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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.

THWG Thought of the Day: 11/30

Men, Georgie’s a fine football team, a very fine football team. Georgie’s bigger and faster than we are. Probably a little tougher, too.

That’s okay, because we’re smarter than they are.

Now, let me tell you what’s going to happen. That Georgie team’s going to come running out of the tunnel screaming and foaming at the mouth and smashing one another upside the head just to get warmed up.

We won’t do any of that. While they waste their energy, we’ll conserve ours. I’ve told you that they’re bigger, faster, and tougher than you. That’s true. But we do have that one big advantage.

We … are … smarter.

Think about what I teach you. Play field position. Play great defense. Make no mistakes on offense. Be great in the kicking game. Do that and we’ll keep it close.

As the game goes on, they’ll start to get tired because they wasted so much energy in the beginning. Because we’re smart, we’ll have plenty of energy left, and at some point in the fourth quarter they’ll make a mistake.

When they do make that mistake, we’ll get the football. And when that happens, I’ll think of something and we’ll win!

Coach Bobby Dodd, as told by Bill Curry

THWG Thought of the Day: 11/24

Men, Georgie’s a fine football team, a very fine football team. Georgie’s bigger and faster than we are. Probably a little tougher, too.

That’s okay, because we’re smarter than they are.

Now, let me tell you what’s going to happen. That Georgie team’s going to come running out of the tunnel screaming and foaming at the mouth and smashing one another upside the head just to get warmed up.

We won’t do any of that. While they waste their energy, we’ll conserve ours. I’ve told you that they’re bigger, faster, and tougher than you. That’s true. But we do have that one big advantage.

We … are … smarter.

Think about what I teach you. Play field position. Play great defense. Make no mistakes on offense. Be great in the kicking game. Do that and we’ll keep it close.

As the game goes on, they’ll start to get tired because they wasted so much energy in the beginning. Because we’re smart, we’ll have plenty of energy left, and at some point in the fourth quarter they’ll make a mistake.

When they do make that mistake, we’ll get the football. And when that happens, I’ll think of something and we’ll win!

Coach Bobby Dodd, as told by Bill Curry

THWG Thought of the Day: 11/25

Men, Georgie’s a fine football team, a very fine football team. Georgie’s bigger and faster than we are. Probably a little tougher, too.

That’s okay, because we’re smarter than they are.

Now, let me tell you what’s going to happen. That Georgie team’s going to come running out of the tunnel screaming and foaming at the mouth and smashing one another upside the head just to get warmed up.

We won’t do any of that. While they waste their energy, we’ll conserve ours. I’ve told you that they’re bigger, faster, and tougher than you. That’s true. But we do have that one big advantage.

We … are … smarter.

Think about what I teach you. Play field position. Play great defense. Make no mistakes on offense. Be great in the kicking game. Do that and we’ll keep it close.

As the game goes on, they’ll start to get tired because they wasted so much energy in the beginning. Because we’re smart, we’ll have plenty of energy left, and at some point in the fourth quarter they’ll make a mistake.

When they do make that mistake, we’ll get the football. And when that happens, I’ll think of something and we’ll win!

Coach Bobby Dodd, as told by Bill Curry

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I’M A RAMBLIN’ WRECK FROM GEORGIA TECH AND A HELL OF AN ENGINEER
A HELLUVA HELLUVA HELL OF AN ENGINEER
LIKE ALL THE JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS
I DRINK MY WHISKEY CLEAR
I’M A RAMBLIN’ WRECK FROM GEORGIA TECH AND A HELL OF AN ENGINEER

IF I HAD A DAUGHTER, SIR, I’D DRESS HER IN WHITE AND GOLD
PUT HER ON THE CAMPUS
TO CHEER THE BRAVE AND BOLD
IF I HAD A SON, SIR, I’D TELL YOU WHAT HE’D DO
HE’D YELL “TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!” LIKE HIS DADDY USED TO DO

I WISH I HAD A BARREL OF RUM AND SUGAR THREE THOUSAND POUNDS
A COLLEGE BELL TO PUT IT IN
A CLAPPER TO STIR IT AROUND
I’D DRINK TO ALL THE JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS
WHO COME FROM FAR AND NEAR
BECAUSE I’M A RAMBLIN’ GAMBLIN’ HELL OF AN ENGINEER HEY!