A look into the new normal (2024 CFB Regular Season thread)

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 3 Predictions

So last week I went 16-9 in my picks, including a 1-5 mark in the "Other big games" segment. Ugh! Yep, I gotta be better at this, so let's get to my picks for Week 3 (FBS vs. FCS games don't count):

Top 25:
(1)Georgia 42 @ Kentucky 17
UTSA 9 @ (2)Texas 48
(4)Alabama 38 @ Wisconsin 20
(5)Ole Miss 39 @ Wake Forest 19
(24)Boston College 17 @ (6)Missouri 30
Kent State 7 @ (8)Tennessee 60
(9)Oregon 34 @ Oregon State 28
Ball State 10 @ (10)Miami 42
(12)Utah 33 @ Utah State 12
(13)Oklahoma State 39 @ Tulsa 14
(20)Arizona 31 @ (14)Kansas State 24
Tulane 17 @ (15)Oklahoma 35
(16)LSU 37 @ South Carolina 31
Arkansas State 13 @ (17)Michigan 24
(18)Notre Dame 27 @ Purdue 24

Other big games:
Arizona State 38 @ Texas State 35
Texas A&M 23 @ Florida 28
Washington 37 vs. Washington State 30
West Virginia 27 @ Pittsburgh 24
Indiana 27 @ UCLA 30
UCF 28 @ TCU 35

My time's up. You've been great. Enjoy "The Toque 12".

 

[Xeliou66]

Next week is when the CFB season really kicks into high gear, this week is kind of a mediocre week. I look forward to the Friday game between Zona/KST, that should be an excellent showdown. Boston College/Mizzou on Saturday is one of the week‘s more interesting games. There aren’t really any good Saturday night games - I bet Georgia stomps Kentucky’s ass.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

LSU vs. South Carolina

LSU 36-33 South Carolina (Sep 14, 2024) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the LSU Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks NCAAF game, final score 36-33, from September 14, 2024 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

I thought "College Gameday" was crazy for going to Columbia for this game. Turns out that "Gameday" had ESP, as this game should end up being one of the best of the year.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

texas looks like Alabama a few years back in domination.bet they kick the shit out of bama/uga.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 3- Good and Bad

So in terms of predictions, I go 1-5 in non-ranked games... for the 2nd week in a row. Yeah... that's a bad look for me. Well, on that note here's what else was bad (and good) for Week 3:

It Was a Good Week for:​

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe (Milroe is fast becoming another superstar QB for the Crimson Tide. I mean, 3-TD's passing and 2-TD's rushing? Poor Wisconsin never stood a chance. I think Alabama is ready for their war with Georgia in 2 weeks.)
Eastern Michigan (The Eagles won the best "under-the-radar game of the week", as they defeated Jacksonville State in double-OT 37-34.)
Toledo (Toledo was another MAC team that was happy yesterday, as they upset Mississippi State in a game that they NEVER trailed in. And when Notre Dame smashed Purdue, that just made their conference mate Northern Illinois look better.)
Pittsburgh (Great comeback win for the Panthers, as they won another amazing "Backyard Brawl" over the Mountaineers.)
The Indiana Hoosiers (Last night was supposed to be a showcase game for UCLA. Oops! It was actually a showcase game for the Hoosiers; they NEVER trailed in their win in Pasadena.)

It Was a Bad Week for:​

Georgia's offense (Yes, Georgia won at Kentucky. But the Bulldogs offense looked like crap during that game, with only 262 total yards. Kentucky gave out the blueprint to slow down the Bulldogs, and I'll bet Alabama will be taking notes over the next 2 weeks.)
Quinn Ewers (Quinn got injured during Texas' win over UTSA. If that wasn't bad enough, Arch Manning stepped in and played great. If Arch continues to ball out, will Ewers ever see the football field again?)
The Washington Huskies (They failed a 4th-and-Goal at the 1-yard line, and thus failed to silence their arch-rivals Washington State. Worse for them, their other rivals [Oregon] dominated the 2nd half of their game against Oregon State.)
Vanderbilt (Aw, man! The Commodores crashed back to Earth, as they got upset by Georgia State in Atlanta. And their arch-rivals Tennessee actually covered their monster spread against Kent State.)

And finally, I am not gonna beat the dead-horse that is Florida and Florida State's struggles. That, I'll leave up to you guys.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

UCF vs. TCU

UCF 35-34 TCU (Sep 14, 2024) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the UCF Knights vs. TCU Horned Frogs NCAAF game, final score 35-34, from September 14, 2024 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

Oops! Almost forgot about this game! And it was a mix of bad [for TCU] and good [for UCF] for everyone involved.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

texas pure dominant performances are adding up.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 4- Top 10 Games

Before you guys get back to watching "Sing 2" on Nick (for around the 10th time), let's look at the games we'll watch as conference play begins for most of the nation's teams. Yep, it's time for...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2024 (Week 4)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Arizona State @ Texas Tech [3:30, FOX Sports 1] (So new-look Arizona State is 3-0 while scoring wins over Mississippi State and a game Texas State team. So far, so good. But now it's time for ASU to start life in their new home in the Big 12, as they visit Texas Tech. As for the Red Raiders, QB Behren Morton looked good last week against North Texas. But now he's facing a REAL defense again; how well will he do?)

9. NC State @ Clemson [12:00, ABC] (Another installment in the "Textile Bowl" rivalry! And it's Clemson looking for revenge against a Wolfpack team that stunned them last year. For NC State, their defense has let them down a couple of times already this season; it HAS to step up if NC State wants the statement win.)

8. San Jose State @ Washington State [10:30 tomorrow, CW] (I gotta show this game some love; we got a battle of 3-0 teams here in Pullman. SJSU has been doing good so far with Ken Niumatalolo at the helm, but now they try their luck against the Cougars. And how about Wazzu? Fresh off an emotional "Apple Cup" win over Washington, there's bound to be a letdown of sorts. Will it cost Wazzu the game?)

7. Miami @ USF [7:00, ESPN] (Hmmm, so we have an in-state showdown between the Hurricanes and the Bulls. To me, this game is all about Miami's mindset; if they stay calm and not make dumb mistakes, they should handle the capable Bulls. If they don't, however, things MAY get messy.)

6. Georgia Tech @ Louisville [3:30, ESPN2] (Time now for the Louisville Cardinals to start playing the big boys, as they come off a bye week [and 2 easy opponents] to face Georgia Tech. And the Yellow Jackets have been through a few battles already, so they'll be tough to stop. The X-factor for me is Louisville's defense; will the extra week of prep make up for the fact that it hasn't been truly tested yet?)

5. Illinois @ Nebraska [8:00 tomorrow, FOX] (OOOO! Two weeks in, and FOX's Friday-night slot has given us two good-looking games! For this one, it's the Big 10 opener for both Nebraska and Illinois. It's the first time since 2013 that Nebraska has hosted a ranked team while being ranked themselves. And I'll be waiting to see which offense will get going first.)

4. Kansas State @ BYU [10:30, ESPN] (For all the night-owls out there, here's a doozy of a game for you! It's the Big 12 opener for both K-State and BYU, and let's see who will win out: The flashy Cougars led by QB Jake Retzlaff, or the efficient Wildcats? ...But I do want someone other than Retzlaff to step up at the running game for BYU.)

3. USC @ Michigan [3:30, CBS] (Look. Just the programs alone will sell this game for you good people. Me, I'll be waiting to see how USC handles their first trip to the Midwest this season. AND if Michigan's offense can get around the Trojans D.)

2. Utah @ Oklahoma State [4:00, FOX] (So we got more drama over Cameron Rising and his starting status for Utah. Well, Oklahoma State doesn't care; this is one of their biggest games of the season. They're welcoming Utah to the Big 12 conference in this game between Top-15 teams, and their offense has to be ready for the challenge.
But about Cameron Rising? It looks like he'll be playing this Saturday for the Utes, according to sources. How good will he be for them?)

1. Tennessee @ Oklahoma [7:30, ABC] (It's "main-event" time over in Norman! It's the long-awaited SEC debut for the Sooners, and they're hoping that their relative struggles over the last 2 weeks has prepared them for this moment. For the Vols, they've been looking awesome! But how will they handle the [no-doubt] raucous crowd in Norman Saturday night? Don't miss the drama, folks!)

Best "mid-major" game: Memphis @ Navy (Memphis is 3-0 and is on the doorstep of being ranked! ...Let's all hope they don't fumble against the Midshipmen!)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: UCLA @ LSU (...Yeah, sorry UCLA. But if you can get dunked on by Indiana IN Pasadena, what chance do you guys REALLY have against LSU?)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Virginia @ Coastal Carolina, Arkansas @ Auburn, TCU @ SMU, Rutgers @ Virginia Tech, and Iowa @ Minnesota.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 4 Predictions

Sorry for the small delay; I had to take my mother over to an appointment with her lung doctor (she's fine, by the way). Anyway, here are my picks for Week 4:

Top 25:
UL-Monroe 7 @ (1)Texas 50
Marshall 13 @ (3)Ohio State 45
Georgia Southern 10 @ (5)Ole Miss 48
(6)Tennessee 38 @ (15)Oklahoma 31
Vanderbilt 17 @ (7)Missouri 34
(8)Miami 34 @ USF 24
Kent State 6 @ (10)Penn State 49
(11)USC 27 @ (18)Michigan 19
(12)Utah 30 @ (14)Oklahoma State 27
(13)Kansas State 26 @ BYU 31
UCLA 20 @ (16)LSU 48
Miami-Ohio 17 @ (17)Notre Dame 24
Georgia Tech 20 @ (18)Louisville 30
Arkansas State 19 @ (20)Iowa State 21
NC State 17 @ (21)Clemson 31
(24)Illinois 20 @ (22)Nebraska 24
Buffalo 28 @ (23)Northern Illinois 27
Bowling Green 9 @ (25)Texas A&M 35

Other big games:
San Jose State 27 @ Washington State 30
Arizona State 30 @ Texas Tech 37
TCU 34 @ SMU 23
Virginia 28 @ Coastal Carolina 21
Northwestern 17 @ Washington 21

My time's up. You've been great. Enjoy "Bringing Out the Dead".

 

[H2S]

at least Jerry Palm (unlike folks here) shows some respect for Michigan State...

Upset of the Week​

Michigan State at Boston College (-6.5): Michigan State is off to a 3-0 start which includes a win at Maryland two weeks ago. Oregon State transfer QB Aiden Chiles has done well since a rocky start against Florida Atlantic. The Spartans have been able to run the ball to take the pressure off of the young QB. Boston College was the first team to win at Florida State this season and was pretty competitive at Mizzou last week. I think this game is more of a toss-up than this line indicates and I like the Spartans to win. Pick: Michigan State

 

[wazzu31]

Week 4 Predictions

Sorry for the small delay; I had to take my mother over to an appointment with her lung doctor (she's fine, by the way). Anyway, here are my picks for Week 4:

Top 25:
UL-Monroe 7 @ (1)Texas 50
Marshall 13 @ (3)Ohio State 45
Georgia Southern 10 @ (5)Ole Miss 48
(6)Tennessee 38 @ (15)Oklahoma 31
Vanderbilt 17 @ (7)Missouri 34
(8)Miami 34 @ USF 24
Kent State 6 @ (10)Penn State 49
(11)USC 27 @ (18)Michigan 19
(12)Utah 30 @ (14)Oklahoma State 27
(13)Kansas State 26 @ BYU 31
UCLA 20 @ (16)LSU 48
Miami-Ohio 17 @ (17)Notre Dame 24
Georgia Tech 20 @ (18)Louisville 30
Arkansas State 19 @ (20)Iowa State 21
NC State 17 @ (21)Clemson 31
(24)Illinois 20 @ (22)Nebraska 24
Buffalo 28 @ (23)Northern Illinois 27
Bowling Green 9 @ (25)Texas A&M 35

Other big games:
San Jose State 27 @ Washington State 30
Arizona State 30 @ Texas Tech 37
TCU 34 @ SMU 23
Virginia 28 @ Coastal Carolina 21
Northwestern 17 @ Washington 21

My time's up. You've been great. Enjoy "Bringing Out the Dead".

Wazzu by 40.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

week 3 starts on espn tonight.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

San Jose State vs. Washington State

Wazzu by 40.

The Cougars by 40, you say? You didn't think that last night's SJSU/WSU game would be worth watching? Well...

WSU mounts huge rally and outlasts San Jose State in wild 2OT shootout

In one of the wildest games to unfold in college football this season, WSU beat San Jose State in a two-overtime 54-52 thriller Friday night in Pullman.

www.seattletimes.com

...I think this game surprised a LOT of people, eh?

 

[wazzu31]

San Jose State vs. Washington State


The Cougars by 40, you say? You didn't think that last night's SJSU/WSU game would be worth watching? Well...

WSU mounts huge rally and outlasts San Jose State in wild 2OT shootout

In one of the wildest games to unfold in college football this season, WSU beat San Jose State in a two-overtime 54-52 thriller Friday night in Pullman.

www.seattletimes.com

...I think this game surprised a LOT of people, eh?

I was massively wrong. That is a decent team

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Baylor vs. Colorado

Shedeur Sanders throws game-tying TD to end regulation, Colorado tops Baylor in OT thriller

Colorado won its Big 12 opener over Baylor, 38-31, in thrilling fashion after tying the game on a 43-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders to LaJohntay Wester with no time remaining in regulation.

sports.yahoo.com

I'm tempted to say that this was all luck by Deion and Colorado, but remember what Seneca said: "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity".

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Northern Illinois blows it

No. 23 Northern Illinois falls to Buffalo 23-20 in OT, losing MAC opener in its 1st game since upset of Notre Dame

Playing for the first time since stunning Notre Dame two weeks ago, No. 23 Northern Illinois lost to Buffalo 23-20 in overtime Saturday in its MAC opener.

www.chicagotribune.com

I just knew that Northern Illinois' lack of consistency was gonna bite them here. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! And Notre Dame has got to be furious over this result.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 4- Good and Bad

So we got our first dose of the new normal in college football this week. Let's see what was good and bad about it!

It Was a Good Week for:​

Stanford (I still haven't forgotten Stanford breaking Syracuse's heart 2 days ago. And yesterday, Stanford saw their arch-rivals [Cal] lose out to Florida State, and also saw betrayers like USC and UCLA stumble in big-league games.)
Michigan (Speaking of USC, Michigan certainly gave them a introduction to Big 10 play! What a great win for the defending champs, as the QB change worked and RB Kalel Mullings entered the national stage with his performance.)
The state of Utah (The Utes held off a late rally by Oklahoma State to win their Big 12 opener. And my upset pick of BYU over Kansas State comes through.)
Stars at Missouri (Luther Burden II starred as usual, helping Missouri avoid an embarrassing loss to Vanderbilt. But don't forget about RB Nate Noel; he ran for 199 yards in that game, too.)
The military (Army is 3-0 [and 2-0 in their new home] after beating Rice. And look at this! Navy just upset Memphis, and now THEY'RE 3-0!)

It Was a Bad Week for:​

Oklahoma's offense (Yes, Tennessee looked impressive in their win. But how can the Oklahoma offense look so pedestrian? I mean, it didn't get going until the 4th quarter, and by then it was too late.)
The USF Bulls (Jeez. I thought that USF would put up a better fight against Miami, but they did NOTHING in the 2nd half of their 50-15 loss.)
UNC's defense (70. That's the amount of points North Carolina gave up in their loss to James Madison, with 53 given up in the 1st half.)
Sonny Dykes (Yesterday, Sonny became the 1st "Power 4" head coach to get thrown out of a game due to "unsportsmanlike conduct". Oh, and he lose to his former school as well.)
Florida International (These bozos just lost to FCS team Monmouth. Just... how?)

And finally, Washington won their Big 10 opener against Northwestern. Now I KNOW there's no turning back from the changes.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

it was great to see unc get trounced by jmu.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Utah State joining Pac-12, UNLV exploring options in realignment saga

The conference has already received a commitment from Utah State and sent to UNLV an offer to join the league, sources tell Yahoo Sports.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5- Top 10 Games

I hope everyone stays safe down south with Hurricane Helene out there. And with that said, let's get to...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2024 (Week 5)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Virginia Tech @ Miami [7:30 tomorrow, ESPN] (Initially, I had Arkansas vs. Texas A&M at the #10 spot. But now I think that this game is bigger, mainly because it's Miami's ACC opener... and it's against a rival in Virginia Tech. And sure, Va-Tech hasn't done much so far this season, but rivalry games do have a tendency to get nuts. Not to mention that Miami has to stay focused, because they struggled in ACC play last year [as you no doubt know].)

9. North Carolina @ Duke [4:00, ESPN2] (Yes! The Tar Heels and Blue Devils are going at each other once again! For Duke, they're looking to avenge a heartbreaking loss to UNC last year and get to 5-0 to continue their surprising run. But for UNC, a LOT of questions are swirling around after giving up 70 points to James Madison. Was UNC looking ahead? Is James Madison really that good? Or are there storm clouds on the horizon in Chapel Hill?)

8. Washington @ Rutgers [8:00 tomorrow, FOX] (This is Rutgers' opener in the Big 10, against those Washington Huskies. And you know what? Washington's defense has been doing good so far; even when they lose that unit has done well. So what will it do in the team's first trip to New Jersey in forever? Oh, and we'll see how the tough Scarlet Knights D handle Will Rogers.)

7. Ohio State @ Michigan State [7:00, Peacock] (Wow. Peacock is gonna be busy this Saturday [you'll see what I mean later]. Anyway, I'm sure you'll all savor this moment: Where Ohio State will actually get tested in 2024 as they start Big 10 play. And I don't know if Michigan State can outshoot the Buckeyes, but I DO know the Spartans will fight you; they were only a few plays away from beating Boston College and getting to 4-0 last week.)

6. Washington State @ Boise State [10:00, FOX Sports 1] (With the addition of some new teams, the future of the PAC-12 is much brighter than it was 6 months ago. Hmm... maybe this will convince people like Stanford and Cal to come back to the league! One can only hope...
Anyway, all of that is for the future. Right now, we got a great battle here on the West Coast. Washington State is VERY close to being ranked, while Boise State IS ranked now. Which one will outgun the other?)

5. Colorado @ UCF [3:30, FOX] (I'll admit it. I wanna see here if Colorado's win over BYU last week was luck or skill. And here's a good way to prove yourself, Colorado; let's see you go to Orlando [for the very first time] and beat a capable team like UCF. As for the Knights, let's see how they'll handle the madness of the Buffaloes... and that potent attack of theirs.)

4. Oklahoma State @ Kansas State [12:00, ESPN] (This is not a sudden-death game for these two Big 12 teams... but it's DAMN close to being one! Last week OK State lost out to Utah, while K-State got surprised by Brigham Young. Now these two blue-collar, physical teams meet in Manhattan where one of them will fall to 0-2 and be in REAL danger of not making the Big 12 title game... before October.)

3. Louisville @ Notre Dame [3:30, Peacock] (Yeah. I was surprised at first when I heard this game would be on Peacock instead of NBC. But NBC has a prior commitment with the Presidents Cup in golf, so I get it.
Broadcasting deals aside, this is a HUGE game for BOTH teams. Louisville is in the same boat they were last year; they're looking to beat Notre Dame and prove to the nation that they can be a contender. As for Notre Dame, a win here would revive their playoff chances and give Sam Hartman and the Irish offense a real boost. But if the Irish lose, I think it's adios for them in 2024.)

2. Illinois @ Penn State [7:30, NBC] (It's great to see NBC not waving the white flag in Week 5; even with the Georgia/Alabama game going on, they're still giving us a dandy to watch. For Penn State, let's see what the Nittany Lion offense is really all about. And for Illinois, this may be their biggest game in years; QB Luke Altmyer balled out for them in last week's win against Nebraska. Can you imagine the shakeup we'll get in the Big 10 if the Illini offense balls out again in Happy Valley?)

1. Georgia @ Alabama [7:30, ABC] (You know what #1 is already. Heck, "College Gameday" was already making plans to go to Tuscaloosa for this game 9 days ago. The championship prestige of these two teams speak for itself. So do their recent battles. Will Kirby Smart finally win at Alabama? Or will Kalen DeBour put 'Bama back on top of the SEC mountain?)

Best "mid-major" game: Fresno State @ UNLV (A battle of future PAC-12 teams? Maybe. For right now, let's see if UNLV can overcome the loss of their starting QB and beat the Bulldogs.)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Oregon @ UCLA (If UCLA can't win against freaking Indiana, what chance do they have of beating a well-rested Oregon team that looks to have their offense running well now?)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Arkansas vs. Texas A&M, BYU @ Baylor, Arizona @ Utah, Cincinnati @ Texas Tech, and Wisconsin @ USC.

My prediction segment is next!