Now that all the teams have ironed out the kinks in their program, I expect this week’s action to be some solid football.
Game 1 – Luther vs. Oregon State
Luther College is a liberal arts school located in the northeast corner of Iowa. It was founded in the 19th century by Norwegians, because Scandinavian immigrants were the only people crazy enough to set up shop in extremely cold places. I’m going to spend a little extra space on Luther because …
Luther has four internationally touring ensembles! The Nordic Choir, Concert Band, Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Orchestra. I mean really, why stop at three. Their annual Christmas concert – “Christmas at Luther” – is broadcast nationwide each year. Folks, these guys tour major music halls around the world. I’m kind of astounded right now.
Oh, and they have a football team, the Norse, whose games are absolutely never nationally televised.
Game 2 – UCLA vs. Wooster
The College of Wooster is a school of about 2,000 students located in Wooster, Ohio. So, I’ll give you one guess as to who beat Ohio State in the Buckeyes’ first ever home football game in 1890. The Wooster Fighting Scots! The president was so impressed that he promptly banned sports at the school.
Wooster has a renowned Independent Study program, for which one must complete a senior thesis. When a senior hands in his thesis, they’re given a yellow button saying “I did it!” and — I’m not making this up – a tootsie roll. It’s a tradition there. I.S. Monday, the last day you can hand in your thesis, is a day of proud celebration for seniors, who will eat the greatest tootsie roll of their entire lives.
Game 3 – Bowie State vs. San Diego State
Bowie State University, located in Bowie, Maryland, is one of the oldest historically black universities in America. The school is home to the Symphony of Soul, which is their marching band, concert band, and pep band, all rolled into one dynamic music ensemble.
They have a nationally recognized cybersecurity program, which means you probably can’t put enough alphanumeric characters in your password to outsmart them.
Game 4 – Southern Methodist vs. Middlebury
Middlebury College is a liberal arts school located in Vermont, which means the campus is probably stone cold beautiful. The school has an alpine skiing team and owns a ski mountain called the Snow Bowl, and really, what school doesn’t own a ski mountain these days.
Every year, they host the Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers’ Conferences, which is one of the most prestigious writers’ conferences in the country. And with a name like that, how could it not be.
That was a long write-up for Week 4, but man, these schools just had a lot to say. So, let the games begin!
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