Alright a short post about the national championships coming up. That’s right…national championships. Two of them to be exact.
Let’s start with the one that’s on today. For some unknown reason, someone decided that the FCS Championship should be on in the middle of the NFL’s final regular season week. Are they fucking stupid? I don’t need anyone to answer that since I know the answer already. This game could have been on Saturday and been done before the first Saturday NFL game even starts. But no. Instead it’s today at 2:00 on ABC and TSN+.
The Grizzlies of Montana face off against the juggernaut South Dakota State Jackrabbits. What the hell is in the water in the Dakotas to produce all these good football teams? Here’s hoping it’s a close one since SDSU hasn’t seen a close game in quite a while.
As for the other championship, the College Football Playoff National Championship, it airs on Monday night on TSN 1, 3 and 4. It also appears on TSN5 after the women’s hockey game is over. So around 8:30 or just into the second quarter. TSN+ will have a bunch of alternate broadcasts of the game, including the All-22 view, Skycast and the Pat McAfee Show version. So whichever way you want to watch the game, it’s there for you. I still think they should bring back the Coach’s Filmroom but provide an open bar for the coaches. That alone would bring a lot of entertainment I’m sure.
UPDATE: I forgot to post the time of the game! It starts at 7:30 although I’m sure you already knew that.
The game itself should be a good one. Will it approach how insanely good the semi-finals were? That would be something. Now who does the Bossman think will win the whole thing? Well, how about we look back at what I said in August about this game:
I had Michigan beating Bama in the semis. Well I’ll be damned. Might as well go for the whole thing and say that I am sticking with Big Blue to win the title over a different type of Dawg. And yes, I think Harbaugh heads back to the NFL after this. Remember, I predicted he would leave before all the shit he has had to endure (some of it partially his own doing) and the suspensions he had to deal with (meaning his own…two of them…for six games total). So I think he is a lock to leave if the Wolverines win the title. Score? Let’s go 34-30 Michigan.
So for the last time this college football season…enjoy the games everyone!
Looks like the ACC finally got their shit together!
Virginia Tech will head to the Military Bowl to face off against Tulane.
Ok big surprise: Miami, who I had heard from multiple sources would be heading to the Sun Bowl, is actually going to play Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
This means Notre Dame will play Oregon State which will be one of the better Sun Bowl matchups in a long time.
North Carolina is WVU’s opponent in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Mack Brown getting doused by a shit-ton of mayo? That would be hilarious.
Kentucky gets Clemson as their opponent in the Gator Bowl.
The Cardinals of Louisville will head west to San Diego to face USC.
And finally, NC State, the last team remaining, slots in as KSU’s opponent for the Pop Tarts Bowl.
UPDATE: I didn’t even realize that Duke and Georgia Tech switched bowl games. Duke now plays Troy in the Birmingham Bowl with GaTech heading to Tampa to play UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl. Why? Who the fuck knows. I guess the ACC took a nap earlier today and missed what happened so had to scramble to get things done while all the other conferences were mostly finished. Idiots.
That took longer than it should have (although I was out for over an hour so that’s partly my fault). I think they need to remove some of these tie-ins and make them complete at-larges. Or they can say it’s a Power Five at-large or a Group of Five at-large. Something. Anything. Because this isn’t working. But at least we now have a finalized schedule. Finally.
UNLV will face Kansas in what shapes up to be a very interesting Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Wisconsin has their opponent for the ReliaQuest Bowl. They will play the Tigers of LSU (said in Greg Gumbel voice).
It is official: Boston College will play pretty much at home in the Fenway Bowl against SMU.
Texas Tech and California have been selected to play in the Independence Bowl, one of the very few bowls I have had set for over a week now.
Texas A&M, not surprisingly, will take on Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl in a matchup of former Big XII teams.
UTSA and Marshall are going to Frisco (site of the FCS Championship) for the Frisco Bowl.
Georgia Tech will be heading down Birmingham to face off against the Troy Trojans in the Birmingham Bowl which never seems to have a long-term sponsor.
A tiny bit of a surprise as Auburn goes to the Music City Bowl to face Maryland.
A bunch of teams have slotted in without opponents which would all be from the ACC. Oregon State goes to the Sun, Kansas State to the Pop Tarts, West Virginia to the Duke’s Mayo and Kentucky to the Gator. I get there was chaos earlier but what the hell is happening at ACC head offices?
Alright, I will be back with one more post with the FINAL bowl schedule…if the ACC can get their act together.
If I had waited like two minutes I would have seen that Iowa State will be Memphis’ opponent in (and at) the Liberty Bowl.
Oklahoma State gets a bid to the Texas Bowl and will probably play Texas A&M.
The greatest season in Texas State history means their first bowl game ever. They will face fellow state of Texas school, Rice, in the First Responder Bowl.
Northwestern will be going to Vegas after a surprisingly good season. Their opponent? Utah, a team who somehow did quite well despite the rash of injuries they incurred.
Toledo, after losing the MAC Championship, is going to the Arizona Bowl. Their opponent will be Wyoming, who played in this bowl game the previous year. Also, this bowl game will now be on The CW!!!
Wisconsin has been selected to go to the ReliaQuest Bowl to play an SEC team.
Conference championship losers App State and, a bit shockingly, Miami-OH have been confirmed for the Cure Bowl.
South Alabama and Eastern Michigan will be opponents at the 68 Ventures Bowl which is essentially a home game for the Jaguars.
Bowl tie-in? What bowl tie-in? UCF will face off against Duke in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Cuse gets USF at the Boca Bowl.
Bowling Green will have a chance against a Big Ten team as they will take on Minnesota at Ford Field in the Quick Lane Bowl.
Georgia Southern and Ohio will kick off Bowl Season in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Still more bowl announcements to come as the ACC is scrambling to fill bowl slots.
No surprise that UCLA will play at home (kind of) against Boise State in the LA Bowl sponsored by…ugh….Gronk.
In another “Fuck Tie-Ins” bowl matchup, the Famous Toastery (nee Bahamas) Bowl will have WKU face ODU.
The Alamo Bowl picks Oklahoma and Arizona. Should be, arugably, the best non-CFP/non-NY6 bowl game this season (at least on paper).
Kind of surprised that Tennessee is going to the Citrus Bowl over LSU. They will face Iowa which seemed to be heading there all along.
Northern Illinois will head to the Camellia Bowl to face Arkansas State.
James Madison will play their first ever bowl game in Fort Worth as they go to the Armed Forces Bowl to play Air Force in a double fuck the tie-ins setup.
Tulane is slotted into the Military Bowl.
Not surprisingly, SMU heads to BAW-stun and will probably play BC in the Fenway Bowl (although BC hasn’t been officially announced yet).
The American Conference does not have a Liberty Bowl tie-in. Who cares because Memphis plays there normally so they will stay at home during bowl season.
Still more bowl announcements to come during the next hour.
I should have stuck with my guns when I had Liberty going to the desert to face Oregon. Gotta trust my gut more.
Two Big Ten-SEC matchups in the Peach and Cotton Bowls. Expect the majority of the teams in the expanded playoff to be Big Ten or SEC teams. I’d be shocked if, going forward, they have less than seven teams in any playoff.
Let’s see if Florida State plays pissed off or just doesn’t care. Although, I guess you could say the same for the Dawgs who dropped from #1 to #6, unprecedented in the CFP four-team playoff era.
Citrus Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
LSU vs. Iowa
ReliaQuest Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Auburn vs. Northwestern
Arizona Bowl
MWC vs. MAC
Air Force vs. Bowling Green
Music City Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Tennessee vs. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Minnesota vs. Kansas State
Sun Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Miami vs. Oregon State
Gator Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Kentucky vs. NC State
Alamo Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Pop Tarts Bowl
ACC vs. Big XII
Louisville vs. Oklahoma State
Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten vs. ACC
Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Fenway Bowl
2 of ACC/AAC/C-USA
Boston College vs. SMU
Texas Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
Holiday Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Clemson vs. Utah
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Notre Dame vs. North Carolina
Military Bowl
ACC vs. AAC
Virginia Tech vs. Tulane
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2 of Big Ten/Big XII/MWC
UNLV vs. West Virginia
First Responder Bowl
2 of ACC/Big XII/AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA
Syracuse vs. Georgia Southern
Quick Lane Bowl
Big Ten vs. MAC
Duke vs. Toledo
Hawaii Bowl
AAC vs. MWC
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Las Vegas Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Maryland vs. USC
68 Ventures Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Troy vs. Ohio
Idaho Potato Bowl
2 of MWC/MAC/Sun Belt
Utah State vs. Georgia State
Armed Forces Bowl
Big XII vs. C-USA
Kansas vs. WKU
Birmingham Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
James Madison vs. Memphis
Camellia Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan
Gasparilla Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
South Alabama vs. USF
Boca Raton Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Marshall vs. UTSA
Frisco Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Texas State vs. Wyoming
Famous Toastery Bowl
MAC vs. C-USA
Arkansas State vs. UCF
Independence Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Texas Tech vs. California
LA Bowl
Pac-12 vs. MWC
UCLA vs. Boise State
New Mexico Bowl
2 of Group of Five
Fresno State vs. New Mexico State
Cure Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Rice vs. Northern Illinois
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State
Myrtle Beach Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Appalachian State vs. Miami-OH
The Idaho Potato Bowl has gone ahead and announced that it will be USU-GSU playing in freezing Boise.
New Mexico State will play close to home as they take on Fresno State in arch-rival New Mexico’s stadium in Albuquerque.
Get ready for an avalanche of bowl announcements over the next 90 minutes.
Unbelievable. Undefeated Power Five conference champion Florida State comes in at #5. The Committee actually put Bama at #4. I get that part of it is the Jordan Travis injury but a part of it is money and viewers. The Tide will bring in more viewers than the Noles. Plain and simple. I also believe this will end up being one of the straws that breaks the proverbial camel’s back for Florida State. I think they will look at this and wonder if the ACC, for football, makes any sense for them anymore, even with a twelve-team playoff looming. No matter what, The Committee’s choice was going to be earth-shattering from a college football perspective. Remember that.
Fiesta Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Oregon vs. Penn State
Orange Bowl
ACC Champ vs. Big Ten/Notre Dame/SEC
Florida State vs. Georgia
Peach Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Ohio State vs. Ole Miss
Cotton Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Missouri vs. Liberty
With Bama going up and the Noles moving down, this gets changed up. Florida State automatically gets the Orange Bowl nod, being the ACC champion. This moves a bunch of teams around and brings a team up from below.
The team to bring up comes down to Oklahoma and Ole Miss. My guess is it will be Ole Miss. Penn State will now go out west to face Oregon in the Fiesta, Ohio State moves to the Peach to face the Rebels and Liberty will go to JerryWorld to take on Mizzou.
Citrus Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
LSU vs. Iowa
ReliaQuest Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Auburn vs. Northwestern
Arizona Bowl
MWC vs. MAC
Fresno State vs. Bowling Green
Music City Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Tennessee vs. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Minnesota vs. Kansas State
Sun Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Miami vs. Oregon State
Gator Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Kentucky vs. NC State
Alamo Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Pop Tarts Bowl
ACC vs. Big XII
Louisville vs. Oklahoma State
Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten vs. ACC
Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Fenway Bowl
2 of ACC/AAC/C-USA
Boston College vs. SMU
Texas Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
Holiday Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Clemson vs. Utah
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Notre Dame vs. North Carolina
Military Bowl
ACC vs. AAC
Virginia Tech vs. Tulane
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2 of Big Ten/Big XII/MWC
UNLV vs. West Virginia
First Responder Bowl
2 of ACC/Big XII/AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA
Syracuse vs. Georgia Southern
Quick Lane Bowl
Big Ten vs. MAC
Duke vs. Toledo
Hawaii Bowl
AAC vs. MWC
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Las Vegas Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Maryland vs. USC
68 Ventures Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Troy vs. Ohio
Idaho Potato Bowl
2 of MWC/MAC/Sun Belt
Wyoming vs. Arkansas State
Armed Forces Bowl
Big XII vs. C-USA
Kansas vs. WKU
Birmingham Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
James Madison vs. Memphis
Camellia Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan
Gasparilla Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
South Alabama vs. USF
Boca Raton Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
UCF vs. UTSA
Frisco Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Texas State vs. Utah State
Famous Toastery Bowl
MAC vs. C-USA
Georgia State vs. New Mexico State
Independence Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Texas Tech vs. California
LA Bowl
Pac-12 vs. MWC
UCLA vs. Boise State
New Mexico Bowl
2 of Group of Five
Air Force vs. Marshall
Cure Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Rice vs. Northern Illinois
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State
Myrtle Beach Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Appalachian State vs. Miami-OH
Ole Miss going up to the NY6 and Louisville going down to regular Bowl Season meant a lot of changes, especially with the SEC coming nowhere close to filling their bowl tie-ins. Here are the changes:
LSU moves into the Citrus.
Auburn to the ReliaQuest.
The Vols to play at home at the Music City Bowl.
Minnesota will head to the Liberty because of the issue I just mentioned.
A bit of a lateral move for Kentucky: ReliaQuest to Gator.
Louisville to the Pop Tarts Bowl.
I decided to put Boston College at home in Fenway.
That puts Clemson out west in San Diego.
I know Notre Dame is kind of an ACC team when it comes to bowl selection but it wouldn’t surprise me if they were slotted in opposite another ACC team. I see that happening with the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Maybe I should have had BC in Boston and VaTech in the Military Bowl to begin with.
Syracuse now heads to Texas and the First Responder Bowl.
South Alabama to now go to the Gasparilla Bowl (although there is a possibility UCF goes there to do the War on I-4 with USF).
UCF still stays close to home, heading to Boca Raton.
Finally, App State, I have travelling south to Myrtle Beach.
Now, all of these things might not happen but I believe at least a few of them will, tie-ins be damned.
There will be another update after the New Year’s Six is revealed. If you don’t know, Twitter/X is fucking ridiculous right now as college football fans debate (more like argue) whether this was right or wrong and what the ramifications are.
Michigan has booked their spot after spanking Iowa. With Georgia’s loss, the Wolverines should be #1 and will probably head out west to the Rose Bowl. Big reason for that would be FSU falling to #4. I still think they get in over Alabama but man, they aren’t making it easy on The Committee. No matter what though, FSU or Bama, Michigan will not go to the Sugar Bowl to play either of them.
Fiesta Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Oregon vs. Missouri
Orange Bowl
ACC Champ vs. Big Ten/Notre Dame/SEC
Louisville vs. Georgia
Peach Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Penn State vs. Liberty
Cotton Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Alabama vs. Ohio State
A lot of talk about Alabama and Ohio State facing off in the Cotton Bowl. This meant moving Mizzou out to the Fiesta and having PSU and Liberty heading to Atlanta.
Louisville is pretty much a lock for the Orange Bowl as is Georgia. Nothing official yet and I won’t bold them yet but that will be the matchup in Miami.
Citrus Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Ole Miss vs. Iowa
ReliaQuest Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Kentucky vs. Northwestern
Arizona Bowl
MWC vs. MAC
Fresno State vs. Bowling Green
Music City Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
LSU vs. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Auburn vs. Kansas State
Sun Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Miami vs. Oregon State
Gator Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Tennessee vs. NC State
Alamo Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Pop Tarts Bowl
ACC vs. Big XII
Clemson vs. Oklahoma State
Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten vs. ACC
Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Fenway Bowl
2 of ACC/AAC/C-USA
Virginia Tech vs. SMU
Texas Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
Holiday Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Boston College vs. Utah
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Minnesota vs. North Carolina
Military Bowl
ACC vs. AAC
Notre Dame vs. Tulane
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2 of Big Ten/Big XII/MWC
UNLV vs. West Virginia
First Responder Bowl
2 of ACC/Big XII/AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA
UCF vs. Georgia Southern
Quick Lane Bowl
Big Ten vs. MAC
Duke vs. Toledo
Hawaii Bowl
AAC vs. MWC
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Las Vegas Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Maryland vs. USC
68 Ventures Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Troy vs. Ohio
Idaho Potato Bowl
2 of MWC/MAC/Sun Belt
Wyoming vs. Arkansas State
Armed Forces Bowl
Big XII vs. C-USA
Kansas vs. WKU
Birmingham Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
James Madison vs. Memphis
Camellia Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan
Gasparilla Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
Syracuse vs. USF
Boca Raton Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Appalachian State vs. UTSA
Frisco Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Texas State vs. Utah State
Famous Toastery Bowl
MAC vs. C-USA
Georgia State vs. New Mexico State
Independence Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Texas Tech vs. California
LA Bowl
Pac-12 vs. MWC
UCLA vs. Boise State
New Mexico Bowl
2 of Group of Five
Air Force vs. Marshall
Cure Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Rice vs. Northern Illinois
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State
Myrtle Beach Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
South Alabama vs. Miami-OH
No changes here but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some confirmations before Selection Sunday begins at Noon.
OK it’s update time. A lot of updates over the next 40-or-so hours. Things will start to clear up every so often as conference championship weekend goes on. We are now done two of the ten conference championships so let’s get going with the projections as of right now.
Sugar Bowl
CFP #1 vs. CFP #4
Georgia vs. Florida State
Rose Bowl
CFP #2 vs. CFP #3
Michigan vs. Washington
No changes. Washington has clinched their spot. If UGA and the Wolverines win their games, the Huskies are locked in the third seed and will probably play Michigan in Pasadena.
Fiesta Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Oregon vs. Tulane
Orange Bowl
ACC Champ vs. Big Ten/Notre Dame/SEC
Louisville vs. Ohio State
Peach Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Alabama vs. Penn State
Cotton Bowl
CFP at-large vs. CFP at-large/G-5 #1
Texas vs. Missouri
No changes here although we could see some changes after the early games tomorrow.
Citrus Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Ole Miss vs. Iowa
ReliaQuest Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
Kentucky vs. Northwestern
Arizona Bowl
MWC vs. MAC
Boise State vs. Bowling Green
Music City Bowl
SEC vs. Big Ten
LSU vs. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Auburn vs. Kansas State
Sun Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Miami vs. Oregon State
Gator Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Tennessee vs. NC State
Alamo Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Pop Tarts Bowl
ACC vs. Big XII
Clemson vs. Oklahoma State
Pinstripe Bowl
Big Ten vs. ACC
Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Fenway Bowl
2 of ACC/AAC/C-USA
Virginia Tech vs. SMU
Texas Bowl
SEC vs. Big XII
Texas A&M vs. Iowa State
Holiday Bowl
ACC vs. Pac-12
Boston College vs. Utah
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
SEC vs. ACC
Minnesota vs. North Carolina
Military Bowl
ACC vs. AAC
Notre Dame vs. UTSA
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
2 of Big Ten/Big XII/MWC
UNLV vs. West Virginia
First Responder Bowl
2 of ACC/Big XII/AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA
UCF vs. Georgia Southern
Quick Lane Bowl
Big Ten vs. MAC
Duke vs. Toledo
Hawaii Bowl
AAC vs. MWC
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Las Vegas Bowl
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Maryland vs. USC
68 Ventures Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Troy vs. Liberty
Idaho Potato Bowl
2 of MWC/MAC/Sun Belt
Wyoming vs. Arkansas State
Armed Forces Bowl
Big XII vs. C-USA
Kansas vs. WKU
Birmingham Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
James Madison vs. Memphis
Camellia Bowl
2 of Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan
Gasparilla Bowl
2 of SEC/ACC/AAC/C-USA
Syracuse vs. USF
Boca Raton Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Appalachian State vs. Ohio
Frisco Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Texas State vs. Utah State
Famous Toastery Bowl
MAC vs. C-USA
Georgia State vs. New Mexico State
Independence Bowl
Big XII vs. Pac-12
Texas Tech vs. California
LA Bowl
Pac-12 vs. MWC
UCLA vs. Fresno State
New Mexico Bowl
2 of Group of Five
Air Force vs. Marshall
Cure Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
Rice vs. Northern Illinois
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State
Myrtle Beach Bowl
2 of AAC/Sun Belt/C-USA/MAC
South Alabama vs. Miami-OH
A couple of bowl confirmations!
The Hawaii Bowl filled their bowl slots first with Coastal Carolina and San Jose State. So already tie-ins can go fist themselves.
Ticketmaster released information to buy tickets for Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State yesterday by accident. They deleted all the information on it but then it was confirmed not long after that. Jax State’s first ever bowl game and it might be its only one with RichRod at the helm.
I am hearing that Miami-Oregon State is almost a lock for the Sun Bowl and that it might be confirmed as early as tomorrow morning.
Get fired up for tomorrow’s game action and keep updated right here as I post new bowl projections throughout the day and most of Sunday until the final bowl lineup is complete. Enjoy your Saturday everyone!
Sign stealing. Cheating or an art? Or both? Or neither?
Look, this whole University of Michigan sign-stealing controversy is sounding a bit like the Houston Astros sign-stealing horseshit of a few years back, albeit with less garbage can banging and more just buying tickets for games involving conference opponents. It isn’t just the person above who is involved though. That man’s name is Connor Stalions. For fuck’s sake. Connor Stalions. Sounds like the name of a spy in a Tom Clancy novel or a jobber in WWE.
Anyway, Stalions was just hired a little over year ago by the Wolverines after being a volunteer with the team for seven years. A volunteer for seven years? OK then. On his LinkedIn (Corporate Facebook) profile, he mentions he can identify and exploit critical vulnerabilities and centers of gravity in the opponent scouting process. OK then. And over the past three years he has bought tickets for over 30 games at eleven different Big Ten schools and that many times it’s tickets on the exact opposite side of the season where the other person can hold their smartphone up to film the home team’s sideline. OK then.
Does this sound like something that is illegal? Yes. Yes it does. Well, not illegal in a criminal sense but illegal in a “that shouldn’t happen in a sporting event” kind of way. And yes, the NCAA, as corrupt an organization as it is, prohibits doing this and rightfully so.
So the question is who else knew. Stalions isn’t buying all those tickets himself. Not on a $55,000 per year salary. Someone is doing it for him. That person should be given a hell of a lot more than a slap on the wrist. And if Jim Harbaugh knew (which is the issue EVERYONE wants to know), he should be punished as well.
Will these punishments for Harbaugh, everyone involved and the school happen this season? Are you crazy? Of course not! The Wolverines are probably the favourite at this moment to win the national championship and there’s no way they will be derailed by this. Next season, sure why not. Relegate all their games to the Big Ten Network. Fine them. Suspend everyone. Do whatever. But don’t expect to see any 2023 punishment for the Michigan Wolverines football team. Besides, won’t Captain Khaki be in the NFL next season anyway?
Well that was…interesting………Wyld Stalions AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *ahem* sorry about that. Let’s just get to the schedules alright?
Tuesday
US
Canada
New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech
7:00
Liberty at WKU
7:30
We have a potential conference championship preview here…OK it’s pretty much going to be the conference championship unless something crazy happens in November. I guess the question will be if that game will be in Bowling Green (Kentucky) again or in Lynchburg, Virginia. Also, the Aggies look to take another giant step towards two straight years of bowl eligibility, cementing Jerry Kill as one of the most underrated head coaches this century.
Wednesday
US
Canada
Jacksonville State at FIU
7:00
UTEP at Sam Houston
8:00
Well……it’s football. Enjoy it. I just hope one of the games is close.
Thursday
US
Canada
Long Island at CCSU
7:00
Syracuse at Virginia Tech
7:30
Georgia State at Georgia Southern
7:30
South Carolina State at NC Central
7:30
We are looking at some seriously important Modern Day Hate down in Statesboro. With James Madison not eligible for the division title, the Sun Belt East could very well come down to this game. Both teams are playing well but think of this: if Georgia State wins, they would be 7-1 and could end up hosting 8-0 James Madison next weekend. Not saying College Gameday should go there (they won’t) but it’s not often that a Sun Belt game itself deserves that honour.
Also, yes, the Long Island University Sharks will be on your television screen this Thursday night. Funny how CBS inks a contract with the NEC to show their football games and they lose two of their schools just the other day with Merrimack and Sacred Heart moving on. The conference is now down to six schools and is teetering on not even having an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs which has to be up to like 60 teams or something like that now (it’s actually 24 teams but still….that’s quite a few teams).
Friday
US
Canada
Brown at Penn
7:00
FAU at Charlotte
7:30
I think it could be -4 degrees out and Biff Poggi would still wear the cut-off sleeved shirt. Got to respect that.
Saturday Early
US
Canada
#4 Florida State at Wake Forest
Noon
UConn at Boston College
Noon
Maryland at Northwestern
Noon
Indiana at #10 Penn State
Noon
UMass at Army
Noon
South Carolina at Texas A&M
Noon
Houston at Kansas State
Noon
Tulsa at SMU
Noon
#6 Oklahoma at Kansas
Noon
This schedule is not the greatest to be honest. It’s not bad. But really, nothing stands out except maybe Oklahoma travelling to Lawrence to face Kansas in what can, for the first time in a long time, be considered a speed bump kind of game for the Sooners. Other than that, there are quite a few teams playing games that could dictate whether they go bowling or not, including South Carolina, Army, and Boston College.
Saturday Afternoon
US
Canada
Clemson at NC State
2:00
BYU at #7 Texas
3:30
Virginia at Miami
3:30
Michigan State at Minnesota
3:30
Florida vs. #1 Georgia (in Jacksonville)
3:30
Miami-OH at Ohio
3:30
#20 Duke at #18 Louisville
3:30
#8 Oregon at #13 Utah
3:30
Pittsburgh at #14 Notre Dame
3:30
Mississippi State at Auburn
3:30
#22 Tulane at Rice
4:00
Prairie View A&M at Florida A&M
4:00
USC at California
4:00
We have a ton of games in the afternoon window with quite a few of the day’s best games. Oregon and Utah in another Pac-12 Cannibalization Game, the Blue Devils and Cardinals face off where the winner might have the inside track to facing Florida State for the ACC Championship and, of course, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Look, maybe Gary Danielson would be a whole lot more likeable if he was shitfaced. “Brad, this is a good game and I love how Duvalllllllllllllll County smells *BURP* but I have to profess my love for the Alabama God Damn Crimson Tide. They are GOD’S TEAM GOD DAMMIT (as he points a finger in Brad’s face). But this red team here is pretty good…too……” *immediately vomits all over the broadcast booth* OK, maybe not.
Saturday Primetime
US
Canada
Marshall at Coastal Carolina
6:00
#19 Air Force at Colorado State
7:00
#21 Tennessee at Kentucky
7:00
Colorado at #23 UCLA
7:30
#3 Ohio State at Wisconsin
7:30
Vanderbilt at #12 Ole Miss
7:30
#17 North Carolina at Georgia Tech
8:00
Cincinnati at Oklahoma State
8:00
Old Dominion at #25 James Madison
8:00
Washington State at Arizona State
8:00
Hmmm….one of the weaker primetime schedules since early September. I don’t think anyone thought it would be that way, though. Many would have picked Tennessee-Kentucky as a huge game and tOSU-Wisky as another super important game. Not saying it isn’t important at all but probably a whole lot less important than it was predicted to be.
Saying all that, just remember the old college football adage: the weaker the window, the more chaos we see.
Saturday Late Night
US
Canada
New Mexico at Nevada
10:30
#11 Oregon State at Arizona
10:30
The Beavs cannot afford to lose here against a pretty good Wildcats team. The other game is borderline-unwatchable. Remember, Nevada beat San Diego State 6-0 last week. Yawn.
Hey, Watch This!
Oregon at Utah (3:30, FOX) – Is there any doubt that this is the Game of the Week? Well there would have been about a month ago but now we’re here and this is the easy choice. With both teams at 3-1 in the conference, there is a very good chance that the loser here has their hopes dashed of a Pac-12 Championship game berth. Forget the College Football Playoff. Forget the New Year’s Six. It’s off to like the Holiday Bowl or something like that. Not bad. But not what they played this season for.
Oklahoma at Kansas (Noon, FOX) – I think we have all figured out that you can’t sleep on Lance Leipold’s Kansas Jayhawks. Last season was a revelation and this year it continues as they are just getting better which is bad news for the rest of the Big XII. The Sooners were going along quietly until they beat Texas and held off UCF at the end. Now, everyone is watching. I said it above: this is a big speed bump game for OU. Win and you head to Stillwater and Bedlam for the biggest game of the season. Lose and the playoff might be just out of reach.
Duke at Louisville (3:30, TSN+/specialty pack) – I do wish that TSN had picked this game up. To put it on their online platform seems like a bit of a slap in the face to both programs. But, for once, it feels like every channel is showing live sports and big-time properties from NASCAR to Formula 1 to the CFL to the Rugby World Cup. So I understand. Look, the Cardinals are not out of this race yet. Win out and they probably head to Charlotte for the ACC Championship. Duke also has an opportunity if they run the table but they will need some help.
Ohio State at Wisconsin (7:30, NBC) – Please don’t be Jac Collinsworth, please don’t be Jac Collinsworth, please don’t be Jac Collinsworth…..hey Noah Eagle is calling the game! Good. Eagle is good. Comes by it honestly with his dad one of the best at calling the NFL. Jac on the other hand is fucking terrible. He is there because his name is Collinsworth and not something else. Hopefully, NBC does the right thing and puts him elsewhere next season. As for this game, the Buckeyes should not take the Badgers lightly as an upset loss here would screw over a potential 1 vs. 2 matchup in The Game in late November.
Sickos Game of the Week
UConn at Boston College (Noon, TSN+/specialty pack) – The battle for Northeastern supremacy starts and ends with this game since UMass sucks. Amazingly enough, if the Eagles win here they are 5-3 and closing in on bowl eligibility. That’s huge for Jeff Hafley who started the season on a massive hot seat. That doesn’t take away from the fact that the bottom half of the ACC is not good and last season’s UConn might be an aberration.
Hubba Bubba Blowout of the Week
Indiana at Penn State (Noon, CBS) – A lot of people are questioning whether James Franklin is the guy that can get Penn State over the hump and into the CFP. Next year will be the ultimate test. If they can’t get in with an expanded field, they should move on. Putting all that aside, the Nittany Lions played awful last week and will be taking out their anger on the lowly Hoosiers, I can pretty much guarantee that.
Wanna Bet?
Man, looking back most of my picks fucking sucked. UAB over Memphis? Woof. UNC over Virginia? Yikes. USC over Utah. Oh no. I would say let’s keep the ball rolling but the ball, at this point, is a square. Need to start over and get some of these picks right.
FIU 40 Jacksonville State 27 (upset pick!)
Georgia State 26 Georgia Southern 21
FAU 38 Charlotte 7
Oklahoma 43 Kansas 30
Kansas State 34 Houston 23
SMU 44 Tulsa 9
Clemson 49 NC State 16
Louisville 23 Duke 19
Utah 24 Oregon 17 (slight upset)
Auburn 37 Mississippi State 20
Air Force 32 Colorado State 6
Ohio State 31 Wisconsin 17
Oregon State 49 Arizona 35
The Bossman Top 26
It’s time for another rousing version of the Bossman Top 26. OK, it’s the second time doing this many teams. Let’s just get going with it.
#1
Michigan
#2
Georgia
#3
Ohio State
#4
Florida State
#5
Washington
#6
Alabama
#7
Oklahoma
#8
Texas
#9
Oregon State
#10
Utah
#11
Oregon
#12
Ole Miss
#13
Penn State
#14
Notre Dame
#15
LSU
#16
Missouri
#17
Louisville
#18
North Carolina
#19
Tulane
#20
UCLA
#21
Tennessee
#22
Air Force
#23
Duke
#24
USC
#25
James Madison
#26
Liberty
Yep, I have added Liberty in at the final spot. Sure, their schedule is arguably the easiest in the land; but if they run the table and get some help they might sneak into the New Year’s Six much to the chagrin of many college football fans. James Madison continues to wait for a waiver that may never come but at least we know that if there aren’t enough bowl eligible teams, they would be the first call to fill a bowl spot. And yes, I have Michigan in the top spot. Despite their cheating ways (it seems), they still look like the best team in college football, even better than UGA. I know SEC fans will scrunch their noses at that since they think their conference is the be-all-and-end-all and that the CFP should be Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU. Well you know what? Fuck you. This is my rankings. Make your own.
Getting these blog posts out before the Tuesday night games is basically impossible for me. Not complaining since it means there’s Tuesday night football. It’s still not easy though. Enjoy the games everyone!
Yep. It’s that time again. It’s the eighth (EIGHTH?) edition of looking at the undefeated teams left in college football around the halfway mark of the season. Fun stuff, right? One day I should go back and see how accurate I was with these predictions. Though to be honest, I think I would be scared to do so since my predictions have been so great, right (see Tigers, Clemson). Anyway, let’s get going with this!
#1 Georgia (6-0) – The Dawgs have, at times, looked a bit shaky. Tough wins over South Carolina and Auburn made it seem like this team may struggle at some point. Then they demolish Kentucky and it feels like all is normal again. I still think there is a loss in there but they will, once again, walk to another SEC East title and a berth in the SEC Championship. Predicted record: 11-1.
#2 Michigan (6-0) – Now here is a team that has not struggled. At all. In any sense. The Wolverines are just that good. I do, however, think they will lose a game this season (I have it being a loss to Penn State although it could just as easily be Ohio State). They will still make the Big Ten Championship and throttle whichever sad sack team comes out of the Big Ten West and head to the College Football Playoff. Predicted record: 11-1.
#3 Ohio State (5-0) – Speaking of tOSU, I figure they will also lose one game. I have them losing The Game to Michigan which would knock them out of a shot at the Big Ten Championship (in what could be the most scrutinized tiebreaker ever). The Buckeyes, though, have to quit with the slow starts or otherwise some other team is going to surprise them and it will be lights out for their national championship hopes. Predicted record: 11-1.
#4 Florida State (5-0) – They may end up dropping even more if they can’t show how dominant they really are. Then again, they may not have to since I honestly believe they will be the only undefeated team at the end of the regular season (can you smell those 2007 vibes?). Predicted record: 12-0.
#5 Oklahoma (6-0) – Quite a few people are suprised Oklahoma is doing this well. I figured that they would lose against Texas but would only have that one loss against them at this point. Look, Dillon Gabriel wasn’t going to be as bad as he was last season and the defense was definitely going to be better under Captain Defense himself, Brent Venables. Will they go the rest of the way unscathed. Eh…. Predicted record: 10-2.
#6 Penn State (5-0) – PSU really doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses. They could go on a serious run, the likes which haven’t been seen in State College in quite a long time. It is Penn State, though. They are bound to lose one and I think they will to Ohio State (which would make for a fun three-way tie at 11-1). Predicted record: 11-1.
#7 Washington (5-0) – The Pac-12 is up for grabs. The worry is that the conference will cannibalize itself. I agree with that notion. Predicted record: 9-3.
#8 Oregon (5-0) – If you take out the weird Texas Tech game, the Ducks have looked awesome. They would seem to be on a fast track to the Pac-12 Championship if USC, Washington, UCLA, Oregon State and Washington State weren’t in their conference. If one Pac-12 team gets out with only one loss, I wonder if The Committee gives them a bit of a bump because of how difficult the road to get there would have been. Predicted record: 10-2.
#10 USC(6-0) – Now we get to the Trojans, the preseason Pac-12 favourites. Man, have they had a roller coaster season so far. Three close games in a row now for this team. And their defense is atrocious. If Lincoln Riley wants to stick with Alex Grinch as his defensive coordinator then so be it. It will most likely cost USC a trip to the CFP (if not also the New Year’s Six). Predicted record: 10-2.
#12 North Carolina (5-0) – Maybe this will finally be the Heels’ year. They are flying under the radar and playing really good football if you take away the game against Appalachian State where they survived in double overtime. Will they struggle with their ACC schedule? Looking at it, they probably should be 9-0 going into the Victory Bell game against Duke. Then all bets are off. Predicted record: 11-1.
#14 Louisville (6-0) – This is arguably the biggest surprise on this list. Not saying no one thought Louisville wouldn’t be good. Just not this good. I had them 4-2 at this point which is pretty good but not undefeated. I would say they now have the meat of their conference schedule remaining but realistically, if they can beat Duke, they could conceivably be 11-0 and playing Kentucky for the Governor’s Cup in late November. Sounds crazy but you never know. Predicted record: 10-2.
Air Force (5-0) – They have ascended to the top of the Group of Five pecking order…for now. They have Wyoming this weekend in what could be the biggest game of the season. Other than that, it could end up being a showdown with Boise State to end the regular season which will tell us whether the Falcons will have their first shot at the New Year’s Six or not. Predicted record: 10-2.
Liberty (5-0) – The Flames are playing….pretty good. Holding on to beat Sam Houston isn’t a good look though. They also might have the easiest schedule remaining of any team in FBS. So even if they ran the table it would probably mean nothing unless utter chaos happened. Predicted record: 10-2.
James Madison (5-0) – Now here’s a frustrating one. JMU is undefeated. Would be bowl-eligible except for the NCAA’s ridiculous rule that teams moving up from FCS must serve a two-year transition. The thing is, that is to keep teams from not having full FBS schedules from becoming bowl-eligible. The Dukes weren’t even like that last year in their first year in FBS. Hopefully someone comes to their senses and gives this team a shot at a bowl game, if not the Sun Belt Championship. Predicted record: 10-2.
14 teams left unscathed. We are in mid-October. I wouldn’t be surprised if we headed into November with only 5 or 6 undefeated teams. At least we know for sure that by early Sunday morning there will only be a maximum of 13 undefeated teams with Washington and Oregon meeting in a mega-matchup.
Tomorrow…yes, TOMORROW…is the start of the college football week. Conference USA continues their October Weekday Warrior schedule with two games. The Fun Belt adds to the mix with a game of their own. Wednesday then has two more C-USA games. Football every day folks. Gotta love it! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Day!
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