How do you plan to spend your retirement years? Weekend notes.

According to babyboomers.com, making your golden years golden starts with 1) a will, 2) a health proxy, 3) medical records,  4) making your home safe and 5) having a financial plan. It doesn’t mention anything about recruiting players, motivating young men or spending Saturdays on the sidelines in front of thousands of people. Maybe it should, because so far this season, the three oldest coaches in college football are all undefeated.

South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, the baby of this group at 67, and Frank Solich, 68, of Ohio University, were the first two coaches to have their teams bowl eligible this season. Kansas State’s Bill Snyder, the oldest active coach in college football at 73, has the Kansas State Wildcats sitting at a surprising 5-0, with a No. 5 ranking in the Coaches Poll.   Something tells me that these three, with a combined 17-0 record this season, are really enjoying their golden years.

Things worth repeating

Bulldogs aim for bowl eligibility and more

Sometimes, early season games between big teams and teams from non-AQ conferences seem to lack intensity and emotion. This Saturday’s game between Texas A&M and Louisiana Tech in Shreveport, La., will have plenty of both and, most likely, plenty of scoring. Emotions will be riding high for this neutral site game, because for the first time in 91 (dog) years, the Bulldogs are nationally ranked. With the nation’s third highest scoring offense, and the nation’s longest regular season win streak, this is a huge game for Louisiana Tech. With a win, the Bulldogs will be off to a 6-0 start for the first time in school history and should appear on the BCS bowl radar. They’ll face a Texas A&M squad that also has a prolific offense, but has only allowed 14.8 points per game compared to Louisiana Tech defense’s 35.8. The Aggies have won four in a row since a loss to Florida in the season opener and really seem to be coming together under new coach Kevin Sumlin.

Bulldogs aim for bowl eligibility and more

For the first time in 13 years, Mississippi State could start its season 6-0. Attempting to block their path will be the University of Tennessee Volunteers who have beaten Mississippi State seven times in a row and haven’t lost to the Bulldogs since 1994. The Vols have one of the nation’s best passing games and will need a big day from quarterback Tyler Bray against a defense that is only allowing 13.4 points per game. Tennessee has lost 13 games in a row to nationally ranked opponents and will be looking to end that streak.

Bulldogs aim for bowl eligibility and more

Georgia has the week off, following a tough loss at South Carolina.  Next week, the Bulldogs travel to Kentucky to face the Wildcats, becoming bowl eligible with a victory, and hoping to get their season back on track.  We expect we’ll write about this again next week.

Returning to the Rankings

Last week, we noticed that it was possible that the Big 10 could not have any teams ranked in the Top-25 at the end of Saturday’s action. (We didn’t see this mentioned or reported anywhere else until Tuesday.) We didn’t think it would actually happen, but it did, for the first time. If you don’t like the Big 10, enjoy it while you can, because we think the Big 10 will be back, at least back into the Coaches Poll. Michigan hosts Illinois this weekend, and with a victory in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines may climb back into the Coaches Poll. Other candidates to get back include Northwestern, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

A few other weekend notes

The Red River Shootout.  For years, Texas and Oklahoma played at the Cotton Bowl during the Texas State Fair in a game known as the Red River Shootout.  While it’s now known as the Red River Rivalry, it retains its bowl game atmosphere, with the crowd split between both teams, and a host of other events and distractions.   What hasn’t changed is the importance beyond Texas and Oklahoma.  This year, the winner remains in strong contention for the Big XII Conference title, while the loser falls two games behind and likely out of consideration for the BCS.

Wisconsin at Purdue.  The two teams sitting atop the Big 10 Leaders Division, Ohio State and Penn State, are ineligible for post-season play this year, which basically leaves Wisconsin and Purdue as the two candidates to represent the division in the Big 10 Championship Game.   While it’s too early to call this a battle for the division crown, the winner of this game will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and be in firm control of the division race and a trip to Indianapolis.

Oregon State at BYU.  The Beavers have been one of the biggest surprises this season, currently sitting at 4-0, with a No. 10 ranking earned by defeating three ranked opponents.  On the other hand, BYU is reeling.  Once named as a potential BCS team, the Cougars have dropped two games by a total of four points, and travel to No. 7 Notre Dame next weekend.   Both teams will be missing their starting quarterbacks, and history is against a young quarterback making his first start on the road.  Will the Beavers continue to exceed expectations and  be able to escape from the Cougars Den with a win?

Northwestern at Minnesota.   These two teams have been fast out of the gate this season, with a combined 9-2 record.  The Wildcats will again attempt to become the first Big 10 team to be bowl-eligible this season.   They’ll face an improving Minnesota squad that will likely be the underdog in five of their last six games.  A win here would be huge for the Golden Gophers and head coach Jerry Kill.