Our Official 2016 Regular Season thread

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Tennessee roars back, finally stops Florida skid

When halftime came around, and the Florida Gators were up 21-3, their fans were probably thinking "Man! We're looking good, and those Vols can't even catch a cold! It is OVER!"

Florida vs. Tennessee - Box Score - September 24, 2016 - ESPN Tennessee fans after the game: "In your face, Gators! NOTHING IS OVER!!! ...Well, except your winning streak over us. Ha ha!"

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Duke stuns Notre Dame

Duke vs. Notre Dame - Box Score - September 24, 2016 - ESPN

My dark side to me after the game: "Buddy, you bailed out at the right time. From national title contender to 1-3... What a season so far, eh?"

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

What else happened

Before I leave you guys to enjoy the night games, here's what else went down. Wake Forest beats Indiana to go to 4-0, just in time for a BIG game next week.

Syracuse's Amba Etta-Tawo set a school record while defeating UConn, the "Group of 5" had a mix of bad (Northern Illinois losing to an FCS school) and good games (Boise State beating Oregon State)...

Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina - Game Summary - September 24, 2016 - ESPN ...and of course, North Carolina beating Pitt in the best finish of the day so far.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Washington vs. Arizona

In late-night news, Texas A&M continues to silence their critics as they beat Arkansas, Baylor and Nebraska win their conference openers to stay unbeaten...

Washington vs. Arizona - Game Recap - September 24, 2016 - ESPN ...and Washington wins a wild one against Arizona thanks to Jake Browning's play.

That being said, Coach Petersen, aren't you a little worried about how close the game was, knowing that Stanford is up next for you.
Chris Petersen: "Dude, we won. No big deal. And once we beat Stanford, all you critics will have nothing to say."

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

LSU vs. Auburn

LSU vs. Auburn - Game Recap - September 24, 2016 - ESPN

Was this game good? Eh, not really. But will this finish go down in college football lore? Damn right.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Odds and ends

Man! A LOT of fun stuff happened in late-night football. First, we had Arkansas State somehow falling off my "Christmas Card list".

Then there was the sheer amount of OT games. There was Vanderbilt over Western Kentucky, Tulane winning a 4-OT duel over UL-Lafayette, Tulsa beating Fresno in 2-OT's, Buffalo silencing Army in OT, and North Texas beating Rice in 2-OT's.

Colorado vs. Oregon - Game Recap - September 24, 2016 - ESPN And finally, there was this game. No, it didn't go to overtime. But I'll bet it'll still be a good talking point for you Oregon Ducks fans, am I right?

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 4 recap

And finally, it's time for "What We've Learned This Week in College Football"!

First on this cool September morning, I say this: Ignore my preseason picks for the playoff, as LSU and Notre Dame has REALLY let the side down even before October starts.

So... What else did we learn today? Well, I learned that...

1. Uh, Houston? Pay attention to your divisional rivals. Navy's 3-0, Memphis scored a lot of points, and even Tulane and Tulsa won!

2. Will Michigan finally get challenged for real next week against the battle-hardened Badgers? On that note, will Louisville crumble after Clemson punches them in the nose?

3. From the wide-open East, to the highly competitive West, the Mid-American Conference is about to become can't miss theater.

4. Huh... Boise just defeated both Washington State AND Oregon State. Can they really push for the "New Year's Six" this season?

5. What an awesome gut-check win for Stanford over UCLA yesterday! And if they expose Washington on Friday night, prepare for the Stanford national title push!

6. Tennessee showed us their "never-say-die" attitude against the Gators. Problem is, people like Georgia, A&M, and Alabama are going to notice that.

7. Before the LSU-Auburn game, people called it a "Loser Leaves Town" match. But after it ended, Les Miles is saying "Look, at least I found a QB that can THROW the ball!" To be continued...

And lastly, did you notice that all of the independents lost yesterday? Just saying.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

7. Before the LSU-Auburn game, people called it a "Loser Leaves Town" match. But after it ended, Les Miles is saying "Look, at least I found a QB that can THROW the ball!"

LSU fires Miles, Cameron, promotes Orgeron

Sorry Les, I guess that game WAS a "Loser Leaves Town" match. But hey, at least you elevated LSU's profile to a winning program (with fans that are now thinking "national title or bust"). Nice work.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Greg Schiano cited with traffic misdemeanor after accident with bicyclist

Just a little humorous anecdote to start off the day (or for me, a busy day).

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5 Top 10

Starting tonight, conference play will be in full swing in the FBS. And much like Week 3 we have 3, count them, 3, huge games.
And with a clean slate (no more worrying about LSU or Notre Dame), I'm ready to name some new challengers for the national title. So let's get to...

The Top 10 Games of College Football 2016 (Week 5)​

(All times are Eastern)
10. Wake Forest @ NC State [3:30, ACC Network or WatchESPN] (In this 110th installment of this "Tobacco Road" rivalry, it would be huge for the Demon Deacons if they can score a 5-0 start at the expense of the Wolfpack. But despite losing to East Carolina 3 weeks ago, NC State may be all right if QB Ryan Finley continues to play well.)

9. Kansas State @ West Virginia [3:30, ESPNU] (Already, West Virginia has survived some tough battles, most recently against BYU. Now in their Big 12 opener, how will they deal with a K-State defense that has put up some great numbers? More importantly, can K-State outshoot the Mountaineers if they can't stop them?)

8. Navy @ Air Force [3:30, CBS Sports Network] (Military personnel will be lining up around the block to see this one. For the first time EVER, both Navy and Air Force are undefeated while they play each other. And this time, it may be for more than just the "Commander-in-Chief" trophy... "New Year's Six" consideration, perhaps?)

7. North Carolina @ Florida State [3:30, ESPN] (Man! The 3:30 time slot is PACKED with great games!
Now for this one, it's all about Tar Heel QB Mitch Trubisky. He's put up good numbers so far, but can he lead his team to a landmark win in a hostile place like Tallahassee?
P.S: The over/under for this game is around 70. Something's telling me that you guys should take the under. Just a hunch.)

6. Miami @ Georgia Tech [12:00, ESPN2] (Or, as I like to call it, "Whoa whoa whoa WHOA! Miami is at #14 in the polls ALREADY? Bulls--t!" Simply put, it's Miami's ACC opener and we'll see soon enough if they really are that good.)

5. Oklahoma @ TCU [5:00, FOX] (It's Oklahoma's conference opener, or as I like to call it, "Oklahoma's final chance". If they can't stop Kenny Hill and the Frogs, the Sooners will be 1-3 heading into the annual dog-fight with Texas. So if Oklahoma's gonna recover from a hard September, it has to be now.)

4. Tennessee @ Georgia [3:30, CBS] (Yet another classic in this annual SEC East rivalry is expected. Only this time, Georgia is under the microscope; did the Bulldogs just run into a buzzsaw against Ole Miss, or were they exposed? If they start this game faster than they did the last 4 games, it'll bode well for them. Otherwise, a WAY more confident Tennessee team will walk out of Athens laughing.)

3. Stanford @ Washington [9:00 tomorrow, ESPN] (Here we go! The trifecta of HUGE games has begun! Part 1 will take place in Seattle, where two unbeaten teams will fight. And a little aside to Washington: If you lose this game, it won't be the end of the world. But it'll make winning the PAC-12 North a LOT harder. So you better shove down McCaffrey and do it often.)

2. Wisconsin @ Michigan [3:30, ABC] (Part 2 of this trifecta will take place in Ann Arbor, where Michigan will FINALLY face somebody their own size. And that somebody is a Wisconsin team that's now like "We've shoved Les Miles to the front of the unemployment line, and just crushed your 'little brother'! F--k your fancy little Wilton Speight; we're gonna put him through hell!")

1. Louisville @ Clemson [8:00, ABC] (Why is everyone so excited about this main-event contest in Clemson? I don't know... maybe it's because we have Top 5 teams going at it! Head coaches ready to butt heads [Petrino vs. Dabo]! Or perhaps it's the obvious: Lamar Jackson vs. Deshaun Watson.)

Best "mid-major" game: Western Michigan @ Central Michigan (Don't feel bad about the Virginia loss, Chippewas. I think you guys were just out of gas after that OK State win. But now, let's hope you're wide awake, because your game against the rival Broncos is gonna be good!)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Memphis @ Ole Miss (Hey Memphis, great job on scoring 77 points last week. Trouble is, Ole Miss is back from the dead. And they remember what you did to them last year.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: UConn @ Houston, Arizona State @ USC, South Florida @ Cincinnati, Florida @ Vanderbilt, and Michigan State @ Indiana.

My prediction segment is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 5 predictions

I went 13-3 in my picks last week, so excluding LSU and Notre Dame I've been doing a good job! WOO!

...OK, don't jinx yourself. Let's just move on and see what's in store for Week 5:

Kentucky 10 @ (1)Alabama 61
Rutgers 14 @ (2)Ohio State 27
(3)Louisville 30 @ (5)Clemson 35
(8)Wisconsin 24 @ (4)Michigan 23
UConn 7 @ (6)Houston 56
(7)Stanford 21 @ (10)Washington 28
(9)Texas A&M 28 @ South Carolina 7
(11)Tennessee 37 @ (25)Georgia 28
North Carolina 36 @ (12)Florida State 42
(13)Baylor 51 @ Iowa State 17
(14)Miami 21 @ Georgia Tech 28
Illinois 15 @ (15)Nebraska 20
Memphis 21 @ (16)Ole Miss 47
(17)Michigan State 24 @ Indiana 21
(18)Utah 30 @ California 35
(19)San Diego State 31 @ South Alabama 20
Oklahoma 35 @ (21)TCU 31
(22)Texas 35 @ Oklahoma State 23
(23)Florida 27 @ Vanderbilt 10
Utah State 27 @ (24)Boise State 30

...And I'm done! For now this thread is yours, but I'll check back later.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Toledo vs. BYU

Toledo vs. BYU - Game Recap - September 30, 2016 - ESPN

An incredible contest where BYU saved their season... just in the nick of time. Sadly for them, this game was completely overshadowed...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Stanford vs. Washington

Stanford vs. Washington - Game Recap - September 30, 2016 - ESPN

...by this game! A game where Stanford looked completely lost for the first time since 2008. And a game where everyone thought "Wait a minute... Washington CAN live up to their preseason expectations? Ooooo..."

 

[fishinabarrel]

Week 5 predictions

Rutgers 14 @ (2)Ohio State 27.

I suppose it's possible but Ohio State would have to play very sloppy

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Baylor vs. Iowa State

Baylor vs. Iowa State - Game Recap - October 1, 2016 - ESPN

A strong day of action on the gridiron, and it started with this game. If Baylor goes undefeated this year, they'll refer to this game as their "Great Escape" victory.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Wisconsin vs. Michigan

What happened in the Big 10 today? Ohio State cruised, Iowa loses ANY shot of them being ranked anytime soon, Nebraska survives a test against Illinois...

Wisconsin vs. Michigan - Game Summary - October 1, 2016 - ESPN ...and then there was this: A very ugly game where Michigan had to use their toughness to win. And Wolverine fans are now like " We CAN win a national title this year!"

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

North Carolina vs. Florida State

North Carolina vs. Florida State - Game Summary - October 1, 2016 - ESPN

A little fun-fact: Did you know Florida State had the longest home winning streak in the FBS? I said HAD, because some guy named Nick Weiler just ruined it for the kids in Tallahassee.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

What else happened today

So what else occurred today (as of 7:28 P.M)?

Well, Oklahoma State defeated Texas in a game that's NOT an upset. And right now, Texas fans are like "Oh, man! First we beat Notre Dame, then we learn their defense sucks, and now this... "
Then, NC State pops Wake's bubble and Florida looked slow in beating Vanderbilt.

As for the "Group of 5", UCF has already erased the stench from it's 2015 campaign, Air Force is still unbeaten, and NIU FINALLY gets a win... at the expense of rival Ball State.
Oh, almost forgot: Eastern Michigan, Eastern Michigan, is 4-1.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Tennessee stuns Georgia in a wild finish

Actually, this time I won't refer you guys to ESPN. Rather, here's an exact transcript from the Georgia Bulldog fans during those final seconds:

19 seconds left: "Come on, Eaton! Don't fail us now... YAYYYYYYYYYY! Riley Ridley, our man! That was AWESOME!"

10 seconds left: "...The hell?! Why did Blankenship kick it for only- NO NO, stop him! ...Whew! Thank god! Damn you, Blankenship!"

4 seconds left: "Just bat it down... Bat it down, and we can all celebrate destroying those stupid Vols!" (Joshua Dobbs throws his Hail-Mary) "No no no NO NO-" (Jauan Jennings catches it in the end zone) "NOOOOOOOO! F-------k! F--k, You, G-d!"

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Clemson vs. Louisville

Louisville vs. Clemson - Game Summary - October 1, 2016 - ESPN

The strangest part of this game was NOT the fact that Lamar Jackson looked good even in defeat. It also wasn't Watson showing off his Heisman chops, or the 8 turnovers, or the final Louisville drive, or the fact that once again we were denied the chance to go "Clemsoning".

No, the strangest part of this game was the fact that we gave it SO much hype and so much love... and it actually lived up to our expectations. Isn't that weird?