GKJ
Global Moderator
- Feb 27, 2002
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Well, last week sure was fun, and this week should be more fun with more games in national windows. There are still many clinching scenarios for conference championships in every conference. But there nothing quite like what we see in the Big 12. All the speculation last week of all the teams who lost, but the Big 12 has confirmed that NOBODY controls their destiny as you will see in the below scenarios.
To say nothing of all the rivalries going on this weekend, throw out all those record books.
The Game, Iron Bowl, Clean, Old-fashioned Hate, Commonwealth Clash, Jeweled Shillelagh, Territorial Cup, Lone Star Showdown, and of course, FARMAGEDDON.
Thanksgiving night brings us a ranked team - #17 Tulane, which has it's ticket punched to the American Championship, but they can't afford a loss to Memphis if they want to have a chance at getting into the Expanded College Football Playoff. If you're not watching the Cowboys/Giants slop fest, or your Thanksgiving dinner slop fest, ESPN will carry this game at 7:30.
Black Friday does the Lord's work of giving us games all day and night, with most of the networks going up against each other. ABC is not carrying hockey this year, and that's good for them, because it will allow them to air #25 Colorado at a reasonable hour - noon eastern. Fresh off their loss to Kansas, where their run defense couldn't stop a nosebleed, they're fortunate to stay in the top 25. They will host 3-8 Oklahoma State, and with a win, they will wait to see how the rest of the Big 12 Shitshow plays out. Colorado -17
#11 Boise State also gets on an abnormally early hour, also 10am local, noon eastern as they host the Beavs. Oregon State has not fared as well as their Pac-X flagholder from Wazzu, they are only 5-6, and this is obviously not a conference game. Boise State's spot in the MWC championship is already nailed down. But as a G5 team, they can't lose, even though they currently hold down a bye in the Expanded College Football Playoff Bracket. Boise State -19
Fox will carry Minnesota @ Wisconsin at noon.
#14 Ole Miss, no excuses, totally blew their chance by losing to Florida last week. They will come back in the Egg Bowl against their in-state rival Mississippi State on ABC at 3:30, as 26-point favorites. Lane don't have to worry about wishing he doesn't have to play in the SEC Championship Game.
#7 Georgia has their ticket to Atlanta punched, but not to the playoff quite yet. They're likely the only 2-loss team who could lose another game and get in at an at-large, and they have a tricky game of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate against 7-4 Georgia Tech - who own a top 10 win just 3 weeks ago. This is their home game, it's on ABC at 7:30, and favored by 19. Dawgs have won 19 of the last 22 in the series.
Prime time Black Friday, NBC will carry Nebraska @ Iowa (-6), while Fox has Utah @ UCF (-9.5). No After Dark.
Big Noon Kickoff, of course, is on site again in Columbus, for The Game, which we've grown accustomed to being a much bigger game, but with Michigan being 6-5 as defending National Champions, #2 Ohio State and Ryan Day have no excuses this year, even though Ohio State isn't in real danger of being left out of the Expanded College Football Playoff. There are players who stayed at Ohio State to get one last shot at beating That Team Up North, and Ohio State are still 21-point favorites.
#8 Tennessee has one final hurdle to clear before punching their ticket to the Expanded College Football Playoff, and they do need to clear it despite having no path to the SEC Championship Game. They have to go to Vanderbilt, which has been hell for the A+ programs, but they've dropped games to South Carolina and LSU in the past few weeks to fall to 6-5, after once being in the Top 25. It's still an in-state rivalry, and Tennessee's offense has been unconvincing against other SEC opponents. Tennessee -10.5. ABC will carry the game at noon.
One of the great ironies of this final week of the regular season, is the rivalry game that are of peripheral consequence to both teams. One of them in-state rivalry between taking place in Death Valley between #15 South Carolina and #12 Clemson. Fans of both teams are upset that this isn't a night game, but so goes the TV contracts. Clemson is the home team, so it also gets stuck on ESPN at noon. Clemson is the first team out of the Expanded College Football Playoff, hoping for a path to the ACC Championship Game, or some other at-large teams to lose. And South Carolina needs even more of them to lose, although they've been hot, they're stuck behind Alabama and Ole Miss, who they lost to. Clemson -3
Big 12 disaster games at noon:
ESPN2 has Kansas (-1.5) at Baylor
FS1 has West Virginia at Texas Tech (-3)
Moving into the late afternoon slate, on CBS, 6-5 USC will host #5 Notre Dame, who still have by far the worst loss of anyone in the entire Top 25, but it's their only loss, and they handled what was an undefeated Army team last week. USC's 5 losses have been by an average of 4.6 points, all of them within 7. Notre Dame is currently favored by 7.5, a line that's gone up. Notre Dame has won 5 of 6 Jeweled Shillelaghs.
#6 Miami has gotten away with a lot of games this year, and while it does appear that they have a spot in the Expanded College Football Playoff on lock, they do not have their spot in the ACC Championship Game unless they can beat a tough 8-3 Syracuse team. Miami has made a lot of games tougher than they should be, but they do have Cam Ward at QB to fix many of those issues. Miami -11
#9 SMU has run the table thus far in their first year in the ACC, laying the wood down on most of their opponents. They do have their spot in the ACC Championship game, which would then lead to a bye, so this game is not that important. They play Cal, who have been another team that's been tough to put away. Their 5 losses have averaged only 3.4 points, although they did manage to lose to Florida State. SMU still a big 13.5-point favorite.
It's one of the least important Iron Bowls in a while. We're used to this being appointment viewing, the SEC at it's greatest height, has been that when Auburn has been a top team. At 5-6 they're not that, even after their "4 overtime' win against Texas A&M. And after #13 Alabama laid an egg in Oklahoma last week, they have 3 losses and need a lot more to happen if they don't want to draw a weeknight Christmas week Bowl that everyone will opt out of.
#16 Arizona State is in the best position within the Big 12, and thus the Expanded College Football Playoff. And it seems like they've come from out of nowhere to stake a claim, but they're not the highest ranked team in the conference. Of course, they get another in-state rival, Arizona is 4-7, but they're probably better on talent than that, and they are the home team with added incentive of ruining their rival's season. Sun Devils -9
#4 Penn State, is in a similar space as Ohio State, even with a loss, they have their spot. But they do need to win should Ohio State lose, and grab a spot in the Big Ten Championship. They escaped Minnesota last week, who are a tough bunch themselves. They're not playing their traditional season final rivalry game against Michigan State, instead it is Maryland. PSY -24.5
In Prime Time on FS1, #10 Indiana took it on the chin against Ohio State last week to take their first loss. And thanks to some other upsets, they maintain their place in the Top 10. They've blown away bad teams this year, surely hosting 1-10 Purdue will be no different, right? IU -29.
Big Ten Saturday Night on NBC will have #1 Oregon and Washington play their first rivalry game under the Big Ten banner, and now at the end of the season. Washington has only managed a 6-5 record as the defending national runner-ups. Oregon is the only undefeated team remaining in FBS, and a win here would set up a Rematch of the Century in next week's Big Ten Championship Game if Ohio State does their job. Oregon -19
The other big game in the Big 12 is the other ranked matchup of the week. #24 Kansas State is back in the top 25, and still have a chance at getting a spot in Dallas next week. However, #18 Iowa State will get this game at home, and they've been the highest ranked team in the conference before their loss to Texas Tech on November 2. It's FARMAGEDDON in Ames, Iowa State -2.5.
The biggest game of the week though is the Lone Star Showdown, taking place in College Station, where #3 Texas and #20 Texas A&M restart their rivalry that's been on hold since A&M left for the SEC after 2011. As expected, they got caught looking ahead last week, losing a "4 overtime" game to Auburn, taking them out of the at-large process for the Expanded College Football Playoff. But a win over the Longhorns still sends them to Atlanta against Georgia, where they can still claim not just a spot, but a bye as well. College GameDay is on campus for this renewal, and we all know where everyone's attention will be. Longhorns -5.5
#22 UNLV (-17.5) has a rivalry game against Nevada at home, at 8pm on CBSSN. They still need to win to go to the MWC Championship in Boise next Friday, if Colorado State beats Utah State on Friday.
In the final After Dark of the season, #18 BYU hosts 4-7 Houston at 10:15 on ESPN. They stand to benefit and take a spot in the Big 12 championship provided things break their way. The Cougars have lost their last two but are favored by 13.
10:30 Air Force (-3.5) at San Diego State
11pm New Mexico (-3) at Hawaii
Bonus points to anyone who gets the thread title. Enjoy the football, it could be the best week of the year.
To say nothing of all the rivalries going on this weekend, throw out all those record books.
The Game, Iron Bowl, Clean, Old-fashioned Hate, Commonwealth Clash, Jeweled Shillelagh, Territorial Cup, Lone Star Showdown, and of course, FARMAGEDDON.
Thanksgiving night brings us a ranked team - #17 Tulane, which has it's ticket punched to the American Championship, but they can't afford a loss to Memphis if they want to have a chance at getting into the Expanded College Football Playoff. If you're not watching the Cowboys/Giants slop fest, or your Thanksgiving dinner slop fest, ESPN will carry this game at 7:30.
Black Friday does the Lord's work of giving us games all day and night, with most of the networks going up against each other. ABC is not carrying hockey this year, and that's good for them, because it will allow them to air #25 Colorado at a reasonable hour - noon eastern. Fresh off their loss to Kansas, where their run defense couldn't stop a nosebleed, they're fortunate to stay in the top 25. They will host 3-8 Oklahoma State, and with a win, they will wait to see how the rest of the Big 12 Shitshow plays out. Colorado -17
#11 Boise State also gets on an abnormally early hour, also 10am local, noon eastern as they host the Beavs. Oregon State has not fared as well as their Pac-X flagholder from Wazzu, they are only 5-6, and this is obviously not a conference game. Boise State's spot in the MWC championship is already nailed down. But as a G5 team, they can't lose, even though they currently hold down a bye in the Expanded College Football Playoff Bracket. Boise State -19
Fox will carry Minnesota @ Wisconsin at noon.
#14 Ole Miss, no excuses, totally blew their chance by losing to Florida last week. They will come back in the Egg Bowl against their in-state rival Mississippi State on ABC at 3:30, as 26-point favorites. Lane don't have to worry about wishing he doesn't have to play in the SEC Championship Game.
#7 Georgia has their ticket to Atlanta punched, but not to the playoff quite yet. They're likely the only 2-loss team who could lose another game and get in at an at-large, and they have a tricky game of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate against 7-4 Georgia Tech - who own a top 10 win just 3 weeks ago. This is their home game, it's on ABC at 7:30, and favored by 19. Dawgs have won 19 of the last 22 in the series.
Prime time Black Friday, NBC will carry Nebraska @ Iowa (-6), while Fox has Utah @ UCF (-9.5). No After Dark.
Big Noon Kickoff, of course, is on site again in Columbus, for The Game, which we've grown accustomed to being a much bigger game, but with Michigan being 6-5 as defending National Champions, #2 Ohio State and Ryan Day have no excuses this year, even though Ohio State isn't in real danger of being left out of the Expanded College Football Playoff. There are players who stayed at Ohio State to get one last shot at beating That Team Up North, and Ohio State are still 21-point favorites.
#8 Tennessee has one final hurdle to clear before punching their ticket to the Expanded College Football Playoff, and they do need to clear it despite having no path to the SEC Championship Game. They have to go to Vanderbilt, which has been hell for the A+ programs, but they've dropped games to South Carolina and LSU in the past few weeks to fall to 6-5, after once being in the Top 25. It's still an in-state rivalry, and Tennessee's offense has been unconvincing against other SEC opponents. Tennessee -10.5. ABC will carry the game at noon.
One of the great ironies of this final week of the regular season, is the rivalry game that are of peripheral consequence to both teams. One of them in-state rivalry between taking place in Death Valley between #15 South Carolina and #12 Clemson. Fans of both teams are upset that this isn't a night game, but so goes the TV contracts. Clemson is the home team, so it also gets stuck on ESPN at noon. Clemson is the first team out of the Expanded College Football Playoff, hoping for a path to the ACC Championship Game, or some other at-large teams to lose. And South Carolina needs even more of them to lose, although they've been hot, they're stuck behind Alabama and Ole Miss, who they lost to. Clemson -3
Big 12 disaster games at noon:
ESPN2 has Kansas (-1.5) at Baylor
FS1 has West Virginia at Texas Tech (-3)
Moving into the late afternoon slate, on CBS, 6-5 USC will host #5 Notre Dame, who still have by far the worst loss of anyone in the entire Top 25, but it's their only loss, and they handled what was an undefeated Army team last week. USC's 5 losses have been by an average of 4.6 points, all of them within 7. Notre Dame is currently favored by 7.5, a line that's gone up. Notre Dame has won 5 of 6 Jeweled Shillelaghs.
#6 Miami has gotten away with a lot of games this year, and while it does appear that they have a spot in the Expanded College Football Playoff on lock, they do not have their spot in the ACC Championship Game unless they can beat a tough 8-3 Syracuse team. Miami has made a lot of games tougher than they should be, but they do have Cam Ward at QB to fix many of those issues. Miami -11
#9 SMU has run the table thus far in their first year in the ACC, laying the wood down on most of their opponents. They do have their spot in the ACC Championship game, which would then lead to a bye, so this game is not that important. They play Cal, who have been another team that's been tough to put away. Their 5 losses have averaged only 3.4 points, although they did manage to lose to Florida State. SMU still a big 13.5-point favorite.
It's one of the least important Iron Bowls in a while. We're used to this being appointment viewing, the SEC at it's greatest height, has been that when Auburn has been a top team. At 5-6 they're not that, even after their "4 overtime' win against Texas A&M. And after #13 Alabama laid an egg in Oklahoma last week, they have 3 losses and need a lot more to happen if they don't want to draw a weeknight Christmas week Bowl that everyone will opt out of.
#16 Arizona State is in the best position within the Big 12, and thus the Expanded College Football Playoff. And it seems like they've come from out of nowhere to stake a claim, but they're not the highest ranked team in the conference. Of course, they get another in-state rival, Arizona is 4-7, but they're probably better on talent than that, and they are the home team with added incentive of ruining their rival's season. Sun Devils -9
#4 Penn State, is in a similar space as Ohio State, even with a loss, they have their spot. But they do need to win should Ohio State lose, and grab a spot in the Big Ten Championship. They escaped Minnesota last week, who are a tough bunch themselves. They're not playing their traditional season final rivalry game against Michigan State, instead it is Maryland. PSY -24.5
In Prime Time on FS1, #10 Indiana took it on the chin against Ohio State last week to take their first loss. And thanks to some other upsets, they maintain their place in the Top 10. They've blown away bad teams this year, surely hosting 1-10 Purdue will be no different, right? IU -29.
Big Ten Saturday Night on NBC will have #1 Oregon and Washington play their first rivalry game under the Big Ten banner, and now at the end of the season. Washington has only managed a 6-5 record as the defending national runner-ups. Oregon is the only undefeated team remaining in FBS, and a win here would set up a Rematch of the Century in next week's Big Ten Championship Game if Ohio State does their job. Oregon -19
The other big game in the Big 12 is the other ranked matchup of the week. #24 Kansas State is back in the top 25, and still have a chance at getting a spot in Dallas next week. However, #18 Iowa State will get this game at home, and they've been the highest ranked team in the conference before their loss to Texas Tech on November 2. It's FARMAGEDDON in Ames, Iowa State -2.5.
The biggest game of the week though is the Lone Star Showdown, taking place in College Station, where #3 Texas and #20 Texas A&M restart their rivalry that's been on hold since A&M left for the SEC after 2011. As expected, they got caught looking ahead last week, losing a "4 overtime" game to Auburn, taking them out of the at-large process for the Expanded College Football Playoff. But a win over the Longhorns still sends them to Atlanta against Georgia, where they can still claim not just a spot, but a bye as well. College GameDay is on campus for this renewal, and we all know where everyone's attention will be. Longhorns -5.5
#22 UNLV (-17.5) has a rivalry game against Nevada at home, at 8pm on CBSSN. They still need to win to go to the MWC Championship in Boise next Friday, if Colorado State beats Utah State on Friday.
In the final After Dark of the season, #18 BYU hosts 4-7 Houston at 10:15 on ESPN. They stand to benefit and take a spot in the Big 12 championship provided things break their way. The Cougars have lost their last two but are favored by 13.
10:30 Air Force (-3.5) at San Diego State
11pm New Mexico (-3) at Hawaii
Bonus points to anyone who gets the thread title. Enjoy the football, it could be the best week of the year.
