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This Week in College Football: Week 14

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As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Tuesday

7:00:

  • Toledo @ Akron (ESPN2): Toledo has scuffed a bit this season, but I don’t see them having trouble here.
  • Buffalo @ Kent State (ESPN+)

Thursday

2:00: Tuskegee @ Alabama State (ESPNU)

7:30: Memphis @ Tulane (ESPN): What may well be the defacto AAC title game promises to have stakes. This is a game Memphis team for sure, but Tulane has looked every bit the part of a G5 spoiler for the playoff. I like the Green Wave here.

Friday

Noon:

  • Navy @ East Carolina (ESPN): ECU is better than anyone expected, but I think Navy will still handle them.
  • Oklahoma State @ Colorado (ABC): The Buffs lost last week, but the Pokes are a good “get right” matchup for just about anyone this season.
  • Minnesota @ Wisconsin (CBS): The battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe should be feisty this time. These teams both are doing their best impersonate of the mediocre Big Ten West teams of the past. I like the Gophers a bit here, but both are taking some serious losing streaks into this one.
  • Oregon State @ Boise State (FOX): Good on the Beavs for beating a tired Wazzu last weekend, but provided Ashton Jeanty is healthy I think Boise is well prepared to split the season series against teams from Oregon.
  • Miami @ Bowling Green (ESPNU): This is a battle of two of the three best teams in the MAC. I think Bowling Green holds serve at home, but this could be the game to watch in this time slot.
  • Ball State @ Ohio (CBSS): Barring an upset here, the Bobcats are heading to Detroit next weekend to face the winner of the above game. Get some Black Friday MACtion, y’all.

3:30:

  • Utah State @ Colorado State (FS1): The Rams had the temerity to lose to Fresno, so now they’ve got a Mountain West loss are probably on the outside looking in at the Mountain West title game. They should still handle the Aggies, though.
  • Mississippi State @ Mississippi (“Egg Bowl”; ABC): It’s a bummer that this is no longer the Thanksgiving night game, but let’s face it, this year’s edition wouldn’t have exactly been appointment television.
  • Liberty @ Sam Houston State (CBSS): Liberty losing to Kennesaw is right up there with Notre Dame losing to Northern Illinois in terms of bizarre upsets this year. But yeah, for the most part the Libs shouldn’t really have trouble with anyone else in Conference USA.
  • Texas State @ South Alabama (ESPN+)

4:00: Stanford @ San Jose State (“Bill Walsh Legacy Game”; CBS): I like San Jose to win this one, straight up. It boggles the mind that the Cardinal would ever head down 101 to SJSU, but between them being very, very mediocre to bad and coming off a dispiriting loss to Cal, I don’t like their chances here.

7:30:

  • Georgia Tech @ Georgia (“Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate”; ABC): TO HELL WITH GEORGIA
  • Nebraska @ Iowa (NBC): Nebraska finally got the monkey off their back and beat Wisconsin last weekend to get bowl eligible. Good on them, because the odds they’d do it against this cromulent Iowa outfit were pretty low.

8:00: Utah @ Central Florida (FOX): Neither of these teams are especially good. Hopefully this is still within reach for either team after the 7:30 games wrap up. If I had to pick someone here, I’d probably go with UCF, since they can actually play offense.

This Week in College Football: Week 13

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As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong. (Also apologies to the MACtion games that already happened this week.)

Thursday

7:30: North Carolina State @ Georgia Tech (ESPN): I’m not entirely sure how we beat Miami two years in a row. It’s not that both were due to bizarre Mario Cristobal clock decisions (though by golly he tried this time around). At any rate, this is more even contest that is sandwiched between last week’s season-defining win and next week’s… well, you know. I personally have fond memories of Thursday night home games, and I think this will be more of a watch than whatever dreck the NFL is shoving out this week (for the record, it’s Steelers-Browns, so yeah, watch this instead). It’ll be interesting to see if the bye week did us any good. We made the two-QB thing work against Miami, but I’m pretty sure if there’s some way Haynes King can actually throw the ball again it’d improve our chances.

Friday

7:00: Temple @ Texas-San Antonio (ESPN2): It’s been an adjustment for UTSA after Frank Harris’s move to the sidelines, but they’re figured it out the past couple of weeks against some of the other better AAC schools. Temple shouldn’t pose an obstacle.

8:00: Purdue @ Michigan State (FOX): No one is making you watch this. Purdue is possibly the worst team in the Power 4, and while the Spartans are not great themselves, this shouldn’t be close.

10:00: Nevada-Las Vegas @ San Jose State (FS1): This game promises some fireworks. The Rebels are freshly ranked, but SJSU is not a pushover (at least, when not facing Ashton Jeanty). I like UNLV here, but this should be a fun Friday night in San Jose. (Might be kind of wet, too.)

This Week in College Football: Week 1

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Thursday

6:00: Howard @ Rutgers (BTN)

7:00:

  • Western Carolina @ North Carolina State (ACCN)
  • North Carolina A&T @ Wake Forest (ACCNX)
  • New Hampshire @ Central Florida (ESPN+)
  • Lafayette @ Buffalo (ESPN+)
  • Fordham @ Bowling Green (ESPN+)
  • Central Connecticut @ Central Michigan (ESPN+)
  • Jackson State @ Louisiana-Monroe (ESPN+)

7:30:

  • Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Arkansas (ESPNU)
  • Duquense @ Toledo (ESPN+)

8:00:

  • North Carolina @ Minnesota (FOX): There’s not a ton of FBS vs. FBS competition Thursday evening, but nonetheless we start with this interesting inter-sectional game. I like the Wolfpack here, but I don’t think they should take anything for granted as they head up north.
  • North Dakota State @ Colorado (ESPN): I don’t make predictions about FCS vs. FBS games, and NDSU isn’t what they used to be, but… you may want to keep an eye on this one.
  • Murray State @ Missouri (SEC)
  • Coastal Carolina @ Jacksonville State (CBSS): I think I have to go with Jax State here? Everyone interesting for the Beach Chickens is elsewhere now.
  • Lindenwood @ Kansas (@Kansas City, KS; ESPN+)
  • Southeastern Louisiana @ Tulane (ESPN+)
  • Northwestern State @ Tulsa (ESPN+)
  • Alcorn State @ Alabama-Birmingham (ESPN+)

9:00:

  • Eastern Illinois @ Illinois (BTN)
  • Southern Utah @ Utah (ESPN+)

10:00: Sacramento State @ San Jose State (truTV)

Friday

6:00: Lehigh @ Army (CBSS):

7:00:

  • Temple @ Oklahoma (ESPN): The Sooners should be able to name their score for this one.
  • Florida Atlantic @ Michigan State (BTN): It’s not quite “name the score” territory here for Sparty, but they shouldn’t be threatened.

7:30: Elon @ Duke (ACCN)

9:00: Western Michigan @ Wisconsin (FS1): Again, as long as Wisky isn’t looking forward to Alabama in a couple of weeks…

10:30: Texas Christian @ Stanford (ESPN): I’m not sure what to make of either of these teams going into this season, but I definitely trust TCU a bit more.

This Week in College Football: Week 13

As usual, all times Eastern all predictions wrong.

Tuesday

7:00: Bowling Green @ Western Michigan (ESPNU): We’re finally going to cover some MACtion here as part of our look at the weeknight games this week. We still should have never lost to Bowling Green, but my worst fears after their 27-0 blanking by Miami didn’t materialize. The instead rolled off 5 straight MAC wins until last week’s close loss to MAC front-runners Toledo. They seem to actually be kind of okay, which wasn’t something I was expecting to say. I’ll guess they’ll win here.

7:30: Eastern Michigan @ Buffalo (ESPN2): This probably wouldn’t be what I’d pick to put on ESPN2 over EPSNU, but they didn’t ask me. The Bulls have lost 3 straight in what is a bit of a lost season for Mo Linguist and company, while EMU needs the win for bowl eligibility. I guess on paper the Bulls should win, and they’re at home, but I’ll take EMU.

Thursday

7:30 PM: Mississippi @ Mississippi State (“Egg Bowl”; ESPN): Okay, let’s get to Thanksgiving Day. As usual, I’ll ask that you at least keep an eye on this one over the NFL game that evening because, well, it’s the Egg Bowl. While it’s been less, er, chaotic since 2019, and Ole Miss should win easily, anything can happen!

Friday

Noon:

  • Miami @ Boston College (ABC): What a lost season for the Canes. They’re currently 6-5 with a 2-5 record in the ACC. They’re going to need to do some deep introspection on this season, not the least of which is wonder if Mario Christobal can figure anything out about game management. (There’s been more questionable things since they played us, believe it or not.) On paper they should easily beat this BC team, and I’ll go with that, but I don’t feel good about it.
  • Iowa @ Nebraska (CBS): So as of this writing the over/under for this game 27.5 points, which is insane. That said, Nebraska’s quarterback situation is so bad the Iowa defense may well hit the over on their own.
  • Texas Christian @ Oklahoma (FOX): There’s not really anything about how TCU is playing that makes me thing they can pull this off.
  • Memphis @ Temple (ESPN): There’s been years where this would’ve been an interesting game. This isn’t one of them.
  • Toledo @ Central Michigan (ESPNU): Toledo should roll here.
  • Ohio @ Akron (CBSS): Ohio is still one of the better teams in the MAC, and Akron… not so much.

3:30:

  • Texas-San Antonio @ Tulane (ABC): Tulane isn’t as obviously good as they were last year, but they’ve now reeled off 9 in a row. The Roadrunners should present a formidable challenge after senior QB Frank Harris was missing early in the season. I still like the Green Wave, but this could be a sneaky fun game.
  • Utah State @ New Mexico (CBSS): I’m still trying to figure out what happened to Fresno after this New Mexico team beat them, but in the meantime I’m going to predict them to lose again.

4:00:

  • Missouri @ Arkansas (“Battle Line Rivalry”; CBS): Mizzou shouldn’t need an end-of-regulation field goal in this one. If they win they’ll probably get a New Year’s Six bid. What a season for the Tigers.
  • Air Force @ Boise State (FS1): Love yourself like Air Force loves committing turnovers. It’s kind of ridiculous at this point that they’ve lost three straight starting with that 23-3 loss to Army. Boise, meanwhile, wasn’t predicted to be that good this year, then wasn’t, and then fired their coach. Naturally, they’ve now won two in a row, and I suspect they’ll make it three. If some other results break their way, they could well be playing in the Mountain West championship game with an interim coach. College football, y’all.

7:30:

  • Pennsylvania State vs. Michigan State (@Detroit, MI; NBC): The battle for the worlsd’s best worst trophy is renewed again on a neutral field for some reason. At any rate, Michigan State has lost every game they’ve played against a team with a pulse. Penn State has problems, but they’re not “lose to this Michigan State team” problems.
  • Texas Tech @ Texas (ABC): The Red Raiders are 6-5, but considering everything about running a program in Lubbock, it’s still a good piece of work. That said, I can’t really see them threatening Texas. Generally, the ‘Horns have to do it to themselves.

8:30: Oregon State @ Oregon (FOX): The game of the day, and possibly the weekend. The Ducks should thank the stars they got this one at home, because the crowd in Corvallis nearly got the Beavers to the promised land against Washington last weekend. Alas, this Oregon team is just too lights out to see them lose here, but I think this one could still be very fun.

This Week in College Football: Week 1

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Thursday

7:00:

  • Kent State @ Central Florida (FS1): It’s UCF’s first week in the Big 12, and they start with what will probably not be a very good MAC team.
  • Elon @ Wake Forest (ACCN)
  • St. Francis @ Western Michigan (ESPN+)
  • Rhode Island @ Georgia State (ESPN+)

7:30: North Carolina State @ Connecticut (CBSS): One of the more delightful aspects of college football is a relatively high number of live mascots, and while both of these teams feature canines as mascots, only one of them has two living examples of some actual good dogs. Unfortunately, the Jonathans cannot win UConn this game.

8:00:

  • Nebraska @ Minnesota (FOX): It’s the first game in the Rhule-era at Nebraska, and while they should look better, the Gophers are just a better team at this point.
  • Florida @ Utah (ESPN): As I noted in the non-con preview, the Utes have the schedule to be a darkhorse playoff team. That starts here, which was a major missed opportunity for them in Gainesville last year. This time, it’s in Salt Lake an they should continue being able to shut down this still very-much-a-project Gator squad.
  • South Dakota @ Missouri (SEC)
  • Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Tulsa (ESPN+)
  • North Carolina A&T @ Alabama-Birmingham (ESPN+)

10:00: Southern Utah @ Arizona State (Pac12)

Friday

6:30: Howard @ Eastern Michigan (ESPN+)

7:00:

  • Central Michigan @ Michigan State (FS1): The Spartans should have no problems here.
  • Miami @ Miami (ACCN): Y’all. Y’all! This hasn’t happened nearly often enough. The reason why these teams are usually suffixed is because they’re both, well, Miami, and yet they have only played 3 times and none since 1987! That said, well, it’s at Miami and there’s basically no reason to think the Canes will fall to 3-1 against this particular Miami team.

7:30: Louisville vs. Georgia Tech (@Atlanta, GA; ESPN): It begins. At last, we are freed from possibly the dumbest era of Georgia Tech football. One where any momentum was squandered and the shortcomings of the regime blamed on the previous one. While I’m not especially crazy that we still went with a coach from the previous staff, in his interim stint one couldn’t help but notice that we just basically looked like a football team for the first time since 2018. I’m not entirely sure how it’ll go in this battle of new coaches. The Cardinals finally brought Jeff Brohm home and expect to have an exciting, high-flying offense for the first time since Lamar Jackson was slinging passes for them. We have some concerns on defense, but I also expect the offense to show a basic level of appearing to have any what they’re doing for the first time in a while, so hopefully those things even out.

8:00: Missouri State @ Kansas (ESPN+)

11:00: Stanford @ Hawaii (CBSS): While the Pac-12 burns around them, the Cardinal go on vacation. That said, this Hawaii team is game as they just gave what’s supposed to be a solid Vanderbilt team all they wanted in Nashville last weekend. While I can’t really predict the Rainbow Warriors to win, I will say that if they can move the ball on Stanford this one could get very interesting.