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

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Tennessee vs. Auburn

Let's see... Did I forget something? I mean, I know that Miami looked sleepy in their loss to Virginia, and that the USC jinx continues to haunt Colorado, but was there something else?

Tennessee vs. Auburn - Box Score - October 13, 2018 - ESPN Oh, right. That game where the miserable Tennessee offense actually DID something right, and ruined Auburn's whole season in the process.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 8 Recap (Part 2)

And with the Top 25 games now over, let's check out what else happened this week!

ACC: Duke is now 5-1, and North Carolina DID lose to Virginia Tech, but not before they gave the Hokies a game. That doesn't bode well for the Orange next week.
Oh well. At least we're not Louisville (who are now 2-5)!

American: Besides close calls by USF and UCF, not much happened. All we saw was Temple go to 3-0 in the conference.

Big 12: HA HA HA HA HA HAAAA... oh, Cowboys.

Big 10: Okay, that's just not fair, God. You allow Chip Kelly to get his first win as UCLA coach yesterday, but you screwed over Scott Frost and Nebraska? What the hell did he do to you?!

PAC-12: And speaking of Chip Kelly, I'll bet he'll be watching College Gameday coming from Pullman next w-
...Oh! So THAT'S why those four Top-10 teams all lost yesterday! God must have REALLY wanted Gameday in Pullman just as much as the school did.

SEC: ...Ah, the Top 25 action will suffice for this conference today.

Conference USA: North Texas fought Southern Miss, while UAB is now 5-1 and La-Tech exposed UTSA. Even Charlotte joined in the fun by beating WKU!
Middle Tennessee vs. Florida Intl - Box Score - October 13, 2018 - ESPN Wait... What the?! Middle Tennessee LOST?! But, but I just penciled them in for the C-USA title game!

MAC: A thrilling day over here. Buffalo's now 6-1, Northern Illinois and Ball State got great comeback wins, and something FINALLY goes right for Eastern Michigan in conference play.

Mountain West: Colorado State won a close one over New Mexico, while Boise State escaped being completely irrelevant in 2018 against Nevada. Shame about Hawaii getting blown out by BYU, though.

Sun Belt: And finally, App. State and Georgia Southern are doing fine. Troy, however, is NOT all right after getting upset by Liberty.
(By the way, Liberty is playing Idaho State next week, in case you wanna watch the Flames.)

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Bowling Green fires Jinks following 1-6 start

And here we are; the first head coaching casualty of the 2018 season.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 8- Group of Five Special

So in around 2 to 3 weeks, I'll be making yet another thread about the craziness of regular-season college basketball. And I'm sure teams like UConn, UTEP, and New Mexico State are already waiting for it!
As for everyone else, let's start with a look at the lesser conferences. It's time for...

The Top 5 "Group of Five" Games of the Week​

(All times are Eastern)
5. UL-Lafayette @ Appalachian State [3:30, ESPN+] (QB Andre Nunez has been a revelation for the Cajuns this year, with 11 TD's already. But he's gonna get awfully tested against the Mountaineers of App. State... or am I thinking about that awful Cajuns defense?)

4. Buffalo @ Toledo [12:00, ESPN+] (The Bulls are already bowl-eligible at 6-1. Toledo is in a state of shock after losing to Eastern Michigan last week. Oh, and a QB duel between Tyree Jackson and Mitchell Guadagni is expected here. All of that points to a epic duel in the "Glass Bowl" when these two go at it.)

3. Florida Atlantic @ Marshall [2:30, Facebook Live] (A muddled C-USA East division will get much clearer this week as not only do we get Charlotte going to Middle Tennessee, but also the FAU Owls going to Huntington to face the Thundering Herd. Yet despite all the preseason hype we gave Lane Kiffin and FAU, ESPN has Marshall as a 61% favorite here.
Will FAU's defense finally show up to a game this year? 'Cause if it doesn't, they could be out of the C-USA race by Sunday.)

2. North Texas @ UAB [7:30, beIN Sports ] (I wanted to put this game at #1 so badly, but at the end of the day it just lacked the intrigue that the #1 game has. Still, this will be a great contest as two teams [who has a combined record of 11-2] fight it out for complete control of the C-USA West division.

1. Cincinnati @ Temple [12:00, ESPNU] (Both Cincy and Temple have been doing well so far in 2018, but now they both are hitting the hard part of their schedules. For Temple, a slow start has evaporated and now they want to keep climbing upwards in the American.
As for the Bearcats, it all boils down to this: "Is Cincinnati a Top 20 team, or are they a fraud?". Let's see if the Bearcats are legit or not!)

So Cincy @ Temple beats out the field to be atop of this countdown. Can they break into the "big-boy" Top 10? Please wait until tomorrow to get that answer, OK?

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 8- Top 10 Games

I was just looking through some of my early posts, and I can't help but chuckle at what I said after Nebraska's game against Akron was cancelled in Week 1: "That means no dress rehearsal for Colorado, which means they'll probably lose, which means more unhappiness". Considering what Nebraska is like right now, that sounded like a sad prophecy.

Okay, sorry. No need to dig up some old news. Let's just go to...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2018 (Week 8)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Ohio State @ Purdue [7:30, ABC] (With the way that Ohio State's been looking so far this season, I [and ABC] normally wouldn't give their game against Purdue the light of day. But something just came up that's a little interesting: Nick Bosa has just left the Buckeyes to focus on the NFL Draft. Hmmm... that could be good news for Purdue's running game, which actually isn't that bad.
P.S. to Purdue: Stopping Dwayne Haskins will also be crucial for your chances at a win here.)

9. Oklahoma @ TCU [12:00, ABC] (Michigan State made the most of their "last-chance" game last week as they stunned Penn State. Why am I bringing that game up? Simple. Because this may be TCU's "final chance" to stay in the Big 12 race when they face mighty Oklahoma. I mean, when you lose AT HOME to a Texas Tech team that had to improvise after losing their QB, your offense needs a kick in the pants. Or maybe you should try to stop Kyler Murray [who already has 21 TD's and only 3 picks]...)

8. Virginia @ Duke [12:30, ACC Network] (Beating out Maryland @ Iowa for the coveted #8 spot is this battle that could be the sleeper game of the week. Duke's looking great, and Virginia's coming off a stunning win over Miami, so both teams should be up for this one.)

7. Alabama @ Tennessee [3:30, CBS] (Much like ABC with Ohio State @ Purdue, CBS normally wouldn't be caught dead with Alabama vs. Tennessee if they didn't think the Vols had a shot to beat a Top-5 team.
But just look at the Vols last week; they FINALLY found some offense! AND they shocked Auburn! And also, Tua Tagovailoa is still a little banged up for 'Bama. Now all Tennessee has to do to stun the Tide is... stop everybody else on that Tide offense.)

6. USC @ Utah [8:00, PAC-12 Network] (...Wait just a minute! USC had defeated Arizona and Colorado earlier this year. So if they manage to defeat Tyler Huntley and Utah, then that means the Trojans will have firm control of the PAC-12 South... just like their fans want it to be!
Just one problem: Utah's a 73% favorite to win this game... mainly because USC's defense isn't as strong as the fans wanted it to be.)

5. Colorado @ Washington [3:30, FOX] (And speaking of Colorado, they're now in a tough spot. The Buffaloes now must go to Seattle... to face a Washington team that just lost their shot at the national championship last week. And also, I don't think Colorado has faced a defense this stout all year. Yet the numbers all look pretty even, so maybe all Stevan Montez has to do to win this one is to keep his cool.)

4. Mississippi State @ LSU [7:00, ESPN] (I'll bet everyone is hoping that LSU wins this game so that the Tigers will be on even ground with Alabama when they face off in 2 weeks. The playoff committee, LSU fans, Alabama fans, casual fans... EVERYONE will be pulling for LSU here.
As for Mississippi State, they had 2 weeks to prep for this game in Baton Rouge. They're playing with house money [and renewed confidence]. And this is homecoming for LSU... and we all know what happened last year at LSU's homecoming.)

3. Oregon @ Washington State [7:30, FOX] (So now Oregon is the PAC-12's best hope for a playoff team now... and now they're trying to keep their lead in the North division against a Cougars team that's still a relative mystery to the rest of the nation.
You know what could be the X-factor in this contest? That's right, College Gameday. After 15 years [maybe even longer] of waiting, Pullman finally gets Gameday to their city. Will that fire up the team, or will the Cougars spend all of their emotion on that TV show and play the game flat? Watch the show and find out!)

2. Michigan @ Michigan State [12:00, FOX] (Man! Rupert Murdoch's flagship network is gonna be BUSY this Saturday! And kicking it all off is the 111th installment of this epic rivalry game, with both the Spartans and the Wolverines coming off BIG wins last week.
To me, this is all about Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines. Yes, they did beat Wisconsin and are now #6 in the rankings, but that game was at home. Let's see Jim's team win a big one on the road, especially with the Spartans being 8-2 over their last 10 games against Michigan.
But why isn't this game at #1?)

1. NC State @ Clemson [3:30, ESPN] (Blame it on this rivalry game, where the rankings are higher and so are the stakes. Not to mention that the last 2 games in this series has been phenomenal [even though NC State came up short both times]! If the Wolfpack wants to finish the job this time, they need to stop Clemson's offensive attack... or hope that Ryan Finley can keep up with the Tigers.)

Best "mid-major" game: Cincinnati @ Temple (See my previous post for more details)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Vanderbilt @ Kentucky (I think the Commodores are out of gas, so expect talk of Kentucky's "football renaissance" to continue... at least for another week.)
What game to totally avoid: San Jose State @ San Diego State (Don't be fooled by the in-state rivalry; San Jose is 0-6, and SDSU now has big plans for the rest of their season. Just don't bother.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Maryland @ Iowa, Stanford @ Arizona State, Auburn @ Ole Miss, and Minnesota @ Nebraska.

Okay, now hear me out on that last one. Think about it: This is a "lose-lose" scenario for the Gophers. If they win, we're expecting them to, and if they lose, in 5 years we'll all treat it as "Scott Frost's breakthrough win to launch the Huskers's national title campaign in 2023". Which makes it look intriguing!
While you guys contemplate that, I'll be back shortly with my picks!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 8 Predictions

So on last week's picks, I was a mediocre 9-7. No other way to say this: I need to do better. So here are my picks for Week 8:

(1)Alabama 47 @ Tennessee 10
(2)Ohio State 49 @ Purdue 10
(16)NC State 21 @ (3)Clemson 31
(22)Mississippi State 28 @ (5)LSU 24
(6)Michigan 21 @ (24)Michigan State 28
(9)Oklahoma 41 @ TCU 24
(10)UCF 47 @ East Carolina 16
(12)Oregon 42 @ (25)Washington State 35
Vanderbilt 17 @ (14)Kentucky 21
Colorado 24 @ (15)Washington 31
(18)Penn State 38 @ Indiana 24
Maryland 21 @ (19)Iowa 24
(20)Cincinnati 17 @ Temple 24
UConn 7 @ (21)USF 26
Illinois 14 @ (23)Wisconsin 31

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 8 Recap (Part 1-Top 25 Action)

Huh... It was actually pretty quiet in the Top 25 this week. Clemson and Oklahoma did all right in their games, while teams like LSU, Kentucky, and Washington served court at home. In fact, the only real upsets we got yesterday was Temple over Cincinnati (while some of us saw coming) and Ohio S-
...Oh no.

Ohio State vs. Purdue - Game Summary - October 20, 2018 - ESPN OH NOOO!!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 8 Recap (Part 2- Everything else)

With apologies to Tyler Trent and his newfound super powers, here's what else happened this week:

ACC: Hey! Virginia could actually be a REAL team, as they just beaten Duke. Now they have a chance to get to 9 wins entering their finale against Virginia Tech... with maybe the Coastal division on the line? Eh? Hope springs eternal.
Oh, and thank you, Syracuse, for NOT losing to North Carolina. Thank you.

PAC-12: After a rough patch to start his tenure, Chip Kelly's UCLA team is now alive and well. Not only did they win again (over Arizona), but the Trojans just lost to Utah! Maybe we'll see a Cinderella run to the Rose Bowl for the Bruins!
(That's about the only thing the PAC-12 has left, as Washington State just KO'd the Oregon Ducks.)

SEC: At least we got SOMETHING from the SEC this week; Kentucky's bowl-eligible already, and it looks like Auburn isn't gonna roll over and die this year.

Sun Belt: Coastal Carolina and UL-Monroe each picked up their 4th win of the season. But the real story is Georgia Southern; they're now 6-1 with a game against App. State next week...

Big-12: Nothing real big.

American: Hey, kids! Did you know that USF (who just escaped UConn) and Houston (who won at Navy) will play each other next week in Houston?

Conference USA: Quite a busy week over here, actually. FIU keeps winning, Middle Tennessee holds off Charlotte, UTEP had it's best game of the year against La-Tech (and still lost), and UAB gave us a great comeback win over North Texas.
Oh, and Marshall beat Lane Kiffin and the Owls. So that's now 4 disappointing losses already for a heavily-hyped Lane Kiffin team. Does that sound familiar at all to anyone?

MAC: Holy cow, Buffalo is legit! They just won at Toledo! Also, Western Michigan is bowl-eligible, and I gotta find a copy of that Akron-Kent State game.

Mountain West: Boise's fine, Utah State's fine, and Fresno State's fine too. Hawaii, though, is NOT fine after losing at home to Nevada.
And as I predicted, San Diego State crushes San Jose State by... ONLY 3 POINTS? DAMMIT! I suck at this "Your Team Sucks" prediction game!

Big 10: And finally, I look at Tyler Trent and the Big 10 West again. And his beloved Boilermakers are now tied for the division lead... with their next 2 games against Michigan State and Iowa. Good luck, Tyler!
Oh, and Northwestern faces Wisconsin next week, too. Think THAT one will be big?

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Just a quick update: The "What Game to Totally Avoid" segment has officially been cancelled thanks to the San Jose State vs. San Diego State from Saturday. Sorry about that.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 9 "Group of Five" Special"

With no more worries about picking the "worst game of the week", I can focus on other things. Like sorting through all the great "lesser-division" games going on this weekend... and there's gonna be a LOT of them. That's right! It's time for another special Top 10 called...

The Top 10 "Group of Five" games of Week 9​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Georgetown @ Colgate [12:00, check your local listings] (From tiny Hamilton, NY, we now have a team that's dominating the Patriot League and is undefeated. That's right, it's strong-willed Colgate! But now they're gonna face a surprise team in Georgetown, who may be Colgate's last challenge in conference play.)

9. Towson @ Delaware [3:30, FOX College Sports] (This Saturday in the CAA, we're gonna have a strong doubleheader. First up is this game in Newark, where Delaware will try to gain ground on the surprise conference leader called Towson.
[Wait a minute. If Towson's leading the CAA, then where is James Madison?])

8. Stony Brook @ James Madison [3:30, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network] (Ah! There they are! You know, a few weeks ago JMU got upset by the Elon Phoenix, which has put the Dukes somewhat under the 8-ball in the CAA. We'll see how the Dukes bounce back here, as the Seawolves are a pretty good CAA team as well.)

7. Jacksonville State @ Murray State [4:00, ESPN3 or check your local listings] (This just in! Last week, the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State lost a game in the Ohio Valley Conference for the first time in nearly 5 years [all thanks to Southeast Missouri State! And now JSU must go visit the new leaders in the conference in the Murray State Racers. Chances are, the Gamecocks will simply get up and punch out the Racers. But what if they don't?)

6. Louisiana Tech @ Florida Atlantic [6:30 Friday, CBS Sports Network] (So 2 months ago, Lane Kiffin and his FAU Owls was riding into the season on a whirlwind of hype. And now they're 3-4, with some fans starting to gripe. Sayyyyy... Didn't this happen when Lane was coaching the Oakland Raiders, and the Tennessee Vols, and the USC Trojans?
Okay, I know Lane doesn't want me digging up his sordid past. So let's see if his team can quiet down some of the noise by beating a game La-Tech team [and if FAU's defense can stop J'Mar Smith at all].)

5. Cincinnati @ SMU [3:30, CBS Sports Network] (This one's pretty straight-forward; the Bearcats just lost a tough game last week in OT, and it's time to see if they can bounce back. However, the Mustangs come into this game having won 3 of their last 4, so it won't be easy for Cincinnati here.)

4. Hawaii @ Fresno State [10:30, ESPN2] (And it's time for another conference doubleheader! First in Fresno, we have the 51st installment of this rivalry game between the Bulldogs and the Rainbow Warriors. Yet despite Hawaii having 6 wins on the year, why is Fresno State a 98% favorite to win this? Maybe it's because Hawaii has dropped their last 2 games, or maybe everyone is just so high on Fresno right now. Either way, I really hope that the Bulldogs are gonna be ready for a fight.)

3. San Diego State @ Nevada [10:30, ESPNU] (Speaking of Fresno State, they're getting votes right now in the AP Poll, alongside Boise State, Utah State, and yes, San Diego State. Yet for all the love ESPN is giving Fresno State right now, they're only making the Aztecs a 53% favorite to beat offensive-minded Nevada. Maybe they're just telling SDSU "Please pick up your offensive attack, PLEASE". Hmm... Maybe they're right; the Aztecs offense DOES need a spark... )

2. Appalachian State @ Georgia Southern [7:30 Thursday, ESPNU] (The Sun Belt rejoices! Nearly a year after they got the Troy Trojans into the AP Poll, they now have App. State enjoying a national ranking for the first time ever!
Now let's see if App. State can do what Troy could not do last year: WIN a game as a ranked team. Problem is, it's at Georgia Southern, where the Eagles are already 6-1 in 2018. Combine that with the fact that this is a rivalry game, and I'm SO watching this one.)

And for fans of the "Group of Five" conferences, I have good news! The #1 game on this list DID make the "big-boy" Top 10! But that means you'll have to wait 'till tomorrow to see what it is. Sorry.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 9 (Top 10 Countdown)

So here I am, waking up at 4 A.M and then taking in "Sinister 2" and "Insidious: Final Key" on Cinemax.
...Boy, was that a stupid idea. Let's hope it doesn't affect this countdown too much as I begin...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2018 (Week 9)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Baylor @ West Virginia [7:00 tomorrow, FOX Sports 1] (So, what am I expecting from this game on Thursday? A lot of points, definitely. But I'll also be looking at WVU's coaching staff and whether or not they can get the Mountaineers to avoid the look-ahead to a BUSY November that's upcoming.)

9. Kentucky @ Missouri [4:00, SEC Network] (This one is less about Missouri [who is 0-3 in the SEC right now] and more about Kentucky keeping it's cool in the East. If the Wildcats can bypass the Tigers [and Drew Lock] in Columbia, they'll have a shot to steal the SEC East title next week against Georgia. It'll all be up to the Wildcats offense to make it happen.)

8. Purdue @ Michigan State [12:00, ESPN] (For the newly-relevant Boilermakers, it's really easy: Can they avoid the hangover after that upset win over Ohio State? As for Michigan State, what do they have left after the roller-coaster ride they went on over their last 2 games [beating Penn State but then losing to Michigan]? A infusion of offensive zing would help the Spartans out a LOT.)

7. USF @ Houston [3:30, ABC or ESPN2] (This one is just a straight-up legitimacy test for these 2 teams in the American. The Bulls are undefeated, but can they beat a REAL team? On the road? And as for Houston, they're a very strong 6-1, but now they NEED a statement win to get into the Top 25. And beating the Bulls will suffice greatly...)

6. Miami @ Boston College [7:00 Friday, ESPN] (The sleeper game of the week. Both Miami and BC are 5-2, and are still within striking distance of their divisions. But now both squads are entering the critical part of their ACC schedule, and the loser of this game will have their ACC hopes SEVERELY handicapped.)

5. Wisconsin @ Northwestern [12:00, FOX] (So despite losing to Akron early in the year, and despite getting pushed by 1-win Nebraska and 1-win Rutgers, Northwestern is still in the hunt for the Big 10 West. Great. With all of the injuries that Wisconsin has suffered this year, some youngsters will have to step up again for the Badgers to silence the Wildcats in Evanston.)

4. Washington State @ Stanford [7:00, PAC-12 Network] (Time for another "legitimacy test"! This time we'll look at Washington State, who rode the magic of College Gameday to a smashing win over Oregon. Just one problem: Now they must go to Stanford, who wants the North division just as badly as they do.
For me, this one is all about Stanford's O-line. That line had BETTER not underestimate Wazzu's pass-rush; Oregon did so and lost.)

3. Iowa @ Penn State [3:30, ESPN] (Well, whaddya know?! Here's ANOTHER team trying to prove that they're a legitimate contender in Iowa! And this visit to Happy Valley won't be pleasant; just ask Penn State how their last 3 conference games went. Oh, and Iowa's defense has looked good recently, but the last time they played a strong quarterback [Alex Hornibrook of Wisconsin] they got smoked.)

2. Clemson @ Florida State [12:00, ABC] (Don't scoff at the Seminoles's chances here; remember what happened to poor Ohio State last week. And also, I'm sure that the FSU players saw Clemson's game against NC State last week ['cause FSU had a bye week to prep for this], so expect the Seminoles D-line to find a way to hit the Tigers's new star-QB Trevor Lawrence.)

1. Florida vs. Georgia {From Jacksonville} [3:30, CBS] (You don't need ANY elaborate set-up to watch this one. Just know that both teams are in the Top 10, it's a BIG rivalry game, and whoever loses this will have their playoff chances dashed.)

Game with the best chance to be a bust: Boise State @ Air Force (Notre Dame and Texas are on the road too, but at least the lesser teams they'll play has a chance to push them. Meanwhile, Boise will be composed and calm, and wanting to make a statement at the Falcons's expense.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Appalachian State @ Georgia Southern, Utah @ UCLA, Texas @ Oklahoma State, and NC State @ Syracuse.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 9 Predictions

So me doubting Michigan and LSU has dropped my Week 8 record to 11-4. But I'll take that over a 9-7 record any day. So let's see if I'll have any good luck this time around in Week 9:

(2)Clemson 38 @ Florida State 24
(3)Notre Dame 27 vs. Navy 17
(6)Texas 48 @ Oklahoma State 44
(7)Georgia 27 vs. (9)Florida 31
Kansas State 17 @ (8)Oklahoma 49
(12)Kentucky 20 @ Missouri 28
Baylor 31 @ (13)West Virginia 47
(14)Washington State 17 @ (24)Stanford 24
(15)Washington 37 @ California 24
(16)Texas A&M 31 @ Mississippi State 17
(18)Iowa 24 @ (17)Penn State 35
(19)Oregon 47 @ Arizona 27
(20)Wisconsin 28 @ Northwestern 23
(21)USF 23 @ Houston 28
(22)NC State 35 @ Syracuse 34 (A little reverse psychology never hurts...)
(23)Utah 33 @ UCLA 21
(25)Appalachian State 27 @ Georgia Southern 24

And finally, I know all of you will be going bonkers over that $1.5 billion "Mega Millions" jackpot tonight, but please don't gamble with the Earth's future: Recycle your lottery tickets.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Thursday recap

Actually, a lot of stuff happened on Thursday night. We saw the Ohio Bobcats having their best game of the year as they stuff Ball State, while Western Michigan had it's worst game as Toledo took them out.
Oh, and we also learned that maybe this Virginia Tech team isn't as... good as we all thought they were.

Appalachian State vs. Georgia Southern - Game Summary - October 25, 2018 - ESPN And finally, App. State REALLY wanted to show their stuff last night. But then they forgot their glasses case on the way to Statesboro... and their socks... and their underwear.
And the above game was the result.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 9 Recap (Part 1- The Big 12)

Man... I gotta get back to providing constant updates on a football Saturday. Because while I was working in the rain, I missed a LOT!

Texas vs. Oklahoma State - Box Score - October 27, 2018 - ESPN I mean, how do you account for THIS game? Did we put Texas in the Top 6 too quickly, or was it just OK State playing out of their minds?
Oh, and TCU? How in the HELL did you allow Kansas to get their first win in October since 2009?! Ugh...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 9 Recap (Part 2- Top 25 action)

Elsewhere in the country, we had the following Top 25 teams lose yesterday:

(9)Florida- Lost that game to Georgia.
(12)Kentucky- no wait... Oh! Kentucky somehow DID win their game! Okay, sorry.
Ahem. Moving on...
(24)Stanford- Blew a double-digit lead and lost to Washington State.
(15)Washington- Lost to California as their offense SUCKED.
(16)Texas A&M- Ah, I kinda knew the Aggies were overrated anyway.
(19)Oregon- THIS one, I have no answer for. I mean, against Arizona the Ducks didn't even SHOW UP. Maybe the NY Giants shouldn't draft Justin Herbert after all.
(20)Wisconsin- Annnnndddd, the Badgers just lost the Big 10 West to Northwestern. Okay, new plan for my preseason predictions: Next year, I'll pick the team I most want to "CRASH AND BURN TO THE GROUND" as my "runner-up" team.
(21)South Florida- Kinda saw this one coming, too.
and (22)NC State- So my "reverse psychology" plan for Syracuse worked again. Good to know!

So that's 8 ranked teams going down. Uh, God? Could you PLEASE make Alabama one of next week's victims, please?

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 9 Recap (Part 3- What else happened)

And finally, let us see what happened outside of the rankings:

Big 12: Already covered that.

ACC: Virginia's now bowl-eligible again! And barring another epic collapse like last year, the Coastal division could be theirs! Wait... Don't the Cavs play Pittsburgh next week [who beat Duke yesterday]? Phooey. Cue the collapse!

Big 10: Not much here. Just know that Purdue got a little dose of reality in East Lansing.

PAC-12: Two bits of bad news. First, Colin Cowherd got his "Spoiler Alert" pick right as USC went down. And secondly...
Oregon State vs. Colorado - Game Summary - October 27, 2018 - ESPN ...Colorado did THIS.

SEC: Not much here; just Vanderbilt and South Carolina getting their 4th wins of the year.

Sun Belt: Some great "under-the-radar" games happened here. UL-Lafayette would shock Arkansas State, and Coastal Carolina beat Georgia State to get closer to *GASP* bowl-eligibility.

Conference USA: UAB is fine, FIU is bowl-eligible AGAIN, and the Charlotte 49ers just won... AGAIN! What is happening here?

American: Just know that Cincinnati is fine after that scare against SMU, and they appreciate your prayers.

MAC: Well, Akron won and Northern Illinois defeated BYU in maybe the ugliest game of the year, so that's something.

Mountain West: And finally, let's check in with our friends on the West Coast. We got San Jose winning it's first game of the year, and Fresno State and Utah State staying strong. Which is more than I can say for the Aztecs of San Diego.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 10- Group of Five special

To spice things up, I'm doing this post during the early afternoon hours. Call me wacky!

...Yeah, so anyways, here are some games outside of the "Power 5" to look at this week as it's time for...

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

(All times are Eastern)
5. Miami-Ohio @ Buffalo [8:00 tonight, ESPN2] (Buffalo may be 7-1 and playing out of their minds right now, but don't sleep on this game tonight! The Redhawks are within striking distance of the Bulls in the MAC East, and their defense isn't too bad.)

4. Georgia Southern @ UL-Monroe [3:00, ESPN3 or check your local listings] (Ah, yes. The ol' classic: Somebody shocks a ranked opponent [which the Eagles did last week against App. State], but then we wait to see if they'll have a hangover the following week. Well, the Warhawks aren't a terrible team, so if that Georgia Southern option-game isn't prepared we could have ANOTHER stunner.)

3. Appalachian State @ Coastal Carolina [5:00, ESPN+] (And speaking of the Mountaineers, how will they rebound from that loss to GSU... especially when their next opponent [the Chanticleers] are on the doorstep of qualifying for their 1st bowl game EVER? Hmmm... maybe all that App. State needs to do is make sure their defense will work well, 'cause it sure didn't work last week.)

2. Dartmouth @ Princeton [1:00, ESPN+] (And here is your FCS entrant for the week. And it's a BIG one, too! Why? Just know that the winner of this Ivy League contest will almost certainly win the conference title. And they're BOTH undefeated!)

What can be bigger than THAT? ...Well, THAT answer is coming up tomorrow, because it's on the "big-boy" Top 10! Sorry!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 10- Top Ten Games

So the first playoff rankings are out, and they are met with a unanimous "Who Cares?". And it's all because of the big game on tap for Saturday, so let's not waste any time and get to...

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

(All times are Eastern)
10. Pittsburgh @ Virginia [7:30 Friday, ESPN2] (The way Pittsburgh is playing right now, you'd never guess that they gave North Carolina it's only win of the year a few weeks ago! ...Okay, sorry Pitt. I know you're trying to forget about your recent history in your quest for the Coastal Division.
So are the Cavaliers; this is their first big game in the month of November in a LONG time as they try to stay in control of the same Coastal Division that the Panthers want. Let's hope Bryce Perkins has a good game here...)

9. Temple @ UCF [7:30 tomorrow, ESPN] (Well, at least the CFP Selection Committee is giving UCF a better chance to make the playoff THIS year, as the Golden Knights are #12. Now UCF is entering the hard part of their schedule as the resurgent Owls [who are also 4-0 in the AAC] come to Orlando. And I think the Kni-
Wait a moment. My dark side's feeding me some news... WHAT? Mackenzie Milton is questionable for this game?! OOOOO! This one just got WAY more interesting!)

8. Utah @ Arizona State [4:00, PAC-12 Network] (Utah's not out of the woods in the PAC-12 South just yet! Now they go to visit Herm Edwards's Sun Devils, who last week played just enough defense to stun USC. I think forcing ASU's QB Manny Wilkins to make mistakes will be key for Utah's chances to leave Tempe with a win.)

7. Stanford @ Washington [9:00, PAC-12 Network] (Well, super. 5 months ago we all thought that Washington vs. Stanford would again decide who would win the PAC-12 North. Now both teams have 2 conference losses and are facing the prospect of irrelevancy in 2018 with a loss in this game. You gotta wonder how BOTH of these offenses are gonna treat this game, especially Washington's.)

6. California @ Washington State [10:45, ESPN] (Why is this game above Washington vs. Stanford and Utah vs. Arizona State, you ask? Well, it's not because of Cal [even though they beat Washington last week]. Nope, this is all about Wazzu and their #8 playoff ranking. That's right, they're 8th! Which means that if the Cougars keep things steady and win out, they got a REAL shot at the playoff!
First things first, however; let's see how Washington State handles a defense-minded Golden Bears team.)

5. Notre Dame @ Northwestern [7:15, ESPN] (The sleeper game of the week. Northwestern is NOT gonna roll over and let the Fighting Irish run over them; just ask Wisconsin. The Wildcat defense will be the x-factor; we know that the Notre Dame defense has a chance to stop Northwestern's passing game, but can the Wildcats do the same?)

4. West Virginia @ Texas [3:30, FOX] (Thanks to their loss against Oklahoma State last week, the Longhorns are in a pretty tight spot. Now they have no more margin for error in making the Big 12 championship game, as they'll face the Mountaineers with the same conference record. Win, and Texas is sitting pretty. Lose, and it'll get ugly again in Austin.
As for West Virginia, all the motivation they need for this game is what happened last year, when Texas ruined their Big 12 title chances.)

3. Penn State @ Michigan [3:45, ESPN] (Wait a moment! I thought that ABC was gonna take this huge game [they got FSU vs. NC State instead for... some reason]. Oh well, this is still gonna be a HUGE game in terms of Big 10 and national rankings... and another step for Jim Harbaugh to take in shedding his "big-game choker" label. And Vegas is making Michigan a 10.5-point favorite? ...Yeah, I think this game's gonna be closer than that.)

2. Georgia @ Kentucky [3:30, CBS] (Last summer, we all knew that Alabama @ LSU would have an impact on who would win the SEC West. But over in the East, NOBODY was expecting Georgia @ Kentucky to decide the whole division. And yet, here we are: Kentucky is in an unfamiliar place in the Top 10, and they're one more miraculous win away from a trip to Atlanta.
Just one problem: Georgia's defense is gonna sit on Benny Snell all day. So somebody else on Kentucky's offense will have to step up here.)

1. Alabama @ LSU [8:00, CBS] (For very, VERY obvious reasons. Tua and Alabama are not gonna go away, so it'll be up to the "Bayou Bengals" to MAKE them go away. And LSU's offense will NOT screw this one up... I hope.)

Game with the best chance to be a bust: Kansas State @ TCU [Did ANYBODY have TCU at 3-5 by this point? If the Horned Frogs have ANY pride left, ANY at all, they'll squash Kansas State and start working on next year right away.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Syracuse @ Wake Forest, Michigan State @ Maryland, Boston College @ Virginia Tech, Oklahoma @ Texas Tech, and Iowa State @ Kansas.

Hey, what can I say? The last one looks good to me. Does Iowa State deserve to be ranked by the CFP committee? And Kansas just shocked TCU last week; can they shock the country again?
While you go book your tickets for Ames, Iowa, I'm gonna get my predictions ready. See you later.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 10 Predictions

I have nothing witty left to say, so let's just get to my picks for Week 10:

(1)Alabama 24 @ (3)LSU 7
Louisville 14 @ (2)Clemson 45
(4)Notre Dame 31 @ Northwestern 20
(14)Penn State 37 @ (5)Michigan 30
(6)Georgia 37 @ (9)Kentucky 17
(7)Oklahoma 52 @ Texas Tech 30
California 28 @ (8)Washington State 31
Nebraska 10 @ (10)Ohio State 41
Missouri 17 @ (11)Florida 34
Temple 17 @ (12)UCF 24
(13)West Virginia 44 @ (17)Texas 38
(15)Utah 27 @ Arizona State 24
(16)Iowa 31 @ Purdue 20
Louisiana Tech 12 @ (18)Mississippi State 39
(19)Syracuse 35 @ Wake Forest 38
(20)Texas A&M 20 @ Auburn 27
Florida State 17 @ (21)NC State 20
(22)Boston College 27 @ Virginia Tech 28
(23)Fresno State 47 @ UNLV 16
(24)Iowa State 30 @ Kansas 17
Pittsburgh 24 @ (25)Virginia 28

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Early games update

Let me give you a walkthrough of what happened earlier before I leave you guys to your Saturday. First, we saw Ohio destroy Western Michigan, UCF giving up 40 points to Temple but still winning, and teams like Northern Illinois and Middle Tennessee get bowl-eligible.

Pittsburgh vs. Virginia - Box Score - November 2, 2018 - ESPN And then there was Friday. Where Colorado fell to "also-ran" status and Virginia got undressed by Pitt. Lovely...