The Bison are Making Themselves Herd Once Again

North Dakota State won eight NCAA Division II Championships, the last of which was in 1990, before moving up a division to the FCS in 2004. Today was the Bison's first title game since the move. They faced an undefeated Sam Houston State team. The Bearkats were an offensive machine prior to this game, putting up 39 points per game on average.

The offenses weren't the highlight of this game. Both teams struggled throughout the first half as Sam Houston State led 6-3, despite not capitalizing on two North Dakota State turnovers. The first possession of the second half led to what appeared to be yet another North Dakota State three-and-out on offense. However, the Bison decided they might need to try something unconventional to get a first down. Head coach Craig Bohl explained his decision, "We had not run a fake all year. It was something we kept in our hip pocket. We needed to establish some momentum." So on fourth down, Bison punter Matt Voigtlander hiked the football and immediately saw an open lane on the outside, so he took off and ran for 27 yards. On the next play, Bison quarterback Brock Jensen threw a screen pass to D.J. McNorton, who ran it 39 yards for the touchdown, giving them a 10-6 lead.

The defense dominance returned to the game, until North Dakota State made another big play, this time on defense. Midway through the fourth quarter, Sam Houston State quarterback Brian Bell underthrew a pass that hit Bison linebacker Travis Beck in the chest. Beck held on to the interception and ran it to the one yard line before being tackled despite his diving effort. On the next play, Jensen found the endzone again this time on a quarterback keeper, putting the Bison up 17-6. The North Dakota State defense shutdown any more efforts the Bearkats had in them, including one more interception of Bell.

The state of North Dakota usually isn't in the national sports spotlight, but the North Dakota State players, coaches, and fans deserve it. The Bison are champions again. After the game, Coach Bohl stated that, "There was a real resolve and determinism, especially by our seniors. We had a couple of tough years here. Our guys wanted to make sure we returned Bison football to national prominence. It's not easy to do. I want to thank them because today we returned Bison football to national prominence."

In case you missed the game, highlights can be seen here: http://www.ncaa.com/video/football/2012-01-07/fcs-championship-shsu-ndsu

NFL Wild Card Preview & Predictions

Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) @ Houston Texans (10-6) - Saturday, 4:30 PM EST, NBC

Both of these teams got to this game in unexpected ways. The Houston Texans have been plagued by injuries all season, but managed to overcome it and earned their first playoff berth in franchise history. At quarterback, the Texans have been relying on third-string rookie T.J. Yates. Yates was injured last week, but the team says he will be ready to play. The Cincinnati Bengals went through an offensive makeover when they let wide receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens leave and traded away quarterback Carson Palmer. This meant that the Bengals too turned to a rookie quarterback, theirs being Andy Dalton. Dalton has done a good job and especially likes to get the ball to fellow rookie A.J. Green. Both teams' defenses are much improved and have helped to carry their teams at times this season. The trendy pick here is the Bengals, but I like the Texans to win. This is primarily because they have the two best players on the field in wide receiver Andre Johnson and running back Arian Foster. While Foster didn't quite live up to the monster year he put up last year, I think he'll be the difference in this one. Prediction: Texans 20 Bengals 16

Detroit Lions (10-6) @ New Orleans Saints (13-3) - Saturday, 8:00 PM EST, NBC

Just like the previous game, this is a rematch from the regular season, a game the Saints won by two touchdowns. The New Orleans Saints had another season of offensive dominance with Drew Brees wreaking havoc and setting records all over the field. Brees and company put together yet another excellent regular season. However, the Saints don't want a playoff repeat of last year, when they were upset by the Seattle Seahawks. On the other side of the ball, head coach Jim Schwartz has done a marvelous job transforming the Detroit Lions from a 0-16 team in 2008 to a ten-win playoff team in 2011. The main reasons include an improved defense and impressive offensive displays by quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Just like Brees, Stafford threw for over 5,000 passing yards. Johnson is a nightmare matchup for any secondary. The Lions are whining (something they excel at) that they are not getting the respect they deserve. They are probably right, but I think the Saints will dominate the Superdome once again. Prediction: Saints 41 Lions 27

Atlanta Falcons (10-6) @ New York Giants (9-7) - Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX

These teams are both thinking about history, but in opposite ways. The Atlanta Falcons have seen the last two seasons end in opening losses in the playoffs. On the other hand, the New York Giants are trying to draw comparisons to their Super Bowl winning run of 2007. Here's my problem with this: none of it matters. However, if the players let it matter and it gets in their heads, then it certainly could. There is no denying the mental edge in sports. The Atlanta Falcons put together a solid season, but were never capable of coming up with a big win over a top team. Quarterback Matt Ryan, running back Michael Turner, and wide receiver Roddy White still lead the way on offense, but the new threat is rookie wideout Julio Jones. Everyone, myself included, thought the Giants were going to have another meltdown and miss the playoffs, but in two must-win games the last two weeks, the Giants got it done. Quarterback Eli Manning and many of the mainstays are the same, but the Giants saw some of their youth step up big this season. On offense, Victor Cruz has become Manning's new favorite target. On defense, Jason Pierre-Paul had a breakout season that earned him a spot on the All-Pro team. Prediction: Giants 31 Falcons 17

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) @ Denver Broncos (8-8) - Sunday, 4:30 PM EST, CBS

Everyone is considered about the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive injury woes, with losing running back Rashard Mendenhall for the entire playoffs and quarterback Ben Roethisberger nursing a severe ankle sprain. However, being a Steelers fan myself, I would say that the team isn't giving it much thought. Head coach Mike Tomlin and his players are focused on how they are going to win this football game. The Denver Broncos and quarterback Tim Tebow are the favorite topic of discussion for the media. Everyone has an opinion, and they are convinced they're right. While I do have an opinion, I will avail you of listening to that. What I will tell you is the facts. The Broncos have backed into the playoffs on a three game losing streak. In those games, Tebow has played poorly. For them to have any chance, he is going to have to play well against what is a tough Steelers defense. While it probably won't be a pretty game, I think the Steelers will do enough to win and live to play another day. Prediction: Steelers 20 Broncos 3

Wrestling in Iowa Isn't Just Political

While there has been a lot of political wrestling going on because of the state's recent caucus, the sport of collegiate wrestling has had a foothold in the state of Iowa for a long time. The state's very first title was won by little Cornell College in 1947. Many of the state's schools today still have fine wrestling programs. In fact, the state of Iowa collectively has an opportunity to do something a state has never done in NCAA history before. That is having the number one ranked team in the Division I, Division II, and Division III polls in the same sport.

Call Iowa stubborn if you wish, but Iowans are proud of their wrestling. "Wrestling is part of the culture. In just about every small town in the state wrestling is the top program. A lot of the sport's icons come from Iowa," commented Cornell coach Mike Duroe. The legend of state lore is Dan Gable. Gable won two NCAA titles for Iowa State, an Olympic gold medal in 1972, and coached Iowa to 15 team championships. In regards to this, Wartburg head coach Jim Miller said, "I think the state of Iowa has always taken pride in college athletics. You can drive across the state and see school emblems on barns, see the schools they are supporting. It really blew up with Gable. He raised the awareness of the non-wrestling fans and made them acknowledge that we weren't just seeing the best in the country but the best in the world."

Let's begin are look at Iowan collegiate wrestling today with the small schools, Division III. But just because they are small does not mean, they don't take it seriously. In case you didn't know, NCAA Division III schools aren't allowed to give athletic scholarships, which means that all these guys are wrestling because of their love for the sport. Five Iowan schools are currently in the top 16 of the NWCA rankings, led by #1 Wartburg. This comes as no surprise as the Knights have won eight DIII titles since 1996, including three of the last four. The state's other ranked schools are #5 Coe, #6 Cornell, #11 Luther, and #16 Dubuque.

The only Division II school in Iowa is Upper Iowa. Since joining DII in 2005, the Peacocks have been flexing their muscle on the mat. They are currently #2 in the DII polls. Upper Iowa head coach Heath Grimm understands the importance of maintaining success no matter who you are competing against. Grimm stated that, "Coaches have a big responsibility to continue with that tradition."

Then, there are the big boys of Division I, University of Iowa, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones are currently on the outskirts of the rankings looking in. Everyone in DI though is looking up at the #1 Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes are 6-0 as a team so far and have been wrestling very well.

Now, let's look at what this means in retrospect to this weekend. DIII #1 Wartburg looks to hold its spot atop the rankings when they travel to Springfield, Illinois to North Central College to take on the hosts, Dubuque, and other schools. DII #2 Upper Iowa hopes to surpass #1 Newberry with a win at the National Duals. DI #1 University of Iowa plays host to #2 Oklahoma State on Saturday night. This means that if the Knights, Peacocks, and Hawkeyes all win this weekend, the next NWCA polls to be released will feature an Iowan school atop each of their respective divisions.