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On Saturday, the 1998 NCAA football season gets underway with a pair of games. In the Eddie Robinson Classic, Nebraska battles Lousiana Tech, and Michigan State tangles with Colorado State in the BCA football classic. Thanks to WAJL 10 for pointing out these two games I had apparantly overlooked in preparing this article.
According to NACDA president and Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley, the organization is excited about this year's matchup. "We are pleased to be able to bring the Classic back to the West Coast where the game originated," Dooley said of the game which spent its first five seasons in Anaheim Stadium. "USC and Purdue will provide an exciting contest to open the 1998 football season." The Trojans, in their first year under head coach Paul Hackett, return 15 starters from a squad that went 6-5 in 1997. This will be their second trip to the classic - they were defeated by North Carolina in 1993. Purdue finished 9-3 last season under first year head coach Joe Tiller, and made their first post-season trip since 1984 a successful one with a 33-20 Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma State. The two teams have battled three times before, with USC holding a 2-1 advantage. The Boilermakers won the first meeting in 1967 before losing twice to the Trojans in 1975 and 1976. The game will originate from the Los Angeles Coliseum and will be nationally televised on ABC. Last season, Northwestern captured a 24-0 victory over Oklahoma at Soldier Field in Chicago. Also on the slate this week is the 16th annual Kickoff Classic, which will pit Florida State against Texas A&M. Traditionally considered the first game of the college football season, the Kickoff Classic actually takes place a day after the Pigskin Classic this year. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. Monday and comes from Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The game will also be televised on ABC. Both teams will be making their second trip to the Classic. The Seminoles whipped Kansas 42-0 in 1993, while the Aggies were on the short end of a 23-14 decision against Nebraska in 1988. FSU was 11-1 last season and was ranked third in the country by both the AP and Coaches polls. They return 14 starters from the unit that defeated Ohio State 31-14 in the Sugar Bowl of a year ago. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Are You Ready For Some Football...College Style! in NCAA College Football is owned by Chuck Bednar. Permission to republish Are You Ready For Some Football...College Style! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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