Well another weekend of big games any 1 loss team that has playoff hopes is basically in elimination mode, I don't see a 2 loss team getting to the playoffs. The big game for this week is Penn State visiting Columbus to play the Buckeyes. Even Urban Meyer said there is a revenge factor in play in this game. If Penn State loses I think they are likely out, with Ohio State and Wisconsin both still being undefeated I can't see a way for Penn State to get to the B1G championship game. Ohio State would hold the tie breaker just like they did last year. Plus I think the committee isn't likely to ignore the B1G Champion this year like they did Penn State last year. An elimination game for both teams. Lots of other big games this weekend. NC State at Notre Dame. See that topic. Stanford at Oregon State ...ok not a big game as Stanford should cruise but still they have to win out if they want to play for the Pac12 Title...can't lose another game. FSU at Boston College...again not really a big game. But it is for FSU as they are looking at their worst season in awhile going on the road to a BC team that seems to have found some mojo. BC has a RB ( AJ Dillon)that has blossomed into a really good RB. If Jimbo thought FSU fans were feisty after that loss to Louisville last weekend. Lose to BC and he might not want to come back to Tally right away. OK.State at WVA ...OSU just barely got out of Austin alive last weekend thanks to Sam Ehlinger's brain fart interception in OT. But they are still in the hunt for a Playoff spot and they have a closing schedule and potentially a B12 Championship game to boost their case. WVA another team that barely escaped Texas with a win, in this case Waco Texas where they just got the win vs winless Baylor. I don't think WVA has the defense Texas does so this could be a shoot out. Texas at Baylor ...oh man if Tom Herman loses to Baylor, the bloom will be off the rose. Baylor has shown some spunk and hung around a bunch of games that they eventually lost. Texas maybe without Sam at QB and have to go with Shane Buchelle instead. Not really a big deal. Must win for the Longhorns. Georgia vs Florida ....most years this would be the big game of the day. But I think most expect the Dawgs to punish the Gators. That UGA defense seems to be getting better and better as the season goes on and while their QB (Fromme) hasn't been freshman AA type of player he's been steady and they have a great running game. This could be a big big win for Georgia. Gators just down too many players. TCU at Iowa State ... Iowa State is surprising a lot of people. TCU is the B12 team most likely to make the playoffs. Can a 1 loss B12 Champion get in, maybe. So maybe TCU could lose a game, but maybe not. Still TCU QB Kenny Hill has been great this year and TCU has a good defense. It should be a good game but I can't see TCU losing this one. UCLA at Washington. Like Stanford the Huskies can't afford another loss, and UCLA has been and up and down team and they don't play very good defense. Mich State at Northwestern. Can you believe it, Mich State if they win out would win the B1G East. Of course that would mean beating Ohio State and Penn State. But Dantonio has definitely got his troops rallied from the beating that the Irish put on them. Mississippi State at Texas A&M ...Aggies need to keep winning, they are 3-1 in the SEC West not likely to win it, but Sumlin needs to avoid the late season collapse this year. State is a good not great team. They have an outstanding QB in Fitzgerald but the Aggie QB Mond has grown quite a bit and I think he has more weapons to say the least. Duke at Va.Tech... Duke after winning 4 to start the season has lost 4 in a row, while Va. Tech is right in the middle of the Coastal Div race and looking really good their only loss is to Clemson. I really like what Justin Fuente has done at Va.Tech. Va.Tech like all 1 loss teams can't afford another loss and if they can keep it up will play Miami next weekend essentially for the Costal Div title and the right to go to the ACC Champ. Tenn at Kentucky....Vols have the players to win this one, they are much more talented than Kentucky and Butch Jones and the Vols need this win. If they can avoid just throwing in the towel and playing out the season and come out and play like they did early against Alabama they could get a big win here. Neb at Purdue.....Don't know what to think here, Purdue is greatly improved from last year. I was surprised they lost to Rutgers last weekend. I think the Huskers can bounce back from that Ohio State game and take this one. Ga.Tech at Clemson...Is Kelly Bryant healthy? If so Clemson should cruise. They have way more athletes than Ga.Tech who btw has really played well this year and have been pretty unlucky to have lost to Tenn in the opener and to Miami a week ago. They really could easily been undefeated. But they aren't and Clemson can't afford to lose, they've had some extra time to prep for Ga.Tech which is what you need to face that option. Texas Tech at Oklahoma ...this OU team is capable of losing to just about anybody, but Baker Mayfield just seem to find a way to put them on his back and win the game. They are another team who could make the playoffs but they have to win out. That big win in Columbus and the fact that Iowa State is turning out to be a pretty good team will factor into it. But can't lose. Tech on the other hand is like UCLA an up and down team, on the road I don't expect Tech to be able to pull it off. Wazzu at Arizona ...The Wildcats seem to have found something and are on a 3 game win streak including beating CAL the team that beat WSU. Who knows. Rich Rod vs The Pirate...can't get much better than that! Wazzu another team that can not lose another game. USC at Ar. State ....Trojans absolutely have to put away the blowout at South Bend, burn the tape, whatever. Arz. State another team that has seemed to have found a spark, beating Washington and Utah for 2 good wins. I was listening to XM Sports and they said that Graham has finally taken Phil Bennets advice and no longer wants to call 9 man blitzes so the defense is playing much better. USC another Pac12 team that can not lose. The are out for the CFB playoffs but could still win the Pac12 championship which if they do will basically kill the Pac12 from getting a team into the playoffs. Heard today that if Georgia runs the table and so does Alabama and the SEC championship game is close then the SEC could get 2 teams in, same for the B1G if both Wisconsin and Penn State run the table and the B1G game is close both those teams could get in. This assumes that TCU is not undefeated and that Clemson doesn't run the table to finish with just 1 loss. Irish also in the mix but would have to again run the table with good solid wins each week.
Terry, You amaze me with your weekly analysis of the top games and little side notes as well. Do your patients suffer during football season?
So Don what do you think of the Irish chances? After I get the response one of my crack staff members goes and puts that patients input into a text file and once I have enough opinions I post them as my own!
I really think Notre Dame is far better than most of you dared to hope for this season. Some tough games down the road, but I would not be the least bit surprised to see the Irish in the Final Four at seasons end!
44-13 Georgia over Florida..... No Ron Zook magic this time and McElwain hasn't shown any ability to keep the Gators close to elite teams.
"FSU at Boston College...again not really a big game. But it is for FSU as they are looking at their worst season in awhile going on the road to a BC team that seems to have found some mojo. BC has a RB ( AJ Dillon)that has blossomed into a really good RB. If Jimbo thought FSU fans were feisty after that loss to Louisville last weekend. Lose to BC and he might not want to come back to Tally right away" See my topic on a bad record still having NFL quality players. This FSU squad just may yet go 4-8..... but there's some heavy talent on that roster you can bet. Vols might just punch Butch Jones unemployment ticket this weekend. I suspect it will still be a bountiful Christmas at the Jones home though.... given these huge buyouts etc they get these days. Hell my severance was only $45,000.00 when I got booted out of Detroit two weeks before Christmas in 2008 and I thought I had a pretty good deal LOL....
Bye week for Alabama. Visiting grandkids in Panama City Beach this weekend. My son-in-law is a big Georgia fan so I will be watching the Biggest Outdoor Cocktail Party Saturday afternoon.
This should make for an interesting SEC championship game in house in the family... I'll be in Sky Valley Georgia for the start of a 10 day vacation and my Gator grad is coming with us so as I pull for the Bulldogs (Hey I'm in Georgia) he will be crying about the refs hurting the Gators chances.... Either way I'm in the mountains....Enough said...Low humidity, cool temps and Helen Georgia has a heck of an Oktoberfest not to far away I plan on attending
Holy Cow, Mike Leach has hired a private eye to bird dog people at Texas Tech to dig up dirt on them and hopefully force them to pay him money he thinks that Tech still owes them. It seems like with a excellent team this year he wouldn't get going on something distracting as this....focus on the future.
Had lunch today with a colleague who is a Penn State grad. He claims he's not worried about Ohio State, says that Penn State has more talent than the Buckeyes and he expects to win. Doesn't think anybody on the schedule can match up with the Nits. I didn't bother to mention this article on ESPN on JT Barrett!
Updated 2017 Salary list for College Football Coaches. No surprise who is #1, #2, #3 or #4...Big Surprise who is #5. Try to find Brian Kelly on the list! http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/
Bet it all on Kentucky. J Kelly, Tennessee's best running back in an offence named anemia is suspended this week. Could be off the team.
I think I read that Kelly got caught with some pot, along with LB Will Ignont. Both are suspended. I loaned my car to this friend of mine, it must be his weed. It's not mine! :shock: That actually worked for a ND player awhile ago, who got pulled over for something minor and they found pot in his car. He said it wasn't his and the car was borrowed from his Uncle. The Uncle came forward and said he forgot to take it out of the car when he loaned it and didn't tell the ND Player that it was in there. Also how many times have I noted that athletes who get busted for pot are pulled over for a broken taillight or something like that....word to the wise if your going to be in possession of illegal substances and driving around check and make sure your lights are all good, that your inspection sticker is good, that your license plates are present and match the car you are driving/riding in that night. Oh yeah obey the speed limits religiously, but don't go 25 in a 50 mph zone or anything like that either.
Dave probably won't like this story on Will Grier and his brothers...it includes a few paragraphs on his downfall and departure from Fla. Makes it sound like McElwain sort of screwed him over. I will say that I didn't know he had Internet Famous Brothers, Vine stars or something like that. They live large in L.A. and have millions of followers. who knew. http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21145750/nation-most-prolific-qb-way-more-famous-brothers
I could have been a victim of that old "not my pot" situation once... One Christmas when I was home from school on break, I let my brother and his friends use my car. A few days later I decided to give the car a decent cleaning and found a little baggy of weed in the glove compartment. I was PISSED. First thing I imagined was getting pulled over and getting the "Sure it's not yours kid" when it was found by the Law. :x
Ahhhh, I'll take it and these cool temps...I'm not sure where Bill is these days (probably not too far) but we are a skip away from Franklin and Highlands NC....