Your guide for the 2019 CFB Season (AKA: "Okay... let's try this again")

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 13 Recap (Part 2-ACC)

Clemson had an off week, so they just watched teams like Virginia and Louisville take care of business. Virginia Tech had a marvelous afternoon, blowing out Pitt to set up a "Winner-take-all" contest in the Coastal against Virgini- Ah, crap!

Miami vs. Florida International - Game Summary - November 23, 2019 - ESPN And then there was THIS shocker. Clemson is not pleased with this.
My dark side: "Neither is the rest of the ACC".

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 13 Recap (Part 3- Group of Five special)

Now let's see what happened in the lesser divisions yesterday:

American: We got 3 big results! Cincy holds off a late rally from Temple to win the AAC East. Memphis blows out USF while watching a cat on the field. And Navy officially eliminates SMU from the title race with a back-and-forth win in Annapolis.
...Make that 4 big results; I just remembered UCF holding off Tulane.

Sun Belt: App. State is in the clear! With a win over Texas State and Georgia Southern's loss to Arkansas State, the Mountaineers win the East division. Their opponent will be UL-Lafayette, a 53-3 winner over Troy.
Oh! And how about a hand for Georgia State [who confirms a bowl berth by beating South Alabama] and UL-Monroe [who won a great under-the-radar game over Coastal Carolina]?

MAC: Oh my god... Is Kent State about to go to a bowl game this season?!

Mountain West: Our Mountain West title game is set! Boise State is going to host the Cinderella Hawaii Warriors, who [of all things] used DEFENSE to beat SDSU.

Conference USA: UAB just shocked Louisiana Tech! Marshall just lost to the bleeping Charlotte 49ers! Western Kentucky takes out Southern Miss! And Lane Kiffin is back atop the C-USA mountain! IT'S UTTER CHAOS!!

Harvard vs. Yale - Game Summary - November 23, 2019 - ESPN And speaking of chaos, let's applaud Harvard and Yale for giving us the best game of the week [Sorry, Oregon/ASU].

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Week 13 Recap (Part 4- The rest of the games)

And finally, let's see how the rest of the "Power 5" handled themselves.

Big 12: Lots of fun all over the place. Both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State fought off TCU and West Virginia [respectfully] to set up another fun "Bedlam Series" event next week. And the K-State/Texas Tech game was fun too, as K-State used a 100-yard kickoff return to win.

Big 10: Michigan State and Nebraska kept their seasons alive, but the big story is Michigan and Wisconsin; they both won to set up HUGE rivalry games this Saturday.

SEC: Tennessee is bowl-eligible! And Georgia is STILL not scoring any style points, but at least they still have their CFP chances.

PAC-12: Washington State just won a game over Oregon State 54-53. Even more stunning is the fact that Wazzu now shares the same record with Washington... 6-5. Jesus Christ.
And the USC players did all they can do to save Clay Helton's job. The rest is up to fate.

California vs. Stanford - Game Summary - November 23, 2019 - ESPN And finally, we leave you with this: Cal using a late TD from Chase Garbers to beat Stanford for the first time since 2008. ...Man, Stanford sucks right now.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Week (Part 1- Tuesday through Friday)

...Yep, it's time for another edition of "Rivalry Week"! That time of the season filled with heartbreak and celebrations! Now, the good news is we that we have a good amount of games on Thanksgiving and "Black Friday".
The bad news is, only 7 of the 18 games in the early window are worth watching. So instead of the usual "Early Top 10 Countdown" bit, I'm just gonna list off those 7 games right now:

Western Michigan @ Northern Illinois [7:00 tonight, ESPNU] (This one is all about "Win and you're in" for Western Michigan. If the Broncos win tonight, they'll win the MAC West and be off to face Miami-Ohio for the MAC title next week.)

Ole Miss @ Mississippi State [7:30 Thanksgiving, ESPN] (It's the 116th installment of the "Egg Bowl" rivalry, and it's one that Mississippi State needs to win to secure a bowl invite.)

Virginia Tech @ Virginia [12:00 Friday, ABC] (Much like Michigan this Saturday, the Virginia Cavilers will be sitting on a powder-keg of pressure in this rivalry. 2 months ago, they thought Va-Tech was toast [and was gonna fire their head coach]. Now Va-Tech is ranked and ready to steal the ACC Coastal right from underneath their noses. Not to mention that Virginia hasn't beaten the Hokies since 2003.)

Iowa @ Nebraska [2:30 Friday, Big 10 Network] (Look, Nebraska. Me and Phil Steele are disappointed that you were unable to compete for the Big 10 West this year. But can you at least upset Iowa so that you can go to a bowl this year? Huh? CAN WE DO THAT?!)

Cincinnati @ Memphis [3:30 Friday, ABC] (If you're gonna watch a game in the early part of Rivalry Week, make it this one because there's a LOT on the line for BOTH of these squads. If Memphis beats Cincinnati, they'll get to host the Bearcats again next week... this time for the AAC title. But if the Tigers lose and Navy wins at Houston, then it'll be Navy facing Cincinnati next week. And I know DAMN well that Cincy doesn't want to face Brady White two weeks in a row.)

Washington State @ Washington [4:00 Friday, FOX] (Both Washington and Wazzu have the same record. That would be GREAT for this edition of the "Apple Cup"... if that record wasn't 6-5. When I was expecting Washington to challenge for the "New Year's Six" in 2019. Will the Huskies defense even care enough to win this game?)

Appalachian State @ Troy [6:00 Friday, ESPN+] (Troy is fighting for their postseason lives here, while App. State will be fighting to keep their "New Year's Six" dreams alive. GO MOUNTAINEERS!)

My predictions for these games (and a few more) are next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Week Predictions (Part 1- Tuesday through Friday)

Okay, on to business. These are my picks for the early part of Rivalry Week:

Top 25:
(17)Iowa 34 @ Nebraska 27
(19)Cincinnati 27 @ (18)Memphis 35
(20)Boise State 47 @ Colorado State 23
(24)Appalachian State 37 @ Troy 21
AP (23)Virginia Tech 27 @ Virginia 24

Other big games:
Western Michigan 30 @ Northern Illinois 24
USF 17 @ UCF 38
Ole Miss 37 @ Mississippi State 31
Texas Tech 34 @ Texas 38
Toledo 35 @ Central Michigan 28
Washington State 37 @ Washington 31
West Virginia 17 @ TCU 28

And on those bombshells, PLEASE have a Happy Thanksgiving! I'll check back later...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Stunner in the Egg Bowl

I was just gonna ignore this thread until Saturday, but the Egg Bowl made me change my mind.

https://nypost.com/2019/11/29/odell...-dog-celebration-costs-ole-miss-the-egg-bowl/
I mean, how can Odell Beckham Jr. cost Ole Miss a football game in 2019? Can you explain it to me, please?

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Saturday- Top 10 Games

I'll recap Friday's action later, because I'm on a tight schedule today. Today is the type of day where your season can be saved or completely ruined. Yep, it's Rivalry Saturday! And here are the games to watch as we present...

The Top 10 Games of Rivalry Saturday!​

(All times are Eastern)
T-10. Georgia @ Georgia Tech, and Clemson @ South Carolina [12:00 on ABC and ESPN respectfully] (These 2 games have the exact same scenario, so I'm lumping them together for #10. And that scenario is "CFP contender goes on the road, trying not to get tripped up by a rival".
Clemson is just trying to bypass the Gamecocks in the "Battle for the Palmetto State" and continue their march to the CFP. Georgia is trying to do the same thing in the "Clean Old Fashioned Hate", but they may have to crush the Yellow Jackets to keep their spot.)

9. Florida State @ Florida [7:30, SEC Network] (In the 64th installment of this rivalry series, Florida is just trying to take care of the Seminoles and reinforce their resume for a possible "New Year's Six" bowl. But Florida State's interim head coach Odell Haggins may be playing for something more than regaining FSU's in-state pride. A possible permanent job in Tallahassee, perhaps?)

8. Notre Dame @ Stanford [4:00, FOX] (The Orange Bowl may come a calling for Notre Dame if they're able to get to 10 wins by kicking Stanford while they're down. I mean, Stanford will not be going to a bowl for the first time since 2008 AND they just lost to Cal for the first time in a decade. WHERE'S THE PRIDE, CARDINAL?!)

7. Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State [8:00, FOX] (After you see proud Notre Dame on the FOX network, stay on FOX because it'll give us the latest installment of the greatest one-sided rivalry of all time: Oklahoma vs. OK State! Sure, the Sooners MIGHT lose their shot at the CFP if they miraculously lose against the Cowboys. But what we CAN expect is a lot of points and a lot of anguish for at least one of the sidelines.)

6. Oregon State @ Oregon [4:00, PAC-12 Network] (Okay, now let's get to serious business. The Ducks of Oregon blew their shot at the national title last week against Arizona State, but they're still going to the PAC-12 title game against Utah [and we'll get to Utah later]. So today, Oregon and Justin Herbert is looking to regain their mojo in the "Civil War".
It won't be easy, though. First, Oregon State is MUCH better than they were a year ago [and still hoping for a bowl berth]. And second, OSU's QB Jake Luton has 28 TD's and ONLY 3 picks this year! Careful...)

5. Texas A&M @ LSU [7:00, ESPN] (I was just gonna reference that 7-OT game A&M won against LSU last year and leave. But "College Gameday" just told me that A&M's pass defense is pretty darn good. Hmmm... is LSU in for their toughest fight of the year?)

4. Colorado @ Utah [7:30, ABC] (The "Rocky Mountain Showdown" is big news again! Not only is Colorado still alive for a bowl invite, but the Buffaloes can ruin everything for the Utes of Utah.
No, really. Everything is on the line for Utah tonight. The PAC-12 South title, their national title shot, the PAC-12's relevance in 2019... that's all on the line in Salt Lake City.)

3. Wisconsin @ Minnesota [3:30, ABC] (Yes, I just talked up how big the last game is for Utah. But in the "Battle for Paul Bunyan's Ax", nothing big is on the line. No, really! All that's on the line is the Big 10 West title, Minnesota's shot at the CFP, and [of course] that damn "Paul Bunyan's Ax" trophy. An Ax, by the way, that Minnesota is defending for the first time in forever.)

2. Alabama @ Auburn [3:30, CBS] (This "Iron Bowl" will be a REAL tough watch for me. On one hand, I would LOVE to see Auburn shock Alabama in Jordan-Hare once again. But on the other hand, my dark side wants the Crimson Tide to get into the CFP once again... so that they can blow it against Clemson once again.
As for the QB's, this will be Bo Nix's first experience in the Iron Bowl. As for Mac Jones, he's been doing good standing in for Tua... but this is the first real team he'll face in his Alabama career...)

1. Ohio State @ Michigan [12:00, FOX] (Aw, man! I didn't WANT to put OSU/Michigan at #1 and put MORE pressure on Jim Harbaugh, but the new CFP rankings kinda forced my hand. Hey, Michigan! Remember what you guys did 50 years ago to the Buckeyes?)

Best "mid-major" game: The entire Conference USA slate (No, I'm not joking! Nearly everything Conference USA will be doing today will be great! We have 5 teams [FAU, Southern Miss, La-Tech, UAB, and Marshall] fighting for two divisions. And Rice is taking on UTEP in one of Ryan McGee's "Pillow Fights"! Don't miss any of it!)
Game with the best chance to be a bust: Miami @ Duke (...Something just tells me that this is gonna be a boring game today.)
Honorable mentions for the Top 10: Louisville @ Kentucky, Iowa State @ Kansas State, Southern Miss @ Florida Atlantic, and BYU @ San Diego State.

My biggest prediction segment of the year is next!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Saturday predictions

Oops! I promised you guys predictions for Saturday BEFORE I recapped Friday's action! Darn it! ...Oh well, let's get this over with:

Top 25:
(1)Ohio State 41 @ (13)Michigan 31
Texas A&M 24 @ (2)LSU 27
(3)Clemson 49 @ South Carolina 27
(4)Georgia 34 @ Georgia Tech 14
(5)Alabama 31 @ (15)Auburn 34
Colorado 21 @ (6)Utah 24
(7)Oklahoma 48 @ (21)Oklahoma State 38
(12)Wisconsin 31 @ (8)Minnesota 21
(9)Baylor 51 @ Kansas 10
Rutgers 13 @ (10)Penn State 35
Florida State 14 @ (11)Florida 35
Oregon State 31 @ (14)Oregon 38
(16)Notre Dame 27 @ Stanford 20
(23)Iowa State 31 @ Kansas State 24

Other big games:
Southern 34 vs. Grambling 28
Indiana 38 @ Purdue 17
Louisville 23 @ Kentucky 21
Southern Miss 17 @ Florida Atlantic 24
North Carolina 24 @ NC State 28

And on those bombshells, please try to stay safe out there today! I'll check back later.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Friday recap

Okay, NOW I'm ready to recap yesterday's action.

Group of Five: The MAC is all done with their regular season, and what a season it was! Buffalo finishes at 7-5, Miami-Ohio stumbles to 7-5, and Kent f---ing State is bowl eligible. But the biggest result was CMU completely routing Toledo; now the Chippewas get to go to the MAC title game!
In the American, Memphis won against Cincinnati! Now they're the AAC West champs and they get to host the title game a...gainst Cin...cinna...ti. Phooey.
P.S: South Alabama got a upset win over Arkansas State.

Power 5: Hooray! Virginia finally defeated Virginia Tech! Rats! TCU's isn't bowling after losing to West Virginia!
Iowa vs. Nebraska - Game Summary - November 29, 2019 - ESPN And Nebraska isn't bowling either after this tough loss. Double rats!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Saturday (Part 1- The Top 25)

As Championship Week now beckons, just know that Ohio State, Clemson, Utah, and Georgia are still in the title hunt. Ditto for Oklahoma and Baylor.
We also got Florida getting back-to-back 10-win seasons, and Notre Dame maybe securing a Orange Bowl spot.

Alabama vs. Auburn - Game Summary - November 30, 2019 - ESPN But easily the biggest result of them all was from the Iron Bowl, where Alabama lost their shot at the CFP.
My dark side: "Wow. My creator's 'Runner-up curse' IS real... ."

 

[Gatorchip]

Rivalry Saturday (Part 1- The Top 25)

As Championship Week now beckons, just know that Ohio State, Clemson, Utah, and Georgia are still in the title hunt. Ditto for Oklahoma and Baylor.
We also got Florida getting back-to-back 10-win seasons, and Notre Dame maybe securing a Orange Bowl spot.

Alabama vs. Auburn - Game Summary - November 30, 2019 - ESPN But easily the biggest result of them all was from the Iron Bowl, where Alabama lost their shot at the CFP.
My dark side: "Wow. My creator's 'Runner-up curse' IS real... ."

Is this a hobby or do you get paid for this somewhere? You've always been pretty accurate, which is abnormal for just being a typical board poster.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Rivalry Saturday Recap (Part 2- Odds and ends)

And now, let's wrap up Rivalry Week by seeing if anything happened outside of the rankings.

ACC: At least Syracuse was able to have a nice Senior Day. Oh, and when it comes to bowl season? Buy Boston College, sell Miami.

Big 10: Oops! I almost forgot that Wisconsin won in the snow against Minnesota! The Badgers win the West, and they're off to the Big 10 title game, where... they must deal with Ohio State once again. I don't know what type of a reward that is, but oh well.
We also got Michigan State savaging a bowl spot, Northwestern beating Illinois again...
Indiana vs. Purdue - Game Summary - November 30, 2019 - ESPN ...and Indiana cementing it's best season since 1993 by snapping a skid against Purdue.

Mountain West: Hawaii and San Diego State both have 9 wins! ...Too bad everyone's paying attention to UNLV stunning Nevada.

Rest of the Power 5: Just know that Arizona State, California, Tennessee, and Kentucky are all 7-5 now.

Conference USA: The dust has settled, and we have our title game! It'll be former C-USA champ Florida Atlantic verses... defending champion UAB?! WHOA! I wanna watch this game now!

And finally, how about a moment of silence for Mount Union for it's earliest playoff exit in 25 years...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Boston College fires Addazio after seven seasons

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Championship Week hierarchy

Ah! It's time for championships to be decided in what may be the most enjoyable CFB "Championship Week" in years. I mean, every conference in the FBS now has a championship game.

...That gives me a problem. Since there are 10 games on this weekend, I just can't give you guys a Top 10 list (there would be no surprises). So for the very first time, I'll be listing off the championship games in terms of importance, from the most important to the least.

So stand back! It's time for my 1st-ever hierarchy special (All games on Saturday unless noted)!

SEC: LSU vs. Georgia [4:00, CBS] (Even though people are saying "LSU is in even if they lose this game", the SEC title game is still on top of the board. Why? Because, silly, it's a battle of Top 5 teams. And don't forget, Georgia is #4 in the CFP rankings. If they lose, they're out. But if they beat LSU, the CFP committee will have no choice but to put them in!)

PAC-12: Utah vs. Oregon [8:00 Friday, ABC] (Wait, really? This game is on ABC now? Cool! That's gotta make the PAC-12 happy. You know what would make the PAC-12 even happier? If Utah can somehow get into the CFP. If the Utes win and then Georgia loses, it could become reality.
It won't be easy, though. This is the opportunity that Justin Herbert and Oregon had been wanting since last spring; to take back the PAC-12 title. Expect an emotional, crazy game in Santa Clara.)

ACC: Clemson vs. Virginia [7:30, ABC] (It's time for another edition of "The Clemson Invitational" in Charlotte, NC. If Clemson wins, it's no big deal as they'll be off to defend their national title. But if Virginia is able to pull off a miracle, Clemson's reign as national champ is SO over. Good luck, Tigers!)

Big 12: Oklahoma vs. Baylor [12:00, ABC] ( Here we go again; Oklahoma's in the Big 12 title game for a rematch against a team they pissed off earlier. And this time, it's a Baylor team that blew a huge lead the last time they saw the Sooners.
But wait! I just thought of something. What if Utah and Georgia BOTH lose their title games? Would the CFP committee extend an invite to the Big 12 champs? We DO have two 1-loss teams here!)

Big 10: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin [8:00, FOX] (Apologies to Wisconsin, because I know they worked their butts off to return to the Big 10 title game this year. But unless their defense slows down the Buckeyes offense, Ohio State will just cruise here. I think OSU is already in the CFP as well; they just want to make it official here.)

American: Cincinnati @ Memphis [3:30, ABC] (A battle of Top 25 teams... This is now a familiar setting for the American conference as Memphis faces Cincinnati once again, this time for all the marbles. Most likely, a spot in a "New Year's Six" bowl will be decided here.)

Sun Belt: UL-Lafayette @ Appalachian State [12:00, ESPN] (Oh man... It's not looking good for App. State's chances to make the "New Year's Six". But before they worry about that, the Mountaineers must defend their Sun Belt title. And their opponent is a formidable one; the Ragin' Cajuns just celebrated it's first 10-win season EVER, and their QB [Levi Lewis] is a BEAST.)

Mountain West: Hawaii @ Boise State [4:00, ESPN] (Incredible work, Hawaii! You now have a chance to win your first Mountain West title ever! All you have to do is... stop Boise State IN Boise. Oh, dear...)

Conference USA: UAB @ Florida Atlantic [1:30, CBS Sports Network] (Nationally, this game means almost nothing. But regionally, this is a HUGE contest. We could see UAB defy the odds once again and actually defend their C-USA title. Or we could see Lane Kiffin annoy his critics once again by guiding FAU to their 2nd conference title in 3 years.)

MAC: Miami-Ohio vs. Central Michigan [12:00, ESPN2] (Just a simple conference title game, as both the Redhawks and the Chippewas look for their first MAC title in several years.)

...and that's it for my hierarchy! Now all that's left to do is predict all of these games! ...Can you wait until tomorrow for those, by chance?

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Championship Week predictions

It's the final prediction segment of the season! And QUITE a few hearts are gonna be shattered once the title games are over. So, here's what I think will happen this weekend:

(8)Wisconsin 21 vs. (1)Ohio State 42
(4)Georgia 24 vs. (2)LSU 31
(3)Clemson 41 vs. (23)Virginia 17
(13)Oregon 38 vs. (5)Utah 31
(7)Baylor 45 vs. (6)Oklahoma 42
(20)Cincinnati 37 @ (17)Memphis 28
Hawaii 30 @ (19)Boise State 41
UL-Lafayette 27 @ (21)Appalachian State 35
Miami-Ohio 17 vs. Central Michigan 24
UAB 20 @ Florida Atlantic 30

...and I'm done! I now leave you guys to make your picks, and come Saturday, just embrace the madness!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

'Future is bright': USC's Helton to return in 2020

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

PAC-12 title game

Utah vs. Oregon - Game Summary - December 6, 2019 - ESPN

So it looks like @tnapucco was right when he started that "Oregon would f--k up Utah" thread. ...Ah, PHOOEY!