Finally! – Week 7 College Football Recap

It wasn’t a ton of chaos but there was still a bit which makes Professor Chaos happy…I think.  It was about damn time.  We’ve needed some movement in the rankings since the first month-and-a-bit of the season had very little of that.  So let’s get on to the recap:

Hold that Tiger!  LSU had the biggest win in the biggest game as they beat Florida in a rivalry that seems to be blooming.  And for once it’s all about LSU’s offense.  It’s the one thing the Tigers have been missing for years but now that they have it, it is scary for other teams in the SEC for sure.  After many failed attempts, LSU has arrived again.  I am sure CBS is already working to get the Bama-LSU game in primetime.  They’d be smart to give ESPN whatever they want to make that happen.

QUACK!  QUACK!  Oregon is starting to look like the dominating force they once were.  The Ducks made easy work of Cal and has created a bit of a stranglehold at the top of the Pac-12.  It is their Pac-12 North to lose now although we know how the Pac-12 has worked as of late.  They are probably the Pac-12’s only College Football Playoff hope at this point.

Can’t blame Mark Richt for this one:  Georgia never seemed in this one.  South Carolina wasn’t dominating play but there certainly seemed like the better team.  But Georgia had chances to win.  And they could never capitalize on those.  The playcalling of Kirby Smart was also strange especially down the stretch.  Nothing went right for UGA and now their CFP chances have taken a huge hit.

I don’t know why I keep falling for this:  Maybe it’s because I hope Bama will lose because it will create CHAOS.  I honestly thought the Aggies would keep it close with the Tide.  Boy was I ever wrong.  Alabama keeps on rolling and very little seems in their way that could stop them (at least during the regular season).

Bronco Buster:  I figured it would be Miami and Virginia for the ACC Coastal title.  Well the Canes haven’t exactly lit it up so far this season.  Both teams played quite well on defense and the Turnover Chain got to make a few appearances.  The offenses were less than good in this one.  However it was The U that did just enough to get into the division catbird seat.  Or not.  I don’t really know.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up a 7-way tie for the title with every team at 4-4.  Oh wait, Georgia Tech is in that division.  Six-way tie.   Yeah, six-way tie.

Red River Battle Royale:  Hey wasn’t that fun?  It was a good game that started with a bit of a brew-ha-ha which prompted “The Gun Show” Mike Defee to give everyone an unsportsmanlike penalty.  Can you imagine if the entire sideline got two warnings during the game.  What happens then?  Technically the entire team would be thrown out.  That would have been something to behold.  Anyway, the Sooners basically outlasted Texas in this one and has taken a big stranglehold on the Big XII that might only be broken by Baylor.  Yes, Baylor.

You just got LAWRENCED!  That sounds disgusting but may be true for some women on the campus at Clemson University.  Florida State was never able to hang with the Tigers.  In the end it was Trevor Lawrence who had one of his best games of his career as they annihilated the Seminoles.  Clemson keeps on chugging and really has no roadblocks now to get to the CFP.  Florida State is going to have to do some work to be bowl eligible and to save Willie Taggart’s job as he is on quite the hot seat now in Tallahassee.

Is Wisconsin’s defense that good?  Their defense could be the best this century.  Forget Clemson’s defense a year ago: this Badger D could be better.  They are halfway through their season and have allowed only 29 points with four shutouts.  Geez.  Their game in two weeks with Ohio State could be something special.  Interesting to see how Justin Fields does with this.

Baylor?  Baylor!  If anyone of you thought Baylor would be 6-0, put your hands down because I know you’re lying.  Will they finish undefeated?  I doubt it.  But this is still a huge accomplishment for Matt Rhule and the Bears.  And it took two overtimes to beat a fairly good Texas Tech team to remain unblemished.  There is now a very real possibility that the Bears could be 9-0 when they play Oklahoma in November.  This is the kind of chaos I love.

So is Utah finally going to get its chance?  Kyle Whittingham and the Utes really do have the Pac-12 South by its balls.  They have everything going for them and hold their destiny in their hands.  Utah destroyed Oregon State on Saturday and looks to be set up to cause some major damage the rest of the way.  And maybe this time the Utes will score more than 3 points in the Pac-12 Championship if they get there.

Biggest upset of the week goes to…  Bowling Green.  Yes, Bowling Fucking Green.  In a game very few watched because of the schedule, the Falcons came in to their game against Toledo as 26.5 point underdogs.  Yet they thoroughly whipped the hapless Rockets in spectacular fashion.  First win for BG over Toledo in a decade to win the Battle of I-75.  Nice.

Another close call for the Irish:  Not saying USC is horrible but Notre Dame should have beaten pretty handily.  This shouldn’t have been close yet it was.  They don’t have a super easy schedule the rest of the way but all the games are winnable.  They go 11-1 and they would have a really good shot at the College Football Playoff and, again, many people wouldn’t like that at all.  Knowing this team, I can see one slip up the rest of the way to make The Committee’s job easier…well at least when it comes to the CFP.  The New Year’s Six, not as easy.

Good lord Vanderbilt:  What the fuck is going on in Nashville?  Vandy loses big to UNLV.  UNLV.  Unbelievable.  I think Derek Mason’s time as head man of the Commodores is about to come to an end as this could be the worst Vandy team since before James Franklin was coaching there.

Orange Britches!  The Volunteers of Tennessee have won an SEC game!  There had to be a few people out there who wondered when that would be said again.  But against Mississippi State?  I think the Joe Moorhead honeymoon is now over.  I hate to say he may be on the hot seat but it’s getting warm.  And Tennessee may not be as bad as we thought?  I say that six days before they play Alabama in Bryant-Denny at night.  Let’s hope they keep it within 30 so Saban gets REALLY angry.

Frost Warning:  OK nobody thought Minnesota would be that good.  But Nebraska is, yet again, worse than most people thought.  You know, except for all those people who are going “Oh yeah I definitely didn’t think Nebraska would be that good.  I figured they would be exactly where they are right now.”  And then you see they have no proof of that and you then know you are talking to one of “those people.”  The ones who tell everyone about what they did right but man, when it’s something wrong, they lack that one thing…what’s it called?  Oh yeah, accountability.  Wow, that took a bit of a dark turn.

Well all in all it was a fun weekend of college football.  So now let’s get to the Bossman Top 25:

#1	Alabama
#2	LSU
#3	Oklahoma
#4	Ohio State
#5	Clemson
#6	Penn State
#7	Notre Dame
#8	Wisconsin
#9	Florida
#10	Oregon
#11	Auburn
#12	Georgia
#13	Michigan
#14	Utah
#15	Boise State
#16	Arizona State
#17	Texas
#18	Baylor
#19	Missouri
#20	SMU
#21	Minnesota
#22	Washington
#23	Iowa
#24	Cincinnati
#25	Iowa State

That was quite the week in movements in the Top 25.  Basically #1 is set and after that it is a complete gongshow and no one would be wrong with their own personal rankings (well, unless you put Illinois in your Top 25).  Some would put Boise State higher up after a win over Hawaii but I don’t buy that…yet.  Let’s be honest: their schedule will not help them and any hope of them getting to the CFP hinges on chaos above them (which I am fully for).  This weekend helped but won’t be nearly enough.  As a bit of an aside, what is with College Gameday going to State College instead of Dallas to showcase a Top 25 SMU team?  The stories write themselves there.  Nope, go for the Whiteout.  Of course.  Nothing against Penn State but this is another mark against the Group of Five and college football’s perception of those programs.

As for what I think the CFP combatants will be, here is what I think will end up being the rankings at the top (at this time):

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Ohio State
5. LSU
6. Utah
7. Georgia

The top three are basically set as long as they don’t mess things up royally.  It’s the number four spot that will be under a lot of scrutiny.  The rest of those teams all will or might have black marks on their resume.  None of the Group of Five teams will be in this conversation and I am pretty sure about that.  This basically says that Bama will beat LSU later on which means that the Big Ten would probably send its champ at that point.  At this point, I think Ohio State but Wisconsin could be in the mix as well.  Way too much football to play to make any definitive statements.

Alright, in the end, it was a good weekend of college football.  Let’s hope for a lot more the rest of the way.  Enjoy your week everyone!

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!

Biggest Games of the 2015 College Football season – Part THREE!

Now we are in the thick of the college football schedule.  A couple of fantastic weeks mixed in with a couple of not-so-fantastic weeks in the third quarter of the sked.

Week 7

USC at Notre Dame – It wasn’t long ago that I only turned the channel to watch these two play because the other game I was watching was such a blowout it was almost unwatchable (FSU-Clemson if I’m not mistaken).  This year we get back to the time when both teams were contenders so it should be a good one AND it’s in primetime which is nice for anyone without either of the specialty packs.  (7:30, NBC)

Alabama at Texas A&M – Hey, it’s Alabama again.  Shocking.  OK not really.  Other than when they have their annual FCS ass-whoopin game in mid-fucking-November (thanks a lot assholes), pretty much every Bama game could be on a list of most important games.  I digress.  It wouldn’t surprise me to see Bama blow the Aggies out of the water.  It also wouldn’t surprise me if the Aggies kept it close especially because of the 12^th Man.  Thus is life in the SEC West.  (3:30, CBS)

UCLA at Stanford – Last year’s UCLA-Stanford game was fun to watch…unless you’re UCLA alumni.  Then it suck-diddly-ucked.  You had one job guys and you blew it.  Worst part is for the Bruins is that Stanford won’t be as mediocre as they were last season so it gets a lot tougher.  These are the types of games either school have to win to get to the Pac-12 title game.  (Thursday, 10:30, specialty pack)

Michigan State at Michigan – I have this feeling that Jumpin’ Jim Harbaugh is going to be flat-out fucking insane going into this one.  I’d love to see the Wolverines play Louisville just to see who would have an aneurysm first: Jimmy or Fun Bobby.  Michigan will be more competitive this season, that is a fact.  However, it’s still Sparty and until otherwise noted, they and tOSU are still the class of the Big Ten.  (Noon, ABC/TSN3)

Florida at LSU– Death Valley at night.  Yikes.  Hey Jimmy McElwain, here’s a fun test for you in your first season in Gainesville.  I have a feeling the leash won’t be nearly as long for Mr. McElwain so he better get his Gators up for games like this.  Also, over/under on how many blades of grass Les Miles eats is sitting at 400.  (9:00, specialty pack)

Penn State at Ohio State – Who thinks Penn State is a true contender in the Big Ten East this season?  Put your hand down James.  Other than Coach Franklin I am sure no one believes that.  Saying that, they are pretty much a lock for a bowl and they are always good for playing spoiler.  Remember, they almost did just that last season to the Buckeyes and Christian Hackenberg is a year older now. (8:00, ABC)

Other candidates: Louisville at Florida State (6:00, specialty pack), Oklahoma at Kansas State (4:00, FOX), Oregon at Washington (10:30, specialty pack), Nebraska at Minnesota (Noon, TSN2)

Week 8

Tennessee at Alabama – Bryant-Denny.  At night.  I will be perfectly honest.  If the Vols can keep it within 20, Butch Jones should consider it a success and get on the first plane back to Knoxville ASAP. (7:00, specialty pack)

Auburn at Arkansas – Another team that is much improved but still not quite a contender in their division.  Much like Penn State, the Razorbacks can do some damage to one of the actual contenders and I would say are almost a lock for a bowl (although I haven’t done my predictions so I can’t be totally sure on that).  Auburn has to be careful since this has all the makings of a trap game.  (3:30, CBS)

Florida State at Georgia Tech – What I wouldn’t have given to see Georgia Tech pull off the upset and beat the Noles in the ACC Championship last season.  OK not a whole lot but still it would have been fun.  Chaos is always fun when dealing with the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six.  FSU won’t be as good and nothing says Paul Johnson’s squad is any worse so don’t be surprised to see the Ramblin’ Wreck win this one at home. (Noon, TSN3)

Texas A&M at Ole Miss – I can’t believe I am saying this may be a trap game for Hugh Freeze and his Rebs but it very well could be.  A&M should be on the low end of the totem pole in the SEC West (which, conceivably, could have given them a conference title in some other conferences).  Ole Miss cannot look ahead to Auburn.  (3:30, specialty pack)

Utah at USC – The steady Utes battle the up-and-down Trojans.  Both teams will need a win here for different reasons.  Utah needs it to keep up the level of respect they finally have received from the rest of the college football world.  USC needs it to prove they are a contender this season.  So it’s kind of about respect as well.  Which means I am wrong, it’s for the same exact reason. (3:30, ABC)

Clemson at Miami – Alright, time for some action at the good ol’ Orange Bowl….wait…damn.  There is almost nothing that sucks the life out of a college football game than a sparse crowd.  And Dolphins Stadium has been an atrocious home for the U.  They desperately need a new stadium.  Hopefully with the Tigers coming into town they can fill the building but I will believe it when I see it.  (3:30, specialty pack)

Other candidates: Kansas State at Texas (7:00, specialty pack), Duke at Virginia Tech (3:30, specialty pack), Ohio State at Rutgers (8:00, ABC/TSN2), Penn State vs. Maryland (in Baltimore) (Noon, TSN2)

Week 9

Oregon at Arizona State – Not that this is a bad game.  It could very well turn out to be an awesome one.  The fact that this is the best game of the week (and that it’s on a Thursday night) and we are almost in November doesn’t bode well for the week’s schedule.  I digress.  I will stay up to watch this because I love college football and I must have some sort of brain issue.  (Thursday, 10:30, specialty pack)

Ole Miss at Auburn – There is a slight possibility that both teams could be coming into this game undefeated.  If that’s the case, this game rockets to the top of the list and the ESPN family of networks spends about 186 hours of pre-game coverage.  If not, it will be their normal 48 for an SEC West game.  (7:15, specialty pack)

Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville) – The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (despite what CBS has to say) is usually a great game.  This is my third time imploring CBS to allow Verne and Gary to drink in the booth (if Verne is even around…is he?) and just let fly on whatever they want to say.  That alone would make me want to PVR that and save it for months to watch over and over again.  (3:30, CBS)

West Virginia at TCU – First appearance for Drunk Uncle Dana and his Magic Mountaineer Jug Band on this list.  The Mountaineers, despite the fact they don’t really belong in the Big XII, really want to feel like they belong in the Big XII.  To do that, they need to win some big games (and not lose the easy ones they should win…like when they play Kansas).  This would be massive if they pulled this one off and would throw the entire conference into disarray (and possibly cost them a CFP spot…which in turn would hasten invitations to new teams).  Too bad we won’t be able to see it all unfold.  (Thursday, 7:30, ugh…it’s FS1)

South Carolina at Texas A&M – A game between two teams who were the hot picks to go far…two years ago.  Now this could be a game to see who goes to a bowl this season.  Lucky for the HBC’s boys, they have Vandy AND Kentucky in their division (although UK is becoming a not-so-easy out these days).  A&M being in the SEC West makes games like these extremely important.   (7:30, specialty pack)

Michigan at Minnesota – Two of the trendy picks to make noise in the Big Ten this season get a national primetime slot to show how far they’ve come.  Expect to see some full-on Harbaugh intensity although he may have a rival to that on the other sideline.  Jerry Kill is not known for being quiet on the sidelines either.  (8:00, ABC)

Other candidates: Arizona at Washington (3:30, specialty pack), Miami at Duke (7:30, specialty pack), Rutgers at Wisconsin (3:30, ABC), UCF at Cincinnati (4:00, hell if I know…probably ESPNEWS which means “not gonna see it” to us Canadians)

Week 10

LSU at Alabama – This might be switched with the Auburn-Texas A&M game to go to primetime so I can’t say for sure it’s an afternoon game yet.  CBS will surely pick it up as it’s one of the games of the year.  The Hat gets to eat The Grass in The Bryant-Denny hoping he can lead The Tigers to The Victory.  Evil Saban knows this is a must-have win to go to the CFP.  Otherwise the road becomes a whole hell of a lot tougher.  (3:30, CBS)

Florida State at Clemson – Clemson came oh so close to upsetting the Noles last year in the somewhat infamous Sean Maguire Deer in the Headlights Game.  I was pulling for the Tigers, I will be honest, since FSU had already set themselves up as one of the worst undefeated teams in recent memory.  This year may be different but FSU did pick up Everett Golson in the off-season so Dabo better have his team up to snuff yet again.  The road to the CFP for Clemson runs straight through Tallahassee.  (3:30, ABC)

Arkansas at Ole Miss – Is it just me or does it feel like almost every game that features SEC-West-on-SEC-West violence could be included in these lists (and honestly it almost looks like the case).  Arkansas and Texas A&M are the worst teams in the division but could still end up with 7 wins.  How ridiculous is that?  Anyway, another game that should be a good one…if you have the specialty pack.  (7:30, specialty pack)

Auburn at Texas A&M  – Speaking of the worst team in the SEC West, I could see them pulling this one off at home.  Where this is scheduled (afternoon or evening) wholly depends on how good Auburn and Texas A&M are.  If both are undefeated or one-loss teams at this point it slots here.  Anything else may have CBS putting Verne and Gary in this spot and Boy Wonder Carter Blackburn and whoever the hell wants to work with him in the afternoon.  (8:00, CBS)

Baylor at Kansas State  – We seem to miss a lot of Big XII games in this area thanks to their inclusion on FOX Sports One and Rogers’ dumb NHL contract.  I’ve already talked about that contract a lot (especially here) so I won’t say anything more about how idiotic it is…even in Canada.  Too bad since I really wanted to see this game.  (Thursday, 7:30, FOX………………………….Sports One (damn))

Michigan State at Nebraska – Pelini-less Nebraska has their work cut out for them this season and this game could be the epitome of that.  Thankfully for them it’s at home but still, Sparty ain’t no slouch.  If Mike Riley loses four games exactly does he immediately go on the hot seat?  Question of the day in Lincoln.  (7:00, specialty pack)

Other candidates: Arizona at USC (7:30, FOX), Minnesota at Ohio State (8:00, ABC), Mississippi State at Missouri (Thursday, 7:30, TSN4), Wisconsin at Maryland (3:30, specialty pack)

Into the home stretch now.  Next post will be the last on the important games of the season.  Then on to playing out the season game-by-game to determine predictions.  Ordered my Phil Steele College Football Preview magazine earlier this week so I am hoping to get it by the end of next week.  And we are a mere 71 days away from the first game of the season (albeit an FCS game).