Week Five Preview: It Just Means More

[texifornia 56559]

Texas starts SEC play, there's plenty of fun football, and I'll be stuck at a wedding in Boone. Maybe I can sneak out to the App State game...

Thursday game

Army @ Temple - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN
The Black Knights take a quick drive down to Philly to administer a good old fashioned ass-whupping to Stan Drayton's feeble Owls.

Friday games

Virginia Tech @ #7 Miami - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN
Before the season this looked like a potential ACC title game preview. The Hokies responded to big expectations by losing to Rutgers and Vanderbilt in their offseason slate. Oops.

Washington @ Rutgers - 8 / 7 Fox
Hahahaha this is a conference game, realignment is so dumb. The Scarlet Knights seem competent. Jedd Fisch hasn't really found his feet yet in Seattle (it's pretty slippery up there with all the rain).

Saturday games

Kentucky @ #6 Ole Miss - 12 / 11 ABC
Will Ole Miss finally be tested? Kentucky is so schizophrenic it's hard to say. Do they bring their A-game they showed against UGA or fall over like they did against SCar. Either way, they probably can't keep up with the Rebel offense.

#20 Oklahoma State @ #23 Kansas State - 12 / 11 ABC
Both teams are coming off rough losses to Holy Warriors and need this win to stay in the race for the second Big XII championship spot. Is Alan Bowman still traumatized after getting put in the spin cycle by Ute defenders all Saturday? Can K-State rebound from getting hammered by BYU?

#22 BYU @ Baylor - 12 / 11 FS1
Speaking of bouncing back from those games, is BYU for real? Can Aranda rally the Bears after they gave up a Hail Mary with a defensive playcall called "Victory Cigar"?

Also in the early slate, Northern Illinois @ NC State (CW) is a funny one give how their seasons have gone. Minnesota @ Michigan (FOX) is the second week in a row Big Noon Saturday has punted on showing an actually good game and just panders to a blueblood fanbase.

-

Arkansas @ #24 Texas A&M - 3:30 / 2:30 ESPN
A meteor game for Texas fans. Both teams have been uneven and incompetent in different ways. Should be fun to laugh at the loser, at least.

#15 Louisville @ #16 Notre Dame - 3:30 / 2:30 Peacock (Jesus Christ, really?)
An enormous game for Notre Dame's season. A potential defining statement for the ACC title challengers from the banks of the Ohio. This one should be fun. So of course NBC put it on Peacock, the assholes.

#21 Oklahoma @ Auburn - 3:30 / 2:30 ABC
OU gets a bounceback game to really start hyping Michael Hawkins and their defense up before Red River. Hugh Freeze will try to find out how many of his players he can throw under a bus at the same time.

UNC @ Duke - 4 / 3 ESPN2
Mack vs. Manny! Maalik vs. the UNC "defense!" Mack vs. the creeping sense of inevitable decline and decay! Tobacco Road's premier basketball rivaly has some fun football interest for Texas fans this year after UNC covered the over against JMU by themselves and still got blown out 70 - 50.

Mississippi State @ #1 Texas - 4:15 / 3:15 SECN
Texas is going to treat Jeff Lebby the same way he treats ethics and women's rights, because an SEC mudholing just means more. Michael Van Buren gets his first start at QB, and is in for a presidential asskicking.

Also of interest is a fun G5 matchup with Fresno State @ UNLV (FS1).

-

#2 Georgia @ #4 Alabama - 7:30 / 6:30 ABC
Whoa nelly, this is a big one. Not much to say other than this is a huge, huge game. UGA has looked a little wobbly, Bama has a new coach, but you know they're both going to be locked in on Saturday night.

#19 Illinois @ #9 Penn State - 7:30 / 6:30 NBC
An excellent B1G undercard. FFR has the Illini playing tough, physical football. James Franklin tends to wilt in big games. But this feels to me like the one he wins before he loses to USC and Ohio State down the road.

Florida State @ SMU - 7:30 / 6:30 ACCN
Cal didn't have the horses to keep the FSU schadenfreude train going, but maybe the Ponies can get it back on the rails

Keep an eye on #3 Ohio State @ Michigan State (Peacock) in case something interesting happens, but it probably won't.

-

Washington State @ #25 Boise State - 10 / 9 FS1
This could be really fun. Boise is the leader for the G5 playoff spot. Wazzu plays wild high scoring football. 

Arizona @ #10 Utah - 10:15 / 9:15 ESPN
With Fifita and McMillan, Arizona has the talent to shock Utah if they're still coasting off of last week's victory. 

#8 Oregon @ UCLA - 11 / 10 Fox
Pac-12 After Dark lives! Oregon has been so shaky they can't take any game for granted, especially in this weird of a timeslot.

 

Edited September 24 by texifornia

[JBJ 3649]

Main screen viewing plan.  There are a lot of other good football games in the evening slot. 

Noon: #20 Oklahoma State @ #23 Kansas State with Kentucky @ #6 Ole Miss on upset alert.

Afternoon:  Mississippi State @ #1 Texas

Evening:  #2 Georgia @ #4 Alabama

After Dark: Washington State @ #25 Boise State Wazzou is being slept on right now.

[texifornia 56559]

 

[Bodacious Bevo 3576]

I'm kind of rooting for Akansas this year. I don't share their hatred (even though I was there in 2021) and the offense is fun. They're an underdog story. Pittman seems cool and the Petrino story line is entertaining. I'm hoping they beat A&M and make a little noise in the SEC mid tier. 

Edited September 24 by Bodacious Bevo

[Not a cat 5622]

50 minutes ago, texifornia said:

 

So we just continue our SEC schedule?  Fuck that, I'd like to play some other teams.  I wonder if the committee will get creative w seeds 5-12 to avoid rematches or just conference battles until later rounds.  Or are seeds 5-12 mathematically locked in by formula?

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

59 minutes ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

I'm kind of rooting for Akansas this year. I don't share their hatred (even though I was there in 2021) and the offense is fun. They're an underdog story. Pittman seems cool and the Petrino story line is entertaining. I'm hoping they beat A&M and make a little noise in the SEC mid tier. 

They can beat A&M and then DIAF.

[texifornia 56559]

 

[Sal 1088]

1 hour ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

I'm kind of rooting for Akansas this year. I don't share their hatred (even though I was there in 2021) and the offense is fun. They're an underdog story. Pittman seems cool and the Petrino story line is entertaining. I'm hoping they beat A&M and make a little noise in the SEC mid tier. 

[Hermanator 6954]

48 minutes ago, Not a cat said:

So we just continue our SEC schedule?  Fuck that, I'd like to play some other teams.  I wonder if the committee will get creative w seeds 5-12 to avoid rematches or just conference battles until later rounds.  Or are seeds 5-12 mathematically locked in by formula?

The top 4 seeds with the bye are conference champions right? Then they would all be in line to play each other if the chalk holds, and only one of them can be SEC. So that scenario has us as the SEC champion #1 seed in the semi finals while Georgia and Alabama score "upsets" over 2-4 seeds from other conferences. 

Edited September 24 by Hermanator

[Gucci_Suit 2611]

56 minutes ago, Not a cat said:

So we just continue our SEC schedule?  Fuck that, I'd like to play some other teams.  I wonder if the committee will get creative w seeds 5-12 to avoid rematches or just conference battles until later rounds.  Or are seeds 5-12 mathematically locked in by formula?

Maybe this is the grind our aggy friends were warning us about? New territory for  us, we should listen to them. 

[BurntEyes 5836]

1 hour ago, Hermanator said:

The top 4 seeds with the bye are conference champions right? Then they would all be in line to play each other if the chalk holds, and only one of them can be SEC. So that scenario has us as the SEC champion #1 seed in the semi finals while Georgia and Alabama score "upsets" over 2-4 seeds from other conferences. 

I'll admit ignorance here, but surely the P2 isn't still getting a fucking Bye for winning..  whatever that is.. right!?!? 

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

Just now, BurntEyes said:

I'll admit ignorance here, but surely the P2 isn't still getting a fucking Bye for winning..  whatever that is.. right!?!? 

ACC, B1G, SEC, Big 12 champions will get byes, imo. 

[BurntEyes 5836]

Well, it's official this week. Again, most of the games I'll be primarily focused on is to watch a team lose, not just to watch good football. I'm a sick man who needs help. I've highlighted the team I want to win in my fuck em all year of football. I did bold the games that I think have legit CFP and conference championship implications. There are a good number of them and I feel this might be the weekend where upsets start to really pop up and I have underlined the games I think are ripe for that action.

 

Virginia Tech @ #7 Miami - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN

Washington @ Rutgers - 8 / 7 Fox

Kentucky @ #6 Ole Miss - 12 / 11 ABC

#20 Oklahoma State @ #23 Kansas State - 12 / 11 ABC

#22 BYU @ Baylor - 12 / 11 

Arkansas @ #24 Texas A&M - 3:30 / 2:30 ESPN

#15 Louisville @ #16 Notre Dame - 3:30 / 2:30 Peacock (Jesus Chris, really?)

#21 Oklahoma @ Auburn - 3:30 / 2:30 ABC

UNC @ Duke - 4 / 3 ESPN2 

Mississippi State @ #Texas  4:15 / 3:15 SECN

#2 Georgia @ #4 Alabama - 7:30 / 6:30 ABC

#19 Illinois @ #9 Penn State - 7:30 / 6:30 NBC

Florida State @ SMU - 7:30 / 6:30 ACCN

Washington State @ #25 Boise State - 10 / 9 FS1

Arizona @ #10 Utah - 10:15 / 9:15 ESPN

#8 Oregon @ UCLA - 11 / 10 Fox

 

Edited September 24 by BurntEyes

[BurntEyes 5836]

19 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

ACC, B1G, SEC, Big 12 champions will get byes, imo. 

Lol... I fucking forgot about the Big 12.

[JBJ 3649]

52 minutes ago, BurntEyes said:

I'll admit ignorance here, but surely the P2 isn't still getting a fucking Bye for winning..  whatever that is.. right!?!? 

The P2 is playing by Notre Dame rules this year.  At Large only.

[The Dog 43836]

1 hour ago, BurntEyes said:

Virginia Tech @ #7 Miami - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN

 

If the Canes don't absolutely crush the Hokies then we'll know they are a fraud.

[BurntEyes 5836]

2 minutes ago, The Dog said:

If the Canes don't absolutely crush the Hokies then we'll know they are a fraud.

I fully agree, and I'm basing my potential upsets on teams that I'm not fully sold on for various reasons. I openly admit, it probably won't be the teams I selected by my football spidey sense says we past are due for a big upset weekend. If I was forced to pick, probably Penn State or Oklahoma are the two I think might be most prime. Of course, now that I've said it, the Fighting Illini and War Eagle are both getting curb stomped.

[Hermanator 6954]

4 hours ago, BurntEyes said:

I'll admit ignorance here, but surely the P2 isn't still getting a fucking Bye for winning..  whatever that is.. right!?!? 

It's the 4 highest ranked conference champions get byes. 

So if Okie St or Utah or whoever wins the Big 12 and are 1 of the 4 highest ranked conference champions they'll get a bye. And if we win the SEC that means a Big 12 and ACC champion probably gets the likes of Georgia, Alabama, or Ole Miss in round 2

[nineliveslost 2710]

7 hours ago, texifornia said:

 

This 12 team playoff is dumb. We win the SEC , then we play another SEC team in the quarterfinals and then play another SEC in the semifinal and then play another SEC team in the championship game. 

So we could be undefeated playing a 2 or 3 loss team for the championship. From the same fucking conference that we just fucking won!!! dumb

[BurntEyes 5836]

27 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

It's the 4 highest ranked conference champions get byes. 

So if Okie St or Utah or whoever wins the Big 12 and are 1 of the 4 highest ranked conference champions they'll get a bye. And if we win the SEC that means a Big 12 and ACC champion probably gets the likes of Georgia, Alabama, or Ole Miss in round 2

I know amigo, in my next post I realized I went full regard and brain farted on the Big XII. That's all. No clue why it went completely out of my memory. 

[Magus Ossis 2784]

2 hours ago, nineliveslost said:

This 12 team playoff is dumb. We win the SEC , then we play another SEC team in the quarterfinals and then play another SEC in the semifinal and then play another SEC team in the championship game. 

So we could be undefeated playing a 2 or 3 loss team for the championship. From the same fucking conference that we just fucking won!!! dumb

There is not going to be a perfect solution. Smaller tournament = undefeated or otherwise "deserving" teams can be left out. Larger tournament = "undeserving" teams get to compete for the title. 12 is a compromise; any team not among the top 5 conference winners or top 7 at-large is unlikely to have a legitimate claim to be the champion. Conversely, one could think about it as our conference alignment is so good now that the potential champions largely get to face each other in exciting regular season games in pool play before the single-elimination phase. At least now the championships aren't mythical. This beats the heck out of our treatment in 2008.

[Texasrocks 2124]

2 hours ago, nineliveslost said:

This 12 team playoff is dumb. We win the SEC , then we play another SEC team in the quarterfinals and then play another SEC in the semifinal and then play another SEC team in the championship game. 

So we could be undefeated playing a 2 or 3 loss team for the championship. From the same fucking conference that we just fucking won!!! dumb

That could happen, but it'll probably be like the NCAA tournament with a major upset or two each year and then the usual suspects playing for the championship.

[TrashMaster G 17393]

4 hours ago, nineliveslost said:

This 12 team playoff is dumb. We win the SEC , then we play another SEC team in the quarterfinals and then play another SEC in the semifinal and then play another SEC team in the championship game. 

So we could be undefeated playing a 2 or 3 loss team for the championship. From the same fucking conference that we just fucking won!!! dumb

In a world where conferences are too big to play round-robin schedules, what is your solution?

[nineliveslost 2710]

6 hours ago, TrashMaster G said:

In a world where conferences are too big to play round-robin schedules, what is your solution?

No polls until Oct

No repeat games for conference championships. 

7 highest rated conference champions and 1 at large. You want to bitch about being left out, win your conference. It also might stop conferences from growing to the ungodly number they have now. Conferences should be regional anyway (8teams). I also always liked the Cinderella stories from basketball, small schools just might upset some teams. Strongest conference would get 2 in. 

Top 4 conference winners get home games

might not be perfect but it's my wish

 

 

[WBT 20429]

9 hours ago, Magus Ossis said:

At least now the championships aren't mythical.

Get back to me the first time a 3 loss team beats an undefeated in the championship game.

I loved that college football was unique in American sports in that the entire season mattered, not just a compressed postseason tournament with artificial stakes to make the owners espn more money

Edited September 25 by WBT

[BurntEyes 5836]

1 hour ago, WBT said:

Get back to me the first time a 3 loss team beats an undefeated in the championship game.

I loved that college football was unique in American sports in that the entire season mattered, not just a compressed postseason tournament with artificial stakes to make the owners espn more money

Remember when we saw to SEC teams play again for the national championship? Remember a loss to Tech eliminated Texas. Remember TCU not getting a chance to play.

The old system was based on rankings of coaches and media with insane biases and people who sometimes didn't even watch the games.

That's a shitty ass system. You may love it for nostalgia sake, but it was broken and didn't work. That's what made it unique.

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

1 hour ago, WBT said:

Get back to me the first time a 3 loss team beats an undefeated in the championship game.

I loved that college football was unique in American sports in that the entire season mattered, not just a compressed postseason tournament with artificial stakes to make the owners espn more money

I understand the argument. 

Let’s say Texas wins out all the way to the playoff final. UGA loses to Texas and Tennessee but gets in as an at large and wins to make the final. 

Texas is 15-0 with a win over UGA. UGA is 13-2 with a previous loss to Texas. Play the championship game or not?

Or Texas finishes 12-0 and UGA is second in the conference at 11-1. Play the championship game or not?

If an unbeaten team is set up to play a team with a loss in the national championship game, just cancel it? Or only cancel it if they’ve already played?

There are no perfect solutions.

[Js1 85141]

2 hours ago, nineliveslost said:

No repeat games for conference championships. 

 

You say this until it's 8-0 Georgia and 7-1 Texas and 7-1 Ole Miss or Missouri and according to your logic, Texas has to sit at home because it would be a rematch.

I'd be pissed about that. 

Edited September 25 by Js1

[nineliveslost 2710]

4 minutes ago, Js1 said:

You say this until it's 8-0 Georgia and 7-1 Texas and 7-1 Ole Miss or Missouri and according to your logic, Texas has to sit at home because it would be a rematch.

I'd be pissed about that. 

Then one of those 7-1 teams has a chance to be the at large 8th team in the playoffs. 

Win the conference games and then win the conference. Leaves out anything to be pissed about. 

[TrashMaster G 17393]

3 hours ago, nineliveslost said:

No polls until Oct

No repeat games for conference championships. 

7 highest rated conference champions and 1 at large. You want to bitch about being left out, win your conference. It also might stop conferences from growing to the ungodly number they have now. Conferences should be regional anyway (8teams). I also always liked the Cinderella stories from basketball, small schools just might upset some teams. Strongest conference would get 2 in. 

Top 4 conference winners get home games

might not be perfect but it's my wish

Ok, so we are talking some dream scenario, not something that works well with the conferences AS IS.

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

59 minutes ago, nineliveslost said:

Then one of those 7-1 teams has a chance to be the at large 8th team in the playoffs. 

Win the conference games and then win the conference. Leaves out anything to be pissed about. 

If all conferences were equally strong, sure. The 7th best conference champion over an 11-1 SEC team is almost certainly going to be nonsensical. 

[Crockett 489]

On 9/24/2024 at 8:55 AM, texifornia said:

#22 BYU @ Baylor - 12 / 11 FS1
Speaking of bouncing back from those games, is BYU for real? Can Aranda rally the Bears after they gave up a Hail Mary with a defensive playcall called "Victory Cigar"?

The Other Holy War

[Magus Ossis 2784]

17 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

If all conferences were equally strong, sure. The 7th best conference champion over an 11-1 SEC team is almost certainly going to be nonsensical. 

Especially if that loss were, for example, early season and close to a great team. Imagine a rolling ball of butcher knives being left out of the playoff so that Texas State could go as the conference champion #5 or #7? Is the sacredness of a conference championship so great that either 11-1 tOSU or 11-1 Bama should sit at home and watch Liberty play for all the marbles?

 

EDIT oh, and remember that meaningless game no one cared about in Ann Arbor. I mean, it didn't materially affect our path to the playoffs so why even play it? Probably no one even watched it. I bet no one tunes in for the game at Pyle field in November if we already have a CCG appearance clinched because the games don't mean anything in the era of the 12TCFP.

Edited September 25 by Magus Ossis

[JBJ 3649]

33 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

If all conferences were equally strong, sure. The 7th best conference champion over an 11-1 SEC team is almost certainly going to be nonsensical. 

So you aren't looking forward to Alabama hosting Miami (OH) in the first round of the playoffs?

[Bevo14 8275]

23 hours ago, Gucci_Suit said:

Maybe this is the grind our aggy friends were warning us about? New territory for  us, we should listen to them. 

Never territory for them

[CDC4Heisman 10]

6 hours ago, nineliveslost said:

No polls until Oct

No repeat games for conference championships. 

7 highest rated conference champions and 1 at large. You want to bitch about being left out, win your conference. It also might stop conferences from growing to the ungodly number they have now. Conferences should be regional anyway (8teams). I also always liked the Cinderella stories from basketball, small schools just might upset some teams. Strongest conference would get 2 in. 

Top 4 conference winners get home games

might not be perfect but it's my wish

 

 

My dream scenario is pretty close to this. 8 Team playoff. Now that we have 4 power conferences, winning teams of Conf. Championships get home games for the quarterfinals, losers go home (and cannot make the playoff). 3 At-larges, 1 G5 guaranteed at least the 8th spot. Effectively, it's a 12 team playoff because the conference championships are de-facto playoff games, but then they really, actually matter. Though teams that don't make the conference championships that get in may have the benefit of rest, they have to play an away game as a 'compromise'. As a bonus, the conference champion fans get an awesome experience and environment with an extra home game mega-matchup, which they don't have to travel for.

It may also be imperfect, but it means regular season matters (mostly), conference position and championships matter, and the best teams get a badass home game every year. 

 

[Ignatius 4002]

10 hours ago, nineliveslost said:

No polls until Oct

No repeat games for conference championships. 

7 highest rated conference champions and 1 at large. You want to bitch about being left out, win your conference. It also might stop conferences from growing to the ungodly number they have now. Conferences should be regional anyway (8teams). I also always liked the Cinderella stories from basketball, small schools just might upset some teams. Strongest conference would get 2 in. 

Top 4 conference winners get home games

might not be perfect but it's my wish

 

 

Genuine question - why do the polls matter?

[BurntEyes 5836]

18 minutes ago, Ignatius said:

Genuine question - why do the polls matter?

Genuine Answer: they shouldn't. 

But a relatively easy fix... which will never happen, because clicks...

No preseason coaches or AP poll. First poll released for the first time after the 1st or second weekend of Oct.

That removes a shit ton of "FSU" and "ND" are great and the tons of bullshit speculation about this ranked team beat so and so...

Based on zero on field performances. Preseason polls is and has been the biggest piece of bullshit forever. It's also why blue bloods have always started the season, regardless of talent and ability, in a FAR, FAR better position than also rans.

But.... the old system was perfect and now it's going to shit. - some romantic bullshit notion based on revisionist history.

 

[Hagbard Celine 10771]

On 9/24/2024 at 1:00 PM, texifornia said:

 

domer with the worst success rate in the country and still ranked

[Ignatius 4002]

50 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

domer with the worst success rate in the country and still ranked

Dude I think that’s Kennesaw State…

[Hagbard Celine 10771]

well fuck me should have clicked through to see a larger graphic

[Bevo14 8275]

7 hours ago, Ignatius said:

Dude I think that’s Kennesaw State…

[futureman 22418]

On 9/24/2024 at 8:26 AM, JBJ said:

Wazzou is being slept on right now.

their qb, mateer, who does everything for them, was a garbage recruit out of the metroplex a couple years ago.  played at little elm. 

[Pimphand 5609]

On 9/24/2024 at 1:04 PM, Sal said:

 

[runthebone 7932]

Quote

Mack vs. the creeping sense of inevitable decline and decay!

I think this game took place already last dexade

[Huckleberry 32709]

On 9/24/2024 at 7:07 PM, nineliveslost said:

This 12 team playoff is dumb. We win the SEC , then we play another SEC team in the quarterfinals and then play another SEC in the semifinal and then play another SEC team in the championship game. 

So we could be undefeated playing a 2 or 3 loss team for the championship. From the same fucking conference that we just fucking won!!! dumb

Late to this but this isn't a problem with the 12 team playoff. It's a problem caused by consolidation into super conferences that for some reason lots of fans love because the corporate interests who make money off of it on their TVs tell them it's awesome. 

[PencilPusher 454]

Since most teams are a third of the way through their schedule, some trends to watch as we get into the meat of conference season

• The likely winner of the 12 team playoff will come from the SEC. Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee all look the part so far this season. Ole Miss does too but need to see them play someone with a pulse in the SEC before adding them to the list. Mizzou is not a Top 10 team and are easily the odd man out in this scenario
• The only non-SEC teams that as of today could crash that party are Ohio St and Miami. Ohio State has been living on easy street, but their 2nd half of the season is a bit more rugged with trips to Oregon and Penn St and the season ender against Michigan still to come. Miami should coast to the ACC championship unless Cam Ward goes down...is Clempson their only obstacle in the way to a 1st round bye?
• As for the ACC and Big 12, one of these conferences may only get their champion in the playoff (and both leagues need to root hard for at least one more Notre Dame loss to avoid this scenario). The ACC is not a good league outside of Miami and perhaps Clemson. The Big 12 has more potential teams but way more parity. If Cam Rising comes back and stays healthy, Utah is probably the best team, but after that who knows. So far Iowa State and BYU look feisty, but everyone on this board knows that there isn't a lot that separates these teams and a whole lot of them will have 2-3 losses. League lacks P4 wins in non-conference (Iowa State and Ok State are the only teams to have one and only ISU's win in El Assico will stand the test of time) and that may be problematic going up against SEC and Big 10 powerhouses with much better resumes.

Will continue to watch these trendlines...

As for the games this week:

Georgia-Alabama - Georgia has the most difficult conference slate of all of the aforementioned championship contenders with roadies to Bama, Texas, and Ole Miss and a home game with Tennessee. So this feels like a bit of a must win for GA as they have to go 2-2 in these four games against the other SEC contenders to have a shot at the playoff. Concern about GA's ability to run the ball and offensive playmakers which is why I like Bama here.

Louisville-ND - If either team has playoff aspirations, this is a must win. Haven't seen much of Louisville but they did have a nice win over a solid GaTech team last week. Riley Leonard has been something of a disappointment for the Irish, particularly throwing the football and they have actually struggled with MAC teams at home this season. So I will not be surprised to see Louisville and former Techster Tyler Shough roll into Notre Dame Stadium and come out with a win, re-igniting the doubts about Marcus Freeman's ability to get the Irish to the level Brian Kelly had them. 

Illinois-Penn State - As mentioned above, sneaky good game as the Illini have their second consecutive roadie to open Big 10 play and a much taller order in Penn State. Illinois will hang with Penn State for a while, but the Penn State defense is still pretty good and Drew Allar is the best QB the Illini have seen so far...Penn State opens it up in the 2nd half and wins comfortably vaulting them potentially back in the discussion of being a real championship contender (despite the James Franklin coaching disadvantage). 

Ok State-K State - Elimination bowl for playoff possibilities as neither team had a super impressive non-conference win and both were effectively dominated by Utah schools last week. Ollie Gordon has entered the witness protection program and has not been seen this year and Alan Bowman is well, Alan Bowman. K-State wlll win and hope they can get to Farmageddon without another loss (which their schedule sets up as a possibility). 

Also, I would expect the Aggies to continue their domination of Arkansas in the imitation rivalry game happening during the State Fair of Texas though they will likely gump their way to victory as they seem to every year in this game. Also expect the Aggies to gump their way to at least 8 wins despite their glaring limitations because the only teams they play with a pulse the rest of the way come to Kroger field and their remaining roadies are Miss St, Auburn, and South Carolina. Rich of them to say we got favorable scheduling....

OU and Auburn...first one to 17 wins...

[Getafix 28416]

 

I know, OU Sucks! ... but wouldn't wish injuries on them, and this is pretty bad.

Their top 5 WRs - Anderson/Farooq/Anthony/Gibson/Burks - were listed as Out on today's report.  

If truly out, wow ... 

****************************************************************************************************************

NORMAN – The second availability report for Oklahoma's first road trip of the 2024 season at Auburn has been officially released by the SEC on Thursday evening. 

• On Wednesday, seven Sooners were ruled out of the contest against the Tigers - with three more joining that group in the Thursday update in wide receivers Deion Burks and Andrel Anthony along with running back Taylor Tatum. 

  Anthony and Tatum don't come as much of a surprise after their "doubtful" designation on Wednesday, but the loss of Burks is an inarguable big blow after his "questionable" listing initially. Without Burks, the Sooners will now be operating without their top five wideouts going into the preseason in Burks, Anthony, Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq and Jayden Gibson.

  An additional update will be provided on Friday evening at around 7 p.m. CT. A final pregame report will be published no later than 90 minutes before kickoff Saturday, which means final status designations for those players should be made public by 1 p.m. CT.

  According to the SEC's student-athlete availability reporting policy, "probable" means a player has a 75% or greater expectancy of playing; "questionable" means a player is uncertain or has a 50% chance of playing; "doubtful" means a player is unlikely to play or has a 25% chance of being available; while "out" means the player will not play that week due to either injury, illness, suspension, ineligibility or personal matter. Availability reports do not include information on injuries or other additional context surrounding a player's status. Teams are permitted to provide additional information at their own discretion via press release, social media post or coach's comment, so long as the information is consistent with the player's status on the availability report.

  Below is the full availability report for Oklahoma and for Auburn:

  Oklahoma availability report

  Player	Position	Status
  Jayden Gibson	WR	Out
  Jalil Farooq	WR	Out
  Nic Anderson	WR	Out
  Gentry Williams	DB	Out
  Kendel Dolby	DB	Out
  Geirean Hatchett	OL	Out
  Tyler Keltner	K	Out
  Andrel Anthony	WR	Out
  Taylor Tatum	RB	Out
  Dasan McCullough	LB	Questionable
  Deion Burks	WR	Out
  Jake Taylor	OL	Probable

   

  Auburn availability report

  Player	Position	Status
  Tyler Scott	DB	Out
  Champ Anthony	DB	Out
  Brandon Frazier	TE	Out
  Isaiah Raikes	DL	Probable
  Alex McPherson	K	Probable
  Izavion Miller	OL	Probable

 

 

 

[Huckleberry 32709]

Fuck 'em. They can miss every football game at OU and go on to live happy and healthy lives.

[texifornia 56559]