Here's a guide for the 2018 CFB Season! Can anyone survive?

[romeo212000]

It’s a shame that UCLA @ Oklahoma can’t make its way into the top 10. Thanks Jim Mora.

 

[7Samurai13]

Week 2 Predictions

So of all my Week 1 predictions, I got 4 games wrong. Honestly, I find that to be a bit of a disappointment. So I'm hoping that THIS time, I won't get any of the big games wrong. Here we go! [FBS vs. FCS games will not be shown]

Arkansas State 14 @ (1)Alabama 52
(2)Clemson 27 @ Texas A&M 24
(3)Georgia 31 @ (24)South Carolina 24
Rutgers 7 @ (4)Ohio State 35
New Mexico 10 @ (5)Wisconsin 39
UCLA 17 @ (6)Oklahoma 46
Ball State 9 @ (8)Notre Dame 51
(17)USC 28 @ (10)Stanford 26
(13)Penn State 38 @ Pittsburgh 30
(15)Michigan State 21 @ Arizona State 28
(16)TCU 41 @ SMU 17
(18)Mississippi State 33 @ Kansas State 24
UConn 14 @ (20)Boise State 45
Western Michigan 17 @ (21)Michigan 34
Kentucky 17 @ (25)Florida 27

...And I'm done! Wait... I'm feeling something... OH MY GOD! Is that actual cool air outside? Pardon me, I'll see ya later. I gotta experience this...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 2 Recap- Part 1

...Sorry if I was slacking off yesterday. Normally, I'd be updating on a regular basis. So in order to recap what happened this week, let me go from conference to conference.

PAC-12: Colorado... what a thriller they won! I don't know what this means for Scott Frost and Nebraska, however. Elsewhere, we were reminded that J.T Daniels is still just a freshmen, California won a good one over BYU...

Michigan State vs. Arizona State - Box Score - September 8, 2018 - ESPN ...and over in Tempe, we got the first REAL upset of the season thanks to ASU.

Big 10: On that note, Nebraska and Michigan State losing was a bummer. But cheer up, guys! Indiana and Minnesota both won, and Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan all won big. So mostly it was a fine day for...
Eastern Michigan vs. Purdue - Box Score - September 8, 2018 - ESPN ...Oh. OK, never mind, it was a bad day in the Big 10.

ACC: Look. Just forget about what happened to Georgia Tech, or about what happened to Pitt, or what almost happened to Florida State.
Clemson vs. Texas A&M - Box Score - September 8, 2018 - ESPN Because as long as Clemson holds it together, the conference will be fine.

Big 12: Nothing too exciting happened here. And hey, how about what Kansas did, eh?

SEC: Same thing here; not too much happened. We DO know that Vandy's 2-0 again, and that Ole Miss gave up 41 points to an FCS team in a win. Wait... Doesn't Ole Miss play Alabama next week? Well... phooey.

Kentucky vs. Florida - Box Score - September 8, 2018 - ESPN Wait, what's that? Florida FINALLY stumbled against Kentucky?!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 2 Recap- Part 2

Sorry about the break; I had to recover from the shock of that last result. Anyway, let's check on the other conferences:

Conference USA: Forget about how close that Air Force/FAU game was: Lane Kiffin's found himself a QB! His name is Chris Robison, and he saved FAU's butt yesterday. So maybe FAU CAN win the conference again!
Other than that, everything was normal as FIU defeated Old Dominion and...
Maine vs. Western Kentucky - Box Score - September 8, 2018 - ESPN ...Oh no. Come on, WKU. Really?

American: Another good day as Houston, Cincinnati, South Florida, and even East Carolina scored big wins. However, Temple fell again and Memphis gave up a 12-point lead to lose to Navy.

MAC: Just fine and dandy! Ball State kept it close against Notre Dame, and a big showdown is coming up next weekend: 2-0 Buffalo vs. 2-0 Eastern Michigan.

Mountain West: Hawaii's 3-0! And Colorado State just stunned Arkansas! That's good enough for me right there.

Sun Belt: UL-Monroe did win at Southern Miss, and Coastal Carolina surprised by beating UAB, but other than that it was mostly chalk.

...And I'm done! Don't worry, I'll be more on-the-ball with my coverage starting next week.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 3- Top 10 Games

Look. With that hurricane approaching, it's best not to waste time, so that's why I'm doing this NOW instead of tomorrow (when both of the Carolina's will be empty). Let's just go to...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2018 (Week 3)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Oklahoma @ Iowa State [12:00, ABC] (Initially, I wasn't gonna put this game on my Top 10, but then Florence forced the cancellation of such games as UCF @ North Carolina and West Virginia @ NC State. So here we are: At Oklahoma's Big 12 opener, while the Sooners are looking like f--king Hercules right now.
But MAYBE this won't be so bad; it's Oklahoma's 1st road game, and Iowa State believes that they can push the Sooners again [since they beat them last year].)

9. USF @ Illinois [3:30, Big 10 Network] (For the 2nd year in a row, the Illini has started out 2-0. But last year, 2-0 Illinois ran into USF and lost badly... and the Illini never recovered.
But maybe... maybe things will be different this time! Illinois's defense doesn't look too bad, and the Bulls could be hung over from beating Georgia Tech last week. It'll be up to Illinois's QB AJ Bush to step up to the plate.)

8. Duke @ Baylor [3:30, FOX Sports 1] (The sleeper game of the week. Baylor's already looking WAY better this year than they did last year, and Charlie Brewer is doing well as Baylor's starting QB. However, Duke's Daniel Jones is also playing "lights-out" ball, so expect a QB duel here.)

7. USC @ Texas [8:00, FOX] (At least USC has an excuse for being 1-1 right now, throwing a freshmen QB in front of a rampaging Stanford team like that. How were THEY supposed to know that that wouldn't work?
As for Texas, tensions are again very high. But if they win this one, some of that pressure will magically disappear. If they don't, however, the mood will NOT be pleasant for the TCU game next week.)

6. Vanderbilt @ Notre Dame [2:30, NBC] (Notre Dame fans are a little worried right now; their squad only won by 8 over an over-matched Ball State team, and now a SEC team is coming to visit. They're thinking "Vandy DID beat Kansas State last year... Oh dear, oh dear...". But despite all that, the Irish are a 88% favorite in this contest. So I think all Brandon Wimbush has to do is STOP THROWING THOSE INT'S, you IDIOT!)

5. Boise State @ Oklahoma State [3:30, ESPN] (Wait... So now UCF [for the 2nd year in a row] gets to walk away from a scary game against a "Power 5" school? Boise was probably like "OH, COME ON!" when they heard that news.
I said "probably", because most likely their focus is dealing with the Cowboys. A Cowboys team, by the way, that just found their QB of the future in Taylor Cornelius. We'll see how the Broncos defense handles this scary task.)

4. Washington @ Utah [10:00, ESPN] (It's September 15th, and already Washington's entire season will be on the line when they go to Salt Lake City for their PAC-12 opener. ...Well, not really the ENTIRE season, but the Huskies could lose their national title shot if they're not careful against this Utah defense.)

3. Alabama @ Ole Miss [7:00, ESPN] (Oh! I almost forgot this little programming note: If you want to watch the WHOLE Washington/Utah game, it's best if you do it online. Because considering how Ole Miss and Alabama's offense works, this contest in Oxford may last over 4 hours... maybe longer if the Rebels can't stop the Tide attack.
But what if somehow, Ole Miss DOES stop 'Bama's offense? Then maybe Jordan Ta'amu can pull off a miracle...)

2. Ohio State vs. TCU {From Arlington, TX} [8:00, ABC] (I read somewhere that the College Gameday crew [who'll be covering this game on Saturday morning] is already scared about the Ohio State fans that'll be in Arlington. Well, for me I'm scared that this'll be another boring blow-out win for the Buckeyes. So, PLEASE TCU! PLEASE give these guys a real challenge!)

1. LSU @ Auburn [3:30, CBS] (People are already calling this a "elimination game" in the SEC West. Both LSU and Auburn are trying to prove that they deserve the rankings that they currently have. And they've split their last 4 meeting together. So I'd say that this rivalry game will once again be "must-see" TV.
P.S: For LSU to win this one, I think Joe Burrow must have his "breakout game"...)

Best "mid-major" game: Eastern Michigan @ Buffalo [It's unlikely that the MAC will get into a "New Year's Six" bowl game this year. But if they DO, it might just be one of these teams: Two teams at 2-0 fighting for critical positioning and conference honor. Should be a good one.)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Georgia Southern @ Clemson (Great job, Eagles! You're already 2-0 under your new head coach. Just don't get too down on yourselves when mighty Clemson beats you up by 35 here; you'll be fine.)
What game to totally avoid: Temple @ Maryland (Ugh... Temple just lost to Buffalo, and Maryland's playing really well right now. Just don't bother.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Boston College @ Wake Forest, Florida State @ Syracuse, Houston @ Texas Tech, and Arizona State @ San Diego State.

Coming up tomorrow, my picks for Week 3!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 3 Predictions

So last week I went 13-2, with only USC and Florida tripping me up. Yet despite not having to pick a couple more games, something tells me I'm not gonna have that success this week.
Only one way to find out. Let's get to it (Again, no FBS vs. FCS games will be picked):

(1)Alabama 48 @ Ole Miss 35
Georgia Southern 7 @ (2)Clemson 39
Middle Tennessee 9 @ (3)Georgia 45
(4)Ohio State 31 vs. (15)TCU 20
(5)Oklahoma 54 @ Iowa State 14
BYU 18 @ (6)Wisconsin 27
(12)LSU 13 @ (7)Auburn 20
Vanderbilt 21 @ (8)Notre Dame 28
(10)Washington 24 @ Utah 28
Kent State 10 @ (11)Penn State 50
Louisiana-Lafayette 13 @ (16)Mississippi State 49
(17)Boise State 30 @ (24)Oklahoma State 34
SMU 10 @ (19)Michigan 47
San Jose State 6 @ (20)Oregon 58
(21)Miami 34 @ Toledo 17
(23)Arizona State 27 @ San Diego State 21

...and I'm done! Now I have to start preparing for my dentist appointment later today, so pardon me.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Quick update

I'm typing this up on the go, so I'll make this update quick. So far today, we've had Notre Dame win another close one (but to be fair, we all kinda expected that THIS week), Oklahoma fight off Iowa State, and things getting worse for Nebraska (And for Florida State, too, but I'll get to that one tomorrow). Also, we had OK State silencing Boise State, USF and Duke jumping to 3-0...

LSU vs. Auburn - Box Score - September 15, 2018 - ESPN ...and LSU shocking a LOT of people by beating Auburn. Again. So wait a minute... Is Ed Orgeron really gonna STAY in Baton Rouge?! Sure looks like it now.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Big 10 Update

We start this recap of yesterday's action with the Big 10. Here, we saw Indiana and Minnesota go to 3-0 on the year, and Ohio State pulling away from TCU late.
And as for Wisconsin, I'm hoping they pulled away late from BYU. Because over the last few years, I've been having the WORSE luck picking national title runner-up's. Come on, come on, come on, come on...

BYU vs. Wisconsin - Box Score - September 15, 2018 - ESPN Oh, for the love of-

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Best of the rest

Now, a quick look-through at what else happened this Saturday:

Big 12: All right, Kansas! This is the first time you've blown someone out since 2007! See, you're getting there! Oh, and isn't it great that 9 of the 10 teams here have winning records?
PAC-12: On that note, USC looked AWFUL against Texas. For Arizona State, I don't know if we jumped on the bandwagon too quick, or if that targeting call was the culprit.
Big 10: Damn it, Maryland! How in the HELL did you lose to a Temple team that lost to Villanova?! I knew it was too good to be true. Oh, and Northwestern? Losing a 21-3 lead to Akron and losing the game? You're good enough to know better.
AAC: Don't feel bad about losing to Texas Tech, Cougars. I didn't know who Alan Bowman was, either.
Mountain West: Thanks to Boise's loss, it was a bad day over here. Not even Nevada beating Oregon State helped.

And finally, I started to believe that Ole Miss can kill the undead scary dragon known as Alabama after that first touchdown. But all THAT did was just piss that dragon off more. Phooey...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 4- Top 10 Games

I must start this post by apologizing for the complaints I made last week about the hurricane. When you get called out by ESPN's Phil Steele, you have to make amends for your stupidity.
...No, I'm not lying! Look for yourselves:

Bottom 10: Dear Big Ten, be thankful for FSU

So let's hope that I do a good enough job that Phil Steele doesn't mention me again. Let's go to...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2018 (Week 4)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Florida Atlantic @ UCF [7:00 tomorrow, ESPN] (Here we go! NOW Josh Heupel will have the first major test of his head-coaching career. Also to be tested here will be UCF's untested defense, FAU's new QB Chris Robison, Lane Kiffin's motivational efforts... hell, EVERYTHING about these 2 teams will be tested this Friday.)

9. Florida @ Tennessee [7:00, ESPN] (And speaking of teams getting tested, both the Vols and the Gators have something to prove in this latest installment of their rivalry. For Florida, everyone is STILL talking about their loss to Kentucky; can Feleipe Franks win a big game on the road and make people shut up? And for the Vols, they've won their last 2 games against such powers as UTEP and East Tennessee State. WOWWWWW! Now let's see the Vols do well against a REAL team.
Oh, and many expects are calling this one a "low-scoring affair". That might be the Vols's only hope...)

8. Michigan State @ Indiana [7:30, Big 10 Network] (Deep breath... Okay, Michigan State. I don't want any of your players to panic here. I still have faith that you guys can still win the Big 10 East. Just do your best, and you'll stop your overconfident rivals in this contest. Oh, and try to start up your running game while you're at it.)

7. Texas Tech @ Oklahoma State [7:00, FOX Sports 1] (This is just a straight-up conference opener for the Cowboys as they face Texas Tech. No more, no less. Although I DO find it weird that Tech's new QB Alan Bowman has over 1,100 passing yards already this year... Think the Cowboys are ready for this?)

6. Notre Dame @ Wake Forest [12:00, ABC] (The sleeper game of the week. Notre Dame's playoff profile is shrinking [and you can blame ESPN's "FPI" for this], and they'll be looking to make a statement. However, Wake may have the offense to make the Irish QUITE uncomfortable.)

5. Texas A&M @ Alabama [3:30, CBS] (Wait. A&M is back in the Top 25 ALREADY? But... but they're a 26-point underdog entering their visit to Alabama! ...This has to be the coaches kissing up to Saban again, I just know it. They're like "Here, Mr. Saban. Here's a neat, ranked opponent to crunch and eat up! Do you want us to wax your car again?"
A little harsh, you say? Well, I'm sorry. I just hope that A&M's QB [Kellen Mond] can find a way around that Crimson Tide defense...)

4. Wisconsin @ Iowa [8:30, FOX] ( , Wisconsin! I thought you guys were gonna be a juggernaut this season! Now you're only a 3-point favorite against your rivals from Iowa? AND Iowa's QB Nate Stanley has almost the same passing stats that you do? This cannot be good.
Should be a fun game to watch on primetime, though!)

3. Stanford @ Oregon [8:00, ABC] (Here we go again: Every year we get a "Power 5" team that's undefeated but "hasn't played anybody yet". And it looks like this year, it's the Ducks of Oregon. And guess what you get for defeating scrubs like Bowling Green, Portland State, and San Jose State? A prime-time game and a visit from College Gameday. What a country!
Okay, enough riffing on Oregon; they're ready to make a statement against good ol' Stanford. To me, Justin Herbert will be fine; it's Oregon's defense that I'm worried about. For if that unit plays this game like they did San Jose State [where Oregon failed to cover], the Ducks will get smoked.)

2. TCU @ Texas [4:30, FOX] ("The Longhorns are back", you say? "Not yet", I say! First, let's see Sam Ehlinger and the Texas offense take out TCU. You know, the same in-state rival that Texas has lost to 4 years in a row?)

1. Georgia @ Missouri [12:00, ESPN] (You're probably thinking "But Georgia's a 14.5 point favorite here! Why is this game #1?". Well, nowadays Todd McShay will NOT stop heaping praise on Missouri's QB Drew Lock. Plus, I see Georgia's defense being sorely tested for the first time this season. Could a trip-up occur?)

Best "mid-major" game: Florida Atlantic @ UCF (This contest beats out the epic New Mexico State @ UTEP game, because... Well, it's in my Top 10, so I HAVE to do it.)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Washington State @ USC (The Trojans, backed into a corner? Wazzu being untested despite being 3-0? I like those odds! I see USC bouncing back and blowing out the Cougars.)
What game to totally avoid: Tulane @ Ohio State (I didn't like Tulane's chances in this game to begin with, but now Urban Meyer is back? This one will get ugly fast.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Louisville @ Virginia, Penn State @ Illinois, Kansas State @ West Virginia, Arizona State @ Washington, and Kansas @ Baylor.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 4 Predictions

Last week I went 12-4. But considering that 10 of them were all "lay-up's", I call that record a "bad mark". Now, here's hoping my blind faith in Wisconsin and Auburn pays off better here, as I give you guys my picks for Week 4:

(22)Texas A&M 13 @ (1)Alabama 30
(2)Georgia 42 @ Missouri 32
(3)Clemson 35 @ Georgia Tech 21
Tulane 7 @ (4)Ohio State 53
Army 6 @ (5)Oklahoma 58
Louisiana Tech 13 @ (6)LSU 34
(7)Stanford 40 @ (20)Oregon 28
(8)Notre Dame 30 @ Wake Forest 24
Arkansas 10 @ (9)Auburn 49
(T-10)Penn State 46 @ Illinois 20
Arizona State 18 @ (T-10)Washington 28
Kansas State 20 @ (12)West Virginia 42
(13)Virginia Tech 37 @ Old Dominion 10
(14)Mississippi State 29 @ Kentucky 21
Texas Tech 24 @ (15)Oklahoma State 45
Florida Atlantic 28 @ (16)UCF 24
(17)TCU 27 @ Texas 28
(18)Wisconsin 27 @ Iowa 21
Nebraska 16 @ (19)Michigan 33
Florida International 14 @ (21)Miami 47
(23)Boston College 20 @ Purdue 24
(24)Michigan State 31 @ Indiana 23

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 4 Recap (Part 1)

So once again, a bunch of weird stuff that does NOT include Alabama stumbling somewhere. So that means I'll have to sift through Week 4, one conference at a time.

ACC: The Orange are 4-0... on the eve of them going to Clemson. Also, FSU finally looked like a REAL team yesterday against NIU, North Carolina stuns Pitt, and EVERYONE'S "upset special" (Purdue over Boston College) comes true.
Oh, and there'll be more on the disgraceful act that Virginia Tech pulled later on. Just know that thanks to that, Duke is now the favorite in the Coastal division. Wait, DUKE?!

Big 12: So Oklahoma State and TCU faltered. In the case of TCU, I just think the Longhorns were just hungrier for it; losing 4 in a row to the Frogs will do that to you. As for OK State, that loss was just the case of "What in the HELL made us put OK State in the Top 15 already?!"
Army vs. Oklahoma - Game Summary - September 22, 2018 - ESPN And as for Oklahoma... what were they doing? They faced strong foes like UCLA and Iowa State, and it's ARMY that pushes you?!

Big 10: Actually, it was a quiet week here. Wisconsin bounced back, Maryland continues to confound us, and Ohio State is ready for the Nittany Lions next weekend.

SEC: Sorry, Mississippi State. I completely spaced on your big game against Kentucky when I was composing my Top 10 games for the week. Thanks to that snub, Kentucky got angry and kicked your @$$, so my apologies.
Other than that, it was mostly chalk. Well, excluding Ole Miss and LSU sleeping through the 1st half of their games.

PAC-12: Last up in the "Power 5" is this conference. A conference that gave us a disgrace like...

Stanford vs. Oregon - Game Summary - September 22, 2018 - ESPN ...this! Wait, so in the NFL, if you hit the pylon while carrying the football it counts as a touchdown, but in college if you hit the pylon then that's considered out of bounds?! WHAT THE F--K?! Way to screw Oregon out of a win there, rulebook!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 4 Recap (Part 2)

Okay... Let's continue with the recap.

Sun Belt: Well, here we had South Alabama keeping it close against Memphis and Coastal Carolina sharing the same record as... Troy?! Wait, did the Chanticleers win their Sun Belt opener? They did? AND they face Troy next week?!

Mountain West: Aside from San Diego State needing OT to beat EMU, nothing much happened. Except maybe Colorado State losing to Illinois State! Come on, Rams! The Arkansas Razorbacks are crushed that you did that!

MAC: Lots of butterflies and roses over here. Why? Buffalo is 4-0 after beating Rutgers! Wait... Doesn't Buffalo have Army next week? The same Army team that almost shocked Oklahoma? Oh dear...

American: Cincinnati survived a WAY harder-than-expected game against Ohio, USF has started 4-0 again, and SMU just won it's first game of the year... even though it took over 20 minutes for that 2-point conversion to be confirmed by the referees.

Conference USA: And finally, amidst all the highs (North Texas is now 4-0) and the lows (UTEP just lost to NMSU again)...

Virginia Tech vs. Old Dominion - Game Summary - September 22, 2018 - ESPN ...there was this HUGE stunner in Norfolk. Isn't it cool that a program that's only 10 years old shocked the Hokies? Right?
Lane Kiffin: "...I hate you, Monarchs."

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5 (Group of Five special)

Well, this is strange. While I was composing my latest Top 10 (to be shown tomorrow), QUITE a few games emerged away from the "Power 5" conferences. Normally, I had to wait until Week 7 or 8 for something like that to happen. So even though it may be too early, let me give a shout-out to the smaller conferences as I do...

The Top 5 "Group of Five" games of the week!
​

(All times are Eastern)
5. Arkansas State @ Georgia Southern [6:00, ESPN+] (In this Sun Belt opener for both teams, I'm getting a lot of mixed signals. For one, the point spread reads "Arkansas State -3", while ESPN's "FPI" stat has GSU as a 56% favorite. Plus, Shai Werts is running the ball well for the Eagles, while Justice Hansen already has 10 passing TD's. All of that points to a instant classic.)

4. Coastal Carolina @ Troy [3:30, ESPN3 or check your local listings] (Speaking of strange things, Coastal Carolina is on a 3-game winning streak right now. Now the Chanticleers travel to Troy, where we're still waiting for Troy to have a hangover after they beat Nebraska. Will this be the week?)

3. Boise State @ Wyoming [7:00, CBS Sports Network] (This one is pretty straightforward: It's just Boise looking to rebound from that failure in Stillwater as they take on the Cowboys and their defense.)

2. Army @ Buffalo [12:00, CBS Sports Network] (Don't scoff at this one! The lowly Bulls are now 4-0 [with wins over Rutgers and Temple] and receiving votes in the AP Poll. However, this one will be on CBSSN. You know, the same network that broadcast Old Dominion stunning Virginia Tech... and Army almost shocking Oklahoma? )

1. Louisiana Tech @ North Texas [7:30, beIN Sports] (La-Tech actually didn't look too bad against LSU last week, so we'll see how good they are against UNT. But if the Mean Green bypasses the Bulldogs, they can start thinking about bigger goals... National rankings, perhaps?)

...and I'm done! For now; tomorrow the REAL drama begins as I drag out another Top 10.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5- Top 10 Games

Just so you know, I'm doing this post without much sleep. Partly because I was a little concerned about my bathroom floor, but mostly because I couldn't stop thinking about Will Sasso (for some odd reason). Anyway, here is...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2018 [Week 5]​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Ole Miss @ LSU [9:00, ESPN] (Beating out games like Pittsburgh @ UCF and South Dakota State @ North Dakota State for the #10 spot is an ol' stand-by: The "Magnolia Lane Rivalry". This will be a game where LSU will try [again] to prove that they are a Top 10 team, while Ole Miss will [also again] try to play the role of the spoiler.)

9. Virginia Tech @ Duke [7:00, ESPN2] (Old Dominion shocking the Hokies is really the only setup you need for this contest. Was last week just a freak accident for Va-Tech, or were they exposed by ODU? Oh, and don't forget: If Duke DOES expose the Hokies and beat them here, Miami might wanna be cautious of them in the Coastal.)

8. Baylor @ Oklahoma [3:30, ABC] (They're not in the same boat as Va-Tech right now, but Oklahoma DOES have a few questions to answer after Army scared the s--t out of them last week. So now, let's see how the Sooners do when they return to Big 12 play against a Baylor team that's already looking better in 2018.
[P.S: I think that the 23.5 point spread will be wrong in this game. Do whatever you want with that info...])

7. Oregon @ California [10:30, FOX Sports 1] (Another straightforward game here. Basic questions that we need answering includes "Does Cal REALLY deserve this national ranking?" and "Can Oregon recover from that collapse last week?". But a more sophisticated question looms large over Cal: Can the Golden Bears offense keep up with Oregon's, or will they have to play "keepaway" to win this one?)

6. Florida @ Mississippi State [6:00, ESPN] (While Kentucky is busy with South Carolina, we'll have a matchup of teams that already got embarrassed by the Wildcats: Florida and Mississippi State. And hopefully, that Bulldog offense will wake up in this one.
Let's see... Did I forget something? Wait! Dan Mullen, weren't you in Starkville just recently?)

5. BYU @ Washington [8:30, FOX] (Just the fact that BYU is in the Top 20 AND playing on a broadcast network like FOX proves that this has been a good September for the Cougars. Yet why does ESPN have the Huskies as a 92% favorite? Are they scared that BYU's defense won't be ready for Jake Browning and company?
Look, Washington. Just don't act surprised if this is a 1-score game entering the 4th quarter, OK?)

4. West Virginia @ Texas Tech [12:00, ESPN2] (The sleeper game of the week. Either this will be the high-scoring slugfest we're all expecting it to be, or it'll surprisingly be a defense-minded game controlled by Texas Tech. Either way, WVU fans are hoping that Will Grier will remain steady as a rock.)

3. Syracuse @ Clemson [12:00, ABC] (Right now, Clemson is a 25-point favorite, so I was gonna knock this good-looking game down a few spots. That was, until I heard that Kelly Bryant now wants out of Clemson after Trevor Lawrence got named the starting QB. Is there trouble in paradise? Or is this just wishful thinking? Maybe Eric Dungey and the 'Cuse attack will give us the answer.)

2. Stanford @ Notre Dame [7:30, NBC] (And now, the REAL fun begins! It's NBC vs. ABC, as their prime-time games go head-to-head!
Over in South Bend, we'll have a game that'll be low-scoring and full of arrogant brainiacs, but will still be fun nonetheless. Oh, and did you know that Notre Dame's Tony Jones Jr. currently has better rushing numbers than Stanford's "golden-boy" Bryce Love? True story!)

1. Ohio State @ Penn State [7:30, ABC] (Meanwhile, over in State College we'll have this epic Big 10 duel [at least epic in the minds of ESPN's little "FPI" stats]. And won't it be great to see Ohio State's QB Dwayne Haskins finally pick on someone his own size?)

Best "mid-major" game: Louisiana Tech @ North Texas (See my previous post for more details)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Tennessee @ Georgia (I'll bet that if Mississippi State defeated Kentucky, their game with Florida would be on CBS this week. But they didn't.
So instead, CBS is stuck with a good-looking game that'll end up being 42-0. Have fun!)
What game to totally avoid: UL-Lafayette @ Alabama [I was originally gonna go with Bowling Green @ Georgia Tech, but with BSU's offense putting up good numbers there IS a chance for the upset. So I'm going with this one; the only ones watching this will probably be Crimson Tide fans... and players of that "Your Team Sucks" game.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Virginia @ NC State, South Carolina @ Kentucky, Utah @ Washington State, Texas @ Kansas State, and Pittsburgh @ UCF.

My predictions segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5 Predictions

Sorry for the delay. I had to take the dog out for a walk, and when I'm the only one in the house he likes to take LONG walks. Not like the "run and pee" sprints he does when...
Okay. I'm gonna stop right there before I say something I'll probably regret, and get to my predictions for Week 5:

UL-Lafayette 7 @ (1)Alabama 59
Tennessee 10 @ (2)Georgia 53
Syracuse 17 @ (3)Clemson 38
(4)Ohio State 35 @ (9)Penn State 38
Ole Miss 21 @ (5)LSU 34
Baylor 20 @ (6)Oklahoma 41
(7)Stanford 24 @ (8)Notre Dame 21
Southern Miss 10 @ (10)Auburn 49
(20)BYU 16 @ (11)Washington 29
(12)West Virginia 39 @ (25)Texas Tech 45
Pittsburgh 37 @ (13)UCF 35 [Call me wacky!]
(14)Michigan 35 @ Northwestern 28
North Carolina 24 @ (16)Miami 27
South Carolina 21 @ (17)Kentucky 28 [A little "I'm sorry" gift to Kentucky for last week's snub]
(18)Texas 31 @ Kansas State 24
(19)Oregon 33 @ (24)California 17
Central Michigan 12 @ (21)Michigan State 33
Virginia Tech 34 @ (22)Duke 24
Florida 24 @ (23)Mississippi State 28

...and I'm done! Now pardon me while I find out why I was thinking of Will Sasso last night. I'll check back later!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5 (What did we learn?)

This Sunday, I'm trying something new. BEFORE I recap the college football action from last weekend, I'm gonna do the segment called "What We've Learned This Week"!

What I learned this week in football is...

1. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has to be STOKED after his team's comeback win over Northwestern and what Notre Dame did against Stanford. Now he's like "Uh... yeah! That Week 1 loss doesn't look so bad now. My team's gonna be fine! Yeah, yeah!"

2. FAU just lost to Middle Tennessee by one point, 25-24. Is this the beginning of the end for Lane Kiffin... again?

3. Somehow, Ohio State vs. Penn State playing a close game never gets old for me. I mean, I was HOOKED on that 4th quarter (even though I wanted the Lions to win).

4. UCLA and Nebraska are still winless. This is now becoming a little game called "Which team can find their pride the fastest?". Stay tuned!

5. USC and Wazzu won wild late games in the PAC-12. Those night owls are so lucky...

And finally, it was not a good day for me. Not only did I think that Bryce Love still had some Heisman blood left...
Syracuse vs. Clemson - Game Summary - September 29, 2018 - ESPN ...but I (and Syracuse) completely forgot that Clemson still had the heart of a champion. What is WRONG with me?

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5 Recap

And finally, let's do a proper recap of the action from Saturday.

PAC-12: Oregon showed some great resilience at Cal, while Washington stole BYU's lunch. Oh, and you already know the rest: USC and Wazzu rules, while Stanford drools.

Big 10: Already took care of it; Ohio State took care of business, and so did Michigan.

ACC: There's LIFE now at Florida State; just ask Louisville. Also, Virginia Tech handled Duke with ease, and NC State is now 4-0... and won't be taken seriously until they get to Clemson.

Big 12: Mostly chalk. Although it WAS fun to see TCU and Texas win those close games.

SEC: You KNOW it was a boring day in the SEC when Vanderbilt's close call against a FCS team was the most exciting thing that happened.

Conference USA: Teams like UAB and Marshall are 3-1 now, while UTEP is still winless.
Louisiana Tech vs. North Texas - Box Score - September 29, 2018 - ESPN Oh, and there was this game, where UNT's hope for a 5-0 start died thanks to a blocked FG. Such a shame.

MAC: The conference games here were REALLY good; Western Michigan beats Miami-Ohio by 1 point, and NIU defeats EMU in 5-OT's. Out-of-conference, though, it was pretty bad.
Army vs. Buffalo - Box Score - September 29, 2018 - ESPN And this was the lowlight; Army knocking Buffalo off the unbeaten map. Shame.

Mountain West: Nothing crazy happened in terms of "shockers". But Hawaii's 5-OT win over San Jose counts as something fun, right?

Sun Belt: About the only big thing that happened was Georgia Southern's win over Arkansas State. The Eagles might be back!

American: And finally, I now suddenly hate UCF with all of my being. Why don't we just give... Nah. Nah, we can't just give UCF the conference right now; Cincinnati and USF are still waiting in the wings!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Florida vs. Mississippi State

Florida vs. Mississippi State - Game Summary - September 29, 2018 - ESPN

Shoot! I completly forgot that this game took place! So here it is, an example of Mississippi State getting so upset with seeing Dan Mullen again that they forgot to score points.

 

[nddulac]

Oh, and did you know that Notre Dame's Tony Jones Jr. currently has better rushing numbers than Stanford's "golden-boy" Bryce Love? True story!)

And - both players left yesterday's game with injuries. Sucks.