Not sure if I want to step on Pat and Gordon’s Sunday tradition of “immediate thoughts on Week 1” so the door is open for a separate blog tomorrow if this doesn’t cover the bases.

I was supposed to go to Salisbury at Washington & Jefferson today, before a confluence of events finally got me to admit at 4 a.m. last night that there was a 50% chance I wouldn’t/shouldn’t go.

I still wanted to see the game, a both teams. Perhaps I should have. Because although my first idea for ATN this week died right there on the field (how having 5 O-Lineman back precipitates early success), a new one seems to have been born.

The mid-Atlantic shakeup. It’s only 4:38, and already No. 15 W&J has gone down by double digits and two 2005 conference champions from the mid-Atlantic have taken losses (Ferrum, 49-35 at Guilford and Johns Hopkins, 20-10 at home vs. Rochester).

Salisbury, meanwhile, is a mid-Atlantic 2004 playoff team perhaps on track towards getting back, unlike Shenandoah, who did not impress in a 17-6 loss to Catholic on Thursday.

As for selfish pats on the back, I believe I used the word “smoked” in conjunction with Mount Union-Averett in ATN this week (64-7 final), but I, uh, also, may have, uh, indicated that possibly Waynesburg could hang with No. 8 Wesley. (41-14 final).

You win some, you lose some???

Open for other thoughts …

So we’re finally ready to kick off the Division III season!

What’s that? There were games already tonight? Three of them? Really?

Hm.

Well, here are my two-cents (plink, plink) on this week’s action any way.

Wish you were here: If I could be at any Division III game this week, it would be UW-Stevens Point versus No. 11 Hardin-Simmons.

Lots of interesting story lines here. It’s a measure of the West (Stevens Point) and South (HSU) Regions strength, as Keith McMillan points out. It’s the return of Cowboys QB Jordan Neal who missed most of last season for Hardin-Simmons.

Plus it’s a chance for Stevens Point to show 2006 will be better than 2005. On the third play from scrimmage last year HSU running back Quinton Jones ripped through the Pointers’ defense for a 61-yard touchdown. The Cowboys rolled to a 38-12 win and Stevens Point was headed toward a 1-4 start. This Saturday is a second chance for the Pointers to make a first impression.

Don’t sleep on this one: Wilmington finished ninth in the OAC last season. Mt. St. Joseph won the HCAC and its automatic bid to the playoffs. But Wilmington played the Lions tough last year, holding them to -21 yards rushing in a 21-17 loss. The Quakers could score a win in this Cincinnati area skirmish.

Looking ahead: No. 25 Thiel plays Geneva College. The Golden Tornados are slated to join Division III and the President’s Athletic Conference (PAC) in 2007. And, with this mascot, I’m already looking forward to it.

Open House: Minnesota-Morris opens Big Cat Stadium against Lawrence. Looking at the photos, the place looks pretty nice. Plus the Cougars already have a 14 point lead according to that one picture!

As we detailed this summer, lots of other schools will also get to show off their improvements over the next couple weeks.

Just throwing it out there: With Saturday’s game against UW-Eau Claire, St. John’s Head Coach John Gagliardi enter his 58th season and set a new record for most seasons as a college football head coach. He’s currently tied with Amos Alonzo Stagg, namesake for Division III’s championship game.

Speaking of which, would there be any interest in renaming the title game once Gagliardi retires? How about the Gagliardi-Stagg Bowl? Someone else may’ve suggested this before and I thought it merits consideration.

Most likely Top 25 team to lose: Could be No. 25 Thiel since Geneva hosts and is a solid program. Huntingdon might be a trendy pick, but winning at No. 24 Ithaca is a tall task. Yes, Huntingdon was one quarter away from beating SCAC-power Trinity (Texas) last season. They also lost to 3-7 Maryville (Tenn.).

Super ridiculous pick of the week: I do this every week and have never been right. But optimism abounds in Week 1. In fact, I’m feeling so good that I’m picking not just an upset, but predicting the score.

So let’s go with St. Thomas in a last minute victory over No. 18 Central. The Tommies narrowly missed beating Coe who beat Central last year. And everyone knows comparative scores are always accurate!

St. Thomas 21 No. 18 Central 17

And finally…

Brought to you by Mapquest: NAIA’s Valley City State, hosting St. Olaf.

D3football.com is at two of tonight’s three games kicking off the Division III football season. This is Keith McMillan, here at Shenandoah’s Shentel Stadium, and Ryan Coleman is apparently in the house at Hamline’s game.

Clear weather here, although the remants of Ernesto are supposedly coming up the coast. A couple of big questions will begin to get answered tonight. Will Catholic be better off with another new head coach, one that went 0-8 in one season at Becker? Was Shenandoah’s 1-9 record after a playoff season merely an anomaly? Are either of these teams primed to make any noise this season? Sometimes the first game is a sloppy one and hardly an indicator, but if either team looks good tonight, I’ll let you know.

Not yet ready for the wireless revolution here at Shentel, which is funny because this stadium is about as state-of-the-art as they come in Division III, so I’m on the same computer (I think) that is running the game stats. That said, it might be the end of the quarter or even halftime before I check in again.

There are audio links to the game, Around the Nation is up and we are ready to go for another season of Division III football. (Pause for anthem) … Let’s get it on!