And so I return to a dynasty that I really loved when I played it first. I noticed that I've been going through dynasties left and right recently with the possible exception of my Penn dynasty. By contrast, the early dynsaties lasted into 2006, 2007, and even 2008. I'm thinking that if the Princeton dynasty doesn't last very long, even with the hyper-tweaked rosters of every team to match what I want, then I might need to take a good long break from this game. It's fun to play my dynasties, but if I'm not enjoying it like I once was, then it's time to take a good long break. Or possibly get a newer game and play as someone like the Presbyterian Blue Hose and make a bunch of firehose jokes and possibly even some evelope-pushers that almost need to be moved to The Edge, ALMOST. But for now, I'm going to try to enjoy my Princeton dynasty as long as I can. If I get them to at least 2007 without an urge to make a new dynasty, then I may continue this series.

== YEARLY RESULTS ==

2003: 12-1, #3 AP Poll, #3 Coaches Poll, W Rose Bowl 116-24 vs Washington
2004: 11-2, #10 AP Poll, #10 Coaches Poll, L National Championship Game 32-35 vs Penn State
2005: 12-1, #1 AP Poll, #1 Coaches Poll, W National Championship Game 84-0 vs TCU
2006: 13-0, #1 AP Poll, #1 Coaches Poll, W National Championshp Game 105-0 vs Virginia Tech
2007:

__________________
Click on the beautiful Altoona skyline to go to my website about central Pennsylvania.

8/23/03: Dartmouth (I-AA)___________________________W 91-0
8/30/03: @ #5 Kansas State ________________________ W 73-0
9/6/03: @ #25 Penn State___________________________L 10-79
9/13/03: #2 Oklahoma______________________________ W 74-17
9/20/03: #10 Michigan _____________________________ W 35-13
9/27/03: #4 Texas_________________________________ W 77-6
10/4/03: @ Nebraska_______________________________ W 63-0
10/11/03: #3 Miami_________________________________W 80-7
10/25/03: @ #18 Virginia ___________________________ W 73-10
11/1/03: #17 Tennessee____________________________ W 56-10
11/15/03: @ Utah State_____________________________W 84-0
11/22/03: #13 Florida State__________________________W 77-0
1/1/04: vs #5 Washington - Rose Bowl_________________W 116-24

From this, I predict a great year for Princeton, no more than two losses for the Tigers. Despite their struggles in I-AA football, these Ivy Leaguers should not only survive, but thrive in I-A football. I predict an 11-1 season, or possibly 12-0 if they can find a way to get past Penn State. The second most daunting game on their schedule looks to be the game against Michigan, this coach usually only struggles with Big 10 teams and some Big East teams like Boston College and Syracuse as well as Notre Dame. But he completely owns Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas State. Also, this schedule has a new feature, absent from previous schedules. I'll post some updates as the season wears on.

Updates:

8/23/03: Princeton breaks with tradition, foregoing the standard 84-0 initial win for this coach and winning 91-0 instead.
8/30/03: Princeton beats a top five team, meanwhile Penn State one-ups Princeton's 91-0 win with a 105-0 win of their own
9/6/03: Joe Paterno continues domination of Princeton's coach, despite PSU surrendering first touchdown of the year to Princeton
9/13/03: Princeton has scored 70+ on top teams twice so far, meanwhile, so has Penn State who scored 72 on Nebraska
9/20/03: Princeton beats #13 Michigan 35-13 to get ranked, #15 Penn State beats Kent State 112-0, #11 Miami loses to Boston College
9/27/03: Princeton accidentally runs up the score, coach suspends culprit backup tailback, Penn State beats Minnesota 126-0
10/4/03: Princeton beats Nebraska 63-0, Penn State beats Wisconsin 69-3, Miami survives and will climb in the rankings next week
10/11/03: Princeton beats Miami 80-7, Penn State beats Purdue 54-3, Northwestern is the only other unbeaten Big Ten team now
11/18/03: #4 Virginia beats Florida State 33-10 to set up big game with #6 Princeton. LSU, Auburn, ND, and PSU also are unbeaten.
10/25/03: Princeton beats Virginia 73-10 in game where suspended player sneaks back in, Penn State routs Iowa 60-7 today.
11/1/03: Princeton pulls away to beat Tennessee 56-10, PSU beats OSU 66-0. Northwestern remains unbeaten, LSU remains #1.
11/8/03: Unbeaten Northwestern and Penn State clash for Big Ten crown, Penn State wins 80-3. Notre Dame also remains unbeaten.
11/15/03: Penn State beats Indiana 116-0, Princeton beats Utah State 84-0, #1 LSU loses 17-24 to Alabama, Iowa State beats Colorado.
11/22/03: Princeton finishes 11-1. Penn State and Notre Dame will play for national title. Penn State beats Michigan State 52-9.
12/6/03: GREEN LANTERN WINS THE HEISMAN! Also, Penn State and Notre Dame will play for the MNC. Princeton plays Washington.
1/1/04: Penn State beats Notre Dame 20-6 to win third national title for Joe Paterno, Princeton beats Washington 116-24 in Rose Bowl.

I think by now, we all know how these games against I-AA cupcakes work. He'll build a 56-0 halftime lead then let off the gas so the backups can get game experience. Dartmouth is a pretty easy team to beat up on, so this one could get even more out of hand than many other games against I-AA teams do. But Princeton is a team that doesn't have a good offense or defense and an okay special teams unit.

Prediction

Princeton: 77
Dartmouth: 0

How do you know that your team played a dominant game? How about when your opponent's sacks given up is greater than their total passing yards? Or how about when your only complaint is that your players can't put on the brakes enough to keep the score as respectable as possible? With the backups playing the final 31 minutes of today's game, there was really no way to keep the score respectable, it was 56-0 at halftime and could have been 63-0 if not for the fact that they did put on the brakes at the 1 yard line. This could have been a 105-0 beating, actually. But late in the game, first the backup halfback couldn't stop in time to fall so that the third stringer could be subbed in, and then the third string tailback moved downfield so fast that they couldn't not score that final touchdown to make it 91-0. Perhaps the headline should be "Princeton breaks with tradition with extra touchdown late in the game". All kidding aside, this was a great game by Princeton. The Tigers led 40-0 in first downs, 945-(-122) in total yards, 418-19 in passing yards, and 527-(-141) in rushng yards, putting Dartmouth into the statistical category of I-AA teams that this coach held below 20 passing yards, below -100 rushing yards, and below -100 total yards as well as no third down conversions and no first downs. And don't forget to add into the forced 20 or more sacks category, as Princeton forced 20 sacks and gave up none. Princeton was 4-4 on third down while Dartmouth was 0-13 on third down. And for today's penalties, Dartmouth had all 3 for 17 yards in what was a very clean game despite its official rivalry status, but as soon as this coach takes over a school, it becomes a rivalry in name only. But then again, these are Ivy League schools so you're not going to see the kind of hatred you see with other schools, like in the Ohio State-Penn State rivalry. But it looks like Princeton is actually a really good team.

Stat of the game: 91 - Usually this coach scores 84 points in his first game at a new school, but broke with tradition due to an accidental score by his backup halfback that was meant for his third stringer, and he was willing to break with tradition to give him his time in the sun.

It was over when: Princeton moved up to I-AA and hired this coach. No team from I-AA has ever been competitive with this coach's teams, even Montana State beat Montana 77-14 and Delaware State beat Morgan State 62-7. But this coach likes these games because they maintain a link to their football past, so he doesn't mind playing I-AA teams that used to be rivals, despite the lopsided scores that result.

Box Score

__________|1Q__2Q__3Q_4Q_|
PRINCETON_|28_|28_|21_|14_|
DARTMOUTH|_0_|_0_|_0_|_0_|

Time to see if Princeton can continue this coach's domination of Kansas State and if Kansas State can live up to the hype of their #5 ranking.

Prediction

Tigers: 56
Wildcats: 17

This wasn't a football game, this was a glorified scrimmage match against the junior varsity squad. Last week's game, by contrast, was a glorified scrimmage match against the local junior high football squad. Kansas State played not much better than Dartmouth did. The trash talk leading up to the game was mostly Kansas State saying that they'd do better than Dartmouth, well they DID pass for 20 yards instead of 19. And because of the dirty play, Princeton added a rub it in field goal at the end. "That has to be the dirtiest game I'd ever seen" the Princeton coach said, "It's not that these guys kept making silly mistakes, most of their penalties were personal fouls". Well, Princeton did lead 25-1 in first downs, so perhaps KSU was frustrated that they couldn't live up to their lofty ranking. Princeton didn't roll up nearly 1000 yards, but they did hold an edge of 635-(-36) in total yards, 233-20 in passing yards (KSU only completed one pass, even less than Dartmouth completed, one for 12 and one for 7), putting both Princeton opponents at less than 40 yards of total passing yardage, and they held a commanding edge of 402-(-56) on the ground. They forced a dozen sacks but gave up none, but much of KSU's poor rushing yardage was due to the fact that they kept calling basic running plays and rarely gaining more than a half a yard, usually losing a few yards. KSU was 1-16 on third down, with that 20 yard pass giving them their only glimmer of hope early, while Princeton was 9-11 on third down and 1-1 on fourth down. Princeton had no penalties today while Kansas State had 12 penalties for 82 yards, many of them facemasks and illegal blocks on kick returns. One of those facemask tackles led to an injury, Princeton's fullback may be out for the season, but we'll know more when we find out the true nature of this injury. The final field goal would not have been kicked, according to the coach, had Kansas State played a cleaner game, and the TD before may have not been scored. But even without the extra payback points, it was a one-sided romp.

Stat of the game: 1 - One pass, one first down, one third down conversion. That's all Kansas State could muster against Princeton's mighty defense. And whose bright idea was it to rank these guys as #5 coming into the year? Looks like that trash talk was just a bunch of hot air.

It was over when: Kansas State's players started talking trash. You just don't talk trash against a team coached by a coach that practically OWNS you. None of this coach's teams have ever lost to Kansas State. Even Delaware State beat them 42-31, so this was no surprise.

Box Score

__________ |1Q__2Q__3Q_4Q_|
PRINCETON_ |14_|21_|28_|10_|
#5 KSU_____|_0_|_0_|_0_|_0_|

Wooo boy, this one could get ugly. Princeton may have a good coach, but JoePa has this coach's number for the most part, and I don't see that changing here. Prinecton is a good team, but I don't see them winning this game, but they may make a little bit of a stand. Just a little.

Prediction

Penn State: 55
Princeton: 13

In a game that's been nicknamed the "Crescent Moon Game" because of the moon in the sky and the way the flow of the game seemed to go (fast to slow to fast), Penn State followed up a 105-0 blasting of cupcake Temple with a 79-10 beating of a very good Princeton team. Like I predicted, Princeton would put up a fight, and they tried to keep the score reasonable for as long as they could, and succeeded until the fourth quarter, which is when things just flat out fell apart. Statswise, Penn State led 19-15 in first downs, 438-244 in total yards, 217-133 in passing yards, 221-111 in rushing yards, and forced four sacks of Princeton's QBs, the first sacks Princeton gave up all year, while Princeton forced two sacks on Penn State's QBs, the first sacks given up by Penn State all year as well (although one was initially counted as a tackle for loss). Penn State was 9-15 on third down while Princeton was a sad 2-15 on third down. The biggest stat of the game? Princeton turned the ball over a shocking eight times today, five of those led to Penn State touchdowns. In what was a very clean game, both teams combined for two penalties for 12 yards. But it's worth noting a quarter of Princeton's yards came on their touchdown drive.

Princeton actually drew first blood in tonight's blasting by driving down to the 29 yard line after returning the kick to midfield and booting a 46 yard field goal to go up 3-0, but Penn State quickly made it 7-3 after returning the kickoff for a touchdown, and then after forcing a quick three and out, made it 14-3. Princeton drove downfield and made it to the 4 yard line but threw an interception in the end zone, and Penn State took advantage of the interception and drove downfield and made it 21-3 early in the second quarter. Penn State then added a touchdown to make it 28-3 from a pick six. The rest of the half was mostly a punt fest between the two teams, and Brad Nessler said that if Princeton wants to win this, they need to do more than shut down Penn State, they need to score. Penn State made it 31-3 after a long field goal. In a largely uneventul first half of the third quarter, Princeton drove downfield and scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 31-10 and Penn State was held to three and out. Princeton returned the punt to the 15 yard line and Kirk Herbstriet said once they made it to the 4 yard line "It looks like we might be looking at a genuine comeback happening here" until the Princeton halfback fumbled at the goal line and the fumble was returned 100 yards to give Penn State a touchdown that made it 38-10. Late in the third quarter, Penn State made it 45-10 and Lee Corso said "Goodnight! This game is OVER, baby" and Kirk Herbstriet said "It really was over when Princeton couldn't make it 31-17 but instead found themselves down 38-10". But the fourth quarter is when things began to unravel. A punt return touchdown as the first play of the fourth quarter and a fumbled kickoff return for touchdown made it 59-10 just one minute into the quarter. A pick six made it 65-10, only because of the blocked extra point. Penn State's backups added two touchdowns against Princeton's backups as the Crescent Moon Game came to a close and Penn State made a case for a Top-10 ranking and Princeton hopes to recover from this game next week.

Stat of the game: 16-3 - No, that's not a football score, that's JoePa's record against this coach during his first year with his new team when playing Penn State in Beaver Stadium counting tonight. This coach has most teams' numbers, but Penn State has this coach's number.

It was over when: With the score 31-10, Princeton's running back fumbled the ball at the goal line, blowing a chance at a comeback and blowing whatever momentum Princeton had going for themselves and in the process, giving Penn State a 38-10 lead, since that fumble was ran back 100 yards for a touchdown. After that, Princeton's intensity and fire had completely vanished and Penn State cruised to an even uglier blowout win. And so, a relatively good game with Penn State winning comfortably turned into a deceptive 69 point win over Princeton.

Box Score

__________ |1Q__2Q__3Q_4Q_|
PRINCETON_ |_3_|_0_|_7_|_0_|
#24 PSU____|14_|17_|14_|34_|

The Sooners have just suffered an embarrassing loss against Alabama last week that dropped them from #2 to #8. Princeton looks to take advantage of Oklahoma's woes while also hoping to overcome some of their own shortcomings exposed by mighty Penn State last week.

Prediction

Princeton: 48
Oklahoma: 28

They racked up yards by air, by land, and if there was a way, they would have done so by sea, too. When you pile up 650 yards of offense on a top-10 team, you know your offense is good. When you hold them to less than 100 yards, you know your defense is good. When your field position is specatacular, you know your special teams are good. Let's just admit it already, Princeton is a good team. Yeah, they got blasted by Penn State, but who wouldn't? At least they put up a fight for three quarters, unlike Temple and Nebraska who were squashed like bugs from the opening kickoff. And just like Penn State dominated Princeton, Princeton dominated Oklahoma. Princeton led 29-5 in first downs, 653-85 in total offense, 315-146 in passing yards, and most impressively, 338-(-61) on the ground. Oklahoma gave up seven sacks, but couldn't do much to disrupt Princeton's passing game, forcing no sacks. Princeton was a respectable 16-24 on third down while Oklahoma was a less impressive 3-13 on third down. Both teams punted, but all of Princeton's punts were in the first half, when the game was still in doubt. Princeton generally looked like the much better team today, despite suffering from a Penn State blowout loss hangover.

Scoring one more point than they did against Kansas State, but giving up 17 points (all in the first half), the Tigers were in danger early but put the game to bed early in the third quarter. But the way it started out, people thought that the general prediction of an Oklahoma rout was going to come true. The Sooners, on the first play from scrimmage, completed a beauty of a pass that went for 76 yards and a touchdown to make it a quick 7-0 Sooners lead. But the Princeton Tigers tied the game right up with a touchdown pass of their own, a 55 yard strike to their halfback. The game seemed to change after the Gameday crew mocked the Princeton defense with Brad Nessler saying "And now it's the OFFENSE that makes their way back out onto the field", and Lee Corso said "Yeah, and you know who's trembling? That Princeton secondary" and Kirk Herbstriet said "That defensive secodnary should be trembling after all those yards they gave up last time. The Sooners just made short work of them". More like trembling WITH RAGE! Because the very next play was a quarterback sack, and that same secondary that Lee and Kirk made fun of early on ended up picking off that quarterback on one out of every four Sooners drives henceforth. I think if anyone was shaking with fear, it was that quarterback. But even though the defense made their adjustments, the offense had yet to make theirs. It remained a deadlocked tie until Princeton's kicker booted a field goal to make it a 10-7 game. The halfback would expand the lead to 17-7 early in the second quarter and then 24-7 on the following drive. And on the next drive, Brad Nessler said right after an interception "These guys just keep digging themselves a hole deeper and deeper and if they keep it up, there's no way they'll get out". Kirk Herbstriet then said "They'll have to stage some kind of second half comeback". Lee Corso said "Second half comeback? Forget it. This coach is a second half coach, if you're behind in the first half, watch out sweetheart, it's going to get UG-LEE! Your best bet is to pounce on them like Penn State and Notre Dame like to do, even though Penn State doesn't always win, I can only remember three games that they didn't hold a halftime lead over this coach". As they continued chattering on, with Brad Nessler talking about he likes to have his suits dry cleaned downtown everytime they come here, Princeton booted a field goal. After a three and out from Oklahoma, Kirk then said "Looks like it's about to be 34-7". But then Princeton went three and out, and as they were punting, Lee Corso said "Not so fast my friend, Oklahoma still has some fight left. Woah, do they ever. He's going to take it!" Brad then cut in saying "Touchdown Oklahoma! It's not over yet!". It was now 27-14, and Oklahoma wasn't done. They would tack on a field goal before halftime. During the halftime show, they discussed that Princeton had looked great but Oklahoma had built some momentum. Well, that momentum would fade away in the second half as Princeton added a quick touchdown and would end up with a 55-17 lead after three, and the backups would add the game's final points to make it a 74-17 game. A stunned Bob Stoops said "I don't think I've ever lost like this. In the first half we seemed to have a chance, but they just clobbered us in the second half. This team should be considered for the national championship or at least a BCS bowl". Or maybe Oklahoma just isn't that good. We will find out soon enough. But at this point, I'm thinking Princeton is a Top-10 team.

Stat of the game: 4 - For four consecutive games, Princeton's HB rushed for over 100 yards, including 107 against Penn State. Heisman?

It was over when: The third quarter began. Princeton's 28 point third quarter had turned a 27-17 shootout into a 55-17 blowout in the blink of an eye. With the scrubs in, all they had to do was coast to victory in the fourth quarter, but the touchdowns still just kept on a-coming.

Box Score

__________|1Q__2Q__3Q_4Q_|
PRINCETON_|10_|17_|28_|19_|
#8 OU ____ |_7_|10_|_0_|_0_|