This Weekend in College Football: Week 15

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon: Wofford @ North Dakota State (NCAA Division I Quaterfinal, ESPN2): Honestly, I don't have many thoughts on this other than I think it'd generally be more interesting if the Bison (pronounced 'Bizon') won, so let's go with them.

3:00: Army vs. Navy (@ Philadelphia, PA; CBS): This is the game of the day, obviously, with the requisite lead-in to the Hiesman ceremony. Look, the main reason to watch here is that it should be a close game, but that I actually like Army to win in the first time since... well, the first time that I can ever recall. Maybe I need to go back through this site's archives, but that's besides the point. Last year's game was a massive upset, this year's won't be.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 14

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Friday
8:00: Southern California vs. Stanford (Pac-12 Conference Championship @ Santa Clara, CA; ESPN): I'll be at this game! At any rate, it's hard to know what to make of this rematch. USC beat Stanford 42-24 but that was literally back in September. Suffice it to say, things have changed, including the part where USC later got shallacked by a Notre Dame team that the Cardinal just easily beat. USC has since struggled in conference play as well, so I'm going to pick the mild upset and go with Stanford here.

Saturday
Noon:

• Memphis @ Central Florida (American Conference Championship; ABC): Memphis is solid and all, but UCF is pretty dang good. Going with the Knights here.
• Akron vs. Toledo (Mid-American Conference Championship @ Detroit, MI; ESPN): Saturday early afternoon MACtion? Sure, why not! That said, Toledo is a huge favorite, and for good reason. That's never stopped underdogs in the MAC title game before, but still, this should be a straightforward Toledo win.
• North Texas @ Florida Atlantic (Conference USA Championship; ESPN2): Roll Owls.

12:30: Oklahoma vs. Texas Christian (Big 12 Conference Championship @ Arlington, TX; FOX): Everyone is saying that Gary Patterson and TCU will have Oklahoma's number in this rematch and ruin Oklahoma's chances at the playoff to prove how dumb the Big 12 having a title game is. Therefore, I'm going against the grain and thinking the Sooners win easily.

4:00: Georgia vs. Auburn (Southeastern Conference Championship @ Atlanta, GA; CBS): It's hard to beat at team twice in the same season, but Auburn is actually pretty good? They've already shutdown Georgia and just shut down Kirby Smart's master in the worst performance anyone has seen out of the Tide in years. It's hard for me to pick against the Tigers here.

7:30: Troy @ Arkansas State (ESPN2): Neal Brown just's sitting here waiting, Tennessee. I mean, he beat LSU! (And will probably beat Arkansas State.)

7:45: Fresno State @ Boise State (Mountain West Conference Championship; ESPN): Fresno won round one down in Fresno, but given home field advantage I like Boise in the rematch.

8:00:

• Wisconsin vs. Ohio State (Big Ten Conference Championship @ Indianapolis, IN; FOX): I like Ohio State is going to win. There I said it. Now it's time to hedge. For starters, it depends on which version of Ohio State, and more specifically, J.T. Barrett shows up. If it's Good Ohio State/JT then I think they'll win. Otherwise, this Wisconsin team is a pretty dang good version of Wisconsin (I mean, they're undefeated!) and will win if Ohio State is anything less than 100%.
• Clemson vs. Miami (Atlantic Coast Conference Championship @ Charlotte, NC; ABC): I don't think Miami is that good and that Clemson will win easily.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 13

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Georgia @ Georgia Tech (ABC): TO HELL WITH GEORGIA
• Ohio State @ Michigan (FOX): All right, it's hard to think of anything to say about this game that hasn't already been said. If you don't have a rooting interest in any of these other games, this is probably where you want to me. I like Ohio State, but boy howdy is it super dependent on which version shows up.
• Florida State @ Florida (ESPN): Ugh. Uh, FSU? Florida has looked completely checked out the past two weeks.
• Indiana @ Purdue (ESPN2): Purdue had a kind of out-of-nowhere result last week with an upset at Iowa, and I like them to continue the trend at home against the Hoosiers.
• Kansas @ Oklahoma State (FS1): Kansas is capital-B Bad.
• East Carolina @ Memphis (ESPNU): Unless Memphis isn't awake for this 11 AM local time start, or is just looking ahead to UCF next week, they shouldn't have any issues here.
• Connecticut @ Cincinnati (ESPNEWS): Ugh. Uh, Cincy?
• Louisville @ Kentucky (SEC): The Fightin' Lamar Jacksons seek revenge for last year's demoralizing loss, and once again you'd have to predict them to win.
• Tulane @ Southern Methodist (CBSS): Maybe keep an eye on this one, this could be lit. Though if that happens, that would definitely be in SMU's favor.

12:20: Boston College @ Syracuse (ACC): Boston College figures to continue their late-season surge, while the Orange have been doing pretty much the opposite.

12:30: Duke @ Wake Forest (ACC/RSN): Despite I watched what Duke did to my own team last week, I still like Wake a lot here. They're a better all around team.

3:30:

• Alabama @ Auburn (CBS): You could pretty much make this a bracket. The winner here plays Georgia in the SEC championship, and the winner there makes it into the playoff. Who will win? Auburn has looked fantastic since they lost to LSU, a string of 30+ point wins in their wake (including demolishing Georgia earlier this month). Bama has, of course, been Bama, but here's the thing: who have they played? Their best win is either LSU or Mississippi State, which isn't quite a Georgia-quality win at this point. I still take the view that you bet against the Tide at your risk, but this is the most vulnerable Alabama team in years.
• Wisconsin @ Minnesota (ABC): After losing to Northwestern, it's safe to say the boat is pretty much sunk for Minnesota. I like the Badgers to retain the Axe here.
• Iowa State @ Kansas State (ESPN2): Not technically a rivalry, though it does have a fun nickname ("Farmageddon") and is one of the most played rivalries in the history of college football (8th longest, 100 straight meetings). The Cyclones have been one of the most interesting teams in football, but even K-State got into the act last week by putting an already lethargic Oklahoma State team in a sleeperhold. With the game in the Little Apple, I'm leaning slightly toward the home team.
• North Carolina @ North Carolina State (ESPNU): UNC's lost season figures to come to a merciful end.
• Pennsylvanian State @ Maryland (BTN): Maryland is feisty this year, but it hasn't often translated into wins, a trend that figures to continue against the Nittany Lions.

3:45: West Virginia @ Oklahoma (ESPN): West Virginia isn't especially good this year, but they're still dangerous enough to wreck Oklahoma's chances of making the playoff. I'm not going to predict that, but there's a chance.

4:00:

• Michigan State @ Rutgers (FOX): Rutgers is better this year, but... nah.
• Northwestern @ Illinois (FS1): Northwestern.
• Temple @ Tulsa (ESPNEWS): Temple.
• Vanderbilt @ Tennessee (SEC): Should I predict that Tennessee will finish its first ever winless SEC season with a loss here? Eh, why the hell not, let's do this.

4:30: Arizona @ Arizona State (Pac12): As usual, Khalil Tate figures to just be too much for the Sun Devils. Take advantage of the opportunity to watch this if you get Pac-12 Network.

7:00: Oregon State @ Oregon (ESPN2): The Civil War has a reputation, but I don't think an Oregon State team that is winless against FBS teams is much of a threat for the Ducks.

7:30:

• Clemson @ South Carolina (ESPN): These Gamecocks are improved, sure, but of their five SEC wins, three of them have come against teams that have fired their coach. Clemson has looked more like Clemson of recent weeks, and so I don't think they'll have issues here.
• Texas-San Antonio @ Louisiana Tech (ESPNU): Looking over these two teams' records, I'm actually leaning toward UTSA a little bit. I didn't figure on that, but here we are.
• Texas A&M @ Louisiana State (SEC): With the reports that Sumlin is out regardless of the result of this game, I'd have to guess that they might be a little bit flat. I like LSU here.

8:00:

• Washington State @ Washington (FOX): Well, the Apple Cup isn't quite as hype as we thought it'd be when both of these teams were undefeated, but this still figures to be a lot of fun. Wazzu can still make it to Santa Clara with a win, but I think the Huskies are a better team and they always have an edge at home.
• Notre Dame @ Stanford (ABC): Speaking of taking advantage of a time slot to watch Khalil Tate, you can even see Bryce Love in primetime on broadcast television! That said, Notre Dame is a better all-around team than Stanford is this year. This figures to not be a good look for the Pac-12, especially if Washington wins the Apple Cup (and Stanford proceeds to the Pac-12 title game on tiebreakers).

9:00: Brigham Young @ Hawaii (CBSS): BYU, but avoid this unless you really need video footage from somewhere sunny and warm right now.

10:00: Colorado @ Utah (FS1): It's not only the Battle of the Rockies, it's the Battle of Last Place Teams In the Pac-12 South. Nonetheless, Utah's the better team, they've just had some bad luck this year. I like the Utes here.

10:15: Utah State @ Air Force (ESPN2): Air Force just, well, hasn't been good this year. I don't figure that will change with this game.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 12

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Mississippi State @ Arkansas (CBS): Novembert seems to be a thing of the past, especially now that the man who hired Brett Bielema was just fired. Have to like Miss State here.
• Virginia @ Miami (ABC): Well, it'd be kind of on-brand for modern day Miami to score a huge win over a top-tier opponent and then immediately flatline against Virginia, but somehow I just don't see that happening.
• Michigan @ Wisconsin (FOX): The best indicator of the kind of week we're looking at for Week 12 is that this is the consensus best game going. Which, well, that's probably true, and Michigan is the best team between Wisconsin and their trip to Indianapolis in a couple of weeks. That said, this still a reloading Michigan team that has some severe issues on offense that figure to be tough to overcome in Madison.
• Texas @ West Virginia (ESPN): The Longhorns managed to break the 30-point barrier for the first time in a month last week by walloping Kansas 42-27. Unfortunately for them, West Virginia is not Kansas.
• Louisiana-Monroe @ Auburn (ESPN2): Tigers.
• Texas Christian @ Texas Tech (FS1): Texas Tech hasn't beaten a single Big 12 team with a pulse, a trend that doesn't figure to change now.
• Central Florida @ Temple (ESPNU): We're only a week away from USF-UCF!
• Southern Methodist @ Memphis (ESPNEWS): If you get tired of watching large men crash into other large men to move the ball a few yards at a time, then boy howdy do I have an offer for you! (If you get ESPNEWS, that is.) Because there will be POINTS in this game. The over/under is 110 points. Given that there's a non-zero chance that the halftime score could be 52-50, I'd say take the over. Outside of that, though, Memphis should win.
• Minnesota @ Northwestern (BTN): I have no opinion on this game. Northwestern, I guess?
• Cincinnati @ East Carolina (CBSS): Don't watch this unless you're flipping into the see the replay of something rare and/or dumb, like a one-point safety for something. (Which, given the announcers CBSS usually has, would be hilarious because I suspect they would have no idea what's going on.) As for who's going win? Uh, ECU I guess?

12:20: Pittsburgh @ Virginia Tech (ACC): I do so enjoy beating VPI, but they should be able to get back on track at home against a struggling Pitt team.

3:00: Arizona State @ Oregon State (Pac12): Remember those salad days of early October when the Sun Devils ripped off consecutive wins over Washington and Utah and we were all "hey, maybe they have a really good defense!" Yeah, it didn't last. They should still be able to take the Beavers, though.

3:30:

• Illinois @ Ohio State (ABC): Buckeyes.
• Navy @ Notre Dame (NBC): Provided Notre Dame can get up for this game at all, they should be able to take this one. This Navy is good, but not as good as the Navy teams that have given Notre Dame fits in the past.
• Kentucky @ Georgia (CBS): Kentucky is probably the second or third best team in the SEC East right now, which says more about the relative state of Florida and Tennessee football right now, but still. Anyway, it was fun to watch Georgia lose last week (and lose badly, at that), but they should be able to run over, around, and through Kentucky.
• Oklahoma @ Kansas (ESPN): Sooners.
• Kansas State @ Oklahoma State (ESPN2): Kansas State won't win this game, but I sort of consider it a compliment to Bill Synder that I can't just write off a 5-5 K-State completely.
• Syracuse @ Louisville (ESPNU): The Fightin' Lamar Jacksons should be able to handle Syracuse, but the usual problem will be that Lamar Jackson does not play also defense.
• Purdue @ Iowa (BTN): In some way, the fact that Purdue is associated with fun football again is still pretty good for Year 1. The Hawkeyes though, yeah, they're probably going to win.
• San Jose State @ Colorado State (CBSS): Rams.
• Georgia Tech @ Duke (ACC/RSN): It's not going to rain tomorrow. There's a lot of factors that go into whether or not you're a good rain team. To be clear, there are no good rain teams (except Michigan State). Classically, run-oriented teams are considered to be good in the rain, which may well be true. Like many assumptions along those lines, Georgia Tech is often lumped in that category, which results in announcers being shocked when Paul Johnson says things like "we're not a good rain team". This is because the stereotype imagines a bunch of guys in mud-stained, soaked jerseys, running backs being literally slippery, and just the lines crashing into other lines. But that's not really Paul Johnson's game. Remember, the option offense works on the principal of using numbers to gain leverage against the defense to hit big plays. This means you need linemen that are able to move and receivers that can hold their blocks. If it's wet, both of these things are much more difficult. And that doesn't even account for the slipperiness of a pitched ball.
  But yeah, it's not going to rain tomorrow.
  As mentioned before, beating VPI is always fun. A great relief for me especially is that we finally manged to not only get a lead in the final minutes but hold it. This team is one of the most snakebit Tech teams I've ever seen in close games and it was fantastic to finally get one in the bag. Now, though we need to win a road game for the first time this year against a team that we've generally found to be tricksy the past few seasons. Hopefully we're up to the task in Durham.

4:00:

• Maryland @ Michigan State (FOX): Speaking of the weather, the forecast for East Lansing, MI tomorrow is rain throughout the day and a temperature of about 42 degrees at kickoff. SPARTY GONNA ROLL Y'ALL.
• Nebraska @ Pennsylvania State (FS1): Penn State's just over here, waiting to be called on, bags packed and ready for Indianapolis, you know, just in case. They just need to make sure they don't look past this one for that theoretical Big Ten title game.
• Houston @ Tulane (ESPNEWS): This Tulane team has been feisty at times this year, but yeah, I don't like their odds against Houston.
• Alabama-Birmingham @ Florida (SEC): My favorite college football story of the year are your University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers not only getting back up off the mat after being killed off in the dumbest conspiracy ever but then proceeding to go 7-3 and 5-2 in C-USA play. I mean, look, Florida has superior talent at every position on the two deep, and any logical conclusion has the Gators winning. But screw logic, GO BLAZERS.

6:30: Army @ North Texas (beIN): The last time Army had more than 7 regular season wins was 1996, when they went 10-1 (before the bowl game). Sitting at 8-2, that has to be the target. I like their chances of getting to 9, at least.

7:00:

• Louisiana State @ Tennessee (ESPN): LIGHTNING ROUND. LSU.
• Texas A&M @ Mississippi (ESPN2): TAMU?
• Boston College vs. Connecticut (@Boston, MA; CBSS): This is being played at Fenway Park for some reason. Also, BC.
• Arizona @ Oregon (Pac12): Taking the Fightin' Khalil Tates here.

7:30:

• North Carolina State @ Wake Forest (ESPNU): Even considering that a lot of widely anticipated contests turned out to be blowouts last week, I still say the unlikeliest result was Wake Forest dropping 64 (64!) on Syracuse. They scored 24 (24!) in the fourth (!) quarter. Exclamation marks! Anyway, NC State actually plays defense, so they probably won't do that again, and one wonders if they maybe spent all their points allowance in the Carrier Dome last weekend.
• Missouri @ Vanderbilt (SEC): Mizzou is unstoppable right now, which also coincides with the fact that Mizzou got all of the team that are obviously better than them out of the way early. (To give you an idea of how things are going in Gainesville, consider that one of the teams they steamrolled was Florida.) So yeah, I like them here.

8:00:

• California-Los Angeles @ Southern California (ABC): The weather will be perfect and both teams will be wearing their colors. That figures to be about the high point of evening for UCLA.
• California @ Stanford (FOX): The Big Game figures mostly be a Bryce Love showcase in primetime.

10:15: Air Force @ Boise State (ESPN2): It's odd when Air Force is the worst of three academies, but here we are. Boise should roll.

10:30:

• Utah @ Washington (ESPN): We're barrelling toward a 3-way tie atop of the Pac-12 North, but in the meantime, let's consider what should probably be a crucial home win for the Huskers.
• Nevada @ San Diego State (CBSS): Aztecs.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 11

Posting this way late, so this is going to be a lot of LIGHTNING ROUND. But rest assured, this is a pretty great lineup for Week 11!

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Michigan State @ Ohio State (FOX): Oh geez this is actually at 9:00 AM? We're off to a pretty good start. I'll be distracted by my own game, but still. The line on this is making the Buckeyes an insane 17 point favorite or something, which, hey, is possible but sure doesn't seem probable right now, you know? But this site isn't about gambling advice, and I think ti's well established that I pick the winners. So, yeah, I got the Buckeyes here.
• Florida @ South Carolina (CBS): You what you could be watching instead of this? The game before this or the game I'll take about next. Taking the Gamecocks.
• Oklahoma State @ Iowa State (ABC/ESPN2): So how about that state of Iowa this year, eh? We should've seen it coming when Iowa State-Iowa went to double overtime back in September, I guess. Reason says stick with the Pokes, but a view of this season at the moment says go with the Cyclones.
• North Carolina State @ Boston College (ABC/ESPN2): I still like the Wolfpack.
• Arkansas @ Louisiana State (ESPN): Okay, so maybe the Novembert mystique has worn off.
• Nebraska @ Minnesota (FS1): This is definitely a matchup of two Big Ten West teams that aren't Wisconsin or Iowa. Uh, Gophers?
• Connecticut @ Central Florida (ESPNU): UCF.
• Texas Tech vs. Baylor (@Arlington, TX; FOX/RSN): Red Raiders.
• Louisiana-Lafayette @ Mississippi (SEC): Ole Miss... probably.
• Rutgers @ Pennsylvania State (BTN): Nittany Lions.
• Duke @ Army (CBSS): Army.

12:20: Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech (ACC): What to even say? I warned you about Charlottesville? That was probably our worst played game of the season and we paid dearly for it.
Moving on this week, though, I can't figure if playing VPI the week after they got pasted by Miami is a good thing or not. Either way, what I want to see from the Jackets today is just a sense of urgency, a sense that hey, we have to seize our chances for the first this season and do what it takes to win. This team is essentially three plays away from being undefeated. It's time to harness those feelings and use them toward something productive.

3:00: Wake Forest @ Syracuse (ACC/RSN): The 'Cuse.

3:30:

• Iowa @ Wisconsin (ABC): Oh hey, it's the two relevant Big Ten teams. First, there's this year's version of #PutPittIn in Iowa, and then there's Wisconsin, who is undefeated but sports a best win at the moment of... Northwestern. Nonetheless, Iowa hasn't showed much outside of Kinnick Stadium (i.e., the place where highly ranked Big Ten east teams go to die), so I'm sticking with the Badgers here.
• Georgia @ Auburn (CBS): I'm going with Georgia here but pulling hard for Auburn.
• Florida State @ Clemson (ESPN): Well, uh, FSU looked kinda okay last week? Uh, yeah, stick to Iowa-Wisconsin or UGA-Auburn.
• West Virginia @ Kansas State (ESPN2): This might also be fun, actually, in the sense this is about as far apart as two teams can be in the Big 12 and still be playing the same sport. I think this is a tossup, but I still like WVU here.
• Virginia @ Louisville (ESPNU): Lamar Jackson should be able to do enough to win here.
• Michigan @ Maryland (BTN): Michigan.
• Southern Methodist @ Navy (CBSS): This could be a sneaky good game. SMU is better on paper this year, but I'm going with the Midshipmen at home.

 4:00:

• Southern California @ Colorado (FOX): USC.
• Kentucky @ Vanderbilt (SEC): Kentucky.

5:30: Washington State @ Utah (Pac12): Wazzu has looked terrible on the road, so... Utes? Not sure about this one.

6:30: Western Kentucky @ Marshall (beIN): Hilltoppers.

7:00:

• Alabama @ Mississippi State (ESPN): Bama.
• Purdue @ Northwestern (ESPN2): Purdue.
• New Mexico @ Texas A&M (ESPNU): TAMU.
• Tulane @ East Carolina (CBSS): Tulane!

7:30: Tennessee @ Missouri (SEC): Tigers!

8:00:

• Notre Dame @ Miami (ABC): Why did I essentially skip to here? Because I'm pressed for time and want to go to bed, but also because that's you'll be doing. This is the irresistible force and immovable object game of the week. This is also when I think Miami's penchant for playing it close as long as humanly possible is going to bite them. I'm going with the Domers.
• Texas Christian @ Oklahoma (FOX): If for some reason ND-Miami isn't working out, flip to FOX. If there's one team in the Big 12 that could possibly contain Baker Mayfield at home, it's TCU. But Mayfield is also playing out of his mind right now, so it's hard to pick against him.

9:30: Arizona State @ California-Los Angeles (Pac12): UCLA.

10:00: Oregon State @ Arizona (ESPN2): Zona.

10:15: Wyoming @ Air Force (ESPNU): Wyoming.

10:30: Boise State @ Colorado State (CBSS): Rams.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 10

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Pennsylvania State @ Michigan State (FOX): All right Penn State, time to get off the mat because you're going to have to get right back on the road to face a team more than happy to punch you in the mouth and dare you to do something about it. Obviously they're favored here, but it won't be easy.
• Wisconsin @ Indiana (ABC): Wisconsin is your darkhorse undefeated playoff team, at least until they get blown out by Ohio State or Penn State in a few weeks.
• Auburn @ Texas A&M (ESPN): Is Auburn actually, like, good? I have no idea. I'm going with TAMU.
• Florida @ Missouri (ESPN2): For a team that was all but out of it at the beginning of the year, Mizzou has rallied, by which I mean they took a two week break from playing other SEC teams. (Pro: they won by a combined score of 120-33. Con: those two teams were Idaho and UConn.) So what does that mean for this game? Well, going by the metric of "who got beat less badly by Georgia?" then Mizzou has to be a slight favorite.
• Kansas State @ Texas Tech (FS1): Yeah, the ebb of the magikal energyes* were at a definite low last week, with K-State only beating an awful Kansas team (but I repeat myself) by 10 points. This Red Raiders team isn't anything special, but they still have sufficient offensive firepower to overpower this version of the Wildcats.
• Western Kentucky @ Vanderbilt (ESPNU): Vandy gets a reprieve from the rest of hte SEC here.
• Massachusetts @ Mississippi State (SEC): Miss State.
• Baylor @ Kansas (FSN/RSN): Ugh, Baylor?
• Illinois @ Purdue (BTN): Purdue.

12:20: Syracuse @ Florida State (ACC): This FSU team is mailing it in so hard that there is serious stuff out there about Jimbo Fisher resigning or getting fired. I like the Orange here.

3:00: Georgia Tech @ Virginia (ACC/RSN): It's hard to win when you don't block people, and it's even worse when you can't. Last week's loss to Clemson served as a reminder of the widening gap between the us and them since that exciting pair of games in 2009. That said, even in a comfortable win for the Tigers, there were some bleak signs of progress, like actually getting over a hundred yards of offense for the first time since 2014. Yeah.
Anyway, on the Hoos. Virginia has struggled in recent weeks, losing to out-of-nowhere offensive powerhouse Boston College and then suffering a 17 point loss to a not-that-good Pitt team. It got a bit spicy during the ACC teleconference this week, wherein Bronco Mendhall declared that he "has a passion for defending option offenses" and Paul Johnson responded that he has a passion "for playing 3-4 teams". 3-4 in this case is not UVA's record, but the style of defense they play, and it's not hard to see where Johnson is coming from. With Tech's wide offensive line splits, UVA will be forced to make some tough decisions about where to put their linebackers. Keep them near the line to try to shoot the gaps in Tech's wide offensive splits and that makes it easier for all the linebackers to get caught in the wash and for plays to break out wide; play the LBs more conservatively to take away the outside plays and that's a recipe for a death-by-a-thousand-cuts procession of 3-5 yard runs up the gut. Of course, the best case scenario for the Cavaliers is that the linebacker's mobility over a traditional four-man front will allow them to defeat cut blocks more easily and prevent the offensive line from getting to the second level.
On the other side of the ball, it will be interesting to see if Ted Roof comes out with guns blazing for the third week in a row. Long criticized for being too conservative, last week Roof decided essentially to bet the house. I don't really blame him for that, since we were massive underdogs, but unfortunately it didn't really pay off. That said, UVA is not Clemson and has not scored more than 30 points in their ACC games so far, despite having played a woeful UNC team.
Then there's Charlottesville. I'm writing this post on November 3rd, the 27th anniversary of perhaps the biggest game in modern Georgia Tech history, a 41-38 upset of then #1 Virginia. After that, Tech lost eight straight games in Charlottesville, with the 2009 ACC champions winning decisively and breaking the streak. Since then, Tech lost in 2011, won in 2013, and lost in 2015. Any pattern is over now, but it's hard not to think about.

3:30:

• Stanford @ Washington State (FOX): So there was definitely a bit of a break between when I wrote the above and what I'm writing now, so don't expect anything quite as, uh, elegant? Sure, let's go with that. Anyway, Wazzu has looked less good now that they've actually had to, you know, play away from home, and I think this Stanford team can give them fits. Nonetheless, back in Pullman I still like them.
• South Carolina @ Georgia (CBS): My fears made manifest: yes, Georgia actually is that good.
• Wake Forest @ Notre Dame (NBC): Closer than you think, but probably still not terribly close.
• Ohio State @ Iowa (ESPN): Going into Kinnick is always tricky (ask last year's Michigan team, for instance) but a mid-afternoon timeslot should ultimately work out in favor of the Buckeyes.
• Iowa State @ West Virginia (ESPN2): Secret best game at this timeslot? Heck yeah. How about them Cyclones this year? Of course, West Virginia doesn't really fit the mold of the teams Iowa State has been able to beat, that is, top-10 teams at home. So I still like the 'neers here.
• South Florida @ Connecticut (ESPNU): This is a definitely a game that will happen, and a game that USF will win.
• Northwestern @ Nebraska (BTN): Northwestern? Sure, why now.
• Army @ Air Force (CBSS): The Commander-in-Chief's trophy is still in play, but I actually like Army's chances here?

4:00:

• Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State (FS1): BEDLAM! Of course, as pointed out elsewhere, for a series named Bedlam there's not actually that much chaos here, as the Sooners utterly dominate the serious. But you know what? I like Oklahoma State here, at home.
• Mississippi @ Kentucky (SEC): This is a game that will be on TV that you can watch, but I can't recommend it. Uh, Kentucky should probably win though?

5:00: Oregon State @ California (Pac12): What's happened to Cal? Well, essentially, they had to start playing other Pac-12 teams and they're still rebuilding. They're probably still better than the Beavers, though.

7:00:

• Nevada @ Boise State (ESPNU): Boise.
• Colorado State @ Wyoming (CBSS): If none of the afternoon games pan out, feel free to tune into this one before they end. I like Wyoming at home, but this should be fun.

7:15:

• Texas @ Texas Christian (ESPN): Texas is better, but I don't think they're good enough yet to beat TCU in Ft. Worth.
• Central Florida @ Southern Methodist (ESPN2): UCF all the way.

7:30:

• Minnesota @ Michigan (FOX): Michigan still has offensive issues, but the sheer force of personality that P.J. Fleck possesses won't be good enough to get the Gophers past Michigan.
• Southern Mississippi @ Tennessee (SEC): I, uh, like USM here? Mostly just to put Butch out of his misery.
• Texas-El Paso @ Middle Tennessee State (beIN): MTSU.

8:00:

• Virginia Tech @ Miami (ABC): Hey Miami, VPI actually has a good enough defense that you won't be able to just bullshit your way to a win in the last two minutes. I still like you to win here, but I'm not feeling especially great about it.
• Louisiana State @ Alabama (CBS): Alabama covers 21.5.

9:00: Colorado @ Arizona State (Pac12): Why not Arizona State? Well, they enjoyed a brief renaissance, but have come crashing back down in the past few games, but they should be able to take care of the Buffs at home/

10:00: Oregon @ Washington (FS1): The Ducks are back, but I think UDub is still good enough to take care of business and take the Huskies to the Pac-12 title game.

10:30: San Diego State @ San Jose State (ESPNU): San Jose State better hope the Aztecs don't know they way to San Jose, because otherwise it's going to be a long night.

10:45:

• Arizona @ Southern California (ESPN): Late kicks, but it's only 7:45 here! Anyway, Khalil Tate has been the other great West Coast player you've never heard of, and while Is still like USC, if they blink he will make them pay.
• Brigham Young @ Fresno State (ESPN2): Fresno has been sneaky good this year.

*: See last week's Texas Tech @ Oklahoma preview.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 9

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

11:30: Buffalo @ Akron (CBSS): You could watch an early MAC game, or maybe you could get a little extra sleep. I know which one I'm doing. Also I like Akron here.

Noon:

• Oklahoma State @ West Virginia (ABC): Okay, WVU is probably better this year than you think, but the Pokes are still pretty good.
• Wisconsin @ Illinois (ESPN): Illinois is, full stop, the worst team in the Big Ten.
• Miami @ North Carolina (ESPN2): North Carolina is as bad, if not worse, than Illinois.
• Texas @ Baylor (ESPNU): Baylor's not great, either.
• Arkansas @ Mississippi (SEC): Uh, stick to Oklahoma State @ WVU, okay? Geez. Somehow this timeslot has managed to feature four of the worst major conference teams in the country.
• Rutgers @ Michigan (BTN): Serious, Rutgers is no worse than the fifth worst team in this timeslot. Still, Michigan's offense might look a little better in this one.

12:30: Virginia @ Pittsburgh (ACC/RSN): Don't look, but, apparently UVA's good now? Huh.

2:00: California @ Colorado (Pac12): Not sure who I like here, as these teams are about equally mediocre. Cal is more exciting, though, so I'll take them.

3:00:

• Kansas State @ Kansas (FS1): This might be the worst KU team ever, and trust me, that's saying something.
• Air Force @ Colorado State (CBSS): Colorado State is pretty good. This year's edition of the Falcons are not.

3:30:

• Georgia vs. Florida (@Jacksonville, FL; CBS): How badly I want Florida to win (because I hate Georgia and it would be hilarious) is about inversely proportional to their odds of actually winning.
• North Carolina State @ Notre Dame (NBC): Did you know that NC State is the only undefeated team in the ACC Atlantic right now? And that the only thing between them and Charlotte is a home game against Clemson? Yeah, they're good! The problem is, so is Notre Dame, and this one is in South Bend. I'll take the Domers here, but not by much.
• Pennsylvania State @ Ohio State (FOX): 3:30's doing it's best to make up for the nooners, I tell you what. The Buckeyes have reeled off five straight and appear to actually have a functioning offense again. The flip side, though, is that their best win in those five games is, uh, Maryland I guess? Penn State also has a functioning offense and just took care of Michigan, which has a pretty good defense. I'm going with the Nittany Lions here.
• Texas Christian @ Iowa State (ABC/ESPN2): Yeah, uh, Iowa State is good now? Huh. I mean, they're going to still lose to TCU, but it might be interesting.
• California-Los Angeles @ Washington (ABC/ESPN2): UDub all the way here.
• Michigan State @ Northwestern (ESPN): Northwestern isn't bad, they're just not, you know, good.
• Indiana @ Maryland (BTN): See also "California @ Colorado", because this is about the same thing. Uh, edge to the home team?

3:45: Houston @ South Florida (ESPNU): Is more than one AAC team allowed to be good in a given year? How does this work? As a reminder, USF plays UCF on November 24th.

4:00: Vanderbilt @ South Carolina (SEC): Gamecocks.

5:45: Utah @ Oregon (Pac12): Utah just doesn't have their usual plucky mojo this year, at least not enough to go beat a revitalized Oregon team on the road.

6:30:

• Minnesota @ Iowa (FS1): Minnesota will be there next year or the year after, but for now, they're still having to row pretty hard.
• Missouri @ Connecticut (CBSS): This is definitely a game that is happening for some reason. Mizzou I guess?

7:15: Mississippi State @ Texas A&M (ESPN): See also "California @ Colorado" and "Indiana @ Maryland", because this is pretty much the SEC equivalent. TAMU I guess?

7:20: Duke @ Virginia Tech (ACC): LIGHTNING ROUND! VPI.

7:30:

• New Mexico @ Wyoming (ESPNU): Wyoming.
• Tennessee @ Kentucky (SEC): Kentucky.
• Nebraska @ Purdue (BTN): Purdue.

8:00:

• Texas Tech @ Oklahoma (ABC/ESPN2): Look, the latent magical energies that course from Bill Synder ebb and flow, and though this season has seen more ebb than not, that's not say sudden spikes can occur and not-very-good-to-this-point-Kansas-State can force Oklahoma to come from behind to win. This just happens sometimes. Essentially, I still think the Sooners are pretty good and they should be able to win here.
• Georgia Tech @ Clemson (ABC/ESPN2): Hoo boy. This is the game that has changed more than any other for us over the last five season. We used to be pretty competitive with Clemson (see: 2009) but, well, that just isn't the case anymore. And it starts up front with the Tigers' defensive line. Paul Johnson once said something like "physical superiority cancels all theories" and indeed, with the option key is fast enough that you can't even option them, that's a problem. Our defense still worries me, especially after coming out flat against Wake Forest in the first half last week. We eventually managed to prevail on defense, but it took over 30 minutes for them to wake up. I still think the defensive playcalling is atrocious, but our secondary gives us a chance to stay in games if they're used effectively. Add this up, and it sounds like I'm saying we don't have a chance. But there's still one thing about even reigning-national-champions Clemson that's true: we've always got a chance.

9:30: Washington State @ Arizona (Pac12): I still can't get over how wrong we all were about Arizona and Arizona State entering this season. Yes, you were also wrong, even if you didn't actually have a prediction saying that the Territorial Cup would be contested by two teams with interim coaches this year. I'm still baffled by Wazzu's suddenly stingy defense, but I feel like Khalil Tate may do a thing or two to change that perception by the end of this night.

10:00: Boise State @ Utah State (CBSS): Speaking of mojo, welcome back Broncos! I like them to prevail over the road against the Aggies.

10:45: Southern California @ Arizona State (ESPN): Yeah, seriously, I didn't think back in September I'd be pretty confident that the Sun Devils would win pretty easily over the Trojans, but here we are.

11:15: San Diego State @ Hawaii (ESPN2): And here's your nightcap, which will likely be "watching the Aztecs run the clock out after you've the other games ended".

This Weekend in College Football: Week 8

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Oklahoma State @ Texas (ABC): This edition is going to be quick and abbreviated, I'm not going to lie. And that also means that while I think Texas has a good defense, I think that the Pokes are going to be too much for them offensively.
• Maryland @ Wisconsin (FOX): Wisconsin is just going to keep doing Wisconsin things, as far as I can tell, though I think this is an improved Maryland team.
• Louisville @ Florida State (ESPN): Boy howdy, this matchup looked a lot better two months ago than it does now, eh? Uh, well, Louisville is as much of a one-man show that has ever existed in college football it seems, since their offensive line is terrible and their defensive seemingly non-existent. FSU is struggling on offense, but I suspect their still excellent defense will allow them to prevail.
• Iowa @ Northwestern (ESPN2): This is a thing you could watch, I guess. Uh, Iowa?
• Iowa State @ Texas Tech (FS1): This one might be interesting. The Cyclones are not terrible, but it seems that Texas Tech is on their way to a pretty good season, and for that to be true, they really need to circle the wagons down in Lubbock. (Which I think they will.)
• Tulsa @ Connecticut (ESPNU): Uh, Tulsa?
• Idaho @ Missouri (SEC): Mizzou is bad this year, but not this bad.
• Purdue @ Rutgers (BTN): Now here's a chance for the Boilermakers to really Brohm it out, if you will.
• Temple @ Army (CBSS): Army looks decent this year? I like them against Temple, at least.

12:20: Pittsburgh @ Duke (ACC): It still feels weird to pick Duke, but here we are.

12:30: Boston College @ Virginia (ACC/RSN): Speaking of feeling weird picking a team, apparently UVA isn't terrible this year and will be bowl eligible with this win. Huh.

3:30:

• Tennessee @ Alabama (CBS): It is definitely the Third Saturday in October, all right, and I'm not sure I can think of any time in the recent past where I've felt as sorry for the Volunteers coming into this as I do right now.
• Indiana @ Michigan State (ABC): This will be a good barometer for Sparty's recovery back to the normal steady-state they've maintained, and I think they'll get it.
• Syracuse @ Miami (ESPN): Okay, Miami, please don't need a last second play to get a win against a feisty Syracuse. Please.
• North Carolina @ Virginia Tech (ESPN2): VPI.
• Arizona State @ Utah (FS1): I, and basically everyone else in the college football universe, was wrong about the Arizona schools. I still like the Utes here.
• Illinois @ Minnesota (BTN): Gophers.

4:00:

• Oklahoma @ Kansas State (FOX): The Bill Synder mojo just does not seem to be in effect for this year.
• Southern Methodist @ Cincinnati (ESPNU): Cincy, I guess?
• Kentucky @ Mississippi State (SEC): Okay, Miss State isn't the awesome team we all thought a few weeks ago, sure. But... I'll still take them over Kentucky.
• Oregon @ California-Los Angeles (Pac12): So far in this quick write-up this is the first one where I've really had to stop and think. I think UCLA is pretty much a disaster at this point, but I think the Ducks still have a long way to go. I'm taking the Ducks, but just barely.

6:30: Alabama-Birmingham @ Charlotte (beIN): Go Blazers!

7:00:

• South Florida @ Tulane (ESPN2): I could keep posting the date of the USF-UCF game, but... yeah, I think y'all get the idea.
• Brigham Young @ East Carolina (CBSS): BYU sure can't play offense, but I'm not so sure about ECU playing football, in general.

7:15: Louisiana State @ Mississippi (ESPN): LSU seems to have recovered well from, you know, losing to Troy. I like them here.

7:30:

• Southern California @ Notre Dame (NBC): I listen to two college football related podcasts: Podcast Ain' Played Nobody and the Shutdown Fullcast. Both, but especially the latter, have noted that Notre Dame is actually kinda good this year? I'm still taking USC, but still...
• Michigan @ Pennsylvania State (ABC): I run a pick-'em elsewhere, and more maximum main I had this game as against the spread (with Penn State favored by 9.5 points). But on here I don't have to do that, so I can just pick Penn State. Whee!
• Wake Forest @ Georgia Tech (ESPNU): If (one of) the worst nights of my life hadn't happened to me two weeks ago, then last week's game against Miami would have hurt a lot more. As it it is, it hurt a lot, but this still feels like a pretty decent version of GT so far this year despite the gut-punch losses? I dunno. What I do know is that we cannot wallow in our misery, as this is a feisty Wake Forest squad in the mold of those Wake teams Jim Grobe used to get every once in a while that was actually good. Also, I just wanted to lament that, as a small, private Baptist school I will probably never get to unironically refer to Wake Forest as "Woke Forest". Thanks for reading, try the veal, and remember to tip your waitress!
• Auburn @ Arkansas (SEC): Comeback losses to LSU aside, Auburn is probably still good? It's not Novembert yet, so I like their chances.

8:00:

• Kansas @ Texas Christian (FOX): TCU.
• West Virginia @ Baylor (FS2): WVU.
• Arizona @ California (Pac12): Zona?

10:15: Wyoming @ Boise State (ESPN2): Boise's back! Well, maybe. But probably at least for this game.

10:30: Fresno State @ San Diego State (CBSS): Still like the Aztecs here.

10:45: Colorado @ Washington State (ESPN): And I still like the Cougars here.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 7

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Michigan @ Indiana (ABC): Somehow everyone forgot last weekend as Michigan's offense looked hapless against Michigan State that this was supposed to be Michigan's rebuilding year. I suspect now with a more porous Indiana defense they'll suddenly look a lot more competent.
• South Carolina @ Tennessee (ESPN): The season figures to continue to go off the rails for Butch Jones and company, though in fairness to him he seems to be a pretty earnest guy? I mean, he's probably going to be an earnest guy without a job soon, but still.
• Florida State @ Duke (ESPN2): FSU should improve from "the best 1-3 team in the country" to "the best 2-3 team in the country" after this.
• Texas Christian @ Kansas State (FS1): Weird stuff can happen when it involves K-State, but I think this version of the Wildcats just lacks the offensive power to keep up.
• Texas Tech @ West Virginia (ESPNU): Here's a real measuring stick for WVU to figure out the hierarchy of Big 12 teams. The only point of comparison is that TTU beat Kansas worse, which, sure, that seems as reasonable as anything.
• Connecticut @ Temple (ESPNEWS): Temple's not good or anything, but they're better than UConn.
• Brigham Young @ Mississippi State (SEC): This version of BYU is just too offensively limited, but they may still get to 6-6 with their schedule after this. The key word being "after".
• Kansas @ Iowa State (FSN/RSN): Cyclones.
• Rutgers @ Illinois (BTN): AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Also, uh, Illinois?
• Eastern Michigan @ Army (CBSS): I'd say Army is looking pretty good so far on the year, and with a win here they'll be most of the way to bowl eligibility.
• North Carolina State @ Pittsburgh (ACC/RSN): This Pitt is a long, long way from last year's memes.

12:20: Boston College @ Louisville (ACC): Lamar Jackson is still one of the best players in college football. Hopefully folks remember in a month or two.

3:30:

• Georgia Tech @ Miami (ABC): And we're back. An off-week is a little more welcome at this point, lets some people get another week of healing in (in particular, Clinton Lynch has yet to really look like Clinton Lynch). The real interesting part is where Miami is after for. For most of the past 5-6 seasons Miami was good for a two week funk after losing the FSU game. Now that they've won, now that they've climbed the hill, how well will they come out? Will Year 2 Mark Richt also make a difference in the attitude of the team? Ultimately, I think this one will come down to where Miami is mentally.
• Auburn @ Louisiana State (CBS): Hard to see how Auburn's offense won't just run circles around LSU.
• Oklahoma vs. Texas (@Dallas, TX; ESPN): Late kick for the Red River Whatever You Want to Call It. I still like "Shootout", but I'll accept any other alternative as long as it's not "Rivalry" and especially if it's humorous, like "The Red River Respectful Disagreement". Anyway, I like Baker Mayfield and company to get their mojo back.
• Northwestern @ Maryland (ESPN2): Goin' with the Terps here.
• Baylor @ Oklahoma State (FS1): Pokies.
• Vanderbilt @ Mississippi (SEC): Avoid at all costs. Vandy, I guess?
• Purdue @ Wisconsin (BTN): Purdue is back and exciting, but this feels like they're going to run into a brick wall. Made of beef. Look, it makes sense, okay?
• Akron @ Western Michigan (CBSS): Western Michigan is still actually kinda good.
• Virginia @ North Carolina (ACC/RSN): UNC somehow dodged NCAA sanctions, but I still don't like them against a rapidly improving Virginia team.

3:45: Navy @ Memphis (ESPNU): This may secretly be one of the most interesting games of the day. I still like Navy here, but the contrast in styles figures to be fun to watch.

4:00:

• Houston @ Tulsa (ESPNEWS): This Tulsa, yeah, no.
• Colorado @ Oregon State (Pac12): Well, one of these teams just had their coach resign essentially because their coach wasn't feeling it, so, uh, Buffs.

6:30: Middle Tennessee State @ Alabama-Birmingham (beIN): GO BLAZERS! I mean, they probably won't win, but seriously.

7:00:

• Texas A&M @ Florida (ESPN2): I think this game could result one of the biggest narrative shifts of the day. It doesn't seem like there's a lot pressure on Jim McElwain at Florida right now, at least outside of the disgruntled Florida fans I follow. Meanwhile, folks are figuring that Kevin Sumlin is as good at TAMU. I like A&M to win here and shift the narrative.
• East Carolina @ Central Florida (CBSS): UCF looks neigh unstoppable. For reference, they play South Florida on November 24th.

7:15: Arkansas @ Alabama (ESPN): Speaking of narratives and neigh unstoppable... yeah, Bama continues to roll.

7:30:

• Ohio State @ Nebraska (FS1): Hey Urbz, it's actually a 6:30 kick out in Nebraska, so it's not that late! Seriously, though, the Buckeyes seem to have their groove back, then again, the schedule got seriously easier after Oklahoma. I figure that trend will continue.
• Cincinnati @ South Florida (ESPNU): USF looks neigh unstoppable. For reference, they play Central Florida on November 24th.
• Missouri @ Georgia (SEC): Mizzou came close against Kentucky last week, but... Georgia is not Kentucky. Unfortunately.

8:00:

• Utah @ Southern California (ABC): USC is not a juggernaut, but they're better than Utah. Then again, relative talent levels don't seem to matter a whole much to Utah. I still think the Trojans will win, but it won't be easy.
• Michigan State @ Minnesota (BTN): Both these teams are improving, but the Gophers figure to remain winless in Big Ten play.

9:00: California-Los Angeles @ Arizona (Pac12): I still don't, uh, believe in Arizona? If that makes any sense. Not that UCLA inspires any amount of belief, and it's on the road so, uh, Beardown I guess?

10:15: Nevada @ Colorado State (ESPN2): Not Nevada's year this year, going with the Rams.

10:30: Boise State @ San Diego State (CBSS): I like the Aztecs to pass their biggest test here.

10:45: Washington @ Arizona State (ESPN): UDub figures out put somewhat more than 3 points in this road contest.

11:00: Oregon @ Stanford (FS1): Oregon is improved, but I don't see them stopping Bryce Love.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 6

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Pennsylvania State @ Northwestern (ABC): These two teams try to play similar styles, except only one of them as Saquon Barkley, so I like Penn State here.
• Iowa State @ Oklahoma (FOX): Sooners.
• Georgia @ Vanderbilt (ESPN): Everyone talking about UGA as the second best team in the SEC means it's about time for them to, say, lose to Vanderbilt, right? Right? (Probably not, but there's always hope.)
• Wake Forest @ Clemson (ESPN2): Wake Forest gave a depleted Florida State everything they could handle last week and... still lost. Clemson may toy with them a bit, but this shouldn't be close.
• Texas Tech @ Kansas (FS1): Well Red Raiders, the Jayhawks should be a good salve for that tough loss to Oklahoma State last week, at least.
• Temple @ East Carolina (ESPNU): Rebuilding Temple, as it turns out, is probably better than "rapidly hitting the low point" ECU.
• Mississippi @ Auburn (SEC): If it's not already a lost season for Ole Miss, then it will be after this.
• Illinois @ Iowa (BTN): I wouldn't recommend this one. Hawkeyes roll.
• Eastern Michigan @ Toledo (CBSS): Going with Toledo here.

12:20: Duke @ Virginia (ACC): I still don't believe in UVA, so I'm going with Duke here.

12:30: Pittsburgh @ Syracuse (ACC/RSN): Pitt just has nothing on offense this year, which, well, that's definitely not Syracuse's problem.

3:30:

• Notre Dame @ North Carolina (ABC): Speaking of teams GT has played that look terrible this year, boy howdy is Carolina rebuilding or what? Domers should roll.
• Louisiana State @ Florida (CBS): If you like 12-7 football, then you'll like this SEC Game of the Week on CBS­™! Seriously, you may want to avoid this particular vortex of offensive dysfunction, unless you like watching things in a train wreck sense. Gators, I guess.
• Miami @ Florida State (ESPN): It will take something truly bizarre for Miami to lose to Florida State this year, so I'm going to have to go with the Canes this time.
• Minnesota @ Purdue (ESPN2): While many in the college football sphere have marveled at Purdue's turnaround this year, Minnesota has sort of quietly chugged along, logging a close loss to Maryland in their first Big Ten contest. I'm leaning Purdue due to their offensive potential, but I think if the game is tight it could break toward the Gophers.
• West Virginia @ Texas Christian (FS1): WVU faces a sharp increase of difficultly here after beating Kansas last week. TCU pulled out a fantastic game at Oklahoma State last weekend, continuing to ride their philosophy of a defensive coach that knows he has to put up 40+ to win in the Big 12.
• Air Force @ Navy (CBSS): Air Force is 1-3 and 0-2 in the Mountain West already. I like Navy here.

4:00:

• Maryland @ Ohio State (FOX): Buckeyes, obviously, but Maryland might give them a bit of a contest for a little while.
• Tulsa @ Tulane (ESPNU): Uh, Tulane? Sure, let's go with that.
• Arkansas @ South Carolina (SEC): Boy howdy, this 4:00 slate isn't very exciting so far... uh, SoCar?
• Oregon State @ Southern California (Pac12): USC.

6:30: Army @ Rice (beIN): Army, you've got to win this game. I'm telling you.

7:00:

• Kansas State @ Texas (FS1): Jokes about Bill Synder being a wizard aside, this doesn't look like exactly the best version of Bill Synder K-State this year. Which will probably make it that much more hilarious when they somehow beat the Longhorns again, but I'm not going to predict it.
• Southern Methodist @ Houston (CBSS): Don't look, but SMU might be good this year. I mean, Houston is probably still better, but still.

7:15:

• Alabama @ Texas A&M (ESPN): I suspect this game may cause angst both ways, in the sense that Bama may not win by as much as they have at other times this season and the sense that TAMU is likely still going to lose very badly.
• Virginia Tech @ Boston College (ESPN2): Well, VPI, I can pretty safely say that you be much better equipped to handle BC's offense than Clemson's.

7:30:

• Michigan State @ Michigan (ABC): Sparty's already got 3 wins this year, and I doubt they're going to lose 8 in a row, so they've definitely improved this season. And while this Michigan team has weaknesses, it's not clear that Mich State has the ability to exploit them.
• Missouri @ Kentucky (SEC): Missouri is a trash fire this year, going with Kentucky.

8:00:

• Washington State @ Oregon (FOX): Hello secret best game of the day! It's Wazzu's first road trip of the year, and Autzen should be ready to go on a crisp fall evening. I think Wazzu will win, but it's hard to count out what look some rejuvenated Ducks at home.
• Central Florida @ Cincinnati (ESPNU): UCF is good, y'all.
• Wisconsin @ Nebraska (BTN): "Oh hey, I thought Nebraska was struggling, but they're 2-0 in the Big Ten already? Huh." [clicks on team page] "Ah, Rutgers and Illinois. That makes sense." Yeah, I like the Badgers here.
• Arizona @ Colorado (Pac12): The Arizona teams aren't as bad as we all thought they'd be coming into the year, but they're still not good. Meanwhile, Colorado is struggling, but I'd say this is the first Pac-12 game they'd be expected to win. Going with them here.

10:15: Stanford @ Utah (FS1): See what I said about Penn State-Northwestern, except replace "Saquon Barkley" with "Bryce Love".

10:30: Hawaii @ Nevada (CBSS): You could watch this, or you could watch one of the games above or below. Hawaii, why not?

10:45:

• California @ Washington (ESPN): Look, Washington should win, but hey if Cal is in this thing at all it should be interesting. Just hard to compete at Husky Stadium, though.
• San Diego State @ Nevada-Las Vegas (ESPN2): UNLV is so bad. So bad.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 5

Alternate title: Wherein I Lament that Southern Cal at Washington State is Tonight Instead of Tomorrow Night.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Northwestern @ Wisconsin (ABC): Week 5 is pretty brutal, but I'll try to shepherd you through the best I can. We'll start in Madison, for what might be an interesting nooner, but probably not. Going with the Badgers.
• Vanderbilt @ Florida (ESPN): Gators are a favorite I guess but AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
• North Carolina @ Georgia Tech (ESPN2): I thought we might look rusty last week, so naturally we kickoff and immediately allow Pitt to march down the field. "Here we go again", thought everyone in gold and white, but after that it was sort of... all Tech? Of course, it was helpful the Pitt offense immediately regressed after that drive. This week's game is against a moribund but still dangerous Carolina team that we haven't beaten since 2013.
• Maryland @ Minnesota (FS1): Minnesota's handled themselves well so far in 2017. Maryland now sports a win over Texas and a loss to UCF. Going with the Gophers at home.
• Houston @ Temple (ESPNU): While this isn't the same Houston of the past few years, this is really not the good Temple we've had the past few years. Going with Houston.
• New Mexico State @ Arkansas (SEC): If you, like me, listen to Podcast Ain't Played Nobody, then you know all about these New Mexico State Aggies. Normally one of college football's most hapless teams, they're 2-2 with a win over their biggest rival (New Mexico) and a pretty good shot at a bowl, all in a season that will see them get kicked out of the Sun Belt after it ends. But... it'll still take a minor miracle for them to upset Arkansas.
• South Florida @ East Carolina (CBSS): ECU is, uh, bad this year. Bulls.
• Rice @ Pittsburgh (ACC/RSN): Pitt has no offense, but they should be able to handle Rice.

12:20: Syracuse @ North Carolina State (ACC): NC State better be awake after knocking off FSU last week, because while they should be Syracuse they're still armed and dangerous (on offense).

3:30:

• Georgia @ Tennessee (CBS): Georgia should win this game, and they probably will, but if there's any game this week with the highest potential of ending in hilarious fashion (by which I mean Georgia losing in hilarious fashion) this is it.
• Florida State @ Wake Forest (ABC/ESPN2): Given what's going on the real world, I still haven't seen any statements from Winston-Salem that would allow me to call Wake Forest "Woke Forest" unironically, much to my disappointment. Anyway, Wake is 4-0 but it's a full-calorie soda 4-0, full of sweet but unfulfilling wins. I still like FSU here.
• Baylor @ Kansas State (ABC/ESPN2): K-State.
• Navy @ Tulsa (ESPNU): This may be the actual best game in this time slot, and it's on the much easier to find ESPNU and not CBS Sports Network. But still, that's saying a lot because Tulsa is 1-3 this year and isn't really bombing like they used to, at least not bombing it well. I like the Midshipmen here.
• Indiana @ Pennsylvania State (BTN): Penn State will need to keep their guard up in this one, but they shouldn't have any issues.
• Texas-El Paso @ Army (CBSS): Army, I guess?

4:00:

• Iowa @ Michigan State (FOX): Sparty is still better than they were last year, even after getting pasted by Notre Dame last weekend. Suffice it to say, though, I like the Hawkeyes here.
• Connecticut @ Southern Methodist (ESPNEWS): SMU?
• Eastern Michigan @ Kentucky (SEC): Maybe Kentucky will remember to cover EMU's receivers in this one.
• Arizona State @ Stanford (Pac12): You can fool me Arizona State! I saw you beat Oregon last week, but I still don't believe you. Going with the Cardinal here.

5:00: Miami @ Notre Dame (NBCSN): No, this isn't Catholics vs. Convicts, and not even in the sense that hasn't been true since like the 80's. It's the Miami that's like an hour outside of Cincinnati. Notre Dame should roll.

6:00: Mississippi State @ Auburn (ESPN): Miss State! You were all poised to be one of the other good teams in the SEC and then... you lose 31-3 to Georgia. :( I have to like Auburn here, I guess.

7:00:

• Memphis @ Central Florida (ESPN2): Okay, now we're getting to the staggered games zone. This is the one you should watch until halftime, and then switch to the beginning of Clemson-VPI. You win! Now as for who will win this game... I like UCF?
• Troy @ Louisiana State (ESPNU): LSU is still trying to figure some things on offense, and this should give them a chance to.
• Air Force @ New Mexico (CBSS): I like Air Force here.
• Middle Tennessee @ Florida Atlantic (Stadium): It's not going good for Lane Kiffin in Year 1 of being a head coach again, which naturally means he'll probably get the Texas A&M job this offseason. I like MTSU here.

 7:30:

• South Carolina @ Texas A&M (SEC): TAMU has been on a bit of a roll of late, and I think that will continue until they play Alabama in their next game, two weeks from now. Rest up, Aggies!
• Ohio State @ Rutgers (BTN): Buckeyes.

8:00:

• Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech (FOX): The 'Pokes looked legit, and then TCU went and stole all their thunder. Can they get the magic back against an improving Texas Tech team? It's Lubbock at night, so anything's possible, but I still like Oklahoma State here.
• Clemson @ Virginia Tech (ABC): Man this game better be good because Week 5 doesn't have a whole lot else going for it. Lane Stadium at night is fantastic of course, and VPI's looked pretty good this year. Clemson, meanwhile, is just as dominant, if not more, on defense this year and their offense that was supposed to be rebuilding this year seems to have more or less reloaded. The Tigers have already proven themselves, and I think they'll still be one of the best teams in the country even if the lose as long as they don't get blown out. That said, I don't think it will be a concern.
• Washington @ Oregon State (Pac12): UDub.

9:00: Mississippi @ Alabama (ESPN): Bama. (Ole Miss is bad, y'all.)

10:30:

• Colorado @ California-Los Angeles (ESPN2): What do we even do with this UCLA team? They don't seem to be good or anything, but Josh Rosen is a good QB. Colorado is also kinda meh right now, too, so maybe skip to the next game. I'll take the Buffs, I guess.
• California @ Oregon (FS1): Now here's the game that you'll tune into after Clemson-VPI. It'll still somehow be in the first half after the other game ends. It'll be 32-29 at the half. Which way, I don't know. Probably the Ducks. But this should be fun.
• San Jose State @ Nevada-Las Vegas (ESPNU): I'm as much of a College Football Hipster as anyone, but... you have my permission to skip this one. UNLV, I guess?
• Northern Illinois @ San Diego State (CBSS): Besides, if you're going to watch a G5 matchup in this time slot, then this is the one to watch anyway. If you squint hard, you'll see Nebraska @ Stanford here, but probably more interesting than that game would actually be! I like the Aztecs here, though.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 4

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• North Carolina State @ Florida State (ABC/ESPN2): NC State was a bit of hipster pick this year, but we're not quite sure how that's turned out yet. In the meantime, thanks to various weather calamities we don't really know what a Deandra Francois-less Florida State looks like quite yet. So plenty of uncertainty here, but I'm still talking about going with the 'Noles.
• Texas Tech @ Houston (ABC/ESPN2): From all appearances, these teams appear to be rather similar. Beat a bad pair of Arizona teams and then blowout a cupcake. That said, Texas Tech's offense appears set on saving their coach's job, so I'll take them, at least for now.
• Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (@Arlington, TX; ESPN): It's the 2017 edition of the Hot Seat Bowl! This one feels especially precarious, in the sense that both might get canned regardless of the result either way. I have no idea what to expect out of this game. Arkansas has looked listless at best on offense, while more than one observer has notice that TAMU doesn't seem o care. I'd avoid this one. I consider it essentially a coinflip, so I'm going with TAMU I guess.
• West Virginia @ Kansas (ESPNU): Kansas is still completely awful, so the pick here is pretty straightforward.
• Massachusetts @ Tennessee (SEC): Vols.
• Nevada-Las Vegas @ Ohio State (BTN): Buckeyes.
• Army @ Tulane (CBSS): ... I'm picking Army here.
• Kent State @ Louisville (ACC/RSN): Provided he's recovered from facing Clemson's defensive line, Lamar Jackson should look like Lamar Jackson again.

12:20: Pittsburgh @ Georgia Tech (ACC): And we're back after last week's non-game against UCF. It's hard enough to know what kind of team you have here in Week 3, but it's even harder when you've played two games of wildly varying difficulty. The Jacksonville State game played out roughly as I expected, with GT struggling a bit in the early going and then pouring it on the second half. So I'm not sure we learned much. However, I expect to have the offense operating at full strength in this one after having an extra week off. Hopefully that turns out to be the case instead of, you know, the other scenario where they come out rusty.

3:00: Central Florida @ Maryland (FS1): Lack of information rules the day! Maryland has a scheduled off week last week, so they've only played two games. UCF has only played one, a romp over Florida International to start the season, so see above. In their first two games at least, this doesn't look like the hapless Maryland of the last few years, so let's go with the Terps.

3:30:

• Southern California @ California (ABC): Texas managed to give the Trojans everything they could've wanted last week, but USC managed to pull it out. Ultimately, I view that as a battle of two teams with an awful lot of talent. "Awful lot of talent" is not a term usually used to describe Cal, though the Bears have looked pretty good early as well. I've got USC here, but my advice to the Trojans would be: watch out.
• Alabama @ Vanderbilt (CBS): Okay so I want Vandy to pull off the upset here as much as anyone, but if we're talking about a battle of two teams that play a lot of defense and score when they can... well, it's hard to out-Alabama Alabama. (Ask Michigan State a few years ago about that.)
• Texas Christian @ Oklahoma State (ESPN): This is quietly (or maybe not-so-quietly?) the game of the weekend. This should be entertaining. TCU features a defense-first coach who was mad at his team last week for not putting up 80. Oklahoma State's coach is celebrating the tenth anniversary of declaring his manhood and is in year two of a mullet. So yeah, expect this game to be Big 12 AS HELL. I like the Pokes here though.
• Boston College @ Clemson (ESPN2): Boston College has no real offense to speak of, and Clemson has probably a top-two defense this year. Is it possible for team to score negative points? We may be about to find out.
• Louisiana Tech @ South Carolina (SEC): Well, ours fears that South Carolina might have an offense were short-lived. Turns out that scoring 31 on Mizzou isn't a big deal this year. But do the Bulldogs have a chance here? Ehh....
• Rutgers @ Nebraska (BTN): Rutgers may not be as desperately bad as they were last year, but even this flailing Nebraska team should still beat them. 
• Cincinnati @ Navy (CBSS): Navy struggled a bit of with Tulane last week, but I'm not going to hold that against them. I like the Midshipmen here.
• Toledo @ Miami (ACC/RSN): 'Canes.

4:00: Michigan @ Purdue (FOX): Michigan's done what they needed to this year, but will they be able to stop this newfound burst of offensive confidence down in West Lafayette? You may want to keep an eye on this one, but I'm still going Michigan.

6:00: Nevada @ Washington State (Pac12): Still waiting for the other shoe to drop for Wazzou, because it doesn't seem conceivable we'll be talking about a 4-0 Washington State hosting USC in Pullman next week, right? Right? (It does seem pretty probable, though.)

6:30: Alabama-Birmingham @ North Texas (beIN): Could we be looking at 3-1 UAB after this? That'd be really nice, but, well... actually, it's not North Texas is a bunch of world-beaters or anything, so why not?

7:00:

• Mississippi State @ Georgia (ESPN): We're about to find out a lot more about this pair of Bulldogs. Miss State's shellacking of LSU last week confirmed what we should've already realized: Miss State under Dan Mullen has been the most consistent second-tier team in the SEC for a while now. They can cement that status between the hedges, and I think they will.
• Syracuse @ Louisiana State (ESPN2): Okay LSU, you can recover from this! Just, you know, fend off an aerial barrage for the next four hours while you still look like you struggle to field a competent offense... oof. This one is tough to think about. I think I have Syracuse here.
• San Diego State @ Air Force (CBSS): SDSU is living up to its spoiler billing so far, but to keep it up they'll need to win this, their toughest remaining road contest. I think they will.
• Ball State @ Western Kentucky (Stadium): The Hilltoppers should still have enough remaining traces of Jeff Brohm to throw it around and over a still kinda-not-good Ball State team, right?

7:30:

• Pennsylvania State @ Iowa (ABC): As is usual with Iowa, it feels like of they're going to win this game the final score will be something like 15-12, while if they lose it'll be 60-10. Penn State just seems too good so far this year, like the latter score is more likely than the former.
• Auburn @ Missouri (ESPNU): Bill Connelly knows a lot more about college football than I do, and so when he writes a column saying that Mizzou is pretty much done for the year, well...
• Florida @ Kentucky (SEC): On November 15th, 1986 Kentucky beat Florida 10-3. On that day, Boston's "Amanda" was the #1 single in the United States, the Iran-Contra Affair was in full swing, and I was a little over a year old. Also, it was the last time Kentucky beat Florida. This version of Kentucky looks kind of competent and Florida is scuffling, so this could be the year. But I'm not going to call it.

8:00: Notre Dame @ Michigan State (FOX): While we still try to figure out what will be this year's version of 2016's Michigan State @ Notre Dame, we'll have to deal with the reality of the 2017 version of this game, wherein there are basically no expectations for either of these teams. I'm leaning Notre Dame a bit, since they beat up on a decent Boston College defense last week.

10:00:

• Washington @ Colorado (FS1): Here's an early test for UDub, having survived their non-conference slate with ease. The problem, in terms of predictions, lies in that Colorado also easily disposed of their non-conference slate, so we've got to go to... THE NEXT LEVEL. And the next level likes the Huskies, like, a lot.
• Oregon @ Arizona State (Pac12): The Pac-12 is a little more fun when Oregon is good, so welcome back, Ducks! I like them a lot of get their first conference win courtesy of a somewhat hapless Arizona State team.

10:15: Hawaii @ Wyoming (ESPN2): Josh Allen needs to get his mind right, you know what I mean? I mean, in the sense that maybe all the NFL stuff and preseason hype might have placed an unreasonable set of expectations upon the erstwhile Cowboys signal caller. Fortunately, the Rainbow Warriors provide a pretty good chance to do so.

10:30: California-Los Angeles @ Stanford (ESPN): No body clock this time. UCLA comes back to the West Coast after having their bubble burst in a major way at Memphis. And, uh, Stanford maybe was up past their bedtime last weekend when they lost at San Diego State. So... I'm going with the mild upset here and going with UCLA. Don't make me regret this, Bruins.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 3

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• California-Los Angeles @ Memphis (ABC): BODY CLOCK! Okay, with that out of the way, we're now two years removed from the Justin Fuente era at Memphis and ultimately I think the Bruins will be too much for the Tigers.
• Oklahoma State @ Pittsburgh (ESPN): Pitt has looked like, well, they're not the fun, tricksy team from the salad days of #PutPittIn. I like the Pokes here.
• Connecticut @ Virginia (ESPN2): Sometimes I'm given to describe cheap beer as having "certain beer-like properties". I like to think I'm less of a football snob than beer snob, but it's hard to think of this game has having anything other than "certain football-like properties". Uh, UVA here, I guess.
• Northern Illinois @ Nebraska (FS1): Nebraska.
• Kansas @ Ohio (ESPNU): KU already lost to another MAC team, can they make it two? Sure, why not.
• Louisiana-Lafayette @ Texas A&M (SEC): I think TAMU will be okay, at least this weekend.
• Air Force @ Michigan (BTN): Michigan is just going to be too much for the Falcons.
• Iowa State @ Akron (CBSS): I'm still coming to terms with the fact the Iowa State-Iowa game was actually exciting. Hopefully the Cyclones aren't, because they'll need to be focused to prevail here.

12:30: Baylor @ Duke (ACC/RSN): Duke, I guess?

3:30:

• Tennessee @ Florida (CBS): Is this going to be a good game? Eh, probably not. Will you watch it anyway? Yeah, probably. In fairness, there's not much else going for this timeslot. I like the Vols, since they actually play offense.
• Wisconsin @ Brigham Young (ABC): I'll admit I was definitely thinking about whether or not Wisconsin fans could drink Provo dry. Dry is also a pretty good description of BYU's offense so far this season, which gives Wisconsin a decided advantage in this road contest.
• Notre Dame @ Boston College (ESPN): Speaking of offensively challenged, Notre Dame should be able to pick off a team worse at moving the ball than they are.
• North Texas @ Iowa (ESPN2): Iowa.
• Southern Methodist @ Texas Christian (ESPNU): This old Southwest Conference matchup may be interesting for a bit, but I'm not sure SMU will be able to keep up with TCU.
• Middle Tennessee State @ Minnesota (BTN): MTSU lost badly to Vandy but beat Syracuse on the road, so maybe they're good? Minnesota has sailed through their OOC schedule so far, but nonetheless the Gophers will need to not sleepwalk through this one.

4:00: Purdue @ Missouri (SEC): Okay, we're existing in a universe where in the middle of the afternoon we're hoping for a Purdue-Minnesota shootout. That's just the deal now. The thing is, this game may very well deliver. Considering the 3:30 slate, just flip over to this one ASAP. Also, I kinda like the Boilermakers? Picking all these road teams makes me nervous, though.

4:30: Army @ Ohio State (FOX): Buckeyes.

5:30: Oregon State @ Washington State (Pac12): Wazzou. (Seriously, Oregon State is so bad y'all. Of course, it's Wazzou we're talking about, so they could blow this after otherwise looking great, but you can't really predict that, you know?)

7:00:

• Louisiana State @ Mississippi State (ESPN): Here's a game where the rubber meets the road for these two teams. Will Miss State be any good this year? Will Dacoacho have made acceptable progress only three weeks into his first season? That said, LSU has the edge in talent, and so far the new coaching staff seems better able to take advantage of it. Picking another road team...
• Colorado State @ Alabama (ESPN2): Well, yeah, Bama.
• Oregon @ Wyoming (CBSS): Come for the gloriously ugly uniforms, stay for the potentially compelling football! That said the Ducks seem to, uh, have their ducks in a row again? Yeah.
• Louisiana Tech @ Western Kentucky (Stadium): I think I get Stadium? I'll need to check. And you may want to actually check this one out, if you can find it. I like LT here.

7:30:

• Kansas State @ Vanderbilt (ESPNU): Speaking of games where we may learn something about the teams, boy howdy we don't have much to go on for these two. I still like K-State slightly.
• Kentucky @ South Carolina (SEC): I'm not sure I'm prepared for the universe where a Will Muschamp team actually has a good offense, but there's enough else going on at this timeslot that I hopefully won't have to think about it. Taking USC here.
• Georgia State @ Pennsylvania State (BTN): Penn State.

8:00:

• Clemson @ Louisville (ABC): I like Lamar Jackson as much as the next person, and I think he'll get his shots. But if there's any defense he's going to face this year that can contain him, it's Clemson's. Clemson's superiority on the defensive line will just be too much of an issue for Louisville's line to deal with, and Lamar just won't be able escape enough.
• Arizona State @ Texas Tech (FSN/RSN): Arizona State looks so bad, y'all. TTU.

8:30: Texas @ Southern California (FOX): The hype should be enough to get USC up for this game, and this Texas team just isn't fully formed yet. USC all the way.

9:30: Fresno State @ Washington (Pac12): U-Dub.

10:00: San Jose State @ Utah (ESPN2): Utah.

10:30:

• Mississippi @ California (ESPN): Kind of tempted to get some tickets for this one for some prime people watching over in Berkeley. And it's a night game, too! This one could be fun, but I like Cal here just because Ole Miss is so depleted at this point.
• Stanford @ San Diego State (CBSS): The Aztecs were definitely a trendy mid-major pick, and with good cause! But while USC was just able to straight out-athlete the Cardinal, I don't think SDSU will be able to do that.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 2

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Cincinnati @ Michigan (ABC): It's a pretty full slate of games for Week 2, so these noon-time games aren't going to get a lot of love. Unless you're a fan of one of these teams, I release you to do something else with these three and a half hours. Wolverines.
• Louisville @ North Carolina (ESPN): Losing to Cal is, well, it's not a good look Tar Heels. Louisville wound up handling Purdue, but it was a bit too close for comfort, but going with the Cardinals is still the pick.
• Iowa @ Iowa State (ESPN2): It's the best worst rivalry game, at least when the Apple Cup doesn't hold that title. The way I'd describe this matchups is not much happens, but when something does happen, boy howdy. That said, Iowa looks like they've returned to form, but might still be worth watching just in case.
• Northwestern @ Duke (ESPNU): Perhaps more interesting than one might expect, but at the end of the day it's still Northwestern and Duke. Going with the Cats here.
• Florida Atlantic @ Wisconsin (BTN): Still on here, for now. Apparently FAU plans on remaining in Wisconsin until it is safe to go home, but still: why play? Going with Wisky.
• Buffalo @ Army (CBSS): Army had a pretty fantastic year last year, all told, and this would be a good first step toward following it up. Going with the cadets here.

12:30: Jacksonville State @ Georgia Tech (ACC/RSN): For nearly every season since 2007, I have been in Seattle for PAX. What this generally means is that I don't really catch Week 1 of college football. I occasionally miss things, but at least my team, Georgia Tech, doesn't usually play anyone. So naturally this year we play Tennessee on Monday night. Since the moment the game was announced, I'd been planning in my head how I would watch it. "Okay, the Omegathon finale is at 5:00 or 5:30, the game kicks at 5:00, so if I rush to bar immediately afterward..." What wound up happening was that one of my buddies from out here was in town, so we decamped for his aunt and uncle's place across Lake Washington afterward for dinner. Dinner was delicious, but it didn't take my mind off the game for long. Fortunately, they had recorded it, but I probably didn't start watching it until at least 2.5 hours after it'd kicked off. With my phone in airplane mode since 5:00, though, I had no idea what had happened. Naturally, the recording cut off after we scored in the first overtime, so I asked my buddy for the result and got the bad news. I told him I didn't want to see the last play and that when you miss two field goals and give up two fumbles it's hard to win, even if you out gain the other team by like 300 yards.
Basically, I really hope the team hasn't been thinking about this game all week long.

2:00: Texas State @ Colorado (Pac12): Colorado dispensed of a solid Colorado State team with ease, and they should do the same with Texas State.

3:30:

• Pittsburgh @ Pennsylvania State (ABC): It's good to see at least one rivalry game back in this post-realignment era, but nonetheless it's hard to see this depleted Pitt offense winning in Happy Valley.
• Texas Christian @ Arkansas (CBS): Speaking of old rivalries, it's what seems like the annual Southwest Conference Rematch game. Take a second to tune in for the CBS theme music and the realization that it'll be Brad Nessler instead of Uncle Vernce, and then switch back to Pitt-Penn State or Nebraska-Oregon, 'cause I like TCU here.
• Fresno State @ Alabama (ESPN2): Fresno might be lucky to score.
• Indiana @ Virginia (ESPNU): This is definitely a game that will take place and you can watch. Uh, Indiana?
• Western Michigan @ Michigan State (BTN): Yeah, Michigan State looked competent against Bowl Green, but Western Michigan is a trendy pick due to hanging with a vastly more talented Southern Cal until the fourth quarter. In the interests of making this game interesting, I'll say that it'll hold over for a victory this week.
• Tulane @ Navy (CBSS): Navy.

4:30: Nebraska @ Oregon (FOX): Is Oregon back? We're about to find out... maybe. That's just the way things work in Week 2, but seriously giving up 36 points to Arkansas State is not a good look. I'll take the Ducks here.

5:00: Hawaii @ California-Los Angeles (Pac12): It would be hilarious if UCLA needed another epic comeback to beat Hawaii, but... yeah no.

7:00:

• Auburn @ Clemson (ESPN): This game should be fun! However, I'm not sure I'm as high on Auburn as national opinion seems be? Like, I'm not entirely sure where this idea that they're going to hang with the reigning national champions (at home!) comes from.
• South Carolina @ Missouri (ESPN2): If South Carolina really does have kind of an offense now, then Mizzou is basically boned.

7:30:

• Georgia @ Notre Dame (NBC): There's just so many other options around this time, maybe you can just watch one of them? Seriously, I can't endorse this game, which considering how much I hate Georgia should tell you something. Not as bad as UGA playing Alabama, though, so I guess I'll go with the Domers.
• Oklahoma @ Ohio State (ABC): This game is a coin flip for me, with the a slight edge going to the Buckeyes for playing at home. I think there'll be enough talent on display here for this game to fun, though.
• Mississippi State @ Louisiana Tech (CBSS): Probably Miss State? I dunno, the whole concept of this game is weird.

8:00:

• Texas-San Antonio @ Baylor (FSN/RSN): Baylor surely can't lose to what should be a vastly inferior team two weeks in a row, right? Right?
• Western Kentucky @ Illinois (BTN): Western Kentucky has to be favored here, right? If they aren't, then I'm favoring them.
• Montana @ Washington (Pac12): I don't normally list these games, but it'll be on HD on my TV and there is an every-so-slight potential for wackiness here.

8:30: Stanford @ Southern California (FOX): As if there weren't enough fun matchups in the four hours proceeding this, have fun with this early battle of Pac-12 favorites! The trendy pick is Stanford due to USC's struggles with Western Michigan, but it's not like Western Michigan suddenly got awful because their coach left and it was Week 1. I think the Trojans just have too much offensive talent for the Cardinal to cope.

10:00: Minnesota @ Oregon State (FS1): This game may be somewhat, er, offensively challenged. You have my permission to skip this one. Going with the Gophers.

10:15: Utah @ Brigham Young (ESPN2): It's the Holy War all right, but it doesn't look like BYU has any sort of offense this year, which may make this an easy one for Utah once they settle into the game a bit.

10:30:

• Boise State @ Washington State (ESPN): Fun fact: Wazzou is closer to Boise than it is to Seattle, so these matchups are usually fun. And indeed, something does feel amiss in that the Cougars actually managed to beat their Week 1 FCS opponent this year, but it's still tough to pick against them right now.
• Houston @ Arizona (ESPNU): Houston is probably the better team here, seriously.

11:00: San Diego State @ Arizona State (Pac12): Arizona State made it way too close against New Mexico State last week, and the Aztecs are a better team than the Aggies. Going with SDSU here.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 1

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong:

Saturday
Noon:

• Akron @ Pennsylvania State (ABC): It's on ABC, sure, but the Zips should give the Nittany Lions little trouble.
• Kent State @ Clemson (ESPN): Again, this is the downside of Week 1. I hope you get Big Ten Network!
• Maryland @ Texas (FS1): This vaguely interesting, but then you remember the talent disparity at work here and go with Texas.
• Bowling Green @ Michigan State (ESPNU): Sparty going 3-9 last year definitely didn't seem to gain the, er, cachet that Notre Dame going 4-8 did, but still, it was a pretty shocking result for a consistently successful program. At a minimum, though, they should have this one.
• Wyoming @ Iowa (BTN): Okay, so this is a trendy looking game, and I think it has the most potential to be fun out of all the games in this time slot. Will it be, though? Well, if it follows the typical Iowa blueprint, and it probably will, then maybe not so much.

12:20: California @ North Carolina (ACC): As noted in my OOC schedule previews, I enjoy inter-sectional matchups like this imminently. Nonetheless, one of these teams at least enjoys a semblence of a defense, and Cal doesn't provide a lot of hope that situations gotten better. So I'm going with Carolina here.

3:00: North Carolina State vs. South Carolina (@Charlotte, NC; ESPN): I'm going with the Wolfpack here, mostly because the alternative scenario where the Gamecocks win seems pretty unpalatable.

3:30:

• Michigan vs. Florida (@Arlington, TX; ABC): I saw on the ESPN bottom line earlier today that this it the first time Florida has opened away from home since 1987. Which I knew the Gators didn't around much, OOC-wise, but that's kind of ridiculous. Anyway, while the conventional wisdom is that Michigan is a year or two away from contending again, I still like them here, especially when you factor in all of Florida's suspensions.
• Temple @ Notre Dame (NBC): Temple is actually kinda good now, but even after using this as one last chance to remind you Notre Dame went 4-8 last year, we'll say that ND can pull this out.
• Texas-El Paso @ Oklahoma (FOX): Not sure how UTEP has a chance here.
• Nevada @ Northwestern (BTN): Nevada used to be decently exciting, but the chance seems to have passed.
• Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical @ Alabama-Birmingham (Stadium): I'm listing this because UAB football is back, y'all. It's of course a fiasco that it was canned in the first place, but still. Go Blazers!

3:45: Troy @ Boise State (ESPNU): I feel like I should go with Boise all the way here, but still, my gut says Troy. But my brain says Boise, so that's what I'm going with.

4:00: Kentucky @ Southern Mississippi (CBSS): I don't think USM is actually that good, but you never know with these kinds of teams. Sticking with UK though.

5:15: Western Michigan @ Southern California (Pac12): This might be fun. Real fun. Or... it might not. Going with USC.

6:15: Appalachian State @ Georgia (ESPN): This would be hilarious, but yeah sticking with UGA.

7:30:

• Louisville vs. Purdue (@Indianapolis, IN; FOX): This is a neutral site game for some reason? Also Purdue will have to prove itself to me, so sticking with UL.
• South Alabama @ Mississippi (ESPNU): See "Appalachian State @ Georgia" above.

8:00:

• Florida State vs. Alabama (@Atlanta, GA; ABC): Hopefully this turns out to be the absolute cracker of a game that it should be. I keep going back and forth on who I like in this game and I think the line (Alabama by 7) is crazy. Does the likely rematch in December hurt this one a bit? Yeah, sure. But this should still be a great game even on its own merits. I'm going with FSU.
• Arkansas State @ Nebraska (BTN): That said, if you wanted to see if anything wacky was going on, the BTN's got you. Nebraska though.
• Vanderbilt @ Middle Tennessee State (CBSS): Vandy improved last year, but this one feels ike a trap. Going with MTSU.

9:30: Brigham Young vs. Louisiana State (@New Orleans, LA; ESPN): I also find this one hard to pick. I think we'll find out a lot about both teams, but it's still looking good for LSU and DaCoachO.

Sunday
7:30:

• Texas A&M @ California-Los Angeles (FOX): I find this game impossible to pick mostly because of these teams recent penchant for underachieving. For now, going with TAMU.
• West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech (@Landover, MD; ABC): By all rights, this one should be a home-and-home, not played at the NFL's most soulless venue. I really like VPI this year so I'm going with them.

Monday
8:00: Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee (@Atlanta, GA; ESPN): Tennessee is Georgia Tech's 8th most played opponent, despite this game having not been played since 1987. The Vols also lead the all-time series 24-17-2. Change is afoot for the Jackets, with a new QB and a new B-back core. It could be awesome or it could be really bad, and hopefully Tennessee's own inexperience at key positions (especially QB) looms larger than ours.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 0

We interrupt our out-of-conference preview to bring up this special preview of ACTUAL FOOTBALL! A quick introduction to the way the weekly previews work:

• Unless otherwise noted, games are on the Saturday of the week the preview is posted.
• The network is given in parenthesis. Most are straightforward, but ones that aren't are ACC (not an actual network (yet), but syndicated content usually on local stations), CBSS (CBS Sports Network, which you may or may not have), and ACC/RSN (ACC games on regional sports networks, like FS South or NBC Sports Bay Area).
• I give predictions for all the games except for ones involving my alma mater, Georgia Tech.
• The list of games, generally, will only include matchups between FBS teams. I mostly do this because most FBS vs. FCS games are not interesting, and I don't know enough about FCS teams to predict FCS vs. FCS matchups.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Saturday

Noon: Texas Southern @ Florida Agricultural and Mechanical (EPSNU): an exception to the above is that I will list FCS games for this sort-of week since there's not a lot else going on and they're on national TV. That said, I will just list them without providing commentary.

2:30: Oregon State @ Colorado State (CBSS): Arguably the most interesting game of the weekend (involving FBS teams, anyway), this will be an early test of both the progress the Beavers have made in year 2 of the current regime and whether or not the Rams will be for real Mountain West Mountain division contenders this year. This one could go either way, so I'm going to give CSU the edge since this is also the debut of their shiny new home stadium.

3:00: Portland State @ Brigham Young (ESPN)

6:30: Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville State (@Montgomery, AL; ESPN)

7:00: Colgate @ California Polytechnical (ESPNU)

7:30: South Florida @ San Jose State (CBSS): This is also a chance for San Jose State to show they've made strides, but I still think USF is going to be too much for them.

10:00: Stanford vs. Rice (@Sydney, Australia; ESPN): This one could get ugly, most likely due to being a Stanford blow out, or due to just being two rusty teams that flew halfway around the world to play a game in a strange land, under which Rice still won't have a chance, just the score will be 20-0 instead of 51-10.

Sunday

7:00: Richmond @ Sam Houston State (ESPNU): We feel obligated to note that Hurricane Harvey is currently bearing down on the Texas Gulf coast. Football aside, hopefully Huntsville, TX is far enough inland to avoid the worst.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 14

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Friday
7:00: Ohio vs. Western Michigan (Mid-American Conference Championship @ Detroit, MI; ESPN2): By any reasonable measure, Western Michigan should win easily. However, I can't help but think back to the 2013 MAC title game, where an unranked Bowling Green beat an undefeated Northern Illinois 47-27. That said, yeah, you can't reasonably pick against the Broncos here.

9:00: Washington vs. Colorado (Pac-12 Championship @ Santa Clara, CA; FOX): Strangely, an upset here probably results in overall less intrigue, since Colorado will just slide right into the Rose Bowl. Instead, all the drama is in the Huskies winning. That said, a win here would give Washington a pretty solid victory for the ol' strength-of-schedule, and they would be a conference champion. Would that be enough to ensure their spot? I think so. And while I think these Buffs are pretty good, I think Washington is just a bit better.

Saturday
Noon:

• Temple @ Navy (American Athletic Conference Championship; ABC): If you like keeping the ball on the ground, this is the game for you. Featuring two of the best rushing attacks in the country, passing will be at a premium. That said, I think the Owls are better matchup for Navy than South Florida would've been, and I think they'll be able to prevail at home.
• Louisiana Tech @ Western Kentucky (Conference USA Championship; ESPN): If you like to see the pigskin spending most of the afternoon in the air, well then good news! Featuring two attacks that absolutely like to fling out it around, consequences be damned, this game figures to be a rollicking good 62-58 kind of time. In that scenario, I like the Hilltoppers.
• Troy @ Georgia Southern (ESPN2): Southern enters this game on a four game losing streak that doesn't figure to stop there.
• Kansas State @ Texas Christian (FS1): With the two teams otherwise through the rest of the Big 12 schedule, they enter pretty darn close when it comes to most statistical categories, so I figure this a coin flip. In that case, I like K-State's chances.

12:30: Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma (FOX): It's Bedlam! And honestly, I don't figure this one to be especially crazy. Oklahoma has been pretty good this year! While Oklahoma State is 8-1 in conference, they haven't exactly dominated the way the Sooners have (seriously, as fluky as that Central Michigan loss was, they should've also lost to Texas Tech). I've got the Sooners all the way here.

3:30: Baylor @ West Virginia (FS1): West Virginia.

4:00: Alabama vs. Florida (Southeastern Conference Championship @ Atlanta, GA; CBS): Seriously, SEC, just move Alabama (and Auburn) to the East and be done with it. Bama should roll.

7:30: Arkansas State @ Texas State (ESPN2): Texas State is basically the Rutgers of the Sun Belt, so the Red Wolves should roll easily.

7:45: San Diego State @ Wyoming (Mountain West Conference Championship; ESPN): the Aztecs ventured up to Laramie two weeks ago and had a chance to tie with the clock expired with an extra point. Instead, they opted for the two point conversion, which failed. Since then, both these teams have fallen backward into the game. SDSU's position as West champs was never in any doubt, but they lost to Colorado State last week kinda badly (63-31!). Wyoming, meanwhile, is here mainly because Boise State had the courtesy to lose to Air Force the day before they got bowled over by New Mexico. So, basically, I don't know what to expect here, except that the San Diego State players are probably going to be very, very cold, with the temperature expected to be somewhere around 20 degrees (Fahrenheit!) at kickoff. So good luck with that, and I like Wyoming here.

8:00:

• Clemson vs. Virginia Tech (Atlantic Coast Conference Championship @ Orlando, FL; ABC): Hey, remember that time North Carolina totally recovered an onside kick to have a chance at beating Clemson in the ACC title game last year? All I'm saying is that, for maybe only the third or fourth time all year, the Tigers need to come to play, lest they need to get bailed out again. It's not a good look.
• Wisconsin vs. Pennsylvania State (Big Ten Championship @ Indianapolis, IN; FOX): So, yeah, this is totally the Big Ten title game we all expected a few weeks ago. Well, okay, it half is, since Wisconsin is pretty good and was a pretty expected pick to win the Big Ten West at that point. Instead, it was the East not holding up its end of the bargain, the circumstances of which we're all familiar with at this point. So who's going win this game? I have to say, I'm still skeptical on Penn State. Yes, they beat Ohio State, but (for the umpteenth time) the transitive property does not apply to college football. Also, it wasn't like the Nittany Lions went out there and dominated the Buckeyes: they were outgained by over 200 yards and needed some special teams luck to win the game. On the balance, the Badgers' defense was second only to Michigan's in the Big Ten. They're a force to be reckoned with, and in a different year Wisconsin would be coming into this undefeated. I like the Badgers here.