A CFP without Clemson? – Week 14 College Football Recap

Last year I did this and talked about the College Football Playoff without Alabama.  This time I posit about Clemson possibly not making the CFP.  And that could happen.  Their win over Virginia Tech looks good on paper but man it was a struggle until about the last part of the third quarter once they finally started pulling away (and after ABC hilariously aired an interview with Ian Book during the game probably thinking the Tigers would have essentially put the game away by then).  They clinch their spot in the ACC Championship and get a rematch with Notre Dame.  If they lose, they are guaranteed not to be in the CFP since the first one back in the 2014 season.  That would honestly feel odd.  Like Bama missing it last year.

Alright, enough of Clemson’s potential issues.  Let’s get to the recap!

The Recap!

• Let’s start with what ended up being the game of the week (of the year?): the game that was scheduled on THURSDAY between BYU and Coastal Carolina.  An epic affair between two Top 20 teams with the winner getting a possible legitimate shot at the New Year’s Six.  The final play looked very similar to when the Titans came up one yard short against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.  Coastal ended up holding on for the victory which should move them up in the CFP rankings.  What it probably ended up doing though is far more important: BYU deciding to fill in for Liberty (who had COVID issues that made it so they couldn’t play) on a few days’ notice will create a new way to schedule games going forward.  This is huge for college football and is a much needed change from scheduling non-conference games 20 years out (which everyone, except ADs, think is absolutely ludicrous).
• Michigan State wasn’t even within an area code of Ohio State.  To be honest, it was painful to watch.  The Buckeyes continue their run to the Big Ten Championship (hopefully).  The game against Michigan this Saturday looms large.  Michigan’s game this past weekend was cancelled and if they still have issues with COVID-19 then they may have to have this one be cancelled as well.  As per the Big Ten rules, this would make tOSU in eligible for the Big Ten title game.  It’s ridiculous that this could happen but it’s possible that they would not even make their conference championship but get to the CFP.  If the Big Ten is smart, they find a way to get the Buckeyes a game if the the game against The Team Up North has to be cancelled.
• I think Iowa State heard the haters.  What they did to West Virginia was nasty.  That huge victory clinched their trip to JerryWorld for the first time in team history.  The Cyclones are trying to erase the memory of the early season loss to Louisiana although I don’t know why since the Ragin’ Cajuns are ranked.
• Speaking of the Ragin’ Cajuns that was something else down in Boone Friday night.  Some disgusting footbaw weather (rain this time) made it very difficult, especially for Louisiana’s poor long snapper who made multiple horrible snaps that kept the Cajuns from pulling away from the Mountaineers.  In the end, a missed App State field goal allowed Louisiana to get the duke and also stay ranked going into their bye week as they prepare for Coastal Carolina in the biggest Sun Belt Championship ever.
• Good job, Oklahoma State. Any hope to sneak into the Big XII Championship went up in flames Saturday in Fort Worth.  Not like TCU played all that well.  But the Cowboys were finally exposed and we have another season where the Mullet Express will not head to the Metroplex which has to be frustrating Oklahoma State fans at this point.
• Who picked Colorado to start 4-0?  Put your hands down you liars.  The Buffaloes were lead by Jarek Broussard’s insane day on the ground as he ran for 301 yards!  I get it, it was just Arizona.  But it was still impressive.  The worst part about all this?  Because their game against USC was cancelled, the Pac-12 might have two undefeated teams in the same division and only one of those teams will head to the Pac-12 Championship game.  For the final time, ABOLISH DIVISIONS!  It has run its course.  There is no need for them now.  Plus having no divisions ensures the best two teams (on the season) will play for the conference title.  Instead, we may see Oregon or even Washington in the Pac-12 title game.  Yuck.
• It felt like an upset was in the making for a while.  But Texas A&M did enough to hold on for the win over Auburn and keep their slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.  They have done this despite the team not looking all that good for much of the season.  Saying that, if the Aggies can make the CFP, the 10-year contract given to Jimbo Fisher starts to look a whole lot smarter.
• Let’s see if I get this correct:  Rice’s 20-0 win over Marshall was a shocker for sure.  The Herd threw five interceptions and looked horrible all day.  This marked the Owls’ first win over a ranked team in 23 years and their first shutout of a ranked opponent in 60 years!  It’s Marshall’s first loss, ending their slim NY6 hopes.  And it is probably the first time that a 1-win team has shut out a ranked team in December.  And of course it was on ESPN3 so barely anyone got to watch it.
• Texas scored 69 points against Kansas State.  Nice.
• The other game of the week ended up being Arkansas-Missouri.  What an amazing finish.  The Hogs go down the field, score the TD and decide to go for two.  The two-point conversion pass is in the Mizzou defender’s hands and just tips out and into the Arkansas receiver’s hands to give the Razorbacks the lead.  Then the Tigers go down the field and their freshman kicker nails the winning field goal.  Missouri is quietly 5-3 under first-year head coach Eli Drinkwitz.  Pretty impressive.
• Finally, Akron won its first game in 770 days.  That is not a typo.  They beat Bowling Green who is probably the worst FBS team this season.

Coaching Carousel

Hey let’s have some fun and look at the coaching carousel.

So what is happening on the ol’ carousel?  Let’s take a look.

• Get this.  Scott Satterfield, despite saying he wasn’t going to look for another coaching position, talked with South Carolina anyway.  Many people are very upset, especially at Louisville.  Don’t be surprised if Satterfield is shitcanned in the next few weeks.
• As for the Gamecocks job, it goes to Shane Beamer.  Yes, Frank’s son.  He wasn’t the first two choices, that we know since Billy Napier also turned down the job after Satterfield did.  He is going to have his work cut out for him making South Carolina a contender in the SEC East.
• Derek Mason was dismissed at Vanderbilt.  No real surprise there.  Who will replace him?  It seems like whoever it is really has to change the perception of the program and convince the university to spend more money on the program and/or get better recruits.
• Jay Hopson was fired a few months ago.  Yes it has been that long ago.  Will Hall, Tulane’s offensive coordinator, has been hired by the Golden Eagles to bring that program out of the dumps.
• Gary Andersen was fired a while ago at Utah State.  If I was a program, even at the FCS level, I would stay away from this clown since he is totally unreliable.

Potential other coaching moves:

• Texas – Even with Texas’s shellacking of Kansas State on Saturday, Tom Herman’s time in Austin may be over soon.  And of course who is the top candidate to replace him?  Urban Meyer, of course!  The other candidate looks to be Penn State’s James Franklin, of all people.  The real straw that may have broken the proverbial camel’s back at Texas is losing Quinn Ewers, the top-ranked quarterback for two seasons from now, to Ohio State.
• Kansas – The Les Miles Experiment really has not worked in Lawrence.  And who may be the first to admit it?  Les himself.  He may decide to retire rather than stick around knowing it will take at least another two years to get the Jayhawks back into contention in the Big XII for the first time in over a decade.
• Brent Venables – Every off-season his name comes up as it pertains to the coaching carousel.  This season is no different.  Expect a less polished Power Five program throwing out a bunch of money to possibly lure him into his first head coaching job.
• ULM – Things were on the up-and-up in Monroe under Matt Viator.  Then came this year’s collapse as the Warhawks are now the worst team in the Sun Belt.  They will look probably to the FCS to find candidates.  UPDATE: Viator has been fired.
• FIU – After two great years, things have been horrible for Butch Davis in 2020.  They thought they had their man but he may not be the guy to grow this program.  Problem is his buyout is over $1 million so that may keep him with the Golden Panthers for another season.
• Middle Tennessee – The thing I can’t believe is the buyout for Rick Stockstill.  $5.8 million!  Who the fuck put that into his contract?  Anyway, his contract runs for three more seasons so I could see MTSU bringing him back at least for 2021 to see if the Blue Raiders improve and then make a decision.
• Luke Fickell – This is probably the guy every Power Five program that has fired their coach or might let theirs go is looking at.  He has done some unreal things at Cincinnati.  And remember, so did Brian Kelly and Mark Dantonio and they both had very good coaching careers at the Power Five level.
• Jim Harbaugh/Michigan – Good lord, here we go again.  The buyout is large but his next season is technically his last in Ann Arbor under his current deal.  The Wolverines have been nothing short of awful this year and you have to wonder if Harbaugh has lost his spark.  He almost seems destined to go back to the NFL, if not for next season then definitely for 2021.  If Michigan pulls the trigger and fires him after this season, this automatically becomes the best coaching opening available with nothing else even close.
• Tom Allen – Don’t laugh.  This guy cemented his Coach of the Year with the big win over Wisconsin this past weekend.  The players and other coaches love him and he has endless energy.  If one of Michigan, Florida State, Penn State or Tennessee decides to move on, he is the guy.  It’s pricey.  They will have to probably chip in for his buyout which is, *GASP* $23.5 million.  Holy shit.  But it may be worth it.

Remember last week I said I would talk about the conference championship races?  Well here we go.  Man this post is getting into Super Mega Hyper Omni Post territory.

It’s the third annual Sun Belt Championship game and they still haven’t got Mountain Dew or Skoal or Shoney’s or some place like that to sponsor it.  This will be the first Sun Belt Championship not to feature Appalachian State.  Coastal Carolina and Louisiana have won their respective divisions and will face off in the championship game at the home of the Chanticleers in Conway, South Carolina, near Myrtle Beach (which you should know if you watched Mormons vs. Mullets on Saturday).

Conference USA has been a mess all season.  The conference seems to be limping to the end.  In the East, no-longer-undefeated Marshall must beat Charlotte to win the division.  If they don’t win, it feels like there will be some tiebreaker action between the Herd and Florida Atlantic (and possibly even Charlotte).  Stay tuned.  In the West, UTSA leads the way followed closely by UAB.  It all comes down to next week’s game between UAB and Rice.  Blazers win and they play in the conference title game.  If they lose, it goes to UTSA.

The MAC title tilt is halfway set, I think.  Nothing has been officially said but it feels like Buffalo has clinched the MAC East.  I don’t know why it hasn’t been announced yet though.  In the MAC West, Ball State faces Western Michigan this Saturday and the winner heads to Detroit.

San Jose State and Boise State seem primed to make up for their cancelled game in the conference championship with both teams still undefeated in the conference.  Boise plays Wyoming and SJSU plays Nevada this weekend.  Here are the scenarios:

• Broncos and Spartans win and they both go to the conference championship.
• Broncos win and Spartans lose, it’s Nevada and Boise in the title game.
• Both Broncos and Spartans lose, it’s Boise and SJSU in the championship.

Alright Cincinnati is already in.  And Tulsa clinched their spot this past Saturday.  Now Cincinnati heads to Tulsa this Saturday and then will host them the following weekend.  It would not surprise me to see this game cancelled to give both teams a week of rest.

It’s Clemson up against Notre Dame in a massive rematch of their earlier game.  Huge implications for this game.

This has been set.  The somewhat surprising Iowa State Cyclones get their chance against Oklahoma at JerryWorld.

The Pac-12 is a complete shitshow.  Let me try and make some understanding of all this.

• Washington could have clinched on Saturday but lost to Stanford.  So now if Washington beats Oregon they go to the Pac-12 title game, wherever that may be.
• Oregon, on the other hand, is in if they beat Washington thanks to Oregon State’s loss to Utah.
• USC, after beating Washington State, is tied with Colorado at the top of the South.
• If both teams win next weekend, it comes to who is higher up in the CFP rankings.  Meaning the Trojans will have the edge.

So, of course, the Pac-12 fucks things up again.  Undefeated Colorado quite possibly could be left out of the Pac-12 title game because they have divisions.  Can someone fire Larry Scott already?

Northwestern clinched the Big Ten West despite sitting at home and will await to see if the Ohio State-Michigan game gets played.  If the Wolverines have to cancel, that makes tOSU ineligible for the conference championship game.  This would mean Indiana would travel a short way to Indianapolis to play for the Big Ten crown.  If the game is played and the Buckeyes beat Michigan, then they are heading there.  Or, the Big Ten could change the rules and allow Ohio State to go anyway.  Who the hell knows anymore.

Alabama and Florida.  No LSU, who could be one of the worst defending champs in recent memory.  But in an interesting twist, it will be the Texas A&M Football Aggies who will be watching in earnest (as long as they take of business this weekend).

Alright that was a super long post.  But it keeps you informed going into next week, the quasi-last week of the regular season.  Now we can remember what it was like when Army-Navy shared the week with a bunch of other weird games.  Later in the week will be the normal bowl projection, college football schedule and NFL schedule posts.  Have a great week everyone!

SUPER MEGA HYPER OMNI POST! V4.0.1

This post is really long.  Like seriously fucking long.  So if you are not fully awake or have some caffeine in your system, you might want to wait to read this.  Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

I have done this three times before.  It’s time for number four!

Instead of doing a full recap and then a full bowl projections post, I figured I would combine them into one insanely long post!  Why?  To save time! That is complete bullshit but that is what I have told myself every year so I will continue to do so.  It was an…let’s call it an OK week of college football that contained a few exciting games.  We are headed into an exciting finish to the season.  Now we can see how COVID will wreak havoc on it since it will most certainly happen.  We just don’t know when and to what team(s).

Let’s start with recapping the week that was.  There were a few fun things that happened and I slept in way too long Sunday morning.  A Fall tradition.

• One of three ranked-on-ranked games on the week had Iowa State outlast Texas.  The difference here was mostly one guy: Breece Hall.  His work on the ground was a boon for the Cyclone offense as he was able to help ISU milk a lot of clock in this one.  He is a lot like a Clone legend: Troy Davis.  A great player who won’t get any Heisman hype because of the team he plays for.  So now Iowa State has almost clinched their ticket to JerryWorld which will be a nice change from seeing mostly bluebloods in the Big XII Championship since it returned.
• Florida beat Kentucky easily.  Georgia beat South Carolina even easier this past weekend.  The Dawgs have to be rooting for the Vols to win this Saturday over Florida to have any chance at being in the SEC Championship.  I can see many UGA fans having a bad taste in their mouth for having to root for Tennessee but it is what it is.  You know what?  Blame it on COVID.  It will make it feel a bit better.
• You all saw it I’m sure.  Sarah Fuller became the first woman to play in a Power Five football game.  That, in and of itself, is a huge accomplishment.  And of course Twitter, being full of very level-headed people, went crazy over it.  Many loved it but there were some that said it was nothing but a PR stunt.  Here is my take on this.  Vandy had no kickers.  They needed to find someone to kick the damn ball during their game against Missouri.  Was Fuller the best option?  Who knows but she was at least a decent option as she played for the Dores’ SEC Championship women’s soccer team.  So let’s get to her kicking off to start the second half of the game which was her first opportunity to kick the ball.  It was a squib kick that went a little over 30 yards.  For people that don’t think it was a squib kick, give me a fucking break.  The ball wasn’t on a tee, it was held by a player and the Commodores overloaded on the right side, where the squib went.  They wanted to do something different to hopefully get anything going for them in this game.  That was Fuller’s only kick of the game as Vandy was shutout 41-0 by Mizzou.  I think people have to realize something about all this.  Vandy is straight trash this season.  No COVID excuses here: they are just awful.  This felt like trying something different to try something different.  That it was historic is icing on the cake.  Now there seems to be other issues as Derek Mason was just fired and it sounded, from the words of Fuller, a few players and a couple of coaches, that there was no energy on the sideline most of the season and it’s like many had given up before the season had started.  They need a jolt in Nashville to get this team at least being competitive in the SEC.  And that might involve a complete rethinking of the football program at Vanderbilt.  Thank you for coming to my college football Ted Talk.
• LSU’s offense basically took the day off on Saturday.  If it wasn’t for a late touchdown they would have been shutout by Texas A&M.  It’s funny that a 20-7 dominating win over the defending national champions does very little to move the needle for the Aggies.  I still think they have an inside shot at the College Football Playoff but will need to run their next two opponents off the field to convince The Committee.
• Oregon blew it against Oregon State.  But that wasn’t the story.  The story was the Pac-12 officiating crew calling the game.  Oregon goes offside (that anyone could see) and it’s not called.  The Beavers scored a touchdown but it was called short.  This meant another play had to be run where their quarterback got injured.  This was all in the final minute.  And the officials seemed to have no idea how to call anything.  It was atrocious.  I am sure they will get a pay raise for it.
• In almost-upset news, Iowa almost gakked their game away to Nebraska in the annual Black Friday CornHub game.  And this is not really a good Huskers program these days.  They really have not been a contender for a long time (and no I don’t include that time they started 7-0 a few years back and then were terrible the rest of the way).  I am sure they long for the days of Bo Pelini.  Hell they may desire the Bill Callahan days!  Scott Frost will be on a seriously hot seat to start next season and now some have to look back and take back their thoughts of basically poaching him from UCF as the Knights are still doing quite well under Josh Heupel.
• The game that was created mere days in advance, put on late night on ESPN because of other cancellations, then moved into the ABC primetme spot due to MORE cancellations, did not disappoint.  It was all Utah in the first half and then all Washington in the second half.  The Huskies ended up holding on for the victory after taking a late lead and stay undefeated.  This may only lead to a possible New Year’s Six bid but at this point I am sure Pac-12 teams are very happy to be playing (when they get the opportunity to play that is).
• SMU got boatraced for most of the game by *checks notes* East Carolina?  What the hell?  It was 45-7 at the half for the Pirates.  So either ECU is much better than most of us figured or the Mustangs are not nearly as good as many of us thought.  I’m going to go with the latter so this doesn’t seem like a massive upset.
• If you missed it, history was made in western New York.  Buffalo Bulls running back Jaret Patterson went off on Kent State.  Patterson scored eight rushing touchdowns, tying Howard Griffith’s 30-year-old record!  He also came within 18 yards of Samaje Perine’s single-game record of 427 rushing yards.  An absolutely unreal performance.  And get this: Bulls head coach Lance Leipold had no idea he had tied the record and took him out for their final drive (where Patterson’s backup scored a touchdown).  Worst part is Patterson will get no Heisman hype at all.  But some NFL team will be very happy to have him on Sundays (and Thursdays and Mondays and sometimes Tuesdays).
• A game that almost no one would have watched had a great finish in Big XII country.  Baylor finally got their second win under first-year head coach Dave Aranda.  It was a wild fourth quarter against Kansas State where 31 points were scored and the Bears scored with no time remaining.  Hey remember early on in the season when the Wildcats were getting some contender hype?  Yeah, neither do I.
• Penn State and Michigan played football on Saturday.  That’s almost all I can say about that.  At least the Nittany Lions got their first win of the season.
• Let’s get back to some insane football, Big XII Style.  Oklahoma State and Texas Tech put on an (offensive) performance for the ages during the third quarter of their game.  The two teams combined for five touchdowns in six minutes of play.  Crazy!  That included the Cowboys getting a touchdown off a Red Raider onside kick.  The Pokes ended up winning, keeping their very slim Big XII Championship hopes alive.
• And now to look at something that was not so good.  Late in their game against NC State, Syracuse quarterback Rex Culpepper gets sacked on third and long.  So now, with no timeouts, they have to run a play as there is less than 10 seconds remaining.  Instead, he gets under centre, gets the ball, and spikes it.  That is really the perfect example of Syracuse’s season.
• Finally, a week after Northwestern beat Wisconsin to take full control of the Big Ten West, they get upset by Michigan State and look terrible doing it.  College football, everybody!

Normally I would look at the conference championships and give out scenarios as to what may happen.  With two weeks left, I won’t be doing that.  Also, the fact most of the conference races are a mess doesn’t help.  I will try and bring you this next week..

Alright, on to my bowl projections as of this moment, which may have no worth to them:

Sugar Bowl	CFP Poll #1 vs. CFP Poll #4	Alabama vs. Ohio State
Rose Bowl	CFP Poll #2 vs. CFP Poll #3	Notre Dame vs. Miami

Clemson out, Notre Dame in.  I think the Irish win the rematch in the ACC Championship to clinch the #2 spot.  Ohio State’s resume took a hit with the cancellation of their game but I still see them holding on to the #4 spot.

Which means the New Year’s Six has changed.  But how has it changed?

Orange Bowl	ACC Champ vs. SEC #2	Clemson vs. Texas A&M
Fiesta Bowl	CFP At-large vs. CFP At-large/G5 #1	USC vs. Oklahoma
Peach Bowl	CFP At-large vs. CFP At-large/G5 #1	Florida vs. Cincinnati
Cotton Bowl	CFP At-large vs. CFP At-large/G5 #1	Iowa State vs. Georgia

A lot of changes.  I already mentioned Clemson losing to Notre Dame again but with Miami in the Top 4, they are slotted in the Orange Bowl as the ACC representative.  I have decided that Texas A&M might be picked instead of Florida for the Orange Bowl.  I don’t know why, I just thought that.  So that moves Florida to the Peach Bowl.  Oklahoma, losers of the Big XII Championship, would still be high enough to get the Fiesta Bowl bid since The Committee obviously doesn’t want to put BYU in.  Iowa State, now Big XII champions in my projections, go to the Cotton Bowl and face Georgia who replaces Texas as the final team in.

Now the rest of bowl season which is a shitshow with the pandemic and every team being bowl-eligible and no one knowing the criteria anymore and man I think I need to make myself a drink.

Outback Bowl	SEC vs. Big Ten	Kentucky vs. Northwestern
Gator Bowl	SEC vs. ACC	Ole Miss vs. NC State
Citrus Bowl	SEC vs. Big Ten	Auburn vs. Indiana
Birmingham Bowl	SEC/ACC vs. G5	Mississippi State vs. BYU
Texas Bowl	SEC vs. Big XII	Missouri vs. TCU
Liberty Bowl	SEC vs. Big XII	Tennessee vs. West Virginia
Arizona Bowl	MWC vs. MAC	Nevada vs. Buffalo
Sun Bowl	Pac-12 vs. ACC	Colorado vs. Boston College
Armed Forces Bowl	Big XII vs G5	Baylor vs. Liberty
LA Bowl	Pac-12 vs. MWC	Arizona State vs. San Jose State
Music City Bowl	SEC vs. Big Ten	LSU vs. Iowa
Duke’s Mayo Bowl	Big Ten vs. ACC	Wisconsin vs. North Carolina
Alamo Bowl	Big XII vs. Pac-12	Texas vs. Oregon
Cheez-It Bowl	Big XII vs. ACC	Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech
Military Bowl	American vs. ACC	Memphis vs. Virginia
Guaranteed Rate Bowl	Big XII vs. Big Ten	Kansas State vs. Nebraska
Independence Bowl	Army vs. Pac-12	Army vs. Utah
LendingTree Bowl	Sun Belt vs. G5	Appalachian State vs. SMU
First Responder Bowl	Big XII/ACC vs. G5	Texas Tech vs. Louisiana
Cure Bowl	G5 vs. G5	Florida Atlantic vs. UCF
Gasparilla Bowl	SEC/ACC vs. G5	Wake Forest vs. Miami-OH
Camellia Bowl	G5 vs. G5	UTSA vs. Fresno State
New Mexico Bowl	MWC vs. G5	Air Force vs. Louisiana Tech
Montgomery Bowl	ACC vs. American	Pittsburgh vs. Tulsa
New Orleans Bowl	C-USA vs. Sun Belt	Marshall vs. Coastal Carolina
Boca Raton Bowl	G5 vs. G5	Central Michigan vs. Charlotte
Idaho Potato Bowl	MWC vs. MAC	Boise State vs. Western Michigan
Myrtle Beach Bowl	G5 vs. G5	Ohio vs. San Diego State
Las Vegas Bowl	SEC vs. Pac-12	Arkansas vs. Washington
Frisco Bowl	G5 vs. G5	UAB vs. Troy

A few notes for your perusal:

• Did you notice the missing bowl?  I am guessing probably not.  The Pinstripe Bowl has been cancelled due to concerns over COVID-19 and I have a feeling it won’t be the last.
• The tie-ins actually work better this year with the pandemic parameters (pandameters?).  Putting all the G5 teams into a pool after the conference tie-ins are satisfied and having all teams eligible makes it easier to fill in the bowls.  Now the chances of me being right have gone way down because of it but that’s a different conversation.
• Army, as far as I know, is still the only team that has accepted a bowl bid.  They accepted it over a month ago.  I am not joking.
• I still have no idea if the Las Vegas Bowl is being run.  The website says the 2020 Las Vegas Bowl will be run but it doesn’t mention a date.  So I will keep it in until I find out otheriwse.
• I still don’t understand the idea of split tie-ins.  Just pick a conference and go with it.  Or have a pool of teams to pick from like they have done this year (and I hope they do in the future).  That would at least make more sense.  Then again, nothing much makes sense this year.

Other than those few items, not much to talk about specifically about the bowl projections.  A fair amount has changed in terms of what I am projecting but they aren’t wild changes.  That might change starting this coming weekend.  With only two weeks left in the regular season (kind of), much will happen over this time.  The problem is, with all teams bowl eligible, I can’t see many accepting bowl bids until conference championship weekend.

UPDATE:  The Sun Bowl, one of the longest running bowl games in college football, has been cancelled this year.  See what I mean?

Now I figured instead of doing the conference championship scenarios, I will look into potential scenarios of the future and what they would like in this crazy 2020 season (using the current AP poll rankings).

The five-team CFP

I have advocated for one more team to be added to the College Football Playoff instead of going to eight which is what many want.  What would that do this season?  This:

• Peach Bowl (play-in game): #4 Clemson vs. #5 Texas A&M
• Sugar Bowl: #1 Alabama vs. Clemson/TAMU winner
• Rose Bowl: #2 Notre Dame vs. #3 Ohio State

I would dig this.  Doing the Peach Bowl on the opening day of bowl season would allow this to happen.  Now, other things would have to take place because the schedule is a fucking mess but if it had been set up properly, this could occur.  Ratings, baby!

The six-team CFP

Two teams added.  OK.  Let’s see how this could work out:

• Orange Bowl: #3 Ohio State vs. #6 Florida
• Peach Bowl: #4 Clemson vs. #5 Texas A&M
• Sugar Bowl: #1 Alabama vs. lower-ranked winner from play-in weekend
• Rose Bowl: #2 Notre Dame vs. higher-ranked winner from play-in weekend

Again, I could go for this for sure.  Is it adding a game for two teams possibly?  Yes.  There are ways around this for sure.  Like get rid of conference championships?  Oh wait, that’s money in the conference’s pockets.  Can’t do that.  And yes, I have ISU predicted at #6.

The eight-team CFP

This is what people want.  OK what would it look like for this season?

• Peach Bowl: #1 Alabama vs. #8 BYU
• Fiesta Bowl: #2 Notre Dame vs. #7 Cincinnati
• Orange Bowl: #3 Ohio State vs. #6 Florida
• Cotton Bowl: #4 Clemson vs. #5 Texas A&M

I mean this gets Cincinnati and BYU in so that would be a plus.  I still kind of don’t like the idea of moving to eight teams but I know it will happen for the new CFP contract.

G-5 Playoffs

What if the Group of Five decided “Fuck it we are having our own tournament to crown a champion.”  They won’t but I could see a lot of people watching these games.  The quarter-finals would look like this:

• Cincinnati vs. Buffalo
• BYU vs. Liberty
• Coastal Carolina vs. Tulsa
• Marshall vs. Louisiana

I would watch the hell out of this, not going to lie.  Now I assume that, at least for the quarter-finals, the higher-ranked teams would play at home but who knows.

Alright that is it.  No more.  A seriously long post is complete.  Later this week I will try and piece together the college and pro schedules.  I think I have a better chance of herding squirrels.  Have a good week everyone!

The Coaching Hot Seat Report, My Heisman Ballot and whatever the Big Ten is doing all in one post!

That’s what this is: a god damned dumpster fire.

Alright I am going to leave the Big Ten stuff to the end as I don’t want this to go off the rails so early.  First up will be the HOT SEAT REPORT!  My most accurate predictions of all.  This year, though I have no clue.  Let’s get right to it and as it is every year, this is ordered from most likely to be fired to least likely (NOW with Big Ten coaches!).  Let us begin:

Almost Guaranteed Shitcanning

1. Dana Dimel (UTEP) – Things are looking terrible for UTEP football right now.  All the rest of the teams seem to be leaving the Miners in their dust except for Old Dominion but that’s because they aren’t playing this Fall.  And with most teams having smaller non-conference schedules, this doesn’t look like UTEP’s time to improve.  Needed to keep his job – UTEP to be competitive in most of their conference games.  Prediction – Will be gone before the end of the season as UTEP will struggle to get more than two wins.
2. Derek Mason (Vanderbilt) – Vanderbilt has been an SEC also-ran for most of their time in the conference other than the James Franklin years.  Unfortunately, Mason hasn’t improved things in Nashville in his stint here.  It is tough because he’s a great coach and a great interview but you have to wonder if he is just better as a defensive coordinator somewhere, especially at the Power Five level.  Needed to keep his job – Bowl eligibility at the very least.  Prediction – He will be gone with either one or two games to go and will become a defensive coordinator somewhere at a lower level in the next year or two.
3. Will Muschamp (South Carolina) – At the time, the hiring of Muschamp looked like a good one even though he had been fairly mediocre at Florida.  But he hasn’t been able to make a dent in the SEC and is 2-13 against ranked teams, something that will keep him near the bottom of the division.  Needed to keep his job – Play meaningful football in late November and beat a ranked team or two.  Prediction – He will probably be fired with one or two games left but be the lame duck coach and finish out the string.

Probable Shitcanning

4. Philip Montgomery (Tulsa) – Tulsa has struggled for most of Montgomery’s reign here except for one great season.  He was a can’t miss coaching prospect who so far has missed badly.  I think the Golden Hurricane is going to be worse this season so it may signal the end for him in Oklahoma (the state, not the school).  Needed to keep his job – Battling for .500 late in the season.  Prediction – One win and a coaching search to start shortly after the season ends.
5. Lovie Smith (Illinois) – Being successful this past season may have actually been the worst thing for Lovie’s coaching future in Champaign.  Now the expectations will be higher and with Northwestern improving, I can’t see the Illini going bowling once they get back to playing in October.  Needed to keep his job – To be in contention for bowl-eligibility late into the season.  Prediction – I think they end up winning three or four games but won’t be enough to go bowling and will probably cost him his job but who knows with Illinois.

Possible Shitcanning

6. Manny Diaz (Miami) – Let’s just say the Manny Diaz era did not get off to a great start after he left Temple (after a few weeks) for his dream job.  But things are looking up with transfer quarterback D’Eriq King under centre (well, in the shotgun because no one goes under centre these days).  His status will fully depend on the improvement the Canes show on the field.  Needed to keep his job – At least 7 wins but preferably at least 8 and looking at a possible conference championship berth.  Prediction – I see The U at the 8-win mark so that should placate the fans in south Florida.
7. Scott Frost (Nebraska) – Look, I drank the Nebraska Koolaid last year.  I admit it.  But the bloom is off the rose now in Lincoln and anything short of at least .500 and a bowl game could spell the end for the guy that was supposed to lead the Huskers back to prominence.  Needed to keep his job – .500 record.  Prediction – I see them being around that mark so he might not be fired but it will be a huge discussion in the off-season about his future.
8. Steve Campbell (South Alabama) – It was looking like the Jaguars were going to have a 2-0 start and it probably would have kept Campbell off this list.  But their collapse against Tulane makes it so his job is at least in some jeopardy.  With the opening of their brand-new stadium, I am sure the brass were hoping for a team that could maybe even contend in the Sun Belt West.  With Louisiana in the division that won’t happen but maybe a bowl game for them?  The other thing is, if they let Campbell go, who would be up to replace him?  Not like this is a sought-after job.  Needed to keep his job – For USA to win close to five games.  Prediction – I have the Jaguars winning four games so at the very least, Campbell is looking at a hotter seat for next season.

Doubtful Shitcanning (although it still could happen)

9. Dino Babers (Syracuse) – Dino needs to get some slack here.  There were some injuries last year and a lot of underperforming.  Saying that, with only one great season under his belt, this season will have to at least look like an improvement over last year or he may be jettisoned.  Needed to keep his job – Battling for bowl eligibility late in the season.  Prediction – I have the Orange winning 4 so they need an upset to go bowling, if not two.  No bowl game means Babers will have at least a molten lava hot seat going into next season.
10. Matt Viator (ULM) – Things were looking good in Monroe.  Then the Ragin’ Cajuns down in Lafayette burned some rubber and left them in their dust.  Now they will be battling South Alabama and Texas State to stay out of the bottom of the Sun Belt West division.  Needed to keep his job –  Honestly?  Just don’t finish last in the division.  Prediction – Ummmm….well….I do have them finishing last so this could get interesting.
11. Tom Herman (Texas) – Herman hasn’t exactly set the Big XII on fire in Austin.  The fans at UT want to be in the Big XII Championship (OK they want to win the Big XII but baby steps).  Not getting there this year would put Herman on a bit of a hot seat going into 2021.  Needed to keep his job – Like keep his job for sure and maybe get an extension?  A trip to the Big XII Championship game.  Prediction – Losing to Oklahoma State to be left out of the title game and a lot of grumblings in Longhorn land.

Yes a much shorter list.  Blame COVID.

Now I will post my (shorter) Heisman ballot.  This is usually less accurate but at least I am on par with many so-called experts since many frosh and sophomores are in contention and it’s tough to figure them out compared to the juniors and seniors.  Alright here we go:

My Usually Awful Heisman Ballot

1. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson – Alright I had Lawrence winning it last year and he came up well short.  This year he is one of the favourites to win it so I am picking him yet again.  Maybe this time he won’t let me down…and the team.  Most importantly the team.  And the fanbase.  But me too.
2. Justin Fields, Ohio State – I feel a bit hesitant to put Fields this high.  This time it is because the Big Ten is starting later and he will have to be in Heisman form from the beginning.  I haven’t even done Big Ten predictions yet but I assume Ohio State will be favoured in all their games.  So as long as the Buckeyes aren’t upset along the way and Fields has a bad game or two, he should be in the Heisman conversation.
3. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma – The streak ended last year.  Jalen Hurts had a good season but it wasn’t enough to bag the Sooners their third straight Heisman winner (who was also a transfer quarterback).  Rattler is a Lincoln Riley recruit so this is a little different than what we are used to with OU.  I still predict Oklahoma to get to the College Football Playoff which probably will mean Rattler will have had a great season so that puts him here.
4. D’Eriq King, Miami – This is the big transfer of the off-season and he could be the guy that saves Manny Diaz his job (and may get him an extension).  It was a bit of a shock that he first decided to redshirt at Houston and then transfer to Miami but here we are.  I think the Canes are going to be in New Year’s Six contention all season so the dual threat King will be a big part of that.
5. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State – Hubbard for some reason came back for his senior year.  What it does is sets Hubbard up to become the next big running back to come out of Oklahoma State after Barry Sanders.  It also could make him the first Canadian to win the Heisman.  That would be cool.  He will actually need to run for more yards than he did last year so it may be difficult but if he does it, he will be at least the best running back in college football and a surefire first round pick in the 2021 draft.
6. Ian Book, Notre Dame – I know people will be upset at this.  Slow your roll and check your Notre Dame hate at the door.  The Irish are in a conference for the first time ever and are a contender to make their first-ever conference championship.  And if that does come to fruition, Book will be the biggest reason why.  And he could be a hero in South Bend forever if they somehow get to the College Football Playoff and don’t count them out of that.
7. Sam Ehlinger, Texas – For the second straight year, Ehlinger might be the second best quarterback in the Big XII.  Now if he somehow gets the Longhorns to the conference championship then he might rocket up this list.
8. Bo Nix, Auburn – The son of former Auburn star Patrick Nix plays in the toughest division in college football.  And if the Tigers have any thoughts of going to the New Year’s Six (if not the CFP), it will have to ride on his strong arm.  With a lot of new quarterbacks in the SEC, he could end up getting the lion’s share of the attention at the position which could be good for him to move up this list.

Honourable Mention

• Travis Etienne, Clemson
• Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State
• Myles Brennan, LSU
• Zamir White, Georgia
• Najee Harris, Alabama
• Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
• Sam Howell, North Carolina

OK now we get to the Big Ten insanity.  Remember when they decided they weren’t going to have a Fall season and there was a huge uproar because three of the five Power Five conferences decided to plow ahead with a season anyway?  Pepperidge Farms (and all of us) remembers.  Now the Big Ten has decided to reverse course.  They plan on having a nine-week conference season.  It will start on October 24th and go through to December 19th when the Big Ten Championship will occur.  But that’s not all!  They will also have a kind of East vs. West challenge that week where the 2nd place team from the East faces the 2nd place team from the West, 3rd place against 3rd place, etc. all the way down to the last place teams in both divisions.  Just crazy.  This conference is a shitshow.  But money and FOMO ruled the day with the announcement.  Now the Pac-12 is the only P5 conference sitting out and that will be, unfortunately, horrible for the conference going into 2021.  College football, everybody!

Alright a slight change for this week’s posts.  I will be posting the NFL schedule on Thursday and the college sked on Friday since there are no college games on Thursday night.  I will do that for any other weeks this happens but as of this point, I can only see it happening maybe once more.  Anyway, hope you have had a great hump day!

A CFP without Bama? – Week 14 College Football Recap

It is true: the Alabama Crimson Tide will not be in the College Football Playoff this season.  This will be the first time this has ever happened if you can believe it.  We will get to the recap of what happened in the Iron Bowl including what is going on in that picture above when we get to it.

As per tradition (I think I did this last year for the first time) I will be using the Thanksgiving Day schedule template to do the recap.  This should go well, right?

Thursday

Mississippi State 21 Ole Miss 20

7:30 PM

You cannot make this shit up.  Ole Miss is bailed out by a ton of penalties on their final drive where they final score a touchdown.  So what happens next?  Receiver Elijah Moore pretended to pee like a dog and was given an unsportsmanlike penalty.  It was tacked on to the PAT which the Rebels then missed, allowing the Bulldogs to win the Egg Bowl and become bowl eligible.  That will go down as one of the all-time boneheaded moves in college football history.

Friday

Virginia 39 Virginia Tech 30

Noon

The Commonwealth Cup and the ACC Chaos Division title goes to the Hoos.  I was definitely one of many who thought the hire of Bronco Mendenhall was perplexing at the time but man has it turned out great for the Cavs.  This also means that the Coastal division has had every team win the division once over the last seven years.  Crazy.

Texas 49 Texas Tech 24

Noon

This was actually a pretty good game well into the third quarter and the Horns pulled away (as they should have).  Tom Herman is going to be on quite the hot seat going into 2020 as this has to be considered nothing short of a disappointment for this team.

Ball State 41 Miami-OH 27

Noon

Meaningless game won by Ball State.  You have to wonder about Miami-OH as they have a total lack of momentum going into the MAC Championship on Saturday.

Central Michigan 49 Toledo 7

Noon

Central Michigan, with the beatdown, clinches the MAC West and will face those Redhawks in the MAC Championship.  Good job by Jim McElwain in his first season in Mount Pleasant.

Iowa 27 Nebraska 24

2:30 PM

Iowa wins this one on a last-second field goal yet again.  The Huskers will be home for the holidays for the third straight season.  Sad times in Lincoln.  I will not drink the Husker Kool-Aid next season (now watch me forget that and have them going 10-2 again).

Missouri 24 Arkansas 14

2:30 PM

Despite the Mizzou win, it was announced that they would their bowl ban was upheld by the NCAA.  So they aren’t going bowling anyway and now they are without a head coach as Barry Odom was fired yesterday.  I wonder if CBS is starting to regret always showing this shitty game on Black Friday and will try and get the SEC to move another game to this date instead next season.

Memphis 34 Cincinnati 24

3:30 PM

Slow start but the Tigers pulled away late to beat the Bearcats and set up…a rematch the next weekend on the same field.  If Memphis wins, they pretty much lock up the Cotton Bowl bid.  If they lose, then Cincinnati is back in the Group of Five fray along with Boise State and Appalachian State.

Boise State 31 Colorado State 24

3:30 PM

Not surprising that the Broncos won.  It’s surprising that they struggled with a team like the Rams.  They host Hawaii on Saturday and have to win and get some help in the American Championship to go to the Cotton Bowl.

Washington 31 Washington State 13

4:00 PM

In what seems like a broken record, the Cougs beat Wazzu yet again for the Apple Cup.  It meant nothing really but Chris Petersen’s continuing ownership of this series over Mike Leach is at least somewhat baffling at this point.

West Virginia 20 TCU 17

4:15 PM

This was about the least Big XII game ever.  More like a Big Ten game from the 70s.  In the end, we have something that doesn’t happen very often: a postseason without TCU.  Going to be feel kind of odd, not gonna lie.

UCF 34 USF 7

8:00 PM

Not like the War on I-4 editions of the past that is for sure.  No chance for UCF to go to the New Year’s Six so their consolation is a bowl game and a win here.  Charlie Strong might be out as head coach as we are at that time of season where the firings come quick.

Saturday Early

Georgia 52 Georgia Tech 7

Noon

Speaking of games that weren’t close, here’s a great example.  Not that anyone thought it would be the case.  Biggest thing coming out of this one was George Pickens, who had already sat out the first half, was ejected in the second half for a senseless punch-up with a Georgia Tech player and will miss the first half of the LSU game.  I guess sometimes the game gets the better of these kids but still, that could be a tough one to swallow for a UGA offense that needs all the help they can get.

Ohio State 56 Michigan 27

Noon

tOSU is still Michigan’s kryptonite.  Another destruction at the hands of the Buckeyes and people are talking about Harbaugh’s future yet again.  Even when it was close into the second quarter, I thought that maybe this would be different.  Boy was I wrong.  Ohio State might have already clinched their spot in the College Football Playoff even if they lose to Wisconsin on Saturday.  That’s how dominant they have been this season.  The Wolverines will probably be in a Florida-based bowl yet again (but not the Orange).

Indiana 44 Purdue 41 (2OT)

Noon

Indiana won and has won eight games this year.  This is how you know college football always comes up with crazy things every season as the Hoosiers could end up being a nine-win team and ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 going into 2020.

Clemson 38 South Carolina 3

Noon

Hate to see that TSN had such a weak schedule and that this ended up being one of the games they had.  This game was not close from the jump and Trevor Lawrence showed why he still has to be considered one of the best college quarterbacks in America.  The Tigers now head to Charlotte to face Virginia in a must-win to be in the Top 4 once again.

Marshall 30 FIU 27 (OT)

Noon

Hey at least it was a fun, close game right?

Tulsa 49 East Carolina 24

Noon

Didn’t matter.  Wasn’t close.  I wonder if even Tulsa and/or East Carolina alumni were watching this one in the fourth quarter.  I am going to go with no.

Kentucky 45 Louisville 13

Noon

Nice to see these two programs playing pretty well these days.  Despite the loss, Scott Satterfield has emerged as one of the Coach of the Year candidates.  Mark Stoops is still rollin’ in Lexington and it’s amazing to think that football in the state of Kentucky (remember WKU had a great turnaround season as well) is doing a lot better than many other states.  Something you never hear about when you think of Kentucky.

Northwestern 29 Illinois 10

Noon

The Illini shouldn’t have had problems with the Northwestern offense but they did.  Their loss, much like Northwestern’s win, didn’t mean anything at least.  Now we start something new: Pat Fitzgerald on the hot seat.  Will be an interesting 2020 in Evanston.

Syracuse 39 Wake Forest 30 (OT)

12:30 PM

Yes, a nine-point victory in overtime.  The Orange got a field goal in their turn and then had a pick-six to end the game.  Strange victory to end a disappointing season in western New York.  The Deacs have basically blown any shot at going to the Orange Bowl now.

Saturday Afternoon

Temple 49 UConn 17

3:00 PM

UConn’s final game in the American Conference was yet another loss.  Other than a couple of seasons, the Huskies struggled mightily in the conference and now start as an Independent next season.

Wisconsin 38 Minnesota 17

3:30 PM

In some serious FOOTBAW WEATHER in Minneapolis, the dream season came crashing down for the Gophers.  Their loss to Wisconsin probably also means they are out of the New Year’s Six.  A tough end to what was a great season.  Wisconsin, on the other hand, can try and beat the juggernaut Buckeyes and hopefully cause some chaos in the College Football Playoff.

Auburn 48 Alabama 45

3:30 PM

This ended up being the game of the day and one of the best games of the year.  The Tide now cannot make it into the College Football Playoff and are not even a guarantee for the New Year’s Six (although I think they will end up there).  As for the pic at the top of the post, that was Saban being irate over the officials saying that Auburn had one second left in the first half when they shouldn’t have had enough time left after a Tiger ballcarrier was tackled.  Auburn made the long field goal and then Bama missed a field goal to tie it up late which provided the difference in the score.  The game essentially ended when the Tide were called for an illegal substituion on a punt which would have given the ball back to Alabama.  The punter lined up near the sidelines and the Crimson Tide sideline was confused and it cost them as they had 12 men on the field.  Huge upset and just a fantastic display of what is good about college football.

Duke 27 Miami 17

3:30 PM

If we could put multiple ACC teams in Shreveport I’d be all for it.

Baylor 61 Kansas 6

3:30 PM

Baylor didn’t need the “style points” in this one but it serves as good momentum going into the biggest game in school history.

Penn State 27 Rutgers 6

3:30 PM

Rutgers was only down 7-6 at one point.  OK so maybe style points do matter a bit although the Nittany Lions are still poised to go to either the Rose Bowl or the Orange Bowl.

Boston College 26 Pittsburgh 19

3:30 PM

Well the Eagles won so they go bowling this season.  And on Twitter I had mentioned that this probably gave Steve Addazio another year on the job.  I was wrong.  He was fired yesterday.  I guess they got sick of the mediocrity but when, other than a season or two, have they not been mediocre?

Michigan State 19 Maryland 16

3:30 PM

Yes Sparty won but they looked bad doing it.  Now watch them blow out their opponent in the bowl game.

Florida Atlantic 34 Southern Miss 17

3:30 PM

Huge game here that, if Southern Miss had won, would have taken us into some Conference USA tiebreaker action.  Alas, the Golden Eagles did not win and lost the division title to UAB.  Florida Atlantic already had the division won but now clinched home field for the conference championship.

SMU 37 Tulane 20

4:00 PM

Compared to previous games between these two teams, this came off as an average game that bordered on unwatchable.

Notre Dame 45 Stanford 24

4:00 PM

Yes Stanford is not going bowling.  No, David Shaw will not be fired.  Yes, Notre Dame is going bowling.  I don’t know if they will get into the New Year’s Six considering the teams ranked above them (despite the fact the Irish could top out at #9).  Will Brian Kelly be around next year to try and get Notre Dame back to the promised land?

Tennessee 28 Vanderbilt 10

4:00 PM

Not even close this one.  The Vols really wanted this one and it showed.  Maybe it’s time to believe in what Jeremy Pruitt is doing in Knoxville.  Vandy on the other hand is in an interesting situation.  With coaches already being fired, don’t be surprised if Derek Mason’s name is added to that list.

Oregon 24 Oregon State 10

4:00 PM

Poor Beavs.  They really had their chance the previous week against Washington State with that amazing comeback that came up just short.  They tried and didn’t look too bad against their state rivals but could not win the Civil War and a chance to go to a bowl game.  The Ducks will now try to destroy the final Pac-12 CFP chance in the Pac-12 Championship.

Saturday Primetime & Late Night

North Carolina 41 NC State 10

7:00 PM

What a way to become bowl-eligible.  Mack Brown completes the turnaround and the Tar Heels rout the Wolfpack to win the in-state rivalry and will be going to a bowl game for the first time in three years.  Talk about a feel-good story as many thought the Brown hiring was not a good idea and talked about his age being a factor working against him.  Well he got the last laugh for sure.

LSU 50 Texas A&M 7

7:00 PM

And I was right.  LSU destroyed the Aggies.  Joe Burrow probably clinched the Heisman with his performance in this one, including breaking the SEC record for most passing yards in a season.  LSU has probably also clinched a spot in the Top 4 regardless of what happens in the SEC Championship.

Navy 56 Houston 41

7:00 PM

Since Memphis won their match yesterday, it meant this really didn’t mean a lot.  Don’t tell that to Navy who hung a 50-burger on Houston.  In two weeks they have Army in a game that means a lot to the players even if it means nothing to the bowl season schedule.

Kansas State 27 Iowa State 17

7:00 PM

I still think Nebraska-Iowa is the real Farmageddon but whatever.

Louisiana 31 ULM 30

7:30 PM

This was actually a great one to watch.  ULM had missed an extra point earlier so were down one with a chance to win and they missed the field goal.  It also means ULM didn’t become the 80th team to become bowl-eligible this season.  Louisiana might have been looking ahead to their huge showdown with Appalachian State next weekend.

Florida 40 Florida State 17

7:30 PM

I honestly forgot this game was even on.  I am sure a lot of fans felt the same way.

Utah 45 Colorado 15

7:30 PM

A really slow start here by the Utes and I wondered if maybe this was it for their own dream season.  Instead they revved things up and pulled away with ease.  They will most likely be #5 when the CFP Rankings come out and it will all come down to the Pac-12 Championship to see if they get to the CFP.

Oklahoma 34 Oklahoma State 16

8:00 PM

The only thing that was going right for the Pokes in this one was Mike Gundy’s hair flowing in the wind.

San Diego State 13 BYU 3

9:00 PM

San Diego State might be the quietest 9-3 team in the land.  Rocky Long continues to do an amazing job with the Aztecs as they churn out good team after good team.  BYU is already contracted to go to the Hawaii Bowl whereas SDSU will find out where they go in about six days’ time.

Arizona State 24 Arizona 14

10:00 PM

Kevin Sumlin has to be feeling the hot seat in the desert.  Not saying the Wildcats have ever done anything of note on the football field but still, another bad season with a player of Khalil Tate’s talent is not going to put you in a positive light.

San Jose State 17 Fresno State 16

10:30 PM

Nice to see the Spartans finish with five wins since they are not known for their football prowess at all.  And I know that the stadium is going to be renovated soon but having one side, the hard camera side if you will, be just grass looks really bush league, pun not intended.

California 28 UCLA 18

10:30 PM

By this point I was pretty exhausted.  Watching the Bruins play poorly again was something I just didn’t feel like doing.  So I mostly watched the other games on at the time and ignored this one.

Hawaii 52 Army 31

12:30 AM

Going to be honest: I went to bed when the score was 38-31 for Hawaii.  I knew it was close but I just couldn’t stay awake any longer.  I think I made a good choice.  I would have been somewhat miffed if the game had been close or gone to overtime but I figured making it to almost 3 in the morning is a feat onto itself, no?

Bowl Eligibility

These are the teams that clinched bowl eligibility this past week of college football:

Ohio

Mississippi State

Kent State

Liberty

Boston College

North Carolina

Michigan State

No games other than conference championships this coming weekend so we don’t have that weird instance where a team loses a game due to usually hurricane conditions and makes it up on the final weekend of the year (conference championship weekend).  Come to think of it, were there any weather-related cancellations?  I don’t know if there was which is pretty remarkable since the past few years have been mired with them.

Coaching Carousel

Cue Homer Simpson goes to Clown College music.

So what is happening on the ol’ coaching carousel?  Let’s take a look.

• Get this.  There was basically a petition to bring Greg Freakin’ Schiano back to Rutgers after he seemed to show no interest in the open head coaching spot.  In the end, it was an offer he couldn’t refuse (I guess) and he is back in the place where he brought Rutgers very close to the promised land in the only time Rutgers was ever any good at football.
• Matt Luke was shitcanned at Ole Miss.  Their loss to Mississippi State was the final straw.  Wait, no, it’s the way it happened that was the final straw.  Luke seems to have a bit of a lack of control over his team and it showed there.  He is now gone.
• Barry Odom was dismissed at Missouri.  No real surprise there.  Who will replace him?  Who the hell knows but, as someone pointed out on Twitter, the name better rhyme with Barry.
• Charlie Strong is actually out at USF.  Again, not a surprise.  I see him coming back as a coordinator somewhere since no team will pick him up as a head coach at this point.
• Steve Addazio out at Boston College even after they became bowl-eligible yet again.  It makes me wonder if this decision had been made at least a week ago and they didn’t announce anything until after Saturday’s game.
• Bob Davie resigned at New Mexico.  After all the shit that was happening in Albuquerque, this feels like him quitting before he was actually fired for some sort of pride reasons.
• Frank Wilson was fired at UTSA after another brutal season.  No one thought the Roadrunners would contend in the Conference USA but they thought they’d at least be competitive.  At this point it’s them and UTEP battling for the worst team in the division.  Even Rice has surpassed them.
• Only a season-and-a-half after that massive upset of Virginia Tech, Old Dominion fired Bobby Wilder after their worst FBS season to date.
• And finally, Chris Petersen has stepped down at Washington.  This is a huge shock!  Jimmy Lake will replace him for the bowl game.

Potential coaches on the move and where they could go:

• Lane Kiffin – Arkansas might be interested in him.  Lane back in the SEC!  Sign me up!  He is also getting interest from Florida State which would be very interesting.
• Shane Beamer – He will get a lot of looks because of his last name, whether you like that or not.  The obvious fit would be at Old Dominion since he would be able to recruit well in that area.
• Willie Taggart – Supposedly the former Seminoles head man is interested in returning to USF.  Whether the Bulls feel the same way about him could be a different story after his failures in Tallahassee.
• Mike Norvell – This guy is the top choice to go to a Power Five school.  Arkansas seems to be the favourite to get him but now that Missouri and Ole Miss are looking for head coaches, he could end up at one of those schools.
• Billy Napier – Ole Miss might want to look at what Napier has done at Louisiana.  This team is one of the premier Group of Five teams and it was a quick turnaround after Mark Hudspeth’s firing.
• Willie Fritz – It would take quite a bit to pry him away from Tulane as he is still looking to get the Green Wave over the hump and into a true contender in the AAC.  A lot of schools would be definitely interested in him with Missouri probably at the top of this list.
• Bryan Harsin – Don’t laugh.  Especially if USC does actually fire Clay Helton which they haven’t…yet.
• Bill Clark – Everyone is also looking at Clark for what he has done at UAB.  He is seemingly an expert on taking a program from scratch and making it a contender.  Maybe Florida State takes a flyer on him since Clark would be better off at a southern school (Ole Miss and Arkansas could also be possibilities).
• Mike Leach – His name comes up all the time for job openings at the end of every year.  If a school could give him at least a couple of years to put his vaunted offense in it may work like it did on the Palouse.  Boston College might look at Leach although Leach at Florida State would bring all kinds of hilarity.

Are there more possibilities?  Absolutely.  I won’t list them all though.  Later in the week will be the bowl projections post, conference championship weekend schedule post and the NFL post.  Have a great week everyone!

ARE….YOU……..READY? – Week 14 College Football TV Schedule

Footballgasm 2019 has arrived!  There is so much god damn football between American Thanksgiving and the end of the weekend.  I freakin’ love it!  Pretty damn sweet if you ask me.  I wish Canadians would do this as well but I can’t see them corresponding Thanksgiving with football unless it’s like two CFL games.  Definitely no college football that is for sure.

The schedule will be done in the annual Thanksgiving Footballgasm style.  Every game is not important but everything gets its own section.  Yeah.  I know.  Crazy, right?  And if you don’t remember, first logo is the American network and the second logo is where you can see the game in Canada.  You should know that by now though.  Let’s get started!

Thursday

Ole Miss at Mississippi State

7:30 PM

Ole Miss will not be going bowling this year again but this time it’s because of their record, not being under some sort of sanctions.  The Bulldogs, on the other hand, need this Egg Bowl win to be bowl-eligible.  A Rebels win would make the season a success for many Rebels fans.

Friday

#24 Virginia Tech at Virginia

Noon

Winner of the Commonwealth Cup gets their opportunity at the ACC Goliath, Clemson.  There’s also a decent chance that the winner here will get the Orange Bowl slot no matter what happens in the ACC Championship.

Texas Tech at Texas

Noon

Big game here…haha, just kidding.  This means absolutely nothing as Texas is bowl-eligible and Texas Tech can’t qualify for the postseason.  Poor choice by FOX but I have a feeling they were very limited here.  You have to wonder about Tom Herman’s future in Austin after this season that is a huge disappointment.

Miami-OH at Ball State

Noon

Ball State is playing for pride since the best they can do is go 5-7.  Miami-OH clinched the MAC East last week so they are just looking for momentum in this one going into the MAC Championship.

Toledo at Central Michigan

Noon

A Central Michigan win here clinches the MAC West crown  A loss and Western Michigan will represent the MAC West in Detroit despite their loss earlier this week to Northern Illinois.

#17 Iowa at Nebraska

2:30 PM

This game means everything for the Huskers as a win has them bowl-eligible.  They will have a tough time here at Faux Farmageddon against a tough Hawkeyes team who really doesn’t have a shot at the New Year’s Six despite sitting at #17 in the CFP Rankings.

Missouri at Arkansas

2:30 PM

So after posting the bowl projections I find out that the NCAA upheld Missouri’s postseason ban.  So this means 1) I have to change my bowl projections and 2) this game means nothing.  Who knows what will happen with Barry Odom after the season but I can pretty much guarantee that he won’t get the Bret Bielema treatment that Bielema got two years ago after this very same game.

#19 Cincinnati at #18 Memphis

3:30 PM

Game of the year for the Group of Five.  The winner here is way out in front for the Cotton Bowl bid.  Also if the Tigers win, they clinch the AAC West title aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand a rematch with Cincinnati back in Memphis.  A Cincinnati win here, coupled with a Navy win over Houston and the Middies complete their incredible comeback from last year’s disastrous season and will head to Cincy for the AAC Championship although probably not a Cotton Bowl bid (although they still have a chance if a few other things happen).  If it’s anything like a couple of the important American Conference games of the past few years, it should be a wild one.

#20 Boise State at Colorado State

3:30 PM

Boise State is hoping that the winner of the previous game will end up losing the conference championship game as that would leave the Broncos as, probably, the team going to the Cotton Bowl.  That’s if they can get by Colorado State who will not be going bowling this year but at least improved on last season.

Washington State at Washington

4:00 PM

For the first time in a long time, this game means nothing.  Both teams sit at 6-5, are going bowling, and have no chance in the Pac-12 North.  FOX is 0-for-2 today with their selections.​

West Virginia at TCU

4:15 PM

TCU needs this one as they are at five wins.  The Mountaineers are at four so will be home for the holidays.  So it really is all about the Horned Frogs and if they can slip into bowl season.

UCF at USF

8:00 PM

In the past this had been one of the games of the weekend.  This year, instead, we get a game that has no bearing on anything.  UCF is going bowling; USF is not.  Charlie Strong might be out as Bulls head coach after this one so that will be discussed a mere ten thousand times during the telecast.  This is part of the doubleheader on TSN2 on Black Friday which constitutes the only games on TSN on Black Friday.

Saturday Early

#4 Georgia at Georgia Tech

Noon

This tends to be the issue with this weekend of college football.  Games that have very little stakes end up on big-time networks like ABC or FOX or ESPN because of contracts with the conferences.  My guess is this is the case here.  Georgia needs to win but probably will anyway but their spot in the College Football Playoff hinges more on the SEC Championship game against LSU.  Also, with The Game at Noon as well, no point in putting a huge matchup here on ABC.

#1 Ohio State at #13 Michigan

Noon

This is a massive game (as it has been recently) with a lot of different scenarios in play.  An Ohio State win almost guarantees that they would be in the CFP no matter what happens in the Big Ten Championship.  It also makes it so TTUN has no chance of being in the NY6.  A Wolverine win may put Michigan into the New Year’s Six and may knock the Buckeyes down to the NY6.  tOSU has won the Big Ten East already so they may still end up in the CFP even with a loss here.  So much riding on this game.  This is arguably FOX’s Game of the Year and, of course, in the Noon timeslot.  I am surprised College Gameday hasn’t started already although since it’s in Minneapolis they will probably just do the normal three hours.

Indiana at Purdue

Noon

This game means nothing except that it’s for the Old Oaken Bucket.  Purdue is out, Indiana is in.  INdiana if you will.  Otherwise there’s no other stakes here.

#3 Clemson at South Carolina

Noon

TSN with a really weak schedule considering what they have done in the previous few years.  This sucks for people that don’t have the specialty pack.  South Carolina is strictly playing for pride here.  They beat Clemson here and they have state supremacy and make it so Clemson has no chance at the College Football Playoff.  Clemson has to win out no matter what.

FIU at Marshall

Noon

Both of these teams are bowl-eligible but will not go to the conference championship game.  There are better options at this timeslot unless this game is close late.

Tulsa at East Carolina

Noon

Sweet Jesus.  Both teams are home for the holidays.  I wouldn’t bother.  I mean I will end up somehow watching at least three minutes of it but I don’t recommend it to anyone.

Louisville at Kentucky

Noon

Again, another game that means very little except state pride.  Nice to see the Cards playing well again as Scott Satterfield has to be considered a Coach of the Year candidate.

Northwestern at Illinois

Noon

How the tables have turned.  This time around it’s the Illini that are bowl-eligible and the Wildcats who are out of the fun.  I wonder if Pat Fitzgerald is now on the hot seat in Evanston, a sentence I didn’t think I would ever say.

Wake Forest at Syracuse

12:30 PM

Wake needs the win here to have any chance of getting into the New Year’s Six in the Orange Bowl spot.  Syracuse was a massive disappointment and are not bowling this season.  Don’t see this game up yet but it should show up on the specialty pack soon enough.

Saturday Afternoon

UConn at Temple

3:00 PM

Good God really?  Temple is in, UConn is most definitely not.  Look elsewhere.

#12 Wisconsin at #8 Minnesota

3:30 PM

This is for the Big Ten West.  College Gameday is in Minneapolis.  This really is the biggest game in Minnesota Golden Gophers history (unless they win and it will be next week’s game).  The loser of this game is probably eliminated from the New Year’s Six as well.  Minny needs this for any shot at the College Football Playoff.

#5 Alabama at #15 Auburn

3:30 PM

I kind of hope the Tigers can keep things close here just so CBS has a good game to air.  Auburn winning means they have a good chance at the New Year’s Six.  A Bama win has to be convincing since it is their last game before whatever bowl they go to.  It’s their only chance (other than chaos above them) at the CFP.

Miami at Duke

3:30 PM

Man a lot of these games mean nothing.  This is another one.  Unless there is another eight-lateral-kickoff-return-touchdown at the end, this may not be your best option.

#9 Baylor at Kansas

3:30 PM

Baylor’s last regular season game and a must-win to keep their slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.  Kansas, despite improvement, is not bowl-eligible.

Rutgers at #10 Penn State

3:30 PM

A Penn State win here probably clinches a bid to either the Rose Bowl or Orange Bowl.  Rutgers is Rutgers.

Boston College at Pittsburgh

3:30 PM

Hey a game that actually means something, at least for one team.  The Eagles need a win or else they do not play in a bowl game and it might be the end of Steve Addazio in Chestnut Hill.  Pitt has nothing to play for and at least they aren’t going to the ACC Championship somehow.

Maryland at Michigan State

3:30 PM

For the first time in a long time, the Spartans are fighting for their bowl lives on the final weekend of the season.  Maryland, who was in the Top 25 at one point this season, will finish 3-9 with a loss.

Southern Miss at Florida Atlantic

3:30 PM

The Conference USA West Division title hinges quite a bit on this game (but not all of it).  FAU is already going to the Conference USA Championship for the second time in three seasons.  But Southern Miss has to win this and hope Louisiana Tech loses.  If that happens, they will replay this game the following weekend.  If they lose, LaTech and UAB both have a chance to win the division title where the tiebreaker is probably a game of rock, paper, scissors.

Tulane at SMU

4:00 PM

Both teams here are bowl-eligible. SMU, despite their breakout season, will not be going to the AAC Championship.  Neither will Tulane obviously as improvement is slow-going in New Orleans.

#16 Notre Dame at Stanford

4:00 PM

Do the Irish have a chance to go to the New Year’s Six?  Yes but it’s slim.  A huge win over Stanford here would help.  The Cardinal are home for bowl season for the first time in quite a few years.  Actually it has never happened under David Shaw and it was way back during Jim Harbaugh’s second season on The Farm.

Vanderbilt at Tennessee

4:00 PM

Tennessee could end up 7-5.  That feels wrong.  But they have done well under Jeremy Pruitt and they may have finally found their way back up to the top of the SEC East.  Vandy will have to make a decision on Derek Mason after the season is over.

Oregon State at #14 Oregon

4:00 PM

The Civil War!  On Pac-12 Network.  Alright then.  The Beavs have to be heartbroken after last Saturday’s loss to Washington State.  But they can make up for it with a win here that would make them bowl-eligible and they would do it against their state rival.  Oregon doesn’t need a win here, per se, but it would basically guarantee them the Rose Bowl spot.

Saturday Primetime & Late Night

North Carolina at NC State

7:00 PM

This game means everything to the Tar Heels.  Win and they are going bowling which is a huge turnaround from the last two years of Larry Fedora’s term as head coach.  Mack Brown has done wonders with the program and infused it with a sense of confidence not seen in a long time.  The Wolfpack will try to play spoiler as they have seriously disappointed this year and will not be going to a bowl game.

Texas A&M at #2 LSU

7:00 PM

Chances are LSU romps in this one.  No way it will be the 74-72 slugfest of last year and not only because the overtime rules have changed.  Who am I kidding, there’s always a chance.  But it’s a very slim one as the Aggie defense has to stop the potent LSU offense in what will probably end up being a tune-up for the Tigers on their way to Atlanta for the SEC Championship.

Navy at Houston

7:00 PM

This could be massive…if Memphis loses to Cincinnati on Black Friday.  Otherwise it means nothing has Navy and Houston are going in opposite directions this season.

#23 Iowa State at Kansas State

7:00 PM

Two 7-4 teams playing in weather that will be frigid at best.  There’s a chance for footbaw weather and if that’s the case would probably be a fun watch.

ULM at Louisiana

7:30 PM

The one time Louisiana gets a primetime national spot and it’s for a game that means little.  They have clinched the Sun Belt West division and will meet Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Championship.  For ULM it’s a big deal since a win means bowl eligibility as they continue to improve under Matt Viator.

Florida State at #11 Florida

7:30 PM

Wow.  If you had told me that Florida State and Florida would end up on the SEC Network on the final weekend of the season I would have thought you were trying to troll the fans of those two schools.  But here we are.  Game means little except for pride and perhaps the final push for Odell Haggins to keep the head coaching position on a permanent basis.

Colorado at #6 Utah

7:30 PM

Colorado must win this game to become bowl-eligible.  Of all games, this one.  Up against Utah who has dreams of the College Football Playoff dancing in their heads.  Can’t see a bump up from #6 unless something happens above them (or the Utes throttle the Buffs) so really it all comes down to next Friday night’s Pac-12 Championship game.  Win that and, in my opinion, they have to garner serious consideration for the Top 4.  No guarantees though.

#7 Oklahoma at #21 Oklahoma State

8:00 PM

FOX has done a lot better with their games today than on Black Friday that is for sure.  The Sooners need this win badly if they want to have any chance at the College Football Playoff.  Hell, a loss here even hurts their New Year’s Six chances so a lot on the line here for them.  For the Pokes, it’s spoilin’ time.

BYU at San Diego State

9:00 PM

So for like the fourth straight year, CBS Sports Network shows college basketball after their afternoon game and then goes to this odd timeslot in the evening.  And they have always been unlucky with it as everyone of those games have been unimportant.  This one is no different as both teams are bowling anyway with the Cougs already slotted into the Hawaii Bowl.

Arizona at Arizona State

10:00 PM

Usually the Territorial Cup has something to it other than bragging rights.  Like a broken record, I will reiterate that this game is really not that important in the grand scheme of things.

Fresno State at San Jose State

10:30 PM

Both teams are not going bowling so not much in terms of stakes here.  Not that people have other great options so if it’s close it will get some eyeballs.

California at UCLA

10:30 PM

Man I know the end of this day is usually a mild ending but this is ridiculous.  There’s like no games that mean anything but I guess it does allow people to get to bed after all that football they have watched.

Army at Hawaii

12:30 AM

Uh, check the starting time.  12:30 in the morning.  AFTER midnight!  Wow.  If you stay up and watch this you are a true college football fan.  I’ll see if my body can handle doing this since that means being up until almost 4 in the morning.

Some gambling fun and games

No point in having the Games of the Week section since I went through every game that could be televised above.  With the amount of games that do have stakes this post would be so ridiculously long, even longer than my last post that was long on purpose.  I called the Navy win over SMU last week which I am proud of but goofed on the Texas over Baylor pick.  Hey, you can’t win em all right?  This is a special few days so you get more picks from the Bossman.  Here we go.

Mississippi State over Ole Miss

Virginia over Virginia Tech

Toledo over Central Michigan

Nebraska over Iowa (upset!)

Memphis over Cincinnati

Boise State over Colorado State

TCU over West Virginia

Georgia over Georgia Tech

Michigan over Ohio State (yes, I am going out on a massive limb here)

Clemson over South Carolina

Wake Forest over Syracuse

Wisconsin over Minnesota

Alabama over Auburn

Baylor over Kansas

Penn State over Rutgers

Pittsburgh over Boston College

Michigan State over Maryland

Florida Atlantic over Southern Miss

Notre Dame over Stanford

Oregon over Oregon State

NC State over North Carolina

LSU over Texas A&M

Navy over Houston

Louisiana over ULM

Utah over Colorado

Oklahoma over Oklahoma State

Army over Hawaii

Plan your days accordingly.  Otherwise you will get nothing done.  In the end though…FOOTBAW!

NFL Turkey Day games are here as well!  Here are your details of these three games today:

• Chicago at Detroit (12:30, FOX, CTV2, TSN4/5)
• Buffalo at Dallas (4:00, CBS, CTV2, TSN4/5)
• New Orleans at Atlanta (8:00, NBC, CTV2, TSN4/5)

I am so damn excited for all this football.  Hope you are too.  Enjoy the games everyone!

Oh it’s Sleepwalk time! – Week 13 College Football TV Schedule

Yeah it’s time for the annual SEC Sleepwalk Saturday.  I am not a fan, gonna be honest.  I still believe that these kinds of games should be played before November hits.  Many don’t agree with me and I don’t give a shit.  Do you honestly think Western Carolina is going to beat Alabama this weekend?  And no, I don’t mean beat the spread.  And I will include this addendum here since I have had someone say “Well it’s not just the SEC that does it.”  And they are correct.  However, the SEC does it more on this one weekend and they do it better than any other conference.  It’s like the SEC is a Bob Ross painting compared to the other Power Five conferences which are a grade 8 art project.

Saying all this, it isn’t quite as bad as recent years.  Still not the greatest schedule but there are some good games in here mixed in with the crap.  Let’s go!

Thursday

		US	Canada
NC State at Georgia Tech	8:00 PM

It starts with this.  Technically it’s football.

Friday

		US	Canada
Colorado State at Wyoming	9:30 PM

Ho boy this doesn’t get a whole lot better.  Tough when there’s only one game each night.

Saturday Early​

		US	Canada
#10 Minnesota at Northwestern	Noon
Illinois at #17 Iowa	Noon
UCF at Tulane	Noon
Western Carolina at #5 Alabama	Noon
#21 Oklahoma State at West Virginia	Noon
Harvard at Yale	Noon
#8 Penn State at #2 Ohio State	Noon
Michigan State at Rutgers	Noon
Liberty at Virginia	Noon
Samford at #15 Auburn	Noon

A lot of games here.  Like a ton for any timeslot ever.  Are there any important games?  Other than a potential Game of the Year candidate in PSU-tOSU?  Meh.  I would love to say most of my time will be spent on that one game but I know myself.  I will be using my remote control like I need a serious thumb workout.  Also, you will notice Harvard and Yale are on ESPNU here.  They did this last year during SEC Sleepwalk Saturday which tells you that in the end, it’s still not the greatest schedule.  And Western Carolina appears on ESPN.  And Rutgers is on FS1.  I could go on and on but I won’t bore you.

Saturday Afternoon​

		US	Canada
Boston College at #16 Notre Dame	2:30 PM
UCLA at #23 USC	3:30 PM
Nebraska at Maryland	3:30 PM
Texas A&M at #4 Georgia	3:30 PM
#25 SMU at Navy	3:30 PM
#13 Michigan at Indiana	3:30 PM
Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech	3:30 PM
Texas at #14 Baylor	3:30 PM
Mercer at North Carolina	3:30 PM
North Texas at Rice	3:30 PM
UT-Martin at Kentucky	3:30 PM
East Tennessee State at Vanderbilt	3:30 PM
Syracuse at Louisville	4:00 PM
#18 Memphis at USF	4:00 PM
Purdue at #12 Wisconsin	4:00 PM
California at Stanford	4:00 PM

Sweet Jesus that’s a ton of games.  There have never been sixteen games in a timeslot (available to Canadians) ever.  There is no one game that highlights this timeslot but TAMU-UGA should be fun (and I hope it is for Brad Nessler’s sake), Baylor has to avoid another trip up as they host the Longhorns and Michigan and Wisconsin need to look seriously impressive to move back up the chain into the Top 10.  I also see a potential upset alert with Vandy hosting ETSU of the SoCon.  I know the AD said that Derek Mason will be back next season but if the Dores lose this one, I find it hard to believe that will be the case.

Saturday Primetime

		US	Canada
Miami vs. FIU (in Marlins Park)	7:00 PM
Arkansas at #1 LSU	7:00 PM
Temple at #19 Cincinnati	7:00 PM
Kansas State at Texas Tech	7:00 PM
#6 Oregon at Arizona State	7:30 PM
Duke at Wake Forest	7:30 PM
Houston at Tulsa	7:30 PM
Tennessee at Missouri	7:30 PM
Abilene Christian at Mississippi State	7:30 PM
TCU at #9 Oklahoma	8:00 PM

Ho boy.  This kind of drops off a cliff and I don’t mean just in sheer quantity.  I mean Oregon-ASU is the ABC Primetime game.  I guess that is what happens when FOX gets the big game of the week.  Anyway, TCU-OU could be interesting if the Horned Frogs don’t let the Sooners get too far ahead too early.  Miami-FIU will make for an interesting visual, harkening back to the times of the Miami Beach Bowl (and the Memphis-BYU brawl).  I wonder if LSU can put a 70-burger on the hapless Hogs.  Also, it will be interesting now that Cincinnati is not in the catbird seat for the Group of Five spot in the New Year’s Six thanks to their performance on the field The Committee putting them one spot below Memphis.  Will they take that anger out on Temple or will their chances end for a Cotton Bowl bid?

Saturday Late Night

		US	Canada
Oregon State at Washington State	9:00 PM
Washington at Colorado	10:00 PM
#7 Utah at Arizona	10:00 PM
#20 Boise State at Utah State	10:30 PM
Nevada at Fresno State	10:30 PM

Five game in the late night timeslot?  Well if you were looking for quantity this is the week you were wanting.  Oregon State could give Wazzu all sorts of problems in the cold of Pullman.  Boise State-Utah State is pretty much for the Mountain West Mountain title.  Welp, looks like I am definitely staying up late since I can’t see all of these games being blowouts that are basically over by 1 in the morning (although yes, 1 in the morning is still late but I digress).

Games to set your eyeballs on

Penn State at Ohio State (Noon, FOX) – This is far and away the Game of the Week and could be the Game of the Year.  I guess I am starting to get used to big games being on in the Noon timeslot since that wasn’t a thing before FOX entered the college football game at a national level.  It’s also smart by FOX to say that Noon will be their big game most of the time (Big Noon Saturday, right?) considering the afternoon slot is usually CBS’s and the primetime slot is usually ABC’s.  Anyway, if tOSU wins, they clinch their spot in Indianapolis.  If the Nittany Lions pull off the upset (and it would be an upset if they won), they are in the driver’s seat for the Big Ten East crown.  Also, a loss by either team probably ends their College Football Playoff hopes (unless there’s a bit of chaos).

Texas A&M at Georgia (3:30, CBS) – Yeah so there is a bit of a fall from the Game of the Week but this is still a great get for CBS considering the quality of the SEC games this week.  This has to be considered a speed bump game for UGA.  They have already clinched the SEC East but at #4 they still have a very legitimate shot at the College Football Playoff.  A TAMU win, however, puts the CFP in chaos and that is kind of what I am hoping for.  At least for some it would be good since many think the Dawgs’ loss to South Carolina should mean they don’t get in which isn’t a terrible argument.  But in the end, if they win the SEC, they go to the CFP no matter what.  That’s really the only important game for Georgia (as long as they can win this one and beat Georgia Tech next week).

Michigan at Indiana (3:30, TSN3) – Hey the Hoosiers as one of the games of the week!  I don’t know if that says more about Indiana doing well this season or about the quality of games here on SEC Shitgame Saturday.  At least we finally get a huge step up from TSN this week with 8 games on the various channels.  I am surprised it took this long to get to this point (the penultimate week) but I am glad it is here.  Anyway, the Wolverines being at #13 means they have a really good shot at the New Year’s Six so a win here is imperative.  The Hoosiers could play spoiler and maybe, just maybe, rocket up the rankings if they can pull off the upset.

Texas at Baylor (3:30, FloSports) – It seriously falls off a cliff after the first three games.  I picked this one because Baylor is still in the race, not just for the Big XII Championship, but for the New Year’s Six.  Texas could screw this all up and, inadvertently, screw up Oklahoma’s CFP chances with a win here since the more Baylor loses, the worse Oklahoma’s comeback win over the Bears looks.

Temple at Cincinnati (7:00, specialty pack) – Because of TSN having more games this week it means the specialty pack will, consequently, have less games.  But since the week is thin on big games, this slots in as the fifth best game of the week and the only one on this list on the specialty pack.  The American is still the pre-eminent Group of Five conference so the winner will, in all likelihood, go to the Cotton Bowl.  So even though Cincinnati is now one spot below Memphis in the CFP Rankings, it really doesn’t matter as long as they stay above Boise State and end up winning the AAC Championship.  If that happens, they are in no questions asked.  An Owls win means that a) Memphis is probably the AAC’s last hope for the Cotton Bowl and b) the AAC East is still not clinched.

Honourable mention: Boise State at Utah State (10:30, CBS Sports Network); Oregon at Arizona State (7:30, ABC); SMU at Navy (3:30, CBS Sports Network)

Some gambling fun and games

You should go back and look at my picks from last week.  Man was I on.  Called two upsets and if Auburn had been able to come all the way back it would have been three.  Otherwise?  Perfection.  Oh yeah.  I think I need to start learning more about gambling because I clearly have too much debt and need to add more just based on my one day’s worth of picks.  Anyway, here are this week’s picks:

Boise State over Utah State

Texas over Baylor (big upset!)

Oregon over Arizona State

Georgia over Texas A&M

Michigan over Indiana

Ohio State over Penn State

Cincinnati over Temple

Navy over SMU (mild upset)

Wake Forest over Duke

Notre Dame over Boston College

Miami over FIU

The Thursday Night Football affair will be Indianapolis against Houston.  Huge AFC South matchup.  Considering the Thursday night college football schedule of one game, I see myself watching quite a bit of this game.

I have to figure out how to use the PVR functionality with my Android box since there are some things I am missing since moving to IPTV.  I don’t have to use it for Saturdays anymore which is great since, for the most part, I never miss a full timeslot.  I’m sure I will figure it out.  Anyway, NFL sked tomorrow.  Enjoy the games everyone!

Fear the Beard! – Week 8 College Football Recap

Look, we knew upsets were coming.  But this might have been beyond crazy.  What happened in Champaign this past Saturday rocked the college football world a bit, that’s for sure.  Every year there is an upset in the Big Ten that seems to defy logic.  This one is no different.  This wasn’t Purdue’s utter destruction of Ohio State last year but still, nonetheless, impressive.  Wisconsin really had no response to Illinois’ stingy defense.  And the Illini came back when Wisky couldn’t put them away, setting up the game winning field goal with no time left.  So another one has bit the dust.  I am hoping that next week more undefeated teams lose so we can get down to single digits going into November.  Because let’s be honest: the more chaos there is in the Top 25, the better the season usually is.  Now with social media, any massive upset of, say, Alabama or Clemson or Oklahoma would be met with Twitmageddon.

The rest of the recap

• How about them Trojans?  Yeah they are all over the place.  They crush Arizona and look like they might be back in the Pac-12 South race.  Clay Helton may be off the hot seat in Los Angeles…well at least for six days.  I still believe they won’t be able to overtake Utah to win the division despite the fact they hold the tiebreaker after beating the Utes last month.  Knowing the Pac-12’s luck, USC will somehow win the division and upset Oregon for the Pac-12 title, obliterating any Pac-12 hopes for the College Football Playoff or New Year’s Six outside the Rose Bowl.  Trojan fans would be temporarily happy but that’s about all the good that could come out of this.
• So Jim Harbaugh mentioned that the second half would be Michigan’s “finest hour.”  I mean sure, they came back from a 14-point deficit to almost tie things up.  Which, in front of the Whiteout, one of the most intimidating crowds in college football, is an accomplishment.  But this was a team that was supposed to be great.  I had them in the CFP goddammit!  Oh well, who knows about next week but they have Notre Dame so Michigan better have a finer few hours against the Irish or their chances of doing anything this season are gone.
• NC State lost to Boston College.  Boston College.  What in the holy hell is wrong with the ACC (outside of Clemson and, perhaps, Virginia)?
• Tennessee was fired up for their game against Bama and actually held the lead at one point.  I mean they got smoked after that but I am sure they beat the spread.  Honestly, if it wasn’t for a few gaffes by the Vols, it’s a pretty close game.  And now Tua Tagovailoa is injured.  He should only miss one game and it’s against Arkansas but still, Nick Saban has to be a bit worried about the health of his star quarterback.
• LSU had no problem with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.  Wait.  No.  That’s not true.  There is one thing that everyone will remember about this game and it was a problem for their Heisman candidate, Joe Burrow.  He was pantsed during the game and everyone could see most of his ass.  Embarrassing for sure…unless you are a guy who could end up making millions in the NFL and is probably big man on campus right now.  Now we await, LSU’s game with Bama as it could end up being #1 vs. #2 (unless something goes wrong before then).
• Feel-good moment of the week came in the Minnesota-Rutgers game.  If you haven’t heard of the story of Casey O’Brien, go look it up.  A rough life for sure, with having cancer when he was younger and then having it come back on three separate occasions.  He ends up getting an offer to walk on at Minnesota, the only team to give him that kind of offer.  He finally got the chance to be the holder on a few extra points during the Gophers’ blowout win versus the woeful Scarlet Knights.  So this team is surprisingly undefeated, looking headlong into a November matchup with undefeated Penn State that could be the biggest game in program history and now this.  So many reasons to root for this team.
• Oklahoma looked good in a victory over West Virginia.  But no one cared.  The only thing everyone cared about is that everyone involved in the Sooner Schooner crash was OK.  And yes, everyone was OK.  Hopefully they can figure things out since this is the second time this season the Schooner has tipped over.
• How about those Vanderbilt Commodores?  Yeah they have been shitty this season.  I mean they’ve lost to UNLV for God’s sake.  Then the Dores went out and beat a ranked Mizzou team that could have been a thorn in the side of the SEC East leaders, Georgia and Florida.  And after the game, Derek Mason basically cut a promo that is one of the best post-game interviews of a college football coach of all-time.  For his passion alone, he deserves another year at one of the toughest jobs in the Power Five.
• Ohio State destroyed Northwestern on Friday night on a game that was moved from FS1 to BTN.  This should have been at least a bit closer but, alas, it wasn’t.  Is there anyone that can beat tOSU?  Penn State might be the best chance during the regular season but don’t forget Wisconsin next week.  They could be playing angry after their epic loss.
• That was some fun FOOTBAW WEATHER Between The Hedges on Saturday.  The Kentucky-Georgia game turned into one of those old-school Big Ten games where the ball rarely went in the air.  I guess this made it so Kirby Smart wouldn’t have to make so many tough playcalling decisions since he doesn’t seem to be that good at those kinds of things.
• Boise State is no longer undefeated and the fact they lost to BYU, of all teams, is the most shocking part here.  But to lose to a guy named Baylor Romney may be even worse.  BYU’s newest quarterback had some tricks in his pocket as the Cougs looked really good against a Broncos team who just couldn’t make things work and couldn’t complete the comeback.  SMU and Appalachian State were VERY happy with the outcome of that game that’s for sure.
• Even though very few people got to see it, Kansas almost pulled off the upset against Texas.  A blocked extra point returned for two points turned out to be the difference in this one.  Let’s be honest here: Kansas still isn’t that good at all.  But with Les Miles there, it is only a matter of time before they are bowl-eligible and then…who knows.
• We finally got to see the new NCAA rule on Saturday!  Once teams hit the fifth overtime period, it becomes a two-point conversion shootout until we get a winner.  North Carolina and Virginia Tech went to six overtimes before the Heels were not able to convert on a conversion and the Hokies did to end the longest game in ACC history.  It was a ton of fun despite the fact there was some horrible football and questionable playcalling in the first four overtime periods.  The kicking sucked too.  All in all it was the most college football game of the weekend.

Man I honestly thought that weekend was going to turn out pretty crappy.  And it wasn’t.  Even though I missed most of the early games it turned out to be a fantastic day of college football.  We need more of these.  Now to the Bossman Top 25:

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

Yes I have Clemson down at #6.  I don’t care what anyone thinks about that.  Let’s be honest here: if the Tigers win out they’re in, no ifs, ands or buts.  I also have no Group of Five team in the Top 15.  I can honestly see this being the case when the regular season ends unless there are no other undefeated teams (and even then).  Considering the weaker schedule, these teams (SMU, Cincinnati, Boise State, Appalachian State) need to start blowing teams out all the time.  Who gives a shit about hurt feelings.  Run up the damn score!  Finally, I himmed and hawed over whether to put Wake Forest or Virginia in at #25.  I put the Deacs in for now knowing that Virginia will get there eventually because they may have won the ACC Coastal already (what a gongshow of a division).  Remember there are ten undefeated teams remaining and it will be down to single digits by Halloween.  If there is a God, the next few weeks will have us down to like one or two.

Guess what?  No mid-week college football.  Last time I will say that for a while.  Soon we are getting into football every damn day for almost a month.  Yes, it’s Footballmania!  I’ll be back later this week with a full college football schedule and may discuss this a bit more.  Enjoy your week everyone!

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!

2018 Bowl Game Rankings and Predictions!

It’s almost Christmas.  Meaning it is bowl season!  And then college football is over.  I guess I can finally get in shape in the college football offseason.  But man pizza is so good…among other things.

I’ve decided to go back to the College Football Broadcast Ranking System for the bowls this year.  It worked well this year and really spreads the games out between must-see even for casual fans and games that only true college football psychos like myself would watch.  Let’s begin.

10 out of 10!  This is Saturday Night on ABC kind of games

Game of the week quality.  So the College Football Playoff and the best two New Year’s Six games land here.

Orange Bowl – Alabama vs. Oklahoma (Dec. 29, 8:00, TSN5) – Tua vs. Kyler.  The Heisman Showdown.  Tagovailoa spent most of the season in the Heisman catbird seat.  Kyler turned it on late in the season and overtook Tua for the Heisman.  This should be a very close, very exciting game.  Now watch it be a blowout.  My pick: Alabama 34-32.

Cotton Bowl – Clemson vs. Notre Dame (Dec. 29, 4:00, TSN5) – Actually it’s kind of nice that the College Football Playoff semi-finals are on the 29th and not New Year’s Eve.  Maybe ESPN has learned from when they were on NYE.  That was a disaster.  It also stays away from the World Juniors which is huge on TSN usually up until dinner.  Both semi-finals are good games but this will be the lesser of the two.  Sorry Irish fans.  My pick: Clemson 29-17.

Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State (Jan. 1, 5:00, TSN1/TSN3/TSN4/TSN5) – Despite the fact this will be the Urban Meyer Story on ESPN, I am guessing it will be a good game.  Besides, it’s Chris Petersen in a bowl game.  That’s always fun!  My pick: Ohio State 49-44.

Fiesta Bowl – LSU vs. UCF (Jan. 1, 1:00, TSN3/TSN5) – January 1st has the two best New Year’s Six games this season.  But one isn’t the Sugar Bowl.  UCF is back in the NY6 and looking to make it 27 wins in a row.  LSU is almost in a no-win situation here but the Knights are good and people respect them so at least a loss wouldn’t look so bad.  Also, no hot seat for Ed Orgeron!  That’s a great Christmas present right there.  My pick: LSU 45-38.

9 out of 10! This is the SEC on CBS quality…normally

Arguably the biggest game of the day but goes here because the SEC is never on ABC (at least as the home team).

Sugar Bowl – Georgia vs. Texas (Jan. 1, 8:45, TSN1/TSN3/TSN4/TSN5) – One team who was close to ending Bama’s perfect season.  The other team is back.  This game won’t be done until midnight.  I am going to be so tired at work the next day.  Oh well, got to get my final college football fix in now while I can.  My pick: Georgia 36-29.

Camping World Bowl – West Virginia vs. Syracuse (Dec. 28, 5:15, specialty pack) – This is the best non-New Year’s Six game.  Not surprised the Mountaineers are in this game.  But Syracuse?  What Dino Babers has done in Western New York is very impressive.  And I think they solidify arguably their best season this century here with a huge victory.  My pick: Syracuse 38-23.

Alamo Bowl – Washington State vs. Iowa State (Dec. 28, 9:00, specialty pack) – And right after WVU-Cuse comes this game.  Wazzu has to be the big favourite with Gardner “70’s Pornstar” Minshew and “Crazy” Mike Leach.  But you never, ever sleep on the Cyclones who have had two straight good seasons in…well I don’t know how long.  I don’t think it will be enough to beat the Cougs but it will be close.  My pick: Washington State 36-34.

Peach Bowl – Michigan vs. Florida (Dec. 29, Noon, TSN5) – The worst of the New Year’s Six games and I think it’s a good one.  That is not a popular sentiment here that is for sure.  I know everyone and their mother wanted UCF here to play Florida.  Well tough shit.  My pick: Michigan 34-21.

8 out of 10!  I’ll call this ESPN…on Saturday…or maybe Thursday night…but not always Saturday late night

Still really good games.  Must-see for college football fans at this point.

Music City Bowl – Auburn vs. Purdue (Dec. 28, 1:30, TSN1/TSN4) – I know it seems weird putting an Auburn-Purdue game here.  But the teams should be pretty evenly matched.  It also means we get a ton of talk about Jeff Brohm going elsewhere or Gus Malzahn getting shitcanned despite the fact that neither of those things will be happening.  Hmmm….maybe I put this game too high.  Too late now!  My pick: Auburn 41-35.

Citrus Bowl – Penn State vs. Kentucky (Jan. 1, 1:00, ABC/TSN1) – Kentucky has been so good this season.  Mark Stoops has done a fantastic job in Lexington.  But I honestly think the Nittany Lions, the best team not to make the New Year’s Six, will win this one going away.  My pick: Penn State 50-30.

Gator Bowl – Texas A&M vs. NC State (Dec. 31, 7:30, specialty pack) – This will probably, technically, be the last college football game of 2018.  Definitely for Canadians that is the case.  I don’t understand how the Wolfpack weren’t ranked in the Top 25.  Maybe that’s why I am not on The Committee  My pick: NC State 29-25.

New Mexico Bowl – Utah State vs. North Texas (Dec. 15, 2:00, TSN2) – The first FBS bowl game of the season and it is arguably the best pre-Christmas bowl game.  This might be your ARENA FOOTBALL BOWL GAME OF THE YEAR!  So for the love of God, take the over.  My pick: Utah State 52-47.

7 out of 10! This is FOX territory.  You could move this up 1 if GUS JOHNSON! is calling the game

Most college football fans should watch these games but we are getting eerily close to the equivalent of a game where Rutgers is involved (despite the fact they are in a Power Five conference.

Liberty Bowl – Missouri vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 31, 3:45, TSN2) – Former Big XII Warfare here.  Missouri is just a better version of last year’s team.  They can put a boatload of points up on the board but also give up a boatload.  And I think offense is really the only thing Mike Gundy understands.  For the second straight pick, take the over.  My pick: Missouri 43-41.

Las Vegas Bowl – Fresno State vs. Arizona State (Dec. 15, 3:30, ABC) – The team that was one UCF loss away from the Fiesta Bowl facing the Fighting Herms.  I will say it again; I was so wrong about the Sun Devils this season.  How Herm didn’t win the Coach of the Year I don’t know since he damn well deserved it.  Saying all that, I still think they will be boatraced by the Bulldogs.  My pick: Fresno State 35-13.

Redbox Bowl – Oregon vs. Michigan State (Dec. 31, 3:00, FOX) – I have a feeling this game will be overlooked by many.  Why?  Partly because it’s on FOX and most wouldn’t look there to find a bowl game.  Also, the Liberty Bowl may end up being way more exciting.  Don’t sleep on this one though.  This could end up being a great game as long as both teams show up ready to play.  My pick: Oregon 28-21.

First Responders Bowl – Boise State vs. Boston College (Dec. 26, 1:30, TSN2) – The first bowl game after Christmas.  And I honestly don’t think it will be that close.  Cue the “Fire Addazio” chants and posts on message boards.  My pick: Boise State 45-18.

6 out of 10.  We will put NBC here because they have to go somewhere.

Let’s be honest, NBC has very few games during a college football season.  Like seven of them.  But one or two are REALLY big games so on average, you have to put them above some other networks right?  Plus all the Notre Dame fanboys would have a shit fit if I put NBC any lower.

Pinstripe Bowl – Miami vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 27, 5:15, specialty pack) – These two teams met in the Orange Bowl last season.  My how the mighty have fallen.  Or almost-mighty I guess.  I have to pick Wisky here just because of the cold weather.  I hope it’s a skating rink to be honest (as long as there are no major injuries).  My pick: Wisconsin 28-20.

Dollar General Bowl – Buffalo vs. Troy (Dec. 22, 7:00, TSN3) – Another good G5-on-G5 matchup.  This one also has conference champions facing each other, only one of three games featuring that (the others being Bama/Oklahoma and NIU/UAB).  This belongs with a couple other bowl games as the best pre-Christmas fare.  Buffalo’s offense vs. Troy’s defense.  Should be fun to watch.  My pick: Buffalo 39-32.

New Orleans Bowl – Appalachian State vs. Middle Tennessee (Dec. 15, 9:00, TSN2) – I still believe a Louisiana team should have been slotted here.  Kind of like Hawaii always playing in the Hawaii Bowl if they are bowl-eligible.  It’s one true way to get a really good crowd into the massive Superdome.  Oh well, this should still be not bad but the Mountaineers should pull away late in front of an OK crowd.  My pick: Appalachian State 44-31.

Outback Bowl – Mississippi State vs. Iowa (Jan. 1, Noon, TSN2) – This has to go up against a New Year’s Six game and a really good New Year’s Day staple in the Citrus Bowl.  It has to stay close to be considered a good game.  I think it will be since Iowa is underrated in my estimation.  My pick: Mississippi State 45-38.

5 out of 10. Some hot ESPN2/ESPNU/SEC Network action right here!

These are the networks I really love to be honest with you.  They provide a shit-ton of football on the specialty pack and at least once a week you get a great game on it.  Well a great finish at least which is what we might have to hope for with this group of games.

Sun Bowl – Stanford vs. Pittsburgh (Dec. 31, 3:00, CBS) – Pitt came close to winning the ACC Championship.  And by close I mean Clemson beat them pretty bad after the Panthers kept it close in bad weather for a half.  This may be one of David Shaw’s worst Stanford teams.  That’s pretty amazing considering they still made a bowl game with ease.  My guess is about 15,000 show up to see this one.  My pick: Stanford 29-27.

Birmingham Bowl – Wake Forest vs. Memphis (Dec. 22, Noon, TSN1/TSN3) – Luckily for this bowl game, it has been usually a good game in the past.  Sucks that it is played in a dump like Legion Field but it could be worse.  They could be at the Trop.  Back to the game, this should be relatively evenly matched and that’s the only reason it would be this high on the list.   My pick: Wake Forest 32-27.

Boca Raton Bowl – Northern Illinois vs. UAB (Dec. 18, 7:00, TSN5) – UAB should mop the floor with the Huskies.  I mean they won Conference USA, they have the National Coach of the Year in Bill Clark.  They are as complete a team as any in the Group of Five.  But NIU stifled Buffalo who has a crazy good offense.  So who knows what will happen here.  I don’t think the Huskies will do it two games in a row though.  My pick: UAB 36-10.

Quick Lane Bowl – Georgia Tech vs. Minnesota (Dec. 26, 5:15, specialty pack) – It’s the Paul Johnson farewell game.  He is finally retiring after being an option legend for years.  Minnesota has their own special coach in canoeing enthusiast P.J. Fleck who is light years away from retirement.  Should be close but I love the option offense so I am going with the Ramblin’ Wreck.  My pick: Georgia Tech 27-20.

4 out of 10.  I have to grudgingly put FOX Sports One here.

If we don’t get one of these games, one of them will be an AWESOME game and we will kick ourselves for not watching it (or not being able to).  That’s how I feel with FOX Sports One and for God’s sake can we at least get the FS1 games on the specialty pack next season?  Please?  This will be like the third straight year I’ve asked this.

Belk Bowl – South Carolina vs. Virginia (Dec. 29, Noon, ABC/TSN1) – This is going to be easily overshadowed by the Peach Bowl on at the same time.  Interesting to see one of the angriest coaches on the sidelines against one of the calmest.  Gotta go Bronco in this one.  My pick: Virginia 37-28.

Armed Forces Bowl – Army vs. Houston (Dec. 22, 3:30, TSN3) – Army has had a great run the last two seasons.  I still contend if they had beat Oklahoma, this season changes immensely for the Black Knights.  Anyway, they go up against an Ed Oliver-less Cougars team.  Army should win in a walk.  My pick: Army 52-28.

Holiday Bowl – Utah vs. Northwestern (Dec. 31, 7:00, FOX Sports One) – This could end up being a fantastic game.  Who knows?  We won’t until we see the highlights.  My pick: Utah 35-30.

Hawaii Bowl – Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech (Dec. 22, 10:30, TSN1) – This isn’t on Christmas Eve.  Going to be honest: it feels weird.  I’m surprised Nick Rolovich doesn’t get more kudos for the coaching job he has done out on the islands.  Two bowls in three years is pretty darn good for a program that had fallen on hard times.  They get to face their old WAC foes in Louisiana Tech.  No wonder the WAC fell apart with those kinds of distances.  My pick: Hawaii 38-35.

3 out of 10. CBS Sports Network or Big Ten Network type games.  The whole “it’s about quantity, not quality” rule.

OK maybe I am a little down on BTN because I don’t get that network but how often do you see quality games on there?  Same goes for CBSSN.  OK full disclosure, I would watch the shit out of BTN games if I was able to get BTN because I watch way too much college football and that’s not a problem right?  RIGHT?  ANSWER ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Military Bowl – Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati (Dec. 31, Noon, TSN2) – Wait.  This game gets pretty much its own timeslot and some of the games above share one?  That makes no fucking sense.  Look, if you have read my blog, you know my pick on this one.  My pick: Cincinnati 42-17.

Texas Bowl – Baylor vs. Vanderbilt (Dec. 27, 9:00, TSN2) – Matt Rhule has done a fantastic job at Baylor.  As has Derek Mason at Vanderbilt.  Top quality coaches there.  I just…I don’t know.  It feels like a game that’s just meh.  A game that would probably end up on ESPNU or the SEC Network anyway during the regular season.  Nothing special.  And to answer your question, yes, I will watch it.  My pick: Baylor 32-16.

Bahamas Bowl – Toledo vs. FIU (Dec. 21, 12:30, TSN2) – First off, I hate that this is on during the day before Christmas.  Dumbest.  Thing.  Ever.  But nothing beats the sponsor for this bowl game.  Makers Wanted.  What is that?  It’s an industrial park in Elk Grove, Illinois.  Seriously.  That could very well be the most insane sponsor for a bowl game ever.  My pick: FIU 49-23.

Camellia Bowl – Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan (Dec. 15, 5:30, TSN2) – I still wait for the day where Chris Creighton is picked up by a higher profile school.  What he has done at Eastern Michigan is insane.  Almost Bill Snyderian.  That doesn’t matter here as Georgia Southern should destroy the Eagles (the other ones) with their option offense.  My pick: Georgia Southern 38-16.

2 out of 10. This is some ACC Network dreck over here.

This is the last year I can use this rating here.  Then the new ACC Network will move up the chain.  Which means something else goes here.  I’ll figure that out when the time comes.  But yeah you have to be a serious college football fan to watch these games.

Arizona Bowl – Nevada vs. Arkansas State (Dec. 29, 1:15, CBS Sports Network) – Last year this bowl had the New Mexico State Aggies.  It was a great story to see them go to a bowl for the first time in 57 years.  And the bowl game itself was great.  Went to overtime.  Fantastic.  That’s why this game will pale in comparison with last year’s.  No big stories like NMSU.  My pick: Arkansas State 25-23.

Frisco Bowl – San Diego State vs. Ohio (Dec. 19, 8:00, TSN2) – I don’t know if these two teams have ever played each other.  For the past decade, these are two of the better Group of Five teams but neither have been able to get over the hump and be considered the premier team in any year.  Also, the combined age of the two coaches is about 140.  My pick: Ohio 24-20.

Idaho Potato Bowl – BYU vs. Western Michigan (Dec. 21, 4:00, TSN2) – Another game on during the day on a weekday but at least it starts late afternoon.  So not as bad as the scheduling of the Bahamas Bowl.  But still not great.  I think they do that to hopefully make it not nearly as cold as it could be on the blue turf.  Two years ago it didn’t matter as it was ice out there.  Thing is, it was one of the most exciting bowl games of the season.  I kind of hope for that again.  I am such a prick sometimes.  My pick: BYU 39-37.

Independence Bowl – Temple vs. Duke (Dec. 27, 1:30, TSN2) – The Independence Bowl almost always falls down to this level (or lower).  Poor Shreveport with their relatively shitty bowl.  I mean there’s complete whiteout conditions and it produces a great bowl game.  And for twenty years after that, I am sure everyone compares this bowl to that game and it never delivers.  Well, almost never but it might as well be never.  My pick: Duke 44-32.

1 out of 10.  Or zero.  I don’t care.  It’s football.  I might watch.  That’s the best I can do.  This is the FSN regional or ESPN3 game that, for some odd reason, magically appears on the specialty pack.  Most of the time you didn’t need or ask for this game.

There is a good chance I am putting these games on the PVR.  If they aren’t close I might watch about five minutes of them.  There is only so much I can take.  I am an insane college football fan and even I can only take so much.  In April I will be regretting treating these bowl games like shit.

Cheez-It Bowl – California vs. TCU (Dec. 26, 9:00, TSN2) – Yes we have crossed the line when it comes to bowl game sponsors.  Soon enough we will have an Omaha Steaks Bowl and it will be nowhere near Omaha.  Worst part of all this?  The players don’t even get a box of Cheez-Its in their bowl loot bags.  Seriously?  Give them some fuckin’ Cheez-Its!  My pick: TCU 42-31.

Gasparilla Bowl – USF vs. Marshall (Dec. 20, 8:00, TSN1/TSN5) – So they finally took the game out of TropiCAN’Ta Field.  Yet they still end up with a relatively shitty matchup.  This bowl selection year was bizarre.  I don’t even think this will be good as the Bulls are quite good and in a good G-5 conference.  Marshall is OK but in a pretty shitty conference (overall).  Watch it rain the entire time.  My pick: USF 31-13.

Cure Bowl – Tulane vs. Louisiana (Dec. 15, 1:30, CBS Sports Network) – The worst bowl game of the bunch.  Second year in a row for the Cure Bowl.  And to top it off this has two Louisiana schools and there’s a Louisiana bowl on later that night.  Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?  Also, I can’t see this being too competitive.  Man I am in a bad mood once I get to the end of these bowl games. My pick: Tulane 44.  Louisiana 24.  Attendance 10,000.

So there you go!  The bowl schedule and rankings are done.  So now you can enjoy the games!

And yes I know this is being posted after the bowl games have started.  I will assure you that I have PVR’d all the games and have only watched the Celebration Bowl so far.  Let’s hope a lot of the rest of the games are as exciting as that one was.  Have a great bowl season everyone!

It was a case of premature gatoration – Week 13 College Football Recap

Welp, that was something.  If you weren’t able to watch the LSU-Texas A&M marathon then that’s too bad.  It was something to witness.  It had a bit of everything it seemed.  Let’s recap what happened from about the last couple minutes of regulation through to the last of the seven (yes SEVEN!) overtimes:

• That Gatorade bath you see above for Ed Orgeron was after it looked like LSU had the game-winning interception late in the fourth quarter.  Replays showed Kellen Mond’s knee was down when he struggled to pick up the ball after a bad snap.  So it was still Texas A&M’s ball.
• The next play was 4th & 18 and it looked like the Aggies were short of the line to gain.  No review.  Bad call by the SEC officials there.
• Kellen Mond then spiked the ball and it looked like time had expired.  Instead, there was actually one second left.  That set up Mond’s game-tying TD throw to Quartney Davis with no time left to send the game to overtime.
• Both teams scored in the first two overtimes.  In the third overtime, LSU scored a touchdown and got the two-point conversion.  That set up Kendrick Rogers’ TD catch which was one of the most ridiculous catches of the year to tie things up again.
• The teams traded scores in the next three overtimes to get to the seventh overtime period.  This tied the NCAA record for the longest game ever.
• LSU scored first but failed on the two-point conversion.  Texas A&M scored a TD then failed on their two-point conversion so it looked like we would be witnessing history with the first ever eight-overtime game.  Instead a somewhat questionable pass interference call allowed the Aggies another shot.  They converted and ended the highest scoring game in FBS history, 74-72.

It capped a week of college football that, up until that game was looking like a pretty good but not great week, continuing a string of weeks that have peaked at being good but not great.  For the rest of the recap I will do exactly what I did last year, just keeping the broadcast information and going through it in chronological order.  So let’s go!

Thursday

Air Force 27 Colorado State 19

3:30 PM

A pretty good game to start the week (if you don’t include the MACtion from Tuesday).  Air Force pulled away as Cole Fagan ran for 260 yards.  Typical Air Force running game.

Mississippi State 35 Ole Miss 3

7:30 PM

This game was marred a bit by a brawl in the second half.  The Bulldogs dominated this game from start to finish.  It was nice to see Nick Fitzgerald play this game after the brutal injury he suffered at last year’s Egg Bowl.

Friday

Memphis 52 Houston 31

Noon

Memphis had a slow start but pulled away in the second half to earn their spot in the AAC Championship.  For everyone that thinks it will be a blowout, remember Memphis took UCF to overtime last year before losing.

Iowa 31 Nebraska 28

Noon

Iowa wins this one on a walk-off field goal.  Nebraska will somehow be within sniffing distance of the preseason Top 25 before the 2019 season.

Ohio 49 Akron 28

Noon

Meaningless game won big by Ohio.

Buffalo 44 Bowling Green 14

Noon

Buffalo, with the easy win, clinches the MAC East and will face Northern Illinois Friday night in Detroit for the MAC Championship.

Missouri 38 Arkansas 0

2:30 PM

Arkansas is terrible.  This proved it.  Missouri is good but this was such a poor performance by Chad Morris’ Hogs.  I am sure CBS may look to try and snag LSU-TAMU for Black Friday next season rather than this game that almost always disappoints.

Virginia Tech 34 Virginia 31

3:30 PM

Ugh.  The Hokies win a close one over UVA.  This means next week’s game against Marshall is on and if VaTech wins, they go bowling.  This also means a Group of Five team will be home rather than go bowling.  Or perhaps BYU which would not make that fanbase happy at all.

Cincinnati 56 East Carolina 6

3:30 PM

Cincinnati had a great season other than that loss to UCF and a crushing loss to Temple.  If it wasn’t for those two games, we may have been talking about Luke Fickell’s Bearcats for the New Year’s Six spot.

UCF 38 USF 10

4:00 PM

Not nearly as exciting as last year’s epic War on I-4.   UCF had already clinched the AAC East.  This keeps them undefeated and in the driver’s seat for the Group of Five spot in the NY6.  Their chances of a College Football Playoff spot, however, are zero.

Oklahoma 59 West Virginia 56

8:00 PM

This was about the most Big XII game you could ask for.  A lot of offense and a close game with high stakes.  Oklahoma will now face Texas, who beat Kansas, at JerryWorld for the Big XII Championship and perhaps a spot in the CFP.

Washington 28 Washington State 15

8:30 PM

This game was played in a huge snowstorm.  Visually it was fun to watch.  I can’t imagine it was as fun for the players.  Washington outlasted Wazzu as the Cougs troubles in the Apple Cup continue since Mike Leach took over.  This also means the Pac-12 is shut out of the College Football Playoff for sure.

Saturday Early

Florida 41 Florida State 14

Noon

Florida State could not pull off the upset so for the first time since 1982, will not appear in a bowl game.  Florida, on the other hand, may have played their way into the New Year’s Six with this impressive win.

Ohio State 62 Michigan 39

Noon

tOSU seems to be Michigan’s kryptonite.  Especially Jim Harbaugh’s.  It’s like a mental block.  62 points?  Most scored on Michigan in regulation ever.  Ohio State just dominated, thanks to a breakout performance from freshman Chris Olave who caught two touchdown passes and blocked a punt leading to a touchdown.  Ohio State now has a potential shot at the College Football Playoff if they beat Northwestern next week in the Big Ten Championship.  Michigan is probably in a New Year’s Six bowl and will go to the Rose Bowl if the Buckeyes end up in the Top 4.

Purdue 28 Indiana 21

Noon

Purdue is, fittingly, going bowling.  An up-and-down year highlighted by a massive win over Ohio State (the Buckeyes’ only loss) was capped by this close victory over Indiana for the Old Oaken Bucket in the winner-goes-bowling matchup.

Syracuse 42 Boston College 21

Noon

This really wasn’t close.  Steve Addazio, after BC’s hot start, may be on the hot seat after the Eagles’ disappointing finish.  Syracuse will be left out of the New Year’s Six although it has to be considered a massive success as Dino Babers has finally brought the team to the heights he said he would bring them to when he was hired.

Western Kentucky 30 Louisiana Tech 15

Noon

WKU was awful this year but ended the season with two straight victories and played their best game of the year trying to save Mike Sanford’s job.  Alas, it didn’t work.

Tulane 29 Navy 28

Noon

Willie Fritz showed some balls, going for two after a late Tulane TD got the Green Wave to within one.  They converted and beat Navy to become bowl-eligible for the first time in five years.  I am honestly surprised this game wasn’t over by 2:30.

Georgia 45 Georgia Tech 21

Noon

Speaking of games that weren’t close, this one was it.  Georgia rolled the Yellow Jackets and should be in the Top 4 going into the SEC Championship.

NC State 34 North Carolina 28 (OT)

12:30 PM

What a way to end Raycom’s ACC telecasts.  NC State defeats North Carolina in overtime and right afterwards there is a huge brawl.  I will be interested to see if there are any hiccups bringing ACC Network telecasts to us Canadians next year.  I am not holding my breath.

Wake Forest 59 Duke 7

12:30 PM

Yeah I think the Deacs really wanted to go bowling.  A 52-point shellacking of an already bowl-bound Duke proved that the Demon Deacons could be a tough out in a bowl game.

Saturday Afternoon

Penn State 38 Maryland 3

3:30 PM

It would have been nice to see Maryland come back from all the adversity they have had from the D.J. Durkin/Jordan McNair issues from before the season but they couldn’t beat a really good Penn State team (who may end up in the New Year’s Six).  Matt Canada may have done enough to secure the job next season and remove the interim tag.

Alabama 52 Auburn 21

3:30 PM

Bama wins.  Ho hum.  They should get a good match with Georgia next week though.

Minnesota 37 Wisconsin 15

3:30 PM

Row the damn Boat!  P.J. Fleck’s Golden Gophers beat up on Wisconsin to earn bowl-eligibility.  Huge for Fleck as it keeps him off the hot seat.  Wisconsin was seriously disappointing this season and never felt like a contender in the Big Ten West.

Miami 24 Pittsburgh 3

3:30 PM

Does anyone have any faith in Pitt to keep things close in the ACC Championship?  Because I don’t.

Tulsa 27 SMU 24

3:30 PM

SMU had their chance to go to a bowl game but their loss to Tulsa shuts them out of bowl season.

Northwestern 24 Illinois 16

3:30 PM

Northwestern shouldn’t have had any problems with the Illini but did.  They pulled out the victory, though, and look forward to their Big Ten Championship match against Ohio State.  Somehow, Lovie Smith will stay on as Illinois’ head coach.  I don’t get it either.

Temple 57 UConn 7

3:30 PM

UConn has now allowed the most points and yards of any FBS team in history.  They have to be considered among the worst Div. 1-A/FBS teams ever.  So of course we have to assume that Randy Edsall will be back next season.

Michigan State 14 Rutgers 10

4:00 PM

It almost looked like Rutgers was going to win a game on national TV.  It would have been one of the craziest things to happen all season.  In the end, they came up just short.  The Scarlet Knights are a ways away from competing in the Big Ten and it’s almost sad they are in that conference rather than the American, where they belong.

Vanderbilt 38 Tennessee 13

4:00 PM

Wow.  Not even close.  Vandy really wanted this.  Derek Mason has done a pretty good job taking over for James Franklin after a very rocky start.  I don’t know what to say about Tennessee.  This program has been mired in mediocrity for years and it seems like there is no way out of it.

Saturday Primetime & Late Night

Clemson 56 South Carolina 35

7:00 PM

At times it looked like the Gamecocks were in this game but you had that feeling they weren’t going to be close enough.  In the end, those feelings were correct.  Clemson marches on to Charlotte to face Pitt in what should be an ACC Championship victory.

Kentucky 56 Louisville 10

7:00 PM

It’s amazing not too long ago that Mark Stoops was on a perpetual hot seat.  Now he has to be considered a candidate for coach of the year and has the Wildcats very close to a 10-win season.  On the other side, Louisville is a disaster.  I don’t know what head coach wants to pick this up but they have to expect next season to be a rough one as well.

Fresno State 31 San Jose State 13

7:00 PM

San Jose State was actually close for a while in this one.  But the possibility of an upset left early in the third quarter.

Texas A&M 74 LSU 72 (7OT)

7:30 PM

This was talked about above but it was still amazing to watch this game.  The game didn’t end until Nevada and UNLV were halfway through the fourth quarter.

Notre Dame 24 USC 17

8:00 PM

OK this is really starting to look like the Notre Dame of 2012.  A bunch of close wins over teams where the wins shouldn’t have been that close.  I get that USC played one of their better games of the season but still: the Irish will get into the CFP and might be a double-digit underdog which never bodes well.  As for the Trojans, athletic director Lynn Swann has stated that Clay Helton will return for the 2019 season.  I, along with many others, still have my doubts about that.

TCU 31 Oklahoma State 24

8:00 PM

This feels like a defensive battle considered it was a Big XII game.  Nevertheless, Gary Patterson’s defense was good enough to get the Horned Frogs to bowl eligibility.  Seven out of the ten Big XII teams are bowl eligible with two just on the outside at 5 wins.  That’s a pretty deep conference.

UNLV 34 Nevada 29

9:30 PM

For a game that had no bearing on anything, it ended up being a really good one.  I mean I was stuck on LSU-TAMU until this one got well into the fourth quarter but it was a great last nine minutes.  UNLV may have saved Tony Sanchez’s job by winning the Fremont Cannon which is a hilariously huge rivalry trophy (about 500 lbs.).

Boise State 33 Utah State 24

10:15 PM

Huge game here but we all have to remember that Boise is nearly unstoppable on the blue turf at Albertson’s Stadium.  They again pull off the huge victory and will now play Fresno State in the Mountain West Championship and pray that UCF loses their game earlier on in the day.

Hawaii 31 San Diego State 30 (OT)

10:30 PM

A phenomenal game to end the night.  Rocky Long decided to go for two in the first overtime after his kicker missed what would have been the game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.  Bad playcall (50-50 jump ball) and Hawaii held on to win.

Bowl eligibility

The following teams clinched bowl eligibility this past week:

Vanderbilt

Purdue

Minnesota

TCU

Baylor

Wake Forest

Tulane

Wyoming

Miami-OH

Southern Miss

Also, with Virginia Tech’s win, they will play Marshall with a chance to go to 6-6.  Good lord, that’s a lot of teams to clinch in the final weekend but it was pretty much the same thing last season.  This eliminates any 5-7 team from going bowling. As far as I can tell, at least three teams will sit at home even though they are bowl-eligible.  I figured out Liberty’s bowl-eligibility picture as well.  They will probably end up 6-6 after next week’s game against Norfolk State; however, they will have two wins over FCS teams and only one is eligible to count towards your overall win total.  So technically they would be a 5-win team and would be ineligible for a bowl game.

Coaching Carousel

I always remember the music when Homer Simpson was going to go to clown college.  It fits here as well.

It started with Les Miles being hired (after David Beaty was fired but coached the last few games).  What else happened on the coaching carousel?

• Louisville pulled the trigger on firing Bobby Petrino.  Problem is, other than this season, Petrino had been a good college coach.  He clearly was at the end of the line at Louisville but he will end up coaching somewhere else in the next couple seasons.  Question now is who wants to inherit this mess?  And would it be someone who would be considered a big hire?  Probably not.
• Kute Kliff Kingsbury was shitcanned at Texas Tech.  Their loss to Baylor was probably a good thing because who knows if gaining bowl eligibility would have changed the minds of the brass in Lubbock.
• Larry Fedora was dismissed at North Carolina.  No surprise there.  The surprise comes from the rumour about who would replace him.  The rumour is that Mack Brown would come back to coach and would bring Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator and Gene Chizik out of the SEC Network as his defensive coordinator.  Wow.
• Lovie Smith got a contract extension….wait, what?  You read it.  A contract extension.  Everything is so messed up in Champaign.
• Mike Sanford was let go after a horrible season at Western Kentucky.  They won their last two games but my guess is this was decided at least a week ago and didn’t fire him then so he could coach out the string.
• Mark Whipple is out at UMass.  I have this feeling they need to drop back to FCS but that’s just me.
• John Bonamego was fired at Central Michigan after an absolutely brutal season.  No one thought the Chippewas would drop to 1-10 and a change was obviously needed.
• After starting 5-0, Colorado went 0-7 to end the season and it was the end of the Mike MacIntyre era in Boulder.  Not surprising since other than one good season, his tenure had not been that great.

So who’s going where now? Hey remember what I said about Mack Brown above?

• North Carolina has hired Mack Brown to be their new head coach.  Full disclosure, I put this in just before this blog went up.

Potential coaches on the move and where they could go:

• Mike Leach – Texas Tech might be interested in him.  Texas.  Tech.  That would just be surreal.
• Matt Wells – He has done huge things at Utah State and this year was probably the peak.  If he wants to move on, he should consider doing it now when his value is at its highest.  Colorado seems like a fairly obvious destination for him but I wouldn’t rule out another Pac-12 school, USC.
• Mike Locksley – Alabama’s offensive coordinator is getting some looks but I would be wary.  He was awful coaching at New Mexico and it would be a risk to hire him at a huge school.  Some guys are just not made out to be the top guy.  Paging Charlie Weis.  Charlie Weis.
• Jeff Brohm – Louisville wants this guy in the worst way.  But it seems Brohm wants to stay at Purdue.  That might change if Louisville parks a Brinks truck in his driveway.
• Neal Brown – If Louisville doesn’t get their number one choice, they would probably push for Brown.  I am surprised Brown’s name hasn’t come up for more coaching vacancies.
• Brent Venables – It would take a lot to pry him away from Clemson but it’s almost time for him to give it a shot on his own.  A lot of schools would be definitely interested in him with Louisville and Texas Tech at the top of the list (although the Cards have their sights elsewhere).
• James Franklin – Don’t laugh.  He has not outright said he is not interested in other opportunities.  USC might just come knocking at his door once Lynn Swann wakes up and realizes he may not want another season of Clay Helton.
• Ryan Day – He is almost certainly gone from Ohio State, regardless of what happens with Urban Meyer.  He did well coaching the team in Meyer’s absence and will get a shot almost anywhere.
• Luke Fickell – This guy has done amazing work at Cincinnati and will be sought after.  He would have been a no brainer for Illinois except they extended Lovie Smith.  He won’t leave, though, for another Group of Five job.  At this point it’s stand pat unless another Power Five school let’s their coach go.

I am sure there are more possibilities but I don’t feel like listing them at this time. Tomorrow I will have my bowl projections up then it’s back to the normal college schedule on Thursday, NFL schedule on Friday bit. Enjoy your week everyone!

Oh yes it was Chaos and I loved every minute of it! – Week 7 College Football Recap

Professor Chaos agrees with me: this past weekend was full of CHAOS!  And it was oh-so-wonderful.  Upsets galore which caused a big heave in the rankings…except at the top where Alabama still rules the college football roost but let’s not talk about that.  Let’s talk about the CHAOS!

Hold that Tiger!  LSU had arguably the biggest upset of the weekend as they beat Georgia.  And I mean they BEAT Georgia.  This wasn’t even close.  LSU sure looks like they have arrived.  We could be back to years gone by with the annual LSU-Bama SEC on CBS primetime game being a massive deal.  We are sure headed that way right now.

QUACK!  QUACK!  Washington had a chance to put away the Ducks in regulation and couldn’t do it.  Oregon was able to finish off the Huskies in the extra frame.  This makes the Pac-12 North wide open as these two teams, plus Stanford and Washington State, all have a legitimate chance to win the division.  It also dropped the Pac-12’s College Football Playoff chances to almost none.

Brandon Weeden’s Nightmare:  The West Virginia Mountaineers got to relive that, kind of.  This wasn’t in overtime as Iowa State had no problem with the previously undefeated Mountaineers in this one.  There’s something about Ames every couple of years.  Something wacky seems to happen there.  Also, there is almost no way Matt Campbell is the Cyclones’ head coach past this season since some team is going to snatch him up.

You know what?  Maybe the Iron Bowl won’t be all that great:  Most thought the Vols would have no chance against Auburn.  Then the Tigerswent out and laid an egg and lost to a decent Tennessee team who is playing hard for new head coach Jeremy Pruitt.  And now Gus Malzahn is on the hot seat as I am sure half of Auburn’s fan base wants Malzahn’s head on a platter.

Bronco Buster:  I figured Miami would still be giving Virginia Tech (they of the massive upset loss to Old Dominion) a run for their money for the ACC Coastal Division crown.  Well I may have been wrong there.  Virginia looked dominant (on defense at least) and it wasn’t really as close as the score indicated.  Both quarterbacks were terrible for the Canes.  Oh, and of course, Mark Richt is getting heat from the fan base for it.  Might as well melt down the Turnover Chain and hock it for a used guitar or something at this point.

A little too close for comfort:  After a beatdown of Oklahoma the previous week, Texas hosted Baylor (BAYLOR!) and it should have been an easy win.  Yes, Baylor is a bit better this year than last year’s debacle but still aren’t truly a bowl contender.  And yes, Texas is back (we finally think this is true).  So what happens?  Considering what happened all Saturday it is no surprise that Texas struggled with the Bears and had to hold on at the end for the win.  Also Sam Ehlinger was injured so it will be interesting to hear the prognosis for him going forward.

You just got DANTONIOED!  Back to the theme of the week.  Michigan State was able to hang in there with Penn State (in State College) for most of the game.  And in the end they were able to drive late and score the game-winning touchdown with less than 30 seconds remaining.  If the Nittany Lions had any College Football Playoff hopes, the Spartans basically destroyed them with this win.  It also means The Game has become massive again since the Wolverines may be the only contenders to Ohio State in the Big Ten East.

The National Champs* keep on winning:  But man it was close.  This might have gone down as the biggest story of the day if UCF had lost to Memphis.  They were down 13 in the fourth quarter but were able to come back when McKenzie Milton did his best John Elway Super Bowl helicopter tackle impression for the winning score.

Friday Night Lights on Thursday:  TCU is not ranked but this still has to be considered an upset of sorts.  Texas Tech came into Fort Worth and came out with a big victory in a place the Horned Frogs rarely lose.  TCU has not looked like a typical Gary Patterson team this year and maybe, just maybe, Kute Kliff Kingsbury has something going in Lubbock.  With the way the Big XII has gone this season, there isn’t really a clear favourite so the Red Raiders could cause all sorts of trouble for some teams going forward.

So is Utah finally going to get its chance?  Kyle Whittingham and his Utes could sneak right up the middle and take the Pac-12 South.  It’s that wide-open….ok not THAT wide-open but USC, Colorado, and Utah all have legitimate chances at it and none of these teams can be considered the favourite.  Utah destroyed Arizona on Friday night and looks to be set up to cause some major damage the rest of the way.  And a reminder that the Utes are the only Pac-12 South school not go to the Pac-12 Championship since it was instituted.

Well that wasn’t that exciting:  Shea Patterson is really in his groove now and Michigan had no problem with a Wisconsin team that seemed to have no fight in them at all.  Hell, they were punting in Wolverine territory when they needed a few scores to tie the game.  It’s like they’ve given up any hope at the College Football Playoff and, perhaps, even the New Year’s Six.

Another close call for the Irish:  OK these close calls are not painting Notre Dame in a great light.  Yes they are undefeated.  Yes they don’t have a super difficult schedule the rest of the way.  But close calls to some of these teams aren’t a good look.  This feels very 2012-like and no one will change that perception unless they are competitive in the College Football Playoff (if they get there).  Also remember that the same Pitt team that ND had to hold on to defeat UCF blew out earlier in the season.

Man I was hoping for a fight:  And not among the players mind you.  Florida-Vandy was actually a pretty good game with the Gators coming back to beat the Dores.  The bigger part of this was Todd Grantham and Dan Mullen getting pissed off at Derek Mason for something or other and another coach having to hold Mullen back.  I was hoping for a good ol’ fashioned tag team match: Mullen and Grantham vs. Mason and a mystery partner.  Since it was in Nashville I nominate “Double J” Jeff Jarrett.

I had a feeling this would happen:  The Buffaloes of Colorado are no longer undefeated.  I mean let’s be honest here: how many of you thought they would run the table?  None of you so put your hands down.  And I had a feeling going into Saturday that the Trojans would be the one to end the winning streak and I was correct.  All this means is that the Pac-12’s CFP chances are basically zero now.  Cue the somewhat warm takes on this news.

Frost Warning:  This is getting epically bad in Lincoln.  Nebraska is now in their worst start in program history, falling to 0-6 after allowing Northwestern to score on a 99-yard drive to tie the game late and then win it in overtime.  I wouldn’t be worried about Scott Frost since he will have a chance to do something the rest of the way and in 2019 but this is not the start Husker fans envisioned, that is for sure.

Wow, what a fun weekend of college football.  So now let’s get to the Bossman Top 25:

#1	Alabama
#2	Notre Dame
#3	Ohio State
#4	Michigan
#5	Clemson
#6	LSU
#7	UCF
#8	Texas
#9	Oregon
#10	Georgia
#11	Oklahoma
#12	Florida
#13	Washington
#14	West Virginia
#15	Texas A&M
#16	Kentucky
#17	Penn State
#18	Iowa
#19	NC State
#20	Wisconsin
#21	USF
#22	Washington State
#23	Cincinnati
#24	Stanford
#25	Mississippi 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 (unless you put Rutgers in the Top 25).  UCF should be higher up and didn’t move despite a big win over Memphis.  Their schedule will not help them and any hope of them getting to the CFP hinges on chaos above them.  This weekend helped but won’t be nearly enough.  And as an aside, guess where College Gameday is FINALLY going?  That’s right.  Pullman, Washington and the home of the Washington State Cougars.  About god damn time.  I’m sure there will still be some that are pissed about it though.

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. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Notre Dame
5. Texas
6. Georgia
7. UCF

Again, after Bama there can be no real definitive statements made with any list like this.  Texas and Georgia, considering their schedules, could easily get in with one loss but only if one of the teams above them loses.  Otherwise it will be a hard sell.  UCF I think will top out at #7 which is better than last year going into the NY6 but still not where they want to be.  I know this will start the 8-team playoff conversation but can we get through the first CFP contract first before starting that?

Alright it was a day late but I still did it.  Enjoy your week everyone!