2023 CFB Regular Season thread (AKA: The last year of normal college football)

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 9 Predictions

I have to accompany my mom to her latest eye doctor appointment at 12:30, so I won't beat around the bush. Let's just get to my picks for Week 9:

Top 25:
(1)Georgia 34 vs. Florida 31
(3)Ohio State 28 @ Wisconsin 20
(4)Florida State 30 @ Wake Forest 14
(5)Washington 45 @ Stanford 24
(6)Oklahoma 44 @ Kansas 31
BYU 23 @ (7)Texas 31
(8)Oregon 26 @ (13)Utah 28
Indiana 14 @ (10)Penn State 49
(11)Oregon State 27 @ Arizona 33
Vanderbilt 13 @ (12)Ole Miss 53
Pittsburgh 10 @ (14)Notre Dame 33
(17)North Carolina 35 @ Georgia Tech 28
(20)Duke 22 @ (18)Louisville 30
(19)Air Force 39 @ Colorado State 28
(21)Tennessee 23 @ Kentucky 27
(22)Tulane 44 @ Rice 28
Colorado 37 @ (23)UCLA 35
(24)USC 30 @ California 21
Old Dominion 10 @ (25)James Madison 26

Other big games:
Syracuse 21 @ Virginia Tech 28
Georgia State 28 @ Georgia Southern 31
Clemson 20 @ NC State 21
Iowa State 31 @ Baylor 38
UNLV 30 @ Fresno State 45
Miami-Ohio 27 @ Ohio 17

My time's up. You've been great. Did I really just make 25 picks on this post? ...Okay, let's see how many of them I get wrong this weekend!

 

[jwolt92]

How much longer does Caleb Williams actually play this year before sitting out to prep for the draft?

 

[belcherboy]

How much longer does Caleb Williams actually play this year before sitting out to prep for the draft?

He has Washington and Oregon, back to back, to end the season. Those could be quite brutal games for USC.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Kansas stops Oklahoma

Oklahoma 33-38 Kansas (Oct 28, 2023) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas Jayhawks NCAAF game, final score 33-38, from October 28, 2023 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

And just imagine: Kansas was able to do this WITHOUT Jalon Daniels. Just amazing.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

ucla beat colorado 28-16

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 9- Good and Bad

Before you guys return to your "Five Nights at Freddy's" streaming, let's take a look at the Good and the Bad from Week 9:

It was a Good Week for:​

Annoying mid-major teams (Teams like James Madison, Liberty, and Air Force are still unbeaten after last week! No doubt, this is really annoying to most of the "Power 5" conferences out there.)
The Oregon Ducks (Oregon smoked Utah in their main-event clash, keeping their playoff hopes alive. And their rivals in Corvallis [Oregon State] failed against Arizona, which means THEIR playoff hopes are dead.)
The state of Georgia (Georgia Tech rallied in the 4th to upset North Carolina and expose them as a fraud. And leave it to a rivalry game to bring out the best in the Georgia Bulldogs; the defending champs almost cruised their way to their latest win over Florida.)
Kay'ron Lynch-Adams (This guy ran for 234 yards and 3-TD's against Army yesterday. Most importantly, he helped UMass snap a 7-game losing streak.)
SMU (Anytime you can score 52 points in one half of a game, you can say you had a good day out on the field.)

It was a Bad Week for:​

The state of Utah (The Utes' 15-game home winning streak is now over thanks to Oregon. And BYU's offense did almost NOTHING in their loss to Texas.)
Duke (Riley Leonard was able to play yesterday! ...But that didn't mean shit to the Louisville Cardinals; they completely shut down the Blue Devils yesterday.)
Maryland (Not only did the Terps miss out of bowl eligibility against Northwestern, but Taulia got outdueled by Brenden Sullivan [who was making just his 3rd start].)
Clemson (...Yep. I had a sinking feeling that Clemson was gonna lose to NC State, and that's exactly what happened. Now the Tigers have lost back-to-back games in the ACC for the first time since 2011.)

And finally, I would be remiss if I didn't show you the latest misadventure of the 2023 USC Trojans!

USC 50-49 California (Oct 28, 2023) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the USC Trojans vs. California Golden Bears NCAAF game, final score 50-49, from October 28, 2023 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 10- Best "mid-major games"

Okay, THIS time I'm sure of it: The first playoff rankings WILL come out tonight at around 7:00. And at around 8:00, we'll get the usual whining and complaining about it from the gallery. It's like clockwork.
So anyway, here are some games from the minor conferences to look at this week (All times are Eastern):

Buffalo @ Toledo [7:30 tonight, ESPN2] (Tonight is when the famous "mid-week MACtion" games begin for 2023. And we got a pretty good one here! Toledo may be tough, but don't sell short Buffalo; they're still in the MAC East race and their QB Cole Snyder has been doing good. Let's see if the Rockets get tripped up here.)

Elon @ Delaware [1:00, check local listings] (Here's a little fun attraction from the CAA. The Delaware Blue Hens are doing well at 7-1, and they're on top of a VERY crowded conference. But the Elon Phoenix are still in the title mix, and they're pretty close to the Hens in the stats department.)

North Dakota State @ South Dakota State [3:00, ESPN+] (Ah, the annual event in the FCS where the Bison and the Jackrabbits duke it out for the "Dakota Marker" trophy. Yet I have the feeling that the Bison will play this game like it's their last stand. Will North Dakota State take back control of the Dakotas? Or will South Dakota State end the "Bison dynasty" for good?)

James Madison @ Georgia State [3:30, ESPN2] (I seriously doubt that James Madison is gonna be in the CFP Top 25 tonight. But that's of little concern for them right now; this Saturday, they're going to Atlanta to take on the Panthers and keep their undefeated season alive. And sure, Georgia State might have lost last week, but they're still pretty dangerous. Maybe all GSU has to do to pull the upset is get their defense to play better.)

Boise State @ Fresno State [10:00, CBS Sports Network] (Last week, Boise State escaped irrelevancy in 2023 with a win over Wyoming. Now they're hoping to reenter the Mountain West race by upsetting Fresno State. Maybe what Boise needs to do is stop Mikey Keene and the Fresno passing attack. Or maybe they should just play their old, balanced offense and beat them that way.)

Did any of these games make it onto my "Top 10 list"? Tune in Thursday to find out.

 

[navamind]

It's pretty odd seeing NDSU outside the top 10

Sac State also plays Montana this week

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 10- Top Ten Games

Did you see Akron's big comeback win over Kent State last night?! That was amazing! ...Here's hoping we get more stuff like that this week, as the CFP race enters the homestretch. So here are...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2023 [Week Ten]​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Penn State @ Maryland [3:30, FOX] (I had a REALLY hard time with this spot on the list. Notre Dame @ Clemson and UCLA @ Arizona were strong contenders, and I even thought about James Madison @ Georgia State. But I went with this game from College Park, because I wanna see what Penn State will do here. Will they run over the Terps again and go to the Michigan game on a high, or will they get caught napping?
As for Maryland, they lost to Northwestern last week! Come on, Terps! I thought you were gonna be really good in 2023. Can Taulia find that landmark win he's always wanted right here?)

9. Virginia Tech @ Louisville [3:30, ACC Network] (Don't look now, but Virginia Tech is creeping back up the ACC standings. What can Kyron Drones and the Hokies do at Louisville; can they get that marquee win to REALLY get their comeback hopes going? As for the Cardinals, the CFP has put them at #13, which is pretty high. But they BETTER keep their foot on the gas here; they didn't do so against Pittsburgh and lost.)

8. Kansas @ Iowa State [7:00, ESPN] (A "letdown alert" is in effect for the Kansas Jayhawks this Saturday, as they are traveling to Iowa State 1 week after their monster win over then-unbeaten Oklahoma. And QB Rocco Becht has gotten Iowa State going in the Big 12, as they are currently ahead of Kansas in the standings. But actually, I think Kansas should worry about breaking the Cyclones defense; it'll be their best chance to leave Ames with a win.)

7. Ohio State @ Rutgers [12:00, CBS] (Boy, CBS is gonna be BUSY this Saturday. First up for them is this surprise game in New Jersey, where Rutgers host those darn Ohio State Buckeyes. But look at the stats! Rutgers is already at 6 wins! Ohio State got the CFP's blessing, as they are #1! Rutgers has had a week off to prepare for this! And the Buckeyes have had some troubles over the last 2 weeks!
...All of that won't mean shit if the Knights can't break that vaunted Buckeyes D. Just saying.)

6. Texas A&M @ Ole Miss [12:00, ESPN] (Also getting a blessing from the CFP committee is Ole Miss, as they got placed in the Top 10. But now they host the Aggies of A&M, who has a sack-happy defense just like theirs. Yet if Ole Miss gets to Max Johnson more times than A&M gets to Jaxson Dart, I think they'll be fine.
...Wait. I just remembered something. Doesn't Ole Miss face Georgia next week? Hmmm... could this be the day where Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino get that big win of 2023 they've been pining for?)

5. Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State [3:30, ABC] (...Aw, man. This is the last scheduled meeting of the "Bedlam Series" between the Sooners and the Cowboys. At least it'll be a good one; both Oklahoma and OK State are tied in the Big 12 standings. The Sooners have to be mad after their loss to Kansas last week. And the Cowboys have Ollie Gordon II, who already has over 1,000 yards rushing. Can Alan Bowman also help OK State out here?)

4. Kansas State @ Texas [12:00, FOX] (Actually, there are 5 teams in 1st place in the Big 12 right now. That's right, 5! Iowa State is one, and I already touched on the 2 Oklahoma schools.
And here are the last 2, getting ready to go 1-on-1 in Austin. Kansas State is back in the rankings, and their defense has been lights-out recently. But if the game turns into a shootout, can the Wildcats adjust? And Texas looked good against BYU, but now we'll see how good Arch Manning and Mallik Murphy REALLY are.)

3. LSU @ Alabama [7:45, CBS] (For Alabama, it's time for the long-awaited revenge game against LSU. Let's see if Jalen Milroe and the Tide defense can pass this "final exam" and return to being a serious CFP contender. As for LSU, it's offense speaks for itself. But can the defense handle not only the Tuscaloosa crowd, but also the crafty Tide attack?)

2. Washington @ USC [7:30, ABC] (Why did I put this game above LSU/Alabama? Simple. It's the undefeated Washington Huskies going to L.A. to face the Trojans. But Washington has been a little wobbly over their last few games; they need to get serious and play a complete game here. And as for USC? ...Well, just think of this as the Trojans' last stand for 2023. If Caleb Williams and/or the USC defense stumbles here, they can wave bye-bye to ANY "New Year's Six" talk.)

1. Missouri @ Georgia [3:30, CBS] (Holy crap, you guys! Missouri is in a "main-event" game in November! This really HAS been their best start in a decade! ...But now it's time for serious business; the SEC East will pivot on this big game in Athens. And I don't think that Georgia likes being shafted for the #1 spot in the CFP; the Bulldogs will be hungry for blood here.
But at least the Tigers has had 2 weeks to prepare for this. Maybe Brady Cook and the Missouri offense has some surprises in store...)

Game with the best chance to be a bust: California @ Oregon (With the Cal Bears shooting their wad against USC last week and Oregon being ranked #6 in the CFP polls, I think this game could be a walkover for the Ducks.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Notre Dame @ Clemson, UCLA @ Arizona, James Madison @ Georgia State, and Boise State @ Fresno State.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 10 Predictions

Considering that I picked 25 damn games last week, my record of 19-6 actually looks very good. Let's see what I have for you guys this week!

Top 25:
(1)Ohio State 37 @ Rutgers 17
(12)Missouri 21 @ (2)Georgia 35
Purdue 10 @ (3)Michigan 41
(4)Florida State 35 @ Pittsburgh 20
(5)Washington 47 @ (20)USC 40
California 13 @ (6)Oregon 47
(23)Kansas State 28 @ (7)Texas 24
(14)LSU 30 @ (8)Alabama 35
(9)Oklahoma 44 @ (22)Oklahoma State 31
Texas A&M 17 @ (10)Ole Miss 31
(11)Penn State 38 @ Maryland 28
Virginia Tech 20 @ (13)Louisville 24
(15)Notre Dame 23 @ Clemson 27
(16)Oregon State 37 @ Colorado 27
UConn 7 @ (17)Tennessee 50
Arizona State 14 @ (18)Utah 33
(19)UCLA 35 @ Arizona 28
(21)Kansas 30 @ Iowa State 24
(24)Tulane 38 @ East Carolina 20
Army 10 vs. (25)Air Force 28

Other big games:
Boston College 31 @ Syracuse 21
Iowa 17 @ Northwestern 20
James Madison 39 @ Georgia State 24
Boise State 21 @ Fresno State 28
Miami 24 @ NC State 27

My time's up. You've been great. Enjoy "Metroid Prime: Remastered".

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 10- Good and Bad
I'm actually thinking about restarting my college basketball "follow-along" threads from years past. You should check it out... AFTER we look at the good and the bad from Week 10:

It was a Good Week for:​

My preseason predictions (...Just know that Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and Florida State are all still in the CFP race after this week.)
Oklahoma State (So the Bedlam Series will now be laying dormant. Oh well, at least the Cowboys won the final installment of the rivalry [and eliminated Oklahoma from the national title race in the process]!)
Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai (Okay, so his team didn't win against Ohio State. But anytime you can pull off a "Fumblerooski" play in 2023, you at least deserve a thumbs-up.)
The Arizona Wildcats (For the 2nd week in a row, they shock a ranked team in their conference [this time it was UCLA]. Arizona also had to like the fact that pretty-boy USC lost their dogfight against Washington... and had to REALLY like Arizona State getting crushed by Utah.)
Sam Houston (It might have been against FCS team Kennesaw State, but at least Sam Houston State finally has a win as an FBS team.)

It was a Bad Week for:​

Notre Dame (My upset pick in Clemson comes through! ...So that means that Sam Hartman will leave the college game having never beaten the Tigers in his career. This also means that Notre Dame's "New Year Six" chances are now done. Finito. Kaput.)
Air Force (Speaking of teams being finito, Air Force suffered an avalanche of bad news yesterday. The Falcons got upset by Army [almost killing their "New Year's Six" chances], and now Air Force could lose the "Commander-in-Chief" trophy soon. Not to mention Tulane NOT losing to East Carolina [even though they kinda wanted to], Fresno beating Boise, and people like Liberty and James Madison staying unbeaten.
And now for the topper: This is Army's first win over a ranked opponent in 51 years! )
Texas A&M (Another tough loss for the poor Aggies, as they came up JUST short against Ole Miss.)
The Big 10 West (Leaders like Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Minnesota all lost yesterday. Which means that we could get boring-as-fuck Iowa in the Big 10 title game again.)

And finally, here is what I think was the best overall game of the week:

Kansas State 30-33 Texas (Nov 4, 2023) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the Kansas State Wildcats vs. Texas Longhorns NCAAF game, final score 30-33, from November 4, 2023 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 11- Top 10 Games

You know, I have brought back my "college basketball follow-along" thread for the 2023-24 season. You guys should check it out... AFTER you see my latest list. It's time for...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2023 (Week 11)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Texas @ TCU [7:30, ABC] (One year ago, this game was "can't miss" as a undefeated TCU team was facing the Longhorns. Now in 2023, Texas is the one looking for a road win to keep their CFP hopes alive, while TCU is 4-5 and just struggling to get it together. And it's the last scheduled meeting between these two; if TCU doesn't shore up their defense, it could be another tough day for them.)

9. Oklahoma State @ UCF [3:30, ESPN] (Elsewhere in the Big 12, we have this unique game in Orlando. Last week, UCF finally got a win in their new conference, and now they're hoping to get an upset win. As for OK State, they are flying high after beating the Sooners! Now they're ranked #15 in the CFP rankings, and has a clear path to the Big 12 title game. Let's all hope they don't have a hangover here.)

8. Duke @ North Carolina [8:00, ACC Network] (It may not be AS big as we expected it to be, but this is still a pretty important rivalry game between the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils. Both UNC and Duke have lost 2 out of the last 3 games, and they're both hoping that they have solved their problems in time. For whoever loses this fight in Chapel Hill is most definitely NOT going to the ACC championship game.)

7. Alabama @ Kentucky [12:00, ESPN] (Kentucky snapped a 3-game losing streak last week against Mississippi State. So they DO have some form of momentum entering this rare chance to host the Crimson Tide. But what can the Wildcats REALLY do against this Alabama team? Well, there ARE two things they can do.
One: Make sure their defense plays as well as they did last week.
And two: Do everything in their power to stop Jalen Milroe and the Alabama rushing attack.)

6. Tennessee @ Missouri [3:30, CBS] (Strange. I thought that CBS would be all over the Ole Miss/Georgia game. Anyway, this is just a simple battle between Top-15 teams, and one that Tennessee NEEDS to win in order to be ready for the battle with Georgia next week. As for Missouri, they did play well against those Bulldogs in a losing effort. What do they have left for this one?)

5. USC @ Oregon [10:30, FOX] (This is USC's absolute last chance to do something amazing in 2023. I mean, they just fired the defensive coordinator that was sucking at his job! And Caleb Williams is still playing! That HAS to mean good things for the Trojans, right?
As for Oregon, this is just another major test for them. If they sweep away USC, they stay on the inside track to the PAC-12 title and maybe a playoff berth. If Bo Nix balls out again...)

4. Miami @ Florida State [3:30, ABC] (It's the 68th installment of this intense rivalry! And it has playoff implications! You really can't ask for anything more. However, Miami is coming off a bad performance against NC State last week. And the last time these 2 rivals met, FSU smashed the 'Canes 45-3... in Miami! The Hurricanes will come out fighting here, but how long will they last?)

3. Utah @ Washington [3:30, FOX] (Jeez. The road that Washington is taking to the CFP is just LOADED with traps and perils. First, there was the flu bug that left them sluggish against lesser teams. Last week, it was a shootout against USC. Now they're hosting the always-tough Utah Utes, who can still knock you down even without a dynamic QB. Not to mention that games against Oregon State and Washington State are still on the horizon for the Huskies! Good luck, Mr. Michael Penix Jr. and friends!)

2. Michigan @ Penn State [12:00, FOX] (Well, here we go again. Penn State is facing another Top 10 team, and fans in "Happy Valley" are hoping that THIS is the moment where they get a program-defining win. And you know what you're going to get with the Michigan Wolverines: Tough defense, an efficient offense, and that stupid sign-stealing scandal that's still going on. Expect a tough, low-scoring game that both Michigan and Penn State NEEDS to win.)

1. Ole Miss @ Georgia [7:00, ESPN] (So for the 2nd week in a row, Georgia is in the main event facing a team that has the talent to stop their REALLY long winning streak. This time, it's Ole Miss and their QB Jaxson Dart, along with a defense that is looking to stop Carson Beck and crew. But what's this about Brock Bowers possibly coming back? What will the Rebels do if that happens? Don't miss this epic battle!)

Best "mid-major" game: Fresno State @ San Jose State (Fresno State has the inside track to the MW title game, but they now have to visit San Jose State. Wouldn't it be funny if the rival Spartans would ruin the party for Fresno?)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Tulsa @ Tulane (Tulane might have gotten scared against East Carolina last week. But now that they're wide awake, they should easily blow by Tulsa here.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Wyoming @ UNLV, West Virginia @ Oklahoma, Rutgers @ Iowa, and Michigan State @ Ohio State.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 11 Predictions

What is with these people trying to "update" Christmas carols for people? Just today I heard Lindsey Stirling and Sabrina Carpenter do "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" on Music Choice, and you gotta be fucking kidding me. Absolute trash!
Sorry, I just felt like venting. Anyway, here is something that's never trash: My weekly picks!

Top 25:
Michigan State 7 @ (1)Ohio State 41
(9)Ole Miss 37 @ (2)Georgia 34
(3)Michigan 27 @ (10)Penn State 21
Miami 21 @ (4)Florida State 31
(18)Utah 24 @ (5)Washington 31
USC 27 @ (6)Oregon 44
(7)Texas 37 @ TCU 20
(8)Alabama 39 @ Kentucky 17
Virginia 20 @ (11)Louisville 28
Stanford 20 @ (12)Oregon State 39
(13)Tennessee 28 @ (14)Missouri 31
(15)Oklahoma State 44 @ UCF 21
Texas Tech 38 @ (16)Kansas 31
West Virginia 28 @ (17)Oklahoma 36
Florida 24 @ (19)LSU 35
(21)Arizona 42 @ Colorado 28
Rutgers 14 @ (22)Iowa 21
Tulsa 10 @ (23)Tulane 40
Duke 20 @ (24)North Carolina 36
Baylor 17 @ (25)Kansas State 27

Other big games:
Wyoming 31 @ UNLV 27
Texas State 24 @ Coastal Carolina 27

My time's up. You've been great. Don't forget to support your veterans!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 11- Good and Bad

No. 24 UNC survives 2OT thriller to beat rival Duke 47-45 in home finale

North Carolina stopped Duke’s 2-point conversion try to tie the game in the second overtime, sending the No. 24 Tar Heels to a 47-45 win against the rival Blue Devils in a thriller.

apnews.com

Easily the game of the week, and a strong contender for "Game of the Year" over at UNC!

And with that game out of the way, let's see what else was good (and bad) for Week 11:

It was a Good Week for:​

Sherrone Moore (With the whole "sign-stealing" mess now resulting in a suspension for Jim Harbaugh, it fell on Michigan's offensive coordinator to try to win at Penn State. And he did! Granted, he ran the ball about 50 million times, but it worked as Michigan won again! Maybe Sherrone can get a head-coaching job once this season is over.)
The Pacific Northwest (Washington passed yet ANOTHER test yesterday, this time against Utah. Oregon State blasted Stanford, meaning THEIR game against the Huskies could be next week's "main-event". And Oregon simply took care of USC, meaning they're still here.)
Under bettors in the Rutgers/Iowa game (Everyone was gawking over how low the total was for this game in Iowa City [I think it was 28.5]. But somehow, this game went LOWER THAN THAT! ...But to Iowa's credit, they won and now they're almost a lock for the Big 10 title game.)
Prognosticators in the American (Lindy's magazine had these 4 teams on top of the American in the summer: UTSA, Tulane, SMU, and Memphis. Well, Tulane survived another tough fight, Memphis won in OT against Charlotte, SMU wins again, and UTSA is 6-0 in their new home. So... yeah, I'd say that Lindy's was right on this one.)
New Mexico State (By god, the Aggies of New Mexico State just won their 8th game of the season! And in 3 weeks time, they'll get a rematch with Liberty in the Conference USA title game.)

It was a Bad Week for:​

Ole Miss (Man... I only missed 2 picks this weekend! Sadly for me, one of the misses were Ole Miss against Georgia. The Rebels got SHREDDED last night in Athens, and now I don't think they're gonna make a "New Year's Six" bowl in 2023.)
Oklahoma State (And here's my other miss. But to be fair, NOBODY saw this domination from UCF coming. I mean, 45-3?! If the Cowboys can't recover from this, they'll lose their Big 12 title shot!)
Kansas (The Jayhawks' bad luck against Texas Tech continues, as a late field goal gave the Red Raiders the victory in Lawrence.)
The state of California (USC wasn't the only one that suffered last night in Cali. I mean, UCLA lost AT HOME to Arizona State. Fresno State got upset by San Jose State. And San Diego State is out of the bowl picture thanks to Colorado State.)

And finally, Air Force has now lost back-to-back games thanks to Hawaii. ...Uh, pardon me. I need to go check the Mountain West standings.

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

A bad week for Jimbo too, it would appear.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

A bad week for Jimbo too, it would appear.

Oooooooooo... Thanks for the update, sir.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

More coaching news

Boise State fires head coach Andy Avalos

The third-year coach had a 22-14 record as head coach of the Broncos

www.ktvb.com

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 12- Best "mid-major" games

With a dose of madness, I give you another week of posts! First is the dabble into the "mid-major" conferences. Thing is, it could be a short one since I (currently) have 3 "mid-major" games in my Top 10 list for Week 12. But here are some others to look at (All times are Eastern):

Toledo @ Bowling Green [7:00 tonight, ESPN2] (It's another "Battle of I-75" between the Falcons and the Rockets. And both teams want this win; Bowling Green wants to shock Toledo for the 2nd year in a row, while Toledo wants to get revenge for last year's loss and score their 10th win.)

Harvard @ Yale [12:00, ESPNU] (The FCS is gonna be BUSY this weekend, as they wrap up their regular season with some HUGE matchups. One of the biggest is this one: The annual game between Yale and Harvard. If Harvard wins, they'll be the stand-alone Ivy League champions. But if Yale upsets them, we'll have a big cluster-muck for the title.)

Lafayette @ Lehigh [12:30, ESPN+] (You probably already know this, but this is the most-played rivalry game in modern college football. Anyway, Lafayette is on the doorstep of winning the Patriot League; if they win at their arch-rivals [never easy], they're going to the FCS playoffs.)

Montana State @ Montana [2:00, ESPN+] (Last year's edition of the "Brawl of the Wild" was a spectacle. It had "College Gameday" there, a whole bunch of snow, and Nick Falco as the guest of honor [and the guest picker]. But THIS year's edition will be all business; whoever wins this [either the Grizzlies or the Bobcats] will be the stand-alone Big Sky champions for 2023. No bronze, no silver, it'll be all about the gold this Saturday in Montana!)

I'll be back on Thursday, so have fun guessing which "Group of Five" matchups makes it onto my list!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 12- Top 10 Games

Breaking news! The NCAA has denied James Madison their postseason wavier, meaning that the Dukes can't go to a bowl even if they go unbeaten. Which means that "College Gameday" has dissed the Washington/Oregon State game... for almost no reason! And yes, JMU's game with App. State will not be on my list.

But for the games that ARE on my list, let's get to it! Here are...

The Top 10 Games of College Football (Week 12)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. UNLV @ Air Force [3:30, CBS Sports Network] (...Yeah, I can't believe it either. The UNLV Rebels have improved so much in 2023 that they're not only in the Mountain West race, but they made it onto a "big-boy" Top 10 list!
Anyway, here we have 2 Mountain West teams trending in opposite directions. UNLV has won 4 out of their last 5, while Air Force has dropped 2 straight after a 8-0 start. We'll see how the Falcons do in their first game in Colorado Springs in over a month, because at least 1 spot in the MW title game will be decided here.)

9. Louisville @ Miami [12:00, ABC] (I mentioned UNLV as a surprise team, and here's another one in Louisville. The Cardinals are ranked #10 in the latest CFP poll, and if they win here they'll face Florida State in the ACC championship game. However, Miami didn't look bad in their game to Florida State last week [despite the loss]. If they shore up their defense, the Cardinals could be in trouble.)

8. SMU @ Memphis [12:00, ESPN2] (In the American conference, there are 4 teams left competing for conference title spots: UTSA, Tulane, and these two. Memphis needs to win this one to stay in the race, while SMU is looking to go to 7-0 in the league and almost certainly clinch a spot. Which QB will lead their squad to victory: Preston Stone or Seth Henigan?)

7. UCLA @ USC [3:30, ABC] (I initially had Utah @ Arizona at this spot, but honestly there's really nothing on the line in that game in Tucson. So instead, let's indulge in this rivalry game in Los Angeles one more time! Although it IS interesting that Chip Kelly is rumored to be on the outs at UCLA. Is there any truth to that? If USC bypasses the Bruins again, we'll find out soon enough.)

6. Kansas State @ Kansas [7:00, FOX Sports 1] (So here we go again. It's another edition of the "Sunflower Showdown", and we're wondering if THIS is the year when Kansas stops Kansas State's dominance in the rivalry. Remember this, though: The Jayhawks' offense kinda sucked against Texas Tech last week, and it costed them. They need to fix that to stop a K-State team that still has an outside chance to make the Big 12 title game.)

5. Oregon @ Arizona State [4:00, FOX] (Okay! Now on to the REAL theme of Week 12: Playoff hopefuls looking to NOT lose on the road and blow their playoff chances. Oregon should be able to bypass a 3-7 Arizona State team... or WILL they? The Sun Devils DID win last week against UCLA in dramatic fashion. And don't forget what happened 4 years ago, when ASU killed the playoff chances of the Ducks in Tempe. Oregon's defense should tell us if that has a chance of happening again.)

4. Michigan @ Maryland [12:00, FOX] (The Big 10 looks to be pretty quiet this week. Excluding, of course, this whole drama in Ann Arbor right now. But let's try to forget about suspensions and hearings for a moment and focus on this game in College Park. Michigan absolutely CANNOT be caught looking ahead to those damn Buckeyes here; Maryland is fresh off a bowl-clinching win. Not to mention that this will be Taulia Tagovailoa's absolute last chance to beat one of the big boys from the Big 10 East in his career.)

3. Georgia @ Tennessee [3:30, CBS] (Anytime that the #1 team in the nation goes on the road to face a division rival, CFB fans are going to pay attention. Especially if the #1 team has a 27-game winning streak that's on the line... and has games against Georgia Tech and Alabama on the horizon. If Tennessee somehow breaks that stout Georgia D...)

2. Texas @ Iowa State [8:00, FOX] (Do you understand the theme of the week now? Oregon is on the road, and so is Georgia and Michigan. And Texas is also traveling, as they'll go and say goodbye to Iowa State over in Ames. But there's more at stake! Texas has a tenuous lead in the Big 12 standings, and one more loss could send the Big 12 into utter chaos. Not to mention that QB Rocco Becht and Iowa State has won 4 out of their last 5, and they can shock the Longhorns if they can keep this game low-scoring.)

1. Washington @ Oregon State [7:30, ABC] (No prize guessing what this week's main event is. It's this beauty over in Corvallis, Oregon! Will the Washington Huskies pass THIS major test, or will Oregon State grab a headline win to shake up the playoff? Will Michael Penix Jr. stand tall, or will D.J. Uiagalelei complete his career revival? One thing's for sure: The Oregon Ducks will be watching this game as closely as the rest of America...)

Game with the best chance to be a bust: Baylor @ TCU (Oh Baylor and TCU, how far you've fallen. I see TCU winning this game in a pretty boring way.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Appalachian State @ James Madison, Utah @ Arizona, North Carolina @ Clemson, Oklahoma @ BYU, and NC State @ Virginia Tech.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 12 Predictions

My hot streak in predictions continued last week, as I went 18-2! Will THIS be the week where I royally screw it up? Let's see as I give out my picks for this week (FBS vs. FCS games don't count):

Top 25:
(1)Georgia 38 @ (18)Tennessee 21
Minnesota 10 @ (2)Ohio State 42
(3)Michigan 35 @ Maryland 28
(5)Washington 30 @ (11)Oregon State 31
(6)Oregon 45 @ Arizona State 23
(7)Texas 39 @ Iowa State 22
Florida 20 @ (9)Missouri 27
(10)Louisville 34 @ Miami 28
Rutgers 13 @ (12)Penn State 40
UL-Monroe 10 @ (13)Ole Miss 48
(14)Oklahoma 42 @ BYU 20
Georgia State 19 @ (15)LSU 51
Illinois 13 @ (16)Iowa 21
(22)Utah 30 @ (17)Arizona 28
Wake Forest 17 @ (19)Notre Dame 35
(20)North Carolina 38 @ Clemson 31
(21)Kansas State 30 @ (25)Kansas 21
(23)Oklahoma State 37 @ Houston 28
(24)Tulane 24 @ Florida Atlantic 27

Other big games:
SMU 34 @ Memphis 44
Appalachian State 28 @ James Madison 31
UCLA 34 @ USC 41
UNLV 20 @ Air Force 23
Nebraska 17 @ Wisconsin 22
Syracuse 20 @ Georgia Tech 30

My time's up. You've been great. Enjoy the new "Call of Duty" game... or at least try to.