As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Michigan @ Ohio State (ABC) (41Ëš, clear): Once again, I’ll be doing weather for each of these games, though I can go ahead and sum it up here: it’ll be chilly-to-cold in most places but clear, with overcast conditions in the northeast and rain throughout most of the day on the West Coast.
  Anyway! Here’s a wonderful demonstration of why having rivals in the same division is still pretty neat. Of course, it could be slightly neater if either Michigan or Ohio State were still undefeated, but what can you do? Either way, theses are still two of the best teams in college football, though each has their weaknesses. I personally think this game is going to be tight and low-scoring. Both teams sport pretty good defenses, and the best player on the field will be one of Michigan’s linebackers (Jabrill Peppers). Both have had difficult with their offenses in the past few weeks, and Ohio State’s run game has really been kind of lacking all year. I view this game as kind of a coin flip, and earlier in the week I picked Michigan. I’m not terribly convinced either way, though.
• Kentucky @ Louisville (ESPN) (47Ëš, clear): In mid-September, I think most of us who follow college football thought Mark Stoops was going to get fired, but then the Wildcats put together a respectable season against the very soft underbelly of the SEC East. So, naturally, they get to face a frustrated Louisville after a close loss to Houston. Good luck with that!
• Virginia @ Virginia Tech (ESPN2) (41Ëš, clear): Over in the other Commonwealth, VPI sort of won the Coastal by default, but that means the pressure is off and, yeah, I think they’re going to pound UVA.
• Kansas @ Kansas State (FS1) (55Ëš, clear): Like I said the other day, I still really miss KU-Mizzou, but I’m okay with this game being moved to rivalry week for now. But yeah, I think K-State’s got this.
• Purdue @ Indiana (ESPNU) (45Ëš, clear): Nothin’ like playing Purdue to get that necessary sixth win…
• Rutgers @ Maryland (ESPNEWS) (49Ëš, clear): [substitute “Purdue” with “Rutgers”]
• Georgia Tech @ Georgia (SEC) (62Ëš, clear): To Hell With Georgia
• Illinois @ Northwestern (BTN) (44Ëš, clear): So Illinois is slightly better than Purdue and Rutgers, but not by much. Northwestern should also get to 6.
• Central Florida @ South Florida (CBSS) (78Ëš, clear): I think this one could be pretty tight, but USF is just on too much of a roll this year. Also, USF needs this game to stay in the AAC East title hunt.

12:30: Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (ACC) (40Ëš, overcast): At least Pittsburgh is holding up its end of the weather bargain. Shouldn’t matter either way against the ‘Cuse, though.

3:00: Boston College @ Wake Forest (ACC/RSN) (53Ëš, clear): BC’s 30-0 win over UConn last weekend says a lot, lot more about the current state of UConn football than it does about the Eagles, who still struggle to score points, and that doesn’t figure to change against Wake Forest.

3:30:

• Notre Dame @ Southern California (ABC) (60Ëš, rain): After this game Notre Dame will be 4-8 and it will be fantastic. But chin up, Domers, the Cowboys are good this year, and the Yankees are finally rebuilding a little bit!
• Auburn @ Alabama (CBS) (63Ëš, clear): so my parents don’t live in Alabama anymore, which means I’m not there this week like I usually am. I can’t say I miss it too much, but one thing I do miss the absolutely frenzy about this game that engulfs the whole state. That said… I think this will probably be kind of a boring game? It’s in Tuscaloosa and Alabama is just too dominant this year.
• Michigan State @ Pennsylvania State (ESPN) (42Ëš, overcast): Sparty showed some signs of life in its past two games, pasting Rutgers the way everyone is pasting Rutgers this year and then losing a tight game to Ohio State. Will the Buckeyes be watching this game the lockers under Ohio Stadium, hoping for an upset? I’m not sure about that part, but I can say a little more definitively that the odds are pretty long here. Yeah, Penn State’s schedule other than Michigan and Ohio State has been pretty easy, but they’ve also beat most of those opponents pretty soundly. I like the Nittany Lions here.
• Duke @ Miami (ESPN2) (79Ëš, clear): Duke may be playing for bowl eligibility here (more on that later today or Sunday), but it doesn’t look good against a rejuvenated Miami squad.
• West Virginia @ Iowa State (FS1) (54Ëš, clear): Iowa State needs to be taken seriously, but as long as can do they should be able to take care of business in Ames.
• Navy @ Southern Methodist (ESPNU) (62Ëš, partly cloudy): Navy’s got the AAC West in the bag already, but they should be able to close out conference play with a statement and a potential shot at hosting the AAC title game (depending on who wins the East).
• Mississippi State @ Mississippi (SEC) (55Ëš, clear): I think recent years have made us forget that this is was pretty much the norm for the Egg Bowl in most years. Losing 38-18 to Vandy is never a good look, but I still like the Rebels here.
• Minnesota @ Wisconsin (BTN) (48Ëš, partly cloudy): Paul Bunyan’s Axe is also for the Big Ten West there year, but let me be clear: if Minnesota wins this will be a huge upset.
• San Jose State @ Fresno State (CBSS) (55Ëš, rain): Of all the games at this timeslot, this sure is a game that you could watch. I’m going with SJSU.

4:00:

• Tulane @ Connecticut (ESPNEWS) (46Ëš, clear): Tulane, mostly because I’d like to see them win.
• Oregon @ Oregon State (Pac12) (47Ëš, rain): Well, this is probably the most low-key Civil War in several years (I’m not even sure I’ll be able to watch it here, I should probably check that). At any rate, I’m picking the Beavers here, because why not?

5:30: Florida Atlantic @ Middle Tennessee State (beIN) (55Ëš, partly cloudy): Going with MTSU here.

7:00:

• California-Los Angeles @ California (ESPN2) (55Ëš, rain): UCLA has a litany of issues, yes, but frankly I think they’re still probably a better team than Cal. Going with the Bruins over the Bears here.
• Western Kentucky @ Marshall (ESPNU) (41Ëš, partly cloudy): This used to be one of those sneaky-good fun games, but the Thundering Herd are 3-8 on the year and 2-5 in Conference-USA, so the odds are not looking good for them.

7:30:

• Utah @ Colorado (FOX) (51Ëš, partly cloudy): If they gave “comeback of the year” awards to teams, the Buffs would win in a landslide. I think they’ll complete their rise with a win here and a meeting with Washington next week in Santa Clara.
• South Carolina @ Clemson (ESPN) (53Ëš, clear): I think Clemson is as good and as flawed as either, say, Michigan or Ohio State, but they’re still miles ahead of a punchless South Carolina.
• East Carolina @ Temple (ESPNEWS) (45Ëš, partly cloudy): If Temple wins this game, they’ll be playing next week in Annapolis for the AAC title, otherwise Navy will have to go to Tampa. That said, I don’t figure ECU to offer up much resistance.
• Tennessee @ Vanderbilt (SEC) (46Ëš, clear): Well, Vandy sure did a good job of beating up a very injured Ole Miss team last weekend. Will lightning strike twice for the Commodores? I’m figuring no.

8:00:

• Florida @ Florida State (ABC) (57Ëš, partly cloudy): It’s going to be completely up to the Gators’ defense to keep them in this game, and I’m not sure they can really stave off FSU’s attack for a full 60 minutes.
• Rice @ Stanford (Pac12) (54Ëš, rain): Stanford.

9:00: Colorado State @ San Diego State (CBSS) (60Ëš, rain): If it weren’t for their bizarre loss to South Alabama, the Aztecs would definitely be in play for the Group of Five bowl slot. Instead, they should be able to take care of business here.

10:15:

• Wyoming @ New Mexico (ESPN2) (48Ëš, clear): Speaking of taking care of business in the Mountain West, the Cowboys should be able to do so here.
• Utah State @ Brigham Young (ESPNU) (41Ëš, chance of rain): Apparently this does have rivalry game name (“The Old Wagon Wheel”), but nonetheless the Cougars figure to roll.

I will try to get a bowl predictions update up late tonight or early Sunday, so stay tuned!

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Wisconsin @ Purdue (ABC): It doesn’t get much easier for the Badgers, as they should continue to cruise through the non-Michigan/Ohio State portion of their schedule.
• Ohio State @ Michigan State (ESPN): One upside of my trip to Columbus last weekend: being around a bunch of Ohio State fans as it gradually dawns on them that they no longer control their own destiny in the Big Ten East. Better hope Sparty finds a sudden burst of competence sometime after this game, Buckeyes!
• Kansas State @ Baylor (ESPN2): Baylor.
• Oklahoma State @ Texas Christian (FS1): Oklahoma State has made it tough on themselves as of late. Yes, they handled West Virginia, but since they’ve beaten K-State by 6 and Texas Tech on a missed extra point. (I don’t mean they won by a point, which they did; the margin literally was a missed extra point on what was thought to be the tying touchdown by Texas Tech.) And now they roll into Forth Worth, where I still have them pegged as the favorite, but with major reservations.
• Texas-San Antonio @ Texas A&M (ESPNU): Welcome to SEC Cupcake Weekend, where most of the SEC doesn’t even play other FBS teams, unlike TAMU here. In accordance with our long-standing policy, I don’t list FCS vs. FBS matchups, so this is one of the few SEC games listed here.
• Maryland @ Nebraska (ESPNEWS): Fun fact: Maryland and Nebraska lost to Ohio State by the exact same score (62-3). I still have the Huskers here, though.
• Louisiana-Lafayette @ Georgia (SEC): This is definitely a game that it taking place in Athens, Georgia this weekend. Yep.
• Iowa @ Illinois (BTN): You know, I’m not sure I’d be much more inclined to watch the Big Ten Network, even if I did get it in HD. I’ll go with Iowa here.

12:30:

• Virginia @ Georgia Tech (ACC): You can pick an number of recent events to point out that you didn’t see that coming, but even considering its relative unimportance, last week’s update of VPI was pretty shocking. Yes, Virginia Tech’s offense was awful, but we did generate actual pressure on the defensive line; started three freshman offensive linemen, which then played its best game as a unit on the season; and, oh yeah, our backup short-yardage QB had a 50+ yard touchdown run. It was good, vintage stuff, though it makes me terrified of what might happen when we play the Hokies next year.
  As for this game, hoo boy, the potential for a let down feels high, eh? I don’t know if I’d call it a trap game (can 6-4 teams really have trap games?), but I’d like to think the focus will be there on Senior Day. I don’t expect the team to suddenly be a lot better than they’ve been over the course of the season, but let’s hope something was learned in Blacksburg last wekeend.
• Miami @ North Carolina State (ACC): I wrote last week that the Canes seemed to get their early-season mojo back, and sure enough, they beat Virginia by three scores. I expect the trend to continue here.

1:00: Florida @ Louisiana State (SEC): The odd timeslot and network placement for this game should tell you that yep, this was the game that was rescheduled. I still don’t know what magic was worked to both make this game happen and at Baton Rouge, but we’ll take it. Check your local listings to see if you get this instead of UL-Lafayette and Georgia. Also I like LSU.

2:00: Oregon @ Utah (Pac12): After two straight blowout losses to Southern Cal and Stanford, Oregon’s at 3-7 and effectively done.

3:00: Duke @ Pittsburgh (ACC/RSN): Pitt’s a good team! The only really shocking thing about their upset of Clemson was that they did in Death Valley, so I’ll give them credit for that. About the only thing that could stop them against the Blue Devils is a let-down.

3:30:

• Missouri @ Tennessee (CBS): Tennessee.
• Washington State @ Colorado (FOX): If I told myself back in September that this would be the late-season Pac-12 game you need to have circled on your calendar (along with the Apple Cup), I would’ve said you were a lot crazier than any of the scenarios presented in those Chick-fil-a “chicken for breakfast” commercials. Yet, here we are. With a win, Colorado also ensures the Pac-12 South comes down to their clash next week against Utah. I suspect there will be plenty of reasons to look forward to that one.
• Virginia Tech @ Notre Dame (NBC): Okay, so yeah, losing to Georgia Tech isn’t really the best look this season, but chin-up Virginia Tech! You’re still much improved over last year, and you’ll get a chance to soothe the sting of the loss by pasting the worst Notre Dame team in a decade.
• Florida State @ Syracuse (ABC/ESPN2): I still have FSU running the table, so…
• Texas @ Kansas (ABC/ESPN2): I don’t think there’s a number of points Texas could run up on the Jayhawks that would have any effect on Charlie Strong’s job status after the season, and perhaps more damningly, I don’t think Texas’s dysfunctional offense is really capable of shellacking anyone anyway. (They’re still going to win, though.)
• Indiana @ Michigan (ESPN): I like the idea of Indiana as TEAM CHAOS as much as the next person, but they beat Maryland and Rutgers by a combined 12 points and lost to Penn State by two touchdowns. Also included are losses to Wake Forest and Northwestern. The Hoosiers are just, like, not really that good this year.
• Texas Tech @ Iowa State (FS1): So Texas Tech needs to win out against Iowa State and Baylor to get to 6-6 and maybe keep Kliff Kingsbury employed. I’d say odds are good they win on or the other (and probably this one), but not both.
• Buffalo @ Western Michigan (ESPNU): So Gameday’s at this point, but who watches Gameday anymore? I still might if I lived in on the East Coast, I’m not getting up at 6:00 AM to watch 3 hours of people talking about football. At any rate, the boat will continue to be rowed.
• Northwestern @ Minnesota (BTN): These teams have been excruciatingly similar in Big Ten play so far, mostly in that they’re both 4-3 and have scored 201 and 199 points, respectively. Since it’s at Minnesota, I’ll give the edge of the Gophers.
• San Diego State @ Wyoming (CBSS): And here’s where Boise is pinning their hopes after Wyoming’s triple overtime 69-66 loss to UNLV last weekend. San Diego State is probably actually the second best team in the Mountain West despite a bizarre loss to South Alabama (seriously, the Jaguars beat Mississippi State and SDSU and are 1-5 in the Sun Belt). I have them as the favorites here, which should get the Aztecs a match with Boise in a couple of weeks.

4:00: Navy @ East Carolina (ESPNEWS): Like the Florida-LSU game, this game was also pushed back due to Hurricane Matthew. Unlike that game, though, I don’t have any doubts about who’s going to win, and it’s not going to go well for the Pirates versus the government.

5:30:

• Southern Mississippi @ North Texas (beIN): I’d say Southern Miss is just a touch better than UNT. A touch.
• Stanford @ California (Pac12): It’s the Big Game! Much like their last opponent, Cal also doesn’t really have a defense, and Stanford put up 52 on Oregon. It doesn’t figure to go much better for the Bears, but hey, it’s a rivalry game, so there’s always a wildcard factor.

7:00:

• Clemson @ Wake Forest (ESPN): Yes, Clemson lost to Pitt, and yes, the Tigers didn’t really look great in the process, but like I said above, Pitt is pretty good. Wake, however, is just good, and it’s going to cost them here.
• Arkansas @ Mississippi State (ESPNU): A 38-10 loss pretty much has me saying “so much for Novembert” but I still like the Razorbacks here.
• South Florida @ Southern Methodist (CBSS): I’m going to be honest: I don’t like SMU’s chances here.

7:30: Arizona State @ Washington (FOX): USC is enjoying a resurgent second half, Arizona State, not so much. Washington gets back into shape here.

8:00:

• Oklahoma @ West Virginia (ABC): Morgantown. Night. Right now (as of 7:30 AM, Eastern) the forecast for kickoff is 38 degrees with a 30% chance of snow. Football weather! I still like the Sooners, but boy howdy the conditions will be ripe to ignite some couches.
• Tulsa @ Central Florida (ESPNEWS): If there were a “comeback team of the year” award, UCF would probably win it. I’m not sure it’ll be enough against this high-flying Tulsa team, though.
• Mississippi @ Vanderbilt (SEC): The only other conference game of the day in the SEC! Ole Miss rallied to beat Texas A&M after taking the redshirt of their freshman quarterback, who came into his own in the 4th quarter. The task will be easier against the Commodores.
• Pennsylvania State @ Rutgers (BTN): The Big Ten Network apparently is the home of games that figure mostly to be akin to a trainwreck. Hopefully those rights fees are worth the brand dilution of having Rutgers in your league! (… they probably are, but still)

10:15: New Mexico @ Colorado State (ESPN2): If you, like me, prefer 6-6 teams in bowl games over 5-7 teams, you really need Colorado State to win this game.

10:30:

• Southern California @ California-Los Angeles (ESPN): Though there’s basically nothing about UCLA’s season to indicate this, I have a feeling the Bruins will be able to keep it close until USC pulls ahead in the 4th quarter. Also, this game is always worth a peek due to the color uniforms for both teams and the immaculate Rose Bowl field.
• Air Force @ San Jose State (CBSS): If you’re into bowl eligibility, well, this isn’t the game for you, since Air Force is 7-3 and SJSU is 3-7. I think that’s about what you need to know about this one.
• Arizona @ Oregon State (Pac12): Seriously, the bottom of this column is particularly dire. These two teams have a combined 4-16 record. Oof. Uh, Beavers I guess?

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• South Carolina @ Florida (CBS): Neither of these teams is especially, er, gifted offensively, but I have a hard time predicting success for South Carolina’s very young quarterback against a reasonably good Florida defense.
• Baylor @ Oklahoma (ABC/ESPN2): Sooners.
• Pennsylvania State @ Indiana (ABC/ESPN2): The Hoosier’s are the Big Ten’s weekly trap game, and probably one of the hardest remaining contests for the Nittany Lions. That said, State’s been playing at a high enough level that they should win.
• Mississippi State @ Alabama (ESPN): Yes, the Bulldogs upset Texas A&M, but that’s about where this train figures to stop.
• West Virginia @ Texas (FS1): People are saying that this is a game that could save Charlie Strong’s job, but I’m pretty sure around Texas it’s thought that you should probably be beating West Virginia regardless. That said, I don’t really see Texas winning here.
• Cincinnati @ Central Florida (ESPNU): Speaking of fired, I think it’s getting pretty close to the end of the line for Tommy Tuberville at Cincy.
• Southern Methodist @ East Carolina (ESPNEWS): I don’t have a read on this game at all, so I’m going to default to ECU.
• Iowa State @ Kansas (FSN): Hey, it’s a team Iowa State should probably actually beat!
• Kentucky @ Tennessee (SEC): While I’d like to see Kentucky win the SEC East as much as anyone, realistically I have to go with the Vols.
• Northwestern @ Purdue (BTN): Northwestern.
• Tulsa @ Navy (CBSS): The Golden Hurricane can put their fair share of points, but I still like Navy here.

12:30: North Carolina State @ Syracuse (ACC): There’s probably only a couple of teams that have had more confusing seasons than NC State, but I still like them here.

2:00: Miami @ Virginia (ACC/RSN): The Cavs should continue to help the Canes get their mojo back.

3:30:

• Army vs. Notre Dame (@San Antonio, TX; NBC): Notre Dame is super, really, not very good this year. Not even in the “oh, they’re overrated” sense, they’re bad. Army, meanwhile, is enjoying a pretty good season for Army. Unfortunately, I still have to go with the Domers in the Alamodome.
• Auburn @ Georgia (CBS): It’s the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, mostly because the South’s Oldest Rivalry is between North Carolina and Virginia. All that said, goodness me Georgia is so very mediocre this year, while Auburn is suddenly a machine. This shouldn’t be close.
• Pittsburgh @ Clemson (ABC): Pitt has some good interior linemen and a couple of very good running backs, but none of this should present an obstacle to the Tigers.
• Ohio State @ Maryland (ESPN): So I’m actually in Columbus, OH this week. I was here for the US-Mexico game which, uh, didn’t go so well. But I will probably be watching this one on TV with a bunch of Buckeye partisans, and I suspect they’ll at least go home happy with this one. That said, this Maryland team isn’t as terrible as they’ve been the past few years.
• Illinois @ Wisconsin (ESPN2): Wisconsin.
• Texas Tech @ Oklahoma State (FS1): Both of these teams can score, and then add in that anyone can score against the Red Raiders, and, well…
• Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech (ESPNU): Speaking of teams with no defense, it’s us 🙁
  I don’t really have anything against Paul Johnson. I think he’s a good fit for this team and the school. But, practically speaking, I would understand if he got fired after this season, mostly because the main reason I don’t think he’d get fired is that the athletic department is currently paying two people to not coach basketball for us. Unlike, say, Charlie Strong, I don’t think Johnson is really even on the hotseat, but I would expect the heat to start getting turned if things don’t go well against UVA next weekend.
  All that said, I do think Ted Roof is gone after the season, regardless. It was generally thought this year’s defense couldn’t be much worse than last year’s, and we’ve been proven spectacularly wrong. Given that many issues seem to come down to coaching rather than talent (and remember, this is college, you can’t fire the players), I don’t see how he retains his position.
  So, yeah, this game! Well, VPI looks pretty good this year, but they’ve hit some occasional speedbumps that provide just a sliver of optimism up in Blacksburg. Just a sliver.
• Vanderbilt @ Missouri (SEC): Am I actually about to pick Vandy in a SEC game. Yes I am!
• Tulane @ Houston (CBSS): Houston.

4:00: Stanford @ Oregon (Pac12): I suspect there were many that circled this date on their calendar, and, well, things don’t always go according to plan. I still like Stanford there, though.

7:00:

• Louisiana State @ Arkansas (ESPN): I’ve been learning a lot about the Golden Boot this week, namely, that the trophy is actually gold and it weighs a lot. Either way, I don’t think effects of Novembert will really take hold here and I like LSU.
• Wake Forest @ Louisville (ESPN2): Look, Wake is halfway decent this year, but the only drama in this game is when Louisville will pull Lamar Jackson.
• South Florida @ Memphis (ESPNU): I’ve been predicting Memphis will win here in all my bowl projections, so let’s stay consistent.
• Boise State @ Hawaii (CBSS): The Broncos venture to Hawaii, hoping to stay relevant in the MWC Mountain division race. I think they will.

7:30:

• Southern California @ Washington (FOX): Game of the Week! USC has rapidly improved (almost as much as Auburn) and is the best team by pure talent that UDub will face the entire rest of the season. I think the Huskies will get past this, but their defensive chops will be truly tested.
• Mississippi @ Texas A&M (SEC): Both these teams are now down a starting quarterback, but I still like TAMU here.
• Minnesota @ Nebraska (BTN): Technically, these two rivals are tied in the Big Ten West, but I think Nebraska should win easily.

8:00: Michigan @ Iowa (ABC): Speaking of winning easily, oof this could get ugly.

9:00: Oregon State @ California-Los Angeles (Pac12): UCLA has to be one of the most disappointing teams of 2016, right? The schedule offers a bit of a reprieve, as they should still be able to beat Oregon State.

10:00: Colorado @ Arizona (FS1): The #pac12afterdark window kicks off with, well, a likely easy Buffs victory. But still!

10:15:

• New Mexico @ Utah State (ESPN2): I’m about to type that I’m picking New Mexico, which feels weird, but here we are: I’m picking New Mexixco.
• Colorado State @ Air Force (ESPNU): I don’t think the Falcons are really all that good this year, while I still like the Rams.

10:30:

• California @ Washington State (ESPN): Things figure to get trippy up on Pullman. Expect yards, expect points, but still expect a Wazzou victory.
• San Diego State @ Nevada (CBSS): Aztecs.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Notre Dame vs. Navy (@Jacksonville, FL; CBS): I don’t think Ken Niumatalolo is really looking to leave the Naval Academy, but I’d like to think that a win here could catapult him to a major conference team. C’mon, Purdue, pick up the phone.
• Wisconsin @ Northwestern (ABC): To me, the most agonizing about thing about this game was worrying that Wisconsin could conceivably win easily and shut out Northwestern without covering.
• Vanderbilt @ Auburn (ESPN): College football, more than any other sport I can think of, can really see a team change its character over the course of 12 games, and perhaps no other team exemplifies that more than these Auburn Tigers. Seriously. I don’t see anything other than the Commodores being incinerated here.
• Louisville @ Boston College (ESPN2): Boston College won an ACC game last weekend! Yay! Enjoy it while it lasts, which isn’t much longer.
• Texas @ Texas Tech (FS1): The Longhorns defense isn’t very good, but at least it exists.
• Georgia Southern @ Mississippi (ESPNU): This Southern team isn’t enough to make Ole Miss worry this year.
• Michigan State @ Illinois (ESPNEWS): Uh, don’t watch this. I’m not really sure I want to know the answer to this question. I guess I’ll go with Sparty, though.
• Texas A&M @ Mississippi State (SEC): This Miss State team is proving that Dak Prescott may have been the greatest college football player to ever live.
• Indiana @ Rutgers (BTN): Indiana.
• Air Force @ Army (CBSS): I think Army is improved, I just don’t see this as a win for them. If they do pull it off, though, they’ll probably go bowling.

12:30:

• Pittsburgh @ Miami (ACC): Is this the game where the Hurricanes can finally get their mojo back? Really, both of these teams have been disappointing this year, especially after promising starts for each. I’m going with the ‘Canes once again, but probably not much longer if they drop this.
• Georgia Tech @ North Carolina (ACC): This Georgia Tech defense would fit in in the Pac-12. Most of the issues I have with them just come down to coaching, which has to make me think that Ted Roof is on the way out. Unfortunately, Mitch Trubisky and company have the tools more than almost any other team in the ACC not named “Clemson” or “Louisville” to really feast on our defense. The best case scenario seems to be the shootouts that have peppered this series as of late, so as is often the case in these games, I hope we get the ball last.

3:00: Virginia @ Wake Forest (ACC/RSN): There has to be some sort of prophecy about Wake Forest being okay once every ten years or something.

3:30:

• Texas Christian @ Baylor (FOX): Thank you, Texas. TCU.
• Florida @ Arkansas (CBS): Yeah, it’d be pretty fitting for one of the SEC East frontrunners to go get clobbered on the road against an SEC West team.
• Oklahoma State @ Kansas State (ABC/ESPN2): I just don’t see K-State being able to keep up here.
• Syracuse @ Clemson (ABC/ESPN2): See above, except replace “K-State” with “Syracuse”.
• Maryland @ Michigan (ESPN): Okay, so, Maryland is, like, kinda okay this year? Look for them to lose by 20 or so instead of 30+.
• Virginia Tech @ Duke (ESPNU): Boy howdy, this 3:30 slate is kind of bleak, isn’t it? This might be the most exciting game on this list, and even I’m pegging VPI has prohibitive favorites.
• Oregon State @ Stanford (FS1): I think Stanford can notch a Pac-12 win here? Maybe?
• Purdue @ Minnesota (BTN): Seriously Boilermakers, run the option. Of course, the AD you just hired sort of didn’t get along with our coach, so maybe he’ll have a prejudice against option coaches? Then again, I suspect not a lot of people get along with Paul Johnson. Oh, and yeah, Gophers.
• Brigham Young @ Cincinnati (CBSS): Tubs, you should’ve got while the gettin’ was good. Stormin’ Mormons roll.

4:00:

• Memphis @ Southern Methodist (ESPNEWS): Okay, SMU, good job on beating Houston and (maybe?) costing Tom Herman the Texas job. Wait, no, the other thing. I have Memphis here.
• Missouri @ South Carolina (SEC): I feel like if I were making a “list of unwatchable major conference football games”, this one would probably be near the top of the list. Uh, Gamecocks?
• Arizona @ Washington State (Pac12): While I’m sure it’d be wonderful to see two 8-0 in the Pac-12 squads roll into the Apple Cup, I don’t see it. I think Wazzou is going to pick up a random loss on the way, so why not here?

5:30: Florida International @ Western Kentucky (beIN): Oof. Hilltopers going to score some points, y’all.

7:00:

• Oregon @ Southern California (ESPN): USC has an upright quarterback among other things, which against this Oregon team is more than enough.
• Kansas @ West Virginia (ESPN2): The flames will rise from the couches after taking a brief break due.
• Florida State @ North Carolina State (ESPNU): I’m not going to hold losing to Boston College against NC State all that much because, hey, that happens sometimes. While I think they can offer some resistance to FSU, ultimately they’re just too much to overcome.
• Hawaii @ San Diego State (CBSS): Other than their (inexplicable) loss to the country’s best worst team (South Alabama), the Aztecs have looked good this year. Hawaii’s not as awful as past editions, but this game in particular figures to be too tough for them.

7:30:

• Georgia @ Kentucky (SEC): It would make my day if this is season where Georgia loses to both Vanderbilt and Kentucky, but, well, I just can’t predict it.
• Iowa @ Pennsylvania State (BTN): It seems about right that Penn State would drop this game coming off the big win over Ohio State.

8:00:

• Nebraska @ Ohio State (ABC): Speaking of the Buckeyes, at some point their offense has to get back on track, right? I like the odds of it happening here.
• Alabama @ Louisiana State (CBS): Okay, so it took a large man with a very heavy Cajun accent to drag LSU’s offense out of the stone age, and lo and behold, they look, well, like we all expected a properly functioning LSU offense to look. Go figure! Seriously, LSU, this is was the job DACOACHO was made for. If he doesn’t get this, I hope he gets the Arkansas job or something where he’ll play LSU every year just to spite them. That said… this Alabama team is, like, really good. I just can’t bring myself to pick against them.
• East Carolina @ Tulsa (ESPNEWS): The Alabama-LSU game is on CBS, so it’ll probably just be getting to the half when this game is starting the 4th quarter. Then again, Tulsa is pretty pass-happy, so maybe… the third quarter.

10:15:

• Utah State @ Wyoming (ESPN2): The Aggies aren’t that good this year, so if you’re asking if Wyoming can make it two in a row, I say “why not?”
• Nevada @ New Mexico (ESPNU): Did you know Bob Davie is still the head coach of New Mexico? Yeah, really! I might watch this just for that. (I also like the Lobos here.)

10:30: Washington @ California (ESPN): And finally, we get to #pac12afterdark. This one goes either one of two ways. One way is UDub comes out pissed at getting ranked 5th by the Committee and completely goes off on the Golden Bears and wins, like, 51-7. The other is that Washington starts to show some cracks, and the Bears keep it close until a few bounces go against them in the 4th quarter and the Huskies wind up winning by 10 or 14, which is a win but satisfies no one. Either way, I’m going with them.

Furthermore, Carthage must be destroyed.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• West Virginia @ Oklahoma State (FOX): How real are the Mountaineers? We’re about to find out, on this way where we’ve got a lot of road favorites. But they’re favorites for a reason.
• Pennsylvania State @ Purdue (ABC/ESPN2): So Penn State did beat Ohio State last week, but of all teams to worry about a let-down against, Purdue isn’t one of them.
• Louisville @ Virginia (ABC/ESPN2): Yeah, looks like Lamar Jackson is fully functional again. UVA doesn’t stand a chance.
• Michigan @ Michigan State (ESPN): Speaking of not standing a chance, well, Michigan fans: stop reading now. So yeah, you think Harbaugh forgot what happened last year? Yeah, me neither.
• Central Florida @ Houston (ESPNU): What, uh, happened to Houston? Navy, okay, sure, the Midshipmen look good this year. But SMU? Really guys? So, I’m still going to pick the Cougs here, but y’all are on notice.
• Kansas State @ Iowa State (FSN): A fact I totally knew and did not just read 5 minutes ago: these two teams first met 100 years ago! I like K-State in the centennial.
• Kentucky @ Missouri (SEC): Uh, Kentucky? Sure, why not.
• Connecticut @ East Carolina (ESPNEWS): I have no idea. Seriously, stick to WVU-OSU if you want a good game, and Louisville-UVA or Michigan-Michigan State if you like watching car safety test videos.
• Minnesota @ Illinois (BTN): Minnesota.
• Duke @ Georgia Tech (ACC/RSN): Okay, so coming off the bye week, we have some work to do for the rest of the season. This is a good of a place as any to start, by which I mean, I’m trying to process the part where we’ve lost two straight to Duke. Then again, Duke’s been on a bit of a run themselves these past few years until, well, this year.
  On the balance so far, this Tech team has been tough to watch. Our blocking and line play is bad the second year in a row. However bad you think the defense looks, from everything I’ve read it’s actually worse. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a new defensive coordinator next year. I’m personally not ready to call for Paul Johnson’s head (and given our athletic department’s budget, I don’t think it’s likely regardless), but I’d like to see some improvement against the back half of our schedule.
• Kent State @ Central Michigan (CBSS): Some Saturday MACTION for you, if you so desire. I like Cental Michigan here.

12:30: Boston College @ North Carolina State (ACC): Boston College still lacks any sort of offense, so…

3:30:

• Baylor @ Texas (ABC): Baylor.
• Miami @ Notre Dame (NBC): After the past few weeks, whatever shine was remaining on this game has completely clouded up. I still like Miami, though.
• Georgia vs. Florida (@Jacksonville, FL; CBS): Well, this game will probably be nice and bludgeon-y, but I still expect Florida to win.
• Northwestern @ Ohio State (ESPN): Ohio State.
• Texas Tech @ Texas Christian (ESPN2): My favorite reaction to last week’s Texas Tech-Oklahoma game:
  

  Having watched that absurd TTech/Oklahoma game, Kliff Kingsbury should really consider onside kicking every time for the rest of the year.

  — Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) October 24, 2016

  Going with TCU.

• Washington @ Utah (FS1): East Coast-types: watch this one, seriously. I think Washington is going to win, but all the same, you need to see the Huskies.
• Maryland @ Indiana (ESPNU): The Terps are 5-2 out of what feels like nowhere. I’m not ready to give up on the Hoosiers, though.
• Cincinnati @ Temple (CBSS): I am giving up on Cincy, though. Ugh.
• Army @ Wake Forest (ACC/RSN): One of Army’s last winnable games. They’ll need to pick up an upset on the way to make a bowl.

4:00: Southern Methodist @ Tulane (ESPNEWS): Now this game has “let down” written all over it.

5:00: Arizona State @ Oregon (Pac12): In two weeks, Oregon will be mathematically eliminated from bowl eligibility. Book it.

7:00:

• Nebraska @ Wisconsin (ESPN): Nebraska is undefeated and Wisconsin is 5-2. But you need to consider that Nebraska would also have a loss or two if their two Big Ten East opponents this year had been Ohio State and Michigan. I think the Badgers are seriously good, and Nebraska doesn’t have the firepower to overcome that defense.
• Kansas @ Oklahoma (FS1): Oklahoma.
• Boise State @ Wyoming (CBSS): Boise.

7:15:

• Tennessee @ South Carolina (ESPN2): The Vols should be able to make some hay, back in the cozy confines of the SEC East.
• Auburn @ Mississippi (SEC): So… did Auburn get good when no one was looking, or what? Last week’s 56-3 pasting of Arkansas just came out of pretty much nowhere, and if Gus has this thing fully cranked up, well, it doesn’t look good for Ole Miss.

7:30: New Mexico State @ Texas A&M (ESPNU): TAMU. (Still annoyed that the “A&M” part doesn’t stand for anything.)

8:00:

• Clemson @ Florida State (ABC): I think this will be a good game, but Florida State this year just has too many flaws and, well, Clemson has to look like Clemson again at some point this season, right?
• Tulsa @ Memphis (ESPNEWS): Maybe Tulsa was on to something about Houston a few weeks ago, when they only lost by 7. I like them here to win outright.

10:30: Nevada-Las Vegas @ San Jose State (CBSS): This is sure a football game on TV, yep. Uh, UNLV?

10:45: Washington State @ Oregon State (ESPN2): I have the feeling, just a gut feeling, that Washington St will trip up again before the end of the season. Where? Well, probably not here, but with the Cougs anything is possible, man.

11:00: Stanford @ Arizona (FS1): A reprieve for Stanford’s slide awaits in the desert.