Oh man, here we go again

It felt like things were calm. We were all lulled into this. It was just the eye of the storm. Sure the wind wasn’t moving but about 200 metres away, a cow just went flying headlong into a barn.

What am I talking about? Realignment, of course! Another shoe has dropped…OK let me use a different analogy. Sorry Deion. We have another big move as Colorado will be going back to the Big XII starting next season. And that probably won’t be all. The rumours have at least one of Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Oregon or Washington following the Buffaloes. Or, if no other schools leave the Pac-12, the Big XII is more than willing to dip into the American Conference (hello SMU, Memphis, Tulane) or even way out east…yes, UConn! And maybe once the Pac-12 (or more like Pac-9) gets their act together, they can start bringing in teams from the Group of Five. The same teams from the American would be in play, especially SMU. Also, the Mountain West would be watching closely as San Diego State, Boise State and perhaps Colorado State and UNLV could be looked at. There will be a lot of meetings in the next month or so to determine where this all leads.

For now let’s focus on what this post was supposed to be (and still will be). It’s time for the Power Five conference predictions. This will give a better indication on how I think things will go during this season. So let’s dive right in!

Changes are coming soon for the Ess Ee Cee. Texas and Oklahoma join the conference next season. Also, no more SEC on CBS after this year. Everything moves to ABC and ESPN. And finally, no divisions. Halle-fucking-lujah.

As for this year, all the talk is about Georgia and doing something no team has done (fully) in the AP Poll era: win three national championships in a row. It’s not like they will fall apart, despite the fact they lost their starting quarterback and a bunch of other players in the NFL Draft. Then again, I’m sure Kirby Smart has looked them all dead in the eye and told them “Everyone thinks you are going to go 5-7 and lose to Vanderbilt. Prove them wrong!” And they will believe it because college football head coaches are just a notch-and-a-half below cult leaders in the pecking order of how much they can make their “followers” drink their Kool-Aid.

Remember, though, there are other teams in the conference as well. Like those lovable underdogs from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the team that just reeks of success (in the classroom and on the baseball diamond), Vanderbilt. And eleven other teams. Want to find out how I think they will do? OK. I will do that. Just for you.

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Georgia	7	1	11	1
	Tennessee	6	2	10	2
	South Carolina	5	3	8	4
	Kentucky	3	5	6	6
	Missouri	2	6	5	7
	Florida	2	6	5	7
	Vanderbilt	1	7	4	8
	West
	Alabama	8	0	12	0
	LSU	6	2	9	3
	Ole Miss	4	4	8	4
	Texas A&M	4	4	8	4
	Arkansas	3	5	7	5
	Auburn	3	5	7	5
	Mississippi State	2	6	6	6

Just For You

• You might think I am crazy for having UGA not run the table. I do think they will lose a regular season game and it will be to those upstart Tennessee Volunteers. It won’t keep them from winning the division though as you can see I have those same Vols losing two conference games during the regular season.
• As for the SEC West, though, Bama will once again rule the roost….as long as they figure out their quarterback situation. I am thinking they will and will go undefeated and be #1 in the nation going into conference championship weekend. If they don’t get their QB situation settled…well, maybe they lose two games? Three? It’s not like they will fall to 6-6.
• I could see South Carolina or last year’s SEC West champs, LSU, making a bit of a run this time around. They have the top two quarterbacks in the SEC and could each put up piles of points. Watch for the Cocks’ game against Georgia early on in the season and LSU’s post-Halloween trip to Bryant-Denny to face the Tide. Upsets in either of those games will seriously upset the apple cart.
• Look, the Gators were barely .500 with who I think may be one of the most overhyped quarterbacks in recent memory. I don’t think Anthony Richardson was that great. And now they don’t even have him. Unless every other part of the roster improved (it didn’t), how do people expect this team to bounce back and all of a sudden become an eight or nine win team? Spoiler alert: they won’t.
• I have Mississippi State at 6-6. They will do just enough to get a bowl game. I wonder how tough it will be after the loss of Mike Leach but I can see them straightening things out just in time late in the season.
• As for the SEC Championship, SURPRISE! I have the Dawgs beating the Tide and creating a massive clusterfuck in the final College Football Playoff rankings. Fun times!
• Eleven bowl teams from the SEC with two juuuuuust on the outside. That’s insane and I don’t think I will be that far off with this prediction. Next year could be even crazier with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference that just means more.

Man have things really changed in terms of where you will see Big Ten games this season. Gone are ABC and ESPN. In is NBC and CBS. This is gonna feel weird the first time I see it. And maybe the next few times as well. I will get used to it at some point. Now if you want the opportunity to watch every Big Ten game, better find a way to get FOX Sports One and Peacock otherwise you will be shit out of luck to watch potential bangers like Northwestern-Purdue and Indiana-Rutgers (if they end up there and not the Big Ten Network).

Alright, let’s get into the final conference predictions before the B1G gives a big Fuck You to geography and brings in USC and UCLA.

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Michigan	8	1	11	1
	Penn State	8	1	11	1
	Ohio State	8	1	10	2
	Michigan State	5	4	7	5
	Maryland	5	4	8	4
	Indiana	1	8	3	9
	Rutgers	1	8	4	8
	West
	Minnesota	6	3	8	4
	Wisconsin	6	3	9	3
	Iowa	6	3	9	3
	Illinois	5	4	7	5
	Nebraska	2	7	5	7
	Purdue	2	7	5	7
	Northwestern	0	9	2	10

Geogpraphy, Go Eat a Dick

• Look, I know some might look at the Big Ten East standings and think I am a bit crazy. I am not. Although that is what a crazy person would tell you. Yep, a three-way tie at the top at 8-1 between Big Blue, tOSU and PSU. Because each team will be 1-1 against the other two, the CFP Rankings will decide the winner. I believe the Wolverines will somehow win that. And yes, I think Ohio State also loses to Notre Dame. O-H! I-No.
• If Sparty doesn’t make it to a bowl game, they may end up giving Mel Tucker the Herm Edwards treatment and fire him before he can leave the playing surface one game. I get they have a tough division but they should be able to do well enough against the rest of their schedule to get back in the postseason after last year’s debacle.
• No, I don’t have Wisconsin winning the West division. Meaning I am different than almost every expert out there. Also, there’s the fact I’m not an expert but I digress. Again I have a damn three-way tie but no need to look at the rankings for this one as I believe the Gophers will Row the Fucking Boat all the way to Indianapolis after beating both Wisky and the high-octane Iowa Hawkeyes. See what I did there? Yeah, I don’t care that the Hawkeyes have a new quarterback in town. Until Kirk tells his son to do better, Iowa will be pushing for some 7-6 victories. Sorry. 8-6. Two field goals and a late safety to win.
• Nebraska will be better but I think the Huskers are a season away from getting back to the top of the West…just in time for the West to just not exist anymore.
• As for Northwestern…man. What a shitshow. Look, I played a lot of sports earlier in my life and did so at the university level. Are there fun little pranks and stupid things the rookies have to do? Sometimes. But it’s usually harmless. Carrying bags, standing up during a team dinner to get embarrassed by singing some Mariah Carey song, dumb things like that. Not getting fucking dry humped in some cultish fashion by weirdos in robes. What the fuck is wrong with that school? And yes, it’s not just the football program. Sounds like at least half the teams there have serious issues. Ugh.
• Now let’s get crazy. Yeah! The Big Ten Championship will…OK who am I kidding. It won’t be close. I have Michigan plowing through Minny to clinch their spot, yet again, in the College Football Playoff.

Might as well call this the Stable Conference…for now. Just nothing happening here which is just fine for most of the teams in the ACC. Status quo isn’t a bad thing. There are some changes with where you will see games. The CW…yes, the C-Fucking-W, will have an ACC game during most of the weeks of the season. You can take the ACC out of Jefferson-Pilot (or Raycom) but you can’t take the Jefferson-Pilot (or Raycom) out of the ACC. Or something like that.

So before this conference possibly gets pillaged by the Big Ten and SEC, let’s get to the predictions followed by some deep tissue massage and/or analysis.

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	Clemson	8	0	12	10
	Florida State	7	1	11	1
	North Carolina	6	2	9	3
	Pittsburgh	5	3	8	4
	Louisville	5	3	8	4
	Duke	4	4	8	4
	Wake Forest	4	4	7	5
	NC State	4	4	7	5
	Miami	4	4	7	5
	Syracuse	3	5	6	6
	Boston College	2	6	5	7
	Virginia	2	6	4	8
	Georgia Tech	2	6	4	8
	Virginia Tech	0	8	1	11

Deep Tissue Massage and/or Analysis

• I should book a massage. My back is in horrible shape.
• Some may scoff at me having Clemson going undefeated this season. They have the schedule to do it and if Cade Klubnik is as good as he can be this could relatively easily happen. If Klubnik struggles…well then this entire set of standings might need to be scrubbed from existence.
• Reader Gord will like where I have Florida State. This team could be scary good. And at the very least, they will be near the top of the ACC standings this season. Mike Norvell has done a great job getting this team back to what it was like during the Jimbo Fisher days. I had my doubts about him but I have to admit he has been the right guy to right the ship in Tallahassee.
• Hey did you notice? NO DIVISIONS! I love it.
• Don’t be surprised that if Clemson or FSU stumbles that there are no shortage of teams that could get one of the two ACC title game slots. A list of seven teams could pull off a couple of upsets and be at the top and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise. A slight surprise sure. Maybe a slightly bigger surprise if it was Miami or NC State. But not a massive surprise.
• Poor Virginia Tech. I think this will be their worst team since before Frank Beamer graced Blacksburg. It feels like it has been forever since the Hokies were contenders. It was only seven years ago when they were in the ACC Championship and almost upset the eventual national champions, Clemson. This team is pretty bad in almost every aspect of the game and the schedule will not be helpful to them. Other than Old Dominion I don’t see them winning any other game and the Monarchs have given VT all sorts of fits the past few years.
• Look for a tiny bit of a bounce back from Virginia. Just them taking the field after what happened last year is a win in my books.
• For that ACC title game, how about another game that will turn everything on its head. Yep, I think the Noles will get revenge for a regular season loss by inching out the Tigers. Chaos!

OK it’s about time the Big XII rebrands. They will have at least thirteen teams by the time the 2024 season starts and it may be as high as sixteen. So change the fucking name. They have the rights to the Big Fourteen and Big Sixteen so use one of those. It would be easy. Find a graphic design student at Kansas and have them do a new logo. Easy peasy. Why do I have to come up with everything?

Where was I? Oh that’s right, predictions. Let’s see if this conference will go all Pac-12 and cannibalize itself or if they can see a team get to the CFP once again. Also, Texas and Oklahoma will be trying their best to leave the conference on a high note much to the chagrin of the rest of the schools in the conference. So here are the Big XII standings predictions, followed by Belly Expansions.

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	Texas	8	1	10	2
	Kansas State	7	2	10	2
	Baylor	6	3	8	4
	TCU	6	3	9	3
	Oklahoma	6	3	9	3
	Texas Tech	5	4	8	4
	Oklahoma State	5	4	8	4
	Kansas	4	5	7	5
	UCF	4	5	7	5
	BYU	3	6	5	7
	Cincinnati	3	6	5	7
	Houston	2	7	4	8
	Iowa State	2	7	4	8
	West Virginia	2	7	3	9

Belly Expansions

• No I don’t mean pregnancy. I mean eating a big meal and having to loosen the ol’ belt or just unbuckle the pants altogether. Funny enough, people in the restaurant don’t appreciate that.
• Let’s start at the bottom. There won’t be one truly bad team. There will be a bunch of below-average ones. West Virginia, Iowa State, Houston, Cincinnati and BYU could all finish last and I am sure no one would bat an eye.
• I see the Longhorns making their final Big XII season a special one. They have the team, the schedule and the head coach (I think) to be the top team in this conference this season. The only question will be can Quinn Ewers hold off Arch Manning. Will one of them transfer in the offseason? Remember, when you have two starting quarterbacks, you have none. I think.
• How about this lukewarm take: Kansas State will be good again. Yeah really going out on a limb there Bossman. This team has become so steady-as-she-goes it’s almost boring. The people in the Little Apple are fine with this.
• I do think one of the newcomers will make a bowl game and that team will be UCF. I think they are the most prepared of the newbies coming into this conference. But make no mistake about it: all four teams will be good at various points over the next few years.
• I can’t see Oklahoma taking enough of a leap to get to the Big XII Championship. Nor do I think the Horned Frogs of TCU have the, uh, toads? to make it back to the conference title game. Good seasons for both, yes, but not great.
• The Longhorns should win the conference title game in their final season in the Big XII. Will this get them into the CFP or will it “relegate” them to the New Year’s Six? I think you can tell from my predictions so far but you will know for sure in a different post.

So where are we going to be able to watch Pac-12 games in the future? Who the hell knows. My money is on PBS.

But seriously, the Pac-12 is quickly dropping from the Conference of Champions to almost a Group of Five conference. They are losing USC and UCLA next year to the Big Ten. They knew that already. The bombshell of Colorado leaving now has them at nine teams starting the 2024 season. And it may not end there. The only schools I haven’t heard potentially leaving are Oregon State and Washington State. That’s not to say all these rumours will be correct but I will be pretty surprised if no more teams leave for the Big XII before next season. It’s sad for a conference that really started their slide once Pete Carroll left USC for the NFL. Thanks a bunch, Peter.

Prediction time! No divisions which is one thing they are ahead of the game with, starting that last year. Let’s get to those divisionless predictions followed by some California Nightmarin’.

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	USC	8	1	10	2
	Utah	7	2	9	3
	Oregon	7	2	9	3
	Oregon State	7	2	10	2
	Washington State	6	3	8	4
	Washington	6	3	9	3
	UCLA	5	4	8	4
	Colorado	3	6	4	8
	California	2	7	4	8
	Arizona	2	7	4	8
	Arizona State	1	8	3	9
	Stanford	0	9	2	10

California Nightmarin’

• No state will have it better this year in the Pac-12 than the state of Oregon. Both the Ducks and the Beavers look to be serious contenders and only need the ball to bounce their way one extra time to maybe get to the Pac-12 Championship. And considering the way that title game has gone, who knows what may happen after that.
• The strongest team, though, should be USC. They have Caleb Williams coming back to try and do what no one other than some guy named Archie has ever done, and that’s win two Heisman Trophies. The hope there is that the sting of the two season-ending losses will motivate them to push themselves that final step into the CFP.
• OK look, I know you see Washington in sixth place and you are wondering what the fuck is wrong with me. This is another case where the schedule is just flat-out against them. A slightly easier schedule and I might put this team at eleven or even, dare I say it, twelve wins. It will be that close at the top of the conference.
• On the other hand, I am sure no will think I’m crazy for putting Stanford in last place. It’s been a long time since the Cardinal have been this bad and it doesn’t look like they will be ready for bowl action for another year at least.
• I think I was fair putting Colorado at 4-8 for this season and playing fairly meaningful football going into November. There seems to be two schools of thought with this team. One section thinks Coach Prime has done wonders and with all the fresh faces in the lineup it will push the team over the line and into bowl-eligibility territory. The other section thinks the entire program is overhyped and they will win maybe two games. I am in the middle on this. This team won’t go bowling this year. That would be too much of a leap. But they should win more games than they did last year. If not, what the hell was all this hoopla for?
• As for the Pac-12 title game, USC gets the Pac-12 Championship they probably should have won last year. Problem is that by this point there will be a lot of teams in the mix for those four College Football Playoff spots and in typical Pac-12 fashion, the league will have cannabilized itself again and missed out on the CFP again.

There you go! You now have a complete set of Bossman conference predictions. Next up, is kind of the wrap-up post where I put everything in a nice, neat little ball and let you know who I believe will win the whole damn deal. Have a great week everyone!

The Land of the Undefeated 7.0

Yes we are at that point of the season where I am going to look at all the undefeated teams left. I can’t believe this is the seventh version of this post. And I can safely assume that Alabama was probably in all of them.

I’m glad I do this after Week 6 now since otherwise it would end up being like a fifth of the entire FBS that would be undefeated and that’s quite a few teams. Conference play tends to pare that down pretty fast. Alright, let’s get to the list!

#1 Georgia (6-0) – They were in this spot in last year’s post and they are here again. It hasn’t been as smooth as their start last year. A sloooow start against Kent State and a tough game against Missouri has kept them from being the overwhelming #1 at the mid-point of the season. And if they sweep the rest of the schedule, they will deserve the #1 ranking. Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Kentucky in consecutive weeks. Yikes. That’s a gauntlet. But, I think they will pull it off. Barely. But they will. Predicted record: 12-0.

#2 Ohio State (6-0) – No surprise at the #2 spot…ok maybe some surprise since I assume some would have Alabama at #2 at this point. The top three are kind of interchangeable at this point to be honest. Will they have a tough time going undefeated the rest of the way? Possibly with Penn State and Michigan on the schedule but I think they will do it. Predicted record: 12-0.

#3 Alabama (6-0) – Yes I’m sure Nick Saban is secretly pissed off that the Tide are #3 in the rankings, despite getting eleven first place votes (out of the 63 total). They’ve had quite the roller coaster first half of the season…at least for them. By all rights, they should have lost to Texas and thanks to Jimbo Fisher Jimboing all over himself, they survived the Aggies. I assume Bryce Young will be back for the rest of the season and that is why I also have them running the table. If he isn’t back right away, well…. Predicted record: 12-0.

#4 Clemson (6-0) – D.J. Uiagalelei has looked quite a bit better than most predicted he would. He’s done enough to hold up their end while a good Clemson defense does their thing (other than against Wake Forest). They basically escaped Winston-Salem with a win but have looked great otherwise. I don’t see them quite running the table but they will do enough to make them a College Football Playoff possibility come conference championship time. Predicted record: 11-1.

#5 Michigan (6-0) – Despite the fact that FOX has a serious Michigan fetish this season, not that many are discussing the Wolverines as a true contender. They are rolling so far but have a tough back half of the schedule. Their undefeated run could end as early as six days from now (I don’t think it will but it’s very possible). They won’t make it to the end unscathed. Predicted record: 11-1.

#6 Tennessee (5-0) – Quite the start for the Vols this season. Many, especially Volunteer fans, have been waiting for this for a long time. They have their biggest test of the season coming up next week with a game against Bama. If they win, or lose a close one, we can confirm that Tennessee is finally back where they should be…competing for SEC East crowns at the very least. I don’t think they’re quite there yet…but they’re close. Predicted record: 10-2.

#7 USC (6-0) – The Trojans are fun again! Ever since the Pete Carroll days, this team has struggled to maintain their spot at or near the top of the Pac-12. One or two years they are quite good; then they lay an egg. Frustrating to say the least for USC fans. I might catch some flak for this but I don’t see USC running the table. Actually, I see their run ending this coming Saturday. Predicted record: 10-2.

#8 Oklahoma State (5-0) – The Pokes were on this list last year. Mullet Mike continues to do a fantastic job coaching this team. Spencer Sanders is finally looking like a big-time Big XII quarterback. And they are being virtually ignored in their own conference. The rest of their schedule is BRUTAL with a capital B so there is almost no way they run the table. Saying that, this is a team that could potentially make The Committee have to take a hard look at them. Predicted record: 11-1.

#9 Ole Miss (6-0) – You might not want to hear this but Lane Kiffin is, once again, doing an amazing coaching job in Oxford. Yes, this team was going to improved from last year but this has been a great start for the Rebels. If they can beat Bama in a month’s time, they could make the Egg Bowl extremely relevant for the first time in forever. I see them falling short there and in one other game, unfortunately for them. Predicted record: 10-2.

#10 Penn State (5-0) – I’ll be honest with you: I don’t like Penn State’s chances against Michigan and Ohio State. The rest of the schedule? Sure, they’re fine. Predicted record: 10-2.

#11 UCLA (6-0) – Eleven straight undefeated teams at the top of the rankings. I don’t think this has ever happened. No, I’m not going to check. Some will be surprised the Bruins are here but I am not. I had this team playing very good ball and Chip Kelly finally (FINALLY!) doing what he did when he was at Oregon. It won’t be clean but expect this team at least to be looking at the New Year’s Six come early December. Predicted record: 11-1.

#13 TCU (5-0) – If the Big XII was going to have a team on this list, other than the Pokes, most would have figured Oklahoma. Or Baylor. Maybe Texas. Not TCU. Sonny Dykes is doing some amazing things in Fort Worth with this Horned Frogs squad but it has become a very tough conference and the road will be rife with speed bumps. Expect them to have a bit of a rough ride the rest of the way. Predicted record: 9-3.

#18 Syracuse (5-0) – I’ll be honest: I didn’t think the Orange would even win five games all season let alone win their first five games of the season. At some point the bubble will burst. I say it happens this coming weekend and it’s mostly downhill from there. I’d love to be wrong but I don’t think I will be. Predicted record: 6-6.

#25 James Madison (5-0) – This should be a huge story. I mean it is, but it should be bigger. But it won’t be. Why? Because the NCAA are full of fucking idiots who can’t figure out that archaic rules need to be changed. JMU is not eligible to play in a bowl game because they are “transitioning” from FCS to FBS. There’s no real “transition” per se. They are playing one less game than everyone else because of needing to change up their schedule. Other than that, they are like every FBS team. But they aren’t treated like one. Hopefully the NCAA gets off their ass and does something about this. But they won’t. we know that. Too bad for the Dukes who are doing something no other team has done moving to FBS/Division 1-A ever: be ranked in their first year. Will they finish undefeated? I highly doubt it. That’s not really the point here. The point is they deserve respect…plain and simple. Predicted record: 7-4.

Coastal Carolina (6-0) – Now here’s where things get even more interesting. Coastal really has the only legitimate shot among Group of Five teams to go undefeated and may be the only G-5 team to have less than two losses. So how do you keep them out of the Cotton Bowl (which is where the best G-5 team most likely goes)? I wonder if The Committee will find a way. If there are other one loss teams in the G-5 that have played amazing, even in their lone loss then sure, there’s a good debate brewing. But if no other G-5 team has less than two losses? Come on. I kind of hope they do get in so that the Sun Belt will finally get their New Year’s Six payday. Predicted record: 12-0.

We have fifteen undefeated teams as we motor past (Canadian) Thanksgiving. There’s still a lot of time for chaos on this list. Before November hits, the Nittany Lions play both the Buckeyes and Wolverines, the Tide faces off against the Volunteers, the Tigers get the surprising Orange at home and Oklahoma State travels to Fort Worth to face TCU. So this number will dip to at least eleven by the time the calendar turns to the next month. Knowing the chaos we have seen already, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were down to seven or even six by that point.

College football schedule and NFL schedule upcoming later on this week as per usual. Have a great (taco) Tuesday everyone!

Power Five….Power Four? Power THREE?

Really, who knows what we are looking at in the next few years. For sure, the two conferences on the left are the major players. I would be very shocked if neither conference went to 18 teams by 2025. As for the other three conferences, it’s a big game of conference chicken right now. I would say the Big XII has the slight upper hand at this point but that could change in an instant. So if you love realignment, ho boy, you must have a raging hard-on right now (and will for the next few years).

OK enough of that disgusting talk. Let’s get to the meat of this post. The Power Five conference predictions. All of them. Don’t lie, you liked all the Group of Five conference (and Independent) predictions in the last post, DIDN’T YOU? So one more time, I will cram as much information down your gullet I possibly can without choking you to death with college football information. Let’s begin.

Let’s start with the….well I can’t call them the undisputed king of conferences anymore because the Big Ten is making a big charge at them. Saying that, I can still call them #1…for now. Here are the predicted SEC standings followed by some grits and chitlins and other weird Southern “delicacies.”

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Georgia	8	0	12	0
	Tennessee	5	3	9	3
	Florida	5	3	8	4
	Kentucky	3	5	7	5
	South Carolina	3	5	6	6
	Missouri	1	7	4	8
	Vanderbilt	0	8	2	10
	West
	Alabama	8	0	12	0
	Texas A&M	7	1	11	1
	Ole Miss	4	4	8	4
	Arkansas	4	4	7	5
	Auburn	3	5	7	5
	LSU	3	5	7	5
	Mississippi State	2	6	6	6

Chitlins…GROSS!

• Who the fuck figured out to eat the large intestine of a hog?
• Yep, two undefeated teams coming from the SEC.  Bama and UGA don’t play each other during the regular season.  UGA has a relatively easy schedule (in an SEC sense).  Yes they have Oregon in a neutral-site game to start the season but they avoid the Tide, Aggies and Ole Miss out of the West.  Lucky Dawgs!
• As for the Fighting Nick Sabans, damn near everyone has them running the table, at least during the regular season, and I am going right along with that prediction.  Other than their matchup against TAMU (at home) and Ole Miss in Oxford, I can’t foresee any close games all season.
• As for the Aggies and their weird traditions (just watch a Midnight Yell practice…it’s fucking bizarre), I see them ending up one game short of getting to the SEC Championship.  Also one game short of the College Football Playoff.  Critics of Jimbo Fisher will find a way to make this sound like a failure of a season if they do comfortably make it to the New Year’s Six.
• As per usual, the SEC West is an absolute minefield.  The worst team is Mississippi State and they wouldn’t be last in any other conference…not by a long shot.  Unfortunately, Bama’s continued dominance and TAMU and Ole Miss not falling at all will mean the rest of the teams are playing for fourth.
• The Tennessee Volunteers are my Drinking The Kool-Aid pick of the year.  I’m buying that they will be improved enough to be on the precipice of a double-digit win season.  I can see them beating Pitt and South Carolina on the road and being perfect at home.  Now watch them go 5-7 and make me look like a dummy.
• Conference Championship prediction: Alabama 38 Georgia 30.  Closer than last year’s win by the Tide but still not enough for UGA.

When are they going to change the name of this conference? Just call it the BIG Conference now or something like that. Big Ten. For a conference with sixteen schools. Schools. Educational institutions. And they can’t count. Glorious. Anyway, here are the predictions followed by some BTN After Dark comments:

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Ohio State	8	1	11	1
	Michigan	8	1	11	1
	Michigan State	6	3	9	3
	Penn State	6	3	8	4
	Maryland	4	5	7	5
	Indiana	1	8	3	9
	Rutgers	1	8	3	9
	West
	Wisconsin	6	3	9	3
	Minnesota	6	3	9	3
	Purdue	6	3	9	3
	Nebraska	5	4	8	4
	Iowa	5	4	8	4
	Northwestern	1	8	4	8
	Illinois	0	9	3	9

BTN After Dark Comments

• I am so looking forward to Rutgers travelling clear across the country to face UCLA on Big Ten Network starting at 10:30 at night.
• Can The Fighting Ann Arbor Khaki Warriors repeat as Big Ten champs?  To be honest, I don’t think they will even repeat as Big Ten East champs.  It will come down to their big matchup with tOSU two days after American Thanksgiving.  This one is in Columbus so I am giving the nod to the Buckeyes here which will be huge when it comes to what The Committee has to look at.
• You know, considering how good the Terps’ recruiting has been lately, do you think they kind of wish, money aside, that they were back in the ACC?  Not saying they could beat Clemson but man, they would look like a really good team there.
• The Big Ten West is going to be ridiculous.  I just have this feeling.  Five teams within one game of each other.  Yes, even Nebraska is in there.  In the end, Wisconsin will win some sort of game of Spin The Bottle, except using an ear of corn, and end up getting to the Big Ten Championship where they can scare the Buckeyes for a quarter-and-a-half.
• Conference Championship prediction: Ohio State 32 Wisconsin 10.  As I said in the previous point, this will be close well into the second quarter and then the Buckeyes will decide enough’s enough and do away with Wisky on their way to the CFP.

I think that right there tells you all you need to know about what’s going on with the rest of the Power Five. The ACC, at this point, might as well chill since their contract with ESPN lasts for more than another decade and any change would require a hell of a lot more money to leave than what USC and UCLA will have to deal with.

Now, there are rumblings that ESPN is stepping in and trying to broker an ACC/Pac-12 merger of sorts but I can’t see that happening to be perfectly honest with you. As long as the Big Ten or SEC doesn’t decide to poach any of their members (which is still a possibility), they should be fine for the time being. Alright, let’s get to the predictions, followed by a bong hit or five:

		Conference		Overall
	Atlantic	W	L	W	L
	Clemson	8	0	11	1
	NC State	7	1	11	1
	Florida State	5	3	8	4
	Louisville	5	3	7	5
	Wake Forest	4	4	8	4
	Boston College	3	5	6	6
	Syracuse	1	7	3	9
	Coastal
	Miami	6	2	9	3
	Pittsburgh	6	2	9	3
	Virginia Tech	4	4	6	6
	North Carolina	4	4	6	6
	Virginia	2	6	5	7
	Georgia Tech	1	7	2	10
	Duke	0	8	2	10

Hey Dude

• I’ve honestly thought of going to one of those cannabis shops to see what’s there.  It’s basically punishable by death here (in this condo area) to have anything weed-related so I’d have to be super sneaky about it.
• Hey, is Clemson back on top?  Sure looks like it although NC State is going to give them a serious run for their money.  Both teams look like they are a tier above the rest (sorry Miami and Pitt) and their game on October 1st will probably be for the division title.  High stakes for sure.
• Coastal Chaos is…not back.  Speaking of the Canes and Panthers, they are also a step above all the other teams in that division.  They will battle it out in another important ACC game on American Thanksgiving weekend which might just decide who gets their shit pushed in by the Tigers or Wolfpack.
• I don’t consider this a Kool-Aid pick.  Florida State will be better.  No stupid upset losses to FCS schools.  Just the slow ascent back to, potentially, the top of the ACC.  Same goes for Louisville (without the FCS issue).
• I did have Wake also in the ACC title hunt but the news that Sam Hartman will be out for at least a bit is a massive worry in Winston-Salem.  He steers the ship and without him, sorry Deacs fans, the offense just doesn’t go like it normally does.
• Remember last year when I had North Carolina bullying their way into the College Football Playoff?  Yeah, not falling for that this time, Mack.
• Conference Championship prediction: Clemson 47 Miami 14.  Yeah this won’t be close.

OK now we get to the first of the quasi-feuding brothers (sisters? cousins?). The Big XII is adding four teams next season and is pushing hard to get the rest of the Pac-12 teams to join them. It’s almost a certainty Oregon and Washington would rather drop football than join this conference but the rest of the schools remaining could very well be up for grabs, especially the two Arizona schools and the Mountain region schools. Until the next shoe drops, though, it’s another year of the Big XII with X schools. Here are my predictions followed by musings from a pissed off Count Von Count:

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	Baylor	8	1	10	2
	Oklahoma	8	1	10	2
	Texas	7	2	9	3
	Oklahoma State	7	2	9	3
	TCU	4	5	6	6
	Iowa State	4	5	6	6
	Kansas State	3	6	6	6
	West Virginia	2	7	4	8
	Texas Tech	2	7	3	9
	Kansas	0	9	2	10

ZERO!  ZERO FUCKS GIVEN!  AH AH AH!

• Funny that if things stay as they are, the Big XII will actually get back to twelve teams so at least one conference understands preschool math.
• The bottom of the Big XII looks to be the same.  Kansas at the bottom.  Texas Tech not far from them.  And it always feels like one of West Virginia, Kansas State or TCU ending up in eighth.  Will this change with the newcomers?  I’m gonna say no.
• Not quite their swan song in the conference but I see the Sooners, despite all the defections, getting back to the Big XII Championship.  They are just too deep a team to not contend for, at the very least, a NY6 spot.  I expect Baylor to continue to do well under Dave Aranda and join OU at JerryWorld.
• Conference Championship prediction: Baylor 25 Oklahoma 23.  Yeah I am predicting the Bears to finish the Big XII Championship State of Oklahoma sweep by beating the Sooners in a very close game.

I remember doing a post eight years ago on my Pac-12 predictions. Here is what I said in that post:

The Pac-12 has become the de facto second best conference in the land and it’s by a long shot as well.

Wow. I mean eight years is a long time but the fall off the cliff of the Pac-12 started not long after this post. It has been a near-disastrous eight years for the Conference of Champions in football and with USC and UCLA leaving for the Big Ten things are looking even worse for the soon-to-be Pac-10.

Look, let’s just get to the predictions before I make Bill Walton cry:

		Conference		Overall
	North	W	L	W	L
	Oregon	9	0	11	1
	Oregon State	4	5	7	5
	Washington	4	5	6	6
	California	3	6	5	7
	Washington State	3	6	5	7
	Stanford	3	6	4	8
	South
	Utah	8	1	10	2
	UCLA	7	2	10	2
	USC	6	3	9	3
	Arizona State	4	5	6	6
	Arizona	2	7	3	9
	Colorado	1	8	1	11

Bill Walton’s Tears

• Hey remember I had U of A being terrible last year and I was right?  Well, this year I am doubling down with the Colorado Buffaloes.  I have a feeling Karl Dorrell is going to be taking a lot of ibuprofen this season.  And may start drinking if he doesn’t already do so.
• I see a lot of experts saying USC is going to win the Pac-12 South.  They will be better, there’s no doubt about it.  But win the division after going 4-8 last year?  Let’s pump the brakes a bit.  I think Lincoln Riley is still a season away from really pushing USC to the heights they were at during the Pete Carroll era.
• So who will win the South Division?  I think Utah repeats as South Division champions but it will be UCLA that will give them the toughest time.  The Bruins should be really good…like New Year’s Six good.  Now watch them go 4-8 and Chip Kelly get fired.
• As for the North Division, Oregon should clinch by Thanksgiving…our Thanksgiving.  There is no one close to them.
• Conference Championship prediction: Utah 32 Oregon 20.  Closer than last year but this time the Utes will destroy the Ducks’ dreams of the CFP.

There you go!  All conference standings predictions complete!  Next up I will put it all together and tell you who I think will win the whole thing.  Have a great week everyone!

The 2019 College Football Coaching Hot Seat List

Clay might want to avoid airport tarmacs this season.

Look, I get it.  USC is one of the toughest coaching jobs in the nation.  Thanks to Pete Carroll, the standards are now always high in L.A.  That’s why you see guys like Lane Kiffin flame out and get fired on an airport tarmac (which is still one of the most hilarious coach firings ever).  Helton will need to get the Trojans to perform this year or he is in trouble.  How much trouble?  Well…

IT’S HOT SEAT TIME!  This post has been actually fairly accurate over the years.  I am holding on to this as much as I can considering a lot of my predictions turn out to be shit.

List time!  This is ordered (like every year) from most likely to be fired to least:

Almost Guaranteed Shitcanning

1. Randy Edsall (UConn) – Things are looking terrible for UConn football.  They have decided to move to the Big East for all sports, except football.  This means the AAC didn’t want them so next year, the Huskies become Independents.  Let’s just say Edsall’s second stint in Storrs has been drastically worse than his first stint.  Needed to keep his job – UConn to actually look like a decently competitive team.  Prediction – Will be gone before the end of the season but not before he gets more ridiculous bonuses thanks to his clause-laden contract.
2. Mike Neu (Ball State) – Ball State has looked like a MAC also-ran every year since they ran the regular season table over a decade ago.  Former Cardinal quarterback Neu has not righted the ship in the slightest.  It also doesn’t look like things will improve any time soon considering many players have transferred out as well.  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 quarterback coach somewhere at a lower level in the next year or two.
3. Tony Sanchez (UNLV) – It was a bit of a risk getting Sanchez, a successful high school coach at Bishop Gorman in Vegas, to be the head man for the Rebels.  No offense to Tony but it’s a much different game and he has been overrated almost every year there.  Needed to keep his job – Play meaningful football in late November.  Prediction – He will end up being a lame duck coach for a game or two and then the search will be on for someone to coach this program into that brand new shiny stadium.
4. Mike Bobo (Colorado State) – This is a tough one.  It isn’t Bobo’s fault that he has had health concerns.  But he is the head coach so he is ultimately responsible for the program.  The Rams have become worse ever since they got their new stadium.  I see it getting worse before it gets better.  Needed to keep his job – Creeping towards bowl eligibility so like 4 or 5 wins.  Prediction – Bobo may resign before he gets fired if anything goes on with his health.  Either way, 2019 should be his last year in Fort Collins.
5. Frank Wilson (UTSA) – I thought of putting him in the next section but I am starting to think this is almost a guarantee now.  I am glad the Roadrunners gave him another chance to get things going again in San Antonio.  It’s a new program and they need some stability but at some point stability is less important than changing the program to get better. Needed to keep his job – At least four wins.  Prediction – I honestly can’t see the Roadrunners winning more than two games.  Other than Rice they are probably the worst team in Conference USA and Wilson will be shitcanned but this might wait until after the season is over.

Probable Shitcanning

6. Bob Davie (New Mexico) – This is the exact same spot Bob was in last season.  And he wasn’t fired.  Why?  Who knows, especially since it sounds like Davie is too much of a disciplinarian.  My guess is the buyout is too large and UNM can’t afford it.  Needed to keep his job – Bowl eligibility and the look of a program on the rise in the Mountain West.  Prediction – Three wins (AGAIN!) and a 95% chance of being canned as long as they have the money in Albuquerque to do so.
7. Philip Montgomery (Tulsa) – Tulsa has struggled in the American for the last two years.  Another can’t miss head coaching prospect has fallen pretty far.  I don’t see anything that lends to Tulsa improving but they really can’t get worse at this point.  Needed to keep his job – Four wins may be enough here.  Prediction – Less than 4 wins and probably a coaching change at some point after the season.
8. Charlie Strong (USF) – I am going out on a serious limb with this call.  He started off great and challenged UCF that first year in Tampa.  Last year the Bulls dropped to 7 wins and I see them missing out on bowl season this year.  Needed to keep his job – At least seven wins and not fall too far behind “twin brother” UCF.  Prediction – Below .500 and a surprising ousting (at least to the college football media).

Possible Shitcanning

9. Clay Helton (USC) – You would have thought him having his picture at the top of this blog post would have him at #1.  Not so fast, my friend (copyright Lee Corso).  His status all depends on how the Trojans do and do many think they will be as bad as they were last season?  Needed to keep his job – Back to at least 7 wins and challenging for the Pac-12 South title.  Prediction – I see the Trojans at the 7-win mark but considering the fans and alumni, that still might not be enough for poor Clay.
10. Chris Ash (Rutgers) – I know this might make no sense and I am wondering if I am doubting myself here.  No one really wants this job so why would they fire a guy who wants to stay there and build the program back up.  Needed to keep his job – 3 wins.  Prediction – I can’t see them winning over two games but again who else would they get to coach there?
11. Steve Addazio (Boston College) – Boston College is not bad.  Hasn’t been for years (for the most part).  But the fans and alumni might be getting a bit tired of the 7-win ceiling in Chestnut Hill.  It’s like a poor man’s Bo Pelini at this point.  Needed to keep his job – More than seven wins for God’s sake!  Prediction – I think they actually fall to 5 despite having one of the best running backs in the country.  So will they pull the trigger and do something to really try and make the Eagles a threat in the ACC or are the admins satisfied with being fourth or fifth in the ACC Atlantic for the foreseeable future?
12. Brent Brennan (San Jose State) – This program is bad.  Has been for the better part of, well, forever.  It’s got to the point where there are rumours that SJSU would be kicked out of the Mountain West to create a better conference.  That’s how bad things are for the Spartans (and that’s not just in football).  I think Brennan could be an OK coach but unless something drastic changes or they get a program-changing player to come to San Jose, nothing really will.  In the end, though, would letting Brennan go be the answer?  Needed to keep his job – For SJSU to win more than a couple games.  Prediction – I have the Spartans winning two games but who the hell knows what happens with this team and their coach.
13. Doug Martin (New Mexico State) – The coach could always be fired here.  This program is used to not being good at all.  I still believe that very few good coaches would want to go to Las Cruces to coach football (no offense to Las Cruces) so firing Martin may not make sense.  Needed to keep his job – Not be the worst Independent team.  Prediction – They should be better than UMass but that’s it.  Lucky for them, UConn joins their “team” of Independent teams so there could be one more team the Aggies feel superior to.

Doubtful Shitcanning (although it still could happen)

14. Lovie Smith (Illinois) – I have made peace with the fact that Lovie will not get fired.  Now watch him get canned midway through the year.  Needed to keep his job – To be in contention for bowl-eligibility late into the season.  Prediction – I’ve got them at 4 wins so technically with two games to go they should still have a chance to go to a bowl game.
15. Willie Taggart (Florida State) – Willie needs to get some slack here.  It’s not like Jimbo Fisher left him with an amazing program.  He deserves time to see if he can do what he did at USF.  Needed to keep his job – Back to a bowl game for now.  Prediction – I have the Noles winning 9 so they should at least be in the New Year’s Six conversation into November which might garner Taggart an extension instead of a spot on this list.
16. Gus Malzahn (Auburn) – Gus is going to be on this list forever I think.  Even when the Tigers beat both Georgia and Bama, the Gus Bus veers into the hot seat.  Something has to give I think…or not.  If he keeps winning 7 or 8 games then this will continue ad infinitum.  Needed to keep his job –  Honestly?  Another 7 or 8 win season.  Prediction – 8 wins so we will see you next year when I discuss Gus again.
17. Matt Luke (Ole Miss) – Two seasons of sanctions doesn’t help Luke’s cause here.  But now with two really good coordinators he will have no excuses for failure.  Not doing well, even in the SEC West, would, at the very least put Luke on a hotter seat than he is on now.  Needed to keep his job – Bowl eligibility in their first year back after being barred from the postseason.  Prediction – Four wins and the rumours that Rich Rod will get the job for 2020.
18. Mike Bloomgren (Rice) – It’s a tale of two schools in the Houston area.  There’s Houston and then there’s Rice.  Houston is one of the better Group of Five teams.  Rice is Rice.  Don’t expect much from Bloomgren and the Owls although at some point the admins will want to see some progress.  Needed to keep his job – Don’t do anything stupid.  Prediction – A winless season which will move Bloomgren up this list despite the fact Rice has no talent.
19. Bobby Wilder (Old Dominion) – Things were looking great for the Monarchs.  A relatively new school and they went to the Bahamas Bowl back in 2016.  Wilder was even being considered for other openings.  Fast forward two-and-a-half years and, other than their massive upset of Virginia Tech last season, not much is going right for this program.  Needed to keep his job – 5 wins and playing meaningful football in Conference USA well into November.  Prediction – 5 wins and playing meaningful football in Conference USA well into November.

As you may have noticed there is no mention of Jim Harbaugh on this list.  First of all, I think the Wolverines get to the College Football Playoff.  And secondly, it is apparent that the admins at Michigan don’t have any inkling of firing Captain Khaki.  He will probably leave to go back to the NFL before he gets fired in Ann Arbor.

The final post is coming up for my predictions and it is my normally horrible Heisman ballot.  Then the season begins!  4 days away!  I will do a small post later this week on the Week Zero schedule.  Everything should be in place in the next day or two for the weekend (and the huge schedule of four games).  Enjoy your day everyone!

Bowl games, New Year’s Six, College Football Playoff, National Championship – All rolled into one neat, little package

OK maybe the words ‘neat’ and ‘little’ aren’t used totally correctly here.

It’s time for the postseason predictions (figured one phrase to rule them all was the way to go here).  All the shit above will be in this post along with my usual irreverently humourous commentary….OK fine, humourous commentary that happens every so often.  There.  Happy?

Let’s start with the top of the pyramid so to speak: the College Football Playoff.  Here are what I think it will look like with the rankings I believe these teams will have going into the semi-final matchups:

January 1, 2018	8:45	Sugar Bowl	#2 Alabama	#3 Ohio State
January 1, 2018	5:00	Rose Bowl	#1 USC	#4 Wisconsin

I think I am much closer to most of the experts’ picks for the top four than I was last year.  That was an abomination and we should never speak of it again.  USC is probably the easiest call here after running through the Pac-12 unscathed.  Bama is another easy call.  I think they will lose the Iron Bowl but it will be their only loss and can anyone see them below #1 until that happens?  Nope.  So they’re in.  Then the fun begins.  I have tOSU winning the Big Ten over Wisconsin which puts them in.  But, for the first time ever, I will have two teams from the same conference in.  Wisconsin, going in undefeated, should be way above whoever the Big XII or ACC champ would be in the CFP Rankings going into Conference Championship week.  So unless they are completely blown out of the water (which has happened before I know), I can’t see them dropping below #4.  Should be interesting times for the College Football Playoff Committee.  The alcohol bill alone for that group must be astounding.

Now on to our friends who have been granted access to the New Year’s Six Bowl Game Extravaganza of sorts:

January 1, 2018	12:30	Peach Bowl	#12 Clemson	#5 Florida
December 30, 2017	8:00	Orange Bowl	#7 Florida State	#9 Tennessee
December 30, 2017	4:00	Fiesta Bowl	#11 Washington	#6 Penn State
December 29, 2017	8:30	Cotton Bowl	#8 Oklahoma	#10 USF

Hoo boy I can see a lot of people not being too impressed with this.  So I have, in my Top 9 going into the bowl games, three teams from the SEC and three from the Big Ten.  All I can do is shrug my shoulders and say this is the way I feel it will play out.  The SEC has had something like this every so often for years and the B1G has played its way back into this type of situation.  Not my fault the Big XII will be a shitshow and the ACC members will be too busy beating each other for one team to emerge unharmed.

Anyway, on to a bit of analysis here.  We will start with Florida, who may be ranked one or two spots too high but would get the Peach Bowl spot.  Why aren’t they getting the Orange Bowl spot?  Because Florida State, as ACC champ, would go there automatically and they won’t have a FSU-UF rematch.  So Tennessee slots in as the Noles’ opponent.  All the other bowl spots are at-large in the NY6 so here we go with this (although this is subject to varying opinion).  The Fiesta would probably want a Pac-12 team if they can help it and would grab Washington.  The Cotton Bowl would salivate at the chance to get Oklahoma there.  The Peach Bowl would prefer an ACC team and Clemson fits the bill.  With Penn State and USF (the Group of Five rep) left, it just comes down to who picks first.  I believe the Fiesta would get their pick before the Cotton takes what’s left and would get the Nittany Lions instead of the Bulls.  Still, if I am right, there are some tasty matchups there.

Now for the rest of our bowl matchups:

January 1, 2018	1:00	Citrus Bowl	#14 Auburn	#13 Northwestern
January 1, 2018	12:00	Outback Bowl	Georgia	#15 Michigan
December 30, 2017	12:30	Liberty Bowl	#16 LSU	Kansas State
December 30, 2017	12:00	TaxSlayer Bowl	Texas A&M	Nebraska
December 29, 2017	5:30	Arizona Bowl	Utah State	Arkansas State
December 29, 2017	4:30	Music City Bowl	Mississippi State	Louisville
December 29, 2017	3:00	Sun Bowl	Utah	Notre Dame
December 29, 2017	1:00	Belk Bowl	#22 BYU	Georgia Tech
December 28, 2017	9:00	Alamo Bowl	#19 UCLA	#17 Oklahoma State
December 28, 2017	9:00	Holiday Bowl	Indiana	#21 Stanford
December 28, 2017	5:15	Camping World Bowl	#20 TCU	#18 Miami
December 28, 2017	1:30	Military Bowl	North Carolina	Houston
December 27, 2017	9:00	Texas Bowl	Arkansas	Texas
December 27, 2017	8:30	Foster Farms Bowl	Minnesota	#23 Oregon
December 27, 2017	5:15	Pinstripe Bowl	Michigan State	#24 Pittsburgh
December 27, 2017	1:30	Independence Bowl	Western Kentucky	NC State
December 26, 2017	9:00	Cactus Bowl	Colorado	Baylor
December 26, 2017	5:15	Quick Lane Bowl	Iowa	Virginia Tech
December 26, 2017	1:30	Heart of Dallas Bowl	West Virginia*	UTSA
December 24, 2017	8:30	Hawaii Bowl	Colorado State	Tulsa
December 23, 2017	7:00	Dollar General Bowl	#25 Toledo	Appalachian State
December 23, 2017	3:30	Armed Forces Bowl	Army	Missouri*
December 23, 2017	12:00	Birmingham Bowl	Vanderbilt*	Memphis
December 22, 2017	4:00	Idaho Potato Bowl	Wyoming	Western Michigan
December 22, 2017	12:30	Bahamas Bowl	Louisiana Tech	Ohio
December 21, 2017	8:00	St. Petersburg Bowl	Middle Tennessee	Navy
December 20, 2017	8:00	Frisco Bowl	SMU	Troy
December 19, 2017	7:00	Boca Raton Bowl	Temple	Old Dominion
December 16, 2017	8:00	Camellia Bowl	Miami-OH	Idaho
December 16, 2017	4:30	New Mexico Bowl	Boise State	Southern Miss
December 16, 2017	3:30	Las Vegas Bowl	Washington State	San Diego State
December 16, 2017	2:30	Cure Bowl	UCF*	Georgia Southern*
December 16, 2017	1:00	New Orleans Bowl	Marshall	UL-Lafayette*

Sweet Baby Jesus, that’s a lot of bowl games.  At this point, college football is college football.  I will take everything I can get.  Once bowl season comes around I will be less inclined to think this way but at this point…..FOOTBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!  Alright, some notes on these bowl games:

• The Citrus will have the two best teams not to make the New Year’s Six in Auburn and Northwestern. Yes, Northwestern.
• Since the SEC would have three teams in the CFP/NY6, there is almost no way they can fill their bowl slots. The Independence Bowl slot is easy since Conference USA can fill in if need be.  In the case of the Belk, I figured it made sense to put BYU in since they have no tie-in anywhere this season.
• Some of the better matchups include:
  • Utah-Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl
  • TCU-Miami in the Camping World Bowl
  • Arkansas-Texas in the Texas Bowl
  • WKU-NC State in the Independence Bowl
  • Toledo-Appalachian State in the Dollar General Bowl
  • Wazzu-SDSU in the Las Vegas Bowl
• I have six bowl slots not being able to be filled by bowl-eligible teams. I have denoted them with asterisks.  They are all 5-7 teams filling these slots.  I have no idea which schools have smarter students so I took a guess.  I also tried to keep conference bowl tie-ins in mind when filling these games up although last year it seemed completely random (which is why I think they should reduce the amount of bowl tie-ins, thus freeing up more at-large spots).

Oh yeah I guess I should say who I think will win.  Well, I think Bama will have another disappointment in the CFP by losing to the Buckeyes and USC will steamroll Wisconsin since one CFP semi-final game has to be a blowout.  I think USC gets the duke in the National Championship game, which would be their first title in over a decade.  Clay Helton would be hailed as the next Pete Carroll and Sam Darnold would make NFL teams want to seriously tank to get him next season.  Fun times!

Next up will be the Coaching Hot Seat post which I am usually pretty proud of since it seems to be one of my more accurate prediction posts.  I will follow that up with one of my least accurate posts historically, my Heisman ballot.  I need to throw an NFL preview in here sometime over the next two weeks.  Then finally, next week will be the first schedule post of the season.  Rejoice college football fans as we are NINE DAYS AWAY!  We’ve made it to single digits.  Now we just need to have those pesky specialty pack channels to appear somewhere on the guide (something Rogers customers don’t have to deal with it sounds like).

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

And now it’s time for part two as we start getting into conference play (the more I talk about college football, the more I can’t wait for the season to start!).  And another reminder that most of these times and networks are not confirmed, they are just best guesses (with a lot depending on how good or bad a team is).

Week 4

USC at Arizona State – The yearly “Hey USC is going to be a contender” conversation is in full swing.  Will they go full-on Pete Carroll or full-on Lane Kiffin this season?  Either way it’s damn entertaining to fans (except for USC fans…that has to be at least a bit frustrating). A bit of an odd time for this one on FOX (at this point).  (8:30, FOX)

Mississippi State at Auburn – Hey, remember last year’s game in a monsoon in Starkville?  The one where Gus Malzahn decided to inexplicably try out the passing attack when the ball was wetter than the co-eds who hang around Gronk?  Fun times.  This year it moves to Auburn where who knows what the hell might happen considering what’s happened at Jordan-Hare over the past few seasons.  (7:00, specialty pack)

Utah at Oregon – For anyone who doesn’t think the Pac-12 is gaining on the SEC for best conference in the land honours, you might want to think again.  Two of the top three games this week are Pac-12 ones.  Another early test for the Ducks A.M. (after Mariota).  Kyle Whittingham always has his Utes ready to go and is hoping for a minor upset here.  (10:30, specialty pack)

UCLA at Arizona – Make that three out of the top four.  There are so many contending teams in the Pac-12 that any team that doesn’t get to at least 8 wins will feel like a failure (and it’s almost certain that at least one team won’t).  Jim Mora Jr. is hoping for the playoffs (PLAYOFFS??!?!?) for his Bruins team post-Brett Hundley.  Same goes for our ol’ pal RichRod down in Tucson.  Some early Pac-12 elimination game excitement so far this week.  (3:30, specialty pack)

Texas A&M at Arkansas – Ok is it starting to feel like there are only two actual conferences in college football?  Now that Bret Bielema has got his Hogs playing some strong BielemaBall, the SEC West has become an absolute minefield.  No team is an easy out.  Honestly, it would not surprise me to see the Aggies fall to the basement (and I use that term loosely since basement could still mean seven wins) in the division this season.  (3:30, CBS)

Tennessee at Florida – It’s official…only two conferences in college football.  Amazing how dominant these two conferences seem to be (which allows good programs like Ohio State to go almost unnoticed for most of a season).  The winner here will be the team that is officially back in the SEC hunt.  Loser probably has to wait until next season.  (Noon, TSN1)

Other candidates: Georgia Tech at Duke (12:30, WSBK), BYU at Michigan (3:30, ABC), UCF at South Carolina (3:30, specialty pack), Stanford at Oregon State (4:30, FOX)

Week 5

Alabama at Georgia – If it wasn’t for Michigan State-Ohio State, Oregon-Michigan State, and some of the later games in the year, this would be considered the game of the year.  Right now it’s the SEC game of the year.  If Mark Richt can somehow get his Dawgs to step up for this one, they immediately become the favourite to represent the SEC in the CFP.  (3:30, CBS)

Notre Dame at Clemson – Dabo is sick of playing second fiddle to those damn Fighting Jimbos down in Tallahassee.  Beating a much-improved Irish team, at home, in primetime, would be a huge boost for this program.  They still have to go through the Noles to win the ACC but beating quasi-sometime-when-they-feel-like-it Notre Dame…just invite the damn Irish in already!  (8:00, ABC)

Arizona State at UCLA – This is the kind of game that used to be called by the amazing Keith Jackson (and that many on the east coast wouldn’t get).  Todd Graham brings his Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl to see if they can upend the Bruins in the uber-competitive Pac-12 South.  And lucky us, it isn’t Pac-12 After Dark (at this point)!  (7:00, specialty pack)

Texas at TCU – It still feels kind of weird to consider the Longhorns only the fourth best team in Texas (behind TCU, Baylor, and A&M).  The Charlie Strong Termination Watch is on this season.  Not that I like it.  I think Strong is a fantastic coach but he walked into a somewhat bad situation in Austin.  I don’t think anyone could have made this team a contender again this fast.  However, this is all a moot point if he can get Texas to beat Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs on the road.  Not an easy feat.  (3:30, ABC/TSN2)

Ole Miss at Florida – I’m back and forth as to whether this still ends up on the SEC Network.  At this point I say yes even though some games on ESPN networks may not be as sexy as this one.  See, there are pros AND cons to having your own network (although I am sure they don’t give two shits about Canadian viewership).  Anyways, an improved Gators team should make this a fun one…we hope.  (4:00, specialty pack)

Mississippi State at Texas A&M – One of your Heisman contenders starts the week here.  Dak Prescott could make huge waves if (and only if), the Bulldogs are contenders.  When’s the last time a Heisman winner has been on a mediocre team?  Answer: Tim Brown in 1987.  Notre Dame went 8-4 that year.  Every year since, the Heisman winner’s team has won at least 9 games.  So yeah, if Dak wants some hardware, the Bulldogs better help him deliver.  (Thursday, 7:30, specialty pack)

Other candidates: Arizona at Stanford (4:00, don’t even ask), West Virginia at Oklahoma (Thursday, 9:00, again don’t ask), South Carolina at Missouri (7:30, specialty pack), Iowa at Wisconsin (Noon, TSN2)

Week 6

Arkansas at Alabama – The Hogs came within a hair of upsetting the Tide last year at home.  It’s not that the Tide played well because they didn’t but neither did Team Bielema.  Bama is still Bama under Evil Saban but the Hogs are a more cohesive unit this year than last so expect another very highly contested matchup between two teams who could be both ranked highly by this point of the season.  (7:00, specialty pack)

Georgia Tech at Clemson – Remember what I said about Clemson’s road to the ACC crown still going through Tallahassee.  We need to modify that.  There’s still the matter of those pesky, option-offense fools from Atlanta.  Paul Johnson seems to always sneak into contention with the Rambling Wreck.  Not so this year.  The targets on their backs are huge so don’t expect Dabo to take this team lightly this time around.  (3:30, ABC)

TCU at Kansas State – As much as the game against Texas the previous week may be important, this is the game where TCU can really earn some respect.  K-State has been better than average pretty much every year when Papa Smurf Snyder has been at the helm.  His Wildcat teams have a history of making things very difficult for the top teams in the Big XII.  It’s not a matter of if.  It’s a matter of when it will happen this season.  (Thursday, 7:00, TSN1)

LSU at South Carolina – Is the HBC ever going to get the Cocks over the hump?  It seems like the best chances may have come and gone but this is the kind of game they desperately need to win if they want to contend for at least a spot in the New Year’s Six.  LSU, on the other hand, seems to be on the cusp of something special, but they too have trouble getting over the hump.  Then again, that could be the fact the SEC West is an absolute gauntlet year in and year out.  Yet another good game to watch.  (Noon, specialty pack)

Oklahoma vs. Texas (in Dallas) – Ah the annual Red River SHOOTOUT! (Yes SHOOTOUT, not Rivalry, or Game, or Picnic, or Playdate)  For some reason, most of the last decade has seen one of the teams be mediocre and one be a contender.  This year, God willing, Big Game Bob and Senor Strong both have their teams near the top of the rankings.  Otherwise only an upset would make this game memorable (which has happened more often than it should have).   (Noon, ABC/TSN4)

Miami at Florida State – OK at least this time I can’t see the U being blown out of the water.  Florida State should come back to the pack a bit which allows now-sophomore Brad Kaaya a chance at a statement game in primetime.  A win here and Al Golden probably keeps his job through the 2018 season.  (8:00, ABC)

Other candidates: Wisconsin at Nebraska (3:30, specialty pack), Washington at USC (Thursday, 10:30, TSN1), Maryland at Ohio State (Noon, TSN3), Boise State at Colorado State (7:00, CBS Sports Network)

Alright, we are almost halfway through the games.  Sorry if some of these didn’t make sense.  Did you know sleep is important?  I am starting to figure this out.  74 days until the season opens people!