Coming off a 9-4 record, an appearance in the FCS quarterfinals and a share of the Southern Conference championship, many observers thought that Wofford would be too inexperienced to make a serious run at national honors in 2008.

But Terrier coach Mike Ayers wasn't one of those doubters.

Coming off a 34-10 win over Howard, the Winston-Salem State Rams enter their next clash with a measure of confidence, but will face one of the MEAC's measuring sticks against resurgent Florida A&M in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

The Rams rolled up a season high 429 yards of total offense, thanks in part to quarterback Dunston Jarrett (599 yards passing, three TDs and six interceptions), who passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Bison.

Most people had James Madison, Richmond, Eastern Washington and Montana ranked in their preseason top-10s, so it was obvious that a JMU trip to Richmond and Montana?s journey to Eastern Washington would hold a major key to each of those team's championship aspirations.

But as we head into the mid-point of the 2008 campaign, some of the reasons that these games are important have changed.

Montana's band wasn't on hand Saturday afternoon at Weber State to break into a rendition of that song, but it would have been appropriate for the teams in the Big Sky Conference this weekend.

They should have been serving pineapple upside down cake at Portland State, after the Vikings dismantled Eastern Washington.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Drew Hubel, Portland State, 6-5, 205, Sophomore, Quarterback, Corvalis, OR.

Hubel sparked Portland State to a 47-36 victory over then-11th-ranked Eastern Washington with a record-setting passing performance. Hubel hit 44-of-73 passes for 623 yards and five touchdowns and failed to throw an interception for the first time in four starts. The 623 yards was one yard off the Big Sky record set by Jamie Martin against Idaho State in 1991.

JMU held the top position for the second week in a row after Appalachian State and James Madison had lost while No. 1 in the previous two weeks.

Appalachian State (3-2) used a 48-21 victory over Southern Conference rival The Citadel to further engrain itself at No. 2. The Mountaineers received four first-place votes and 2,558 points.

But it wasn't a tremor that shook things up here on Saturday, it was Weber State with an earth-shaking 45-28 victory over third-ranked Montana on a rain- soaked day.

Trevyn Smith rushed 22 times for 158 yards and one touchdown, and Cameron Higgins connected on 21-of-30 passes for 237 yards and four TDs to fuel the Wildcat offense in its first win over Montana since 1998.

Due to an outbreak of norovirus on the Georgetown campus, the contest will not be played.

"Because several members of the team have been infected and others have been exposed, and because the infection is contagious, after discussion between medicalpersonnel atboth universitiesand withColgate's athletic administration and the Patriot League, the decision has been made not to play the game," said Georgetown director of athletics Bernard Muir. "A make up date has not been reached at this time." Colgate is 3-2 this season (1-0 Patriot), while the conference foe Hoyas are 1-3 with an 0-2 mark in league play. The Raiders will take the field next on October 11 when they host Princeton, while the Hoyas are scheduled to host Pennsylvania on the same day.

Yes, the No. 3-ranked Grizzlies have a target permanently etched on their prominent chests. But few teams want to beat Montana any worse than Weber State, the team that hosts the Grizzlies this Saturday at Stewart Stadium.

Weber State hasn't beaten Montana since a 27-20 victory at Stewart Stadium in 1998, but there have been enough close calls in recent years that the Wildcats go into this game thinking this is the year they can win.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Rashad Jennings, Liberty, 6-1, 230, Senior, Running Back, Forest, VA.

Jennings rushed for a career-high 220 yards on 29 carries and scored three touchdowns to help Liberty defeat Youngstown State, 31-28 Saturday night at the Ice Castle. Jennings scored on runs of two, two and six yards as the Flames claimed their first win over a ranked opponent since 1997. Jennings averaged 7.6 yards per carry, the fifth-highest of his career, and his 220 rushing yards are the sixth-most in a game in Big South history. He also recorded his fifth career game with three rushing touchdowns, extending his Big South record.

The Dukes, who were second last week after their 35-32 victory over previous- No.

1 ranked Appalachian State, received 84 of 105 first-place votes to bump Richmond out of the No. 1 slot the Spiders held for just one week.

They are the games in which a team might be subject to a natural letdown, following a big win or major accomplishment.

Richmond and James Madison were two schools that knew the trap had been set for them on Saturday.

1 ranked Richmond to the exuberance of the students, tentatively running onto the field to join in the celebration.

"That just blew my mind," Villanova coach Andy Talley, now in his 24th year with the Wildcats, said of the celebration. "This is happening at Villanova? I have never seen that here." Defensive end Greg Miller, who helped lead the defense with eight tackles and 2.5 sacks, said the student reaction also caught him by surprise.

Things came easier for the Pride on Friday night in the light rain of La Valle Stadium as they built a 31-0 lead in the second quarter on the way to a 43-3 victory over Stony Brook in the annual FCS battle for Long Island.

Four Stony Brook turnovers, including a strip and recovery by Hofstra cornerback Leslie Jackman for a 60-yard touchdown return early in the second quarter, killed any hopes the Sea Wolves had of staying close.

THURSDAY NIGHT Mississippi Valley State (1-2, 0-0 SWAC) at Alabama State (0-3, 0-0 SWAC) Two struggling teams in need of a victory get a second life with the beginning of Southwestern Athletic Conference play in a game that will be televised by ESPNU from the historic Crampton Bowl.

After beating a non-Division I team, Texas College, in its opener, Mississippi Valley State has been crushed in a pair of non-conference games against SWAC opponents. The Delta Devils lost 49-7 to Southern and 49-14 to Prairie View.

(Sports Network) - As a kid, I remember watching a television movie called "The Perils of Pauline." In this show, a young, blonde damsel encountered endless terrifying moments each week. She survived each pratfall before moving to the next cliff-hanging moment.

Sort of sounds like life each week for football teams in the Colonial Athletic Association.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Antonio Heffner, Tennessee State, 6-2, 207, Senior, Quarterback, Memphis, TN.

Heffner led Tennessee State to a crucial Ohio Valley Conference victory over Eastern Kentucky, completing 20-of-28 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns in the No. 25 Tigers 34-20 victory over EKU in the conference opener for both teams. It was only the third win in 22 games for TSU against the Colonels.

The Spiders (3-1) received 49 of 102 first-place votes to edge out Colonial Athletic Association rival James Madison by just two points for first place in the poll. The last time Richmond was No. 1 in any football poll was in 1985.

James Madison (3-1), fresh off its 35-32 win over then-top-ranked Appalachian State on Saturday night, earned 37 first-place votes, but was out-voted 2,389 to 2,387 by Richmond in this week's race for No. 1.

The record crowd of 17,163 had watched JMU pull itself off the mat after trailing No. 1-ranked Appalachian State 21-0 in the first half and rally for an improbable 35-32 victory over the three-time defending national champion before storming the field in a wild celebration.

Duke Dog has witnessed some great celebrations over the past 12 years, as coach Mickey Matthews has built the JMU program into one of the best in FCS.

With the Mountaineers on the verge of striking for the lead with less than nine minutes to play, JMU linebacker Jamie Veney stripped running back Robert Welton of the ball and safety Gerrin Griffin recovered at the Duke 13 after Welton had powered for 11 yards and a key first down.

Appalachian State had won last year's first-round playoff game 28-27 over James Madison when Jacque Roman forced a Jamal Sullivan fumble that Pierre Banks recovered with the Dukes trying to set up for a potential game-winning field goal with 22 seconds left.

THURSDAY NIGHT Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-3, 0-0 SWAC) at Alcorn State (0-3, 0-0 SWAC), 7:30 p.m.

Two teams that are trying to right their respective ships after slow starts meet in a SWAC opening game that will be televised nationally by ESPNU.

In the FCS world, one regular-season game has been on the minds of most fans since the first round of last year's playoffs - No. 1 ranked Appalachian State's trip to No. 5 James Madison.

In most years, a matchup between two of the top programs in FCS draws plenty of attention. After all, we're talking about the two teams that have won the past four national championships - James Madison in 2004 and Appalachian State in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

But like the forces of time itself, there are elements of transition that even the most tradition-minded of school presidents cannot slow down.

As the Ivy League begins its 53rd year of football this week, the change in the air is as evident as the deepening colors of the leaves on its picturesque campuses.

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Quarterback Rodney Landers of James Madison, linebacker Nathan Williams of Murray State and defensive end Scott Vossler of Dayton have been named The Sports Network's FCS national players of the week.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Rodney Landers, James Madison, 6-1, 220, Senior, Quarterback, Virginia Beach, VA Landers led James Madison to a 52-38 victory over then-third-ranked Massachusetts, running for 206 yards and a touchdown. He broke his own school record for rushing yards for a quarterback, set at William & Mary with 171 last year. Landers also completed 4-of-6 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. His scoring runs of 17 and three yards, and his 47-yard TD toss to Kerby Long, give the Dukes a commanding 31-10 halftime lead. During the game Landers reached the 2,000-yard mark in both career rushing and career passing. The Walter Payton Award candidate now has 2,040 career-rushing yards, 2,054 career-passing yards and 4,094 career yard

After seeing Cal Poly go down to the wire in a win over San Diego State and a loss in the final seconds to Montana, and following McNeese State's near-upset of North Carolina, you have to wonder what might have been this past Saturday night in Lake Charles, LA.

With Hurricane Ike tearing through Louisiana and the Texas coastline, we also saw a game between Prairie View and Sam Houston State fall by the wayside depriving us a glimpse of Panthers linebacker Zach East chasing after SHSU quarterback Rhett Bomar.