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Lists, Lists…..LISTS!

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You’d think I was employed by Buzzfeed with all these lists I’m making.

So just like last year, I will add a few more lists to accompany the Most Important Games post. It should give you a good idea of the important games to watch (at least at this point) and maybe some games to avoid (unless you are a Sicko like me and will watch any football…even, yes…arena football!)

I know, I know, I have always stated my disgust for arena football but I have to admit it does have its own trashy charm to it. OK let’s just get to the lists, shall we?

Sneaky-Good/Underrated Games

I used to list a game like this for every week of the season. This time I will rank the top dozen games that should be considered underrated but very good and that didn’t rank in the Top 35 from the previous post.

  1. Oklahoma vs. Texas (at the Cotton Bowl) (Week 6, Noon, ABC/TSN2) – First of all, I am not on drugs. Not many are talking about the Sooners and most are calling for the Longhorns to walk off to the SEC with a Big XII Championship title. Do you remember what game this is? It’s the god damn Red River Shootout/Rivalry/Game/Brawl/Drinking Contest. Many times it is ridiculous, crazy, wild and just plain dumbfounding. Don’t count OU out…at least in this one game…….oh the second thing. Yeah, ABC has picked up this game but the time hasn’t been set. It will be either Noon or 3:30 because the State Fair of Texas becomes a gangland shootout at night or something like that.
  2. TCU at Kansas State (Week 8, Noon, specialty pack) – The rematch of last year’s Big XII title game loses a bit of its luster but should still be important in the grand scheme of things in the conference. I get it’s not Gary Patterson anymore but Sonny Dykes is already showing he can also make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. Chris Klieman will get every opportunity to show off why he got a big extended contract and this is one of those opportunities at home in front of the Wildcat faithful.
  3. Iowa at Wisconsin (Week 7, Noon, Big Ten Network) – As I said in the Most Important Games post, it feels like all the conference networks get at least one good game a season now. This could be that game, if it ends up there. Once again this could be for the Big Ten West title but it’s going to feel weird with Wisconsin not running the ball as much. Iowa, on the other hand, should be exactly the same, trying to win games 6-5.
  4. Texas A&M at Ole Miss (Week 10, Noon, specialty pack) – Many will sleep on these two teams…wait, bad analogy. I forgot Petrino was at College Station. Anyway, two teams that many will cast aside but it’s almost a guarantee one of them will cause a bit of a stink in the conference. Also, take the over.
  5. UCLA at Oregon State (Week 7, 5:30, Pac-12 Network) – Speaking of conference networks, here’s the worst of the bunch. That includes the Big XII’s non-existent network. Look, one of these two teams is going to be very good (I think) and will cause quite a few headaches at the top of the Pac-12 food chain (I think) and will end up being in the Pac-12 Championship (ehhhh, I don’t know).
  6. TCU at Oklahoma (Week 13, Friday, Noon, FOX, confirmed) – Black Friday will start with a game between a team who just got destroyed in the national championship and a team that normally is great and struggled to be bowl-eligible. Both teams will have something to prove and this could be their last real chance to do so (and make it count) this season.
  7. Kansas State at Texas Tech (Week 7, 3:30, ABC/TSN2) – I guess it makes sense that the Big XII fills a good portion of this section after almost being shut out of my Top 35 most important games of the season. The Red Raiders always put up the points, no matter who the quarterback, head coach, or receivers are. And KSU can also do that when they want to. Should be a shootout (of sorts).
  8. South Carolina at Texas A&M (Week 9, Noon, specialty pack) – More Fun Bobby! And Fun Shane…ok that one doesn’t have as good a ring to it. But BeamerBall 2.0 is a lot of fun to watch.
  9. Arkansas at Ole Miss (Week 6, 7:30, specialty pack) – Could Sam Pittman be the most lovable coach in the game right now? Perhaps. He still feels like a bit of an underdog and you always root for the underdog, right? Wait…I’m getting something here….a message…ah, OK. Lane Kiffin doesn’t agree.
  10. Minnesota at Iowa (Week 8, 3:30, FOX) – Row The Boat vs. Single-Digit Scoring. I am intrigued, I’m not going to lie. Plus we will see the best new tradition in all of not just college football but sports in general, the Iowa Wave.
  11. Duke at North Carolina (Week 11, 8:00, specialty pack) – The Eastern version of the Victory Bell could be important once again. Both teams look like they could slot in anywhere from three to six in the ACC this year (with no divisions thank god). So a win here and maybe an upset or two somewhere else and one of these programs will duke it out for a conference championship.
  12. Ole Miss at Tulane (Week 2, 3:30, specialty pack) – The game time is confirmed. I assume it heads to the specialty pack. Too bad because TSN would be smart to pick up this game. The Green Wave, who have to be considered to have the best odds to make it back as the best Group of Five team, hosting Ole Miss in what will be stiflingly hot weather in New Orleans…yeah I like Tulane’s chances but I still think it will be a close one.

Best Group of Five Games

Next up is our friends from the Group of Five. Three of them got invited to sit up at the adult table so overall this group is a tiny bit weaker. That just means other teams will have opportunities that they may not have had before. So let’s look at the best Group of Five games this season. And no, the Ole Miss-Tulane game above doesn’t count. This is full G5-on-G5 violence, bruh.

  1. UTSA at Tulane (Week 13, 7:00, specialty pack) – As per usual, the American Conference should make up the bulk of this list. The defending Group of Five champion (and Cotton Bowl champion), Tulane is the favourite to do it again. UTSA is in its first season in the American but already could be the team to knock the Green Wave off their perch. Huge game where I have to favour Tulane only because it’s in New Orleans not the Alamodome where the Roadrunners have a huge home advantage.
  2. Air Force at Boise State (Week 13, Friday, 4:00, FOX Sports One, confirmed) – Not having FS1 will deprive Canadians of a lot of good Mountain West action. This should be the conference’s game of the year and the winner probably goes to the Mountain West Championship. Being on the Smurf Turf, I would give the Broncos the slight edge here.
  3. South Alabama at Tulane (Week 1, 8:00, specialty pack) – This game is set for ESPNU on opening Saturday and, I can almost guarantee, will head to the specialty pack. The Jaguars (Jag-you-ares) came out of nowhere last season to almost win the Sun Belt. They are the favourites to win the conference and if they can pull the mini-upset here, could feasibly run the table. I guess I could say the same thing about Tulane.
  4. Boise State at Fresno State (Week 10, 10:00, CBS Sports Network, confirmed) – Hey it’s CBSSN’s first foray onto any of these lists. CBSSN is a nice palette cleanser really. It shows games you never would have normally watched. Plus it shows most of UConn’s games. I am liking CBSSN having the CFL. Yes it’s just a simulcast of TSN’s showing but it works. Kind of wish they would come up with at least their own play-by-play and analysis and just use the TSN visuals.
  5. Tulane at Memphis (Week 7, Friday, 7:00, TSN2) – It’s the time of year when the American and ACC split most of the Thursday and Friday night games on ESPN and their dysfunctional family of networks. TSN tends to show more Friday night games because they can put it on TSN2 and not have it interfere with the CFL’s Friday Night Football. Anyway, yes, it’s the Green Wave again. Bored yet? They might be that good. Maybe even legit Top 12 good if everything falls right.
  6. Boise State at San Diego State (Week 4, Friday, 10:30, CBS Sports Network, confirmed) – And here comes Boise State again. I mean I want to say there aren’t two obvious frontrunners in the G5 but there are. Both the Broncos and Tulane should be in it to the end to see who gets that single spot.
  7. South Alabama at Troy (Week 10, Thursday, 7:30, specialty pack) – Hey it’s not Tulane, Boise State, the American or the Mountain West! Let’s give the Sun Belt a lot of respect. They have become the third-best Group of Five conference and it’s a pretty wide gap between them and the two conferences below them, the MAC and Conference USA. The Battle for the Belt (so good to have a wrestling title belt as the rivalry trophy) should be for the de facto Sun Belt West title unless Louisiana or maybe Southern Miss has something to say about it.
  8. Boise State at Memphis (Week 5, 3:30, specialty pack) – This might end up on ESPN or ESPN2 depending on how both teams are doing at this point. I could see it happening because ESPN made a point to trade with CBS for this BSU road game.
  9. Tulane at East Carolina (Week 10, 3:30, specialty pack) – I figured East Carolina would have to find someone to replace Holton Ahlers and his 245 passes per game. Instead they plan to completely turn to the running game and grind teams into the turf. If this somehow works, Georgia Tech fans are gonna be real mad.
  10. WKU at Troy (Week 4, 3:30, ESPN+) – First Conference USA appearance and it heads to ESPN+. I have that this year for the first time so I am going to have a lot of fun and totally destroy my remote control this season with that. Kind of wish it even got to ESPNU so that the specialty packs could pick it up. I still think WKU and MTSU were foolish not to take the MAC’s potential invite as they are stuck now in arguably the worst FBS conference with not much in the way of rivalries.
  11. San Diego State at Air Force (Week 5, 8:00, CBS Sports Network, confirmed) – OK two teams that aren’t quite fitting the mold of the top G5 teams. Nice. And, if things go according to plan, we should see a bazillion yards rushing and the game might be over by 10:00.
  12. Eastern Michigan at Toledo (Week 11, Wednesday, 7:00, specialty pack) – Finally we end this list with a MACtion game since I have to. MACtion is awesome. We also have Fun Belt now and whatever the American conference calls their weeknight games. Oh and Conference USA is doing pretty much all weeknight games in October. Crazy! Anyway, this could very well be the two best MAC teams so let’s call this the de facto MAC West championship.

Best Group of Five vs. Power Five Games

Let’s bring back this section because these games are the ones many college football fans feast on. What is better than watching your hated rival lose to a Group of Five team? Not much. And I have always said, Group of Five teams, at least the better ones, should get their shot at Power Five teams to see what they are worth. If it wasn’t for that happening, very few teams would have moved up and the Power Five may have already separated from the rest of college football by now.

  1. Ole Miss at Tulane (Week 2, 3:30, specialty pack) – This was already discussed above but it is the biggest G5 vs. P5 game of the season and hosted by the Group of Five team which is a rarity but happening more often these days which is nice to see.
  2. UTSA at Tennessee (Week 4, 7:30, specialty pack) – The Roadrunners meep their way up the food chain to the American Conference this season and are already a contender for the league title (and perhaps a NY6 spot). The Vols will be really good this season but a UTSA win her would be massive for the program and for the college football season as a whole.
  3. Boise State at Washington (Week 1, 3:30, ABC/TSN2) – Everything is confirmed except for if the game will appear on TSN. I believe it will but we won’t know for like another two months. Ridiculous. Washington is looking to ride their Heisman contender quarterback all the way, hopefully, to the College Football Playoff so a slip-up here would almost derail that entire plan.
  4. WKU at Ohio State (Week 3, 4:00, FOX, confirmed) – Look, are the Hilltoppers going to win this? No. All we can hope for is for WKU to put a scare into tOSU. If, somehow, they ended up with the upset, it would be the biggest upset in the history of college football and you wouldn’t be able to convince me otherwise.
  5. Troy at Kansas State (Week 2, Noon, FOX Sports One, confirmed) – OK now this one has intrigue written all over it. Troy is one of a handful of teams that has legit New Year’s Six aspirations out of the Group of Five. Kansas State is the defending Big XII champions but have a few question marks. This feels ripe for an upset.
  6. SMU at TCU (Week 4, Noon, specialty pack) – The Battle for the Iron Skillet. This might be the best one yet if the Mustangs are as good as some say they will be. Not the favourite in the American so they will have to show out in games like this to catch voters’ eyes. This could be a good litmus test to see how far TCU has fallen from last year’s national runner-up team.
  7. San Diego State at Oregon State (Week 3, 3:30, FOX Sports One, confirmed) – This could be a tasty affair if the Aztecs step up and prove they could be eventually Pac-12 worthy in football. Otherwise, you might hear a lot of chainsaws going in this one since Oregon State is definitely a dark horse contender this season.
  8. SMU at Oklahoma (Week 2, 6:00, ESPN+, confirmed) – Ouch. Seeing this relegated to ESPN+ surprises me a bit but the Sooners are not the team they had been for the past few decades. The Sooners are going to try and come out of the gate swinging but don’t be surprised if the Stangs give them some trouble in this one.
  9. UCF at Boise State (Week 2, 7:00, FOX Sports One, confirmed) – Last year this would have been in the previous section. Now the Knights are in the Big XII but they may still be an underdog on this one. If I were a betting man I would put my money on the Broncos here as they are hoping to run the table and get back to where they believe they belong: as the top dog among the Group of Five.
  10. East Carolina at Michigan (Week 1, Noon, Peacock, confirmed) – The debut of Peacock on these lists. I am sure at some point it will be available for Canadians but we aren’t quite there yet. Yeah I don’t think this will be really close but you never know. I wonder if ECU can run on this Michigan offense. If they can, the entire Big Ten will be watching tape of this game all season to see if they can replicate it.
  11. UCLA at San Diego State (Week 2, 7:30, CBS, confirmed) – Nice to see the Mountain West appearing on CBS. The week before this we get Texas Tech/Wyoming and here we get a very interesting matchup that could easily lead to an upset, if SDSU has things going by the second week of the season.
  12. UTSA at Houston (Week 1, 7:00, FOX Sports One, confirmed) – The Cougs have stepped up to the Big XII conference. Good for them. Problem is they start their first season back on the top tier of college football against one of the best Group of Five teams. The only thing helping Houston is that the game is in Houston and not San Antonio. I am sure Drunk Uncle Dana will be about seven Red Bulls in by the time this one starts.

Worst Power Five Games

Didn’t think I’d forget this section, right? These are the games that you can probably avoid, unless they are close. They fill conference networks (and really are the reason those networks exist but I will not complain about that) and even sometimes creep onto FOX or an ESPN2 or ESPNU. Sad but true. Spoiler alert: I will still watch most of these games.

  1. Northwestern at Rutgers (Week 1, Sunday, Noon, CBS, confirmed) – What a way to show off the new Big Ten on CBS with a game between *checks notes* uh….Northwestern and Rutgers? My God that is not good at all. Who the hell is picking these games at CBS? The only thing I can think happened was that it was the last game remaining…like picking the last kid in dodgeball. Well, nothing else will be on at that time at least in a college football sense so guess what ol’ Bossman will be watching?
  2. Stanford at Colorado (Week 7, Friday, 10:00, TSN2) – This is confirmed for ESPN2 but who knows if TSN will pick it up or not. Look I understand there is a lot of hype with Deion Sanders now coaching at Colorado. And that’s a good thing for that program. But they will struggle to be bowl-eligible this season. Now Stanford….that’s a different story. They are back to the days before Jim Harbaugh and then David Shaw resurrected this program. They may just be the worst Power Five team at this point. What a fall from grace.
  3. Virginia Tech at Virginia (Week 13, Noon, specialty pack) – What happened last year at Virginia was tragic. Three players gunned down late in the season. UVA rightfully cancelled their final two games, including the Commonwealth Cup game against VaTech. Now they are back but this will not be an easy season for the Hoos, both on the field and emotionally. The Hokies are as bad as I have ever seen them be. Then again, I only mostly saw them as a Frank Beamer team. Beamerball, this is not. Look, I hate putting this game here but these two teams might be god-awful this season.
  4. Rutgers at Indiana (Week 8, Noon, Big Ten Network) – Rutgers is, unfortunately, back to being Rutgers. And Indiana without Michael Penix Jr…well we found out they were bad. Both coaches will be on the hot seat with Tom Allen in the much hotter seat for sure. The loser might not win a Big Ten game this season.
  5. Virginia at Boston College (Week 5, Noon, specialty pack) – As for non-Virginia teams in the ACC who probably won’t be going bowling, BC comes to mind. I can’t see them finding the magic formula especially with a young, relatively untested quarterback manning the ship.
  6. California at Stanford (Week 12, 9:00, Pac-12 Network) – Ah, the worst of the conference networks. What a shitshow it is. Anyway, The Big Game will be anything but big this season as I already mentioned how bad Stanford will be and I don’t know how many people outside the Cal football program care about Cal football. A shame, really.
  7. Colorado at Arizona State (Week 6, 9:00, Pac-12 Network) – Remember when ASU was the laughing stock of the Pac-12 for like a second? Everyone thought their ship was going to come crashing down. Well it did but other teams flew past them into the basement. That doesn’t mean this is some kind of comeback story, though. They still aren’t good and will be fighting for bowl eligibility. Wins in games like this are a must for that to happen.
  8. Georgia Tech at Virginia (Week 10, 3:30, specialty pack) – It feels kind of weird watching Georgia Tech play football when they aren’t running the Paul Johnson option offense. You know, I’m starting to think they never should have changed from that. Made them unique and helped them win just as often as they lost.
  9. Virginia Tech at Rutgers (Week 3, 3:30, Big Ten Network, confirmed) – Hey let’s dip into some non-con action now. I would ask who the hell scheduled a game like this but it was probably scheduled back when the Hokies played their first season in the ACC.
  10. Arizona at Stanford (Week 4, 7:00, FOX Sports One) – I have to be honest: Jedd Fisch has already exceeded my expectations for a) his coaching in Tucson and b) a guy named Jedd. This team is on the brink of getting back to postseason play for the first time in years. I will put the over/under on fans attending this game at 14,000.
  11. Arizona State at California (Week 5, 9:30, Pac-12 Network) – I am still on the record saying that there should be a pure sports-style Netflix or Amazon Prime out there. One where you can add or subtract whatever channels you want based on sport, country, etc. Would it be the death knell to cable? No but it would be quite the flesh wound. By the way, this game has some pretty good Pac-12 After Dark vibes to it and could get wacky because both teams are just not that good.
  12. Northwestern at Nebraska (Week 8, 2:30, Peacock) – I would be remiss if I didn’t include Nebraska somewhere on this list. They’ve fooled and many others over the past few years. So until they prove it, I will not take the bait. Nope, no more. I refuse to drink the Husker Koolaid.

Alright, done and dusted. A reminder that tomorrow is the end of the fiscal year for pretty much all the FBS schools. There are rumours that something on the realignment (oh god that word) front could happen by the end of the night or the very next day. Last year it was USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. Can’t see anything as big as that but you never know.

Well, I would like to wish everyone a great Canada Day weekend and Fourth of July celebration. We are less than two months away folks. Nice to be talking college football again.

Group of Five Conference Predictions. All of them.

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“Oh god, not again. Look the last post was…”

“HERE ARE THE PREDICTIONS FOR EVERY SINGLE DAMN GROUP OF FIVE TEAM! PLUS THE INDEPENDENTS!!!!!!!”

That’s right! Back at it again with the predictions. Remember what I said…less is more. Meaning less posts. Not less information.

Annnnnyway, this means I will be putting all my predictions for the G-5 conference standings right here. Hell, I’ll include the Independents as well as a treat since they don’t really belong anywhere and some of them know it. So let’s get started!

We begin with what is still the best Group of Five conference in the land. And next year…looks like they still will probably be in that spot despite all the realignment. Here are my predicted standings followed by musings and other nonsense:

    Conference Overall
    W L W L
Houston 8 0 12 0
UCF 7 1 11 1
Cincinnati 7 1 10 2
Memphis 5 3 8 4
SMU 5 3 8 4
Tulsa 3 5 5 7
East Carolina 3 5 5 7
USF 3 5 4 8
Navy 2 6 3 9
Tulane 1 7 4 8
Temple 0 8 2 10

Musings and Other Nonsense

  • Remember what Cincinnati was like last year?  That is Houston this season…almost.  They almost have too easy of a schedule and now that we know what the ceiling is (for now) for the Group of Five, that could come back to haunt them.  Realistically, their opening contest of the season could be their most difficult.  They travel to the Alamodome to face the Roadrunners of UTSA in a great Group of Five battle.  Win that one and I can’t see how they don’t run the table.
  • UCF and Cincinnati will tie for second but the Bearcats’ lone loss, I believe, will be to the Knights.  It seems since the American went to no divisions, at least two of the top few teams don’t play each other in a season.  One of the few perils of having no divisions in a big conference, I guess.  I don’t mind though since I hate divisions (if you didn’t already know).
  • Memphis should see a lot of improvement.  As should USF.  For the Bulls it won’t be enough to be bowl-eligible but anything is better than what they have seen the past few years.
  • I think Tulsa and East Carolina will slip below .500.  Both teams don’t exactly have nice schedules and it could cost them down the stretch when they need victories and they have to play some of the better teams in the conference.
  • Conference Championship prediction: Houston 41 UCF 13.  I can’t see it being close to be perfectly honest.  Uncle Dana is going to be so hopped up on Red Bull his head might explode.

Hey, number two ain’t bad.

The Mountain West is still firmly in the number two spot among Group of Five conferences and were left alone during this round of realignment. Will they do something in the near future to bolster their ranks? There is always rumblings of them bringing in some Dakota schools or Montana/Montana State (or both) or even bringing UTEP and perhaps…ugh….New Mexico State along for the ride. But for now, it’s status quo. Well…almost.

    Conference Overall
  Mountain W L W L
Air Force 7 1 10 2
Boise State 7 1 10 2
Colorado State 4 4 6 6
Utah State 4 4 6 6
Wyoming 3 5 5 7
New Mexico 1 7 3 9
  West        
Fresno State 7 1 9 3
San Diego State 6 2 9 3
San Jose State 3 5 6 6
UNLV 3 5 5 7
Nevada 2 6 5 7
Hawaii 1 7 3 10

Status Quo?

  • Yes…for a few more months.  Then…no divisions!  Fuck yeah!  So now we might finally get two teams from what were the same division playing each other for the right to win the Mountain West title and, perhaps, the Group of Five spot in the New Year’s Six.  Glad to see the conference doing it and look forward to the rest of the conferences abolishing their shitty divisions.  I’m Bossman and I approve this message (of hating divisions).
  • I think it’s finally time we see Air Force truly soar.  The Falcons are the most complete team in the entire conference.  Yes, I get that they run the option but they are actually somewhat dangerous in the passing game.  And their defense should be pretty tough to beat this season.  I think they can pull out that one victory they need, over Boise State, to clinch the division.
  • Remember my last place prediction for Fresno State last season?  Ah, good times.  I’m not falling for that again.  I think they have enough to outlast perennial contender SDSU for the West Division crown.  Now watch Hawaii win it and make me look like an idiot again.
  • Speaking of the Fighting Rainbow Warriors, I do have them sinking to the bottom of the West Division.  The program is a bit of a gongshow at this point.  They’re basically the Arizona Coyotes of the Mountain West, playing in a smallish high school stadium for another few years until Aloha Stadium is renovated or a new stadium is built or something.  They can’t keep recruits on the island anymore and being on that island is becoming very difficult for the football program as a whole.  I hope it turns around again and not just for a single season but this will not be that year (despite what I said in the previous point).
  • Conference Championship prediction: Air Force 38 Fresno State 14.  Air Force will finally win their first Mountain West title.  They haven’t won a conference championship since the WAC so it’s a long time coming for Troy Calhoun’s squad.

Look, I know Notre Dame doesn’t belong here but it’s not my fault they are an Independent still and they are grouped with a few teams that barely qualify as FCS programs. Let’s just get to the standings before I start swearing too much.

    Overall
    W L
Notre Dame 10 2
Army 10 2
BYU 9 3
Liberty 8 4
New Mexico State 2 10
Connecticut_Huskies_logo UConn 2 10
UMass 1 11

No Profanity Notes

    • No profanity?  Let’s see how long this lasts.
    • Let’s start with the kings of the group: the Fighting Irish.  The question is always “Will they make the College Football Playoff this season?”  I honestly can’t see it this season.  Their schedule is brutal with trips to Columbus and the LA Coliseum along with home dates against Clemson and BYU.  I have them losing two of those four and it wouldn’t shock me if they dropped all four of those.  They always have a shot at the New Year’s Six and I see them sneaking in but it won’t be easy.
    • I have, yet again, got Army winning ten games.  They are a good team with a breeze of a schedule.  One year, they might enter that Army-Navy Game at 11-0 and at least will have some people wondering if they deserve that one spot in the NY6.
    • BYU is finally joining a conference again.  The Cougs are headed for the Big XII next year so this is their final season as an Independent.  And once again they are hoping to do enough to get into the Top 20 and make the College Football Playoff Committee really take a hard look at what they’ve done.  Their schedule is, once again, quite difficult.  Not Notre Dame difficult but not easy at all.  They won’t come out of it unscathed and I don’t think they have enough in the tank to be ranked.  Expect another trip to a mediocre bowl game…but at least the Provo faithful can be done with that after this year.
    • Hey, speaking of teams leaving the Independent world, it’s the fighting Hugh Freezes of Liberty.  They head to whatever the hell Conference USA is going to be next season.  I can’t see this being the end goal for them as they have a lot of resources to move up even more.  I know most people hate to hear that but it’s the truth.  This year, expect them in another low-level bowl before next year when they will have a chance to win one of Conference USA’s bowl slots to go to…yet another low-level bowl.
    • And yet another team moving to a conference.  The Aggies join Liberty in going to Conference USA.  Someone invited them to a party!  Yay for them!  They are still light years away from competing in any sense and when other teams from FCS join them there (like Sam Houston State) they will be blown by in no time flat.  It’s not easy recruiting for Las Cruces but something has to change there.
    • Just a reminder…UConn has their own contract with CBS Sports Network.  Say that again in your head.  Yeah I don’t get it either.  I mean if it was football AND basketball then sure, it makes a ton of sense since UConn basketball is a huge brand.  But just UConn football.  CBS can’t be making any money off this deal.  Anyway, you can watch them get their ass kicked (at least at home) if you so choose.
    • I don’t know what UMass will be able to do with three teams leaving the Independent ranks for conferences next season.  It means we will be back down to four teams for next season.  Sure, they can get their ass kicked by Notre Dame and Army, if they choose to play the Huskies.  They can be competitive with UConn.  Other than that?  It’s two FCS opponents and find at least seven other FBS teams to play them.  Not an easy task.  Honestly, unless the American wants to take them on at some point (which I can’t see happening), it may be best for them to head back to FCS.  I’ve said it before and I’m not wavering from that.
    • See?  Didn’t swear!  I am fuuuuuuuuuuny and smart.  Yeah.  Phew!  That was a close one.

One of the winners of realignment is the Sun Belt. Four new members! Good additions to a conference that has solidified itself as the number three conference in the Group of Five. Now let’s get to some of these sunny predictions and I will discuss some of the changes going on here:

    Conference Overall
  East W L W L
Marshall_Thundering_Herd_logo Marshall 8 0 11 1
Coastal Carolina 7 1 10 2
Appalachian State 6 2 9 3
Georgia State 5 3 6 6
Old_Dominion_Athletics_logo Old Dominion 3 5 3 9
Georgia Southern 2 6 4 8
james madison James Madison 2 6 3 8
  West        
Louisiana 7 1 10 2
Troy 5 3 6 6
South Alabama 4 4 6 6
Southern_Miss_Athletics_logo Southern Miss 4 4 5 7
Texas State 2 6 4 8
Arkansas State 1 7 3 9
ULM 0 8 1 11

Sunny Predictions (see what I did there)

  • I’m going to say it again…this conference, like all conferences, need to go to no divisions.  One year it will bite them in the ass.  Guaranteed.  And they better hope it’s not the year when they have a legitimate shot to put a team in the New Year’s Six.
  • It won’t be the normal cakewalk for Louisiana to win the West Division this season.  Saying that, it’s not like they have real good competition like the East.  The best bet to dethrone the Ragin’ Cajuns are Troy and South Alabama and they have a ways to go to be considered conference title contenders.  So chances are, we will see this team, yet again, in the Sun Belt title game.
  • Coastal and App State can’t be happy to have Marshall in their division now.  The Thundering Herd are a very dangerous team and I believe they have enough to sneak up the middle in their first year of Sun Belt competition and take the East crown.  And yes, I know I have James Madison at 3-8 or 11 games played.  That’s how many they’re playing.  I guess they couldn’t get another non-conference game quickly enough so don’t think I am having issues with counting.
  • Conference Championship prediction: Marshall 33 Louisiana 30.  Louisiana will not repeat as champ.  I think Marshall is going to make good on their move to a new conference by winning the Sun Belt.

I’m not going to put them last. I could. This conference has just irritated me for a long time. They have had the worst TV contracts in recent memory for an FBS conference, constantly allow the better schools to leave and backfill with worse options and had the audacity to turn down the Sun Belt when discussion of making geographically better conferences came up. Stupidity. Alright, let’s just get to the conference standings before I blow a gasket:

    Conference Overall
    W L W L
UTSA logo UTSA 8 0 9 3
WKU_Athletics_logo WKU 6 2 9 4
UAB UAB 6 2 9 3
UTEP_Miners_logo UTEP 6 2 8 4
Florida_Atlantic_Owls_logo Florida Atlantic 4 4 6 6
Louisiana_Tech_Athletics_logo Louisiana Tech 4 4 5 7
North_Texas_Mean_Green_logo North Texas 4 4 5 7
Middle_Tennessee_Athletics_logo Middle Tennessee 3 5 5 7
49ers_wordmark Charlotte 3 5 4 8
FIU_Panthers_logo FIU 0 8 3 9
Rice_Owls_logo Rice 0 8 1 11

Alright Let’s Just Get This Over With

  • No divisions so at least that’s a plus even though it happened because teams left.
  • Many are discounting UTSA but I think they have it in them to run the table in the conference this season, something they didn’t do last year during their glorious run to a C-USA title.  Second place, on the other hand, I see being a complete dogfight.  WKU, UAB and UTEP are all good teams and because of scheduling quirks, I have the Hilltoppers getting the opportunity to travel to San Antonio for the conference championship.
  • It is going to be a long season for Rice and FIU, two programs who honestly really don’t understand success in the first place so maybe it won’t hit them so hard.
  • Conference Championship prediction: UTSA 45 WKU 38.  I think this may actually end up being one of the more fun conference championship games.  Both teams can score and even without Bailey Zappe, I’m sure WKU will be tossing the ball all over the field.

And finally….IT’S MACTION TIME, BABY! I know we don’t get much MACtion before late October but I always look forward to it. And yes, the attendance figures for these games, for the most part, aren’t exactly stellar. But to be able to watch these games when I would have had absolutely no opportunity to otherwise? Love it! Here are your 2022 MAC predicted standings:

    Conference Overall
  East W L W L
Miami-OH 7 1 8 4
Kent State 5 3 6 6
Ohio 3 5 4 8
Buffalo 3 5 5 7
Bowling Green 1 7 2 10
Akron 0 8 1 11
  West        
Northern Illinois 7 1 9 3
Toledo 7 1 9 3
Central Michigan 6 2 9 3
Western Michigan 5 3 6 6
Eastern Michigan 3 5 5 7
Ball State 1 7 3 9

MACtion Magic

  • Look I’m going to level with you.  The MAC East is a terrible division.  Realistically, none of the teams deserve to be in the MAC Championship and I am sure I could make a case for none of them to go bowling either.  Alas, the rules state otherwise.  The Redhawks should be the best of a not-that-good bunch with Kent State giving them a bit of a run.
  • The West, on the other hand, will be a lot of fun.  Three good teams at the top with very little to separate them.  The schedule favours Northern Illinois to pull out a squeaker to win the West but you could put them, Toledo or CMU in the conference championship and they would all make sense and you could make strong arguments for them.
  • Ball State.  Bowling Green.  Akron.  All bad.
  • Conference Championship prediction: Miami-OH 27 Northern Illinois 26.  Because of course this is the way it would work out in this crazy conference.

We made it! The Group of Five is done! Who out of this group will make it to the New Year’s Six? Seriously? You couldn’t figure it out from all the info I gave you? Well, I will be doing bowl predictions later this month so no need to worry if you can’t put this puzzle together.

Next up is the Power Five. When will that happen? Who fucking knows?!!!! Have a great rest of the week everybody!

Most Important Games of the 2021 College Football Season – The Third Part

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It’s getting seriously hot and (at times) seriously humid outside.  Meaning summer is basically here.  Thank God this province wants us not to engage in any sports or camping or get togethers of any kind.  Think of all the money we save on sunscreen!  I need to work on this blog to get my mind off the bullshit.  So let’s just get on with this already!

Week 7

Game of the Week: Oklahoma State at Texas (7:30, ABC) – You don’t see many Big XII games in this spot anymore.  To be honest, you don’t see many Big XII games in Canada either.  Will these games mean as much when the playoff expands (which it most certainly is now)?  Who knows to be honest.  All I can say is I will continue to enjoy the games as much as I can as they try to, well, “make the postseason better.”  To be honest, expanding the playoff would be down my list a bit.  Number one on my list?  Abolishing divisions.

Other Really Important Games: Miami at North Carolina (3:30, ABC) – If Miami truly gets their act together, this could end up being the Game of the Week (and possibly a Game of the Year candidate).  Either way this is probably a huge game for both teams in the ACC.  The winner of this game gets a leg up on the division that Clemson is not in (see my point about getting rid of divisions?).

Florida at LSU (3:30, CBS) – Hey it’s one of those weeks where the main networks (ABC, CBS…let’s throw FOX in there as well) have the biggest games.  Another game that you could argue has a chance to be GOTW.  Still wondering what will happen once the SEC on CBS contract ends.  We have three more seasons of this and then all SEC games will be on ESPN/ABC (or ESPN2…or the SEC Network…or maybe ESPN+ you get the idea).  Will CBS acquire another conference’s games?  I think they’d be dumb not to.  The Pac-12 could be ripe for the picking to be honest.

UCLA at Washington (3:30, Pac-12 Network/DAZN) – Let me explain since that might look like Greek to some of you.  As of right now I have the Bruins and Huskies on the Pac-12 Network.  First of all, it’s in the afternoon so Chris Petersen shouldn’t be upset.  Secondly, Pac-12 teams have to have a minimum amount of games on the Pac-12 Network and the network usually gets a good game or two every season because it has to fill its quota.  And finally, it looks like the Pac-12 Network will be available on DAZN in Canada.  That may change by the time the season commences.  Fingers crossed it doesn’t.

TCU at Oklahoma (4:00, FOX Sports One) – This could be worse.  At first I had this game on FSN.  I honestly don’t know if FSN will even have Big XII games.  I have a feeling they won’t but who knows with the Mountain West invading the FOX networks.  Anyway, until further notice, the Sooners will continue to be the class of the conference.  At some point, though, a team is going to come along and knock them off their perch…for real.  Maybe Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs can do the trick.

Kentucky at Georgia (7:00, specialty pack) – There are a lot of good games this week.  Unfortunately, after the top games (and a few others), it drops off a cliff.  Normally, I wouldn’t put Kentucky in the Games of the Week but, by all accounts, this seems to be a team that could cause a lot of problems inside the SEC East.  A win here and the Cats could, once again, be a contender in the SEC East.  Look, I get they are very pessimistic about their football program in Lexington but if Mark Stoops somehow gets this team to the SEC Championship, they should offer him like a 15-year deal.  No questions asked.

UCF at Cincinnati (4:00, specialty pack) – Yes a Group of Five game in the Games of the Week section!  I have a feeling this will be the only G-5 game in this section this season.  This is seriously huge too as these are the two teams that most would consider the top contenders for the Group of Five spot in the New Year’s Six (along with Boise State and maybe Coastal Carolina).  Don’t be surprised if ABC pulls the trigger and gets this game in primetime knowing it may be their best chance at getting a really good AAC game on in primetime.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Ole Miss at Tennessee (Noon, specialty pack) – Don’t laugh.  Both teams could be quite good this year.  I said don’t laugh.  Either team could win nine games.  I told you not to laugh.  Both teams could win their division.  OK now you can laugh.

Best Group of Five Game: UCF at Memphis (4:00, specialty pack) – See above.

Worst Power Five Game: Texas Tech at Kansas (7:00, ESPN+) – Jesus Christ who would watch this?  This game would have to be seriously close for me to even consider watching it.  Which I can’t if I predict right and this ends up on ESPN+.  Crisis averted.

Week 8

Game of the Week: Oregon at UCLA (4:00, FOX) – Wow, ok.  Yeah this week, on paper, does not deliver.  This is easily the worst week that I will cover in these final two posts.  I mean you have to think Oregon blows the doors off the Bruins but what if UCLA has one of those crazy games they’ve had in recent years under Chip Kelly?  It would be fun to see them just go off and score like 50 on the Ducks.  They still might lose but hey…50-burger!

Other Really Important Games: Oklahoma State at Iowa State (Noon, FOX) – Hmmm…maybe this should be game of the week especially since it’s on BIG NOON SATURDAY.  I still wait for the day where Matt Campbell finally gets a job offer he can’t refuse and leaves Ames.  As horrible as it sounds for Cyclone fans, I could see Iowa trying to hire him once Kirk Ferentz decides to retire.

USC at Notre Dame (7:30, NBC) – Remember when almost every year a game between these two teams was a big deal?  Sometimes for only of these teams but a handful of times for both programs.  This may be one of those games.  The Irish will once again feed off the hatred of all non-Irish fans and hope to get into the College Football Playoff yet again, pissing off a bunch of people.  USC is in the wide open Pac-12 South and a win like this doesn’t help them inside the conference but will be a huge plus when it comes to their place in the Top 25.

Ohio State at Indiana (7:30, ABC) –  I think it every year.  Ohio State is going to visit a Big Ten East team not named Penn State or Michigan State and lose.  Haha, of course I don’t mean Michigan, silly!  The Hoosiers still look like they could make some noise in the Big Ten East but they have to hope to recreate some of last year’s magic to have any hope of beating the Fighting Ryan Days.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: LSU at Ole Miss (6:00, specialty pack) – Ugh, I hate the three-hour timeslots.  They serve no purpose whatsoever.  Like unless you are showing Army or Navy or any other team who might want to try the option, this won’t work.  And SEC games are not known for ending before the three-and-a-half hour mark.  So good luck to the game after this one (I have BYU-Wazzu starting at 9).  Have fun on ESPNEWS for perhaps an hour.

Best Group of Five Game: Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State (Wednesday, 7:30, TSN1/TSN4) – I don’t know if I am in the minority but I like watching Sun Belt football.  And despite App State’s success since their move up to FBS, last year’s performance by the Chants shone a huge light on the conference and proved that one of these years, their champion will make the New Year’s Six.  This is probably the Sun Belt East Division championship.  See?  Divisions suck (no offense to the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana).

Worst Power Five Game: Georgia Tech at Virginia (Noon, specialty pack) – Honestly, this isn’t too bad.  For the worst of the week?  I’ve seen much worse games in this spot.  Not saying I’m watching the bulk of the game but I wouldn’t mind tuning in for a bit.  For such a not-so-good week it seems to have a good mid-card set of matches.

Week 9

Game of the Week:  Penn State at Ohio State (Noon, FOX) – Oh my.  This could be…well, this could be an amazing game.  Penn State should be finally back at least sniffing the Top 10 and tOSU is tOSU.  This is almost a shoo-in to end up on BIG NOON SATURDAY.

Other Really Important Games: North Carolina at Notre Dame (7:30, NBC) – A second consecutive week that Notre Dame on NBC will be in primetime.  If the Irish can somehow get through this rough two-game stretch they could be home-free the rest of the way.  I will admit, I am a sucker for good primetime Notre Dame football on NBC.  I don’t know what it is.  It just feels special, kind of like when the SEC has their one primetime game on CBS every season.

Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville) (3:30, CBS) – THE MOTHERFUCKING GOD DAMNED WORLD’S LARGEST OUTDOOR COCKTAIL PARTY!!!!!  Perhaps you could put this at number one.  I wouldn’t argue.  I also wouldn’t argue if you said it would be the best football game played in Jacksonville all year.  I still say an open bar is the way to go for Brad and Gary in this one.  Imagine a drunk Gary Danielson crying over a call that went against Alabama three seasons ago?  Actually, maybe we should cancel the open bar.

Iowa at Wisconsin (Noon, specialty pack) – The Big Ten West Championship game?  Maybe?  Honestly these are the only two teams I would trust to win the Big Ten, despite the fact they haven’t won all the West division titles.  But would you trust Northwestern?  Minnesota?  NEBRASKA?  I thought so.

Florida State at Clemson (3:30, ABC) – OK this might be a stretch.  Especially since this is in Death Valley.  But one of these years, FSU is going to beat Clemson and everyone is going to be left with their jaw on the floor.  You might snicker at that but Pitt beat them at Clemson a few years back.  So there is hope you Nole fans.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Iowa State at West Virginia (Noon, ABC/TSN2) – I am not going to make the mistake of saying Dana Holgorsen is the Mountaineers’ head coach like last time.  I mean, I miss him as WVU’s coach because he was in some big games meaning he would blow his stack more often than he does now at Houston.  I wonder if he just drinks less Monster Energy or Red Bull or whatever he has ten of before Noon.

Best Group of Five Game: SMU at Houston (3:30, ESPN+) – I had to dig a bit deeper this week for a good Group of Five game.  It was either this or Troy-Coastal Carolina.  I am sticking with this one although the Sun Belt game is on Thursday night and at least on the specialty pack where as this one I have on ESPN+.  Why?  Same problem every year when we get into mid-October towards the end of the season: so many good conference games and only so many slots to put them in.  Every so often the American gets the shaft.  This looks like it will be one of those weeks.

Worst Power Five Game: Rutgers at Illinois (Noon, BTN) – Good lord.  Just don’t.  If it plays out the way I think it will, there is probably two games at this time meaning you wouldn’t get it even if you had the Big Ten Network.  Probably for the best.

A mixed bag (as October usually is).  But still…it’s a bag full of college football games.  I am getting excited.  I’m also getting a bit nervous as I know what I am like during those Saturdays.  A completely unproductive glutton.  I can live with the unproductive part but I am trying to get back into some semblance of decent shape after gaining a lot of weight during the pandemic.  And the type of food I would eat on college football Saturdays is no bueno anymore…at least that amount of food.  I might have to do food prep Friday night just to get through the day!

Still have not got a preview magazine although I haven’t really tried.  Hoping the Athlon one (which is part of my subscription) comes in the mail soon.  At least unlike last year, Indigo is open so I can go in and check it out one of these days.  Also I am still going back and forth on whether to order the Phil Steele magazine.  It’s rather expensive and takes a while to come in the mail.  I might do the thing I did a few years back and pair it with the NFL magazine (if they do one) and get them shipped at the same time.  It sucks because it means I wouldn’t get it until early August but it’s such a great magazine that I don’t know if I can not buy it, you know?  If you have never seen the magazine before you don’t know but believe me, it’s PACKED with info.  Can I really go into the season not knowing who the Rutgers long snapper will be?

Normally, the CFL would be starting their preseason soon.  However, with the NBA and NHL seasons going into July this year and the U.S. Open coming up (yeah I watch the golf majors, don’t judge me), I won’t be missing football nearly as much.  Instead it looks like the CFL will start August 5th with a slightly shortened schedule.  And the Grey Cup will be moved into December and is in Hamilton.  The only Grey Cup I’ve ever went to was the 1996 one that has been dubbed the Snow Bowl.  It was cold, snowy, and a shit-ton of fun to watch.  Maybe I will buy tickets to this one as long as they aren’t brutally expensive.  OK so yeah I miss football.  Have a great week everyone!

Most Important Games of the 2021 College Football Season – Let’s Go For Two!

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I hate what they have done to college football overtime.  I was fine when they said you had to start going for two starting with the third overtime.  Would I prefer they make the teams start at the 30 or the 35 rather than the 25?  Yes but I am OK with the way that is.  Now it has become a two-point conversion shootout starting with the fifth overtime.  Why?  Because one stupidly awesome game went to seven overtimes and it was a classic?  Seems like a serious overreaction to me (and probably many others).  It has got to the point that maybe the NFL overtime is starting to look a bit better.  I never would have said that even a couple of years ago but here we are.

So normally, I do the first post of this series and a day or two later more schedule updates appear changing my original guesses already.  It would make me feel a bit dumb.  This year?  The same fucking thing happened!  God damn when will I ever learn?  Anyway, it was the mother of all schedule dumps.  Like a crazy amount of games were set.  Let’s look at what has changed with the first post in this series:

  • Penn State-Wisconsin I had right in terms of it being on FOX.  But it’s not on at 4:00.  It’s the BIG NOON SATURDAY game for Week One.
  • Now here’s a headscratcher.  Iowa-Indiana is not the BIG NOON SATURDAY game on FOX.  It’s not even on FOX.  It’s on BTN.  BTN!  At 3:30 in the afternoon.  It has to be due to the amount of appearances that one or both of these teams are perceived to have later on in the season on BTN since all Big Ten teams must have a minimum of two BTN appearances on the season with one of those appearances being a conference game.  That’s the only thing I can think of since this is FOX or ESPN/ABC worthy in my opinion.
  • I was sooooooo close with LSU-UCLA.  It’s on FOX.  In primetime.  But not at 8:00.  It’s at 8:30.  To me that seems like a weird time but I guess FOX is fine with the game ending probably around midnight if not a little later.  Not like they have anything other than TMZ and infomercials to show afterwards on most of their affiliates.
  • Again, so close with one.  Boise State-UCF is on at 7:00, not 7:30.  My guess is it will be on at least one TSN station.
  • Oregon State-Purdue is now on FS1 in primetime.  Big deal.
  • ABC nabbed CyHawk for their afternoon game.
  • Liberty-Troy has moved to primetime.  But it’s still on ESPN+.  So in the end it doesn’t matter anyway.
  • I totally forgot about how the ACC Network does Week 2.  They show four games, starting at 11 in the morning to fit them all in so they don’t have to send a bunch to a regional FOX Sports Network (hmmm…should I call them Bally’s now?) or, even worse, ACC Network Extra which they are loathe to do.  Anyway, it’s not at noon, it’s at 2:00 and should be on the specialty pack.
  • Cincinnati-Indiana has been picked up by ESPN/ABC.  It will probably air on ABC and is definitely scheduled for Noon.
  • Oklahoma State-Boise State will be on FOX Sports One.  But now it’s at 9:00.  In the evening.  Why?  Because there is a game at 12:30 Sunday morning!  Yep, for you crazies that can watch this game, San Jose State and Hawaii kick off after midnight and won’t end until about 4 in the morning.  That’s crazy.  I will watch at least three quarters of that.
  • Hey Coastal Carolina-Buffalo isn’t being relegated to ESPN+!  It’s on at Noon, probably on the specialty pack here.  Good to see some respect for these two schools.
  • Speaking of respect, let’s look at the absolute lack of respect ESPN/ABC has for the Kansas Jayhawks football program.  Like no respect at all.  They aren’t the Thursday night ESPN game.  They aren’t even available to Canadians.  Hell, it isn’t even available to most Americans.  It’s on at 3:30, Saturday afternoon…on ESPN+.  Yeah.  That’s sad.  But understandable.

I will probably make this same mistake next year because I’m an idiot who never learns..  Let’s just get to the second part of this series.

Week 4

Game of the Week: Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin (in Chicago) (Noon, FOX) – This kind of tells you what kind of weekend this will be, on paper.  Not saying these aren’t two good teams because they are.  But the Badgers are always juuuuuust on the outside looking in and don’t feel like an elite team.  And the Irish are considered an elite team more often than they actually are.  Not saying I wouldn’t be surprised if either team is in contention for the College Football Playoff late in the season but this being the game of the week means we aren’t looking at a ton of great games.  Now watch this one go to like four overtimes and be an instant classic.

Other Really Important Games: West Virginia at Oklahoma (7:30, ABC) – Will the Sooners finally get over the top now with Spencer Rattler in his second year at quarterback?  That is the question for Boomer Sooner this season as they could be in for a special two-season stretch (before Rattler goes to the NFL as a high first round pick).  Unless they can get yet another great QB, this may be the best two-year stretch possibility for Lincoln Riley’s boys (before Riley gets an offer from the Dallas Cowboys that he can’t refuse).  As for the Mountaineers, they have Dana Holgorsen.  That’s fun enough since you are assured of him going off on the refs or his players or his coaches or the other team’s coaches or the other team’s players or the fans at least once a game.  That’s what happens when you down six Red Bulls by lunch.

Clemson at NC State (3:30, ABC) – I could see this moving to primetime but it really has more to do with how many Big XII game would appear on ABC in the primetime timeslot all season (or at least how many they believe will appear there).  The first three games listed this week cover the top three timeslots so you can kind of figure out where all the hype will be.  This could be Dave Doeren’s final chance to get his program-defining win.  Pull this off and he will never have to pay for another drink in Raleigh again.  It also puts the entire conference in an interesting spot as Clemson is their hope for the CFP until another team steps up.  Most believe it will be NC State’s interstate rivals, North Carolina, but the Wolfpack are known for their upsets over the past two decades.  Just ask Florida State.

Tennessee at Florida (3:30, CBS) – Can Tennessee just be back already?  It took so damn long for Texas to be back and now they aren’t quite back again so who knows if the college football media will be asking that question (that I will not type here) all season.  Luckily for the fans (and haters) of Texas, that question is no longer asked.  For Vol fans, it’s becoming the conversation every day in Knoxville.  Until this team truly competes in the SEC East (and no, being third doesn’t count as competing) this may be the most annoying, pathetic fanbase in college football.  So maybe, just maybe, they can pull this off and look like the program that everyone on Rocky Top desperately wants them to be.  Now watch them lose this one by 40 and we wonder if they can beat a down Vanderbilt squad.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Nebraska at Michigan State (3:30, BTN) – You are looking LIVE…at two programs who are struggling, one more than the other.  The Huskers feel like an afterthought now that they have been in the Big Ten for a while and for good reason.  Their fans long for even the days of the Big XII, forget the Big Eight.  And let’s be honest: other than the one year where Sparty went to the College Football Playoff, it’s not like they have been setting the college football world on fire the past couple of decades.  This could be a very good game that could propel one of these programs back into prominence.  This will almost assuredly go to the Big Ten Network.

Best Group of Five Game: Marshall at Appalachian State (Thursday, 7:30, specialty pack) – Two of the Group of Five’s stalwarts meet here in a much deserved Thursday night ESPN spot.  Both teams had weird years this past season but that’s to be expected since the whole damn season was kind of weird.  Expect both of these programs to at least flirt with the Top 25 most of the season.  This should be an early Group of Five New Year’s Six elimination game as I am sure both teams will come into this undefeated (or in App State’s case, maybe a close loss to Miami early on).

Worst Power Five Game: Kansas at Duke (Noon, specialty pack) – Good god.  You have to be some kind of masochist to want to watch more than maybe a few minutes of this game.  Kansas is Kansas and Duke is nowhere near the heights they got to a few years back.  You can easily avoid this one.  I wouldn’t be surprised if doesn’t even go to the ACC Network and gets relegated to ACC Network Extra even if they have a timeslot available for them.

Week 5

Game of the Week: Ole Miss at Alabama (Noon, TSN5) – I have this game on ESPN2.  Seriously.  Look, there is a limit as to how many times a team can appear on the SEC on CBS.  Otherwise Bama would appear like 8 times every season (the max is five by the way).  This could still move to ESPN or even CBS so who knows.  Ole Miss is expected to start the season either just inside or just outside the Top 25 and besides, it’s Lane Kiffin getting another shot at Nick Saban.  He would be a God in Oxford if the Rebels can win this game.

Other Really Important Games: Cincinnati at Notre Dame (2:30, NBC) – I’m honestly confused as to why some Irish on NBC games are on at 2:30 and why some are on at 3:30.  There is really no rhyme or reason as to why these happen the way they do.  Maybe they anticipate a hot newscast on this night.  Anyway, this game is ripe for an upset…kind of.  If Cincy upset Notre Dame would it be considered an upset?  If it was up to me, I would have put this game on in primetime.  Unfortunately for the Bearcats, they don’t draw so that would be a no go.

Indiana at Penn State (Noon, ABC/TSN1/TSN4) – This does not feel like a Noon Big Ten Game.  At all.  This is the kind of game that is usually on ABC in primetime.  Or should be especially after last year’s amazing finish.  I can honestly say that maybe, just maybe, it’s the Hoosiers, not Penn State (or Michigan or Michigan State) that will be the team that will finally knock Ohio State off their perch atop the Big Ten East.  Seeing the Hoosiers win this game and run the table into November would be great because it would make some TV executives at Disney a trifle nervous.

Michigan at Wisconsin (Noon, FOX) – Is Jim Harbaugh still special enough to warrant a BIG NOON SATURDAY timeslot?  I could see this being moved, especially if the brass at FOX decides that the Big XII has a game they could show instead here.  Or maybe they do another Pac-12 morning kickoff like they did with Arizona State-USC last year.  This has to be a bounce-back season for the Wolverines.  If not, what happens to Kaptain Khaki?  Could he be fired?  For the first time during his tenure in Ann Arbor, it would make sense to at least consider it, especially after last season’s disastrous season.

Texas at TCU (6:30, FOX Sports One) – Again, don’t be surprised if this, among almost every game this week, gets moved from where I have it.  The Big XII has quickly become the major conference that Canadians rarely see.  Not that they care down there if Canadians get to see their conference or not but it’s the same in the States.  With no conference network, they are being left out in the cold.  And their expansion blunder of a few years back is still being felt.  They’ve already gone to Disney to look for a contract extension and ESPN/ABC said no.  The contract ends after the 2025 season and with other TV contracts also ending around that time, realignment talk will heat up yet again.  The conference is in trouble and really hinges on what Texas and Oklahoma decide to do.  Expect a lot of changes in the next few years.

Florida at Kentucky (Noon, specialty pack) – Remember when the Wildcats were SEC East contenders?  It wasn’t too long ago.  Kentucky could be primed for another breakthrough and the fans in Lexington are chomping at the bit to see that happen.  At some point, some team has to break the Florida-Georgia stranglehold in the division and what better year than this one?  Right now, I have this on the SEC Network because I honestly had no idea where to put it once other better timeslots started filling up.  I could see this somehow getting to ESPN or ESPN2 though since I have the SEC Network with four games during this week.

Arizona State at UCLA (3:30, specialty pack) – It feels like we are getting less and less late night games that are any good.  I mean it won’t stop me from watching them but I’m used to a few each year at least.  This is supposed to be the season where we finally see what Chip Kelly can do in Westwood.  A good Bruins team is always welcome in college football.  The Sun Devils are also expected to be quite good so maybe we will see a logjam at the top of the Pac-12 South.  Not like that hasn’t happened before, am I right?  Guys?  Hello?

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Tennessee at Missouri (Noon, specialty pack) – No, we aren’t looking at two amazing teams.  Or even one.  But man, for such a good week, there are a lot of games (outside of the ones I listed above) that look like they won’t be close at all.  I’d love to call this a SEC East eliminator game.  But it’s not.  With two teams so closely matched, though, it should be fun to watch and could be the surprise game of the early timeslot (if not the whole week).

Best Group of Five Game: Nevada at Boise State (10:00, FOX Sports One) – Could FS1, of all channels, have one of the best lineups this week?  Look there were a few choices I could have put here instead of this one.  Houston-Tulsa and Liberty-UAB fit the bill as well but neither really scream “Top Group of Five game.”  Plus I am a bit fascinated with FOX’s foray into the Mountain West, mostly because I can see all the games now.  This could end up being very lucrative for the conference as long as FOX continues to invest heavily into college football.

Worst Power Five Game: Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech (Noon, specialty pack) – I mean it’s not a bad game per se.  But with the rest of the Noon options (and there are a lot of them), I can’t see this game getting many eyeballs.

Week 6

Game of the Week: Alabama at Texas A&M (8:00, CBS) – God damn this could be a MASSIVE game this season.  Jimbo Fisher has guaranteed a win over Bama (not the smartest idea in the world but hey, gotta shot your shot).  Even with the loss of Kellen Mond, this could be the Aggies year to get into the College Football Playoff.  And now with probably a full house in College Station, the 100,000 plus members of the 12th Man will make life very difficult for the Tide.  CBS has chosen this week to be the SEC doubleheader with the primetime game so it’s almost assured that this will be the pick.

Other Really Important Games:  Oklahoma vs. Texas (in Dallas) (Noon, FOX) – Back where this belongs…almost.  Depending on how the Aggies look early on, this could be considered the true GOTW.  I’m still waiting for the day the Cotton Bowl collapses during the Red River Shootout.  It’s going to happen and it’s going to be a tragedy that could be avoided by either fixing the fucking place or moving this game to JerryWorld.  There’s almost no doubt in my mind this ends up being the BIG NOON SATURDAY pick by FOX.

Georgia at Auburn (3:30, CBS) – Wow, does CBS ever get an amazing doubleheader this season.  Saying that, the Tigers aren’t the Tigers they have been in the past.  Unless Bo Nix all of a sudden figures things out, Auburn will be middle of the pack, at best, in the SEC West.  Still a good team but not close to contending in the always extremely tough SEC West.  I just wish they would do away with divisions.  Don’t get me wrong, the SEC East champ is usually good but who wouldn’t have enjoyed Bama playing LSU or TAMU playing Mississippi State or Ole Miss playing Auburn or any one of those combinations in Atlanta in December?

Maryland at Ohio State (Noon, TSN4) – This is guaranteed for Noon and almost a shoo-in to be on ESPN.  Will this be close?  Eh, who knows.  OK I am pretty positive it won’t be.  But if there’s any year where Ohio State could be vulnerable, it is this one.  If the Terps can’t keep it close this time around they may never do so.  I’m sure there are many who long to be back in the ACC, regardless of TV money.

Florida State at North Carolina (Noon, ABC/TSN2) – No, this isn’t here because it’s the Noles.  I probably don’t have to say that anymore and it is sad that FSU just can’t seem to get over the hump and get back to the way they were.  You never know, though.  They beat the Heels here, it’s massive and could lead to huge things for this squad.  North Carolina is in New Year’s Six or Bust mode this season as the NY6 is their floor.  Anything less would be a disappointment with Sam Howell a serious Heisman contender.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: LSU at Kentucky (Noon, TSN1) – No, I’m not joking with this.  The Tigers will be close to the bottom spot of the Top 25 and the Cats will be just outside looking in, at least at the start of the season.  This is probably a bigger game for Kentucky than it is for LSU as there is no way that Ed Orgeron’s guys will be competing for the SEC West this season.

Best Group of Five Game: Boise State at BYU (10:30, specialty pack) – Is this considered a Group of Five game?  I’m going to say it is.  BYU seems to be in this no-man’s land when it comes to where they belong.  I know they want to be Power Five and they should be Power Five but they aren’t quite there yet and until they are invited into a conference or get closer in reputation to Notre Dame, they won’t be.  It is usually a lot of fun when these two teams meet.  I am looking forward to Provo After Dark which sounds like a show on at Midnight on Vision TV or some other religious network where they do nasty things like drink coffee or say “fuck.”

Worst Power Five Game: Georgia Tech at Duke (12:30, specialty pack) – Two straight weeks for the Ramblin’ Wreck in this spot.  The thing is they aren’t even that bad.  But last week was a pretty good schedule, at least in the Power Five and this week the next worse choice would be Wake Forest-Syracuse which isn’t nearly as bad as this.

We are almost halfway through the season now (with these posts).  With only thirteen weeks this season I had to have one longer post because of it.  It will be the final one.  The final two posts are usually the most difficult since almost none of the games are scheduled this far out, at least from a Power Five perspective.  So the chances of me getting many of these predictions wrong are quite good.  Just letting you know in advance.

It’s getting close to College Football Preview magazine season.  Or maybe it has already started and I just don’t know about it.  I have an Athlon subscription now so I am just waiting for that one to come in the mail.  If there are others available I will check Indigo to see if I can get it.  As for the Phil Steele magazine, I am going back and forth whether to order it or get the online version (if they have it this year).  I love the magazine, don’t get me wrong.  It’s an awesome read and has a shit-ton of information.  Problem is, it shows up sometime in late July at the earliest which doesn’t help me at all with my predictions and makes it tough to read before the season begins (yes I am one of those insane people who try to read that magazine front-to-back).  So we shall see.  Anyway, have a great upcoming week and let’s hope the warm weather is here to stay and that we can forget what it was like on Friday.

That was LSU’s Shoeper Bowl! – Week 15 College Football Recap

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This is a new one.  Gators’ Marco Wilson tackled Kole Taylor short of the first down marker late in the fourth quarter in Florida’s game against LSU.  Then he got up with Taylor’s shoe in his hand and, in the words of the referee, threw it 20 yards downfield.  This meant he got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which kept LSU going and lead to Cade York’s insane 57-yard field goal into the fog at The Swamp to win the game.  This could end up costing Florida even a New Year’s Six spot (as their College Football Playoff chances are gone).  Horrible.  And stupid.  You couldn’t script this to be more ridiculous.

As per tradition, when I use the Footballgasm template, I must complete the week by doing the recap in the same manner.  Let’s go!

Thursday​

Southern Miss 45 Florida Atlantic 31 6:30 PM

This was a nice ending to a horrible season in Hattiesburg for the Golden Eagles.  Now they can hopefully start fresh with new coach Will Hall.  And to find out that even if FAU won, they wouldn’t have gone to the conference championship game was a big letdown.  Oh well.  Decent start to the week.

Friday

Arizona State 70 Arizona 7 7:30 PM

The Territorial Cup goes to the Sun Devils in one of the biggest beatdowns in Pac-12 history.  I was definitely one who thought Arizona’s hire of Kevin Sumlin a few years back was a coup.  Yeah now we know that it was his great quarterbacks at Houston and Texas A&M that really helped him along.  Paging Brent Brennan!

San Jose State 30 Nevada 20 10:00 PM

OK this game was being played between the Spartans and the Wolf Pack in Las Vegas at the field being used by the New Mexico Lobos.  Got it?  Anyway, the Spartans win puts them in the Mountain West Championship and also puts Boise State in as well.  This has been an amazing season for SJSU which means what I said above may happen…again.

Saturday Early

Penn State 39 Michigan State 24 Noon

This was actually a pretty good game into the fourth quarter and the Nittany Lions pulled away to win their first home game of the season (if you can believe that).  James Franklin is going to be on quite the hot seat going into 2021 as this has to be considered nothing short of a disappointment for this team, despite what 2020 brought.

Rutgers 27 Maryland 24 Noon

Meaningless game won by Rutgers.  Well maybe not meaningless to the Scarlet Knights and especially Greg Schiano.  The hiring of Schiano may make Rutgers look very smart (and Tennessee very stupid for deciding not to hire him).

Northwestern 28 Illinois 10 Noon

Northwestern, already clinching the Big Ten West, put a beatdown on the Illini.  And guess what happened yesterday?  Lovie Smith was finally shitcanned.  Oh wait, he agreed to part ways with the team.  Whatever.  Just a few years too late in my humble opinion.

Alabama 52 Arkansas 3 Noon

Not surprising that the Tide won.  Now we await to see what devastation they will wreak on Florida in the SEC Championship.  I don’t think it will be very pretty.  I’ve said it already but CBS may regret putting that game in primetime.

Utah 38 Colorado 21 Noon

The Buffs shouldn’t have had problems with the Utah offense but they did.  Their loss made things super easy for the Pac-12 as now they wouldn’t be undefeated along with USC.  At least we got to see some FOOTBAW WEATHER in Boulder for this one.

Georgia 49 Missouri 14 Noon

Speaking of games that weren’t close, here’s a great example.  Many people, myself included, thought it would be though.  For a while it looked like UGA was what everyone thought they were: a good team not deserving of a New Year’s Six spot.  It was tied at 14 late in the second quarter.  35 unanswered points later, the Dawgs proved that maybe they should be put in an important bowl game.

Minnesota 24 Nebraska 17 Noon

Minnesota wins this one as they hold on to beat the Huskers.  Is there anyone that can turn this program around?  Not saying Scott Frost had all the pieces when he arrived but man this has been an unbridled disaster in Lincoln.  Definite hot seat material for next season.

Saturday Afternoon

Buffalo 56 Akron 7 2:30 PM

Disappointing.  I was hoping for Jaret Patterson to score ten touchdowns.

Army 15 Navy 0 3:00 PM

I wonder if a lot of people forgot this game was even on.  Sad for a game with this kind of history but 2020 has wreaked havoc on college football (along with damn near everything else).  Unfortunately the game was not good at all which meant few people would even watch to the end to see Army sing second.

North Carolina 62 Miami 26 3:30 PM

Not even close this one.  The Heels really wanted this one and it showed.  I think it’s about time I believe that Miami is not a College Football Playoff team under Manny Diaz.  Or maybe Mack Brown is still pissed about that game against BYU years ago when Diaz was his defensive coordinator.  Either way.

Oklahoma State 42 Baylor 3 3:30 PM

What a way to finish a season.  Even without Chuba Hubbard, who has declared for the NFL Draft, the Fighting Mullets blew the doors of Baylor in this one.  This was a rough season as the Pokes never got respect all season and could very well end up in the Top 15 at the end of it all.  Probably still behind Oklahoma though which will irk all their fans but hey, can’t win em all.

Iowa 28 Wisconsin 7 3:30 PM

Slow start but the Hawkeyes pulled away in the second half to beat the Badgers and set up…an almost useless game next week.  I know the Big Ten doesn’t want to overshadow the conference championship game but Iowa-Indiana would have been a huge matchup with big NY6 implications.  Instead, they fucked up Champions Week.  Way to go, guys.

Memphis 30 Houston 27 3:45 PM

Well the Tigers won which really meant nothing since both teams are going bowling.  Now the question is will Ryan Silverfield be around next season in Memphis.  He is a dark horse candidate for a couple of jobs so it will be interesting to see if he ends up heading elsewhere like his predecessors, Mike Norvell and Justin Fuente, did.  As for Dana Holgorsen, he has already downed four cans of Red Bull by the time you got to this point in this post.

Tennessee 42 Vanderbilt 17 4:00 PM

Tennessee won.  Sarah Fuller kicked two extra points and made many men mad.  That’s about all I can say about the battle for state supremacy (no offense, Middle Tennessee).

Saturday Primetime & Late Night​

Boise State 17 Wyoming 9 6:00 PM

A really slow start here by both teams and it never really got going after that.  Blame all the snow that fell in Laramie as it made for a sloppy game.  Honestly, they should have a bowl game there.  That would be fun to watch.  Probably horrible for the players and the coaching staffs though.  Anyway, this meant nothing after San Jose State’s win the previous night but good to see Boise finish off the regular season with a win as they try to win yet another Mountain West conference championship.

LSU 37 Florida 34 7:00 PM

Hey at least it was a fun, close game right?  Forget the Shoe Throw of Doom that I mentioned at the beginning.  Florida did not look like a Top 10 team here at all.  Either that or LSU looked better than their record states.  Both are probably correct.  The Gators needed this game and couldn’t pull away from the Tigers.  Their punishment will probably be the Outback Bowl or Citrus Bowl or some close-by bowl game.

TCU 52 Louisiana Tech 10 7:00 PM

Well, at least TCU was able to get their non-conference game in.

Auburn 24 Mississippi State 10 7:30 PM

Didn’t matter.  Wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.  And now Gus Malzahn has finally, mercifully, been fired.  He is now almost $22 million richer because of it.  Ain’t college football a great sport?

USC 43 UCLA 38 7:30 PM

This ended up being one of the best finishes of the season.  The Trojans, in my opinion, will not get into the CFP (fuck you ESPN Playoff Predictor).  The Bruins, I have to say, have really improved (FINALLY) under Chiop Kelly.  Took long enough.  UCLA scored late in this one to take the three point lead and it looked like the Pac-12 was completely ruined (as opposed to mostly ruined which they are at this point).  Instead, the men of Troy march down the field quickly and score a touchdown to win the game.  And to the chagrin of some USC fans, I have a feeling Clay Helton will get a contract extension in the offseason.

BYU 28 San Diego State 14 10:00 PM

Nice to see the Cougars finish with ten wins since their original schedule was completely obliterated.  People still like to underestimate BYU (or downright hate them) but Kalani Sitake has shown that this program is still one to watch, year in and year out.  Still won’t get them a New Year’s Six spot but still has to be considered a successful season.

New Mexico 49 Fresno State 39 10:30 PM

New Mexico is quietly turning things around while they are banished to Vegas.  Danny Gonzales has done a masterful job starting this turnaround.  Don’t be surprised if they are over .500 next season and, perhaps, back to the Rocky Long days of prosperity.

Stanford 27 Oregon State 24  10:00 PM

This was actually a great Pac-12 After Dark game (as is tradition).  Back-and-forth throughout the entire game and it meant that you had to continue to watch well into the night.  Jet Toner (great name for, well, anything) hit the game-winning field goal with a little less than two minutes left.  Stanford, somehow, ended up 3-2 going into whatever the Pac-12 is calling the final week of the season.  That feels weird considering how they have played the past almost-two seasons.

Normally the next week is conference championship week ONLY.  But man this has been such a crazy year that there are a bunch of games also scheduled.  So this could end up being a bit more interesting than usual when it comes to this week in college football.  Also, there’s a bowl game that day as well.  Yeah, none of this makes sense.

Alright so next up is the bowl projections list with a few bowl games actually already confirming their matchups.  Nice to see but really it is a necessity considering the way the bowl schedule is structured.  College and NFL schedules later in the week.

Well this certainly makes things interesting – Week 9 College Football Recap

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Look I knew that Trevor Lawrence being out due to a positive COVID-19 test would be huge and would hamper Clemson’s offense a bit.  But man, I didn’t think the defense would be affected as much.  Clemson had to come back from 18 down to beat Boston College.  This does not bode well for next Saturday night’s game against Notre Dame where they will be without Lawrence again.  DJ Uiagalelei looks like the quarterback of the future but he will have to seriously step up to combat the Irish’s fairly stingy defense.  Makes thinks a lot more interesting next weekend for sure.

Alright let’s get to the final recap that doesn’t include Pac-12 After Dark or MACtion.  Things are really starting to heat up.  Let’s go!

Don’t write off Oklahoma just yet.  We knew the Sooners would have a bit of a tough road to even get to the Big XII Championship, let alone the New Year’s Six.  The losses to Kansas State and Iowa State definitely did not help.  I mean yes they didn’t lose by much and were competitive in both games.  But a loss is a loss and even in this pandemic year, two losses pretty much ruins a College Football Playoff opportunity.  As for the Red Raiders, who the Sooners destroyed, even with every team being bowl-eligible, I can’t see them being selected for one unless they win most of the rest of their games.

I think most of us thought Oklahoma State would win.  And, of course, I was one of them.  This game was all over the place but Texas was carrying things most of the way in the first half.  Problem was it didn’t lead to, well, a lead.  The Cowboys actually went up by 11 in the third.  Texas immediately started their comeback with a kickoff return for a touchdown and then a long drive in the fourth to take the lead.  The Pokes needed a field goal late in the fourth just to get to overtime.  But man, they looked awful in overtime.  Six plays that gained no yards.  Brutal.  This effectively eliminates the Big XII from the CFP picture…at Halloween.

Could Ohio State-Indiana become the pivotal Big Ten game of the season?  Don’t be surprised.  Indiana made sure that Rutgers didn’t get that Schiano magic once again (except for that eight-lateral touchdown that didn’t count that would have been one of the greatest touchdowns in college football history if it had counted).  The Buckeyes are still damn good as they showed in holding off a game Penn State team.  So this brings us to November 21st when the Buckeyes host the Hoosiers.  As of this point, this looks like the most important Big Ten game of the season by a country mile.  Are there any teams really close to these two?  You could argue Wisconsin could be but we haven’t seen much of them yet after their game against Nebraska was cancelled due to a ton of positive COVID tests within the Badgers team.  Other than that, nah.  Tom Allen should get a big raise if somehow he is able to coax a win over tOSU from his Indy squad.

Let’s talk about Atlantic Coast Conference contender, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  Brian Kelly has a damn good team in South Bend this season.  Well, the offense is good, not great, to be honest.  But the defense has been phenomenal and has mostly carried this team to a 6-0 record.  The Irish are solidly in the College Football Playoff conversation.  That will make a lot of people cringe due to their hatred of everything Notre Dame.  But really, they are two games against Clemson (probably) from being in the Final Four.  Georgia Tech is still improving…slowly.  It takes time to do what Geoff Collins is doing in Atlanta and it’s a good thing to see he is getting that time.

Yep, Cincinnati is still undefeated.  Not totally surprised but man have the Bearcats looked good this season.  Let’s be real here: the Bearcats being in the American Conference will probably make it so they are excluded from the CFP.  Saying that though, they are now #6 in the country.  If a few things happen to the teams above them then who knows?  Honestly, it’s not like the Bearcats have a tough schedule the rest of the way.  If they can mow down the opposition and look good doing it, they may not fall out of the Top 10 and may be close enough to sniff that rarified air of the College Football Playoff which would be a huge news story going into December.

Back to Big XII Upset Watch.  The other upset of the day in the Big XII came in Morgantown.  The West Virginia Mountaineers kept Kansas State from doing much of anything all day and ran away with a huge win.  This may have ruined KSU’s chances of getting to the Big XII Championship but considering the way the conference has been this year, who the fuck even knows anymore.  I am sure Drunk Uncle Dana was at his Red Bull-infused best during this one.

Well we know there will be a new champion.  Man has the bloom come off the rose quickly in Baton Rouge.  LSU got boatraced by Auburn in a game that was never close.  And it’s not like Auburn is great because they aren’t.  Bo Nix has been underwhelming this season and yet looked almost like Auburn Cam Newton in this one.  LSU’s defense couldn’t stop anything.  Again the SEC on CBS was a complete waste of time to watch.  Maybe it’s not a bad thing the contract will be going to another network in a few years.

Yes, a Mike Leach team didn’t score a point.  Yep, it looks like it took one game for the SEC to figure out the Air Raid.  Alabama toasted Mississippi State to the tune of 41-0.  And that’s with Bama only getting two touchdowns in the second half.  It feels like it was years ago when that massive win over LSU happened and it’s looking worse and worse every week…for both teams.  The Pirate is going to have to do something slightly different or it could be a long year in Starkville for the Bulldogs.

How about the crazy finish in Tulsa?  Or more like the refs robbing East Carolina?  Tulsa never led until their touchdown with 29 seconds left.  But it shouldn’t have even got to the point where the Golden Hurricane could take the lead.  It had looked like Tulsa’s T.K. Wilkerson fumbled with the Pirates recovering the ball, essentially ending the game.  Somehow the replay booth said Wilkerson recovered the ball when he hadn’t.  This allowed the drive to continue and for Tulsa to get the winning score.  My hope is that the replay official is at least suspended for that mistake since that cost ECU a victory.  Problem is, the officials almost never get punished.  And you wonder why people hate the refs.  There’s one reason why.

Is Georgia any good?  Like I honestly don’t know after this weekend’s horrible performance against Kentucky.  They won 14-3 but the Wildcats are a complete disaster on offense so it’s not like the UGA defense had a tough fight out there.  Stetson Bennett only threw 13 passes and had 2 interceptions.  A horrible day all around.  They should feel lucky to escape Lexington with a win.  With the Cocktail Party coming up, the Bulldogs have to be considered the easy underdog here (no pun intended).

Lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllet’s get ready to RUMBLE!  Oh man did you see that halftime brawl between Florida and Missouri?  Florida players were pretty upset at a non-call when Missouri defenders should have been called for roughing the quarterback.  Then Dan Mullen comes sprinting off the sideline at the officials, screaming his damn head off.  This gets some of the players involved and then the fists starting flying.  For football, it was quite the brawl.  Then, as heads into the tunnel for halftime, Mullen acts like a babyface wrestler riling up the crowd.  So fucking hilarious.  I’m not saying we need more brawls in football because we definitely don’t.  But Mullen to me is a great personality and we need more coaches and players showing personality (without getting violent of course.

Well the Tar Heels to the College Football Playoff train just crashed into a wall.  Many of us wondered if the loss to Florida State was just a speedbump on North Carolina’s season.  Well, maybe that wasn’t the case.  Virginia’s win over the Heels means UNC’s chances at the College Football Playoff, New Year’s Six…hell, the ACC Championship game are pretty much gone.  Don’t get me wrong: I still expect Mack Brown to get this team to seven or eight wins this year.  Which is a step in the right direction.  But they are obviously still a year away from truly contending.

Alright, enough recappin’.  Let’s get to the Bossman Top 25!

#1 Clemson
#2 Alabama
#3 Ohio State
#4 Notre Dame
#5 Cincinnati
#6 Georgia
#7 Florida
#8 Miami
#9 BYU
#10 Texas A&M
#11 Wisconsin
#12 Oklahoma State
#13 Oregon
#14 Coastal Carolina
#15 Marshall
#16 SMU
#17 Indiana
#18 Iowa State
#19 Oklahoma
#20 USC
#21 Michigan
#22 Auburn
#23 Louisiana
#24 North Carolina
#25 Boise State

Yes I have Alabama at #2.  They have looked really good but compared to Clemson I don’t think they measure up…yet.  Cincinnati is at #5 but we know what their schedule is like so this might end up being their peak ranking.  The first CFP Rankings don’t come out for over three weeks due to this season being a bit of a mess.  There is a possibility Cincinnati is barely in the Top 10 at that point even if they are undefeated.  It’s just the way things are unfortunately.  This is mostly because the Pac-12 starts their season (finally) this coming week and expect teams to move up the rankings rapidly if they do well.  With the Big XII already a shitshow, there could be room for a Pac-12 champ in there if a few things happen above them.  But there will have to be an undefeated season in there first.  Without that, there is no possible way, in my opinion, that a Pac-12 team gets into the CFP.  As for BYU I have them at #9 and the AP Poll has them the same and I feel that their ceiling is #12 or #13 unless a lot of chaos happens.  This is due to their quite weak schedule which is an unfortunate byproduct of the pandemic.

Football.  Every.  Day.  That’s right.  Every day between Wednesday and the day before American Thanksgiving.  And that day is the only day off between now and the end of November.  Let’s drink it in and enjoy this!  Saying that we are a little late to the party but we know what starts Wednesday night: MACtion Baby!  If it wasn’t for the American election it would have started Tuesday night but hey, good things come to those who wait, right?  Have a great week everyone.

And now to the other cause of my college football-induced insomnia, the Mountain West

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Honestly I am fine with it but boy can it make Sunday a rough day.  Thankfully I don’t also drink alcohol while I’ve got a full day of college football.  A few Red Bull and Vodkas would make for a porcelain-riffic Sunday and help in destroying my liver.

Saying all that about the late night games, there is a bit of a change in the air (potentially).  Craig Thompson, the Mountain West Conference commissioner, is weighing the pros and cons of their current ESPN deal (along with other TV deals) with something else once that deal ends after the 2019 football season (technically it ends after the 2019-2020 basketball season but WE TALKIN’ FOOTBAW IN HERES!).  There have been complaints about the sheer amount of late night MWC games during a season, especially in November when everyone has gone to conference play and there’s only so many timeslots on each network.  Also, with some of these teams, attendance is down and it’s obvious that part of it is due to these late night start times.

So what is the alternative?  They have a deal with CBS Sports Network but again, they get one late night game and sometimes they get the afternoon or primetime slot.  That won’t change.  They may have to partner with another network to be able to get games earlier in the day or discuss digital broadcasting over the Internet and see if streaming is the way to go here.  They also have to understand that the increased attendance has to offset the loss in contract money from ESPN.  It’s a tough call but if they are wanting to at least stay in the FBS swimming pool (albeit in the shallow end), they have to figure out the right course of action and hope that it works.  They don’t want to become Conference USA with horrifically bad TV deals or the MAC with MACtion which is great for exposure but terrible for attendance.

Alright on to the predictions followed by potentially insane ramblings:

Conference Overall
Mountain W L W L
Colorado State 8 0 10 2
Boise State 7 1 9 3
Utah State 5 3 6 6
Wyoming 4 4 6 6
New Mexico 3 5 5 7
Air Force 3 5 5 7
West
San Diego State 7 1 9 3
Nevada 3 5 4 8
UNLV 2 6 3 9
Hawaii 2 6 3 9
Fresno State 2 6 3 9
San Jose State 2 6 3 10

Potentially Insane Ramblings

  • I don’t think this first point is insane at all: Colorado State is going to be good. Good talent on both sides of the ball, a good head coach, and a brand new stadium that will make some Power Five schools envious.  It all adds up to a showdown with Boise State to see who gets to the Mountain West Championship Game.  I predict it will be the Rams since they will have that game at home and it should be a raucous crowd for it (remember how it was for the Broncos when they had to go Laramie last season).  And who will they face?
  • Good lord talk about a lopsided division. It’s the Aztecs and nobody else is even close.  I have to check to see if they have mathematically clinched the division already……………….not quite yet but the magic number is low.  There isn’t even a bowl eligible team other than SDSU in the West Division.    They should clinch around Halloween.
  • Unlike the West Division, the Mountain Division should be a dogfight. Yes CSU and BSU should pull away from the pack but when your weakest teams are New Mexico and Air Force, your division is stacked (at least from a G5 perspective).
  • I have the Aztecs upsetting Colorado State to win the Mountain West and get their shot against a Pac-12 team (hopefully) in the Las Vegas Bowl. Didn’t work out the same last year but they did whoop Houston’s ass.  We won’t discuss the whole Donnell Pumphrey record-setting day thing.  In deference to Ron Dayne and Ricky Williams.
  • The conference has five bowl tie-ins. Not that many.  And I predict five teams will make bowl games.    They do technically have a sixth tie-in with the Cactus Bowl but that’s only if the Big XII or Pac-12 doesn’t have enough bowl-eligible teams.

We are over two-thirds of the way through the predictions but not quite three-quarters of the way through.  Next up is the conference we see the least of (and it’s not really even close), Conference USA.  We are 23 days away from the season starting.  Oh yeah!

Also there is some NFL news.  The Hall of Fame game has crept up on everyone and is tonight in Canton.  Dallas faces off against Arizona.  Hopefully the field is OK for this one after last year’s debacle.  Football is back baby (even though it is just pre-season ball but still….FOOTBAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!)!

Hey did you hear? JIM F’N HARBAUGH HAS ARRIVED IN THE BIG TEN! Oh, and other things could be happening in the conference as well.

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Yeah JIM HARBAUGH is here. If you’re a college football fan (and I assuming you are if you read this blog), you would have to be blind, deaf, or stupid not to have heard that JIM FUCKING HARBAUGH is the new head coach at Michigan. I don’t know if I have seen or heard as much hype for a team that has struggled quite a bit over the past few years than I have about this. Worst part? There will only be a bit of improvement. Then again, that’s how he started at Stanford so we can all give him a chance. Otherwise he might kick our ass, then go chug another Red Bull. Anyway…

Yeah there are other teams in the Big Ten (yet probably a dearth of math professors). Here’s the projected standings followed by attendance:

                 Conference                     Overall
East W L W L
Ohio State 8 0 12 0
Michigan State 7 1 11 1
Penn State 5 3 8 4
Michigan 4 4 7 5
Indiana 2 6 6 6
Rutgers 1 7 5 7
Maryland 0 8 3 9
West
Wisconsin 7 1 10 2
Nebraska 5 3 8 4
Iowa 5 3 9 3
Northwestern 4 4 6 6
Minnesota 4 4 7 5
Purdue 2 6 3 9
Illinois 1 7 4 8

Attendance

  • Ohio State.  HERE!  The Buckeyes are looking to repeat as national champs and I am sure almost every prediction, preview magazine, website, etc. has them either doing it or coming damn close to it.  So for the regular season and conference championship, I wholeheartedly agree.  You’ll have to wait for the final prediction post to see if I have them going all the way.
  • Michigan State.  HERE!  Again I can see Mark D’Antonio being close but no cigar again with a juggernaut tOSU team in front of him.  What does this all mean?  Run Little Giants.  It’s their only hope to beat the Buckeyes.
  • Wisconsin.  HERE!  No Melvin Gordon does not mean the end of the Wisconsin Fun-Time Rushing Attack of Awesomeness.  The Badgers will do what they do best.  Find another five-star running back, insert him in the lineup, and make him run behind the 1800 pounds of beef in front of him.  No worries in Madison.
  • Indiana.  HERE!  Finally.  FINALLY!  I, along with many other prognosticators, have the Hoosiers finally making a bowl game again.  Kevin Wilson is slooooooooowly moving Indiana up the ladder in the Big Ten East.  And really, other than tOSU and MSU, the #3 spot is up for grabs on a yearly basis for the near future.
  • Illinois.  HERE!  Tim Beckman may have got a reprieve by somehow getting to a bowl game.  His tenure ends after this season (and possibly during) as I can’t see the Illini winning more than four games.
  • Northwestern.  HERE!  No union for you!
  • Iowa.  HERE!  I am not making the same mistake this season.  Iowa is NOT the worst Power Five team this season.  Actually, they will be just outside the Big Ten Championship, knocking on the door and not quite being able to kick it down.
  • Nebraska.  HERE!  Bo is gone.  Mike Riley in.  Prediction?  Four losses again.  I feel like I am trolling Huskers fans at this point.

OK the rest of you play in the sandbox and keep the sand in the sandbox for once. Stop whining, Purdue. No one likes you anyway.

All the conferences are now complete. Next up some Heisman predictions, coaching hot seat predictions, and then some final bowl projections (kind of like Jerry Palm except I will have about 0.0001% of the hate he gets for doing the same exact thing…poor guy).