have a joke for that one.

Anyway, now Jaylen King is at Mercer scoring six touchdowns.

Great.

Mercer scored 35 points in the second quarter and led 42-3 at halftime. This time they continued participating after halftime, which was a nice development.

Presbyterian isn’t much of a measuring stick, but 62-3 is what you’re supposed to do.

Mercer gets Furman next.

Now we’ll actually learn something.

Also, no all-orange uniforms Saturday.

Interesting.

The investigation remains open.

3. The Citadel (1-1, 0-1 SoCon)

Beat Charlotte, 43-41 (3OT)

Last week:

Wofford 42, The Citadel 14.

This week:

The Citadel beats an FBS team.

Sure.

The Bulldogs went to Charlotte, rushed for 268 yards and won in triple overtime.

It was their first FBS win since beating Georgia Tech in 2019.

Here’s my favorite part:

The Citadel is now 2-0 all-time against Charlotte.

Both games went to overtime.

Imagine being Charlotte and having a small military college in Charleston that occasionally appears on your schedule solely to ruin your evening.

Charlotte had 538 yards of offense.

Didn’t matter.

The Citadel just kept running the football and hanging around until Charlotte finally lost the argument.

And now Wofford’s 42-14 win over the Bulldogs looks considerably more interesting.

This is why trying to understand the SoCon before October is a medical condition.

4. Wofford (2-0, 1-0 SoCon)

Beat Gardner-Webb, 17-13

Wofford is 2-0.

Gardner-Webb outgained Wofford 438-208.

Both statements are true.

Gardner-Webb threw for 378 yards and had twice as many first downs.

Still lost.

Special teams helped. Ivory Aikens returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, and Wofford’s punter put three balls inside the two.

Apparently the Wofford two-yard line is protected federal property.

Then Gardner-Webb appeared to score the winning touchdown late.

Offensive pass interference.

I’ve watched it.

I’ve watched it again.

I still don’t know.

Maybe the official saw something… I don’t know.

Touchdown erased.

Interception next play.

Wofford wins.

Shawn Watson said afterward that the passing game needs to get “cleaned up.”

Considering Gardner-Webb outgained Wofford by 230 yards, I agree there may be some light housekeeping necessary.

Still:

2-0.

And that Citadel win suddenly looks pretty good.

5. Western Carolina (1-1)

Lost to Campbell, 28-19

Campbell had to postpone this game due to a light pole not receiving any power. Did Western Carolina get hosed because of this? I don’t know. Is it something that we can blame? Sure.

I still think Western Carolina is dangerous.

Lex Thomas threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

That’s good.

Western Carolina rushed for one yard.

That’s less good.

One.

Not one yard per carry.

One total rushing yard on 18 attempts.

I rushed for one fewer yard than Western Carolina on Sunday.

The Catamounts also went 2-of-13 on third down, missed a PAT, and missed a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

Normally I wouldn’t panic about kicking in Week 2.

Except Western fans probably remember exactly how the Mercer game ended last year.

Field goal.

Celebration.

Field rushed.

Kicker lifted up in the air only to see him mouth “ I missed”.

Pain.

You don’t get to have kicking trauma and immediately begin collecting additional kicking trauma.

Lex Thomas can play. Kerwin Bell can coach offense. Western is going to score plenty of points.

But perhaps Tuesday’s practice should include kicking the football between the large yellow objects.

Just an idea.

And again:

Campbell is good.

Wake up.

6. Furman (1-1)

Lost to Tennessee, 56-9

I don’t know what you want me to do with this one.

Furman played Tennessee.

Tennessee is substantially better at football.

Tennessee won 56-9.

Analysis complete.

There were a couple positives.

Isaiah Davis ran for 113 yards on only eight carries, which is legitimately impressive.

Nathan Chapman also hit a 50-yard field goal.

Congratulations, Furman.

You have been awarded the Southern Conference’s functioning kicking game.

Please report to Cullowhee immediately.

Otherwise, Tennessee had 638 yards and scored 56 points.

Sometimes the check clears and you move on with your life.

Furman gets Mercer next.

That’s infinitely more interesting.

Mercer is the two-time defending conference champion. Furman is still Furman.

That’s when we’ll actually figure out where the Paladins belong.

Until then, thank you for your service.

7. Chattanooga (1-1)

Lost to Tennessee Tech, 24-9

This is a weird football team.

Chattanooga rushed for 190 yards.

Journey Wyche had 113 on 12 carries.

The defense held Tennessee Tech to 237 total yards and 76 rushing.

Those numbers suggest Chattanooga should’ve been fine.

Chattanooga threw for 37 yards.

There it is.

Thirty-seven.

The forward pass was legalized in 1906.

The Mocs remain undecided.

They completed four passes and didn’t score a touchdown.

Worse, both Chattanooga interceptions turned into Tennessee Tech touchdowns.

There’s your football game.

Rusty Wright said afterward that Chattanooga needs to execute at a “very, very, very high level” offensively.

Three verys.

I’d personally begin with completing five passes and work our way toward perfection from there.

The weird thing is I still don’t think Chattanooga is bad.

They can run.

The defense looks good.

But eventually someone is going to put eight people near the line and ask Chattanooga a very reasonable question:

Can you throw a football?

We await further information.

8. Samford (0-2)

Lost to Southern Illinois, 22-18

Progress!

Last week Samford rushed for negative-eight yards.

This week they rushed for 70.

That’s a 78-yard improvement.

At the current rate of progression, Samford will become 1995 Nebraska sometime around Halloween.

The Bulldogs were actually competitive this week.

They tied the game 15-15 late in the third quarter and had opportunities to win it.

They just couldn’t finish.

John Grass said afterward that his heart broke for his players because they were close.

I believe him.

Samford does look closer.

Unfortunately, college football continues using wins and losses instead of emotional proximity, so the Bulldogs are 0-2.

Still, this looked much more like a functional football team than the one that produced negative rushing yards against North Alabama.

Next up:

Tennessee Tech.

Please, Samford.

I don’t ask you for much.

Do something useful.

9. VMI (0-2)

Lost to Virginia Tech, 73-3

There was no football game in Blacksburg this weekend.

I checked.

Nothing happened.

VMI certainly did not trail 45-0 at halftime and lose 73-3.

Moving on.

The important thing is that I remain completely committed to VMI’s triple-option experiment.

Last week the Keydets ran for 229 yards and threw for 11.

Beautiful.

That’s football the way God intended: three yards, cloud of dust, occasional forward pass filed under emergency use only.

This week the experiment encountered several substantially larger human beings wearing Virginia Tech uniforms.

VMI passed for 87 yards while rushing for… -4.

Yes, I rushed for more yards than VMI.

Is it wrong for James Franklin to beat them this bad? Probably not.

Hoping they at least think of them for their service?

VMI gets Bucknell next.

That’s a much better opportunity to see if this offense can make the Keydets annoying in conference play.

I hope it does.

Every conference needs one team nobody wants to prepare for.

I want VMI to become that problem.

10. UNCG (0-0)

Undefeated.

Still haven’t allowed a point.

Two straight weeks.

Starting to feel sustainable.

11. Tennessee Tech (2-0)

Beat Chattanooga, 24-9

Tennessee Tech is 2-0.

There.

It’s in writing.

Last week’s 38-14 win over ranked Monmouth was good, but it looks less sexy.

Monmouth only beat Sacred Heart 31–24.

Who knows if they’re all that?

This week Tech beat Chattanooga 24-9.

Chattanooga threw for 37 yards.

Completed four passes.

Didn’t score a touchdown.

I’m not hanging a banner for this.

Tech itself had only 237 total yards and 76 rushing yards. The biggest difference was two Chattanooga interceptions, both of which became Tech touchdowns.

That’s not nothing.

It’s also not 1995 Nebraska.

Last week moved the needle on Tech.

This week mostly confirmed that Chattanooga desperately needs to discover the passing game.

Those are different things.

So Tech gets the win.

They get 2-0.

They get my acknowledgment that they’re probably a good football team…

But the jury is still out on them.

After reviewing all available evidence, Tennessee Tech moves from No. 11…

to No. 11.

UNCG remains undefeated.

What am I supposed to do? My hands are tied.

What Did We Learn?

ETSU won. Mims looks good.

Campbell is good.

Wake up.

Mercer’s quarterback used to be ETSU’s quarterback and was also responsible for the saddest I’ve ever been after a football game.

The Citadel lost to Wofford by 28 and then beat an FBS team.

Wofford is 2-0.

Nobody investigate how.

Western Carolina rushed for one yard and needs some time with the kicking net.

Furman survived Knoxville.

Chattanooga is still considering whether the forward pass is right for them.

Samford has discovered positive rushing yards.

VMI remains committed to football as God intended.

UNCG hasn’t allowed a point.

Tennessee Tech is 2-0.

We’ll reassess next week.

Except ETSU is No. 1.

UNCG is ahead of Tech.

Tech is last.

Those are constitutional.

What if I told you one of the most historic college golf programs in America wasn’t found in Austin, Stillwater, or Palo Alto?

What if I told you it was tucked away in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee, where a school with fewer than 15,000 students built a program that would challenge the biggest names in college golf?

This is the story of East Tennessee State University.

For more than five decades, ETSU has quietly become one of the most successful programs in collegiate golf history, winning 29 conference championships and putting together stretches of dominance that most programs only dream about. The Buccaneers captured five straight Southern Conference titles from 1979 through 1983, four more from 1989 through 1992, three consecutive championships from 1994 through 1996, another four from 1998 through 2001, three more from 2015 through 2017, and most recently won five consecutive Southern Conference championships from 2021 through 2025.

The brain behind this operation was legendary head coach Fred Warren. For nearly four decades, Warren built a program that ignored geography and didn’t really care about recruiting rankings. Instead it was about finding talent from around the world and turning ETSU into a national powerhouse. In 1996, the Bucs climbed to No. 1 in the nation, standing above college golf’s blue bloods. Here’s one of the coolest facts I have to share…They were ranked ahead of ahead of Tiger Woods’ Stanford Cardinal, previously Phil Mickelson’s Arizona State Sun Devils, and finished the season third at the NCAA Championship, one of the greatest accomplishments ever by a mid major program. The Bucs finished 3rd, which was one spot above Stanford. Tiger won the NCAA individual championship.

Then came the players.

One of Warren’s greatest discoveries was a young golfer from Waterford, Ireland named Seamus Power. He became one of the best players in school history before reaching the PGA Tour, where he won multiple tournaments and represented Ireland in the Olympic Games. Power has often credited ETSU and Coach Warren for changing the course of his life.

But perhaps the greatest story never actually happened.

In 2004, another teenager from Northern Ireland signed a National Letter of Intent to play golf at ETSU. His name was Rory McIlroy.

Before he ever stepped onto campus, his game exploded. He stayed in Europe, turned professional, and became one of the greatest golfers the sport has ever seen. Had he come to Johnson City, Rory McIlroy and Seamus Power would have worn the same Buccaneer uniform and played for the same coach.

A small school with a legendary coach.

Twenty nine conference championships.

A program that once stood above Tiger Woods.

… and the greatest recruit in school history who never played a single round.

That is the brief and unique story of ETSU Golf.

The Southern Conference Championship ended last night. Furman beat ETSU 76–61, cut the nets, climbed the ladder, and celebrated the way teams do when they just punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

And roughly seven seconds later the real tournament began.

Twitter.

Because nothing activates the internet faster than a championship game loss. Within minutes the entire timeline turned into a fully staffed Division I front office. Recruiting coordinators appeared out of nowhere. Roster construction experts emerged from couches. Interestingly enough, there were even discussions of NIL.

“ETSU needs shooters.”

“They need size.”

“They need freshmen.”

“They need transfers.”

“They need more junk yard dogs.”

By midnight someone was probably drawing up a plan to recruit a 6’10 Serbian stretch four who can protect the rim, shoot 44 percent from three, and hasn’t smiled since he was 11.

Which brings us to one of psychology’s greatest gifts to sports discourse.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect.

For those unfamiliar, the Dunning-Kruger Effect says that people who know the least about something tend to be the most confident talking about it. It’s the phenomenon where someone who has once played JV basketball in 2007 suddenly becomes extremely certain about how a division one roster should be built.

“Just recruit better shooters.”

Of course.

Someone should really alert every coaching staff in America that the secret strategy is simply recruiting better players. An incredible oversight by the sport up until now.

Meanwhile, while the internet was busy redesigning ETSU’s recruiting board, something much simpler was happening on the floor.

Cooper Bowser was cooking.

Bowser started the game like someone accidentally turned the difficulty setting down. At one point he was something like 8-for-8 from the field. Not wild shots either. Just calm, patient, grown-man basketball. Turnaround jumper. Layup. Another layup. Putback. A post move that looked like it had been practiced ten thousand times.

It did not feel like a championship game at times. More of an instructive tutorial of how to score in the post.

Bowser finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting, which is the statistical equivalent of politely ruining someone’s evening.

This Furman team shot 51 percent from the field, hit 10 threes, and out-rebounded ETSU 36–24. They led for 94 percent of the game. That’s execution.

But the funniest part of the entire result is what Furman was coming into this tournament.

They had the worst three-point percentage in the entire Southern Conference during the regular season. Dead last. Absolute brick factory. The kind of numbers that make coaches stare at the floor during film sessions.

Then the tournament started and Furman apparently remembered that shooting the ball through the hoop is allowed.

Suddenly they were the best three-point shooting team in the tournament.

Last night they went 10-for-26 from three.

Thirty-eight percent.

The basketball equivalent of someone who has been slicing drives into the woods all afternoon suddenly stepping up on 18 and piping one straight down the middle.

March does this every year. The team that can’t shoot suddenly can. The team that has been lights-out all season suddenly can’t buy one. Momentum flips, rhythm appears, and a roster that has been running the same offense together for years suddenly looks very comfortable in a single-elimination setting.

Meanwhile the other storyline here is ETSU.

Because let’s be honest about the larger season.

ETSU ran through the league.

They controlled it. They clinched the regular season title early. Freedom Hall was packed. The defense suffocated people. The offense hummed for long stretches. For most of the winter they looked like the most complete team in the conference.

But seasons are long.

And if you zoom in on the final few weeks, the Bucs had started wobbling just a little bit. A couple losses. Some offensive stretches that felt sticky. Nothing catastrophic, just enough to remind everyone that momentum in college basketball has a funny way of shifting.

Then March arrives.

Furman gets hot.

A freshman scores 28 points in one half and shots start falling.

And suddenly the worst shooting team in the conference becomes the hottest shooting team in the tournament.

That’s not something you solve with a recruiting tweet.

That’s just college basketball.

Of course, none of this will slow down the Dunning-Kruger Tournament currently unfolding online. Round one is always “we need shooters.” Round two becomes “we need freshmen.” Round three usually involves someone posting a screenshot of a 6’11 Latvian wing averaging 5.3 points in a European league and asking if he has eligibility left.

Meanwhile the reality is much simpler.

Furman got hot.

Cooper Bowser dominated.

The threes fell.

And March decided something again.

Furman cut the nets.

The Paladins are going dancing.

And somewhere on the internet a man who once missed two free throws at church league is confidently typing:

“Honestly we just need a 6’9 wing who shoots 45 percent from three and guards four positions.”

Of course.

Those are everywhere.

Congrats to Furman. Make the SoCon proud.

Semifinal Sunday in Asheville delivered exactly what this tournament usually does. One comeback that makes the building shake and one player who catches absolute fire.

By the end of the night the matchup for Monday’s Southern Conference Championship was set.

ETSU vs Furman.

But the paths they took to get there looked very different.

ETSU’s game felt like it was slipping away early. Western Carolina controlled the first half and built a 14 point halftime lead, looking like the more comfortable team while the Bucs struggled to find any rhythm.

There was also a moment early that quietly lingered through the rest of the game. Marcus Kell picked up a cheap flagrant foul on Blake Barkley in the first half, the kind of play that sticks in a player’s memory. Barkley didn’t explode right away. In fact, he was fairly quiet offensively for most of the night.

But ETSU slowly started chipping away.

A Jaylen Smith three helped cut into the lead, and later Brian Taylor II knocked down a transition three that brought the Bucs within four with under seven minutes left. The crowd started to lean forward a little more with every possession.

Then the final minutes arrived.

Barkley caught fire and went on a personal 11–2 run that completely flipped the game. Free throws. A layup. A third chance bucket. And finally a three point play that gave ETSU the lead with just over a minute left.

Western Carolina never recovered.

The Catamounts did not make a field goal for the final 8 minutes and 50 seconds, and Marcus Kell’s final desperation shot caught the side of the rim as ETSU escaped with a 69–67 win.

Brian Taylor II led the Bucs with 22 points, while Barkley added 19 and ETSU shot 62 percent from the field in the second half to pull off one of the biggest comebacks of their season.

On the other side of the bracket, Furman’s path was much simpler.

Alex Wilkins turned into a flamethrower.

Wilkins finished with 34 points, shooting 10–17 from the field, 4–7 from three, and 10–10 from the free throw line. Every time UNCG tried to climb back into the game, Wilkins had an answer waiting.

Cooper Bowser quietly added 14 points on a perfect 6–6 shooting night, helping Furman ride a red hot offensive performance to an 81–75 win.

Which sets up Monday night.

ETSU vs Furman for the Southern Conference championship in Asheville.

The Bucs come in with the confidence of a team that just erased a 17 point deficit. Furman arrives behind a scorer who just dropped 34 in a semifinal.

There’s also one other detail worth mentioning.

ETSU swept Furman in the regular season.

Of course this is Asheville, where regular season logic tends to disappear the moment the tournament starts.

But after Sunday’s games, one thing feels certain.

Monday night should be fun.