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

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 6- Group of Five special

We are in a very weird spot right now in 2018. I mean, it's only Week 6, and already there is a LOT of games outside of the "Power 5" that we need to pay attention to. Oh, and I'm in a weird spot where I'm tempted to bark like a dog SO loudly that I'll...

...Sorry, I got off topic. Let me just get to this special countdown called...

The Top 10 "Group of Five" games of Week 6
​

(All times are Eastern)
10. SMU @ UCF [7:00, ESPNU] (So the Golden Knights will continue to smell the rarefied air of the Top 15 for a little while longer. Could the Mustangs possibly give UCF a fright? I mean, they have won their last 2 games.)

9. North Dakota State @ Northern Iowa [2:00, ESPN+] (Is anybody paying attention to the Bison? Last week, they defeated South Dakota State for the first time in 3 years! And now they'll try to avoid a hangover as they'll visit the UNI dome, which is NOT a fun place to play in.
As for Northern Iowa, they've outscored their last 2 opponents 77-0! But let's see them do that against Easton Slick and company.)

8. Georgia State @ Troy [7:30 tomorrow, ESPNU] (It was a fine win for the Panthers last week as they defeated ULM, but now they must face the Sun Belt killing machine known as Troy. The stats are pretty even, but GSU's defense must be ready to play.)

7. Northern Illinois @ Ball State [3:00, ESPN3 or check your local listings] (Northern Illinois's first 4 games were rough, but we all expected that. What we did NOT expect was NIU's road getting harder; after a hard 3-OT game against Eastern Michigan the Huskies must go to Ball State and face a hopeful Cardinals team. A Cardinals team, mind you, who has Riley Neal at QB... and he's been BALLIN' in his first 5 games of the season.)

6. Middle Tennessee @ Marshall [7:30, CBS Sports Network] (...Hey, wait a moment! Middle Tennessee actually defeated FAU last week? But... but that means that if they win against Marshall THIS week, then the Blue Raiders can just cruise their way to the C-USA East title!
That's a BIG if, though; Marshall's been waiting for this game for a while now, and Alex Thomson is ready to go.

5. Fresno State @ Nevada [10:30, ESPNU] (Man... If it hadn't been for that last minute INT at Minnesota, the Bulldogs would be 4-0 by now. Anyway, it's time for Fresno State to start taking care of business as they start conference play against Nevada. But their defense had better be ready for this; Nevada's offense has looked tremendous so far this year.)

4. UAB @ Louisiana Tech [7:00, Stadium Network and Facebook Live] (Thanks to blocking a late field goal, La-Tech was able to beat North Texas last week. Happy days, right? Well... the Blazers of UAB may spring a surprise on them, especially if La-Tech is unable to break UAB's defense.)

3. Utah State @ BYU [9:00 Friday, ESPN2] (Before BYU's schedule calms down after a hard start, before the Cougars can relax more during the 2nd half of the season, they first must face a in-state nuisance. A nuisance, by the way, that defeated them last year and wants to do it again.
To me, this could be a sneakily awesome rivalry game that BYU can win... if their offense gets going at all.)

2. Tulane @ Cincinnati [12:00, ESPNU] (Why is this game up so high? Because of 2 reasons. One is Cincinnati, who is unbeaten right now at 5-0 and wants to keep this surprising ascension going. And the other is Tulane, who by beating Memphis last week [and screwing up my "Your Team Sucks" picks in the process] showed that you can't sleep on them. Is another upset brewing?)

1. San Diego State @ Boise State [3:30, ESPNU] (So for the 2nd year in a row, Boise State's season hinges on whatever or not they can chase away their biggest challenger for Mountain West superiority in San Diego State. Thing is, so far SDSU's passing game hasn't been too explosive. But it could be cold and rainy in Boise come Saturday, and the Aztecs CAN run the ball. Hmmm...)

So, did any of these games make the big-league Top 10? No, they did not. Sorry...
...But you CAN tune in tomorrow to see which games DID make it. See you there!

 

[Tin Man]

Hey! You didn't mention Tennessee vs Bye. Surely, this is one weekend when the Vols cannot lose.

 

[nddulac]

2. Tulane @ Cincinnati [12:00, ESPNU]

In the two years I was at Tulane (1995, 1996) the Green Wave won four games. Two of them were against Cincinnati. (The other two were TCU and Wake Forest.)

Go Greenies!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 6 (Top Ten Games)

Hey! You didn't mention Tennessee vs Bye. Surely, this is one weekend when the Vols cannot lose.

...Well, that's ONE certainty we can count on this week! Are there any others? We'll see as it's time for...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2018 (Week 6)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Clemson @ Wake Forest [3:30, ESPN] (Beating out Utah @ Stanford for the #10 spot is this game in Winston-Salem. Why? Mostly because of the health of Clemson's new head-man Trevor Lawrence. It looks like he's gonna play, but maybe Chase Brice or someone else can relieve him in case he struggles.
Wait. What am I so worried about? Clemson can just stop Wake's quarterback and win the game THAT way! And they may have to; Sam Hartman's got over 1,100 passing yards already for the Deacons.)

9. Indiana @ Ohio State [4:00, FOX] (The Hoosiers have been doing OK so far this year [they're 4-1], but now they must take a trip to Columbus that could derail their whole season. But wait! Maybe this WON'T be a blowout; Indiana does have a more productive rusher [Stevie Scott] than Ohio State right now! So to me, the Hoosiers having a productive, balanced offense is the key to surprising Urban Meyer and company.)

8. Arizona State @ Colorado [4:00, PAC-12 Network] (So Colorado has started 4-0 for the first time in 20 years. Is it possible that with all the hype we gave Utah and Arizona to dethrone USC in the South division, did we forget the Buffaloes? Ah, we'll soon see if they're legit; Colorado's only a 2.5 point favorite against Herm Edwards and his Sun Devils, who can put up some points. But for that matter, so can Steven Montez and his new best friend Laviska Shenault.)

7. Boston College @ NC State [12:30, ACC Network] (The sleeper game of the week. NC State is looking to show themselves as a threat in the Atlantic, but they've had some problems with Boston College in recent years. Stopping AJ Dillon is a must for the Wolfpack in this contest.)

6. Auburn @ Mississippi State [7:30, ESPN2] (I call this game "Mississippi State's last chance". If the Bulldogs don't want to become SEC "also-rans", they BETTER defend their home turf and shock the Auburn Tigers. And you know, the O/U for this game is only 41.5 points, hinting that MSU might try to slow down Auburn's offense. Hey! That idea might just work!)

5. Kentucky @ Texas A&M [7:00, ESPN] (Or as I like to call it "Whoa whoa whoa... WHOA! Kentucky's #13 in the AP poll already?! Are we sure about this?". Yep, this is another test for ascending Kentucky to deal with, and it will be hard.
I mean, look at A&M: Nobody's talking about Kellen Mond, and he's got over 1,200 passing yards already! Plus, Jimbo Fisher wants a win over a ranked opponent to get his program going, and this one will do nicely.)

4. Florida State @ Miami [3:30, ABC] (Thank you, Florida State! It looks like you're getting your act together after beating Louisville, so now we can get REALLY excited about this rivalry game again. As for Miami, let's just say that they want to start their own winning streak against the Seminoles again.)

3. Notre Dame @ Virginia Tech [8:00, ABC] (I'll be perfectly honest here: This game scares the s--t out of me. I mean, how good ARE the Hokies? Justin Jackson looked good last week, but that was against Duke. Let's see how well he fares against a REAL defense?
As for Notre Dame, they looked DAMN good against Stanford last week. But are they due for a hangover? What'll happen if the Hokies defense stops Ian Book cold... in front of a LOUD Lane Stadium? Oh man...)

2. LSU @ Florida [3:30, CBS] (Now the hard part REALLY begins for Ed Orgeron and LSU. They must travel to "The Swamp" to face the Gators... with a game against Georgia on the horizon. I really hope Joe Burrow can handle that distraction hanging over his head... and the Gainesville crowd.
As for Florida, it hasn't been pretty, but they ARE ranked again after beating their former coach Dan Mullen. Can Feliepe Franks keep the ascension going? Or will Florida have to just rely on stopping LSU's suddenly-resurgent offense?)

1. Oklahoma vs. Texas {From the Cotton Bowl in Dallas} [12:00, FOX] (So people are starting to hop back onto the Tom Herman bandwagon. Well, it's "final-exam" time for the Longhorns! They're playing it cool, but are they ready right now to stop the Sooners? Maybe they are; the last 5 games in this series have been great!)

Best "mid-major" game: San Diego State @ Boise State (See my previous post for more details)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (The Orange may have shot their wad against Clemson last week, while Pittsburgh has to be fuming after UCF spanked them. Combine all that, and we could have a Pitt rout that may turn ugly.)
What game to totally avoid: Nebraska @ Wisconsin (I know that Nebraska will probably not fire Scott Frost after this season, but trust me: They WILL hit rock-bottom this week when Wisconsin scorches them.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Maryland @ Michigan, Iowa @ Minnesota, and Utah @ Stanford.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

The Bottom 10 introduces the Arkansaw Corn-Bruins

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 6 Recap

I've just finished looking at the last 3 weeks of my picks, and here are my records:
Week 3: 12-4
Week 4: 18-4
Week 5: 14-5
Needless to say, I am NOT going against UCF again this season. Now let's get to this week's picks:

(1)Alabama 54 @ Arkansas 13
Vanderbilt 17 @ (2)Georgia 38
Indiana 14 @ (3)Ohio State 41
(4)Clemson 48 @ Wake Forest 21
(5)LSU 24 @ (22)Florida 27
(6)Notre Dame 30 @ (24)Virginia Tech 27
(7)Oklahoma 35 vs. (18)Texas 28
(8)Auburn 27 @ Mississippi State 14
Kansas 10 @ (9)West Virginia 56
(10)Washington 38 @ UCLA 21
SMU 17 @ (12)UCF 48
(13)Kentucky 24 @ Texas A&M 28
Utah 23 @ (14)Stanford 27
Maryland 24 @ (15)Michigan 35
Nebraska 10 @ (16)Wisconsin 40
Florida State 21 @ (17)Miami 28
Northwestern 21 @ (20)Michigan State 24
Arizona State 34 @ (21)Colorado 24
Boston College 31 @ (23)NC State 23
Iowa State 13 @ (25)Oklahoma State 45

 

[jwolt92]

Florida State 21 @ (17)Miami 28

Florida State will be lucky to put up 21

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Florida State vs. Miami

College GameDay was psychic. They predicted that some of the higher-ups were gonna lose today, and they were right. But I'm not ready to look at those games just yet.

Florida State vs. Miami - Game Summary - October 6, 2018 - ESPN So instead, let's look at some of the best games of the week, beginning with yet another thriller in this rivalry game.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Texas vs. Oklahoma

Texas vs. Oklahoma - Game Summary - October 6, 2018 - ESPN

Okay, NOW I'm ready. From the looks of THIS thriller, it's plain to see that the Longhorns still haven't forgotten about that loss to Maryland. Not after the way they shrugged off losing a 21-point lead like that.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

LSU vs. Florida

Other than those 2 games, it was a disappointing day for some of us. For example, the Orange couldn't beat Pitt while Notre Dame DID beat Virginia Tech. And we play the Irish next week.

Elsewhere, we have Stanford and Michigan State forgetting about their preseason promises, OK State getting thrown out of the Top 25 again, and A&M delaying Kentucky's rise to prominence for the moment.

LSU vs. Florida - Box Score - October 6, 2018 - ESPN Oh well. At least I got this prediction correct as Florida rose up once again.

 

[Gatorchip]

As for Florida, it hasn't been pretty, but they ARE ranked again after beating their former coach Dan Mullen.

What?

 

[Gatorchip]

You nailed a lot of your predictions this week. Impressive.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 6 Recap (Part 1)

Now let's see what ELSE happened this Saturday in football:

ACC: Clemson's fine, Syracuse might not be after next week, and NC State actually holds off BC this time. Hmmm...

Big 10: Excluding Michigan State losing, everything was chalk for the Big 10 this week. And hey, Illinois managed to win again! Their game against Purdue next week should be a good one.

Big 12: Baylor had a close game against K-State (but they won), and so did West Virginia. But things are normal... Wait. Wasn't WVU facing Kansas? Grier, what happened?!

PAC-12: Looks like Cal is a fraud (as they lose their 2nd in a row). But Washington State might not be (they're 5-1 now)! And one other note; UCLA is still winless while Colorado is still unbeaten, so we still have that anomaly.

SEC: Now let's see... Did I forget something?
Auburn vs. Mississippi State - Box Score - October 6, 2018 - ESPN Oh, right. I guess Mississippi State still has something left. But on the other hand, NOW who's gonna dethrone 'Bama in the West?

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 6 Recap (Part 2)

And by the way, Mississippi State's coach is Joe Moorhead. (Why did I think that Dan Mullen was still in Starkville last week? Was that a brainfart?)
Anyway, let's get back to the recap:

American: Nothing new happened to UCF, Temple smacked East Carolina, Navy got punked out, and it looks like Cincinnati is gonna be ranked shortly!
...Or was that South Florida?
My dark side: "South Florida."

Mountain West: Hawaii and Fresno State still has only 1 loss on the year, and it looks like Bob Davie might just survive at New Mexico after all. As for Boise S-
WHAT? The Broncos lost again? In front of one of their biggest crowds EVER?! ...Should I just pencil in UCF for the "New Year's Six" now, or should I wait?

MAC: Maybe the most stunning thing to happen here was Ohio needing all 60 minutes to beat lowly Kent State.

Sun Belt: Okay, Georgia Southern won again... and that's it.

Conference USA: And finally, we have North Texas averting disaster against UTEP. Problem is, now the Mean Green will face Southern Miss and UAB (who just defeated La-Tech) over the next 2 weeks.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 7- Group of Five special

Thanks to the Sun Belt having an important game tonight, I had to put this post out on a rush, so you can argue with me if I get this wrong. Anyway, here is...

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

(All times are Eastern)
5. Louisiana Tech @ UTSA [7:00, ESPN+] (As we speak, the UTSA Roadrunners is holding on to 1st place in the C-USA West. But that's only because UTSA defeated teams like UTEP and Rice [like we all thought they would]. So either the Bulldogs of La-Tech will expose them as "fool's gold", or maybe Cordale Grundy and company will truly surprise us in San Antonio.)

4. Southern Mississippi @ North Texas [2:00, ESPN3 or check your local listings] (While the above game will be going on, we'll still be dealing with the fallout from this key game in the state of Texas: A Southern Miss team trying to take down the high-flying Mean Green and become a factor in the West race. And yes, Mason Fine is doing great in Denton [15 TD's and only 1 INT so far this year], but USM's QB Jack Abraham has some great stats as well.)

3. Ohio @ Northern Illinois [3:30, ESPN+] (Both of these teams in the MAC had some close calls, but they're still doing all right entering this key contest. Oh, and in Vegas this game is almost a "pick-em", so this game in Dekalb should be a fun, defensive-minded event.)

2. Appalachian State @ Arkansas State [7:30 tonight, ESPN2] (You know... App. State has been looking REAL good so far this season. I mean, they scared Penn State in their opener, and over the last 3 games they've only surrendered 23 points.
But that's against teams like Gardner-Webb and Charlotte. Let's see the Mountaineers do that against a real team like Arkansas State. An Arkansas State team, mind you, that's panicking a little bit after Georgia Southern beat them up in their Sun Belt opener.)

1. UCF @ Memphis [3:30, ABC or ESPN2] (So Memphis is now only 1-2 in the American conference, yet they're only a 46% underdog against mighty UCF? Hmmm... Maybe Vegas is thinking that the Tigers can FINALLY give the Golden Knights a real challenge this week. I mean, the stats of Memphis's QB Brady White are just as good as golden-boy McKenzie Milton's.
But just know this: If Memphis IS to stop UCF, let's hope their defense shows up...)

And I'm done [for now]! I guess I'll be back tomorrow to give you my "big-boy" Top 10 countdown. Oh, and to everyone in the south, stay safe out there.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 7- Top 10 Games

So this is a pretty strange place I'm in right now. A place where a person promised a Top 10 segment for a Wednesday, try to do it on 4 hours sleep, and yet produce great art anyway. So let's go ahead and look at...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2018 [Week 7]​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Pittsburgh @ Notre Dame [2:30, NBC] (Oops. In my haste to scurry away from Syracuse's scary visit to South Bend, I completely forgot that the Irish has to play somebody else first. And that somebody else is Pitt, the team that may have Qadree Ollison but has some big worries on defense. Stopping Ian Book is a must for the Panthers to upset a Notre Dame team now ranked #5 in the polls.)

9. Texas A&M @ South Carolina [3:30, SEC Network] (Spoiler alert: It's gonna be very, VERY busy around the 3:30 mark this Saturday. And it's first offering is this SEC contest where A&M will try to avoid a letdown after that OT win over Kentucky.
And according to ESPN, both Jimbo Fisher and Will Muschamp seem to know each other well. Not like that matters to Muschamp; his biggest worry is stopping that potent Aggies running game.)

8. West Virginia @ Iowa State [7:00, FOX Sports 1] (The sleeper game of the week. West Virginia didn't look all that dominant at home against Kansas last week, so what's gonna happen this week when the Mountaineers go to Iowa State? And by the way, the Cyclones just defeated Oklahoma State.. and are thirsty for more.)

7. Colorado @ USC [10:30, FOX Sports 1] (Colorado has never won a single game against USC in football. And this game is in Los Angeles. So why do I have the feeling that this could be Colorado's year? Is it the lack of offensive zing that USC has, or is it concerns about USC's defense and their ability to shut down the passing game?
Or maybe... just maybe it's because the Buffaloes are sick and tired of being underestimated and wants to show that they belong this year?)

6. Michigan State @ Penn State [3:30, Big 10 Network] ( Well, there goes one of my preseason picks [Michigan State winning the Big 10 East]! The Spartans just had another embarrassing loss to Northwestern, they've haven't looked dominant in any of their wins, and Penn State has had 2 weeks to stew over their loss to the Buckeyes.
But Michigan State does have a good rushing defense, so they'll be fine in that department. It's stopping Trace McSorely that'll be the key in this one.)

5. Texas Tech @ TCU [7:30 tomorrow, ESPN] (Why is this game up so high? Simple. This one will be straight-up fun. It'll be the hopeful Red Raiders taking on a TCU team that's feeling a lot of pressure... mainly due to the sudden rise of the Texas Longhorns. Expect a lot of points to be scored here by both teams.)

4. Baylor @ Texas [3:30, ESPN] (Speaking of Texas, all of a sudden their bandwagon is filling up to capacity. That's what happens when you win one of the best "Red River Rivalry" games ever! Now everyone is heaping praise on Texas, their QB's, and of course Mr. Tom Herman.
With all of these new followers, maybe the team won't notice a in-state rival coming to visit. A rival that just beaten Kansas State, has a good QB of their own, and has already quadrupled their win total from last season. Hmmm...)

3. Wisconsin @ Michigan [7:30, ABC] (There's a reason why College Gameday is in Ann Arbor and not the big one in Baton Rouge. Partly because LSU lost last week [depriving Gameday of a Top-5 matchup], but mostly because they KNOW that something will die in this huge Big 10 game. It'll either be Wisconsin's national title chances, or all of Michigan's positive momentum that'll bite the dust. Either way, tune in to this one, because it's aftermath will NOT be pretty.)

2. Washington @ Oregon [3:30, ABC or ESPN2] (Huh... I thought FOX was gonna be all over this one on primetime. Anyway, it's time for Washington to put their playoff chances on the line again as they shoot for their 3rd straight win over their rivals from Eugene. Thing is, Oregon's gonna be playing with "house money" here; if they lose, we're all expecting it. And if they win, what a boost it'll be for Justin Herbert and the Ducks program!)

1. Georgia @ LSU [3:30, CBS] (Despite LSU losing last week, this game STILL takes the top spot for one big reason: Finally, we'll see what happens when Georgia gets pushed BIG-TIME by a conference rival. And the Bulldogs will get pushed if LSU's Joe Burrow regains his confidence, or if LSU breaks that Georgia rushing defense.
But on the other hand, Jake Fromm can move up in the Heisman race if he keeps his cool in "Death Valley"...)

Best "mid-major" game: UCF @ Memphis (See my last post for more details)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Florida @ Vanderbilt (Despite Vandy leading Florida in most of the statistical categories, I'm not fooled; if Dan Mullen can hand LSU it's first loss, he'll be just fine here.)
What game to totally avoid: South Florida @ Tulsa [Hey! USF is back to being nationally ranked! I'll bet they'll want to put on a good show to impress everyone come Friday. Sorry, Tulsa...)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Duke @ Georgia Tech, Iowa @ Indiana, Miami @ Virginia, and Hawaii @ BYU.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Eco]

A UGA win this weekend basically puts Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 7 Predictions

So someone is already claiming that Alabama is in the 4-team playoff... in early October?! Well, let's see my predictions for Week 7 and see if that man is right!


Missouri 10 @ (1)Alabama 49
(2)Georgia 31 @ (13)LSU 24
Minnesota 6 @ (3)Ohio State 59
Pittsburgh 14 @ (5)Notre Dame 37
(6)West Virginia 41 @ Iowa State 23
(7)Washington 28 @ (17)Oregon 35
Michigan State 17 @ (8)Penn State 31
Baylor 31 @ (9)Texas 37
(10)UCF 41 @ Memphis 31
(15)Wisconsin 24 @ (12)Michigan 21
(14)Florida 27 @ Vanderbilt 13
(16)Miami 31 @ Virginia 17
(19)Colorado 33 @ USC 24
Tennessee 14 @ (21)Auburn 35
(22)Texas A&M 16 @ South Carolina 21
(23)USF 46 @ Tulsa 17

Hmmm... Maybe that guy had a point. Now I'm hoping that LSU proves me wrong and beats Georgia this Saturday...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Thursday's action

Actually, it was pretty exciting last night in football as we saw Georgia Southern win by only 2 at Texas State and TCU slowing down Texas Tech's offense long enough...

Texas Tech vs. TCU - Box Score - October 11, 2018 - ESPN ...to LOSE? Wait, WHAT?!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 8 Recap- Part 1

So yesterday, four Top-10 teams went down. Rather than just throw you to ESPN.com, let me break down those games one at a time.

#6 West Virginia losing to Iowa State: Maybe this was because nobody had seen West Virginia ranked this high in a long time. It just wasn't meant to be. And how about the stunning rise of ISU's Brock Purdy, eh?
#7 Washington loses to Oregon: I think we can chalk this one up to just being a rivalry game, although a few Huskies miscues helped out.
#8 Penn State loses to Michigan State: This was just the moment where I realized "Wait... I picked MSU to win the East division! YAY, go Spartans!". And now they play Michigan... who just destroyed Wisconsin. Oh boy...
#2 Georgia loses to LSU: This is now, what, the 3rd Top-10 team that Ed Orgeron and his Tigers defeated this year? Cool! Now we got us a confident team that can beat Alab-
Wait. Doesn't LSU play Mississippi State next week? Well, shit.

And for good measure, #5 Notre Dame, #9 Texas, and #10 UCF all fought off tough challenges from lesser teams. Quite a week, eh?