I got a fever and the only cure....More football!

Once the MLB All-Star game is in the rear view mirror I star getting "Football Fever". I'm not sure that's the technical term but for my purposes it works.

This year my fever is luke warm at best. I actually have reason to still be excited about the second half of the baseball season... The Reds are battling the for first place and ready for a pennant race with the Cardinals. For the first time in what feels like decades they are not heading into the second half of the season nursing a double digit deficit in the "Game Behind" category of the standings.

There are a lot of story lines on the horizon in our area, enough to keep even the hungriest sports fan content.

All four Heartland College football teams enter, what could be, program defining seasons. Albeit each for different reasons.

After a brief paragraph on each team I put my prediction for the team which was based upon hours of crunching numbers and exhaustive research. If you believe that call me and I'll sell you a "get rich quick" program for only $19.95. Hurry operators are standing by! Call in the next ten minutes and I'll double your order.

SEMO - Final year of Coach Samuels current contract. How many wins will he need to be brought back. Has the SEMO brass already decided Samuels fate? Will he be judged only on the win - loss record?
Your guess is as good as mine...If I had to venture a guess I would lean toward a new coach for next season (unless the Redhawks make a serious run at a OVC Championship). With a new Athletics Director running the show I would think he wants his "own" guy....Not a guy he inherited.

My prediction for the Redhawks: 4-7

UT Martin - Head Coach Jason Simpson is entering his fifth season and looking to put the Skyhawks back in the post season for the first time since 2006. Under Simpson UT Martin is 20-11 in the OVC. He has four years remaining on his current contract.

My prediction for the Skyhawks: 6-5

Murray State - The Chris Hatcher era is underway. The Racers have not enjoyed a winning season since Joe Pannunzio coached the team to a 7-4 record . Coach Hatcher has a big job to tackle but looking at the numbers you have to be excited (for the future)...Hatcher is 84-27 in ten years as a head coach.

My prediction for the Racers: 1-10

Southern Illinois - Of the three Heartland teams the 2010 Salukis are the odds on favorites to have the better season...A season which could end with a FCS National Championship.
Since taking over for Jerry Kill following the 2007 season Dale Lennon has kept the program in the elite category. Lennon's Salukis have posted a 20-5 record with back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Titles. There is no reason to believe a hat trick in 2010 is out of the question and to top it off SIU has a new football stadium.

My prediction for the Salukis: 10-1 (Don't be surprised if the Salukis knock off Illinois September 11th in Champaign)