College Football 2019-2020

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/27224264/minnesota-walk-holder-talks-surviving-cancer?platform=amp

Powerful story to start the season.

Only 2 games this week, and Arizona is playing in one of them

Game of the Week:
Miami at #8 Florida: Hate even putting a ranking up there when no games have been played, but it’s in the Swamp so going Gators

Arizona at Hawaii: My optimism for my alma mater will likely last a half, but hoping that Khalil Tate can stay healthy and the Cats can win a couple games this year.

 

Thanks for posting @SoCalJoe ...it's truly a wonderful and inspirational story up here in Minnesota!

 

August is a great month really. Thanks for sharing SoCal.

I'm going Gators/Cats.

 

SOOO close @SoCalJoe. While I found the highlights of the Arizona vs Hawaii game entertaining, I found the last quarter of the Florida vs Miami game frustrating. Hopefully it's just early season issues, but the amount of penalties and stupid decisions/plays wore me down.

 

Somewhere in San Antonio @AggieMatt is nervously waiting for A&M’s brutal home opener tonight against Texas.... State

There is a very good matchup this evening as Utah travels the 45 minute drive to BYU for the Holy War. Utes have won 8 straight in this series and think it continues.

Will add a few more games manana, but would be remiss to not include the easy Upset Special for the week:
Arizona (and it’s comically bad coaching staff) will no doubt lose to some school called BYE.

Games of the Week
#11 Oregon v #16 Auburn (at Jerry’s World in Dallas). The Pac 12 needs this win almost as much as Oregon does. Until proven otherwise have to pick the SEC team

#9 Notre Dame at Louisville. @jumpkutz Does UL have a shot?

 

@dtowndough Hope you’ll be in Boulder as #25 Nebraska visits the Buffs in what should be a great atmosphere between old rivals.

#12 Texas A&M at #1 Clemson. Rematch of one of the best games last year. Jimbo matching wits with Dabo. 2 of the best QBs in the land. Key for @AggieMatt’s team, stop the great RB Etienne from Clemson first. Will take Clemson, but won’t be surprised if Kellen Mond leads an upset.

#6 LSU at #9 Texas; Matt’s other favorite team (yes, I’m poking the bear) is on their way back, but LSU has decided that winning by scoring 10 points a game isn’t the best strategy and has revamped their offense. Going w/the Bayou Bengals to outscore the Longhorns.

 

Many of the country’s best teams playing cupcakes before conference play, examples: Arkansas State at #3 Georgia, Louisiana Monroe at #16 Texas A&M, and #5 Oklahoma v UCLA Not sure what happened to Chip Kelly, but the Teddy Bears are a dumpster fire:

@HatterDon Fear the Turtle! #21 Maryland at Temple is one of the best games of the week. The Terps are explosive.

#6 Ohio State at Indiana @BarryWhite The Hoosiers have given the Buckeyes all they’ve wanted in Bloomington in recent years. IU must start the game well and create a few turnovers to stay in it.

A couple bitter rivalries worth noting; Pitt at Penn State and Iowa at Iowa State (I’ll take the Big 10 teams).

Upset Alert:
#24 USC at BYU. The winds of change at USC are howling. Lynn Swann was forced out as AD this week. The ice is melting under Coach Helton’s feet, and it’s the first road start for their true freshman QB.

 

Well, apparently FCS #14 Dartmouth scored on a Hail Mary from midfield on the last play to remain unbeaten. #12 Princeton, also 7-0, will be in Hanover NH next Saturday in the game that will probably decide the Ivy League. Should be great, but playing in New Hampshire in November can be nasty. Go Tigers!

 

@sacffc Princeton has been spoiling you, 17 game winning streak heading into your showdown. A bit of good news, as this game has been moved to Yankee Stadium.

EDIT: Playoff rankings out for first time this season, and a couple huge games this week.

#2 LSU at #3 Alabama. Hard not to pick Bama and Saban at home over Coach O. Tua looks good to go, Burrow has been sensational for Bayou Bengals. Pressure is on Bama, lose at home and they could be in trouble making it to playoffs. LSU loses a close one and I can see SEC getting two teams.

#4 Penn State at #17 Minnesota @encorespanish When was last time Gophers were 8-0? Try 78 years ago. Add 2 weeks to prep for (in my mind an overrated) Nittany Lions team, and I think this will be a close one. Penn State w/more talent, so it will require hanging in early, winning the turnover margin, and maybe scoring or making a huge play on Special Teams, but obvious PJ Fleck has Gophers buying what he is selling (could Florida State or USC be next?).

 

Even better, just saw it's supposed to be on ESPNU at 3:30 EST / 12:30 PST.

 

It was bedlam in Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon! It was a game that was closer in the final scoreline, than it actually was. I was irrationally confident about this Penn State game, but I'm irrationally not confident about going to Iowa on Saturday and coming out of there with the Floyd of Rosedale.

 

Great win; great game.

 

I normally don't have a reason to mention my Division III undergrad alma mater, Ithaca College, here in the College Football thread, but today is an exception. Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland will take their battle for the Cortaca Jug to Met Life Stadium today and set a Division III football attendance record.

Each year since 1959 the two teams have played for the Cortaca Jug, now 2 jugs, inscribed with the results of each game. I was lucky enough to be there at the tail end of a period of Ithaca dominance in the rivalry. The only thing that was bigger than the Cortaca Jug game was when Ithaca won the DIII national title in 1991. In my senior year the game was played in Cortland and I listened to it on the radio. With Ithaca behind 12 to 13 the game came down to a last second field goal attempt. The Ithaca College announcers described the kick going just wide of the post and we were all sad - but then the announcers realized they had called it wrong and the officials said the kick was good! Ithaca wins in dramatic fashion 15 to 13.

I'm not sure what to expect today since I haven't followed Ithaca Bomber football in years. They've won the past two years and I hope they make it a third today.

 

Whilst waiting for hoops season to really start:
Scott Satterfield has been a revelation for Louisville football. He’s exceeded all reasonable expectations this season, and they became bowl eligible with win no. 6 last weekend at N.C. State. Got assigned to shoot one of his early practices and the pace and energy from he and his assistants was off the charts. I suspect in a couple of seasons we’ll have a heck of a time holding onto him.
Kentucky has, predictably, regressed. They may yet become bowl eligible, but Mark Stoops has some work to do, both this season and next.

 

Rivalry week and the playoff spots will become a little clearer;

@encorespanish, the weather looks terrible in Minnesota which favors Whiskey and their run game, but so pulling for your Gophers to get it done. One of the few teams that still control their own destiny.

Ohio State at Michigan; All the pressure is on Harbaugh and Meatchicken to break the whammy. Until they do, have to pick the Buckeyes. Ohio State could lose this game and still get in the playoffs by winning the Big 10’Title game.

Alabama at Auburn. Iron Bowl time and Bama must win and be impressive doing it w/the backup QB to swing the committee and have a chance. Tough call, but rooting for Auburn.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State. OU likely needs help, but the committee loves Blue Bloods. OU Lite has been playing well and I’ll go w/Cowboys to win Bedlam and ruin the Land Thieves chances at the same
time.

So many others

@jumpkutz Who you got w/Louisville v Kentucky?

My team Arizona travels to the Scum Devils....We Stink that is all.

 

@SoCalJoe yes, we had rain, sleet and snow all during game time. Thankfully, I watched what started out with a bang and finished with a whimper, from the comfort of my home. The prize for winning that game is a spanking at the hands of Ohio State. No one is beating that team until, maybe, the national title game.

 

My daughter once got a bogus parking ticket in Madison because she had California plates. That's enough for me to root against Wisconsin at every opportunity. I wanted to be a Gopher fan for a day, but after a while ... Hmm, I wonder what else is on. You're right though, Wisconsin just earned the right to get smushed.

 

@sacffc Sucks to hear about your daughter’s parking ticket. My brother (Oregon grad) tries to travel to a road game a year, and says the people in Madison were awesome (walking to the stadium, Whiskey people invited them into their pregame, etc). I agree, that the Badgers will likely get beat soundly again on Sat.

The Playoff Picture:

SEC: LSU beats Georgia and it opens up a spot. If the Dawgs win, both Georgia and LSU will be in, fingers crossed its the former. In that scenario (assuming Clemson & Ohio State win), the 4th spot will go to one of these 3:

PAC 12 (Friday night): #5 Utah vs #13 Oregon: Ducks blew their chance, now will try to play spoiler. Rarely do I ever root against the Quackers, but would like to see the Pac represented.

Big 12: #7 Baylor vs #6 Oklahoma. The Bears blew a huge lead against the Sooners in Waco, can’t see them winning on a neutral site. Since this game is on Saturday they’ll know the fate of Utah. If OU is super impressive they could over take the Utes. Baylor would be a Cinderella story and Matt Rhule has to be a coach of the year candidate.

 

Just checking in... and as usual sportstuff with SoCalJoe is readable ...
As a less than rabid Buckeye Fan, I now find them EXTREMELY enjoyable to watch.
The Wisconsin game was a case in point. Buck's offense went nowhere in first 1.5 quarters, WI seemed to be on fire.. and wife saw score and commented "Oh, NO!"
I just smirked!
How the Panel moved LSU over OSU is headscratching.. but WGAF.
Judging on season performance, if opponent doesnt get 21 points ahead, Buckeyes can handle it.
****DO YOU REALIZE that if OSU runs the table, there will be a record set that will almost surely never be broken.? ****
- Pssst Look on the sidelines. Bear Bryant, My ASS!