It started last week when the Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers for four draft picks. I wouldn’t say it’s a hefty cost for McCaffrey but it is a lot for a guy who has injury concerns. Saying that, when healthy, he’s the best running back in the league.
Then, yesterday, the Eagles traded for Robert Quinn. And it only cost them a fourth round pick. I don’t really know what the Bears are thinking but that is a low cost for a guy that’s still a great defensive end and a probable Hall of Famer.
That’s two big trades as we head toward the trade deadline on Tuesday. With the way the NFC has been, the Eagles are going for broke and the Niners have entered contender territory. Other names that are out there as potential trade chips are Brandin Cooks, Chase Claypool, Cam Akers, Bradley Chubb and Antonio Gibson. Expect at least one AFC team to add someone as that conference is a minefield where you will see a good team in the #7 spot going into the postseason.
Alright, done with the trades for now. On to the schedule!
Vancouver, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal
Atlantic
San Francisco at LA Rams
4:25
Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Ottawa
TSN1
Primetime (and Morning!) Games
Baltimore at Tampa Bay
Thursday, 8:20, Amazon Prime, CTV2, TSN1/4
Denver vs. Jacksonville (in London)
9:30 AM, CTV, TSN1
Green Bay at Buffalo
8:15, NBC, CTV2, TSN1/5
Cincinnati at Cleveland
8:15, TSN1/4
Semi-Random Schedule Analysis
God damn London games. We have another one this week and it’s…the Broncos and the Jags. Fuck that. Maybe I’ll get up to watch the second half. Maybe.
Games not being shown in Canada (unless you have the almighty RedZone):
Las Vegas at New Orleans
Carolina at Atlanta
Washington at Indianapolis
Other than the Raiders-Saints game, no one here really cares about those ones we are missing. And even that’s a stretch.
A big Sunday nighter that should bring in big ratings and a big rivalry game for the Monday nighter. The primetime schedule looking good….even with the Ravens and Bucs on Thursday night. Yeah, I said it.
It is amazing to see the New York Football Giants in the prime late window spot. When is the last time that happened? Probably their Super Bowl season since they’ve been hot garbage since then.
That’s it, that’s all. Not a whole lot to say here. We are almost at the halfway point of the season and other than some terrible Thursday Night Football games, the season has been fun. Let’s hope that continues. I mean…we know it won’t but we have to hope, right?
First off, remember this classic? It was awesome. So the powers that be decided to quash the possibility of it ever happening again. Instead, we get a nine-overtime affair that made me want to pour bleach into my eyes.
Anyway, as you can see from the pic, the Aggie faithful stormed the field after the win. It was a big win. An exhausting one, even for the fans who were there for over five hours. Now, rushing the field like this is now fined by certain conferences. And the fines can be hefty. LSU was just fined a quarter of a million dollars for their fans rushing the field after the Tigers thoroughly destroyed previously undefeated Ole Miss. It was a big win.
Here’s the dilemma from what I see: seeing fans rush the field can be, most of the time, an amazing visual. They are just so happy their team pulled off the victory. Can there be dangers to it? Absolutely. And there can be altercations. Look at that asshole Jermaine Burton who punched a female Tennessee fan after the Vols’ win over Bama. He said he was scared. Bullshit. He could have punched any fan and chose her. Funny he didn’t choose a bigger guy who might have taken offense to it and retaliated. Look, my point is this…I don’t think rushing the field should be fined. At all. That sounds crazy but I believe it. Now, if something happens when the fans rush the field, then the school should be punished (as long as it was not someone from the opposing team doing something wrong). And the fines should be hefty. Forget $250,000. Start at $500K and go up from there. And if students cause issues at games when they storm the field? Guess what? Pack your shit and fuck off to another university. Instead, we have these blanket fines that do nothing really except move money from one coffer to another coffer. Dumb.
Alright, let’s get down to some schedules, shall we?
Thursday
US
Canada
Virginia Tech at #24 NC State
7:30 PM
Louisiana at Southern Miss
7:30 PM
#14 Utah at Washington State
10:00 PM
Two pretty important games here. NC State has to win here to have any chance to move back up the rankings and perhaps sneak into the New Year’s Six. Utah has the same issue going for them although they are closer to the Top 10 which basically guarantees a spot. OK make it three important games since Louisiana has to keep pace with Troy and South Alabama in the Sun Belt West.
Friday
US
Canada
Yale at Columbia
6:30 PM
Louisiana Tech at FIU
8:00 PM
East Carolina at BYU
8:00 PM
Kind of a lacklustre night to be honest. I guess you could see some importance in the Cougs’ game since a loss might actually have them struggling to make a bowl game this season.
Saturday Early
US
Canada
Notre Dame at #16 Syracuse
Noon
Georgia Tech at Florida State
Noon
Boston College at UConn
Noon
#7 TCU at West Virginia
Noon
USF at Houston
Noon
Toledo at Eastern Michigan
Noon
#2 Ohio State at #13 Penn State
Noon
Oklahoma at Iowa State
Noon
Arkansas at Auburn
Noon
Massive early game in State College. You could still consider it a Game of the Year candidate. This is a prove-it game for Penn State. Win this and it puts all the tough games they’ve had behind them and puts them in a great spot to make the College Football Playoff. A tOSU win means it comes down to them and Michigan for any Big Ten CFP possibilities.
If you had told me that Toledo and Eastern Michigan would be facing off in late October, essentially, for the MAC West championship I would have thought you were on some great drugs. But that is the case. EMU has shocked a lot of people this year. Chris Creighton has done a great job in Ypsilanti. It also helps that every other team in the division (other than these two) has looked below-average at best.
Syracuse has a potential speed bump game to get back on track as they host the Irish and honestly it feels weird to see Oklahoma face Iowa State where neither team is ranked.
Saturday Afternoon
US
Canada
Rutgers at Minnesota
2:30 PM
#17 Illinois at Nebraska
3:30 PM
#10 Wake Forest at Louisville
3:30 PM
Florida vs. #1 Georgia (in Jacksonville)
3:30 PM
Temple at Navy
3:30 PM
#20 Cincinnati at UCF
3:30 PM
Northwestern at Iowa
3:30 PM
#9 Oklahoma State at #22 Kansas State
3:30 PM
#8 Oregon at California
3:30 PM
South Alabama at Arkansas State
4:00 PM
Missouri at #25 South Carolina
4:00 PM
No huge games but a lot of games of importance in this timeslot. OK fine you can say Oklahoma State-Kansas State is huge but there are still a lot of things that could happen in the Big XII with one possibility being that the conference cannibalizes itself and no one makes it to the College Football Playoff.
Illinois is actually on ABC! And they are the reason they are there! Bert doing a great job in Champaign and a win here puts them into a showdown with Purdue for the Big Ten West as long as no other screwy things happen…meaning something will happen. Yes there is an odd start for the Big Ten Network game and no, I don’t know why although I haven’t taken too hard a look to find that out.
Some are saying Georgia may be looking past Florida. I know I would if I was Georgia. I can’t see the Gators doing anything here but you never know as the Cocktail Party can get weird some years. Finally, South Alabama is in a nationally televised game on Saturday probably for the first time ever. They should easily beat ASU in this one. Maybe they are a dark horse for the NY6.
Saturday Primetime
US
Canada
UAB at Florida Atlantic
7:00 PM
#19 Kentucky at #3 Tennessee
7:00 PM
Colorado State at Boise State
7:00 PM
Coastal Carolina at Marshall
7:00 PM
#10 USC at Arizona
7:00 PM
Michigan State at #4 Michigan
7:30 PM
Baylor at Texas Tech
7:30 PM
Arizona State at Colorado
7:30 PM
#15 Ole Miss at Texas A&M
7:30 PM
Pittsburgh at #21 North Carolina
8:00 PM
In almost any week of any season, UK-UT is the SEC on CBS Game of the Week (and potentially the primetime choice). But with the Cocktail Party this week, they are “relegated” to the primetime ESPN game. Still a good slot. Plus, this game is an elimination game. Winner has a shot at the SEC East and the loser has to hope to make up ground to get a nice January bowl game.
Speaking of relegation, USC is on the Pac-12 Network this week. OK, they are at Arizona who, while improved, is still not that good a team. But when you see that Arizona State and Colorado are on ESPNU (which is slightly better if you ask me), it makes you scratch your head a bit. I know the Trojans were picked for the P12N to fulfill their contracted amount of appearances on the network and this game was as good as any to put there. Still…it feels odd to see a Top 10 team on a conference network, especially the worst conference network around.
Saturday Late Night
US
Canada
Nevada at San Jose State
10:30 PM
Stanford at #12 UCLA
10:30 PM
San Diego State at Fresno State
10:30 PM
The Spartans actually have a big game here. By the time the calendar turns, they might be the favourites to represent the West Division in the Mountain West Championship. Also, the Bruins look to bounce back and maybe get back into the Top 10 against the Cardinal who may have a tough decision with David Shaw ahead. Not saying Shaw will be fired this season (or even in the offseason) but something has to give here as the team has been pretty bad for a few years now.
Big Games O’ The Week
Ohio State at Penn State (Noon, FOX) – Just a reminder that this game is at Beaver Stadium so it gives the Nittany Lions more of a chance than if it was at the Horseshoe. This might not be exactly easy for the Fighting Ryan Days but a win here will put them into a one-game showdown in a month against Michigan for the Big Ten East and may put them at #1 in the first College Football Playoff poll on Tuesday.
Kentucky at Tennessee (7:00, specialty pack) – I’m sure there are many who wished this game would have been on TSN instead of the Michigan State-Michigan game but yeah, a good Big Ten game will almost always rate higher for TSN than a game from any other conference. As I said above, this is an SEC East elimination game so the stakes are high. It will be interesting to see if the Vols have a letdown after their big win over Alabama a couple weeks ago or if the Cats can get up for this game, dealing with a loud Knoxville crowd.
Oklahoma State at Kansas State (3:30, FOX) – FOX has quite the lineup this week. I know some marvel when I say that but it honestly doesn’t happen often. It probably helps that it’s only two games this week that lead into the World Series which starts after this game. This is part of the Big XII gauntlet that is happening before our eyes that involves more than half the conference (and maybe not even Oklahoma). FOX is probably hoping this game doesn’t go to a bunch of overtimes since we know it would be moved to like FOX Business Network or some channel no one in the world gets.
Notre Dame at Syracuse (Noon, ABC/TSN5) – The Cuse looks to rebound from their tough loss to Clemson. Meanwhile, Notre Dame continues their roller coaster first season under Marcus Freeman. A win by Syracuse here still keeps them in the hunt for…something. A New Year’s Six at-large spot perhaps? The Irish are just trying to make their season feel like it’s less of a failure than it has been and one where 2023 looks optimistic.
Cincinnati at UCF (3:30, specialty pack) – It feels like most years this is a battle between the top two teams in the American. I would have said Houston at the start of the season but yeah I whiffed on that one pretty hard. Tulane may have something to say about that first sentence and they may get their shot in the AAC Championship if they can keep playing as well as they are. Until then, this feels like the winner is in the driver’s seat for the Cotton Bowl spot.
Psycho Game of the Week
Arizona State at Colorado (7:30, specialty pack) – You have got to be some sort of masochist to spend more than one minute watching this one. I guess maybe hoping for some weird score like 5-3 could get you interested in this but otherwise, it is so easy to avoid this abomination.
Hubba Bubba Blowout of the Week
Georgia Tech at Florida State (Noon, specialty pack) – This might seem like a bit of a surprise but I have this feeling that the Noles will come into this one a bit angry and ready to beat the absolute shit out of whoever they face. The Ramblin’ Wreck are playing better not under Geoff Collins but at some point their lack of talent will come to the forefront. This is the game that will happen.
Fun-Time Stats of the Week
Last time UAB traveled to Boca Raton to face FAU they were embarrassed 49-6.
This is the first time in four years that Ole Miss has had to play back-to-back road games.
NC State has lost five straight to the Hokies.
The Degenerate Portion of Our Show
For some reason I can delve into picking NFL games (which I still do from time to time on top of fantasy football) but when it comes to college football I draw a blank. I can’t seem to come up with a way to pick games other than just pick them off the top of my head for the most part. That’s something I would never say when my late night betting show commences. I wonder what the most ridiculous channel to put that on would be. OMNI?
Louisiana (+1) over Southern Miss (and the outright win…why is Southern Miss even favoured here?)
Louisiana Tech (-6.5) over FIU
Toledo (-7) over Eastern Michigan
Boston College (-7.5) over UConn (only 7.5? Who is making these odds?)
Oklahoma (-1) over Iowa State
Minnesota (-14) over Rutgers
Navy (-13.5) over Temple
Louisville (+3.5) over Wake Forest (big upset pick!)
Florida (+22.5) over Georgia (UGA will cover but the Gators will make things interesting for about three quarters)
Kentucky (+12.5) over Tennessee (the Vols will win a tight one)
Coastal Carolina (+2.5) over Marshall (and they will win outright)
Ole Miss (-2.5) over Texas A&M
UCLA (-16.5) over Stanford (only 16.5? Yeah I’m not getting some of these)
Let’s see how much of a tool I look like with these picks. Anyway, I will be on the Twitter machine for most of the day (I think) so catch me there if you want. Hey, I got a secret for ya. Come closer….
There’s football every day between tomorrow and November 22nd!
Sounds like the owners are having fun times together. Dan Snyder is threatening Roger Goodell and the other owners saying he has dirt on some of them and if they go after him he will release it. Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft getting into an argument, telling Kraft not to fuck with him during an owners’ meeting. Fun times. I think I have a solution.
I believe they could settle their differences in a battle royale. But, to make it more equitable, include weapons. This way, old pieces of shit like Stan Kroenke and Jerry Jones could hang with some of the younger owners like Steve Bisciotti and Michael Bidwell. You could even put it on pay-per-view. A RedZone special maybe with Scott Hanson on the call. Make some money on this. The only issue would be who should represent the Green Bay Packers because we wouldn’t want every one who owns a piece of the team involved. The sheer advantage in numbers would be staggering, as would the smell.
Alright, enough owners talk since owners are mostly rich assholes. Let’s talk about us. The NFL fan. The Canadian NFL fan that wants some schedules god damn it! Well here they are!
Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal
Atlantic
Seattle at LA Chargers
4:25
Vancouver, Alberta
TSN3
Primetime Games
New Orleans at Arizona
Thursday, 8:20, Amazon Prime, CTV2, TSN1
Pittsburgh at Miami
8:15, NBC, CTV2, TSN1/3/4
Chicago at New England
Monday, 8:15, TSN1/2
Random Analysis
You ever deal with a rich company owner? Yeah…I stand by the fact that most of them are assholes.
No London game. Thank fucking god. I can sleep in.
Interesting thing about the Monday nighter: the game is also available on NBC if you get it out of the Boston area, which many in the eastern part of the country do. I do like the idea of putting Monday and Thursday night games also on local market channels. A small way to grow the game.
No games are being shown basically everywhere which is a good thing. Lends to more variety (usually). Which leads me to…
Games not being shown here in Canada (unless you have RedZone):
Indianapolis at Tennessee
NY Jets at Denver
Houston at Las Vegas
The ManningCast is back! TSN2 will be showing that. Only other channel showing the Monday nighter is TSN1.
Let’s pray or give thoughts or whatever the fuck politicians do to hopefully get a good Thursday Night Football game. We need it. Really. Enjoy all the games everyone (if you can).
I tend to do most of my psychic work in the offseason…or when looking at bowl projections. Neither of which I do very well. So yeah sounds like a great idea to do it again in the middle of the season right? I never learn.
Will the SEC send a team not from Alabama or Georgia to the College Football Playoff? Tennessee and Ole Miss are both looking the real deal this season. The Vols already pulled off a big upset with their win over the Tide. The Rebels get their shot next month. Tennessee still has to get by Georgia to win the division. So maybe we could be looking at a Vols-Rebels SEC Championship? Honestly, I don’t think so but you never know.
Does the Big Ten still come down to The Big Game? Yes. I think Illinois is doing great and Purdue might end up being the new power in the Big Ten West but it still all comes down to the The Big Game between Michigan and Ohio State. Winner probably wins the conference and heads to the CFP. Loser to the New Year’s Six and the Rose Bowl. I don’t see another scenario unless one of the teams is upset before then.
What’s going to happen with the Pac-12? If Oregon loses this Saturday to UCLA then it will be either the Bruins or Trojans with the only shot for the College Football Playoff. How sad is that for this conference? USC and UCLA leave in 2024 and there are a lot of rumours that Oregon and Washington will follow, possibly for that same season. It’s been bad for the conference for a while but they somehow are coming up with new lows. I assume they poach the Mountain West for at least two teams to stay at the Pac-10 going forward but it won’t be the conference that it’s been in the past, much to Bill Walton’s chagrin.
Is TCU the Big XII’s only hope? No, nor are they a good choice either. I can’t see the Horned Frogs running the table. There is a much better chance of Oklahoma State or even Texas having a shot. A lot would have to happen for the Longhorns to be in contention but it could happen. Me? I’m hoping for chaos and a two-loss team in the CFP. Wouldn’t that be wild?
Who’s the next coach to be fired? It feels like it will be Bryan Harsin and that it will happen any day now. I think he will be after the next coach to be fired. I believe the next coach fired will be Neal Brown instead. It hasn’t been an abject disaster in Morgantown but Brown has shown no signs of improving this program. With Texas Tech and Kansas possibly passing them in the Big XII pecking order, they maybe sitting in the basement by the end of 2022.
Who will win the Heisman? I think if Tennessee goes undefeated through the regular season, it’s Hendon Hooker’s Heisman (Triple H) to lose. One loss or a really bad game from Hooker and it opens the door to like half-a-dozen others, including C.J. Stroud, Dorian Thompson-Robinsion, Bryce Young and Caleb Williams.
Alright that’s enough predictions for now. You didn’t come for that (I don’t think). You came for schedules, right? So let’s get right to them!
Wednesday
US
Canada
Georgia State at Appalachian State
7:30 PM
Before the season this felt like it could be huge in deciding the Sun Belt East. Not so much anymore.
Thursday
US
Canada
Virginia at Georgia Tech
7:30 PM
Troy at South Alabama
7:30 PM
The highlight here, honestly, is what could be the Sun Belt West title game. South Alabama is WAY better than advertised and Troy has improved from last year as well. Also, Georgia Tech might actually be favoured in a conference game as the Hoos come to Atlanta. Wouldn’t have been that way with Geoff Collins still in charge, I can guarantee that.
Friday
US
Canada
Princeton at Harvard
7:00 PM
Tulsa at Temple
7:30 PM
UAB at WKU
8:00 PM
Nothing of serious importance although it could be interesting to see what happens in Bowling Green (not the university, the town). Winner there stays in the hunt to get to the Conference USA Championship game.
Saturday Early
US
Canada
#14 Syracuse at #5 Clemson
Noon
Indiana at Rutgers
Noon
ULM at Army
Noon
#21 Cincinnati at SMU
Noon
Kansas at Baylor
Noon
Houston at Navy
Noon
Iowa at #2 Ohio State
Noon
UT-Martin at #3 Tennessee
Noon
I would say this is a good appetizer for the games later on but there’s a main course mixed in there. Syracuse travels to Death Valley East with legitimate upset aspirations. They win here and they turn the ACC (and college football in general) kind of upside down. What many would have picked as the game of the afternoon at the start of the season could look like an absolute blowout. Could Iowa lose by 50? Quite possibly.
Kansas still getting no love. ESPN2 for a big game against Baylor? Come on man. What really is perplexing, though, is UT-Martin getting on to TSN. UT-Martin? I get that Tennessee is good but there are a few other games that could have gone there…like the KU-BU game I just mentioned!
Saturday Afternoon
US
Canada
West Virginia at Texas Tech
3:00 PM
#20 Texas at #11 Oklahoma State
3:30 PM
Boston College at #13 Wake Forest
3:30 PM
Northwestern at Maryland
3:30 PM
#7 Ole Miss at LSU
3:30 PM
Western Michigan at Miami-OH
3:30 PM
Purdue at Wisconsin
3:30 PM
Memphis at #25 Tulane
3:30 PM
BYU at Liberty
3:30 PM
#9 UCLA at #10 Oregon
3:30 PM
Arizona State at Stanford
4:00 PM
Vanderbilt at Missouri
4:00 PM
If UCLA and USC don’t get to the Victory Bell game in November both undefeated then the Bruins’ game against Oregon here might be the Pac-12 Game of the Year (and their best chance to put a team into the College Football Playoff).
You may notice that the UNLV-Notre Dame game isn’t on this list. That’s because this is the one game this season that NBC moves to Peacock. I hope the Rebels somehow win. The Longhorns and Pokes might be in a quasi-elimination game, especially if TCU keeps winning. Ole Miss and Purdue have landmine games where an upset or two wouldn’t be a total surprise.
Saturday Primetime
US
Canada
Boise State at Air Force
7:00 PM
#24 Mississippi State at #6 Alabama
7:00 PM
Minnesota at #16 Penn State
7:30 PM
UCF at East Carolina
7:30 PM
Texas A&M at South Carolina
7:30 PM
Pittsburgh at Louisville
8:00 PM
#17 Kansas State at #8 TCU
8:00 PM
Colorado at Oregon State
8:00 PM
Two underrated teams no more as Kansas State travels to Fort Worth to face an undefeated Horned Frogs team. This is absolutely massive for both teams and would have been on FOX if FOX didn’t have baseball that night.
The rest of the primetime schedule could be considered a bit weak unless the Bulldogs can put a scare into Bama. The ABC primetime matchup is very weak considering some of the games that are on this Saturday. I don’t get it sometimes with these picks but at least the network won’t lean on the Big Ten all the time like they’ve been doing in recent years. FOX has taken up that mantle.
Also, we have what might as well be the de facto Mountain West Mountain championship between Boise and AFA. And we have another Pat McAfee night on ESPN2. Great…..
Saturday Late Night
US
Canada
San Diego State at Nevada
10:30 PM
Washington at California
10:30 PM
Montana at Sacramento State
11:00 PM
OK so the primetime schedule might be weak in spots but this is brutal. Meaning either Cal is beating the Huskies or Nevada ends the Brady Hoke era at SDSU. Otherwise this is a fucking joke. Oh, plus we are stuck with the Sacramento Test this week. And no, that’s not a test of Sacramento Kings’ fans’ patience.
Big Games O’ The Week
UCLA at Oregon (3:30, FOX) – There are a few games that could occupy this top spot but I picked the one which I believe has the most at stake. If the Bruins win, it sets them up perfectly for the Battle for Los Angeles against their crosstown rivals, USC. A loss and, quite frankly, the Pac-12 could be sitting out the CFP yet again. As I said, huge stakes.
Syracuse at Clemson (Noon, ABC/TSN4) – The Orange Dream Season Express rolls on here as The Fighting Babers look to pull off the upset of all upsets. And we’ve seen that D.J. Uiagalelei has had poor games in the past. A Cuse win here would throw everyone’s ACC predictions into a dumpster (and then that dumpster to be set on fire).
Kansas State at TCU (8:00, FOX Sports One) – This still will not get as much attention as the Texas-Oklahoma State game earlier in the day and I think that suits these two teams just fine. A TCU win keeps their CFP hopes very much alive whereas a Kansas State win puts a bunch of teams back in the mix for the Big XII title game at JerryWorld.
Mississippi State at Alabama (7:00, specialty pack) – Some are actually wondering why Mississippi State is in the Top 25. I think if the Bulldogs had any semblance of a running game they’d be clearly in the Top 20 and contending for an SEC West title. Instead, they have Will Rogers throw the ball a million times and hope for the best. Classic Mike Leach. I kind of hope this is close but don’t be surprised if it’s over by 8:00.
Texas at Oklahoma State (3:30, ABC) – ABC’s ongoing love affair with the Big Ten, despite the fact they will be leaving the network soon, pushes a game like this to the afternoon timeslot. I don’t think many thought Texas would be in a game that, if they win, could put them in the driver’s seat to get to the Big XII Championship. Kansas State, TCU and even Kansas will watch this game with quite a bit of interest.
Ole Miss at LSU (3:30, CBS) – Ole Miss can’t have this be a speed bump game. LSU is better than they were last year and may be shaking of the early season shitshow and are playing good ball under Brian Kelly. The Lane Train needs to mow teams like this down knowing that Bama is coming down the line.
Minnesota at Penn State (7:30, ABC) – Is it one of the big time games you’d want to see in the ABC Primetime window? No. This could end up being a good game though. And James Franklin certainly wants his Nittany Lions to play well after the disaster that was their game in Ann Arbor last weekend.
Psycho Game of the Week
Arizona State at Stanford (4:00, Pac-12 Network) – Two terrible Pac-12 teams here. This is the second straight week the Pac-12 has appeared in this section. And it won’t be the last. I honestly do wonder if David Shaw will get to 2023 considering how poor Stanford has been this year (and the past couple of years).
Hubba Bubba Blowout of the Week
Iowa at Ohio State (Noon, FOX) – Yep, I am officially calling it. This could get VERY ugly. Iowa’s offense is anemic and shouldn’t fare too well against the Buckeye defense. They might cover the 29 point spread by 1:00.
Fun-Time Stats of the Week
Kansas’ last win over Baylor was fifteen years ago. They have also ten in a row to the Bears against the spread.
Notre Dame is 30-6 vs. the Mountain West.
Appalachian State has never lost to Georgia State in eight meetings. They’ve also won seven of those games by double digits.
The Degenerate Portion of Our Show
I don’t consider myself a gambler. Mostly because I’m not very good at it. I’m sure I am not too far away from some of the experts though in terms of success. Remember that guy on the late night commercials? What was his name? I want to say Cash Palmer. Anyway, him, along with a bunch of other guys who I wouldn’t hire to mow my townhouse lawn, would hock their picks at like 3 in the morning to degenerates who figured they couldn’t do this themselves. I assume all those guys are dead or in an old folks’ home. Anyway, enough of that. Call me Boss Bucks, or something equally stupid, and let’s get the show on the road.
Georgia State (+9.5) over Appalachian State (the Mountaineers win a nailbiter)
Troy (+3) over South Alabama with the outright win
Tulsa (-13) over Temple
UT-Martin (+37.5) over Tennessee with the Vols still winning by four touchdowns
Baylor (-8) over Kansas
Army (-7) over ULM
Liberty (+6.5) over BYU (the Cougs will win this game though in a close one)
Maryland (-13.5) over Northwestern
Boston College (+20.5) over Wake Forest (the Deacs cruise to a relatively easy victory)
Vanderbilt (+14) over Missouri (Mizzou will win the game)
Mississippi State (+21) over Alabama (Tide win after Bulldogs keep it close for three quarters)
UCF (-5) over East Carolina for the road victory
Nevada (+7) over San Diego State (with the Aztecs winning)
The Bossman Top 25!
It’s back! I figured it was about time to whip out a set of rankings for everyone. It’s early so there isn’t a reason to debate but I’m sure some of the spots will make you do a double take. Here we go:
#1
Georgia
#2
Tennessee
#3
Ohio State
#4
Michigan
#5
Clemson
#6
TCU
#7
Ole Miss
#8
Alabama
#9
Oregon
#10
Oklahoma State
#11
Syracuse
#12
UCLA
#13
Utah
#14
Wake Forest
#15
USC
#16
Kansas State
#17
Kentucky
#18
Penn State
#19
Cincinnati
#20
NC State
#21
Illinois
#22
North Carolina
#23
Texas
#24
Purdue
#25
Mississippi State
I’m sure some will look and say why is Tennessee in the #2 spot. Or why is TCU ahead of Alabama. Or why UCLA is not in the Top 10. Look, as I say every year, these things will work themselves out. It’s still early remember. We are only at the halfway point. Come mid-November, then some true debates can be had but until then, it’s just preference. Unless someone puts Alabama at #20 because they don’t like Bama. In that case, that’s fucking stupid.
It’s a little late to get the blog posted and I apologize for that. Just been feeling under the weather and I’m sure how crappy it’s been outside hasn’t helped matters. Looking forward to another great week of college football. Enjoy the games everyone!
So unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have heard about Davante Adams getting frustrated after the Las Vegas Raiders lost on Monday night to Kansas City. On the way to the tunnel he shoved a cameraman pretty good. He was frustrated but that’s no way to deal with your frustrations. Punch Hunter Renfrow in the face if you like, but don’t push an innocent cameraman.
So after this he has to apologize, right? Well his apology might be one of the most insincere apologies ever. Like, just admit you were wrong, dude. Show some contrition and maybe help the guy out. Instead, you look like a dick. And I’m being nice saying that. It bugs me when pro athletes think they can get away with acting like complete assholes because they’re pro athletes. It also marginalizes the good athletes who are just upstanding citizens.
Alright, enough ranting about Dickvante. Let’s get to the schedule for the week.
Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal
Atlantic
Primetime Games
Washington at Chicago
Thursday, 8:20, Amazon Prime, CTV2, TSN1/3
Dallas at Philadelphia
8:15, NBC, CTV2, TSN1/3/4
Denver at LA Chargers
Monday, 8:15, TSN1/5
Random Non-Aggressive Analysis
A note on the Cardinals-Seahawks game: if the Houston-Seattle American League Division Series goes to a fourth game, that would happen on Sunday. So in that case, the Cards-Seahawks game would be moved from 4:05 to 5:30. How that affects the schedule above, I don’t know yet.
Man, Denver is in so many primetime games. I don’t think there’s ever been a case where a team has started so poorly yet ended up on so many primetime broadcasts. I don’t even think the Cowboys have done anything like this before and they’re in primetime like half the season.
Games not being shown here in Canada (unless you have RedZone):
Cincinnati at New Orleans
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
San Francisco at Atlanta
Yes, the Bills-Chiefs game is actually a CBS national broadcast so every affiliate in Canada and the United States will get that game (along with damn near all the CTV affiliates as well).
The Cowboys-Eagles Sunday nighter will appear on TSN5 but not until at least 10:30. This means that chances are it will only be the final quarter that appears on TSN5 and this will only be the case if the MLS playoff game being shown before it ends on time.
Also, a non-football note: blue cheese on wings is fucking disgusting. Actually, blue cheese on anything is disgusting.
Alright this should be another good week of NFL football. Well, the jury is still out on the Thursday Night Football matchup but fingers crossed it isn’t the abomination that we saw last week. Enjoy the games everyone!
It happens every year. Some of the best college players get injured and teams have to go without them for a game up to an entire season. Here’s a short list of just some of the players who have gone down to injury so far this season:
Bryce Young (Alabama) – Injured his shoulder this past Saturday and is questionable for the most important game of the year so far (vs. Tennessee).
Zach Calzada (Auburn) – A shoulder injury against Missouri has knocked Calzada out for the rest of the season.
Charlie Brewer (Liberty) – Had issues with his thumb in their opener against Southern Miss and has had surgery to repair it. Could be back in a couple weeks.
Cade McNamara (Michigan) – A leg injury could have McNamara out for the season.
Chris Autman-Bell (Minnesota) – All that is known is that he had a lower-body injury that he sustained in the Gophers’ victory over Colorado that will sideline him for the rest of the season.
Tyler Buchner (Notre Dame) – The man who was supposed to start for the Irish has been knocked out for the season with a joint sprain in his shoulder.
Cedric Tillman (Tennessee) – The Vols wide receiver might return before the end of October if his ankle is strong enough.
Hell it’s got to the point that injuries are being reported that the players are denying. There was a report that Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels would be out for the season with a shoulder injury: a report that Daniels thought was interesting and news to him. He’s still doubtful for the Jayhawks’ next game but he is disputing that he would be done for the season.
Also, there are some teams that are suffering because of the sheer amount of injuries. Want to know why Wisconsin might not be as good as had been advertised? Currently they have seventeen players out with injuries. Seventeen. Good god.
Part of the point of all this is to say football is a contact sport. Players will get hurt. So for the powers that be to essentially want to add games to the schedule makes the season more of a war of attrition than anything. Until North Dakota State started their run of FCS championships, that’s what the FCS playoffs was. The healthiest team won and they were almost never the best (or second-best or third-best or fourth-best, etc.) team going in. And we know what college football media can be like. They will be all over the injury angle if, say, the top three teams in an expanded College Football Playoff don’t win it all because of injuries to important players. It’ll happen. You just watch.
OK that was enough of a rant. Time for what you came here for. Some hot college football schedule action. Or more like slightly warm since the weather has started to change.
Wednesday
US
Canada
Louisiana at Marshall
7:30 PM
Hey, we have our first instance of Fun Belt football this season! I figured both of these teams would be better than they have been so far. Marshall is trying to make a name for itself in its first season in the Sun Belt, whereas Louisiana is trying their hardest to get back to the Sun Belt Championship for a fourth consecutive time.
Thursday
US
Canada
Temple at UCF
7:00 PM
Baylor at West Virginia
7:00 PM
Neither of these games should be close; however, we know what Thursday Night Football has been like so far this season so pick your poison.
Friday
US
Canada
Brown at Princeton
7:00 PM
Navy at SMU
7:30 PM
UTSA at FIU
8:00 PM
Woof. This is….technically a schedule with three football games on it. Hopefully one of them is close.
Saturday Early
US
Canada
Iowa State at #22 Texas
Noon
Minnesota at #24 Illinois
Noon
Colgate at Army
Noon
Auburn at #9 Ole Miss
Noon
#19 Kansas at Oklahoma
Noon
Old Dominion at Coastal Carolina
Noon
#10 Penn State at #5 Michigan
Noon
Alright now this is what I’m talking about. If there was a ever a need for a college football-style RedZone channel, this would be the week for it. The sheer amount of good-to-great games this week is staggering. And it starts here with PSU-Michigan in a massive Big Ten East game. Kansas gets to prove that they really are for real this season against an average Sooners team. And how about Coastal Carolina? It may be the first of a bunch of national games for them if they keep winning.
Saturday Afternoon
US
Canada
California at Colorado
2:00 PM
#8 Oklahoma State at #13 TCU
3:30 PM
#15 NC State at #18 Syracuse
3:30 PM
#3 Alabama at #6 Tennessee
3:30 PM
Ohio at Western Michigan
3:30 PM
Arkansas at BYU
3:30 PM
Maryland at Indiana
3:30 PM
Vanderbilt at #1 Georgia
3:30 PM
Tulane at USF
4:00 PM
Wisconsin at Michigan State
4:00 PM
Arizona at Washington
5:30 PM
Great early schedule is followed by an even better afternoon schedule, if you can believe it. I guess you could say the highlight is Bama-UT but you also have the Pokes and Horned Frogs as well. Undefeated teams falling everywhere by force! The fact that NC State-Syracuse is on the ACC Network has made no one bat an eye. Normally, people would be a bit outraged by this. But there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s how good this schedule is in this timeslot. Oh and Vandy-UGA might be essentially over by 4:15 if you are a sadist.
Saturday Primetime
US
Canada
Utah State at Colorado State
7:00 PM
LSU at Florida
7:00 PM
ULM at South Alabama
7:00 PM
#4 Clemson at Florida State
7:30 PM
Nebraska at Purdue
7:30 PM
Memphis at East Carolina
7:30 PM
Stanford at Notre Dame
7:30 PM
#16 Mississippi State at #22 Kentucky
7:30 PM
North Carolina at Duke
8:00 PM
#7 USC at #20 Utah
8:00 PM
And then we have yet another huge game. The Trojans get a huge test heading to Utah. Win this and they might be headed for a Victory Bell showdown with UCLA that has CFP implications. Maybe Florida State can prove something against Clemson and upset the ACC apple cart while doing it.
One game I am looking forward to is the battle for first place in the Big Ten West between…Nebraska and Purdue? Yep! Oh my. Oh and who thought putting Stanford and Notre Dame in primetime was a good idea?
Saturday Late Night
US
Canada
Washington State at Oregon State
9:00 PM
Air Force at UNLV
10:30 PM
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd the week ends with a thud. I guess there’s always a Hawaii Test if you feel the need to stay up extremely late.
Big Games O’ The Week
Alabama at Tennessee (3:30, CBS) – So many games could be the Game of the Week but I went with this one mostly because the Vols are really good and if Bryce Young doesn’t end up playing, this is ripe for a huge upset. If you had said at the start of the season that there was even a possibility of an undefeated Georgia having to beat an undefeated Tennessee to win the SEC East I would have laughed. Well, who’s laughing now? Uh…not me, I guess. Bama doesn’t want to lose because it brings all the teams that are essentially eliminated in the SEC West back into play along with Ole Miss who is nipping at their heels. Huge stakes.
Penn State at Michigan (Noon, FOX) – Let’s call it 1B to Bama-Tennessee’s 1A. Or more like 1E because it is a bit down the list from that game. Luckily it’s in the Big Noon Saturday spot…or more like Big Blue Saturday. Seriously, what is FOX’s deal with Michigan? They in love or something? Anyway, winner faces Ohio State for the Big Ten East title. Loser, though, is still not out of the race for, well, anything really.
Oklahoma State at TCU (3:30, ABC/TSN2) – I am praying for people who have to rely on their PVR this weekend. Decisions, decisions. Who would have thought there would be three games between undefeated teams this week. Nobody. Especially this game. Realistically, this could end up being a Big XII Championship preview if things shake out right for both teams. Either way, big New Year’s Six implications with this one.
USC at Utah (8:00, FOX) – For the first time in quite a while, USC is in a game that truly matters. The Utes are used to these kinds of games now and the MUSS is no joke for visiting teams. The Trojans can continue to drive a final stake in the Pac-12 heart with a win here. Poor Conference of Champions.
NC State at Syracuse (3:30, specialty pack) – The Wolfpack’s only loss is to Clemson and the Orange have made it through the first part of their schedule unscathed. The winner here still has a shot at usurping Clemson at the top of the ACC Atlantic, especially Syracuse. I don’t know if either team is ready for College Football Playoff conversation but it will be there for the winner.
Mississippi State at Kentucky (7:30, specialty pack) – The Wildcats have stumbled a bit since their hot start while MSU is soaring under Mike Leach as Will Rogers throws the ball like fifty times a game. At some point Rogers’ arm will fall clean off but until then, Leach will ride him as the captain of the offense. If the Bulldogs can win this one, is a New Year’s Six spot in their future? They will be in the conversation for sure.
Minnesota at Illinois (Noon, Big Ten Network) – The Illini in the Games of the Week list? Wow, this year has been crazy but this might be over the top. A win here and Bert’s Boys would be the odds-on favourite to win the Big Ten West and get absolutely slaughtered by whoever wins the Big Ten East. Fun times. I can’t wait for divisions to be abolished for good.
Clemson at Florida State (7:30, ABC/TSN2) – Holy crap we’re still going with this. So many good games. Now, to be honest, this might not be as good as the rest on this list but if the Noles decide to show up and cause problems, you never know. This could cause the greatest earthquake in the rankings if FSU pulls off the upset.
Psycho Game of the Week
California at Colorado (2:00, Pac-12 Network) – Good lord, why would you torture yourself with this? I mean with this game you have to put forth more effort to even watch it. This is definitely for psychos.
Hubba Bubba Blowout of the Week
UTSA at FIU (Friday, 8:00, CBS Sports Network) – Most would put Vandy-Georgia in this spot but may I present to you this affair. UTSA is a good Group of Five team. FIU, despite winning two games this season, is not a good team. At all. The Roadrunners will make the Golden Panthers look like then Wile E. Coyotes in this one.
Fun-Time Stats of the Week
Nick Saban is 15-0 vs. Tennessee.
Mack Brown has won 11 straight Victory Bells over Duke during his two stints at North Carolina.
Oklahoma has won 17 straight games over Kansas but has failed to cover the spread in three of the last four meetings.
The Degenerate Portion of Our Show
Oh god I picked Oklahoma last week to win. OK let’s just get going on this week’s picks. I can’t believe I did that.
Baylor (-3.5) over West Virginia
Coastal Carolina (-12) over Old Dominion
Michigan (-7) over Penn State
Ole Miss (-14.5) over Auburn
Maryland (-11.5) over Indiana
BYU (+1.5) over Arkansas (and the outright victory)
Michigan State (+7.5) over Wisconsin (and the upset!)
Washington (-14) over Arizona
ULM (+17) over South Alabama (but the Jaguars will win a close one)
Kentucky (+4) over Mississippi State (and the win!)
Nebraska (+14) over Purdue (but the Boilermakers will win the game)
North Carolina (-7) over Duke
UNLV (+10) over Air Force (the Falcons will grind this one out but it won’t be easy)
We are finally into true mid-week college football! And this is shaping up to be a monster week, one that could shape the rest of the season. Enjoy the games everyone!
Yes we are at that point of the season where I am going to look at all the undefeated teams left. I can’t believe this is the seventh version of this post. And I can safely assume that Alabama was probably in all of them.
I’m glad I do this after Week 6 now since otherwise it would end up being like a fifth of the entire FBS that would be undefeated and that’s quite a few teams. Conference play tends to pare that down pretty fast. Alright, let’s get to the list!
#1 Georgia (6-0) – They were in this spot in last year’s post and they are here again. It hasn’t been as smooth as their start last year. A sloooow start against Kent State and a tough game against Missouri has kept them from being the overwhelming #1 at the mid-point of the season. And if they sweep the rest of the schedule, they will deserve the #1 ranking. Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Kentucky in consecutive weeks. Yikes. That’s a gauntlet. But, I think they will pull it off. Barely. But they will. Predicted record: 12-0.
#2 Ohio State (6-0) – No surprise at the #2 spot…ok maybe some surprise since I assume some would have Alabama at #2 at this point. The top three are kind of interchangeable at this point to be honest. Will they have a tough time going undefeated the rest of the way? Possibly with Penn State and Michigan on the schedule but I think they will do it. Predicted record: 12-0.
#3 Alabama (6-0) – Yes I’m sure Nick Saban is secretly pissed off that the Tide are #3 in the rankings, despite getting eleven first place votes (out of the 63 total). They’ve had quite the roller coaster first half of the season…at least for them. By all rights, they should have lost to Texas and thanks to Jimbo Fisher Jimboing all over himself, they survived the Aggies. I assume Bryce Young will be back for the rest of the season and that is why I also have them running the table. If he isn’t back right away, well…. Predicted record: 12-0.
#4 Clemson (6-0) – D.J. Uiagalelei has looked quite a bit better than most predicted he would. He’s done enough to hold up their end while a good Clemson defense does their thing (other than against Wake Forest). They basically escaped Winston-Salem with a win but have looked great otherwise. I don’t see them quite running the table but they will do enough to make them a College Football Playoff possibility come conference championship time. Predicted record: 11-1.
#5 Michigan (6-0) – Despite the fact that FOX has a serious Michigan fetish this season, not that many are discussing the Wolverines as a true contender. They are rolling so far but have a tough back half of the schedule. Their undefeated run could end as early as six days from now (I don’t think it will but it’s very possible). They won’t make it to the end unscathed. Predicted record: 11-1.
#6 Tennessee (5-0) – Quite the start for the Vols this season. Many, especially Volunteer fans, have been waiting for this for a long time. They have their biggest test of the season coming up next week with a game against Bama. If they win, or lose a close one, we can confirm that Tennessee is finally back where they should be…competing for SEC East crowns at the very least. I don’t think they’re quite there yet…but they’re close. Predicted record: 10-2.
#7 USC (6-0) – The Trojans are fun again! Ever since the Pete Carroll days, this team has struggled to maintain their spot at or near the top of the Pac-12. One or two years they are quite good; then they lay an egg. Frustrating to say the least for USC fans. I might catch some flak for this but I don’t see USC running the table. Actually, I see their run ending this coming Saturday. Predicted record: 10-2.
#8 Oklahoma State (5-0) – The Pokes were on this list last year. Mullet Mike continues to do a fantastic job coaching this team. Spencer Sanders is finally looking like a big-time Big XII quarterback. And they are being virtually ignored in their own conference. The rest of their schedule is BRUTAL with a capital B so there is almost no way they run the table. Saying that, this is a team that could potentially make The Committee have to take a hard look at them. Predicted record: 11-1.
#9 Ole Miss (6-0) – You might not want to hear this but Lane Kiffin is, once again, doing an amazing coaching job in Oxford. Yes, this team was going to improved from last year but this has been a great start for the Rebels. If they can beat Bama in a month’s time, they could make the Egg Bowl extremely relevant for the first time in forever. I see them falling short there and in one other game, unfortunately for them. Predicted record: 10-2.
#10 Penn State (5-0) – I’ll be honest with you: I don’t like Penn State’s chances against Michigan and Ohio State. The rest of the schedule? Sure, they’re fine. Predicted record: 10-2.
#11 UCLA (6-0) – Eleven straight undefeated teams at the top of the rankings. I don’t think this has ever happened. No, I’m not going to check. Some will be surprised the Bruins are here but I am not. I had this team playing very good ball and Chip Kelly finally (FINALLY!) doing what he did when he was at Oregon. It won’t be clean but expect this team at least to be looking at the New Year’s Six come early December. Predicted record: 11-1.
#13 TCU (5-0) – If the Big XII was going to have a team on this list, other than the Pokes, most would have figured Oklahoma. Or Baylor. Maybe Texas. Not TCU. Sonny Dykes is doing some amazing things in Fort Worth with this Horned Frogs squad but it has become a very tough conference and the road will be rife with speed bumps. Expect them to have a bit of a rough ride the rest of the way. Predicted record: 9-3.
#18 Syracuse (5-0) – I’ll be honest: I didn’t think the Orange would even win five games all season let alone win their first five games of the season. At some point the bubble will burst. I say it happens this coming weekend and it’s mostly downhill from there. I’d love to be wrong but I don’t think I will be. Predicted record: 6-6.
#25 James Madison (5-0) – This should be a huge story. I mean it is, but it should be bigger. But it won’t be. Why? Because the NCAA are full of fucking idiots who can’t figure out that archaic rules need to be changed. JMU is not eligible to play in a bowl game because they are “transitioning” from FCS to FBS. There’s no real “transition” per se. They are playing one less game than everyone else because of needing to change up their schedule. Other than that, they are like every FBS team. But they aren’t treated like one. Hopefully the NCAA gets off their ass and does something about this. But they won’t. we know that. Too bad for the Dukes who are doing something no other team has done moving to FBS/Division 1-A ever: be ranked in their first year. Will they finish undefeated? I highly doubt it. That’s not really the point here. The point is they deserve respect…plain and simple. Predicted record: 7-4.
Coastal Carolina (6-0) – Now here’s where things get even more interesting. Coastal really has the only legitimate shot among Group of Five teams to go undefeated and may be the only G-5 team to have less than two losses. So how do you keep them out of the Cotton Bowl (which is where the best G-5 team most likely goes)? I wonder if The Committee will find a way. If there are other one loss teams in the G-5 that have played amazing, even in their lone loss then sure, there’s a good debate brewing. But if no other G-5 team has less than two losses? Come on. I kind of hope they do get in so that the Sun Belt will finally get their New Year’s Six payday. Predicted record: 12-0.
We have fifteen undefeated teams as we motor past (Canadian) Thanksgiving. There’s still a lot of time for chaos on this list. Before November hits, the Nittany Lions play both the Buckeyes and Wolverines, the Tide faces off against the Volunteers, the Tigers get the surprising Orange at home and Oklahoma State travels to Fort Worth to face TCU. So this number will dip to at least eleven by the time the calendar turns to the next month. Knowing the chaos we have seen already, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were down to seven or even six by that point.
College football schedule and NFL schedule upcoming later on this week as per usual. Have a great (taco) Tuesday everyone!
Could it be? Could the NFL’s power couple be heading to divorce? It kind of seems that way. Gisele Bundchen is probably sick of Tom Brady just wanting to always come back for one more season. We get it, Tom, you said you would play until you were 50 and it seems like you will get your wish. Thing is, you might not have a wife to share that with. I don’t even know if he cares.
Also, don’t these two seem like the type that would argue over everything? Like they would bicker over silverware, who gets which coffee table, how to divvy up the rags, and so on. I remember when I separated from my wife, it was pretty damn easy. Helps when you don’t have nearly as much to split but still, it was a pretty painless process. Then again, I didn’t hold a grudge and want to take my revenge out on her during divorce proceedings. Sounds like a lot of couples do. Guess we were just weird. Oh well.
Anyway, Gisele, if you’re reading this, call me. I offer nothing except pleasure…maybe a few times a month. And I am a pretty good cook although maybe not as good as the chef you have on your staff. Hell, if you ask me to shave, I’ll do it. I won’t argue that I like my beard and want to keep it. Teamwork makes the dream work or something like that.
Alright enough of that nonsense. Time for schedules…hot, nasty NFL schedules.
Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal
Atlantic
Primetime (and Morning!) Games
Indianapolis at Denver
Thursday, 8:20, Amazon Prime, CTV2, TSN1/3/4/5
NY Giants vs. Green Bay (in London)
9:30 AM, NFL Network, CTV, TSN4
Cincinnati at Baltimore
8:15, NBC, CTV2, TSN1/3/4/5
Las Vegas at Kansas City
Monday, 8:15, TSN1/3
Loving Schedule Notes
Ugh, another morning London game. Sorry Giants and Packers: I may watch like a quarter-and-a-half of that, at most.
No ManningCast this week. I will say, though, that Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have been pretty good so far this season. And I am not a fan of Buck doing football. So that’s pretty heady praise if you ask me.
Games not being shown here in Canada (unless you have RedZone):
Miami at NY Jets
Tennessee at Washington
Houston at Jacksonville
Philadelphia at Arizona
Everyone gets the Cowboys-Rams game in the late window. I do find it kind of amusing that Cooper Rush, of all people, is leading the Cowboys to a 3-1 record so far.
I remember I used to feel sorry for people who got their FOX and CBS affiliates out of Burlington, Vermont. Watertown, New York might be even worse. They are getting some seriously shitty games. Falcons-Bucs? Woof. Although it could be much worse. They could have got the Texans-Jags game instead. So I guess count your blessings.
Hey it’s been good so far, let’s keep this party going! Have a good weekend and enjoy the games everyone!
The fun-time coaching carousel has been filling up a bit earlier this year. None of us are used to this many coaches being shitcanned this early on. We are just into October and many of the good horses (or the one cool love seat thing that seems to be on every carousel) are going fast. And the tickets are EXPENSIVE.
This week it started with Karl Dorrell getting fired at Colorado which is no surprise because Colorado is easily the worst Power Five team out there. No team is close to their ineptitude so far this season. But the real bombshell came later the same day when Paul Chryst, he of the 67-26 record, seven straight winning seasons before this year, six bowl victories, and two New Year’s Six triumphs, was fired by Wisconsin. I knew he might be in a bit of trouble but that was shocking. And his buyout? Remember I talked about the tickets on this carousel being expensive? Yeah, his cost is around $11 million. My god. These buyout clauses are just completely absurd now and mean nothing to these schools anymore.
Anyway, this actually may be strategic on Wisky’s part. Jim Leonhard is the interim head coach and the prevailing sentiment is that they want to see what he can do over the final seven games of the season. If he can turn the ship around, there’s a good chance he will be named the permanent replacement. If not, well he had more than half a season and that would be enough of a barometer to know they have to send a Brinks truck to Lance Leipold’s house as soon as possible after the season ends.
I know, the coaching carousel is interesting. I wouldn’t call it fun. That would be a bit morbid. But enough of that; it’s schedule time and it starts on Wednesday this week and it’s not MACtion!
Wednesday
US
Canada
SMU at UCF
7:00 PM
Tonight, we only have the one game. Technically this is a Week 5 game but the Mustangs and Knights both have this week as a bye week so you can all it a Week 6 game if you want. This is rescheduled because of Hurricane Ian.
Friday
US
Canada
Harvard at Cornell
7:00 PM
Nebraska at Rutgers
7:00 PM
Houston at Memphis
7:30 PM
Colorado State at Nevada
10:00 PM
UNLV at San Jose State
10:30 PM
Is the highlight here the Nebraska-Rutgers game? Sure, I guess. The Huskers could be in the first in the Big Ten West for about 17 hours if they win this one. Speaking of that game, it’s the first of a doubleheader with three-hour fucking windows. Stupid FS1. I hope the early game goes to 16 overtimes now.
Dana Holgorsen might be on the hot seat if the Cougs don’t beat Memphis, Jay Norvell is hating life in Fort Collins and UNLV continues to try to look like a contender in the Mountain West! Makes up for the night before where there is no college football. It’s like they don’t want to compete with the NFL anymore. I mean it’s not a bad idea.
Saturday Early
US
Canada
Texas vs. Oklahoma (in Dallas)
Noon
Louisville at Virginia
Noon
Purdue at Maryland
Noon
Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan
Noon
#8 Tennessee at #25 LSU
Noon
Missouri at Florida
Noon
#4 Michigan at Indiana
Noon
#17 TCU at #19 Kansas
Noon
Arkansas at #23 Mississippi State
Noon
A couple of good ones here with UT-LSU and Gameday going to Lawrence before TCU plays Kansas. It’s too bad they decided to go to that football hotbed of Bloomington, Indiana for Big Noon Saturday rather than Kansas. What the hell was FOX thinking? Oh that’s right…they’re hard for the Big Ten.
How about the Red River Shootout having both teams come in unranked? I’m sure if I went to ESPN’s website it would tell me the last time this happened but I have a feeling it was a looooooooooooooooooong time ago. We also have a couple potential sneaky-good games with Arkansas-MSU and Purdue-Maryland. So a relatively loaded start to the day.
Saturday Afternoon
US
Canada
Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh
3:30 PM
Wisconsin at Northwestern
3:30 PM
Auburn at #2 Georgia
3:30 PM
Tulsa at Navy
3:30 PM
East Carolina at Tulane
3:30 PM
#11 Utah at #18 UCLA
3:30 PM
Texas Tech at #7 Oklahoma State
3:30 PM
#3 Ohio State at Michigan State
4:00 PM
North Carolina at Miami
4:00 PM
#21 Washington at Arizona State
4:00 PM
#9 Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
4:00 PM
For some reason the ABC afternoon game starts at 4:00. I don’t remember the last time that has happened. I mean it all comes out in the wash anyway but it’s odd this has happened this weekend for no rhyme or reason. CBS was hoping Auburn would have won last week to set up the AU-UGA game with both teams ranked. Alas, it was not to be and I have this feeling this will be an absolute drubbing.
I find it odd that Utah-UCLA, a game between two very good teams, is the FOX afternoon game which is basically the third best game most of the time in the FOX tripleheader. I would have thought it was heading to ABC in primetime. Again, the Pac-12 seems to be getting shafted and if things don’t change, we may have to get used to less coverage from that conference in this area.
Saturday Primetime
US
Canada
Wyoming at New Mexico
7:00 PM
Air Force at Utah State
7:00 PM
James Madison at Arkansas State
7:00 PM
#5 Clemson at Boston College
7:30 PM
Iowa at Illinois
7:30 PM
#20 Kansas State at Iowa State
7:30 PM
Washington State at #6 USC
7:30 PM
#16 BYU vs. Notre Dame (in Las Vegas)
7:30 PM
South Carolina at #13 Kentucky
7:30 PM
Florida State at #14 NC State
8:00 PM
Texas A&M at #1 Alabama
8:00 PM
Not as big as the early sked but still pretty darn good. This is the one primetime game the SEC on CBS has and it’s….well, not as good as CBS had hoped for. The Aggies have been a major disappointment and the Tide are dominant. This could be over by 10:00.
BYU has a massive game in Vegas. A must-win for them. Lose this and it’s pretty much the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. Win and they stay alive for a New Year’s Six spot. Clemson-BC is a special game in Boston as it’s the Red Bandana Game. It’s in honour of Welles Crowther, a former BC lacrosse player who headed a rescue effort on 9/11 and got a lot of people rescued. He was known for wearing a red bandana and that’s what one of the people who were saved that day saw from the guy heading up the building when everyone was escaping down. Good to see this game in a huge national spotlight.
Finally, James Madison has a national game. Sure it’s the NFL Network but the Dukes are undefeated in their first FBS season. They really need to get rid of that archaic rule that says teams can’t qualify for a bowl game in their first season in FBS, transitioning up from FCS.
Saturday Late Night
US
Canada
#12 Oregon at Arizona
9:00 PM
Fresno State at Boise State
9:45 PM
Hawaii at San Diego State
10:30 PM
Oregon State at Stanford
11:00 PM
This is….not a good late night schedule. Which means something wacky is coming our way. That’s the way it works in college football. I don’t make the rules.
TSN has their first quadrupleheader of the season which is always nice to see, especially for the non-specialty pack people. And let’s discuss the ESPN schedule this week. Early game. VERY late game. Nothing in between. What are they showing? Ah, that’s right. They have the Wild Card games in baseball this season. So as long as the second Wild Card game doesn’t go too far into extra innings, the Beavers-Cardinal game will start precisely at…11:00 eastern. This is almost as crazy as the Hawaii Test.
Big Games O’ The Week
Utah at UCLA (3:30, FOX) – Ya know, some people are going to bristle at this choice for top game of the week. Here are the facts: Utah is ranked #11 and is still the favourite to win the Pac-12 South. UCLA is ranked #18 and is undefeated. The winner here faces USC later in the season for the de facto Pac-12 South championship and, potentially a New Year’s Six or, dare I say it, College Football Playoff spot. So yeah, this is huge.
Tennessee at LSU (Noon, TSN3/TSN5) – Are the Vols for real (I refuse to ask if they are back…aw shit, I just did)? This is a big chance for them to prove it as the Tigers have started to claw their way back after a seriously shaky start under new head coach Jim Bob Brian Kelly. Tennessee can move up towards the Top 4 with a win here and an eventual showdown with Georgia. Maybe, LSU could put a scare in some teams…even…Bama? Wouldn’t that be something…that Saban would hate.
TCU at Kansas (Noon, FOX Sports One) – In your wildest imagination, did you think this could be one of the games of the week when this season started? No. No one did. Even TCU and Kansas fans thought that would be ridiculous. But here we are. Early October. Ranked TCU. Ranked Kansas. College Gameday in Lawrence. Its put up or shut up time for both teams. And man, if the Jayhawks pull this one out, they will be safely in the Top 15 and looking at heights that haven’t been seen around those parts since the magical 2007 season.
Florida State at NC State (8:00, specialty pack) – I’m sure many feel this is a game the Wolfpack will easily win to get back on track. This isn’t the Noles of the past five or six years though. These guys can play. I have a feeling this could very close. The ACC Network with a bit of a coup getting this one at this point of the season.
Washington State at USC (7:30, FOX) – A tiny bit surprised this didn’t end up on either ABC or ESPN but FOX gets a good primetime game here that actually will match up well with CBS’s offering. USC is on a roll and it feels like nothing will stop them. That’s why this is such a speed bump game for the Trojans. Win here and their game against Utah is probably one of the Games of the Year the following week.
Psycho Game of the Week
Wisconsin at Northwestern (3:30, Big Ten Network) – Another game where, at the start of the season, I never would have thought it would end up in this particular spot in the blog post. Northwestern is thankful that Colorado exists and Wisconsin has been a shell of its former self. Should be a fun one! And by fun, I mean horribly painful to watch.
Hubba Bubba Blowout of the Week
Auburn at Georgia (3:30, CBS) – I have a feeling that this is going to get really bad, really fast for the Tigers. I also have a feeling that Bryan Harsin will not be fired after this one since everyone expects Auburn to get boatraced Between The Hedges.
Fun-Time Stats of the Week
Rutgers has lost all five of their meetings with Nebraska but every game the margin of victory has decreased. Last time they met, they only lost by 7.
Washington has lost the last seven times they traveled to Tempe to face Arizona State.
New Mexico has more wins over Wyoming than any other Mountain West team. They have beat the Cowboys 36 times.
The Degenerate Portion of Our Show
I made some picks last week. Some were good. I picked Illinois to cover the spread against Wisconsin. As for the rest don’t bother since I was horrible. Let’s just move on to this week’s picks that people should only use at Gamblers Anonymous meetings.
Nebraska (-3) over Rutgers
UNLV (+7) over San Jose State (SJSU will win in a close one)
Eastern Michigan (+5) over Western Michigan (WMU will win the battle for Directional Michigan though)
Oklahoma (+7) over Texas (and the outright victory)
Tennessee (-3) over LSU
Wisconsin (-10) over Northwestern
UCLA (+4.5) over Utah (but the Utes will win a very close affair)
Michigan State (+26.5) over Ohio State (but tOSU will win by approximately three touchdowns just to make it feel close for gamblers)
James Madison (-11.5) over Arkansas State
Wyoming (-3.5) over New Mexico
Iowa (+3.5) over Illinois (and the outright win)
Washington State (+13) over USC (Trojans win)
Oregon (-13) over Arizona
Alright we have the rare October Wednesday night game that doesn’t involve Sun Belt teams, nothing tomorrow night and then things really get into action on Friday. And it’s Thanksgiving this weekend! So enjoy the games and enjoy the turkey (or ham, if you don’t like turkey).
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