GKJ
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- Feb 27, 2002
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Week 9 has already started quite spicy. Sam Houston became bowl-eligible in their first eligible season with a 10-7 win over FIU. And on Wednesday night, a huge upset with possible implications for the Expanded College Football Playoff, as 5-0 Liberty, looking to be in the conversation for the G5 spot, lost to 0-6 Kennesaw State, which is their first ever win as an FBS school. Liberty is assuredly out of that running.
Thursday has a good ACC matchup on ESPN, 5-1 Syracuse heads to #19 Pitt, who are undefeated at 6-0. Good game if you don’t want to stream. Pitt -6.
Friday’s games are highlighted with a huge showdown in the Mountain West, the winner of #17 Boise State and UNLV may end up in the pole position for the G5 spot. This is an After Dark game on CBSSN. Boise -3.5.
Fox College Football Friday is also After Dark since the World Series has the stage. Even worse if you’re a Rutgers fan, they go out to USC for an 11pm ET start.
On to Saturday, where we have 4 ranked matchups on the table. In the noon window, we have a long time rivalry that rarely has any kind of stakes, but that won’t be the case to at MetLife Stadium. It’s a home game for #24 Navy, undefeated, against #12 Notre Dame. It’s the biggest game of the year for both teams so far. Navy is looking to go 7-0 for the first time since 1978, but they’re 13.5-point underdogs to the Irish and their more traditional offense. With an upset, they can entertain thoughts of being the Group of Five rep for the Expanded College Football Playoff, as strange as it sounds, depending on what happens with Boise. This game airs on ABC.
GameDay is in Bloomington, they’re not too late to the party on Lee Corso’s old stomping ground. #13 Indiana is off to their best start at 7-0 since 1967, and are now firmly within the conversation for the Expanded College Football Playoff. Starting QB Kurtis Rourke is doubtful after thumb surgery during the week, so it might be a bit tougher against the defending national runners up from Washington, who are only 4-3, but the line is 6.5. However, the game is on Big Ten Network
Big Noon Kickoff is back in Columbus, and going to have everyone on hand for a noon start with #4 Ohio State hosting Nebraska, who Indiana took to the cleaners last week. OSU -25.5
ESPN will have #18 Ole Miss hosting Oklahoma, who are going back to Jackson Arnold as starting QB, after firing their offensive coordinator. Ole Miss had the week off after their OT loss to LSU. Ole Miss -20
The later afternoon has our new #1 team in the AP. Oregon holds the top spot for the first time in 2011 in the AP. And it’s not going to be easy, I don’t think, although the trips out west have proven to be a bit arduous for Big Ten teams. This week it’s #20 Illinois making the trip, and they get rewarded by being on CBS again, playing the AP #1 for the first time since 2007. We’ll see if Oregon can hold this down, they are -21.5.
#15 Alabama is the highest ranked 2-loss team, and their season is on life support against #21 Missouri. A likely playoff eliminator since nobody believes in Missouri unless they run the table, they’ll look to keep Brady Cook on the field and away from the hospital, but they’re on the road as the Tide are favored by 16.5. This is the SEC on ABC feature.
#11 BYU appears to be on upset alert, they go across the country to UCF, who are only 3-4, and they let Iowa State off the hook last week - a game they should’ve had won. It’s enough to make them favored by 2 over a Big 12 title contender apparently. That line be telling us something.
Obviously a real tough loss last week for #5 Texas, and under Sark, they seem to not always be ready on time after big games the following week. They best be on their toes, because #25 Vanderbilt didn’t let night Alabama get away when they were ranked #1, and they’re getting the Longhorns at home for the first meeting between these schools in 96 years. Everyone’s got SEC Network, right? 4:15pm ET start. Texas -18.5
Move into the night time, another rivalry steadily moved out of the spotlight, Florida State is 1-6, and already down to their last two conference games. There’s often more on the line, but they still must head south to play #6 Miami. 21 points for the U seems not very generous against a Seminole team dead in the water, but in these rivalries, sometimes you don’t know.
The Faculty best not have the kids from #3 Penn State looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Ohio State, they need to take care of Wisconsin on NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night. Perhaps they’re bit slighted being undefeated but leapfrogged by Georgia in the polls. Odds makers warning them to stay on their toes, it’s only PSU -6.5
Georgia might be at #2, but the top 2 in SEC conference play aren’t on a bye this week like they are. First place in the conference will be decided by #8 LSU and #14 Texas A&M. Both teams do have a loss, but both were out of conference in their season openers, so they’re undefeated in SEC play. So the winner here has an inside track to Atlanta, and it’s hard to see how anyone who gets there doesn’t get into the Expanded College Football Playoff, since it was a good bet even when it wasn’t expanded. The home team in this rivalry has won 6 in a row. Mike Elko has had the best start for an A&M coach in 107 years. These two teams have had running backs emerge to let them pound the ball. A&M -2.5, sure to be another close one for Chris and Kirk on ABC.
ACC Network at 8pm has two 6-1 teams, #21 SMU goes to unranked Duke as a big road favorite of 11.5
Don’t sleep on After Dark, there’s a big one, for a number of reasons, in the Big 12 between two unranked 5-2 teams. Coach Prime is confident that Travis Hunter will be close to full-go when Colorado hosts Cincinnati. It’s hard to say people are sleeping on the Buffs, but they’ve blown out two respected programs on the road in their last 3 games. Last week they beat Arizona 34-7. A win here will not only get them bowl-eligible, but likely a spot in next week’s top 25. They’re even favored here by 5. ESPN at 10:15
Another team who will definitely get in to the top 25 with a win is Washington State, who are 6-1. They’re, in theory, the #26 team based on receiving 46 votes. They’ll be on CBSSN as they’re at San Diego State for a 10:30 start. Wazzu -14.5
Thursday has a good ACC matchup on ESPN, 5-1 Syracuse heads to #19 Pitt, who are undefeated at 6-0. Good game if you don’t want to stream. Pitt -6.
Friday’s games are highlighted with a huge showdown in the Mountain West, the winner of #17 Boise State and UNLV may end up in the pole position for the G5 spot. This is an After Dark game on CBSSN. Boise -3.5.
Fox College Football Friday is also After Dark since the World Series has the stage. Even worse if you’re a Rutgers fan, they go out to USC for an 11pm ET start.
On to Saturday, where we have 4 ranked matchups on the table. In the noon window, we have a long time rivalry that rarely has any kind of stakes, but that won’t be the case to at MetLife Stadium. It’s a home game for #24 Navy, undefeated, against #12 Notre Dame. It’s the biggest game of the year for both teams so far. Navy is looking to go 7-0 for the first time since 1978, but they’re 13.5-point underdogs to the Irish and their more traditional offense. With an upset, they can entertain thoughts of being the Group of Five rep for the Expanded College Football Playoff, as strange as it sounds, depending on what happens with Boise. This game airs on ABC.
GameDay is in Bloomington, they’re not too late to the party on Lee Corso’s old stomping ground. #13 Indiana is off to their best start at 7-0 since 1967, and are now firmly within the conversation for the Expanded College Football Playoff. Starting QB Kurtis Rourke is doubtful after thumb surgery during the week, so it might be a bit tougher against the defending national runners up from Washington, who are only 4-3, but the line is 6.5. However, the game is on Big Ten Network
Big Noon Kickoff is back in Columbus, and going to have everyone on hand for a noon start with #4 Ohio State hosting Nebraska, who Indiana took to the cleaners last week. OSU -25.5
ESPN will have #18 Ole Miss hosting Oklahoma, who are going back to Jackson Arnold as starting QB, after firing their offensive coordinator. Ole Miss had the week off after their OT loss to LSU. Ole Miss -20
The later afternoon has our new #1 team in the AP. Oregon holds the top spot for the first time in 2011 in the AP. And it’s not going to be easy, I don’t think, although the trips out west have proven to be a bit arduous for Big Ten teams. This week it’s #20 Illinois making the trip, and they get rewarded by being on CBS again, playing the AP #1 for the first time since 2007. We’ll see if Oregon can hold this down, they are -21.5.
#15 Alabama is the highest ranked 2-loss team, and their season is on life support against #21 Missouri. A likely playoff eliminator since nobody believes in Missouri unless they run the table, they’ll look to keep Brady Cook on the field and away from the hospital, but they’re on the road as the Tide are favored by 16.5. This is the SEC on ABC feature.
#11 BYU appears to be on upset alert, they go across the country to UCF, who are only 3-4, and they let Iowa State off the hook last week - a game they should’ve had won. It’s enough to make them favored by 2 over a Big 12 title contender apparently. That line be telling us something.
Obviously a real tough loss last week for #5 Texas, and under Sark, they seem to not always be ready on time after big games the following week. They best be on their toes, because #25 Vanderbilt didn’t let night Alabama get away when they were ranked #1, and they’re getting the Longhorns at home for the first meeting between these schools in 96 years. Everyone’s got SEC Network, right? 4:15pm ET start. Texas -18.5
Move into the night time, another rivalry steadily moved out of the spotlight, Florida State is 1-6, and already down to their last two conference games. There’s often more on the line, but they still must head south to play #6 Miami. 21 points for the U seems not very generous against a Seminole team dead in the water, but in these rivalries, sometimes you don’t know.
The Faculty best not have the kids from #3 Penn State looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Ohio State, they need to take care of Wisconsin on NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night. Perhaps they’re bit slighted being undefeated but leapfrogged by Georgia in the polls. Odds makers warning them to stay on their toes, it’s only PSU -6.5
Georgia might be at #2, but the top 2 in SEC conference play aren’t on a bye this week like they are. First place in the conference will be decided by #8 LSU and #14 Texas A&M. Both teams do have a loss, but both were out of conference in their season openers, so they’re undefeated in SEC play. So the winner here has an inside track to Atlanta, and it’s hard to see how anyone who gets there doesn’t get into the Expanded College Football Playoff, since it was a good bet even when it wasn’t expanded. The home team in this rivalry has won 6 in a row. Mike Elko has had the best start for an A&M coach in 107 years. These two teams have had running backs emerge to let them pound the ball. A&M -2.5, sure to be another close one for Chris and Kirk on ABC.
ACC Network at 8pm has two 6-1 teams, #21 SMU goes to unranked Duke as a big road favorite of 11.5
Don’t sleep on After Dark, there’s a big one, for a number of reasons, in the Big 12 between two unranked 5-2 teams. Coach Prime is confident that Travis Hunter will be close to full-go when Colorado hosts Cincinnati. It’s hard to say people are sleeping on the Buffs, but they’ve blown out two respected programs on the road in their last 3 games. Last week they beat Arizona 34-7. A win here will not only get them bowl-eligible, but likely a spot in next week’s top 25. They’re even favored here by 5. ESPN at 10:15
Another team who will definitely get in to the top 25 with a win is Washington State, who are 6-1. They’re, in theory, the #26 team based on receiving 46 votes. They’ll be on CBSSN as they’re at San Diego State for a 10:30 start. Wazzu -14.5
