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The year is 2025… actually lets not list every known event that has taken place this year outside of college football. Through the first couple weeks of the season, the current college football landscape is something we of course never expected to happen. I’m specifically talking about Delaware being in the FBS and Vanderbilt being 3-0.
What did you think I was talking about, NIL, bad quarterback play, the retirement of Lee Corso (he will be missed on College GameDay)?
Let us begin with the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens, who are 2-1 following a big 44-41 overtime win vs UConn on Saturday. This is the type of game I would have forced someone like CBS or ESPN to air on national television. No, I don’t care that it doesn't work like that, I want Northeast college football shown to the masses damn it.
All jokes aside, I’m proud of Delaware for beginning their FBS tenure with a positive record. Remember, this team has won national championships at the Division II and FCS levels. This team is not a joke in the history of this great sport.
I’m not from the country’s first state, nor did I attend UDel. I’m also not Joe Flacco, although I would love to be called “elite” and have a Super Bowl ring. So why do I love UDel football, even though I root for Michigan State and Seton Hall?
For one, many of the players on the team are from New Jersey, which is cool because they chose not to attend Rutgers. QB Nick Minicucci, safety Kahlil Ali, running back Jo Silver and more are from “the Garden State,” which is awesome. Seeing some of NJ’s best playing at the FBS level is awesome and shows people that this state is producing great players.
Delaware is also a team that if I were to play College Football 26, I would coach them and build them into a national championship contender. I did it with UConn last year and had a ton of fun playing with them. Although this year I have no time to play the game, but I’m getting off track now.
I also love Delaware Football because I love where they used to play, which was the FCS. From Maine to New Hampshire, to North Dakota State to Montana, I love FCS football. I have been to a few FCS stadiums including the ones at Bucknell and Monmouth and I adore them.
When I was a freshman in college, it was well-documented that I worked as a manager for Muhlenberg College’s football program. I don’t know if it was the small-school vibes or going to school in the Northeast, but I love college football in this area. It may not be SEC football, but to see Delaware perform well in the FBS so far is amazing.
Will they win Conference USA? I don’t know, but it would be hilarious and great for the sport. I am just happy this program is starting off well in their transition to the FBS.
Also, I was a sicko and watched their game vs Colorado a few weeks back. I had that game circled for months by the way.
Now on to Vanderbilt. For a team that has been in the SEC basement (outside of the James Franklin years), it’s good to see them perform great. When they upset no.1 Alabama at home last season, I almost shed a tear.
Now with a strong offense and road wins vs Virginia Tech and previously no.11 ranked South Carolina, the Commodores could be 5-0 when they meet Alabama on October 4. Now, with the team ranked 20th in the latest AP Poll and Theo Von going out with the QB’s mom, this team is having fun. Let’s talk about their quarterback for a second, but Von was joking right?
Diego Pavia has injected new life into a once bottomless program since he transferred from New Mexico State a few years back. His personality, his determination, and his play-style are things that I love about this guy. This dude loves the game, his program and I want to see him succeed.
Of course, there will be people who will look at their 3-0 record with a half-empty mindset and say some lame things. “Oh they played Charleston Southern, Virginia Tech just fired their head coach, LaNorris Sellers got hurt.” I then reply with something like “this is Vanderbilt, they deserve this.”
Like with Delaware winning their conference, will it happen for Vanderbilt? I’m not the smartest person, but betting on them to win it is still not realistic, especially with teams like Georgia and LSU being good as they are.
But, let me tell you this. While I’m not a fan of either squad and just see their success through the lens of a neutral observer, this makes me happy. You can harp on teams failing to live up to expectations like Clemson, or be happy to see a program like Vandy having fun.
Instead of thinking doom and gloom or crashing out because life sucks, try to think positively. Be happy for people who worked hard and have earned what they sought out to achieve.
It’s early in the season still and so much can happen. But, watching these two programs earn incredible results on Saturday was something that made my day.
Now I wished I had ESPN+ or wasn’t working to witness these results live. Oh well (pain). These teams will also face each other next season which is interesting (I promise I wasn’t foreshadowing their 2026 matchup).