NSU is in it to win it against Rutgers

TONIGHT'S GAMES BY COMPUTER ON ESPN 3 (http://espn.go.com/espn3/index)

07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Norfolk State vs. Rutgers (Exclusive)
07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Florida A&M vs. #13 Miami (Exclusive)

NORFOLK, VA - It's too bad talking points don't go up on the scoreboard. Norfolk State might have been a favorite tonight. Heading into the team's 7:30 p.m. season opener at Rutgers, the Spartans are talking a good game, expressing belief that they're capable of beating the odds. They might be the only ones thinking that way.

"Even the students don't think we can win," senior offensive lineman Markeece Preston said. "They're buying into the whole I-A, I-AA thing. They think we'll get crushed."

The NSU student body has its reasons. Las Vegas doesn't set point spreads between teams at the different levels because it expects the teams to be so mismatched. When Appalachian State beat top-division Michigan in 2007, it was considered among the most shocking results ever.

"No one thought David would beat Goliath...