2023 Bowl Game Rankings and Predictions for those Bowl Games!

We are a little over a week away from Christmas. You have your Bowl Season schedule and now you need some Bowl Game rankings and Bowl Game predictions from your friendly neighbourhood Bossman.

Time to go back to basics…I think? After introducing the Play-by-Play Announcer Scale last year we are heading back in time to the broadcasting network scale. An oldie but a goodie but since much has changed in the past few years, there are a couple of newbies and some networks that just don’t broadcast college football anymore. So let’s get right into this!

Now one thing that will change is this will be in tiers. 8 tiers like last year but with networks instead of announcers. Let’s fucking go!

The ABC Saturday Night Tier

Game of the Year type games right here. The games that matter. In this day and age that means the College Football Playoff and the New Year’s Six.

Rose Bowl – #1 Michigan vs. #4 Alabama (Jan. 1, 5:00, TSN3) – This will get a lot of viewers. I am starting to wonder if ESPN kind of helped with all the controversy to get even more people to watch. Let’s be honest: these two teams may be the two most hated college football teams in the land right now. And they are both just fine with that. Expect this to be a very close and very exciting game. My pick: Michigan 36 Alabama 31.

Sugar Bowl – #2 Washington vs. #3 Texas (Jan. 1, 8:45, TSN3) – They should have had the Rose and Sugar as the College Football Playoff semi-finals from the get-go. But it’s college football so they sometimes trip over themselves figuring things out. They still haven’t learned from having games on New Year’s Eve where the ratings, while still good, were probably much lower than they could have been. Normally one CFP semi-final is a fair amount worse than the other. This is the case this year and it has nothing to do with the Huskies or the Longhorns. At least it feels like both game will be really good because it’s rough to watch a CFP game get out of hand (see 2022 national championship). My pick: Washington 27 Texas 24.

Peach Bowl – #10 Penn State vs. #11 Ole Miss (Dec. 30, Noon, TSN5) – Two teams with head coaches that their fanbase doesn’t fully trust. I kind of get it but, because it’s college football, many go overboard. I mean who is going to State College or Oxford and doing a lot better than James Frankin or Lane Kiffin are? It would be a tough sell at Penn State to get a truly elite coach and even tougher at Ole Miss. Honestly, both coaches will probably be around through the end of next season so fans might as well focus on this game and stop talking about their next hypothetical coach. My pick: Penn State 21 Ole Miss 14.

Orange Bowl – #5 Florida State vs. #6 Georgia (Dec. 30, 4:00, TSN1/5) – This bowl has gone off the rails and it’s two weeks away. Now we have some Georgia lawmaker wanting to make the Orange Bowl another semi-final. So how the fuck is that going to work, Jethro? The winners get together for a hot game of rock, paper, scissors? Or maybe a three-way Cage of Death match up in Barrow, Alaska. Televised LIVE by ESPN AND NO ONE ELSE of course. What a fucking shitshow. I’m almost ready for the 2024 season to start so we can be done with this season. My pick: Georgia 35 Florida State 25.

Alamo Bowl – #12 Oklahoma vs. #14 Arizona (Dec. 28, 9:15, TSN3) – Well hey look at this. Not a CFP bowl and not an NY6 bowl! I say it almost every year but the Alamo Bowl, on paper, is one of, if not the very, best bowl games outside the major bowls. I wonder what will happen with the tie-ins with the Pac-12 being history. Either way, a great game to watch even if you end up exhausted at work the next day. My pick: Arizona 42 Oklahoma 39.

The SEC on CBS Tier

I’m shedding a tear right now looking at that logo. Long live the SEC on CBS. Things will never be the same again.

Cotton Bowl – #7 Ohio State vs. #9 Missouri (Dec. 29, 8:00, TSN2) – One team who was one win away from being in the College Football Playoff against one team who played way better than anyone expected. I can’t see this game being done before Midnight. Thankfully it’s Saturday the next day. We shall see if the absence of Kyle McCord really does affect the Buckeyes. I think it will. My pick: Missouri 34 Ohio State 20.

Armed Forces Bowl – James Madison vs. Air Force (Dec. 23, 3:30, ABC/TSN2) – The best pre-Christmas bowl game and of course it features America’s (Eastern) Team, the James Madison Dukes (America’s (Western) Team resides in Las Cruces as you already know). As for the Falcons, talk about a horrible slide to end their season. They were at the top of the Group of Five mountain going into November and by Selection Sunday were an afterthought. My pick: James Madison 31 Air Force 10.

Pop Tarts Bowl – #18 NC State vs. #25 Kansas State (Dec. 38, 5:45, TSN3) – This has to be the bowl game with the most questions. Nothing to do with the two teams involved who did very well this season but were one or two bad losses away from causing potential chaos. No, I’m talking about the edible Pop Tarts Bowl mascot. You read that right. Edible. Mascot. We don’t even know what flavour it is. Watch it be a really shitty flavour like blueberry or the disappointing chocolate fudge one or grass and dirt. Wait, there’s a pumpkin pie one? That one then. Ugh, just the thought of that makes my stomach churn. My pick: Kansas State 36 NC State 28.

Fiesta Bowl – #8 Oregon vs. #23 Liberty (Jan. 1, 1:00, TSN3) – The worst of the New Year’s Six games and it’s really not even close. That seems to be the take everyone has, partly because Oregon is one win over Washington from being in the playoff and partly because many hate Liberty because of the university itself. Ugh. Oh well, I’d love to say this could be close. I just don’t think it will be. My pick: Oregon 52 Liberty 28.

Citrus Bowl – #17 Iowa vs. #21 Tennessee (Jan. 1, 1:00, ABC/TSN+) – It must look weird to have an Iowa game here but hey, the Iowa defense was one of the best in the country. Sure they couldn’t score for the life of them but defense wins championships, right? It feels like football is trying to do away with that adage. Look, at least the over/under isn’t as ridiculous as the last few Hawkeye games this season (it’s 36.5 the last time I checked which is still low but I digress). My pick: Tennessee 21 Iowa 14.

The Big Noon Kickoff Tier

Really good games that are approaching the SEC on CBS level except when they end up showing Indiana or Nebraska playing a team like Ohio State. Then it’s not so fun and you fear for Gus and Joel’s sanity.

Holiday Bowl – #15 Louisville vs. USC (Dec. 27, 8:00, FOX) – Of course the BNK section has to have the only FOX bowl game. I’m just happy they don’t have a bowl game on FOX Sports One anymore. Sure I can watch it but many Canadians can’t and I am a man of the people. Anyway, GUS won’t get to call any Caleb Williams on-field action because he’s not playing. Between players opting out and players transferring before bowl games, Bowl Season is becoming, I hate to say, a bit of a mess. Hopefully someone fixes it. They won’t though. My pick: Louisville 36 USC 19.

Guaranteed Rate Bowl – Kansas vs. UNLV (Dec. 26, 9:00, TSN2) – UNLV has been better than advertised this season. Barry Odom has done an unbelievable job in Vegas. And you know my thoughts on Lance Leipold and the direction of the Jayhawk football program. Hell, the renovations are going to be so big that it may cause them to have to play at least one game at Arrowhead Stadium next season. That wouldn’t have happened with the 2010s Kansas Jayhawks. This may end up being one of the most fun games to watch. My pick: Kansas 31 UNLV 27.

Duke’s Mayo Bowl – North Carolina vs. West Virginia (Dec. 27, 5:30, TSN5) – I don’t usually like picking sides. But there is something intriguing about the idea of Mack Brown being buried in Duke’s Mayo. OK wait, buried was the wrong word. I didn’t mean… My pick: North Carolina 45 West Virginia 42.

Liberty Bowl – Memphis vs Iowa State (Dec. 29, 3:30, TSN2) – This could be a bit of a track meet game if the Tigers get rolling in front of their home crowd. What I’m saying is: take the over. My pick: Memphis 49 Iowa State 40.

Sun Bowl – #16 Notre Dame vs. #19 Oregon State (Dec. 29, 2:00, CBS) – At one point this was going to be THE non-CFP/non-NY6 bowl game. Then we have D.J. Uiagalelei transferring. Jonathan Smith is now head coach at Michigan State. Sam Hartman might not play for the Irish. From a game that looked like it would be loaded with points, it might not end up being that way now. My pick: Notre Dame 23 Oregon State 21.

The Notre Dame and/or B1G on NBC Tier

Notre Dame games still hold a lot of reverance for fans and the Big Ten will slowly make their mark, especially with Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge calling their games.

Arizona Bowl – Wyoming vs. Toledo (Dec. 30, 4:00, The CW) – Yes the C Fucking W. They may go down in the list of notable networks that have broadcast bowl games like Mizlou Network and the American Sports Network. This bowl is sponsored by Barstool Sports so many won’t watch it just for that. I do kind of get it since it’s like watching a game at one of those sportsbooks in Vegas with 10,000 screens and odds on everything and anything. But it could end up being a good game and I don’t want to miss that, right? My pick: Toledo 33 Wyoming 27.

Cure Bowl – Appalachian State vs. Miami-OH (Dec. 16, 3:30, ABC/TSN2) – Even though it’s on ABC it might be overshadowed by other bowl games. Which is too bad since we have the MAC champs and the Mountaineers that are back after missing Bowl Season last year (in one of the craziest seasons in Sun Belt history). Don’t sleep on this matchup despite the fact it could be a bit of a defensive slugfest. Like if you enjoy Iowa football this may be your type of game. My pick: Appalachian State 20 Miami-OH 18.

ReliaQuest Bowl – #13 LSU vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 1, Noon, TSN+/specialty pack) – The first football game of 2024 is also the first game on this list that is on TSN+ and the specialty packs. Also, if Heisman winner Jayden Daniels does decide to play, this shouldn’t be cloase at all. My pick: LSU 48 Wisconsin 13.

Music City Bowl – Auburn vs. Maryland (Dec. 30, 2:00, ABC/TSN+) – Auburn has been all over the place this year. The highs are always high playing in the SEC. The lows can be very low although a loss to New Mexico State doesn’t look as bad as some may think. This is the younger Tagovailoa’s final game at Maryland and I think he goes out with a bang against an inconsistent Tigers team. My pick: Maryland 49 Auburn 29.

Gator Bowl – #22 Clemson vs. Kentucky (Dec. 29, Noon, TSN2) – If the Tigers hadn’t had a hell of a November, this may have been an even matchup. But it won’t be. At least I doubt it. My pick: Clemson 41 Kentucky 15.

The Late Night ESPN Tier

Jesus Christ that looks horrible. Oh well, I don’t feel like finding another logo. Basically this tier is the ESPN game that’s not the SEC primetime ESPN game of the week. So it could be the Noon, 3:30 or late night affair. So still a pretty good game but a step below the rest.

Independence Bowl – Texas Tech vs. California (Dec. 16, 9:15, TSN+/specialty pack) – This feels like an odd pairing in Shreveport of all places. Maybe next season they can get the Sun Belt champ to play an SEC team here, like God (or the Bossman in various posts) intended. I’m going with the team that scratched and clawed their way to bowl eligibility and have a bit of momentum as they head to the ACC. My pick: California 41 Texas Tech 27.

LA Bowl – UCLA vs. Boise State (Dec. 16, 7:30, ABC/TSN2) – This is going up against the rest of opening day of Bowl Season plus a few NFL games plus a couple of lower-level playoff games. So, yeah this isn’t exactly high up on anyone’s list of appointment viewing I’m sure. Considering Gronk is involved, my interest has dwindled even farther. Maybe it will be close and keep my attention. I don’t think it will be though. My pick: Boise State 39 UCLA 26.

New Mexico Bowl – Fresno State vs. New Mexico State (Dec. 16, 5:45, TSN+/specialty pack) – Hey it’s America’s (Western) Team, the New Mexico State Aggies! They ended up giving Liberty quite the run for the Conference USA Championship. They get a head coach-less Bulldogs squad that had the inside track to the Mountain West Championship and blew it because of a loss to, well how about that, New Mexico. The script writes itself. My pick: New Mexico State 44 Fresno State 31.

Texas Bowl – Texas A&M vs. #20 Oklahoma State (Dec. 27, 9:00, TSN5) – Usually this game has been a fairly good one so at least we have that going for it. Problem is you have a team that might not have one of the best running backs in the nation for the game up against a team that just spent a shit-ton of money to get rid of their old coach. It will be close only because neither team will be able to pull away. My pick: Texas A&M 28 Oklahoma State 23.

Birmingham Bowl – Duke vs. Troy (Dec. 23, Noon, ABC/TSN2) – This was looking like a really even game and the kind of game I love to see during bowl season. Instead, Duke loses their quarterback and I have a feeling the Trojans will run away with this one. My pick: Troy 36 Duke 20.

The FS1/ESPN2/ESPNU/SEC Network/ACC Network Tier

If you’re a college football fan you are watching these games. If not, well………

Fenway Bowl – Boston College vs. SMU (Dec. 28, 11:00 AM, TSN3) – It’s late morning football in what should be chilly BAW-stun. This could be considered the Mustangs’ first ACC game as they join the conference next season. I believe they will show the Eagles why they were coveted by the conference. My pick: SMU 48 Boston College 21.

Gasparilla Bowl – Georgia Tech vs. UCF (Dec. 22, 6:30, TSN5) – I don’t get the start time but whatever. The Knights have to consider their first season in the Big XII a success as they go bowling. And Brent Key may have just started the Ramblin’ Wreck’s ascent back up the ACC standings. This should be another good one but I will go with the home cookin’. My pick: UCF 22 Georgia Tech 17.

Hawaii Bowl – Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State (Dec. 24, 10:30, TSN+/specialty pack) – Coastal has had a great run recently so this season feels…a little blah by their now lofty standards. Much of that has to do with the rest of the conference catching up and, for some teams, passing them. I honestly have no real intuition about this game so I will pick the team that doesn’t have to travel clear across the entire country and then half the Pacific Ocean. My pick: San Jose State 45 Coastal Carolina 24.

New Orleans Bowl – Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State (Dec. 16, 2:15, TSN+/specialty pack) – The Ragin’ Cajuns are close to home where they have played in front of some good bowl game crowds at the Superdome. But the Gamecocks are playing in their first bowl game ever and are doing it with RichRod at the helm! No offense to Cajun fans but I have to go with my heart. My pick: Jacksonville State 36 Louisiana 28.

Military Bowl – Virginia Tech vs. Tulane (Dec. 27, 2:00, TSN5) – I am shocked at how well the Hokies did this season. And I was so close at getting my G-5 NY6 pick correct but the Green Wave fell in the American Conference Championship. I usually don’t feel good about teams whose coaches have left for (usually) greener pastures but I think this will be a very close and competitive game. My pick: Tulane 30 Virginia Tech 29.

The CW Tier

When it was announced The CW would be doing an ACC game most weeks, most laughed. I sure did. But holy shit, despite the average commentary, the sub-HD look and the overall lack of production values, they had a few games that hit it out of the park. So you can’t sleep on this station because you might miss a really good game!

Pinstripe Bowl – Rutgers vs. Miami (Dec. 28, 2:15, TSN3) – Ah, an old Big East showdown. Maybe years from now, when conferences hit 28 teams, some teams start to hate it and they break off into smaller conferences, like the Big East. Just a thought. I don’t trust Mario Cristobal to coach this team to a bowl victory as far as I can throw my car. My pick: Rutgers 34 Miami 19.

First Responder Bowl – Rice vs. Texas State (Dec. 26, 5:30, TSN2) – G.J. Kinne has done a fantastic job in San Marcos, coaching the team to its first bowl game ever. Rice did better than expected and could look even better next year in the AAC. This feels like the kind of game that should be on ESPNU that everyone will turn to because there’s the possibility of a fantastic finish. My pick: Texas State 45 Rice 39.

Las Vegas Bowl – Northwestern vs. Utah (Dec. 23, 7:30, ABC/TSN2) – Got to give the Wildcats kudos for a great season considering what things were looking like heading into it. But they are facing a Utah team that, if it weren’t for injuries, would have been in that super dogfight at the top of the Pac-12. I still think the Utes on most nights are safe pick and this is no exception. My pick: Utah 31 Northwestern 10.

Myrtle Beach Bowl – Georgia Southern vs. Ohio (Dec. 16, 11:00 AM, TSN+/specialty pack) – Ohio has Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke here so…wait…they don’t? Looks like Rourke entered the transfer portal and has already been picked up by Indiana of all the teams. So my Bobcats pick has to be changed to an Eagles pick since without Rourke I don’t think they have a shot here. My pick: Georgia Southern 32 Ohio 13.

Frisco Bowl – UTSA vs. Marshall (Dec. 19, 9:00, TSN3) – This is the same spot the Frisco Bowl was in last year. So yeah it’s not like they are getting amazing teams to come to Frisco (other than North Dakota State most seasons). At least it’s another Texas team here as the Roadrunners meep their way up the state to face the Thundering Herd. I see Frank Harris, in what his finally his final game, lighting it up one last time. My pick: UTSA 51 Marshall 27.

The Pac-12 Network Tier

They should have taken the two worst teams in football and had them play a “bowl game” on a weeknight at 11 Eastern on the Pac-12 Network. Just to show how little that conference network mattered. I don’t get it. You create a conference network and make it available to most people and people will watch. Hell, the Longhorn Network is still around and that thing is garbage. Yet, this network will die sometime in the late Spring (I assume) and pretty much no one will miss it because they COULDN’T FUCKING WATCH IT! Man. Anyway, this is the bottom tier. Still games I will watch but if you miss them it’s not the end of the world (at least watch the highlights though).

Famous Toastery Bowl – Old Dominion vs. WKU (Dec. 18, 2:30, TSN1/3) – This was supposed to be the Bahamas Bowl but because of renovations to their only stadium on the island capable of hosting this game, it had to be moved. Thus is the creation of the Famous Toastery Bowl. My hope is that the winning coach gets a whole whack of toast dumped on him. Or even French toast. Ugh that would be so sticky (especially if you include syrup which you should) but would be worth it for my entertainment. The game? It will probably be close only because these two are arguably the worst two teams to make bowl season. The closeness keeps it from the bottom. My pick: Old Dominion 23 WKU 20.

Camellia Bowl – Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois (Dec. 23, Noon, TSN+/specialty pack) – Despite the fact ASU has done better than I thought they would this season, their defense is still atrocious. They couldn’t stop a slight breeze. NIU loves to run the ball so despite the clock always moving this could see a lot of points. My pick: Northern Illinois 50 Arkansas State 38.

Idaho Potato Bowl – Utah State vs. Georgia State (Dec. 23, 3:30, TSN+/specialty pack) – Let’s follow one lowly bowl with another. Sometimes Boise gets a great matchup. This, I’m sure, does not qualify as one. GSU limped into the postseason on a 5-game losing streak. Make it six. My pick: Utah State 37 Georgia State 13.

Quick Lane Bowl – Minnesota vs. Bowling Green (Dec. 26, 2:00, TSN2) – Almost everything about this spot on the list is the same as last year. Same bowl. Bowling Green is in it. It’s on Boxing Day. Hell, it’s on a TSN station and only half-an-hour earlier than last year’s edition. Kind of creepy. I remember a time when the MAC champion would go here and face a fairly decent Big Ten team. I guess those days are gone. My pick: Minnesota 21 Bowling Green 14.

Boca Raton Bowl – Syracuse vs. USF (Dec. 21, 8:00, TSN+/specialty pack) – USF might get a boost from being so close to home. That is until their defense hits the field and they have to try to stop the pass which they couldn’t all season. Look, their game against Alabama was wild and fun to watch but Bama struggled to throw the ball all day. Syracuse won’t. My pick: Syracuse 45 USF 14.

68 Ventures Bowl – South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan (Dec. 23, 7:00, TSN+/specialty pack) – Different name, same shitty bowl game. This is the second straight year the former LendingTree Bowl ends up in the bottom spot on my list. Even the Jag-you-ares playing in front of a home crowd isn’t enough to pull this out from the bottom rung of the ladder. I like EMU but this won’t be even remotely close. My pick: South Alabama 44 Eastern Michigan 9.

There you go! Bowl schedule, bowl rankings, bowl predictions: all complete. All there is now to do is watch the games.

As an add-on, there are some lower-level playoff games. Hell, let’s do another mini-schedule right here!

FCS Semi-Final: UAlbany at South Dakota State	Friday, 7:00
Division III Championship: Cortland vs. North Central (in Salem, VA)	Friday, 7:00
Celebration Bowl: Howard vs. Florida A&M (in Atlanta)	Saturday, Noon
Division II Championship: Harding vs. Colorado School of Mines (in McKinney, TX)	Saturday, 1:00
FCS Semi-Final: North Dakota State at Montana	Saturday, 4:30

All of these games are on TSN+ and the specialty pack except for the Celebration Bowl which goes to ABC.

It looks like other than one game, your boy Bossman can watch every game if he wishes. I most definitely will, thank you very much. And you too…enjoy the games. We’re almost ready to wrap up this season of college football season so get as much viewing in as you can.

What a Mess (and the Week 14 NFL TV schedule)

OK where do I begin here with the MILF Hunter? So The Athletic (I won’t say much about that website other than they believe much more highly of themselves than they probably should) reports that Zach Wilson does not want to start for the Jets. Would I blame him? No. The Jets O-line is basically papier-mache. Saying that, he’s a professional athlete and it is EXTREMELY rare to find the one that does not want to compete. And Wilson isn’t that guy.

So after seeing Tim Boyle (TIM FUCKING BOYLE) start and Trevor Siemian pass Wilson as the backup, Jets head coach Robert Saleh has finally seen the light (kind of) and put Wilson back under centre as the starting quarterback. Boyle has been released (and shouldn’t have got a shot in the first place) and Siemian can be the experienced backup. If…IF the Jets can somehow win their next three games, don’t be surprised if a certain recurring guest on the Pat McAfee Show makes his long-awaited return. That’s also if the Jets aren’t mathematically eliminated at that point as well which is a dicey proposition in the AFC as you will see later in this post. Look, the Jets do have a somewhat bright future if they can get some O-line help and have Rodgers for a full season. Barring that, it’s more agony for fans of the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets.

Huh, that’s two Jets introductions in a row. Must be a record. OK now let’s get to the schedule which does include the Jets and a very weird occurrence that’s never happened before.

American Networks

Jacksonville at Cleveland	1:00	All affiliates (except Burlington)
Houston at NY Jets	1:00	Burlington
Detroit at Chicago	1:00		Detroit
LA Rams at Baltimore	1:00		Buffalo, Rochester, Watertown, Burlington, Boston, Presque Isle
Seattle at San Francisco	4:05		Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane
Minnesota at Las Vegas	4:05		Minneapolis
Buffalo at Kansas City	4:25	All affiliates

Canadian Networks

Jacksonville at Cleveland	1:00	Vancouver, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Ottawa	Windsor, London, Toronto, Atlantic
Houston at NY Jets	1:00		Ottawa
LA Rams at Baltimore	1:00	Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Toronto, Montreal, Atlantic	Vancouver Island, Alberta
Detroit at Chicago	1:00			TSN1, TSN4
Indianapolis at Cincinnati	1:00			TSN+
Seattle at San Francisco	4:05		Vancouver Island, Alberta	TSN1, TSN3, TSN4
Minnesota at Las Vegas	4:05	Winnipeg
Buffalo at Kansas City	4:25	All affiliates (except Winnipeg)

Primetime Games

New England at Pittsburgh	Thursday, 8:15, Amazon Prime, FOX Boston, CTV2, TSN 1/+
Philadelphia at Dallas	Sunday, 8:15, NBC, CTV, TSN 1/4/5/+
Green Bay at NY Giants	Monday, 8:15, ABC, TSN 3/+
Tennessee at Miami	Monday, 8:15, TSN 1/+

Just a Bunch of Schedule Notes

• The games that will not appear on Canadian television networks (or American ones you can view) unless you have Sunday Ticket or RedZone:
  • Tampa Bay at Atlanta
  • Denver at LA Chargers
  • Carolina at New Orleans
• Oh, the NFC South. The worst division in football. And all four teams are not being shown here. Sounds like justice to me.
• So you notice something about Monday night? Yeah, two games going on at the same time. The only thread between them? The ManningCast which is on TSN+. Get that, you can watch Peyton and Eli and whatever stupid guests they have try to watch and analyze two games at once. Interesting idea and again it’s a lookahead towards when the NFL expands (and they will expand, make no mistake about it).
• The Thursday Nighter. My god. The schedule maker must have thought this was hilarious. Then again, I don’t think he could have even envisioned two offenses so woeful. At least the Steelers got rid of Matt Canada and are opening up somewhat on the offensive side of the ball. The Pats? They might as well tank at this point and get that long snapper quarterback of the future since Mac Jones ain’t it.
• The Bills and the Chiefs get a national audience this week which is nice to see (only one really…Jags-Browns are close but no cigar). Now while the two teams are only two games apart in the standings, it feels like they are miles apart on how good they really are. The Chiefs are doing OK by recent KC standards but the Bills have been terrible at times. Just don’t have the Chiefs needing to score with 13 seconds to go since it might send the Bills (and their fans) over the edge.

Updated playoff picture time bitches!

AFC	NFC
#1 Miami (9-3)	#1 Philadelphia (10-2)
#2 Baltimore (9-3)	#2 San Francisco (9-3)
#3 Kansas City (8-4)	#3 Detroit (9-3)
#4 Jacksonville (8-4)	#4 Atlanta (6-6)
Wild Cards:	Wild Cards:
#5 Pittsburgh (7-5)	#5 Dallas (9-3)
#6 Cleveland (7-5)	#6 Minnesota (6-6)
#7 Indianapolis/Houston (7-5)	#7 Green Bay/LA Rams/Seattle (6-6)

Not quite three-quarters of the way through the season but with 17 games there is no way to do fractions nicely so let’s just say we are in the home stretch. It’s December. Close enough. No one has clinched yet but there will be opportunities as I will state below. The NFC South is a complete fucking mess and I hate to say this but I hope the, ugh, Cowboys mop the fucking floor with whoever wins that sorry division. Pains me to even type that but I believe it.

Might as well get right to clinching scenarios. As you know, I do not include ties until the final week of the regular season and even then, only if I absolutely have to since otherwise the amount of scenarios goes through the roof. Let us begin.

Playoff Berth

• Philadelphia clinches with a win AND (an LA Rams loss OR a Seattle loss OR (a Minnesota loss AND a Green Bay loss) OR (a Green Bay loss AND a Detroit loss))
• Dallas clinches with a win AND a Detroit win AND a Tampa Bay loss AND a Seattle loss AND (an LA Rams loss OR a New Orleans loss) AND a Green Bay loss AND a Minnesota loss
• San Francisco clinches with a win AND (a Minnesota loss OR a Green Bay loss)

Elimination

• Arizona is eliminated with an LA Rams win AND a Green Bay win
• New England is eliminated with a loss OR a Houston win OR a Cincinnati win OR (a Las Vegas win AND a Buffalo win)

OK that Dallas scenario is insane. Would be fun if it happened!

Everyone have a great rest of the week and enjoy the games…even tonight’s affair.

Oh man, here we go again

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just For You

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

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

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

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

Geogpraphy, Go Eat a Dick

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

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

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

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

Deep Tissue Massage and/or Analysis

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

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

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

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

Belly Expansions

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

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

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

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

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

California Nightmarin’

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

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

Hey, what happened in the NFL offseason? Probably nothing.

Oh wait, it’s the NFL…all sorts of shit happens in the offseason. It’s a year-long drama with this league. Even soap operas look at some of this stuff and say “that’s unrealistic.”

Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback (and I use that term this season loosely) will be suspended for the first eleven games of the 2022 NFL season because of his issue with masseuses. Big issues. Bad issues. “If they’re true” some will say. I don’t remember players in football getting suspended for more than half a season for something they didn’t do.

Tom Brady decided to retire then got pissy because Adam Schefter broke the news too early I guess. So he unretired. There’s more to it but still, I am 99.9% sure that’s part of it.

Sean Payton is no longer the coach of the New Orleans Saints. You watch that movie about him going to coach his son’s team while he was suspended for a year? He was played by Kevin James. It was not good.

Brian Flores sued the NFL for racial discrimination. It will be interesting to see where this goes as it’s not a good look for the league. Now if he sued Dolphins owner Stephen Ross for being a complete shitbag, then he’d win no problem.

Aaron Rodgers again played coy and acted like he’d leave the Green Bay Packers. He didn’t although he very well could have and made a lot of many elsewhere. A-A-Ron also knows that Matt LaFleur will put up with his bullshit for another season so that helps.

Receivers now making crazy money, Russell Wilson out of Seattle, Baker Mayfield out of Cleveland (and no more commercials from that stadium I assume), Matt Ryan ending up in Indy, Washington getting a new team name and still being a gongshow of an organization, the playoff overtime format changing (thankfully) and many other things happened as well. So yeah…calm.

OK enough of all that because we are almost ready for the NFL season! September 8th, the Bills travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams to start the new season. I am very much looking forward to this and you might see why from the upcoming predictions. Let’s get right to them (as per usual, an * means that team was able to snag a Wild Card spot…good for them):

AFC East		NFC East
Buffalo	13-4	Philadelphia	10-7
New England	9-8	Dallas*	10-7
Miami	9-8	Washington	7-10
NY Jets	6-11	NY Giants	5-12
AFC North		NFC North
Baltimore	10-7	Green Bay	12-5
Cincinnati*	10-7	Minnesota*	9-8
Cleveland	8-9	Detroit	6-11
Pittsburgh	8-9	Chicago	5-12
AFC South		NFC South
Indianapolis	10-7	Tampa Bay	12-5
Tennessee*	10-7	New Orleans	8-9
Jacksonville	5-12	Carolina	7-10
Houston	4-13	Atlanta	4-13
AFC West		NFC West
Kansas City	11-6	LA Rams	12-5
LA Chargers*	11-6	San Francisco*	9-8
Las Vegas	9-8	Arizona	9-8
Denver	9-8	Seattle	5-12

Notes on those standings predictions:

• Yep, I have the Buffalo Bills as the only 13-win team in the league. I know that probably won’t happen. They may win 14!
• The NFC will be a bit clogged at the top with three teams trying to get the only first round bye. I have the Bucs getting that first round bye thanks to a complicated set of tiebreakers that ends with a game of dizzy bat.
• I foresee quite a few close division races with the AFC North, AFC South, AFC West, and NFC East all ending up tied at the end of the season. Not having a home playoff game can be seriously rough so feel bad for the Bengals, Titans, Chargers, and Cowboys if you feel like it.
• As it normally is, the Wild Card races should be fun. I have the Titans and Bengals being one game up on the Patriots, Dolphins, Raiders, and Broncos to nab the final two spots. In the NFC, the Vikings and Niners do just enough to stay ahead of the Cardinals to make the playoffs.
• The race to the bottom pits Houston against Atlanta, although the Jags, Giants and Seahawks will try their best to dive to bottom of the NFL ocean. I have the Falcons “winning” the #1 pick for next year’s draft and the chance to, at this point, bring in Bryce Young as their franchise quarterback.
• I think Josh Allen beats out a bevy of other quarterbacks to win the MVP. Tom Brady, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow will be close but not enough to overtake the man who I believe will take the Bills to the best record in the league.
• Rookie of the Year is, as I always say, a complete crapshoot. I will go with the players that I believe will play the most. So I am picking Aidan Hutchinson on the defensive side and Kenny Pickett on the offensive side.
• Coach of the Year? Ah, why not, I’m good at getting these predictions wrong, what’s one more? I’ll go with Sean McDermott of the Bills since, other than Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions, I don’t see another team having a big improvement from the previous year.

And now it’s time to go to the playoff predictions. Last year’s were…not good. Let’s hope for better time around.

Wild Card Round

Kansas City (2) def. Tennessee (7)

Cincinnati (6) def. Baltimore (3)

LA Chargers (5) def. Indianapolis (4)

Green Bay (2) def. San Francisco (7)

LA Rams (3) def. Minnesota (6)

Dallas (5) def. Philadelphia (4)

Divisional Round

Buffalo (1) def. Cincinnati (6)

LA Chargers (5) def. Kansas City (2)

Tampa Bay (1) def. Dallas (5)

LA Rams (3) def. Green Bay (2)

Conference Championships

Buffalo (1) def. LA Chargers (5)

LA Rams (3) def. Tampa Bay (1)

Super Bowl

Buffalo (1) def. LA Rams (3)

Yes for the second year in a row I have the Buffalo Bills winning the Super Bowl. I feel better about this year’s prediction than last year’s. Then again, last year I picked Seattle to go to the Super Bowl so it’s a low bar to begin with. At least now if they go to overtime, they know they will get a chance to score.

I hope you enjoyed Week Zero of the college football season. It was…technically college football. I wonder if Scott Frost was left in Ireland. Anyway, soon enough we get back to in the old rotation of things and all will feel right in the world. Have a great week everyone!

Power Five….Power Four? Power THREE?

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

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

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

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

Chitlins…GROSS!

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

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

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

BTN After Dark Comments

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

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

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

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

Hey Dude

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

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

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

ZERO!  ZERO FUCKS GIVEN!  AH AH AH!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bill Walton’s Tears

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

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

Group of Five Conference Predictions. All of them.

“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
	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	8	0	11	1
	Coastal Carolina	7	1	10	2
	Appalachian State	6	2	9	3
	Georgia State	5	3	6	6
	Old Dominion	3	5	3	9
	Georgia Southern	2	6	4	8
	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	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	8	0	9	3
	WKU	6	2	9	4
	UAB	6	2	9	3
	UTEP	6	2	8	4
	Florida Atlantic	4	4	6	6
	Louisiana Tech	4	4	5	7
	North Texas	4	4	5	7
	Middle Tennessee	3	5	5	7
	Charlotte	3	5	4	8
	FIU	0	8	3	9
	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!

The 2021 College Football Coaching Hot Seat List

This is going to be a very interesting season in college football as it pertains to the college football coaching hot seat list.

Last year was an aberration, obviously.  There are many programs that normally would have thought on pulling the trigger and ending their ties with their head coach.  COVID-19 changed that.  And we’re not out of the woods with all this pandemic shit.  Saying that, 2021 is different.  We are slowly getting back to normal, or at least what the new normal will look like.  And the college football world is no different.  Hey, look, realignment issues!  The new NIL legislation!  We are back to offseason craziness in the world of, let’s still call it amateur athletics.  Which means some coaches are back to squarely being on the hot seat.  Not good for them.  Incredibly exciting for the (sometimes) bloodthirsty college football media.  So let’s do this!

IT’S HOT SEAT TIME, GUYS!  Got to give myself some credit: this list is somewhat accurate.  That’s the history of this post.  And I am hoping it continues since accuracy with predictions isn’t exactly my strong suit.  Please don’t go back to previous posts to test this theory.

Let’s get to the damn list!  Like every year, this is ordered from most likely to be fired to most likely to keep their job:

Almost Guaranteed Shitcanning

1. Jeff Brohm (Purdue) – It feels like a decade ago since the Boilermakers’ upset of Ohio State.  It was actually in 2018.  Since then it has been pretty much a disaster in West Lafayette.  And I don’t really see any sign of improvement.  Needed to keep his job – Going into the final two weeks of the season with a chance at bowl eligibility.  Prediction – He won’t make it to the end of the season as Purdue will limp to a 3-win season.
2. Walt Bell (UMass) – It wasn’t like this in Tallahassee.  Honestly, I don’t think anyone would have done a good job at this school since, well since they moved up from FCS.  Needed to keep his job – Play at least one meaningful November game.  Prediction – He may quit before he’s fired.  Nah, he’s a college football coach.  He’ll be fired before he even thinks of quitting.  And fired he will be at some point in November.
3. Scot Loeffler (Bowling Green) – Bowling Green really isn’t historically bad.  And I am sure they have never had a horrible run like this.  Scotty has not done anything of note here so it’s time to move on.  Quite an easy move.  Also, never trust a guy who spells his first name like that.  Needed to keep his job – At least three wins with one over a good MAC team.  Prediction – I honestly can’t see the Falcons winning any games this season.  They are easily the worst team in the MAC right now, quite a ways below Akron who is also pretty shitty.
4. Dino Babers (Syracuse) – It’s been a long time since so much hope was dashed so fast in Western New York.  It’s been mostly bad since joining the ACC (at least in football).  But this is the worst stretch they’ve had and that’s after things looked so good early on.  I can’t see Babers recovering from recent performances by the Orange.  Needed to keep his job – Syracuse to look halfway competitive in the ACC.  Prediction – Could very well be gone before the end of the season.
5. Rick Stockstill (Middle Tennessee) – This is a tough one.  I don’t really like the guy, especially since all the shit his team pulled in their bowl game with Navy a few years back.  But he has been in Murfreesboro for so long it feels like he will retire before he gets shitcanned.  I think the shine has finally come off as the Blue Raiders are struggling with no sign of real improvement.  Needed to keep his job – Bowl eligibility, plain and simple.  Prediction – Stockstill might be one of those few coaches who resigns before they are fired.  Mostly out of pride.  And yes, I believe Stockstill will be fired but maybe not until after the regular season is complete.

Probable Shitcanning

6. Chip Lindsey (Troy) – Troy hasn’t had a string this bad for a while.  I’m sounding like a broken record here.  Not saying Lindsey was a hyped coaching hire but Troy was always one of the better Sun Belt teams.  Now?  Not so much.  Expect an interesting decision by the end of the season.  Needed to keep his job – Bowl eligibility and the look of a program on the rise again in the Sun Belt.  Prediction – Four wins and a very good chance that he’s looking for another job come December.
7. Randy Edsall (UConn) – UConn has struggled for a long time now.  Ever since they somehow got to a BCS bowl.  Any other program (almost) Edsall has been long fired.  It’s different in Storrs, and I get that, but with him getting bonuses for making sure he eats breakfast every day, the bloom might have come off the rose a bit.  Needed to keep his job – Be more competitive, especially on defense.  Prediction – Three wins and a surprisingly tough call for the powers that be.
8. Jonathan Smith (Oregon State) – I am going out bit of a limb with this one.  Things were looking very promising in Corvallis and then last year the Beavers came back to Earth a bit.  I think my prediction would be enough to move Smith out of the job.  Needed to keep his job – Bowl-eligibility or a win over Oregon.  Prediction – Three wins, no bowl, no win over Oregon, no head coaching position for Johnny Beaver.

Possible Shitcanning

9. Jim Harbaugh (Michigan) – Yes, his picture is one of the pictures at the top of this post.  And yes, he has been on the hot seat since the first time he lost to Ohio State.  He almost got a pass from many in Ann Arbor (and the voracious college football media) which surprises me to no end.  So the seat is cooler than normal but he’s not out of the woods yet.  Needed to keep his job – At least 7 wins and maybe an upset inside the Big Ten.  Prediction – I have the Wolverines getting right to the 7-win mark.  I think he survives but then the seat becomes scorching going into next season.
10. Scott Frost (Nebraska) – For many having Frosty the Coachman in this spot makes no sense.  I think he might get a bit of leeway and if the Huskers do what I think they will do this season, this spot makes a lot more sense so I should just stop second-guessing myself.  Needed to keep his job – Bowl-eligibility at the very least.  Prediction – I have them winning seven games so hopefully I haven’t drank the Husker Koolaid yet again.
11. Herm Edwards (Arizona State) – This is a tricky situation here.  This program could be in a heap of trouble.  The alleged recruiting scheme that was concocted during the worst of COVID-19 looks horrible on the Sun Devils and especially on Herm.  If the NCAA can prove their point enough, Edwards may be forced out.  This will have nothing to do with performance since the Sun Devils are a nearly-top-level Pac-12 team.  Needed to keep his job – Herm not being found guilty in this.  Prediction – A lot of times programs will fire a coach because of potential sanctions and most of those times, the team isn’t doing well anyway because they’re distracted.  If ASU does as well as I predict it will, then only the NCAA coming down hard on the program will push Edwards out the door.
12. Matt Wells (Texas Tech) – It has been a while since this program was good.  Kute Kliff Kingsbury couldn’t get the job done and he was punished with an NFL head coaching gig and probably a bunch of women at his beck and call.  Wells will not have those opportunities if this doesn’t work out.  For now, things are OK for the most part but it could quickly change if the Red Raiders bottom out this year.  Needed to keep his job – TTU to be playing meaningful ball in November.  Prediction – Define meaningful.  I have the Red Raiders winning four games so if they can pull off an upset or two then you may have a bowl team down in Lubbock which could get Wells an ill-advised extension.
13. Scott Satterfield (Louisville) – Wow has the bloom come off the rose here.  Satterfield was coaching so well early on that the fanbase had all but forgotten about their own Son of Anarchy, Bobby Petrino.  Now?  I am sure there is at least a decent amount of Cardinals fans who would bring Fun Bobby back in a heartbeat.  That’s how much things have changed for Satterfield.  He’s no longer Great Scott.  More Below Average Scott.  Needed to keep his job – Showing some obvious improvement from a horrible 2020.  Prediction – Well, I think the Cards will win three games.  That’s not many and whether they are competitive in many of their losses will signal whether Satterfield will be Satterfired or not.

Doubtful Shitcanning (although it still could happen)

14. Jeff Scott (USF) – I watched a YouTube video the other day about the crazy 2007 season.  Remember that?  At one point, the Bulls got to #2 in the nation.  Good times.  The times are not so good now and Scott is going to be starting to take a lot of heat for that, fair or not.  Needed to keep his job – Not be worse than last season.  Prediction – I’ve got them at 2 wins so technically, yes, they will be better.  Plus I think they plan to give Scott at least halfway through the 2022 season before potentially pulling the trigger.
15. Clay Helton (USC) – Can’t Clay get a little slack here?  Not like the Pac-12 as a whole is doing all that great these days.  I do believe, however, this could be the year that Helton *GASP* gets off the hot seat for at least a season.  What will Trojan fans complain about then?  Needed to keep his job – At least 7 wins.  Prediction – I have the Trojans winning 10 games meaning it’s almost an automatic to get to a New Year’s Six bowl.
16. Justin Fuente (Virginia Tech) – Fuente is the new Gus Malzahn.  He will never get off this list.  Ever.  He basically has to win a national championship to do so and even then there’s no guarantee.  Fans in Blacksburg are antsy for some true success.  Not gonna happen yet though.  Needed to keep his job –  It will be a seven win season to keep his job, which will probably be the case for a long time.  Prediction – 8 wins so stay tuned for next season when I put him on this exact same fucking list…again.
17. Thomas Hammock (Northern Illinois) – He was always going to get a lot of rope but after last year’s winless campaign, the rope has been shortened quite a bit.  He has nowhere to go but up although technically he could do the same this year which would absolutely get him shitcanned.  Needed to keep his job – At least a couple of victories.  It’s a low bar at this point.  Prediction – Three wins and Tom moving up this list next year.
18. Mike Bloomgren (Rice) – Again it will be a tale of two schools in the Houston area.  Houston is looking for a huge rebound and I think they will be a big player in the AAC this season.  Rice, on the other hand, will be just like they’ve been for most of the program’s history: below-average.  Not the easiest job in the world for sure but at some point, someone has to have some semblance of success at this school, no?  Needed to keep his job – Win a few games and pull off a good upset or three.  Prediction – Four wins should be considered not bad and he will again be on a hot seat next season.
19. Marcus Arroyo (UNLV) – A bright, relatively new shiny stadium for a full season.  The fact that, of all teams, the UNLV Rebels get to play at a place like Allegiant Stadium seems bizarrely funny.  It really doesn’t match.  I don’t think they care as long as they are out of the heat magnet masquerading as a football field called Sam Boyd Stadium.  Needed to keep his job – A couple of wins and an upset at Allegiant.  Prediction – They’ll win 3.  As for the upset, I don’t think that will happen.
20. Mel Tucker (Michigan State) – OK last year he had to be given a pass.  He started very late in the off-season cycle and basically did what he could for a Spartans team that needs an overhaul.  He will probably get a pass for the most part this year unless they do so horribly that even Maryland is destroying them.  Needed to keep his job – A move up the standings and at least 3 wins.  Prediction – He should get his three wins.  Moving up the standings might not happen though and the seat will most definitely get hotter next year for Mel.

Hey guess what’s next?  That’s right, my Heisman ballot (which I never will, and never should, get).  Then I need to do the NFL preview as well which is always a bit of a dog’s breakfast as well.  24 days away!  Soon enough I will have info for Week Zero!  Enjoy your day everyone!

Could this be the year?

There are many that are coming just short of begging for one of the many Group of Five teams to have their chance in the College Football Playoff.  Could this be the year it happens?  Luke Fickell’s Cincinnati Bearcats are, arguably, the best American Conference team possibly ever.  And to some they don’t get near the respect they deserve.  Last year, the Bearcats got as high as #6 in the AP Poll and #7 in the CFP Rankings.  It’s tough to move much higher than that if you haven’t got the schedule to back it up.  The only other way for it to happen is for all the Power Five teams to drop off so a G-5 team can sneak in.  That will change soon with the proposed 12-team playoff.  Then, the best Group of Five conference champion will be guaranteed at least one spot in the mix.  I know some are angry at that as well.  I think in the end, you can’t please everyone.

Alright let’s get to the predictions to see if anyone pulls away from the rest of the crowd.  I will follow that with some Massive Conference Footprint Points:

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

Massive Conference Footprint Points

• Cincinnati is really good.  Like seriously good.  They will probably have a good shot at getting back to the New Year’s Six.  Their schedule is not easy though.  The state of Indiana is pretty much where their season will come down to.  They start in Bloomington in Week 3 against Indiana and then travel to South Bend in Week 5 to play Notre Dame.  I can’t see them winning both.  But if they do, watch out since they have to get consideration for the College Football Playoff if they also run the rest of the table.
• No divisions now which is great.  I can’t stand divisions.  This way the top two teams will be in the championship game.  And this year I have Houston of all teams making it.  I know I might get some flack for it (if people cared that much) but the Cougs should be improved and have the schedule to kind of sneak up the middle and grab that second spot.  The reward?  An ass-kicking in the AAC Championship.
• Houston will just beat out UCF and Memphis for that spot.  The Cougs don’t play the Knights this season which is a huge advantage for Houston.  I believe that if they had played that UCF passes Houston in the standings but the schedule is set this way and there isn’t much that can be done about that.  I have Houston beating Memphis late in the season, at home, to secure the #2 spot in the conference.
• East Carolina will improve a lot this year.  To the point where they are on the precipice of bowl season for the first time in a long time.  Mike Houston is doing great work in Greenville and is very close to putting the Pirates back in contention to win this conference.
• I have a feeling Tulane slips back under .500 and mostly due to their schedule.  The schedule maker wasn’t exactly kind to the Green Wave this season and it’s going to be a struggle for them to do anything of note.
• Cincinnati should easily beat Houston and move on, probably to the New Year’s Six.  With one predicted loss, their dream of getting into the College Football Playoff will go up in smoke.
• I have the AAC getting six of their teams into bowl games.  Just over half of the conference.  This is…acceptable I guess.  With some of the bowls having general Group of Five spots to fill them, the idea of conferences desperately trying to claim all their tie-ins is becoming of less and less importance.  And next year with probably less bowl games the idea of these tie-ins might change again.

We are almost at the halfway mark of the conference predictions.  Next up is the conference that joins MACtion and giving all of us that sweet, sweet midweek football, the Sun Belt.  39 days away and counting.

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Has the Big XII ever felt more love before?

I think I’m already regretting putting that pic up.

Seriously though, the Big XII and their member teams have never been courted more than they were during the summer.  Even during realignment, other conferences didn’t profess their love for the Big XII like they have been.  The SEC and ACC really needed the Big XII to be on board with playing football in the Fall, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 wanted the Big XII to join them and wait until January.  In the end, the conference chose to play now which I am not totally surprised with since I find they more closely align with the SEC than with the Big Ten, despite what some people might think.  Maybe this means finally (FINALLY!) the Big XII can (meaning Oklahoma) can win a College Football Playoff game.  But again, with the ACC and SEC still playing, that is no guarantee.  However, if there is any season to do it, this is the one.

And since the Big XII has decided to play, I should do standings predictions…finally.  So let’s get to it, the MEAT of this post: the Big XII predictions.  Followed by a beef stew of thoughts:

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

Beef Stew of Thoughts

• This year the Big XII is going with nine conference games, as per usual.  Every team is to have a 10th game which is a non-conference game.  Unfortunately for Baylor and TCU, there games have been postponed already to later dates.  So for now, they don’t have a non-conference game.  They will but it may not be against the teams they are supposed to play (Louisiana Tech and SMU, respectively).  That is why I am not predicted their non-conference results.
• Oklahoma will finish first but not undefeated.  They are still the class of the Big XII and the reigning conference champions until someone dethrones them.  I never want to say their trip to JerryWorld is booked but if they allow fans at the Big XII Championship and you are a Sooner fan, you may want to at least check out the cost of flights.
• The Les Miles era is in Year Two in Lawrence.  The Hat still has a long way to go to make the Jayhawks relevant in football though.  With the way the season is scheduled, I can’t see them escaping the basement.  Maybe next year Les.
• You will find out when I do the ACC predictions that the ACC is not doing divisions this season.  Copying the Big XII.  Neither is the American.  Copying the Big XII.  It’s very rare that I would say this but the rest of the conferences should Copy the Big XII and abolish divisions.  This way every conference is assured of having it’s top two teams (at least during the regular season) compete for their conference championship.  It just makes way too much sense.  Meaning at least one conference will never do it.
• As for this year’s title game, I have the Sooners going back-to-back-back-back by beating Oklahoma State.  That’s right, Mike Gundy will take that glorious mullet to JerryWorld and now I remember why I put that pic up!  Expect Chuba Hubbard to be in the conversation of becoming the first Canadian ever to win the Heisman and lead the Cowboys to the conference title game.  I still see them losing to Oklahoma but I see it being close.
• Using my thoughts on bowl eligibility, it would mean that six Big XII teams would be in this year’s postseason.  We shall see if that’s how they decide to work things or not.
• This may be the time for the Big XII to get their shit together and start thinking about having a conference network.  Talk to Texas and ESPN and figure out a way to buy the Longhorn Network out.  Or pay Texas to make everything part of the Longhorn Network and turn it into the Big XII Network.  Might as well since they may not get another chance before the end of the decade or when realignment happens again.

Guess what?  We are past the halfway mark!  Three more conferences to go.  Next up is arguably the conference that can’t be called the Clemson and Everyone Else Conference, the ACC.  Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Welp…might as well do a mock draft

I have got a lot of time on my hands these days.  And this Coronavirus is making it that much easier to do sweet fuck all since doing that at home is great protection against the virus.  It honestly is amazing how quickly things escalated.  At first I thought “Hey maybe they are overexaggerating.”  Then it very quickly became “Nope, they aren’t.  At all.”  Thanks to Rudy Gobert (I kid, but really, what a fucking moron) we will now have no sports at least through the end of March.  These are very odd times in our world.  Unprecedented stuff really.  No one has ever gone through something like this.  Even 9/11 didn’t cause this.  So since there is time to kill I figured why not go ahead and do a mock draft.  And no I wasn’t drunk.  So let’s get started before I change my mind.

FIRST ROUND

1		Joe Burrow, QB (LSU)
2		Chase Young, EDGE (Ohio State)
3		Jeff Okudah, CB (Ohio State)
4		Mekhi Becton, T (Louisville)
5		Tua Tagovailoa, QB (Alabama)
6		Justin Herbert, QB (Oregon)
7		Isaiah Simmons, OLB (Clemson)
8		Jedrick Wills Jr., T (Alabama)
9		Derrick Brown, DT (Auburn)
10		Andrew Thomas, T (Georgia)
11		CeeDee Lamb, WR (Oklahoma)
12		Jerry Jeudy, WR (Alabama)
13		Jordan Love, QB (Utah State)
14		Tristan Wirfs, T (Iowa)
15		Javon Kinlaw, DT (South Carolina)
16		A.J. Epenesa, EDGE (Iowa)
17		Kristian Fulton, CB (LSU)
18		Austin Jackson, T (USC)
19		A.J. Terrell, CB (Clemson)
20		K’Lavon Chaisson, OLB (LSU)
21		Justin Jefferson, WR (LSU)
22		Tee Higgins, WR (Clemson)
23		Brandon Aiyuk, WR (Arizona State)
24		Patrick Queen, LB (LSU)
25		Josh Jones, T (Houston)
26		Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE (Penn State)
27		Xavier McKinney, S (Alabama)
28		Zack Baun, OLB (Wisconsin)
29		Tyler Biadasz, C (Wisconsin)
30		C.J. Henderson, CB (Florida)
31		Grant Delpit, S (LSU)
32		D’Andre Swift, RB (Georgia)

Random Info

• Still only one round.  I am not putting THAT much effort in just yet for this.  I am assuming that soon enough the analysis will go into overdrive with nothing else to discuss so I will leave any potential deeper analysis for later.
• Joe Burrow STILL seems to be the consensus number one pick going to the Bengals and that gap between him and Chase Young seems to be widening.  With the Redskins, probably, not needing a new quarterback (despite new coach Ron Rivera’s possibly not being enthralled with Dwayne Haskins), this means Burrow would have to drop to #5 to get picked.  That’s not happening.
• This should all work out great for the Redskins.  Cincinnati picking Burrow means the defensive gem of the draft, Chase Young, would fall into their laps.  With a young offense (plus Adrian Peterson) and Young anchoring the defense, the Skins might shoot up the standings quicker than many think.
• I don’t put trades in at all.  It doesn’t make sense to.  I’ve said this for years and I will continue to state that.  I’d have a better shot at hooking up with Abigail Ratchford than getting a single trade absolutely correct.  Saying that, I would be shocked if the Dolphins kept all three picks.  I could see them moving up just to make sure they got Tagovailoa, who is the quarterback they seem to be coveting.
• Austin Jackson has rocketed up my draft list.  Same with a trio of wide receivers: Justin Jefferson, Tee Higgins and Brandon Aiyuk.  I have never seen this many wide receivers potentially going in a first round ever.  It makes sense though with the way passing games are.  If you have the quarterback, you better have the receivers.
• There are very few locks other than the top two at this point.  Saying that, the Chargers desperately need a quarterback now that Philip Rivers and his twenty-two kids have moved on.
• Also, there is one thing that has nothing to do with picks that could affect this draft: Tom Brady.  He still hasn’t signed and there are still a few teams in the mix.  Where he lands may dictate changes in team needs, especially if he doesn’t re-sign with the Patriots.

Just the second mock draft I did this off-season.  See?  I told you I wouldn’t be doing as many.  I guess it keeps some sort of football mode going now that there isn’t even the XFL to watch.

I honestly haven’t worked at all on the college football schedule yet.  Nothing.  At some point I will get to it but for right now it does seem pointless to really dive deep into it.  I know once we get into April I will start ramping things up as the draft will be near and we might be actually thinking of football a bit at that point.  Keep safe.  Don’t go crazy but just take the proper precautions.  Gotta hope that in like a couple of months we can look back at this and say “Yeah maybe we overreacted a bit but the virus is under control and things haven’t gone seriously sideways.”  Have a great rest of March!

Antonio Brown’s Helmet Hunt. This Fall on CBS. (Also the NFL Preview)

Oh AB.  You bring the offseason entertainment.  And has anyone noticed that it’s almost always the wide receivers that are in the news most of the offseason?  Someone should do some research on that (not me, I’m busy).

Well it’s time for my NFL predictions for 2019.  I am sure this will go as well as my Heisman predictions.  Let’s start with all my hot, lukewarm and (mostly) cold takes in last season’s prediction post:

• I had the Rams beating the Steelers for the Super Bowl.  OK not too bad to start.
• Rams beating the Saints in the playoffs.  Sorry Saints fans, this did happen despite the fact it was a bit of a travesty.
• Patriots losing the AFC Championship.  Hey my picks haven’t been too bad so far.  I was close here.
• I had Jacksonville making the playoffs.  Oof.  OK that brings me back to Earth a bit.
• I was VERY wrong about Indy and Cleveland.  I was also wrong about the Niners but most everyone was thanks to Jimmy G’s injury last year.

Hey that makes me feel really good.  Even the worst prognosticator has to get things right, yes?  At the very least this was much better than most of my NFL predictions in the past.  Let’s see if I can make it two years in a row of decent projections.  Standings time…with records this time around! (* means I predict them to be a Wild Card team):

AFC East	NFC East
New England 12-4	Dallas 10-6
NY Jets 7-9	Philadelphia* 9-7
Buffalo 7-9	NY Giants 5-11
Miami 2-14	Washington 5-11
AFC North	NFC North
Cleveland 10-6	Green Bay 10-6
Baltimore* 9-7	Chicago* 10-6
Pittsburgh 8-8	Minnesota 9-7
Cincinnati 5-11	Detroit 6-10
AFC South	NFC South
Indianapolis 10-6	New Orleans 11-5
Houston 8-8	Atlanta 8-8
Tennessee 8-8	Carolina 8-8
Jacksonville 6-10	Tampa Bay 5-11
AFC West	NFC West
Kansas City 13-3	LA Rams 11-5
LA Chargers* 12-4	San Francisco 8-8
Denver 6-10	Seattle 8-8
Oakland 6-10	Arizona 4-12

Notes

• Just like I thought last season, I think parity may end up being the name of the game.  I only have five teams getting at least 11 wins: New England, Kansas City, LA Chargers, New Orleans and LA Rams.
• Where will the good division races be?  The AFC North, AFC West, NFC East and, especially, the NFC North should be quite close races.  The Patriots will win by their usual five games and I can’t see the Rams having any trouble this season winning their division.
• The NFC Wild Card race should be exciting down to the end.  The Bears should get in easy.  I have the Eagles one game ahead of the Falcons, Panthers, Niners and Seahawks and in a virtual tie with the Vikings for the final Wild Card spot in the conference.  I think they somehow win whatever convoluted tiebreaker they have to clinch that spot, sending many upset Viking fans to the bars to drown their sorrows for another season.  UPDATE: Well the tiebreaker won’t be so convoluted since they face each other in mid-October.  I expect the Eagles to win that one.
• In the AFC, not as much of a race but still a few teams in the mix.  The second-place team in the AFC West should clinch by American Thanksgiving.  I have Lamar Jackson fueling the Ravens to the other Wild Card spot ahead of the Steelers, Texans and Titans.  I doubt anyone else would even be close.
• There won’t be much of a race to the bottom this season.  As hilarious as it would be if Arizona finished last again, it won’t happen since the Dolphins are so bad that I cannot foresee a way they escape the basement.  The odds for them to win 7 games should be 10,000 to 1.
• I don’t think Patrick Mahomes will win the MVP award.  Going back-to-back is super difficult and despite the fact he’s a great talent, I can see at least one other guy having an amazing year.  I will go with Drew Brees this year.  I also think that if the Saints somehow win it all that Brees would go out on top.
• As for the Rookie of the Year choices, I will go with David Montgomery and Ed Oliver.  To be honest this is quite a bit of a crapshoot so who the hell knows with these picks.

Like last year, I went away from the dual posts for the NFL predictions.  I can do it all at once right?  I don’t need to get into why I think every game will go the way it will go.  So let’s get to it:

Wild Card Round

(3) Cleveland def. (6) Baltimore

(5) LA Chargers def. (4) Indianapolis

(6) Philadelphia def. (3) Dallas

(5) Chicago def. (4) Green Bay

Divisional Playoffs

(5) LA Chargers def. (1) Kansas City

(2) New England def. (3) Cleveland

(1) New Orleans def. (6) Philadelphia

(5) Chicago def. (2) LA Rams

Conference Championships

(5) LA Chargers def. (2) New England

(1) New Orleans def. (5) Chicago

Super Bowl

(1) New Orleans def. (5) LA Chargers

Brees and Rivers in the Super Bowl would be something to behold.  I can’t see the Chargers running the table as underdogs the entire playoffs but I wouldn’t consider them getting to the Super Bowl crazy.  Also, the Saints, I believe, is the best team this year but they play in a tougher conference.  As per usual, I think the top Wild Card teams are better than the worst division winners.  I have always said that division winners should only be guaranteed a top 5 seed and should not be made the top 4 automatically.  This way a really good team that’s in a division with a slightly better team isn’t punished for having the audacity to be in the same division as them.  I am sure Roger Goodell will never put this under advisement and would rather look at how they can put an NFL game in Spain or Germany or Kenya next season.

Next up is for all of you to just watch some damn college football!  Four games yet I am SO looking forward to it.  It’s like an addiction except not nearly as crippling.  Anyway, I may do a recap next week.  I don’t know.  Either way, the next week will see the first full college football schedule of the season so stay tuned for that.  Have a great weekend everyone!