5 Gloom-and-Doom & 5 Happy Thoughts about G6 football from Week 3

1. The Big Ten has been shopping for early-season opponents from the Mid-American Conference for years, and on Saturday, they feasted. Kent State, Buffalo, Akron and Eastern Michigan lost to Big Ten teams by a combined score of 209-33.

2. Western Kentucky fell 38-0 to defending national champion Indiana — and while the Hilltoppers looked slightly more respectable in Week 3, they're now 0-3 with combined losses of 157-34. The closest they've come to victory was a 49-14 season-opening loss to Nevada.

3. Miami-Ohio had an opportunity to score one of the more rewarding G6 upsets of the year against in-state rival Cincinnati, but it wasn't to be. The Redhawks led most of the way before allowing a Bearcats touchdown with 1:29 to play. Miami then drove to the Cincinnati 33-yard line before fumbling away their final chance with 0:43 remaining.

4. Anyone who has celebrated a win over Louisiana-Monroe this year might want to tap the brakes. The Warhawks (0-3) dropped a home game Saturday to Southeastern Louisiana — the eighth-place team in the FCS Southland Conference.

5. Remember the glory days of Southern Miss football? I'm not being sarcastic; I genuinely remember when they roamed the country beating Alabama, Auburn and Florida State with a human rocket launcher named Brett Favre at quarterback. I won't say those days are over; USM still shows distinct glimmers of hope. But those glimmers seem awfully dim during moments like their 48-20 loss to UConn on Saturday. The Golden Eagles are now 1-2 on the season.

Five Happy Thoughts from Week 3 of G6 football

1. I have to admit I was almost rooting for James Madison to get a little comeuppance Saturday night against San Diego State after watching the Dukes slap 87 points on poor Wagner the week before. But that wasn't in the cards, as James Madison (a 2.5-point underdog) took a 19-0 lead over the Aztecs at the half and cruised to a 26-13 win. To go across the country and beat a team that's favored to knock you off — that's bigtime stuff. JMU's reputation as the new Boise State seems more intact than ever.

2. While James Madison may be the next Boise State, North Dakota State is looking like the next James Madison. In its first year at the FBS level, NDSU improved to 4-0 Saturday with a 31-10 win over Sacramento State. The Bison get Wyoming at home after a bye week as they continue one of the better stories of the college football season.

3. Troy should push hard to work out a regular home-and-home series with Missouri. After scoring one of the biggest wins in school history against Missouri back in 2004, the Trojans went to Columbia on Saturday and stayed within one score most of the night before dropping a respectable 27-17 decision. Troy is 1-4 all-time in the series. But once in a while, the Tigers sure seem to bring out the best in them.

4. UTSA was among a handful of teams that gave solid accounts of themselves against the Power Four Saturday. The Roadrunners trailed just 20-3 at halftime against the top-ranked Texas Longhorns, who seemed to be a little hungover after last week's win against Ohio State. Final score: Texas 30, UTSA 6.

5. New Mexico went to Norman, Okla., where people just keep waiting and waiting for the Sooners to be the team they once were. But instead of an Oklahoma revival, the game almost ended in a monumental G6 update as the Lobos trailed just 7-6 at halftime before falling 14-6.