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

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Week Top 10 (Part 1- Today through Friday)

Honestly, I don't really feel like doing a countdown for this stretch of games between now and "Black Friday", but since there are 19 games in that span, I guess I have to. So let's get to...

The Top 10 Games of Rivalry Week [Part 1: Today through Friday}​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Ball State @ Miami-Ohio [7:00 tonight, ESPN+] (Some of the games we'll have this week will have MAJOR stakes attached to them. But for most teams, Rivalry Week will be mostly about survival. And here's one of these "survival games", as Miami-Ohio is looking for bowl-eligibility against a game Ball State team.)

9. Akron @ Ohio [12:00 Friday, CBS Sports Network] (How big this game is will depend on what Buffalo does at Bowling Green, but this should still be a tough in-state contest for both the Zips and the Bobcats. Ohio must win this to keep their MAC East title hopes alive.)

8. Nebraska @ Iowa [12:00 Friday, FOX] (Think about it. 6 weeks ago, we all thought that this would be a Iowa rout. Now the Cornhuskers have won 4 out of it's last 5 and looking to beat Iowa to get even more momentum for the offseason.)

7. Buffalo @ Bowling Green [12:00 Friday, ESPNU] (Man! Noon-time is gonna be a busy time for football. Anyway, the reason why a 3-8 Bowling Green team has a game above Nebraska @ Iowa in this countdown is very simple: For Buffalo, it's "Win and you're in". Buffalo should win this one, and if they do they're going to the MAC title game next week. But the Falcons have won their last 2 games, so maybe it won't be so easy.)

6. Mississippi State @ Ole Miss [7:30 Thanksgiving, ESPN] (Despite the fact that no bowl berth will come to Ole Miss even if they win this, it's still gonna be a scene in Oxford when the "Egg Bowl" goes on the line once again. Oh, and do you remember what happened to Nick Fitzgerald in last year's "Egg Bowl"? Mississippi State fans haven't forgotten, and neither has the Bulldogs.)

5. Virginia @ Virginia Tech [3:30 Friday, ABC] (I know that Virginia hasn't beaten the Hokies since 2003, so that'll be a fun plot point for this game. But Virginia Tech is 4-6?! Man, if they somehow lose this one they're out of the bowl picture... and might not even wanna play that "make-up game" with Marshall next week. So I guess a lot is on the line for BOTH teams here.)

4. UCF @ USF [4:15 Friday, ESPN] (Back in mid-October, the UCF vs. USF game looked like it was gonna be another instant classic like last year's. But now-a-days, UCF is looking unstoppable after pounding Cincinnati and USF is hurting after losing 4 in a row. If USF is to reverse this trend and upset the Golden Knights, their defense has to be ready to stop somebody.)

3. Houston @ Memphis [12:00 Friday, ABC] (Here we go! NOW we're getting to the heavyweights! In this game, it's "Winner-take-all" in the AAC West. That's right, either Houston [due to being 6-2] or Memphis [thanks to more wins against common opponents] is gonna win the West and try to beat UCF next week in the AAC title game. So, will we get a shootout? I don't know; Memphis's defense has been doing pretty well as of late.)

2. Oklahoma @ West Virginia [8:00 Friday, ESPN] (Poor West Virginia. Had they held on to beat OK State last week, this game would not only be the biggest game on "Black Friday", but maybe the biggest game of the whole week. Oh well, this game's STILL gonna be big as Oklahoma looks to go on to the Big 12 title game with their CFP dreams still intact. But I'll bet the Mountaineers will enter their Senior Day like "If we can't represent the Big 12 in the CFP, NO ONE CAN!!)

1. Washington @ Washington State [8:30 Friday, FOX] (Wazzu is still riding high in the rankings, much to the delight of the PAC-12. But in order for the Cougars to get to the PAC-12 title game against Utah next week, they must do what they've haven't done since 2012: Defeat their in-state rivals in Washington. And even worse, if Wazzu fails again then the Huskies will win the PAC-12 North instead!
To me, this is all about the Huskies offense. Washington is a miserable 2-9 against the spread, and Jake Browning hasn't been putting up awe-inspiring numbers. He and Myles Gaskin will have to produce something special here in Pullman...)

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Week Predictions (Part 1- Today through Friday)

OK... This is a little later than I anticipated, but here are my picks for the first part of Rivalry Week:

Top 25:
(6)Oklahoma 44 @ (9)West Virginia 38
(18)Washington 24 @ (8)Washington State 31
(11)UCF 41 @ USF 27
(15)Texas 37 @ Kansas 17
(21)Mississippi State 21 @ Ole Miss 31
East Carolina 21 @ (24)Cincinnati 28

Other big games:
Ball State 27 @ Miami-Ohio 24
Colorado State 17 @ Air Force 24
Nebraska 14 @ Iowa 20
Buffalo 39 @ Bowling Green 28
Houston 42 @ Memphis 38
Virginia 20 @ Virginia Tech 23

And yes, I know I'm using last week's CFP rankings, so my apologies if these poll positions look different than the ones we'll get tonight. But on that note, please have a happy Thanksgiving! I'll check back later...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Friday recap (Part 1)

So before I sift through all of these games today, let's briefly recap what happened yesterday.

Well, Coastal Carolina missed out on that all-important 6th win against South Alabama. Buffalo and Texas had better luck, as both of them are now in their respective conference championships [even though Texas wanted to give the game away to Kansas very late].
Also winning title shots was Memphis [in the AAC West]...

Washington vs. Washington State - Game Summary - November 23, 2018 - ESPN ...and Washington [in the PAC-12 North]. Also, with this result Wazzu's "New Year's Six" bowl chances are now over.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Friday recap (Part 2)

So now Washington State is singing the blues. Also doing some crying are Nebraska, Virginia [who I REALLY wanted to beat Va-Tech this time]...

Oklahoma vs. West Virginia - Play-By-Play - November 23, 2018 - ESPN ...and the Mountaineers of West Virginia, who just gave up one big play too many.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Saturday (Top 10 Games)

And once again, it's gonna be a BUSY Saturday as many people will be singing the blues once they lose to their bitter rivals. And I don't want to keep you guys waiting much longer, so let's get to...

The Top 10 Games of Rivalry Saturday​

(All times are Eastern)
1. Michigan @ Ohio State [12:00, FOX] (There we go! The least surprising entry is out of the way!)

10. Utah State @ Boise State [10:15, ESPN] (Cool! A game in the "Group of Five" conferences was able to crash the party! And we know the reason why: Here in Boise we'll have two ranked teams fighting for the Mountain division and to host the Mountain West title game.
And I don't want to speak ill about UCF after what they just went through, but maybe the Mountain West has a better chance to make a "New Year's Six" bowl now...)

9. Tennessee @ Vanderbilt [4:00, SEC Network] (Also on tap this Rivalry Saturday will be 3 games where the winner gets a bowl berth... and the loser will have to stay home for the holidays.
That's why this game in Nashville is so huge. Vanderbilt wants to keep their recent success against the hated Volunteers going [they've beaten them 4 of the last 6 times], and Tennessee [not surprisingly] wants that run to end... NOW. And if Tennessee's QB Jarrett Guarantano has a big game, I think the Vols will be happy tonight.)

8. Baylor vs. Texas Tech [From Arlington, TX] {12:00, FOX Sports 1} (On that note, we now go to "Jerry World" for this "Win-or-go-home" in-state contest. Strangely, I'm not expecting a shootout when the Bears and Red Raiders go at it... and playing defense might just be what Texas Tech needs to win this.)

7. Florida @ Florida State [12:00, ABC] (I was tempted to give the Florida Gators a pep-talk for this installment of "The Battle For the Governor's Cup", but I chose not to. That's because Florida already has all the momentum they need: A 5-game losing streak to the 'Noles, a better offense, and dreams of a "New Year's Six" bowl [they didn't have that last year!]. Plus, they can ruin FSU's 36-year bowl streak today... and you just KNOW the Gators want to do that.)

6. LSU @ Texas A&M [7:30, SEC Network] (Problem for Florida is, a couple of other SEC teams wants to be in the "New Year's Six", too. Of course there's Alabama, and there's Georgia... and then there's LSU. And the Tigers has to like their chances; they've won the last 7 games they played against Texas A&M.
But maybe that'll change today; the Aggies offense is doing well in it's 1st year under Jimbo Fisher's rule.)

5. Auburn @ Alabama [3:30, CBS] (Sadly, I couldn't put LSU @ A&M in the Top 5 because... well, there's the "Iron Bowl" sitting right there. But I'm scared for what Alabama might do here, as Tua is anxious to shine in his 1st "Iron Bowl" game. Also, Auburn actually defeated 'Bama last year, so you KNOW that Alabama wants to make them play. Man, I hope that Auburn's offense is gonna be ready for this.)

4. South Carolina @ Clemson [7:00, ESPN] (It's another installment of "The Battle for the Palmetto State" as two winning teams face off once again. Yet despite South Carolina having some good pieces like Jake Bentley and Bryan Edwards, they're a 26-point underdog against the #2-ranked Tigers. Holding off Clemson's awesome D-line is absolutely essential for the Gamecocks to pull an upset.)

3. Notre Dame @ USC [8:00, ABC] (What has happened to the mighty USC Trojans? Last year they were on their way to the Rose Bowl. Now they're a big underdog against a undefeated Notre Dame team seeking a playoff berth, with the Trojan offense a BIG mess right now. ...Why do I have the feeling that Notre Dame is going down tonight?)

2. Georgia Tech @ Georgia [12:00, SEC Network] (Out of all the rivalry games today, why is the "Clean Old Fashioned Hate" at #2? Because the Yellow Jackets has won in this rivalry the last 2 times it was in Atlanta. And also, Georgia is real close to crashing the 4-team playoff... but nobody is giving the GT option-attack any credit.)

Game with the best chance to be a bust: Rutgers @ Michigan State (Huh? FOX is covering this game and not something like Indiana vs. Purdue?! Fine. It's their funeral.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Syracuse @ Boston College, BYU @ Utah, Arizona State @ Arizona, Purdue @ Indiana, and Pittsburgh @ Miami.

A special segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Saturday (Group of Five Special)

Once again, for COMPLETE coverage of Rivalry Saturday we now turn to what the "Group of Five" conferences have left. It's time for...

The Best "Group of Five" games of Rivalry Saturday!​

(All times are Eastern)
5. UAB @ Middle Tennessee [3:00, ESPN3 or check your local listings] (The miraculous Blazers have already clinched a spot in the C-USA title game, but before that they have to finish their regular season against a good Middle Tennessee team... who they COULD play again next week in that C-USA title game. But don't worry, Spencer Brown and company! If you beat the Blue Raiders, you won't have to see them again for the rest of the year.
Oh, and both UAB and MTSU are a combined 16-6 entering this game.)

4. Marshall @ Florida International [12:00, Facebook Live and STADIUM Network] (It's simple for the Golden Panthers today: Win and you're in. If FIU wins on their Senior Day, they'll face UAB for their 1st-ever C-USA title next week. That won't be easy to do, however; Marshall has enough weapons to drive FIU crazy today.)

3. UL-Lafayette @ UL-Monroe [3:00, ESPN+] (Just know this: Today, BOTH of the divisions in the new-look Sun Belt will be decided. We start in the West, where these two rivals will meet for the 53rd time. And if the Ragin' Cajuns beat the Warhawks for the 4th time in 5 years, they're going to the championship game. UL-Monroe... does NOT want that to happen, especially when THEY still have a mathematical chance to win the division too [if Arkansas State loses today, too].)

2. Troy @ Appalachian State [2:30, ESPN+] (Now, the winner of UL-Lafayette vs. UL-Monroe could make the Sun Belt title game. But the winner of this encounter WILL win the East division and WILL go to the title game. Should be a fun game, too; Troy has a 1,000-yard rusher and a winning culture, while App. State has Zac Thomas and a better defense. The fur will fly here...)

1. Utah State @ Boise State [10:15, ESPN] (...Hey! I already talked about this big game. Sorry!)

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Saturday Predictions!

And now it's time for what you sickos really want me to do: Pick the rivalry games and see how many I get wrong! Well, let's get going:

Auburn 14 @ (1)Alabama 35
South Carolina 13 @ (2)Clemson 38
(3)Notre Dame 17 @ USC 21
(4)Michigan 27 @ (10)Ohio State 31[Although I would like Michigan to prove me wrong]
Georgia Tech 17 @ (5)Georgia 31
(7)LSU 26 @ (22)Texas A&M 23
(11)Florida 27 @ Florida State 20
Maryland 15 @ (12)Penn State 38
(15)Kentucky 24 @ Louisville 14
BYU 10 @ (17)Utah 46
Illinois 21 @ (19)Northwestern 43
(20)Syracuse 21 @ Boston College 27 [Hopefully this good-luck charm starts working again]
(21)Utah State 27 @ (23)Boise State 34
(24)Pittsburgh 20 @ Miami 30
Kansas State 24 @ (25)Iowa State 28

Other big games:
Troy 21 @ Appalachian State 24
Texas Tech 41 vs. Baylor 34
Purdue 27 @ Indiana 24
UL-Lafayette 24 @ UL-Monroe 28
Arizona State 17 @ Arizona 24
Tennessee 24 @ Vanderbilt 14

...and I'm done! I need to head over to the CBB forums to cool off, so you can meet me there if you want.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Saturday recap

For some reason, almost every single result from the Top 15 depressed me yesterday. So for this recap, I'll just look at everything outside of the rankings:

American: So Tulane wins a wild one over Navy to become bowl-eligible for the first time in 5 years. A shame that SMU can't join them in the postseason {they lost to Tulsa 27-24}.

ACC: I kinda expected Wake Forest to beat Duke and get bowl-eligible, but DAMN! They whipped Duke 59-7! Oh, and how about that NC State/UNC game?

Big 12: Baylor will now be joining us in the postseason as they beat Texas Tech. Ditto for TCU, who held off OK State. But poor Kansas State; they gave up a 17-point lead and now Iowa State might have sent Bill Snyder off into retirement.

Big 10: Michigan State defeated Rutgers, but only by a score of 14-10 [ruining my final day of "Your Team Sucks" picks]. Purdue keeps the Old Oaken Bucket [and maybe their head coach] by beating Indiana.
Oh, and Wisconsin [who I picked as my CFP runner-up in August] is now without "Paul Bunyan's Ax" for the first time since 2003. Next year I'll be picking Alabama as my national runner-up, by golly!

PAC-12: Actually, everything from the PAC-12 was great yesterday! You got a great game in Cali [as UCLA fell short against Stanford], a strong comeback from Utah, and talking point events in Colorado and USC falling to 5-7.
Arizona State vs. Arizona - Game Summary - November 24, 2018 - ESPN Oh, and there was this game.

SEC: Actually, just one thing happened here outside of the rankings: Kyle Shurmur went 31-35 and 367 yards as Vandy defeated Tennessee yet again. Ha!

Sun Belt: Just know that in the 1st-ever Sun Belt title game, it'll be App. State taking on UL-Lafayette.

Mountain West: A LOT of stuff happened here, not just Boise State's win over Utah State. We now have Fresno State going into the MW title game with 10 wins, Hawaii now being 8-5, Wyoming now going to a bowl after winning their 4th in a row, and Nevada screwing up against UNLV.

Conference USA: And finally, FIU had the East division in it's paws. They HAD it! But then MTSU stuns UAB, and then Marshall beats them 27-24 in Miami.
So now MTSU is off to host the C-USA title game... against UAB. Oh well, at least the Blue Raiders EARNED this case of deja-vu.
Charlotte vs. Florida Atlantic - Game Summary - November 24, 2018 - ESPN And... wait a moment! You mean to tell me that the undisputed favorite in Conference USA won't even be in A bowl game this year?! What... the f--k?!?!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Championship Week- Top 10 Games

Our first bowl berth has just been confirmed: Arkansas State is off to the Arizona Bowl [to play a Mountain West team still TBD). You'll be seeing a LOT more bowl announcements like this on ESPN shortly, because it's time for my final countdown segment of the year. Yep, it's time for...

The Top 10 Games of Championship Week 2018​

(All times are Eastern) (Non-championship games will be in Italics)
10. UL-Lafayette @ Appalachian State {Sun Belt} [12:00, ESPN] (So the last holdover from the pre- "Championship Game" era now has a title game. And the Sun Belt's first official "title game" features the Mountaineers of App. State [who has experience with title games from their FCS days], and Louisiana, a team that's probably in it's first title game ever.
The key for me here is what the Cajuns offense can do against App. State's strong defense. Andre Nunez has over 2,000 yards passing, and Trey Ragas is a 1,000-yard rusher, but what can both of them do to break the Mountaineers?)

9. UAB @ Middle Tennessee {Conference USA} [1:30, CBS Sports Network] (Oh wow, man! Part 2, "Deja-vu"! After MTSU defeated UAB last week [and FIU lost to Marshall], these 2 teams will meet in Murfreesboro. And THIS time, a conference title will be on the line. If UAB is to win this, they'll have to get to Brent Stockstill and get to him often [because they didn't do that last week].)

8. Stanford @ California [3:00, PAC-12 Network] (Sorry, Akron vs. Northern Illinois. I know your game in Detroit is big for both of you, but now that the wildfires in northern California are gone the PAC-12 wanted to squeeze this last rivalry game in. And I'm expecting a defense-minded game in Berkeley this Saturday... with the "Stanford Ax" going to Cal [if Chase Garbers comes through on offense for the Bears].)

7. Fresno State @ Boise State {Mountain West} [7:45, ESPN] (For that "Group of Five" spot in the "New Year's Six", it's now down to 3 teams: UCF and the two teams in this Mountain West title game. Yep, Fresno and Boise are facing each other for the 4th time in 2 years, and Fresno is hoping for a better outcome than in the previous two meetings.
We all know that both quarterbacks [Marcus McMaryion for Fresno, and Brett Rypien for Boise] can throw the ball, but to me this game could be decided by Boise's running game; Alexander Mattison can put up big numbers on the ground.)

6. Utah vs. Washington {PAC-12, from Santa Clara, CA} [8:00 Friday, FOX] (This one is just a straight-up battle for the PAC-12 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl. Will Washington win their 2nd PAC-12 title in 3 years, or will Utah grab their first major-league conference title ever [and first title in 10 years]? Both teams have strong defenses, too; who'll be the first to crack?)

5. Clemson vs. Pittsburgh {ACC, from Charlotte, NC} [8:00, ABC] (If the prospect of a 12-0 Clemson team facing a 7-5 Pittsburgh team in the ACC title game doesn't excite you, then... I don't blame you. But it still deserves a Top-5 spot on this list, for one big reason: If Kenny Pickett and Pittsburgh SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY defeats the Tigers, then you can forget about Clemson being in the 4-team playoff.)

4. Memphis @ UCF {AAC} [3:30, ABC] (So now UCF has no McKenzie Milton to help them here, as they now must face [again] the team that gave them the biggest fright so far this season. And you know, upon further inspection Memphis's stats for the season are right up there with UCF's. Let's see if [backup QB] Darriel Mack Jr. and UCF manages to keep it all together.)

3. Northwestern vs. Ohio State {Big 10, from Indianapolis, IN} [8:00, FOX] (Does this look familiar to you guys? Not the matchup, you donuts! I'm talking about Ohio State's situation; they're now #6 and on the outside of the CFP Top-4 looking in. Last time that happened, Ohio State won against Wisconsin in Indy 59-0. Can Northwestern stop Dwayne Haskins and the Buckeyes offense? Maybe not, so maybe the Wildcats will just have to keep up.)

2. Oklahoma vs. Texas {Big 12, from Arlington, TX} [12:00, ABC] (This game got REALLY close to taking the #1 spot, as this could be the most competitive game of the whole week. Oklahoma is on the doorstep of returning to the CFP as Big 12 champions, but the resurgent Longhorns had surprised the Sooners once before. And how much do you wanna bet that Sam Ehlinger and Texas wants to make Oklahoma cry once again?)

1. Alabama vs. Georgia {SEC, from Atlanta, GA} [4:00, CBS] (To almost no-one's surprise, the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs had found their way to Atlanta for another Southern-fried duel. And it's at #1 just because of this tantalizing prospect: What if Georgia does beat Alabama? If that happens, would both 'Bama and Georgia get in the CFP [just like last year]? Or even better, would that squeeze 'Bama out of the CFP completely?
...Or will Alabama just beat Georgia and be on their way? Thanks to all these questions, this game takes the top spot.)

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Championship Week Predictions

And now, my final series of picks for the 2018 season, as I present my predictions for this week [excluding FBS vs. FCS games]:

Top 25:
(1)Alabama 38 vs. (4)Georgia 28
Pittsburgh 14 vs. (2)Clemson 38
(14)Texas 41 vs. (5)Oklahoma 34
(21)Northwestern 17 vs. (6)Ohio State 40
Memphis 21 @ (8)UCF 31
(11)Washington 21 vs. (17)Utah 24
(25)Fresno State 31 @ (22)Boise State 27

Other big games:
Buffalo 38 vs. Northern Illinois 30
UAB 20 @ Middle Tennessee 27
Stanford 24 @ California 17
UL-Lafayette 21 @ Appalachian State 34
Marshall 20 @ Virginia Tech 24

...and I'm done! Now excuse me while I catch up on my Daily Sudoku on Facebook. I'll check back later...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Ga. Tech's Johnson to step down after 'good run'

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

UAB with the upset

UAB vs. Middle Tennessee - Game Summary - December 1, 2018 - ESPN

No matter how predictable college football can get sometimes, you still get great "Cinderella" stories just like this.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Oh, and had things not been so predictable this Championship Week, I woulda had more to say. But now, all that's left to do is see Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, and Notre Dame hook up in the CFP pairings.

Memphis vs. UCF - Game Summary - December 1, 2018 - ESPN But I WILL give credit to UCF; they could've folded their tent and make a big mess in the "Group of Five". But thanks to Darriel Mack's toughness, the Knights should be fine, so thank you Darriel.