It's never too early to think about football

SMS has released its 2005 football schedule and all I have to say is...OUCH!

The Bears open the year at Arkansas Sept. 3. No big deal, just cut the check and get back to Springfield in one piece. Next weekend is Quincy, the D-II patsy du jour. Then comes a visit from SEMO, who went 3-8 last year, winning two of those games (Samford and Tennesse Tech) by a combined six points. So we're looking at a 2-1 start.

Then it gets nasty, starting with a trip to Sam Houston State. The Bearkats - who dropped a thriller at Plaster last year - are coming off their best season in 89 years of college football: 11 wins and a trip to the I-AA semifinals, one game shy of a trip to the 'Nooga.

The Gateway slate is harrowing, with just three home games: Northern Iowa (Oct. 8), Indiana State (Oct. 29) and Illinois State (Nov. 5). The Bears open league play Oct. 1 at defending champ SIU and later have back-to-back trips to Western Kentucky and Youngstown State (Oct. 15 & 22). The regular season finale is Nov. 12 at Western Illinois.

SMS might easily be 2-2 heading into league play. If you win 'em all at home and lose 'em all on the road, it's another 5-6 finish. Coach Ball and the Bears have got to find a way to steal a couple on the road.

It was a big weekend down in Point Lookout. College of the Ozarks swept both Midlands Conference championships - not that anyone in the Springfield media noticed. The women routed College of St. Mary 72-55 for their fourth straight title - and something like 10 of the last 13. That's called domination. The Bobcats won at traditional power Bellevue for the second time this season, 71-69, to finally earn the trip to Nationals.

So much more to get to...another time.