EAGLES, VANDALS, COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Is Saturday's game in Bozeman a must-win for Eastern?

Dave Trimmer, on his blog, says no. As he says, "I don't think the Eagles have to win to salvage the season, though that might be hard to believe. I do think the Eagles have to compete. Remember, the Bobcats aren't chopped liver and they are also wounded and desperate. It's unlikely the BSC champ goes undefeated."

Surprisingly, Eastern's loss to Central means the same as if it had won - in the eyes of the NCAA Division 1-AA playoff selection committee, as Trimmer's Big Sky notebook in today's paper explains.

Still, Eastern is making some changes, as Trimmer's blog entry details.

The Big Sky was also the focus of John Blanchette's column today.

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A lot of talk out of Corvallis has to do with Dennis Erickson's return – not only Saturday but maybe down the road on a more permanent (if you can ever use that word about coaches) basis as well. Jim Meehan looks at that and more on his blog.

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A couple of stories from USA Today on the Oklahoma/Oregon controversy. The first concerns the possibility of getting rid of conference-affiliated referee pools, and going to a more regional format. The second features the ACC's head of officials telling college football fans to lighten up.

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