As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.
Noon:
- Air Force @ Army (CBS): It’s hard to see anything other than Army turning Air Force into a fine mist in this one.
- Duke @ Miami (ABC): Miami’s remaining schedule is somewhat light, and that begins here. While Cam Ward is something of a random number generator at quarterback, I just don’t think Duke has the talent to hang with the Canes.
- Ohio State @ Pennsylvania State (FOX): With the weird schedule today, this game is FOX’s Big
NudeNoon Saturday game. (The reason is because there are 37 FBS teams on byes this week and FOX wanted to keep primetime open in case of a World Series Game 7.) And so, here it is. Ohio State has already been dinged once by Oregon this season, and Penn State enters with no losses. But has James Franklin ever won this game? A win fast-tracks a Penn State showdown with those Ducks, but back when the the B1G had divisions Penn State had practically cemented the title of the “3rd best team in the East” because they never got over the hump. It’s also the stated position of this here website that James Franklin is destined to be the first head coach to ever lose a home playoff game, so that more or less means a loss here or in the B1G Championship. I suspect it’ll come here. - Mississippi @ Arkansas (ESPN): Arkansas isn’t good, but I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that they’ll do to Ole Miss what they did to Tennessee, up to and including winning the game.
- Memphis @ Texas-San Antonio (ESPN2): It’s been tough for the Roadrunners this year, I see the Tigers taking care of business.
- Minnesota @ Illinois (FS1): I don’t see how the Gophers will score any points here.
- Virginia Tech @ Syracuse (The CW): Kyle McCord, whom I’d previously championed as the best quarterback in the ACC, had a nightmare start against Pitt last week. That said, VPI figures to present less of a challenge. I like the Orange here.
- Northwestern @ Purdue (BTN): This is a bit of a B1G Futility Bowl. Uh, Northwestern, maybe? I guess? (Boy howdy, though, SZD’s prediction that Wazzu would have more fun this year than Purdue seems extremely prescient at this point.)
- Toledo @ Eastern Michigan (ESPNU): All of the MAC games seem like coin flips this season, so I went and found a Michigan state quarter in my loose change. Tails it’s EMU, heads it’s Toledo.
- Stanford @ North Carolina State (ACCN): I don’t really have the energy anymore to make “lol this is an ACC game” jokes anymore. And NC State is going to win.
- Buffalo @ Akron (CBSS): I couldn’t find any New York or Ohio quarters earlier when I was looking, so we’ll actually try to make a prediction here. Ah, okay, Akron is terrible. Bulls all the way then.
- Maine @ Oklahoma (ESPN+)
12:45: Vanderbilt @ Auburn (SEC): It is 2022. Diego Pavia is handily beating a Hugh Freeze football team. It is 2023. Diego Pavia is handily beating a Hugh Freeze football team. It is 2024. Diego Pavia is…
2:30:
- Old Dominion @ Appalachian State (ESPN+)
- Tulsa @ Alabama-Birmingham (ESPN+)
3:30:
- Florida vs. Georgia (“The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” @ Jacksonville, FL; ABC): There’s no way Florida is going to win this game, full stop. The real question is probably whether Florida’s vaunted(?) no-shutout streak will live through it.
- Oregon @ Michigan (CBS): It’s a helmet game, and that’s why it’s on CBS. But otherwise, yeah, Michigan just, like, doesn’t have an offense. In a year where Iowa (Iowa!) is putting up numbers what they’re doing in Ann Arbor is just kind of embarrassing. So, yeah, Ducks all the way here.
- Kansas State @ Houston (FOX/FS2): I don’t think the Cougs can hang with this K-State team.
- Texas Tech @ Iowa State (ESPN): The Red Raiders have had kind of a weird year, but I don’t see them disrupting what is going on up in Ames.
- Arizona @ Central Florida (FS1): Zona comes into Orland on 4 straight losses. UCF has 5 straight. Something’s gotta give, and I suspect it’ll be UCF to beat the streak.
- Arizona State @ Oklahoma State (FS2/FOX): Speaking of Big 12 teams on 5 game losing streaks, this just seems like something of a lost season for the Pokes. I don’t think it’ll get better here.
- California-Los Angeles @ Nebraska (BTN): Nebraska’s lost two straight to Indiana and Ohio State, which is understandable. They really should be favored against the Bruins at home.
- Middle Tennessee State @ Texas-El Paso (CBSS): This may be a fantastic Saturday to go do something else, y’all. Maybe go outside if the weather is good where you are, after all, it’s already November and winter is coming. I certainly can’t recommend watching this. I’ll go with UTEP because they seem to be able to kinda score points.
- North Carolina @ Florida State (ACCN): Is UNC’s defense bad enough that FSU has a chance here? Nah.
- Indiana @ Michigan State (Peacock): The Spartans couldn’t even beat the worst Michigan team in years, so I don’t like their odds against these Hoosiers, especially considering the potential hangover effect from last week.
- Louisiana-Monroe @ Marshall (ESPN+)
4:00:
- Navy @ Rice (ESPN2): Okay, so Notre Dame was just better than Navy, but this should be a return to form for the Midshipmen.
- Wyoming @ New Mexico (truTV): Seriously some of these games dire, y’all. Lobos all the way here?
- Coastal Carolina @ Troy (ESPN+)
4:15: Massachusetts @ Mississippi State (SEC): UMass is inept, yes. Mississippi State is terrible, yes. But I just can’t see any way Miss State loses this game. I just can’t.
7:00: Hawaii @ Fresno State (Team1Sports)
7:30:
- Wisconsin @ Iowa (NBC): Wisconsin seems to be improving, but I’m not sure how they’re beating an Iowa that can actually score points.
- Texas A&M @ South Carolina (ABC): TAMU is 5-0 in the SEC and Elko just cut a promo about how he’s there to coach football and not play politics. South Carolina is the SEC’s proverbial comedic rake stepping team, and this sure seems like the Gamecocks’ time.
- Louisville @ Clemson (ESPN): Louisville is the best team Clemson has played since Week 1, but since then the Tigers have quietly found their footing on offense and, well, Louisville’s defense ain’t Georgia’s.
- Southern California @ Washington (BTN): Can we move this game to a 10:00pm Eastern kickoff and get some classic Pac-12 After Dark? How can we make this happen? That said, I kind of like the Huskies here, mostly just to see how Lincoln Riley lashes out at the media after losing again.
- Georgia Southern @ South Alabama (ESPNU): South Al is definitely the favorite here, but this may well be the late game of the day. Definitely take a peek at this one.
7:45: Kentucky @ Tennessee (SEC): With their loss to Auburn last week, I don’t think we need to pretend Kentucky has a chance in this game.
8:00:
- Texas Christian @ Baylor (“The Revivalry”; ESPN2): These teams look pretty even on a baseline level, but Baylor still seems to have some offensive juice that the Horned Frogs just don’t possess.
- Pittsburgh @ Southern Methodist (ACCN): Naturally, this game is going to be pretty important to the ACC standings. That said, I just don’t really believe in SMU. I think this will be straightforward for Pitt.
- Colorado State @ Nevada (CBSS): I still think Colorado State is kinda bad, but they might be the second best team in the Mountain West this year?