Talented NSU, ODU mock overblown 'Game of Century'

If you stripped away the national implications and hit the mute button on the hype that accompanies each so-called "Game of the Century," the scrum between LSU and Alabama was a top-drawer bore hardly worth watching.

Is anybody clamoring for a rematch between teams responsible for a 9-6 overtime final littered with four interceptions, four missed field goals, 13 penalties and zero touchdowns?

I pass.

If only LSU or Alabama had a quarterback that could pass.

For what it's worth, the game was the lowest-scoring match-up between No. 1 and 2 teams since Notre Dame and Army played to a 0-0 draw in 1946.

Do I sound disappointed? I don't mean to. By the time I turned on the TV Saturday night, I had already been fully entertained by the game at Foreman Field between Richmond and Old Dominion.

Richmond and ODU put on a better show than LSU-Alabama. It's as simple as that.

On a good day, Colonial Athletic Association football can be as diverting as anything produced by the college behemoths with their years of tradition. And in ODU, fans are watching an ambitious proponent of the wide-open, nervy style of offense that produces results like the 42-28 victory over Richmond.

If you weren't there to see the game, don't assume it wasn't a lot more fun to watch than some of the national TV fare - with the exception, perhaps, of the Oklahoma State-Kansas State track meet.

I understand the appeal of sectional and national games that make the hairs stand up on Lee Corso's arms. I've been there and seen that, but pageantry and massive traffic congestion aren't everything - neither is TV coverage - especially in a year when college football has been so good so close to home.

With both ODU and Norfolk State on the verge of reaching the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, this has been a special season for the sport around here.

Both teams are 8-2, and as a result of its victory Saturday over Savannah State, Norfolk State has clinched a share of the MEAC championship. The Spartans can win the title outright with a victory at Morgan State on Saturday.

ODU must beat William and Mary in Williamsburg and then hope for some help in order to tie for first in the CAA, but anything the Monarchs accomplish beyond this point is icing on the cake. They're already a big story for flirting with conference supremacy in the program's third year of existence.

It was a good weekend for most schools with the largest fan bases in Hampton Roads.

Virginia Tech didn't play Saturday, but jumped to No. 10 in the AP poll when higher-ranked teams lost, while Virginia proved it could win back-to-back games by shelling the Maryland Terps.

The 31-13 road victory was the sixth win for Mike London's team, only one fewer than U.Va. managed the previous two years.

Six victories make U.Va. bowl eligible, but this is where the FCS - home to ODU and Norfolk State - has it all over the Football Bowl Subdivision.

It's the playoff system - expanded to 20 teams - that gives the FCS credibility and enhances its status. Regardless of the level of football, fans want to see a champion determined on the field.

James Madison, a former national champion with a loyal local following, may have stumbled out of the playoff picture with its loss to New Hampshire, but in South Hampton Roads, the postseason scenario is hyper-local and more absorbing than anyone might have imagined.

In September, nobody could have predicted a first-round playoff game between ODU and Norfolk State, but that's the hoped-for pairing that's creating buzz.

There's still more work to be done this weekend, but as anticipation grows in both camps, it's already been a season full of surprises. And fun.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com