Well it was a good run Big XII – Week 9 College Football Recap

OK actually it wasn’t.  It was pretty pathetic.  There is basically no way the Big XII will put a team in the College Football Playoff.  Not saying it is impossible, but it’s highly improbable.  The best overall records still belong to Baylor and West Virginia and no one will put them in a four-team playoff unless they absolutely have to.  Meaning it has to be 1990 or 2007 again for that kind of insanity to occur.

It was a really fun day full of quite a few upsets.  It’s the kind of weekend that you always look forward to as a college football fan.  Let’s recap it shall we?

Jabrill Peppers, Heisman Trophy Winner?  Don’t be surprised if this conversation picks up steam.  He had an absolute MONSTER game against Michigan State.  He’s basically Myles Jack on crack.  Arguably the best pure athlete in college football today.  Unless he falls off drastically, he should at least get an invite to New York in December.

So now it’s the ACC officials turn.  Clemson-Florida State was a great game.  Unfortunately it was a bit marred by terrible officiating.  Like Big XII awful.  It’s too bad this was the case because there were a lot of moments where it looked like the Noles would pull off the upset…a phrase that no one would think they would be saying in 2016.  Deshaun Watson proved his mettle putting the Tigers on his shoulders and carrying them to the win, keeping their College Football Playoff hopes intact.

A Big Ten West battle worth watching.  The best game of the night, in my opinion, was Nebraska-Wisconsin.  A great game that went to overtime with the Badgers coming out on top and Nebraska losing their first game of the season.  The kind of game Big Ten officials have been clamoring for since the Huskers joined the conference.

And now for the game we couldn’t see… Of course Washington-Utah ended up being a great game.  It was like another slap in the face.  It’s one thing to not be able to see a big college football game, something I thought was behind us now in 2016.  It’s completely another that the game was a great one with a punt return touchdown being the deciding score.  Let’s hope this changes next season (I won’t hold my breath that we would get access to FOX Sports One games).

Hey, the Iron Bowl looks like a good one again!  It was assumed that Alabama would get to the Iron Bowl with one loss at most.  They are such a dominant team that I can’t even foresee them falling out of the top four even with a loss.  But now that Auburn is moving up the rankings, this could become a HUGE Iron Bowl.  If Auburn wins out, then beats Bama in the Iron Bowl, it would be Auburn going to the SEC Championship which would bring back memories of the Tide losing to LSU and getting back to the BCS Championship (and eventually winning it).

That’s not the Houston we thought we’d see.  Yes, the Cougars won the game in a great comeback.  But still, they looked awful shaky and not like the dominant team of last season (and the dominant team we saw earlier this season).  Tom Herman’s stock has fallen slightly but he is still almost a lock for a Power Five head coaching job next season now that Houston isn’t going to the Big XII and isn’t going to the CFP or New Year’s Six.

Lamar Jackson is still in front in the Heisman race.  True statement.  Another true statement?  Louisville almost botched their New Year’s Six (or even CFP) plans by narrowly escaping Charlottesville with a win over Virginia.  I can see the Wahoos being a contender starting next year if they can get a good quarterback.

Don’t count Virginia Tech out in the ACC Coastal.  I’m finally getting those ridiculous division names right.  Anyway, everyone seems to have North Carolina as holding their own destiny in the ACC Coastal division.  Not so fast!  The Hokies have finally woken up under Justin Fuente and if they win out, they would go to the ACC Championship game against what looks like Clemson.

And then there was one.  Undefeated Group of Five team that is.  Wyoming (kind of) shocked the college football world with their upset of Boise State on Saturday.  It is not quite an Appalachian State over Michigan in 2007 type upset though.  Wyoming is a good team with a really good offense.  Craig Bohl is a great coach as was seen by taking North Dakota State to the FCS mountaintop.  And Boise wasn’t exactly destroying teams as of late.  So now we are left with Western Michigan as the Group of Five hope.  Win out and they are assured of a trip to the Cotton Bowl.  Lose once and all hell breaks loose.

Back to the Big XII for a second.  Baylor loses to Texas.  West Virginia loses to Oklahoma State.  As I mentioned above, the Big XII’s chances at the CFP are almost over and it’s Halloween today.  Pathetic.  I don’t care what anyone says, the Big XII’s days are numbered.  And if they do stay together it is solely for Oklahoma and Texas to have an easier conference to play football in, period.  I can’t see ESPN or FOX throwing a lot of money their way.  Would you?  Not for football I wouldn’t.  And now with the Big Ten moving first tier games over to FOX/FS1 next season, the writing is on the wall.  Unless it’s a huge game, don’t expect to see the Big XII on FOX much at all next season.

Rocky Stop.  How do Butch Jones and the Vols keep doing this?  They, for the most part, look like the true team to beat in the SEC East.  Not really a threat to Bama for the SEC as a whole but a solid team that would put the division in the Top 20 at least once.  Now, they lose to a much improved but still mediocre South Carolina team and looked horrible doing it.  Now it’s Florida who controls their own destiny but see who is looming right behind them?  That’s right, Kentucky.  Strange times we live in folks.

Alright, enough recapping for today.  A look at my Bossman’s Top 25:

#1	Alabama
#2	Clemson
#3	Michigan
#4	Washington
#5	Wisconsin
#6	Louisville
#7	Ohio State
#8	Texas A&M
#9	Florida
#10	Auburn
#11	Oklahoma
#12	Nebraska
#13	Baylor
#14	LSU
#15	Western Michigan
#16	Florida State
#17	West Virginia
#18	Penn State
#19	Utah
#20	North Carolina
#21	Oklahoma State
#22	Colorado
#23	Washington State
#24	Virginia Tech
#25	Boise State

I have Western Michigan up at #15 and I think they will sloooooooowly move up the chain and should end up in the Top 10 by the time the final rankings come out (as long as they keep winning).  I would say the top 8 in my list are probably the only teams that could have a legitimate shot at the CFP.  Then again, who knows.  This is college football and it has already been a pretty crazy season.

Alright there you have it, another week in the books.  Tomorrow is the NFL recap/rant, then updated bowl projections Wednesday, college football schedule Thursday, NFL schedule Friday.  The usual.  Or the yoozh (ush?  Oozh?).

UPDATE: Damn, already an update.  And it’s all about me forgetting about EVERYDAY FOOTBALL for the next three-plus weeks.  Anyway, tomorrow night, we have MACtion on the specialty pack.  Western Michigan-Ball State and Bowling Green-Northern Illinois both starting at 8.  Also, Wednesday night there’s more MACtion with Toledo-Akron starting at 7:30.

On the heels of another fantastic primetime affair, here is your Week 8 NFL TV Schedule

I have mentioned this before but it feels like the NFL is purposely putting horrible matchups on in primetime.  Let’s look at last night’s game.  Unless you were a Jaguars or Titans fan, why would you watch more than maybe ten minutes (at most) of that game?  Yet this coming Sunday we get New England-Buffalo early and Green Bay-Atlanta late.  Makes no sense to me.

Alright here’s the sked followed by some musings:

Morning

Washington vs. Cincinnati (in London)

9:30, CTV, FOX

Early

	CBS	FOX	CTV	CTV Two	OTHER
New England at Buffalo	Minneapolis, Buffalo, Rochester, Burlington, Boston		Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Toronto, Montreal, Atlantic
Kansas City at Indianapolis
NY Jets at Cleveland	Cleveland
Oakland at Tampa Bay
Seattle at New Orleans		Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane, Rochester, Burlington, Boston	BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Ottawa	All affiliates	CKPR, CHEX, CITL, CKWS
Detroit at Houston		Minneapolis, Detroit
Arizona at Carolina

Late

	CBS	FOX	CTV	CTV Two	OTHER
San Diego at Denver	Seattle, Spokane, Detroit			Vancouver Island, Alberta, Ontario
Green Bay at Atlanta		All affiliates	All affiliates (except Atlantic)	Atlantic	CKPR, CHEX, CITL, CKWS

Sunday/Monday Primetime

Philadelphia at Dallas	Sunday, 8:30, NBC/TSN1/3/4
Minnesota at Chicago	Monday, 8:30, TSN 1/3/4/5

Musings

Redskins vs. Bengals (in jolly old England) – Hey more morning football.  If the Bengals were a better team (like they should be), this would be one of the better games of the week.  It’s definitely not the worst though.  I still think the NFL should do a game in Germany.  No, much better to do one in China.  Good lord.

Patriots at Bills – I am torn on whether I want the Bills to win.  Seeing them sweep the Pats this year would be fun.  But watching Rex Ryan orgasm on screen is something I’d rather avoid.

Jets at Browns – This could be a matchup between the two worst teams in the NFL right now.  Unfortunately, the few people who get CBS out of Cleveland are stuck with this game.  Pray for them.

Seahawks at Saints – Lucky for the Saints, the Hawks haven’t been scoring much lately.  Otherwise this would have been a looooooooooooong game for the New Orleans’ defense.  Who Dey?  Dey shit.

Lions at Texans – A game between two teams that will probably be in the playoff picture in early December.  Honestly, it’s two teams that should be better.  Houston’s excuse is easy: Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrock…Osweiler has been terrible.  The Lions, who knows since Matthew Stafford and the offense have been good.  Just blame Jim Caldwell.  Everyone else does.

Chargers at Broncos – OK so San Diego goes one week without finding a new fun way to lose.  One week a trend does not make.  Expect them to either a) be destroyed or b) have a lead and then cough it up in some grand fashion.  I am guessing an interception by the biggest Denver D-lineman and then seven laterals on the final play of the game…this after the Chargers could have kneeled down to go to overtime.

Packers at Falcons – I didn’t see the Falcons keeping up with their play.  However, looking at the NFC South, 9-7 will easily win the division.  So they have probably already clinched unless Carolina wakes up.

Eagles at Cowboys – For once, the Cowboys are in primetime and they deserve to be there.  I can’t believe I am saying this but I hope the Cowboys keep winning until Romo returns.  Then we can all watch Jason Garrett fuck things up and the Cowboys end up 9-7 and lose out on a Wild-Card spot due to a tiebreaker.

Vikings at Bears – I can see the Vikings playing mad…well as mad as an NFL team can play these days.  Now that they aren’t undefeated anymore, they can relax a bit.  Plus, it’s the Bears.  Why does Jay Cutler have a job still?

We are in Day 2 of TWENTY-SEVEN STRAIGHT DAYS OF FOOTBALL!!!!!!  Embrace it.  Enjoy it.  And remember this time in February when there is nothing to watch.

It’s all uphill from here – Week 9 College Football TV Schedule

Let’s be honest: from here on out, every week becomes more important than the previous one now in college football.  Even, and I can’t believe I am saying this, the week before American Thanksgiving when most of the schedule is garbage.  There’s always a few games in there that are supremely important to the conference races and the College Football Playoff itself.  This week is no exception.  So let’s just dive in to the important stuff shall we?

Thursday

		US	Canada
#25 Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh	7:00 PM	ESPN	SP
Ohio at Toledo (Rogers & Fibe)	7:30 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
Appalachian State at Georgia Southern	7:30 PM	ESPNU	SP
California at USC	10:30 PM	ESPN	SP

Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech face off in what should be an ACC Coastal elimination game.  Loser will have no chance to get to the ACC Championship.  The winner will still need some help to get there though.  Two Sun Belt powers collide and for your late night snack, California (who is better than many thought they would be) faces USC (who is worse than many thought they would be.

Friday

		US	Canada
#22 Navy at USF	7:00 PM	ESPN2	SP
San Diego State at Utah State (Rogers & Fibe)	8:00 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
Air Force at Fresno State	10:30 PM	ESPN2	SP

Kind of a blah night although USF could cause some interesting issues in the AAC if they can beat Navy at home.

Saturday Early

		US	Canada
#5 Louisville at Virginia	12:00 PM	ABC/ESPN2	TSN4
#24 Penn State at Purdue	12:00 PM	ABC/ESPN2	ABC
Minnesota at Illinois (Rogers)	12:00 PM	BTN	BTN
Kent State at Central Michigan (Rogers & Fibe)	12:00 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
#2 Michigan at Michigan State	12:00 PM	ESPN	TSN2
UCF at Houston	12:00 PM	ESPNU	SP
#10 West Virginia at Oklahoma State	12:00 PM	FOX	FOX
Kentucky at Missouri	12:00 PM	SEC Network	SP
Boston College at NC State	12:30 PM	ACC Network	WSBK/SP

At one point, Michigan-Michigan State looked like a potential Game of the Year candidate.  Now, um, no.  Michigan State has been so surprisingly bad that this game was “relegated” to the Noon slot.  At least TSN was smart enough to air it since there are a lot of Michigan and Michigan State fans in Canada (at least as a percentage of all college football fans).

West Virginia travelling to Stillwater to face the Cowboys is now the game of the timeslot.  FOX wisely moved this game to Noon and didn’t use their normal timeslot of 3:30 or 4:00 since a) this is the Big XII so the game will probably go long and b) there is no way the World Series would move to FOX Sports One until a college football game ended.

We have some reverse mirror fun at Noon.  And by fun, I usually mean it’s a shitshow.  All Canadians (except ones in BC) get Penn State-Purdue on ABC meaning UL-UVA would go to the specialty pack.  Instead, the Louisville-Virginia game will be shown on TSN4.  As of right now, I see indications that PSU-PU is on both ABC and the specialty pack and that will probably be changed to Boston College-NC State since they like to put the ACC Network game of the week on the specialty pack as well for some unknown reason.

UPDATE: PSU-PU now only on ABC.  BC-NCSU still not on specialty pack.

Saturday Afternoon

		US	Canada
#8 Baylor at Texas	3:30 PM	ABC	ABC
Pittsburg State at Northwest Missouri State	3:30 PM	ASN	MyTV
#14 Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville)	3:30 PM	CBS	CBS
Cincinnati at Temple	3:30 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
Northwestern at #6 Ohio State	3:30 PM	ESPN	SP
Texas Tech at TCU	3:30 PM	ESPN2	SP
Maryland at Indiana	3:30 PM	ESPNU	SP
Miami at Notre Dame	3:30 PM	NBC	NBC
Samford at Mississippi State	3:30 PM	SEC Network	SP

A few huge games in this timeslot and none of them feature Miami or Notre Dame.  Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) would have figured that this game would have had some importance for at least one of the teams.  Even if Miami won their remaining games, their chances at the New Year’s Six are pretty much nil.  What Miami can do is almost drive a nail in the Fighting Irish coffin for this season with a win.

As for the important games, Baylor goes to Texas hoping to continue their undefeated season.  Let’s be honest here: they win out, they go to the College Football Playoff no matter what.  Even with their horrific high school-esque non-conference schedule they would be in.  One loss may kill that chance though so they can’t slip up.  Also, Charlie Strong may be fired after the game so there’s always that for excitement (if you’re excited by those things: and if so you may be a sick bastard).

The Cocktail Party and Northwestern-Ohio State are the other two big ones here.  I think the SEC is kind of praying Florida loses at least one more game before their game against LSU so that the rescheduled game becomes much less important.  This is what happens when you don’t make quick decisions in college football: you end up looking like shit.

Saturday Primetime

		US	Canada
#13 Boise State at Wyoming	7:00 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
#7 Nebraska at #11 Wisconsin	7:00 PM	ESPN	SP
#18 Tennessee at South Carolina	7:15 PM	ESPN2	SP
#15 Auburn at Ole Miss	7:15 PM	SEC Network	SP
New Mexico State at #9 Texas A&M	7:30 PM	ESPNU	SP
#3 Clemson at #12 Florida State	8:00 PM	ABC	ABC

Nebraska-Wisconsin is the end point of B1G Saturday on ESPN.  And it’s huge.  This is where Nebraska has to put their money where their mouth is.  If they win, they look like a serious contender for the College Football Playoff.  If they lose, then they may fall back to Pelini levels….meaning four losses.

Clemson-FSU is obviously big as the Noles could put a huge wrench in any ACC CFP plans.  Also, Auburn tries to keep the Gus Bus going as they travel to Oxford to face the Rebels.

Saturday Late Night

		US	Canada
UNLV at San Jose State	10:30 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
Washington State at Oregon State	10:45 PM	ESPN2	SP

Nothing much here.  Washington State will throw for a million yards on Oregon State I assume.

Simply the Best

Best games of the week I mean.

#3 Clemson at #12 Florida State (8:00, ABC) – Remember, this game is in Tallahassee.  If it was in Death Valley I would have given the Tigers the easy nod here.  This won’t be easy for the Fighting Dabos.  However, if they do win this they have a pretty easy stretch to finish the regular season and would almost be assured at least a New Year’s Six spot, regardless of what happens in the ACC Championship.

#7 Nebraska at #11 Wisconsin (7:00, specialty pack) – There are many, I assume, that wish TSN would do a primetime game.  Considering what they schedule at night on Saturdays they probably could do it but that’s only my opinion.  This is the de facto Big Ten West Championship.  Nebraska clinches before Halloween with a win (barring a complete collapse) and is in play for a CFP berth.  Even Wisconsin, with two conference losses, would have a great shot at the division title if it won out from here.

#4 Washington at #17 Utah (3:30, FOX Sports One so we don’t get it) – I can’t remember the last time the third-best game of the week is a game none of us can watch.  Most of this has to do with the World Series and FOX having to move their main broadcast window for college football back to Noon.  Putting a game on at 10:00 am local would be absurd (although I still believe they should move the first game back to 11:30 in the morning but that’s just me).  It’s unfortunate but don’t worry: the rematch will happen in six weeks in the Pac-12 Championship.  I can almost guarantee that.

Northwestern at #6 Ohio State (3:30, specialty pack) – tOSU looks to rebound from their stunning loss to Penn State.  Meanwhile, Northwestern has quietly turned their season around.  A Northwestern win here might make my point about UNL-UW earlier being the B1G West Title game completely wrong as the Wildcats would then have the opportunity (albeit slim) to get to the Big Ten Championship.

#10 West Virginia at Oklahoma State (Noon, FOX) – Early FOX college football.  I wish they did this every week, except for weeks they have playoff baseball which is almost none now.  Anyway, WVU is a lot like Baylor: if they win out, they go to the CFP no questions asked.  But one loss will derail almost everything.  And this could be it if they aren’t careful.  I assume this game will end around 4:45.

#14 Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville) (3:30, CBS) – The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party invades Jacksonville again.  This time it is the Gators trying to hang on to their tenuous SEC East lead over…um, am I seeing this right?  Kentucky?  Geez.  Anyway, a Georgia win puts the entire division into chaos.  We could actually get Kentucky in the SEC Championship game.  I, for one, would think that would be great…not for CBS though.

Mah choices

I am seriously thinking of devising a new way of picking these games.  Maybe rent a chicken for an hour and put down two trays of feed and see which one it goes to.  I might actually improve then?  Knowing my luck the chicken would walk away and I would have to declare it a tie.  Here are my (probably mediocre) picks of the week:

Florida State over Clemson (yep, starting with the upset)

Wisconsin over Nebraska (TWO!  TWO upsets!  Ah, ah, ah)

Washington over Utah (not doing three in a row)

Ohio State over Northwestern

Oklahoma State over West Virginia (yet another upset)

Georgia over Florida (no I am not drunk picking all these upsets)

Boise State over Wyoming

USF over Navy

Pittsburgh over Virginia Tech

Louisville over Virginia

I am either going to look like a genius or a moron with these picks.

Alright so we have four games tonight and three tomorrow night then the fun starts Saturday.  Again, I will be live-tweeting pretty much all day Saturday and feel sorry for it on Sunday.  We are now in a stretch of games every damn day between now and November 22^nd.  It is glorious and the time of year when being a football fan feels oh so good.  Enjoy the games everyone!

Way-Way-WAY-Too-Early Bowl Projections

I usually don’t do this so early in the season.  We aren’t even at Halloween yet.  I am very thankful that Halloween doesn’t land on a Saturday like it did last year.  As a college football fan, it does not make things very easy.  At least my kids got a lot of candy.

So anyway, as I was saying, I don’t usually do this type of thing this early…well, at least publicly.  I do this from the end of week one to be honest with you.  Once I have the template up it makes it easier to swap teams in and out as I see fit.

First, let’s look at how the teams I originally projected to be in the College Football Playoff are doing:

• LSU – LSU looked like a horrible pick early on with their two early losses. They have come on strong since then.  No real chance at the CFP but a very good chance at the New Year’s Six.  They would put the college football world on its ear if they could upset Bama in primetime in a couple of weeks.
• Florida State – If it wasn’t for Louisville and North Carolina, the Noles would still be looking like a good pick. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an upset of Clemson this Saturday with the game in Tallahassee.
• Michigan State – Ugh.
• Oklahoma – I can honestly see the Sooners running the table now and winning the Big XII. Problem is, Houston has fallen off and even Ohio State lost meaning their strength of schedule has taken a hit.  So no CFP for them.

So there you go.  0-for-4.  Terrible.

Let’s look forward now.  First of all, my UPDATED College Football Playoff projections:

December 31, 2016	Fiesta Bowl	#2 Washington	#3 Ohio State
December 31, 2016	Peach Bowl	#1 Alabama	#4 Clemson

I think that is what almost everyone has at this point, although I know some will pick Michigan at this point.  I think Ohio State will win The Game and the Big Ten Championship to get in as the #3 seed.  The Big XII will be left out again so everyone will go on and on about how the conference is a mess (which isn’t altogether untrue) and if they had just expanded they would have got in or some shit like that.  I don’t think that’s the case but I do believe they should have expanded for other reasons.

Now, the New Year’s Six which is where the bulk of the debate will lie:

January 2, 2017	Sugar Bowl	#7 Texas A&M	#9 Oklahoma
January 2, 2017	Rose Bowl	#8 Michigan	#15 Utah
January 2, 2017	Cotton Bowl	#6 Boise State	#5 Baylor
December 30, 2016	Orange Bowl	#11 Louisville	#12 Tennessee

The two highest ranked teams not in the CFP, at this point, would be the two at-large teams going to the Cotton Bowl: Boise State and Baylor.  Boise is obvious.  I think Baylor will lose to Oklahoma (and thus the Big XII title) but win everything else, putting them at #6.  Oklahoma would get the Big XII’s Sugar Bowl spot and face old Big XII running mate Texas A&M.  Michigan and Louisville are easy calls, as is Utah who, other than Washington State, is the only team even close to Washington out in the Pac-12.  That last spot in the Orange Bowl will be interesting as it is contractually obligated to take the best Big Ten or SEC team left after the other bowls have selected.  I see it being Tennessee but there are upwards of five other teams (Wisconsin, Georgia, Penn State, LSU, Nebraska) who could be in play for that spot.  Much will be determined in the next couple of weeks as at least two of these teams will probably be out of luck for a NY6 spot.

Finally, here are the rest of the bowls:

January 2, 2017	Outback Bowl	#20 LSU	#19 Penn State
December 31, 2016	TaxSlayer Bowl	Florida	#16 North Carolina
December 31, 2016	Citrus Bowl	#18 Georgia	#14 Wisconsin
December 30, 2016	Arizona Bowl	Colorado State	Idaho
December 30, 2016	Music City Bowl	Arkansas	#23 Nebraska
December 30, 2016	Sun Bowl	USC	#25 Miami
December 30, 2016	Liberty Bowl	Ole Miss	Kansas State
December 29, 2016	Alamo Bowl	#24 Washington State	#22 West Virginia
December 29, 2016	Belk Bowl	Auburn	Pittsburgh
December 29, 2016	Birmingham Bowl	NC State	Temple
December 28, 2016	Texas Bowl	Kentucky**	Oklahoma State
December 28, 2016	Russell Athletic Bowl	TCU	#13 Florida State
December 28, 2016	Pinstripe Bowl	Northwestern	Virginia Tech
December 27, 2016	Cactus Bowl	UCLA	South Carolina**
December 27, 2016	Holiday Bowl	#21 Iowa	Colorado
December 27, 2016	Military Bowl	Wake Forest	USF
December 27, 2016	Heart of Dallas Bowl	Maryland	Southern Miss
December 26, 2016	Independence Bowl	Western Kentucky	Georgia Tech
December 26, 2016	Quick Lane Bowl	Indiana	#10 Western Michigan
December 26, 2016	St. Petersburg Bowl	Notre Dame	Houston
December 24, 2016	Hawaii Bowl	Hawaii	Middle Tennessee
December 23, 2016	GoDaddy Bowl	Toledo	Arkansas State
December 23, 2016	Armed Forces Bowl	Navy	Texas**
December 23, 2016	Bahamas Bowl	UCF**	Central Michigan
December 22, 2016	Foster Farms Bowl	Minnesota	Stanford
December 22, 2016	Idaho Potato Bowl	New Mexico	Ohio
December 21, 2016	Poinsettia Bowl	BYU	South Alabama*
December 20, 2016	Boca Raton Bowl	Cincinnati	Louisiana Tech
December 19, 2016	Miami Beach Bowl	Memphis	Eastern Michigan
December 17, 2016	New Orleans Bowl	Old Dominion	Georgia Southern
December 17, 2016	Camellia Bowl	Ball State	Appalachian State
December 17, 2016	Cure Bowl	Tulsa	Troy
December 17, 2016	Las Vegas Bowl	Arizona State	#17 San Diego State
December 17, 2016	New Mexico Bowl	Air Force	UTEP**

Just like last season, I foresee some tie-ins not being filled.  Basically the bowl system is a bit broken (as I outlined HERE) and no one wants to fix it.  So you will see teams filling spots thanks to APR (Academic Progress Rate) and not based on performance on the field.  As of this time I see five spots (denoted by the ol’ double asterisk (**)) being filled by at-large teams with 5-7 records.  Really it’s a crapshoot at this point since I have no idea which schools do better with their students and which don’t.  All I know is that some schools will get a national audience for basically the first time ever and let’s hope they run with it.  Right now I have got Old Dominion going to their first bowl ever and Eastern Michigan, of all schools, getting to a bowl for the first time in about three decades.  Good for those two schools if that does, in fact, happen.  I will keep updating this the rest of the season.  Then we can look back and have a laugh at how wrong I was even with only six weeks left in the season.

Tomorrow I will post the college schedule and Friday, the NFL’s.  Have a happy hump day everyone!

Good lord – Week 7 NFL Recap

That picture shows all you need to know.  I had decided, for some reason, to watch a fair amount of this game.  I watched a good part of the first half, the last few minutes of regulation, and then overtime.  I am regretting it still today.  What I saw was the worst example of professional football I have ever seen: and I remember watching games during the CFL’s American expansion.  This was college level at best.  Two teams with this much talent shouldn’t have had this much trouble scoring.  And it wasn’t that the defenses were that great.  They weren’t.  The offenses couldn’t get anything done.  Then those two field goal tries in overtime.  Wow.  What can you say?  Just terrible.

This was the type of game that solidifies my recent stance on the NFL.  It’s one I don’t like taking because I have always been a fan of the NFL.  It’s the one league I have always followed since I was a kid.  I never got the chance to watch much college football until about six or seven years ago because it really wasn’t available up here much.  My interest in the NHL has waned to the point of barely watching it anymore.  I’ve talked of other sports on this blog before but nothing more than a sentence here and there.  The NFL is supposed to be the biggest spectacle in professional sports (at least here in North America) and it just hasn’t been at all this season.  People are making other excuses as to why the NFL isn’t as much fun to watch as in the past (Kaepernick, games in London, etc.) but it all comes down to the product on the field.  If that improves, even a bit, then it’s better for the game.  When the product is shitty, like it was Sunday night, then all the other issues are blown up even more.  It’s like a big piling on penalty.  Anyway, enough of this rant…for now.

Are the Browns going to go 0-16?  They sure look like it.  They are terrible.  Sad but true.  I would wager a guess that the 2008 Detroit Lions, they of the only winless season ever, would probably beat this version of the Browns.  Saying all that, the Browns are playing the Jets this coming week in a game they may be able to win since the Jets are pretty bad as well.

Speaking of the AFC as a whole, here is the current playoff picture:

1. New England (East leader 6-1)
2. Oakland (West leader 5-2)
3. Pittsburgh (North leader 4-3)
4. Houston (South leader 4-3)
5. Denver (First Wild-Card 5-2)
6. Kansas City (Second Wild-Card 4-2)

Buffalo is 4-3 and everyone else is below .500.  Oakland is #2 in the AFC.  I know they are as good as they have been since their AFC Championship season earlier this century but for them to be #2 in the conference doesn’t speak much of the conference.  New England is the CLEAR #1 here and, as of right now, seems to have an easy path to the Super Bowl.  It is early, I do understand that.  But can anyone conceive of a scenario where New England doesn’t get the #1 seed at the very least?  I don’t.  This feels like any time a team is dominant in its conference then in the Super Bowl has to finally face some really good competition.  It almost never ends well for that dominant team unfortunately.

That’s really all I’ve got for this week.  I am hoping things get better or if they don’t, that Week 17 is an awesome weekend full of different playoff scenarios.  It may be the only way to salvage a season that has been quite underwhelming from the get-go.

Tomorrow I plan on running my first crack at some bowl projections.  Thursday is the college schedule.  Friday is the NFL schedule.  Starting this Thursday there will be football every day (college or pro) through November 22^nd.  November 23^rd is the only day from this Thursday until November 29^th when there isn’t any football.  So yeah I am pretty happy.

You get ALL THE POINTS – Week 8 College Football Recap

If you were able to bear witness to the defensive atrocity that was Oklahoma-Texas Tech it was equal parts horrific and incredible to watch.  The sheer amount of offense was absurd.  People who love defensive football would cry at what happened.  Let’s go over what happened in this game:

• Oklahoma somehow outlasted Texas Tech 66-59 in Lubbock
• The Sooners and Red Raiders combined for 1,708 yards of offense
• Crazier is that they both tied at exactly 854 yards apiece
• Patrick Mahomes tied Connor Halliday’s FBS record for passing yards in a game with 734
• Mahomes threw 88 passes, one short of Halliday’s FBS record of 89
• Mahomes did set the new FBS record for total yards with 819
• The Sooners became the first team ever to have a 500-yard passer, 200-yard receiver, and 200-yard rusher in the same game
• Baker Mayfield set a new Oklahoma record with 7 passing touchdowns
• Joe Mixon became the first Sooner ever with 200 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in a single game

It felt like arena football but outdoors.  And despite it being fun, I can understand why the Big XII doesn’t get the respect of the other four Power Five conferences.  Come College Football Playoff time I can’t see this kind of thing winning championships.

Alright it was a wacky full day of college football on Saturday (along with some Thursday and Friday night action).  In there was also the Chicago Cubs beating the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to the first World Series in way too long.  Now let’s hope Cubs fans don’t become like Red Sox fans.

Let’s go over some of the fun stuff, sound good?  And there was a lot of, well, let’s call it pretty good stuff.

Thursday

• Boise State held on against BYU. And I mean HELD ON.  That game was closer than it should have be; however, many forget that all of BYU’s losses have been close.  They could have very well been undefeated coming into this one as well.  Either way, it was a wild finish.  BYU had a field goal blocked with 8 seconds left but recovered it behind the line of scrimmage.  Since they tried the field goal on 3^rd down they had another chance but were now too far away to try another.  So the Hail Mary attempt was batted down in the end zone and Boise stayed undefeated.  Good way to start the week.
• Troy became bowl-eligible which is pretty good considering it had been a few years since they had even been a decent team.
• Miami continues their free fall after their amazing start. They have played themselves out of the ACC Coastal race unless something else crazy happens.

Friday

• Speaking of falls from grace, I think Mark Helfrich has run out of time in Eugene. It is almost a surety now that the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State will be to stay out of last place in the Pac-12 North.  Also, I am very happy I set the PVR to record 5 hours.  The game ended at about the 4 hour, 50 minute mark.  I get that there was two overtimes but I know that there are recorders in the States that will record a full game regardless of how long it goes.  Why can’t we have these good things in Canada?
• So the American Conference has now played itself out of a New Year’s Six spot…probably. USF’s loss to Temple gives Temple the inside track to go back to the AAC Championship game.

Saturday Early

• College Gameday is a show I usually don’t watch much of. I mean I am going to watch about 14 hours of live action, I can’t add three more at the start of the day.  Those hours are spent actually getting shit done around the house.  Saying that, I do try to watch the picks part.  And it was one of the best ever with Verne Lundquist helping the panel pick the games.  To be honest, I am just glad it wasn’t another country singer.
• Syracuse and Boston College continued the college football tradition of at least one game being played in a downpour. The weather was bad and Boston College’s offense was worse.  I think the Stone Cold Steve Addazio experiment is about done in Chestnut Hill.
• Why is Texas delaying the inevitable? Another poor showing by the Longhorns against Kansas State just showed, again, why Charlie Strong just isn’t a fit for Austin.  I don’t know what the issue is but there is an issue.  I think a Group of Five team is going to have Strong fall in their lap in the off-season which may be the best thing for him at this juncture.
• BREAKING NEWS: Rutgers almost won a conference game. Minnesota should be fined for even allowing it to be that close.
• Speaking of allowing a game to be too close, how did South Carolina not bury UMass? Don’t get me wrong: Will Muschamp is starting to right the ship in Columbia but he still obviously has a ways to go.
• Well there goes my idea that Louisville had to watch out for NC State. From the opening whistle, it was patently obvious that the Wolfpack were no match for the Cardinals.  And now, considering what all happened this weekend, The Fighting Petrinos will have to dominate the rest of the way to clinch a New Year’s Six bowl game.
• Houston, there is no problem…for now. Bart Houston replaced Alex Hornibrook (Do I Make you Hornibrook baby?) early on against Iowa.  Not exactly the greatest of wins but the Badgers will take it going into their showdown with Nebraska next week.
• Northwestern with another big win. They lost to Illinois State earlier in the year.  College football, ladies and gentlemen.
• UCF left the Diaco Cup after their Civil ConFLiCT victory? Say it ain’t so!  Bob Diaco is an idiot.

Saturday Afternoon

• Alabama flexed their arms against Texas A&M. It was close for three quarters and then the Tide kind of ran away with it.  Speaking of running, Bryant-Denny Stadium had a bit of a plumbing problem.  They announced to fans not to use the bathrooms due to a water pressure area.  That was probably the most uncomfortable Tide fans have felt all season.
• So Jeff George, Jr. started for Illinois. God I feel old.
• Colorado is now bowl-eligible after their fantastic 10-5 victory over Stanford. Sorry…”fantastic.”
• So on ABC, at least in my area, I got Purdue-Nebraska. So what was on the specialty pack?  Purdue-Nebraska.  Not TCU-West Virginia which is what should have been on there.  Sometimes I think I should just find a way to get the games illegally and be done with it.  It would cause much less frustration at this point.
• I have to admit that Eastern Michigan has become a decent team in the MAC. I can’t believe I am saying this.  You know what that means though?  Chris Creighton is as good as gone if he gets the opportunity.
• Want to know how mediocre the SEC East has become? Missouri lost to Middle Tennessee in a close game that should have been not very close at all.
• An absolutely crazy one at the Rose Bowl ends with Utah winning over UCLA. This means that the Utah-Colorado game will be the biggest game of the year in the Pac-12 South.  Let that marinate for a bit.
• I’m still trying to find someone who actually likes Dr Pepper.

Saturday Primetime

• Penn State had their annual White-Out game and then proceeded to potentially put some whiteout on Ohio State’s College Football Playoff chances. tOSU still holds their fate in their own hands.  If they win out, they go to the CFP no question.  But it has put some intrigue into the Big Ten East race.
• I think I watched about five minutes of the Arkansas-Auburn game. Man the Iron Bowl, if things keep going this way, is going to be REALLY good.
• The schedule wasn’t all good. Somehow ESPNU got stuck with Tennessee State-Vanderbilt.  An FCS team on ESPNU on a Saturday in October.  There is way too much variance between weeks nowadays when it comes to game quality.
• Houston destroyed their chance at even a New Year’s Six as SMU destroyed them. That probably signals the end for Tom Herman in H-Town.  With no NY6 chance and no Big XII chance there’s nothing keeping him there other than that huge contract.  Then again he could probably make more elsewhere.  So yeah, who wants him?  There’s a few openings.
• Also, buried way below the headlines: Kentucky, after their win over Mississippi State, is now sole second place in the SEC East. Mark Stoops may have finally saved his job.
• Michigan State lost again, this time to Maryland. My pick of them going to the College Football Playoff is about as good as when I picked South Carolina to go to the inaugural CFP.  Yeah my predictions are garbage.

Saturday Late Night

• Oh yeah, Leonard Fournette set a new school record for rushing yards in a game. Somehow this was overshadowed by everything else happening today.  LSU now becomes a dangerous out the rest of the way.  The night game against Alabama should be a dandy.
• Raise your hand if you thought that Boise State-Wyoming would be the biggest game of the regular season in the Mountain West Conference. That’s what I thought.  Craig Bohl is finally weaving some of his magic in Laramie.  We all knew this would happen right?
• Finally, the best part of the night may have been Todd Graham telling Mike Leach that his comments about sign-stealing were chicken shit. Gotta love when the cameras pick up on this type of stuff.

So there you go.  A long, fun day of college football.  And we have another one right around the corner.  And I get to watch it all.  No wonder my Sundays feel so much worse than my Saturdays.

Bossman Top 25

#1	Alabama
#2	Clemson
#3	Michigan
#4	Washington
#5	Louisville
#6	Nebraska
#7	Baylor
#8	Ohio State
#9	Texas A&M
#10	Wisconsin
#11	Florida
#12	Florida State
#13	West Virginia
#14	Oklahoma
#15	Auburn
#16	Boise State
#17	Tennessee
#18	LSU
#19	Utah
#20	Western Michigan
#21	North Carolina
#22	Ole Miss
#23	Penn State
#24	Navy
#25	Houston

Not a whole lot of change.  I punished (for lack of a better word) Ohio State by moving them down to #8 whereas the AP Poll has them at #6.  This feels a lot like when Bama lost to Ole Miss but only dropped to #4 or #5 if I remember correctly.  Gave them a really good shot to make the short climb back into the top four (which they did).  I still have Houston in the Top 25 since Oklahoma keeps moving up the chain.  At some point they may drop off but if Navy wins out, they beat Louisville (and Louisville destroys everyone else), and the Sooners also somehow win their remaining games, Houston starts to look pretty good.  Not New Year’s Six good but still pretty good.

Tomorrow the NFL recap/rant and then back to the grind.  At some point I should put out some way-too-early bowl projections although even at this point.  All I know right now is that I have three teams I feel pretty good about putting into the CFP: Alabama, Washington, and Clemson.  The fourth is the interesting one.  Now that Ohio State has lost a game, I can see the Big Ten having a slight chance of being left out of the dance.  And if there is anything that will cause a move to an 8-team playoff sooner than later, It’s the B1G or SEC being left out.  If the Big Ten champ doesn’t get in, I expect Baylor to sneak into that spot.  They still haven’t been challenged and we will see how they do against Oklahoma but I could see them running the table.  Honest!

When you’re a shitbag – NFL Edition….oh and the Week 7 NFL TV Schedule

This isn’t news.  Some athletes are complete shitbags.  There, I said it.  This isn’t a new phenomenon, people.  This starts when these assholes are in high school and get praise for everything they’ve done and get no worse than a slap on the wrist for any wrongdoing.  They are treated like gods.  Then they go to college/university and, lo and behold, it continues.  No wonder some of these guys get to the pros and feel like they can do whatever the hell they want and get away with it: because they’ve already been doing it for years and the people who could have done something turn a blind eye because God forbid the local high school football team doesn’t make the playoffs because their best player is now suspended.  Wouldn’t that be a tragedy?

Besides, the NFL loves these guys right?  If they didn’t, they would make a bit more of an example of them.  I just hope one day, ONE DAY, they get it right the first time, suspend some asshole indefinitely because of something he did and then when a court of law determines that was the case, ban the fucker for life.  But that would be bad for business.  It’s just like the NFL’s quasi-disgusting selling of everything pink during Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Do you honestly think the NFL truly cares about breast cancer, breast cancer survivors, or a cure for ANY type of cancer?  Some do, most don’t give a shit.  They want money.  So they co-opt the campaign to make it seem like they are doing great when in reality, they want money.  Sure some of it goes to breast cancer research and in the end that is a good thing; however, the NFL (and many other big organizations) do this is as a PR move to try and overshadow the grimy bullshit that happens on a near weekly basis.  I’m not saying other leagues are better.  I love college football and I know a lot of players are fuckwads and the NCAA itself is a terrible organization.  But the NFL is quickly approaching FIFA as the worst sporting entity in the world.  They wonder why ratings are down?  That is one of the reasons for sure.

Phew!  That was long-winded.  Now on to the task at hand…the week 7 schedule.  Here it is followed by, let’s call it, “analysis.”  Yeah that works.

Morning

NY Giants vs. Los Angeles (in London)

9:30, CTV

Early

	CBS	FOX	CTV	TSN	OTHER
Oakland at Jacksonville	Seattle, Spokane, Minneapolis
Baltimore at NY Jets	Burlington			TSN2
Buffalo at Miami	Buffalo, Rochester, Boston		Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Toronto, Montreal, Atlantic
Cleveland at Cincinnati	Cleveland
Indianapolis at Tennessee
Minnesota at Philadelphia		Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane, Minneapolis, Rochester, Burlington, Boston	BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Ottawa		CKPR, CHEX, CITL, CKWS
Washington at Detroit		Detroit
New Orleans at Kansas City

Late

	CBS	FOX	CTV	CTV Two	TSN	OTHER
New England at Pittsburgh	All affiliates		All affiliates (except Atlantic)	Atlantic
San Diego at Atlanta		Buffalo			TSN2
Tampa Bay at San Francisco

Sunday & Monday Primetime

Seattle at Arizona	Sunday, 8:30, NBC/TSN1/3/4/5
Houston at Denver	Monday, 8:30, TSN 1/3/4/5

Analysis

Vikings at Eagles – The entire country gets this game somewhere.  I just find it interesting that Sam Bradford is the quarterback of the only undefeated team left in the league.  And no Adrian Peterson.  It’s Bizarro-NFL.

Giants at Rams – Why doesn’t the NFL play a game in a country that is a true football hotbed?  I’m talking about Germany.  They fucking love football.  Hell, the Vikings even drafted a received out of there.  So why not have a game in Berlin or Munich?  Obviously Commissioner Gingerhammer desperately wants a team in London so he ignores the rest of Europe.  Good job there dumbass.

Bills at Dolphins – There is a distinct possibility that the Bills could be 5-2 and atop the AFC East by the end of Sunday.  Somehow Rex Ryan is becoming a Coach of the Year candidate.  We live in some weird times, people.

Patriots at Steelers – This tells you how much the NFL seems to be downplaying their primetime games.  The game of the week is EASILY this one, yet the Seahawks and Cardinals play the Sunday nighter.  Either the NFL is playing the long game and saving (for lack of a better word) chances to put on marquee games for later in the season or they are stupid.  I kind of think it’s the latter.

Redskins at Lions – Very few people will get this game (I will be) because only people who get FOX out of Detroit will see this.  Too bad since these are two teams known for being quite shitty playing some good ball and one of them will get an early leg up on a playoff spot with a win here.

Seahawks at Cardinals – Somehow, the Cardinals, playing horrible football, are 3-3 and a game and a half behind Seattle in the NFC West.  That’s how good and deep this team is.  If they get their act together, I could easily see them pulling off six or seven wins in a row and getting way out in front in their division.

Texans at Broncos – I would hope they would play that one Brock Osweiler meme of him getting his helmet to get in the game only to see Peyton Manning run on to the field and him visibly showing his disappointment.  Show it over and over on the scoreboard.  Elway should challenge him to a QB contest since I am sure he’s still got the stuff.  The Texans might end up winning the AFC South but it sure as hell will have less to do with Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrock Osweiler than with their stout defense because he has been mediocre at best under his new big contract that the Broncos refused to give him (and rightfully so).

So there you go.  The schedule in all its glory.  I am not doing any more gambling on the NFL because I am sick of losing money on games I am caring less and less about.  It is sad because other than a few games every week, I could do without watching the NFL other than highlight shows.  Take last night’s Bears-Packers game.  I watched maybe five minutes of it.  It was awful.  I feel it is becoming like the NHL in a way.  The NHL used to be a ton of fun to watch almost every night.  It was better than junior hockey in every way.  Nowadays, many games are slow and plodding and defensive and somewhat boring at times.  Junior hockey seems more exciting than the NHL.  I don’t know if this is just because of the style of play in the NHL or if junior hockey has become better.  The same comparison can be said for the NFL versus college football.  I am a bit biased since I am a huge college football fan but the NFL as a product is not as good as it once was.  I have outlined one reason above.  There are others.  The games in London are usually bad.  The teams that are usually sent there are not very good.  It makes no sense.  Maybe having football on Thursday night and Sunday morning is oversaturation of the product.  Who knows?  All I know is that my interest in the NFL is waning a bit and it has everything to do with the product as a whole (both on and off the field).

Alright, a few games in college football tonight including two late night affairs.  I didn’t make it to the end of the BYU-Boise State game last night (I PVRed the rest of it).  I tried but with work today there was no way I could get through with only about four hours sleep.  Not saying I don’t do that at other times but I try not to when work is involved.  Plus I was really exhausted.  Maybe the change in weather has a lot do with it.  Yesterday was dreary and today’s no better.  Rain is my least favourite weather.  I would take snow over this.  Plus football in the snow is much more enjoyable to watch (and even play) than football in the rain.  Football in the rain just looks awful.  Football in the snow tends to look hilarious.

As another aside, I will be live-tweeting for most of tomorrow (@LikeABauce1978 on the Twitter machine) because I am insane.  I mean I have to be to watch 14+ hours of college football right?  The only question is what shitty food will I eat and how much caffeine will I consume.  I love college football season!  Enjoy the games everyone!

Juuuuuust past the half-way mark – Week 8 College Football TV Schedule

Yep, we have just crossed the median into the second half of the college football season.  This is where things get VERY interesting.  And we have already had quite a bit of chaos through the first seven weeks of the season.  That amount of craziness usually fills a full season…unless you are talking about 2007 or 1990 and we could very well make it to that point…if Bama loses.

Let’s be honest, a lot of crazy shit can happen this year but if Bama loses it could put the entire season in a state of turmoil and who the fuck knows what happens with the College Football Playoff then.  Chances are the Tide sneak in as the number four (at this point that is my prediction) but could go higher or be out altogether…ahahaha, no that’s stupid.

Alright on to the good things…this week’s college football schedule.  Here we go!

Thursday

		US	Canada
Miami at Virginia Tech	7:00 PM	ESPN	TSN3/TSN5
Troy at South Alabama	7:30 PM	ESPNU	SP
BYU at #14 Boise State	10:30 PM	ESPN	TSN3/TSN5

This is highlighted by the late game out in (probably already chilly) Boise.  BYU has the chance to show those darn Big XII presidents what they’re missing and at the same time ruin Boise State’s very slim CFP chances and very good New Year’s Six chances.  Also, The U and VaTech play in an ACC Coastal Elimination game.  Winner has to somehow beat out North Carolina to get to the ACC Championship game.

Friday

		US	Canada
USF at Temple	7:00 PM	ESPN	SP
Oregon at California	10:30 PM	ESPN	SP
San Jose State at San Diego State	10:30 PM	ESPN2	SP

Nothing of importance although I am curious to see how far Oregon has fallen.  A loss to Cal would almost certainly signify the end for Mark Helfrich.

Saturday Early

		US	Canada
NC State at #7 Louisville	12:00 PM	ABC	ABC/TSN4
Indiana at Northwestern	12:00 PM	BTN	BTN
North Texas at Army	12:00 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
#10 Wisconsin at Iowa	12:00 PM	ESPN	TSN1
Texas at Kansas State	12:00 PM	ESPN2	TSN2
Rutgers at Minnesota	12:00 PM	ESPNU	SP
UMass at South Carolina	12:00 PM	SEC Network	SP
Kennesaw State at Gardner-Webb	12:00 PM	Peachtree	Peachtree
Syracuse at Boston College	12:30 PM	ACC Network	WSBK/SP

As usual, the appetizer to the main games later on has some intrigue.  NC State travels to Louisville with a legitimate shot to pull off an upset.  Lamar Jackson needs a good game here to keep his hopes of leading the Heisman race going as we are now at that point where some experts almost want him to falter so that they can prove…something, I don’t know what it is.  I’m not saying he is a lock to win it (I don’t think he will) but it’s the same feeling we had going into October when Leonard Fournette was WAY out in front of the Heisman race.  It wasn’t people saying there was still two months to go; it was people saying that Fournette wasn’t the frontrunner at that point?  Seriously?  Talk about a try-hard who has gone to HOT TAKE CITY to make himself (or herself) stand out from the crowd.  Anyway…

Oh yeah, Wisconsin tries to keep pace with Nebraska as they face Iowa and Charlie Strong hopes not to get fired as his Longhorns travel to Manhattan to face Kansas State.  Three TSN games so that is good for you non-specialty pack humans.

UPDATE: Cuse-BC not showing up on specialty pack, at least for Bell customers, as far as I can tell.  Still on WSBK out of Boston so we all get the game anyway.

Saturday Afternoon

		US	Canada
#22 North Carolina at Virginia	3:00 PM	FSN – Regional	SP
Purdue at #8 Nebraska	3:30 PM	ABC/ESPN2	ABC/SP*
TCU at #12 West Virginia	3:30 PM	ABC/ESPN2	ABC/SP*
Eastern Michigan at #20 Western Michigan	3:30 PM	ASN	MyTV
Illinois at #3 Michigan	3:30 PM	BTN	BTN
#6 Texas A&M at #1 Alabama	3:30 PM	CBS	CBS
Memphis at #24 Navy	3:30 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
Tulane at Tulsa	3:45 PM	ESPNU	SP
#19 Utah at UCLA	4:00 PM	FOX	FOX
Middle Tennessee at Missouri	4:00 PM	SEC Network	SP
Charlotte at Marshall	5:30 PM	beIn Sports	beIn Sports

Here we go.  Arguably the game of the year (other than The Game) will be TAMU-Bama.  This may be the only real opportunity for an opponent to beat the Tide.  Too bad this in Tuscaloosa; otherwise I would have given the Aggies a fighting chance.  I kind of do hope they win just for the chaos it might cause but I wouldn’t bet on it.

We also have some reverse mirror fun this weekend.  If you receive ABC out of Detroit or anywhere west of there, you will receive the Purdue/Nebraska game on ABC.  If you receive ABC east of there you will receive the TCU-West Virginia game on ABC.  As per usual, whatever game you don’t receive SHOULD go to the specialty pack.  Rogers and Bell have messed this up before but they were spot on last week with it so we should all be fine.

UPDATE #3: Of course it wouldn’t be fine.  At least in this area (southern Ontario) Purdue-Nebraska on both ABC and the specialty pack.  What a fucking joke.

Finally, FOX has the first game of their doubleheader in this timeslot.  It just works out that the Cubs-Dodgers are on FOX Sports One and not the main network.  I’m not complaining at all but it just shows that baseball, despite it being the hot ticket here in Toronto this season (and last), is not moving the needle as much as college football does (at least down in many areas of the U.S.).

UPDATE #2: North Carolina-Virginia added to the specialty pack schedule to start at 3:00.

Saturday Primetime

		US	Canada
#17 Arkansas at #21 Auburn	6:00 PM	ESPN	SP
East Carolina at Cincinnati	7:00 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
#11 Houston at SMU	7:00 PM	ESPN2	SP
Michigan State at Maryland	7:30 PM	BTN	BTN
Tennessee State at Vanderbilt	7:30 PM	ESPNU	SP
Mississippi State at Kentucky	7:30 PM	SEC Network	SP
#2 Ohio State at Penn State	8:00 PM	ABC	ABC
#16 Oklahoma at Texas Tech	8:00 PM	FOX	FOX

Don’t want to call it the underrated game of the week but Arkansas-Auburn is supremely important, especially for Auburn.  With only one loss, the Tigers are technically still in the SEC West race and a win here would be huge.

We are back into these idiotic 3-hour windows for ESPN.  A big part of the blame for these 6:00 starts has to lie with CBS.  As part of their deal with the SEC, an SEC game on ESPN cannot be shown until starting at 6:00 so as to not compete with what is considered the SEC Game of the Week.  I just wish they started at 11:30 in the morning.  I think it would alleviate some of these issues.

Also, we know how Ohio State deals with Penn State…not very well.  For some reason the Nittany Lions can sometimes put a huge scare into tOSU.  Just one of those college football things I guess.

Saturday Late Night

		US	Canada
#23 Ole Miss at #25 LSU	9:00 PM	ESPN	SP
Fresno State at Utah State	10:30 PM	CBSSN	CBSSN
Wyoming at Nevada	10:30 PM	ESPN2	SP

I will say I do kind of like the 9:00 start on ESPN for a major matchup.  It is usually done around 12:30-1:00 and doesn’t feel too late…oh who am I kidding, I will stay up to watch Wyoming-Nevada like the lunatic I am.

Now these…these are the games you need to watch

#6 Texas A&M at #1 Alabama (3:30, CBS) – A no-brainer for the top spot this week.  As I said above, this is the game of the year except for The Game between Ohio State and Michigan.  If TAMU somehow wins, it sends the college football world, and especially the SEC West, into a bit of chaos.  There’s a good chance the Aggies would be no worse than #3 but Bama would continue to lurk at, say, #5.  I still believe the Tide are the only team that could lose one game and still be a lock for the College Football Playoff.

#17 Arkansas at #21 Auburn (6:00, specialty pack) – The SEC West undercard is another great one and should get a lot of eyeballs thanks to the somewhat odd start time (that is starting to become more the norm).  Arkansas wins they keep their chances of a New Year’s Six spot alive.  Auburn wins and American Thanksgiving weekend could become even bigger, with The Game and the Apple Cup already on the docket and then, potentially, the biggest Iron Bowl since the Kick Six game.

#23 Ole Miss at #25 LSU (9:00, specialty pack) – Don’t think you are seeing the first five to six minutes of this game since there is no way Arkansas-Auburn ends by 9.  Many are bemoaning the fact LSU is in the Top 25.  To be honest, LSU with everyone healthy (and halfway-decent quarterbacking) is a very dangerous team and could cause a lot of issues down the stretch.  No way they make the CFP but a NY6 spot could become available if they can somehow run the table the rest of the way.  Same with Ole Miss.  Loser has to hope for a New Year’s Day bowl (well January 2^nd but you get the idea) at best.

NC State at #7 Louisville (Noon, ABC/TSN4) – The Lamar Jackson Heisman push continues here.  Remember, one average game and the experts will shit all over him.  And that might happen here as NC State played Clemson very tough last week and should have beat them.

#2 Ohio State at Penn State (8:00, ABC) – ABC’s love affair with the Big Ten continues with this game.  However, I don’t mind this since this is one of the better games of the week.  I wouldn’t say James Franklin’s job is on the line here: but if the Nittany Lions somehow win, he probably gets through the 2017 season at least.  A Buckeye loss opens the door wide open for the Fighting Harbaughs of Ann Arbor.

BYU at #14 Boise State (Thursday, 10:30, TSN3/TSN5) – The Broncos’ last true speed bump comes tonight at home on the Smurf Turf.  BYU is very close to being undefeated themselves so Boise should not take them lightly.  Plus I always enjoy these two teams when they play late night affairs.  Two of the very few Group of Five teams that I would consider college football must-watch teams most of the time.

Alright, place your bets

I have been all over the board with my college football selections this season.  A few very good weeks and at least one sub-.500 week.  It all adds up to jack shit anyway.  So here are my picks with the normal warning to take these with more than a grain of salt:

Alabama over Texas A&M

Auburn over Arkansas

LSU over Ole Miss

Louisville over NC State

Ohio State over Penn State

Boise State over BYU

Wisconsin over Iowa

TCU over West Virginia (let’s call it the upset of the week)

UCLA over Utah (mini-upset in the chaotic Pac-12 South)

Oklahoma over Texas Tech

OK so there are three games tonight with two of significant importance.  Also the Packers and Bears play tonight in what is hopefully not a shitty Thursday Night Football matchup.  Three games tomorrow night with two of them in the late night slot.  Then comes the main event Saturday!  Enjoy the games everyone!

Hey let’s rant! – College football AND NFL edition

As you probably read in my previous post (at least I hope you did), I am scaling back on my NFL recaps a bit.  Case in point: last night the Cards destroyed the Jets 28-3.  I did not watch a single minute of the game.  I was watching the Blue Jays offense sputter yet again against a dominant Cleveland Indians pitching staff.  I also know what most of the primetime games have been like this season (read: pathetic).  So I felt I wasn’t missing much with not watching it.

I guess I kind of feel that way about the NFL as a whole.  Here starts my NFL rant o’ the day.  Let’s be honest: this season how many elite teams would you say there are?  Three?  I would say the Patriots, Vikings, and Cowboys qualify but that’s it.  Which is fine.  Let’s go down to the amount of good teams this season.  Let’s go down the list shall we?

Pittsburgh

Oakland

Green Bay

Seattle

That’s about it.  Yes I know the Bills and Eagles and Falcons are doing better than expected but almost everyone seems to think that they will all falter, at least a bit.  So other than a few teams we have hit maximum parity in the league.  Well, except for the Browns.  They’re horrible.

So every week there are very few good games to watch.  This past weekend had Atlanta-Seattle and Dallas-Green Bay and nothing else (and they were on at the same time!).  Not saying there wasn’t good action but unless you see a big game coming up, the lack of hype is deafening.  Also, going back to the primetime schedule, has the NFL gone out of their way to take marquee games OFF the primetime schedule?  It almost feels that way.  There seem to be more good games on in the late afternoon timeslot than ever before.  The early Sunday timeslot always has the most games but none that capture the eye of the casual or just-above-casual fan.

Maybe it’s just my age or the lack of time I have compared to when I was much younger but I feel like I don’t have the opportunity to invest in all the sports.  I don’t watch much NBA at all.  I don’t watch soccer, period.  I watch less NHL and junior hockey than I ever have.  I only get interested in college basketball around late February once conference tournaments commence.  It is what it is I guess.  There are other things to do with my time and there are other options even with TV and the internet.  So I guess what I am saying is my NFL recaps may very well be the shittiest part of my blog so I am reducing the amount of content there but not eliminating them altogether.

Now on to the other hot topic of the day: Big XII Expansion!  Wait, WAIT, don’t run away.  Just hear me out with this.  Look I have gone over what I would like to see happen or I think should happen with realignment.  I may very well end up being close with at least one of my predictions but no one really knows what we will be looking at in, say, 2025.  But we can speculate right?  Isn’t that fun?  OK fun is maybe too strong a word here.  It can be interesting though.  Don’t worry, I won’t put Idaho in the Pac-12 or anything like that.

To say the Big XII botched this whole expansion process is an understatement.  As others have said, they made a mockery of expansion and realignment.  That’s a tough thing to do since it is already ridiculous to begin with.  So the Big XII is not expanding.  And it’s not “they’re holding off until 2017 to make a decision.”  This is “Welcome to the Big XII.  Shitter’s full.”

What does this mean?  I think it means the writing is on the wall for this conference.  Oklahoma and Texas already have other options.  That is guaranteed.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is naïve.  Kansas and West Virginia also probably have options but I am not as certain about that. So 40% of the conference could probably leave at the end of the Grant of Rights (2025).  That’s not good.  It basically states that the end is imminent.  It’s just a matter of where the teams will go.  So let’s do that shall we?  We will do this by team because the combinations could run to at least 15 or more.

Premiere Programs

Oklahoma – Chances are they will end up in the SEC.  That is my best guess.  They wouldn’t really fit in in the Big Ten or the ACC.  I believe the ACC may end up being the most aggressive with expanding if the dominoes begin to fall so they will definitely ask.  Many believe the Pac would make a call but I think it might be too much.  Plus, the Pac desperately would want into Texas to solidify almost half the U.S. as theirs.

Texas – I believe they will end up in the Pac because the Pac wants into Texas.  This would allow the Pac-whatever to show games throughout the entire day, from Noon until 2 in the morning.  They would be the only conference to be able to do this which would be huge.  The Big Ten and ACC would definitely ask.  The ACC I can’t see it working but the Big Ten is going to throw everything at the wall to get them.  It would be a huge get and could allow them to bring in someone else for #16 that is also a huge program to bring in and would put the Big Ten probably on par with the SEC (Rutgers notwithstanding).

Kansas – Yes Kansas is the third most important program when it comes to realignment in the Big XII.  Almost a guarantee they would go to the Big Ten.  They may be a surprise addition along with Texas and two other schools if the Pac-12 wants to become the Pac-16.

West Virginia – We all know WVU probably should have gone to the ACC in the first place.  Now is the ACC’s chance to rectify that problem.  Perhaps they head to the SEC but I don’t think they fit as well as if they were in the ACC with a lot of the old Big East programs.

Tag-Alongs

Oklahoma State – Now we are getting into the teams that are good programs but have to be considered tag-alongs.  This OSU is a pretty good program for both football and basketball.  Sorry for the other sports but when it comes to realignment and revenue, these are the only two sports that count.  Oklahoma State will hope to hitch their wagon to Oklahoma and chances are that is what will happen unless the conference Oklahoma joins is adamant against having Oklahoma State but I don’t see that as a real issue.

Texas Tech – Not as good as OSU in either football or basketball.  However, with Texas A&M firmly in the SEC, the Red Raiders become the second most important Texas team by default.  A conference might have a bit more of an issue of bringing Texas Tech in along with Texas but if they want Texas, I have a feeling this is the deal.

Kansas State – Not as much of a rich history here in Manhattan but still a relatively good program.  It would be good enough that if a conference really wanted Kansas for basketball (and so they can have another doormat to squash in football), that the Wildcats would be part of the tandem to do so.

Also-rans

Baylor – Up until a year ago, I would have put Baylor instead of Texas Tech as the Longhorns’ tag-along friend.  Not so anymore.  So unless the Pac-12 wants four teams in Texas or the ACC struggles to get the two teams they really want, Baylor will probably end up in either the American or Mountain West conference.

TCU – When this all came to fruition, everyone knew the Horned Frogs really didn’t have a chance to get into a Power Five conference.  They will pair with Baylor (to an extent) and head to the AAC or MWC.

Iowa State – Here is the real loser in all this.  Most of the time the second or third worst football team in the Big XII and one of the better basketball teams (now) in the conference, the Cyclones really have no place to go.  No matter where they head they will be a bit of an outsider.  The Big Ten won’t take them.  Going to the American or Mountain West would put them as a bit of a travel outsider.  They are in some trouble.  They have to hope the Big XII’s slim hopes of staying together beyond the next nine years comes true.

Now remember, this is just based on these teams.  There is a possibility that the FBS goes from a two-tier to a three-tier system depending on how this all shakes out.  This is how it would look:

Tier I – SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC

Tier II – Big XII, American, Mountain West

Tier III – Conference USA, MAC, Sun Belt

Where the Independents fall who knows, but I assume Notre Dame would be Tier I, BYU Tier II, and Army and UMass (and eventually New Mexico State) Tier III.  This is assuming none of these teams join conferences.  I do think there will be a push to basically make Independent programs a thing of the past except for Notre Dame since they will join a conference when they want to join a conference (COUGH*ACC*COUGH).

All in all, a complete shitshow.  Funny how ESPN and FOX basically dictated to the Big XII not to expand.  ESPN will start up the ACC Network soon.  Don’t be surprised if the Pac-12 Network looks to FOX for some assistance.  That would leave the Big XII without a conference network option either.  They should be looking at my blog for ideas DAMMIT!  Oh well, at least now, for the rest of the season at least, we can move on from this tomfoolery.

Alright, the rants are done….for now.  College football schedule to come Thursday and NFL schedule Friday as per usual.

There’s Alabama and then, um, everyone else? – Week 7 College Football Recap

Don’t get me wrong.   I still think that Bama will cough one up during the regular season (I will get to that later) but at this point is there any team that is realistically even close to the Crimson Tide?  I would argue there isn’t.  I will be honest here: I watched very little of the Tide-Vols game.  I had it on the PVR.  As soon as I saw Alabama go up 21-7 I knew it was over.  And how about that?  I was right!  I do wonder about their games against Texas A&M and Auburn and they do not want to overlook LSU if they have a healthy Leonard Fournette.  They have a tough schedule but they will be favoured from here on in and possibly by double digits each game.

Alright, a little different format this week.  Just want to shake it up.  More out of boredom than anything.  We will go through the Top 25 and then highlight any other games that took place. Here we go!

#1 Alabama & #9 Tennessee – This was outlined above.  Why go through it again?  I just want to see Saban yell at Lane Kiffin again.  I smile when that happens.  OK I guess I should talk about the Vols a bit.  They’ve put Florida back into the SEC East race.  There you go.

#2 Ohio State & #8 Wisconsin – The Badgers sure put a scare into the Buckeyes.  A great game that went to overtime and ended with a thud for Wisky.  The Badgers won’t fall too far in the rankings but there is little chance for tOSU to pass Alabama in the polls the rest of the season unless Bama loses now.

#3 Clemson – Arguably the best game of the day was an early game with the Tigers narrowly beating NC State.  In all honesty, Clemson should have lost.  NC State outplayed them and if it wasn’t for their poor kicker missing another field goal, Clemson would have been out of the Top 5 (and possibly out of the Top 10 as well).  That’s college kickers for you.  There are only a few out there who you would trust in a real pressure situation.  The rest you just hope they don’t screw up.

#4 Michigan, #5 Washington, #6 Texas A&M – All these teams were idle and hoping for at least one of the three teams above them to lose.  It didn’t happen.

#7 Louisville – Many people said it was a horrible game that the Cardinals played at home against Duke on Friday night.  I disagree a bit.  Duke is a good team; underrated for sure.  Also, Lamar Jackson still had a pretty damn good game.  I guess expectations are REALLY high in Louisville and anything less than a College Football Playoff spot would be a failure.

#10 Nebraska – Other than Bama, no team in Top 10 seemed to have it easy this weekend.  That includes the Huskers who came oh so close to blowing a lead against Indiana and losing in what would have been a massive upset.  Their win, combined with Wisconsin’s loss sets up a huge showdown in two weeks in Madison where we see if the Fighting Rileys are for real or not.

#11 Baylor – They beat Kansas.  You don’t get a trophy for that.

#12 Ole Miss & #22 Arkansas – Another pretty good back-and-forth affair that overshadowed a good part of the Ohio State-Wisconsin game.  Plus with Joe Tessitore calling the game, there was that distinct possibility that something crazy might happen.  And it looked like it might when Chad Kelly scrambled for the first down very late in the game to come up just short.  Both teams essentially are eliminated from the SEC West race anyways so they are fighting for better bowl games at this point.

#13 Houston – They shouldn’t have been that close with Tulsa.  No offense to the Golden Hurricane but if the Cougs want to say they are a big-time team they have to show it.  This wasn’t the way to do it: by stopping Tulsa mere millimetres short of the goal line on the last play of the game to preserve a 7-point victory.

#14 Florida State – You know there was a point that I thought Wake Forest might actually pull this one out.  Their defense is easily one of the best in the ACC and it showed here.  Too bad their offense isn’t anything to write home about.  The Noles survived and are headed for a showdown with Clemson two weeks from now to see if they can shake things up in the ACC Atlantic.

#15 Boise State – Style points count for Group of Five teams.  The Broncos didn’t gain any here by allowing an improbable Colorado State comeback.  They need to put the rest of their Mountain West conference foes away early for them to look good in the eyes of The Committee.

#16 Miami – Talk about looking bad.  And at home even.  Even though the score looked close, the Canes were never really in their game with North Carolina.  It is going to be an interesting fight to the finish in the ACC Coastal since no one really seems to want to win the division.  I guess it could have been worse for The U though.  Just ask…

#17 Virginia Tech – Now this was a shocker.  I honestly thought Syracuse would struggle to win a single ACC conference game this season.  They looked pretty good against the Hokies.  Perhaps BabersBall is starting to catch on there.  As for Tech, it’s been an up and down season.  Has to already be considered a success for Justin Fuente but the division was theirs for the taking (and still can be if they win out).

#18 Florida – Quietly, the Gators are moving back towards the Top 15.  Also, now that their game against LSU has finally been rescheduled (what a gongshow that was), it may be the game that Florida needs to win to go back to the SEC Championship for a rematch with Bama.

#19 Oklahoma – Why do I have this feeling that the Sooners will somehow run the Big XII table and someone is going to wonder why they weren’t included in the College Football Playoff?  We are in that kind of season people.  Last year had it’s funny times but this feels a lot more like 2007 as each week passes (except for the Bama domination).

#20 West Virginia – Speaking of quietly moving up the board, the Mountaineers are playing well and Drunk Uncle Dana is looking like a coach of the year candidate.  They still have the tough part of their schedule coming up (this Saturday they get TCU) so I don’t see them going undefeated but you never know.

#21 Utah – Somehow the Utes had a tough time with Oregon State.  So now the Pac-12 has become Washington and everyone else.  Ridiculous.  If the Huskies lose even one game, even if it’s close, the Pac-12 may be left out of the CFP.

#23 Auburn – They were idle but may move up because quite a few of the teams above them in the rankings didn’t play that well.

#24 Western Michigan – What they did against Akron is what they will have to do the rest of the way.  Their CFP hopes are razor thin but they could catch Houston and Boise State for the New Year’s Six spot if they just keep blowing opponents out (although something will have to happen to the other Broncos for the chances to come true).

#25 Navy – Their game with East Carolina was postponed into November.  This caused us to have to suffer through the only non-college football Thursday of the season.  They have the inside track to ruining Houston’s chances for the New Year’s Six as long as they win out.

Other Notes

• Vanderbilt won their first SEC conference road game under Derek Mason by shocking Georgia Between The Hedges. Vandy won’t be bowl eligible or anything but man does Kirby Smart look like the wrong hire in Athens (Do they miss Mark Richt?  The answer is yes.).
• Man is Michigan State ever bad. No one, and I mean NO ONE, would have thought that Sparty would struggle to make a bowl game.  They looked pathetic against Northwestern.  Well their defense looked pathetic.  Their offense looked fine.  Won’t be enough to compete in the Big Ten though that is for sure.
• Purdue lost to Iowa and Darrell Hazell lost his job. You should see the lack of shock on my face right now.
• Uh don’t look like now but Colorado has flashed back 25 years and are a bit of a force again. They almost have the inside track on the Pac-12 South after their win over Arizona State.  They have shocked everyone (including myself) with how good they have been so far this season.
• New Mexico and Wyoming look like the best teams after Boise State and San Diego State in the Mountain West. No, this is not a misprint.
• If you think Colorado is shocking everyone, try Eastern Michigan. They are one win away from bowl eligibility.  ONE!  If they were in the MAC East, they might have ended up winning it.

This has been one crazy season and we are only halfway through it.  Other than Alabama, no team seems to want to set themselves apart from the pack.  And if things don’t change, there will be a serious issue with getting enough teams for bowl games.  I have estimated that there will be at least as many teams needing waivers as last season (three) and possibly as high as seven.  That’s nuts.  The MAC East is BRUTAL and we could see an under-.500 team in the MAC Championship (or even a 6-6 team and we know the issues that creates).  Conference USA is a joke this season and Rice could somehow end up winless.  No one wants to win the ACC Coastal Division.  Or the Pac-12 South.  Or even the SEC East.  What does this all add up to?  Chaos!  And to be honest, there is a part of me that loves it because it’s wonky results and crazy seasons that bring about change (and usually for the better).  Oh, and my opinion on Big XII expansion (they have a press conference today at 6:30 to discuss what will happen on that front) is that if the Big XII does not expand, then expect serious rumours in about three years’ time of Oklahoma, Texas, and possibly others looking for greener pastures elsewhere.  The grass isn’t always greener.  I get that.  But the Big XII currently has a front yard that is entirely dirt and unless they plant something there to grow it back into a reputable Power Five conference, then the conference will eventually die off (in about eight years’ time).  Will be interesting to see which way they go with this.

Bossman Top 25

You didn’t ask for it but you’re getting it anyway.  Here it is followed by some random comments:

#1	Alabama
#2	Ohio State
#3	Clemson
#4	Michigan
#5	Texas A&M
#6	Louisville
#7	Washington
#8	Baylor
#9	Nebraska
#10	Florida
#11	Houston
#12	Florida State
#13	Wisconsin
#14	Oklahoma
#15	West Virginia
#16	Tennessee
#17	Boise State
#18	Arkansas
#19	Ole Miss
#20	Utah
#21	Western Michigan
#22	Auburn
#23	North Carolina
#24	LSU
#25	Miami

Random Comments

• My Top 7 are exactly like the AP’s top 7 teams, albeit in a slightly different order. I believe Bama has gone so far past everyone else that only a loss moves them back down (and it may only drop them to #2).
• I have Houston at #11, Boise State at #17, and Western Michigan at #21. Boise has the inside track because I do not foresee Houston winning the AAC West Division, let alone the AAC.  The Group of Five spot is reserved for a conference champion.  Boise wins out, they get that spot.  If other crazy things happen, they may sneak into the CFP spot, especially if San Diego State runs the table into the MWC Championship also.
• I have Auburn and LSU sneaking into the Top 25. I think if either runs the table (this would include a win over Alabama), they will easily be in the Top 10 and possibly, amazingly enough, in line for a CFP spot.

At this point, I see the same four teams that I had last week in the College Football Playoff: Washington, Ohio State, Clemson, and Alabama.  I feel quite good about the Huskies and Tide and a bit nervous about the Buckeyes and Tigers.  I also believe Boise will run the table and get the G-5 spot meaning WMU (who I also think will run the table) will be left out (but possibly still in the Top 10).  This is why I believe the amount of conference tie-ins has to drop significantly.  Who wouldn’t want a chance to get an undefeated Western Michigan team into their bowl, especially if it is up against a Big Ten team?  It’s the kind of game fans love to see: a G-5 team getting their shot to overtake a P-5 team on national television.  As I have said before, I think the bowl selection process should change.  I might just do it again for this season (so far) and see how things look.  We could end up with some pretty spicy matchups if they would just LISTEN TO ME!

Alright, tomorrow I will do the slightly truncated NFL recap.  To be honest I will be doing smaller NFL recaps because I really haven’t had a chance to watch the NFL much this season.  I blame it on Roger Goodell.  But to be honest, let’s look at this past weekend.  One game between elite teams.  That’s it.  How many really good teams are there this season?  Very few.  Even gambling on the NFL doesn’t seem to hold the same amount of excitement as it used to.  I stopped doing fantasy football a years ago.  Overall I just don’t have the same affinity for it like I did.  That may have more to do with the fact I watch 14+ hours of college football on Saturdays (if I’m watching it live) and need a break of some sort on Sunday to actually get shit done.  I get that I am ranting but I have to tell it like it is.  I mean you never know when someone may ask why I am not covering something about the NFL.  Now you kind of know…and knowing is half the battle.   GI JOE!

Isn’t that what everyone wants? A quarterback controversy? – Week 6 NFL TV Schedule

Dak Prescott has proven that he is, as of this moment, the second best quarterback to come out of the 2016 draft.  A lot could change between now and next year at this time when we can properly evaluate who has done well and who is most likely a bust.  Normally this is great for most teams.  Not so much for the Cowboys, at least when it comes to this season.  With Tony Romo set to return in a few weeks, it is going to be very interesting to see what happens at JerryWorld with these two.  The choice won’t have to be made this season (probably), but at some point, Jason Garrett has to make a decision.  I think Romo is pretty long in the tooth already and really injury-prone.  Dak is the future of course but if you keep him on the sidelines he may take his ball and go home (and by home, I mean an NFC East rival to piss off the Cowboys).  Tough decision and one I wouldn’t want to have to make…I’m just kidding I would love to be the coach or GM for an NFL team, wouldn’t you?

Alright enough of that rambling garbage.  On to what we’re here for: the week six schedule.  Here it is followed by random musings:

Early Games

	CBS	FOX	CTV	TSN	OTHER
Cincinnati at New England	Seattle, Spokane, Minneapolis, Burlington, Boston		Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Montreal, Atlantic
Baltimore at NY Giants	Rochester
Pittsburgh at Miami
Jacksonville at Chicago
Cleveland at Tennessee	Cleveland
Philadelphia at Washington		Burlington		TSN3
Carolina at New Orleans
Los Angeles at Detroit		Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane, Minneapolis, Detroit	BC, Alberta, Ottawa		CKPR, CHEX, CITL, CKWS
San Francisco at Buffalo		Buffalo, Rochester	Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Toronto

Late Games

	CBS	FOX	CTV	CTV Two	TSN	OTHER
Kansas City at Oakland	Detroit, Buffalo				TSN3
Dallas at Green Bay		Minneapolis, Detroit, Buffalo, Rochester, Burlington, Boston	Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Toronto
Atlanta at Seattle		Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane	BC, Alberta, Ottawa, Montreal	Atlantic		CKPR, CHEX, CITL, CKWS

Sunday/Monday Primetime

Indianapolis at Houston	Sunday, 8:30, NBC/TSN1/3/4/5
NY Jets at Arizona*	Monday, 8:30, TSN 1/3/4/5

Random Musings

• Good news: Only three games all weekend aren’t being shown. And they’re three games that most of us wouldn’t watch unless you are a fan of that team (even diehard fans wouldn’t watch those games for more than a few minutes).
• There are no real marquee early or late games which is a good thing this week. It means that the entire country will get multiple choices at both timeslots.
• The Jets-Cards Monday Night affair is shown on the usual TSN family of networks (without the redheaded stepchild, TSN2). With hockey starting up again, we are going to have the issue where certain games won’t start right at 8:30 on every channel.  On TSN3, due to the Bruins-Jets game, the football game won’t appear until approximately 10:30.  Same thing with TSN5 because of the Red Wings-Senators matchup as the game there will start around 10:00.  I will be honest though: it is the Jets and the Cardinals so I don’t think you are missing a whole lot.
• Even the Sunday Night Football game seems rather weak this time around. Colts-Texans?  Seriously?  Man oh man I don’t know what it is this season but the amount of good games I could probably count on one hand.

Alright I got nothing else to add to this weekend’s NFL action.  It will be a decent weekend, nothing more, nothing less.

Remember, there are four college games tonight and then the fun stuff happens Saturday and Sunday.  Enjoy the games everyone!