Looks like the ACC finally got their shit together!
Virginia Tech will head to the Military Bowl to face off against Tulane.
Ok big surprise: Miami, who I had heard from multiple sources would be heading to the Sun Bowl, is actually going to play Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
This means Notre Dame will play Oregon State which will be one of the better Sun Bowl matchups in a long time.
North Carolina is WVU’s opponent in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Mack Brown getting doused by a shit-ton of mayo? That would be hilarious.
Kentucky gets Clemson as their opponent in the Gator Bowl.
The Cardinals of Louisville will head west to San Diego to face USC.
And finally, NC State, the last team remaining, slots in as KSU’s opponent for the Pop Tarts Bowl.
UPDATE: I didn’t even realize that Duke and Georgia Tech switched bowl games. Duke now plays Troy in the Birmingham Bowl with GaTech heading to Tampa to play UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl. Why? Who the fuck knows. I guess the ACC took a nap earlier today and missed what happened so had to scramble to get things done while all the other conferences were mostly finished. Idiots.
That took longer than it should have (although I was out for over an hour so that’s partly my fault). I think they need to remove some of these tie-ins and make them complete at-larges. Or they can say it’s a Power Five at-large or a Group of Five at-large. Something. Anything. Because this isn’t working. But at least we now have a finalized schedule. Finally.
UNLV will face Kansas in what shapes up to be a very interesting Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Wisconsin has their opponent for the ReliaQuest Bowl. They will play the Tigers of LSU (said in Greg Gumbel voice).
It is official: Boston College will play pretty much at home in the Fenway Bowl against SMU.
Texas Tech and California have been selected to play in the Independence Bowl, one of the very few bowls I have had set for over a week now.
Texas A&M, not surprisingly, will take on Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl in a matchup of former Big XII teams.
UTSA and Marshall are going to Frisco (site of the FCS Championship) for the Frisco Bowl.
Georgia Tech will be heading down Birmingham to face off against the Troy Trojans in the Birmingham Bowl which never seems to have a long-term sponsor.
A tiny bit of a surprise as Auburn goes to the Music City Bowl to face Maryland.
A bunch of teams have slotted in without opponents which would all be from the ACC. Oregon State goes to the Sun, Kansas State to the Pop Tarts, West Virginia to the Duke’s Mayo and Kentucky to the Gator. I get there was chaos earlier but what the hell is happening at ACC head offices?
Alright, I will be back with one more post with the FINAL bowl schedule…if the ACC can get their act together.
If I had waited like two minutes I would have seen that Iowa State will be Memphis’ opponent in (and at) the Liberty Bowl.
Oklahoma State gets a bid to the Texas Bowl and will probably play Texas A&M.
The greatest season in Texas State history means their first bowl game ever. They will face fellow state of Texas school, Rice, in the First Responder Bowl.
Northwestern will be going to Vegas after a surprisingly good season. Their opponent? Utah, a team who somehow did quite well despite the rash of injuries they incurred.
Toledo, after losing the MAC Championship, is going to the Arizona Bowl. Their opponent will be Wyoming, who played in this bowl game the previous year. Also, this bowl game will now be on The CW!!!
Wisconsin has been selected to go to the ReliaQuest Bowl to play an SEC team.
Conference championship losers App State and, a bit shockingly, Miami-OH have been confirmed for the Cure Bowl.
South Alabama and Eastern Michigan will be opponents at the 68 Ventures Bowl which is essentially a home game for the Jaguars.
Bowl tie-in? What bowl tie-in? UCF will face off against Duke in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Cuse gets USF at the Boca Bowl.
Bowling Green will have a chance against a Big Ten team as they will take on Minnesota at Ford Field in the Quick Lane Bowl.
Georgia Southern and Ohio will kick off Bowl Season in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Still more bowl announcements to come as the ACC is scrambling to fill bowl slots.
No surprise that UCLA will play at home (kind of) against Boise State in the LA Bowl sponsored by…ugh….Gronk.
In another “Fuck Tie-Ins” bowl matchup, the Famous Toastery (nee Bahamas) Bowl will have WKU face ODU.
The Alamo Bowl picks Oklahoma and Arizona. Should be, arugably, the best non-CFP/non-NY6 bowl game this season (at least on paper).
Kind of surprised that Tennessee is going to the Citrus Bowl over LSU. They will face Iowa which seemed to be heading there all along.
Northern Illinois will head to the Camellia Bowl to face Arkansas State.
James Madison will play their first ever bowl game in Fort Worth as they go to the Armed Forces Bowl to play Air Force in a double fuck the tie-ins setup.
Tulane is slotted into the Military Bowl.
Not surprisingly, SMU heads to BAW-stun and will probably play BC in the Fenway Bowl (although BC hasn’t been officially announced yet).
The American Conference does not have a Liberty Bowl tie-in. Who cares because Memphis plays there normally so they will stay at home during bowl season.
Still more bowl announcements to come during the next hour.
I should have stuck with my guns when I had Liberty going to the desert to face Oregon. Gotta trust my gut more.
Two Big Ten-SEC matchups in the Peach and Cotton Bowls. Expect the majority of the teams in the expanded playoff to be Big Ten or SEC teams. I’d be shocked if, going forward, they have less than seven teams in any playoff.
Let’s see if Florida State plays pissed off or just doesn’t care. Although, I guess you could say the same for the Dawgs who dropped from #1 to #6, unprecedented in the CFP four-team playoff era.
Citrus Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
LSU vs. Iowa
ReliaQuest Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Auburn vs. Northwestern
Arizona Bowl
MWC vs. MAC
Air Force vs. Bowling Green
Music City Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Tennessee vs. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Minnesota vs. Kansas State
Sun Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Miami vs. Oregon State
Gator Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Kentucky vs. NC State
Alamo Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Pop Tarts Bowl
ACC vs. Big XII
Louisville vs. Oklahoma State
Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten vs. ACC
Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Fenway Bowl
2 of ACC/AAC/C-USA
Boston College vs. SMU
Texas Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
Holiday Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Clemson vs. Utah
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Notre Dame vs. North Carolina
Military Bowl
ACC vs. AAC
Virginia Tech vs. Tulane
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2 of Big Ten/Big XII/MWC
UNLV vs. West Virginia
First Responder Bowl
2 of ACC/Big XII/AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA
Syracuse vs. Georgia Southern
Quick Lane Bowl
Big Ten vs. MAC
Duke vs. Toledo
Hawaii Bowl
AAC vs. MWC
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Las Vegas Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Maryland vs. USC
68 Ventures Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Troy vs. Ohio
Idaho Potato Bowl
2 of MWC/MAC/Sun Belt
Utah State vs. Georgia State
Armed Forces Bowl
Big XII vs. C-USA
Kansas vs. WKU
Birmingham Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
James Madison vs. Memphis
Camellia Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan
Gasparilla Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
South Alabama vs. USF
Boca Raton Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Marshall vs. UTSA
Frisco Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Texas State vs. Wyoming
Famous Toastery Bowl
MAC vs. C-USA
Arkansas State vs. UCF
Independence Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Texas Tech vs. California
LA Bowl
Pac-12 vs. MWC
UCLA vs. Boise State
New Mexico Bowl
2 of Group of Five
Fresno State vs. New Mexico State
Cure Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Rice vs. Northern Illinois
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State
Myrtle Beach Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Appalachian State vs. Miami-OH
The Idaho Potato Bowl has gone ahead and announced that it will be USU-GSU playing in freezing Boise.
New Mexico State will play close to home as they take on Fresno State in arch-rival New Mexico’s stadium in Albuquerque.
Get ready for an avalanche of bowl announcements over the next 90 minutes.
Unbelievable. Undefeated Power Five conference champion Florida State comes in at #5. The Committee actually put Bama at #4. I get that part of it is the Jordan Travis injury but a part of it is money and viewers. The Tide will bring in more viewers than the Noles. Plain and simple. I also believe this will end up being one of the straws that breaks the proverbial camel’s back for Florida State. I think they will look at this and wonder if the ACC, for football, makes any sense for them anymore, even with a twelve-team playoff looming. No matter what, The Committee’s choice was going to be earth-shattering from a college football perspective. Remember that.
Fiesta Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Oregon vs. Penn State
Orange Bowl
ACC Champ vs. Big Ten/Notre Dame/SEC
Florida State vs. Georgia
Peach Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Ohio State vs. Ole Miss
Cotton Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Missouri vs. Liberty
With Bama going up and the Noles moving down, this gets changed up. Florida State automatically gets the Orange Bowl nod, being the ACC champion. This moves a bunch of teams around and brings a team up from below.
The team to bring up comes down to Oklahoma and Ole Miss. My guess is it will be Ole Miss. Penn State will now go out west to face Oregon in the Fiesta, Ohio State moves to the Peach to face the Rebels and Liberty will go to JerryWorld to take on Mizzou.
Citrus Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
LSU vs. Iowa
ReliaQuest Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Auburn vs. Northwestern
Arizona Bowl
MWC vs. MAC
Fresno State vs. Bowling Green
Music City Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Tennessee vs. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Minnesota vs. Kansas State
Sun Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Miami vs. Oregon State
Gator Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Kentucky vs. NC State
Alamo Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Pop Tarts Bowl
ACC vs. Big XII
Louisville vs. Oklahoma State
Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten vs. ACC
Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Fenway Bowl
2 of ACC/AAC/C-USA
Boston College vs. SMU
Texas Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
Holiday Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Clemson vs. Utah
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Notre Dame vs. North Carolina
Military Bowl
ACC vs. AAC
Virginia Tech vs. Tulane
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2 of Big Ten/Big XII/MWC
UNLV vs. West Virginia
First Responder Bowl
2 of ACC/Big XII/AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA
Syracuse vs. Georgia Southern
Quick Lane Bowl
Big Ten vs. MAC
Duke vs. Toledo
Hawaii Bowl
AAC vs. MWC
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Las Vegas Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Maryland vs. USC
68 Ventures Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Troy vs. Ohio
Idaho Potato Bowl
2 of MWC/MAC/Sun Belt
Wyoming vs. Arkansas State
Armed Forces Bowl
Big XII vs. C-USA
Kansas vs. WKU
Birmingham Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
James Madison vs. Memphis
Camellia Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan
Gasparilla Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
South Alabama vs. USF
Boca Raton Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
UCF vs. UTSA
Frisco Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Texas State vs. Utah State
Famous Toastery Bowl
MAC vs. C-USA
Georgia State vs. New Mexico State
Independence Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Texas Tech vs. California
LA Bowl
Pac-12 vs. MWC
UCLA vs. Boise State
New Mexico Bowl
2 of Group of Five
Air Force vs. Marshall
Cure Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Rice vs. Northern Illinois
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State
Myrtle Beach Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Appalachian State vs. Miami-OH
Ole Miss going up to the NY6 and Louisville going down to regular Bowl Season meant a lot of changes, especially with the SEC coming nowhere close to filling their bowl tie-ins. Here are the changes:
LSU moves into the Citrus.
Auburn to the ReliaQuest.
The Vols to play at home at the Music City Bowl.
Minnesota will head to the Liberty because of the issue I just mentioned.
A bit of a lateral move for Kentucky: ReliaQuest to Gator.
Louisville to the Pop Tarts Bowl.
I decided to put Boston College at home in Fenway.
That puts Clemson out west in San Diego.
I know Notre Dame is kind of an ACC team when it comes to bowl selection but it wouldn’t surprise me if they were slotted in opposite another ACC team. I see that happening with the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Maybe I should have had BC in Boston and VaTech in the Military Bowl to begin with.
Syracuse now heads to Texas and the First Responder Bowl.
South Alabama to now go to the Gasparilla Bowl (although there is a possibility UCF goes there to do the War on I-4 with USF).
UCF still stays close to home, heading to Boca Raton.
Finally, App State, I have travelling south to Myrtle Beach.
Now, all of these things might not happen but I believe at least a few of them will, tie-ins be damned.
There will be another update after the New Year’s Six is revealed. If you don’t know, Twitter/X is fucking ridiculous right now as college football fans debate (more like argue) whether this was right or wrong and what the ramifications are.
Michigan has booked their spot after spanking Iowa. With Georgia’s loss, the Wolverines should be #1 and will probably head out west to the Rose Bowl. Big reason for that would be FSU falling to #4. I still think they get in over Alabama but man, they aren’t making it easy on The Committee. No matter what though, FSU or Bama, Michigan will not go to the Sugar Bowl to play either of them.
Fiesta Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Oregon vs. Missouri
Orange Bowl
ACC Champ vs. Big Ten/Notre Dame/SEC
Louisville vs. Georgia
Peach Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Penn State vs. Liberty
Cotton Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Alabama vs. Ohio State
A lot of talk about Alabama and Ohio State facing off in the Cotton Bowl. This meant moving Mizzou out to the Fiesta and having PSU and Liberty heading to Atlanta.
Louisville is pretty much a lock for the Orange Bowl as is Georgia. Nothing official yet and I won’t bold them yet but that will be the matchup in Miami.
Citrus Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Ole Miss vs. Iowa
ReliaQuest Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Kentucky vs. Northwestern
Arizona Bowl
MWC vs. MAC
Fresno State vs. Bowling Green
Music City Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
LSU vs. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Auburn vs. Kansas State
Sun Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Miami vs. Oregon State
Gator Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Tennessee vs. NC State
Alamo Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Pop Tarts Bowl
ACC vs. Big XII
Clemson vs. Oklahoma State
Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten vs. ACC
Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Fenway Bowl
2 of ACC/AAC/C-USA
Virginia Tech vs. SMU
Texas Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
Holiday Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Boston College vs. Utah
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Minnesota vs. North Carolina
Military Bowl
ACC vs. AAC
Notre Dame vs. Tulane
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2 of Big Ten/Big XII/MWC
UNLV vs. West Virginia
First Responder Bowl
2 of ACC/Big XII/AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA
UCF vs. Georgia Southern
Quick Lane Bowl
Big Ten vs. MAC
Duke vs. Toledo
Hawaii Bowl
AAC vs. MWC
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Las Vegas Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Maryland vs. USC
68 Ventures Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Troy vs. Ohio
Idaho Potato Bowl
2 of MWC/MAC/Sun Belt
Wyoming vs. Arkansas State
Armed Forces Bowl
Big XII vs. C-USA
Kansas vs. WKU
Birmingham Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
James Madison vs. Memphis
Camellia Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan
Gasparilla Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
Syracuse vs. USF
Boca Raton Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Appalachian State vs. UTSA
Frisco Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Texas State vs. Utah State
Famous Toastery Bowl
MAC vs. C-USA
Georgia State vs. New Mexico State
Independence Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Texas Tech vs. California
LA Bowl
Pac-12 vs. MWC
UCLA vs. Boise State
New Mexico Bowl
2 of Group of Five
Air Force vs. Marshall
Cure Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Rice vs. Northern Illinois
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State
Myrtle Beach Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
South Alabama vs. Miami-OH
No changes here but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some confirmations before Selection Sunday begins at Noon.
A little less than 24 hours from now, the entire bowl picture will be set. What will happen in the meantime? An absolute shit-ton. Let’s get to the latest projections.
Sugar Bowl
CFP #2 vs. CFP #3
Washington vs. Florida State
Rose Bowl
CFP #1 vs. CFP #4
Michigan vs. Texas
We have finally hit chaos. Alabama’s win over Georgia in the SEC Championship has made it so there is a very distinct possibility that the SEC misses out on the final four-team College Football Playoff. That’s if Florida State still wins, which is what I believe will happen. It is going to very close, though. It would take a lot to keep an undefeated Power Five conference champion out.
Fiesta Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Oregon vs. Penn State
Orange Bowl
ACC Champ vs. Big Ten/Notre Dame/SEC
Louisville vs. Georgia
Peach Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Ohio State vs. Missouri
Cotton Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Alabama vs. Liberty
SMU defeated Tulane for the American Championship but I think it likely won’t be enough to overtake Liberty, who will clinch Conference USA’s first New Year’s Six bid. Their reward? A pissed off Alabama who won’t get into the CFP.
Speaking of pissed off teams, Louisville will be in the Orange Bowl, win or loss. They get to face an angry Georgia team. I can see two blowouts already in these NY6 games.
Because Liberty is in instead of Tulane, that made it so teams had to move around. tOSU now would play Missouri and Oregon would face off against Penn State.
Citrus Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Ole Miss vs. Iowa
ReliaQuest Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Kentucky vs. Northwestern
Arizona Bowl
MWC vs. MAC
Fresno State vs. Bowling Green
Music City Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
LSU vs. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Auburn vs. Kansas State
Sun Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Miami vs. Oregon State
Gator Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Tennessee vs. NC State
Alamo Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Pop Tarts Bowl
ACC vs. Big XII
Clemson vs. Oklahoma State
Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten vs. ACC
Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Fenway Bowl
2 of ACC/AAC/C-USA
Virginia Tech vs. SMU
Texas Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
Holiday Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Boston College vs. Utah
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Minnesota vs. North Carolina
Military Bowl
ACC vs. AAC
Notre Dame vs. Tulane
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2 of Big Ten/Big XII/MWC
UNLV vs. West Virginia
First Responder Bowl
2 of ACC/Big XII/AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA
UCF vs. Georgia Southern
Quick Lane Bowl
Big Ten vs. MAC
Duke vs. Toledo
Hawaii Bowl
AAC vs. MWC
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Las Vegas Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Maryland vs. USC
68 Ventures Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Troy vs. Ohio
Idaho Potato Bowl
2 of MWC/MAC/Sun Belt
Wyoming vs. Arkansas State
Armed Forces Bowl
Big XII vs. C-USA
Kansas vs. WKU
Birmingham Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
James Madison vs. Memphis
Camellia Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan
Gasparilla Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
Syracuse vs. USF
Boca Raton Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Appalachian State vs. UTSA
Frisco Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Texas State vs. Utah State
Famous Toastery Bowl
MAC vs. C-USA
Georgia State vs. New Mexico State
Independence Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Texas Tech vs. California
LA Bowl
Pac-12 vs. MWC
UCLA vs. Boise State
New Mexico Bowl
2 of Group of Five
Air Force vs. Marshall
Cure Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Rice vs. Northern Illinois
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State
Myrtle Beach Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
South Alabama vs. Miami-OH
Boise State’s win in the Mountain West Championship locks them in to the LA Bowl. The likely opponent will be UCLA.
Tulane drops back into the Bowl Season set of games. I have them now in the Military Bowl which moves UTSA down to the Boca Raton Bowl. Ohio would now go to the 68 Ventures Bowl to face Troy. I’m sure none of this will be right in a little over twelve hours.
Enjoy the final two conference championships everyone!
I have to say it was a fun final regular season weekend of college football. Especially the Iron Bowl. What a ridiculous finish. Now we get into the postseason part of the season. So there has to be some chaos, right? Some upset? Any upset? Sure there were a few during the season but really the big upset has taken a big nap this year. And that’s part of college football. Not having those has taken something away from this season. Let’s hope this coming weekend can bring some of that chaos back. Fingers crossed. Let’s get on with the schedule.
Friday
Conference USA Championship: New Mexico State (+10.5) at #24 Liberty
7:00
This network continues to be smart in the way they figure out WHEN to put a game. They get an entire national audience for almost an entire half and then, if the game is close, many people will stick with it to the end. Brilliant. Plus, with the added possibility of seeing a potential New Year’s Six berth clinched here, it means they should get more eyeballs on this game than ever before. Prediction: This game is the biggest one, not only in Liberty’s history, but in Conference USA’s history. This is their chance to put a team in the New Year’s Six for the first time. The first part gets done this night. Liberty 39 New Mexico State 34.
Pac-12 Championship: #5 Oregon (-9.5) vs. #3 Washington (in Paradise, NV)
8:00
The final Pac-12 Championship and, arguably, the most important conference championship is being held on a Friday night starting at 5:00 local time. Hell, ESPN/ABC is sending their best crew to this. This feels like the final slap in the face to the Pac-12. Anyway, this is massive. The winner is a lock for the College Football Playoff and the loser gets relegated to the New Year’s Six. It’s that simple. Prediction: This is going to be an offensive showcase between two of the Heisman contenders in Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. The guy who wins, I believe, won’t be the Heisman winner. Although I guess there’s always a possibility Jayden Daniels wins it instead of either of these two. Washington 49 Oregon 38.
Saturday Early
Big XII Championship: #18 Oklahoma State (+14.5) vs. #7 Texas (in Arlington)
Noon
Easily the only game that matters early on. Texas has to win and get quite a bit of help to get into the College Football Playoff. They will know the lay of the land after the Pac-12 Championship, especially if Oregon wins since that will mean a better shot to join the party. Prediction: The Longhorns do what they need to do but will have to wait to see if it is enough. Texas 52 Oklahoma State 27.
MAC Championship: Miami-OH (+7.5) vs. Toledo (in Detroit)
Noon
Well, from the College Football Playoff rankings we now know that Toledo has no chance at the NY6, despite having an 11-1 record. Nothing will allow them to leapfrog Tulane, Liberty or SMU. I would say this is for a trip back to Detroit for the Quick Lane Bowl but even that is in doubt thanks to tie-ins that don’t even tie a conference in to a bowl game. Prediction: Should be close like their regular season matchup. Toledo 24 Miami-OH 20.
Saturday Afternoon
Mountain West Championship: Boise State (-2) at UNLV
3:00
Now that the strange computer rankings saga to figure out who would actually be in the conference championship game is over, we can focus ont the game itself. Really, they are probably playing for a spot in the LA Bowl but who the hell knows. It will be interesting to see how many people are in Allegiant Stadium as it hosts its second conference championship in less than 24 hours. Prediction: This isn’t on the Smurf Turf so you have to give the advantage to the Rebels here. UNLV 41 Boise State 38.
Sun Belt Championship: Appalachian State (+6.5) at Troy
4:00
Where does the winner go? Who the fuck knows anymore. Prediction: I will be thinking about how this would have been a hundred times better if James Madison was hosting Troy. Troy 34 Appalachian State 16.
SEC Championship: #8 Alabama (+5.5) vs. #1 Georgia (in Atlanta)
4:00
Is Georgia in no matter what? Probably although you never know how things will shake out with The Committee. Bama is going to have win this by like 50 to even get a glance from them as they are probably too far out to get their shot. Prediction: This is going to be really close and really good. I just feel it. Georgia 49 Alabama 42.
American Championship: SMU (+4) at #22 Tulane
4:00
Tulane goes back to the NY6 with a win in this one. But what happens if SMU wins? That is where the fun begins (as long as Liberty wins their game on Friday). I still believe that SMU would have to hope Liberty loses since there is no way to pass them but I could be wrong. Prediction: Tulane is heading back to the promised land but it won’t be easy. Tulane 41 SMU 34.
SWAC Championship: Prairie View A&M at Florida A&M
4:00
Florida A&M has been money since joining the SWAC. Honestly, I think Deion Sanders may have been right. Have all the MEAC schools join the SWAC. One huge mega-HBCU-conference. ESPN might not like that though because they have the Celebration Bowl on the opening day of Bowl Season and you know how ESPN is about their bowls. Even with the 12-team playoff they will want to add bowls so that 4-8 Houston can face 4-8 Colorado. Prediction: The Rattlers are going to beat the brakes off of Prairie View and move on to the Celebration Bowl where they will be in an uncomfortably close game with a team that’s not even close to their level in Howard. Like most of the Celebration Bowls. Florida A&M 56 Prairie View A&M 14.
Saturday Primetime
ACC Championship: #14 Louisville (+2.5) vs. #4 Florida State (in Charlotte)
8:00
All the FSU talk is about the loss of Jordan Travis. I get it. With him, you look like a national championship contender. Without him, not so much. Saying that, they know what they have to do. Win. Doesn’t matter how. Just win. And I wondered if they were going to be able to do that against this Cardinals team but after Louisville’s performance against Kentucky, I started to wonder about that. Prediction: The Noles do enough to win. The defense keeps the Cardinals offense at bay. FSU off to the CFP. Florida State 37 Louisville 27.
Big Ten Championship: #16 Iowa (+23) vs. #2 Michigan (in Indianapolis)
8:00
The spread is almost as high as the over/under for Iowa’s game last week against Nebraska. How sad/hilarious is that? Michigan is in with a win and maybe even with a loss depending on what has happened before this point. Prediction: Iowa has survived a lot of games with their defense. They won’t here. This could get ugly. Michigan 44 Iowa 10.
FCS Second Round: Southern Illinois at Idaho
10:00 PM
Hey, an added bonus! Some FCS playoff action! From what I can tell this may be close but we shall see since my FCS knowledge isn’t that great. And despite the fact they are playing in the awesome Kibbie Dome, wouldn’t it have been ten times more hilarious if this were outdoors…in Moscow, Idaho…in December? Oh my. Prediction: Watch this prediction be WAY off. Idaho 38 Southern Illinois 33.
We are almost at the end. It’s college football’s Judgment Day and it’s coming quickly. And we are slowly heading towards bowl season and the end of the college football season. So enjoy the games everyone!
Yep, firing season in college football has commenced! In what was, honestly, a shocking shitcanning, Texas A&M followed up an absolute drubbing of Mississippi State by keeping the good times going and firing Jimbo Fisher. Yes, Jimbo has been let go and will get $76 god damn million dollars as a buyout. Holy shit. Stupid me trying to be a teacher, then an accountant when the real money was in being a failed college football head coach. How dumb can I be?
Following that, Boise State announced that they, too, followed an easy win by firing their head coach. Andy Avalos was never really accepted in that position and he never kept the Broncos at the level everyone expects them to be. I guess that’s what happens: a long string of good seasons means expectations go up for everyone.
Then Mississippi State decided that Zach Arnett isn’t the right guy going forward and he was dismissed from his head coaching position. That one game put huge dents in two coaching staffs. Impressive.
Back to the Aggies situation, they now will have to hire someone after the season is over. As fucking hilarious as it would be to promote Bobby Petrino, they will definitely go outside the school in their search. And remember: the Texas A&M job is still a big one. So most coaches would love to have it. Right now I would put Mike Norvell, Mike Elko and Dan Lanning as 1A, 1B and 1C to be hired. Don’t rule out a guy like Lance Leipold, though. He has done amazing things at Kansas and will get a lot of looks in the offseason.
OK let’s get to the Bossman Top 26 which will probably not resemble the College Football Playoff rankings whatsoever:
#1
Georgia (10-0)
#2
Michigan (10-0)
#3
Washington (10-0)
#4
Oregon (9-1)
#5
Alabama (9-1)
#6
Ohio State (10-0)
#7
Florida State (10-0)
#8
Texas (9-1)
#9
Louisville (9-1)
#10
Missouri (8-2)
#11
Oregon State (8-2)
#12
Ole Miss (8-2)
#13
LSU (7-3)
#14
Tulane (9-1)
#15
Penn State (8-2)
#16
Utah (7-3)
#17
Oklahoma (8-2)
#18
James Madison (10-0)
#19
Arizona (7-3)
#20
Notre Dame (7-3)
#21
Tennessee (7-3)
#22
Liberty (10-0)
#23
North Carolina (8-2)
#24
Oklahoma State (7-3)
#25
Iowa (8-2)
#26
Kansas State (7-3)
There are five undefeated Power Five teams at the top. There could end up being four going into conference championship weekend. Something’s gotta give but honestly, will it? Georgia, Washington, Florida State and the Michigan/Ohio State winner in two weeks have clear paths to the playoff. Run the table and you’re in, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. If one falters, that’s where the fun begins. Also, yes I have Tulane at #14 and I’m sure The Committee will have them at like #23 at best. I know it pained them to have Cincinnati so high a couple years back and they never wanted to replicate that again. And if they have their choice, they still won’t even with the expanded playoff starting next season.
Now we turn to bowl projections which actually have a bit of meat to them now that we are closing in on the end of the regular season. Unless we see chaos (which I always hope for), many of these projections can be backed up with relatively easy answers. Let’s go!
Sugar Bowl
CFP #1 vs. CFP #4
Michigan vs. Washington
Rose Bowl
CFP #2 vs. CFP #3
Florida State vs. Georgia
I believe Michigan ends up winning The Game and then the Big Ten Championship. Florida State and Washington I have running the table. Georgia, I think, will have a hiccup this week against Tennessee but still end up winning the SEC Championship to move back into the Top 4. Pretty easy, right? Let’s see if the New Year’s Six predictions make just as much sense.
Fiesta Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Oregon vs. Memphis
Orange Bowl
ACC Champ vs. Big Ten/Notre Dame/SEC
Louisville vs. Ohio State
Peach Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Alabama vs. Penn State
Cotton Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Texas vs. Ole Miss
I’m sure one thing really stands out here so let’s get to that first.
Yes, I have Memphis winning the American and the Group of Five spot in the NY6. How does the current fourth-place team rise to the top? It starts with Memphis beating SMU this coming Saturday. Then Tulane defeats UTSA on the final weekend and, due to tiebreakers, the Tigers get the spot opposite Tulane. Then they pull the upset and beat the Green Wave to move up high enough to get the spot. That shouldn’t be too hard with James Madison ineligible, Liberty’s stupidly easy schedule and The Committee’s MAC disrespect which kills Toledo’s chances.
As for the rest, they are pretty self-explanatory. Louisville ends up losing the ACC Championship but is the best representative from the conference and gets the Orange Bowl spot. The Orange Bowl selects Ohio State as the top team left from the Big Ten or SEC. Oregon, Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss are almost shoo-ins at this point. I do think Penn State sneaks back into the Top 10 and passes Missouri to garner the final spot. Whether they face a pissed off Alabama or a Bama that doesn’t care would remain to be seen.
So far, so good. Nothing crazy (other than Memphis). I’m sure there could be some debate but it would be minor (other than Memphis). Let’s look at the rest of the bowl picture:
Citrus Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
LSU vs. Iowa
ReliaQuest Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Kentucky vs. Maryland
Arizona Bowl
MWC vs. MAC
Fresno State vs. Miami-OH
Music City Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Missouri vs. Kansas State
Sun Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Miami vs. Arizona
Gator Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Auburn vs. North Carolina
Alamo Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Oklahoma vs. Utah
Pop Tarts Bowl
ACC vs. Big XII
Notre Dame vs. Kansas
Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten vs. ACC
Rutgers vs. NC State
Fenway Bowl
2 of ACC/AAC/C-USA
Georgia Tech vs. Tulane
Texas Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Tennessee vs. Oklahoma State
Holiday Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Boston College vs. Oregon State
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
UCF* vs. Clemson
Military Bowl
ACC vs. AAC
Duke vs. UTSA
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2 of Big Ten/Big XII/MWC
Wyoming vs. Iowa State
First Responder Bowl
2 of ACC/Big XII/AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA
Syracuse vs. Texas Tech
Quick Lane Bowl
Big Ten vs. MAC
Illinois vs. Northern Illinois
Hawaii Bowl
AAC vs. MWC
Rice vs. Boise State
Las Vegas Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Minnesota vs. USC
68 Ventures Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Georgia Southern vs. WKU
Idaho Potato Bowl
2 of MWC/MAC/Sun Belt
UNLV vs. Marshall
Armed Forces Bowl
Big XII vs. C-USA
BYU vs. Utah State*
Birmingham Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
Louisiana* vs. Jacksonville State**
Camellia Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
South Alabama vs. Toledo
Gasparilla Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
James Madison** vs. Florida***
Boca Raton Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Appalachian State vs. Bowling Green
Frisco Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Arkansas State vs. North Texas***
Bahamas Bowl
MAC vs. C-USA
Ohio vs. New Mexico State
Independence Bowl
Big XII vs. AAC
West Virginia vs. SMU
LA Bowl
Pac-12 vs. MWC
UCLA vs. Air Force
New Mexico Bowl
2 of Group of Five
San Jose State vs. Texas State
Cure Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Coastal Carolina vs. Eastern Michigan
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Troy vs. Liberty
Myrtle Beach Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Georgia State vs. Central Michigan
A few notes on this:
One asterisk (*) means there weren’t enough bowl-eligible teams to fill that bowl slot. Two asterisks (**) means that all bowl-eligible teams have been slotted in a bowl game and there are still spots remaining. Three asterisks (***) means a team that gets in due to APR. That final one I have no idea how it will be filled since I don’t have a great idea as to the smarter schools compared to the not-so-smart schools.
James Madison and Jacksonville State are almost guaranteed bowl games. JMU is pretty much a lock since I can’t see many scenarios where all the bowl games are filled with bowl-eligible teams.
Remember, Notre Dame gets an ACC spot as long as they have one more win than a team they would be replacing….which is pretty much every team left in the ACC to slot into a bowl game.
The other Independents are not going bowling so that doesn’t really matter.
We are WAY too early to see bowl bids being accepted. And with the Bahamas Bowl having to be played in Charlotte there are no issues with issuing passports that would make it so bowl bids would have to be accepted in November. For this reason, I see no bowl bids going out until the first of December at the earliest.
Tomorrow night we have more MACtion. I will try my best to put out the college football TV schedule post tomorrow as well. Rankings will have to be edited in since the CFP rankings aren’t being released until 9:00 tomorrow night. Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!
Last year I decided to do some looking ahead in the middle of the season. Did it work out then? Eh. So why not try it again? What’s the worst that could happen? Why so many questions?
Will one of the surprise Group of Five teams keep things going into November? Air Force realistically has a clear path to 10-0 now. They end up with UNLV and Boise State and that’s where their mettle will be tested. If they don’t get there undefeated then they may not deserve that Group of Five New Year’s Six spot. James Madison, at this point, really has nothing to play for although that could be scary. They could run the table almost to spite the NCAA at this point. Finally, if things go awry for the AFA, JMU (and Liberty), watch out for Miami-Ohio. Quietly they are 6-1 and have the biggest game of the MAC season against the other 6-1 team in the conference, Toledo. Win that and they could conceivably go 11-1 and pout a lot of pressure on the top G-5 teams.
Is there anyone who will stop a Georgia-Alabama SEC Championship? Are there some small landmines left on UGA’s schedule? Sure. And now with Brock Bowers out for the season, any one of Tennessee, Missouri and, yes, Florida could upend the apple cart so to speak. Out in the SEC West, Bama has a much tougher road to hoe but if they can get through their next two games against the Vols and LSU, it might be clear sailing to Atlanta.
Can Penn State finally push through in the Big Ten East? Yes. This might be their best chance ever. They have to show that, though, this coming Saturday. Lose to Ohio State and forget about it. Win and they will make all Michigan fans nervous until their mega-matchup. This next month will define James Franklin’s tenure at State College.
Which conference will miss the College Football Playoff? Or will it be conferences…plural? If UGA and Bama make it to conference championship weekend undefeated then it will be two conferences being left out almost guaranteed. If not, then it will be a dogfight but I still worry about the Pac-12 and what feels like the inevitable cannibalization which has kind of already started. Washington is their best best but absolutely cannot lose more than one game the rest of the way.
The biggest upset the rest of the way will be…I am going to go with Oklahoma losing to either Oklahoma State in Bedlam or TCU on Black Friday. Something tells me they will not get through unscathed.
Now who will win the Heisman? Caleb Williams isn’t out of the race but man he looked awful in South Bend. Michael Penix Jr. is now the frontrunner but he will have to basically outlast Bo Nix, Jordan Travis, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy of all people who is slowly and efficiently powering Michigan through everyone on their schedule. This might be one of the tightest races in recent memory.
OK enough Nostradamusing….it’s sked time!
Tuesday
US
Canada
Middle Tennessee at Liberty
7:00
Southern Miss at South Alabama
7:30
WKU at Jacksonville State
7:30
Time for some CU(SA) Next Tuesday action as the two conference favourites play…in two separate games. Some Fun Belt action alongside it as well. I am so loving football every day for damn near two months.
Wednesday
US
Canada
FIU at Sam Houston
7:00
New Mexico State at UTEP
9:00
Maybe, just maybe, Sam Houston can finally get their first FBS win. Also, the Battle of I-10 (now a conference game!) is later on as the Aggies and Miners play for the Silver Spade. I also love these less-well-known trophy games. You can always tell it means a lot to these teams even if they don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things.
Thursday
US
Canada
James Madison at Marshall
7:00
Rice at Tulsa
7:00
NC Central at Morgan State
7:30
Easily the highlight of the weeknight games is the Dukes travelling to Huntington to face off against the Thundering Herd. I hope that JMU can get a waiver to go bowling because if they keep going like this they deserve it. Also, the first of two HBCU games this weekend that you can see up here. Other than Week Zero that is something that almost never happens.
Friday
US
Canada
SMU at Temple
7:00
Look, there’s nothing else on…maybe baseball. So hopefully this one gets weird.
Saturday Early
US
Canada
UCF at #6 Oklahoma
Noon
Boston College at Georgia Tech
Noon
Rutgers at Indiana
Noon
#22 Air Force at Navy
Noon
Western Michigan at Ohio
Noon
Mississippi State at Arkansas
Noon
Memphis at UAB
Noon
Norfolk State at Howard
Noon
#7 Penn State at #3 Ohio State
Noon
The absolute main course of the week goes off at noon hour with PSU and tOSU facing off. Many hate the fact these big games are on at Noon but I saw a tweet that said this is a good way to get people to watch college football all day as since they introduced the ABC Saturday Night game, viewers shifted their viewing habits and were watching the games starting 3:30 and after way more than the Noon games. Not anymore.
We also have a big Group of Five matchup as Air Force looks to continue their undefeated run in a Commander’s-In-Chief Trophy game against Navy. Finally, Rutgers (RUTGERS!) could clinch bowl-eligibility with a win over the lowly Indiana Hoosiers.
Saturday Afternoon
US
Canada
Washington State at #9 Oregon
3:30
Pittsburgh at Wake Forest
3:30
Northwestern at Nebraska
3:30
#17 Tennessee at #11 Alabama
3:30
USF at UConn
3:30
Oklahoma State at West Virginia
3:30
North Texas at #23 Tulane
3:30
Minnesota at #24 Iowa
3:30
South Carolina at #20 Missouri
3:30
Toledo at Miami-OH
4:00
#8 Texas at Houston
4:00
Could the Vols upset the Tide? It’s entirely possible considering how average Bama has sometimes been. Wazzu and Oregon face off in a Pac-12 elimination game of sorts. The two most surprising teams in the Big XII will try and keep their surprising runs going. Imagine one of Texas or Oklahoma loses out on a Big XII Championship spot in their final year in the conference because of Oklahoma State? Or even worse, West Virginia? Big XII fans would never let either school live it down.
Saturday Primetime
US
Canada
Virginia at #10 North Carolina
6:30
Utah State at San Jose State
7:00
#13 Ole Miss at Auburn
7:00
TCU at Kansas State
7:00
Appalachian State at Old Dominion
7:00
#16 Duke at #4 Florida State
7:30
#2 Michigan at Michigan State
7:30
Army at #19 LSU
7:30
Clemson at Miami
8:00
Georgia State at Louisiana
8:00
#14 Utah at #18 USC
8:00
The biggest game of the night is…*checks notes*…Florida State hosting Duke? DUKE? Yep. This could be a massive upset if the Blue Devils can pull it off. Also, let’s not understate that if the Noles win it counts as a big win and gives them another big push towards the College Football Playoff.
The rest of the primetime schedule features another Pac-12 elimination game. Imagine saying that the Trojans and Caleb Williams are eliminated from the Pac-12 race over a week before Halloween? Say that at the start of the season and some would have thought you were crazy.
Also, we have a potential Fight Night II as Michigan heads to East Lansing to face Baby Brother, the Spartans. If there’s even a sniff of a potential brawl it will get a lot of attention. I’m sure Captain Khaki will tell his players to steer clear of any of that shit because they have national championship aspirations and any suspensions could cause serious problems.
Saturday Late Night
US
Canada
#25 UCLA at Stanford
10:30
Montana State at Sacramento State
10:30
Wow this is….this is technically the late night schedule. Look, if the Montana State-Sac State game is anything like the Montana-Idaho game last Saturday night then this could be a fun one to watch.
Hey, Watch This!
Penn State at Ohio State (Noon, FOX) – There is no other game that could occupy this top spot. This is one of the three-team Big Ten East Round Robin Games of the Year (along with the games against Michigan) where one or even two teams will be eliminated from the CFP conversation for having the audacity to be in the same division as the other teams. A loss here doesn’t fully eliminate either team from contention as you will know from my preview posts back in August.
Duke at Florida State (7:30, ABC) – The Blue Devil Dream Season could hit a crescendo at around 11:00. Weeks after, arguably, their biggest win in program history over Clemson they could one-up that if they pull off the monumental upset here. On the other hand, Jordan Travis could re-introduce himself into the Heisman race if he can put on a big performance and lead FSU to victory.
Tennessee at Alabama (3:30, CBS) – Gee, I wonder who Gary Danielson will be pulling for in this one? Look, I am sure there are some people who are surprised that the Vols are only 6 spots behind the Tide in the rankings. You shouldn’t be. As I said above, Bama has looked entirely average at times this season (see their game against USF). Saying all that, this is still the Alabama Damn Crimson Tide and you know Nick Saban will have the players up for this game so UT can’t afford a slow start here.
Utah at USC (8:00, FOX) – If USC hadn’t played poorly last Saturday in South Bend and if the Utes hadn’t looked terrible against Oregon State a couple weeks back, this game could have been close to number one on the list. Instead, both squads will be fighting for their Pac-12 lives which is something no one figured for this game considering there is still more than a month left in the season.
Sickos Game of the Week
Northwestern at Nebraska (3:30, Big Ten Network) – This is why conference networks exist. To bury games like this far away from many eyes while still being able to say it’s being broadcast to a fairly wide audience. I can’t see there being much interest in this game anywhere, except for Wildcat and Cornhusker fans (and even then).
Hubba Bubba Blowout of the Week
Army at LSU (7:30, TSN+/SP) – There are speed bump games and then there is this. Unless LSU shits the bed, this is not going to end well for the Black Knights. So no, this is not a speed bump game or a lookahead game or anything else you want to call it. It will probably end up being a good old fashioned beatdown.
Wanna Bet?
Who called the Pitt upset? This fucking guy….I’m pointing at myself. Enough said. Let’s get on to this week’s picks!
UTEP 29 New Mexico State 23
Ohio State 34 Penn State 24
Air Force 39 Navy 38
Ohio 20 Western Michigan 16
Arkansas 21 Mississippi State 14
UAB 38 Memphis 35 (upset!)
Oklahoma State 27 West Virginia 23
Alabama 31 Tennessee 28
North Carolina 41 Virginia 33
Michigan 45 Michigan State 17
Florida State 30 Duke 13
USC 20 Utah 16
Louisiana 25 Georgia State 24
The Bossman Top 26!
It’s baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Yeah, I figured it was about time to whip out the Bossman Top 25 so here it is in all its….well, glory might be too strong a word…wait hold on…oh no. Not the Top 25. I’m going one better. Top 26, motherfuckers! Let’s ride!
#1
Georgia
#2
Michigan
#3
Ohio State
#4
Washington
#5
Florida State
#6
Penn State
#7
Oklahoma
#8
Alabama
#9
Oregon State
#10
Texas
#11
North Carolina
#12
Oregon
#13
Ole Miss
#14
Notre Dame
#15
Utah
#16
Tennessee
#17
USC
#18
LSU
#19
Duke
#20
Missouri
#21
Louisville
#22
Tulane
#23
UCLA
#24
Iowa
#25
Air Force
#26
James Madison
“Bossman, why don’t you have Michigan at #1?” “Bossman, why do you have Bama up at #8?” “Bossman, why don’t you have James Madison in the Top 25?” Look, I try to base this on how good a team is, their record, and who they have played. You could exchange Air Force and JMU and it makes not a lick of difference. You could flip flop Georgia and Michigan. You could have Oregon State above Alabama. You could do all these things, sure. And it may end up working out that way. I find it much easier (now) to start the rankings in the middle of the season because I have a better idea of where most of the teams should be. Plus I know that all the big games coming up will actually alter how the season plays out, something that can’t be done with a preseason poll.
Football every day, folks. FOOTBALL….EVERY DAMN DAY! Until American Thanksgiving Eve. Embrace it. Everyone have a great rest of the week and enjoy the games!
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