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

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5 Predictions

Okay! I only missed 3 picks last week, so let's see if my luck can take another loaded slate. Here are my picks for Week 5:

Top 25:
Mississippi State 7 @ (1)Texas 41
(2)Georgia 28 @ (4)Alabama 31
(3)Ohio State 38 @ Michigan State 24
Kentucky 13 @ (6)Ole Miss 29
Virginia Tech 20 @ (7)Miami 28
(8)Oregon 41 @ UCLA 20
(19)Illinois 17 @ (9)Penn State 32
Arizona 14 @ (10)Utah 24
Minnesota 14 @ (12)Michigan 29
Wisconsin 18 @ (13)USC 28
South Alabama 10 @ (14)LSU 51
(15)Louisville 34 @ (16)Notre Dame 27
Stanford 20 @ (17)Clemson 39
(18)Iowa State 30 @ Houston 24
(20)Oklahoma State 27 @ (23)Kansas State 21
(21)Oklahoma 28 @ Auburn 24
(22)BYU 24 @ Baylor 27
Arkansas 35 @ (24)Texas A&M 21
Washington State 24 @ (25)Boise State 31

Other big games:
Washington 37 @ Rutgers 20
Colorado 24 @ UCF 28
North Carolina 30 @ Duke 31
Cincinnati 18 @ Texas Tech 30

My time's up. You've been great. Enjoy "Flip Side".

 

[Xeliou66]

Wow did anyone watch Miami/VA Tech?! Miami escapes with a win as the officials rule a Hail Mary pass by VA Tech incomplete. I think the Hokies got screwed, I thought it wasn‘t enough to overturn it. Miami got very lucky.

 

[Pastafazul]

Wow did anyone watch Miami/VA Tech?! Miami escapes with a win as the officials rule a Hail Mary pass by VA Tech incomplete. I think the Hokies got screwed, I thought it wasn‘t enough to overturn it. Miami got very lucky.

Was not a catch don’t know how the ref on field called it .

 

[TheGoodMan19]

It was stupid for the refs to call it one way or another. No one knew who came up with that pass, impossible to tell.

Hokies made a bone head decision on a fake FG attempt. The momentum swing back to Miami in a huge way.

 

[Pastafazul]

It was stupid for the refs to call it one way or another. No one knew who came up with that pass, impossible to tell.

Hokies made a bone head decision on a fake FG attempt. The momentum swing back to Miami in a huge way.

Could not agree more

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

Wow did anyone watch Miami/VA Tech?! Miami escapes with a win as the officials rule a Hail Mary pass by VA Tech incomplete. I think the Hokies got screwed, I thought it wasn‘t enough to overturn it. Miami got very lucky.

It was clearly incomplete. You just didn’t see it hit the ground. It was the right conclusion, they just didn’t reach it via the proper guidelines.

 

[TheGoodMan19]

Washington loses to Rutgers in a Big 10 game. 15 years ago, I would have laughed at the thought of this being a conference game.

Rutgers 4-0. No Penn State, Ohio State or Michigan on the schedule. Hmmmmm

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

It was clearly incomplete. You just didn’t see it hit the ground. It was the right conclusion, they just didn’t reach it via the proper guidelines.

Thanks, @Beengay fudgepackers. You know, my dark side was about to go off about how lucky Miami was on that last play. Then he read your post, saw the footage, and then he got it.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

SEC Madness
There were two crazy events that took place in the SEC yesterday.
Freshman Williams' dramatic TD catch saves Tide One of those events, we saw coming.

Kentucky 20-17 Ole Miss (Sep 28, 2024) Final Score - ESPN
But this one, NO ONE saw coming. And I'm kinda disappointed at both of these results.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5- Good and Bad

How was I supposed to know that I needed the "Purification" spell to cure the sisters in "Portrait of Ruin" so that- What? Oh, sorry, I didn't know the mike was on. Anyway, let's get to the Good and the Bad from Week 4 of this season.

It Was a Good Week for:​

Jeremiah Smith (Here's another freshmen WR that stepped up for someone yesterday. This guy for Ohio State became a star last night, as he hauled in 2 TD's in the 1st half and turned OSU's visit to East Lansing into another easy win.)
USC QB Miller Moss (Miller threw for 4-TD's and led USC to a comeback win over Wisconsin, as the Trojans just dominated the Badgers in the 2nd half.)
Rutgers (Yep, Rutgers is on the good side of the board again! They held off Washington Friday night, and the rest of their Big 10 schedule sets up nicely for them to be a dark-horse title contender.)
SMU (Props to SMU for winning their 1st-ever game in the ACC, as they made Florida State's year worse 42-16.)
Ashton Jeanty (In Boise State's win over Washington State, Ashton got 259 rushing yards and 4-TD's. Are you SURE that we can't put this guy on the Heisman short-list right now?)
The state of Louisiana (The "Pelican State" feasted yesterday! LSU blasted South Alabama, Tulane blasted USF, and the Ragin' Cajuns got their first-ever win over an ACC school [41-38 over Wake Forest]. Oh, and UL-Monroe won their Sun Belt opener... at Troy!)

It Was a Bad Week for:​

The Utah Utes (Poor Utah. They had to use Issac Smith at QB when Cameron Rising couldn't go for Utah, but the poor guy struck out. And 4 misses on 4th-down plays doomed them to lose to Arizona. Oh, and their bitter rivals BYU is 4-0 after holding off Baylor.)
Texas State (These guys were up 20-0 in the 1st quarter against Sam Houston. And yet they still lose to the Bearkats in a 40-39 heartbreaker.)
Matthew Sluka (Yep, here's the guy who quit on his team just because he didn't get his money from UNLV. Well, oopsy-doopsy! UNLV just smashed Fresno State 59-14... all WITHOUT his "help". I'll bet Sluka is felling really dumb right now.)
Central Florida (I didn't know that UCF was a double-digit favorite over Colorado! That was, of course, until the Buffaloes took them out in Orlando.)
UNC's defense (Yep. The Tar Heels' D is on here for the 2nd week in a row. But this time, it's for a different reason. UNC was up 20-0 against rival Duke! ...But thanks to an awful 4th-quarter performance, the Tar Heels lost their "Victory Bell" to the Dukies.)

And finally, it was a confusing week for Notre Dame. Yes, they won against Louisville. But Northern Illinois lost again. But Northern Illinois was playing NC State, and they gave NC State a grand fight. But the guys that NIU lost to last week (Buffalo) lost badly to UConn, and... Oh, I give up!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

UTEP joins Mountain West: League nears replenishing full-time membership as Miners defect from Conference USA

UTEP becomes the latest to join the Mountain West amid this latest round of realignment

www.cbssports.com

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 6- Top 10 Games

Just so you know, there isn't really a stand-out game this week. So my Top 10 list may ruffle some feathers, but just relax! I heard that things will REALLY pick up next week.
Well, with that said, let's see what we have this week. It's time for...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2024 (Week 6)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Syracuse @ UNLV [9:00 tomorrow, FOX Sports 1] (Let's give a big hand for UNLV, folks! They may have lost a QB, but they now have their first-ever AP Top 25 ranking! Is UNLV a real playoff contender now? We'll find out as the Rebels host an ACC team on Friday night, and let's see if UNLV will keep their ranking for more than 1 week.
As for Syracuse, they haven't been too dominant over the past couple of weeks; I think people other than Kyle McCord have to step up here.)

9. Rutgers @ Nebraska [4:00, FOX Sports 1] (This one looks fun! It's a Rutgers team trying to get to 5-0, taking on the Cornhuskers in Lincoln. The toughness of Nebraska will determine who wins this one, although a spark from the running game could also help Nebraska out.)

8. Texas Tech @ Arizona [11:00, FOX] (Here's something for you night-owls out there. Arizona saved their big plans for 2024 with an upset win over Utah last week, but now they host Texas Tech. A gunshow is expected, as QB Behren Morton takes on QB Noah Fifita in Tucson. But something tells me that if the game DOES become a gunshow, Arizona might be unable to keep up with the Red Raiders.)

7. Miami @ California [10:30, ESPN] (So for Week 6, ESPN looked at the kinda-blah schedule and said "Hey! We can make our 1st-ever trip to Berkeley this week? Bam, we're set!". So yes, Berkeley will be excited this Saturday morning. But once the sun sets, it'll be on to serious business as Cal faces a previously-unheard of situation: Being in an ACC game against Miami. Oh, and as for the Hurricanes, questions are swirling around them after that near-disaster against Virginia Tech. Did Miami learn anything from that close call?)

6. SMU @ Louisville [12:00, ESPN] (Speaking of weird ACC action, we also have SMU and Louisville facing each other in a conference game for the first time. SMU's offense is well-known [just ask FSU], and it should be ready for this battle. As for Louisville, their new strategy of grinding opponents down failed to put away Notre Dame last week. You think they should try more high-flying action against the Mustangs?)

5. Tennessee @ Arkansas [7:30, ABC] (Just a warning: 3 of the Top 5 games on this list are SEC games. The latest one to take place will be at Arkansas, as the Razorbacks host the heavily-hyped Tennessee Vols. Will the Razorbacks offense do things better than they did last week against A&M? And what about Nico Iamaleava? He and the team might have had a bye week, but I'm still waiting for him to have a "freshmen moment" and stumble.)

4. Iowa @ Ohio State [3:30, CBS] (On paper, it doesn't look good for Iowa this week as they go to Columbus. Right now, Ohio State has the best scoring defense in the country. And also, the Buckeye offense hasn't made any big mistakes so far in 2024. But Iowa does have some form of momentum; they have a winning streak, and they've had a bye week to prepare for this. The X-factor is Iowa's offense, no question about it. This is D-Day for Tim Lester's attack; what can it do against a monster like OSU?)

3. Michigan @ Washington [7:30, NBC] (The guys at NBC will certainly play up the fact that Michigan and Washington fought for the national title last January. But for right now, it's just about business. Washington has to show that their offense can finally perform on an elite stage. And Michigan has looked better over the last couple of weeks, but this is their first road game of the season.)

2. Missouri @ Texas A&M [12:00, ABC] (By default, this is the game of the week for most people. Texas A&M is back in the rankings after 4 straight wins, but now they're facing a proud Top 10 team like Missouri. ...Wait a minute, I just remembered about the last time I saw Missouri. Yeah, they almost screwed the pooch against Vanderbilt 2 weeks ago! Missouri certainly used the bye week to work out the kinks on their team, but will it work in College Station?)

1. Ole Miss @ South Carolina [3:30, ABC] (This is my "main-event" game of the week, mostly because of Ole Miss. Last week, they failed against physical Kentucky. Now, they're visiting a South Carolina team that is well-rested and looks ready to pounce. Man, I hope the Rebels do their best this time around; my national title pick is at stake!)

Best "mid-major" game: James Madison @ UL-Monroe (The Warhawks are off to a good start! Can they slow down the mighty JMU Dukes long enough to score the upset?)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: UCLA @ Penn State (A historic-looking game here! But it's starting at noon {9 A.M. pacific time}, and Penn State is ready to go, so I don't like UCLA's chances here.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Auburn @ Georgia, UCF @ Florida, Duke @ Georgia Tech, Michigan State @ Oregon, and Boston College @ Virginia.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 6 Predictions

Last week I listened to Sting's "Shape of My Heart" and I went 15-8 in my picks. Now I'm listening to "I'll Be Your Chauffeur" by David J. Will that help my picks get better? Let's find out!

Top 25:
(1)Alabama 45 @ Vanderbilt 10
Iowa 13 @ (3)Ohio State 30
(4)Tennessee 38 @ Arkansas 24
Auburn 18 @ (5)Georgia 24
Michigan State 17 @ (6)Oregon 37
UCLA 13 @ (7)Penn State 40
(8)Miami 37 @ California 23
(9)Missouri 23 @ (T-25)Texas A&M 27
(10)Michigan 30 @ Washington 27
(11)USC 37 @ Minnesota 17
(12)Ole Miss 35 @ South Carolina 31
(15)Clemson 28 @ Florida State 20
Baylor 14 @ (16)Iowa State 24
Utah State 10 @ (21)Boise State 41
SMU 24 @ (22)Louisville 35
(23)Indiana 31 @ Northwestern 23
Syracuse 24 @ (T-25)UNLV 31

Other big games:
Rutgers 20 @ Nebraska 28
UCF 20 @ Florida 24
Texas Tech 42 @ Arizona 35

Wait a minute. Clemson/Florida State is taking place this week? I didn't even notice it until now!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Friday night action

Syracuse knocks off #25 UNLV in overtime

Syracuse football passed its first road test of the season in a win over 25th ranked UNLV.

247sports.com

Syracuse just won a nutso game in Las Vegas against a ranked team! I'm so proud of these guys!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Alabama vs. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Fans Rip Out Goalpost After Shocking Win Against Crimson Tide

Vanderbilt Univ. scored a stunning win over Alabama on Saturday -- one of the biggest ever for the team -- and they celebrated with one of the craziest celebrations ever ... ripping the goal post out of the ground and dragging it miles away for its new home in a famous river!!!

www.tmz.com

0-60 against Top 5 teams all-time. And Vanderbilt was able to do all this against #1 Alabama. It happened in my "CFB 25" game, and now it's happened in real life.

Cheers to Tim Lester (Vandy's offensive coordinator) and cheers to Diego Pavia.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Miami vs. California

No. 8 Miami rallies from 25 points down to beat California 39-38

Cam Ward threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds left and No. 8 Miami roared back from a 25-point deficit in the second half to beat California 39-38.

apnews.com

Oh my... Are you kidding? I thought the Crimson Tide had a bad week, but OH NO!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 6- Good and Bad

Seriously, I thought Miami was toast when I went to bed last night! ...Well, anyway, here is my "Good/Bad" segment for Week 6. And in honor of the craziness that went on yesterday, let's switch things up!

It Was a Bad Week for:​

The Tennessee Vols (And not just because of what their in-state rival Vanderbilt did. Nope, the Vols had to make it worse for themselves by losing at Arkansas. Oh, and Nico Iamaleava finally had his "He's just a freshmen" moment during the game's last drive.)
My mother (Poor mom. Her Michigan Wolverines failed to rally against Washington in Seattle. South Carolina didn't stand a chance against Ole Miss. And North Carolina flopped again, this time against Pittsburgh.)
Louisville (Well, Louisville failed to rally for the 2nd week in a row as they fell to SMU.)
Grayson McCall (The poor guy got sent to the hospital after a tough hit to the head. And then, he had to see NC State lost to "Tobacco Road" rival Wake Forest without him.)
Duke (Duke's unbeaten run ended last night, as Georgia Tech got them 24-14. Oh well, at least nobody was paying attention to the game.)
James Madison (It might not be on the same level as some of the other upsets we got yesterday, but JMU got taken out by UL-Monroe. Wait, WHAT?! The way that the Dukes were playing, I thought that they were gonna be a BEAST in Sun Belt play. Guess not!)

It Was a Good Week for:​

Texas A&M (So the Missouri/A&M game turned out to be a wash, as only one team showed up to play. And it was the Aggies; what a great team effort across the board, as they officially exposed Missouri as a fraud.)
Minnesota (In the veins of Vandy beating Alabama, here's another "upset that came out of freaking nowhere" as Minnesota shocked #11 USC. And honestly, I think P.J. Fleck really needed this one.)
Really old people (For the first time since 1945, both Army and Navy are undefeated this late in a CFB season. Indiana is still unbeaten, now 6-0 for the first time since their last Rose Bowl trip. And these guys certainly remember the days when Vanderbilt was a real football team.)
UConn (Is anyone paying attention to the Huskies? They're now 4-2 on the year after beating Temple.)
Oregon State (The Beavers won the best "under-the-radar" game of the week, as they beat Colorado State 39-31 in double-OT.)

...and I'm done! Now I leave you guys to prepare for the Ohio State/Oregon game coming up in 6 days. See you soon!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 7- Top 10 Games

Okay. Since Liberty fought off Florida International in OT last night, I guess it's time to sort through what should be another chaotic week. Yep, it's time once again for...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2024 (Week 7)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. South Carolina @ Alabama [12:00, ABC] (...Yeah. I also would like to see how Alabama is gonna respond after that mortifying loss last week. As for the Gamecocks... Well, let's all hope that they show at least a LITTLE more fight after allowing Ole Miss to smash them last week.)

9. Clemson @ Wake Forest [12:00, ESPN] (Look at this! Clemson is back in the Top 10 of the rankings! Can they keep their revival tour going? I mean, they DO have to go to Winston-Salem, and Wake Forest is off a pretty good win last week. Not to mention that Hank Bachmeier is now cooking as the Deacons QB, and could give Cade Klubnik a good QB duel.)

8. Utah @ Arizona State [10:30 Friday, ESPN] (Utah has had a bye week to finally get Cameron Rising back on the stupid football field. Let's hope that the extra time pays off for them, because they'll visit an old friend in Big 12 action this Friday. And according to ESPN, this is looking like a pretty even matchup, with QB Sam Levitt raring to go for Arizona State. Oh, and their running game does look a little better than Utah's...)

7. Kansas State @ Colorado [10:15, ESPN] (Man! ESPN has gotta be LOVING the fact that most of the big games of the week is on their brand of networks. Anyway, this late-night contest is a contrast in styles; K-State is usually quiet and tough, and we all know what Colorado's style of play is. What will the Buffaloes do in this reunion game against an old Big 12 rival?)

6. Iowa State @ West Virginia [8:00, FOX] (Oops, here's a game that ESPN was unable to hang on to. Anyway, here is another important Big 12 game for us to see. But don't you find it weird that despite Iowa State being undefeated, they're only a 3-point favorite against 3-2 West Virginia? Maybe the oddsmakers aren't used to seeing ISU ranked this high [#11 this week], or maybe they like the improvements that the Mountaineer defense has made. Hmmm...)

5. Florida @ Tennessee [7:00, ESPN] (Just like Alabama, Tennessee is seeking a bounce-back win after getting shocked last week on the road. Hmm... Call me crazy, but I think the Vols are gonna have a harder time than the Tide will this week? "Why", you ask? Well, LOOK! It's rivalry time! And Florida is high off a couple of victories. Now the Gators will be gunning for a BIG upset win of their own to help poor Billy Napier out. Did Nico learn some good lessons from his loss to Arkansas?)

4. Penn State @ USC [3:30, CBS] (Once again, the program names alone will sell the game for the casual fan. But for USC, they're not too concerned with marquee value right now. After that loss in Minneapolis, many critics [including Colin Cowherd] are saying USC is not ready for physical Big 10 play yet. Will a return to L.A. help? Or will USC's lack of physicality hurt them again?
As for Penn State, this is their first road game in over a month? Will they be able to handle the Coliseum crowd?)

3. Texas vs. Oklahoma {From Dallas} [3:30, ABC] (Yep, it's "Red River Rivalry" time once again. And this may be the 1st-ever time it's being held in the SEC, but forget about that part. For the Longhorns, it's about finding a way to stop Oklahoma and cementing their claim as the new #1 team in the land. But for Oklahoma, this is their "D-Day". If their offense is EVER gonna show up and light up the scoreboard, now has to be the time to do it.)

2. Ole Miss @ LSU [7:30, ABC] ("The Battle of Magnolia Lane" will also be renewed this week, as Ole Miss and LSU meet once again. Now, the Rebels DID look really good last week against South Carolina. But LSU has had a bye week to prepare for this battle, plus they remember what Ole Miss did to them last year. As for the Tigers, everyone is expecting a high-scoring game; can LSU's defense show up long enough to buck the trend and give them the big win?)

1. Ohio State @ Oregon [7:30, NBC] (Even with the ABC/ESPN people running wild, NBC made DAMN sure to hang on to this monster clash. It's a battle of Top 5 teams! And Ohio State actually has a chance to lose this one [if Oregon's offense runs at max performance]! Those 2 facts alone makes this the sure-fire #1 game of the week, so don't miss it!)

Best "mid-major" game: Coastal Carolina @ James Madison (JMU got too cocky for their own good, and it costed them last week. Let's hope they're a little more humble this week, because CCU is hungry for revenge against the Dukes.)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: UAB @ Army (Trent Dilfer and UAB isn't doing good right now, so I'm expecting Army to easily get to 6-0 on the season.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: California @ Pittsburgh, Washington @ Iowa, Louisville @ Virginia, and Arizona @ BYU.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 6 Predictions

So last week I went 14-6 in my predictions. Considering all the madness that happened, do you think that is a good record or a bad one? While you think about that, here are my picks for THIS week:

Top 25:
(1)Texas 30 vs. (T-18)Oklahoma 24
(2)Ohio State 35 @ (3)Oregon 28
(4)Penn State 34 @ USC 31
Mississippi State 10 @ (5)Georgia 46
South Carolina 17 @ (7)Alabama 35
Florida 27 @ (8)Tennessee 28
(9)Ole Miss 30 @ (13)LSU 37
(10)Clemson 41 @ Wake Forest 27
Stanford 14 @ (T-11)Notre Dame 21
(T-11)Iowa State 20 @ West Virginia 29
Arizona 37 @ (14)BYU 30
(16)Utah 31 @ Arizona State 23
(17)Boise State 49 @ Hawaii 21
(T-18)Kansas State 28 @ Colorado 35
(21)Missouri 51 @ UMass 6
California 20 @ (22)Pittsburgh 28
Purdue 17 @ (23)Illinois 28

Other big games:
Washington 24 @ Iowa 26
Louisville 31 @ Virginia 24
Vanderbilt 21 @ Kentucky 24
Syracuse 17 @ NC State 21

My time's up. You've been great. Enjoy "My Feet are Killing Me".

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Ohio State vs. Oregon
Dear god... There were SO many good games on yesterday! So many of them, in fact, that I can't pinpoint any certain one to highlight.

Wait, yes I can!

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5839184/2024/10/12/ohio-state-oregon-score-recap-takeaways/

Ha! Take that, Ohio State!